E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 116 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 165 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019 No. 58 Senate The Senate met at 12:30 p.m. and was The senior assistant legislative clerk September 11, we stood together for called to order by the President pro read as follows: freedom. NATO allies remain with our tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). A bill (H.R. 7) to amend the Fair Labor troops in Afghanistan to this very day. f Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effec- It is essential that we keep the alli- tive remedies to victims of discrimination in PRAYER the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and ance healthy and strong. The threats for other purposes. we face are numerous, and not least The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- among them, in a kind of throwback to Mr. MCCONNELL. In order to place fered the following prayer: the alliance’s founding, is an assertive the bill on the Calendar under the pro- Let us pray. Russia that has barely even pretended O God, our hope for years to come, visions of rule XIV, I object to further proceedings. to honor international commitments, guide our lawmakers on each step of brazenly violated arms control agree- their pilgrimage. Make them supreme The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- ments, invaded and occupied Ukraine in compassion, mercy, and love, in fel- tion is heard. and Georgia, and conducted cyber oper- lowship with one another and their The bill will be placed on the cal- ations and so-called active measures constituents. endar on the next legislative day. against NATO allies. As President Lord, bring them more and more into f Trump has made it clear, keeping oneness with You and obedience to NATO NATO strong means that all allies Your commands. Fill them with the must commit to NATO’s collective se- spirit of Your peace. In their weakness, Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, curity. give strength. In intenseness, give se- first I want to take a moment to thank renity. In discouragement, grant hope. NATO Secretary General Jens For our own part, after years of And in weariness, bring rest. Work Stoltenberg for his remarks at this President Obama’s defense cuts, the through them to fulfill Your will for morning’s joint session of Congress. I United States has turned the corner on our Nation and world. am proud that the Secretary General defense spending, investing more in We pray in Your mighty Name. could be here with us in Washington as readiness and modernization. We need Amen. the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza- to sustain that progress, but, of course, f tion celebrates its 70th anniversary NATO allies must live up to their this week. promises to invest in their own de- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE It is no exaggeration to say that over fense. This isn’t about meeting an arbi- The President pro tempore led the these seven decades, with steady Amer- trary budget number but about build- Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: ican leadership, NATO shaped world ing real capabilities that are needed to I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the history for the better. The proud his- meet real requirements identified by United States of America, and to the Repub- tory of alliance and solidarity has paid the alliance’s military commanders. As lic for which it stands, one nation under God, huge dividends to NATO’s member the Secretary General has pointed out, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. states and to the world. our allies are starting to follow our f NATO, with American leadership, lead. They are on track to contribute kept the peace and created the condi- RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY an additional $100 billion in defense tions for an unprecedented period of spending. LEADER prosperity for the United States, as The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. well as its allies. It has deterred major There are also other ways NATO must adapt to meet the threats of the LANKFORD). The majority leader of the Soviet and Russian aggression and pre- Senate is recognized. vented a third world war. 21st century. It is essential that the al- liance follow through on the reforms f When communism’s Iron Curtain fell over much of the world, we stood to- championed by former Secretary MEASURE PLACED ON THE gether for democracy. When the post- Mattis. NATO must modernize its ca- CALENDAR—H.R. 7 Cold War transformation could have pabilities to address interoperability Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I roiled Eastern and Central Europe, we challenges, enhance military mobility understand there is a bill at the desk stood together for stability. When bru- across the continent, and improve the due a second reading. tal killers trampled human rights in speed at which it makes decisions. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The the Balkans, we stood together for in- For today, I just want to thank the clerk will read the bill by title for the nocent lives. And when terrorist fanat- Secretary General for his address this second time. ics killed thousands of Americans on morning. Every American should be ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S2209 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:31 Apr 04, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A03AP6.000 S03APPT1 S2210 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE April 3, 2019 proud of what his presence in this Cap- This systematic obstruction is unfair want Republicans to enact every last itol Building represents about our Na- to our duly elected President, and, part of our conservative agenda with a tion’s vital role in NATO and NATO’s more importantly, it is disrespectful— mere 51 votes. What they are not vital role in the world. disrespectful to the American people thinking about is when the shoe is on f who deserve the government they the other foot. When the shoe is on the elected. The American people deserve other foot, and Republicans have a sim- NOMINATIONS the government they elected. ple majority of 51, and there is no legis- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, now This problem goes deeper than today. lative filibuster, what would happen? on an entirely different matter, the We are talking about the future of this They are only thinking about how it comprehensive campaign by Senate very institution and the future func- might enable them, but not thinking Democrats to delay Senate consider- tioning of our constitutional govern- ahead to the next time the shoe is on ation of Presidential nominations is ment. This practice is laying the foun- the other foot. In fact, I remember that now more than 2 years old. As I have dation for a dangerous new norm. We in 2013 I said, when our colleagues on explained in recent days, it is time for cannot set this new precedent that the the other side insisted on going to a this sorry chapter to end. It is time to Senate minorities will systematically simple 51 votes on the executive cal- return this body to a more normal and keep an administration understaffed, endar: You might not like what hap- reasonable process for fulfilling its down to the least controversial nomi- pens when the shoe is on the other fel- constitutional responsibilities, no mat- nees, anytime they wish somebody else low’s foot. ter which party controls the White had won the election. I would keep in mind—I would say to House. We need to act. We need to act. We my friends on the far left: Think about The Senate had to hold 128 cloture need to act so that in its third year, what might happen the next time the votes on nominations during President the current administration can finally people who are not for it have 51 votes. Trump’s first 2 years. That is 128, more get more of its team in place. We need We all know that both parties will pos- than 5 times as many as the equivalent to act to repair the institutional leg- sess future 51-vote majorities some- period for the previous 6 Presidents acy we are leaving and restore a func- where down the line. It will happen. combined. tional nominations process for future The Senate’s long traditions on legis- Now, 42 of those 128 were for posi- administrations of both parties. lation therefore need to remain in tions that had never, in the past, re- For most of the storied history of place. But what we are discussing this quired cloture votes, like the Assistant this institution, the traditions that week is restoring the different tradi- Secretary of Health and Human Serv- govern the Senate have combined two tions concerning nominations. The tra- ices, the General Counsel at the De- distinct things—on legislation, an iron- dition here is entirely different. There partment of Agriculture, or the Ambas- clad commitment to robust minority is no long tradition—none—of what sador to Luxembourg. It is not a rights, including extensive debate and amount to mass filibusters of personnel thoughtful investigation of a few high- the filibuster, and on nominations, a for administrations. There is no tradi- ly controversial nominees and not a tion of systematic, grinding delays reasonable process for considering the principled opposition in some rare cir- under threats of filibuster that extend individuals the President sends us. cumstances. These are part and parcel So let me be absolutely clear.