why is there such a shortage of air traffic controllers? suddenly it sprang into my memory that ronald reagan initial election in 1980, in august of the following year, i remember quite distinctly that he had fired 11,000 or more air traffic controllers because they were striking, protesting that they were working 12 and 15 hours shift and it was creating a dangerous situation for air traffic -- airline passengers. these people were fired and i was kind of shocked that your guest didn't know or didn't remember or forgot to mention that this was the beginning, this was the line for corporations in this country to start to deal with

to start to do with the rise for the power of unions. still to this day there is a real reduction, there's been a a real reduction over the intervening 40 years or so for more speed is we'll step away from this to take you live to the u.s. senate where today members will be voting on the confirmation of the u.s. ambassador to the southeastern asian nation. this week senators are working on a five-year reauthorization for the federal aviation administration ahead of the friday deadline. that legislation would increase the number of air traffic controllers and require the faa to use new technology to design to prevent collisions on runways. live coverage of the u.s. senate here on c-span2. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray.

eternal god, known to us in countless ways, thank you for answering when we call. lord, we turn to you that in your light we might see light. illuminate the minds of our lawmakers regarding how to solve the difficult problems of our nation and world. enable our senators to experience the joy and strength that you alone can give. help them to remember that you have set apart the godly for yourself, surrounding them with

the shield of your favor. lord, give us all the wisdom to trust you with our tomorrows. we pray in your strong name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c, may 7, 2024. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1,

paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable peter welch, a senator from the state of vermont, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of state donna welton of new york to be intar to the republic of timor-leste. mr. mcconnell: mr. president. yesterday the world marked the remembrance of the capacity for evil and our obligation to combat hatred toward jews wherever it emerges. today, of course, anti-semitic

hate is welling up amid the lawless radicalism on college campuses across our own country. in the physical blockades barring jewish students from getting to class, in the ransacking and occupation of campus buildings, and of course in the torrents of noxious slurs against the jewish people and the jewish state. just last week president biden finally weighed in with a belated banality order must prevail. unfortunately and unsurprisingly, this glancing finger wag hasn't exactly quelled the campus chaos or steel the spines of college administrations. the president's words haven't yet prompted local leaders in

washington to send the metropolitan police department to clear out the anti-semitic vandalism convention that continues to unfold half a mile twrt white house on the -- from the white house on the campus of george washington university. in the absence of firm responsible campus leadership, radicals at ucla have once again managed to bring collective punishment on their fellow students with the cancellation of in-person classes. harvard and m.i.t. are still struggling to muster the resolve to quell out and punish the squatters on their campuses. at the epicenter of the chaos, columbia has canceled its main graduation ceremony. so, mr. president, there's really only one way to interpret this outcome. it's an undeserved victory with

unhinged radicals who have been disrupting campus life and forcing jewish students to steer clear for weeks. university administrators caving to the mob only validates the perform alternative tactics of revolutionaries. like breaking into a campus building last week was to post maoists slogans and -- and the doctoral students specializing in, quote, theories of the imagination and poetry as interpreted through a marxist lens, who became their spokesperson and demanded that

columbia administrators provide violent trespassers with food and water so they could persist in lawlessness. what deluded nonsense. it's important to acknowledge that columbia isn't even the only hotbed of retrograde 20th century communism on the island of manhattan. while the meatless marxists take over morningside heights, a brand of jochay jihadism has emerged further downtown at nyu. you heard that right. a, quote, teach-in, end quote, praised north korea's solidarity

with the palestinian people, enumerating the way the kyong regime equipped terrorist groups who wage war on israel. take heart, comrades, brutal totalitarians have found a common cause. the glorification of leftist revolutionaries at supposedly elite universities is actually not new. those emtate ing jihadist garb that signals solidarity with hamas. as added as any generation's radical cries may be, the american people have easily been able to trust that eventually the would-be maoists would submit to the lessons of

history. read about how the cultural revolution really ends and become contributing members of a society. but today the guardrails against professional radicalism have grown vanishingly thin. unlike in the 1960's, today's red guards actually have academic tenure. and more than ever before, the brain trust of american universities see the indoctrination of students in postmodern leftism not just as privilege of tenure, but an obligation. from the comfortable endowed sinecures where they count on foundation grants, these professors of the vanguard elite

urge their impressionable students to engage in unlawful acts with potentially lasting repercussions. counting fodder for the cause. meanwhile, to an alarming degree, campus administrators have abdicated their responsibility to treat their charges as adults capable of bearing the consequences of their actions. and in the face of a mob that increasingly represents their political base, elected leaders have shrunk from the duty to ensure that the order president biden referenced last week

actually prevails. to borrow from one of the campus radicals' favorite fonts of wisdom, karl marx. karl marx famously wrote that if history repeats itself, it comes the first time as tragedy and the second time as forests. it's hard not to worry that in 2024, it's arrived a bit of both. now on a related matter, last week brought news that some of the biggest names back in president biden's reelection campaign are also behind major left-wing groups stoking campus chaos. from training on occupation and resistance tactics to outright

hamas apologists. and as the democratic party's biggest donors fond of campus radicals anti-semitic, the biden administration is still trying to cover the cost of tuition for the classes they're missing. the administration student lone socialism scheme would force working families around the country to cover college degrees for the nation's highest earners. it's hard to conceive of a more patently regressive social policy. one analysis, the highest earning fifth of american households hold nearly a third of all student debt. by contrast -- and this is particular by interesting. by contrast, the lowest earning

fifth hold only 8% of student debt. families across the country are still struggling with sky-high prices and soaring interest rates. it's harder to fill the refrigerator and the gas tank, tougher to buy a house or a car. but president biden thinks that this is the time to send billions of working americans stack dollars to the college graduates who already have a leg up on earning potential. now let's remember the supreme court already declared this policy illegal. just last summer the supreme court ruled that the executive branch lacked the statutory authority to implement blanket student loan forgiveness. like many of the chaos agents

who have taken over college campuses in recent weeks, president biden seems to have no problem disregarding the law. we're talking about a scheme that has already spent hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars, and the proposed rule administration bureaucrats placed in the register would place nearly $150 billion more and has drawn over 28,000 comments from the public. here's what some of these frustrated taxpayers have to say. quote, there is no such thing as free money. as a homeowner, we're not getting mortgage forgiveness. quote, this would be a burden on taxpayers. this would be unfair to people that have already paid student debt or those who have paid down significant student debt. and one particularly frustrated taxpayer said this -- i acquired

$30,000 in student loan debt, which required hard decisions and accountability. i worked the entire time i was in college, both during the school year, summers, and breaks. it meant instead of buying an expensive car or getting a nice apartment, i lived within my means and paid my student loan payment every month that i agreed to make. the american people know the president is handing them a raw deal, but apparently he either isn't listening or doesn't care. i suggest the absence of a quorum.

the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

hamas monday something aspire israel set the deal could not the core commands was pushing ahead on the seventh city of baja. they would continue creations and high-stakes risk but only barely. you could bring at least a possible devastated the gaza strip being over the threat of an all-out israeli assault on problem. strongly opposes and aid groups one will be disastrous.

let's take a look at yesterday when he was asked about a potential cease-fire are you able to the last of base? >> without the details and still talking to partners about this car ongoing negotiations for weeks to seek if we can't bring this home without king about the details, i think this safe to conclude the response came as a result of the end of these discussions. >> later today. >> the president has been

briefed on the response aware of where the process is. what you are asking is when we will get final here. there is a process that's worked in the past and we will have to evaluate to see what's in it. certainly israelis have a chance to look at this and evaluate and as you and i are talking having these conversations. it would be great, i'm sure we would all like an answer as soon as possible. >> i was yesterday the white house and will take a call from tony whose college student and new york. where you go to school? >> i'm not entirely comfortable with saying.

>> what you think is going on? >> we have an encampment over it might just recently just me and myself and my own university before they admitted to the process for what we have done prior and it led to arrest of nine people prior to chemic we did. trying to get a boat across i was unfit for the university

harsh university present : university police. >> a question for you. your protest, with a the goals diversity protest? >> for one, it was an encampment that held the phone and how to navigate but at the same time the university has changed constantly. either way the protesters to be destructive but we were harming property, just occupying space. >> were you blocking from

getting to their classes? you say you are trying to be destructive, what disruption did you cause? >> are university for the most part we were protesting, online we were just sitting there not doing anything. >> you said classmates got arrested. do you know what happened? or are they, what's going on?

>> some have been suspended. storms on campus. again, it is affecting off the arrest they did their violations. >> did not get arrested, why not? >> this one, trying to not get it, i'm trying for personal reasons trying to be not on the

ground as much. >> what you say you are done processing? are you going to continue after graduation? are you going to continue the plan? >> five, 24 doing protest so i have no intention of stopping. >> appreciate you calling it. >> acute. >> john is in bridgewater, new jersey. good morning. >> at 20. this is incredible. i've lived through the the eight riots from the rise we had in 2022 -- i'm sorry, 2020, this is all coordinated, this has nothing to do with legitimate test for think you can see it --

where all piecewise come from x it is unbelievable. >> when you say coordinated, coordinated by? >> solos, all of them. his long-term, obama, one-time movement to destroy the country. >> go all out. >> you gave that money to iran. and joe biden.

>> this is an article, the cease-fire proposal proves a deal and israeli captives in color and withdrawal israel troops from the territory and they obtain the cease-fire proposal accepted medic and a deal which like you defend cutter three stages with an initial fault blasting and withdrawal of israeli troops and palestinian territory. proposed agreement would ensure the release of israeli captives and gaza as well as palestinians and it does not relate to the

proposal. in pushing on with its assault on gaza. also regarding the protest from offices npr.org half of those arrested at two pro- palestinian protest were not. does a given idea was being arrested by spirits of the officials nearly half of people arrested at pro- palestinian protest are not currently affiliated with either school the breakdown was thursday by the new york city police department and mayor eric adams mounting pressure for the review, how many of those were

arrested were students after repeated claims our outside agitators and led to the arrest? leaking of columbia university there is a recent video to speak about the situation. >> these past two weeks have been among the most difficult. turmoil and tension, division and disruption impacted the entire community. you students have pain and especially high price. no matter where you stand on any issue columbia that's welcoming and safe for everyone.

they care deeply about the "humanitarian crisis" in gaza. the university made a severe and good but was not. a group of protesters crossed the line, it was a violent act to put students at risk as well as putting the protesters at risk. despite all that's happened, i am confident months, i've been heartened by your thoughtfulness and timeliness. those who acknowledged the other side of valid points. we need more about. everyone of us has a role to

play you about the values of truth and civil discourse and polarization damaged. >> we are taking your call this morning on your response universities are handling protest and upcoming the lines are put up this way 48000. if you disapprove : (202)748-8001. print called faculty administrators (202)748-8002. jim in highland park, new jersey. good morning. >> what can we say what's happening on campuses throughout the country is disgraceful.

they are resorting to violence and as a result should be on the center and forceful and aggressive manner. >> if protest are not violent, what do you think they should be allowed to continue? >> i would think they were not violent, yet. i strives resorting to storming the administrative offices of the institutions of higher learning, that is a noto. >> have you ever protested?

>> i'm sorry? >> have you ever taken part in any protesting your past, maybe in your he was? the mark know, never. >> just wondering. >> good morning. >> i desperately is a great with all of us. university leaders when they negotiate with these children, it's wrong. they are adults but i think they ought to be punished. as more disappointed they started taking down the american flag because it's about our american they don't want to be in america? let them see what is going on. every right to defend october 7.

thomas is a terrorist group, and organized protest, all of them like boom boom boom, down the road they all started protesting so organization and i give kudos to the gentleman that held the flag up they try to take down. >> let's take a look at the axios article where college negotiations and protest chaos, the deals between universities and protesters offer a rough roadmap to shut down encampment before commencement and

administrators at northwestern and university of minnesota found alternatives in the agreement had take down the tent and avoid sweeping immediate changes university investment in favor of scholarships and expanded academic programs. none of them agreed to divest from companies that do business in israel or aid the effort across the country agreed to less concrete concessions around their endowment. there is more detail about what each of the universities did and what they agreed to and how they resolved protests on our campus. >> i love your show.

>> i am christian and disturbed what's going on and some of our highest universities in america like columbia which i heard on another news -based 90000 a year. there was a man who is a holocaust survivor and local

story here in the school district high schoolers have never heard anything about the holocaust. it was a small child in the

groups had come in and liberated the jews in the concentration camps. the students here at the university. and what they do and they don't know how about us still going on by havoc was jewish.

but i remember going through a box of kleenex and i'm like how put another human being do this to another human being? and complete can't do this again. >> and order. >> hi, good morning. >> good morning.

people need to be felt. israel, netanyahu and in this time don't let them participate. they have no right and if they take the people and, what did they do? you expect them to lay down and let it happen? on other thing college students

and they understand what's going on. younger people do understand what's going on. and have them protest. the same situation for what is going on in israel. the republican party in the united states. >> taking over public and parties at columbia university the beasley releasing this statement about what is happening. administrators have displayed shocking unwillingness to display. they allowed side tunes of faculty to rewrite campus rules and jewish aggression.

thousands of students who work to achieve their degrees will not get the recognition they deserve because it is abundantly clear that rather have control of hamas supporters than rtore order. immediately remove her and appoint a new president who welcome. desperately need strong moral leadership now more than ever. referring to columbia's decision cancel their main commencement ceremony and have smaller graduation ceremonies for each of their schools. >> i also like this but i

learned colleges and universities that, good and evil so learning between mankind and the freedoms we have. the freedom of relation out and that's not always the case. there proposal comes to decision but for everyone university leadership dealing with this therapy logical. people are trying to infiltrate them they need a stop deceased.

another think is that hamas attack on israel, marketing effective israel, they affect legal settlement that is lumping is a narrative ' electric. the university. >> in particular, good morning, carolyn. >> thank you for taking my call. i like the idea that they become over here and think shouldn't be taking over what is happening there country they need to get back on the plane and help their

people get an education. become overcurrent do not for things and ethical musical echo what i and help your people. the money that people, one thing. show them how to do that. >> what you think about young people protesting our american freckle. >> they are not educated over that. thanks same thing happened today for having them israel 50 they

don't want nothing in this education to deeper the brackets. i understand what you say you know the got no right to steal their education the vacation the 24th get an education the end of the year across the state all of them up they send them back to their country because i therapy who do you think they are going to send? the american people are getting their job in big houses and same think vietnam war.

>> and the washington times on broad at risk biden urges to act against supervisors those involved protest against israel and start revoking both on the ground and the administration tools and republicans demanding arrested for violence on university campuses emilio gonzales who ran to citizenship and immigration services, he has federal government wants to act. we will just check in our social

media feed. robertson facebook says ivy league colleges fail and a text, punish the entire class for 200 protesters over safety concerns and found others are doing the same. university is handling the protest from the start there was failure to act proactively only serving to make things worse. and abortion on cnn talking

about the commencement ceremony of the university. >> they are not being disruptive. moms of first jen kids and they get to graduate a lot of these kids graduate high school four years ago in the commencement this weekend and the celebration. >> that is what probably is about gaza and israel aside, probably what parents and want where their accomplishments are celebrated. obviously there are free speech lines and debates we hold. notably after the campuses deactivate a more radical pro- palestinian group student for justice and palestine, you do not because of free speech concerns. what is the university draw a line between free speech

concerns with the right of every student on campus? enjoy college and graduation. >> i think the line is between state and action. i'm a first amendment and it's a glorious thing our first amendment gives and free speech or freedom of religion and press and there are five glorious agreement and all of our students, protesters will avert over and over we will always defend the rights to free speech and restrictions and you don't get to take over everything, you don't get to barricade yourself. you don't get to disrupt analysis commencement, we don't allow protest inside. i'm around this morning i got to run the stadium this morning and read by a group of protesters waiting there palestinian flag and protect the right to do that

but we have rules and one rule is we don't allow camping on campus. you can't build and gamma and our goal is not to arrest people, is to have them get in compliance with the bulls. vacant you persuade people but they don't get to bellingham. nobody else does either. >> how you think university leaders are handling campus protest and commencement of the lines are agree to 027488000 if you approve of the handling. if you disapprove to a port zero zero two. lancaster, pennsylvania. good morning. >> good morning. to give a little history lesson i have a question.

i was married 30 years ago. his cotton with the united states up to understand what it is. it's very similar to our office. peace loving. they were targeted. what we like to live with mom shelters in our sellers? 50% of jewish people live with mom shelters in their homes and in their businesses. these students are uneducated while i could have been expelled for having beer in my room. this is ridiculous. this is absolutely ridiculous. they have no clue. they protest but you can't camp

on campus or take over campus. people work hard for an education and i don't know if americans realize this but 10000 palestinians a day across the border and work israel and hamas destroyed their peacefulness and i suggest our students go over there and live with the palestinians. >> what you think should happen that are? >> they should be expelled, removed, they should have lost credits, should have lost not more than a quarter of them are students i believe the rest are protesters that are paid and this has been planned but cancel

a graduation and work hard and i believe these administrators should be fired and replaced. kids go to school to learn. they go to school for experience. "to school to do this. it's that simple and americans welcome immigrants, we welcome these people but i've been in the middle east, why doesn't egypt, jordan, why don't they have palestinian refugees? do you know why? they are top from birth to kill jews and the western world. >> let's take a look at the portion of statements from columbia university about commencement. we are determined to get to the celebration they deserve and

that they want. colleagues working with students, i've been discussing plans and leaders and listening. commencement activities where students are are individually alarmed by their peers rather than the university ceremony and focus on graduation experience truly special and student feedback and looking at the possibility of events may 15 to take the place of the large formal ceremony getting dark is on the university leaders handling the situation.

>> woman from pennsylvania, she's exactly right. they cover their faces and they are hamas never person has a right to make citizens arrest and put them on the ground and detain them. >> the protesters are saying they are members of hamas? >> i've seen them on tv say we are hamas, we are hamas. they are covering their faces did call the police and all of us stuff. they need to lose their college

education and they need to be sent back to that country and they shouldn't be allowed back in here. they know what they were doing, they shut them down as soon as i started. as soon as i started setting up their engagement in putting this on campus, that's when they should have went in and shut down and they should have used violence if they had to and law enforcement. >> you think there is a place for peaceful protests on campus? if they want to peacefully protest, i am all for that but when you down my countries like, you are looking to get violet on you and there's a lot of people like me. >> let's take a look -- we are going to take another call from jim in washington.

>> my comments, i will start with this and i don't claim to know everything about everything, certainly not. i do take the side of protesters and jeopardizing their own graduation to stand up their rightful cause reminding david bowie, there were changes and i will call them children, they are young adults but as these children spit on as they try to change the world all year. they are quite aware of what they are going through.

they are young adults. trying to change their worlds. they are quite immune to your consultation. they are quite aware of what they are going through. so, i think if you want to get a better handle on things, i think chelsea would be in favor of the students and he is jewish. many jews that are persecuted by the right wing in these left-wing jews are wonderful people. some of them are in these protests or they support them. they have peace rallies in all sorts of things. differs from what a previous color just said. they should not be doing it. a wife or husband that was a jew i will just finish with this. norman finkelstein is a jew.

he wrote a book called gaza. he spent his whole adult life writing this book. just about his whole adult life. he used a very good source. you cannot find them in the mainstream media because they won't have them because he is too radical. he says if you challenge him on the facts which he is very diligent about he will admit he is wrong. he is on the web. you can get them on google, whatever. you will get some of the videos. he is very informative. a great man. that is my perspective. i thank you for letting me on. >> marianne in grovetown, georgia. good morning. >> good morning. thank you for taking my call. when the movement was, you know, people were protesting, women

were in the streets and guess who they arrested. a lot of the leaders of the suffrage movement. every single time we make a shift in this country and we are upset about something and it is grassroots, i know we keep hearing, no, i am not affiliated to anything in the democratic party at all and i am a democrat just because i am. i totally support what the students are doing. i am old. i am pretty old. when i die in st. peter asked me what did you do when there were 30,000 people being killed, did you just sit there or did you say no? killing is wrong. two wrongs do not make a right and that is how i feel. they talk about the college students not knowing anything. i can tell you every day on her way home and i tell her what news is going on because i have the time to research and do things. she works 15 hours a day.

the young people in college actually have the time. that is what they are therefore tiered they are learning and they probably know more about this issue that most of us know because that is what they are therefore tiered they are in school learning about history and everything. that is why they are so angry because they do know. one thing that i wished seeps man would talk about is we keep talking about the hostages. but, do we talk about what israel is doing with in the —-dash administrative dependence where they can actually hold people. i was just looking at an article there are 1000 palestinians that are being held without charge. in israel. they can just pick you up because i think you might be a problem later on in the future and hold you indefinitely without a charge constantly just forever. now, tell me, is that a hostage?

is that just as bad as being a hostage. people think that it is not black-and-white. there is a lot going on. give these children or our young adults credit that they know what they are talking about. thank you. >> allen is in stanley virginia. a couple of comments i would like to make. you take a look. who is really intelligent. anyhow, what i like to comment about our professors and administrators who challenge this situation. i just approve of it because it is very polar leadership that is not america. it is sweet words and talk. nothing gets done and we see what is going on. to me, it is a disgrace to see this happening in our country. these flags flying. they are in america.

if you cannot respect our country, you should leave. young kids being educated. i don't know that this minority group that is doing all of these protests, you know what, why can't the education, where is it coming from? it is from these radical liberal marxists professors. they should be cleaned out from the top to the bottom. >> sorry to cut you off, but i wanted to ask you a question. you mentioned the flags that are flying. some people brought up the confederate flag. that some far right groups fly and display. what do you think of that. >> first of all, let me say, the american flag, it is an american flag. it is a part of our history. we have to accept that. we don't have to accept these other countries coming in here

hanging their flights when they don't belong there. if they want to come in peace and get educated and work for one another, that is all good. i don't see that. i see a one-sided deal. it is organized by these lousy politicians who are filling their pocket with money. it is just so sad to see. until we wake up as americans and see what is going on, we are going to get the same thing. if we elected the current president in november, this is what you will see. if this is the america that we want and supportive. i do not support that and i urge every american it's our country, freedom for all, let love for all let's work together. this is the -- this respectable. >> miami florida. >> hi. hello. how are you. >> good. >> good good good. sorry about my english. i will try my best.

for these disappointment for all what is happening in the middle east. but, actually, like, you know, it's hard to say that. okay. i want support for hamas and i don't support israel. a decision -- yes, hi. >> go ahead. we can hear you. >> you hear me now? >> we heard it all. just continue. >> that is what i said. i am not for the prime minister at all. i am not with my own country. so, for real, i am muslim.

it is painful for my brothers especially the kids in the family. especially the people that are not even involved in this kind of thing. what is the most sudden is the people who do not even -- can you hear me? >> yeah, yeah, we heard you. >> it is only the poor people who pay the price in this kind of thing. they need to, to, the arabic countries who saudi arabia, dubai and egypt and the other things. they really do nothing. the other thing is the example

making it this way. to really defend this and that. if you do, it does not even make sense to ask that like making these decisions. for the prosecution, you know, yes, you are allowed to show what you want. at a certain point. i don't really know what you do. you know,. >> okay. all right. got it. >> he did mention the children in gaza. this is on the front page of the new york times this morning. four children hurt in gaza arrive in the u.s. among 100 evacuated for urgent treatment. the four children had survived wars in gaza. on sunday morning they reached the end of an arduous journey

outside of a conflict zone and into american hospitals to receive urgent medical care. they flew from cairo to kennedy airport where they were greeted with much fanfare about a crowd of 50 people carrying plush toys , flowers and bobbing balloons. among the children was a 6 -year-old boy with pale skin and strawberry blonde hair. he. dazed as a crowd rushed around his wheelchair and airport employee grew agitated and shouted at people to disperse and put away their cameras. he has cystic fibrosis. weighs about 25 pounds and is suffering from severe malnourishment caused by famine according to the palestine children's relief fund. and, joe is in riverview florida good morning, joe. >> good morning. good morning. a guy speaking earlier from

georgia -- virginie about the confederate flag. well, i feel that way. i guess i do not know what country he is from. the way he felt about it, but that is the way i feel about the confederate flag. the insurrection, look at these kids and to fill guilty is what you guys look like. i cannot understand how the president can tell these kids how you can protest and what will happen. but the mouth doing nothing, we should have had troops waiting. if you do it, you will go to jail. just like the president trump saying that there will be a bloodbath. president biden letting you know

you bring it, you got away with the first one, but you, back again we will be ready for you. we will not tolerate. as i said, republican democrats. this is our country. in two wars. i work for 50 years. i was trained to protect federal property. as far as i'm concerned, the guys at the capital did not protect that property away. the guys that train with me. because, if they had been lack, that insurrection, we still would be mopping up blood because you would have killed everyone of us. >> all right. here is another joe. this time in washington, d.c. good morning. >> i. good morning. the question at hand is whether or not you approve or disapprove

of how the universities are handling the protest. i will try to stick to that. so, i was in college in 2015 in the baltimore area when freddie gray was murdered by the police. and, protest, that happened on my campus were very different from the ones that are happening now. obviously a different cause. i think, you know, i don't know, it is hard to judge how much more passion the people feel or anything like that. when we were protesting, we marched down charles street. you know, into baltimore. yesterday, jews around the world observed yom hashoah, the

holocaust remembrance day -- i spoke at temple emanu-el in new york about it. this year this comes at an especially. seven months ago, israel was attacked by hamms hamas. in the months since, anti-semitism has swept our country and the world in ways not seen in generations. sadly, we see the poison of anti-semitism amidst some of the protests happening on the college campuses today. this unpress did noted rise in anti-semitism is why i came to the senate floor last november to speak at length about the fear that has been growing in the hearts and minds of every jewish person since october 7. i believe we all have an obligation to call out anti-semitism wherever we see it arise, be it from the right or from the left. as i forcefully said in my speech, if anti-semitism is not

repudiated, if it isn't called out, it will metastasize into something worse. that is what i wanted to emphasize. today i applaud president biden tor taking -- for taking another strong to fight anti-semitism at the federal level. among other actions, the president has directed the department of education to issue new guidance for college campuses, to protect jewish students and students of all backgrounds so that our universities remain safe havens to learn and grow. when a jewish student cannot walk through their quad without fear of harassment or ridicule or something far worse, we have a duty to respond. when swas stick kas -- swastikas are spray painted, it demands

action from the government to keep people safe. if never forget is to have meaning all of us must own the duty of combatting anti-semitism together. here in the senate i will continue to work with democrats and republicans to protect jewish synagogues, schools and organizations from all kinds of from violence and hate. it's why i fought to increase the nonprofit security program which provides money for synagogues and sheols and schools and other nonprofit jewish organizations, whether they be christian, muslim, sikh, hindu, or anything else, to protect themselves against vandalism and violence and all forms of hate. as i said in my speech on the floor last november, the best way we can work together against anti-semitism is to preserve the history of the jewish experience, to tell the truth about the horrors that took place 80 years ago. only then can we truly honor the

memories of the innocent dead. only then we can be sure that the torture never tortures again. now on the border, mr. president, precisely three months ago something truly stunning happened here on the senate floor. senate republicans filibustered the strongest, most comprehensive security bill congress has seen in a generation. they did it for one reason only -- donald trump, hell-bent on using the border for political gain, told them to do so. the situation at the border is unacceptable. everyone knows that. senate democrats know it, the president's knows it, and the american people know it too. a few months ago as senators worked on the supplemental, democrats tried to find a long-sought solution to america's broken immigration system. again democrats have made clear the situation at the border is

unacceptable. that's why for months we sat down with republicans to craft the strongest border security bill in a generation, endorsed by border patrol, the border patrol union, very conservative. i salute senators murphy and sinema and lafld f-- l lankford for working so hard on the bill. but donald trump told republicans to kill the bill because he wants to exploit the chaos at the border for political gain. he even said, quote, please, abraham it on me. -- blame it on me. he took credit for this tough border bill to go down. a bill that the "wall street journal" editorial page called a border bill worth passing. their horribly left wing liberals that the chamber of commerce said was a commonsense measure and the president at the national border patrol council

called better than the status quo. you'd think given the chance, republicans would have pounced at the opportunity. after all, how many times have we heard our republican colleagues give speeches here on the floor about the emergency at the border? how many times have we heard republicans say year after year that congress must act? how many times have we seen republicans take field trips down to the procedure taking picture -- taking pictures at the border while bemoaning the problem is only getting worse. apparently that was all for show. all for show. because precisely three months ago right here on the floor senate republicans in obeisance to donald trump, and i believe many of them knew he was wrong, but senate republicans on the senate floor killed the best chance, the best chance we've seen in decades to provide a solution to the border. it's pretty simple. republicans can't say that the border is an emergency, but then refuse to take action. republicans cannot claim to care about fixing asylum but then

block the biggest changes to asylum law in decades. republicans cannot care, cannot claim to care about our border patrol agents but then deprive them of the very tools and funding the border patrol has been asking for. our republican colleagues may have given up on taking real action on the border, but democrats have not. democrats will make it clear which party is working to fix our broken border and which party is conspiring to make the border worse. we will challenge our republican colleagues to join us once again on the border reforms americans demand, to stop the flow of fentanyl, to improve asylum and vetting, and to assure our border agents have the tools that they need. on the faa, this week the senate will continue working on the faa reauthorization. the deadline is three days away. it's going to take a lot of cooperation to get this complicated bill done.

thankfully we've made some good progress on germane amendments and we hope to finish our work in time for the house to act on our bill. i urge our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to prioritize reaching an outcome so we prevent slipping past the deadline. finally on social security, yesterday a new report showed the strengths of social security and medicare -- a new report showed the strengths of social security and medicare have improved because of the economic upswing we're seeing under president biden. "the new york times" headline said, quote, strong labor markets steadied social security and medicare funds. but yesterday's report came with a warning. social security and medicare still face long-term challenges to solvency. the lives of tens of millions could be thrown into chaos if these programs are not protected. so let's not forget, mr. president, that year after year republicans have made clear where they stand. instead of working with democrats to strengthen social

security and medicare, they want to put them on the chopping block. a little over a month ago donald trump said on the campaign trail, quote, there is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements in terms of cutting. around the same time the republican study committee which represents 80% of all house republicans called for $1.5 trillion -- $1.5 trillion in cuts to social security and raising the retirement age to 6. donald trump didn't hesitate to give tax cuts to the ultra rich and large corporations, but he thinks, quote, there is a lot you can do, unquote to, quote, cut programs that millions of american families rely on every single day. that's beyond callous. it's just wrongheaded. it hurts people a lot. the difference between democrats and hard-right republicans couldn't be more stark. this year we'll make sure the american people know it. i yield the floor and note the

absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin. test. of

we will start with the potential cease-fire deal between israel and hamas. here is the associated press. hamas accepts causes cease-fire. israel says it will continue talks but presses aunts with

rafa attacks. hamas said monday that it accepted an egyptian qatari cease-fire proposal. israel said it did not meet its core demands. pushing ahead with the assault. still, israel said it would continue negotiations. it left a glimmer of hope alive. the seven -month-old war that has devastated the gaza strip. moving the united states strongly opposing and that age groups warn will be disastrous. the white house security spokesperson said yesterday when he was asked about a potential cease-fire. the mac are you able to say

whether hamas agreed to something over the last several days. >> director burns is still talking to partners about this. there been ongoing talks here for weeks. and the direct traveled recently to see if we cannot bring this thing home. and again without speaking about the details of the response i think it is safe to conclude that that response came as a result or at the end of these continue discussions that director burns was part of. >> part of what is happening later today. >> the president has been briefed on the response. he is aware where the situation in the processes. what you are asking me is when we will get a final. >> a final tablecloth here. there is a process.

it has worked in the past and rework this time. you get a response by hamas. you have to evaluate that. we will see what is in it. certainly these israelis must look at this and evaluated. as we speak literally as you and i are talking, having these conversations, partners in the region, it would be great, i'm sure we would all like to have an answer as soon as possible. >> that was yesterday at the white house. we will take a call now from tony who was a college student in new york. tony, where'd you go to school? >> i am not entirely comfortable with saying. kind of been a thing, unfortunately. >> well, we had an encampment which led to dozens of arrests.

what was it. an organizer. my ownniversity had got in my face before. they had admitted to walking protest that we had done prior. it actually led to the arrest of nine people, i believe. that was prior to the encampment that we did. our university encampment is trying to get a boat across that would hold our university president as unfit on behalf of the university. but, yeah, during the encampment , our university president actually called in university police, suffolk county police, stuff like that. >> i've got a question for you. your protests, where they

abiding by the rules that your university has set for protests? >> so, yes. they actually, i mean, the encampment, holding different rules as far as how to get the space and et cetera. but, at the same time, the university had changed the rule constantly and either way, the point to be disruptive. even if we were not harming anybody, just occupying space. >> were you, for instance blocking students from getting to their classes? when you say you are trying to be disruptive, what kind of disruption did you cause? >> well, our university, what

was it, i guess for the most part we were literally just protesting and holding signs. entering buildings and stuff like that. when i saw it online, too, we were just literally sitting there. we were not doing anything. clearing students out. >> you said some of the classmates got arrested. do you know what happened to them? where are they, what is going on >> some have been suspended. they have had their access to their dorms blogs. there dorms like they can't set foot on campus.

again, a second round of arrests , i would like to say. there is still a first round of arrests that they did where there were violations or whatever. >> tony, you did not get arrested, why not? >> this one, i guess, this one, i did not have a reason for this one did but i am still kind of like trying to keep, again, i have different, i guess personal reasons why i am trying to be a little bit more not on the ground as much. >> would you say that you are done protesting at this point? will you continue one classes let out after graduation? will you continue what is the

plan? >> to be fair, prior to 2024. i have no intention of stopping until palestine is free. >> all right. appreciate you calling in, tony. >> in new jersey. good morning. >> good morning. incredible. i am 75 years old. i lived through this 68 riots. 2020. this is all coordinated. it has nothing to do with legitimate protests. where did all of these flags come from? it is just unbelievable. are you kidding me? >> when you say coordinated, coordinated by who?

>> all of them. a long term bill layers. clinton, obama, a long-term movement to destroy this country end of story. >> and al is next in georgia. go ahead, al. >> well i blame all of this on biden politics. when he gave that money to iran. they had the money to pay these terrorists to come over here and start all of this stuff. as bad as you all hate trump he had it under control. >> okay. this is an article who says this that text of the gaza cease-fire proposal approved by hamas the

deal lays out a timetable and withdrawal of israel's troops update from the territory. a cease-fire proposal that was accepted monday. it would come in three stages that would see an initial halt in the fighting leading to the withdrawal of israeli troops from the palestinian territory. it would also ensure the release of israel captives as well as an unspecified number of palestinians in israel jail. they do not agree to the proposal but it will engage in further talks. all look pushing on with its assault on gaza. there is also regarding the protest here, this is npr.org

that says this. new york city says half of those arrested at two protests were not students. this gives you an idea of who is being arrested. it says that new york city officials say nearly half of the 282 people arrested at pro- palestinian protests at two campuses this week are not currently affiliated with either school. the arrest breakdown was released on thursday by the new york city police department and mayor adams following pressure to reveal how many of those arrested were students. after his repeated claims that " outside agitators guided the protest that led to the arrest. speaking of columbia university, here is a recent video from that university's president.

about the situation on campus. >> these past two weeks have been among the most difficult in columbia's university. turmoil, tension, division and disruption have impacted the entire community. you students have paid in especially high price. you lost your final days in the classroom and residence halls. for those of you that are seniors, you are finishing college the way you started, online. no matter where you stand on any issue, columbia should be a community that feels welcoming and safe for everyone. we try very hard to resolve the issue of encampment through dialogue. many people who gathered there were largely peaceful and care deeply about the humanitarian crisis in gaza. academic leaders talk with students for eight days and nights. the university made a sincere and good offer, but it was not

accepted. a group of protesters crossed a new line with the occupation of hamilton hall. it was a violent act that put our students at risk as well as putting the protesters at risk. i walked to the building and saw the damage which was stressing. in spite all that has happened, i have confidence. during the listening sessions i held with many students in recent months, i've been heartened by your intelligence, thoughtfulness and kindness. the ones that impressed me the most were those who acknowledged that the other side had some valid points. we need more of that at columbia every one of us has a role to play in bringing back the values of truth and civil discourse and polarization that has been severely damaged. >> we are taking your calls this morning on your thoughts on how university leaders are handling

campus protests in these upcoming commencement spirit the phone lines are split up this way. if you approve of their handling 202,748,000. if you disapprove, 8001 did and the line set aside for current college students, faculty administrators is 2,027,488,002. let's hear from jim. highland park new jersey. good morning. >> good morning to you. what can we say but what is happening on the campuses throughout the country. it is disgraceful. they are resorting to violence. as a result, they should be dealt with forceful and aggressive manner by the powers

that be. >> jim, if the protests are not violent, do you think they should just be allowed to continue? >> i would think that if they are not violent, yes. as far as resorting to storming the administrative offices of the respect of institutions of higher learning, that is a no no >> jim, have you ever protested? >> i'm sorry. >> have you ever taken part in any protests in your past, maybe in your youth? i'm just curious. >> no. >> okay. just wondered. >> carla and wayne city, illinois.

good morning. >> i desperately disapprove of all of this. i think that the university leaders, whoever is supposed to be that you administrators, when they startr: negotiating i think they are wrong. they are adults. i think they ought to be punished. i was more disappointed when they started taking down the american flag. that is telling me that these kids that are americans are saying they don't want to be in america. take them all to palestine and let them see what is really going on. i mean, israel has every right to defend francis scott key bridge and within seconds the bridge collapsed. it was a -- it had a major impact not only on my community

in battle more but also around the nation. the francis scott key bridge is part of i-695 and part of the i-95 corridor on the east coast of the united states. it also is a bridge that is over the only channel into the port of baltimore. port of baltimore is the third busiest port in the united states. it's number one in roll on-roll off cargo and it's critically important to our national economy, our supply chains, et cetera. this bridge is a major thoroughfare for the northeast corridor. it has over 34,000 vehicles a day we're transporting through the francis scott key bridge prior to it being destroyed. now, the immediate impact -- i think you've all seen the images

of how the bridge collapsed and part of the bridge was actually on the dali vessel. the channel was completely blocked by the debris of concrete and steel. the immediate tragedy was loss of life. when the dali struck the francis scott key bridge, there were eight people on the bridge. they were doing dangerous work, repair work in order to keep our roads safer. of the eight people that were on the bridge, two were able to be rescued. six perished as a result of the tragedy. one of those still the body is yet to be recovered and that is part of the priorities we are placing in dealing with this tragedy. i want to pause for one moment to once again thank the first responders. as i indicated, this bridge -- what happened to the dali, it lost power. within a matter of seconds after

losing power, it struck the peer that -- pier that protected the support beams, hit the support beams and the bridge collapsed. literally within seconds after it lost power, the tragedy occurred. the extremely fast response by first responders was able to stop traffic from going on to the bridge saving many, many lives. we thank ow first responders for their quick thinking and their responding to protect public safety because this could have been a lot worse in regards to the loss of life. i also want to give a shout out to our federal agencys for their immediate response. i think the public should understand that the coast guard, the u.s. department of transportation, the army corps of evening -- a -- of engineerig were all on the scene and started the unified command. the unified command where the coast guard took the lead but all agencies worked together.

they worked very closely with the state of maryland. governor moore providing that leadership in our state and our state agencies working with the unified command. they worked with our local government officials. there's three jurisdictions that are directly impacted by the bridge collapse. baltimore city and mayor scott was part of that unified command providing the leadership we needed from the city. johnny oshecski was part of that command. within literally hours, secretary buttigieg was on the scene of the catastrophic event. president biden has visited the site and provided direct leadership in directing the federal government to use all means to help baltimore deal with this tragedy. many other federal officials were there. i'll give a shout out to secretary guzman setting up

outreach offices for small businesses that were impacted so they could get the type of help from the federal government, the small business administration that could be offered. and there are many, many others that were there. i can't underscore too strongly the impact that this bridge collapse had on the economies of our region. it was interesting the small business administration accepting applications from every surrounding state because small businesses and surrounding states were also impacted by the channel being closed into the port of baltimore. there's about 15,000 jobs directly related to the port of baltimore. as i said it's the third largest port in the united states. 1.1 million containers are handled annually through the port of baltimore. $80 billion in import-export goes through the port of baltimore every year. on march 26, the channel was

closed. ships that were in the port could not leave. and no new vessels could come in. when you looked at the wreckage, we all thought it would take incredible amount of time before the channels could be cleared. but thanks to the unified leadership, thanks to the resources of the federal government and the partnership with the state and local governments, there was very quick action to deal with the port of baltimore. almost immediately two alternative channels were opened, one for 11 feet, with unfor 15 feet. remember the main channel is 50 feet. you're not going to get any major vessels but at least we can get some tugs and barges through to keep the port still operating. and just recently, under the leadership of our federal partners, we were able to open up the northern part of the channel to a 35-foot depth. that was very important because

within a month we were able to get about 75% of the vessels going in and out of the port, which was critically important for the businesses. we hope this week -- by the end of this week we're going to have a 45-foot channel open for the port. and by the end of this month, we hope that we'll have the 700-foot wide, 50-foot channel reopen for full operations for the port of baltimore. that's a herculean task but could not have been done but for the unified command and the cooperation of all partners. and we thank them for that. because i must tell you, i met with so many business owners who didn't even know if they could survive as a result of the bridge collapse and local governments providing help, the federal government is providing help, but it's critically important to get the port open as quickly as possible. mr. president, we also are moving forward immediately on

the replacement of this bridge. it is absolutely essential that the francis scott key bridge westbound replaced as quickly as possible. we know that's going to take some time. we know you're not going to be able to replace a bridge of this magnitude in a matter of months. it's going to take longer than that. we recognize that. but as i said before, there's 34,000 vehicles that are now finding other ways to transport through this area. now, if you have hazardous material, they cannot go through the tunnels that go through the port area of baltimore that were alternatives to the francis scott key bridge. hazardous materials are not permitted in the tunnels. that means they either had to go through side roads or they have to go around the beltway which adds at least half an hour or so to the trip. and when you're dealing with thousands of containers and moving many by truck, you can imagine the extra time, extra cost involved as a result of the bridge being out. so it's critically important

that we replace this bridge as quickly as possible. the traffic jam problems are real. we've got to get this done as quickly as possible. now, we know that it's going to take some time. we have an estimate of costs that the state of maryland has provided to the federal government, a range between 1.7 to $1.9 billion. i want to thank the biden administration again and secretary buttigieg for the release of funds under the emergency relief program, which has already been made available to our state. these are a hundred percent federal funds during this period of time, and we thank them for that. this project will qualify for the emergency relief funding under the department of transportation. those funds are by law 90/10 but we have legislation in to carry out what president biden requested and i'll get to that in one moment, that the federal government pay a hundred percent of the cost of the replacement of the bridge.

we had the bridge relief act that senator van hollen and i have filed. we filed it as an amendment to the faa bill. we're looking for the first opportunity to get this bill to the finish line and i would urge my colleagues to find a way that we can get that bill passed as quickly as possible. let me quote from the director young when she said this legislation -- this is legislation that the biden administration has urged congress to pass. this authorization would be consistent with past catastrophic bridge collapses, including in 2007 when congress acted in a bipartisan manner within days of the i-35w bridge collapse in minnesota. she went on to say that waiving federal cost-share is routine in disasters of national significance. this is a disaster of national significance. it may be the largest disaster of a bridge collapse ever from the point of view of insurance

claims and third-party liability. so we're talking about a very disastrous situation. and it's very appropriate that we -- that the federal cost-share be waived. i want to assure our colleagues that we put this in legislation, any third-party recoveries in regards to the bridge replacement, whether it's insurance coverage or whether it's third-party liability coverage will go back to the emergency relief fund and the federal taxpayers. federal taxpayers are on the hook right now for the cost of the replacement of the bridge. they'll get all the recoveries in regards to this if this legislation were to pass. i want to thank my colleagues, both the democrats and republicans, for their support of this -- of our needs here. i've gotten calls from our democrat and republican colleagues offering their support, and we thank them very much for that i hope we can find a way to move this promptly. i know that there are not too many bills that make it to the

finish line, and we are running out of time in this congress so i would urge the cooperation of our colleagues to find the appropriate spot. we hope it can be on the faa bill, but we need to get this done as quickly as possible. so let me just assure our colleagues that the story of the francis scott key bridge doesn't end with this tragedy. we're a very ree sill yents community. the bridge will be rebuilt. the baltimore area whether be back to full strength and continue to grow. it's growing at a fast race. we're maryland tough and baltimore strong. we intend to make sure the port of baltimore has everything it needs to continue its growth and that the bridge is replaced. and with that, mr. president, i would yield the floor. and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

mr. van hollen: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland moll moll thank you, mr. president -- mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. president. i also come to the floor -- the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. van hollen: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. president. i come to the floor today to talk about the collapse of the francis scott key bridge. and thanks to modern technology, as i was driving in, i got to listen to the remarks of my friend and colleague, the senior senator from maryland, ben cardin. and i want to start by thanking him for his leadership in the federal delegation. and i'm going to cover some of

the same points he made in his remarks. and i think it bears repeating both because of the magnitude of this crisis, the national scale of this crisis, but also because it showed baltimore and maryland and america at its best. in coming together in the aftermath of a tragedy to help those we lost and to begin the rebuilding process. for 47 years the francis scott key bridge has been the backdrop of millions of marylanders' lives. they get up in the morning. they go to work. it is a part of the baltimore city skyshrine and part of the daily commute for over 34,000 people e six weeks ago when the key bridge collapsed in the early morning hours of march 26,

everyone immediately recognized the magnitude of the disaster -- in balanced -- in baltimore, in maryland, across the country, across the world, people witness the ship hitting one of the piers of the bridge and the bridge coming down. six hard isworking -- six hardworking marylanders lost their lives. there were eight of them on the bridge at the time, construction workers, working late hours, hard jobs. we have been able to find six of those who we lost. we are still looking for the bodies of one -- excuse me, we -- eight people were on the bridge, fortunately two survived, we lost six and we are still looking for one.

and our priority from the very beginning has been, first of all, to find all the victims and to comfort their families. right after the bridge came down, coast guard divers were out in the water every day, and they remain there now until we find the last of those we lost. we are incredibly grateful for the first responders who immediately jumped into action, including a maryland transportation authority officer on site who worked to quickly stop the traffic from going onto the bridge, further prevent -- preventing further tragic loss of life. in fact, there have been interviews conducted of the last person across the bridge, and we

are grateful that he was able to escape and that no others lost their lives that day a that was because of the heads-up efforts of the maryland transportation authority officer. so to the nta officers and to all the other first responders on the scene this morning, we express our gratitude for preventing more loss of life and for helping rescue the two individuals who survived the crash and all the other work they did that day and since. while first responders and salvage workers press ahead with recovery efforts, the impact of the bridge collapse continues to reverberate across baltimore, across maryland, in fact across the country. the key bridge is a gateway to trade in maryland and the great port of baltimore. when the bridge collapsed in the patapsco river, its hulking

debris blocked access for daily ships and recreational vehicles to access port facilities in baltimore's inner harbor. there are about 1,800 annual ship visits to the port of baltimore, so you get a sense of just how busy it is. in fact, it is the busiest in the nation in handling automobiles, light trucks, farm and construction machinery and imported forest products and aluminum and sugar. these goods come in through baltimore and from that great hub are transported elsewhere across this great land. at full capacity, the port of baltimore generates 20,000 direct jobs, including 2,400 union longshoremen who load and unload that cargo every day. the port also supports another

24,000 induced jobs supported by local purchases and 7,200 indirect jobs. so the impact in terms of jobs and employment of the port of baltimore is vast, not just in the city and not just in maryland but well beyond. fortunately for maryland, when the bridge collapsed, we had strong partners coming to our assistance, including the strong partners in the white house. on the day of the disaster, president biden immediately went straight to work. he reached out directly to senator cardin, to myself, to governor moore, to mayor scott and our state and local partners, not only to express sympathy in the aftermath of this tragedy but to let us know that he had already ordered the full mobilization of the disaster response arm of the

federal government. resulting in the unified command led by the coast guard. and they came together immediately to help manage the disaster response and begin the recovery effort. as senator cardin indicated, it was a team. while the coast guard was the quarterback, we also had the partners from the state and governor moore, our great governor quickly mobilized maryland assets. mayor brandon scott, the mayor of baltimore, mobilized the city assets, as did the county executives from surrounding counties like county executive pittman in anne arundel county and johnny oshefsky. within hours of the bridge collapse, you have all times of

government stepping up and working to help the families who lost loved ones, making sure they had the help they need in the aftermath of their terrible loss and personal tragedy. and coming together to help the workers who lost their jobs because the port of baltimore's business ground to almost a halt in those first hours and, of course, to the small businesses who were sidelined because of the hit to the port of baltimore. in fact, less than two weeks after the collapse of the bridge, the governor and the maryland general assembly stepped up and passed the port act which provided direct economic support through small business grants and the port of baltimore worker retention program and the worker support program to help those workers who lost their jobs and were not immediately eligible for unemployment benefits.

that bill also created scholarship programs for the families of those who died on the job. and then president biden and the entire administration have been part of this relief effort and response effort from day one. as senator cardin indicated, the small business administration provided economic injury disaster loan relief and opened three business recovery centers to help business owners in completing their applications and through the department of labor the federal government delivered over $3.5 million in emergency dislocated work funding to workers who had such financial loss. these efforts were essential to soften the blow to workers and to businesses harmed by the bridge collapse, but as senator cardin indicated, from the very

start everyone understood that the best way -- the best way to help those workers who were out of a job because of the collapse and to help those small businesses and to help the surrounding state and economy was to open the channel to the port of baltimore. and almost immediately the biden administration, secretary butt buttigieg opened the emergency program. the city of baltimore used some of those efforts to start clearing debris of the bridge that fell, to clear the channel. they used other parts of those funds to deal with traffic mitigation relief because the trucks that carry hazardous that used to go over the bridge could not go through the tunnel, had

to go around the baltimore wealthway. that funds were helpful. the main focus was on clearing that channel so we could reopen it for shipping purposes. and the good news is because of the work of the army corps of engineers in particular, they dug a series of channels of increasing depths, and not that long ago we were able to clear a 35-foot channel, which helped restore about 75% of the shipping into and out of the port of baltimore. there are now 549 transits -- ship transits coming into and out of the port of baltimore on a regular basis. so these are ships that are being loaded now by about 200 international longshoremen, which gives you a sense of how

people are getting back to work. and the goal is by the end of this month to clear the full 50-foot channel, which is the main channel in and out of the port of baltimore, for the containerships. at that point in time we hope to have the port of baltimore fully up and running. t t this, as senator cardin said, as the president of the united states said, is a tragedy. yes, the bridge is in baltimore but it is a key connector on the east coast for commerce, both trucking and getting equipment and material in and out of the port of baltimore as well as others which is why the president of the united states called upon the federal government to support funding

the full costs of replacing the key bridge, and in addition to the initial $60 million that came out of the emergency relief program, thank you to secretary buttigieg, who immediately -- almost immediately enrolled the state of maryland, found us eligible to be included in that program for the purpose of rebuilding the key bridge. and just like all the other projects that are part of that program from around the country, the federal government supports 90% of those costs. and, therefore, in order to make sure we make good on the pledge for 100% support because of this national tragedy, the entire maryland delegation has been united in introducing the legislation that would make good on the president's commitment for 100% funding. and i want to thank senator cardin. i see he's now returned to the floor. i again appreciate all your efforts leading a federal team

in maryland here. and i'm proud to join you and our partners in the house, including congressman mfume, who represents this district, in introducing that legislation on a bipartisan basis. the baltimore bridge act to ensure that we cover 100% of the cost federally. and as senator cardin very importantly pointed out, that legislation does make clear that any funds that are recovered through third parties, college insurance or through lawsuits, will be returned to that federal fund. so i want to assure our colleagues of that. let me just end really where senator cardin concluded his remarks. in two parts -- first of all by thanking our colleagues, democratic

colleagues, republican colleagues, who reached out in the aftermath of this terrible catastrophe to say they stood with us and would help us as we restore the port and rebuild the key bridge. and then again a thank you to the people of baltimore and the people of maryland, who demonstrated their amazing resilience during this terrible chapter and continue to do so every day. people who came together and volunteered to bring sandwiches to the folks at the coast guard, people who volunteered their services in an array of other ways, just to help the cause, to help at that moment of tragedy and to begin the process of healing and rebuilding. it has been a team effort. i want to thank our governor. i want to thank the mayor of

baltimore. we have come together as a state, and america has come together not just in sympathy but to demonstrate support. i just ask along with senator cardin, our colleagues to make sure that we move on this legislation just as quickly as possible. this is why senator cardin and i have offered it as an amendment to the faa legislation that is in front of this body right now. that's an expression of the urgency with which we take this challenge. and we just ask our colleagues to join us in recognizing that urgency so that we can do it together. when we saw the terrible collapse of the bridge in minneapolis many, many years ago, the congress rallied together very quickly to say that the united states government would stand with the people of minnesota in that hour of need and tragedy.

and we ask our colleagues the same. and i know that spirit is there in this body. we just hope that that spirit now will be accompanied by the legislation to get the job done. the president has asked us to do it. this is a moment for us to come together on a bipartisan, indeed a nonpartisan basis and get this done and show that even in the toughest of times our country does rally together to help those who have been injured, those who have been hurt. and out of this disaster will come a triumph as we rebuild the bridge and we resume full business at the port of baltimore, and finally that we help those families, continue to help those families who lost loved ones in this tragedy. mr. president, i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senior senator from maryland. mr. cardin: mr. president, i just want to compliment my colleague, senator van hollen, for his comments. i think he has said it the way everyone in maryland feels. we've worked together as a team on this. this is a national tragedy. we thank our federal partners for their help. we are proud of the unified eff efforts. and i appreciate senator van hollen's comments about just ordinary citizens that have really rallied behind the situation, helping their neighbors, providing food, providing opportunities that were lost as a result of the bridge collapse. it's really been gratifying to see the unity and support of our community. we need this legislation passed. i urge our colleagues to find a way we can get this done as quickly as possible. and i thank my colleague senator van hollen for his incredible leadership during this time.

the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

hamas accepts and goes a cease-fire. israel said it will continue the presses on with rafah attacks. the article says that hamas said monday it accepted the egyptian qatari cease-fire proposal but israel said the deal did not meet the demands and was pushing ahead from the southern gaza city of rostov. israel said it would continue negotiations. the high-stakes diplomatic move for military bob rings manship left a glimmer of hope alive but only barely. you could bring it least they pause to the 7-month-old war that has devastated the gaza

strip. to move the united states strongly opposes and the aid will be disastrous for some 1.4 million palestinians taking refuge there. let's take a look at what white house security spokesman john kirby said when he was asked about a potential cease-fire. cynics are you able to say what have been discussed over the last couple of days? >> again without getting into the details and director bernd is talking to partners about this, and there has been ongoing negotiations and talks here for weeks and the director of travel recently to see if we can't bring this thing home. and again without speaking about the details of the response by hamas i think it's safe to conclude that response came as a result or at the end of the continued discussions that director burns as part of.

>> can we get a readout for me here from director burns later today? >> the president has been briefed on response and he's aware of where the situations where the process is. what you are asking is when we will get a final -- a final table slap here. there's a process that has been worked out in the past and we get your response by hamas will evaluate data and see what's in it. certainly the israelis must have a chance to look at this and to evaluate it and director burns as we speak literally as you and i are talking is having a conversation with partners in the region. it would be great and i'm sure we'd like to have an answer soon as possible but i don't want to get ahead of the process. >> that was yesterday at the white house and we will take a call from john, tony sorry who's

a college student in new york. tony where do you go to school? >> hi. i'm not entirely comfortable with saying just because yeah doc saying unfortunately. >> what do you think about what's going on? >> we had an encampment on my campus recently which led to dozens of arrests. just me myself as an organizer my own university admin has gotten in my face before and they admitted to blocking protests there that we have done prior and it led to the arrest of nine people i believe. that was prior to being cam meant that we did. our university senate is voting to or is trying to get a vote across that would hold their

university president as unfit for serving the university but yeah during being can't meant our university president actually called then university police, the suffolk county police and stuff like that. >> sonya have a question for you. your protests, were they abiding by the rules that your university has set for protests? >> so yes, for one it was an encampment and we have different rules as far as how to navigate etc. but at the same time our university has changed constantly and either way, the point of the protest is to be disruptive so even if we weren't, we are harming anyone

or harming any property. we were just occupying a space so -- >> but for you for instance blocking students from getting to their classes? when you say you were trying to be disruptive, what kind of disruption do you mean? >> our university i guess for the most part we were really just protesting blocking or her keep us from going to classes and entering buildings and stuff like that. on line to we were literally sitting there and we weren't doing anything. if anything it was the police blocking access to buildings and putting students out.

>> you said some of your classmates got arrested. do you know what happened to them and where are they in what's going on? >> some have been suspended. they have had their access to their dorms to block. like their dorms on campus. again this is the second around of arrests. the first round of the rest that they did there were violations. >> tony you did not get arrested. why not? >> what was it, this one? i guess this one i wasn't there in person for this one but like i'm still kind of like trying to

not, again i guess for reasons i'm trying to be a little bit more like not on the ground is much. >> would you say are you going to continue once classes let out after graduation? are you going to continue her what's the plan? >> to be fair since 2024 i've been doing protests so i have no intention of stopping. >> thanks for calling in tony. don is in bridgewater, new jersey. good morning. >> good morning. this is just incredible. i'm 75 years old and i've lived through 68 riots. the riots we had in 2022, i'm sorry 2020.

this is all coordinated and has nothing to do with legitimate protests. you canqu see it by the tents ad the flags. where did all these flags come from and where did all the things that they where? it's just unbelievable. are you kidding me? >> when you say coordinated, coordinated by who? >> soros, all of them. this is a long-term clinton and obama a long-term movement to destroy this country period end of story. >> towel is next in georgia. go ahead l. >> i blame on the scholarship and they gave the money to iran. they had the money to pay these two are --terrorists to come

over and start all this stuff. trump had everybody control them it believe that joe biden's policies [inaudible] >> this is an article from al-jazeera who says this, text of the gaza cease-fire proposal approved by hamas a deal lays out a timetable for release of -- in gaza and withdraw at the israeli troops from the territory. it says they have obtained a copy of the cease-fire that hamas accepted monday the deal which was put forward would come in three stages and that would see an initial hault in the fighting leading to the withdrawal of israeli troops from the palestinian territory. the proposed agreement would also ensure the release of israeli captives in gaza as well

as an unspecified number of palestinians held in israeli jails. it says israel has said it does not agree to the proposal but that it will indeed secure an agreement all while pushing on gaza. also regarding senator -- the senate is in a quorum. mr. cardin: i ask that the quorum call be dismissed. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator from maryland. the presiding officer: the question occurs on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd. ms. butler. ms. cantwell.

mrs. capito. mr. cardin. the clerk: mr. carper. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto. mr. cotton.

mr. cramer. mr. crapo. mr. cruz. mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst.

the clerk: mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer. mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham. mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. ms. hassan. mr. hawley. the clerk: mr. heinrich. mr. hickenlooper. ms. hirono.

mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. kaine. mr. kelly. mr. kennedy. mr. king.

ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford. mr. lee. the clerk: mr. lujan. ms. lummis. mr. manchin. mr. markey.

mr. marshall. mr. mcconnell. mr. menendez. mr. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy.

the clerk: mrs. murray. mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul. mr. peters.

the clerk: mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio. mr. sanders. mr. schatz. mr. schmitt. mr. schumer. mr. scott of florida. mr. scott of south carolina. mrs. shaheen. ms. sinema. ms. smith. ms. stabenow. mr. sullivan. mr. tester.

mr. thune. mr. tillis. mr. tuberville. mr. van hollen. mr. vance. mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative -- baldwin, butler, cardin, cortez masto, duckworth, gillibrand, heinrich, hirono, kaine, king, klobuchar, manchin, menendez, murray, ossoff, schatz, tester, warren. ms. cantwell, aye. senators voting in the negative -- blackburn, ernts, graham, hagerty, kennedy, ricketts, risch, tillis.

the clerk: mr. scott of south carolina, no.

vote: the clerk: mr. coons, aye.

the clerk: mrs. shaheen, aye. mr. reed, aye. the clerk: mr. crapo, no.

the clerk: ms. lummis, no. the clerk: mr. moran, no.

the clerk: mrs. fischer, no.

the clerk: mr. sanders, aye.

the clerk: mr. cruz, no. mr. daines, no. mr. wicker, no. mr. cornyn, no. mr. thune, no.

the clerk: mr. grassley, no. mr. wyden, aye. mr. welch, aye. mr. carper, aye.

the clerk: mrs. britt, no. mrs. capito, no. the clerk: mr. merkley, aye.

the clerk: mr. hawley, no.

the clerk: mr. padilla, aye. ms. hassan, aye.

the clerk: mr. mullin, no. mr. bennet, aye.

the clerk: mr. cramer, no. mr. schmitt, no.

the clerk: mr. van hollen, aye. mr. johnson, no. mr. casey, aye. ms. collins, aye.

the clerk: ms. murkowski, aye.

the clerk: mr. warnock, aye. the clerk: ms. rosen, aye. mr. markey, aye.

mr. scott of florida, no. the clerk: ms. smith, aye.

the clerk: mr. lee, no. mr. vance, no.

the clerk: mr. marshall, aye.

the clerk: mr. whitehouse, aye. the clerk: ms. hyde-smith, no.

the clerk: mr. sullivan, no.

the clerk: mr. lujan, aye.

the clerk: mr. marshall, no. mr. kelly, aye. mr. mcconnell, no.

the clerk: mr. boozman, no.

vote:

the clerk: mr. durbin, aye.

the clerk: mr. romney, no.

mr. hickenlooper, aye. the clerk: mr. cassidy, no. mr. warner, aye.

the clerk: mr. budd, no. mr. schumer, aye. mr. booker, aye. mr. young, no.

mr. peters, aye.

the clerk: mr. rounds, no.

the clerk: mr. blumenthal, aye.

vote:

the clerk: mr. murphy, aye. the clerk: mr. hoeven, no.

the clerk: mr. brown, aye.

the presiding officer: the yeas

are 52. the nays are 40. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action. under the previous order, the senate will resume legislative session and resume consideration of h.r. 3935 which the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 211, h.r. 3935, an act to amend fielths 49, united states code to reauthorize and improve the federal aviation administration and other civil aviation programs and for other purposes. mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i move to table the pending motion to commit with amendment. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to table pending substitute amendment 1292. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion.

all those in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the substitute amendment is agreed to. mr. schumer: i call up substitute amendment 1911 as modified. the clerk: a senator from new york, mr. schumer, for ms. cantwell proposes an amendment numbered 1911 as modified. mr. schumer: i ask to dispense with further reading of the amendment. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there sufficient second? there appears to be. the yeas and nays are ordered. mr. schumer: i have an amendment at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: a senator from new york, mr. schumer, proposes an amendment numbered 2026 to amendment numbered 1911. mr. schumer: i ask to dispense with further reading of the amendment. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to commit h.r. 3935 to the committee on commerce, science, and

transportation with instructions to report back forthwith with an amendment. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senator from new york, mr. schumer, moves to commit the bill, h.r. 3935 to the committee on commerce, science, and transportation with instructions to report back forthwith amendment numbered 2027. mr. schumer: i ask to dispense with further reading. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there sufficient second? there appears to be. the yeas and nays are so ordered. mr. schumer: i have an amendment to the instructions at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: a senator from new york, mr. schumer, proposes an amendment numbered 2028 to the instructions of the motion to commit. mr. schumer: i ask to dispense with further reading of the amendment. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there sufficient second? there appears to be. the dwraes and -- yeas and nays are so ordered. mr. schumer: i have a second-degree amendment at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: a senator from new york, mr. schumer, proposes an amendment numbered 2029 to

amendment numbered 2028. mr. schumer: i ask to dispense with further reading of the amendment. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the substitute to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the cantwell substitute amendment numbered 1911 as modified to calendar number 211, h.r. 3935, an act to amend title 49, united states code, and so forth and for other purposes signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to h.r. 3935 to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on calendar number 211, h.r. 3935,

an act to amend title 49, united states code, to reauthorize and improve the federal aviation administration and other civil aviation programs and for other purposes signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

we know how hard it is to be a college student who is famously broke we do not require our chapters pay money to a certain thing where one 100% supported by donors. >> have because your staff? once we have a staff of about six people. i am both staff and board chairman of the board and a runner staff. click to view it started officially campaigning for former president trump even though it's not the official nominee? >> our main goal is down ballot.

we are working on holding the house and flipping the senate. we cannot start doing that until the primaries are over. we are told outside, independent of primary process we do not weigh in on that most states have not made their nominations in they're down ballot races yet we're still holding off on that at this time. oxo went to ask you what you are hearing on college campuses be about the main priorities for this year's elections among college students. >> the concern among cautions a very similar to that of the general population. let me start by saying like other voter block. may not be of any concern whatsoever to any other college student. that being said that caveat out a lot of college students are concerned about the economy right now. this not affect older generations it certainly affects everyone. we are trying to get our feet underneath us we are trying ion.

mr. scott: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, the first 48 hours following the october 7 hamas terror attack on israel, violent language and threats against the jewish community and israel increased by over 488%. this hatred is spreading like wildfire on college campuses around the nation turning our so-called elite academic institutions into cesspools of harassment and violence pointed toward jewish students. there are violent mobs storming buildings, smashing windows, defacing property, tearing down the american flag, and replacing it. with the flag of radical extremist groups. we are witnessing anti-semitic hate and extremism that

threatens the very safety of our jewish students on college campuses around the greatest nation on god's green earth. it is so shocking and outrageous that so many of the administrators on these campuses sit back and watch as their campuses descend into chaos and criminality. there can be -- i mean this. there can be no equivocating when it comes to the issue of anti-semitic violence or hatred, and i and every single one of us should just call it out for what it is. so let me be clear. any student who advocates for murder and simple pa thighses with -- and sympathizes with terrorists should be expelled.

any universities that allows itself to become a megaphone for hatred should lose every single dime of federal funding. any college administrator who refuses to stamp out violent bigotry should lose their job. the american people and especially our jewish brothers and sisters deserve our moral clarity on this issue. that's why i introduced a resolution that forcefully condemns the explosion of anti-semitism on college campuses, calls out administrators who have failed to do their jobs and stamp out hatred, and urges the department of education to do their job and ensure that universities are protecting the rights of jewish

students. i am asking that every single senator in this chamber to support this resolution, to support common sense, and to push back against the hatred on these college campuses pointed directly at our jewish students. let us all send a very clear message to our jewish students and to those who oppose them. it is vital that this body, the so-called most deliberative body on the planet, stands united and speaks with moral clarity on this issue. mr. president, i would like to turn over some time to senator

hoeven and then senator ernst. but let me be clear. without any question, it is time for the united states senate to stand unanimously, not behind our jewish students but in front of them. let us be the wall that protects them. senator hoeven. mr. hoeven: [inaudible] i'll defer to my colleague first, the senator from iowa. ms. ernst: thank you, mr. president. i would like to thank my completion for joining me on the floor here this evening. the senator from south carolina, the senator from north dakota, thank you for raising this issue and showing leadership. -- for our friends across the nation.

mr. president, i rise in support of this resolution and to condemn the rise of anti-semitic hate speech and violence we are seeing at colleges and universities throughout our country. like so many parents and grandparents, i want our children to be allowed to freely express their thoughts and their views, but what we are seeing right now goes way beyond that. this is not free speech. it's violent, abusive discrimination, and it has to stop. six months ago i sent a letter alongside my colleague and ranking member of the senate health, education, labor, and pensions committee, senator cassidy, urging the biden

administration to protect college students from targeted attacks on campuses. i spoke to anti-semitic incidents including vandalism of fraternity homes and club meeting spaces, dorm room doors being set on fire, professors making examples of jewish students by placing them in a corner of their classroom to emulate the palestinian experience. today, exactly 214 days since iran- iran-backed hamas attacked israel, the biden administration has finally released guidance clarifying that fostering a

hostile environment on campus is, in fact, a violation of the civil rights act, something i've been saying all along. in the past month alone, we've seen jewish students physically blocked from entering their academic buildings with protesters surrounding them chanting death to america. we've seen protesters holding the nazi salute as jewish students walk through campus. we've watched protesters take hammers to the windows of academic buildings, all the while claiming to be peaceful. to date, we have seen 80 different schools play host to these protests. and more than 50 of those

schools have required law enforcement preference, resulting -- presence, resulting in arrests. folks, the fact that we needed 20 pages of examples modeled on students' real experiences to tell us that these actions are unacceptable is absolutely ridiculous. secretary of h education needs to take a look at the complaints that his team has received in the past six month. he claims schools are mitigating the violence and discrimination, but i have yet to see real solutions for the students too scared to even walk across the quad to the cafeteria. mr. president, this answer semitism is un-american -- this

anti-semitism is un-american. wholly unacceptable and we should be unified in our intolerance to it. i call on president biden and secretary car -- cardona to remove these. i call on the senate to stand united in the face of this abhorrent behavior and to say with one voice whole heart i hadly, we -- wholeheartedly, we condemn anti-semitism. never again is right now. i yield my time. -- to the gentleman from north dakota. mr. hoeven: i thank the esteemed senator from iowa and also i'm very proud to rise this evening to join with my esteemed senate colleague, senator scott from south carolina. and i want to thank him for his very, very stong leadership on this -- very, very strong

leadership on this issue. and for condemning the riding tide of anti-semitism we're seeing across the country. on october 7, israel was victim to a horrific, horrific attack by hamas. since then the united states has stood firm with our strong ally, as israel asserts its right to defend itself and hold hamas accountable for its heinous actions. in november i traveled with a bipartisan group of senators and congressmen to tel aviv and met with prime minister netanyahu where i reiterated america's absolute commitment to israel. since then we passed the national security supplemental legislation with broad bipartisan support, broad bipartisan support to provide aid to our close ally, israel. what's new, however, and is deeply troubling is the rise of

anti-semitism in our society, and particularly what we are seeing on our college campuses. i never thought that we would see this in my lifetime in our country. it -- i just can't believe that we are seeing anti-semitism like this in america, and it is absolutely unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable. to be clear, colleges and universities ought to be spaces that encourage freethinking and free speech, where students can learn about the world and their place in it. there can be no space, however, for anti-semitism on our college campuses can, or anywhere else in our country. the examples that we are seeing at universities of anti-zionist encampments, individuals prohibiting jewish students from entering university buildings and other anti-semitic acts must

be met with a speedy and strong response, and not only from the universities but from our department of education as well. as we recognized holocaust remembrance day earlier in week, you he reminded by remarks given by the late-supreme court justice scalia to mark the occasion over 20 years ago when he said that the most frightening aspect of the holocaust was that it happened in one of the most educated, most progressive and most cultured countries in the world. for these reasons and many more, i am proud to join with senator scott from south carolina in supporting this resolution and other of our colleagues as well. the resolution condemns anti-semitism and resolves that the administration -- administrators of colleges, as well as the department of education, must take the necessary actions to ensure

compliance with the civil rights act of 1964 and defend jewish and israeli students against discrimination. mr. scott: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on health, education, labor you and pensions be discharged from further consideration and that the senate now proceed to s. res. 670. further, that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. sanders: reserving the right to object -- the presiding officer: the senator from vermontment. mr. sanders: mr. president, i rise in opposition to s. res. 670, which in my view does in fact not go far enough to address the very serious crisis of bigotry taking place all over

this country. let me be very clear. anti-semitism is a vile and disgusting form of bigotry that has existed for hundreds, if not thousands, of years and in the last century resulted in the deaths of at least six million people, including some in my own family. and i strongly and unequivocally condemn all forms of anti-semitism. in addition, it is imperative that congress representing the american people makes clear our strong opposition to all forms of bigotry in this country, whether on college campuses or elsewhere, including islamophobia, homophobia, racism, and the growing attacks against the asian american

community. our goal must be to bring people together as one nation regardless of our religion, regardless of where we were borne, regardless of the color of our skin. and the resolution that i am offering, which i hope will be accepted, makes that abundantly clear. no to anti-semitism. no to islamophobia. no to all forms of racism and bigotry. and mr. president, as we do our best to combat racism and all of its ugly manifestations, we must also hold our heads high and with pride as we honor the first amendment to our constitution, brilliantly developed by the

founders of this country. and let me read, simply read, because some may have forgotten, what the first amendment says, and i quote, congress shall make no war respecting an establishment of religion or the free exercise thereof, or abridging the frydom of speech or -- the freedom of speech or the press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for redress of grievances, end of quote. that, mr. president, is what a free country is about, the right to disagree with government and the right to protest. and those are rights that every member of congress should respect no matter what one's political point of view may be. mr. president, i happen to believe that protesting

injustice is part of the american tradition, going back to the very founders of this country, and has played a fundamental role in recent decades in the fight to overcome racism, sexism, home phobia, and other -- homophobia and other forms of discrimination. i would remind my colleagues, for example, that the success of the civil rights movement was due in large part to sit-ins and occupations, where young black and white americans bravely took up space in private businesses, demanding an end to the racial discrimination and segregation that existed at that time. i would also remind my colleagues that during the vietnam war students and millions of other americans, including myself, joined

peaceful demonstrations demanding an end to that war. maybe, just maybe, tens of thousands of american lives and countless vietnamese lives might have been saved if the government had listened to those demonstrators. and further, let us not forget those who demonstrated against the failed wars in iraq and afgha afghanistan. maybe those protestors should have been listened to as well. you know, despite what some people think here, government policy regarding wars is not always right. in fact, in recent history it has mostly been wrong. mr. president, i do find it extraordinary, both tonight in listening to my colleagues and what i have heard for many months now, that this body is very quick to bring forth bills and resolutions condemning

student protestors, but there has been minimal discussion about what these young people are protesting. and that is rather extraordinary. i didn't hear one word of it tonight. what are they out demonstrating about? what have millions of people gone to the streets and talking about? so let me take this opportunity to do just that. we all know, as has been stated correctly this evening, that october 7, 2023, hamas, a terrorist organization, began this war with an attack on israel that killed 1200 innocent men, women, and children, and took over 200 people captive, many of whom are still in captivity tonight. i think all of us believe, and i know that all of us believe, that this horrific attack must be unequivocally condemned.

and i believe that all of us understand that israel had the right to defend itself against hamas. but i certainly do not believe, nor do i -- nor do a strong majority of the american people believe, that the right wing extremist netanyahu government has the right to wage an unprecedented all-out war against the palestinian people. and what these protests are largely about, and what public opinion is showing, is outrage that since october 7 the netanyahu government has killed more than 34,000 palestinians and injured more than 78,000, 370% -- 70% of whom are women and children. of that is over 5% of the

2.2 million people living in gaza. and that, mr. president, is what the vast majority of people in this country who are protesting are talking about. protestors and the majority of the american people are outrageous that 1.8 million people, 80% of the population of gaza, have been forced out of their homes, 80% forced out of their homes, and sent to overcrowded and dangerous locations. protestors and the american people in general are deeply concerned about the destruction of over 200,000 housing units, destroyed, leaving more than a million people in gaza homeless. the american people and protestors are deeply worried, concerned about what happens to these people in the future. they've got no home.

where do they go? how do they live? the american people and protestors are outraged that the civilian infrastructure of gaza has been devastated, with approximately 60% of water and sanitation facilities damaged or destroyed and electricity almost entirely shut off. raw waste is now seeping into the streets throughout gaza, because their wastewater systems have been destroyed. the american people and american doctors i have talked to, who were in gaza, are shocked that the health care system of gaza has been systematically destroyed, with 26 hospitals knocked out of service and more than 400 health care workers killed. mr. president, when we talk about college campuses, and i understand that is the discussion here tonight, i want

everyone to know that there are no protests on the college campuses in gaza. nobody is feeling discomfort. you know why? because every one of the 12 universities in gaza has been bombed and destroyed! and as we speak against explicit and repeated warnings from president biden, israel is attacking rafah where over a million palestinians have sought refuge. and that situation will only accelerate the crisis that mrs. mccain and others in the humanitarian world have talked about, and that is famine is imminent in gaza, and god knows how many children are already dying of malnutrition. mr. president, the fact of the matter is that some 67% of americans, according to recent polls, support the united states

calling for a ceasefire, and 60% oppose sending more weapons to israel. and that's what the protestors are talking about. they are asking why it is we are complicit in the humanitarian disaster taking place in gaza, and why, when we've got hundreds of thousands of people homeless throughout this country, we're giving $20 billion more to the right wing extremist netanyahu government. so, no, mr. president, it's not just protestors on college campuses who are upset about u.s. policy with regard to israel and gaza. increasingly, the american people want an end to u.s. complicit in the humanitarian disaster that is unfolding there. mr. president, i will therefore be offering an alternative resolution to the one that senator scott offered, which does the following, and i hope it would gain unanimous

support -- one, strongly condemns the rise of anti-semitic, anti-muslim, anti-arab, anti-asian, and any other form of discrimination on the camp uses of schools and institutions of higher education across the united states. so it does what senator scott proposes, but it does more. number two, strongly affirms congress' support for the first amendment of the constitution and freedom of speech and dissent. three, strongly supports the right of students and all americans to peacefully protest. four, urges the department of education to take necessary actions to ensure that schools and institutions of higher education are complying with title 6 of the civil rights act of 1946 to pro -- 1964 to provide all students, including students who ro or perceived to be jewish, muslim, arab or palestinian, a school environment free from discrimination based on race,

religion, color, or national origin. lastly, strongly urges school leaders, college administrations, college administrators and local and state and federal leaders to take all necessary steps to protect students' safety and civil rights, including their right to peacefully assemble and protest. therefore, i object to this resolution. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. mr. scott: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from south carolina. mr. scott: reserving the right to object. no? let me just respond to my good friend on the other side of the ocean and this aisle. i wonder in the 1960's, when

there were black students, what did they want then? it wasn't a resolution condemning all hate when they were the only target of the hate. it was support for those who were being victimized in the moment. not a resolution that muddies the water. every single challenge facing the folks in the middle east as a result of hamas attacking is israel, every drop of blood is on the hands of the terrorists in hamas. period. every challenge facing folks in g

gaza, that is a result of hamas terrorizing the nation of israel, is on the shoulders of ha hamas. when you start the war, every innocent life, every unnecessary death is on you, plain and simple. let me just say that it is a coalition government in israel, a unanimous coalition government in israel supporting the efforts of israel to eliminate hamas from the planet, and i do too, 100%. it's frustrating. it's frustrating to see the level of violence in our country. it's frustrating for me to to see the level of violence on our college campuses. i started working on the definition of anti-semitism not

october 7, but in 2018. president trump made my language into an executive order five years ago. why? because there were signs even then of hate, disgusting violence, and intimidation, on college campuses in america. and so i just find the language and the comments of my colleague from vermont deeply disturbing and insulting and misleading. my resolution is quite simple. it condemns the rampant anti-semitism on college cam campuses, the 2,000-plus arrests

on college campuses weren't because of violence against black folks or violence against muslims or violence against hispanics or violence against asians. it was violence against jewish students. it was pin timm dation of -- it was intimidation of jewish students. it was vandalism on college campuses because of these folks who are trying to intimidate and get to our jewish students. it was our jewish students that couldn't walk to class in peaceh students who couldn't study in libraries without intilization. an objection to my resolution is an objection to the reality that today our jewish students are facing disgusting environments on college campuses and the

administrators sit back with their hands under their butts. my colleague's resolution clouds the issue of anti-semitism and equates hamas' unprovoked terrorist attack on innocent israelis and israel's measures of self-defense. it's ridiculous. what can we say -- what can we say to our young students in elementary schools and middle schools and high schools as they look at these so-called elite campuses where they're taking down american flags? what do we say to our young students watching anti-semitism rage on college campuses?

what do we say when they ask the questions that they ask me? why do they hate the jews so much? and who will stand in the -- not just with them but for them? i say there's not a single republican in the united states senate that is blocking this resolution. i say i, not i will but i must stand. why can't we just say anti-semitism on college campuses is wrong? why can't we have a full stop right there? perhaps it's because the politics of it is so entangled that the kwaug mire pit, we must

have everything thrown in the bucket as opposed to speaking the truth as it is right now on college campuses. why can't we just condemn anti-semitism on its face? why is it so hard for my democratic colleagues to condemn what senator sanders says, and i agree, the oldest form of hate in the world? why can't we just do that right now? we can't. politics suggest to be politically correct, we must include everybody. well, everybody isn't -- is not being impact ed like our jewish students today.

why is it so hard to speak without a fork tongue on such a pour issue that deserves our moral clarity? it is jewish students being forced out of the classrooms and out of the dorms. it is jewish students facing violence today. i get from us -- frugs traited by so often we just feel sorry for those poor kids. i get tired of hearing people say, well, you know, there's this larger group of folks that need to be protected. 2,000 arrests for violence

specifically focused and targeting jewish students. every single child, i don't care what race you are or religion, has a right to go to campus safely. but in today's america, it is the jewish student, the jewish student can't prepare for a midterm in a library. it's the jewish student that can't walk to class without hoping and praying that law

enforcement's there. we deserve, we deserve better. america deserves leadership that is unequivocal when it matters the most. we deserve leadership that speaks to the issue of the day, today and every day. that's why people are so disgusted with politics. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: well, i would agree with senator scott on one point. people are disgusted with politics. maybe the reason they are disgusted with politics is despite what the vast majority

of the american people want, the united states government is continuing to provide billions of dollars in military aid to the right-wing extremist netanyahu government. senator scott said it's a coalition government. it is. it is right-wing extremists in coal coalition with out and out racism. that's the coalition. people are disgusted because they don't want to see their money going to kill women and children in gaza. now, senator scott says i'm muddying the waters. really? well, i would suggest the -- suggest senator scott, remember what happened a number of months ago, i believe in 2023, three young palestinian college students were shot at close range in my city.

islamophobia in this country is on the rise. if you're a palestinian walking the streets, you better be careful. so the idea we should not as a nation and as a congress come together to address anti-semitism, absolutely. but islamophobia, we have, as you know, some people out there talking about the chinese flu and kung flu. if you think that does not prov provoke anti-asian behavior, you'd be mistaken. to condemn anti-semitism which is what my resolution does, but make it clear that all forms of bigotry in this country are unacceptable. mr. scott: reserving the right to object.

mr. sanders: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of my resolution which is at the desk. further, the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: is there an objection? mr. scott: reserving the right to object. mr. president, i think the senator and i could do this all night long. i'd be happy to, frankly. i don't think we will get to the place where we just have a clear statement condemning anti-semitism. so for all the reasons i've already noted and made, i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard.

mr. schumer: mr. president.mr. i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed. no quorum. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the appointment at the desk appear separately in the record as if made by the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask that the senate proceed to to executive session. calendar number 572, calendar

number 573. there be two minutes of debate before each nomination. the senate vote without intervening action or debate on the nominations. the the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate. that no further motions be in order, that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action, and the senate then resume legislative session. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president. i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it stand adjourned until 10:00 a.m. on wednesday, may 8. that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. that upon the conclusion of morning business the senate resume consideration of calendar number 211, h.r. 3935. further, that the senate recess from 1:00 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.

the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until today the senate confirm dominance of the u.s. ambassador to the southeastern asian nation. this week's editors are also working to pass a five year reauthorization bill for federal aviation administration program. out of a midnight deadline this friday when the senate returns watch live coverage here on cspan2. ♪ >> will you solemnly swear that in the testimony you are about to give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god? work saturday watch american it.tory tv congress investigates as we explo mor

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