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, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 No. 155 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was ficult, tough spring getting the crops ment obsession for nearly 3 years called to order by the President pro in. There is a crop to be harvested, now—a never-ending impeachment pa- tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). however, and farmers will now be doing rade in search of a rationale. f that job. They hope they can cover The very day President Trump was their costs. And while they are doing inaugurated, the Washington Post ran PRAYER that, they are thinking about putting a news story with this headline: ‘‘The The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- in next year’s crop. campaign to impeach President Trump fered the following prayer: Passing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada has begun.’’ That was the day of his in- Let us pray. Agreement would inject more certainty auguration. Later that year, there Eternal God, thank You for Your into the plans that the farmers have were articles of impeachment intro- sanctifying truth. Use our lawmakers about this year’s harvest and the plans duced over the President’s language. to live Your truth for the glory of Your they have for next year’s crop. Passage So clearly, this has been an ongoing Name. May Your truth keep them from of that would signal to the world that project for House Democrats since the things that can pollute their lives we here in the Congress are very seri- practically the moment that Secretary and dishonor You. ous about passing new, modern trade Clinton lost the election. Lord, forgive us when we are reluc- arrangements. For months, Democrats insisted that tant to submit to You with our bodies, Yet we are running out of calendar Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation minds, and spirits. Make us all vessels days in 2019. Congress must step up and or the work of the Senate Intelligence of honor prepared for every good work. deliver for our hard-working farmers, Committee would prove their theories We pray in Your strong Name. Amen. as well as workers in America and about a conspiracy between the Trump f small business in America and, in a campaign and Russia. It didn’t happen. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE sense, by getting this agreement The facts disappointed them, but the The President pro tempore led the passed, helping all of America. The impeachment parade kept marching Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: time for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada along. Agreement is now. Yesterday, even though a bipartisan I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Repub- I yield the floor. committee investigation into the new lic for which it stands, one nation under God, I suggest the absence of a quorum. whistleblower allegations is under- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The way—and just hours after the Presi- The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. clerk will call the roll. dent offered to publicize the details of CRAMER). The Senator from Iowa. The senior assistant legislative clerk his phone call with the President of Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask proceeded to call the roll. Ukraine—the dam finally broke. unanimous consent to address the Sen- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I Speaker PELOSI couldn’t hold back the ate for 1 minute as in morning busi- ask unanimous consent that the order far left any longer. Before any of us ness. for the quorum call be rescinded. even had the facts in hand, she caved The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without to the left and announced an impeach- objection, it is so ordered. objection, it is so ordered. ment inquiry. f f If this all sounds familiar, that is be- cause at the time—literally, 1 week UNITED STATES-MEXICO-CANADA RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY ago—the same Democrats were shout- TRADE AGREEMENT LEADER ing about impeaching Justice Mr. GRASSLEY. We are getting to- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- Kavanaugh. That rush to judgment was ward the end of the year, and one of jority leader is recognized. based on a sketchy story in a major the issues I would like to get done— f newspaper that promptly had to pub- which has to go through the House of lish an enormous correction. But 1 Representatives first—is the U.S.-Mex- TRUMP ADMINISTRATION week later, here they go again, threat- ico-Canada Agreement. In regard to Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, yes- ening impeachment without the facts that agreement’s helping agriculture, I terday evening, Speaker PELOSI an- in hand. want to start by laying out the fact nounced that the House of Representa- Senate Republicans support the es- that there is a lot of anxiety in agricul- tives will begin what she called ‘‘an of- tablished proper procedures for consid- tural America. ficial impeachment inquiry.’’ But, real- ering this whistleblower report. In the Even though the harvest is about to ly, we know that House Democrats meantime, while our friends across the start across Iowa, we had a really dif- have been indulging their impeach- Capitol rush to judgment and dive ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S5673 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:41 Sep 26, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A25SE6.000 S25SEPT1 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with SENATE S5674 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 25, 2019 deeper into their nearly 3-year-old im- NDAA. It would be easy to ensure that Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby peachment addiction, we will stay fo- these projects get all of the money move to bring to a close debate on the nomi- cused on the American people’s busi- they need. nation of Eugene Scalia, of Virginia, to be Later today, the Senate will vote on Secretary of Labor. ness. Lamar Alexander, Mike Braun, Pat Rob- f exactly that. We will vote on several erts, John Boozman, John Thune, motions to instruct our NDAA con- BORDER SECURITY Johnny Isakson, Mike Crapo, John ferees. One of those motions will be a Hoeven, Roger F. Wicker, Mike Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, ear- Republican proposal that we insist on Rounds, Cory Gardner, Steve Daines, lier this year, President Trump led the fully funding these projects for our own Tim Scott, Shelley Moore Capito, John Federal Government to recognize our servicemembers. Barrasso, Jerry Moran, Mitch McCon- insecure southern border for what it is: With the Kentuckians I represent, nell. a national emergency, a humanitarian this is pretty simple. Kentuckians Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I and security crisis. Congress had heard want our Nation to have a secure suggest the absence of a quorum. plea after plea for more border security southern border. Kentuckians want full The PRESIDING OFFICER. The funding. We heard from senior leaders funding for the middle school at Fort clerk will call the roll. and career Border Patrol officers. We Campbell—funding they have been The senior assistant legislative clerk heard about all the surging illegal waiting on for years, which is funding proceeded to call the roll. Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask crossings, the unprecedented numbers I proudly secured in the first place. unanimous consent that the order for of family units, and the strain on our Kentuckians know perfectly well that the quorum call be rescinded. facilities. with everything the United States of The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Yet Washington Democrats decided America spends money on, there is no objection, it is so ordered. that giving this very real crisis the re- earthly reason the Democrats should sources it required might anger the far force us to have one or the other. They f left, which wants them to oppose Presi- don’t want to be used as pawns in the LEGISLATIVE SESSION dent Trump at any cost. So the Presi- Democrats’ political games. dent tapped into a longstanding, 40- Even my Democratic colleagues who plus-year-old Presidential authority don’t support the administration’s bor- RELATING TO A NATIONAL EMER- and reprogrammed a narrow set of der security agenda should not take GENCY DECLARED BY THE funds to address the urgent crisis. out their frustrations on our Armed PRESIDENT ON FEBRUARY 15, I have never been shy about my com- Forces. Every single Member of this 2019 mitment to the institution of Congress body should be able to support the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under and its unique authorities, not the measure to fully fund military con- the previous order, the Senate will re- least being the appropriation of tax- struction. I would urge all of my col- sume legislative session. payer dollars. But we are talking about leagues to vote yes on that motion S.J. Res. 54 is discharged, and the 40-plus-year-old Presidential authori- later today. Senate will proceed to the consider- ation of the joint resolution, which the ties in current law. Unlike President f Obama, who vaguely shrugged off the clerk will report. Federal Code when he established his RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME The senior assistant legislative clerk DACA policy, President Trump’s deci- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under read as follows: sion was squarely within existing law. the previous order, the leadership time A joint resolution (S.J. Res. 54) relating to is reserved. a national emergency declared by the Presi- Nevertheless, our Democratic col- dent on February 15, 2019.