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“LEGISLATIVE SESSION” mentioning Roy Blunt was published in the Senate section on pages S5149-S5154 on July 29.
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LEGISLATIVE SESSION
______
INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE
TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT--Motion to Proceed
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 3684, which the clerk will report.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
Motion to proceed to H.R. 3684, a bill to authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes.
Mr. McCONNELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk with will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, late last night, there was a vote on the floor which was historic. I will address the subject matter in a moment. But 17 Republicans joined the Democrats in an amazing commitment to building America's infrastructure. I will speak to the specifics of that in a moment. But I wanted to recount another event this morning which was not as widely published but could be very important to many American families.
Prescription Drug Costs
Madam President, if you ask families across the United States to list the top three things they are worried about in terms of pocketbook issues and things that Congress can address, I will bet you that they will end up putting the costs of prescription drugs on that list every time. They know what happened. These prescription drug costs have gone through the roof. For many people, it is a real hardship.
I was looking this morning at some of the information we have about insulin, and, you know, for millions of Americans that is literally a life-and-death drug. Insulin was discovered decades ago. The gentleman and those who did the research to find it basically gave away all of their patent rights--the rights to make any money off of insulin--for
$1. They said you can't take a life-and-death drug and put a pricetag on it. It has to be shared by people.
Jonas Salk did exactly the same thing when it came to the polio vaccine in the 1950s. He found this breakthrough vaccine--and I was one of the early schoolkids to sign up for it--and said: I don't want to make a penny off of this. This means too much to America and the world.
Bless both of those individuals for that kind of selflessness.
Yet when it comes to drugs like insulin today, and Sanofi, one of the largest producers of insulin, in the year 2000, was charging $35 for a dose of insulin. It has now had the price rise 25 times since then. The price of an insulin vial is $350, creating a real hardship and a real strain for many families who are dependent on insulin to keep themselves or their children alive.
So, this morning, we had a meeting in the Senate Judiciary Committee. We considered four pieces of legislation on a bipartisan basis--let me underline that: bipartisan basis--and passed all four measures unanimously with voice votes. I could tell you, having served on that committee for over 20 years, it is a rare day that everything goes through with bipartisan support on an issue of consequence. Today was one of those days.
One of the bills, the Stop Significant and Time-wasting Abuse Limiting Legitimate Innovation of New Generics Act--the Stop STALLING Act--by Senators Klobuchar and Grassley, was advanced by a voice vote.
What we are finding is that the pharmaceutical industry is designing new ways on a regular basis to delay the surrender of their patents. As long as they have patents--and most of those are for 20 years--they have the exclusive right to sell that drug, and no one can compete with them. At the end of 20 years, the theory goes that the generic drug companies step in, make the same drug for a much lower cost, and the consumer finally gets a break.
Well, you can imagine the lawyers and businessmen in many pharmaceutical companies who are trying to delay that moment of when the generics step in for as long as possible. This bill that we passed this morning, which will be coming to the Senate floor, addresses that.
We want to have access to generics and biosimilar treatments. We want to make sure that the loopholes and tricks that the pharmaceutical industry is using now to delay the generic drugs coming onto market come to an end. This was an amazing array of drugs that, I think, will have a direct impact on America and its future.
H.R. 3684
Speaking of impact, Madam President, what happened last night was historic.
As I mentioned, 17 Republicans joined the Democrats in passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill. It is rare that we come together on something that significant, with that much bipartisanship. We are now in the midst of the debate on that bill, on the cloture vote, and our time is running. I hope, soon, that we can get to the merits of the bill and get it enacted as quickly as possible.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebuild our Nation's roads, railways, and bridges; to make high-speed internet and clean water realities for every home in America; and to create millions of good-paying, family-supporting, and, in many cases, union jobs across the country.
President Biden said he wanted to build back better when it came to America. He sure showed it last night. We never could have reached that point without his leadership. The White House has been a partner in this bipartisan effort from the start, and 67 Members of the Senate coalesced around this approach. This economy needs to work fairly for everyone and protect our kids and grandkids from climate catastrophe, and a major part of this bill addresses it.
This is a moment the American people have been waiting for. It couldn't have come sooner. Right now, many of our roads and bridges are in terrible disrepair, and our infrastructure is crumbling before our eyes. Every week brings word of a new climate-related crisis: devastating drought and wildfires in the West; melting power lines in Oregon; rolling blackouts in Texas; and, 2 weeks ago, there was a bridge collapsing in my State of Illinois.
Take a look at this picture. Let me describe what you are seeing here.
This was a scene in a small, rural town in Illinois, in Seneca, when a bridge on the River Road gave way to extreme flooding. As you can see down here, the pavement comes to an end, and you can see all the way through. When that bridge came apart, typically and in good fashion, a group of Illinoisans stepped up as Good Samaritans and pulled the driver out of this vehicle that was straddling this breaking highway. A local police officer said the driver was ``really lucky that he didn't end up in the creek under the bridge.''
I am grateful that nobody was harmed that evening. I thank the first responders, as well, for coming to the rescue. But now, 2 weeks later, that bridge is still broken, and the taxpayers in my home State are stuck paying the tab. Repairs are going to cost over a million bucks.
This is just one example of the failure to invest in our Nation's roads and bridges that is costing us. Every 4 years, the American Society of Civil Engineers gives a report card on our roads and bridges and their safety. For decades, it has been filled with the kind of grades that you wouldn't want your kids to bring home from school. The overall grade this year was a C minus, in the United States of America, for the wealthiest nation and the largest economy on Earth. Imagine.
If we continue to neglect the arteries of our economy, the situation will get worse. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that the continued underinvestment in our Nation's infrastructure could cost
$10 trillion of loss in GDP over the next two decades, a major drain on city and State budgets, but, more importantly, a threat to families and their safety when they travel.
This truckdriver had no idea that he would take his truck out on this road and, at the end of the day, be lucky to still be alive. Our Nation has one of the highest road fatality rates in the world. And nearly 1 in 12 bridges in America is considered structurally deficient. This is one of them. That means that they are at the risk of being compromised by extreme weather, which is becoming more and more common with climate change. Any of us could become that man on the bridge in Seneca, IL, who was saved by his neighbors.
The infrastructure proposal we are considering at this very moment would eliminate this threat across America, rehabilitate our roads and bridges, keep our economy growing, and make our families safe. With this historic infrastructure proposal, we are removing the hazards from our communities and establishing a better foundation for our economy. Let's take a glance at some of the achievements under this bipartisan proposal.
It is the largest ever investment in public transit in America's history. I called the mayor of the city of Chicago yesterday, and I said: I think I have some good news for you. We are going to be able to build that transit system out, make it more accessible for those with disabilities, have safer stations, and expand the reach of transit in the city of Chicago.
I called downstate, to the Springfield Mass Transit District, to tell them the good news as well: more buses that are fuel-efficient, electric buses, and buses that really acknowledge that we need a response to the climate situation.
A historic expansion in electric vehicle infrastructure is part of this bill. Electric vehicles are the future. Don't believe me when I say it, and don't wait for some government spokesman to say it. Just turn on your TV and watch the advertisements.
The Ford F-150 Lightning--this electric truck--is so popular in America and has an electrifying ad. To say that it is available now is an overstatement. But it will be soon. They put on the ad, if you look at the very end of it: If you want to reserve one of these trucks, here is the website you should contact.
That is happening more and more--an electrified Mustang, for example.
All of these suggest that the private sector is racing ahead of those of us in government, realizing that electric vehicles are the future. This plan will help automakers win the race worldwide, and it will be the most important auto race in our history to make sure that electric vehicles have the American imprint on them.
This bipartisan plan is a move for the future. For families in Illinois, the funding means parents won't have to worry about a bridge collapse while taking their kids to school, and it means they can trust the water coming out of the faucet to be clean and safe. For parents in the city of Chicago, with more lead service lines than any city in the United States, it could be a lifesaver.
These are the investments we need if we want America to win the 21st century. By making them today, with interest rates now at a historic low, we can reap the benefit for decades to come, and that is not just my assessment. Last week, Moody's chief economist said that President Biden's plan to build back better ``will lift the economy's longer term growth potential and ease inflation pressures''--two things that all of us endorse.
Let me say that again for my fellow Senators. Many on the other side of the aisle who can't wait to give a looming inflation speech. This package, according to Moody's chief economist, ``will lift the economy's longer term growth potential and ease inflation pressures.''
Earlier this morning, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported for the first time our Nation's economic output has surpassed the pre-
pandemic high.
We are back in the saddle. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, people feel safe and more financially secure. They are heading back out into the world, shopping and dining at restaurants and traveling.
Let me add quickly: The incidents we are finding of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths are almost exclusively from people who are not vaccinated--not vaccinated. They are the ones who are the most vulnerable, and they make innocent people, like our children, more vulnerable because of their decision not to be vaccinated.
This growth in our economy reflects a simple truth: Relief for working families benefits all Americans and drives our economy forward. We have a lot of work to do to build this economy, but this is where we should start.
I want to thank the bipartisan group of Senators who came together to produce this package. In many ways, it is miraculous. This agreement can do more and enable us to repair America's roads and bridges. It can show us the way a divided Senate can come together for the good of this country.
Just remember, there wasn't a single infrastructure bill--major infrastructure bill--in the last 5 years, under the previous President, not one. We are doing it now on a bipartisan basis that is long overdue.
I want to thank President Joe Biden for his determined leadership. Nothing this big and important is ever accomplished with a President standing on the sidelines.
Joe Biden promised to work with both parties to make America work for all Americans, and he has. This is an achievement we can be proud of.
Immigration
Madam President, let me conclude by saying that the Senate Republican leader, Senator McConnell, came to the floor this morning to speak of immigration. I am glad he did because it is a topic we cannot ignore and must not ignore.
We have not passed a significant immigration bill in the United States of America in 36 years. Ronald Reagan was the President. And when you come with a list of horribles with the current immigration system, it is almost endless--the unfairness of the system.
But the Senator from Kentucky took a position which I take exception to. He believes that if we allow any immigrant into this country, it is a green light, as he called it, for others to try to come in legally or illegally.
I think he is dead wrong, because every year--every year--in the United States of America, with a population of over 320 million, we legally allow 1 million new immigrants to become this country, every year. That is what America is all about. We are a nation of immigrants, and we understand the value of immigrants to our country.
We had a hearing last week on farm workers. We have 2.4 million farm workers who pick the crops and process the food that we enjoy at every single meal--2.4 million. And, sadly, many of them are in horrible circumstances under our immigration laws. They are subject to deportation and arrest at any moment. For what? For being here picking the crops that our kids eat for breakfast and things that we count on every single day.
So the House of Representatives took a step forward, a bipartisan step forward. Thirty Republicans joined the Democrats to pass a farm worker bill. I want to give special credit to Senator Mike Bennet, who has been a leader in this area. We have an agreement in this bill, for both growers and workers, to give those who do that back-breaking labor, day in and day out, a chance and a path to citizenship.
One of the critics came to our committee and said: Oh, mass amnesty for farm workers--why would we want to do that? These people come in and pick a few crops and we are going to give them citizenship.
I wish he would have taken a minute to read the bill. You know how many years it takes picking that farm crop to be eligible for citizenship under this bill? Fourteen to 19 years. Nineteen years. Does that sound like somebody stealing across the border, pretending to be a farm worker to become a citizen? Nineteen years of your life and then you are eligible.
It is only common human decency for us to do that.
We need workers in so many areas. In a hearing yesterday on meat processing, I asked the major companies that process meat in this country: What percentage of your workforce processing that meat are immigrant labor?
Well, they weren't sure. I know the number. The Migration Policy Institute tells us that 40 percent of the people who are processing poultry and meat in this country are immigrants.
Why? Why are they attracted to this job? Because so few Americans are attracted. They need to have immigrant labor to make up the difference. It is hard, hot, dangerous, back-breaking labor, and they do it every darn day so we can enjoy our meals.
And to say that we are going to ignore that reality, that we don't need a single immigrant in this country, is mindless.
I would just invite those who don't believe we need immigrants in this country going to work to make this a better nation, skip a few meals, because what is on your table is there because of immigrant labor.
Face the reality. Be honest about it, be fair about it, and don't label all of these people who are working in our country as would-be terrorists who are taking away valuable American jobs. They are an important part of America's past and an important part of our future.
I yield the floor
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican whip.
Border Security
Mr. THUNE. Madam President, the Biden border crisis continues unabated. Far from being the seasonal surge the President claimed months ago, the numbers at the border keep growing.
Last month, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered more than 188,000 individuals attempting to cross our southern border. That is not only the highest number seen so far this year; that is the highest monthly number in 21 years--21 years.
In all, Customs and Border Protection has had more than 1.1 million encounters along our southern border so far in fiscal year 2021, and we still have 3 months to go. In fiscal year 2019, by comparison, the year before COVID, total--total--encounters for the entire fiscal year were under 980,000 individuals.
We have a border crisis--a crisis that President Biden seems unable or unwilling to address.
And as massive as those numbers I have mentioned are, they don't take into account those individuals who are sneaking across the border without being apprehended. Some of them are, no doubt, individuals who are looking for a better life. Others are almost undoubtedly criminals, engaged in the kind of illicit activities that we have to combat along our southern border--human trafficking, drug smuggling, and others.
In June, Customs and Border Protection seized more than 1,000 pounds of fentanyl along our southern border, an incredibly dangerous drug that some have pushed to classify as a weapon of mass destruction. That is more fentanyl than was seized in that area in the previous three Junes combined.
What has the Biden administration been doing to deal with the crisis along our border? Well, not much.
There has been no move to reinstate the national emergency designation for our southern border that President Biden canceled after he took office. There is no meaningful plan for stopping the flood of illegal immigration and enhancing security along our southern border. There is no move to reinstate funding for the congressionally mandated border wall that President Biden canceled.
In fact, the President is apparently contemplating ending title 42, which has allowed the government to immediately remove apprehended individuals in order to help manage the COVID crisis.
That is right. At the same time the CDC is expanding its masking guidance for Americans, the administration is contemplating ending a measure to help stop COVID-infected individuals from entering the United States.
And I haven't even mentioned the fact that apparently the administration has released tens of thousands of individuals into the United States without court dates, many of whom have failed to show up at Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices as directed.
The border situation is out of control, and President Biden bears a big part of the blame.
Immigration has helped build this country, and I strongly support making sure that the United States continues to offer a chance for individuals the world over to achieve their dream of a better life. I also support temporary worker programs, like the H-2B visa program, that allow individuals from other countries to come here for a limited time period to work and for the economic opportunity and then return to their home countries.
I also support a solution that would allow Dreamers to stay in the United States if--if--such a solution is developed in the context of immigration reform and enhanced border security.
But we cannot have endless floods of illegal immigration. No country can. It is a humanitarian nightmare and a serious security risk.
Immigration has to have limits, and, most of all, it has to be legal. We need to protect and encourage legal immigration, while cracking down on illegal immigration.
Unfortunately, Democrats are going in the opposite direction. The word is that Democrats would like to include amnesty in the budget-
busting, tax-and-spending spree that they are pushing to vote on later this year.
That is right. With a serious humanitarian and security crisis along our southern border, Democrats want to include amnesty in their spending plan.
Now, I can only imagine that this will encourage thousands more to make the dangerous trek to and across our southern border, not to mention how such a policy would undermine respect for the rule of law.
I wish I could say that I see some light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the border, but if the Biden administration continues along its current path, I fully expect this security and humanitarian crisis to continue.
I can only hope that President Biden will recognize the problems his policies, or lack thereof, are causing, before too many more individuals suffer the consequences.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.
Remembering Mike Enzi
Mr. MORAN. Madam President, I want to pay tribute to our colleague Mike Enzi and express my condolences to his family and pay my respects to him.
Senator Enzi's long career in public service began when he was elected as mayor of his hometown of Gillette, WY, in 1974.
I can just see Mike Enzi--a younger Mike Enzi--being the mayor of a place like Gillette, WY, and it brings a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart. And I can imagine how hard he worked to see that only good things happened to the citizens of his hometown.
He then went on to serve in the Wyoming House of Representatives and the Wyoming Senate, before being elected to four terms in the U.S. Senate, beginning in 1996.
Prior to being elected to office, Senator Enzi served in the Wyoming Air National Guard.
In Congress, Senator Enzi never wavered in his deeply held values and his beliefs, and yet he was always held by all of us in high esteem, by all of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
He had the ability for bringing a consensus, to bring us together, and that remained true even as this body became increasingly polarized.
In his farewell speech to the Senate, Senator Enzi--unfortunately, just a few months ago, Senator Enzi spoke about his 80-20 rule. It is a rule that those of us who work with him knew well: the rule which emphasized focusing on the 80 percent of issues we agree on versus the 20 percent of issues where we disagree. It allowed Senator Enzi to work with Senators across the political spectrum on legislation that he cared so much about.
Senator Enzi carried himself in a quiet and serious demeanor. He was interested above all in achieving good policy outcomes for the people of Wyoming and the people of our Nation.
His leadership has been missed in this Chamber this year, but his legacy as a statesman and his impact on the State of Wyoming will live on forever.
My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this time, including his wife Diana, their daughters Amy and Emily, and son Brad and his grandchildren.
Senator Enzi, may you rest in peace, and please know that your time in the U.S. Senate and your time living on this Earth was well spent, a role model for the rest of us. Thank you.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Schatz). Without objection, it is so ordered.
Coronavirus
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I learned on Friday that the Department of Justice has opted not to pursue a civil rights investigation into government-run nursing homes in several States about their response to the COVID-19. Earlier this year, I urged the Department to pursue this investigation, and I, today, call on the Attorney General to reconsider this decision that I learned about last Friday. I do that in light of media reports suggesting that the obstruction of justice may have occurred in at least one of these jurisdictions.
Close to 1 year ago, the Department sought information from four States. Those four States are New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. The information sought was about the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in their public nursing homes.
The Department's request for this information came on the heels of media reports suggesting that State officials in these jurisdictions had pressured nursing homes to accept patients, regardless of their COVID-19 status. It was reported that officials in New York also may have engaged in a coverup by actively concealing from the public the actual number of COVID-19-related fatalities in that State's nursing homes.
Serious questions remain to this day about whether the Governors in New York and these three other jurisdictions helped fuel the COVID-19-
related death tolls in nursing homes through the issuance of their own executive orders that went against the advice of geriatricians.
Yet the Department is declining to pursue the matter. And in the case of New York, this is particularly troubling.
New York's Governor not only reportedly pressured nursing homes in his State to accept patients during the initial stage of the pandemic, regardless of their COVID-19 status, but his administration did not provide an accurate picture of the actual death tolls to the public. This lack of transparency was done to avoid accountability. So put very simply, the public deserves better.
According to a report by the New York Post, a top aide to Governor Cuomo even apologized to a group of Democratic State lawmakers during a phone call for reportedly withholding data on COVID-19-related nursing home fatalities during this pandemic.
The Department's Civil Rights Division won't investigate, but at least the FBI and prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney's Office are looking into the matter. These Federal prosecutors' review reportedly focuses on whether Governor Cuomo's administration underreported COVID-19 deaths in the nursing homes in an effort to avoid negative publicity.
At least someone is looking at this. However, I am disappointed that the Justice Department proper and Attorney General Garland have decided to pull their punches.
As I stated today in a letter to the Attorney General, it would be a grave injustice to those who perished in these facilities during the pandemic to neglect to fully explore such widely reported and troubling allegations.
And as others, too, have noted, promoting more accountability and transparency is vital under these circumstances. It would not only help prevent similar missteps in the future but also maintain public confidence in the Department, which is waning under the Department's current leadership.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered
Emergency Security Supplemental to Respond to January 6th
Appropriations Act, 2021
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, as the distinguished Presiding Officer knows from all his involvement and the negotiations that have been going on, we do have an emergency security supplemental issue before us. So I am speaking now to urge that the Senate take up and pass H.R. 3237, which is the Emergency Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, which the House sent over, and we add a Leahy-Shelby substitute amendment.
Let me describe a little bit for my colleagues what the Leahy-Shelby substitute amendment is. It is the result of bipartisan compromise between myself and Vice Chairman Shelby.
We have been working on this for weeks and weekends. Our staff has been working late into the night. And I want to thank Senator Shelby both for his hard work and his friendship.
This $2.1 billion package is designed to address the aftermath of the violent insurrection that took place on January 6, is designed to heal the remaining scars of the COVID pandemic on the Capitol Complex, and provide the resources we need to ensure the safety of our Afghan partners as we conclude our mission in that country.
Let me tell you why there is urgency in this. If we don't act, then the Capitol Police will deplete salaries funding in literally a matter of weeks. The National Guard all over the country will be forced to cancel needed training to carry on their mission at home and abroad. We all remember when we went out speaking to members of the National Guard from most of our States who were here to help with the security of the Capitol in January.
So if we did nothing, that would be sort of a security crisis entirely of our own making in what it would do to the Capitol Police and what it would do to our National Guard.
But by acting, we prevent that crisis. We provide the Capitol Police with $70.7 million in resources for overtime pay, retention bonuses, mental health services, and new equipment and training.
Let me tell you why this is necessary. Since January 6, 73 officers have left the Capitol Police, and that is not sustainable. We have to make a strong statement of support for those officers who defended this building, and all it stands for, on that terrible day.
This week, the Nation is hearing the testimony of the officers who fought the violent insurrectionist mob on that day, and their trauma is real. Anybody watching their testimony knows it cannot be brushed aside.
We also provide $521 million to fully fund the cost of the National Guard deployment to Capitol Hill. From around the country, including my own State of Vermont, the women and men of the National Guard responded without hesitation to our call for help. We shouldn't hesitate to reimburse those costs.
I remember during daylight hours and also late at night going around thanking members of the National Guard, not just from my State but from all the other States, for what they were doing. But I think it takes a little bit more than just a thank-you. We basically told them we will pay for this. Well, now we will.
But that is not all we need to do. We need to secure the Capitol Complex. On January 6, the shattered windows and doors were broadcast to the world, laying bare that our seat of democracy is not some impenetrable fortress. We can't just replace the windows, fix the doors, and say: OK. Everything is fixed. We need to secure the entire complex, including the office buildings where thousands of public servants work and countless constituents visit.
So our bill provides $300 million to harden accessible windows and doors to the Capitol Building and the Senate and House Office Buildings and to install new security cameras around the complex.
Our bill also fulfills our responsibility to support the dedicated public servants who worked overtime, way overtime, to clean up the mess left by a violent mob and diligently worked to ensure our safety during the darkest hours of the pandemic.
We must support those who supported us. That is not just a political or economic responsibility; that is a moral responsibility. That means paying for the costs we have incurred protecting staff, the Members, the entire Capitol community from COVID, including cleaning costs and personal protective equipment, none of which has been paid for. Until now, we covered the costs by robbing Peter to pay Paul. That is unsustainable.
Our bill addresses this by providing $42.1 million to reimburse the costs of cleaning, personal protective equipment, telework equipment, and the salaries of employees and contractors who would have been laid off in the height of the pandemic.
Finally, in the Leahy-Shelby legislation, we stand with the brave Afghans who supported our mission through two decades of war. By now, we have all seen the gruesome reports of men and women being summarily executed in the street, sometimes in front of their families. Why? Because they had supported us. And that slaughter is only going to escalate.
We have to provide resources for additional special immigrant visas, SIVs, for translators and other Afghans who worked with Americans over the past two decades, as well as for additional humanitarian relief to Afghan refugees.
Our bill does just that. It provides $1.125 billion to fulfill our commitment to those brave Afghans.
Let me tell you what the funds will do. They will support emergency transportation, housing, and other essential services to our Afghan partners coming to the United States under special immigrant visas, and humanitarian aid for the inevitable flood of Afghans fleeing to neighboring countries. The United Nations has estimated that could swell to 500,000 refugees in just the next few months.
We have also increased the number of Afghan special immigrant visas by 8,000. We have made improvements to strengthen the program, expand the reach of its protections.
The reason we have this in the Leahy-Shelby bill is that there is bipartisan understanding that this is an urgent need, and we have, as the United States of America, a moral responsibility to address it immediately.
Now, some have said we should just do the bare minimum. Some will say: Let's take care of the most pressing needs now and work on this maybe later on--maybe. But I have served in the U.S. Senate long enough to know that a promise to do something later is no promise at all. I cannot accept a piecemeal approach to the urgent security needs facing our Nation. They are facing us today, not sometime when we may think about it a few months or years from now.
Vice Chairman Shelby has a proven track record of reaching bipartisan compromise. I would note that this agreement does not include everything I want. I am sure it includes some items that he would have preferred to not be included. But it is a strong bipartisan bill. We have come together to give the best piece of legislation possible for the U.S. Senate.
A pandemic happened. A violent insurrection happened. And the President announced the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. The needs are urgent. We must address them now.
So I am urging all Senators to not only support the bill but actually to pass the bill today because it still has to go back to the House of Representatives this week. There is no time. There is no time left. It is a good piece of legislation. It is a necessary piece of legislation, and some would say, at least on the Afghan part, inevitable. Both President Trump and President Biden said they wanted to withdraw our troops this year. Well, they are withdrawing. Now we have to fulfill our responsibility.
Mr. President, I know that Senator Shelby will be on the floor to speak in a few moments, so I will suggest the absence of a quorum and ask that Senator Shelby be recognized when we come out of the quorum call.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. SCHUMER. I ask that I be allowed to speak for a few minutes, do my unanimous consent, and then go right to Senator Shelby.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, first, I want to just give my great thanks to Senator Leahy and Senator Shelby for bringing this vote here right now. The bottom line is very simple: This wasn't easy to get done. A UC on these kinds of issues should be easy, but it is not. Senator Leahy persisted and persisted and persisted, and I want to thank him as well.
Senator Shelby persuaded the Members on his side that we had to move, and they have come up with a good compromise. It is not everything our side wanted, but it is very good.
I also want to thank Senator Klobuchar and Senator Blunt. Their work on the authorizing committee, the Rules Committee, helped pave the way for this, with all the information they brought out, and they deserve a lot of credit.
Now, look, to keep the Capitol Complex safe and secure, we are lucky to have the best of the best. As I said earlier today, our Capitol Police risk their lives for us. They go all out for us. They are really, really important. The National Guard went all out for us, too, on that fateful day and then for months afterwards. I remember walking through the halls early in the morning, thanking them as they were bivouacked out through the Capitol Visitor Center and everything else.
Now we are about to run out of money. Already, the Capitol Police have forgone some of the things that they usually do in terms of training, in terms of other types of activities, and soon, salaries, bonuses, and new hiring will be on the chopping block. Similarly, many of our National Guard units from around the country that sent troops here, soldiers here, men and women here, are running out of money.
We can't let that happen. So passing this amendment is living up to our responsibility to keep this grand Capitol safe, this temple of democracy, this citadel of democracy safe, and to make sure that the people who risk their lives for us and protect us get the help they need.
It shouldn't have taken this long, but here we are, and I am glad we are on the floor.
Unanimous Consent Agreement--H.R. 3237
Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, at a time to be determined by the majority leader, following consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 63, H.R. 3237; that the only amendments in order be the following: the Leahy-Shelby substitute, No. 2123, and the Cotton amendment to the Leahy substitute, No. 2124; that there be 6 minutes for debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate vote in relation to the Cotton and Leahy amendments; that if a budget point of order is raised and a motion to waive is made, the Senate vote on the motion to waive; and that if waived, the bill, as amended, if amended, be considered read a third time and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, as amended, if amended, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all without intervening action or debate, with 60 affirmative votes required for passage of the bill.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. SCHUMER. One more point. I hope this will be unanimous. It is hard for me to believe that any Member would not want to support our Capitol Police. For Members to take umbrage at the Capitol Police when they did their job and protected us for some kind of crazy ideological reason would be disgraceful. I hope there will be a unanimous vote for this.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the agreement now be executed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. SCHUMER. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Senator Leahy.
Thank you, Senator Shelby.
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