Providing for Congressional Disapproval Under Chapter 8 of Title United States Code, of the Rule Submitted By the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Relating to ``Update of Commission's

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it has been my good fortune to serve in the U.S. Senate for several terms and in the House before. I can remember this Chamber from my first visit when I sat in that Gallery as a college student and watched the proceedings of the U.S. Senate, and I can remember so many historic days that I have been blessed to have a front-row seat to observe great memories. But in addition to those great memories, there is one sad memory--no, it was more than sadness; one memory that brings sadness and anger--and it is related to January 6 of this year.

I remember that day so well. The Vice President of the United States, Michael Pence, was presiding over the U.S. Senate. We were counting the electoral votes to determine the official outcome of the previous election. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, was holding a rally near the White House, not far from Capitol Hill. The demonstrators who came to his rally then marched on this Capitol, and what transpired after that was historic and shameful.

I remember the moment when the Vice President of the United States was spirited off that platform, yanked by his arms out that door. Clearly his security detail felt that his life was in danger, and they removed him.

I remember a member of the Capitol Police coming, standing on the podium in front of the Senate, and saying that we should remain in our seats, that this was going to be a safe place, this room, the Senate Chamber. Then they started bringing in the staff, who were gathered around the Chamber, to stand along the walls because of the safety of this circumstance. So we knew there was something happening in the Capitol.

Minutes later, just minutes later, that same Capitol policeman announced: ``Evacuate this room as fast as you can. As quickly as you can, move off this scene and go to another place.''

I never thought that I would see that in the U.S. Capitol Building, nor in the Chamber of the U.S. Senate, but it was a reality.

As we quickly moved out through the exits, all the Senators and staff, I remember looking out the window and seeing hundreds of people descending on the Capitol. That was the snapshot in my mind as we quickly escaped the danger in the U.S. Capitol Building.

We know at the end of the day that at least five people lost their lives. We know that 140 law enforcement were assaulted by this mob who tried to take control of the Capitol during the electoral college count. Of course, there is ample historic evidence of what happened-- videotapes galore, videotapes from every angle, information gathered.

That is why I was skeptical when they suggested creating a Commission to chronicle what happened on January 6. We saw it. We lived it. America watched it, many times on live television. The videotapes have been played over and over and over again to dramatize what was happening as people were spraying so-called bear spray in the faces of law enforcement, beating them with poles, crashing through the windows of the Capitol and breaking down the doors to come inside.

We know what happened after we evacuated this Chamber. The mob took over. Oh, they had their glory as they were taking pictures of one another going through our desks here, acting like this was a holiday and that they were somehow patriots in that shameful moment.

I questioned whether we needed a Commission to establish this. It is there. But then last week, there was a vivid reminder that, despite reality and despite the evidence, there are people who want to rewrite history. Let me note one in particular.

Congressman Andrew Clyde, Republican of Georgia, at a House Oversight Committee hearing on the January 6 riot, said that the House floor was not breached, that supporters of former President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol behaved ``in an orderly fashion.'' Congressman Clyde went on to say that if you looked at the videotapes, you could see that ``there was an undisciplined mob. There were some rioters, and some who committed acts of vandalism.''

Then he went on to say:

Watching the TV footage of those who entered the Capitol, and walk through Statuary Hall showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes taking videos and pictures, you know.

That is what the Congressman said. He said:

If you didn't know that TV footage was a video from January the sixth, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit.

End of quote from Congressman Clyde.

This is a quote from Congressman Paul Gosar, Republican from Arizona. The law enforcement officials in the Capitol were ``harassing peaceful patriots.''

So far, more than 440 people have been charged by our government with participating in this attack, 440 of Congressman Clyde's orderly tourists. Many have ties to rightwing extremist groups, the FBI said. They recounted that five people died in the events that led up to the attack. It is outrageous.

We know President Trump and his followers have been pursuing the Big Lie when it comes to the results of the election. The President has finally embarrassed even some Republican followers with his extreme statements in that regard. But now his loyalists are turning on the facts and the videotapes and the reality of January 6.

This has to come to an end. The truth has to prevail. This Commission, which I understand Senator McConnell has now said he opposes, is absolutely necessary--a bipartisan Commission to establish once and for all what did occur, as if we have to, but we do. Otherwise, Congressman Clyde, Congressman Gosar, and others will set out to rewrite history and blame other forces for being at work that day.

I join Senator Schumer in calling for the creation of this Commission and demanding a vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate for its creation so that we can establish once and for all what did occur on January 6 and must never happen again
Endless Frontier Act

Mr. President, years ago, I traveled to Israel with then-minority leader Senator Harry Reid. We met with Shimon Peres, and something happened that I have never forgotten.

Senator Reid asked: ``What do you see as the greatest threat in the world to the United States?'' That was just a couple of years after 9/ 11 when that question was posed. I thought Peres might cite terrorism or loose nukes. Instead, he said without hesitation: ``China. Don't you see that?''

Economically, strategically, diplomatically, China was already focused like a laser on advancing its position as the world's most powerful nation, and that was 16 years ago.

Five days ago, China launched a spacecraft safely and landed it on Mars, becoming only the second nation in history, after the United States, to land on the Red Planet.

In 1957, at the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union became the first nation to launch an Earth-orbiting satellite into space. That launch shocked the world and caught us off guard. Our response was an unprecedented commitment to reclaim America's dominance in the world as a leader in scientific and technological discovery and innovation. The effort became known as America's Sputnik moment. Twelve years later, America put a man on the Moon.

You might say that now, instead of a Sputnik moment, America is going through a Zhurong moment. That is the name of the Chinese Mars rover, Zhurong.

Let me be clear. While China is our fastest growing competitor, the United States has lost some ground globally as many nations recognize the importance of R&D investments to their industrial innovation and competitiveness. In 1960, just 3 years after Sputnik launched, the United States accounted for approximately 69 percent of the world's R&D funding. By 2018, 58 years later, this percentage had dropped from 69 percent to 28 percent. Others were joining in the pursuit of technology and innovation at a record clip.

The question is, Can we come together, as Americans did in the last century, to make investments in science, technology, and competitiveness to guarantee that America's economy remains the world's largest and most innovative?

Some Members of Congress and the Senate--and we have heard their speeches on the floor--say: Go slow. No hurry. Well, I think they are committed to a solid second-place finish for the United States of America, and I don't want to be a part of it.

The Endless Frontier Act, which we are going to consider, gives us a reason for hope. It is broad-based. It is bipartisan. It shows leadership by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer; Senator Todd Young, Republican of Indiana; along with Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell of Washington and Ranking Member Roger Wicker of Mississippi.

Like America's response to Sputnik, the new era of scientific and technological discovery will be driven by seed money from the Federal Government, but this effort is not limited to government spending. America is home to the world's best research colleges and universities and laboratories, like the Argonne National Lab in my State of Illinois. They are part of this effort too. We will harness the combined efforts of America's best scientific and technological minds in the public sector and the private sector.

The Endless Frontier Act and broader competitiveness package represent the largest investment in U.S. science and technology since the Apollo era. It will authorize more than $100 billion over 5 years to support breakthrough scientific discovery and technological innovation in 10 key areas vital to building an innovation economy for the 21st century and creating good jobs in the process. These key areas include fields such as advanced energy, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and genomics, quantum computing, robotics, materials science, disaster prevention, and, of course, cyber security.

If you need a reminder of why it is urgent that we improve U.S. cyber security, look at how the ransomware attack last week by Russian cyber criminals on a major American oil pipeline caused long gas lines and panic buying throughout the eastern half of our country.

Investing strategically in these 10 key innovation areas will enable the United States to protect America's position as a leader in the global economy and protect our national security. It will reinvigorate and expand our industrial and manufacturing base, and it will create a stronger middle class in our country.

The Endless Frontier Act will also strengthen the security of essential supply chains and our ability to solve disruptions caused by crises. Remember those fearless doctors and nurses working in COVID-19 wards last year, when they had to dress in garbage bags because of a nationwide shortage of PPE? A nation as wealthy and powerful as ours should never be caught so dangerously unprepared. This bill will make sure that we aren't.

Here is another cautionary tale about supply-line disruption. In Belvidere, IL, which is in the northern part of our State, workers at the Stellantis plant are proud of their work assembling Jeep Cherokees.

In late March, that plant was forced to shut down because of a global shortage of microchips. The plant is scheduled to reopen as soon as the end of this month. But late last week, the company announced that the plant will be forced to shut down one of its two production lines in late July, again because of microchip shortages. As many as 1,600 employees could be laid off.

You can't build a prosperous economy and stable middle class if you can't secure your supply lines. We know that American workers can build cars and trucks for the future because they are already doing it, and they are going to be launching it in many places around our Nation. Just this week, President Biden visited an electric vehicle assembly plant in Michigan. And they are doing it today as well in Normal, IL, where a company called Rivian--remember the name: R-I-V-I-A-N, Rivian-- repurposed and expanded a former Mitsubishi assembly plant to produce the company's first assembly plant for electric cars and trucks. Is this going to work? Will it actually have a demand for electric vehicles?

Remember this one too. Amazon has already ordered 100,000 delivery vans from this plant. By the end of the year, Rivian expects to employ 2,500 people at the Normal assembly plant, 2,500 workers in good- paying, middle-class jobs in America. The Endless Frontier Act and President Biden's American Jobs Plan provides the leadership and resources to make sure that America remains the world leader in the 21st century.

On another critical issue, let me say that we need to get serious when it comes to combating intellectual property theft and counterfeiting. The previous administration's policies were haphazard. We can do better. The Endless Frontier Act will impose tough sanctions on entities that violate U.S. intellectual property and trade protections.

I am working with Senator Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, and others on a bipartisan bill that provides additional safeguards to combat the sale of counterfeit goods, especially on the internet.

As I said, the Endless Frontier Act and competitiveness package will invest more than $100 billion over 5 years to support breakthrough technologies. Now, $100 billion is a big investment, but it is dramatically less than what China is now spending in the same areas. And it is far less when adjusted for inflation than what we spent on the race for space.

If we contributed the same share of our GDP to science and technology today as we did in the early 1960s--1 percent of our overall economy-- we would have to spend $900 billion, not $100 billion, in this effort.

My support for the Endless Frontier Act builds on my commitment to securing steady, predictable funding increases for so many research Agencies of the Federal Government but especially for NIH. They provided the lifesaving vaccines that allow us to take off our masks and resume our lives.

Monday, I went out to NIH with several of my colleagues. Senator Blunt led a group from the Appropriations Committee. We met with NIH Director Francis Collins, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and scientists who are working on breakthrough discoveries.

It was 6 years ago that Senator Roy Blunt, Republican from Missouri, and I made an informal pact. We worked together to increase the NIH budget by 5 percent a year over and above inflation. With the help of Senator Patty Murray and Lamar Alexander, we increased the NIH budget more than 40 percent.

Because of those modest investments and the genius of NIH-funded researchers, we have a real chance of developing better treatments and cures for terrible diseases, including cancers, sickle cell, and Alzheimer's.

The race for the future isn't an either-or deal--either we invest in science or breakthrough technologies. We have to invest in both. I will continue to work with Senators from both parties to preserve steady, predictable funding increases for research.

No one bill will safeguard our national security or resolve all of our outstanding issues with China. We still have a lot of work to do, both in Congress and diplomatically. We still have to strengthen our immigration system so that America continues to welcome immigrants who want to put their genius to work for the good of America, as Nikola Tesla and Albert Einstein did in the last century, as did Katalin Kariko, the Hungarian-born Nobel laureate whose NIH-funded research paved the way for today's COVID vaccines.

Strengthening America's role as a global leader in science and technology is an essential piece of our effort to preserving our leadership in the world. For that reason, I support the Endless Frontier Act, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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