Majority Leader Schumer Remarks Announcing A Path Forward To Conference On Jobs And Competition Legislation

Washington, D.C. - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today delivered remarks announcing that tomorrow, the Senate will vote on formally moving to conference with the House on jobs and competitiveness legislation. Under the agreement, the Senate will vote on a series of motions to instruct conferees next week. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks:

I return to the floor tonight with a happy announcement on the jobs and competition bill: we have reached an agreement with Republicans that clears the path to entering into a conference with the House.

Tomorrow the Senate will hold two votes, one on cloture and one to approve our measure making the conference committee official. Next Tuesday and Wednesday we will then hold floor votes on twenty-eight motions to instruct, eight from Democrats, twenty from Republicans.

Tonight’s agreement is very good news for America, for good paying jobs in America, for economic strength in America, for investments in the kinds of science and technology that will help us grow as a country and provide great futures for the next generation.

This bill represents the next major step towards finally sending a jobs and competition bill to the President’ desk.

Of course, I wish it would have happened much sooner, but nevertheless the time has come to move forward on this bill. 

Let me add this: this will be the most votes on motions to instruct of any bill in decades, a sign of both the immense good will we’ve shown to our Republican colleagues and the fact that many members on both sides of the aisle have a stake in seeing this bill finalized.

We have a lot of work left to do, but this agreement is a big step forward towards finally enacting legislation to lower costs, bring manufacturing back to America, and strengthen our supply chains so we can keep our economy strong for decades.

I want to thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle who worked in good faith to reach this point.

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