Motion to Discharge

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, pursuant to S. Res. 27, the Judiciary Committee being tied on the question of reporting, I move to discharge the Judiciary Committee from further consideration of Arianna J. Freeman, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit.
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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, on the issue of our actions last night, yesterday, Democratic and Republican negotiators at long last released what the Nation has been waiting for for a very long time--a gun safety bill that can be described with three words: common sense, bipartisan, lifesaving.

As the author of the Brady background checks bill--the last major gun safety bill, which passed in 1994--I am pleased Congress is on the path to take meaningful action to address gun violence for the first time in nearly 30 years. The bill is real progress. It will save lives. It is my intention to make sure the Senate passes this bill before the end of the week.

Last night, the process to quickly pass gun safety legislation formally began here on the floor after 64 Senators agreed to get on the bill. Let me emphasize that number again. Sixty-four Members came together last night to move forward--an unmistakable sign of the broad support and momentum behind this bill. That is good news for American families and American communities that have waited for years to see real progress against gun violence.

Once again, it is my intention now to keep the process moving quickly and secure final passage before the week's end.

A little over a month ago, our Nation witnessed two of the most traumatic mass shootings seen in years: a racially motivated attack in Buffalo and the worst school shooting in years in Uvalde, TX.

After these shootings, the Senate had a choice: We could succumb to gridlock and hold a vote on a bill with many things we would want but that had no hope of getting passed or we could try to find a bipartisan path forward, as difficult as it seemed to get anything done. Over the past 4 weeks, we chose to try to get something done.

Immediately after Uvalde, I spoke with Senator Murphy, who has been our leader on these issues, and he asked me to give negotiators time and space to do their work. Given his long experience in this area, he thought that they could succeed. I was happy to agree because I knew that even if there was a chance to get something positive and tangible done on gun safety, it was well worth the effort. So I told Senator Murphy I would give him the space he needed.

That quickly became the consensus of our caucus and the consensus of many of our gun safety advocates, who pressed us to secure real progress. We were all on the same page: Get something real done even if it might not be everything we wanted.

This proved to be the right decision because today we are only a few days away from passing the first major gun safety bill in nearly 30 years.

I want to thank all my Democratic and Republican colleagues for working together to reach this point. I want to particularly thank Senators Murphy and Sinema and all my Democratic colleagues who were part of the bipartisan working group. And, of course, I also want to thank Senators Cornyn, Tillis, and my Republican colleagues who made the decision to tackle this difficult issue.

Most important of all, I want to thank all the survivors of gun violence, all the families and advocates who dedicated years of their lives to try to make a difference. This would not be possible without their years of work. No matter how many mass shootings have been met with gridlock over the years, these families never gave up on their hopes of making change happen. As I have told them, rather than curse the darkness, they lit a candle. They have turned their grief into action, and now their action has brought us to the brink of passing the first significant gun safety bill in decades.

The negotiators have done their work. Now it is time for the Senate to complete the job and pass the bill before the end of the week. The American people have waited long enough. INSULIN Act

Mr. President, now on an insulin bill, another bit of good news, a bright light. Earlier this morning, my colleagues Senators Shaheen and Collins released legislation taking direct aim at one of the most confounding problems facing millions of Americans: the skyrocketing cost of insulin.

After months of hard work and good-faith negotiations, the efforts of my colleagues Senators Shaheen and Collins have produced the INSULIN Act. This bipartisan bill will cap insulin at $35 a month, change the system that favors corporations instead of patients by keeping prices high, and help lower costs for millions of Americans with diabetes. It is my intention to bring the INSULIN Act to the floor of the Senate very soon, and it ought to pass this Chamber expeditiously.

Reducing the price of insulin is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue; it is something that affects millions of Americans in every city and every State. In fact, State legislatures across the country have passed bills capping the cost of insulin for patients--not just blue States but some deeply red States as well.

Senators Shaheen and Collins approached me earlier in the year and said they wanted to draft a bill that not only capped insulin prices at $35, but, in addition, they said they also wanted to have a bill that goes deeper and goes to the depth of the problem, to change the system of high prices that puts profits ahead of patients and lower the cost for millions of Americans with diabetes. I agreed that would be preferable. I encouraged them. And after a lot of work--hard work, diligent work--they have written a very fine bill.

Now, it is time for Congress to get the job done. If we can pass this bill, it will be a win for everyone--most of all, the millions and millions of Americans who rely on insulin to manage their diabetes.

There is no time to waste because the surge of insulin costs is one of the most infuriating trends of the past decade. For many people, the cost of insulin can climb up to hundreds of dollars a month, sometimes as much as $400 or even more. It is horrible and infuriating.

Skyrocketing insulin costs means that many Americans have to ask some soul-wrenching questions: Do I pay for my groceries, or do I pay for my medication? Do I have to ration my supply and take maybe half the dosage each day--which we know hastens the onset of diabetes and hastens the virulence of diabetes; or some ask: Will I have to skip my medication altogether?

These are questions no American should have to ever ask, but this is the reality for far too many in this country. No American should have to go broke just to access the medicines they need to stay alive. So that is why the Senate should make the INSULIN Act a priority in the coming months.

Again, I want to thank Senators Shaheen and Collins for all their hard work in bringing this bill together. This has been a passion of both of theirs for a very long time. It has been a priority for many of us in this Chamber for years, and to have a bipartisan bill like this one is truly a breakthrough.

Very soon, I intend to have this bill come before the Senate so we can take decisive, much-needed steps toward lowering the cost of insulin for millions who need this drug to stay alive. Nomination of Arianna J. Freeman

Mr. President, finally on judicial nominees: As we continue moving forward on the first major gun bill in decades, the Senate will also proceed with confirming even more of President Biden's highly qualified judicial nominees. Later today, the Senate will move forward on the historic nomination of Arianna Freeman to serve as circuit judge for the Third Circuit.

Ms. Freeman would make history as the first Black woman ever to preside as an appellate judge on the Third Circuit, which is home to more than 3 million African Americans in the Northeast and the Virgin Islands, but which has had only five African-American judges in its entire history.

Her confirmation would be a long overdue step toward a more representative bench that is vital for the health of democracy.

And her qualifications--Yale Law School, clerkships for three Federal judges, and extensive experience as a Federal defender--should erase any doubt that she merits appointment to the bench. Normally, a nominee with Ms. Freeman's resume should command strong bipartisan support, so it was deeply regrettable that her nomination was locked in committee with an 11-to-11 vote. Nevertheless, we are proceeding with her nomination today. I have just moved to discharge her nomination out of the Judiciary Committee so we can bring her to a vote on the floor.

Again, a simple look at her resume shows she has the skills. We know she has the temperament and experience to make an excellent judge. And despite delays, the Senate is going to move her one step closer to confirmation today.

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