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, MAY 15, 2019 No. 81 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was EXECUTIVE SESSION truth,’’ I stuck my neck out during the called to order by the President pro Reagan administration. That is when I tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). learned about the Pentagon’s little EXECUTIVE CALENDAR shop of price horrors. f The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under Of course, ripping off the taxpayers the previous order, the Senate will pro- started during the Revolutionary War, PRAYER ceed to executive session to resume when contractors sold rotten meat to The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- consideration of the following nomina- the Continental Army, and it contin- fered the following prayer: tion, which the clerk will report. ued during the Civil War, when profit- Let us pray. The senior assistant legislative clerk eers sold ammunition filled with saw- Eternal Spirit, our shelter in the read the nomination of Kenneth Kiyul dust and shoddy shoes and horses to time of storm, when our hearts grow Lee, of California, to be United States the Union Army. It looks like it con- faint and weary, renew our strength Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit. tinues to this day. and enable us to soar above our chal- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Back in 1985, Americans will recall, lenges. ator from Iowa. the Defense Department was shelling Today, fill our lawmakers with the PENTAGON OVERSIGHT out vast amounts of taxpayer dollars spirit of wisdom. May their different Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I for spare parts. Remember back then approaches to problem-solving for our come to the floor today to shed light the $450 hammers and the $640 toilet Nation and world contribute to more on yet another really dark cloud that seats? That sounds like a real bargain effective solutions for freedom in the is hanging over our Department of De- compared to the more recent wasteful years to come. Lord, deliver our Sen- fense. In fact, for decades, a dark cloud spending at the Pentagon, such as the ators from the spirit of pessimism, and of fiscal mismanagement has loomed $1,280 coffee mug and the $14,000 toilet bless them as they seek to honor You. large over the Pentagon. During my seat lid. Obviously, the cost of waste is In their thoughts, words, and deeds, very first term here in the Senate, I getting a whole lot more expensive for may they passionately strive to glorify began my quest to bring fiscal account- our taxpayers. You, ever seeking Your divine ap- ability to the Pentagon. Four decades Back in the 1980s, I fought to win a proval. later, I am still keeping tabs on the spending freeze on unchecked spending We pray in Your Holy Name. Amen. money trail. That money trail is some- sprees. Misspending and overspending times difficult to follow. Back then, it were riddling the defense budget at the f was a bit like David taking on Goliath. expense of the American taxpayer. We all know that the United States Military readiness drives the spend- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE of America has the strongest and ing decisions that Members of Congress The President pro tempore led the mightiest military in the world. I am make when we cast our votes on the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: thankful for that because a strong defense budget. Our constituents ex- I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the military is not meant to fight a war; it pect their elected representatives to United States of America, and to the Repub- is meant to maintain the peace. We make sure that the moms and dads, lic for which it stands, one nation under God, haven’t had a world war III since we sons and daughters, brothers and sis- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. have had a strong military. ters who are serving our country in Our brave men and women who serve uniform are well equipped with the f in the U.S. Armed Forces protect our best resources money can buy. But shores at home and abroad to keep us they also expect their elected rep- RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME safe and to protect the blessings of lib- resentatives to make sure their hard- The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. erty for our children and grand- earned dollars that are withheld from CRAMER). Under the previous order, the children. That is exactly why it is so every paycheck—their tax dollars— leadership time is reserved. very important to keep check on the aren’t being ripped off by greedy cor- Pentagon’s ledgers, to help make sure porations, like TransDigm Group, Inc., f that every tax dollar assigned to the which I will speak about in a moment. Nation’s defense is actually spent ef- That is why I conduct robust over- CONCLUSION OF MORNING fectively and not squandered on waste, sight of defense spending. As a tax- BUSINESS fraud, and abuse. payer watchdog—and all of us are sup- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning With the help of brave whistleblowers posed to be watchdogs, and all of us business is closed. who stuck their necks out to ‘‘commit would claim to be watchdogs—it is our

∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.

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VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A15MY6.000 S15MYPT1 S2846 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 responsibility and my responsibility to with the response from the internal watchdog for fiscal integrity and com- make sure every defense dollar is spent watchdogs at the DOD IG office. Their pliance at the Department of Defense, as effectively and as efficiently as pos- team wrote the report, and yet the in- is effectively saying something like sible. Every dollar lost to waste, fraud, spector general leadership team this: No one person at the Department and abuse harms military readiness, seemed to show no urgency whatsoever of Defense can be held accountable for and it also lines the pockets of some- to fix the problem they described. waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayers’ body else at taxpayers’ expense. This tells me I also need to keep a money. Obviously, to the taxpayers lis- Trimming the fat in a bloated bu- tight leash on the internal watchdogs tening or anybody else, this illustrates reaucracy won’t happen in the shad- leading the Department of Defense in- a cavalier attitude toward taxpayer ows. There is no magic wand to wave spector general’s office. Their February money that former Secretary of De- either. If there is one thing I have report exposes a galactic price gouging, fense James Mattis sought to extin- learned in my years of oversight, trans- colossal ripple, and out-of-this-world guish. By the way, I wrote him a note, parency matters. Transparency brings waste. It reads like a sequel to the complimenting him on some state- accountability. same financial shenanigans that have ments he made about taking care of Every time I come to the floor to turned the Pentagon into a taxpayer some of these problems. talk about the fiscal mess at the Pen- money pit. Change out the name of the The decades-long odyssey of tagon, I get a bit of deja vu. Earlier, I contractor, inflate the charges, submit misspending at the Pentagon keeps said my fraud-fighting efforts in the the invoice and voila—the American going around and around and around. 1980s could be compared to David v. Go- taxpayer is on the hook for another That is why—the way I see it—the De- liath. Now let’s fast-forward to this fixed-price, sole source contract. partment of Defense has a fundamental year, 2019. I am still here working as For this report, the inspector general responsibility to uphold fiscal integ- hard as ever to do away with wrong- examined one contractor, TransDigm rity. After reviewing the IG report and doing and extract fiscal accountability Group. In total, the inspector general meeting with its auditing team and the at the Pentagon. Today, some might analyzed 113 contracts between Janu- Department of Defense pricing czar, I say that job is like the one performed ary 2015 and January 2017. They re- have reached three conclusions. No. 1, by the famous character in Greek my- viewed 47 spare parts the Department fiscal control at the Department of De- thology who was destined to roll that of Defense purchased from this con- fense is AWOL. The Pentagon will heavy stone up the hill and to do it tractor. In just those 2 years, the in- never clean up its books if it cannot from then until eternity. spector general found TransDigm over- properly track the money trail and Congressional oversight can be ex- charged the Pentagon by $16–1/10th mil- connect the dots. tremely tedious, and it can be time- lion out of a total of $29–7/10th million Consider why the Department of De- consuming, but, as I like to remind in contracts. fense contracting officers were unable each of the other 534 Members of Con- The reasonable profit threshold is to even certify if a profit was ‘‘fair and gress, it is essential to our country considered by the Department of De- reasonable.’’ Do you know why? It was that we exercise this system of checks fense to be 15 percent or below. The IG because they could not obtain critical and balances. Without it, the dark fis- found that TransDigm earned excess cost data at the company TransDigm. cal cloud looming over the Pentagon profits on 46 of the 47 parts sold to the In the most egregious case—that case I would swell bigger and bigger and big- Defense Department. mentioned where there was a 4,436-per- ger. On 17 of those parts, TransDigm cent profit margin for just one spare Oversight work may feel like an up- earned more than a 1,000-percent profit. part—the contracting officer—you will hill climb, but oversight is not futile in Remarkably, the highest profit per- not believe this—certified that the the end. That is why I keep my shoul- centage was 4,436 percent. price was fair and reasonable. There is der to the wheel—to hold people at the It is obvious to our taxpayers that something very, very wrong about that Pentagon accountable, to protect tax- that is a fleecing of the American tax- procedure. A whopping 4,000-percent payers, and most importantly, when it payer. Pulling the wool over the eyes profit margin for a spare part doesn’t comes to a defense dollar, to make sure of Congress and the taxpayers will only square with our midwestern common- we have our military readiness. stop with transparency—which trans- sense standard. Right now, I am here today to share parency will bring accountability. No. 2, the leadership team at the IG some new details about the broken So that is why I am here today. Just office has exhibited an alarming hands- record of fiscal mismanagement at the think for a minute about the big pic- off approach toward stopping waste, Department of Defense. ture. This report is just one snapshot of fraud, and abuse. The lack of urgency No matter how high I turn up the a much larger problem. It is kind of a and the failure to hold anyone account- volume, the overdogs at the Pentagon spit in the ocean when you consider the able is very revealing. It sends a signal remain tone deaf to fiscal integrity. enormous $716 billion defense budget. throughout the chain of command: Consider the recent report by the De- Just imagine the boatloads of bloat Just keep on signing contracts; keep partment of Defense Office of Inspector elsewhere in the bureaucracy. The De- ordering spare parts; keep up business General. It is called ‘‘Review of Parts partment of Defense is obligated under as usual. Lastly, it shows that no one Purchased From TransDigm Group Federal law and under regulations to will be held accountable for price Inc.’’ uphold basic measures of fiscal integ- gouging. First, I want to compliment Senator rity. No. 3, the pattern of price gouging at WARREN and two Representatives, RO So where do we go from here? The in- TransDigm and its subsidiaries has KHANNA and TIM RYAN, for getting the spector general made just a few paltry gone unimpeded for decades. It has ball rolling with their request asking recommendations. For starters, it di- amassed exclusive rights to sell these the inspector general to look into the rected contracting officers to request spare parts to the Pentagon. In fact, contract—this contractor’s pricing voluntary refunds for excess profits. the Defense Department accounted for structure. We need all hands on deck in Guess the chances of getting voluntary 34 percent of its sales in 2017. Congress to conduct oversight, so I refunds. Let me suggest that I would TransDigm exploited its business thank these other Members of Congress not advise taxpayers to hold their model and took advantage of its sole just named. breath on a voluntary refund. The in- source position to leverage higher After digging into the details, I can spector’s general recommendations, prices. only conclude that the Pentagon is then, have no teeth. Their rec- Now, as a former chairman of the still, after all these years, stuck on ommendations are insufficient. What is Senate Judiciary Committee—and still autopilot. No one on board in the Pen- worse, the inspector general leadership a member of that committee—I have tagon’s mother ship seems to bother to team claims no single Department of examined anticompetitive business steer its ‘‘fiscal ship’’ into shape. Fis- Defense official is responsible for this practices over a long period of time, in- cal integrity somehow got lost in the price gouging that goes on. cluding those in agriculture and the spare parts horror story I am about to So let me repeat: The inspector gen- pharmaceutical sectors of our econ- tell. In fact, I was more than dismayed eral leadership team, the internal omy. It is very concerning to me when

VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.001 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2847 contracting arrangements, like those are shortchanging the troops, fleecing the 9/11 memorial wall, all of whom between TransDigm and its 100 subsidi- the taxpayers, and tarnishing its rep- died in 9/11-related illnesses. It is our aries, are effectively a monopoly. It is utation. duty to take care of these families, and like an octopus with 100 arms putting As Justice Brandeis said, ‘‘sunshine the first step is making sure that the the squeeze on the Pentagon. Effec- is said to be the best of disinfectants.’’ Victims Compensation Fund has tively, the Pentagon is at the mercy of So I am here today to pull back the enough funds to compensate them. TransDigm—which owns the intellec- curtains on the TransDigm audit. The I say to our law enforcement officers tual property—to buy the spare parts it American people need the sun to shine two words: Thank you. Thank you for needs to build the Nation’s critical in on price gouging at the Pentagon so your service. It is an honor to rep- weapon systems. That leaves the Amer- we can root out the wasteful spending resent you in the Senate, and we are ican taxpayer on the hook for exorbi- here and elsewhere. all grateful for the sacrifices you make tant price gouging. Transparency is the best ammunition every day. The inspector general report found that we have to chase away the dark NOMINATIONS that TransDigm’s choke hold has added fiscal crowd looming along the shores Mr. President, now on judges, during up to tens of millions of dollars over- of the Potomac. the same week that we mark the 65th charging to the taxpayer. This is a RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY LEADER anniversary of the historic ‘‘Brown v. good time to refresh people’s memories The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Board of Education’’ decision, Leader about my legislative and oversight Democratic leader is recognized. MCCONNELL has scheduled votes on work with anticompetitive business NATIONAL POLICE WEEK nominees whose views directly con- practices. It is pretty simple. Monopo- Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I tradict the spirit of equality and jus- lies invite government regulation. If thank my colleague from Iowa for al- tice that Brown represents. It is appalling. These new people we that is the road TransDigm wants to ways staying on top of things like this. are putting on the bench turn the clock continue following, I am here to de- Mr. President, first, I would like to so backward after we have made so liver a message. The jig is up on this talk about Police Week. Today we ob- much progress, many of it through the cozy relationship. The buck stops here. serve Peace Officers Memorial Day, the courts. I have written a letter to Acting Sec- heart of National Police Week. We all Consider the nomination of Michael retary Shanahan about these flawed remember the men and women in law Truncale of Texas. He has peddled con- contracts and failures to identify price enforcement who have made the ulti- spiracies of ‘‘widespread voter fraud’’ gouging. I have asked him to make mate sacrifice, and we pause to say and once called President Obama an measurable recommendations on how thank you to all of our police officers ‘‘un-American imposter’’ who ‘‘bows to to restore accountability and end this who work day and night to keep our Arab Sheikhs and other world leaders.’’ price gouging. One thing is crystal communities safe. This is a man who we are putting on I want to share a special thanks to clear. Transparency and competition the bench, a man who is supposed to be are MIA—missing in action—when the all of our law enforcement members judicious, thoughtful, and sees both Pentagon buys spare parts from visiting from New York, who, in my sides. What we are putting on the TransDigm and its subsidiaries. Now, view, are the gold standard in police bench is hard-right ideologues who will thank God the other body, the House of work. do damage to this country for a genera- I grew up in a neighborhood where Representatives, its Committee on tion. Mr. Truncale was approved by the police officers lived. I played with their Oversight and Reform, called an over- Republican Senate yesterday for a seat sight hearing this week to examine children at their houses. You would al- on the district court in Texas, and he is TransDigm and its price-gouging she- ways know sort of instinctively, even going to sit on that bench for life—a nanigans. as a kid, when that phone rang and the man who says things like this and who Congress has a constitutional duty of spouse—almost always, in those days, thinks like this. oversight to keep check on taxpayers’ the wife of a police officer—heard the I have always tried to put on the money and hold government account- phone ring, what went through her bench people who are moderate. So able. As I said earlier, we need all head a little bit is this: I hope that is many of us have. Bill Clinton did. hands on deck to root out wasteful not the call I dreaded. This is the job of Barack Obama did. Here we have a pa- spending. police officers and their families—that rade of narrow ideologues, and that is Once again, we are back to square is, to risk their safety for our safety— not who should be on the bench be- one. The Pentagon has flunked a funda- and they do a great job. cause they will make law rather than mental benchmark of fiscal responsi- As we recognize their contributions, interpret the law. bility and stewardship. It is one of we should acknowledge what we could Here is another one, Kenneth Lee of Washington’s worst kept secrets. Year do in Congress to make their jobs safer California. His past writings reveal after year, Congress shovels more and easier. We can make our streets shocking positions on race and diver- money into the Pentagon coffers to en- safer by passing comprehensive back- sity, affirmative action, educational sure we maintain the best military in ground check legislation. We can help opportunity, and women’s reproductive the world, and I express my support for law enforcement combat foreign opioid freedom. He once wrote that the military. I express my support that trafficking by passing the bipartisan multiculturalism is a ‘‘malodorous a strong department of national de- Fentanyl Sanctions Act and the sickness’’ and that sexism—sexism, fense is also a strong keeper of the POWER Act, which provides handheld which we have all seen and heard about peace because we might not be chal- scanning devices. When a police officer and a little more than half of our popu- lenged, and we are going to be able to is on a drug bust, they can tell if lation experiences—is ‘‘irrelevant pout- help keep peace around the world, but fentanyl is part of a crime scene there, ing.’’ That is a man who should be on year after year, the Pentagon squan- and they can take precautions to pro- the bench? If confirmed today, Mr. LEE ders hundreds of millions of taxpayer tect themselves, because we know how may preside over cases dealing with dollars. Some people at the Pentagon deadly fentanyl is, even if it gets on gender discrimination. seem to think that paying $16 million your skin or in your nostrils. We can Consider Wendy Vitter, nominated to in excess profits somehow seems to be also do more to care for the families of the Eastern District of Louisiana. She small potatoes. fallen officers. once promoted the idea that contracep- In my letter to the Acting Defense That is why I have been so proud to tives caused cancer and claimed that Secretary, I made it clear that I am fight alongside my colleague Senator Planned Parenthood kills 150,000 not one of those people. I have asked GILLIBRAND and so many others to women annually. She also refused to him to answer a direct question. That make sure that the September 11th acknowledge that Brown v. Broad was question is this: What specific steps is Victim Compensation Fund has the correctly decided. On this very anni- he going to take to stop the profiteers necessary funding. versary, that is who is on the floor to from pilfering taxpayer money? Last Friday, the New York Police be voted on in lockstep by all the folks Contracts like I have described today Department, or the NYPD, added the here on the Republican side. She re- between TransDigm and the Pentagon names of nearly 50 police officers to fused to acknowledge that Brown v.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.003 S15MYPT1 S2848 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 Board was correctly decided, saying in- most draconian abortion law in the mixed immigration status from receiv- stead that the decision was correct country. It bans abortion in every ing public housing assistance, even if with the benefit of hindsight—what- stage of pregnancy, imposes criminal everyone but one member of the family ever that means. In the same district, penalties—criminal penalties—on any is a legal resident. So if it is a family where 6-year-old Ruby Bridges became doctor who performs one, and includes of six—a mother who is an American the first African-American child to at- no exception in the case of rape or in- citizen, four children who are Amer- tend an all-White elementary school in cest, even if the victim is a child. If a ican citizens, but a husband who is not the South, the Senate will consider child is raped, they have to have the and who is not here legally—they kick confirming someone who claims that baby. them all out. It risks displacing tens of hindsight was needed to understand The Alabama bill is as extreme as it thousands of legal residents and of why the decision that allowed Ruby to gets. It is a clear attack on women’s American citizens, including 55,000 go to the same school as a White child freedom. It contravenes a woman’s con- children. The administration has cre- wasn’t correct. That is who we are put- stitutional right to make private med- ated crisis after crisis with the immi- ting on the bench. ical decisions. It would deeply harm gration community. Are they going to These are not just conservatives. We women, turn doctors into criminals, create another one and take 55,000 understand that the President and Re- and deny the right of rape victims, young American children, almost all of publicans will put in conservatives, but even if they are children, to make per- whom are citizens, and just kick them hard-right, narrow ideologues who sonal medical decisions. out on the streets when we know there show no understanding or sympathy for The Alabama abortion bill is plainly is very little affordable housing? What people who don’t look like them or inhumane. It should never have passed. a cruel and callous policy. It is another pray like them or marry like them— The Governor should not sign it. If she example of the Trump administration’s what is wrong here? does, it ought to be swiftly struck desire to separate families and disrupt It is not hard. If you need the benefit down by the courts. communities. of hindsight to understand that Brown IRAN There is nothing to say about this v. Board of Education, which brought Mr. President, on Iran, over of the proposed rule but that it is cruel, an end to school segregation and led to past few days, it has come to light in wrong-headed, and would lead to even the end of American apartheid, was public reporting that the Trump ad- more chaos than the administration correctly decided, you shouldn’t be a ministration’s national security team has created already. Federal judge. I urge my colleagues, in has reviewed a plan to deploy as many In an effort to appear even more pu- the spirit of the Brown anniversary and as 120,000—yes, you heard that right, nitive toward immigrants, the adminis- what it means, to oppose Ms. Vitter’s 120,000—U.S. troops in the Mideast tration has conjured up a rule that nomination this afternoon. should tensions with Iran escalate. I could potentially force tens of thou- PUERTO RICO was stunned to read this report in the sands of children into homelessness or Mr. President, now on Puerto Rico, New York Times yesterday. away from their families. briefly, as negotiations on a final pack- The administration just started a My message to President Trump and age of disaster aid continue, I want to maximum pressure campaign of sanc- Secretary Carson is simple: Scrap this stress to everyone that we must re- tions against Iran, but is it simulta- idea now. main focused on reaching an agreement neously reviewing plans for war? That I yield the floor. as swiftly as possible. Disaster-stricken would make no sense. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Americans in the West, the South, the Meanwhile, the President oddly de- ator from Missouri is recognized. Midwest, and 3 million citizens of Puer- nied the report while also saying he MAIDEN SPEECH to Rico are waiting on Congress to de- would ‘‘absolutely’’ send ground troops Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, it is an liver relief, in some cases for disasters to the Middle East. But if he did, it honor to rise today to speak in this that occurred over a year ago. would be a ‘‘heck’’—and I am para- Chamber on behalf of the people of Mis- Why is this held up? phrasing—‘‘of a lot more troops [than souri. When I think of those who have We know why. Republicans are not 120,000].’’ served my State here before me, I am willing to give aid to Puerto Rico. Did we learn the lessons of the last humbled. When I think of the true and There was a bill that would never pass decade? Do we know that we have to strong Missourians who have sent me the House and something they didn’t spend our time focusing on building up here, I am sobered, because to rep- think originally, when President this country here, not build roads and resent them will be a great responsi- Trump said: Don’t do it. And they just bridges in the Middle East but do them bility indeed. I pledge to my fellow bowed down. They thought they could here? Missourians that I will work at this roll over the House and the Democratic There is an alarming lack of clarity task with all the strength that God can minority in the Senate, who wouldn’t here. There is a lack of strategy, and give me, and I will serve without fear stand up for certain Americans. there is a lack of consultation. The and without favor to any man. Well, we did. Now, thankfully, we are President ought to come up with a We Missourians are known for our making progress. Republicans are real- strategy and make it clear to Congress. frankness, and today I will be frank be- izing that Puerto Ricans cannot be left An adventure like this—120,000 troops cause this is a moment of great need out of the package, but now we must or a large number of troops—should for my State and for our Nation. This avoid poison pills at all costs. Presi- have to be approved by Congress. It Nation was born in a revolution by dent Trump, if he sticks his thumb into certainly should be discussed with Con- ‘‘We the People’’ and premised on a this again and asks for something un- gress ahead of time. There need to be revolutionary faith that it is the peo- reasonable, will delay disaster aid once open hearings and closed briefings with ple—the common man and woman who again, just as he did before. the committees of jurisdiction imme- make democracy work—and it is the To my Republican colleagues, let’s do diately. calling of every generation to renew this together. Let’s do it in the right Any potential increase in our mili- that revolution for their day. In our way. Let’s do it in the way that can tary presence in the Middle East time, our revolutionary faith is fal- pass the House. should require consultation with Con- tering, and in the heartland of this President Trump will sign the bill. gress, and anything beyond that would country, the great challenge of our age We have to make sure this legislation require this body to act. is unfolding. gets across the finish line. Every time President Trump, what is your strat- I come from a town called Lexington, the President intervenes and Repub- egy? Where are you headed? Why aren’t MO. It is a small place, but a proud lican colleagues go along, it gets held you talking to Congress about it? one. It is a place where people wake up even further. PUBLIC HOUSING early and work late to make a life for ABORTION Mr. President, finally, on public themselves and their children. It is a Mr. President, on the Alabama abor- housing, it was reported last week that place where people value honesty and tion bill, last night the Republican the Department of HUD has proposed a gumption and life’s simple pleasures: a Alabama Senate passed, perhaps, the rule that would bar families with fine morning in a deer stand, reading

VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.005 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2849 to the kids before bed, and Sunday din- For too long now, neither our econ- on the rest of us. They advocate libera- ner at Mom’s. Although it is humble, it omy nor our culture has lent them tion from the duties of family and tra- is a place that reflects the dignity and much support. Instead, our policy- dition. They look down on the plain quiet greatness of the working men and makers have entrenched the new elites virtues of patriotism, self-giving, and women. and undermined the way of life that faith. They idealize fame and preach These are the people who explored a once bound this country together. It is self-realization through consuming continent, who built the railroads, and time to face the facts. more stuff, and as they do, they assault who opened the West. These are the Over the last 40 years, our economy the foundations of the great American workers whose labor launched the In- has worked best for those at the top— middle. dustrial Revolution and whose inge- the wealthy and the well-educated. If Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, nuity made the American economy the you have a job in Silicon Valley or an then, at the epidemic of loneliness and marvel of the world. These are the fam- expensive and prestigious degree, this despair that is spreading across work- ilies who have rallied to this country’s economy has worked for you, and ing communities. Fewer young people flag at every hour of danger and who Washington has focused on how to get are getting married and starting fami- bear the burden of defending our Na- more people to join this elite. But if lies. Drug addiction is surging. The tion even now. These are the patriots you want a life built around the place opioid menace has ravaged every sec- who man the fire department and where you grew up, if your ambition is tor, every age group, and every geog- coach the Little League. These are the not to start a tech business but to join raphy of working people. generous who give $25 a month out of the family business, to serve in the It is not only pills. It is heroin, co- their gas money to assist people half- PTA or in your local church, well, you caine, fentanyl, meth, and, of course, way around the globe whom they will are told that you are not a success, and marijuana that have flooded our never meet just because they believe in you are told that you are on your own. streets and our homes. Everywhere, helping others. They don’t ask for This is no accident. The people who deaths of despair are mounting among much, and they live by a simple creed: make the rules now, who run our large farmers and among the young. Most Give the best of yourself to your fam- corporations, and who set the tone for shockingly, the young are the hope of ily, your community, and your fellow our popular culture all belong to the our society, but in America today, they man. America is a place of promise, be- same class. This economy has been are taking their lives in numbers we cause in these hearts, honor lives. their economy. They made it for them- have never seen in our history. These working men and women are selves. The well-off frequently note that our confronting crises today, and, as they But in places like the one where I Nation has never been richer, but the do, so does our democracy. After years grew up in middle Missouri, good-pay- tragedy of youth suicide betrays a pro- of sacrifice, the great American middle ing jobs that you can raise a family on found poverty of hope. And is that real- is being pushed aside by a new arrogant are going away. The jobs go overseas or ly so surprising? Today’s youth must aristocracy. The new aristocrats seek south of the border or to cities on the make their way in a society increas- to remake society in their own image, coasts. Once vibrant towns decline, ingly defined not by the genuine and to engineer an economy that works for taking with them the network of personal love of family and church but the elite but few else, and to fashion a schools and neighborhoods and church- by the cold and judgmental world of so- culture that is dominated by their own es that make up middle-class life. cial media. preferences. When they think of help- Rural America has been particularly A typical young person is bombarded ing their fellow citizens, they think of hard hit. Rural Americans’ life expect- by video games and violence and the making everyone else more like them- ancy has not just leveled off. It has ac- relentless status-seeking imposed and selves. tually dropped, and for women without modeled by our cultural elite. There is And Washington has just gone along. a high school degree, that drop has no more shocking illustration of our This town has embraced the politics of been staggering. In some rural places, cultural poverty and no more damning elite values and elite ambition rather residents struggle with outright depri- indictment of our cultural leaders than than building opportunities to thrive vation. My home State contains some these lost lives. in the great and broad American mid- of the poorest counties in America, all The sum of it all is that too many dle. This has left middle America—the in rural places that once boasted thriv- Americans are losing their standing as great American middle class—under ing small towns. As those communities citizens. They are losing their voice in siege, battling the loss of respect and struggle, want sets in. the life of this Nation, and with that, work, the decline of home and family, The crisis reaches well beyond eco- they are losing their liberty. To be free and an epidemic of loneliness and de- nomics. The message that Washington is to have a voice. It is to have a say, spair. This is the crisis of our time. has sent our whole society is loud and and it is to have the power of self-gov- I am afraid you wouldn’t know it to clear: Our elites are the people who ernment. listen to the talk of this town much of matter and those who aspire to join The chattering class often tells us the time. As the crisis deepens, the po- them. Everyone else is unimportant or that all of this—the jobs, the despair, litical establishment looks the other backward. and the loss of standing—is a result of way, rehearsing and rehashing the po- Millions of Americans are left with a forces beyond anyone’s control, as if litical debates of 30 or 40 years ago. sense that the people who run this that is an excuse to do nothing, but in There is no time for that any longer. country view them with nothing but fact, it is not true. Today’s society The 21st century is upon us, and the contempt and value them as nothing benefits those who shaped it, and it has great struggle of this century can no but consumers. These trends tear at been shaped not by working men and longer wait. The crisis that we face our country’s social fabric, and they women but by the new aristocratic goes to the heart of our revolution. undermine our common ethic of citi- elite. Big banks, big tech, and big mul- The United States is unique in his- zenship because being a free person and tinational corporations, along with tory as a republic governed not by a se- being an American isn’t just about their allies in the academy and the lect elite but by the working man and what you can buy. It is about the pride media—these are the aristocrats of our woman, because we believe it is that comes in supporting a family. It is age. They live in the United States, but through the working man and woman about contributing something of worth they consider themselves citizens of that God chooses to change the world. to your community. It is about being the world. They operate businesses or That change comes not through spec- able to look a neighbor in the eye and run universities here, but their pri- tacular feats of daring or glory but know that you are his equal. It is about mary loyalty is to their own agenda for through everyday work and everyday respect, and too many Americans a more unified, progressive, and profit- sacrifice and everyday acts of courage haven’t been getting it. able global order. and love. It has been the proud working They are certainly not getting it These modern aristocrats often claim people, our farmers and mechanics, and from our cultural elite. The media, to be a meritocracy, and many of them teachers and tradesmen who have de- Hollywood, and academia relentlessly truly believe they are. What they don’t fined the character of this country. press their values and their priorities see or will not acknowledge is that the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.007 S15MYPT1 S2850 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 society they have built works mainly The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without tell me JOSHUA was the best teacher for themselves. They have effectively objection, it is so ordered. they ever had. They must not have had run this country for decades, and their WELCOMING SENATOR HAWLEY OF MISSOURI a class with Erin yet. But I am de- legacy is national division and national Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, I am glad lighted that they are both part of the decline. to be joined by my good colleague Sen- discussion that will lead America for- It is time to reclaim our revolu- ator HAWLEY. He brings incredible ward. I look forward to engaging in tionary heritage and reassert the de- depth to the issues we talked about. He that discussion with them and mocracy of ‘‘We the People.’’ To those grew up in Lexington, MO, I under- partnering in the things we can find to who despair at the task ahead, I say stand, in smalltown America. He was do together and getting a chance to the hour is not too late and the crisis educated in some of the best schools in represent our strong, unique State that is not too deep for the determined ef- our country and had the great good for- I think is ready to merge into a greater fort of a great people, and to those who tune to be assigned as a John Roberts future, whether that is with all the feel forgotten and unheard, I say this is law clerk in the office of another John healthcare and ag research we see hap- your time. Now we must stand together Roberts law clerk and the good judg- pening, the GEOINT focus that is com- to renew the promise of our enduring ment to convince her to marry him. He ing into our State because of the new revolution. We must put aside the tired and Erin are a valuable asset to our NGA, the National Geospatial Intel- orthodoxies of years past and forge a State. They have two wonderful little ligence Agency facility being built new politics of national renewal. boys. I have enjoyed the time we have there. We must begin by acknowledging had together and look forward to more This is a time of great opportunity. I that GDP growth alone cannot be the time with JOSH and his family. He am glad to have the chance to share measure of this Nation’s greatness, and clearly thinks deeply about the issues part of that opportunity and look at so it cannot be the only aim of this Na- that affect the country. He is focused that future with my colleague JOSH tion’s policy because our purpose is not on not only the present but the future. HAWLEY and certainly want to join oth- to make a few people wealthy but to Those are all good things. ers in welcoming him officially to the sustain a great democracy. We need We have jointly had the opportunity Senate today as he makes his maiden not just a bigger economy but a better to represent a State that is as diverse speech to the Senate. society. We need a society that offers as any State in the country. I think a I yield back. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- rewarding work for every worker who week, a month, a year in Missouri is jority whip. wants it, wherever she is from, what- probably the closest thing to that same ever degree he might have, whether Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I want to period of time if you could somehow join with my colleague, the senior Sen- their ambition is to start a business or condense the entire United States into to start a family. We need a society ator from Missouri, and congratulate one place, where sometimes St. Louis the junior Senator from Missouri on that will allow towns and neighbor- is seen as the westernmost eastern city hoods to flourish across the great some wonderful remarks. and Kansas City may be more like Den- I came into the Congress with Sen- heartland of this country and not just ver than St. Louis. Northern Missouri in the megacities of the coasts. We ator BLUNT from the House of Rep- is more like Iowa. need a society that puts American resentatives over 20 years ago, which I I would state to Senator GRASSLEY guess makes us the old guys around workers first, that prioritizes them that when crossing the border there, over cheap goods from abroad and of- here, but it warms my heart and gives you certainly can’t tell when you cross me great hope for the future to see the fers them the chance to better their from Missouri farmland into Iowa station. All this we must fight for and caliber and the quality of people who farmland and the small cities and are entering public life in the form of more. small towns. The Bootheel, Delta We need to repair the torn fabric of people like Senator HAWLEY. South in character where JOSH and I our common life. We need a politics He is somebody who not only brings live in Springfield has that northwest that prioritizes strong marriages and great intellect, great passion, and Arkansas-Oklahoma vitality that is encourages strong families, where chil- great conviction, but he is a principled dren can know their parents and be different from anywhere else in our leader who is here for the right reasons nurtured by their love. We need strong State. As we travel actively around our and profoundly wants to make a dif- schools and churches and co-ops be- State, as we both do, I think we have a ference for the future of this country. cause these are the things that make great sense of so much of what happens In his remarks, he touched upon the liberty possible, for liberty is more in the country. It is still the popu- genius of our Founders, and that is than selling or buying or the right to lation center of America, if not the that average Americans—working men be left alone. Liberty is the ability to exact geographic center. Missouri is and women in this country—have an master our own fate and, as a free peo- where the country comes together. opportunity to make a difference with ple, to set our own course. That is the JOSH had an opportunity last year to their voices and with their votes by en- promise of the American Revolution, talk to tens of thousands of Missou- tering the public arena and being a and we will renew it for our day. rians about that and to communicate part of our democracy. That is really Washington has ignored the need for in other ways with millions of Missou- what this is all about. That is what our this renewal for too long. It has rested rians about that. I am glad he is here work should be about every day, is em- easy with the priorities of an earlier and glad to welcome him to the work powering them to do a better job in age. Now it must wake up and face the we will be doing together. We won’t raising their families and serving their facts of this day. Now we must ask new agree every single day because if we communities. questions, force new debates, articulate did, I guess we could have just one Sen- I certainly look forward to con- new priorities, and find new solutions ator and give him two votes. But it tinuing our work with the new Senator to make the great American middle gives us a chance to talk about the from Missouri and with the rest of our thrive again. issues we face and what that means for colleagues here as we embark upon This is not the work of a day or a our State but also what it means to the that task. I hope we can be successful season. It is the work of a generation. country. in restoring that vision our Founders We will make it the work of this gen- I am delighted he has committed had for what this country should be eration and so do our part to see the himself to public service. Missourians and in each day waking up and think- success of liberty in our time. have now elected him to two statewide ing about the fact that it is not about I suggest the absence of a quorum. offices in less than 3 years, and they us; it is about what we do to secure a The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. have expressed that confidence in him. better and brighter future consistent SASSE). The clerk will call the roll. With great frequency, I run into stu- with that brilliant past we have been The senior assistant legislative clerk dents both JOSH and Erin had when so blessed by because of those who have proceeded to call the roll. they were both teaching at the Law come before and have been willing to Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, I ask School at the University of Missouri, enter public life and make a difference. unanimous consent that the order for and they always tell me Erin was the So thank you and congratulations to the quorum call be rescinded. best teacher they ever had and often Senator HAWLEY. It is a great honor to

VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.009 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2851 serve with you, and we look forward to 2011, we saw the arrival of the 89th At- I am profoundly grateful for the working with you in the days and tack Squadron and its command and honor of representing some of the men weeks and months ahead to serve the control stations for MQ–9 Reapers. In and women of the U.S. military here in very people you talked about in your 2015, a decade-long mission paid off the Senate. We owe our soldiers, sail- remarks. with the expansion of the training air- ors, airmen, marines, and Coast Guard NATIONAL MILITARY APPRECIATION MONTH space for the base. The Powder River a debt we can never repay. Mr. President, May is National Mili- Training Complex is now the largest As Military Appreciation Month con- tary Appreciation Month, a chance for training airspace in the continental tinues and Armed Forces Day ap- us to honor the service of those who United States. It is undoubtedly partly proaches, we can take the time to re- have kept our Nation free for 243 years. thanks to this airspace that Ellsworth member—to remember that we go For me, when I reflect on our mili- was just chosen not only as the home about our lives in peace and freedom tary men and women, there are always for the B–21 training mission, the first every day because of members of the two things in the forefront of my mind: bombers to the fleet, but operational U.S. military who are standing watch my dad, Harold Thune, and the men squadrons as well. for us. May God bless the members of and women of Ellsworth Air Force Base Once on the chopping block, Ells- the U.S. military, and may God con- in South Dakota and the South Dakota worth is going from strength to tinue to bless the United States of National Guard. strength, and South Dakota is deeply America. My father was a fighter pilot who proud to host this crucial base. I yield the floor. flew Hellcats off the USS Intrepid in Ellsworth’s airmen have played an I suggest the absence of a quorum. the Pacific theater during World War essential role in the armed conflicts of The PRESIDING OFFICER. The II. I came to know the ‘‘greatest gen- recent years. Ellsworth’s pilots have clerk will call the roll. eration’’ through my dad—their humil- engaged targets in the Middle East The legislative clerk proceeded to ity, their quiet service, their patriot- using Predator and Reaper remotely pi- call the roll. ism, and their deep dedication to the loted aircraft for vital reconnaissance, Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask cause of freedom. search and rescue, and strike missions. unanimous consent that the order for I have come to know the men and The Thunderbirds of the 34th Bomb the quorum call be rescinded. women of today’s military through Squadron and the Tigers of the 37th The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Ellsworth and through South Dakota’s Bomb Squadron have flown countless objection, it is so ordered. National Guard and the great work, missions, conducting strikes, providing ABORTION the extraordinary work they do day in deterrence, and delivering critical Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I want and day out, the professionalism, the close air support. to start today by saying I am really ap- skill, the talent, and the dedication During Operation Odyssey Dawn, B– palled by the extreme, cruel, shameful they bring to the work of defending 1s from Ellsworth launched from South abortion ban that was passed yesterday America and America’s freedoms. Dakota, flew halfway around the world in Alabama. That legislation is nothing Ellsworth has been on my mind in to Libya, dropped their bombs, and re- short of an attack on women, and it is particular this week because right now turned home—all in a single mission. part of a larger effort we are seeing the Air Force is conducting a large This marked the first time in history today around the country to take away force exercise involving B–1 bombers, that B–1s launched combat missions the constitutional right of women to B–2s, B–52s, F–16s, C–17s, KC–135s, from the United States to strike tar- safe, legal abortion and allowing politi- JSTARS and AWACS, and, for the first gets overseas. cians to make decisions for women time, F–35s. During my time advocating for Ells- about their bodies, their health, and My acquaintance with Ellsworth worth, I have had the chance to learn a their lives instead of trusting doctors began during my time as a Member of lot about aircraft and the incredible and women. the House of Representatives, but I capabilities of the U.S. military, espe- I want every woman reading the news really got to know the base and what it cially the capabilities of the U.S. Air this morning and wondering what this meant to the Rapid City area shortly Force. But the greatest part of rep- means for you, your family, and for after I became a Senator. resenting Ellsworth has been the your granddaughters to know I am Just a few months into my first term chance to meet with and get to know with you, and I am going to keep fight- in the Senate, Ellsworth found itself its airmen, from the wing commanders ing for you every step of the way. targeted for closure by the Base Re- and other base leaders to the airmen NOMINATION OF WENDY VITTER alignment and Closure Commission. who care for the planes. Mr. President, I want to turn to That summer of 2005 was a long one as Ultimately, no matter what tech- speak about my opposition to Wendy we mobilized to protect the base. I nology we have, the strength of our Vitter’s nomination, which is yet an- don’t think I missed a BRAC hearing in fighting force comes down to our mili- other step extreme politicians are tak- DC that summer. It didn’t matter tary men and women. It is because of ing to undermine women’s rights and whether Ellsworth was on the agenda; I the men and women we have that the access to healthcare. wanted to be there in case the chance United States has the strongest fight- I oppose Wendy Vitter’s nomination to advocate for Ellsworth arose. ing force in the world. to the U.S. District Court for the East- Thanks to the efforts of a lot of dedi- Members of the military are a special ern District of Louisiana. cated people, we were victorious. We breed. At an age when many are fo- President Trump and Vice President demonstrated to the Commission that cused on graduation ceremonies or PENCE have made it clear that they Ellsworth was a vital national security summer vacations, they take a dif- want to pack the Judiciary with far- asset and that moving the B–1 fleet ferent path—a path that challenges right judges who will turn back the from Ellsworth would actually cost them mentally and physically, that clock on reproductive rights, and this money. We also made the case that the pushes them to their limits and then nominee is no exception. United States shouldn’t put all of its asks them to go further, that asks Time and again, Mrs. Vitter has ad- eggs in one basket, that it shouldn’t them to forget their own needs and to vocated against women’s reproductive consolidate all of its assets in one loca- focus only on what they can do for oth- rights using inflammatory language tion. ers, and that asks them to forgo com- and falsehoods. She has demonstrated a By August, we had succeeded in hav- fort for sacrifice, up to and including keen sense of partisanship and a poor ing Ellsworth removed from the clo- the sacrifice of their lives. At 18, at 21, sense of judgment, starting with her sure list. Since then, the congressional these warriors pledge to lay down their initial response to the Senate Judici- delegation, Ellsworth, and community lives for the rest of us, and they make ary Committee’s questionnaire. leaders have worked hard to build up that pledge again every day of their Mrs. Vitter left out information the base so that we never again find service, every morning when they wake about her past statements in her re- ourselves in that same position. In up and head to work, whether that is sponse to the committee—the kinds of 2007, we saw the Air Force Financial the repair base at Ellsworth or a bat- serious submissions Republicans have Services Center open at Ellsworth. In tlefield half a world away. objected to with other nominees. I am

VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.010 S15MYPT1 S2852 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 not talking about a small memory sibility of deciding the historic cases of ings in America, though, we are mak- lapse. I am talking about nearly 200 ad- tomorrow. Someone who has worked to ing two huge mistakes. First, we are ditional pages that had to be added to spread misinformation about contra- ignoring our responsibility to address a her response once they were brought to ceptives and undermine the constitu- much more direct cause of these trage- light. I am not talking about insignifi- tional right to safe, legal abortion that dies—guns. Second, we are unfairly and cant statements, things that are hard is enshrined in Roe v. Wade cannot be falsely stigmatizing mental illness. to find or easy to forget. I am talking trusted to fight for the truth or uphold Here is another thing we can’t say about campaign ads, panel discussions, women’s reproductive rights. In other often enough: It is exceedingly rare political rallies. I am not talking about words, someone like Wendy Vitter can- that one’s mental illness leads one to innocent uncontroversial comments. I not be trusted with a lifetime seat on a commit acts of violence. In fact, one is am talking about the fearmongering of Federal bench. much more likely to be a victim of vio- an activist who is entirely unfit for the I urge my colleagues to join me in re- lence than to be a perpetrator, and we Federal bench. jecting this nomination. While Presi- must not make it harder for people to Mrs. Vitter initially failed to disclose dent Trump and Vice President PENCE seek help by falsely tagging them, as her remarks at a political rally oppos- may keep sending us these far-right we do, as being potentially dangerous. ing the construction of a Planned Par- nominees and Senate Republicans may Yes, these tragedies are reminders enthood clinic, remarks where she keep jamming them through under the that we need to spend more time talk- claimed Planned Parenthood—which, radar, Democrats are not going to ing about mental health, but let’s have by the way, provides low-cost stand by or stand down. They may try the right conversation. For most peo- healthcare like cancer screenings and to push our courts to the right. We are ple who struggle with mental illness in STI screenings and contraceptive care going to keep pushing back. We are America, the struggle is not about life to millions of people. She claimed going to keep holding a spotlight on or death; it is about the quality of the Planned Parenthood is responsible for these nominees and making clear just lives we lead. Mental health is a con- killing 150,000 women a year. That is how extreme they are, and we are tinuum, and many of our fellow citi- careless, it is reckless, and it is wrong. going to keep fighting for women and zens fall somewhere along this con- It is incredibly poor judgment for men and families in this country. tinuum. These millions of Americans somebody who is being considered for a Thank you. deserve our attention, and these mil- lifetime judicial appointment. I yield the floor. lions of Americans deserve our help. She also failed to disclose the time I suggest the absence of a quorum. The other reason I want to focus on she moderated a deeply dishonest panel The PRESIDING OFFICER. The mental health care while I am here in called ‘‘Abortion Hurts Women’s clerk will call the roll. the Senate is that I am one of them. Health.’’ Mrs. Vitter prompted panel- The legislative clerk proceeded to When it started for me, I thought I was ists to peddle misinformation about call the roll. just having a bad day or, really, a se- women’s health, encouraging a discus- Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask ries of bad days. While growing up, I sion that falsely suggested abortion is unanimous consent that the order for had always been a pretty cheerful kid, linked to cancer and infertility. One the quorum call be rescinded. but at some point during my second panel spoke at length about a deeply The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without year of college, I had started to find it inaccurate brochure she had authored objection, it is so ordered. harder and harder to cope with the called ‘‘How the Pill Kills.’’ As you can MENTAL HEALTH daily challenges of life. Actually, it tell from that title, the brochure was Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, when I had been my roommate who had no- loaded with glaring falsehoods, like the first came to the Senate, I knew I ticed that I had not been myself and false claim that birth control causes wanted to make mental health one of hadn’t been myself for a long time. She breast cancer or that women on birth my top priorities. As a Minnesotan, I had suggested that I talk to someone control are more likely to die a violent am proud of the way our Senators have over at the Student Health Services. It death. In response to that speaker’s led the way on this important issue, had been a completely foreign idea to long string of very dangerous lies from Paul Wellstone to Al Franken, to me, and I had responded in the way a about women’s healthcare, Mrs. Vitter AMY KLOBUCHAR. I am honored to have lot of people would have—‘‘I have encouraged the attendees to download the chance to further our proud legacy this.’’ Eventually, I had realized that the brochure, bring it to their doctors, when it comes to improving our mental maybe I had been wrong about that. and ask them to put it in their waiting health system, but that is not the only It was really hard to make that rooms. reason I have chosen to make mental phone call, walk over to the coun- It is incredibly alarming that a nomi- health a focus. selor’s office, and sit in the waiting nee for the Federal bench would be so I am glad it has become a more room. I didn’t know what to expect, willing to voice her support for such prominent issue here in Washington, and to be honest, I was embarrassed. dangerous propaganda, especially when but I have noticed it usually comes to The counselor’s name was Charlotte. that same nominee is unwilling to the forefront in the context of some She was nice, had common sense, and voice her support for one of the land- unthinkable tragedy. When a high-pro- wasn’t patronizing or judgmental. She mark civil rights cases in our country’s file celebrity takes his or her own life, just asked me some simple questions history, Brown v. Board of Education. we immediately want to reach out to about how I was feeling, and I remem- During her confirmation hearing, other people who are suffering in si- ber what a relief it was just to talk Mrs. Vitter was asked whether Brown lence. Of course, we do. That is not a about it. Over the course of a few v. Board was decided correctly. It bad thing. months, Charlotte gave me some ideas wasn’t a trick question. Many past ju- We can’t repeat the number often about how to cope a little bit better dicial nominees, including Chief Jus- enough. If you are having thoughts of with the challenges I was facing, and I tice Roberts, have been able to answer suicide, please, please call the National would always walk out of her office it. Mrs. Vitter refused. Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1–800– feeling a little bit more courageous and This week, we are going to celebrate 273–8255. Even if you aren’t suffering a little bit more hopeful. the 65th anniversary of the Brown v. from acute mental illness, put that Did I live happily ever after? Well, Board decision. Do Republicans really number in your cell phone so you can, not quite. That is not how mental ill- want to mark this occasion by con- someday, help someone who is. ness works. There isn’t a box for when firming a judge who has voiced more On the other hand, when a profoundly you are healthy and a box for when you support for outright lies about wom- disturbed person commits a horrible are not. Like I said, it is a continuum, en’s health than for the historic deci- act of violence, we immediately want and you try to get a little closer to the sion that struck down State-sponsored to intervene before the next time it healthy end every day. segregation? This should be simple. happens. Of course, we do. At one point in my thirties, though, Someone whose statements and record When we bring up the need to im- I found myself sliding back in the fail to support the Brown v. Board deci- prove our mental health system as the wrong direction. There was nothing un- sion cannot be trusted with the respon- answer to the epidemic of mass shoot- usually traumatic going on in my life.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.012 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2853 I had a career, and Archie and I were worse? On the other hand, what if it did keep up with the number of kids who raising our two sons. We were busy, work? Would I really be better, or need urgent intervention to make sure and we were tired, but that is the way would it just be an illusion of feeling that, for example, their behavioral it is when you are a young parent. better? issues don’t become so significant that Still, something was wrong. Susan convinced me to give it a try, they get them kicked out of school al- All who have suffered from depres- and I was lucky again when the first together. sion have their own metaphors to de- medication we tried worked. I didn’t As for kids whose issues are very real scribe it, but most can identify with feel better right away. There was no but not so acute—like the ninth grader the sensation of the color just sort of big milestone moment where I woke up whose anxiety makes her sick to her draining out of your world. The things and everything was great again. But I stomach every day—they wind up that used to give you joy don’t give remember feeling like I was slowly stuck on waiting lists for treatment. you joy anymore. The things that you coming out of a fog. The color started And that is even before psychologists used to love to do may just make you to seep back into my day a little bit can do any active outreach to the stu- exhausted. Basically, you are just try- more every day. I began to reengage dents who haven’t reached out for help. ing to slog through the day. Of course, with my family and my friends and my That is why last month I reintro- when you feel this way, just making it work, and I could see hope on the hori- duced my Mental Health Services for through the day is tough. I found my- zon again. After a couple of years on Students Act. This bill would create a self struggling to be a good mom, a medication, I slowly ramped down, and grant program for school districts good wife, a good friend, a good col- I haven’t had to get treatment since. looking to expand the mental health league. I just felt off all the time— As I said, there is no happily ever services they are able to offer to stu- clumsy and slow. I forgot things and after when it comes to mental illness, dents by partnering with community got angry at the drop of a hat. but happier is possible. If anyone needs mental health system organizations. See, the thing is, depression messes proof, just talk to me. If we are going to get our arms with your memory. I will never forget So that is my story, but really it is around this crisis, we need to train the story of millions of Americans. I when my young son asked me quietly more teachers, administrators, and chose to share mine—first in an op-ed and cautiously: ‘‘Mom, are you OK?’’ It members of the school community, in- in the Rochester Post-Bulletin and now was a spiral. The worse things got, the cluding parents, to recognize when kids here on the floor of the Senate—be- more frustrated I became, but I are struggling and to connect them cause I want to urge anyone who strug- couldn’t get it together. Down and with help. If we here in the Senate are gles with depression or anxiety or sub- down I went until I could no longer see serious about addressing mental health stance abuse or post-traumatic stress hope on the horizon. I was never suici- in our schools, we should pass this bill disorder or any other mental health dal, but I struggled to function. I defi- without delay. issue to reach out and seek help. nitely wasn’t living my best life. I real- A comprehensive approach to mental Destigmatizing and demystifying health means improving the system all ly wasn’t living at all. mental illness is just the beginning. along the age continuum. Over in the That is the reality of mental illness Everyone can be a friend to those in HELP Committee, we will have an op- for millions of Americans. I am one of need by urging them to take advantage portunity this year to reauthorize the the lucky ones. I was lucky that my of the resources that are available to Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment college had excellent mental health re- them, but the 100 of us here in the Sen- Act, or CAPTA. And I have a bill, spon- sources and that my roommate cared ate have a responsibility to make sure sored in the House by my friend Rep- enough about me to urge me to take those resources are available to every- resentative DEAN PHILLIPS, that would advantage of those resources. I was one. We can’t afford to leave holes in improve the delivery of mental health lucky that when my depression came the net we build to catch people when back with a vengeance, I had health in- they fall, especially when one of the services within our child welfare sys- surance that covered treatment. There biggest holes is in our schools. tem. For example, our bill would make was a therapist named Susan with the I have spent a lot of time over the sure that young, at-risk children get skill and the expertise to help me. last months having conversations with important developmental screenings Susan asked me a few questions: teachers and administrators in public when they need it. How are you sleeping? schools across Minnesota. Time and We are learning that childhood trau- Terrible. again, when I ask them ‘‘What keeps ma can be a major factor in future Are you forgetting things? you up at night?’’ they come back to mental illness. The more we do to ad- All the time. the mental health of their students. dress the underlying trauma, whether She then suggested that I take a di- They talk about the causes—every- it is poverty, the death or incarcer- agnostic test, which basically consisted thing from increased social pressure ation of a loved one or a parent, or sex- of answering questions like those. Even that comes from social media to the ual abuse, the better we address those then, I was resistant. People often say trauma of losing a parent to opioids— issues, the better chance we will have that depression lies, and the biggest lie but they also tell me what the crisis of turning the tide on this epidemic. depression tells is that what is wrong really looks like at ground level. The mental health crisis isn’t only with you is you. So you resist getting A principal in St. Paul told me about affecting our kids; it is affecting our help because you refuse to accept that the regular phenomenon of an ambu- parents too. According to a study by there is anything happening except lance pulling up at the school doors, the Centers for Disease Control, one in that you stupidly forgot it was recy- rushing to the aid of a student who has five adults age 55 or older experiences a cling day again. suffered a break. It has happened more mental health issue, and a third of I went ahead and I did the diagnostic than a half a dozen times at his school them never receive treatment. Men test, and Susan came back and said: alone this year. Meanwhile, the prin- over the age of 75 have a higher suicide Yes, you are clinically depressed, so cipal in Parkers Prairie—a town in rate than any other age group. The so- let’s talk about what we can do about Otter Tail County of just over 1,000, cial isolation that too often comes it. people—tells me that she sees students with aging or caring for a loved one One thing I would say to people who experiencing homelessness and other isn’t just unfortunate; it is a public are resisting going in for that appoint- trauma, students dealing with PTSD, health risk. ment is that even after I got that diag- and students with eating disorders. Just as we have learned to reach out nosis, I was still in control. When Just this year, she has had three stu- to the veterans in our lives and in our Susan brought up the idea of medica- dents end up in the hospital for self- communities to let them know we are tion, it was a suggestion and not an harming. They have a heroic social there for them if they are struggling, order. I will admit it—it was a sugges- worker who comes in but only every we should do the same for our elders. tion I had a hard time with. I didn’t other day because they have to share As the HELP Committee takes up the want to become a different person. I her with another school in the district. reauthorization of the Older Americans didn’t want some pill messing with my School psychologists across Min- Act this year, I will be working to do brain. What if it didn’t work and I got nesota tell me they are struggling to my part.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.013 S15MYPT1 S2854 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 Our mental health system should be taking my mental health into my own Think about those television ads. there for people at every age, from hands, the renewed energy that came What do they tell us in those ads? For nursery to nursing home. It should be with finally feeling like today is better 60 seconds, as fast as they can talk, there for people everywhere along the than yesterday and maybe tomorrow they tell us everything under the sun. mental health continuum, offering ev- will be even better yet, and the joy If you are allergic to XARELTO, do not erything from preventive care, to ongo- that came with finally seeing hope on take XARELTO. Certain negative ing therapy for chronic conditions, to the horizon once again. So even in the things may happen if you take this crisis support for those in acute dis- midst of this public health crisis, I be- drug or the other drug. On they go for tress. It should also be there for people lieve there is hope on the horizon for 60 seconds without stopping. Yet they in every ZIP Code, and unfortunately, the millions of Americans who struggle never disclose the price of the drug. some of the biggest holes in our system with mental illness, but they are After Senator GRASSLEY and I put can be found in rural areas. counting on us to make this hopeful vi- our bill in last year, I got a call from As a Senator, I am proud to serve on sion a reality. the Secretary of Health and Human the Agriculture Committee. I fre- I yield the floor. Services, Alex Azar. He decided he quently meet with farm groups, and The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- wanted to pick up on our effort and today mental health is one of the first ator from Illinois. join us. Think about that for a topics to come up. Farming is an inher- f minute—a Republican Senator, a ently stressful profession, especially Democratic Senator, and the Trump REMEDY ACT these days, when the numbers for sui- administration agreeing on something. cide prevention hotlines regularly ap- Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, if you It turns out, he thinks it is a good idea, pear in farm publications. But we need watched ‘‘60 Minutes’’ on Sunday, you and I do too. to include the entire rural community, would not have been surprised that If we had price disclosure on these from bankers and pastors to grocers there was a segment relating to pre- ads on television, it might open the and fertilizer sellers. We need to in- scription drug pricing. Everywhere we eyes of a lot of people as to what it clude them in this conversation, and turn, somebody is raising the question costs. What is the most heavily adver- we need to make sure that when people about why we are paying so much for tised drug on television today? do reach out for help, there is help prescription drugs and why the cost of HUMIRA. Why was HUMIRA invented there for them. these drugs has gone through the roof. or discovered? To treat arthritis, par- Unfortunately, rural communities in We want to encourage research. We ticularly psoriatic arthritis. Guess general are often underserved by men- want to encourage innovation. We un- what they discovered. It also had a side tal health professionals compared to derstand that these are profit-making benefit they didn’t anticipate. You cities and suburbs. Many still have in- companies, so we understand we will know the little red patch on your consistent access to the internet, pay for that. But what we are seeing in elbow—psoriasis? If you take HUMIRA, meaning that even online resources can terms of the pricing of drugs across all of a sudden, that little red patch be out of reach for someone who is America now is inconsistent with any goes away. So if you are watching the struggling. That is why, in the last of the history that we have had. It ads on television, some of them are farm bill, we set up a rural health liai- seems as if pharma believes that if about arthritis, but some of them show son in the Department of Agriculture— they own a drug, they can charge what- ladies sitting by swimming pools with someone who understands the specific ever they can charge, and no one will flawless skin because they are taking needs of rural communities and is question them. HUMIRA. It is very interesting. charged with paying attention to a cri- It makes a difference. Blue Cross There is one thing they leave out. Do sis that has too often lurked beneath Blue Shield, the largest health insurer you know what HUMIRA costs? It costs the surface. in my State of Illinois, analyzed the $5,500 a month. This red patch on my Last year, Senator MURKOWSKI and I cost of care in our State and nearby elbow may trouble me when it comes worked together to pass a law that and asked: What is driving the increase to the swimsuit competition, but I am would provide mental health profes- in health insurance premiums? The not going to spend $5,500 to deal with sionals in the National Health Service cost of prescription drugs, even more it. I think they ought to have to dis- Corps with greater flexibility in where than the cost of inpatient hospital close the price of the drug. We take they practice and deliver care, increas- care. their prices; we do not make up the ing the resources available in under- Look at all of those big hospitals and price. The price they declare as phar- served rural communities. all of the important work they are maceutical manufacturers—we believe I hope my colleagues will join me in doing and expensive procedures they that is the one that should be adver- continuing to take action to address are involved in. All of that cost does tised. the mental health crisis, and I hope not equal the rising cost of prescrip- On Monday, Senator GRASSLEY and I that sharing my own story will make it tion drugs. That is why our health in- introduced the bill to codify this rule easier for more Americans to add their surance premiums are going up, so it is that the Trump administration is push- voices to this fight. understandable that more and more of ing for price disclosure and to ensure Still, there is no magic cure for de- us are talking about this and trying to its long-term implementation. We are pression. There is no magic bill to find practical ways to approach it that happy to have on board with us Sen- solve this problem. Mental health is a might make things better. ator LAMAR ALEXANDER, Republican of reality of life for millions of people in Can you consider one policy that Tennessee, and Senator KING, Inde- our country, and we can’t legislate it might have the support of Democrats pendent Democrat from Maine. Dis- away. If we work to help more Ameri- and Republicans, the American Asso- closing prices in drug ads is a simple cans bring their struggles out of the ciation of Retired Persons, the Amer- step to give patients a break at the shadows into the sunshine, if we reach ican Medical Association, the Amer- pharmacy. We have to do a lot more. I out to people in need and connect them ican Hospital Association, 88 percent of think this is a good starting point, with people who can help, and if we un- Americans, and the Trump administra- though. derstand the factors that make people tion? What in the world could that be? American patients and taxpayers pay vulnerable to these problems and focus Here it is: a measure I introduced in the highest prices in the world for most our energies on making sure the net is 2017 to require pharmaceutical compa- medications. Eli Lilly, out of Indianap- there to catch them if they fall—if we nies to disclose the prices with new olis, IN—they make a drug called do these things, then we can take steps prescription drug advertising. Humalog. It is for diabetes. It is an in- in the right direction, one right after Last year, Senator CHUCK GRASSLEY, sulin drug that can cost up to $329 per the other and one day at a time. Republican of Iowa, and I teamed up to dose here in the United States. I still remember what it felt like in pass a measure in the Senate to require Humalog, insulin, diabetes—the cost is those weeks and months after I began pricetags on the television ads. We $329. to treat my depression—the sense of were stopped in conference by a single What does the same vial of the same empowerment that came with finally House Republican. drug made by the same company cost

VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.015 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2855 in Canada? It costs $38. It is $329 here $35 to more than $270 because Sanofi extends the monopoly period for the and $38 there. has successfully bought lower cost ge- drug again, and it incentivizes the fil- In 2017, Canadians could purchase neric competitors, and it is not just ing of secondary follow-on patents that AbbVie’s HUMIRA, which I mentioned Lantus or insulin. may not add to the safety or efficacy of earlier, for $20,000; for Americans, Celgene’s cancer drug, REVLIMID, the drug. $40,000. The worst part of this price dis- has been awarded 96 patents, many of This automatic 30-month freeze on parity is that American taxpayers are which were awarded after the initial competition encourages pharma to the ones paying to develop these drugs FDA approval. As a result, REVLIMID, amass large numbers of secondary pat- in the first place. Our tax dollars at the effectively, has gone 40 years without ents and block generic companies from National Institutes of Health provide competition. putting on the market a drug that the clues and the direction for these The same goes for Pfizer’s nerve pain would be in competition with their companies to take our federally funded drug, Lyrica. You have seen that one brand name drug. No matter how weak research and turn it into a valuable advertised on TV. I have. That entered the patent is, how peripheral it may drug, a valuable medical device, and the market in 2004. Lyrica has received be—like the coating on a pill that I then charge us more than any other 68 patents, including filing more than 2 mentioned earlier—it works. For 30 place in the world. dozen after initial FDA approval. They months, there is another delay before All 210 drugs approved by the Food are gaming the system to avoid com- there is competition. and Drug Administration between the petition to keep their prices high. The REMEDY Act, which Senator years 2010 and 2016 received funding In fact, the top 12 best-selling drugs CASSIDY and I introduced, would re- from the National Institutes of Health, in America each have an average of 71 strict this 30-month freeze of FDA ap- supported by nearly $40 billion by U.S. patents. Why do they get a new patent? proval so that it applies only to pri- taxpayers each year. I am all for that, Because they have decided that instead mary substance patents. This removes incidentally—funding the NIH and of a 150-mg tablet, there will be a 75-mg an incentive for brand name manufac- leading to this research. But make no tablet, and they get a new patent. Or turers to continue to game the system mistake, these breakthrough drugs they put a new coating on the outside by filing excessive follow-on patents, start at the National Institutes of of the pill or they have a new manufac- and it makes it easier for low-cost ge- Health at taxpayers’ expense. So Amer- turing technique. They get the patent. neric competitors to come to market. ican taxpayers get hit twice. We pay They have exclusivity in the market Big Pharma is gaming the system at for the initial research, which leads to for another extended period of time. the expense of American patients, at the drug, and then we, of course, pay The top 12 best-selling drugs in the expense of the American health for the drugs at the highest levels. America each have an average of 71 system, and at our expense when it The heart of the problem is that our patents, and 74 percent of all new drug comes to health insurance premiums. system does not function as a free mar- patents are for drugs that are already What are we going to do about it? Well, ket. There are too many forces at work on the market. They are gaming the it turns out, we happen to be working when it comes to prescription drugs system. in a place which makes laws, the U.S. that limit competition. Often Big We can and we should reward innova- Senate. We are supposed to take a chal- Pharma charges as much as they can tive research so that companies can lenge like this and do something about it—not just lament the fact that pre- get away with because they manipulate earn a profit for good work and big scription drug pricing is out of control, the patent system to avoid competi- ideas. But an abusive manufacturer should not be allowed to game the gov- but actually do something. tion. Lucky me, I serve on the Senate Ju- The theory used to be that if you dis- ernment patent system while being diciary Committee, which has author- covered the drug, you could sell it ex- shielded from competition. ity over many of these issues, particu- clusively for, say, 20 years, and then This month I am going to give what larly when it comes to patent law. everybody could take your formula, I call my Pharma Fleece Award. I made There are things we can do as members make generic drugs, and there would be a special sign here so that pharma of the committee to bring down pre- would know what we are talking about. open competition so that the price scription drug pricing. would go down. That is not how it This month we are going to give this Honestly, if you follow the U.S. Sen- works. Pharma Fleece Award to Celgene, ate, we can do something other than a The core issue is that roughly 10 per- Pfizer, and Sanofi for stacking exces- nomination, which is all we have done cent of brand name, patent-protected sive secondary patents to block generic around here for a long, long time. I am drugs account for 80 percent of spend- competition. The net result, of course, sure the American voters are happy to ing in America. The overwhelming pre- is that American consumers pay more see us work on nominations, but they scriptions are for generic drugs, which for their products. would be much happier if we worked on are affordable drugs, but it turns out To address this, I introduced legisla- the high cost of prescription drugs. We that even though 90 percent of the pre- tion last month with Senator CASSIDY, have done little or nothing on this sub- scriptions are for generic drugs, they Republican from Louisiana and a med- ject, other than talk about it for the account for only 20 percent of all the ical doctor, called the REMEDY Act. last few months. spending. It is that 10 percent of brand Our bipartisan bill reduces incentives Senator MCCONNELL, the Republican name drugs that account for 80 percent for Big Pharma to ‘‘evergreen,’’ which leader, has decided not to bring legisla- of all prescription drug spending be- is a technical term in this application. tion to the floor of the Senate any- cause they are so expensive. It is an effort to amass endless quan- more. That is just from the days of yes- In what other industry does the price tities of follow-on patents that shield teryear when we actually debated a of the consumer product increase year blockbuster drugs from competition bill, offered amendments, had votes. after year after being introduced on from generics. You see, under an act, a People showed up on the floor because the market? Maybe a collector of art- law known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, we were doing something. work or baseball cards but certainly when a generic drug manufacturer Look at it now. not when it comes to something that is seeks approval from the FDA, they are American patients need help from a life-and-death commodity like a routinely blocked by a maze of patents the high drug prices, not more unquali- drug. held by the brand name company. fied, divisive nominees but actual leg- The point is, I don’t believe our The generic company has the option islation to help American families. Founding Fathers envisioned a scheme to say whether they think the patents What a break it would be if the U.S. where Sanofi’s Lantus, insulin that covering the brand name drug are not Senate became the U.S. Senate again. was approved in the year 2000, would valid or relevant. If so, that can trigger I hope Senator MCCONNELL will allow receive 45 additional patents after it a patent infringement lawsuit. When us to put a bill on the floor of the Sen- was approved by the FDA, providing a this happens, the FDA issues a 30- ate. It would be a great celebration massive 37-year monopoly by Sanofi on month freeze on the generic company’s here in the Senate. I think Republicans this insulin product. During that time, application to hash out the issue. The and Democrats would enjoy the oppor- the price of insulin has increased from problem with this 30-month freeze is it tunity to actually come to the floor,

VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.016 S15MYPT1 S2856 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 have a debate, and pass a bill that may He called affirmative action ‘‘lib- and he has held positions in other gov- become a law that ends up helping erals’ most sacred shibboleth.’’ ernment agencies like the Department Americans. For many of us, that is the And he called multiculturalism a of Transportation. But that does not reason we ran for office, and I hope we ‘‘malodorous sickness.’’ make him qualified to be the Deputy can return to that very soon. Then there is Wendy Vitter, nomi- Attorney General. NOMINATIONS nated to the District Court for the Because my Republican colleagues Once again, this week the Republican Eastern District of Louisiana. used the nuclear option to change the Leader has scheduled no legislation for Like Mr. Lee, Ms. Vitter also ini- Senate rules, there is now less time for votes on the Senate floor. tially failed to disclose more than 100 the Senate to debate controversial Instead, our Republican colleagues speeches and documents to the Judici- nominees like Mr. Truncale, Ms. Vit- are spending another week rubber ary Committee. ter, and Mr. Rosen. The matters she failed to disclose in- stamping President Trump’s nominees. But the American people see what is This week, the Republican majority cluded a panel she moderated in 2013 at going on. They see the rush by Presi- scheduled votes on three Trump judi- a Louisiana Right to Life conference. dent Trump and Senate Republicans to cial nominees. Each of these nominees At this panel, she told the audience to confirm nominees who are ideological has expressed views that are ideolog- urge their doctors to put in their wait- or who lack the right qualifications for ical and extreme. ing rooms a brochure entitled ‘‘The the job. First there was Michael Truncale, Pill Kills.’’ This is a brochure about I oppose these nominees. And I regret nominated to the District Court for the how birth control pills supposedly kill that the Senate’s advice and consent Northern District of Texas. Mr. women. process has become an exercise in Re- Ms. Vitter also claimed in a 2009 Truncale gave a speech in 2011 where he publican rubber stamping. This institu- speech that we are ‘‘throwing out our outrageously called President Obama tion can, and should, do better. Constitution’’ by counting the full pop- ‘‘an un-American imposter.’’ I see that my colleague from Texas is He described the Supreme Court’s de- ulation in the national census. here on the floor, and I don’t want to All three of these judicial nominees cision in Shelby County that gutted take any more time. have expressed extreme ideological the Voting Rights Act as ‘‘a victory.’’ The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. views that raise serious questions He has called for defunding Planned LANKFORD). The Senator from Texas. about their judgment. Yet Republicans Parenthood and said that he opposes ORDER OF PROCEDURE are rubber stamping all three of them the bipartisan DREAM Act. Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask to lifetime appointments on the federal He has called the Environmental Pro- unanimous consent that notwith- bench. standing rule XXII, at 5:30 p.m., all tection Agency a ‘‘job killer’’ and Then there is President Trump’s called for eliminating the Departments postcloture time on the Lee nomina- nominee for Deputy Attorney General, tion be considered expired; further, of Education and Energy. Jeffrey Rosen. Mr. Rosen simply does Mr. Truncale also gave a radio inter- that if confirmed, the motion to recon- not have the right qualifications for view in 2012 thanking the Tea Party sider be considered made and laid upon this important job. the table and the President be imme- movement ‘‘for what it has meant to The Deputy Attorney General runs our country and to our Republican diately notified of the Senate’s action. the day-to-day operations of the Jus- I ask that following disposition of the party.’’ tice Department and oversees its law Despite all this, only one Republican Lee nomination, the Senate vote on enforcement components. the cloture motions for the Vitter, Senator, Senator ROMNEY, voted At this critical moment, we need a against Mr. Truncale. Bulatao, and Rosen nominations; fi- Deputy Attorney General who is famil- nally, that if cloture is invoked on Then there’s Ninth Circuit nominee iar with the Justice Department, who Kenneth Lee of California, who has those nominations, the confirmation has experience in overseeing criminal votes on the Vitter and Bulatao nomi- been advanced by Republicans over the investigations and prosecutions, and objection of both home State Senators. nations occur at noon on Thursday and who is committed to the Department’s the Rosen confirmation vote occur at That never happened before until this role of enforcing the law independently year, but this is now the fifth time we 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, and that without fear or favor. if confirmed, the motions to reconsider have seen a nominee advance with no Mr. Rosen has no experience working be considered made and laid upon the blue slip. in the Justice Department or handling table and the President be immediately Mr. Lee initially failed to provide criminal cases. When I questioned him notified of the Senate’s action. dozens of his controversial writings to about core DOJ functions and agencies the Senate Judiciary Committee. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without he will oversee if confirmed, he wasn’t objection, it is so ordered. I remember when President Obama’s familiar with them and said he would Ninth Circuit nominee Goodwin Liu (The remarks of Mr. CORNYN per- have to get up to speed. taining to the introduction of S. 1480 initially failed to fully disclose articles For example, when I met with him are printed in today’s RECORD under he had written to the Judiciary Com- and asked him about the landmark mittee. Republican members of the ‘‘Statements on Introduced Bills and First Step Act, he said he had ‘‘begun Joint Resolutions.’’) Committee said it was ‘‘potentially getting informed about it.’’ disqualifying’’ and said it showed ei- Mr. CORNYN. I yield the floor. When I asked him about the Deputy I suggest the absence of a quorum. ther incompetence or an attempt to Attorney General’s role in overseeing The PRESIDING OFFICER. The hide his writings. the Federal Bureau of Prisons and ad- clerk will call the roll. Senate Republicans ended up filibus- dressing their critical staffing short- The senior assistant legislative clerk tering Goodwin Liu’s nomination. Yet ages, he said he wasn’t familiar and proceeded to call the roll. every Republican member of the Judi- couldn’t comment. Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, I ask ciary Committee voted for Mr. Lee’s When I asked him about voting unanimous consent that the order for nomination. The double standard is ob- rights and voter suppression, he said he the quorum call be rescinded. vious. hadn’t had occasion to study the issue. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. ROM- When we were finally able to review When I asked him about the DEA’s NEY). Without objection, it is so or- Mr. Lee’s writings, we saw he routinely role in setting opioid production dered. expressed extreme views. Here are just quotas, which he will oversee, he didn’t Mr. LANKFORD. I suggest the ab- a few examples: know about it. sence of a quorum. He wrote: ‘‘Charges of sexism often When I asked him about DOJ’s role The PRESIDING OFFICER. The amount to nothing but irrelevant pout- in immigration matters, including his clerk will call the roll. ing.’’ priorities for the immigration courts The senior assistant legislative clerk He said: ‘‘homosexuals generally are he will oversee, he said he looked for- proceeded to call the roll. more promiscuous than heterosexuals, ward to learning more about it. Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I ask and thus their risk factor [for AIDS] Mr. Rosen was a longtime colleague unanimous consent that the order for increases exponentially.’’ of Attorney General Barr at a law firm, the quorum call be rescinded.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:13 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.018 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2857 The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. CAS- exercises. Our men and women in the was cut by almost 25 percent during SIDY). Without objection, it is so or- Air Force, in particular, do some won- the second term of the Obama adminis- dered. derful training there. tration—25 percent—and readiness MILITARY APPRECIATION MONTH We were in this community meeting, plummeted. We are changing that be- Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I am and some Air Force pilot was flying cause no man or woman in this country going to be on the floor with some of low and fast. He probably broke the who volunteers to support and defend my colleagues in the next hour. sound barrier because there was a giant the Constitution by joining the mili- I thank my colleague from Iowa, Sen- sonic boom. It shook the whole build- tary should be joining a military that ator ERNST—Lieutenant Colonel Ernst, ing. It shook the whole meeting room. is not at the highest level of readiness by the way, of the Iowa National Now, I would say, in most States, that and lethal in terms of its getting the Guard—for organizing the series of dis- would probably result in having people job done. So I am going to pass this on cussions we are going to have in the complain and call their Congressmen to some of my colleagues here. As the next couple of minutes on the Senate and Senators in their being mad about Senator from a State where commu- floor that will focus on Military Appre- what the military would be doing— nities support our military so much, I ciation Month. I think we are all going shaking the buildings with sonic booms just want to thank all the members, re- to talk about how wonderful our mili- because they would be breaking the gardless of where you live, for the tary is, and we will probably do a little speed of sound as they would be train- great work you do and to let you know bit of bragging about our different ing. Yet the mayor of Delta just looked that the Senate supports you with all States and how we support and appre- at me and said, ‘‘The sound of free- its heart and soul. ciate our military so much. dom.’’ There were no complaints, just I yield the floor. I like to come down on the floor and support. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- talk in superlatives about my State, Let me give another example. ator from North Carolina. the great State of Alaska. It is true In so many of our smaller Native Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, while my that most Senators love to talk about communities—Native villages—across friend and colleague from Alaska is their States in all of their superlatives, Alaska, one sees what I refer to as spe- still on the floor, I want to thank him which is good. We are proud States. We cial patriotism. Alaska Natives and the for his many years of service as a ma- each think we live in the best State in lower 48 American Indians serve in the rine. the country. We all believe that. I hap- military at higher rates than any eth- I am here to talk about North Caro- pen to think my State is the best State nic group in the country. That is a spe- lina and Military Appreciation Month. in the country. cial patriotism because—let’s face it— We have a special relationship with In talking about our military and its these great American patriots weren’t members of the military and their fam- support and Military Appreciation always supported by their government ilies in North Carolina. We have a mil- Month, we certainly have a large mili- when they came home after fighting in lion veterans in the State. Literally tary presence in Alaska. We have about World War II or in Vietnam. hundreds of thousands of people serve 32 military facilities and 5 major in- As a matter of fact, there was a docu- in the military. You may have heard of the Global stallations. Roughly, 10 percent of the mentary that was produced about the Response Force. The Global Response population is either in the military or community of Hoonah, AK, which is in Force is out of Fort Bragg. When there is a family member of someone who is Southeast Alaska. The film was called is a crisis anywhere in the world, in the military. ‘‘Hunting and Wartime.’’ It was about whether it is a military conflict or a I like to say that Alaska actually the fact that almost every single male relief effort, it is the 82nd Airborne constitutes three pillars of our Na- high school senior in the late 1960s in that goes out to the green ramp down tion’s military might. Whether the at- these small communities went off to in Fort Bragg, NC, and goes wherever tacks be from Kim Jong Un or the Ira- fight in Vietnam—almost every one of they need to go, sometimes with 48 nians, we are the cornerstone of missile them. hours’ notice. defense, which are the missiles and the That is special patriotism. This sup- Just down the street from there, we radar that protect the entire country port for the military isn’t a recent phe- have the marines at Camp Lejeune. from attacks. This all resides in Alas- nomenon in Alaska. In 1942, during The marines who are based in Camp ka. We are the hub air combat power World War II, Alaskans oversubscribed Lejeune and Cherry Point and New for the Asia-Pacific and the Arctic, and their war bond quota by 300 percent, River constitute about 45 percent of all we will have over 100 fifth-generation which surpassed that of every State in the marines serving in the Marine fighters—F–22s, F–35s—by the end of the Union. Corps. next year. We are also a vital platform So many Senators—Democratic and We can go up to Seymour Johnson for some of America’s best trained Republican—are going to come down to Air Force Base, and we have a proud troops to be deployed anywhere around the floor and talk about our Military number of men and women in the Air the world because of our strategic loca- Appreciation Month, as they should. Force who are part of a base that will tion. Alaska also boasts the largest There is some talk in the country be the home to the new KC–46, a next- number of veterans per capita of any about the 1 percent and the less than 1 generation tanker. State in the country. These are the percent. Well, the 1 percent I really To say we have a close bond with the facts, and they are all good. care about is the less than 1 percent of military is an understatement. We love What is so unique about Alaska—and, young men and women who still, them, and we love their families. I would say, as in most States—is how today, raise their right hands to sup- I chair the Personnel Subcommittee proud we are of our military and how port and defend the Constitution and of the Senate Armed Services Com- much the communities of Alaska—big to defend our liberty, knowing it could mittee, so I have an opportunity to communities, small communities—sup- even cost them their lives by their have a direct role in showing apprecia- port the men and women who serve in joining the U.S. military. tion to not only the men and women the military. It is almost a part of our We all have wonderful veterans and who are serving in the military but DNA in Alaska. Let me just give you wonderful men and women in the mili- also their spouses. It is a tough job. one example. tary whom we support in the U.S. Sen- They are serving too. I was in a group of community lead- ate. I tell my constituents that the one As we think about Military Apprecia- ers in Delta Junction, which is in Alas- thing we are focused on doing is mak- tion Month, let’s make sure we are, ka’s interior. It is actually near Fort ing sure, when you send your son or first and foremost, thinking about not Greely, where we have our missile de- daughter to join the military, that it is only those brave men and women who fense fields. It is right on the outskirts the top military in the world, the most have sworn the oath to defend and pro- of what is called the JPARC, which is ready military in the world, and the tect our Nation but also their families, the biggest air training range in the most capable military in the world. who are an integral part of their being entire United States. The airspace is One thing we are doing is reversing a capable and ready to do the job. actually the size of Florida. There is dangerous trend. From 2010 to 2015, de- I also want to make sure we don’t great training, and we have Red Flag fense spending for the U.S. military lose sight of the veteran population—a

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:13 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.021 S15MYPT1 S2858 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 million of them in my State alone. a stronger proponent of the nuclear equipment supporting our commu- One-tenth of our population are vet- triad than you will in me because it is nities, our States, our Nation. erans. the only base of its kind. If I might elaborate a little bit on We should also talk about the Na- As the base’s motto goes, ‘‘Only the homeland issues, just a few short years tional Guard and the reservists. If you best come North.’’ Our greatest defense ago, our State called on our National take a look at a State like North Caro- is in detouring our adversaries, and Guard to meet that mission. We were lina, we have had a number of people in certainly the nuclear triad is impor- abandoned by the Federal Government, the National Guard who have been de- tant to that. Every day, the airmen in and the North Dakota National Guard ployed multiple times to Iraq and Af- Minot wake up with literally the was deployed to help keep the peace. It ghanistan—some of the most dangerous weight of the world, in many cases, on is appropriate today, on this Peace Of- places you could be. They do it with their shoulders. So for their service ficers Memorial Day, that we recognize courage, and they do it with honor. and their willingness to stand in the this relationship. The National Guard During Military Appreciation Month, I gap in the defense of the world, I am was deployed to keep the peace as out- think we should pay special attention immensely grateful and always im- of-State activists with no interest, to this special group of people. I hope pressed. really, in North Dakota—they flooded that every day of the year, each and Of course, I would be remiss to not our State to violently protest the le- every one of you shows them the appre- also mention the airspace station in gally permitted Dakota Access Pipe- ciation and the respect they deserve. Cavalier. I think it is the Air Force’s line. Absent Federal help, our Governor Thank you, Mr. President. smallest base, but it is a very impor- called on our National Guard as a last I yield the floor. tant installation. As we debate in this resort. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Chamber the need for a modernized You would think that would have ator from North Dakota. space force, understanding the work some serious ramifications. Well, the Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, like my this base does has further compelled reality is, because of the quality of our colleagues and like people from around me to stand in support of a modern, ca- guardsmen, they did what the previous the country, North Dakotans are very pable military unit able to defend the administration would not—they stood proud of our military heritage. In fact, emerging domain that space has be- up for the rule of law, and they stood in come. A special thank-you to those 40 North Dakotans sign up at a rate four the way of radical protesters even or so airmen in Cavalier who do an in- times the national average. I think you while their own families were targets credible job far from home and in many will hear that theme throughout the of the radical protests, the harassment cases far from a lot of other people Midwest especially. of radical protesters from everywhere I am grateful to Senator ERNST for around them. On a more personal note, I want to other than North Dakota. They put her leadership today as we stand and their lives at risk and did it without do something we ought to do every say ‘‘thank you’’ to the military fami- lies and spouses of those stationed in provocation, without escalation, and day. It is something we ought to do in with a calming presence. They didn’t church when we are sitting next to North Dakota, as my colleagues have done. As we know, in a family, every- run from their orders. They didn’t balk them in the pews and when we are at their commands. They answered the talking to our neighbors who are serv- body serves. In a small community, ev- erybody serves together. They come call to peacefully and professionally ing or their spouses or family mem- from all over the country, and they defend our State from the chaos that bers. We are saying: Thank you. For- bless our local communities and our descended upon us. give us for not saying it more often. State with their work in North Dakota. Again, ‘‘thank you’’ is inadequate. It Frankly, part of why we don’t say They deserve a very special thanks for is all we can do today. I would just ‘‘thank you’’ more often is because we that service. compel people to say ‘‘thank you’’ go about our business in complete com- Our military community is not, of more often. As you see that neighbor, fort, unaware of the dangers around course, defined solely by our Air Force as you see that person sitting next to the world because you all do your jobs bases; it is also defined by our incred- you, make it a point to say ‘‘thank so very well. Thank you. Thank you. ible Army and Air National Guard in you’’ out loud, in front of friends. Thank you. North Dakota. In Fargo, for example, I I yield the floor. Mr. President, North Dakota is home am going to highlight this one unit— The PRESIDING OFFICER. Thanks to two Air Force bases. I recently fin- the 119th Wing of North Dakota’s Air to the Senator from North Dakota. ished a tour of the military bases in National Guard, known as the Happy The Senator from Iowa. North Dakota, and I want to speak Hooligans. They are frequent recipients Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, during briefly about the airmen at those two of the Air Force’s Outstanding Unit Military Appreciation Month, we honor bases. Award. In fact, earlier this year, they the men and women who wear our Na- Grand Forks, ND, houses the 319th received their 20th Outstanding Unit tion’s uniform, those who have worn it Air Base Wing, known as the Warriors Award. This is an award that is given in the past, and those who have sac- of the North. Just last Saturday, Air to the units that distinguish them- rificed their lives for our freedom. Force Secretary Heather Wilson visited selves by exceptional service and out- As a Senator and a combat veteran Grand Forks and redesignated this base standing achievement. No group better with over 23 years of service between as the 319th Reconnaissance Wing. This exemplifies that than the Happy Hooli- the Army Reserves and the Iowa Army is one of only three of its kind. I am gans. In fact, no unit has received more National Guard, I am grateful to have continually impressed with the mission Outstanding Unit Awards either in the the opportunity to get to know so of the Global Hawk. The Global Hawk active Air Force or in the Guard than many patriotic and selfless Americans, mission that is headquartered out of the Happy Hooligans. Congratulations. and Iowans are well represented in Grand Forks is remarkable. I believe While we are talking about the those ranks. Nearly 9 percent of our that Grand Forks is a place that is Guard, I want to say a special thanks State’s adult population are veterans. well-positioned for the future of not only to the families—because, as I The national average is just above 61⁄2 warfighting. said, they all serve—but in the Guard, percent. From World War II to the To the west of Grand Forks a couple there are a lot of people who serve, in- global war on terrorism, Iowans have hundred miles is the community of cluding their employers. I don’t think served with honor and distinction. Minot. Minot, ND, is home to the 5th we say ‘‘thank you’’ to the employers Military Appreciation Month is also Bomb Wing and the 91st Missile Wing often enough who accommodate—no, a time to recognize our military fami- at the Minot Air Force Base. This is in- facilitate—no, encourage the incredible lies who sacrifice so much and faith- teresting because, of course, the bomb military personnel who do a great job fully support our men and women in wing operates the intercontinental bal- for us on the homefront, as well as uniform. They keep things running listic missiles and the B–52 bombers at when called into action beyond our during long deployments and help dur- the same base. That is two of the three borders. ing the transition back to civilian legs of the nuclear triad we hear so The mission of the National Guard is life—they help that family member— much about. You are not going to find to provide ready units, individuals, and and, of course, long, long after. So to

VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.022 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2859 all of our military families in Iowa it is my great honor and responsibility and it just wouldn’t work. I think we and, of course, across the Nation, to support our warfighters during and all realize that. thank you for choosing to serve. after their service. It puts people who are budget hawks, This month is also a good oppor- Whenever they were needed, they like me, and military hawks in a very tunity for those of us in the Senate to were there, and so we have to do a bet- awkward situation because we have a highlight some of the work we are ter job in supporting them. We went situation where, as a result of the 8 doing to support our servicemembers, through 8 years of not adequately sup- years of Obama, we have a thing called our military families, and, of course, porting the military, and it is some- parity so that for every dollar you put our veterans. Next week, the Senate thing that many of them are suffering in the military, there has to be a dollar Armed Services Committee will be from now. that goes to the nondefense programs. starting our yearly national defense Now, next week, as it was pointed This is something that doesn’t work. authorization bill process. In anticipa- out, we are going to do the Defense au- So the continuing resolution, we all tion of that process, I will be joining thorization bill. It is not very often know, is something that should not be my Democratic colleague from Ari- you can stand here and say we are an option. zona, Senator SINEMA, to introduce two going to introduce a bill, and we know The responsibility carries a great new bills to address military sexual as- it is going to pass. The reason we know weight now. We ask our men and sault—one to improve prevention and it is going to pass is because it has women in uniform to do more in the the other to streamline prosecution. passed for the last 58 years. So this one face of danger and more in a dangerous I will also be introducing a bill with is going to pass. and unpredictable world than at any Senator WARREN that will explore ways I can remember a few years that we time. to better track traumatic brain inju- actually had to go into September to I think the Trump administration is ries sustained by our warfighters. Help- get the Defense authorization bill right. They try to categorize the two ing our servicemembers with injuries passed. In the event it got to the end of threats that are out there, one being sustained in battle is a top priority of December, and the same thing would be the threat of the rogue nations that mine. We owe it to our wounded war- true this coming year, then we would are out there, and we are talking about riors to seek out game-changing treat- have hazard pay that wouldn’t be paid, North Korea and some of these other ments and to help them heal and re- and we would have flight pay that nations. At the same time, we also cover. wouldn’t be paid. There would not be have the major threat of the great As the chairman of the Sub- adequate funding to take care of any of power threat, and this is one we face, committee on Emerging Threats and that. and we know that. Yes, we are used to Capabilities, I will also use the NDAA So we can’t let that happen, and we dealing with the threats of the rogue process to ensure that the bill fosters are not going to let it happen. nations, but after the 8 years of the technological advancements to better I am a little confused now because a Obama administration, we watched equip our warfighters for success. month from today we will actually Russia and China forge ahead of us in Military Appreciation Month is an mark up that bill in the U.S. Senate. many areas. Hypersonic weapons are a important reminder of the daily sac- Yet the House isn’t going to do it, it is good example, and that is something rifice made by our servicemembers, our my understanding, until the middle of that is taking place now. military families, and our veterans. It June. So during that period of time, during is also a solemn time to remember Then I also heard that they may, the last 5 years of the Obama adminis- those who made the ultimate sacrifice over in the House, actually do the ap- tration, the amount of money that we to keep America free, safe, and pros- propriations bill first. had to run our military with was re- perous. We have many of our own Mem- Well, if you do the appropriations bill duced by almost 25 percent. Now, we bers who have served in the military, before you do the bill we will be mark- have made up a lot of this in fiscal year and I want to thank them all very ing up, the NDAA, then there is no rea- 2018 and in fiscal year 2019, thanks to much. So for those of us who have worn son to even do the NDAA from the the Trump administration. We have in- boots, we take a look at this legisla- House perspective. creased that funding back up to $700 tion and find ways that we can better So we do know that good things are billion, then again $716 billion, and this support those who serve. going to happen. We are going to im- time I think we are going to be at $750 In the Senate, members of our mili- plement the national defense strategy. billion. tary, families, and veterans have our We have talked about the national de- There is some dispute as to what the support and our gratitude, not only fense strategy several times on the exact figure will be, but nonetheless we today but every day. floor and on how we have done, I think, have started to rebuild. So we will be I know the folks back home in Iowa a very good job in putting this to- modernizing our forces, including our feel the same. nuclear arsenal now, in order to main- So from all of us to all of you who gether. Most importantly, we are sup- tain our military superiority—or to re- have worn the uniform and those who porting our All-Volunteer Force. I may be the last person on the Sen- gain is a better word than maintain be- have supported those who have worn ate Armed Service Committee who still cause we have actually lost some of our the uniform, thank you for your serv- believes in compulsory service. superiority—well into the future. Our ice, and God bless you. God bless our great State of Iowa, I often wonder what would have hap- Armed Forces have long been the best God bless the great United States of pened in my life if I hadn’t been draft- in the world, but we have problems now America and those men and women ed. I always remember coming back at in trying to rebuild, and that is what who make it possible to be free. Christmastime, Eisenhower was Presi- this is all about. I yield the floor. dent, and I was enrolled at the Univer- So we will support our troops and The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. sity of Mexico, and I looked in the their families who sacrifice a great PERDUE). The Senator from Oklahoma. mailbox and there was a card. It was deal to protect our Nation. This in- Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, first of from the President, and I thought how cludes making meaningful reforms to all, let me associate myself with the nice of the President to remember me privatize on-base housing. We went remarks of the Senator from Iowa. at Christmastime. It was my draft no- through this housing trauma just the It is so important for all of us, par- tice. So that changed my plans, and I other day. We found out a lot of people ticularly those of us who have had oc- often wonder where I would be today if are not being treated properly. A lot of casion to serve, to really pay attention I hadn’t had that experience. the spouses of our members and our to what is going on. This is Military We are going to provide the Armed members are living in housing that is Appreciation Month, and it is very sig- Forces with adequate funding, and I totally unacceptable, but we came to nificant, what is going on. Every hope we will find a budget solution. We that realization and we are correcting month should be Military Apprecia- can’t do it with a continuing resolu- that now and that is going to be cor- tion. tion. We have asked all of our leaders rected even further in the Defense au- As the chairman of the Senate Armed in the hearings what would happen to thorization bill that we will mark up a Services Committee and as a veteran, us if we did a continuing resolution, week from today.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.024 S15MYPT1 S2860 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 So we want to thank every man and National Guard because they are now tecting freedom and democracy across woman who ever put on a uniform and deploying to the Middle East. Some 300 the globe. those who are doing this in defense of Wyoming soldiers from six units will For decades, we have invested in the country, congratulate them and be sent to the Middle East between building our military into the most le- pay particular attention to them and January and September—the largest thal fighting force in the history of the support them in every way we can. Wyoming deployment in nearly a dec- world, but we live in a dangerous The fabric of our Nation is stronger ade. world, and we must avoid complacency. because of the guys in uniform and The deployments began in January Our military readiness was dimin- those who have been in uniform, and with the G Company of the 2nd Bat- ished by budget cuts and the sequester we will endure for the years to come talion, 211th Aviation, a medical evacu- under President Obama, which reduced because of their service. God bless all ation company—the most deployed defense spending across the board. The of the men and women in uniform. unit in the Wyoming Guard. dysfunction in Washington has many I yield the floor. The medevac unit that was sent to consequences, but a significantly weak- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Afghanistan includes Wyoming soldiers ened military is the most dangerous. ator from Wyoming. from Bear River, from Casper, from Our military superiority is never Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I Carpenter, from Guernsey, from Chey- guaranteed. Russia and China continue come to the floor as part of Military enne, Laramie, and Wheatland. to build up their militaries with a sin- Appreciation Month. It is a time, clear- This past week, Wyoming Governor gle goal in mind: to dominate the world ly, to remember our brave service men Mark Gordon participated in a sendoff stage. and women, to reflect on their faithful ceremony in Casper for 130 Wyoming To avoid a national security emer- service to this country and to recall National Guard troops headed to Texas gency, we must act now. That is why, the many sacrifices our troops and ahead of a 9-month deployment to the as a member of the Armed Services their families have made and continue Middle East. Committee, I am fighting to match the to make in defense of this great Na- The Wyoming troops from the 2nd President’s request of $750 million in tion. Battalion of the 300 Field Artillery, the defense spending, and I am fighting to Many of us will be heading overseas ‘‘Cowboy Cannoneers,’’ the group my secure a pay raise for our men and for the 75th anniversary of D-day to father-in-law, Bob Brown, was part of— women in uniform—our heroes. commemorate the efforts of an incred- they are from more than two dozen I have also sponsored the Pay Our ible group of allies on the fateful day communities from Casper to Lovell, to Coast Guard Act to make sure military and the weeks and the months that fol- Cheyenne, to Moorcroft. This Guard pay is never affected by a government lowed. As I stand here today, I think of unit will serve under the U.S. Central shutdown. We must also work together to pass those soldiers, and I think of my wife Command covering Iraq, Afghanistan, disaster relief funding immediately, Bobbi’s dad, Bob Brown—currently 92 Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. which will help rebuild Tyndall Air years old, living in Thermopolis, WY, Wyoming and the entire Nation owe Force Base following the devastation of longtime postmaster. He still drives an incredible debt of gratitude to these Hurricane Michael. Meals on Wheels, as he says, ‘‘for the fearless fighters for our freedom. God bless the U.S. Armed Forces, I will never lose sight of one of the old folks.’’ He was called to Europe in World War God bless our troops, our veterans, and most important roles I have as a U.S. II, and he is one of those few who was God bless the United States of Amer- Senator: to protect and serve the fami- in World War II in the European the- ica. lies of our Nation. None of us should ater as well as in Japan as part of that I yield the floor. lose sight of that. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- I look forward to working closely first occupation and then called back ator from Florida. with each of you to invest in America’s to Korea as part of the 2–300 who con- Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, greatest asset—the men and women of tinued in the fight for our freedoms. He continues today to serve our I am proud to speak today in honor of our Armed Forces. United States. His wife, Jerry, who Military Appreciation Month. I yield the floor. went through all of this in Our men and women in uniform are The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Thermopolis, WY, knows the sacrifices true heroes. They risk their lives every ator from Arkansas. Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I he and so many have made. day to protect our freedoms and our My dad, World War II, Battle of the way of life. would like to echo the sentiments my Bulge. I still carry his dog tags from I had the opportunity to serve in the colleagues have expressed in apprecia- the Battle of the Bulge with me. I have U.S. Navy during the Vietnam war, and tion of the men and women who serve them with me today on the floor of the my adopted father was one of the few in our Armed Forces. Senate, and I carry them with me when who made all four combat jumps in the While it may seem like the Members I go to see our troops overseas. 82nd Airborne during World War II. of this Chamber, much like America He is the guy who had to quit school As Governor, I made it my mission to itself, are strongly divided on issues of in ninth grade because of the Depres- turn Florida into the most military- national policy, I can say, without a sion. In World War II—and I have gone and veteran-friendly State in the Na- doubt, that we are all united in support through some of his old papers—I found tion, and we succeeded. We championed of our troops and their efforts to pro- pictures of him and a number of mem- important legislation and funding to tect and defend our Nation and its bers of the artillery who were part of support priorities that matter most to ideals. That is why I am appreciative of the liberation of France. Florida’s military families, and we the opportunity to join with my col- From the time I was a little boy, he took every opportunity to recognize leagues today to thank the soldiers, would say: John, you should thank God veterans for their service. sailors, airmen, marines, and coast- every day because you live in America. Florida has 20 military bases and 3 guardsmen working tirelessly to pro- You don’t know how fortunate you are. unified commands—more than almost tect the American people from the We are so blessed to live in this great any other State. As Governor, I met multitude of threats that face our Na- country, and it is to the men and regularly with Florida’s base com- tion. women who continue to protect this manders to see how I could help sup- The men and women who wear our land, who fought for our freedoms—my port their missions and their troops. As Nation’s uniform selflessly serve. They dad, his wife, Louise, the sacrifices a Senator, I continue to host base com- are fully aware of the risks they face. they have made on behalf of all of us. mander meetings to make sure our Despite that, they bravely put them- Today we honor all of our Armed military has every resource they need. selves in harm’s way to defend our Forces, the Army, the Navy, the Air America is blessed with the protec- country, ideals, and allies around the Force, the Coast Guard, the Marines, tion of the strongest military in the world. the National Guard. world. Our military provides not only They didn’t choose this life to seek In particular, today I want to salute for the safety of our country but also recognition, awards or honors. Like the members of the Wyoming Army leads in supporting our allies and pro- those who wore the uniform before

VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.025 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2861 them, they chose the path of a higher It is a real honor to be down here I am proud to live in a country that calling. They chose it as a way to use with my colleague from Arkansas, and honors its military in such a fashion, their talents for the greater good. The we greatly appreciate your service. but, more importantly, I am proud to men and women who serve in our mili- Congratulations on your book, which live in a country whose military is tary embody what it means to be a tells the story of Arlington and what a worthy of such honor. So to every sol- giver. very special place it is—truly hallowed dier, sailor, airman, marine, and coast- I know my fellow Arkansans share ground. guardsman, I extend my gratitude, my my gratitude and appreciation for all I yield the floor. respect, and my thanks to you and of our military personnel and their The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- your family for your honorable service, families who sacrifice at home while ator from Arkansas. not just today, not just this month but their loved ones are abroad. Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, we are every day. Arkansas has a storied military her- here in the middle of National Military I yield the floor. itage and a long and proud history of Appreciation Month. So I am pleased The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- supporting our Nation’s defense. to join my colleagues in showing our ator from Montana. Troops stationed in the State served Nation’s gratitude for every single sol- Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, in the our country honorably even before it dier, sailor, airman, marine, and coast- United States we are known as the was admitted to the Union. Today, Ar- guardsman who is serving or has served land of the free. There is a reason for kansans are stationed around the our Nation with honor. that. It is because we are the home of globe, and our personnel at the Little This month is specially dedicated to the brave. Our military men and Rock Air Force Base, Camp Robinson, our Armed Forces, but, of course, we women represent the very best of Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Pine have ample reason to celebrate and ap- America. In fact, the good Word tells Bluff Arsenal, and Fort Chaffee con- preciate them year-round, because our us that ‘‘Greater love hath no man troops serve year-round and around the tinue to make the Natural State proud. than this, that a man lay down his life We highlight their service during the clock and willingly accepting limita- for his friends.’’ month of May, which includes six mili- tions on their own freedom and com- When a young man or a young tary-related national observance days, forts so their fellow Americans can live woman volunteers to serve, he or she is as a way to express our gratitude. That in freedom and security. writing a blank check made payable to Right now, thousands of American gratitude endures in perpetuity. the United States of America for an troops serve in dangerous conditions We simply cannot thank our service- amount up to and including their life. overseas far from home. Even now, at members enough for the tremendous In Montana, we are very fortunate to this moment, our troops are engaged in sacrifice they made to ensure that we have so many heroes hail from our combat, surrounded by the enemy, continue to live in the greatest, freest great State, including many who now fighting courageously. work on my staff and on behalf of the country that the world has ever known. We are all thankful and proud of As the son of an Air Force master people of Montana. Great Montanans their service and indebted for their sac- like Christy Hagler, Denny Lenoir, sergeant, I learned at a young age rifice. But it is not only them. Two about the sacrifices our men and Robin Baker, and Jim Korth. We are weeks ago I had the privilege of attend- all so very fortunate to have Dillon women in uniform make. I also learned ing a medal ceremony in Arkansas very early on that military families Vaden and Doug Pack on staff here in where seven veterans of the Korean DC currently serving in the Marine face unique challenges. It truly is a war were honored for their service and Corps. family affair. for actions they took in defense of our Thank you for your service to our My father joined the National Guard freedom nearly seven decades ago, so country. Thank you for your service to while he was in high school, and while that these long-ago actions were not the people of Montana. still in high school, his unit was forgotten. In fact, just last fall, I had the honor shipped out to prepare for World War One week ago, I had the opportunity of visiting the men and women of II. He remained in the Air Force long to thank our military spouses—the un- Kalispell’s 495th CSSB while they were after the war was over, serving over 20 sung heroes of our Armed Forces—for deployed in Afghanistan. They flew years in uniform. The example set by their work raising families despite the over to Kabul and to Bagram Air Base. my father’s military career—and the hardships of military life. I had a chance to spend time with these lessons we learned growing up in a Those are just a couple of events great Montanans. military family—helped my siblings from the last couple of weeks. Yet they Just a few months ago, I had the and me to prepare for a productive are multiplied countless times every privilege of welcoming these same sol- service-centered life. The experience day across our country and around the diers home after they had been de- taught us one of the most valuable les- world wherever our troops and their ployed for 9 long months. These men sons which I continue to carry with me families are present. At airports, and women had been far away from today. Through their service to our troops returning from overseas are their families and from their friends country, the men and women of our greeted with hugs and cheers. The re- across the holidays. Many of them were military are part of something much mains of our fallen heroes are greeted with us that night on the tarmac as bigger than themselves. with odd silence. they were risking their lives to protect My father was not only my hero, but At dinners and restaurants, a uni- our freedom. Seeing them reunited as a World War II veteran, he and his form or even a veteran’s hat will some- with their loved ones was a powerful fellow servicemembers in my home- times still earn a veteran or soldier a experience for both Cindy, my wife, and town of Fort Smith were embraced in free meal from a grateful neighbor and me. It is one that I will never, ever for- the same manner by the community as fellow citizen. get. But the sad reality is that some of a whole. The respect and admiration Here in Washington, honor flights for our Montana heroes do not make it our community displayed for military our veterans still get police escorts back. SSG Travis Atkins is a Bozeman members was not faked or forced. It with flashing sirens, and children sa- native. In fact, Travis and I both went was genuine. lute those veterans, sometimes asking to the same high school. He was re- It remains just as strong today in innocently about their memories at cently awarded the highest military communities across our great Nation. battle. distinction in this country by Presi- While those displays may be more pub- Across the river at Arlington Na- dent Trump, and that is the Medal of licly visible during National Military tional Cemetery, sentinels of the Old Honor. Appreciation Month, the feelings of re- Guard stand at attention and walk the You see, Sergeant Atkins willingly spect, admiration, and gratitude will mat around the clock and in all weath- laid down his life when he tackled a carry on long after the end of this er—just as they have for the past 82 suicide bomber to shield the blast from month. Our Nation is eternally grate- years—to ensure that those unknown his fellow soldiers in order to save ful for the sacrifice of every service- soldiers and every person whose head- their lives—a true hero. The sacrifice member working to keep America safe, stone graces those beautiful rolling he made for his country and his fellow strong, and free. fields rest in eternal peace. soldiers will never be forgotten.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:57 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.027 S15MYPT1 S2862 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 Over in Fort Harrison, MT, MSG into several different theaters. While mate of Kendrick’s described his her- Jesse Edinger of the Army National they are fully deployed, their family oism by telling NBC News about his ac- Guard has been welcoming home the waits, and it is a long and difficult tions, ‘‘giving all of us enough time to fallen since 2006. He knows what sac- wait. It is tough for the family. get underneath our desks, to get our- rifice looks like. He is no stranger to For those who serve in our National selves safe, and to run across the room combat, having served three deploy- Guard, it is tough on employers. It is to escape.’’ ments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He tough on their personal finances. It is a Brendan Bialy, a classmate who earned his national instructor certifi- stressful environment. For those folks charged the assailants with Kendrick, cation and has taught over the years who have done it and continue to told ABC News: hundreds of soldiers within his region serve—that 1 percent of our Nation Kendrick Castillo died a legend. He died a to be honor guard trained. He has also that defends the other 99 percent of our trooper. I know he will be with me for the performed more than 1,100 military fu- Nation—we could not be more grateful rest of my life. nerals for Montana veterans, which in- for them and for their family members. John Castillo reflected on his son’s cluded the service for SSG Travis At- To our Gold Star families, those who actions by saying: kins. are left behind to continue the legacy He did what he had to do, and I knew that While we all appreciate our brave of those who have made the ultimate was my son’s nature. That was who he was. men or brave women who serve in the sacrifice, we thank you for your service Kendrick Castillo displayed courage military every day, this month is Mili- and for your love of country. well beyond his years. He was a mem- tary Appreciation Month. This month As a nation, it is our duty to con- ber of the robotics club and wanted to is about giving these men and women tinue to support our Gold Star fami- study electrical engineering in college the added appreciation they richly de- lies, to encourage them, to check on and loved spending his free time fishing serve. them, and to live life with them. and camping. I will continue to advocate for poli- Just last week, I introduced legisla- Today, Colorado mourns the loss of a cies that strengthen our military and tion with Senator CARPER to expand hero as we say good-bye to Kendrick give our men and our women who serve certain educational benefits to the sur- Castillo. As his friends, family, and the strategic advantages they need to vivors of guardsmen and reservists who community all gather at Highlands win. have died as a result of their service. Ranch for a final farewell, we must Thank you to all who serve and to all This is the least we could do as a na- pledge to never forget this young man. who have served. On behalf of a very tion to walk alongside those Gold Star Kendrick Castillo lost his life saving grateful Nation, we honor you, and we families. his fellow classmates. The students of appreciate you. Over 33,000 Active-Duty Guard, Re- the STEM school in Highlands Ranch I yield back. serve, and Active-Duty personnel are experienced an absolute tragedy and The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- currently assigned in Oklahoma. We showed fearlessness well beyond their ator from Oklahoma. have Oklahomans serving our country years as they took charge in the face of Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, the and protecting our interests, literally, danger. month of May is Military Appreciation all over the world right now. We are Now is the time to come together in Month. It is a time when we as a coun- home to Altus Air Force Base, Tinker tragedy to rise above it and remind try can come together, pause, and rec- Air Force Base, Vance Air Force Base, every single student at that school ognize the sacrifices of those who have Fort Sill Fires Center of Excellence in that we love them, we are with them, raised their right hands, worn the cloth the McAlester Army Ammunition and we will never forget them. of our country, and continue to serve Plant, as well as countless different I also want to take a moment to the world’s greatest military day in National Guard locations all around honor the first responders who, once and day out. the State. We train and equip our sol- again, displayed true bravery in their They have exceptionally long days diers, airmen, sailors, and marines, and response to this tragedy. The deputies and difficult tasks. Sometimes they I am proud of the Oklahomans who of the Douglas County Police Depart- fight the fight of boredom while hang- wear the uniform. ment, South Metro Fire Rescue, and all ing out and guarding a spot. Some- As we continue this Military Appre- of the neighboring first responders on times they are in exceptionally stress- ciation Month, I hope all Americans the scene acted quickly to help sta- ful full-on combat mode. They are pre- take the time to remember that 24 bilize the situation and lead the stu- pared for both. hours a day, 7 days a week, whether dents and faculty to safety. Throughout the month of May, there you are awake or asleep, someone is on This week is National Police Week, a are actually six different days of obser- guard watching our Nation right now, fitting time to reflect on those who vation to honor our Nation’s military and someone is defending our freedoms protect our sons and daughters every and their families, who have sacrificed right now. Whether you are hearing day. so much: Loyalty Day, Public Service about Military Appreciation Month NATIONAL POLICE WEEK Recognition Week, Victory in Europe while you are at work, while you are at Mr. President, in Washington, DC, Day, or V-E Day, Military Spouse Ap- play, or while you are at rest, someone this week, we are celebrating National preciation Day, Armed Forces Day, is not resting right now. They are de- Police Week, a time we take each year and, of course, at the end of the month fending your freedoms, and we are to thank law enforcement for pro- of May, a pause for Memorial Day. All grateful. tecting our communities and to re- of these observances within 1 month, in With that, I yield the floor. member the cost of providing this com- May. It is a clear sign that our mili- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- fort. tary is one of the most important cor- ator from Colorado is recognized. Today, thousands of officers and nerstones of our country and that their REMEMBERING KENDRICK CASTILLO their families will gather on the west sacrifice is unmatched. So we should Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, front lawn of the Capitol to participate honor and celebrate it. Kendrick Castillo was an 18-year-old in the 38th Annual Peace Officers’ Me- In addition to our servicemembers senior set to graduate high school at morial Service, an event to honor all of and veterans, I hope all Americans also the end of the week when his life was those we have lost in the line of duty. recognize the service of their family tragically cut short. On Tuesday, May I hope the camaraderie and support members while their husband, wife, 7, Kendrick Castillo sat in his British they have experienced during the cere- son, daughter, mom, and dad are wear- literature class, just like any other day mony and throughout the week will ing the uniform. They could be gone for in school, when two schoolmates burst bring a bit of comfort to law enforce- months at a time on multiple deploy- into a classroom at the STEM school in ment and our law enforcement commu- ments. Highlands Ranch and opened fire. nity. I also hope it demonstrates the I had the opportunity to meet with When faced with the unthinkable, tremendous gratitude that we all have many family members in Oklahoma. Kendrick acted out of pure heroism as for these sacrifices. Their spouse, mom, dad, son, or daugh- he put his classmates’ lives before his Police Week also serves to show the ter has been deployed multiple times own and charged the shooters. A class- law enforcement community that the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:57 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.028 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2863 lawmakers in Washington have their taken away and replaced,’’ as she said, to take over healthcare, who raised the back. We will continue to help depart- ‘‘with a one-size-fits-all government loudest objections? Well, it was the ments all over the country afford life- program.’’ public sector unions, of course. saving equipment, like bulletproof I agree. The fact is, according to the So again, we have millions of union vests to help as many officers as pos- Census Bureau, 90 percent of Ameri- workers, Federal and State employees, sible return home safely every day. In cans have healthcare coverage. Of and their families, all with excellent fact, just this week, the Senate is those, 200 million are covered by pri- healthcare benefits that are on the working on legislation to make sure we vate health plans, and 180 million have Democrats’ chopping block. Instead of are providing lifesaving equipment employer-provided healthcare cov- helping fix the Nation’s healthcare through the Bulletproof Vest Grant erage. Most say that their current plan problems, Democrats are looking to de- Program. We are also working on legis- works well for them. stroy what is actually working. lation this week that will help address The 180 million Americans covered Remember, it is more than union mental health needs, not just for law through their jobs work hard. These workers and public sector employees enforcement officers themselves but people go out every morning and sup- who are threatened. Democrats’ one- for their families, as well, because we port their families. According to a sur- size-fits-all healthcare plan is gunning know the pressure and strain that this vey released last year, the vast major- for retired military members’ health duty can create and put upon the fam- ity of people with employer-provided insurance as well. We are talking about ily. coverage—71 percent of them, to be the TRICARE health insurance pro- I know my colleagues in the Senate precise—like their current healthcare gram for military families. There are will join me in thanking the many offi- plans. more than 9 million military families cers who have joined us in Washington So who exactly are those workers on enrolled in TRICARE. Our servicemem- this week. Their bravery and courage employer-sponsored plans? Well, many bers have earned their TRICARE cov- allow all of us to enjoy the safety and are union members. They negotiate erage through years of faithful service security we so often take for granted. their health coverage through their defending this Nation. I believe one of It should not take a tragedy for any of union representatives. Many are public our greatest responsibilities is to pro- us to reach out to a police officer, employees, Federal and State employ- vide for those who protect this Nation, EMS, or a firefighter, to thank them ees, people who serve this country. So both those who currently serve and our for their work, and to let them know why do Democrats who support one- retired servicemembers. their bravery does not go unnoticed. size-fits-all healthcare want to outlaw Back home in Wyoming I talk with Yesterday I had the honor of joining proven, popular, and predictable health servicemembers, with veterans, nearly the Colorado memorial ceremony at coverage for millions of these working every weekend. These proud Americans the fallen officers’ memorial. There families? want me to make sure that TRICARE have been 320 Coloradans over the Democrats certainly seem to be put- works for them and to protect and years who have been added to the fall- ting politics above principle. What is strengthen benefits that work and that en officers’ memorial. That is 320 too more, they clearly believe that Wash- they have earned through their service. many. Four were added this week: ington knows best. But shouldn’t we be Still, far-left Democrats don’t want to Adams County deputy Heath Gumm, El asking what these hard-working Amer- listen to reason. They are hell-bent on Paso County deputy Micah Flick, Las icans who have good private health in- a one-size-fits-all approach to Animas County sergeant Matthew surance want? Well, shouldn’t we ask healthcare. Moreno, and Littleton police officer them what is best for them and what is It is especially ironic that Democrats Kevin Denner. best for their families? even want to ban ObamaCare plans— One of the most poignant moments Let’s take the Teamsters Union, for the plans they voted for and put in at the ceremony yesterday was the example. In an article published in place. It has been less than a decade comment made by a police officer who 2017, the Teamsters said: since Democrats passed ObamaCare, spoke to a widow of a fallen officer, The availability of high-quality health and now they want to repeal it and re- who said: Support for the law enforce- care has been a top selling point for those place it, basically saying that ment community is needed long after who belong to unions. It is a benefit these ObamaCare has failed. the bagpipes have played. I think that workers have bargained for, and oftentimes is what we have to do as colleagues to- they have sacrificed higher pay for these ex- For years I have come to the floor to gether. While the pomp and ceremony cellent insurance benefits. discuss the shortcomings of memorials end, it is after the bagpipes Let me underscore this point: The ObamaCare. Every time Republicans have finished that we must continue to Teamsters Union believes their health have offered to improve healthcare, we stand with the men and women on that benefits are excellent, and maybe have heard from the Democrats that blue line of service to our commu- Democrats should ask the United ObamaCare is off-limits and they can’t nities. Steelworkers about their insurance possibly make any changes to that law. Thank you. coverage. If you go to the steelworkers’ Now that the Democrats are running I yield the floor. website, you will find their answer: for President, suddenly they are sing- The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. COT- ‘‘The Steelworkers Benefit Plan . . . ing a different tune. They are done de- TON). The Senator from Wyoming. provide[s] high-quality, affordable fending ObamaCare. In fact, Democrats HEALTHCARE health and welfare benefits to USW are happy to repeal ObamaCare so they Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I [United Steelworkers] members and can replace it with a one-size-fits-all come to the floor to address again their families.’’ healthcare plan for America. today the Democrats’ one-size-fits-all Basically, if you are a union worker Senator Heitkamp is actually warn- healthcare scheme. It is a radical plan watching this debate right now, you ing them not to cast aside ObamaCare to take over all of healthcare in Amer- need to know that Democrats in Wash- and start all over again with a one- ica and to take away health insurance ington are coming for your hard-earned size-fits-all plan. from millions of Americans. healthcare benefits. Make no mistake. Well, let me just say as a doctor, as Still, nearly every Senate Democrat Under the one-size-fits-all healthcare a physician who has taken care of pa- running for President and 109 Members legislation offered by Senator BERNIE tients for decades, my focus continues of the House of Representatives, Demo- SANDERS and so many Democrats run- to be on improving healthcare for crats all, have backed one-size-fits-all ning for President, this high-quality American patients and their families. healthcare. Last week, former Senator health insurance program and their in- Americans want to focus on real Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota had surance will cease to exist. healthcare reforms that make a dif- words of wisdom for her fellow Demo- It is no wonder that last year some ference for them and their families in crats. She writes in the Washington high-profile public sector unions start- terms of the cost and in terms of the Post: ‘‘Most Americans are satisfied ed sounding the alarm about losing quality of their care. These are the with the healthcare they receive and their health benefits. When New York issues that Republicans are working on do not want their coverage options State debated a Sanders-like proposal right now: protecting patients with

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:57 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.034 S15MYPT1 S2864 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 preexisting conditions, lowering pre- same age group and same geography. It While I hear there is a briefing for all scription drug costs, and ending sur- was the Affordable Care Act that ended Senators rumored for next week, that prise medical bills. that discrimination and created the is not confirmed, nor is it an accept- Surprise medical bills are bills pa- protections. able timeline. Next week may be too tients receive that come out of no- It was the Affordable Care Act that late. We do not need another Iraq where. These bills are an unfair finan- ended lifetime caps so that if you had weapons of mass destruction moment cial burden on many families, com- a major illness such as cancer, before that led us to one of the worst, most pletely unexpected medical costs that you hit the ceiling on your insurance disastrous military engagements when they can’t afford and aren’t expecting. and you were one illness away from there were no weapons of mass destruc- Just last week I was at the White bankruptcy—the Affordable Care Act tion to be found. We need clarity. We House with President Trump announc- ended lifetime caps so that if you had need answers, and we need them now. ing a plan to help patients by ending a serious illness you were still covered. We cannot make foreign policy and na- these surprise bills. The Affordable Care Act created the tional security decisions while flying Republicans also remain committed possibility for our children to be able in the blind. to protecting patients with preexisting to stay on our insurance until the age Make no mistake—I have no doubts conditions and to lowering the cost of of 26. That was not the law before. that Iran continues to be a bad actor in prescription drugs. The list goes on and on. So it is that the region and throughout the world. Democrats have a choice to make. which Democrats have been about and, Iranian leaders continue to support They can follow the far-left Democrats expanding upon that, the opportunity dangerous proxy actors throughout the pushing their radical one-size-fits-all to create a universal system for every- region. Iran continues to violate arms approach to healthcare. Again, this ex- one—something we all desire. embargoes. Iran continues to oppress treme scheme will mean the loss of IRAN its own people. Indeed, I have spent the health insurance coverage for millions Mr. President, as important as that better part of two decades developing and millions and millions of hard- issue is, I have come to the floor in legislation and policies to stop Iran’s working people, union workers and alarm to demand answers by this ad- quest for a nuclear weapon and attacks their families, our veterans, people who ministration about Iran, about its pol- against our allies, including Israel. helped protect and save this country, icy, about what intelligence the admin- Working across the aisle, often cajol- Federal and State employees and their istration has. For more than a week we ing and prodding the executive branch families, and all of the Americans who have seen press reports and heard ru- and our allies, Congress led the effort are currently enrolled in ObamaCare mors about the ‘‘threats’’ to U.S. inter- to build an extensive economic and po- plans. ests and possibly American citizens by litical pressure campaign to force Iran The better option for Democrats is to Iran. to the negotiating table. Our allies in work with Republicans on common- For more than a week I have been de- Europe, Asia, and across the world, sense, bipartisan solutions, real re- manding, along with others, that the most of whom share our concern about forms that improve healthcare for all administration provide senior level of- Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear Americans. Let’s reject one-size-fits-all ficials to brief Members of the U.S. weapon and its broader maligned ac- healthcare that will make Americans Senate. tivities, have been critical to this ef- pay more to wait longer for worse care. For more than a week, the adminis- fort. That is the key. One-size-fits-all tration has ignored these requests. For When building a policy to effectively healthcare, I will tell people listening all intents and purposes, it has refused confront an adversary, you must have in today, means that you will pay more to provide Members of Congress with an end goal, you must have clear objec- to wait longer for worse care. It is time information critical to our national se- tives, and you must take actions in to reject one-size-fits-all care for curity—information it says indicates pursuit of those objectives. With Iran, Americans. Let us work together to that American citizens and American our objective was to ensure that Iran give all patients the care they need assets may be in harm’s way. never develops a pathway toward a nu- from a doctor they choose at a lower After specifically requesting infor- clear weapon. So I am all for putting cost. mation on security posture at our dip- on as much pressure as we can, but Thank you. lomatic facilities in Iraq on Monday, that requires also having a clear way of I yield the floor. this morning, I read from press reports showing how it can be alleviated. There The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- that the administration is ordering the must be a viable, tenable, diplomatic ator from New Jersey. departure of staff from our Embassy in track. If I were to put you in a room, Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I Baghdad and our consulate in Erbil. As lock the door, throw away the key, and came to the floor to speak about rising the ranking member—the senior Demo- tell you there is no way out and no way tensions and potential challenges with crat—of the Senate Foreign Relations to survive, you would sure as hell start Iran, but after my distinguished col- Committee, it is outrageous to be looking for ways to fight and break league’s remarks and as a Member of learning about the evacuation of an down that door. the Senate Finance Committee who Embassy from media reports. There are For a campaign of maximum pres- helped write the Affordable Care Act, I only two reasons to make such an sure, when the moment of maximum wouldn’t want to have my silence be an order: We have credible intelligence leverage is reached, it must be seized. acceptance of his views. that our people are at risk, or there is That requires working with our allies For nearly a decade Republicans have some type of preparation for military to offer a real, diplomatic path to nego- sought to tear down the Affordable action against Iran. tiations. Care Act, which some derisively call This behavior is unacceptable. By re- British Major General Chris Ghika, ObamaCare, with no substitute, with fusing to provide Members of Congress the deputy commander of the Amer- no plan. This administration is actu- with critical information, this admin- ican-led coalition to fight the Islamic ally in a Federal court, arguing that istration is blatantly disregarding the State, has called into question some of the law is unconstitutional—the very fundamental governing structures of the credibility of the intelligence our law that gives protections to everyone the United States as outlined in our officials say we have regarding Iranian- in this country who has a preexisting Constitution. backed forces in Iraq. condition, such as a child born at birth The Senate Foreign Relations Com- Yesterday, Spain pulled a frigate with some heart disease, a husband mittee is charged with writing the laws from a U.S.-led naval group that had who had a heart attack, a woman sim- that authorize the use of military force been scheduled for a joint training mis- ply because she is a woman and before and of oversight of the State Depart- sion 2 years ago, saying the original was discriminated against because she ment and the safety of those who work mission had changed. was a woman. Somehow that was a pre- there. The administration must pro- Our allies are critical not just in con- existing condition and allowed insur- vide this committee with the informa- fronting Iranian malign activity but in ance companies to charge twice as tion we need to judiciously and appro- securing our interests across the world. much as their male counterparts in the priately make policies. Let me conclude with two points.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:57 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.036 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2865 Now is the moment to invest in a dip- ly are called. This is their calling to border have created an environment lomatic surge to meaningfully engage public service, and we thank them for where now, at this point, every State is our allies and Iran in serious negotia- answering that call and that they a border State and every town is a bor- tions to end its pathway toward nu- choose to serve in our communities to der town because those problems that clear weapons and its malign activi- keep us safe so that we know our com- come across the southern border with ties. munities are a place where we can rear the human trafficking, with the drug Second, Congress has not authorized our families, where we can enjoy cama- trafficking, with the gangs—all of this war with Iran. The administration, if it raderie with family members, with ends up on the streets in your commu- is contemplating military action with friends, with our churches. nity. Iran, must come to Congress to seek I will tell you, as I was thinking We are working on legislation that approval. about this week, I thought, there are so we hope is going to help with this situ- I call on every Member of this body many moms and grandmoms who I ation. It will target traffickers of unac- on both sides of the aisle to assert our think are pretty much like me. Many companied minors in the care of Health institutional and constitutional pre- times I will say I am a ‘‘security and Human Services. One of the things rogatives and demand information mom.’’ I want to make certain that my that has not happened and needs to from this administration, demand clas- children and my grandchildren are happen is that Health and Human Serv- sified briefings. When matters this se- safe, that our children are safe when ices and Homeland Security need to be rious are at stake, we have to demand they go to sporting events and when able to share all of the information more. We cannot and we will not be led they go to school. We say a prayer they have on individuals who are bring- into dangerous military adventures. when they get behind the wheel of a ing these unaccompanied children, in- The administration must provide this car. We are so grateful that there are dividuals who say ‘‘I am a next of kin,’’ critical information to Congress, and it law enforcement officers who are there individuals who say ‘‘I am here, and must do so immediately. at public events to keep them safe, who this child is coming to me.’’ We want I yield the floor. watch out if they are going to be speed- to make certain they are in the coun- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- ing on the road and provide the secu- try legally. We want to make certain ator from Tennessee. rity that is so essential to our way of they have a relationship with these NATIONAL POLICE WEEK life. children so that we are protecting and Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I I have the opportunity as one of looking out for the security of these think many of our colleagues here in these security moms, if you will, to children and making certain they are the Chamber know that Senator ALEX- serve on our Senate Judiciary Com- not being trafficked. ANDER and I host a breakfast on Tues- mittee. Just last week, Chairman GRA- As we talk about our children, some day Mornings called Tennessee Tues- HAM brought forward three bills that of the trafficking—of course, much of day. This week at the breakfast, one of we approved. These are things that are the trafficking takes place in the vir- our Tennesseans said: I have seen so going to help law enforcement officers tual space. It takes place online. It many men and women in law enforce- and their families—providing mental seems impossible, but that is what hap- ment uniforms in DC. What is going health support for law enforcement and pens with the human trafficking and on? Is this normal? their families, which is vitally impor- the sex trafficking. The adverse impact It gave me the opportunity to say: tant, and, of course, lifesaving bullet- that this has on young girls and women Actually, this is National Police Week, proof vests, which are now essential, is horrifying. and this is a week we set aside to honor and ensuring that our first responders Because of my work to prohibit these those men and women who are in law get the benefits they have earned by traffickers from working online, we are enforcement. standing for that duty. When they get pushing forward with privacy legisla- There are tens of thousands of police ready to retire, those benefits are tion. You and I do not want our chil- officers and sheriffs and highway pa- going to be there. dren to be followed online. That is trolmen across our country. My hope is This week, I have joined Senator what is happening, and it is why we that each of us will stop this week CORNYN on his Back the Blue Act, and need to make certain that moms have when we see them and say ‘‘thank you’’ I thank him for his leadership. I think the tools they need—that parents have to them for the service they provide many of us who stand in this Chamber the tools they need—to guard the pri- our communities, because when it know that we stand to back that ‘‘thin vacy of their families online. comes to fighting so many of the issues blue line’’—that line is the difference I recently introduced the BROWSER that affect our communities on a day- between order and chaos in our com- Act. This is legislation I introduced to-day basis—the issues we face be- munities. This bill is going to create while I was in the House of Representa- cause of drugs and drug trafficking, new penalties for killing or assaulting tives. It is one of the first bipartisan human trafficking, gangs—it is our law enforcement officers and will pro- privacy bills we have had. The BROWS- local law enforcement that is on those tect officers from lawsuits when they ER Act will require you to give your frontlines, and we say ‘‘thank you’’ to intervene to stop a violent crime. It is consent if you are going to opt in and them. a commonsense provision, and I am allow someone to share your informa- This year in Tennessee, three officers pleased to be in support of this bill. tion, to have access to your sensitive have lost their lives. During this week, As we talk about law enforcement information. we remember them and express our and security and having safe commu- In this Nation, we have a history of gratitude to their families for their nities, we also need to remember our respecting informed consent, and that service and their sacrifice. We lost Customs and Border Patrol agents and is what we are saying—that individuals Trooper Matthew Elias Gatti from the officers who are on the southern bor- need to give their consent to a com- Tennessee Highway Patrol, who died on der. When you talk about being a secu- pany before that company looks at Monday, May 6, 2019; Sergeant Steve rity mom, of course you are going to their private information or, worse yet, Hinkle from the Sullivan County Sher- talk about economic security, data mines or, worse yet, shares that iff’s Office, who died on Tuesday, Feb- healthcare security, job security, and information about those individuals ruary 26, 2019; and Police Officer Nich- national security, but border security with third parties—people they do not olas Scott Galinger from the Chat- is a part of that. It is a way that we know, people they have never seen, tanooga Police Department, who died work to keep our communities safe. people they never will see. Then that on Sunday, February 24, 2019. As I talk We all know there is a humanitarian tech company—guess what—sells ads. to our sheriffs and police chiefs and pa- crisis on the southern border. Much of It is paid with your information. trol captains, I know there are many it is fueled by cartels that are big busi- The BROWSER Act also prohibits more who have been injured, and we re- ness. They deal in drug trafficking and companies from denying their services member them. human trafficking. It is our first re- to users who refuse to waive their pri- We also say ‘‘thank you so much’’ to sponders who address this in our com- vacy rights. You have a right to pri- the families of these men and women munities and on our city streets. The vacy, and these companies should not who have chosen—you know, they real- issues and the lack of security at that deny you their services because you

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:57 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.037 S15MYPT1 S2866 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 say: You cannot share my information. My colleagues and I in the Senate ological weapons, and dangerous mis- You cannot share my sensitive infor- were deeply saddened to hear of the siles. Quite simply, Senator Lugar’s mation. I am not going to opt-in to passing of our dear colleague and work changed the course of history— allow you to do that, big tech com- friend. His selfless service and tireless toward a safer world for the genera- pany. I am also going to opt-out on dedication to the State of Indiana and tions that followed. non-sensitive data. I am not going to to this Nation inspired many to follow I had the honor of working with Sen- allow you to do that. I do not want my in his footsteps and govern using his ator Lugar when I was on the Health, children followed, and I do not want principled commitment to the rule of Education, Labor, and Pensions Com- you to be following me. I do not want law and desire for constructive com- mittee. He was instrumental in the you to sell my information. I do not promise. origination and legislation of President want my spam to run crazy with ads From an early age, Senator Lugar Bush’s program, named the President’s and information I do not want. understood the value of hard work and Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or Individuals deserve their privacy. dedication to what was important. He PEPFAR for short. PEPFAR was life- Americans deserve to know they are became an Eagle Scout and was the changing legislation for those stricken protected and have that privacy in the valedictorian of his classes in both with potentially fatal diseases like HIV online universe. They deserve to know high school and college. He was later a and AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. they are not going to be followed and Rhodes Scholar at the prestigious Uni- Unlike many foreign assistance pro- they are not going to be tracked. versity of Oxford in England. Senator grams that do not impact those di- While we are talking about tech- Lugar’s commitment to his education rectly on the ground, PEPFAR taught nology, I’d like to bring attention to served him very well later in his career people how to avoid contracting the the global race for 5G, or fifth-genera- as a distinguished statesman. HIV/AIDS disease and provided coun- tion wireless technology. You are hear- As a fellow Eagle Scout, Senator tries with the ability to care for their ing a good bit about this. It doesn’t Lugar knew that the knowledge and citizens who were already infected. matter if it is in our commercial sector skills gained in Scouting always had a Senator Lugar was also a committed or in our military sector; we are at the use and were a central part of the Boy man of faith. As a member of the forefront of this debate to make cer- Scout motto ‘‘Be prepared.’’ He learned United Methodist Church, his moral tain that we win this race on 5G—that early on the importance of core Scout- compass was guided strongly by his China does not get a foothold, that ing values, such as trust, loyalty, cour- faith. He was always one to do what he Huawei does not penetrate our delivery tesy, reverence, and the rest. He dis- thought was right rather than what systems—and to make certain that we played these values not only in his was the easiest. win this race just like we did the race nearly four decades-long career in the The United States is a better place to 4G, which brought forward a lot of Senate but also as a loving husband because of Senator Lugar’s tireless the technologies we all use and take and father to Charlene, his wife, and service and commitment to what is for granted, like those devices we hold their four sons. right. I and Diana, my wife, send our in our hands on which we receive our These critical skills also served him deepest condolences to his loved ones emails, make our phone calls, send text well as the mayor of Indianapolis. As a and know he will find eternal peace and messages, pull up maps, get to a favor- former mayor myself, I know the need happiness in knowing he had a pro- ite site on which we want to make a for every citizen to play an active role found effect on all who knew him as a purchase, and log on to social media in the day-to-day lives of their towns accounts. This is all from a handheld colleague, as a father, and as a friend. and cities. Senator Lugar understood I yield the floor. device, and it is what 4G brought us. this, too, and the value in working to- I suggest the absence of a quorum. Well, 5G is going to be as revolutionary gether to make our cities, States, and The PRESIDING OFFICER. The as going from analog to digital, and we Nation better places. As mayor, he en- clerk will call the roll. are going to stay on top of this to visioned the unification of the city of The senior assistant bill clerk pro- make certain we win this race. ceeded to call the roll. Because of this, we have a couple Indianapolis with the surrounding Mar- Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I more pieces of legislation that I am ion County, and he did it. He ushered ask unanimous consent that the order going to discuss on the floor at a later in steady, uninterrupted economic for the quorum call be rescinded. date. We have the SECURE 5G and BE- growth for that region. In a nearly four decades-long career The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. YOND Act. Senator CORNYN has the BLACKBURN). Without objection, it is so lead on that. I have the SUPPLY in the Senate, it is difficult to pinpoint ordered. CHAIN Act, which will be focused on Senator Lugar’s greatest achieve- security in the virtual space and make ments. However, I think it is safe to AMERICAN MINERS ACT certain that we will be rooting out say that some of his most important Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I these threats that may come to our work came as chairman or ranking rise today to call for immediate action supply chain and affect our private sec- member of the Senate Foreign Rela- on the American Miners Act. tor or our governmental sector. tions Committee. Under his steady We have an obligation to the miners We know it is imperative that, yes, leadership and acute attention to de- across America who served our Nation we win the race in 5G but that we pro- tail, the committee considered critical by providing us with the energy tect our networks and that we secure issues at a milestone in the future of throughout our greatest advancements. them so the American public knows world diplomacy and democracy. They deserve to know that their pen- that its information is not being ex- Senator Lugar’s contributions were sions, which they rightfully worked ploited. instrumental in, as its name suggests, for, will be funded fully, and they de- As a mom who values and puts a pri- the formation of the Nunn-Lugar Coop- serve to have accessible healthcare, ority on keeping children and grand- erative Threat Reduction Program in which was guaranteed to them as well. children safe, it is an honor for me to 1991, which was intended to dismantle As the Senate fails to act, we con- come to this floor to salute the men nuclear warheads at the close of the tinue to put our retired miners’ and women of law enforcement and to Cold War. This program was enacted at healthcare and pension benefits in talk about what we need to do every a critical moment in the Soviet jeopardy yet again. single day from this Chamber to pro- Union’s dissolvent. If action had not I have been working with everyone tect our Nation’s security and to pro- been taken by Congress at this impor- and from every angle in order to pre- tect our citizens. tant juncture, dangerous nuclear weap- vent our miners from losing their I yield the floor. ons from the former Soviet Union healthcare and retirement benefits, The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- could have been at risk of falling into but, once again, they are facing a dead- ator from Wyoming. the wrong hands. line that puts their whole livelihood at REMEMBERING RICHARD LUGAR These efforts laid the groundwork for risk. Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I honor the the implementation of future programs This has been a long fight, and it is life and legacy of the late Senator that have been responsible for disman- far from over. Everyone who has joined Richard Lugar. tling hundreds of nuclear warheads, bi- me on this journey understands that

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:57 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.039 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2867 fighting for working people is what we My husband was employed by a UMWA rep- I yield the floor. were sent here to do. resented mine for the 34 years he worked in the mining industry. He worked a 6 day The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- These retired miners are walking the ator from Minnesota. halls and fighting for what is rightfully workweek. He turned down some very prom- ising job offers because we were always led theirs. I am doing this for them and PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS to believe that after 20 years of UMWA serv- their families. I promised them that ice, we would have family insurance for life. Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, this body would not abandon them, and A large part of the reason he stayed loyal to I rise today to join my colleagues in I refuse to let them down. the mining industry was because of the re- calling for necessary and long-overdue The 1974 Pension Plan will be insol- tirement pension and family health insur- changes in how our country addresses vent by 2022 if we do not act now. Min- ance we would have upon his retirement. the cost and affordability of prescrip- He was injured on the job in 2013 and was ers who receive their healthcare tion drugs. through companies who went bankrupt unable to return to work. We had the com- in 2018 are at risk of losing coverage in fort of knowing that he would be able to re- You are going to hear today from, in the coming months if we fail to act ceive his pension and that the two of us addition to myself, Senator soon. Unlike many other public and would have no worries about health insur- BLUMENTHAL, Senator SMITH, and Sen- ance. private pension plans, the 1974 Pension ator KAINE, as well as Senator DURBIN, In April 2015, I was diagnosed with breast who spoke on these issues earlier, to Plan was well managed and 94 percent cancer that spread to my lymph nodes. I had funded prior to the crash of 2008. How- chemotherapy from May 2015 to November highlight this egregious public health ever, the 2008 financial crisis hit at a 2015, followed by radiation that lasted until issue facing our country. time when this plan had its highest February 2016. I was hospitalized three times It is unacceptable that lifesaving payment obligations due to retire- during treatment, had to undergo a lot of di- treatments and cures are increasingly ments. agnostic testing, and a blood transfusion. out of reach for the people who need Unfortunately, I was unable to finish my If the plan becomes insolvent, these them the most. That is why the Senate beneficiaries face benefit cuts, and the treatment due to this rigorous and intense treatment damaging my heart. I have to fol- must act now to pass legislation that Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation low up with regular treatment by a cardiolo- would lower the cost of prescription will assume billions of dollars in liabil- gist and now have frequent testing to make drugs. Healthcare represents one-sixth ities. sure the cancer hasn’t come back. of our economy, and out-of-pocket To address this, we have to shore up Another side effect I have from having had costs account for over 10 percent of our the 1974 Pension Plan, which is heading chemotherapy is chemo-induced peripheral Nation’s healthcare spending, from for insolvency due to the coal company neuropathy that effects both my hands and consumers to hospitals and nursing feet. My medications cost several hundred bankruptcies and the 2008 financial cri- homes. sis; ensure that the miners who are at dollars a month. I am 53 years old and unable risk due to 2018 coal company bank- to work due to all the side effects from my One report found that between 2012 having cancer. My medical bills and medica- and 2016, the price of branded prescrip- ruptcies will not lose their healthcare; tions have cost many thousands of dollars and extend the Black Lung Disability tion drugs increased 110 percent. That and I don’t have to worry about anything is not 11 percent; that is 110 percent. Trust Fund tax at $1.10 per ton of un- other than getting well, thanks to the derground-mined coal and 55 cents per UMWA insurance we have. Even drugs that have been available for ton of surface-mined coal for 10 years. Since my husband can no longer work and decades, like insulin, are no longer af- West Virginia has more retired union I too am unable to work, our income has fordable. It is outrageous, it is dan- miners than any other State. More taken a downward turn. The security of hav- gerous, and it has real consequences for than 27,000 retirees live in West Vir- ing this insurance means the world to us. We real people. ginia alone. [are] neither asking nor expecting nothing For most Americans, this is deeply I have two letters that I would like other than what we were promised. Please, please pass this Senate Bill, not only for the personal. I know it is for me. I will to read into the RECORD that explain two of us, but for the many other UMWA re- never forget the frightening day when what we are dealing with in all parts of tirees and spouses that are also in the same we learned my daughter had a nut al- our State. situation. lergy. She was a toddler, and we were This is Roy from West Virginia, and We have countless letters that come actually in a cabin. We were out in the he says: in on a weekly basis, and it is basically middle of nowhere, and she ate a cash- I am a 63 year old, 3rd generation coal stories. The thing I would want to ew for the first time. Her throat start- miner. I started in the mine 3 days prior to make sure that all my colleagues know ed to close up, although we didn’t real- graduating from high school. Unfortunately, ly know that was what was happening. I had to find other employment in 1999 after and all of America knows is that the 27 years of mining because my mine shut miners provided the energy that built I still remember us driving as fast as down. Although the job that I was hired at the industrial might that we have—an we could through the woods for about paid a lot less (75% less), I felt that we would industrial revolution. They built the 45 minutes to the closest emergency survive because of the promise of lifetime factories. They mined the coal and room, where finally they were able to healthcare. made the steel to build the factories, When I went into mining, I felt that if I help her. That was when we discovered put in my time, I would be taken care of in and they built the guns and ships that that she had a nut allergy. my older years. Now that I am approaching defended this country. They have given She now keeps an EpiPen with her at that stage of my life and am faced with the everything they have had, and this was all times. So when the price of an fact of healthcare concerns of people my age a promise by the U.S. Government in EpiPen increased by three times the group, I am fearful of losing the security 1946. original amount, I knew just how dan- that my pension and health benefits will pro- Because of the bankruptcy laws that gerous that cost increase would be to vide to me and my wife of 43 years. erupted and basically evolved over the Fourteen years ago, my wife was diagnosed the people who rely on the medication, 1980s, they were left with nothing, and with severe rheumatoid arthritis. The cost of and I spoke out. that is what they have. They didn’t her medications alone would total more than It wasn’t just me. It was moms and my pension income, making retirement an take home in the paycheck extra impossibility. The idea of her not being able money. They didn’t take home any- dads across the country who spoke out. to receive the proper treatment for her con- thing else except the promise and guar- They spoke out by writing letters. dition is not an option. If necessary, I will antee that they would have their They spoke out on email. They spoke continue to work to provide the medical care healthcare and the benefits of a pen- out on their Facebook pages. They that she needs and deserves. sion. spoke out on social media. It was lit- Senator Manchin, for the concerns that The average pension for a miner re- erally a nationwide effort to take this have been mentioned in this letter, I deeply on. We successfully worked to bring appreciate the support that you have lent to tired is less than $600, and most of the passage of the Miner’s Protection Act those are for widows. This is something that cost down, but companies and hope that your fellow legislators will that we promised. This is something we shouldn’t just respond when there is consider the same. worked for, we are fighting for, and I outrage over social media. This is Lisa from Fraziers Bottom, am not going to give up until this By the way, not every drug has a con- WV: promise is fulfilled. stituency like that of parents who have

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:13 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.041 S15MYPT1 S2868 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 kids that have nut allergies. There are STOP STALLING ACT AND the Safe and Affordable Drugs from a lot of rare drugs for which maybe CREATES ACT Canada Act. Senator GRASSLEY has only hundreds of families understand Madam President, two of the bills the now taken the place of Senator what a price increase means. There are House Judiciary Committee have al- McCain, and we have introduced that drugs that have constituencies who are ready advanced with bipartisan support bill. disabled or people who aren’t going to are companions to bipartisan legisla- LIFEBOAT ACT be able to basically mob the halls of tion that I am leading in the Senate Madam President, finally, we should Congress to make a change. with Senator GRASSLEY: the Stop act to hold drugmakers accountable for Besides that, I don’t think that is STALLING Act, which addresses the the opioid crisis they helped to create how we want to make change, anyway. abuse of the FDA petition process by by passing the LifeBOAT Act, led by Wouldn’t it be better if we responded in pharma companies, and my bill to our colleague Senator MANCHIN, who a policy way, in a bipartisan way, and crack down on anti-competitive pay- was just in this Chamber, which would simply made some changes to the poli- for-delay agreements. establish a permanent funding stream cies of our government and of our In addition to these commonsense to provide and expand access to treat- country to bring down the price of pre- measures, the House Judiciary Com- ment for addiction. It is only fair that scription drugs—not just the drugs mittee also passed a version of the bi- the companies made wealthy from ad- that are most famous but for all drugs. partisan CREATES Act, which Senator diction be held responsible to fund a There are many examples of why pre- LEAHY and Senator LEE and others pathway for recovery. There are many scription drug pricing is now out of have led and which I have been a co- options, and, alone, none of these will control and why we have to take ac- sponsor of for years, to deter branded fix this problem. But, together, along tion. For instance, a Wall Street Jour- drug companies from withholding test- with other legislation that has been nal article reported that the price for a ing samples to develop new generics. proposed by my colleagues, we can multiple sclerosis drug went up 21 Recently, on ‘‘60 Minutes,’’ there was make a difference. We can no longer times in a decade—21 times. No one a story of the work that is being done pretend this is happening. It is time for could explain that except that it allows in Connecticut in response to what is us to make a dent, to bring down the the company that makes that drug to going on between the generic compa- cost of prescription drugs, and to stop profit big time. nies and the pharmaceutical compa- coddling the pharmaceutical compa- A Stat News story reported that the nies. That is what these bills get at—to nies. price for a leukemia drug was raised get products out on the market, to stop This is about, as I mentioned, Nicole four times over the course of a single and her son, whom she no longer can year, and it now costs nearly $199,000 a the pay-for-delay, in which Big Pharma pays off generics to keep their products share time with. He has left us, but she year. will not let it go. We know that the price of certain in- off the market. Yes, we should take up these bills. It This is about Jessica, a mother sulin products rose 700 percent, ac- whose specialty drug costs to treat her counting for inflation, in two decades. is very important, but we must do more. We must also make sure that arthritis are $50,000 a year. When the State of the Union happened This is about a woman from Crystal, Medicare negotiates for prices. Right this year, I invited a guest, and that MN, who told me ‘‘I am practically now there is literally a ban on negotia- guest was a woman named Nicole going without food’’ to pay for her pre- tion, so 43 million seniors cannot get Smith Holt, and it was her son, a scriptions. This is happening in Amer- the benefit of less expensive drug young man named Alec, who was a 26- ica. year-old restaurant manager. He prices. That doesn’t help just 43 million Madam President, I note that my col- seniors if we lift that ban; it also helps worked in my State. He worked hard. league Senator BLUMENTHAL is here, He was a good guy, and he was on his everyone in America because they are and I know that he has remarks as parents’ health insurance until he was such big purchasers of prescription well. 26. When that health insurance ended, drugs that it will bring down the cost I yield the floor. when he could not get that health in- for everyone. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- surance, he then had to pay for the in- The other bill I noted was the one ator from Connecticut. sulin himself since he was a diabetic. It about the petitioning process that was Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Thank you, was $1,200 a month. He was unable to designed to allow interested parties to Madam President. I will be speaking in afford his insulin. So what did he do? raise legitimate health and safety just a moment, but I understand the Sadly, he did what too many people are issues related to generic drug applica- minority leader, Senator SCHUMER, is doing in America right now. He started tions, but for years branded on his way to speak before me, so he rationing that insulin. He rationed drugmakers have filed sham petitions should be here within moments. that insulin, and he died waiting for to delay the FDA’s approval of the Ms. KLOBUCHAR. While we await for his next paycheck. He was a restaurant competing generic drugs. Senator SCHUMER, I want to mention manager in the suburbs of the Twin Studies show that the FDA denies just a few examples of what we are Cities. more than 90 percent of petitions relat- talking about here with drug prices—a His mother sat at the State of the ing to generics and that more than 10 woman named Paula. Paula has been Union, looking down at the President, percent of generics between 2011 and prescribed a treatment for her multiple looking down at the Congress, to make 2015 were filed by branded pharma- sclerosis. It costs over $5,000 a month. the point that she needed action, and ceutical companies. Our legislation She has been getting copay assistance in the memory of her son Alec, she was would help to deter those who engage from a grant but does not know how going to make sure that action hap- in sham petitioning. According to the she is going to afford it and whether pens. CBO—the Congressional Budget Of- she is going to be able to afford her Congress has a duty to act, and the fice—that would save U.S. taxpayers lifesaving medication. President should support these efforts. $117 million over the next 10 years. Julie, another example, is covered Committees in the House of Represent- These are ideas that have been out under her husband’s employer plan. atives, for the first time, have already there for a long time. These are things She currently has to pay a $500 copay advanced proposals to reduce the cost that we believe would make a major for a drug that she needs—the same of prescription drugs, and we should be difference. drug that was once offered in a generic moving similar legislation here in the SAFE AND AFFORDABLE DRUGS FROM CANADA form for $50, a fraction of the new cost. Senate. ACT The generic drug has been discon- Yes, it is true that there are two Madam President, another one I tinued, creating an impossible choice pharma lobbyists for every Member of would like to mention is a bill that I between paying $500 or not filling her Congress. That is a fact, and for years first introduced with the late Senator prescription. Because of the high cost, they have felt that they owned Con- John McCain to allow Americans to she goes without this drug. gress. That has to change. They do not bring in certain safe, less expensive Diane—Diane has an EpiPen for bee own me, and they do not own the peo- drugs from Canada. I have continued stings and is unhappy with the high ple who are speaking up today. this bipartisan effort by introducing cost. She says:

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:57 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.042 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2869 Now that I am retired, it is horrific how I So I repeat: The American people de- fronting the skyrocketing cost of pre- have to buy them in a pack of two, and they serve to know what is going on. If the scription drugs. Drug companies’ price- cost more than before. The prices have just President and Republicans in Congress gouging, their manipulation of their skyrocketed. Every year I throw away some- are planning to take the United States monopolistic power to raise those thing that is so expensive that I cannot use. It is way overpriced. into a conflict, even a war in the Mid- prices and make the industry’s prac- dle East, the American people deserve tices noncompetitive and to exclude Angie, from Savage, MN, is a mother, to know that, and they deserve to even new products from coming to a wife, and a teacher. In May of 2018, know why. market—all of these abuses have be- she was admitted to a hospital, where I yield the floor. come so extreme and so outrageous MRI scans showed brain lesions. She The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- that there is now bipartisan consensus was eventually discharged from the ator from Connecticut. that we need to stop it. hospital and was instructed to follow Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Madam Presi- I am proud today to support the Af- up with a neurologist. She received a dent, I want to begin by thanking the fordable Prescriptions for Patients Act. multiple sclerosis diagnosis. She was minority leader for bringing this issue It is a bipartisan piece of legislation, prescribed a new medication that is as straightforwardly and as clearly as and it will finally put a stop to some of also one of the most effective drugs he has. As a member of the Armed the most egregious monopolistic and available today for treating MS. Pay- Services Committee, I demand to know predatory tactics within the drug in- ment for the expensive drug was de- from the Acting Secretary of Defense dustry. These tactics would make even nied. and other relevant officials why we the robber barons of the Gilded Age These are just examples of the people have deployed these American military blush with guilt and embarrassment we see every day. assets, including an aircraft carrier for the obvious anti-consumer effects I yield the floor. group, a number of bombers and Pa- that impact the average American. Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, triot missile units to one of the most These patent abuses go by colorful first, I want to thank the Senator from dangerous parts of the world, where names like ‘‘patent thicketing’’ and Minnesota—the senior Senator—for all they may unexpectedly provoke act of ‘‘product hopping,’’ but these names of the great work she has done in work- war. obscure their very pernicious purpose. ing to reduce the high cost of drugs for We are on a dangerous path without Patent thicketing and product hopping the American people. a strategy. We are embarked on a are only the tip of this monopolistic THE MIDDLE EAST course of potential war without in- iceberg. While these terms may be un- Madam President, on a much dif- forming the Congress or the American familiar to many Americans, almost ferent subject but a very important people. We have demanded repeatedly everyone is familiar with the harmful one—Iran and the Middle East—I have that we be briefed, and it must be in effects these predatory practices returned to the floor this afternoon public. produce. amid several concerned reports about This situation has reached a point of The fault here is with the people who the Trump administration’s position potential conflagration. The tinderbox take advantage of shortages and mar- on Iran. of the Middle East is no place to oper- ket power. They exploit them in the Earlier this week, it was reported ate on impulse or whim. That is the ap- same way that anti-trust abuses have that the administration’s national se- pearance this administration has cre- been done over the decade, and they curity team discussed a plan that ated by lacking a clearly articulated are the reason we have anti-trust laws. would deploy at least 120,000 U.S. strategy for the American people to Now, to confront this even more egre- troops in the Middle East. Today we know and assess. On the Armed Serv- gious example of abuses of market learned that personnel were removed ices Committee, we have asked repeat- power, we need these new laws. from the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. The edly for this kind of information, and According to one study in 2017, across President himself initially denied there so far the administration has refused the top 12 grossing drugs in America, was a plan and then seemed to confirm to provide it. So this kind of open hear- drugs companies filed an average of 127 the reports by saying that he would ing is necessary to be open information patent applications per drug. By cre- ‘‘absolutely’’ send troops, and, if he for the American people, and they de- ating a thicket, a genuine thicket of did, ‘‘it would be a hell of a lot more serve and need no less. patents around their drugs, drug com- than 120,000.’’ PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS panies are able to double the number of The news comes as quite a surprise to Madam President, I turn now to a years of market exclusivity that they the American people, who have grown topic that is of great consequence to have before a competitor can enter the quite tired of wars in the Middle East, the American people for their health market. of the loss of life and fortune when and their economic well-being. During this time, these drug compa- there is so much that has to be done in As we all know and as the senior Sen- nies are able to charge consumers ex- America. ator from Minnesota, my great friend traordinarily high prices for drugs they The American people deserve to AMY KLOBUCHAR, has very eloquently desperately need. If you use HUMIRA know what is going on here. We are and powerfully described, the high cost or have rheumatoid arthritis, you talking about not only putting 120,000 of essential medicines in this country should be deeply concerned about pat- troops in harm’s way in this possible is a national disgrace. It is immoral. ent thicketing. According to one study, deployment but also about the safety For the greatest country in the world the manufacturer of HUMIRA has filed and the actions of the thousands of to compel ordinary Americans to 247 patents so it can exclude competi- troops we have stationed in the Middle choose between covering the cost of tors from the market. It keeps those East right now. their rent and putting food on the table competitive adversaries from pro- So I am calling on Acting Defense or paying for their medicine needed to ducing drugs and can do so for a total Secretary Shanahan and the Chairman stay alive is absolutely abhorrent and of 39 years. During those 39 years, the of the Joint Chiefs, General Dunford, unacceptable. cost of HUMIRA in the future—they to come testify before the Senate The only people who benefit under will do it for 39 years—is just going to Armed Services Committee in an open the current system are the high-paid keep climbing. According to reports, setting before the end of the week. The executives, whose pay is increased even between 2012 and 2015 alone, the aver- hearings that are done in secret do not more by this unjust and intolerable age amount that Medicare and Med- inform the American people of what is system. It yields them greater profit icaid spent on each patient using going on, and they are entitled to know without any greater help to the Amer- HUMIRA more than doubled—from because the lessons of history teach us ican people. $16,000 to $33,000. Things will only get that when things are done in secret, be- It has to stop, and the good news is, worse in the years to come. hind closed doors, mistakes can be we have bipartisan agreement that it Rheumatoid arthritis patients are made and momentum built for a course must stop. After years of disagreement, hardly the only ones who should be of action that the Nation ultimately we are starting to see Republicans and concerned about patent thicketing. A regrets. Democrats coming together and con- large number of patents have been filed

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:57 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.044 S15MYPT1 S2870 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 to protect the market exclusivity of it has taken many months to draft and multiple sclerosis in Brooklyn Park, drugs that treat conditions like cancer, introduce this measure. I thank his MN. Nikki received her MS diagnosis stroke, blood clots, diabetes, multiple staff, as well as my own, for all of their only 3 months after running her first myeloma, and macular degeneration. hard work on this bill reaching this bi- half-marathon. The diagnosis was Patent thickets will keep competi- partisan consensus. frightening, and Nikki wondered if she tors off the market. It will cost con- This legislation will embolden and would ever be able to run again. I am sumers thousands, perhaps hundreds of encourage our anti-trust forces to pur- happy to say that 4 years later, Nikki thousands of dollars, each year. It isn’t sue pharma companies that are getting is walking and running just fine. Her only the patients who use the drugs away with anti-competitive practices. progress is due largely to the treat- It will also give clear guidance to our who suffer these effects; we all pay the ment regimen her doctors prescribed. courts to allow them to quickly and cost of higher insurance when those in- However, with the rising price of her surers have to pay higher costs for easily distinguish between product primary medication, Nikki wonders drugs. It hits all of us, not just the pa- hopping and patent thicketing from how long she is going to be able to af- tients who suffer from these medical truly innovative, truly inventive con- ford it. When her medication was first conditions. duct that benefits patients. Unfortunately, this obviously anti- This legislation makes sure that any introduced to the market in 2004, the competitive practice is not the only company caught redhanded engaging in price was around $16,000 a year. Today, way drug companies abuse the patent these harmful practices will have to it is more than $80,000. system to keep drug prices high. Just pay and be held accountable. Without significant changes in the before the protections for their first This legislation will also lower formulation of her medicine, the price drug expire, brand-name drug compa- healthcare costs for millions of Ameri- has skyrocketed 440 percent. Those cans by increasing competition in the nies pull a bait-and-switch, pushing higher prices translated to higher market. If we pass this legislation, mil- consumers onto a new, slightly dif- monthly costs and a constant source of lions of Americans may no longer have ferent drug. That means any generic worry for Nikki. competition coming to market will to choose between food on the table, struggle to penetrate the market, and their rent payment, and the medicine Finally, I am inspired by the memory consumers will be stuck with the they need and deserve. That is a choice of Alec Smith. Here is Alec’s story. brand-name drug for even longer, like- no one should ever have to make in the Alec transitioned off his mom’s health ly at a significantly higher cost. In this greatest country in the history of the insurance at age 26. He was a type 1 di- way, the brand-name company suc- world. abetic, so he depended on insulin to We cannot allow drug companies to ceeds in gouging customers and keep- survive. Without insurance, Alec faced continue their monopolistic practices ing their profits growing. That is their a $1,300-a-month cost for managing his and predatory abuses that only in- objective—not better product, not bet- diabetes. Most of that was driven by crease the profit of those companies. ter health, not better patient experi- the high price of the insulin. Alec had We cannot allow those drug companies ences, only higher profits. a good job, but his diabetes treatment to reap massive personal benefits for One of the most famous examples of was eating up nearly 45 percent of his their executives, while Americans are product hopping—the practice I have monthly salary, and that is on top of struggling to make ends meet. I urge just described—concerns Namenda, a regular expenses for food and rent and the Senate to immediately take up this drug to treat Alzheimer’s. This drug other basic necessities. So Alec did legislation to protect American pa- was produced by a company called what he had to do. He rationed his in- tients today. Actavis. When Actavis originally re- I happily yield the floor to my col- sulin to make ends meet. Unfortu- leased Namenda, it was usually taken league from Minnesota. nately, less than a month after his 26th by patients twice a day, but a number The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- birthday and less than 1 month after he of years before Namenda’s market ex- ator from Minnesota. transitioned off his mom’s insurance, clusivity was going to expire, Actavis Ms. SMITH. Madam President, I rise Alec passed away. He was the victim of went to the FDA to approve a new today to join Senator KLOBUCHAR and insulin rationing. version of Namenda, this one taken my colleagues on behalf of all Minneso- Colleagues, we are at a crisis point. just once a day. A new drug? No. A dif- tans and Americans who struggle to af- Thousands of people like Alec are ra- ferent way of taking it? Maybe. To im- ford their prescription drugs. tioning their prescriptions so they can prove patient health? No. To increase The increasing price of prescription afford them, and sometimes they are profits? Yes. drugs is a top concern for Americans literally paying with their lives. Pa- Although the FDA had approved this and Minnesotans. Every day, compa- tients with health insurance, like drug in 2010, Actavis strategically nies are launching new treatments at waited 3 years to introduce this, with astronomical prices, and they are spik- Nikki and Rachael, are facing higher the apparent goal of extending its ex- ing the price of older drugs, like insu- and higher out-of-pocket costs, and clusivity in the U.S. market. Once the lin. Americans are taking notice of this seniors are being forced to choose be- new drug was introduced, Actavis greedy behavior that puts patients tween paying for groceries and paying pushed all of its customers onto it, last. for their medicine. while pulling the old drug from the The No. 1 issue I hear about from In the wealthiest country in the market. As a result, Actavis was able Minnesotans is the cost of healthcare world, this is unacceptable. It is mor- to continue charging monopoly prices and specifically the cost of prescription ally wrong that the pharmaceutical on essentially the same drug long after drugs. Every day, Minnesotans inspire companies are raking profits off of sky- Namenda’s first patent was expected to me to fight to lower the price of pre- rocketing prices while Americans expire. scription drugs, Minnesotans like struggle to pay for their prescription We have reached the time to stop Rachael Malmberg, a military veteran drugs. That is simple to understand, patent thicketing and product hopping with cancer. but the industry would have you be- once and for all. We have reached the Before Rachel battled cancer, she lieve otherwise. time to bring sanity and fairness to the battled teams on the ice, playing hock- drug market so consumers can see ey for the University of Minnesota and Their first argument. Well, drug pric- lower prices. the U.S. Olympic Team. Rachael’s ing is so complex; it is impossible to I am proud to be joining with Sen- daily medicine is stabilizing her can- understand; and Congress should study ator CORNYN of Texas to introduce the cer, but it comes at a great cost. Even the problem. I would argue this com- Affordable Prescriptions for Patients with health insurance, she still pays plexity serves a function. Complexity Act. It will fight these abusive prac- $9,000 a month. For Rachael, affording obscures all the ways the drug compa- tices and give consumers some much her prescription drugs is a matter of nies are gaming the system to drive up needed relief from higher drug costs. I life or death. profits. Colleagues, we can’t be para- thank Senator CORNYN for his leader- I have also talked with Minnesotans lyzed by complexity. We need to create ship. We joined in this partnership, and like Nikki Foster, a mom living with more transparency in drug pricing.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:09 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.046 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2871 So then the pharmaceutical compa- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- my hand without the drug. The drug compa- nies come back with their second argu- ator from Virginia is recognized. nies are getting away with robbery. We need ment. They say high prices are the re- Mr. KAINE. Madam President, I rise Medicare to have the authority to negotiate sult of altruistic purposes, like invest- with my colleagues to just tell stories drug prices. ing in research, development, and inno- I am hearing from Virginians. Having Ron from Arlington, just across the vation, but, colleagues, remember, it is completed a campaign last November, I Potomac, wrote me after he went to taxpayers, not drug companies, who was out doing a lot of listening and renew a prescription he had been tak- are subsidizing the basic research that have continued to do a lot of listening ing for more than a year. leads to innovation and new cures since then. In your own mind, you kind That is an outrageous increase of 100 per- through the National Institutes of of categorize the stories, and, first, cent or $100 more out of my pocket for ex- Health. Innovation can’t help people if above all else, are stories about actly the same thing [every time I buy it]. I am a retired federal employee on a limited it is too expensive to afford. healthcare. I hear stories about a lot of So then comes their closing argu- income and I am locked into this insurance things, but I hear stories about plan for the rest of the year. So I have to ment. We aren’t the problem, say the healthcare probably as much as all take $100 more out of my pocket to obtain drug companies. It is the PBMs. It is other areas combined. In the area of the exact same thing. the insurers. It is everybody else but healthcare, the issue of the price of Every time he buys it, 100 percent in- us. I would argue that everyone has a prescription drugs is No. 1. crease in the price. role to play. Lots of companies profit Hundreds of Virginians have reached Marie from Virginia Beach wrote me from high drug prices all along the sup- out to me to let me know about the about a drug that costs $375,000 a year. ply chain. That needs to be fixed, and high cost of prescription drugs and how She writes: all of these players need to be held ac- that affects not only their health but countable. Pointing fingers and shift- Without the drug I most likely will be bed- even their ability to put food on their ridden. I cannot afford the exorbitant price. ing blame will not bring down high table or a roof over their heads. Today . . . I recognize the recovery cost of research drug prices. Comprehensive solutions I want to share some stories from Vir- is the main expense, since manufacturing will. ginians and then talk about some com- cost is extremely cheap, but when the suf- In the coming weeks, I will be re- monsense legislation and a present op- ferers cannot afford your drug, then what introducing the Affordable Medications have you gained? portunity to bring drug prices down. Act, which is a comprehensive solution Andrew from Great Falls shared this Medicare is prohibited from negoti- that targets the multiple causes of the story with me. His father was being ating the price of prescription drugs. skyrocketing price of prescription treated for CML, which is a leukemia Medicare Part D enrolls over 43 million drugs, and a number of my Democratic that is effectively curable, and he was seniors nationwide, giving the program colleagues are working with me on this prescribed the drug Gleevec. Now, this incredible bargaining power if it could bill. It would increase transparency story goes back a little bit, and here is only be used for their benefit. and hold pharmaceutical companies ac- what Andrew said: Many seniors are on fixed incomes. countable for their role in setting high The average senior gets Social Secu- In the United States, Gleevec costs ap- prices. My bill would make prescrip- rity. Their median income is $28,000, so tion drugs more affordable by allowing proximately $159 to manufacture for a year’s dose. an $8,000 drug cost is one-third to a Medicare to use its buying power to ne- That is the manufactured cost. quarter of their income. In the wealthi- gotiate lower prices, just like we al- est Nation in the world, seniors should In India, a generic version of this drug ready do with the Department of Vet- not have to choose between paying for erans Affairs. costs about $400 a year to purchase for use. In Canada, the price is around $8,800 a year their medication and putting food on My bill goes further by penalizing the table or heating their home. So drug companies that spike prices and for a generic of the drug, and $38,000 a year for the branded drug. In the United States, many of these seniors tell me about allowing for the safe importation of there is no available generic, and the brand getting medication and then thinking: lower cost drugs from other countries name drug’s marketing cost is $146,000 a If I cut the pill in half and just take like Canada. My bill would spur inno- year. This is not a drug that consumers can half a dose, maybe I can save some vation by creating a fund for new anti- simply choose to take or not take—to be money—but that then comes at an in- biotics and funding for clinical drug blunt, they will . . . literally die of cancer if they don’t take it. credible reduction in the efficacy of the trials, and it would protect competi- prescription you are taking to control tion by blocking unfair, anticompeti- Now, since Andrew wrote me the let- your healthcare condition. tive drug monopoly practices. This bill ter, a generic has been approved in the This is why I joined with Senator would eliminate the blame game and United States that has provided him KLOBUCHAR, and I appreciate her orga- put patients at the center of the solu- and other families relief, but for a long nizing this group of us on the floor tion. period of time, $146,000 in the United today, to introduce the Empowering Now, I recently introduced bipartisan States for a drug that costs $159 to Medicare Seniors to Negotiate Drug legislation with Senator CASSIDY to manufacture, and the price to patients Prices Act, which allows Medicare to help bring low-cost biosimilars, like in- in other countries is dramatically less. sulin, to the market. I am working to negotiate drug prices. This is simple, Daniel from Martinsville in Southern basic, best business practice. Every- reintroduce legislation that would Virginia wrote to me about the high limit the ability of the big brand name body will negotiate prices. Why should price of insulin, which is a common we bar the Medicare Part D Program drug companies to keep lower cost ge- theme, I know, for all of us here with neric drugs off the market. that provides a prescription drug ben- constituents. efit to 43 million people—why should Many of these proposals have bipar- He writes: tisan support. Many more should, but we bar them from negotiating for drug I paid $505.00 for 3 bottles of Humalog Insu- prices? we haven’t brought any of these bills lin . . . at Walgreens. This is a three month up for a vote in the Senate. I urge my According to a recent analysis, Medi- supply, but another Eli Lilly insulin is re- care would have saved $14.4 billion. colleagues to take up these proposals quired by my wife in order for her to avoid and the drug pricing bills making their death [and that is hundreds of dollars more]. That is billion with a ‘‘b.’’ Medicare would have saved $14.4 billion on just 50 way through the House right now as we Laurie from Norfolk wrote to me to drugs in 2016 if the program had paid speak. Alec, Nikki, Rachael, and all of share her story. Laurie has rheumatoid the same prices as the Department of our constituents don’t have the luxury arthritis, and she lives on Social Secu- Veterans Affairs, which is allowed to of waiting for Congress to break rity. She writes: through legislative gridlock until they negotiate. That is a whole separate The drug company wants $65,000 for the can afford what they need to live. level of absurdity. Why would we, as drug. With my Medicare part D, they only Congress, allow the Department of Vet- Thank you, Senator KLOBUCHAR, for want $8,000—[that is good, but that is] over 1/ drawing attention to this issue and for 3 of my annual income [as a senior on Social erans Affairs, as they buy these same inviting me to join with you today. Security for one drug]. I have applied for the drugs from the same manufacturers, to I yield to my colleague from Vir- drug companies patient assistance program negotiate and get a volume discount ginia, Senator KAINE. [because] the pain is too great. I can’t use but tell the Medicare Program they

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:09 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.048 S15MYPT1 S2872 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 can’t? We actually know how much United States, and insulin is a critical negotiation, unleashing the power of 43 money we would save because of allow- and life-sustaining daily treatment for million Americans. That is a lot of peo- ing the Veterans Affairs Department to 71⁄2 million of those people. Yet, be- ple. Seniors are good at getting deals. negotiate, which they should be able tween 2012 and 2016, spending on insulin That is 43 million people. Yet they are to, but why would we then handcuff nearly doubled, even while there was banned from negotiating with Medicare Medicare Part D and not allow them? little change in the actual use of insu- to get better deals for themselves. That If Medicare would have saved $14.4 lin. So what explains that? should change. billion just in those 50 drugs in 1 year, The price hikes we have experienced We need less expensive drugs from that is $14.4 billion that could be used have caused Virginians who need these other countries—safe drugs. That for better healthcare, the deficit reduc- drugs, whose stories I have indicated, would certainly create more competi- tion, tax relief, Pell grants, education to endure severe financial hardship, ra- tion. We had bipartisan support for a expenses. There is also a savings not tion their supplies, or even skip the proposal like that. Senator GRASSLEY just to Medicare but to patients that needed medication. and I have the bill that would take one would also be in the billions. In February, I joined all my Demo- country, Canada. In Minnesota and in Every corner pharmacy negotiates cratic colleagues on the Health, Edu- the Presiding Officer’s State of North the price of prescription drugs. Every cation, Labor, and Pensions Com- Dakota we can see Canada from our Walmart does. When they are buying mittee, where I sit with Senator SMITH, porch. The point is that we see those prescription drugs to sell in their phar- who preceded me, and we sent a letter less expensive drugs right across the macy, they negotiate based on volume. to three insulin manufacturers request- border. We should be able to have that It makes no sense that the Federal ing information about recent price in- competition. Government is not allowed to do the creases, how the revenue contributes to Then, look at the CREATES Act and same thing. research and development, and what some of the other ways of stopping Another area is biologic medicines. companies are doing to help patients pay-for-delay and stopping, as Senator They represent a new and very prom- access affordable insulin. BLUMENTHAL was describing, these pat- ising area of treatment. I do want to In closing, I said there are not only ent abuses to try to make sure we have stop here and say I am not one of these good ideas in Senator KLOBUCHAR’s bill more competition. I think there is people who use a big broad brush and and in others, but there is also a good starting to be general agreement on say pharmaceutical companies are bad. time. In the Health, Education, Labor, this issue that we have to take on Why are we living longer? Why is the and Pensions Committee, our Chair, these pharmaceutical prices. The time average age going up and up and up? It Senator ALEXANDER, and our ranking for describing the problem is still here is going up and up and up because of member, Senator MURRAY, have indi- because it seems like some of our col- better medical care, and much of that cated that one of the bills we want to leagues don’t get it, but the time for medical care and improvement is inno- work on this year is a bill of single- action is certainly now. vation in the pharmaceutical industry, shot strategies to reduce medical costs. Thank you, Mr. President. so I am not on a campaign to say phar- It is not going to be the rewrite of the I yield the floor. maceutical companies are bad. They healthcare system. Senator ALEXANDER The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- are producing lifesaving prescriptions and Senator MURRAY were heard to de- ator from Kansas. that are easing suffering and pro- scribe that if we can do a bill with a se- NATIONAL POLICE WEEK longing life. It is just that the price ries of singles, that would be a very Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, this Americans pay for those drugs is so far good thing. So we will work together week, as we know, our Nation observes out of whack with what other nations as colleagues to come up with a series National Police Week, a time when we do, and one of the things that is inno- of strategies that could bring pay tribute to our law enforcement of- vative, that is great is biologic medi- healthcare costs down, and we have an ficers, especially those who died in the cines. opportunity in this bill to have some of line of duty. Today I rise to honor their When competing products—they are those provisions deal with provisions dedication and their significant and called biosimilars—attempt to enter just like those I have described that tremendous sacrifice. the market, they often find it impos- can reduce the cost of prescription On Monday evening, thousands of sible to navigate the thicket of patent drugs. people gathered on the National Mall laws that protect the branded product I am proud to join my colleagues to to pay tribute to the 371 officers who because they lack access to readily ac- share stories of Virginians. It is prob- gave their lives in the line of duty. cessible information. So when bio- ably the single-most frequent com- Four officers from Kansas were among similar manufacturers are able to un- plaint I hear, and it is a complaint we those memorialized on Monday. cover the web of patents, expensive can do something about. Last June, Wyandotte County sher- litigation too often results in patents With that, I yield the floor. iff’s deputies Theresa King and Patrick being found to be invalid or unenforce- The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Rohrer were shot and killed while pre- able. CRAMER). The Senator from Minnesota. paring to transport a prisoner. Theresa That is why I joined with Senator Ms. KLOBUCHAR. I thank the Sen- King joined the Wyandotte County COLLINS from Maine on a second bill to ator from Virginia for his thoughtful Sheriff’s Office in 2005. A working introduce the Biologic Patent Trans- remarks and the Senator from Con- mother of three children, Theresa, or parency Act. Our bill promotes patent necticut, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, as well as ‘‘TK,’’ was known for coming to work transparency by requiring manufactur- Senator SMITH, my colleague. every day with a smile and a willing- ers of approved products to disclose The time for action is now. We have ness to help out in any way that she and list patents covering their prod- all cited numerous examples of people could. She is a founding member of the ucts with the FDA in what we call the who, literally, are taking drugs that, in Kansas City-based Lancaster-Melton FDA Purple Book. The legislation en- the case of insulin, was $17 a vial and is Peacekeepers Civitan Club, a group of courages manufacturers to apply for now $1,213 a month. That is simply out- law enforcement officers and their fam- patents sooner, allow prospective bio- rageous. We have people who can’t af- ilies dedicated to honoring slain offi- similar manufacturers to challenge ford drugs that they used to just take cers. weaker or invalid patents earlier in the as commonplace, and there were no Patrick Rohrer, a husband and father product development process to elimi- changes made. of two children, joined the Wyandotte nate waste, and the legislation will So for me, a lot of this is what hap- County Sheriff’s Office in 2011. Patrick help us bring needed biosimilar treat- pens when you have monopolies, what was known as a dedicated deputy that ments to patients faster and ulti- happens when you don’t have competi- never lost his sense of humor and often mately help lower drug prices. tion. So the answer is to look at all of peppered his colleagues with his favor- Finally, a word about insulin. Over 30 the measures we could take to ensure ite ‘‘Star Wars’’ quotes. He was also million people—that is like the com- that there is better price negotiation known for his competitive spirit. bined population of about 19 or 20 and more competition. One of them, as Patrick had been a varsity letterman States—live with diabetics in the Senator KAINE mentioned, is Medicare on the swim team at Shawnee Mission

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:09 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.050 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2873 Northwest High School. His family’s who have departed but as a reminder to legacy left behind by Linda Brown and motto became ‘‘Keep on Swimming.’’ all of us that remain. her parents. Linda Brown just passed I will echo Wyandotte County’s Sher- May God bless our law enforcement away last year, and we honor her, her iff Don Ash’s words in memorializing officers and protect them from harm as family, and all those involved in the the deputies: ‘‘Theresa and Patrick they faithfully perform their duties civil rights movement. were heroes in every sense of the word’’ each and every day. This legacy is one that requires all when they put ‘‘their lives between a 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF BROWN V. BOARD OF Americans—each of us—to uphold the cold-blooded killer and the citizens EDUCATION self-evident truth that all men and they swore an oath to protect.’’ Mr. President, on the of 65th anniver- women are created equal. Let us re- In September, Deputy Sheriff Robert sary of the Supreme Court decision on member the legacy of Brown v. Topeka Kunze of the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Brown v. Board of Education, I rise to Board of Education, and in doing so, I Office was fatally shot during an en- pay tribute to the Topeka, KS, fami- ask every American to commit to ra- counter with a suspect in a stolen vehi- lies, led by the Browns and all Kansans cial justice and equal opportunity. cle. He, too, was a husband and father who took part in challenging the injus- DISASTER RELIEF who had served with the Sedgwick tice of racial segregation. Mr. President, I rise to speak about County Sheriff’s Office for 12 years and For 60 years, leading up to Brown, the devastation I have seen as I toured had previously served with the Shaw- much of America adhered to the Su- flooded areas of Kansas, as well as nee County Sheriff’s Office for 6 years. preme Court ruling in Plessy v. Fer- parts of Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa, Robert Kunze’s impact on the depart- guson that established the doctrine of and the need for Congress to pass a dis- ment was made apparent when Sedg- ‘‘separate but equal.’’ However, when aster bill to provide assistance to im- wick County’s Sheriff Jeff Easter re- applied to school buildings and the edu- pacted agricultural producers. ferred to his death as the loss of a cation of our children, nothing about it Kansas farmers and ranchers have ‘‘family member.’’ Robert was known was equal. endured several challenging years. as an exceptional law enforcement offi- In 1951, Linda Carol Brown was in the Since 2013, net farm income has been cer and has been remembered by his third grade and would walk six blocks cut in half due to low commodity colleagues as having a contagious to a bus stop that would take her to prices. The flooding across Kansas and laugh that always made others feel Monroe Elementary, more than a mile the Midwest has been one more setback welcome. away from her home, despite the fact in the long list of challenges facing our This year we also memorialized Jef- that Sumner Elementary was seven farmers and ranchers. ferson County undersheriff George blocks from her home. Even after re- In the days following the worst flood- Burnau, who died in the line of duty on peated applications for attendance at ing, I visited areas of Kansas that were April 29, 1920. His dedication set an ex- the neighborhood school, the Browns underwater. I saw farm ground that ample for generations of law enforce- and other families were rejected. They cannot be planted or put into use until ment officers in Kansas and around the were rejected because of the color of significant time, effort, and resources country, those that followed him. their skin. are invested in restoring that land. I would like to honor one additional In that year, 13 parents, led by Continued rainfall across the State and law enforcement officer who is serving Linda’s father Oliver, filed suit against region has threatened to cause addi- on my staff as a Department of Justice the Topeka Board of Education on be- tional flooding in many areas as well fellow. ATF Special Agent Matt Beccio half of their 20 children. Combining as delayed planning for many farmers. has become an integral part of our other cases throughout the country, It is important and it is necessary team over the past year, giving sound Thurgood Marshall argued on their be- that Congress meet the challenge of advice on issues relating to Justice and half before the U.S. Supreme Court— providing assistance to those pro- traveling to Kansas to meet with local the Court that he would later join as a ducers, many of whom lost everything. law enforcement officials. His firsthand Justice. As negotiations continue on a disaster enforcement experience and passion for On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court bill, I would like to highlight the im- bettering the lives of law enforcement unanimously issued its landmark deci- portance of providing funds for the officers across the country have been sion announcing that Plessy’s ‘‘sepa- Emergency Conservation Program and tremendous assets to our office. This rate but equal’’ doctrine violated the amending the current disaster program week Matt led members of my staff in Fourteenth Amendment. While full in- to help cover the cost of lost stored participating in Police Week’s 5K me- tegration would take years to accom- grain. morial run alongside Kansas law en- plish, the events set in motion by these The Emergency Conservation Pro- forcement and their colleagues from determined parents were irreversible, gram was authorized to help producers across the country. and they are worthy of our respect and restore land damaged from natural dis- Thank you, Matt, for your dedication honor today. asters, including floods. Kansans are, and for using your role in our office to Nowhere was this truer than in the unfortunately, familiar with ECP as a better support your colleagues in law city where it all started. Before the result of assistance our State received enforcement. case had even reached the Supreme to help rebuild fences following the During National Police Week and Court, the Topeka Board of Education devastating wildfires of 2017 and 2018. throughout the year, we are reminded began integrating its primary schools. However, this program does not cur- that law enforcement needs our sup- Kansas had its pre-Civil War blood- rently have sufficient funds to cover port. We must provide them with the shed to determine whether the Terri- producers impacted by this year’s resources they need to do their jobs. As tory would enter the Union as a free floods. chairman of the Appropriations Sub- State or slave State, and Wichita was I asked Secretary Perdue about the committee that funds the Department home to one of the first sit-ins to inte- ECP budget shortfall at a recent Ag of Justice and, particularly, those law grate drugstore lunch counters. But it Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, enforcement grants, I am committed to is Brown v. Board of Education that is and as expected, he gave his full en- doing so. our State’s greatest connection to the dorsement and support for Congress to We know we must provide the tools Nation’s pursuit of racial justice. provide funds for ECP in this disaster that law enforcement needs to build That these events happened in Kan- bill. Secretary Perdue recognizes that and strengthen the bonds of trust with sas reflect the imperfect history of our funds must be provided to ECP and those they serve and provide our best State and of our Nation, but also the other ag disaster programs to help pro- efforts to address the underlying chal- resolve of individual Kansans and na- ducers restore damaged land and re- lenges and the challenges of our soci- tional organizations like the NAACP to move flood debris. Congress must also ety and of our country that face each right wrongs and to make ‘‘a more per- provide assistance to producers who and every community. fect union,’’ as our Constitution con- lost stored grain due to floods. We honor the service and sacrifice of templates. Oftentimes, the farmer’s income or our Nation’s fallen law enforcement of- On this anniversary of Brown v. revenue is not money in the bank but ficers, not only for the sake of those Board of Education, we remember the instead grain stored in a bin waiting to

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:09 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.052 S15MYPT1 S2874 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 be sold. With market uncertainty due women—who entered the workforce at the numbers are much lower—only 39 to trade disputes, farmers have more a later time didn’t have as many years percent have an opportunity and only grain in storage than usual, waiting for to put money away for retirement sav- 22 percent actually participate in prices to increase. When that grain is ings. plans. For small businesses, only about wiped out by floods, it is similar to the We simplified the retirement plans so 50 percent provide retirement access to family’s savings account being drained that small companies could establish a their employees, and 34 percent partici- of its cash. pension plan and have safe harbor, so it pate. In the lowest quintile—those at Currently, disaster programs are not was not as complicated to set up pen- the lowest incomes—44 percent have equipped to help these producers who sion plans. access to retirement savings through lost a year’s worth of work and income We established a saver’s credit. We their employment; yet only half that when their stored grain was damaged did that because we recognized that the number actually participate. or destroyed. Congress has the oppor- Tax Code itself wasn’t necessarily a The urgency of this is really under- tunity in the disaster bill to give great enough incentive to get younger scored by the fact that we have now USDA the authority to cover the loss and lower wage workers interested in gone from a landscape that included of stored grain and to help these pro- participating in a retirement plan. We mostly defined-benefit plans where the ducers get back on their feet. found that if an employer put money employer had a plan for you, that em- While faced with these great chal- on the table, most employees would opt ployer took the risks, and you had a lenges, farmers and ranchers continue to join that pension plan. Witness the guaranteed benefit when you retired— to provide the food, fuel, and fiber to Thrift Savings we have here as Federal you didn’t have to think about how our Nation and the world. Agriculture employees. much money you put away because is one of the most demanding ways of We recognized that a lot of the small- your company was protecting you on life. It is full of uncertainty, but it is er companies didn’t offer those types of retirement with a defined benefit. We also a very noble calling. plans. So we developed the saver’s cred- have gone from a defined-benefit world It is imperative that Congress pass a it, which allowed lower wage workers to a defined-contribution world. disaster bill to help producers who lost to be able to get government help with I am going to yield at this point to goods to floods and other disasters and putting money away for their retire- Senator PORTMAN to go over the provi- to make certain farmers and ranchers ment. sions we are including in the Portman- across the Nation know that we appre- Quite frankly, the law that was Cardin bill. I believe we will have time, ciate what they do to provide for our passed back then did dramatically help and I will come back and comment on Nation. the number of people who participated some of the particular provisions. I yield the floor. in retirement savings. We also included I want to compliment Senator The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- an automatic enrollment feature, and PORTMAN for his longstanding commit- ator from Maryland. that also helped dramatically increase ment to dealing with this national Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I would the number of people participating in need. America’s economy is strong, but ask unanimous consent that Senator retirement savings. it is not strong on personal savings and PORTMAN and I be recognized for up to I give that as background because retirement savings, and we need to do 25 minutes. Senator PORTMAN and I have joined up better. It has been a pleasure to work The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without again in the Senate in an effort to with Senator PORTMAN in regard to objection, it is so ordered. build on the success we had over a dec- these issues. RETIREMENT SECURITY ade ago. Mr. PORTMAN. Thanks to my col- Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, shortly, We had a hearing this past week, and league from Maryland for yielding to I am going to be joined by Senator in that hearing, we brought up the fact me. It is great to be back on the floor PORTMAN. The two of us have been that several provisions that Senator with him talking about retirement sav- working for well over a decade on re- PORTMAN and I had been working on ings. tirement savings issues. When both of are included in the recent legislation, Back in 1996 and again in 2001 and us were Members of the House of Rep- which is legislation that had passed the 2006, we passed legislation while we resentatives, we worked on pension leg- House of Representatives and passed were in the House of Representatives islation together. It was unusual at the Senate Finance Committee in the together to encourage people to save that time to have a Democrat and a last Congress and the chairman and more for their retirement by providing Republican working together. ranking member of the Senate Finance more incentives, such as increasing, as There was a great deal of discussion Committee have filed in this Congress. an example, the amount you could put about tax reform at that time, and it That includes many important provi- aside in a 401(k) or an IRA and catchup seemed like neither the Democratic sions to improve retirement savings. contributions and simplifying the rules nor Republican leadership was inter- We hope that bill will be considered for small businesses, and we made some ested in dealing with retirement sav- on the floor very shortly. We want to progress. ings at that point. Yet Congressman get that done. Yet we recognize that Those legislative initiatives resulted Portman and I joined forces, recog- we need to go further than that. For in about a doubling of 401(k) assets and nizing the need to strengthen retire- that reason, Senator PORTMAN and I about a tripling of IRA assets but still ment savings in this country. We au- have introduced the Retirement Secu- way too little in savings. Senator thored a bill known as the Portman- rity and Savings Act this year, and it CARDIN talked a little about that. Our Cardin bill. It was more of a process includes many important provisions. It national savings rate is a problem. Our than it was legislation. We brought all deals with the fact that we have yet to personal savings rate is a problem. Our stakeholders together, and we sat fully accomplish what we need to for economy would be stronger if we had around, listened to each other, and retirement savings. more savings. came to a consensus bill that was en- According to a 2019 GAO estimate, 48 The real problem is that people just acted into law and made permanent. It percent of those who are near retire- aren’t saving enough for their retire- provides greater portability among the ment age—those over 55 years of age— ment. Social Security is an absolutely different pension plans in this country, have no retirement nest egg, and 29 essential safety net. Everybody wants recognizing that employees were shift- percent have no savings or pensions. to be sure it will be there into the fu- ing jobs, and therefore it was necessary Since the great recession, personal ture. But it is tough to live on your So- for them to be able to protect their re- savings rates in this country have been cial Security benefit alone. People tirement savings. flat. need that private retirement savings. We looked at increasing the amount Access to employer-sponsored plans We want to encourage people to save of money that individuals could put and participation are still at way too more for their own retirement. What is away for retirement. One of the provi- low of a rate. For private sector work- more important than peace of mind in sions provided for catchup for people ers, 68 percent have access to plans, but retirement, knowing that you have the over 50 years of age because we recog- barely over 50 percent actually partici- ability to take care of your needs— nized that people—particularly pate in plans. For part-time workers, maybe long-term care needs, maybe

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:09 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.053 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2875 healthcare needs, or maybe just being First, it allows those who saved too ones. The smaller businesses tend not able to have a comfortable retirement. little to set more aside for their retire- to. This is something we are focusing on ment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics sur- again. For seniors—people who are over 60 vey that Senator CARDIN talked about The Senate did recently pass legisla- years old—we have a special catchup earlier shows that 68 percent of private tion that helps. It is called the RESA contribution. If you are over 60 years sector workers have access to em- legislation. We both support that old, under our legislation, you have the ployer-sponsored plans, but it drops to strongly, but our legislation builds on opportunity to put more aside in your only 49 percent for small businesses. that and expands it pretty substan- retirement plan. That is important. So, if you work for a small business, it tially. Senator CARDIN just talked a Contribution limits go from $6,000 to is less than half. By the way, it is only little about it. It is legislation that we $10,000 for workers over age 60 with a 39 percent if you are a part-time work- spent 18 months developing. 401(k). er, which we also address. We heard from stakeholders all over Senator CARDIN talked a little about The bill takes a number of important the country. There is a reason that a this, but among these baby boomers, steps to help small businesses offer lot of people are supporting this legis- based on a 2019 GAO report this year, 401(k)s and other retirement plans for lation, including the AARP, the cham- nearly half—48 percent of all retirees the workers. It increases the current ber of commerce, and a lot of people over the age of 55 have no retirement law tax credit that is already out who are in the retirement business— nest egg saved. Some may have a pub- there, but it improves it and increases the American Benefits Council and oth- lic pension, for instance, but still, it from $500 to as much as $5,000 for ers—because we took our time and when you add that in, 30 percent have small businesses that are starting new went to them and said: Hey, what do neither private retirement savings nor retirement plans. It simplifies top- people really need right now to expand any kind of pension benefits that they heavy rules for small business plans to their choices in retirement to be able are going to get in the future. You reduce the cost of enrolling new em- to save more? have a lot of people out there with ployees. It also establishes a new 3- We came up with four or five dif- nothing. This will help with regard to year, $500-per-year tax credit for small ferent challenges in our current retire- those individuals. businesses that automatically reenroll ment system and then specific pro- We also say that with regard to this all of the participants in the plans at posals to address those. first issue, it is not just being able to least once every 3 years. This is one of One is, we have an aging baby boom- make a catchup contribution, but we the issues out there. If you don’t do er population—I am among them, and I tell employers: If you set up a plan auto enrollment—in other words, opt think all three of us are, Mr. Presi- that allows you to match 6 percent of in—and you opt out, you are not going dent—that is not saving enough. That pay rather than 3 percent of pay, we to get the participation rate you want. is a concern. will give you a break from some of the By the way, this is legislation that Second is a lack of access to em- onerous retirement rules in a safe har- Senator CARDIN and I promoted back in ployer-sponsored plans. We want every- bor. the 2006 legislation that said to em- body who is in the workplace to have That will encourage more of those ployers: Hey, you can do an auto en- access to a 401(k). Yet, when we look at employers to do that. That provides a rollment. The participation then went this, particularly with smaller busi- tax credit to those employers who offer from 75 percent to about 95 percent be- nesses, a lot of people don’t have access these safe harbor plans. So it gives cause there was auto enrollment. It is or a chance to save. more generous benefits to employees. good for younger people. If you are just A 401(k) is great because the em- We think that is appropriate to help told ‘‘Hey, unless you do something, ployer typically puts in a match for save for retirement. It also helps em- you are going to automatically be en- you. So it is not just your money that ployees who are struggling to save for rolled in this 401(k),’’ that really en- is at a tax advantage, but, unlike an retirement and pay off student loan courages them to get into retirement IRA, the employer puts in a match, and debt, people who are saying: I would savings. All of that is to help these usually they help you with your deci- love to save for retirement, but how small businesses, and we think it is sions in terms of what kinds of invest- can I do that when I have this student going to make a big difference. ments to make with that 401(k). loan debt to pay off? Third, one of the big problems we Third, we found that typically with In Ohio, by the way, the average debt face is that plan participation rates for lower income Americans, there was a for someone coming out of a college or low-income workers are well below real issue with the amount of savings. university is $27,000. A lot of people what they are for others. So this bill Who needs money more in retirement don’t have enough disposable income to expands access to retirement savings than lower income Americans, because say: I am going to save for retirement plans for hard-working, lower income that is when they don’t have other sav- and pay off college debt. Americans. The way we do that—and ings to help them through retirement. What we do here is we say that em- Senator CARDIN is the expert on this— Again, all of this is predicated upon ployers will now be able to make a is to ensure that those people who are the reality that we are living longer as matching contribution to the employ- of low income have the ability to get Americans, longer and healthier lives, ee’s retirement account in the amount into retirement plans with matches. so we need more of those assets in re- of his or her student loan payment. So That will incentivize them to get in. tirement. employers can do this. It is a good way Only 22 percent of low-income workers The final one is inadequate lifetime to help people pay off their debt, to participate in retirement plans today. savings. A lot of people have a 401(k) or help the individual pay off their debt. Again, these are people who need sav- an IRA, and when they stop working, The employer putting a match in for ings the most. they think, this is great. They take the the same amount is also a good way to The bill expands what is called the lump sum and maybe spend some of attract employees. If you are a busi- saver’s credit. It expands the income that—maybe buy the boat, maybe go ness owner out there, you will like this thresholds to give more Americans ac- on a nice vacation—and suddenly find, because it will give you an advantage cess to increased credit amounts. It in- oh my gosh, I am living longer and in the marketplace by saying: Hey, creases the government match for low- longer. I hadn’t expected to be in my come work for me. We will help you on income savers with a saver’s credit. By nineties and still here. Yet the trend your student debt. the way, the saver’s credit goes di- right now is that people are living The second issue we talked about rectly into the retirement accounts. I longer. We have to ensure that there is today is with regard to small busi- think it is important because you don’t longer lifetime savings as people are nesses. This is important because we want this money wasted, and you don’t living longer and healthier lives. know that this is where most people want it used for other purposes—so- After 18 months working with all work who don’t have access to retire- called leakage in retirement accounts. these troops on the outside, we came ment plans. They work for smaller This goes right into retirement ac- up with 57 different provisions to ad- businesses. Bigger businesses tend to counts. We mentioned that only 39 per- dress these four areas. How do we do it? offer retirement plans, very generous cent have plans but, again, that only 22

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:09 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.055 S15MYPT1 S2876 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 percent participate. So this is impor- The bill also provides help in other up a plan for your employees will be tant. ways. It reduces the current penalty matched with this credit so that more It also expands the eligibility of for one’s failing to take the required workers will have opportunities for 401(k)s to include part-time workers. distribution from 50 percent of the savings retirement. This is very important to the AARP shortfall amount to 25 percent in most It expands part-time workers—a and others out there who are looking cases and to as low as 10 percent in group that, today, is underrepresented at these part-time numbers and saying: some cases if one self-corrects the in retirement savings. Oh my gosh. There are only 22 percent error. It deals with the student debt issue. I who participate. That is it. So we have Finally, in order to help those who really thank Senator PORTMAN and to do more there. It allows part-time are in retirement, the legislation en- also Senator WYDEN for their help in workers who complete between 500 and courages the use of qualifying lon- recognizing that a lot of young workers 1,000 hours of service for 2 consecutive gevity annuity contracts, QLACs. What would love to put money into retire- years to be able to join in with a 401(k). are they? They are retirement plans ment, but they have to pay off their These provisions are all designed to that provide annual payments to indi- student loan debt. So that, at least, help particularly low-income Ameri- viduals who outlive their life can be used as a match by an employer cans start to build nest eggs for retire- expectancies. Basically, think of an an- for a savings account. ment. nuity or a periodic payment. When you It also deals with lifetime income. A significant challenge we face— retire, instead of taking a lump sum, How many people have we run into, as again, as I said earlier—is this lack of you have one of these contracts in Senator PORTMAN has pointed out, who lifetime savings. Our bill provides more which you are able to ensure that you have outlived their retirements? They certainty and flexibility during Ameri- are not going to outlive your retire- didn’t expect to live to be 95 and still cans’ retirement years. ment savings. have active lifestyles. So we signifi- Last year, a study by Northwestern There are affordable options for a lot cantly increase the opportunities for Mutual found that 66 percent of Ameri- of Americans who are trying to hedge lifetime income options, as well as cans believe they will outlive their re- the risk of outlasting their savings. We what Senator PORTMAN said in dealing tirement savings. So two-thirds of should encourage those more, and that with required minimum distributions. Americans are saying: I am going to is what we do in our legislation. There are a lot of other issues. I live longer than my retirement sav- These are all commonsense reforms. think there are 50 issues in the bill. ings. By the way, they are probably They deal with all four of these chal- There are a lot of other issues that are right. People are living longer and lenges that we have seen, as we have important. There are issues that we healthier lives and are running out of looked at the retirement system, that want to work on, including relating to their retirement savings. It is a major have been based on a lot of input from the recoupment of benefit payments. concern. a lot of people. My hope is that we will The bottom line is that we want to We have a number of initiatives to be able to get this done. improve the retirement security for try to provide more certainty and flexi- Our coalition includes the American Americans. As Senator PORTMAN point- bility to seniors in their retirement Benefits Council, the AARP, the U.S. ed out, Social Security is very impor- years. Specifically, the bill increases Chamber of Commerce, the Insured Re- tant. It is a three-legged stool. Let’s the age for the required minimum dis- tirement Institute, Fidelity, Nation- work together to increase private sav- tribution from age 701⁄2, which it is wide, T. Rowe Price, Vanguard, the ings in retirement, which is exactly now, to 72 and to 75. So it takes it up Women’s Institute for a Secure Retire- what this bill does. to 75 years old. Why is that important? ment, the International Association of I think we have 1 minute left, so I For those of you who are not in retire- Fire Fighters, the American Council of yield to Senator PORTMAN. ment, you may not know there is a rule Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I that says you have to start taking your Life Insurers, and The ERISA Industry Committee, to name a few. There are a thank my colleague from Maryland for money out of retirement at 701⁄2. Now, his partnership on this over the years. if you are like my father, who was lot more too. We have had the opportunity to work Let me just make the obvious point working full time at 701⁄2, it was a head together for a couple of decades now on for those who are watching today. I am scratcher. Why should I take my these issues. I am glad that we are tak- a Republican, and he is a Democrat. We money out of my 401(k) when I am still ing this next step to provide additional are actually talking about doing legis- working? I ran into a guy like that last options for people to build and save for lation together. It is bipartisan. I weekend in Ohio who said the same their retirements and to have more would say, in the retirement space, we thing—that this makes no sense. peace of mind in retirement. have tried to keep it nonpartisan be- What we have said is, OK, we are cause this is so important to the people going to kick it up to 75 years old but I yield to Senator CARDIN. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- we represent. that if you have less than $100,000 in ator from Maryland. The committee also happens to be your retirement account, you will not Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, let me represented by a Republican and a be subject to the minimum required again thank my colleague Senator Democrat who believe in this. Senator distribution rules at all. This is a great PORTMAN. GRASSLEY was the chairman of the relief to a lot of seniors who are trying He has explained what is included in committee back in 2001 when we first to save that money for retirement and the Retirement Security and Savings passed this major legislation to in- don’t want to pull it out because, al- Act that we filed this week. It builds crease what people could save for their though they may work until 75, they on what has worked, and it takes on retirement. He is the chairman again, still know they are going to have an- new opportunities to increase savings and he believes in this. Senator WYDEN other, maybe, 20 years to live, and they and retirement security. is the ranking Democrat, the top Dem- want to be sure they have that retire- He mentioned the automatic enroll- ocrat. He also was a former Gray Pan- ment savings in there. ment, which is the safe harbor here, be- thers executive director and also has a I am really excited about all of these cause Americans make decisions by in- provision in our bill that is very impor- provisions. tant, as Senator CARDIN talked about, I am hearing a lot about this last action. Now, with automatic enroll- ment, they will be in retirement plans with regard to student loan debt. one. Here is Tom Kermode, from The constellations are kind of prop- Geauga County, OH, who wrote: and will have the opportunity to opt out. erly aligned. I think the ability for us Relief from required minimum distribu- to get this done might be counter to a tions would be very helpful in that it affords It increases the saver’s credit’s eligi- me and other senior taxpayers the freedom bility, but, importantly, it makes it re- lot of the partisanship and the gridlock to save to help fund my retirement years. fundable, and it deposits it directly we see here in this town. This is bipar- Why should I be forced to deplete my retire- into a savings account so that low- tisan stuff. It always has been. We have ment account at age 701⁄2 instead of remain- wage workers will, indeed, have savings spent our time, have done it right, and ing financially independent? opportunities. have used input from all sorts of out- You are darned right, Tom. Thanks It increases the tax credits for small side stakeholders. We have the oppor- for your letter. business so that the burden of setting tunity here to improve our national

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:09 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.056 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2877 savings, which everyone says is impor- close either to my and Senator HAR- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- tant, including the Congressional RIS’s screening commissions or to the ator from Ohio. Budget Office, and to help people have Judiciary Committee itself more than f peace of mind in retirement. What 75 articles. LEGISLATION SESSION could be more important? Importantly, several of Mr. Lee’s ar- Again, I thank my colleague from ticles demonstrate a continuity be- Maryland for allowing me to join him tween what he wrote and the positions MORNING BUSINESS on the floor to talk about the impor- he has continued to advocate well into tance of this legislation. his legal career. Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask I urge my colleagues on both sides of For example, Mr. Lee was a vocal unanimous consent that the Senate the aisle to take a look at this. I hope critic of affirmative action, writing: proceed to legislative session and be in they will sign it and be cosponsors on ‘‘Our stance on affirmative action has a period of morning business, with Sen- this legislation. Let’s get this passed. always been that it ultimately hurts ators permitted to speak therein for up Let’s do it this year. the recipients instead of helping them. to 10 minutes each. I yield the floor. . . . Black students will unfortunately The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? NOMINATION OF KENNETH KIYUL LEE be treated as inferiors because people Without objection, it is so ordered. Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I will always assume that they were ac- rise today in opposition to the nomina- cepted solely because of their race.’’ f In a 2003 piece, written while he was tion of Kenneth Lee to the United MEASURES PLACED ON THE a practicing attorney, Mr. Lee criti- States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CALENDAR—H.R. 986 and H.R. 2157 cized the Supreme Court’s opinion in Circuit. the Bakke case, which upheld the use Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I un- Mr. Lee has been nominated to a derstand there are two bills at the desk California seat on the Ninth Circuit of race as one of several criteria to be considered in college admissions. due for a second reading en bloc. over the objections of Senator HARRIS Mr. Lee wrote that ‘‘[t]he Supreme The PRESIDING OFFICER. The and myself. Neither Senator HARRIS Court can no longer hide behind the clerk will read the titles of the bills for nor I returned blue slips for Mr. Lee; wishful thinking of Bakke,’’ which he the second time. yet the majority moved forward with said ‘‘was based on the naive assump- The senior assistant bill clerk read as his nomination, disregarding our con- tion that universities would consider follows: cerns. race merely as a tie-breaker.’’ A bill (H.R. 986) to provide that certain In doing so, the majority is violating Mr. Lee has not backed away from guidance related to waivers for State innova- Senate norms and traditions by—for his opposition to affirmative action tion under the Patient Protection and Af- the first time ever—ignoring the lack and so the Congressional Black Caucus fordable Care Act shall have no force or ef- of a blue slip from the Judiciary Com- wrote a letter stating: ‘‘While many of fect. mittee’s ranking member. Let me re- [Mr. Lee’s] most disturbing writings A bill (H.R. 2157) making supplemental ap- peat: This has never been done before. propriations for the fiscal year ending Sep- have come from when he was in college tember 30, 2019, and for other purposes. There was no need to proceed with and law school, there is every indica- Mr. PORTMAN. In order to place the Mr. Lee’s nomination over our objec- tion that these views were well-settled bills on the calendar under the provi- tions. and carried through his career.’’ As has been true of many of my In a 2005 article, written years after sions of rule XIV, I would object to fur- Democratic colleagues, Senator HARRIS he graduated from law school, Mr. Lee ther proceeding en bloc. and I made it clear to the Trump ad- criticized President George W. Bush’s The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- ministration that we were ready to plan to allow undocumented immi- tion having been heard, the bills will be work with the White House to find a grants to work legally within the placed on the calendar. consensus pick for this and two other United States. f Ninth Circuit California seats. Mr. Lee wrote: ‘‘By describing illegal RECOGNIZING AND SUPPORTING Sadly, our willingness to work with immigrants as ‘hard-working men and THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NA- the administration has not been recip- women’ who are pursuing ‘better lives,’ TIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT rocated. Once again, the majority is in- [President Bush] blurs the distinction AWARENESS AND PREVENTION sisting on moving ahead with a nomi- between illegals and those who came to MONTH nation, despite the strong objections of America following the rules.’’ both home-State Senators. Mr. Lee’s portrayal of undocumented Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask Senator HARRIS and I refused to re- immigrants is both inaccurate and unanimous consent that the Judiciary turn blue slips for Mr. Lee for two key troubling. Committee be discharged from further reasons. Mr. Lee has also taken extreme posi- consideration of S. Res. 178 and that First, Mr. Lee has a long record of tions on women’s rights. He argued the Senate proceed to its immediate controversial writings and statements that feminism ‘‘is not about extending consideration. on race and diversity, immigration, af- equal rights and opportunities to The PRESIDING OFFICER. The firmative action, women’s rights, and women . . . [but] is about adhering to a clerk will report the resolution by other issues. stifling orthodoxy.’’ He attacked femi- title. Second, Mr. Lee failed to disclose nists for ‘‘support[ing] unfettered abor- The senior assistant bill clerk read as dozens of problematic writings to our tion-on-demand.’’ follows: in-state judicial commissions and to As NARAL put it in a letter sub- A resolution (S. Res. 178) recognizing and the Judiciary Committee itself. mitted to the committee, Lee’s supporting the goals and ideals of National That failure raises significant doubts writings ‘‘suggest a disdain for women Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention about Mr. Lee’s candor and judgment, that is concerning in any context, but Month. and it should be concerning to all especially so for someone up for a life- There being no objection, the com- Members of this body. In fact, when an- time seat on the federal bench.’’ mittee was discharged, and the Senate other nominee for the Ninth Circuit, In conclusion, I believe Mr. Lee’s proceeded to consider the resolution. Ryan Bounds, also failed to turn over record shows that he is far outside the Mr. PORTMAN. I further ask unani- his writings, his nomination was re- legal mainstream. mous consent that the resolution be jected by the Senate. Given the positions he has taken in agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, Mr. Bounds had failed to identify to dozens of articles and given his failure and the motions to reconsider be con- Oregon’s in-state judicial screening to disclose writings to my commission sidered made and laid upon the table commission at least five articles that and to the Judiciary Committee I can- with no intervening action or debate. took controversial positions on issues not support Mr. Lee’s nomination to The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without including campus sexual assault and the Ninth Circuit. objection, it is so ordered. diversity at institutions of higher edu- I will vote against Mr. Lee and I urge The resolution (S. Res. 178) was cation, whereas Mr. Lee failed to dis- my colleagues to do the same. agreed to.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:09 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.058 S15MYPT1 S2878 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 The preamble was agreed to. be immediately notified of the Senate’s Carper Kaine Sanders Casey King Schatz (The resolution, with its preamble, is action. Collins Klobuchar Schumer printed in the RECORD of April 30, 2019, ORDER OF BUSINESS Coons Leahy Shaheen under ‘‘Submitted Resolutions.’’) Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I Cortez Masto Manchin Sinema Duckworth Markey Smith f ask unanimous consent that the re- Durbin Menendez Stabenow maining votes be 10 minutes in length. Feinstein Merkley Tester EXECUTIVE SESSION The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Gillibrand Murphy Udall Harris Murray Van Hollen objection, it is so ordered. Hassan Peters Warner EXECUTIVE CALENDAR—Continued f Heinrich Reed Whitehouse Jones Rosen Wyden Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask CLOTURE MOTION unanimous consent that the Senate re- NOT VOTING—4 sume executive session. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant Booker Hirono Cruz Warren The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the objection, it is so ordered. Senate the pending cloture motion, The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this Under the previous order, all which the clerk will state. vote, the yeas are 51, the nays are 45. postcloture time has expired. The senior assistant legislative clerk The motion is agreed to. read as follows: The question is, Will the Senate ad- f vise and consent to the Lee nomina- CLOTURE MOTION tion? We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- CLOTURE MOTION Mr. ROUNDS. Mr. President, I ask ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant for the yeas and nays. Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a move to bring to a close debate on the nomi- Senate the pending cloture motion, nation of Wendy Vitter, of Louisiana, to be sufficient second? United States District Judge for the Eastern which the clerk will state. There appears to be a sufficient sec- District of Louisiana. The senior assistant legislative clerk ond. Mitch McConnell, James E. Risch, Roy read as follows: The clerk will call the roll. Blunt, Mike Rounds, Thom Tillis, CLOTURE MOTION The legislative clerk called the roll. David Perdue, John Cornyn, Mike We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is Crapo, John Thune, John Hoeven, ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the necessarily absent: the Senator from Johnny Isakson, John Boozman, Roger Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby F. Wicker, Pat Roberts, Steve Daines, Texas (Mr. CRUZ). move to bring to a close debate on the nomi- John Kennedy. Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the nation of Brian J. Bulatao, of Texas, to be an Senator from New Jersey (Mr. BOOKER) The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unan- Under Secretary of State (Management). and the Senator from Hawaii (Ms. imous consent, the mandatory quorum Mitch McConnell, Roger F. Wicker, call has been waived. Steve Daines, James E. Risch, Roy HIRONO) are necessarily absent. Blunt, Tim Scott, Mike Rounds, David The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on the nomination Perdue, Mike Crapo, John Thune, John any other Senators in the Chamber de- Hoeven, Johnny Isakson, John Booz- siring to vote? of Wendy Vitter, of Louisiana, to be man, Pat Roberts, John Kennedy, The result was announced—yeas 52, United States District Judge for the Thom Tillis, John Cornyn. nays 45, as follows: Eastern District of Louisiana, shall be The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unan- brought to a close? [Rollcall Vote No. 110 Ex.] imous consent, the mandatory quorum The yeas and nays are mandatory YEAS—52 call has been waived. under the rule. The question is, Is it the sense of the Alexander Gardner Portman The clerk will call the roll. Barrasso Graham Senate that debate on the nomination Risch The senior assistant legislative clerk Blackburn Grassley Roberts of Brian J. Bulatao, of Texas, to be an Blunt Hawley Romney called the roll. Boozman Hoeven Under Secretary of State (Manage- Rounds Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is ment), shall be brought to a close? Braun Hyde-Smith Rubio necessarily absent: the Senator from Burr Inhofe Sasse The yeas and nays are mandatory Texas (Mr. CRUZ). Capito Isakson Scott (FL) under the rule. Cassidy Johnson Scott (SC) Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Collins Kennedy The clerk will call the roll. Shelby Senator from New Jersey (Mr. BOOKER), Cornyn Lankford This is a 10-minute vote. Sullivan Cotton Lee the Senator from Hawaii (Ms. HIRONO), The senior assistant legislative clerk Cramer McConnell Thune and the Senator from Massachusetts Tillis called the roll. Crapo McSally (Ms. WARREN) are necessarily absent. Toomey Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is Daines Moran The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there Enzi Murkowski Wicker necessarily absent: the Senator from Young any other Senators in the Chamber de- Ernst Paul Texas (Mr. CRUZ). Fischer Perdue siring to vote? Mr. DURBIN. I annnounce that the The yeas and nays resulted—yeas 51, NAYS—45 Senator from New Jersey (Mr. BOOKER), nays 45, as follows: Baldwin Hassan Rosen the Senator from Hawaii (Ms. HIRONO), Bennet Heinrich Sanders [Rollcall Vote No. 111 Ex.] the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. KLO- Blumenthal Jones Schatz YEAS—51 Brown Kaine Schumer BUCHAR), and the Senator from Massa- Cantwell King Shaheen Alexander Gardner Perdue chusetts (Ms. WARREN) are necessarily Cardin Klobuchar Sinema Barrasso Graham Portman absent. Carper Leahy Smith Blackburn Grassley Risch Casey Manchin Stabenow Blunt Hawley Roberts The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there Coons Markey Tester Boozman Hoeven Romney any other Senators in the Chamber de- Cortez Masto Menendez Udall Braun Hyde-Smith Rounds siring to vote? Duckworth Merkley Van Hollen Burr Inhofe Rubio The yeas and nays resulted—yeas 90, Durbin Murphy Warner Capito Isakson Sasse Feinstein Murray Warren Cassidy Johnson Scott (FL) nays 5, as follows: Gillibrand Peters Whitehouse Cornyn Kennedy Scott (SC) [Rollcall Vote No. 112 Ex.] Harris Reed Wyden Cotton Lankford Shelby Cramer Lee Sullivan YEAS—90 NOT VOTING—3 Crapo McConnell Thune Alexander Brown Coons Booker Cruz Hirono Daines McSally Tillis Baldwin Burr Cornyn Enzi Moran Toomey Barrasso Cantwell Cortez Masto The nomination was confirmed. Ernst Murkowski Wicker Bennet Capito Cotton The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under Fischer Paul Young Blackburn Cardin Cramer the previous order, the motion to re- Blumenthal Carper Crapo NAYS—45 Blunt Casey Daines consider is considered made and laid Baldwin Blumenthal Cantwell Boozman Cassidy Duckworth upon the table, and the President will Bennet Brown Cardin Braun Collins Durbin

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:13 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.059 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2879 Enzi Lee Rubio Burr Hoeven Roberts SYRIA Ernst Manchin Sasse Capito Hyde-Smith Romney Feinstein Markey Schumer Cassidy Inhofe Rounds Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, Fischer McConnell Scott (FL) Collins Isakson Rubio today I wish to bring attention to the Gardner McSally Scott (SC) Cornyn Johnson Sasse Graham Menendez Shaheen Cotton Kennedy Scott (FL) Assad regime and its Russian and Ira- Grassley Merkley Shelby Cramer Lankford Scott (SC) nian backers’ latest assault on inno- Hassan Moran Sinema Crapo Lee Shelby Hawley Murkowski Smith Daines McConnell cent civilians under a rain of airstrikes Sullivan Heinrich Murphy Stabenow Enzi McSally and barrel bombs, which has sparked Thune Hoeven Murray Sullivan Ernst Moran Tillis the worst violence in a year and a half Hyde-Smith Paul Tester Fischer Murkowski Inhofe Perdue Thune Gardner Paul Toomey in the Idlib and Hama provinces. The Isakson Peters Tillis Graham Perdue Wicker regime and its enablers would yet Johnson Portman Toomey Grassley Portman Young again have us believe that they are Jones Reed Van Hollen Hawley Risch striking ‘‘terrorists.’’ However, facts Kaine Risch Warner Kennedy Roberts Whitehouse NAYS—44 simply bely that worn-out ruse; their King Romney Wicker Baldwin Hassan Rosen airstrikes have hit 18 hospitals in the Lankford Rosen Wyden Bennet Heinrich Sanders past 2 weeks alone, denying lifesaving Leahy Rounds Young Blumenthal Jones Schatz Brown Kaine facilities to more than 100,000 people NAYS—5 Schumer Cantwell King Shaheen and destroying at least 10 schools, ac- Gillibrand Sanders Udall Cardin Klobuchar Sinema cording to NGOs monitoring the situa- Harris Schatz Carper Leahy Smith tion. Relief workers on the ground as- Casey Manchin Stabenow NOT VOTING—5 Coons Markey sess that Assad’s forces are responsible Tester Booker Hirono Warren Cortez Masto Menendez Udall for scores of civilian deaths over the Cruz Klobuchar Duckworth Merkley Van Hollen past 2 weeks, as well as displacing Durbin Murphy The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this Feinstein Murray Warner 150,000 desperate and terrified people. Whitehouse vote, the yeas are 90, the nays are 5. Gillibrand Peters Assad’s barrel bombs and starvation The motion is agreed to. Harris Reed Wyden campaign, along with violence from f NOT VOTING—4 terrorist organizations, has already CLOTURE MOTION Booker Hirono sent 5 million Syrians fleeing to neigh- Cruz Warren The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant boring Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Iraq. Despite already fragile economic vote, the yeas are 52, the nays are 44. and political systems, these countries Senate the pending cloture motion, The motion is agreed to. which the clerk will state. have shown an extraordinary openness The bill clerk read as follows: f in hosting those fleeing. It is abso- CLOTURE MOTION EXECUTIVE CALENDAR lutely critical that those refugees be We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The allowed to return in a manner that is ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the clerk will report the nomination. safe, voluntary, and dignified and that Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby The bill clerk read the nomination of they not be forced to return to situa- move to bring to a close debate on the nomi- Jeffrey A. Rosen, of Virginia, to be tions in Syria where they face con- nation of Jeffrey A. Rosen, of Virginia, to be Deputy Attorney General. Deputy Attorney General. scription, retaliation, detention, tor- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- ture, or murder at the hands of the Mitch McConnell, John Hoeven, Roger F. ator from Colorado. Wicker, Chuck Grassley, James E. Assad regime. f Risch, Johnny Isakson, John Barrasso, In the face of such wanton cruelty LEGISLATIVE SESSION Steve Daines, David Perdue, Jerry and profound suffering, the United Moran, John Cornyn, John Thune, Richard Burr, Mike Crapo, Pat Rob- States can and must show renewed erts, Lindsey Graham, Shelley Moore MORNING BUSINESS leadership in Syria, but instead, Presi- Capito. Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask dent Trump froze and then terminated The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unan- unanimous consent that the Senate stabilization assistance in Syria. The imous consent, the mandatory quorum proceed to legislative session and shall Trump administration must restart call has been waived. be in a period of morning business, stabilization funding in Syria. Further- The question is, Is it the sense of the with Senators permitted to speak more, Congress can show leadership by Senate that debate on the nomination therein for up to 10 minutes each. passing the Caesar Syria Civilian Pro- of Jeffrey A. Rosen, of Virginia, to be The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without tection Act, which would impose new Deputy Attorney General, shall be objection, it is so ordered. sanctions on the Assad regime and its brought to a close? f Russian and Iranian supporters. The yeas and nays are mandatory GHOST ARMY CONGRESSIONAL under the rule. GOLD MEDAL ACT f The clerk will call the roll. The bill clerk called the roll. Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, due to a regrettable clerical error, the senior 54TH ANNIVERSARY OF HEAD Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is START necessarily absent: the Senator from Senator from Maine, Ms. COLLINS, was Texas (Mr. CRUZ). not added as an original cosponsor and Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, I would Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the co-lead of S. 1421, the Ghost Army Con- like to take a moment to celebrate the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. BOOKER), gressional Gold Medal Act, when we in- 54th anniversary of Head Start and the the Senator from Hawaii (Ms. HIRONO), troduced the bill together on May 9, 25th birthday of Early Head Start. and the Senator from Massachusetts 2019. I wish to clarify that Senator COL- Head Start and Early Head Start pro- (Ms. WARREN) are necessarily absent. LINS is in fact the lead cosponsor of The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there this important legislation and has been vide essential early childhood edu- any other Senators in the Chamber an indispensable partner in this en- cation services to almost 6,000 low-in- wishing to vote or to change their deavor. I thank her for her leadership come children and families in Con- vote? in ensuring that the heroic Americans necticut. In addition, across the 38 The yeas and nays resulted—yeas 52, of the 23d Headquarters Special Troops Connecticut centers, over 7,000 children nays 44, as follows: and the 3133d Signal Service Company have been able to access healthcare [Rollcall Vote No. 113 Ex.] are appropriately honored for their services, 2,000 families have gotten help YEAS—52 service as a ‘‘Ghost Army’’ during through crisis intervention programs, Alexander Blackburn Boozman World War II with a Congressional Gold and over 800 parents advanced their Barrasso Blunt Braun Medal. own education. For these families and

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:13 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A15MY6.008 S15MYPT1 S2880 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 thousands of others across the country, Throughout its 58 years as a func- in our State, increasing access to qual- Head Start is a lifeline for struggling tioning law school, it educated over ity education, mentoring, or fighting families and a stepping stone out of 1,200 students from throughout the Na- to expand social services, Assembly- poverty. tion. Tapping Reeve counts Con- man Thompson always followed Fifty-four years since its founding, necticut Governor Samuel A. Foot, through on his word. Our community the work of Head Start and Early Head U.S. Senator John C. Calhoun, Con- lost a champion on May 4, 2019, but Ty- Start remains paramount. Children in necticut Governor Roger Sherman rone Thompson lives on through a leg- poverty are more than twice as likely Baldwin, and Levi Woodbury, the first acy unmatched in Nevada. He touched to suffer traumatic childhood experi- U.S. Supreme Court justice to attend countless lives, inspired so many, and ences such as abuse, neglect, homeless- law school, among its alumni. Now the planted seeds of selfless acts through- ness, and parental substance abuse. Ex- restored law school building and Tap- out Nevada. posure to these kinds of trauma results ping Reeve House are available for pub- We honor him and his family as we in greater likelihood of chronic dis- lic tours, thanks to the Litchfield His- carry his heart, passion, selflessness, ease, mental illness, and substance use torical Society. and community-minded spirit with us disorders, as well as decreased likeli- The Connecticut General Assembly every day.∑ hood of high school graduation and in- recognized Litchfield’s rich past and f creased likelihood of involvement with important role throughout our State’s MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT the juvenile justice system. We know history by designating the borough of that children having access to safe and Litchfield a historic district in 1959. A message from the President of the stable environments mitigates these Litchfield remains a constantly grow- United States was communicated to effects and that Head Start is on the ing yet still peaceful part of our State, the Senate by Ms. Roberts, one of his frontline of providing children with which is highly regarded by residents secretaries. nurturing relationships. and visitors alike. I have greatly en- f This Saturday, not only do we cele- joyed visiting Litchfield on numerous PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE brate the Head Start program reaching occasions and appreciating its quin- another milestone, but we celebrate tessential New England characteris- the hundreds of thousands of dedicated tics. REPORT RELATIVE TO THE Head Start staff and educators who A town with a commendable dedica- ISSUANCE OF AN EXECUTIVE work hard every day to support and tion to its impressive past and a posi- ORDER DECLARING A NATIONAL teach the next generation. tive, thoughtful look toward the fu- EMERGENCY TO DEAL WITH THE f ture, Litchfield is an extraordinary THREAT POSED BY THE UNRE- Connecticut town. I hope my col- STRICTED ACQUISITION OR USE ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS leagues will join me in congratulating IN THE UNITED STATES OF IN- Litchfield on three centuries of distinc- FORMATION AND COMMUNICA- 300TH ANNIVERSARY OF tion, and I send my best wishes for the TIONS TECHNOLOGY OR SERV- ∑ LITCHFIELD, CONNECTICUT town’s future success. ICES DESIGNED, DEVELOPED, MANUFACTURED, OR SUPPLIED ∑ f Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, BY PERSONS OWNED BY, CON- REMEMBERING TYRONE today I wish to recognize the town of TROLLED BY, OR SUBJECT TO THOMPSON Litchfield, CT, as it celebrates 300 THE JURISDICTION OR DIREC- years of local government. ∑ Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, today, it TION OF FOREIGN ADVER- Incorporated in 1719 by an act of the is with both great pride and tremen- SARIES—PM 17 Colonial Assembly of Connecticut, dous sadness that I honor the legacy of The PRESIDING OFFICER laid be- Litchfield was first settled the fol- an incredible Nevadan, Assemblyman fore the Senate the following message lowing year and consisted of a mere Tyrone Thompson, who was taken from from the President of the United home lots. Before long, the town grew us far too soon, earlier this month. A States, together with an accompanying thanks to a breadth of small indus- proud native of Las Vegas, Assembly- report; which was referred to the Com- tries, its significant position as part of man Thompson, a product of Nevada’s mittee on Banking, Housing, and two stagecoach lines, and its 1751 des- public education system, graduated Urban Affairs: ignation as the county seat. from Valley High School in 1985. He A beautiful, welcoming place to live then went on to earn his bachelor’s de- To the Congress of the United States: and flourish, Litchfield is located in gree in criminal justice with a minor in Pursuant to the International Emer- the bucolic hills of western Con- sociology from Northern Arizona Uni- gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. necticut and is home to a multitude of versity, and he earned his masters of 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National historic places of interest. arts degree in organizational manage- Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), One of the most notable parts of the ment from the University of Phoenix in and section 301 of title 3, United States town are its historical houses. These 2000. Code, I hereby report that I have issued remarkable structures are not only fas- Thompson was first appointed to the an Executive Order declaring a na- cinating because of their fine, antique Nevada State Legislature by the Clark tional emergency to deal with the architecture and design, but also for County Commission on April 16, 2013 as threat posed by the unrestricted acqui- their many famous residents. Some the representative for District 17. Dur- sition or use in the United States of in- held temporary visitors, such as Shel- ing the 79th and 80th legislative ses- formation and communications tech- don’s Tavern, where George Wash- sions, he fought for improvements to nology or services designed, developed, ington slept during the American Rev- our States’ public education system as manufactured, or supplied by persons olution. Others were the homes of im- chairman of the education committee. owned by, controlled by, or subject to portant Connecticut luminaries includ- Then, during the 80th session, Assem- the jurisdiction or direction of foreign ing Revolutionary War patriot Ethan blyman Thompson’s leadership skills adversaries. Allen, Governor and signer of the Dec- were recognized by his peers in the Foreign adversaries are increasingly laration of Independence Oliver Wol- Statehouse when he was appointed ma- creating and exploiting vulnerabilities cott, cofounder of the Litchfield China jority whip for the Nevada Assembly. in information and communications Trading Company Alexander Catlin, In October 2017, Thompson was in- technology and services, which store and Continental Army Colonel Ben- ducted into the College of Social and and communicate vast amounts of sen- jamin Tallmadge. Behavioral Sciences Hall of Fame at sitive information, facilitate the dig- Litchfield has a number of other Northern Arizona University, his alma ital economy, and support critical in- wonderful historical attractions, in- matter. frastructure and vital emergency serv- cluding the Tapping Reeve Law School. Assemblyman Tyrone Thompson had ices, in order to commit malicious Started in 1775, Tapping Reeve began a heart that was bigger than life. cyber-enabled actions, including eco- with Aaron Burr as its first student. Whether it was tackling homelessness nomic and industrial espionage against

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A15MY6.009 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2881 the United States and its people. Al- MESSAGES FROM THE HOUSE abroad; to the Committee on Banking, Hous- though maintaining an open invest- ing, and Urban Affairs. At 10:02 a.m., a message from the H.R. 1037. An act to increase transparency ment climate in information and com- House of Representatives, delivered by munications technology, and in the with respect to financial services benefitting Mrs. Cole, one of its reading clerks, an- state sponsors of terrorism, human rights United States economy more generally, nounced that the House has passed the abusers, and corrupt officials, and for other is important for the overall growth and following bill, in which it requests the purposes; to the Committee on Banking, prosperity of the United States, such concurrence of the Senate: Housing, and Urban Affairs. openness must be balanced by the need H.R. 1060. An act to provide regulatory re- H.R. 2379. An act to reauthorize the Bullet- lief to charitable organizations that provide to protect our country against critical proof Vest Partnership Grant Program. national security threats. To deal with housing assistance, and for other purposes; this threat, additional steps are re- At 12:01 p.m., a message from the to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. quired to protect the security, integ- House of Representatives, delivered by rity, and reliability of information and H.R. 1313. An act to amend the Imple- Mrs. Cole, one of its reading clerks, an- menting Recommendations of the 911 Com- communications technology and serv- nounced that the House has passed the mission Act of 2007 to clarify certain allow- ices provided and used in the United following bills, in which it requests the able uses of funds for public transportation States. concurrence of the Senate: security assistance grants and establish peri- The Executive Order prohibits cer- H.R. 299. An act to amend title 38, United ods of performance for such grants, and for tain transactions involving informa- States Code, to clarify presumptions relating other purposes; to the Committee on Home- tion and communications technology to the exposure of certain veterans who land Security and Governmental Affairs. or services where the Secretary of served in the vicinity of the Republic of H.R. 1437. An act to amend the Homeland Commerce (Secretary), in consultation Vietnam, and for other purposes. Security Act of 2002 to require the Under with the Secretary of the Treasury, the H.R. 389. An act to authorize the Secretary Secretary for Management of the Depart- Secretary of State, the Secretary of of the Treasury to pay rewards under an ment of Homeland Security to achieve secu- rity of sensitive assets among the compo- Defense, the Attorney General, the asset recovery rewards program to help iden- tify and recover stolen assets linked to for- nents of the Department of Homeland Secu- Secretary of Homeland Security, the rity, and for other purposes; to the Com- United States Trade Representative, eign government corruption and the proceeds of such corruption hidden behind complex fi- mittee on Homeland Security and Govern- the Director of National Intelligence, nancial structures in the United States and mental Affairs. the Administrator of General Services, abroad. H.R. 1594. An act to amend the Homeland the Chairman of the Federal Commu- H.R. 1037. An act to increase transparency Security Act of 2002 to establish a process to nications Commission, and, as appro- with respect to financial services benefitting review applications for certain grants to pur- priate, the heads of other executive de- state sponsors of terrorism, human rights chase equipment or systems that do not partments and agencies (agencies), has abusers, and corrupt officials, and for other meet or exceed any applicable national vol- purposes. untary consensus standards, and for other determined that: purposes; to the Committee on Homeland Se- (i) the transaction involves informa- H.R. 1060. An act to provide regulatory re- lief to charitable organizations that provide curity and Governmental Affairs. tion and communications technology H.R. 1912. An act to amend the Homeland or services designed, developed, manu- housing assistance, and for other purposes. H.R. 1313. An act to amend the Imple- Security Act of 2002 to provide for require- factured, or supplied, by persons owned menting Recommendations of the 9/11 Com- ments relating to documentation for major by, controlled by, or subject to the ju- mission Act of 2007 to clarify certain allow- acquisition programs, and for other pur- risdiction or direction of a foreign ad- able uses of funds for public transportation poses; to the Committee on Homeland Secu- versary; and security assistance grants and establish peri- rity and Governmental Affairs. (ii) the transaction: ods of performance for such grants, and for H.R. 2066. An act to amend the Homeland (A) poses an undue risk of sabotage other purposes. Security Act of 2002 to establish the Intel- to or subversion of the design, integ- H.R. 1437. An act to amend the Homeland ligence Rotational Assignment Program in the Department of Homeland Security, and rity, manufacturing, production, dis- Security Act of 2002 to require the Under Secretary for Management of the Depart- for other purposes; to the Committee on tribution, installation, operation, or Homeland Security and Governmental Af- maintenance of information and com- ment of Homeland Security to achieve secu- rity of sensitive assets among the compo- fairs. munications technology or services in nents of the Department of Homeland Secu- f the United States; rity, and for other purposes. (B) poses an undue risk of cata- H.R. 1594. An act to amend the Homeland MEASURES PLACED ON THE strophic effects on the security or re- Security Act of 2002 to establish a process to CALENDAR siliency of United States critical infra- review applications for certain grants to pur- The following bills were read the sec- structure or the digital economy of the chase equipment or systems that do not ond time, and placed on the calendar: United States; or meet or exceed any applicable national vol- H.R. 986. An act to provide that certain (C) otherwise poses an unacceptable untary consensus standards, and for other purposes. guidance related to waivers for State innova- risk to the national security of the tion under the Patient Protection and Af- United States or the security and safe- H.R. 1912. An act to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide for require- fordable Care Act shall have no force or ef- ty of United States persons. fect. I have delegated to the Secretary the ments relating to documentation for major acquisition programs, and for other pur- H.R. 2157. An act making supplemental ap- authority to, in consultation with, or poses. propriations for the fiscal year ending Sep- upon referral of a particular trans- H.R. 2066. An act to amend the Homeland tember 30, 2019, and for other purposes. action from, the heads of other agen- Security Act of 2002 to establish the Intel- f cies as appropriate, take such actions, ligence Rotational Assignment Program in including directing the timing and the Department of Homeland Security, and EXECUTIVE AND OTHER manner of the cessation of transactions for other purposes. COMMUNICATIONS prohibited pursuant to the Executive H.R. 2578. An act to reauthorize the Na- The following communications were Order, adopting appropriate rules and tional Flood Insurance Program, and for laid before the Senate, together with other purposes. regulations, and employing all other accompanying papers, reports, and doc- powers granted to the President by f uments, and were referred as indicated: IEEPA, as may be necessary to imple- MEASURES REFERRED EC–1284. A communication from the Senior ment the Executive Order. All agencies The following bills were read the first Official performing the duties of the Under of the United States Government are Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readi- and the second times by unanimous ness), transmitting the report of nine (9) offi- directed to take all appropriate meas- consent, and referred as indicated: ures within their authority to carry cers authorized to wear the insignia of the H.R. 389. An act to authorize the Secretary grade of major general in accordance with out the provisions of the Executive of the Treasury to pay rewards under an title 10, United States Code, section 777, this Order. asset recovery rewards program to help iden- will not cause the Department to exceed the I am enclosing a copy of the Execu- tify and recover stolen assets linked to for- number of frocked officers authorized; to the tive Order I have issued. eign government corruption and the proceeds Committee on Armed Services. DONALD J. TRUMP. of such corruption hidden behind complex fi- EC–1285. A communication from the Chair- THE WHITE HOUSE, May 15, 2019. nancial structures in the United States and woman of the Nuclear Weapons Council,

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A15MY6.020 S15MYPT1 S2882 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 transmitting, pursuant to law, a report rel- Air Force nomination of Maj. Gen. Marc H. Air Force nomination of Lt. Gen. Marshall ative to the President’s budget request for Sasseville, to be Lieutenant General. B. Webb, to be Lieutenant General. the National Nuclear Security Administra- Air Force nomination of Maj. Gen. Eric T. Army nominations beginning with Col. tion for fiscal year 2020; to the Committee on Fick, to be Lieutenant General. Jack M. Davis and ending with Col. Mark W. Armed Services. Army nomination of Lt. Gen. Joseph M. Thompson, which nominations were received EC–1286. A communication from the Assist- Martin, to be General. by the Senate and appeared in the Congres- ant Director, Senior Executive Management Army nomination of Lt. Gen. Laura J. sional Record on May 2, 2019. Office, Department of Defense, transmitting, Richardson, to be Lieutenant General. Army nomination of Brig. Gen. Jeffery D. pursuant to law, a report relative to a va- Army nomination of Maj. Gen. Robert P. Broadwater, to be Major General. cancy in the position of Assistant Secretary White, to be Lieutenant General. Mr. TILLIS for Mr. INHOFE. Mr. of Defense (Nuclear, Chemical & Biological Navy nomination of Vice Adm. William R. President, for the Committee on Armed Merz, to be Vice Admiral. Defense Program), Department of Defense, Services I report favorably the fol- received in the Office of the President of the Navy nomination of Rear Adm. Ross A. Senate on May 14, 2019; to the Committee on Myers, to be Vice Admiral. lowing nomination lists which were Armed Services. Marine Corps nomination of Lt. Gen. Eric printed in the RECORDs on the dates in- EC–1287. A communication from the Assist- M. Smith, to be Lieutenant General. dicated, and ask unanimous consent, to ant Secretary, Legislative Affairs, Depart- Air Force nomination of Lt. Gen. Arnold save the expense of reprinting on the ment of State, transmitting, pursuant to W. Bunch, Jr., to be General. Executive Calendar that these nomina- law, a report on the ongoing bilateral secu- Air Force nomination of Col. David A. Har- tions lie at the Secretary’s desk for the rity relationship between the United States ris, Jr., to be Brigadier General. *Navy nomination of Adm. William F. information of Senators. and the Republic of Cyprus; to the Commit- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without tees on Foreign Relations; Armed Services; Moran, to be Admiral. and Appropriations. Navy nomination of Vice Adm. Robert P. objection, it is so ordered. EC–1288. A communication from the Chair- Burke, to be Admiral. Air Force nomination of Christopher B. man of the Securities and Exchange Com- Marine Corps nomination of Lt. Gen. Her- Athearn, to be Colonel. mission, transmitting, pursuant to law, the man S. Clardy III, to be Lieutenant General. Air Force nominations beginning with Commission’s fiscal year 2017 FAIR Act Com- Army nominations beginning with Brig. Erika O. Bernardo and ending with Carole M. mercial and Inherently Governmental Ac- Gen. Peter B. Andrysiak, Jr. and ending with Y. Villamaria, which nominations were re- tivities Inventory; to the Committee on Brig. Gen. David Wilson, which nominations ceived by the Senate and appeared in the Homeland Security and Governmental Af- were received by the Senate and appeared in Congressional Record on April 11, 2019. fairs. the Congressional Record on April 11, 2019. Air Force nominations beginning with (minus 1 nominee: Brig. Gen. David M. Ham- Corey T. Beals and ending with Christopher f ilton) R. Williams, which nominations were re- REPORTS OF COMMITTEES Air Force nomination of Col. Tracy D. ceived by the Senate and appeared in the Smith, to be Brigadier General. Congressional Record on April 11, 2019. The following reports of committees Air Force nomination of Col. Frank W. Air Force nomination of Daniel W. were submitted: Roy, to be Brigadier General. Schlieder, to be Major. By Mr. JOHNSON, from the Committee on Army nomination of Maj. Gen. Leopoldo A. Air Force nominations beginning with Homeland Security and Governmental Af- Quintas, Jr., to be Lieutenant General. Deborah J. Angeles and ending with Keri L. fairs, without amendment: Army nomination of Brig. Gen. Kenneth A. Young, which nominations were received by S. 347. A bill to designate the facility of Nava, to be Major General. the Senate and appeared in the Congres- the United States Postal Service located at Army nominations beginning with Brig. sional Record on April 11, 2019. 40 Fulton Street in Middletown, New York, Gen. Francis J. Evon, Jr. and ending with Air Force nomination of Douglas P. as the ‘‘Benjamin A. Gilman Post Office Brig. Gen. David J. Mikolaities, which nomi- Wickert, to be Colonel. Building’’. nations were received by the Senate and ap- Air Force nomination of Richard T. H.R. 540. A bill to designate the facility of peared in the Congressional Record on April Cooney, Jr., to be Colonel. the United States Postal Service located at 29, 2019. Air Force nominations beginning with 770 Ayrault Road in Fairport, New York, as Army nomination of Brig. Gen. Mark J. Tammie A. Canada and ending with Douglas the ‘‘Louise and Bob Slaughter Post Office’’. Schindler, to be Major General. N. Schneekloth, which nominations were re- H.R. 828. A bill to designate the facility of Army nominations beginning with Brig. ceived by the Senate and appeared in the the United States Postal Service located at Gen. John F. Hussey and ending with Col. Congressional Record on April 29, 2019. 25 Route 111 in Smithtown, New York, as the Michael K. Pyle, which nominations were re- Air Force nominations beginning with ‘‘Congressman Bill Carney Post Office’’. ceived by the Senate and appeared in the Alexander A. Adeleye and ending with H.R. 829. A bill to designate the facility of Congressional Record on April 29, 2019. Desbah R. Yazzie, which nominations were the United States Postal Service located at Army nominations beginning with Col. Ni- received by the Senate and appeared in the 1450 Montauk Highway in Mastic, New York, cole M. Balliet and ending with Col. James Congressional Record on April 29, 2019. as the ‘‘Army Specialist Thomas J. Wilwerth A. Zollar, which nominations were received Air Force nominations beginning with Leo Post Office Building’’. by the Senate and appeared in the Congres- J. Burkardt and ending with David M. S. 1196. A bill to designate the facility of sional Record on April 29, 2019. Maurer, which nominations were received by the United States Postal Service located at Army nominations beginning with Col. the Senate and appeared in the Congres- 1715 Linnerud Drive in Sun Prairie, Wis- Bradley J. Cox and ending with Col. Adam C. sional Record on April 29, 2019. consin, as the ‘‘Fire Captain Cory Barr Post Volant, which nominations were received by Air Force nominations beginning with Mi- Office Building’’. the Senate and appeared in the Congres- chael R. Cabral and ending with Ray A. f sional Record on April 29, 2019. Zuniga, which nominations were received by Army nominations beginning with Col. An- the Senate and appeared in the Congres- EXECUTIVE REPORTS OF drew C. Diefenthaler and ending with Col. sional Record on April 29, 2019. COMMITTEES James M. Jones, which nominations were re- Air Force nomination of Tann S. Jones, to The following executive reports of ceived by the Senate and appeared in the be Major. Congressional Record on April 29, 2019. Army nomination of Theodore W. Kleisner, nominations were submitted: Navy nomination of Rear Adm. Sean S. to be Colonel. By Mr. TILLIS for Mr. INHOFE for the Buck, to be Vice Admiral. Army nomination of Robert W. Hughes, to Committee on Armed Services. Marine Corps nomination of Lt. Gen. John be Colonel. Army nomination of Col. Edward S. Smith, J. Broadmeadow, to be Lieutenant General. Army nomination of Larry R. Jordan, Jr., to be Brigadier General. Marine Corps nomination of Lt. Gen. Brian to be Colonel. Marine Corps nominations beginning with D. Beaudreault, to be Lieutenant General. Army nomination of Kontrina S. Park, to Col. Marcus B. Annibale and ending with Col. Marine Corps nomination of Lt. Gen. be Major. Brian N. Wolford, which nominations were George W. Smith, Jr., to be Lieutenant Gen- Army nomination of Marcus L. Jordan, to received by the Senate and appeared in the eral. be Lieutenant Colonel. Congressional Record on January 15, 2019. Marine Corps nomination of Lt. Gen. Rob- Army nominations beginning with Robert (minus 1 nominee: Col. Daniel Q. Greenwood) ert F. Hedelund, to be Lieutenant General. M. Hudson and ending with James D. Army nomination of Maj. Gen. Duane A. Army nominations beginning with Brig. Sizemore, which nominations were received Gamble, to be Lieutenant General. Gen. Rodney L. Faulk and ending with Col. by the Senate and appeared in the Congres- Navy nomination of Rear Adm. Scott D. Wanda N. Williams, which nominations were sional Record on April 4, 2019. Conn, to be Vice Admiral. received by the Senate and appeared in the Army nominations beginning with John E. *Army nomination of Gen. James C. Congressional Record on April 30, 2019. Callihan II and ending with Jeffrey F. Ryan, McConville, to be General. (minus 1 nominee: Col. Jed J. Schaertl) which nominations were received by the Sen- *Marine Corps nomination of Lt. Gen. Air Force nomination of Maj. Gen. David ate and appeared in the Congressional David H. Berger, to be General. S. Nahom, to be Lieutenant General. Record on April 4, 2019.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:52 May 17, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD19\MAY\S15MY9.REC S15MY9 abonner on DSKBCJ7HB2PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2883 Army nomination of Boguslaw A. by the Senate and appeared in the Congres- INTRODUCTION OF BILLS AND Augustyn, to be Colonel. sional Record on April 11, 2019. JOINT RESOLUTIONS Army nominations beginning with James Navy nomination of Steven J. Debich, to R. Achenbach and ending with Keith B. be Commander. The following bills and joint resolu- Weber, which nominations were received by Navy nomination of Neil Partain, to be tions were introduced, read the first the Senate and appeared in the Congres- Commander. and second times by unanimous con- sional Record on April 4, 2019. Navy nomination of Robert G. Graham, to sent, and referred as indicated: be Lieutenant Commander. Army nominations beginning with Keith By Mr. HEINRICH (for himself and Mr. A. Archibald and ending with Frank L. Navy nomination of Laura C. Gilstrap, to be Commander. PORTMAN): Witsberger, which nominations were re- S. 1471. A bill to require digital engineering ceived by the Senate and appeared in the Navy nomination of Micheal K. Wagner, to be Captain. as a core competency of the Armed Forces, Congressional Record on April 4, 2019. and for other purposes; to the Committee on Army nominations beginning with Tim- Navy nomination of Jason T. Stepp, to be Armed Services. othy B. Alexander and ending with Wing Y. Captain. By Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. Yu, which nominations were received by the Navy nomination of Stephen C. Plew, to be BLUMENTHAL, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. Senate and appeared in the Congressional Captain. Navy nomination of Michael D. Krisman, MERKLEY, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. Record on April 4, 2019. SCHATZ, Ms. WARREN, Mr. BOOKER, Army nomination of Christopher L. to be Captain. Navy nomination of Michael J. Cirivello, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. Metzger, to be Major. SANDERS, Ms. HARRIS, Ms. CANTWELL, Army nomination of Jonathan W. Ander- to be Commander. Navy nomination of Zachary J. Conley, to Mr. BROWN, and Mr. BENNET): son, to be Major. be Commander. S. 1472. A bill to amend the Help America Army nomination of Brian J. Reed, to be Navy nomination of Brentone E. Helbig, to Vote Act of 2002 to require paper ballots and Colonel. be Commander. Army nomination of Thomas J. Wargo, to risk limiting audits in all Federal elections, Navy nomination of Patrick H. be Colonel. and for other purposes; to the Committee on O’Mahoney, to be Captain. Army nomination of Terrence Sommers, to Rules and Administration. Navy nominations beginning with Guy W. By Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself and be Colonel. Jensen and ending with Venita M. Simpson, Army nomination of David M. Rozelle, to Mrs. CAPITO): which nominations were received by the Sen- be Colonel. S. 1473. A bill to amend the Safe Drinking ate and appeared in the Congressional Army nomination of Tony L. Dedmond, Water Act to require the Administrator of Record on April 4, 2019. the Environmental Protection Agency to set Jr., to be Colonel. Navy nomination of Marissa A. Mayor, to Army nomination of Ray G. McCulloch II, maximum contaminant levels for certain be Lieutenant Commander. to be Lieutenant Colonel. chemicals, and for other purposes; to the Navy nomination of Adam C. Hancock, to Committee on Environment and Public Army nomination of Cory J. Cousins, to be be Captain. Lieutenant Colonel. Works. Navy nomination of John J. Eastman, to By Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Mr. Army nomination of Damon L. Augustine, be Commander. TILLIS, Mr. WICKER, Mr. GARDNER, to be Lieutenant Colonel. Navy nomination of Terence B. McAdoo, to Mr. REED, Mr. KAINE, and Mr. Army nomination of Paul J. Stambaugh, be Lieutenant Commander. BLUMENTHAL): to be Lieutenant Colonel. Navy nomination of Donald A. Sinitiere, to S. 1474. A bill to amend the Afghan Allies Army nomination of Brenton D. Griffith, be Lieutenant Commander. Protection Act of 2009 to make 4,000 visas to be Lieutenant Colonel. Navy nominations beginning with Robert available for the Afghan Special Immigrant Army nomination of Andrew E. Radbill, to H. Battle and ending with Keith E. Wilber, Visa program, and for other purposes; to the be Major. which nominations were received by the Sen- Committee on the Judiciary. Army nominations beginning with Richard ate and appeared in the Congressional By Mr. THUNE (for himself, Mr. CASEY, Elias and ending with William A. Watts, Record on April 11, 2019. which nominations were received by the Sen- Navy nomination of Riley A. Walls, to be Mr. WYDEN, and Mr. ROBERTS): ate and appeared in the Congressional Lieutenant Commander. S. 1475. A bill to amend the Internal Rev- Record on April 29, 2019. Navy nomination of Benjamin D. Adams, enue Code to extend and modify certain Army nominations beginning with Marlon to be Lieutenant Commander. charitable tax provisions; to the Committee G. Burns and ending with Michael F. Wood, Navy nomination of Jessica M. Miller, to on Finance. which nominations were received by the Sen- be Lieutenant Commander. By Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself and ate and appeared in the Congressional Navy nomination of Frank R. Bittner, to Mr. CASSIDY): Record on April 29, 2019. be Lieutenant Commander. S. 1476. A bill to waive the 24-month wait- Army nominations beginning with Paul R. Navy nomination of David M. Groves, to be ing period for Medicare eligibility for indi- Barbo and ending with Mark A. Wurth, Lieutenant Commander. viduals disabled by Huntington’s disease; to which nominations were received by the Sen- By Mr. JOHNSON for the Committee on the Committee on Finance. ate and appeared in the Congressional Homeland Security and Governmental Af- By Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Mr. Record on April 29, 2019. fairs. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. WAR- Army nominations beginning with Fred- *Ron A. Bloom, of New York, to be a Gov- NER, Ms. WARREN, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. erick W. Alf III and ending with Michael D. ernor of the United States Postal Service for HASSAN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, and Mr. Lewis, which nominations were received by a term expiring December 8, 2020. CARDIN): the Senate and appeared in the Congres- *Roman Martinez IV, of Florida, to be a S. 1477. A bill to amend the Federal Power sional Record on April 29, 2019. Governor of the United States Postal Service Act to establish an Office of Public Partici- Army nominations beginning with Tim- for a term expiring December 8, 2024. pation and Consumer Advocacy; to the Com- othy S. Adams and ending with Dennis R. *James A. Crowell IV, of the District of Co- mittee on Energy and Natural Resources. Turner, which nominations were received by lumbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Su- By Mr. CRUZ (for himself, Mr. COTTON, the Senate and appeared in the Congres- perior Court of the District of Columbia for and Mr. TILLIS): sional Record on April 30, 2019. the term of fifteen years. S. 1478. A bill to repeal the Office of Finan- Army nominations beginning with Carol A. *Jason Park, of the District of Columbia, cial Research, and for other purposes; to the Anderson and ending with Abdul R. Willis, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban which nominations were received by the Sen- Court of the District of Columbia for the Affairs. ate and appeared in the Congressional term of fifteen years. By Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself and Record on April 30, 2019. *Michael Eric Wooten, of Virginia, to be Ms. CORTEZ MASTO): Army nominations beginning with Thomas Administrator for Federal Procurement Pol- S. 1479. A bill to further development of A. Bryant and ending with Arthur F. Yeager, icy. Next Generation 9–1–1 to enhance and up- which nominations were received by the Sen- *Dale Cabaniss, of Virginia, to be Director grade the 9–1–1 systems of the United States, ate and appeared in the Congressional of the Office of Personnel Management for a and for other purposes; to the Committee on Record on April 30, 2019. term of four years. Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Army nominations beginning with Jeremy * Nomination was reported with rec- By Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Mr. J. Bearss and ending with Michelle Thomp- ommendation that it be confirmed sub- CRUZ, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. son, which nominations were received by the ject to the nominee’s commitment to BOOZMAN, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. Senate and appeared in the Congressional respond to requests to appear and tes- PERDUE, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mrs. FISCHER, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. PORTMAN, Record on April 30, 2019. tify before any duly constituted com- Army nomination of Rebecca A. Brawner, Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. BLUNT, Mrs. HYDE- to be Major. mittee of the Senate. SMITH, and Mr. DAINES): Marine Corps nominations beginning with (Nominations without an asterisk S. 1480. A bill to protect law enforcement Leslie S. Albers and ending with Sean E. were reported with the recommenda- officers, and for other purposes; to the Com- Zukowsky, which nominations were received tion that they be confirmed.) mittee on the Judiciary.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A15MY6.022 S15MYPT1 S2884 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 By Mr. BROWN (for himself, Ms. By Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Ms. S. Res. 211. A resolution recognizing the SMITH, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. MAR- BALDWIN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. Aviation Cadet Museum in Eureka Springs, KEY, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. TESTER, Ms. BOOKER, Mr. BROWN, Mr. CASEY, Ms. Arkansas, as ‘‘America’s National Aviation HASSAN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. HAR- CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. Cadet Museum’’; to the Committee on En- RIS, Mr. CASEY, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. GILLIBRAND, Ms. HARRIS, Mr. KING, ergy and Natural Resources. BOOKER, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. PETERS, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. By Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mr. Mr. KING, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. LEAHY, Ms. MERKLEY, Mr. REED, Mr. SANDERS, YOUNG, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. PAUL, CORTEZ MASTO, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. Mrs. SHAHEEN, and Ms. WARREN): Mr. MARKEY, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. BROWN, JONES, and Mr. KAINE): S. 1491. A bill to prohibit forced arbitration Ms. COLLINS, Mr. CARDIN, Mrs. GILLI- S. 1481. A bill to amend title XXVII of the in work disputes, and for other purposes; to BRAND, Ms. SMITH, and Mrs. FEIN- Public Health Service Act to provide for a the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, STEIN): special enrollment period for pregnant and Pensions. S. Con. Res. 16. A concurrent resolution ex- women, and for other purposes; to the Com- By Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Ms. pressing the sense of Congress that the Trea- mittee on Finance. BALDWIN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. ty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weap- By Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. CASEY, Ms. ons (NPT) continues to make an invaluable BLUMENTHAL, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. DUCKWORTH, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. contribution to United States and inter- BOOKER, Mr. MERKLEY, Ms. HARRIS, GILLIBRAND, Ms. HARRIS, Ms. HASSAN, national security, and noting former Senator Mr. CARPER, and Mr. WYDEN): Ms. HIRONO, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. Richard G. Lugar’s indispensable contribu- S. 1482. A bill to establish an integrated MARKEY, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. tions to international security and reducing national approach to respond to ongoing and MERKLEY, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. SANDERS, nuclear weapons-related risks; to the Com- expected effects of extreme weather and cli- Mr. SCHATZ, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Ms. mittee on Foreign Relations. mate change by protecting, managing, and SMITH, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. WARREN, conserving the fish, wildlife, and plants of Mr. WHITEHOUSE, and Mr. WYDEN): f the United States, and to maximize Govern- S. 1492. A bill to prevent harassment at in- ment efficiency and reduce costs, in coopera- stitutions of higher education, and for other ADDITIONAL COSPONSORS tion with State, local, and Tribal govern- purposes; to the Committee on Health, Edu- S. 116 ments and other entities, and for other pur- cation, Labor, and Pensions. poses; to the Committee on Environment and By Mr. JONES: At the request of Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Public Works. S. 1493. A bill to direct the Secretary of De- the name of the Senator from Hawaii By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Ms. BALD- fense to develop workforce development in- (Ms. HIRONO) was added as a cosponsor vestment incentives and to consider a quali- WIN, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, and Ms. of S. 116, a bill to address maternal fied training program of an offeror as part of HIRONO): mortality and morbidity. S. 1483. A bill to amend the Higher Edu- the past performance rating of such offeror, S. 133 cation Act of 1965 to require institutions of and for other purposes; to the Committee on higher education to have an independent ad- Armed Services. At the request of Ms. MURKOWSKI, the vocate for campus sexual assault prevention By Mr. GRAHAM: name of the Senator from Illinois (Ms. S. 1494. A bill to amend the William Wil- and response; to the Committee on Health, DUCKWORTH) was added as a cosponsor berforce Trafficking Victims Protection Re- Education, Labor, and Pensions. authorization Act of 2008 to protect alien mi- of S. 133, a bill to award a Congres- By Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself and nors and to amend the Immigration and Na- sional Gold Medal, collectively, to the Mr. MURPHY): tionality Act to end abuse of the asylum sys- United States merchant mariners of S. 1484. A bill to provide disaster relief as- tem and establish refugee application and sistance to individuals for the purpose of World War II, in recognition of their processing centers outside the United States, clearing fallen debris, and for other purposes; dedicated and vital service during and for other purposes; to the Committee on World War II. to the Committee on Homeland Security and the Judiciary. Governmental Affairs. By Ms. MCSALLY (for herself, Mr. S. 151 By Mr. MANCHIN (for himself and Mr. TILLIS, Mr. BLUNT, Ms. ERNST, Mr. At the request of Mr. THUNE, the GARDNER): SCOTT of Florida, and Mr. ROUNDS): names of the Senator from Virginia S. 1485. A bill to improve the collection and S. 1495. A bill to amend title 10, United aggregation of fixed and mobile broadband (Mr. WARNER) and the Senator from States Code, to enhance the prevention of California (Mrs. FEINSTEIN) were added internet access coverage data, and for other sexual assault and related offenses in the purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Armed Forces, to enhance protections of vic- as cosponsors of S. 151, a bill to deter Science, and Transportation. tims of such offenses, to improve the inves- criminal robocall violations and im- By Mr. MANCHIN: tigation and prosecution of such offenses, prove enforcement of section 227(b) of S. 1486. A bill to amend title 11, United and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Communications Act of 1934, and States Code, to include certain pension as Armed Services. for other purposes. administrative expenses in bankruptcy, and By Mr. WARNER (for himself, Mr. S. 178 for other purposes; to the Committee on GARDNER, Mr. KAINE, and Mr. SCOTT Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. of South Carolina): At the request of Mr. RUBIO, the By Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Ms. S. 1496. A bill to amend the loan counseling name of the Senator from Connecticut HARRIS, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. SAND- requirements under the Higher Education (Mr. MURPHY) was added as a cosponsor ERS, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, and Mr. Act of 1965, and for other purposes; to the of S. 178, a bill to condemn gross SCHATZ): Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and human rights violations of ethnic S. 1487. A bill to amend the Clean Air Act Pensions. Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, and call- to create a national zero-emission vehicle By Mr. WYDEN: standard, and for other purposes; to the S. 1497. A bill to amend title XVIII of the ing for an end to arbitrary detention, Committee on Environment and Public Social Security Act to improve cost and torture, and harassment of these com- Works. quality transparency under the Medicare munities inside and outside China. By Mr. UDALL (for himself and Mr. program, and for other purposes; to the Com- S. 286 WYDEN): mittee on Finance. At the request of Mr. BARRASSO, the S. 1488. A bill to improve the integrity and By Ms. WARREN (for herself, Mr. name of the Senator from Minnesota safety of interstate horseracing, and for SCHATZ, and Mr. WHITEHOUSE): other purposes; to the Committee on Com- S. 1498. A bill to require the Secretary of (Ms. SMITH) was added as a cosponsor merce, Science, and Transportation. Defense to enhance the readiness of the De- of S. 286, a bill to amend title XVIII of By Mr. WARNER (for himself, Mr. partment of Defense to challenges relating the Social Security Act to provide for RUBIO, and Mr. CORNYN): to climate change and to improve the energy the coverage of marriage and family S. 1489. A bill to amend the Higher Edu- and resource efficiency of the Department, therapist services and mental health cation Act of 1965 to authorize borrowers to and for other purposes; to the Committee on counselor services under part B of the separate joint consolidation loans; to the Armed Services. Medicare program, and for other pur- Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and f Pensions. poses. By Mr. WARNER (for himself and Mr. SUBMISSION OF CONCURRENT AND S. 362 ISAKSON): SENATE RESOLUTIONS At the request of Mr. WYDEN, the S. 1490. A bill to amend the General Edu- The following concurrent resolutions name of the Senator from Maine (Ms. cation Provisions Act to allow the release of education records to facilitate the award of a and Senate resolutions were read, and COLLINS) was added as a cosponsor of S. recognized postsecondary credential; to the referred (or acted upon), as indicated: 362, a bill to amend the Internal Rev- Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and By Mr. BOOZMAN (for himself and Mr. enue Code of 1986 to reform taxation of Pensions. COTTON): alcoholic beverages.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A15MY6.029 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2885 S. 371 S. 511 hibit the payment by members of the At the request of Mrs. FISCHER, the At the request of Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Armed Forces of deposits or other fees name of the Senator from North Caro- the names of the Senator from Massa- relating to such housing units, and for lina (Mr. TILLIS) was added as a co- chusetts (Mr. MARKEY) and the Senator other purposes. sponsor of S. 371, a bill to provide regu- from Nevada (Ms. ROSEN) were added as S. 754 latory relief to charitable organiza- cosponsors of S. 511, a bill to promote At the request of Mr. CRAPO, the tions that provide housing assistance, and protect from discrimination living name of the Senator from New Hamp- and for other purposes. organ donors. shire (Ms. HASSAN) was added as a co- S. 373 S. 569 sponsor of S. 754, a bill to encourage At the request of Mrs. GILLIBRAND, At the request of Mr. YOUNG, the partnerships among public agencies the name of the Senator from New Jer- name of the Senator from Kentucky and other interested parties to promote sey (Mr. MENENDEZ) was added as a co- (Mr. PAUL) was added as a cosponsor of fish conservation, and for other pur- sponsor of S. 373, a bill to provide for S. 569, a bill to direct the Secretary of poses. the retention and service of Transportation to issue regulations re- S. 756 transgender individuals in the Armed lating to commercial motor vehicle At the request of Mr. MENENDEZ, the Forces. drivers under the age of 21, and for name of the Senator from North Caro- S. 382 other purposes. lina (Mr. BURR) was added as a cospon- At the request of Mr. BARRASSO, the S. 589 sor of S. 756, a bill to modify the prohi- name of the Senator from Tennessee At the request of Mr. LANKFORD, the bition on recognition by United States (Mrs. BLACKBURN) was added as a co- name of the Senator from Rhode Island courts of certain rights relating to cer- sponsor of S. 382, a bill to authorize a (Mr. WHITEHOUSE) was added as a co- tain marks, trade names, or commer- special resource study on the spread sponsor of S. 589, a bill to provide for a cial names. vectors of chronic wasting disease in period of continuing appropriations in S. 758 Cervidae, and for other purposes. the event of a lapse in appropriations At the request of Ms. DUCKWORTH, S. 457 under the normal appropriations proc- the name of the Senator from Massa- At the request of Mr. CORNYN, the ess, and establish procedures and con- chusetts (Ms. WARREN) was added as a name of the Senator from Florida (Mr. sequences in the event of a failure to cosponsor of S. 758, a bill to ensure af- SCOTT) was added as a cosponsor of S. complete regular appropriations. fordable abortion coverage and care for 457, a bill to require that $1 coins S. 622 every woman, and for other purposes. issued during 2019 honor President At the request of Mr. JONES, the S. 802 George H.W. Bush and to direct the name of the Senator from Texas (Mr. At the request of Mr. DAINES, the Secretary of the Treasury to issue bul- CORNYN) was added as a cosponsor of S. name of the Senator from Idaho (Mr. lion coins during 2019 in honor of Bar- 622, a bill to amend title 10, United RISCH) was added as a cosponsor of S. bara Bush. States Code, to repeal the requirement 802, a bill to amend part A of title IV of S. 460 for reduction of survivor annuities the Social Security Act, and for other At the request of Mr. WARNER, the under the Survivor Benefit Plan by purposes. names of the Senator from Iowa (Ms. veterans’ dependency and indemnity S. 820 ERNST) and the Senator from Montana compensation, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. CORNYN, the (Mr. DAINES) were added as cosponsors S. 636 name of the Senator from Nebraska of S. 460, a bill to amend the Internal At the request of Mr. MENENDEZ, the (Mrs. FISCHER) was added as a cospon- Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the ex- names of the Senator from Minnesota sor of S. 820, a bill to strengthen pro- clusion for employer-provided edu- (Ms. KLOBUCHAR) and the Senator from grams authorized under the Debbie cation assistance to employer pay- Nevada (Ms. CORTEZ MASTO) were added Smith Act of 2004. ments of student loans. as cosponsors of S. 636, a bill to des- S. 839 S. 466 ignate Venezuela under section 244 of At the request of Mr. KAINE, the At the request of Mr. WARNER, the the Immigration and Nationality Act name of the Senator from Delaware names of the Senator from Michigan to permit nationals of Venezuela to be (Mr. COONS) was added as a cosponsor (Ms. STABENOW), the Senator from Cali- eligible for temporary protected status of S. 839, a bill to extend Federal Pell fornia (Ms. HARRIS) and the Senator under such section. Grant eligibility of certain short-term from Illinois (Mr. DURBIN) were added S. 651 programs. as cosponsors of S. 466, a bill to provide At the request of Mr. CASEY, the S. 846 that certain guidance related to waiv- names of the Senator from Rhode Is- At the request of Mr. CORNYN, the ers for State innovation under the Pa- land (Mr. WHITEHOUSE) and the Senator name of the Senator from South Da- tient Protection and Affordable Care from New Hampshire (Ms. HASSAN) kota (Mr. THUNE) was added as a co- Act shall have no force or effect. were added as cosponsors of S. 651, a sponsor of S. 846, a bill to amend title S. 500 bill to amend the Internal Revenue 49, United States Code, to limit certain At the request of Mr. PORTMAN, the Code of 1986 to increase the age re- rolling stock procurements, and for name of the Senator from New York quirement with respect to eligibility other purposes. (Mrs. GILLIBRAND) was added as a co- for qualified ABLE programs. S. 880 sponsor of S. 500, a bill to amend title S. 684 At the request of Ms. STABENOW, the 54, United States Code, to establish, At the request of Mr. HEINRICH, the names of the Senator from Arkansas fund, and provide for the use of names of the Senator from Vermont (Mr. BOOZMAN), the Senator from Ari- amounts in a National Park Service (Mr. LEAHY) and the Senator from West zona (Ms. SINEMA) and the Senator Legacy Restoration Fund to address Virginia (Mrs. CAPITO) were added as from Mississippi (Mr. WICKER) were the maintenance backlog of the Na- cosponsors of S. 684, a bill to amend the added as cosponsors of S. 880, a bill to tional Park Service, and for other pur- Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal provide outreach and reporting on com- poses. the excise tax on high-cost employer- prehensive Alzheimer’s disease care S. 504 sponsored health coverage. planning services furnished under the At the request of Ms. SINEMA, the S. 703 Medicare program. name of the Senator from Illinois (Mr. At the request of Mrs. FEINSTEIN, the S. 901 DURBIN) was added as a cosponsor of S. name of the Senator from Maryland At the request of Ms. COLLINS, the 504, a bill to amend title 36, United (Mr. CARDIN) was added as a cosponsor names of the Senator from Florida (Mr. States Code, to authorize The Amer- of S. 703, a bill to amend title 10, RUBIO), the Senator from Arkansas ican Legion to determine the require- United States Code, to address health, (Mr. BOOZMAN) and the Senator from ments for membership in The Amer- safety, and environmental hazards at Mississippi (Mr. WICKER) were added as ican Legion, and for other purposes. private military housing units, to pro- cosponsors of S. 901, a bill to amend the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A15MY6.024 S15MYPT1 S2886 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 Older Americans Act of 1965 to support souri (Mr. HAWLEY), the Senator from added as cosponsors of S. 1235, a bill to individuals with younger onset Alz- Iowa (Ms. ERNST), the Senator from require the Secretary of the Treasury heimer’s disease. Tennessee (Mrs. BLACKBURN), the Sen- to mint coins in commemoration of S. 944 ator from North Dakota (Mr. CRAMER), ratification of the 19th Amendment to At the request of Mr. SCHATZ, the the Senator from Mississippi (Mrs. the Constitution of the United States, name of the Senator from Montana HYDE-SMITH), the Senator from Mis- giving women in the United States the (Mr. TESTER) was added as a cosponsor sissippi (Mr. WICKER), the Senator from right to vote. of S. 944, a bill to enhance the security North Carolina (Mr. TILLIS) and the S. 1263 operations of the Transportation Secu- Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. INHOFE) At the request of Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, rity Administration and the stability were added as cosponsors of S. 1168, a the name of the Senator from West of the transportation security work- bill to amend the Higher Education Act Virginia (Mrs. CAPITO) was added as a force by applying a unified personnel of 1965 to ensure campus access at pub- cosponsor of S. 1263, a bill to require system under title 5, United States lic institutions of higher education for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to es- Code, to employees of the Transpor- religious groups. tablish an interagency task force on tation Security Administration who S. 1195 the use of public lands to provide med- are responsible for screening pas- At the request of Mrs. GILLIBRAND, ical treatment and therapy to veterans sengers and property, and for other the names of the Senator from Mary- through outdoor recreation. purposes. land (Mr. VAN HOLLEN), the Senator S. 1370 S. 998 from Virginia (Mr. KAINE), the Senator At the request of Mr. CASSIDY, the At the request of Mr. HAWLEY, the from Virginia (Mr. WARNER), the Sen- names of the Senator from Arkansas name of the Senator from New Hamp- ator from Missouri (Mr. BLUNT), the (Mr. BOOZMAN), the Senator from Ari- shire (Ms. HASSAN) was added as a co- Senator from Indiana (Mr. YOUNG), the zona (Ms. MCSALLY), the Senator from sponsor of S. 998, a bill to amend the Senator from Idaho (Mr. CRAPO) and Colorado (Mr. GARDNER), the Senator Omnibus Crime Control and Safe the Senator from California (Ms. HAR- from Louisiana (Mr. KENNEDY) and the Streets Act of 1968 to expand support RIS) were added as cosponsors of S. 1195, Senator from Nebraska (Mrs. FISCHER) for police officer family services, stress a bill to amend title 38, United States were added as cosponsors of S. 1370, a reduction, and suicide prevention, and Code, to clarify presumption relating bill to amend the Internal Revenue for other purposes. to the exposure of certain veterans who Code of 1986 to treat certain military served in the vicinity of the Republic S. 1012 survivor benefits as earned income for of Vietnam, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. MANCHIN, the purposes of the kiddie tax. S. 1203 name of the Senator from Oregon (Mr. S. 1374 At the request of Mrs. GILLIBRAND, MERKLEY) was added as a cosponsor of At the request of Ms. MCSALLY, the the name of the Senator from Massa- S. 1012, a bill to amend the Public names of the Senator from New Hamp- chusetts (Mr. MARKEY) was added as a Health Service Act to protect the con- shire (Ms. HASSAN) and the Senator cosponsor of S. 1203, a bill to amend the fidentiality of substance use disorder from South Dakota (Mr. ROUNDS) were Higher Education Act of 1965 in order patient records. added as cosponsors of S. 1374, a bill to to improve the public service loan for- S. 1039 amend title II of the Social Security giveness program, and for other pur- Act to eliminate the waiting periods At the request of Mr. UDALL, the poses. names of the Senator from Maryland for disability insurance benefits and S. 1209 (Mr. VAN HOLLEN) and the Senator Medicare coverage for individuals with At the request of Mr. CASSIDY, the from Maryland (Mr. CARDIN) were metastatic breast cancer, and for other name of the Senator from Alaska (Ms. added as cosponsors of S. 1039, a bill to purposes. MURKOWSKI) was added as a cosponsor limit the use of funds for kinetic mili- S. 1388 of S. 1209, a bill to amend the Federal tary operations in or against Iran. Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with re- At the request of Mr. PETERS, the S. 1060 spect to approval of abbreviated new name of the Senator from New Hamp- At the request of Mr. VAN HOLLEN, drug applications. shire (Ms. HASSAN) was added as a co- the names of the Senator from Virginia sponsor of S. 1388, a bill to manage sup- S. 1210 (Mr. WARNER) and the Senator from ply chain risk through counterintel- At the request of Ms. COLLINS, the ligence training, and for other pur- Iowa (Mr. GRASSLEY) were added as co- name of the Senator from Pennsyl- sponsors of S. 1060, a bill to deter for- poses. vania (Mr. TOOMEY) was added as a co- eign interference in United States elec- sponsor of S. 1210, a bill to amend the S. 1394 tions, and for other purposes. Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to in- At the request of Ms. BALDWIN, the S. 1148 crease and make permanent the exclu- name of the Senator from Illinois (Mr. At the request of Mr. HOEVEN, the sion for benefits provided to volunteer DURBIN) was added as a cosponsor of S. name of the Senator from West Vir- firefighters and emergency medical re- 1394, a bill to provide collective bar- ginia (Mrs. CAPITO) was added as a co- sponders. gaining rights for public safety officers sponsor of S. 1148, a bill to amend title S. 1218 employed by States or their political 49, United States Code, to require the At the request of Mr. VAN HOLLEN, subdivisions. Administrator of the Federal Aviation the names of the Senator from Okla- S. 1416 Administration to give preferential homa (Mr. LANKFORD) and the Senator At the request of Mr. CORNYN, the consideration to individuals who have from Michigan (Mr. PETERS) were name of the Senator from West Vir- successfully completed air traffic con- added as cosponsors of S. 1218, a bill to ginia (Mrs. CAPITO) was added as a co- troller training and veterans when hir- require the review of the service of cer- sponsor of S. 1416, a bill to amend the ing air traffic control specialists. tain members of the Armed Forces dur- Federal Trade Commission Act to pro- S. 1162 ing World War I to determine if such hibit anticompetitive behaviors by At the request of Mr. CRUZ, the name members should be awarded the Medal drug product manufacturers, and for of the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. of Honor, to authorize the award of the other purposes. INHOFE) was added as a cosponsor of S. Medal of Honor based on the results of S. 1421 1162, a bill to amend the Internal Rev- the review, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. MARKEY, the enue Code of 1986 to make permanent S. 1235 name of the Senator from Maine (Ms. the individual tax provisions of the tax At the request of Mrs. BLACKBURN, COLLINS) was added as a cosponsor of S. reform law, and for other purposes. the names of the Senator from New 1421, a bill to award a Congressional S. 1168 York (Mr. SCHUMER), the Senator from Gold Medal to the 23d Headquarters At the request of Mr. BLUNT, the Alabama (Mr. JONES), the Senator from Special Troops and the 3133d Signal names of the Senator from Louisiana Maine (Mr. KING) and the Senator from Service Company in recognition of (Mr. CASSIDY), the Senator from Mis- Connecticut (Mr. BLUMENTHAL) were their unique and distinguished service

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A15MY6.026 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2887 as a ‘‘Ghost Army’’ that conducted de- to a civilian-led political authority in mines the application of the amendments ception operations in Europe during the Republic of the Sudan, and for made by this section would cause undue bur- World War II. other purposes. den without a delay, the Secretary may delay the application of such amendments, S. 1422 f but such delay shall not apply to any taxable At the request of Mr. CASEY, the STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED year beginning on or after the date 2 years name of the Senator from Minnesota BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS after of the enactment of this Act. (Ms. SMITH) was added as a cosponsor (ii) SMALL ORGANIZATION.—For purposes of of S. 1422, a bill to transfer revenues By Mr. THUNE (for himself, Mr. clause (i), the term ‘‘small organization’’ from the net investment income tax to CASEY, Mr. WYDEN, and Mr. means any organization— the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust ROBERTS): (I) the gross receipts of which for the tax- able year are less than $200,000; and Fund. S. 1475. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code to extend and modify (II) the aggregate gross assets of which at S. 1438 the end of the taxable year are less than certain charitable tax provisions; to At the request of Mrs. FEINSTEIN, the $500,000. the Committee on Finance. name of the Senator from Maryland (B) ORGANIZATIONS FILING FORM 990–T.—In Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask (Mr. VAN HOLLEN) was added as a co- the case of any organization described in sec- unanimous consent that the text of the sponsor of S. 1438, a bill to amend title tion 511(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of bill be printed in the RECORD. 1986 which is subject to the tax imposed by 39, United States Code, to extend the There being no objection, the text of section 511(a)(1) of such Code on its unrelated authority of the United States Postal the bill was ordered to be printed in business taxable income, or any organization Service to issue a semipostal to raise required to file a return under section 6033 of the RECORD, as follows: funds for breast cancer research. such Code and include information under S. 1475 S. 1448 subsection (e) thereof, the Secretary may Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- delay the application of the amendments At the request of Mr. MARKEY, the resentatives of the United States of America in made by this section, but such delay shall name of the Senator from California Congress assembled, not apply to any taxable year beginning on (Mrs. FEINSTEIN) was added as a co- SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. or after the date 2 years after of the enact- sponsor of S. 1448, a bill to require cer- This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Charities ment of this Act. tain practitioners authorized to pre- Helping Americans Regularly Throughout SEC. 4. MODIFICATION OF RULES RELATING TO scribe controlled substances to com- the Year Act of 2019’’. DONOR ADVISED FUNDS. (a) ALLOWANCE OF TAX-FREE CHARITABLE plete continuing education. SEC. 2. DETERMINATION OF STANDARD MILEAGE DISTRIBUTIONS FROM INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT S. 1459 RATE FOR CHARITABLE CONTRIBU- TIONS DEDUCTION. ACCOUNTS.— At the request of Mr. HAWLEY, the (a) DETERMINATION OF STANDARD MILEAGE (1) IN GENERAL.—Clause (i) of section name of the Senator from Florida (Mr. RATE FOR CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS DEDUC- 408(d)(8)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code of RUBIO) was added as a cosponsor of S. TION.—Subsection (i) of section 170 of the In- 1986 is amended by striking ‘‘or any fund or 1459, a bill to control the export to the ternal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended to account described in section 4966(d)(2)’’. People’s Republic of China of certain read as follows: (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by this subsection shall apply to dis- technology and intellectual property ‘‘(i) STANDARD MILEAGE RATE FOR USE OF tributions made in taxable years beginning important to the national interest of PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE.—For purposes of computing the deduction under this section after December 31, 2018. the United States, and for other pur- (b) RETURN DISCLOSURES.— poses. for use of a passenger automobile, the stand- ard mileage rate shall be the rate deter- (1) DISTRIBUTIONS.—Subsection (k) of sec- S. 1462 mined by the Secretary, which rate shall not tion 6033 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 At the request of Mr. CASEY, the be less than the standard mileage rate used is amended— names of the Senator from Nevada (Ms. for purposes of section 213.’’. (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment ROSEN), the Senator from New York (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the period (Mrs. GILLIBRAND), the Senator from made by this section shall apply to miles traveled after the date of the enactment of at the end and inserting a comma; and New Hampshire (Mrs. SHAHEEN) and the this Act. (C) by adding at the end the following new Senator from California (Mrs. FEIN- paragraphs: SEC. 3. MANDATORY E-FILING BY EXEMPT ORGA- ‘‘(4) list the total number of such funds STEIN) were added as cosponsors of S. NIZATIONS. which were in existence for the 36-month pe- 1462, a bill to prevent a person who has (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 6033 of the Inter- riod ending at the close of such taxable year, been convicted of a misdemeanor hate nal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by re- ‘‘(5) list the total number of funds de- crime, or received an enhanced sen- designating subsection (n) as subsection (o) scribed in paragraph (4) which made at least and by inserting after subsection (m) the fol- tence for a misdemeanor because of 1 grant during the period described in such lowing new subsection: hate or bias in the commission, from paragraph, and ‘‘(n) MANDATORY ELECTRONIC FILING.—Any obtaining a firearm. ‘‘(6) set forth— organization required to file a return under S.J. RES. 11 ‘‘(A) whether such organization has a pub- this section shall file such return in elec- licly available policy with respect to funds At the request of Mr. MERKLEY, the tronic form.’’. which are inactive, dormant, or do not make name of the Senator from Oregon (Mr. (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Paragraph distributions during the period described in (7) of section 527(j) of such Code is amended WYDEN) was added as a cosponsor of paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘if the organization has’’ and all S.J. Res. 11, a joint resolution to pro- ‘‘(B) a description of the organization’s that follows through ‘‘such calendar year’’. hibit the unauthorized use of United policy for responding to funds described in (c) INSPECTION OF ELECTRONICALLY FILED States Armed Forces in hostilities with subparagraph (A) or a statement that no ANNUAL RETURNS.—Subsection (b) of section such policy is in effect, and respect to Venezuela. 6104 of such Code is amended by adding at ‘‘(C) whether such organization regularly S. CON. RES. 10 the end the following: ‘‘Any annual return and consistently monitors and enforces com- required to be filed electronically under sec- At the request of Mr. GARDNER, the pliance with the policy described in subpara- tion 6033(n) shall be made available by the name of the Senator from Florida (Mr. graph (A) with respect to such funds.’’. Secretary to the public as soon as prac- RUBIO) was added as a cosponsor of S. (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment ticable in a machine readable format.’’. Con. Res. 10, a concurrent resolution made by this subsection shall apply to re- (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.— recognizing that Chinese telecommuni- turns for taxable years beginning after De- (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in cember 31, 2019. cations companies such as Huawei and paragraph (2), the amendments made by this ZTE pose serious threats to the na- SEC. 5. MODIFICATION OF THE TAX RATE FOR section shall apply to taxable years begin- THE EXCISE TAX ON INVESTMENT tional security of the United States ning after the date of the enactment of this INCOME OF PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS. and its allies. Act. (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4940(a) of the In- S. RES. 188 (2) TRANSITIONAL RELIEF.— ternal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by (A) SMALL ORGANIZATIONS.— At the request of Mr. CRUZ, the name striking ‘‘2 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘1 per- (i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of any small of the Senator from Oregon (Mr. cent’’. organizations, or any other organizations for (b) ELIMINATION OF REDUCED TAX WHERE WYDEN) was added as a cosponsor of S. which the Secretary of the Treasury or the FOUNDATION MEETS CERTAIN DISTRIBUTION Res. 188, a resolution encouraging a Secretary’s delegate (hereafter referred to in REQUIREMENTS.—Section 4940 of such Code is swift transfer of power by the military this paragraph as the ‘‘Secretary’’) deter- amended by striking subsection (e).

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A15MY6.028 S15MYPT1 S2888 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments That is why I think the committee Memorial, which is here in Wash- made by this section shall apply to taxable work that is being done in the Senate, ington, DC. It is a beautiful tribute to years beginning after the date of the enact- in the Environment and Public Works the Federal, State, and local law en- ment of this Act. Committee, and, hopefully, in the forcement officials who have died in By Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Mr. House is so important. Once the Envi- the line of duty and features marble CRUZ, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. RUBIO, ronment and Public Works Committee walls filled with more than 21,000 Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. BARRASSO, makes a proposal and votes that out of names. Each of those names represents Mr. PERDUE, Mrs. BLACKBURN, the committee on a bipartisan basis, an American hero. Sadly, this year, we Mrs. FISCHER, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. then, the Senate Finance Committee add the names of 13 Texans to that me- PORTMAN, Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. will be asked to come up with a way to morial. These officers gave their lives BLUNT, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, and pay for it. That is always the part that in service to their communities and to Mr. DAINES): people want to talk about the least, our country, and we thank them and S. 1480. A bill to protect law enforce- but it is important. their families for their sacrifices, and ment officers, and for other purposes; It is important we not continue to we remember and honor their names. to the Committee on the Judiciary. spend money we don’t have and in- Each year for Police Week, we pay Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I come crease our deficits and debt. Rather, we tribute to those who go to work and to the floor to talk about Police Week need to come up with a user-fee model, never come home. We honor the lives of and some legislation we have intro- which is what the gas tax is designed those we have lost. We share in the duced to honor and support our men to do, and find a way not to pay for grief of their families, and we promise and women in blue called, not surpris- that infrastructure and deal with the never to forget the stories of heroism ingly, the Back the Blue Act. With re- congestion and traffic by just bor- they left behind. gard to the comments of my friend rowing from Peter to pay Paul, lit- While we remember the fallen this from Illinois, who was bemoaning the erally just increasing the money we week, I hope we will also take time to fact that there didn’t seem to be bipar- borrow and giving that tab to our chil- consider how we can do more to sup- tisan legislation that could come to dren and grandchildren to pay back. port and serve those who have taken the floor of the Senate, be debated, There are a lot of really good ideas out the oath to defend us. voted on, and passed with concurrence there and ones on which I think we Throughout my career in public of- of the House of Representatives and ought to work together. fice, I have had the pleasure of inter- the President’s signature, I note that, I don’t share the dystopian views of acting with law enforcement officials actually, there is a lot we could be the Senator from Illinois in terms of from across my State and, certainly, doing together. the Senate. The Senate is not broken. here at the Federal level, including our I have been on the floor a number of It is just a matter of political will to incredible Capitol Police officers. I am times describing the humanitarian and try to work together to get beyond the continually impressed and inspired by security crisis at our southern border. petty disagreements that seem to come their professionalism, their conviction, That is something we could work to- up every day and to just do our work. and their unwavering commitment to gether to address. I have introduced bi- Sometimes you don’t necessarily ap- enforcing the law, and I want to ensure partisan and bicameral legislation with pear on TV or have your name appear that they have what they need when my friend and colleague HENRY in lights when you are doing that sort they put on that uniform with con- CUELLAR at the House of Representa- of hard work, but it is essential to get fidence every morning. tives that would address that humani- the Senate’s work done and, indeed, to Last Congress we made a lot of tarian crisis and, I believe, take big get the work of the American people progress, and two bills that I intro- steps toward stopping it. That is some- done. Those are some things we could duced then are now law. The first is the thing we could do together. work on together if there is a political Justice Served Act, which I introduced I know the Democratic whip from Il- will to do so. with my colleague Senator KLOBUCHAR, linois doesn’t particularly like the idea Mr. President, this week, tens of another example of bipartisan legisla- that President Trump is nominating thousands of Americans will make tion. This bill provides grants to State highly qualified people for the judici- their way to Washington for National and local governments to prosecute ary and for executive branch nomina- Police Week, our annual opportunity cold cases by making sure the newly tions—the types of people we are vot- to honor the brave men and women in tested DNA evidence is used to inves- ing on today and will vote on tomor- blue who have lost their lives while tigate and prosecute unsolved cases. row. Obviously, that is not high on his protecting our communities. The Justice Served Act helps to ensure agenda, but I submit that there are a Of course, this includes many officers that violent criminals are taken off the lot of other things we could do besides from Texas. I am particularly proud of streets and brought to justice. fixing this humanitarian crisis. the Fort Worth Police Pipes and Drums We also passed legislation I intro- We could work on roads and bridges Band and the Texas Department of duced with Senator PETERS from together. I know that Chairman BAR- Public Safety Pipes and Drums Corps Michigan to authorize the Project Safe RASSO of the Environment and Public that performed on the National Mall Neighborhoods program at the Depart- Works Committee is soliciting the yesterday. ment of Justice. This is a nationwide views of a number of Senators and is Law enforcement is a calling an- partnership among Federal, State, and going to come to the floor, hopefully, swered by a select few. These brave local law enforcement and prosecutors in the next couple of months with some men and women have chosen a difficult who use data-driven, evidence-based, ideas on what that infrastructure pack- and sometimes dangerous life, dedi- and trauma-informed practices to re- age should look like. I actually think cated to upholding the law, defending duce violent crime. It is inspired by a that is the best way to handle that. or civil liberties, and protecting our successful program that was initiated Again, these are nonpartisan issues. cities and our neighborhoods. They at the State level in Texas, when I was Infrastructure is not a partisan issue, wake up each morning and put on a attorney general, but the truth is it but figuring out how to pay for it is the uniform, never knowing what the day started in the Eastern District. I be- biggest challenge. may hold. It requires a lot of courage lieve it was in Virginia. Of course, it I note that Ms. PELOSI, Senator and sacrifice—both from the officers was designed to focus on reducing gun SCHUMER, the Democratic leader, and and their families—and I am grateful crime and gun violence by targeting the President met and talked about a for those who selflessly serve our com- those who repetitively used firearms in $2 trillion pricetag. Well, it seems to munities each day. the commission of violent crimes. me that is backward. We ought to be Each year for Police Week, we honor We were glad to use the examples in talking about what sort of plan makes the law enforcement community to re- Virginia and in Texas to bring the sense and where we can get the votes member those who have made the ulti- model to the Nation and to promote to build consensus on that plan rather mate sacrifice. One of the most em- this proactive and collaborative ap- than saying that we want to spend this blematic reminders of that sacrifice is proach to prevent violence in our much money on a plan to come. the National Law Enforcement Officers neighborhoods.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A15MY6.033 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2889 I am appreciative of the fact that our ual assault prevention and response; to pension as administrative expenses in colleagues have seen fit to work to- the Committee on Health, Education, bankruptcy, and for other purposes; to gether to pass both of these bills and of Labor, and Pensions. the Committee on Health, Education, President Trump for signing those, but Mr. KAINE. Mr. President. Sexual as- Labor, and Pensions. I know there is a lot more that we can sault is a major issue on our Nation’s Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, today and should do. college campuses. In 2016, the Depart- I am introducing the Prioritizing Our Today I am introducing another ment of Justice found that one in four Workers Act, which will make changes piece of legislation called the Back the college women are sexually assaulted to the current bankruptcy code, requir- Blue Act, which I am introducing along while in school. Alarmingly, the major- ing companies going through bank- with our colleagues Senator CRUZ from ity of these crimes will go unreported. ruptcy proceedings to pay unpaid vest- Texas and Senator TILLIS from North The consequences of these crimes are ed benefits, like workers’ pensions, be- Carolina. This legislation sends a often damaging to a student’s mental, fore they pay out other claims against strong message to the more than physical, and emotional well-being and them. 900,000 law enforcement officers serving the aftermath can drive many sur- I firmly believe that no one should be in our country that we support them vivors to drop out of school. denied their pension because their em- and that we will not tolerate any act of Sexual assault survivors deserve ac- ployer goes bankrupt. Hard-working violence against them, period. cess to a safe and supportive edu- men and women across the country go In recent years, we have seen brutal cational environment. I have met with to work every day for years, paying and inexcusable attacks on law en- students in Virginia, most recently at into these pension plans each paycheck forcement officers across the United the University of Virginia and Virginia with the expectation that one day they States, including one in Texas that Tech, who have expressed the need for can retire and provide for their fami- rocked our entire State. someone on campus to turn to for unbi- lies. In 2016, a man killed five police offi- ased advice, guidance, and support fol- Companies offering pension plans cers and injured nine others in Dallas. lowing an assault. Given the preva- made promises to their workers and It was a sobering reminder of the dan- lence of this issue, it is clear that our need to live up to those promises, no ger these officers face every day and a federal higher education policy must matter what else happens to that com- call for us to take action to do more to do more to prevent sexual assaults and pany financially. support them. ensure that survivors have access to In West Virginia, we are far too fa- This bill makes clear our support for and can navigate through a plethora of miliar with coal and steel companies these public servants who dedicate resources. leaving their workers out to dry in this their lives to protecting and serving us. This is why I am pleased to reintro- way. This is absolutely unacceptable. The Back the Blue Act would add stiff duce today the Survivor Outreach and That is why I am introducing this bill, mandatory penalties and make it a Support Campus Act of 2019 or SOS and I look forward to my fellow Sen- Federal crime to kill or attempt to kill Campus Act. The SOS Campus Act re- ators joining me to support and protect a law enforcement officer, a Federal quires every institution of higher edu- pensions across this country. judge, or a federally funded public safe- cation that receives federal funding to ty officer. It would also make it a Fed- designate an independent advocate for By Mr. UDALL (for himself and eral crime to assault a law enforce- campus sexual assault prevention and Mr. WYDEN): ment officer. response. The advocate will help stu- S. 1488. A bill to improve the integ- There is zero justification for attack- dents access all of the resources avail- rity and safety of interstate horse- ing a police officer—none. We need to able to them, both on and off campus, racing, and for other purposes; to the show that we value their lives, and we in the wake of a sexual assault and will Committee on Commerce, Science, and need to make it absolutely clear that guide them through the process of re- Transportation. we will hold those who carry out porting their assault if they choose to Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, I ask crimes against them accountable. The do so, acting always in the interests of unanimous consent that the text of the Back the Blue Act sends that message the victim, not the university. bill be printed in the RECORD. loud and clear. The SOS Campus Act requires that There being no objection, the text of I think it is important to point out the confidential advocate is responsible the bill was ordered to be printed in that this legislation would also help for ensuring that survivors, regardless the RECORD, as follows: make our communities stronger by al- of whether they decide to report the S. 1488 lowing grant funds to be used for ef- crime, have access to emergency and Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- forts that help foster more trust be- follow-up medical care, guidance on re- resentatives of the United States of America in tween the police and the communities porting assaults to law enforcement, Congress assembled, they protect. This bill would better medical forensic or evidentiary exams, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. serve the men and women who work crisis intervention, and information on This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Racehorse Doping Ban Act of 2019’’. tirelessly in our communities each day. their legal rights. The advocate will SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. There is no doubt in my mind that also conduct a public information cam- In this Act: our Nation is better and safer because paign on campus to inform students of (1) INTERSTATE OFF-TRACK WAGER; HORSE- of the hard work and dedication of our their services, and train other univer- MEN’S GROUP; HOST RACING ASSOCIATION; OFF- law enforcement officials. Here in the sity staff to provide information to TRACK BETTING SYSTEM.—The terms ‘‘inter- Senate we should do all we can to help students about the advocate. state off-track wager’’, ‘‘horsemen’s group’’, them do their job as effectively and as I am proud to reintroduce this legis- ‘‘host racing association’’, and ‘‘off-track safely as possible. The Back the Blue lation with Senators BALDWIN, HIRONO betting system’’ have the meanings given those terms in section 3 of the Interstate Act would be a great start. and FEINSTEIN, which would ensure all Horseracing Act of 1978 (15 U.S.C. 3002). I hope my colleagues will consider college students across our country (2) VETERINARIAN-CLIENT-PATIENT RELA- this legislation and decide to support it have access to a supportive advocate TIONSHIP.—The term ‘‘veterinarian-client-pa- and, more importantly, show our law for sexual assault survivors. It is our tient relationship’’ has the meaning of that enforcement across the country that responsibility as public servants to ad- term as used in the Principles of Veterinary we stand shoulder to shoulder with vocate relentlessly for reforms to pre- Medical Ethics of the American Veterinary them. vent sexual assault and protections for Medical Association (as in effect on the date survivors. I strongly encourage my col- of the enactment of this Act). By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Ms. leagues in the Senate to consider this SEC. 3. INDEPENDENT ANTI-DOPING ORGANIZA- BALDWIN, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, and TION FOR INTERSTATE HORSE- legislation when we consider reauthor- RACING. Ms. HIRONO): ization of the Higher Education Act. (a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be an inde- S. 1483. A bill to amend the Higher pendent anti-doping organization with re- Education Act of 1965 to require insti- By Mr. MANCHIN: sponsibility for ensuring the integrity and tutions of higher education to have an S. 1486. A bill to amend title 11, safety of horseraces that are the subject of independent advocate for campus sex- United States Code, to include certain interstate off-track wagers.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00045 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15MY6.031 S15MYPT1 S2890 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019

(b) DUTIES.—The duties of the independent pating in a horserace described in subsection sively preserve and promote an under- anti-doping organization referred to in sub- (a) if— standing of the role of aviation cadets in the section (a) with respect to horseraces de- (1) the horse is 3 years old or older; and 20th century; and scribed in that subsection are the following: (2) the use of furosemide— Whereas the Aviation Cadet Museum is (1) Developing, publishing, and maintain- (A) complies with the requirements of the dedicated to celebrating the spirit of the ing rules with respect to— document entitled ‘‘ARCI-011-020 Medica- United States and recognizing the team- (A) substances, methods, and treatments tions and Prohibited Substances’’ published work, collaboration, patriotism, and courage that may not be administered to a horse par- by the Association of Racing Commissioners of the individuals who trained and fought ticipating in such a horserace; International, Inc.; and and the individuals on the homefront who (B) substances, methods, and treatments (B) is within the context of a veterinarian- mobilized and supported the national avia- that may be administered to a horse partici- client-patient relationship. tion effort: Now, therefore, be it pating in such a horserace in the context of (g) DESIGNATION OF ORGANIZATION.—The Resolved, That the Senate recognizes the a veterinarian-client-patient relationship; independent anti-doping organization des- Aviation Cadet Museum in Eureka Springs, and ignated pursuant to section 701 of the Office Arkansas, as ‘‘America’s National Aviation (C) the use of substances, methods, and of National Drug Control Policy Reauthor- Cadet Museum’’. treatments permitted under subparagraph ization Act of 2006 (21 U.S.C. 2001) shall serve f (B), including rules with respect to the pe- as the independent anti-doping organization riod before a horserace (which may not be referred to in subsection (a). SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLU- less than 24 hours before a horserace) during SEC. 4. CONSENT REQUIRED FOR ACCEPTANCE TION 16—EXPRESSING THE which a horse may no longer receive such OF INTERSTATE OFF-TRACK WA- SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT THE substances, methods, and treatments. GERS. TREATY ON THE NON-PRO- (2) Implementing programs relating to (a) IN GENERAL.—On and after the date of LIFERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAP- anti-doping education, research, testing, and the enactment of this Act, a host racing as- ONS (NPT) CONTINUES TO MAKE adjudication to prevent any horse partici- sociation may conduct a horserace that is AN INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTION pating in a horserace described in subsection the subject of an interstate off-track wager, (a) from racing under the effect of any sub- and an interstate off-track wager may be ac- TO UNITED STATES AND INTER- stance, method, or treatment that could af- cepted by an off-track betting system, only NATIONAL SECURITY, AND NOT- fect the performance of the horse (other than if consent is obtained from the independent ING FORMER SENATOR RICHARD a substance, method, or treatment described anti-doping organization referred to in sec- G. LUGAR’S INDISPENSABLE in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) adminis- tion 3(a). CONTRIBUTIONS TO INTER- tered during a time period that is permitted (b) REQUIREMENT FOR AGREEMENT.— NATIONAL SECURITY AND RE- under subparagraph (C) of that paragraph). (1) IN GENERAL.—A host racing association DUCING NUCLEAR WEAPONS-RE- (3) Excluding from participating in any shall obtain the consent required by sub- LATED RISKS horserace described in subsection (a) any section (a) of the independent anti-doping or- person that the independent anti-doping or- ganization referred to in section 3(a) pursu- Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mr. ganization or a State racing commission de- ant to an agreement entered into between YOUNG, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. PAUL, Mr. termines— the association and the organization that MARKEY, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. BROWN, Ms. (A) has violated a rule with respect to a specifies the terms and conditions relating COLLINS, Mr. CARDIN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, substance, method, or treatment that may to such consent, including— Ms. SMITH, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) sub- not be administered to a horse participating (A) compliance with the rules published in such a horserace under subparagraph (A) under section 3(b); and mitted the following concurrent resolu- of paragraph (1); (B) payments to the organization to defray tion; which was referred to the Com- (B) has violated 3 or more times a rule the costs of carrying out the duties of the or- mittee on Foreign Relations: with respect to a substance, method, or ganization under this Act. S. CON. RES. 16 treatment permitted under subparagraphs (2) DEFRAYAL OF COSTS.—The independent Whereas the Treaty on the Non-Prolifera- (B) and (C) of that paragraph that has the anti-doping organization referred to in sec- tion of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) opened for ability to affect the performance of a horse; tion 3(a) shall ensure that all of the costs in- signature 50 years ago on July 1, 1968; or curred by the organization in carrying out Whereas the United States and the former (C) is subject to a suspension from horse- the duties of the organization under this Act Soviet Union averted a catastrophic nuclear racing activities by any State racing com- are defrayed pursuant to agreements entered exchange during the October 1962 Cuban Mis- mission. into under paragraph (1). sile Crisis, which led to a series of bilateral (c) DEADLINE.—The independent anti- f and multilateral agreements to lessen the doping organization referred to in subsection chance of nuclear war, including the NPT; (a) shall publish the rules required by sub- SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS Whereas President John F. Kennedy pre- section (b) not later than one year after the dicted in 1963 that as many as 25 countries date of the enactment of this Act. would acquire nuclear weapons by 1970 ab- (d) SUSPENSION OF EXCLUSION PERIOD.—The SENATE RESOLUTION 211—RECOG- sent a treaty to control nuclear weapons; independent anti-doping organization re- NIZING THE AVIATION CADET Whereas the United States Senate provided ferred to in subsection (a) may— MUSEUM IN EUREKA SPRINGS, its advice and consent to the NPT on March (1) suspend a period of exclusion from par- ARKANSAS, AS ‘‘AMERICA’S NA- 13, 1969, with a vote on ratification of 83 to ticipating in a horserace imposed on a person TIONAL AVIATION CADET MU- 15; pursuant to subsection (b)(3) if the person SEUM’’ Whereas the NPT has grown to include 191 provides substantial assistance to the orga- State Parties, making an irreplaceable con- nization or other persons that results in the Mr. BOOZMAN (for himself and Mr. tribution to international security by pre- discovery of— COTTON) submitted the following reso- venting the spread of nuclear weapons; (A) a violation of a rule published under lution; which was referred to the Com- Whereas former Senator Richard G. Lugar subsection (b) by another person; or mittee on Energy and Natural Re- made indispensable contributions to reduc- (B) a violation of Federal or State law by sources: ing nuclear weapon risks, most notably another person; and through his leadership in standing up the Co- (2) reinstate all or part of a period of exclu- S. RES. 211 operative Threat Reduction Program (com- sion imposed on a person and suspended Whereas, in 1994, former Aviation Cadet monly referred to as the ‘‘Nunn-Lugar Pro- under paragraph (1) if the person fails to pro- and United States Air Force First Lieuten- gram’’), which eliminated 7,600 nuclear weap- vide substantial assistance described in that ant Errol Severe founded the Aviation Cadet ons in the former Soviet Union; paragraph. Museum; Whereas Senator Lugar successfully se- (e) CONSULTATIONS.—In developing, pub- Whereas the flying cadet and succeeding cured the advice and consent of the Senate lishing, and maintaining rules under sub- aviation cadet programs served as the pri- to the Treaty between the United States of section (b)(1), the independent anti-doping mary production source of nearly 500,000 America and the Russian Federation on organization referred to in subsection (a) United States Air Force pilots, navigators, Measures for the Further Reduction and may consult with State racing commissions, and bombardiers from 1917 to 1961; Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, host racing associations, horsemen’s groups, Whereas the bravery, courage, dedication, signed at Prague April 8, 2010, and entered and other interested persons. and heroism of United States aviators from into force February 5, 2011 (commonly known (f) TRANSITION RULE WITH RESPECT TO across the Air Corps and Army Air Forces as the ‘‘New START Treaty’’); FUROSEMIDE.—During the 2-year period be- were critical factors in defeating the en- Whereas Article III of the NPT obligates ginning on the date of the enactment of this emies of the United States during World War each nonnuclear weapon state to the NPT to Act, the independent anti-doping organiza- I and World War II; conclude a Safeguards Agreement with the tion referred to in subsection (a) shall permit Whereas the Aviation Cadet Museum in International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the use of furosemide in a horse partici- Eureka Springs, Arkansas, exists to exclu- to verify treaty compliance, 174 of which are

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A15MY6.040 S15MYPT1 May 15, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2891 Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements the benefits of stability and transparency would enhance United States and global se- crafted to detect the diversion of nuclear provided by existing agreements. curity by building upon other treaties, materials from peaceful to non-peaceful Whereas, in a March 2018 speech, President agreements, and transparency measures that uses; Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation reduce nuclear risk; and Whereas the 2018 Department of Defense unveiled details of new kinds of strategic nu- (7) the United States should continue to Nuclear Posture Review affirms, ‘‘The Nu- clear weapons under development, including encourage opportunities for cooperation with clear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a hypersonic nuclear weapons, nuclear-pow- other nuclear weapon possessing states to re- cornerstone of the nuclear nonproliferation ered cruise missiles, and multi-megaton nu- duce the salience, number, and role of nu- regime. It plays a positive role in building clear torpedoes shot from drone submarines clear weapons in their national military consensus for non-proliferation and enhances that may be accountable under the New strategies. START Treaty; international efforts to impose costs on f those that would pursue nuclear weapons Whereas the Russian Federation erro- outside the Treaty.’’; neously claimed that the United States may AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO Whereas the success of the NPT has and have not reached New START Treaty central MEET will continue to depend upon the full imple- limits by February 5, 2018, as is mandated by the Treaty; Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I have mentation by all State Parties of the Trea- 10 requests for committees to meet ty’s three mutually reinforcing pillars: non- Whereas the Bilateral Consultative Com- proliferation, access to peaceful uses of nu- mission (BCC) is the appropriate forum for during today’s session of the Senate. clear energy, and disarmament; the Parties to engage constructively on any They have the approval of the Majority Whereas, over the past half century, the New START Treaty implementation issues and Minority leaders. United States has exhibited leadership in that arise; and Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph strengthening each of the NPT’s three pillars Whereas the collapse of the INF Treaty 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Sen- for the global good, including— and expiration of the New START Treaty ate, the following committees are au- (1) reducing its nuclear weapons stockpile would lead to the absence of any binding, bi- thorized to meet during today’s session by more than 85 percent from its Cold War lateral treaty or agreement governing of the Senate: United States and Russian nuclear forces, heights of 31,225 in parallel with equally COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN massive reductions of the Russian Federa- which account for 90 percent of those cur- rently in existence globally, for the first AFFAIRS tion’s stockpile through bilateral coordina- The Committee on Banking, Housing, tion; time since 1972: Now, therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Rep- and Urban Affairs is authorized to (2) cooperating with Kazakhstan, Ukraine, resentatives concurring), That it is the sense and Belarus to facilitate the surrender of nu- meet during the session of the Senate of Congress that— on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, at 9:30 clear weapons on their soil after the fall of (1) the United States should continue to the Soviet Union—leading to each country’s a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled encourage all States Party to the Treaty on ‘‘Oversight of financial regulators.’’ accession to the NPT as nonnuclear weapons the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons states; (NPT) to comply fully with the Treaty; COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC (3) providing voluntary contributions to (2) the United States should maintain sup- WORKS the IAEA to promote peaceful nuclear activi- port for the IAEA through its assessed and The Committee on Environment and ties exceeding $378,000,000 since 2010, includ- voluntary contributions and promote the Public Works is authorized to meet ing activities that help in the treatment of universal adoption of the IAEA Additional during the session of the Senate on cancer and other life-saving applications; Protocol; Wednesday, May 15, 2019, at 10 a.m., to and (3) the United States should— conduct a hearing. (4) extending deterrence to United States (A) consider extending the New START COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza- Treaty, within the context of wider enhance- tion (NATO), Japan, and the Republic of ment of strategic stability between the The Committee on Foreign Relations Korea—which is an unmistakable demonstra- United States and the Russian Federation is authorized to meet during the ses- tion of the United States commitment to and provided the Treaty continues to ad- sion of the Senate on Wednesday, May collective security; vance United States national security; 15, 2019, at 10:15 a.m., to conduct a Whereas heightened geopolitical tensions (B) assess whether Russia’s recently an- hearing. in recent years have made cooperation on nounced nuclear capabilities should be ac- COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND nonproliferation and arms control issues countable under the New START Treaty, and GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS with the Russian Federation more chal- raise the issue directly with the Russian The Committee on Homeland Secu- lenging; Federation; Whereas a range of actions by the Govern- (C) conclude an interagency process to con- rity and Governmental Affairs is au- ment of the Russian Federation has led to a sider an extension of the New START Treaty thorized to meet during the session of deterioration in bilateral relations with the and to engage with the Russian Federation the Senate on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, United States, including Russia’s brazen in- on the full range of strategic stability issues at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing on terference in the 2016 United States presi- and other arms control and nonproliferation pending legislation and the following dential elections, its violation of the Treaty issues; nominations: James A. Crowell IV, and between the United States of America and (D) begin negotiations with the Russian Jason Park, both to be an Associate the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on Federation on an agreement to address the Judge of the Superior Court of the Dis- the Elimination of Their Intermediate- massive disparity between the nonstrategic trict of Columbia, Ron A. Bloom, of Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (com- nuclear weapons stockpiles of the Russian New York, and Roman Martinez IV, of monly known as the ‘‘INF Treaty’’), signed Federation and of the United States and to at Washington, D.C., December 8, 1987, and secure and reduce nonstrategic nuclear Florida, both to be a Governor of the entered into force June 1, 1988, its use of a weapons in a verifiable manner; and United States Postal Service, Dale chemical nerve agent in an assassination at- (E) consider the consequences of the New Cabaniss, of Virginia, to be Director of tempt against Sergei Skripal and his daugh- START Treaty’s expiration in 2021 in rela- the Office of Personnel Management, ter Yulia in the United Kingdom in March tion to the insights it provides into the loca- and Michael Eric Wooten, of Virginia, 2018, its illegal annexation of Crimea, its in- tion, movement, and disposition of current to be Administrator for Federal Pro- vasion of Eastern Ukraine, and its desta- and future Russian strategic systems; curement Policy. bilizing actions in Syria; (4) the United States strongly condemns COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS Whereas, within a difficult environment, the Russian Federation’s violations of the The Committee on Indian Affairs is preserving agreements that continue to con- INF Treaty and its noncompliance with its tribute to United States and global security, other arms control commitments and treaty authorized to meet during the session particularly the New START Treaty, is im- obligations, and urges the Russian Federa- of the Senate on Wednesday, May 15, portant, and that to that end, the Depart- tion to come back into full compliance; 2019, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a business ment of State confirmed in February 2018 (5) in responding to the Russian Federa- meeting. that Russia had met New START’s Central tion’s deployment of INF-range systems, ad- COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS Treaty Limits and stated that ‘‘implementa- vocate for those defense and deterrence steps The Committee on Indian Affairs is tion of the New START Treaty enhances the which preserve NATO alliance cohesion and authorized to meet during the session safety and security of the United States’’; are aimed at averting an arms race on the of the Senate on Wednesday, May 15, Whereas United States efforts to reduce European continent; 2019, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing dangers associated with nuclear arsenals (6) pursuit of a verifiable and comprehen- through ambitious arms control agreements sive arms control agreement with the Rus- on pending legislation. with both the Russian Federation and the sian Federation and the People’s Republic of COMMITTEE ON RULES AND ADMINISTRATION People’s Republic of China would advance China, which may capture strategic and non- The Committee on Rules and Admin- United States and global security, adding to strategic nuclear weapons capabilities, istration is authorized to meet during

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 May 16, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00047 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A15MY6.038 S15MYPT1 S2892 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 15, 2019 the session of the Senate on Wednes- COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES ORDERS FOR THURSDAY, MAY 16, day, May 15, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., to con- The Committee on Armed Services is 2019 duct a hearing entitled, ‘‘Oversight of authorized to meet during the session Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask the U.S. Election Assistance Commis- of the Senate on Wednesday, May 15, unanimous consent that when the Sen- sion.’’ 2019, at 6 p.m., to conduct a hearing on ate completes its business today, it ad- COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS AND pending military nominations. journ until 10 a.m., Thursday, May 16; ENTREPRENEURSHIP f further, that following the prayer and The Committee on Small Business PRIVILEGES OF THE FLOOR pledge, the morning hour be deemed and Entrepreneurship is authorized to Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, I ask expired, the Journal of proceedings be meet during the session of the Senate approved to date, the time for the two on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, at 2:30 unanimous consent that Christian Braunlich, an Air Force defense fellow leaders be reserved for their use later p.m., to conduct a hearing. in the day, morning business be closed, in Senator SULLIVAN’s office, be grant- SUBCOMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, OCEANS, ed floor privileges for the remainder of and the Senate proceed to executive FISHERIES, AND WEATHER session and resume consideration of The Subcommittee on Science, the Congress. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without the Vitter nomination. Oceans, Fisheries, and Weather of the objection, it is so ordered. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Committee on Commerce, Science, and Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I objection, it is so ordered. Transportation is authorized to meet ask unanimous consent that my legis- during the session of the Senate on f lative fellow, Adam Bradlow, be grant- Wednesday, May 15, 2019, at 10 a.m., to ed floor privileges until the end of July conduct a hearing. ADJOURNMENT UNTIL 10 A.M. of 2019. TOMORROW SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER AND POWER The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without The Subcommittee on Water and objection, it is so ordered. Mr. GARDNER. If there is no busi- Power of the Committee on Energy and f ness to come before the Senate, I ask Natural Resources is to meet during that it stand adjourned under the pre- the session of the Senate on Wednes- APPOINTMENT vious order. day, May 15, 2019, at 10 a.m., to conduct The PRESIDING OFFICER. For the There being no objection, the Senate, a hearing. information of the Senate, the Chair at 7:30 p.m., adjourned until Thursday, Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I have makes the following announcement: May 16, 2019, at 10 a.m. a request for one committee to meet The President pro tempore of the during today’s session of the Senate. It Senate and the Speaker of the House of f has the approval of the Majority and Representatives, pursuant to the provi- Minority leaders. sions of Section 201(a)(2) of the Con- CONFIRMATION Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph gressional Budget Act of 1974, have ap- Executive nomination confirmed by 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Sen- pointed Dr. Phillip Swagel as Director the Senate May 15, 2019: ate, the following committee is author- of the Congressional Budget Office, ef- THE JUDICIARY ized to meet during today’s session of fective June 3, 2019, for the term expir- KENNETH KIYUL LEE, OF CALIFORNIA, TO BE UNITED the Senate: ing January 3, 2023. STATES CIRCUIT JUDGE FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT.

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