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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, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019 No. 29 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY both sides should view as an important called to order by the President pro LEADER. step, and today, I hope we will vote to tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. advance it. HYDE-SMITH). The majority leader is When the Senate votes on the agree- f recognized. ment, we will be voting to avoid a sec- f ond partial shutdown and provide the PRAYER MEASURES PLACED ON THE certainty of a fully functioning Federal The PRESIDENT pro tempore. To- CALENDAR—S. 483 and S.J. RES. 8 Government. We will be voting to de- day’s opening prayer will be offered by liver another downpayment on the Pastor Eddie Edmonds of Moler Avenue Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, President’s commitment to securing Church of the Brethren from Martins- I understand there are two measures at burg, WV. the desk due a second reading en bloc. our Nation’s borders and keeping The guest Chaplain offered the fol- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The American communities safe. And we lowing prayer: clerk will read the title of the meas- will do it free from the influence of poi- Let us pray. ures for the second time en bloc. son pills that sought to derail progress Creator God, we give You thanks and The senior assistant legislative clerk and stifle compromise. praise for the phenomenal country in read as follows: A bill (S. 483), to enact into law a bill by To be sure, in recent months, we which we live, move, and have our have seen the radical left go out of its being. Our thanks also for the men and reference. A bill (S.J. Res. 8) recognizing the duty of way to try to gum up the works. Even women You have called to serve in this the Federal Government to create a Green the Speaker of the House threw her government and specifically the Sen- New Deal. ate. Our prayer is that You will equip, support behind wild assertions that Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, empower, and encourage each indi- tried-and-true methods of securing sov- in order to place the measures on the vidual Senator as they work to answer ereign borders were now immoral. They calendar under provisions of rule XIV, the call to serve the people of this said there wouldn’t be more than one I would object to further proceedings great Nation. Their decisions impact dollar for border barriers. They said en bloc. the lives of not only those they serve The PRESIDING OFFICER. The there should be fewer tools for the men but also people the world over. Help measures will be placed on the cal- and women who enforce our immigra- them to remember those who have lit- endar under rule XIV. tion laws. Fortunately, none of that tle, need much, and are challenged nonsense has carried the day. each day of their lives. Give each Sen- f ator strength to make wise decisions GOVERNMENT FUNDING So here we are, with a solemn deal in front of us. As the Senate prepares to and the courage to stand up in the face Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, vote later today, I want to extend my of adversity, doing the right thing, last night, our colleagues Chairman deepest gratitude to Chairman SHELBY, first time, every time, putting others SHELBY and Ranking Member LEAHY first in each decision rendered. May filed the final text of a bipartisan, bi- along with Ranking Member LEAHY Your peace fill the lives of each Sen- cameral legislative agreement. For the and my colleagues on the Appropria- ator and those they serve until You past couple of weeks, in conference tions Committee. This legislation will come again to claim Your Kingdom. with their House counterparts, they mark success for our bipartisan process We pray in the Most Holy Name of have worked in good faith to reach a by finalizing all the regular appropria- Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. compromise to address urgent prior- tions bills for the fiscal year. Thanks, ities, including funding for our Na- as well, to Shannon Hines and the en- f tion’s border security. tire Appropriations staff, whose hard The product of this work is a com- work made this agreement and all of PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE promise that no side will view as a per- last year’s progress possible. The President pro tempore led the fect deal. For instance, I am frustrated Later today, I hope each of my col- Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: by House Democrats’ cynical opposi- leagues will join me in moving forward I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the tion to including commonsense exten- United States of America, and to the Repub- sions of the Violence Against Women with the agreement produced by this lic for which it stands, one nation under God, Act and other important items. Never- hard work, and the President will sign indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. theless, this agreement is something it into law. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S1337 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:03 Feb 15, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A14FE6.000 S14FEPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE S1338 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 14, 2019 UNANIMOUS CONSENT ually. I didn’t know any of the victims familiar with and have been debating AGREEMENT personally, but the stories are familiar. long before this tragedy: a ban on cer- Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, They are the stories of my children and tain weapons, universal background I ask unanimous consent that notwith- their friends, who are of the same age checks, taking on what is described as standing rule XXII, the cloture vote on and are at the same times in their the gun lobby. These issues dominated the motion to proceed to H.J. Res. 1 lives. the national media coverage, and sup- It is impossible to fully comprehend occur at a time to be determined by port for these positions is not new. unless you have gone through the loss the majority leader, in consultation They predate this tragedy. of a child—by the grace of God, I have In our Republic, people most cer- with the Democratic leader. not—particularly under such tragic tainly have the right to advocate for The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without and traumatic circumstances. this or against it. They have the right objection, it is so ordered. Throughout the last 12 months, as we to lobby for it. They have the right to f have reached different milestones in vote for candidates who support these RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME my two daughters’ lives, whether it positions and to vote against those who was their proms or graduation days, or do not. They are valid issues to debate The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under whether it was dropping off my oldest on public policy, but at the end of the the previous order, leadership time is at college or attending a class ring day, neither go directly to the heart of reserved. ceremony for a junior, we have been al- this particular case and to the facts f most reminded, for just a moment, of that led up to it. the parents who had expected to have At the heart of this is that the killer, CONCLUSION OF MORNING been doing the same during this time the perpetrator of this terrible tragedy, BUSINESS of the year but have been unable. was known to be dangerous for a long The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning I have learned a lot from those par- time by many people in positions of business is closed. ents, many of whom I have gotten to power and authority at the school dis- f know personally and have worked trict, the sheriff’s office, and at the alongside, in the last year, on a num- FBI, and no one did anything about it. EXECUTIVE SESSION ber of issues. In the year that has This is now a documented fact. passed, they have, as have the stu- Early in the days after this, we saw dents, turned their grief into effective images of the sheriff and the super- EXECUTIVE CALENDAR activism. The parents, in particular, intendent lecturing people and talking The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under are the ones with whom I have about what a great job they had done, the previous order, the Senate will pro- interacted the most here in Wash- but the facts will show that it was ceed to executive session to consider ington on a regular basis, and it is why their incompetence that allowed this the following nomination, which the I thought it appropriate to come to the to happen, and, then, even worse, they clerk will report. floor today. I think they would say tried to cover it up. The senior assistant legislative clerk that the best way to honor the memo- There is an article entitled ‘‘Schools read the nomination of William ries of the children they lost is to take culture of tolerance lets students like Pelham Barr, of Virginia, to be Attor- actions that will work to make sure [the killer] slide,’’ by Megan O’Matz ney General. that no other parent will ever have to and Scott Travis, reporters at the The PRESIDING OFFICER.