Wednesday, July 22, 2020

8:55 p.m. The Senate adjourned.

8:50 p.m. Senator Cramer wrapped up for the evening.

Passed by UC: S. Res 617.

7:40 p.m. Senator Merkley spoke on Democracy and protests in Oregon. He asked UC to debate his amendment (#2457) regarding secret police in America for two hours. Senator Cramer objected.

7:24 p.m. Senator Cantwell spoke on the Great American Outdoors Act and the Defense Authorization.

7:00 p.m. Senator Portman spoke on the next Covid-19 package.

6:52 p.m. Senator Alexander spoke on the School Choice Now Act.

6:32 p.m. Senators Gardner, Alexander and Portman spoke on the Great American Outdoors Act.

6:21 p.m. Senator Ernst spoke on prescription drug prices.

6:04 p.m Senator Kaine called up and achieved passage of S.906, regarding net fishing. He then talked about renaming military bases.

5:58 p.m. Senator Lee spoke on made in America products and achieved passage of S.4065 on that topic.

5:45 p.m Senators Reed and Inhofe discussed the Defense Authorization.

4:51 p.m. Senators Grassley, Braun, Cassidy, Collins, Hyde-Smith and McSally spoke on prescription drug prices.

4:34 p.m. Senators Markey and Cornyn spoke on S. 4019, making Juneteeth a federal holiday and asked to take up and pass it. Senator Johnson objected.

4:03 p.m. Senators Durbin and Lee spoke on immigrant workers and offered separate UC agreements and objected to each others requests.

3:54 p.m. Senator Thune spoke on John Lewis and then Covid-19.

3:50 p.m. Democratic Leader Schumer spoke on Covid-19.

3:27 p.m. Senator Baldwin spoke on Covid 10, and asked UC to take up and pass S. 3627, the Medical Supply transparency and delivery act. Senator Johnson objected.

3:19 p.m. Senator Brown spoke on China, Vietnam veterans, and Covid-19.

3:02 p.m. Senators Murphy and Stabenow responded on China.

2:09 p.m. Senators Ernst, Portman, McSally, Scott of Florida, Cruz, Blackburn and Lankford joined in a colloquy about China.

2:08 p.m. On a vote of 87 to 13, cloture was invoked on the Inhofe substitute. YEA: 49 Republicans, 37 Democrats, independent King. NAY: Democrats Booker, Gillibrand, Harris, Markey, Merkley, Van Hollen, Warren, Wyden; independent Sanders; Republicans Kennedy, Lee, Paul and Romney.

1:20 p.m. By a vote of 94 to 6, the Senate passed the Tester amendment on Vietnam War-era pesticides. YEA: 47 Republicans, 45 Democrats, both independents. NAY: Republicans Braun, Cruz, Kennedy, Lee, Paul, Scott of Florida.

12:54 p.m. Vote began on the Tester amendment.

12:53 p.m. By a vote of 23 to 77, the Sanders amendment failed. YEA: 22 Democrats, independent Sanders. NAY: 53 Republicans, independent King, 23 Democrats (Bennet, Brown, Carper, Coons, Cortez Masto, Duckworth, Feinstein, Harris, Hassan, Heinrich, Jones, Kaine, Manchin, Menendez, Peters, Reed, Rosen, Shaheen, Sinema, Stabenow, Tester, Warner, Whitehouse).

12:13 p.m. Roll call began on Sanders amendment #1788, to reduce the bloated Pentagon budget by 10 percent and invest that money in jobs, education, health care, and housing in communities in the United States in which the poverty rate is not less than 25 percent. Subject to an affirmative 60-vote threshold.

12:01 p.m. Senator Markey spoke on amendment #1788.

11:31 a.m. Senator Sanders offered his amendment #1788.

11:20 a.m. Senator Leahy spoke in support of Sanders amdt. #1788.

11:13 a.m. Senator Tester offered his amendment #1972 and spoke on NDAA.

10:59 a.m. Senator Sullivan spoke on Sanders amdt. #1788.

10:50 a.m. Senator Reed spoke on Sanders amdt. #1788.

10:39 a.m. Senator Durbin spoke on the pandemic and Sanders amdt. #1788.

10:23 a.m. Dem Leader Schumer spoke on pandemic stimulus.

10:04 a.m. Majority Leader McConnell spoke on NDAA.

10:03 a.m. Senator Grassley spoke on the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre.

The Senate will convene at 10:00 a.m. and resume consideration of S.4049, National Defense Authorization Act. The time from 11:20 am and 12:10 pm will be under the control of Senator Sanders.

There will be three votes at 12:10 p.m.

  1. Sanders amendment #1788, to reduce the bloated Pentagon budget by 10 percent and invest that money in jobs, education, health care, and housing in communities in the United States in which the poverty rate is not less than 25 percent. Subject to an affirmative 60-vote threshold.
  2. Tester amendment #1972, as modified, to expand the list of diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents for which there is a presumption of service connection for veterans who serviced in the Republic of Vietnam. Subject to an affirmative 60-vote threshold.
  3. Motion to invoke cloture on the Inhofe substitute amendment #2301, as amended.