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Gun Violence
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, as the Senate's June work period begins, the American people have one question front of mind: After years and decades of gridlock, will the Senate do something about our Nation's gun violence epidemic?
Democrats are ready to take action, and soon every single Member of this Chamber is going to have to answer that question.
Today is June 7, 2022. It is the 158th day of the year. Already--
already--this year, we have had over 250 mass shootings--over 250. That is more than one a day.
Two weeks ago, we saw the worst school shooting in America since the tragedy at Sandy Hook. An 18-year-old boy bought two assault rifles for his birthday and gunned down 19 children in Uvalde, TX--9-year-olds, 10-year-olds, 11-year-olds. You see the pictures of kids with their sweatshirts, with their awards, with their trophies. Every parent has seen pictures of children that age, and to know that they are no longer--that they were wiped out, that they were brutally murdered--
breaks your heart. It just sends shivers down your spine. A few hours later, after it happened, the parents realized and were told they would never see their children again.
Ten days before that, eleven more people were gunned down while grocery shopping in Buffalo, simply because of the color of their skin. I still can't get out of my mind the 3-year-old I met, when I visited Buffalo, who lost his dad because his dad made a quick stop to the Tops Supermarket to get his son a birthday cake. It was his son's birthday. He will never see his dad again and will live with that his whole life--knowing that his dad was killed in order to get him a birthday cake.
And for every tragedy that traumatizes the Nation's collective psyche, there are countless others that take place outside the national spotlight. They happen every single day in homes and communities in every part of this country. Across every neighborhood, every school, every small town, every large city, Americans of all persuasions are wondering the same thing: When is it going to be enough? When will Congress find the will to act? One party has that will and soon will determine whether the other side on the aisle will join. That is the challenge that faces this Chamber as we begin this work period.
Before Memorial Day, I made clear that the Senate will vote on gun safety legislation in the near future. To that end, a handful of my Democratic colleagues, led by Senator Murphy, including the great work of Senators Blumenthal, Sinema, Manchin, Coons, Heinrich, and others, have been holding extended and substantive talks with Republicans to see what we can pass in this Chamber that will meaningfully address our Nation's gunfire epidemic.
I am encouraging my Democratic colleagues to keep talking to see if Republicans will work with us to come up with something that will make a meaningful change in the lives of the American people and help stop gun violence. There is virtual unanimity among Senate Democrats that getting something passed through this Chamber is worth pursuing if it will make a tangible difference in preventing gun violence.
We know we are not going to get everything we want. We know the push for even more meaningful gun safety will continue after this debate, but making real progress is very important. Senator Murphy has asked for some space to have these bipartisan talks continue, and I have given him that space. I look forward to discussing the status of those talks with my colleagues today.
We owe it to American parents. We owe it to American kids. We owe it to every single neighborhood, every single community, every single household that has been ripped apart by gun violence. This is a tough fight. Nevertheless, we have a moral obligation to do everything conceivable to break the cycle of violence.
In the wake of the tragedies in Uvalde and Buffalo, we have a chance to tell the American people that, this time, their anguish will not fall on deaf ears. We have a chance to tell them we hear them; that we, too, are angry and we will do everything we can to make real progress in the Senate, difficult as that is. But it is only going to happen if both sides keep working. Only with that will hope for a compromise translate into real, concrete legislation. We know it is a difficult hurdle to overcome; but, nevertheless, we must do everything we can to try and succeed.
Honoring our PACT Act of 2021
Mr. President, now onto the PACT Act. Later this morning, the Senate will take the first vote to advance one of the most important veteran healthcare bills that this Chamber has considered in decades.
Memorial Day was a little over a week ago, the day our Nation honors our war dead and rededicates itself for caring for those who sacrificed everything to protect our country. Our veterans deserve endless thanks, not just through words, but through action.
Today, toxic chemical exposure is one of the most devastating health problems impacting our Nation's veterans. Since 2001, as many as 3\1/2\ million servicemembers--3\1/2\ million--have been exposed to toxic smoke, including toxic burn pits and Agent Orange. Sadly, many of them are unable to get the care they need because of outdated rules within the Veterans Administration that determine eligibility for benefits.
This is long overdue for a change. It is something I have been advocating for years. And, today, I am thrilled that the Senate will vote to begin consideration of the Honoring our PACT Act, which my colleagues Senator Tester and Senator Moran have done a great job putting together. Every single one of us in this Chamber has heard from a military servicemember who has struggled to afford quality healthcare, and this is one of the best steps the Senate can take to improve the lives of those who have given their all for our country.
The Honoring our PACT Act will be one of the largest expansions in healthcare benefits in VA history, and it would make sure no military servicemember exposed to toxic chemicals has to endure the indignity of carrying the burden of sickness and treatment alone.
I expect today's vote will yield strong bipartisan support, and once we are on this bill--because today is just a motion to proceed, not passage of the bill yet--there is no reason we can't pass it quickly and without needless distraction.
Once again, I want to thank Senators Tester and Moran for their leadership on this issue. This issue has been important to me. I have encouraged them, and they have worked so well together adroitly so that this bill can pass.
I want to thank every single VSO that has advocated for change. And I want to thank prominent voices like Jon Stewart and John Feal--who I just met in my office--who have fiercely advocated for our veterans.
We are moving forward today on this bill, and it is my hope we can reach final passage very quickly.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. 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 ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 97
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