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Senate Section E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 116 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 166 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020 No. 37 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was Beware the next time Big Pharma with respect to defending innocent called to order by the President pro claims what we are trying to do to human life. There are only seven na- tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). lower drug prices, in their words, ‘‘un- tions left in the entire world where an f dermines the free market.’’ Just re- unborn child can be killed by elective member this. The pharmaceutical in- abortion after 20 weeks, and the United PRAYER dustry supported ObamaCare. States of America, unfortunately, is The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- Big Pharma doesn’t want a free mar- one of them. fered the following prayer: ket. Take note that this industry op- Set aside all of the far-left rhetoric Let us pray. poses every proposal that would cost it that will greet Senator GRAHAM’s O Lord our God, how excellent is money and supports every proposal straightforward legislation and con- Your Name in all the Earth. From that ensures another government rev- sider this simple fact: Do our Demo- dawn to sunset, Your mercies sustain enue stream. That is exactly what cratic colleagues really believe that us. ObamaCare did and that is what Medi- what our country needs is a radical Today, inspire our Senators to em- care and Medicaid do now. fringe position on elective abortion brace Your promises. May they remem- Big Pharma has become so big and that we only share with China, North ber Your promises to supply their entitled that they have the gall to Korea, and four other countries in the needs, to never forsake them, and to claim that limiting taxpayer subsidies entire world? prevent anything from separating them is somehow socialism. ObamaCare has The American people don’t seem to from Your love. a stream that does that, as does Medi- think that is what we need. One recent Lord, bestow Your blessings upon our care and Medicaid. In fact, this is what survey found that 70 percent of all lawmakers, making them wiser, ending corporate welfare and demand- Americans believe that at a min- stronger, and better, glorifying You in ing accountability to taxpayers is all imum—at a minimum—elective abor- their labors. Use them to advance Your about. It seems to me that ending tion should be limited to the first 3 Kingdom in our Nation and world, as those subsidies would be a very con- months of pregnancy. That even in- they attune their will to Your pur- servative principle. cludes about half of the respondents poses. The Grassley-Wyden prescription who self-identify as pro-choice. We pray in Your blessed Name. drug bill saves tens of billions of dol- I hope this body will proceed to Sen- Amen. lars of taxpayer money and has no neg- ator GRAHAM’s Pain-Capable Unborn f ative impact on pharmaceutical inno- Child Protection Act later today. I see PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE vation. That is exactly what the CBO no reason why at the very least our The President pro tempore led the has said and that is why even the free- Democratic colleagues should vote Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: market, libertarian CATO Institute has against even proceeding to this legisla- tion and having a debate. If there is a I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the endorsed this legislation. United States of America, and to the Repub- So I encourage my Republican col- persuasive and principled case why lic for which it stands, one nation under God, leagues to join me and Senator WYDEN America should remain on the radical indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. in that bipartisan effort. international fringe on this subject, let The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. I yield the floor. us hear it. Let us have the debate. Few HYDE-SMITH). The Senator from Iowa. f Americans agree with that radical po- Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I sition, but let’s have the debate. RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY ask unanimous consent to speak for 1 If my Democratic colleagues block LEADER minute in morning business. the Senate from even proceeding to The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- consider this legislation here today, objection, it is so ordered. jority leader is recognized. the message they will send will be f f chilling and clear. The radical demands of the far left will drown out common PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS ABORTION sense and the views of most Americans. Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, The same goes for Senator SASSE’s would like to bring my colleagues up to today, every Senator will be able to legislation, the Born-Alive Survivors date on a bipartisan bill to lower drug take a clear moral stand. We will have Protection Act. Even if most Wash- prices and also, at the same time, give the chance to proceed to commonsense ington Democrats persist in their re- an update on the pharmaceutical in- legislation that will move our Nation sistance to any commonsense protec- dustry’s opposition to this legislation. closer to the international mainstream tions for the unborn, surely, we must ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S1123 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:45 Feb 25, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A25FE6.000 S25FEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE S1124 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 25, 2020 be able to agree that children who are long, Jay was Senator Hatch’s secret tions, including from Senators, with a born deserve protection. Surely, that weapon. As he rose through the ranks smile and this catchphrase: ‘‘I have a much cannot be controversial. to policy director and then to staff di- feeling it’s all going to work out.’’ There is currently no Federal man- rector, he rapidly became a not-so-se- Somebody less accomplished would date that children who are delivered cret weapon. He was an invaluable never get away with this. From some- alive following an attempted abortion asset to the chairman, to the com- one with less mastery of the details, should receive medical care. There is mittee, and, really, to our entire con- you would scoff and find someone else no clear guarantee that every child ference. to talk with, but when it is Jay, you born alive in the United States, wheth- His relationships extended across the know everything will actually work er they were intended to be or not, is aisle as well. Our Democratic col- out because he is the one on the case. entitled to the same life-giving medical leagues respect him greatly. His col- Jay helps make everyone around him attention. leagues on the committee remember as calm, confident, and cheerful as he The Kentuckians whom I speak with that, even when it might have been is. It is not just because of his cha- cannot comprehend why this could be easier to pull back behind party lines risma. It is because he is so good at some hotly debated proposition. It al- and just try to craft a bill within the what he does. So, look, it is never fun most defies belief that an entire polit- majority, Jay stayed stubbornly dedi- to bid farewell to someone who is a big ical party can find cause to object to cated to the bipartisan process as long part of the brains of your operation, this basic protection for babies. Yet, as possible. and it is never fun to say goodbye to today, we will see if our Democratic A team player, an honest broker, Jay someone who is a big part of the heart colleagues will even permit the Senate doesn’t want to just get big things of your team either, and it is really no to proceed to this legislation. We will done, he wants to get them done the fun to say goodbye to somebody who see whether even something this sim- right way. From trade promotion au- has managed to be both. ple and this morally straightforward is thority in 2015 and historic tax reform Jay has only formally worked for me a bridge too far for the far left. in 2017, to USMCA this past year, these for a couple of years, but he has been a I would urge all of my colleagues: huge accomplishments and many more, trusted advisor and an honorary part of Let’s advance these bills. Let’s take like fighting the opioid epidemic and my team for a lot longer. He has been these modest steps. Let’s have the fixing the dysfunctional sustainable a big part of the Senate for more than courage to say that the right to life growth rate that has plagued Medi- a decade. must not exclude the most vulnerable care—all of these issues had this staff When I say that Jay knows how to among us. leader right at the center. In many prioritize, I mean it, and his real bot- f cases, his work started months or years tom line is family. He and his beloved in advance, meeting with leaders, pour- TRIBUTE TO JAY KHOSLA wife Lisa have two boys, Shya and ing the foundation for new policy, and Asher. They form a tight-knit unit to- Mr.
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