Business Before the Senate

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, the Senate gavels back into session today to pick up right where we left off in March: confirming more of President Biden's outstanding nominees and advancing legislation that protects and serves the American people.

There is much the Senate has to accomplish in the coming weeks, and getting anything done--anything--will require bipartisan cooperation. It is not easy but nevertheless essential.

Today, the Senate will commence by voting to invoke cloture on the nomination of Susan Bazis to be a U.S. district court judge for the District of Nebraska. I have also filed cloture on the nominations of Robert White to be a district judge for the Eastern District of Maryland and the nomination of Ann Marie McIff Allen to be a district judge for the District of Utah.

On the legislative front, Congress has until April 19 to pass an extension of FISA's national security authorities. That is the next major deadline we face on the calendar. Preventing FISA from lapsing will take bipartisan cooperation and swift action. The House is currently working on the best path forward on FISA, and the Senate stands ready to jump into action to prevent this important national security authority from lapsing. We must get FISA done this work period.

As the Congress gavels back into session, I also urge Speaker Johnson and House Republicans to snap out of their paralysis and pass the Senate's national security supplemental. The situation in Ukraine is desperate. Speaker Johnson has now sat on his hands for 55 days as the national security supplemental has collected dust in the House. That is 55 days of America standing on the sidelines while our friends in Ukraine fight and die on the battlefield with no support; 55 days of our European allies wondering when the United States will step up. With each passing day, Ukraine continues to run out of ammo, continues to run out of soldiers, and continues to run out of hope that it can successfully expel the Russians from their borders.

Let's be blunt. The biggest reason Ukraine is losing the war is because the hard right in Congress has paralyzed the United States from acting. That is it. That is the reason. Speaker Johnson has to decide for himself whether or not he will do the right thing for Ukraine, for America, and for democracy, or if he will allow MAGA Republicans to hand Vladimir Putin a large victory.

I am confident that if the Speaker puts the Senate's national security supplemental on the floor, it will pass. It remains the best, quickest, and most realistic way to get Ukraine the help it needs.

So, again, there is a lot that the Senate must do in the coming weeks and months, and to get anything done will require bipartisan cooperation. I thank my colleagues for their good work so far in 2024 and look forward to working with all of them to keep delivering for the American people.

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