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.
“Business Before the Senate (Executive Session)” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S1864 on April 12.
The Department is one of the oldest in the US, focused primarily on law enforcement and the federal prison system. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, detailed wasteful expenses such as $16 muffins at conferences and board meetings.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
Business Before the Senate
Now, Madam President, on an entirely other matter, as the Senate returns to work this week, we are going to pick right back up where we left off in aggressively filling the Biden administration with well-
qualified nominees and pursuing timely legislation that meets the needs of the American people.
This week, the Senate will vote on the nominations of Polly Trottenberg to serve as Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Wendy Sherman to serve as Deputy Secretary of State, Gary Gensler to serve on the Securities and Exchange Commission, and Brenda Mallory to be a Member of the Council on Environmental Quality. Each is exceptionally well qualified for the respective position and each, I expect, will receive bipartisan support here on the floor.
I am particularly proud of Polly Trottenberg, who was my legislative director and legislative assistant on Transportation, I believe it was, for 9 years. She then served as commissioner of transportation in New York City. One of the things, of course, that I talked to her about regularly was getting Gateway, our much needed tunnel, built under the Hudson--so needed by New York, New Jersey, and the entire Northeast corridor.
The Senate will also vote on whether to debate legislation from Senator Hirono and Representative Meng to address the surge of anti-
Asian hate crimes during the COVID pandemic.
Over the past year, we have read horrible accounts of violence and discrimination against Asian Americans, spurred on by ignorance and xenophobia and the vicious slander that blames the Chinese people for COVID-19--slander that was often encouraged and repeated so regrettably--I so regret that a President would stoop to that level--by the former President, who seemed to almost revel in advancing bigotry.
Sadly, the recent spate of anti-Asian violence is not a new chapter in American history. From the Chinese massacre of 1871 to the explicitly racist Chinese Exclusion Act, the internment of Japanese-
American citizens, and the shameful Korematsu Supreme Court decision, the Asian-American community has long suffered the hammer blows of racism and bigotry.
We cannot let this new surge, which contains echoes of these violent chapters in our history, go unaddressed. So, this week, the Senate will vote on Senator Hirono's anti-Asian hate crimes bill, and I know the Presiding Officer is a proud sponsor of that legislation.
The bill does two things.
First, it tells the Department of Justice they need to make consideration of these hate crimes a top priority during this pandemic. There is a scourge of abuse happening to the Asian-American community--
shamefully aided and abetted by former President Trump--and it needs to be prioritized by law enforcement more than it is right now.
Second, it sends a very important signal from the Congress of the United States to the American public: These crimes will not be tolerated, and there will be consequences.
This legislation is as commonsense and straightforward as it gets. It is as unobjectionable as it gets. I should expect our work on Senator Hirono's hate crimes bill to be thoroughly bipartisan. President Biden has urged Congress to swiftly pass this legislation and send it to his desk. Let's get it done this week.
I attended four or five--maybe even more--rallies against anti-Asian violence, and I was heartsick to hear the stories: an elderly man afraid to just walk out on the street that he might be ridiculed, spat upon and a young lady who didn't want to travel the subways because of the glares and stares at her from some people because of her Asian ancestry. The stories could be repeated over and over again, and, unfortunately, this bigotry has often ended in violence.
We must stop it as Americans. We all know--every one of us--that racism against one is racism against all. We must stop it. Again, I plead with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to let this legislation go forward--it seems so unobjectionable--and pass with a strong bipartisan vote. Again, let's get it done this week
