The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“LEGISLATIVE SESSION” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Senate section on pages S1615-S1620 on March 9, 2020.
The Department oversees energy policies and is involved in how the US handles nuclear programs. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department's misguided energy regulations have caused large losses to consumers for decades.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
______
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019--Resumed
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the pending business.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 2657) to support innovation in advanced geothermal research and development, and for other purposes.
Pending:
Murkowski Modified amendment No. 1407, in the nature of a substitute.
Portman/Shaheen amendment No. 1514 (to amendment No. 1407), to establish greater energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness in building codes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.
Amendment No. 1525 to Amendment No. 1514
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I call up an amendment numbered 1525 to Amendment No. 1514, as proposed by Senator Portman.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from New Hampshire [Mrs. Shaheen] proposes an amendment numbered 1525 to amendment No. 1514.
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be waived.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:
(Purpose: To modify the authorization of appropriations for cost-effective codes implementation for efficiency and resilience)
On page 28, line 19, strike ``2021'' and insert ``2020''.
Recognition Of The Minority Leader
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader is recognized.
Coronavirus
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, the coronavirus continues to spread, with more than 500 confirmed cases in the United States in two-thirds of the 50 States. Given the inconsistency and delay in testing, we don't know if the number of confirmed cases actually reflects the number of actual cases in the United States.
We now know that when the coronavirus first appeared on our soil, the Centers for Disease Control produced kits that did not work properly and sent many of these tests to our hospitals and medical labs. The administration turned down tests from the World Health Organization, even though 60 countries accepted them, and we have no answer as to why.
It took weeks to get an accurate test out, and then it took weeks for the Federal Government to approve certain sites to run those tests, like the Northwell facility on Long Island that I recently visited. It took weeks to ramp up the number of Americans tested, and we are still far behind other countries like South Korea in the number and percentage of the population we are able to test for coronavirus.
The most powerful tool in responding to a virus is to know precisely where it is and how it is spreading, but because we don't have a complete handle on testing, many of our hospitals, doctors, researchers, and public health officials are flying blind, and we are still far behind where we ought to be in understanding how far the virus has already spread.
Now, instead of taking responsibility and working quickly to rectify the early errors, the Trump administration--and, especially, the President himself--downplayed concerns about the virus. The President falsely said a vaccine would be ready soon and implied that it was OK for Americans to go to work even if they had the virus. The President falsely blamed the Obama administration for a policy change that slowed testing. What he said was regarded as totally false.
Rather than spend the weekend in Washington to get a grip on the crisis, the President was once again golfing at Mar-a-Lago. I don't want to guess at the number of times this President has criticized other Presidents for doing the same thing. The Federal Government's initial response to the coronavirus was slipshod at best. It has greatly hurt the country, and it falls at the feet of the President. The buck stops with him.
Now, I know President Trump will dismiss these criticisms and accuse Democrats of playing politics. That is what he always does when there is legitimate criticism, because in President Trump's world, there is no such thing as a legitimate criticism of his administration. But I would tell President Trump: We don't criticize your administration for the sake of it. We criticize because we want the administration's response to get better, and we are afraid that if we don't speak up, if we don't point out the problems publicly and push the administration to change its method of operation, it will not change at all, and the crisis will continue to worsen.
Now more than ever, we need President Trump to lead our government's response to the coronavirus competently and consistently. We are all rooting for that.
As the economic effects of the coronavirus are beginning to worsen, there have been rumors that the Trump administration may pursue policies to stimulate the economy. Let me be very clear. The best way to ensure economic security for the American people right now is to deal with the coronavirus itself competently and full on--something we haven't yet seen. Getting a handle on the crisis and containing the spread of the virus is by far the best way to address any effects on the economy. If anything, the administration must prioritize the health and safety of American workers and families certainly before corporate interests. In that respect, Speaker Pelosi and I have suggested several policies that the administration should pursue to help American workers and families: paid sick leave for workers impacted by quarantine orders or responsible for caring for children impacted by school closures; enhanced unemployment insurance for workers who may lose their jobs from the economic impacts of the epidemic; food security to ensure vulnerable populations do not lose access to food during this epidemic; clear protections for frontline workers, like our healthcare professionals and workers who are responsible for cleaning public facilities; widespread and free coronavirus testing, as well as affordable treatment for any noncovered coronavirus-related costs; protections against price gouging; and increased capacity of our medical systems.
The administration must move quickly and seriously to address the expanding threat to the health of the American people and the severe impacts of the coronavirus on the financial security of American families.
Again, the best way to deal with the problem here--health and economic--is to address the problem head-on and deal with the kinds of problems we have seen in the administration in its slipshod and erratic response. That must vanish.
S. 2657
Mr. President, now on the Energy bill, this week the Senate will continue to work on a bill that would update our Nation's energy policy. Since the bill has been taken up, Senators have filed hundreds of amendments, and I hope we can have a fair process that will allow the Senate to consider amendments from both sides of the aisle.
I voted yes on the motion to proceed to the Energy bill because I was hopeful we would have a fair and robust amendment process. Unfortunately, this has not happened. The majority leader is rushing to conclude the bill, even though there is no particular urgency to finish this week. I salute Leader Manchin, who has worked very hard on this bill, as well as Chair Murkowski. I have differences with the bill, but they worked hard in a bipartisan way.
But we also have an emergency that warrants legislative action as soon as possible, and that is climate change. At the moment, Leader McConnell is blocking an important bipartisan amendment that would help clear it. I have urged Leader McConnell to allow a vote on an amendment led by Senator Carper, a Democrat, and Senator Kennedy, a Republican, that would require the EPA to phase out the use of HFCs, or hydrofluorocarbons. HFCs are dangerous greenhouse chemicals found in everyday appliances--air conditioners, refrigerators, and the like. They are thousands of times more damaging to our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Phasing out these HFCs is very important, and it will go a long way in fighting climate change and protecting the environment for future generations.
I believe the Senate should be allowed to vote on the Carper-Kennedy amendment. A bipartisan group of Senators back it, and even the chamber of commerce backs this amendment. So far, Leader McConnell has not allowed a vote on it.
Now, we don't have a caucus position. There are different views because of the good work done by Senator Shaheen and Senator Manchin on other parts of the bill, but I will be voting no on cloture this evening unless we can work out a compromise in the next few hours to get a vote on this critical amendment.
The Energy bill is a rare opportunity to make tangible progress on climate change as well--an existential threat to our planet. I hope my Republican colleagues and Leader McConnell, in particular, see the better side of reason and allow us to vote on bipartisan amendments.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Blunt). The assistant Democratic leader.
Coronavirus
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the coronavirus has now been confirmed in 104 countries. There are more than 110,000 cases worldwide, and nearly 4,000 people have died. In the United States, we have more than 500 cases--including 7 in my home State of Illinois--and at least 20 deaths. With these numbers expected to increase, we must be prepared to handle the cases that inevitably will follow.
As we consider the next step, it is imperative that we look at the impact this public health emergency is having in all sectors of our economy, including schools, hospitals, nursing homes, public health departments, and small businesses. Last Friday, I held a roundtable discussion with officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Illinois and Chicago Departments of Public Health, as well as other local health officials. It was held in the medical district in the city of Chicago. Experts updated us with the latest information on the coronavirus and what is being done at the State and local levels to prevent and address the outbreak. I am grateful for the work these officials are doing to keep Illinois safe and healthy in our homes, schools, and communities.
This is a serious public health challenge, and we are working diligently to protect Americans from the virus. The seriousness of this situation was evident by how quickly the House and Senate here in Washington came together on a bipartisan basis to provide needed emergency funding to help combat the virus. Last week, Congress rejected President Trump's original funding request of $2.5 billion and, instead, we secured $7.8 billion to address the virus in the United States. This funding will reimburse State and local governments for the millions of dollars they have already spent in containing the spread of this virus.
The bill also included important measures for patient monitoring, lab testing, acquisition of test kits, protective equipment, and research for vaccine and therapeutics. Democrats successfully fought to include a provision in the bill that will hopefully ensure that any forthcoming coronavirus vaccine is accessible and affordable for all Americans in need.
As we look forward to the next steps to respond to this public health emergency, it is critical that Congress prioritize the health and safety of workers and their families. Our public health experts are rightfully telling people to stay home if they are sick. Yet for many Americans, staying home means losing a paycheck that helps them pay their rent, pay for food, medication, and childcare. For many American families, losing a paycheck--even one--would be devastating. Nearly 40 percent of American adults do not have enough savings to cover a $400 emergency expense. I am proud to have helped introduce legislation last week that would immediately provide 14 days of paid sick leave to workers in light of coronavirus. It also is important that we ensure workers have access to unemployment insurance benefits during this uncertain time.
We passed a robust funding bill last week, but our work is far from done. There will be far-reaching impacts of this outbreak. It is imperative that we look forward to developing a comprehensive response that benefits everyone, including America's working families and small businesses, not just large corporations.
It is also important that we recognize the good work being done around the country to combat this virus. The Argonne National Laboratory in my State of Illinois is helping to address the threat with the Advanced Photon Source. Researchers are using this high-
powered x ray to study the virus. In fact, it was just announced last week that potential drug targets have been identified for this coronavirus by a team, including the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of California, Riverside. The scientists said their findings suggest drugs previously in development to treat SARS could now be developed as an effective drug against this coronavirus outbreak. This work by Argonne highlights how we need to work with researchers from different subject areas and expertise to address this pandemic and the importance of supporting scientific research funding in places like the National Institutes of Health.
It is coincidental that the Presiding Officer, the Senator from Missouri, and I have worked together with Senator Alexander of Tennessee and Senator Murray of Washington over the last several years to consistently increase, year after year, the amount of money we invest in the National Institutes of Health, our premier medical research laboratory in the world.
If I am not mistaken, over this period of time--a matter of only 4 years--we have increased the expenditures for the National Institutes of Health from $30 billion to more than $39 billion--a more than 5-
percent-added increase over inflation every single year. During the same period, I believe the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has increased by about 16 percent, which is a good number but not good enough. If anything, this pandemic that we face has reminded us of the absolutely essential role that is played by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in protecting American families from the threat of disease and the epidemic that we now may face with the coronavirus. We need to make this investment every year, without fail, in our medical research and medical prevention efforts in the United States.
I commend the Senator from Missouri, who is presiding, for his leadership on this issue, and I want to continue to work with him on a bipartisan basis to make sure this is done.
Discoveries like those at the Argonne National Laboratory are fighting to give us a reason to increase the funding as well in our basic Laboratories across the board. The Office of Science in the Department of Energy is a very critical partner to our medical research efforts, and we are learning that today as we face the coronavirus threat. We have successfully increased this funding at the Laboratory since fiscal year 2016. I am going to continue to work for more increases in the future, and I hope my colleagues will join me on a bipartisan basis.
It is important that we all remember to follow everyday precautions and educate ourselves with the CDC's prevention guidelines. I have probably washed my hands more this last weekend than during any weekend of my life, but I believe now this has to be routine and normal for all of us to default to washing our hands as frequently as possible and to do it in a very serious and not haphazard way. Avoiding close contact with those who are sick, staying home when you are sick, covering your nose and mouth, and cleaning your hands often are the basics that even the most accomplished of physicians tell us must be followed by everyone.
Now that we have secured funding to help address the coronavirus in an even more serious way in this country, we must look to this outbreak and how it will affect our daily lives and our economy. We have to look at the issues of paid sick leave for American workers, enhanced unemployment insurance, transportation, food security, educational plans, affordable treatment, and widespread and free coronavirus testing. We know we are probably a year to a year and a half away from the development of a vaccine, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't redouble our efforts now to do it and to do it in the right way.
The health and safety of all Americans is the highest priority of our U.S. Congress and our government. I stand ready to work with my colleagues to provide the Federal resources that are necessary to support and assist us in our progress against this threatening virus.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee is recognized.
Tennessee Tornadoes
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, on Friday, I flew with President Trump to Tennessee to visit with the Tennesseans who were hurt by the tornadoes last week.
There were four tornadoes. They hit primarily Benton, Davidson, Wilson, and Putnam Counties. They left 24 dead, and about 150 injured. There were more than 1,500 structures that were damaged. The winds were up to 175 miles per hour in the tornado that reached Putnam County.
We visited western Putnam County not far from Baxter. I talked to Matt and Angela Struggs there. She told me that at about 2 a.m., I guess it was early Wednesday morning, she heard what sounded like a freight train and then a whistle. All the people I talked with heard a freight train and a whistle.
She said--of course, they were all asleep, as it was 2 a.m. in the morning, and they didn't have any warning. So she ran upstairs as the windows were being blown out of the house, grabbed her youngest child, and came downstairs where her other two children and her husband were, and the sound was gone. They opened the door and looked across the street, and her son said: ``It's gone.'' What was gone were all the homes, all the neighbors. Eight died in that neighborhood alone.
The first heroes of this tragedy were those neighbors and other neighbors in Nashville, and Benton County, and Mount Juliet in Wilson County. Matt Struggs, the husband of the young woman I was talking with, is a worship leader in their church. This was obviously a very close-knit community. He said: We knew who was left by the sounds of their voices. So we set about finding them and digging them out and getting them to the hospital.
This is certainly not what anyone would describe as an area of rich Americans, but they would not want to be described either as middle-
income or low-income Americans, either. They are what I would call
``salt of the earth'' people, really good people--a very close-knit community whose first reaction and whose reaction the day we were there, 3 days later, was how can we help each other.
After the neighbors, the next heroes were the first responders. We met with many of them in Cookeville. Next were the volunteers. They turned out by the hundreds. Rick Gilbert, who is disaster coordinator for the Church of Christ in downtown Cookeville, talked with me about what they had there, but he didn't have to tell me. I could see it. There were stockpiles of boxes with everything imaginable that someone would want. Whatever they need, is what we try to give people who come here.
These Tennesseans were grateful for the visit by President Trump. It was more than the fact that this was the first time any President of the United States had visited Cookeville, TN. This is an important town, but it is a town between Nashville and Knoxville about nearly halfway, and Presidents come to Nashville or Knoxville or Memphis or Chattanooga or our bigger cities when they come to Tennessee. But not only did the President go to Cookeville--that was a 40-minute helicopter flight--he drove another 30 or 40 minutes to this neighborhood where the Struggs and their neighbors live--the ones who opened the door and looked across the street and saw that everything was gone. The President stayed, and he talked for a long time. He listened, and they appreciated it very much.
He and the other Federal officials announced a major disaster declaration in, what I believe to be record time. So by the time we were there on Friday, there were 75 Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel on the ground in Tennessee, and there were three shelters already open.
I just talked with Congressman Jim Cooper from Nashville who has been deeply involved with this since the beginning, and he talked about the shelters being opened and the devastation at the Tennessee State University's Agriculture Center there in Nashville.
Governor Lee and his wife Maria were there, and he did, as usual, a remarkably good job. He, like the President, has an easy way of dealing with people. Congressman John Rose was there. His hometown is Cookeville, the community where we were visiting. Senator Blackburn was there. She had gone with Congressman Rose on Wednesday and Thursday as soon as she heard about it. So she went back on Friday with us.
Of course, the mayors of all those communities hadn't gotten much sleep since Tuesday night when the tragedy occurred. They know--and the President and the Governor and I and Senator Blackburn, we all said to them: We know we can't resolve this. We can't make things like they used to be. We know we can't give you all the help you need, but we are here. That is really all they expected or all they wanted.
This is not our first tornado in Tennessee. According to The Tennessean newspaper, we have had 18 in the last 25 years, and several of them have been strong tornadoes like this one. But the people of Tennessee would want me to express our heartfelt appreciation to the President and to the Federal officials who, in the midst of everything else they had to do, jumped on this tragedy immediately, got the declaration out quickly, had the FEMA personnel on site, and had the shelters opened in what seemed to me to be a record amount of time. They then joined with the Tennessee volunteers and the neighbors and the first responders who set out to help the Tennesseans who were hurt.
There was a beautiful article written this morning that appeared in the New York Times by Margaret Renkl from Nashville about the meaning of hashtag ``NashvilleStrong,'' in which she talks about in her last sentence that ``while we understand we have not been singled out by God for survival, we also understand that we can be God's hands here in the rubble, helping our neighbors dig out.''
That is what is happening in Tennessee, and the President, the Federal officials, and the others who went to help, we greatly appreciate what they did, and I wanted to come to the floor to say that.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Boozman). Without objection, it is so ordered.
Recognition of the Majority Leader
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader is recognized.
Coronavirus
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, our Nation is continuing to confront the public health challenge posed by the new coronavirus. Right now, as Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health reminds us, the risk that any individual American will contract the disease remains low. This is not a time for fear. It is a time to continue calmly scaling up serious and smart preparations that have already been underway so the United States can continue working to blunt, slow, and mitigate the spread within our borders.
The most recent global health security index rated the United States the No. 1 overall most prepared country in the world for an infectious disease outbreak--the No. 1 overall most prepared country in the world for an infectious disease outbreak. Our resources, capabilities, and expertise are the envy of the rest of the world.
In this instance, the President's early, bold actions to impose travel restrictions and quarantine measures back in January bought our Nation more time and more room to continue preparing.
With that said, there was never any illusion that our country of more than 300 million people and nearly 4 million square miles could be entirely sealed off from the rest of the world. The question was never if we would have to combat the coronavirus here on U.S. soil, but when and to what degree.
As Dr. Fauci noted yesterday, we are now seeing instances of community spread here in the United States, and the CDC has now confirmed nearly 500 cases on U.S. soil. With respect to individual best practices and precautions, all Americans should follow the recommendations of the CDC and their State and local authorities. Detailed suggestions for different personal situations are available online at www.cdc.gov.
Officials in my home State of Kentucky are currently monitoring four confirmed cases. I spoke to the Governor this morning and will continue to stay in close touch to make sure that Kentucky and all 50 States have what they need and know Congress has their back.
Last week, the Senate passed nearly $8 billion in supplemental funding, which President Trump signed into law. It will deliver surge resources to national public health experts, frontline healthcare professionals, and State and local governments as they work together to protect Americans. That legislation ensured a funding floor of at least
$7 million will go to Kentucky to help fight the virus.
In addition, I want to recognize and thank our colleague, the junior Senator from Texas. Ten days ago, he briefly interacted with an individual who has since tested positive for the virus. Even though he feels fine and it has already been 10 days, after consulting with experts, Senator Cruz elected to work from home this week out of an abundance of caution. We will certainly miss our colleague around the Capitol this week, but I want to commend him for taking the initiative. We had a chance to talk yesterday.
So here is the bottom line: Our great Nation is very strong. We have enormous expertise and tremendous capabilities, and Congress, on a bipartisan basis, has made sure our health experts and leaders have the funding they need.
With calm and competence, all Americans--all of them--should continue to listen to the experts, take their advice, and take commonsense steps to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities.
S. 2657
Mr. President, now, on another matter here on the Senate floor, we will pick up where we left off last week: considering a comprehensive set of updates to the way our Nation approaches energy efficiency, security, and innovation.
As Chairman Murkowski pointed out last week, it has been about 12 years since the last such package, and since then, America's energy sector has undergone some real changes. New technology has opened new doors for energy production and also presented new threats to our electrical grid and other critical infrastructure.
Even at a time when a strong job market has continued to bring Americans off the sidelines, the domestic energy sector has outpaced the economy as a whole in job creation. Increased access to our abundant domestic reserves has unleashed American energy on the international market. In fact, the Department of Energy has predicted the United States will become a net exporter of energy this year for the first time since 1953.
Over the past 12 years, we have seen plenty of attempts to intervene in this evolution of the American energy sector. Under the last administration, we saw an anti-domestic energy mindset that manifested in proposals like the so-called Clean Power Plan. That would have buried domestic energy in a tangle of stifling redtape and would have jeopardized more than 100,000 American jobs. The working families I represent in Kentucky faced that threat head-on.
Even more recently, we saw Democratic Party standard bearers roll out a far-left proposal that would ban affordable forms of domestic power and let Washington micromanage everything from American jobs to their cars to their homes. We saw only a small number of our Senate Democratic colleagues able to vote against this radical proposal. That is the wrong way to think about American energy dominance.
Fortunately, thanks to the dedicated work of our colleagues on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the bipartisan bill before us is the right way to go about it. The legislation before us includes provisions and input from nearly three-fourths of this body. From grid security and workforce training to energy storage and carbon capture, the Senate has a chance to pass a number of important updates to energy policy on a wide bipartisan basis.
I hope and anticipate the Senate will be able to process amendments and then pass the American Energy Innovation Act this week.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Cloture Motion
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
Cloture Motion
We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on amendment No. 1407, as modified, to Calendar No. 357, S. 2657, a bill to support innovation in advanced geothermal research and development, and for other purposes.
Mitch McConnell, Chuck Grassley, John Barrasso, John
Thune, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mike Braun, Lindsey Graham,
Shelley Moore Capito, Lamar Alexander, Thom Tillis,
Mike Crapo, James E. Risch, Lisa Murkowski, John
Hoeven, John Boozman, Steve Daines, Richard C. Shelby.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived.
The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on amendment No. 1407, as modified, offered by the Senator from Alaska, Ms. Murkowski, to S. 2657, a bill to support innovation in advanced geothermal research and development, and for other purposes, shall be brought to a close?
The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), and the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey).
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker), the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the Senator from Massachusetts (Ms. Warren) are necessarily absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote or change their vote?
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 47, nays 44, as follows:
YEAS--47
AlexanderBarrassoBluntBoozmanBurrCaseyCollinsCortez MastoCottonCramerDainesEnziErnstFischerGardnerGrahamGrassleyHassanHawleyHoevenHyde-SmithJonesKaineKingLeahyLoefflerManchinMcSallyMurkowskiPerduePortmanReedRischRobertsRomneyRosenRubioScott (SC)ShaheenSinemaSullivanThuneTillisWarnerWhitehouseWickerYoung
NAYS--44
BaldwinBennetBlackburnBlumenthalBraunBrownCantwellCardinCarperCoonsCornynCrapoDuckworthDurbinFeinsteinGillibrandHeinrichHironoInhofeJohnsonKennedyKlobucharLankfordLeeMcConnellMenendezMerkleyMoranMurphyMurrayPaulPetersRoundsSasseSchatzSchumerScott (FL)ShelbySmithStabenowTesterUdallVan HollenWyden
NOT VOTING--9
BookerCapitoCassidyCruzHarrisMarkeySandersToomeyWarren
The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 47, the nays are 44.
Three-fifths of the Senators having been duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, the motion is rejected.
The majority leader is recognized.
Motion to Reconsider
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I enter a motion to reconsider the bill.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The motion is entered.
Cloture Motion
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.
The bill clerk read as follows:
Cloture Motion
We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on Calendar No. 357, S. 2657, a bill to support innovation in advanced geothermal research and development, and for other purposes.
Mitch McConnell, Chuck Grassley, John Barrasso, John
Thune, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mike Braun, Lindsey Graham,
Shelley Moore Capito, Lamar Alexander, Thom Tillis,
Mike Crapo, James E. Risch, Lisa Murkowski, John
Hoeven, John Boozman, Steve Daines, Richard C. Shelby.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived.
The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on S. 2657, a bill to support innovation in advanced geothermal research and development, and for other purposes, shall be brought to a close?
The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy), the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Cotton), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley), the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Shelby), and the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey).
Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Cotton) would have voted ``yea.''
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker), the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the Senator from Massachusetts (Ms. Warren) are necessarily absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sullivan). Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote?
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 15, nays 73, as follows:
YEAS--15
AlexanderBluntBurrErnstGrahamLoefflerMurkowskiPerdueRobertsRubioSullivanThuneTillisWickerYoung
NAYS--73
BaldwinBarrassoBennetBlackburnBlumenthalBoozmanBraunBrownCantwellCardinCarperCaseyCollinsCoonsCornynCortez MastoCramerCrapoDainesDuckworthDurbinEnziFeinsteinFischerGardnerGillibrandGrassleyHassanHeinrichHironoHoevenHyde-SmithInhofeJohnsonJonesKaineKennedyKingKlobucharLankfordLeahyLeeManchinMcConnellMcSallyMenendezMerkleyMoranMurphyMurrayPaulPetersPortmanReed RischRomneyRosenRoundsSasseSchatzSchumerScott (FL)Scott (SC)ShaheenSinemaSmithStabenowTesterUdallVan HollenWarnerWhitehouseWyden
NOT VOTING--12
BookerCapitoCassidyCottonCruzHarrisHawleyMarkeySandersShelbyToomeyWarren
The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 15, the nays are 73.
Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, the motion is rejected.
The majority leader.
Motion to Reconsider
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I enter a motion to reconsider the vote.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The motion is entered.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________
