Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1696584900293.pdf (United States)
S1530 The evidence routinely demonstrates that women’s empowerment is integral to achieving greater security and sta- bility around the world.

Simply put, those societies, those countries that empower women are more stable, and they are more likely to be democ- racies.

When women work—even when they make less than men for the same job— they invest 90 percent of their income back into their families and commu- nities.

That is compared with only 35 percent for men.


Closing the gender gap in education adds half a percent to a country’s per capita gross national product.

We have excellent data that shows that a peace agreement in con- flict areas is 35 percent more likely to last at least 15 years if women partici- pate in the development of the peace agreement.

These are tangible benefits that show that empowering women benefits whole communities, women and men alike.
We have seen that the work of the Of- fice of Global Women’s Issues has shown that change is possible.

We can leave a better future for our daughters and granddaughters.

Around the world, more women are in government at all levels today than they were a generation ago, and not co- incidentally, more countries are also creating laws to achieve gender equal- ity and women’s empowerment.

Rates of child early and forced marriage are down, while more girls are staying in school.
Clearly, the women of the world have not been cowed by violence, op- pression, and inequality.

They are fighting back, and they are demanding equality and equity.

In 2017, we passed the Women, Peace, and Security Act, ensuring that wom- en’s voices and participation are in- cluded in conflict resolution and deci- sion-making processes.
When I travel around the world, I have been heart- ened to hear about the effect of the U.S. leadership on women, peace, and security, which is an important part of the mandate of the Office of Global Women’s Issues.

Our efforts to encourage the inclu- sion and empowerment of women are making an impact, despite the huge challenges they face on a daily basis.

Around the world, we are seeing women fighting for their rights.

In Iran, women have faced down a brutal dictatorship.
They have defied state- sanctioned violence to lead marches in the streets that demand justice for the senseless death of Mahsa Amini.

In Ukraine, women have taken up arms against the invading Russian force while also leading their families and communities to safety.

And across Latin America, women have demanded that their governments do more to stop the senseless gender- based violence and to hold those who commit violence accountable.
Women have long been at the fore- front of the pro-democracy movement in Sudan, leading efforts to hold the military and ruling elites to account CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE and demanding that their voices are heard.

May 4, 2023 under rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.

And in Afghanistan, in the face of overwhelming odds, women are defying the Taliban’s strict decrees to actively protest for their rights.

They have not given up.


They continue to risk beat- ings, detention, and death to demand their rights.

Their peaceful demonstra- tions have been met with military force, and yet they continue to protest.

So we cannot stand idly by.

These women are why we need a strong U.S. policy that supports the equality and empowerment of women.
They are why we need an engaged Office of Global Women’s Issues, and they are why we need to confirm Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta as Ambassador at Large as soon as we can next week so that she can take over in that critical position.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.

The clerk will call the roll.

The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.

Mr. SCHUMER.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER.

Without objection, it is so ordered.

UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT—EXECUTIVE CALENDAR that Mr. SCHUMER.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous the consent postcloture time on the Shogan and Gupta nominations be considered ex- pired and the confirmation votes be at a time to be determined by the major- ity leader following consultation with the Republican leader.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.

Without objection, it is so ordered.

f LEGISLATIVE SESSION Mr. SCHUMER.


Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.

The question is on agreeing to the motion.

The motion was agreed to.

f EXECUTIVE SESSION EXECUTIVE CALENDAR Mr. SCHUMER.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No.

71.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.

The question is on agreeing to the motion.

The motion was agreed to.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.

The clerk will report the nomination.


The senior assistant legislative clerk read the nomination of L. Felice Gorordo, of Florida, to be United States Alternate Executive Director of the International Bank for Reconstruc- tion and Development for a term of two years.

CLOTURE MOTION Mr. SCHUMER.

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows: CLOTURE MOTION We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomi- nation of Executive Calendar No.

71, L. Felice Gorordo, of Florida, to be United States Alternate Executive Director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for a term of two years.
Charles E. Schumer, Catherine Cortez Masto, Sherrod Brown, Jack Reed, Benjamin L. Cardin, Sheldon White- house, Jeff Merkley, Michael F. Ben- net, Christopher A. Coons, Brian Schatz, Mazie K. Hirono, Tim Kaine, Richard J. Durbin, Christopher Mur- phy, Tammy Duckworth, Margaret Wood Hassan.

Murray, Patty f LEGISLATIVE SESSION Mr. SCHUMER.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.

The question is on agreeing to the motion.

The motion was agreed to.


f EXECUTIVE SESSION EXECUTIVE CALENDAR Mr. SCHUMER.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No.

55.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.

The question is on agreeing to the motion.

The motion was agreed to.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.

The clerk will report the nomination.


The senior assistant legislative clerk read the nomination of Glenna Laureen Wright-Gallo, of Nevada, to be Assist- ant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Depart- ment of Education.

CLOTURE MOTION Mr. SCHUMER.

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.

The clo- ture motion having been presented under rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows: CLOTURE MOTION We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomi- nation of Executive Calendar No.

55, Glenna Laureen Wright-Gallo, of Nevada, to be As- sistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Department of Edu- cation.
Charles E. Schumer, Ben Ray Luja´ n, Peter Welch, Tina Smith, Tammy Duckworth, Tim Kaine, Richard J. Durbin, Alex Padilla, Raphael G. Warnock, Christopher Murphy, John W. Hickenlooper, Catherine Cortez Masto, Tammy Baldwin, Edward J. Markey, Benjamin L. Cardin, Jack Reed, Mazie K. Hirono.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.

The clo- ture motion having been presented Mr. SCHUMER.
I ask unanimous con- sent that the mandatory quorum calls May 4, 2023 for the cloture motions filed today, May 4, be waived.

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE ley Hsu to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.

Without objection, it is so ordered.

f EXECUTIVE CALENDAR Mr. SCHUMER.


Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations: all nominations placed on the Secretary’s desk in the Foreign Service; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc; that the motions to reconsider be consid- ered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations; and that the Presi- dent be immediately notified of the Senate’s action.
The PRESIDING OFFICER.

Without objection, it is so ordered.

The nominations considered and con- firmed are as follows: NOMINATIONS PLACED ON THE SECRETARY’S DESK IN THE FOREIGN SERVICE PN494 FOREIGN SERVICE nominations (133) beginning Kara Miriam Abramson, and ending Faris Y. Asad, which nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 30, 2023. f EXECUTIVE CALENDAR Mr. SCHUMER.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar No.

74 and Calendar No.

153; that the Senate vote on the nomi- nations en bloc without intervening ac- tion or debate; that the motions to re- consider be considered made and laid upon the table; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate’s action.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.

Without objection, it is so ordered.


The question is, Will the Senate ad- vise and consent to the nominations of Damien M. Diggs, of Texas, to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas for the term of four years and Amanda K. Brailsford, of Idaho, to be United States District Judge for the District of Idaho?

The nominations were confirmed en bloc.

f LEGISLATIVE SESSION - - - MORNING BUSINESS Mr. SCHUMER.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Sen- ators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

The PRESIDING OFFICER.

Without objection, it is so ordered.

f CONFIRMATION OF WESLEY L. HSU Mr. DURBIN.

Mr. President, yester- day the Senate confirmed Judge Wes- Born in St. Louis, MO, Judge Hsu re- ceived both his bachelor’s degree and J.D.

from Yale University.


Judge Hsu began his career in private practice as an associate and contract attorney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP, where he worked on a range of in- tellectual property matters.

After working in private practice, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the same district to which he is now nominated.

In this role, he gained significant in litigation experience both criminal and civil proceedings.
During his time at the Department of Justice, Judge Hsu successfully pros- ecuted a defendant who trafficked com- puter networking equipment, which the Department named as one of its most significant intellectual property operations to date.

In 2017, Judge Hsu was appointed as a Superior Court Judge for the Los Ange- les County Superior Court.

Since his appointment, he has presided over more than 200 criminal and civil cases that have gone to verdict or judgment.
The American Bar Association rated Judge Hsu unanimously ‘‘well quali- fied,’’ and he has the strong support of Senators Feinstein and Padilla.

Judge Hsu’s deep ties to the Cali- fornia legal community, combined with his significant courtroom experience, will make him an excellent addition to the Federal bench.

I thank my colleagues for confirming his nomination.

f ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION Mr. MENENDEZ.


Mr. President, sec- tion 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute.

Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed.

The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the noti- fication of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In keeping with the committee’s in- tention to see that relevant informa- tion is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the RECORD the notifications which have been received.

If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD–423.
There being no objection, the mate- rial was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows: DEFENSE SECURITY COOPERATION AGENCY, Washington, DC.

Hon.

ROBERT MENENDEZ, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Pursuant to the re- porting requirements of Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended, we are forwarding herewith Transmittal No.
23–28, concerning the Navy’s proposed Let- S1531 ter(s) of Offer and Acceptance to the Govern- ment of Latvia for defense articles and serv- ices estimated to cost $110 million.

We will issue a news release to notify the public of this proposed sale upon delivery of this let- ter to your office.

Sincerely, (For James A. Hursch, Director).

MIKE MILLER Enclosure.

TRANSMITTAL NO.


23–28 Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended (i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of Latvia.

(ii) Total Estimated Value: Major Defense Equipment * $0 million.

Other $110 million.

Total $110 million.

Funding Source: National Funds and For- eign Military Financing.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quan- tities of Articles or Services under Consider- ation for Purchase: Major Defense Equipment (MDE): None.
Non-MDE: Included is a Naval Strike Mis- sile Coastal Defense System (NSM CDS), in- cluding tactical, telemetered, and training missiles; containers; mobile operational platforms; integration equipment; ordnance handling equipment (OHE); training equip- ment and aids; technical publications and data; training; spares; U.S. Government and contractor technical and product support or assistance; and other related elements of logistical and program support.

(iv) Military Department: Navy (LG–P– SAB).


(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: None.

(vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Of- fered, or Agreed to be Paid: None.

(vii) Sensitivity of Technology Contained in the Defense Article or Defense Services Proposed to be Sold: None.

(viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: May 2, 2023.

* As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.
POLICY JUSTIFICATION Latvia—Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defense System The Government of Latvia has requested to buy a Naval Strike Missile Coastal De- fense System (NSM CDS), including tactical, telemetered, and training missiles; con- tainers; mobile operational platforms; inte- gration equipment; ordnance handling equip- ment (OHE); training equipment and aids; technical publications and data; training; spares; U.S. Government and contractor technical and product support or assistance; and other related elements of logistical and program support.
The estimated total cost is $110 million.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the secu- rity of a NATO ally that is an important force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.

The proposed sale will improve Latvia’s ca- pability to meet current and future threats in the Baltic Sea maritime domain.
Latvia’s increased coastal defense capability and interoperability with U.S. and NATO armed forces will contribute to both U.S. and Lat- vian defense and security objectives in the Baltics.

Latvia will have no difficulty ab- sorbing this equipment into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military bal- ance in the region.

The principal contractor is to be deter- mined.


There are no known offset agree- ments proposed in connection with this po- tential sale L