▶ 0:00:35>> and maybe a glaze ofi am in r center. >>avoid tooth extractions or surgery for your orthodontic treatment visit
▶ 0:33:59Chair Cruz: Good morning. The center -- the senate commerce committee should come to order. Before I begin I want to take a moment to reflect on last week's tragic midair collision above the potomac. The families of the 67 victims of that disaster, I cannot imagine the pain that you are feeling right now. I know that I speak for all of my colleagues when I say that you have our deepest empathy is.
▶ 0:34:29Chair Cruz: You know, we wake up every morning not knowing what the future holds, trusting in the systems we have designed to keep us safe. When sean duffy woke up on his first full day of secretary of transportation he did not know that it would be marked by the deadliest disaster in U.S. airspace in two decades. I imagine that is how howard lutnick felt when he woke up on the morning of september 11.
▶ 0:34:58Chair Cruz: Unaware of the tragedy unfolding before him and that his world and ours was about to change forever. But leadership is about rising to the occasion and that is what we saw from secretary duffy and that is what we expect to see, what his colleagues did see from howard lutnick.
▶ 0:35:21Chair Cruz: Who suffered the loss of his own brother and 657 other employees on 9/11. Mr. lott nick knows that kind of pain -- lutnick knows the kind of pain that the victims' families are facing today. He shows that he is ready to meet the gravest of challenges and we need him to be. And a time of great power competition, we must, as he told us, stay in the lead.
▶ 0:35:55Chair Cruz: America must show the world what leadership is like and what a great economy is like. That will require the site -- decisive action. I am pleased that he will quickly direct the national oceanic and atmospheric administration to reissue a biological opinion for offshore operations in the gulf by may 21.
▶ 0:36:18Chair Cruz: And I know he will also take the requisite time to listen and learn about the complexities of the commerce department. He will approach the job thoughtfully, considering all of the relevant interests as evidenced by the 44 different stakeholder groups all supporting him. I urge my colleagues to support his confirmation as commerce secretary.
▶ 0:36:44Chair Cruz: Even as my staff and I continue to investigate the cause of last wednesday's disaster. We will remain focused on our primary responsibility. Passing legislation to improve the lives of the american people. Consider the kids off social media act, which I authored alongside senator schatz. Today families face a challenge previous generations could not imagine.
▶ 0:37:16Chair Cruz: A rapidly changing digital environment targeting our kids. As social scientists have noted, the youth mental health crisis is correlated with the rise of phone-based childhood.
▶ 0:37:32Chair Cruz: Every parent who has ever heard what -- but sally has tiktok or who is simply overwhelmed by the ubiquity of social media and the pernicious means by which it promotes harmful content and kids' lives is looking for a solution. Technology is made for persons, not persons for technology. Kids need time to be kids.
▶ 0:38:01Chair Cruz: To experience the real world, not to get lost in the virtual one. Cosma does this by two means. It codifies what big tech companies claim that they already do, keep children under 13 off of social media. And second, it removes social media distraction from schools.
▶ 0:38:24Chair Cruz: On top of that, it prohibits algorithmic sting to kids under 16, which create -- events big tech from pushing harmful content that does so much damage to our children. I am proud to support the am radio for every vehicle act with senator markey. Am radio is a haven for people to express differing viewpoints, allowing free speech and a robust democratic process to flourish.
▶ 0:38:55Chair Cruz: It also continues to be the most reliable form of emergency communication during severe weather and power outages. It is not just entertainment but critical to keeping us safe. No wonder this bill is supported by over half of this committee. Safety is also at the heart of the bipartisan fire ready nation act, which will improve the forecasts needed to help fight wildfires.
▶ 0:39:22Chair Cruz: It is a particularly timely piece of legislation from senators cantwell and she given -- sheehy, given the los angeles fires. This will establish a fire weather services program at noaa, equipping scientists and meteorologists with the resources that they need to prevent the next disaster.
▶ 0:39:44Chair Cruz: Finally, my illegal red snapper and tuna enforcement act which I worked on with senator schatz will equip law enforcement with tools to crackdown on poaching. I encourage my colleagues to support the bills in front of us today publican a democrat as we confirm Mr. lutnick to be secretary of kong -- of commerce.
▶ 0:40:09Sen. Cantwell: Thank you for the markup and continuing the important work on so any policies we tried to get over the goal line or out onto the president's desk. Let me start by in this forum recognizing the tragic events of two air accidents in the last week. Dca and in philadelphia.
▶ 0:40:34Sen. Cantwell: Mr., our heart goes out to these families for the tragedies that they are suffering and the long-term impacts that they will have for this and the remaining questions that they want us to answer. I am dedicated, Mr. chairman to moving quickly once we have information on resolutions of issues that will enhance the air safety of our system.
▶ 0:41:01Sen. Cantwell: Having worked both during covid and in 25 days, working with senator wicker, came up with a transportation solution so what we needed to do for the airspace during that time period, and also working with senator wicker in short order after the two max crashes to push and finalize through congress a major aviation safety bill.
▶ 0:41:29Sen. Cantwell: It is imperative that we tell the families that we are going to have the same fervor now and getting aviation safety enhancements that will prevent this from happening again. So, I hope we can work together in a bipartisan fashion along with our colleagues, senator duckworth and senator moran the subcommittee chair and ranking member. I take the president at his word.
▶ 0:41:57Sen. Cantwell: He says he wants to see an increase in aviation infrastructure. He is frustrated by the fact that on a global basis the system of digitizing our airspace off of radar has moved faster than the united states faster than the united state s. So we will be calling on you for your help in that effort. On the lutnick nomination since the hearing the trump administration has taken a series of unprecedented actions that I find concerning.
▶ 0:42:27Sen. Cantwell: I am very concerned about the threat to our north american neighbors and the massive tariffs until we resolve problems. In fact "the wall street journal" called it "the dumbest trade war in history." tariffs and trade wars are a major problem for my state. Where two out of every five jobs are tied to trade related industries.
▶ 0:42:52Sen. Cantwell: My state imports $20 billion of goods from canada, oil, gas, lumber, and electric power. Making our northern border with washington one of the largest trading partners. So, we just got a reprieve for this 25% crazy tariffs that the commerce secretary has said that he is advocating for the president's policy which would cost my constituents $5 billion or more.
▶ 0:43:21Sen. Cantwell: We need a secretary that understands that these products and issues need coalition building and not throwing down gauntlets that will lose jobs for my farmers. Over the last four years there has been much investment in infrastructure manufacturing that this committee has supported. Semi conductor expansion, $450 billion thanks to the chips and science act. And, Mr.
▶ 0:43:48Sen. Cantwell: Lutnick in various answers to various members of the committee did not give a full commitment to making sure that this money continues to go out the door. These awards are crucial to catalyzing domestic chip manufacturing states, like new york, texas, pennsylvania and ohio. We heard many members about whether he would make continued investments in other areas like tech hubs, noaa.
▶ 0:44:21Sen. Cantwell: That makes up 60% of the commerce budget. When asked for the record if it should be dismantled as so-called four, he would only say "if confirmed he would figure it out." given how central noaa is for providing accurate forecasting managing fisheries and protecting fishermen from russia and chinese illegal fishing I was looking for a stronger commitment.
▶ 0:44:48Sen. Cantwell: And last week at the hearing I asked about the $19.3 billion illicit transactions for tether and whether we needed to be more aggressive of doing something about that given the unbelievable amount of volume of north korean, south asian and various criminal activities on the tether platform. He said at some point software will solve that problem. Having been in the software sector, it might.
▶ 0:45:17Sen. Cantwell: Right now I want to stop the amount of money laundering going through these organizations and I would hope he would commit to something much more aggressive than that. Lastly, I thought we had a good answer in the finance committee to Mr. bessent when asked about the same issues on treasury settlements.
▶ 0:45:36Sen. Cantwell: You cannot have someone advocating that the treasury can get settled on the foreign exchange at a time when we cannot raise the debt ceiling and then have them prioritize the debt away from the united states. I cannot accept his answer. So I hope that we will be proven wrong. But today my advice in -- and consent is not to vote for Mr. lutnick. I hope that we could come to some agreement in the future about fbi briefings.
▶ 0:46:08Sen. Cantwell: This is just not acceptable. In the past of the committee worked to try to give members as much as seven days advance notice on the paper works for both, the og paperwork and the fbi. I accommodated the committee with our secretary of transportation nominee and even helped move the hearing from 11:00 in the morning which we did not have the fbi paperwork to 2:00 in the afternoon. Somewhere that day we got the paperwork.
▶ 0:46:37Sen. Cantwell: Maybe you think that was a little less complex and his real-world background is not as interesting as his wall street background. Yesterday at midday faced with the briefing not from the fbi but from the white house, the council directly reporting to the president in the united states did not brief me. He told me that the fbi was just the ancillary collector of the information.
▶ 0:47:06Sen. Cantwell: I found that very interesting, and challenging and tried to wrap my mind around it. At this hearing was scheduled. I hope you can come to a future accommodation that we would give money for hours and I would advocate for seven days. At least 24 hours before this fbi briefing process, numbers have the information and they can communicate down dyess.
▶ 0:47:29Sen. Cantwell: I would like to turn to the bills at hand and as I mentioned in my previous comments I like the mark out. Five of those passed in the senate so I hope they get them through the house. And separately five additional bills were negotiated with house colleagues which shows a great deal of bipartisan work from the colleagues and what they have done to move progress. I very much appreciate the s.
▶ 0:47:55Sen. Cantwell: 99 strengthening support for american manufacturers. I support the act by senator fisher, duckworth and blackburn for the promoting the resilient supply chain.
▶ 0:48:11Sen. Cantwell: Senator lacked born and blunt -- blackburn and blunt rochester, and I so much appreciate the tickets act by senator schmitt and markey and the buyer ready nation.
▶ 0:48:28Sen. Cantwell: I look forward to working with them as the pacific northwest has been a pretty good let's just say, I do not know whether sheehy agrees, we have a 10 year run on anybody else dealing with the problem. So our ideas about technologies and solutions that have worked already that need to be expedited. We have a good viewpoint. And then the am radio view -- radio bill, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:49:00Sen. Cantwell: I appreciate your and senator markey's push for this legislation. I represent a state prone to natural disasters. Whether it is mount saint helens, the fires I just mentioned, unbelievable flooding given the big storms that we are hit with. And I like the notion that we are going to have good old-fashioned ham and car radios.
▶ 0:49:25Sen. Cantwell: I think we need to continue to have emergency response for people and to think outside the box of how to scale that. You might think go read the article that somebody wrote called "the big one." is the big one going to hit the pacific northwest and are we going to be at a point where we are devastated from a grand implosion volcano experience that might just cause harm from mount rainier.
▶ 0:49:54Sen. Cantwell: The consequences are as devastating as some of the major events as louisiana and the south. I hope we will do something that thinks outside the box on how to keep communication going and not just respond to some of the requests by people who think that the digital solution is the only solution. Not on the agenda but I hope we will continue our focus on rail safety. The vice president went to east palestine and I hope to work with you on that issue. Thank you. >> Mr. chairman?
▶ 0:50:25Chair Cruz: Senator moran.
▶ 0:50:29Sen. Moran: Thank you for the expression of the care and condolences of the victims of the flight that crashed at reagan national. And, thank you to all of the members of the senate including those on this committee who have expressed condolences to me and senator marshall on behalf of our constituents in kansas.
▶ 0:50:49Sen. Moran: And thank you for the leadership that both of you are and will provide as senator duckworth and I join you in the efforts to determine facts and steps forward. I appreciate all the sentiments expressed in the care concerned.
▶ 0:51:05Chair Cruz: Thank you senator. I now recognize senator thune for a motion.
▶ 0:51:11Sen. Thune: I move that pn11-9 be reported favorably.
▶ 0:51:19Chair Cruz: Is there a second? >> second.
▶ 0:51:24Chair Cruz: The clerk will call the role. >> Mr. thune? Mrs. fisher? -- Mr. sullivan. Mrs. blackburn? Mr. young? Mr. budd? Mr. schmitt? Mr. curtis? Mr. marino? Mr. sheehy? Mrs. capito? Ms. cantwell? >> no.
▶ 0:51:54Chair Cruz: >> Ms. klobuchar? Mr. markey? Mr. peters? Ms. baldwin? Ms. duckworth? Mr. duckworth? -- rozen? >> no by proxy. >> Mr. fetterman? >> yes by proxy. >> Ms. blunt rochester. >> Mr. cruz?
▶ 0:52:23Chair Cruz: Aye >> the ayes are 16 and the nos are 12. I recognize ranking member cantwell for a motion.
▶ 0:52:36Sen. Cantwell: I move that the ticket act as amended by cantwell 1 and be reported favorably.
▶ 0:52:44Chair Cruz: Is there a second? Is there any discussion? >> Mr. chairman?
▶ 0:53:02Chair Cruz: Senator markey.
▶ 0:53:05Sen. Markey: I appreciate this committee hearing and I appreciate the bipartisan nature of the markup and the bills. It is difficult to sit here and hold a bipartisan markup when president trump and elon musk and their team of government arsonists are blatantly violating the law by withholding federal funds, seizing control
▶ 0:53:37Sen. Markey: Of critical government systems and even proposing to eliminate whole agencies by executive fiat. Given the lawlessness raining at 1600 pennsylvania avenue, why should we believe the federal government will implement anything that congress passes? It is more than a bit ridiculous that this committee is proceeding with business as usual in this climate.
▶ 0:54:01Sen. Markey: I filed markey amendment number one of my own legislation the ticket act to address the concerning abuse of government power. Over the weekend, elon musk and the doge team physically seize control of a critical payment system at the treasury department, blocked out the career employees and propose to start cutting off payments based on random tweets or messages. This takeover is, at the heart of irresponsibility.
▶ 0:54:32Sen. Markey: Musk and his team have access to sensitive personal information. Of millions of americans, including their social security numbers, and bank account information. They could shut out payments to musk competitors giving his company and unfair competitive advantage and more likely they will excellently shut off payments that are critical for americans to afford food, housing, and medicine.
▶ 0:54:59Sen. Markey: Markey 1 would make it a violation of the federal trade commission act of the following individuals to access treasury central payment systems. Number one, a member of the public. Number two, a career staffer who is also an executive officer or controlling shareholder of a company. Number three, a political appointee who has not signed an ethics agreement.
▶ 0:55:28Sen. Markey: This ensures that only individuals without a conflict of interest and who have a verified role in the federal government have access to these sensitive systems. Before last week it might have seen absurd to pass legislation to limit access to the treasury's payment systems but musk and his gang's recent actions demand an urgent legislative response to safeguard this critical financial infrastructure.
▶ 0:55:58Sen. Markey: My colleagues might argue that the federal trade commission act is a strange mechanism to block access to treasury payment systems. That access creates the type of privacy, cybersecurity and competition risks that are at the heart of the federal trade commission's mission and the reason that the congress passed the federal trade commission act over a century ago. I believe that this is a critical amendment.
▶ 0:56:29Sen. Markey: I am proud to partner on the am radioactive with you. -- radio act with you. Even when these bills pass, I am not sure that the administration will implement the work that this committee has done.
▶ 0:56:45Sen. Markey: I urge my colleagues to stand up as the first branch of government, and defend our legislative prerogative and send a message to this administration that we will not roll over in the face of obstruction, and lawlessness. And I urge my colleagues to vote yes.
▶ 0:57:03Chair Cruz: I think my friend from massachusetts. Nevertheless I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. It has nothing to do with the ticket act and it is not within the jurisdiction of this committee. This amendment, unfortunately is nothing more than a clear partisan political attack on elon musk, who the president has tasked with running the department of government efficiency. In november the american people resounded lee voted for president trump.
▶ 0:57:34Chair Cruz: Naturally president trump is implementing the agenda that the american people voted for. Contrary to the democrat opinion there is no fourth branch of government known as the administrative state. No one elected the bureaucracy. Doge is in office within the white house led by elon musk to eliminate wasteful government spending and reduce unnecessary regulations.
▶ 0:57:58Chair Cruz: To fulfill its mission and review wasteful government spending, doge and its staff must have access to data including data and the federal payment system to fulfill its mission requested by the president. And I would note that in a matter of a couple of weeks they have already found considerable waste, fraud and abuse in particular with in usaid.
▶ 0:58:23Chair Cruz: Among the things discovered that the previous administration was spending money on were $1.5 million for advancing dei in serbia's workplaces. $2 million for sex changes in guatemala. $6 million for tourism in egypt.
▶ 0:58:45Chair Cruz: Paying for "hundreds of thousands of meals that went to al qaeda affiliated fighters in syria." funds for the production of opium, the primary ingredient in heroin and afghanistan, with chiefly benefited the taliban.
▶ 0:59:06Chair Cruz: $1 million to help disabled people in touchy because stan become -- disabled people become climate leaders. $1 million to a hamas link to charity and $50 million for contraceptives and condoms in taliban-controlled afghanistan. You will forgive president trump and the american people for thinking these expenditures are unnecessary and wasteful.
▶ 0:59:38Chair Cruz: And, unfortunately, the hysterical doomsday scenarios of data tampering and payment delays were rerouting, touted by senate democrats are false and were dispelled by the department of the treasury last night in a letter that they sent to ranking member wyden.
▶ 0:59:58Chair Cruz: The president is entitled to conduct full review of federal agency spending and regulations through the doge, and I intend to do everything I can to ensure that its important mission is carried out. Litigating these matters in this amendment or in this bill is inappropriate and outside of the committee's jurisdiction and I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment. >> Mr. chairman. If I could. Thank you.
▶ 1:00:25Chair Cruz: I think it is within our jurisdiction because it deals with the ftc. I am glad that he raise this issue. When we worked on a privacy bill we do not want the privacy of american citizens to be violated. We know that we have international adversaries also looking for this information. And, using it against us. That is why our own system has been hacked by them.
▶ 1:00:53Chair Cruz: I want every precaution necessary to make sure that the privacy of U.S. citizens is guaranteed. So the notion that this process has taken place is unprecedented. What kind of personal data is at risk? Social security numbers, home addresses, tax records? I hope that we will address the issue. I do plan to support senator markey's amendment.
▶ 1:01:20Chair Cruz: If you are interested in having a larger discussion, I am not sure that this will stop within our committee and I am sure it will be a larger discussion. I do think that we have to be on record of saying that we are going to fight even the U.S. government's unlawful process of getting information from U.S. citizens.
▶ 1:01:41Chair Cruz: I will fight and continue to fight any administration that is somehow going to give an easy path to something that I believe needs to be defended. >> can the senator from washington yield, briefly? >> there is no branch of the federal government called elon musk. Cutting waste and fraud is one thing. And this committee could do that.
▶ 1:02:11Chair Cruz: We could vote out where we see waste and fraud and that is what this committee has set out for. But unilaterally shutting down congressionally authorized agencies is lawlessness. And we have to make sure that we do not allow that to happen within our own jurisdiction just by the unilateral fee lot -- fiat of elon musk. We have to protect our own prerogatives. Again, I would urge and I would vote on my amendment.
▶ 1:02:45Chair Cruz: >> speak on it after we vote, and I will give time for whoever else wants to speak. The clerk will call the role. >> Mr. thune? Mr. wicker? >> no by proxy. >>Ms. fisher? >> no. >> Mr. moran? >> no by proxy. >> Ms. blackburn? >> Mr. young? Mr. budd? Mr. schmitt?
▶ 1:03:15Chair Cruz: Mr. curtis? Mr.moreno. Ms. capito. >> no by proxy. >> Ms. lummis. Ms. cantwell? Aye Mr. shots? Mr. markey? Mr. peters? Ms. baldwin? Ms. duckworth? Is chair lujan? Mr. hickenlooper?
▶ 1:03:47Chair Cruz: Mr. fetterman? Mr. kim? Ms. blunt rochester? >> the no's are 15.
▶ 1:04:03Chair Cruz: The amendment is not adopted. Are there any other members wishing to speak.
▶ 1:04:08Sen. Schatz: I have an amendment. Very briefly on the matter that we were discussing and thank you chairman. I want all of my republican colleagues to just remember that there will be a democratic president and there will be a duly enacted law and an agency, maybe it is the department of defense or cia. And we really just have to remember that the board -- that the door swings both ways in washington.
▶ 1:04:35Sen. Schatz: If we are going to enact laws and have any president of any party consider agencies optional and consider spending bills optional, it is a really dangerous precedent. You might agree subsequently with the particular shutdowns of the particular agencies, but just wait until a label president reaches into the cia or military financing or the f-35 or something they do not like and just decides to freeze the spending. I think it is quite dangerous.
▶ 1:05:07Sen. Schatz: And in the least aggressive way possible, I want you to think about the consequences when there is a president of the other party. >> can I respond?
▶ 1:05:15Sen. Young: Just briefly responding to my very good friend, and he is a very good friend of mine and I do not question his sincerity in his comment. But let us acknowledge that this environment has in part been created over the last four years by an extremist interpretation of our laws, one embraced and fueled by many of my very good friends on the other side of the aisle.
▶ 1:05:44Sen. Young: Student loan forgiveness, unilateral student loan forgiveness. Where in the heck were many of my colleagues in the midst of that situation? You know, we can interpret certain laws and authorities in different ways. It is important that we be vigilant. But, a bit of self reflection at times, like these when such concerns are vocalized would be helpful.
▶ 1:06:11Chair Cruz: Senator sullivan?
▶ 1:06:14Sen. Sullivan: I want to add and congratulate Mr. lutnick, and I want to add to that point. Four years ago one of the first stories was the halt of all exploration inactivity on the north slope of alaska for oil drilling. We have hundreds if not close to 1000 people whose jobs were on the line.
▶ 1:06:38Sen. Sullivan: They were working and trying to do work to develop energy and my state and the administration said sorry, you guys working on the north slope will be laid off. I do not know. They did it. So, you know, this is an issue that certainly happened in the last four years. And I think I agree with what senator young mentioned. I want to congratulate Mr. lutnick.
▶ 1:07:06Sen. Sullivan: And I do want to echo senator cantwell's comment about noaa I think six or seven of the bills that we just passed the committee today unanimously all dealt with noaa. So, Mr. lutnick was great on fish issues. I think he will be fantastic with that. If you want to strengthen noaa or review it, but getting rid of that is not a good idea.
▶ 1:07:35Sen. Sullivan: And we have six or seven bills and committee, that are also gestalt n -- all focused on noaa in a bipartisan way. >> Mr. chairman, I just want to add to that. If you think about what both colleagues have highlighted here, I would add to that the bead program which passed three years ago and has not put out a single dollar of assistance to a single provider of telecom services in rural areas. Why?
▶ 1:08:06Sen. Sullivan: Because they modified the statute and added a bunch of conditions that nobody can meet. This is something that administrations do and I think it is important. As my colleague pointed out for some self-respect -- for some self reflection.
▶ 1:08:19Chair Cruz: I am happy to have robust debate that we have to maintain a quorum. We need 15 and there only 17 left. We have a bunch of bills to move so let's move the bills and then anyone and then anybody who wants to stay, I will stay as long as you want to give remarks. But if we can conduct our business first. Senator lujan, you had an amendment.
▶ 1:08:43Sen. Lujan: I plan to withdraw my amendment but I have concerns about these ticket procurement services will cause the same problems as speculative ticketing. I understand it is a compromise and it includes needed reforms. However I am disappointed that this marco did not include the main event act which I worked on with senator blackburn and does include important provisions which I believe are widely supported on this committee.
▶ 1:09:12Sen. Lujan: I understand my staff was given a commitment that main event will be on a future markup this year and I appreciate the email that was received as well. I pray that we get that on the next markup if at all possible. I withdraw my amendment and I yield.
▶ 1:09:26Chair Cruz: Thank you. And I know that the update is important to you and senator blackburn. You have my commitment to working with both of you on that legislation and working to put the main event ticketing act on the subsequent market. If there is no further discussion the question is now on senator cantwell's motion. All those in favor say aye. All those opposed say no.
▶ 1:09:55Chair Cruz: The motion is agreed to and the bill as amended as ordered to be reported favorably. The I recognize ranking member cantwell to for emotion.
▶ 1:10:04Sen. Cantwell: I recommend that s .93 amendments of 2025, s. 98 the rural broadband protection act and s. 99, strengthening support for american manufacturing act, as 1.161 is admitted. As .1 95, the american music tourism act. The 2.0 amendments act.
▶ 1:10:35Sen. Cantwell: S. Two pour five the insurer cybersecurity act of 245. S. 246 the interstate transport act. As .257 promoting the resiliency as promoted. As .258 as amended by budd 1. As .260 for the bottles and breast-feeding equipment screening act.
▶ 1:11:01Sen. Cantwell: As .278 ds off social media act, as .21 -- 281 -- the hotel fees transparency act of 2025 and as .315, am radio for every vehicle act of 2020 five as amended by the markey-cruise substitute be favorably reported. Is there a second? >> all those in favor? All those opposed?
▶ 1:11:32Sen. Cantwell: The ayes have it. >> Mr. chairman. >> I would like to register a no on item 17.
▶ 1:11:43Chair Cruz: Let me just finish. The motion are agreed to in the bills are ordered to be reported same -- favorably.
▶ 1:11:49Sen. Curtis: I would like to register a no on the am radio for every vehicle act.
▶ 1:11:56Chair Cruz: Without objection.
▶ 1:12:02Sen. Cantwell: Senator cantwell ed markey want to report nose on various bills.
▶ 1:12:10Chair Cruz: Unanimous consent that staff are able to make transforming changes. That concludes the votes. Are there any members that still want to make remarks? >> Mr. chairman.
▶ 1:12:25Sen. Lujan: Now, a growing number of the nation's children's and teenagers are struggling with mental health. Everyone remembers what it was like to be a teenager, I hope. Rolling up in a world that is big and -- growing up in a world that is big and overwhelming. We did not grow up with the 20 47 new cycle and online bowling.
▶ 1:12:48Sen. Lujan: I support actions to protect kids and teenagers from the harms of social media but this committee and congress much dust must go further. I worry that actions today will pale in comparison to the current dismantling of institutions and programs critical to the health and future of the nation's children.
▶ 1:13:09Sen. Lujan: If congress cares about the kids then every single member not just of this committee but of the senate and house should be up in arms regarding reports that this administration will soon weaken or eliminate the united states department of education.
▶ 1:13:26Sen. Lujan: If congress is serious about taking care of kids we would not allow a single penny to be taken or withdrawn for programs like medicaid, children's health insurance program or a head a program that I believe I and raphael warnock who are current graduates. If congress is serious about protecting the health of our kids, we would not vote to confirm a known anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist to be a top health official.
▶ 1:13:53Sen. Lujan: And if they are serious about protecting kids, we should protect not threaten programs like why -- wi-fi hotspots program that ensure that they have the connectivity they need to be connected at home, the promise of ai and tutors and telemedicine for the veterans with this connectivity and all the rest, I hope that we can have that conversation and have that debate. It is important for the american people.
▶ 1:14:20Sen. Lujan: If congress is serious about taking care of the next generation of leaders we should do everything to give america's children the better tools to succeed matter where they come from. The mental health crisis for the children's and -- the children and teenagers are serious and I hope and pray that this is an area where they can find common ground in compromise and have conversations about these programs. They made a difference in my life.
▶ 1:14:47Sen. Lujan: And they make a difference in the people that I played against in high school sports or elementary school sports. I appreciate the time.
▶ 1:14:55Chair Cruz: Thank you. Senator fischer.
▶ 1:14:58Sen. Fischer: I appreciate the bipartisan support of the committee in advancing my act which makes important enhancements to the crashworthiness testing procedures requiring the use of updated crash test dummies including both male and female models. Women are 17% more likely to be killed in an auto crash then men.
▶ 1:15:27Sen. Fischer: This legislation works to address this disparity and it will save lives. Thank you to the committee for your support and to my colleagues, senators duckworth, blackburn, and murray and their support of introducing the legislation. Thank you.
▶ 1:15:41Chair Cruz: Thank you. Do we have any other members wishing to speak? If not this concludes our markup. Thank you to my colleagues and the executive session is adjourned. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap.org]