June 26, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4531 We have an important job to do here. to the Paul amendment and, following communities, especially those near I see no reason for the delay. The ma- its disposition, vote on adoption of the military installations where large vol- jority leader has made it clear that he Shelby amendment, with a 60-vote af- umes of certain firefighting foams have is happy to give the Senator from New firmative threshold for adoption; fi- been deployed. Significant exposure to Mexico a vote on this authorization for nally, that following disposition of the the legacy compounds of PFOA and use of military force, that, frankly, I Shelby amendment, the Senate vote on PFOS have been linked to rare cancers don’t believe is necessary, but never- passage of the bill, as amended, if and developmental issues. theless, the majority leader has gener- amended, with 60 affirmative votes re- I got involved with this issue because ously offered a vote on that. We ought quired for passage and that the only it is important but also because two to be voting on that today or tomorrow debate in order be 2 minutes, equally communities in West Virginia were all and not unnecessarily delay our work divided, prior to each vote. too familiar with the PFAS contamina- until Friday just to accommodate the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there tion and its effects—Parkersburg, WV, Presidential candidates. objection? which has endured a history of indus- I would say that the Senator from Without objection, it is so ordered. trial PFAS contamination, and Mar- New Mexico’s amendment would at- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I tinsburg, which has been impacted by tempt to put handcuffs on this Presi- ask unanimous consent that notwith- the use of firefighting foams. dent unlike any previous President, standing rule XXII, following the dis- My amendment will provide cer- and, indeed, I believe it is probably un- position of H.R. 3401, there be 10 min- tainty to our citizens that the water constitutional. It would impair our utes of debate, equally divided between coming out of their taps is safe—in my ability to respond to further attacks by the managers, remaining on the clo- opinion, that is really not much to Tehran and in a way that would make ture motions filed during Monday’s ses- ask—by requiring that the EPA set a them think that we were weak or irres- sion of the Senate. safe drinking water standard for PFOS olute in responding to their aggression. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there and PFOA within 2 years and that it The most important thing we can do is objection? look at regulating other types of PFAS to make clear to the Iranian regime Without objection, it is so ordered. chemicals as the science would merit. that their aggression will not be uni- f It also provides funding and technical assistance to ensure that small and lateral but that we will meet it with EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL AP- rural water systems can monitor and proportional and devastating response. PROPRIATIONS FOR HUMANI- address this contamination. That is a No one wants to go to war in Iran, in- TARIAN ASSISTANCE AND SECU- big issue for our rural State. We have a cluding the President of the United RITY AT THE SOUTHERN BOR- lot of small water systems, and we States. I don’t believe Iran actually DER ACT, 2019 wants to go to war, but they are con- want them to have the same access to tinuing their 30-year conflict with the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the science but also to the remediation United States, which has cost Amer- the previous order, the Senate will pro- that large systems have. ican lives and American treasury and ceed to the consideration of H.R. 3401, My legislation will also improve now threatens to block the Strait of which the clerk will report. transparency by requiring emitters to Hormuz, which would cause a huge dis- The bill clerk read as follows: report to the EPA the release of any of ruption to the world economy. A bill (H.R. 3401) making emergency sup- one of hundreds of PFAS compounds I hope we can vote on the National plemental appropriations for the fiscal year into the environment. Sure, we want to Defense Authorization Act. I am happy ending September 30, 2019, and for other pur- know that. Sure, we do. This informa- poses. to vote on the amendment of the Sen- tion is essential for citizens, their local ator from New Mexico. I do not believe The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- governments, and Federal agencies to it will pass, and I do believe it is un- ator from West Virginia. be able to quickly and adequately re- constitutional if it did. But in order to S. 1790 spond to this pollution before it per- get our work done, we need to continue Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I rise to vades the water or the soil. I think this to vote and vote on the Defense author- address two very important bills that increased accountability will con- ization bill and the border supple- are before the Senate this week—the tribute to there being fewer PFAS mental without further delay. National Defense Authorization Act emissions in the first place. I yield the floor. and the border supplemental appropria- Several other bipartisan provisions I suggest the absence of a quorum. tions bill. will accelerate research into PFAS and The PRESIDING OFFICER. The First, on the NDAA, I am pleased their effects on human health and the clerk will call the roll. that this bill meets the needs of our environment. It will ensure collabora- The legislative clerk proceeded to all-volunteer force by providing the tion between Federal agencies and mu- call the roll. brave men and women with one of the nicipalities in addressing the chal- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I largest raises in a decade, that of 3.1 lenges posed by contamination, and it ask unanimous consent that the order percent. With the rising threat of coun- will support the research and develop- for the quorum call be rescinded. tries such as China, Russia, and Iran, ment into cleaning up these persistent The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without this NDAA authorizes funding for cru- compounds. objection, it is so ordered. cial defense efforts to make certain Crucially, this approach is rooted in ORDER OF BUSINESS that our military is well prepared and science and a formal rulemaking proc- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I equipped to defend this Nation from ess. We have put the Federal Govern- ask unanimous consent that notwith- the threats and challenges we face. ment on a shot clock to act to end standing rule XXII, the Senate proceed The NDAA substitute actually in- agencies’ endless delays in addressing to the consideration of H.R. 3401, which cludes an amendment I offered, joined these challenges without short- was received from the House. I further by my Senate Environment and Public circuiting the regulatory procedures. ask that the time until 2 p.m. be equal- Works chairman, JOHN BARRASSO, of Make no mistake—PFAS are essen- ly divided between the two leaders for Wyoming, by Ranking Member CAR- tial to commerce, but some have been debate only; that at 2 p.m., the Senate PER, and by several other bipartisan co- shown to carry substantial risks. This vote on the bill, with 60 affirmative sponsors. This amendment will for- balanced regulatory strategy should votes required for passage; that if the mally address the PFAS contamination provide the confidence to Americans bill is not passed, it remain pending about which I have spoken on the floor. that we are serious about protecting and open to amendment, with the only It directly mirrors my legislation, the them from this pollution while also not amendments in order being the fol- PFAS Release Disclosure and Protec- upending the economy. lowing: Shelby substitute amendment tion Act, which the committee ap- Another important environmental No. 901; the text of S. 1900, as reported; proved last week. provision that is included in the NDAA a Paul amendment, No. 902, to pay for PFAS pollution is a nationwide prob- substitute is the USE IT Act, which I spending by cutting foreign aid; fur- lem, but its effects are concentrated lo- introduced with Senator WHITEHOUSE, ther, that the Senate vote in relation cally, often in rural and disadvantaged Ranking Member CARPER, and its lead

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:14 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.011 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE S4532 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 26, 2019 sponsor, Chairman BARRASSO. The USE it out of that committee 30 to 1 last I think you can argue about almost IT Act follows up on the bipartisan ex- week. anything else the Federal Government pansion of the 45Q tax credit for carbon We may not agree on how we got here does, but the No. 1 priority of the Fed- capture, utilization, and storage, which or how best to move forward, but we eral Government is to defend the coun- was passed last Congress. agree that there is a crisis—a major try—the No. 1 thing that we clearly CCUS is key to eliminating CO2 emis- crisis—and that these resources are cannot do by ourselves; the No. 1 thing sions while protecting West Virginia’s needed now. The metrics, the images, that State and local government can be coal and natural gas jobs. Trying to and the stories we all see and hear a partner in on some occasions, but it weave that balance is difficult some- point to the urgency of this dire situa- is not their responsibility, and they do times, but the USE IT Act would pro- tion, so our committee worked in a se- not have the capacity to do what we vide CCUS project sponsors with a reg- rious and bipartisan way, under the need to do to defend the country. So we ulatory playbook so that they would leadership of Chairman SHELBY and are here to take this important step in know what Federal agencies’ expecta- Vice Chairman LEAHY, to address the that. tions are at the start of the process. pressing issues as they are right now. This version, the Senate’s version for This is essential for capital-intensive We can and we must work toward a this year, authorizes $750 billion to projects in their drawing private in- long-term solution to address the im- support the Department of Defense and vestment without having the fear of migration system, but right now, the nuclear and other defense respon- getting trapped in a regulatory purga- today, we all agree that a problem ex- sibilities of the Department of Energy. tory. ists, and our committee has provided a Our adversaries are clearly increasing Our decades-old environmental stat- bipartisan solution, which the leader their military capabilities and their utes never predicted a situation in just said we will be voting on later this military commitments, and we need to which emissions would be captured and afternoon. Let us move forward in that be prepared to do just the same. then actually used for an economic spirit on behalf of the families and the The burden of defending the country benefit. Carbon provides that oppor- men and women in law enforcement is an important one, and, frankly, it tunity, but regulatory standards that who need our support. It is tough down falls on a very small percentage of our do not reflect this new reality, like there. I visited; it is tough. population. About one-half of 1 percent New Source Review, sometimes get in It is crucial that the Senate pass the of the American people serve in the the way. The USE IT Act addresses bipartisan border supplemental funding military. We owe an obligation to that these issues, and it will also fund stud- bill that we passed in the Appropria- one-half of 1 percent to do our best for ies into the pollution reduction bene- tions Committee last week, and I hope them. fits of these technologies. all of my colleagues will join me in This bill supports an across-the- This is the sort of bipartisan and con- supporting it today. We have waited board pay increase of 3.1 percent—a lit- sensus-driven approach that will have a long enough. We can’t afford to wait tle more than inflation. It is the larg- meaningful impact on emissions while any longer. est increase in nearly a decade at a it will protect jobs and drive innova- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- time when the people who serve see tion in the American economy, and I ator from Missouri. challenges in more areas than we have am glad that we are taking a signifi- S. 1790 seen in a while and coming from dif- cant step toward enacting this bill. Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, I want to ferent directions than we have seen in I thank Chairman INHOFE and the talk a little bit about a bill we should a while. Armed Services Committee for their pass this week—I believe we will pass This bill reforms military housing. excellent work on the NDAA. It is im- this week—for the 59th straight year. Leader after leader in the military will portant that we pass this bill this There are very few things we author- tell us and make the point that the week. ize every year—frankly, there are very strength of the military is military H.R. 3401 few things we need to authorize every families. So in military housing, par- Mr. President, I am also pleased that year—but the authorizing bill in de- ticularly the family housing, there was the Senate will soon vote to pass bipar- fense is the opportunity for the coun- thought to be a great idea a couple of tisan legislation to provide resources try and the Congress to look at what decades ago to privatize family hous- that will address the humanitarian cri- we need to do now that is more appro- ing. For a couple of years, it looked sis at our southern border. I am the priate than what we needed to do a like a great idea, but I think it is time chairman of the Homeland Security year ago to defend the country. we look again at our housing obliga- Subcommittee on Appropriations, and I Certainly the men and women who tions and how they are being met. have spoken many times about the serve in the military do that job in a We need to look at what we can do to need to pass a supplemental funding selfless way, and they deserve the best be sure that the spouses of those serv- bill. we can do to be sure they are never in- ing have an opportunity, when they are Last night, the House of Representa- volved in an unfair fight. We want to transferred to a new location, to be tives passed its version of the emer- be sure they are always involved in a able to get to work as quickly as pos- gency border supplemental. fight in which they have every possible sible in the field they are prepared to Actually, to be more accurate, I advantage. They put their lives on the work in. In Missouri, in January of this would say the Democrats in the House line to keep us safe, and it is up to us year, the first spouse of someone who passed their partisan version of a to be sure they have the equipment, had been transferred to our State was Homeland Security bill. I think the the training, and the authorization sworn in immediately to the bar so she top-line numbers in the House bill may they need and the authorities they could immediately begin practicing be similar, but the policy implications need to carry out their work. law. Like any attorney, there are prob- of that bill are vast. Every year about this time, we move ably some future legal training re- Time is of the essence here. I spoke toward the authorizing of what the quirements during the course of the about this last week on the floor. Time Congress thinks the military needs. following months. But to be able to go is moving quickly to meet this crisis That is followed later by an appropria- to work—whether as a medical techni- that everyone agrees is occurring at tions bill that is directed in substantial cian or a doctor or a lawyer or an elec- our southern border. ways by what this bill says should hap- trician or a welder—should be a pri- The partisan House bill would be ve- pen. In fact, the only thing the appro- ority of the country. toed by President Trump. What is priations bill normally does is deter- I asked Secretary of the Air Force needed is not more partisanship; what mine whether it can all be funded and Heather Wilson, when she testified be- is needed is a bill that will become law in what segments it is to be funded. fore the committee: What is the best so that we can get those resources to We are debating this bill. I hope both thing we can do for military families? the southern border. That is why I am Chambers—the House and the Senate— I sponsored some legislation a few encouraged and proud that a bipartisan can pass this authorization bill as we years ago so that military families can compromise was reached in the Senate move on to our next step in this proc- move earlier or stay longer for a job, Appropriations Committee. We passed ess of defending the country. for work, or for school. That makes a

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:14 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.013 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE June 26, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4533 difference to their families. If you need There are other aircraft that we need I yield the floor. to go 2 months earlier than your serv- to be sure have a viable part in the The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. ing spouse to get started in the school country’s future. The NDAA bill we are CRAMER). The Senator from Mis- year at the right time or if you need to talking about provides an additional 24 sissippi. stay 2 months later or need up to 6 F–18 Super Hornets to the Navy and be- S. 1790 months of transition time, that is gins the purchase of 8 F–15s for the Air Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I hope available now. Of course, that is begin- Force. All those planes are made in St. we will vote later on today to advance ning to have an impact on people’s de- Louis. the NDAA, the National Defense Au- cision to stay in the military, if their The bill also includes critical mission thorization Act. Members who have family is considered as a priority and support for the A–10 Warthog, a plane been around here a long time realize flexibility is part of that priority. that our colleague Senator MCSALLY is what a bipartisan tradition this has I asked Secretary Wilson for two pleased to have flown and flown well. been for the Senate. Those listening to things that we still need improvement By the way, I had a chance to intro- us should appreciate that and I think on. One was to be sure to have the best duce her the other day, and I almost take note of basically a half-a-century schools possible near those military ran out of firsts. She was the first tradition of passing this national de- bases, and two was to be sure that woman to fly in combat and the first fense bill on a bipartisan—overwhelm- spouses can go to work and that they woman to command a combat unit in ingly bipartisan—basis each year. We can go to work, if they want to go to combat. She has 356 combat hours that don’t let a year pass. We have been able work, in the area they are trained for. she herself flew. She is the first person, to successfully do that for approxi- So this allows for more effort to be of 260 senior military officers, to grad- mately half a century. We will see later made, to be sure that we are working uate No. 1 in that advanced training on today whether that tradition will with the Council of State Governments class. continue, and I believe it will. on a certification program where you The Missouri National Guard also I think we will be able to work some- could move to a State and quickly be flies the A–10. I have been with them thing out with the House of Represent- doing that. Reciprocal opportunities when they were flying in Eastern Eu- atives. There are some differences that for that quick transition is important. rope. That A–10 capacity continues to have emerged over there that we did There are changes in this bill that be critical. not have in the Armed Services Com- support families with special needs and The NDAA authorizes missile pro- mittee when we reported overwhelm- support how you deal with a childcare grams between the United States and ingly just a few weeks ago. provider on a military base, and there Israel, where we have actually learned I am very hopeful that we will con- are things here to enhance suicide pre- that you can target an incoming mis- tinue this tradition. I hope we will do vention and family advocacy programs. sile. Things like the Iron Dome, Arrow so particularly this year to build on These are all critical, not only for peo- 3, David’s Sling, have all—fortunately the great progress we have made the ple serving but for people wanting to for Israel, fortunately for our military last couple of years. I think we should continue to serve. capacity—been proven to work against admit on both sides of the aisle that we As I said before, the military family incoming missiles. These programs had perhaps let our national security is one of our Nation’s greatest assets, help Israel defend itself. They also in- slip a little in terms of a priority over and the serving spouse is not the only crease our capability to do what they one serving. The serving spouse is not the last several years. We rectified that need to do. the only one transferred to a new mili- a couple of years ago. What we have Finally, Senator HAWLEY from Mis- tary location. The serving spouse is not done not only at the authorization souri, Senator MANCHIN from West Vir- the only one who has to be happy with level but also at the appropriations ginia, and I have proposed an amend- the commitment to decide that you are level is send a strong signal to our al- ment to the NDAA to make May 1 Sil- going to go ahead and reenlist, and we lies around the world that we are back ver Star Service Banner Day. Along need to be aware of that. to emphasizing strength and back to This legislation supports military with Senator McCaskill, my colleague emphasizing protection of Americans construction projects, including the who just left, I have been doing this an- and American interests but also a sig- Army National Guard Readiness Center nually for some time. We think this nal to those who would wish us ill. in Springfield, MO, where I live; the ve- would be a great year to make this a We know how dangerous the world is hicle maintenance facility at White- permanent recognition of the Silver now. I think if any of the 100 of us or man Air Force Base in our State; and Star families. those within the sound of my voice the C–130 flight simulator facility at I would particularly like to recognize were asked the question ‘‘Is the world Rosecrans in St. Joe. They are all in- Diana Lynn Newton, the cofounder of safer today than it was 2 years ago cluded in this authorization project. Silver Star Families of America, who when we started on this quest to re- Projects like these are necessary to en- passed away earlier this year. She and build our defense?’’ I think the answer sure that our military is ready to fight her husband Steve were the driving would be no. The world still needs the and also to support their needs when force behind the organization, and they strength of the United States of Amer- they are at home. helped thousands of veterans who were ica to keep those trade lines open and America’s defense posture includes otherwise getting very little recogni- to maintain the peace to which we what is known as the nuclear triad. tion for their Silver Star service. We have become so accustomed. This means that we have three ways we are saddened by that loss. Hopefully, We will pass this bill, and then we can deliver a nuclear warhead. We hope one of the things we will do in this bill will have the task—and I want every- to never have to have that happen. But to recognize her great commitment is body to understand this—we will have if our adversaries have this capacity, to make the Silver Star recognition the task of getting the bills done to ac- our capacity has to exceed theirs, and day an annual event. tually pay for what we authorize. That this bill ensures that that continues to There are bipartisan priorities here is where, quite frankly, I am worried— be the case. in this bill that deal with the needs of with some of the talk I hear around The 509th and the 131st Bomb Wings the military and their families. The town about perhaps negotiations going at Whiteman Air Force Base host one pay raise is a significant part of this on between Democrats and Republicans of the legs of that triad. Earlier this bill. But being sure that the No. 1 job over here, between House and Senate year, the Air Force announced that of the Federal Government—defending Members, and even in the executive Missouri will host the B–2’s replace- the country—continues to be recog- branch—about just not quite getting to ment. The principal B–2 location at nized as the No. 1 job makes this a comprehensive appropriations bill Whiteman Air Force Base will host the unique annual reauthorization of the this year. B–21 Raider as it becomes available to Defense bill so important. I look for- Perhaps some people say that we can replace that plane that has served the ward to seeing this Congress pass this save a little money on the margin sim- country for so long. I am proud to sup- bill this week in the Senate and, hope- ply by having what we call a con- port what we need to do to make that fully, soon after that, in both the Sen- tinuing resolution—what they call, at transition. ate and the House. the Pentagon, a CR—to just fund the

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Let’s pass is called domestic spending, and that is ity to defend the United States of this bill this week, send it to the another 50 percent, approximately. America. House, negotiate the differences that I am here to tell you that if you ask Here is what Gen. Joe Dunford, the we have at the NDAA level, and patri- the experts who are charged with de- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, otically do what we have done now for fending this great United States of said earlier this year. And he wasn’t on 58 straight years, but then, when we America, they will tell you that a con- some soapbox; he was just answering get back from this Independence Day tinuing resolution is not only a mis- questions from a Member of the U.S. break with our patriotic citizens and take for the United States of America, Senate. He said: ‘‘[Past CRs have] de- our families, let’s get serious about ar- it is a disaster for national defense. We layed new starts and it’s been incred- riving at a compromise number that need to raise this issue and to point ibly inefficient in how we prioritize gets us where we need to be in terms of out what the people are saying that we and allocate resources.’’ continuing to make sure we have the rely on. Former Secretary of Defense Pat resources to protect the United States The Pentagon has made progress the Shanahan said: ‘‘A Continuing Resolu- of America. last couple of years. We have com- tion would hamstring the Department I yield the floor. mitted to a 355-ship Navy. We are re- . . . we cannot start new initiatives The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- building the Army, Navy, Air Force, . . . our funding would be in the wrong ator from Maryland. Marines, and the Coast Guard. I can accounts . . . and we would lose buying BORDER SECURITY tell you that a continuing resolution, power.’’ Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, this ad- according to the experts—the uni- Is that what we want, rather than do ministration is in crisis when it comes formed people we put in office to make our jobs, rather than do hard negotia- to border security. John Sanders, the us safe—would reverse this progress. It tions between Democrats and Repub- acting head of U.S. Customs and Bor- would stop new programs, it would cur- licans and the administration and der Protection, resigned yesterday as a tail production ramp-ups, and it would agree on a figure for domestic and na- result of the growing scandal and mis- inhibit the flexibility necessary to tional security that we don’t love but treatment of migrants, including chil- make good resource allocations. that gets us where we need to be in dren. A weeklong CR would be a mistake. terms of defending the country? According to the Associated Press A yearlong CR would be a catastrophe Gen. David Goldfein, the top Air and NBC News reports, almost 300 mi- for the defense of the United States of Force four star in the land, said: ‘‘[A] grant children have been removed from America. CR would have a significantly negative a Border Patrol facility in Texas after With regard to the Navy and Marine impact.’’ Is that what we want to have media reports of lawyers describing Corps, it would delay heavy mainte- for the Air Force, a significantly nega- ‘‘appalling’’ and potentially dangerous nance for the Harry S. Truman aircraft tive impact? He said: ‘‘[I]t would put conditions, DHS officials told NBC carrier. It would prevent the new guid- our end strength growth at risk be- News. Lawyers who recently visited ed missile frigate program from even cause we would not be able to bring on two Texas facilities holding migrant starting. We have authorized this. We the additional Airmen we need.’’ children described seeing young chil- have already spent money getting GEN James McConville, Vice Chief of dren and teenagers not being able to ready for it. It would prevent the new Staff of the Army, said: ‘‘A continuing take showers for days or even weeks, guided missile program from begin- resolution would be devastating to the inadequate food, flu outbreaks, and ning. It would cut the planned oper- United States Army.’’ prolonged periods of detention. The fa- ations and maintenance budget by This is not a politician; this is some- cility in question has a capacity of nearly $6 billion. It would cut O&M body who has given his career—given about 100 people. Yet 300 migrant chil- funds that are critical for readiness. It his professional adult life to being an dren were there. would prevent 18 critical research and officer in the U.S. Army. He said that The children who were removed were development efforts from starting, in- a continuing resolution ‘‘would be dev- being held at a border station in Clint, cluding large, unmanned surface vessel astating to the United States Army.’’ TX. Some were wearing dirty clothes maritime drones and artificial intel- Surely the elected representatives in covered with mucous and even urine, ligence development. This would be the House and Senate can heed the said one advocacy organization. Teen- part of the result of a 1-year con- words of these patriots and come to an age mothers wore clothing stained with tinuing resolution. It would prohibit agreement. breast milk. None of the children had funding for 33 critical military con- According to Lt. Gen. David Berger, access to soap or toothpaste, according struction projects. A 1-year CR or even Deputy Commandant of the Marine to officials at the Immigrants’ Rights a shorter CR would prevent, during its Corps for Combat Development, ‘‘Pro- Clinic at Columbia Law School. Some existence, procurement of one Virginia curements are going to be delayed. New migrants were sleeping on concrete class submarine, one fleet ocean tug, starts you cannot do.’’ These are new benches or even outside at Border Pa- and two landing craft utility vessels to starts that we voted for and are expect- trol stations. This happened in the support our marines during this time ing that the Department wants to do. If United States of America, not some when the world is more dangerous than we pass a CR, they will not be able to Third World nation. it has been in quite a while. do a new start. One lawyer representing the immi- With regard to the Air Force, a 1- The worst part about it for us is the grant children said: year CR would constrain Air Force unpredictability. Almost every child I spoke with had not spending at fiscal year 2019 levels, de- Jim Geurts, Assistant Secretary of showered or bathed since they crossed the creasing buying power by $11.8 billion. the Navy for Research, said: ‘‘Budget border—some of them more than three weeks It would halt 88 new investment pro- uncertainty associated with the con- ago. There is a stench that emanates from grams. It would delay awarding 40 tinuing resolution adds instability, in- some of the children because they haven’t MILCON projects across 18 States and efficiency, delays contracting, and had the opportunity to put on clean clothes limit the planned 4,400 total force end- delays fielding of critical capabilities.’’ or to take a shower. . . . I have never seen strength growth. These are things we We need to stifle any talk either in conditions as appalling as what we witnessed last week. The children are hungry, dirty already voted for, but a 1-year CR this building or the Pentagon or down and sick and being detained for long periods would stop them. You can’t do the the street at the other end of Pennsyl- of time. . . . Children who are young them- extra 4,400 end-strength personnel we vania about a 1-year continuing resolu- selves are being told by guards they must need. tion as being beneficial to the United take care of even younger children. . . .

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:14 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.016 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE June 26, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4535 They don’t know where their loved ones are tration that is deliberately stoking The legislation improves due process who they crossed the border with. fear by now threatening to tear apart for migrants and reduces the court According to news reports, the chil- families in the United States with backlog by nearly doubling the Legal dren have now been taken to a deten- longstanding ties to the community. Orientation Program, which will sig- tion camp also in El Paso, TX, where Instead, President Trump should nificantly expand the number of mi- they will remain under the custody of work with Democrats and Republicans grants who have access to their serv- Border Patrol until they can be placed on comprehensive immigration reform. ices. The bill provides additional funds with the Department of Health and He could start by supporting legisla- to hire more immigration judge teams Human Services. tion I cosponsored entitled the Central to reduce backlog of pending immigra- This is outrageous and unacceptable America Reform and Enforcement Act. tion cases. in the United States of America or in This legislation would address many of Now let me point out what this legis- any other country. We can and we must the root causes of migration and allevi- lation does not permit in terms of rein- do better. What is occurring in Texas ate, not exacerbate, the suffering at ing in some of the worst excesses of may very well be a violation of our our southern border. This legislation President Trump’s disastrous immigra- laws. would provide conditional security as- tion policies. The legislation prohibits Federal law generally requires unac- sistance to Central American countries funding from going to the President’s companied or separated migrant chil- to combat the scourge of drug cartels, border wall or new detention beds and dren be transferred to HHS within 72 violent gangs, and lawlessness that has prohibits DHS from transferring funds hours, but according to news reports, pushed migrants to journey north. It for any other purpose. It prohibits in- some children at the Clint facility had would enhance monitoring of unaccom- formation obtained from potential been in Border Patrol custody for panied children after they are proc- sponsors of unaccompanied children weeks. That is in violation of Federal essed at the border and would ensure from being used in immigration en- law. Now news reports are saying these fair, orderly, and efficient processing of forcement actions. conditions have been replicated in those who reach our border seeking I am pleased that last night the other border facilities, such as the Cen- protection. House of Representatives passed their tral Processing Center in McAllen, TX. I am pleased that at 2 o’clock today version of the emergency supplemental Federal law also requires that chil- we will have the opportunity to act. appropriations bill by a vote of 230 to Last week, the Senate Appropria- dren and families be held in ‘‘safe and 195. The Senate will have an oppor- tions Committee approved $4.6 billion sanitary’’ facilities under the Flores tunity to vote on this legislation at 2 in emergency relief on an overwhelm- settlement. The public should be o’clock, and I will support it. The ingly, bipartisan vote—30 to 1. House legislation goes even further shocked that administration lawyers I am pleased that this legislation will seem to argue that these horrific con- than the Senate legislation in enhanc- help better protect vulnerable children ing protection for migrant children in ditions do not violate the Flores agree- in the custody of the Department of ment or Federal law. One government government custody. Health and Human Services. The bill I urge the Senate to pass the emer- attorney recently argued that specific seeks to improve inhumane conditions gency supplemental appropriations leg- amenities, such as soap, toothbrushes, for migrants in the custody of the De- islation later today, which provides and even half a night’s sleep, should partment of Homeland Security. The desperately needed assistance to the not be required under the terms of the legislation improves due process pro- most vulnerable migrants, the chil- original settlement. The argument tection for migrants. dren. Let us take steps to end this hu- drew criticism from the panel of judges The largest portion of this funding manitarian crisis on our own soil. at the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Ap- measure, $2.88 billion, goes to the HHS I suggest the absence of a quorum. peals. Office of Refugee Resettlement, which The PRESIDING OFFICER. The One panel judge replied during the is in charge of housing unaccompanied clerk will call the roll. argument: children who are the most vulnerable The senior assistant legislative clerk To me it’s more like it’s within group of migrants. This office has ad- proceeded to call the roll. everybody’s common understanding: If you vised Congress that it will run out of Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, I ask don’t have a toothbrush, if you don’t have funds in July and has already stopped unanimous consent that the order of soap, if you don’t have a blanket, it’s not making payments for education, legal, the quorum call be rescinded. safe and sanitary. Wouldn’t everybody agree The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without to that? Would you agree to that? and refugee support services. The appropriations measure provides objection, it is so ordered. I certainly hope every Senator agrees additional funds to assure the safety HEALTHCARE with that, and I hope every American and well-being of these children Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, on July does as well. through social services and case man- 9, the Trump administration will be in We have received conflicting media agement to place children in appro- court defending the Texas v. United reports about children being moved priate homes, ideally with family States lawsuit. Let me rephrase that. back and forth between different facili- members who are already here in the They will not be defending the lawsuit. ties that can only be described as filthy United States. They will be arguing on the side of the and not fit for human habitation, par- The bill requires ORR facilities that plaintiff in that lawsuit. ticularly for children. This is not what house children to comply with State- This is a virtually unprecedented America should stand for. based licensure requirements, includ- move. Administrations traditionally President Trump’s erratic actions on ing minimum standards of humane defend the statutes of the United immigration and border security have care, oversight and transparency, with States, no matter what they feel about directly contributed to the crisis. Re- an exception made for influx facilities the politics of the underlying statute. call that President Trump had literally in emergencies. But the Trump administration has shut down the entire U.S. Government The bill provides $1.3 billion to ad- made the decision to join with 22 Re- in the failed effort to fund an ineffec- dress increasingly inhumane conditions publican attorneys general to argue tive border wall. He has threatened to for migrants apprehended and detained that the entirety of the Affordable close down borders entirely. He has cut at DHS facilities. The DHS inspector Care Act should be dismantled, with off security assistance to the very Cen- general found dangerous overcrowding nothing to replace it. tral American countries that are try- at these facilities, leading to sickness There are those of us who believe ing to address the root causes of migra- and even death in custody. The meas- that it would not be wise policy to kick tion, which is contributing to the mi- ure provides additional funds for mi- 20 million people off of insurance and grant crisis at our southern border. grant food, clothing, medical, and baby get rid of all of the insurance protec- This is an administration that insti- supplies, as well as funding to non- tions in the Affordable Care Act, with tuted a policy of separating children profits and local jurisdictions pro- no idea as to what comes next. We have from their parents at the border. This viding critical social services and shel- begged our Republican colleagues to is an administration that proposed a ter to migrants ultimately released join us in telling the Trump adminis- Muslim travel ban. This is an adminis- from DHS custody. tration—demanding that the Trump

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They want to replace it with 1.5 million families every single year in eliminating the expansion would leave something else, something that insures this country who declared bankruptcy. them without healthcare. more people, and something that con- Today, there are half as many families I mentioned the insurance companies tinues to protect people with pre- who declare bankruptcy in this coun- are against this lawsuit. They say this: existing conditions. If that is your po- try. It is not coincidence that studies ‘‘Invalidation of the ACA—irrespective sition, it stands to reason that you have shown us that of those 1.5 million, of the continued operation of the so- would oppose a lawsuit that seeks to half of them were declaring bankruptcy called individual mandate—would invalidate the entirety of the Afford- because of medical costs. When you wreak havoc on the healthcare sys- able Care Act with nothing to replace don’t go bankrupt any longer because tem.’’ it. of medical costs because you have ac- Finally, Americans with disabilities The bewitching hour is upon us. The cess to affordable insurance and your say: oral arguments are the week after insurance company can’t kick you off The result is a cruel irony: the population next. This lawsuit was successful at because you get sick, you don’t face that needs healthcare the most has the hard- the district court level, so there is no the kind of destitution that families est time obtaining it. For the last nine reason not to believe there is a sub- years, the ACA has helped change that. faced before. Stripping away its protections now will re- stantial possibility that it could be So I think it does make sense to run verse the positive gains that people with dis- successful at the appellate court level through the lineup of who has weighed abilities have realized and will return this as well. in in favor of this court case to invali- community to the same grim reality as be- I wanted to come to the floor, as we date the entirety of the Affordable fore the ACA, if not place people with dis- head into this week while we will be Care Act and knock 20 to 30 million abilities in an even worse position. back in our districts, just to make sure people off of insurance to jack up rates So let’s not forget where we were be- that everybody understands what the for millions more and who has weighed fore the Affordable Care Act was stakes are on July 9 when the Trump in against it. passed. I am not saying that it is per- administration will argue in court to Well, the President wants this law- fect. I am not saying that we shouldn’t get rid of insurance for 20 to 30 million suit to succeed. Attorneys general work together to try to improve it. We Americans and what the stakes are for want this lawsuit to succeed. And by just finished a debate in the Health this Senate—in particular, Senate Re- the silence of my Republican col- Committee in which we passed a whole publicans refusing to stand up to the leagues, you would infer that many Re- bunch of reforms to our healthcare sys- President in his perpetuation of this publicans may want this lawsuit to tem that Republicans and Democrats lawsuit. succeed. agree on. If the Affordable Care Act is struck But here is who hates this lawsuit. I But the American Cancer Society, in down, there are 130 million Americans am not going to run through the whole their filing, reminds the court: ‘‘A 2009 with preexisting conditions who could list here, but this is essentially any- Harvard Medical School study found see insurance rates increase by up to 50 body who knows anything about approximately 45,000 deaths annually to 60 percent. Others will have their in- healthcare. This is essentially every could be attributed to lack of health surance withdrawn when they go organization that represents people insurance among working-age Ameri- through open enrollment next because who have serious diseases, every asso- cans.’’ no insurer will cover someone with se- ciation that represents doctors, and The Heart Association said this: rious, very expensive preexisting condi- every association that represents hos- ‘‘Even during a heart attack, uninsured tions. That was the way things worked pitals. You don’t really find all of those patients were more likely to delay before the Affordable Care Act was groups aligned on much at all because seeking medical care because of the fi- passed. when you are moving around pieces in nancial implications.’’ Gone is Medicaid expansion, which the healthcare system, often you will I could go on and on, reading from today covers 17 million people across do something that benefits patients these filings or reading from the testi- the country—and I have been happy to that insurers will not like or you ben- mony that all of these groups have sub- see more and more States with Repub- efit something at hospitals that single- mitted. Again, that is not to say that lican Governors or Republican State practice offices will not like. This is these groups don’t want changes in our legislators adopt the Medicaid expan- pretty much everybody who says: If healthcare system. Nobody on this list, sions and become a source of bipartisan you kick 20 million people off insur- as far as I know, is arguing for the sta- agreement that more people should ance like that and you have no plan to tus quo, just as no one in this body is have access to Medicaid—but those 17 replace it, that is a humanitarian ca- arguing for the status quo. But to rip million people will lose their coverage. tastrophe. away Medicaid expansion, to rip out There are 12 million seniors who will Here is what the AARP says in their from the roots of the healthcare sys- immediately pay more for prescription filing opposing this lawsuit: tem the exchanges and the tax credits, drugs because the Affordable Care Act If this Court finds that the ACA is invalid, to get rid of all of the insurance protec- gets rid of, over time, essentially the millions of older adults will lose the tions, to reverse the gains we have entirety of the Medicare part D dough- healthcare coverage and consumer protec- made on lowering prescription drug nut hole. tions they have relied on for years. They will costs for seniors—to do all of that with There are 2.3 million adult children also throw the Medicare and Medicaid pro- nothing to replace it is to invite mis- grams into fiscal and administrative chaos, who are on their parents’ insurance which will disrupt the nation’s healthcare ery, destitution, and chaos. until they become 26, who would poten- system and economy. It will plunge the more Let’s just be honest. We are not tially lose access to that insurance. than 100 million people with preexisting con- ready to ride to the rescue. I offered an The Affordable Care Act requires insur- ditions into an abyss of uncertainty about amendment in the Health Committee ance companies to cover those kids. whether they can obtain coverage. today just asking for the Department Many insurers, without that require- That is the AARP. of Health and Human Services to pro- ment, would no longer cover those chil- Here is what the American Medical vide us with a report about what the dren. Association says: ‘‘The decision below, landscape would look like in the Then many of the other protections if affirmed, would have devastating ef- healthcare system if Texas v. United in the marketplace, like bans on life- fects on the quality, cost, and avail- States were successful. I didn’t get a time caps or annual caps, can be lost. ability of such care.’’ single Republican vote for that one. All Insurers would once again be back in Families USA says: ‘‘Among those I was asking was that we just get a re- the practice of saying to a very sick whose coverage rates increased due to port on how bad it is going to be so

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Without the oper- So we are deliberately boxing our ations and the ACA coverage, the disease the healthcare law, I would just point eyes and ears about what the effects on would have continued to progress—I would out that as 20 Democratic candidates our constituents could be if this law- have eventually died and my family would for President assemble tonight and to- suit is successful. We are not in a posi- have had to sell the house and/or go bank- morrow night in Miami, they are going tion to ride to the rescue. There is no rupt to manage the medical expenses. to be there calling for a repeal and re- chance that this Congress is going to David from Southport said: placement of the Obama healthcare pass a new healthcare reform proposal In July of 2011 I was diagnosed with Colon law. that will restore healthcare to every- Cancer. At the time, I was covered under an The leading candidate, the Senator body who lost it. That is not hap- individual policy with Blue Cross Blue from Vermont, is going to say, under pening, and I know that is not a sur- Shield. It was a very comprehensive policy this healthcare law that we have now prise to anyone here. and, after my deductible was satisfied, it in this country, this healthcare system You also shouldn’t delude yourself covered all my doctor and hospital expenses, is the most bureaucratic, inefficient into thinking this lawsuit will not be surgeries, chemotherapy, medications, etc. system in the world, and he is going to However, a couple of years later I was ad- successful. There are lots of very smart propose a one-size-fits-all healthcare vised that due to my preexisting condition I system that repeals and replaces the legal scholars who suggest that this ar- would not be able to renew my policy. . . . gument that the plaintiffs are making, At that time I enrolled in [the Affordable ObamaCare healthcare law with a sys- which the Trump administration has Care Act] Access Health CT and without this tem where people will pay more to wait endorsed, is nonsense. I tend to agree policy . . . [through Access Health CT] I longer for worse care. As a result, 180 with them. The argument is that be- would not be able to be insured and would million people who get their insurance cause you got rid of one section of the face prohibitive costs for even basic care. through their jobs will lose their insur- Affordable Care Act, then the court David’s story can be told thousands ance. Also, as a result, the 20 million needs to invalidate the rest. of times over: a diagnosis followed by Americans who are on Medicare Advan- Well, Congress made its intent pretty denial of coverage from an insurance tage will lose that coverage as well. clear. Republicans decided to get rid of company because of a preexisting con- ENERGY POLICY the individual mandate for the penalty dition. Mr. President, I come to the floor that is assessed if you don’t have insur- There is no free market response today to discuss my continued efforts ance and deliberately did not choose to when it comes to very sick people who to modernize our Nation’s energy laws. get rid of the rest of it. I think that is want insurance. The free market tells Since my arrival in 2007 in the Sen- not a smart decision, but the intent of the insurance company: Do not insure ate, I have worked in the Senate on Congress is pretty clear. somebody who is going to cost you a pro-growth energy policies. My goal It is my belief that this argument lot of money. The free market would has always been to protect workers, to doesn’t hold water, and that is the be- tell the insurance company to keep promote American energy, and to pro- lief of many smart legal scholars, but that person on the outside of insur- vide for innovation. The Presiding Officer is from an en- the district court ruled in favor of the ance. So there has to be a public sector ergy State. He knows that today the plaintiffs. So you already have a Fed- response. We provided that response United States is the world’s top energy eral judge who invalidated the entire with the Affordable Care Act and now, producer. We are the global leaders in Affordable Care Act. in a matter of weeks or months, it oil as well as natural gas. Still, the en- Since then, the Trump administra- could all be gone. ergy sector is evolving at a fast clip. tion has upped the ante. The district So I come down to the floor this We need to stay ahead of the curve to court finding in favor of the plaintiffs, afternoon to once again engage my col- stay on top, so our laws should reflect which invalidates the entire Affordable leagues and ask them to work to- gether. Let’s try to find a common this changing reality. Care Act, didn’t convince the President The key, of course, is innovation. ground here, at least behind the to say: Let’s pull back the reins a little That is why I am constantly talking premise that you shouldn’t rip out the bit here. Let’s maybe change our posi- with folks in the industry, people back foundation of the modern healthcare tion. This feels too real. Let’s hedge home in Wyoming, and taking the system without a plan for what comes our bets. No; after the district court pulse. I listen to the workers in coal ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, the ad- next. mines and oilfields of Campbell Coun- I assume we will continue to offer ministration changed their position to ty, to the researchers at the labs at the go all in on the plaintiffs’ side. Their unanimous consent requests to try to University of Wyoming. What we dis- initial lawsuit only backed up some of withhold funding for the Trump admin- cuss are best practices and issues such the plaintiffs’ claims. istration’s perpetuation of this lawsuit. as: How can we streamline energy per- So the district court ruled that the I would hope we can get Republican mitting? How can we speed research? Affordable Care Act has to disappear support for that motion, not because How can we ensure safety and protect overnight. The Trump administration Republicans support the Affordable the environment? has changed their position to weigh in Care Act—I get it; I am not going to My point is, we need to know the sit- and to support the entirety of the law- get Republicans to support the Afford- uation on the ground. I know the Pre- suit, and we are not having a serious able Care Act—but because my Repub- siding Officer hears that in North Da- conversation about what happens if the lican friends need to make good on kota on a regular basis. That is how we fate that all of these groups are deeply what they have said for years; that need to make sure energy laws make fearful of comes to pass. they want the Affordable Care Act to sense—knowing what is happening on Finally, this is not about numbers. go, but they really want something the ground. This isn’t about statistics. This is else to replace it that will insure the I proposed practical reforms that re- about real people. Michael from New same number of people and protect flect that reality. I recently offered Fairfield, CT, says: folks who are sick. That cannot happen legislation to modernize the Federal This is . . . personal to me, the ACA lit- if this lawsuit succeeds. electricity law. It is called the UP- erally saved my life in 2016. I have pre-exist- As we head back to our districts for DATE PURPA Act. PURPA refers to ing, recurrent skull base disease for most of this recess period, I wanted to make the 1978 Public Utility Regulatory Pol- my adult life. I underwent an 11-hour skull sure everybody knows how many icy Act. Senators Risch, Cramer, and base neurosurgery to remove a benign tumor groups that know something or any- Daines are original cosponsors of this that involved my brain arteries, nasal pas- sages, jaw and a total reconstruction of my thing about healthcare are standing UPDATE PURPA law. Principally, we middle and outer ear canals. My surgeon said against Texas v. The United States. want to protect families from inflated I was a month away from a much more de- I yield the floor. electric bills. bilitating surgical outcome. As it is, my re- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- People in Wyoming and North Da- covery and rehabilitation period has been a ator from Wyoming. kota and other States are overpaying.

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Forty years after that law was passed ties should embrace sensible, scientific Our bill will mitigate inhumane con- in 1978—fast forward, here we are 41 solutions. ditions faced by migrant families in years later, and clearly it has outlived Another energy issue I am addressing DHS custody by providing funds to im- its purpose. The law’s original intent is reform in the process that we use to prove conditions in grossly over- was to diversify power sources, and it get permits to get permission to ex- crowded facilities and buy food, cloth- certainly succeeded. Wind and solar plore for energy, to use our resources. ing, and medical services for the people power now provide about 9 percent of Earlier this year, I introduced a bill in our care. It provides money to en- the electricity in this country—9 per- called the ONSHORE Act. It stands for sure that we have diapers, formula, cent wind and solar. Opportunities for the Nation and baby wipes, and other essential sup- The fact is, renewable power tech- States to Harness Onshore Resources plies for infants and toddlers. nology has improved rapidly so we no for Energy. Like the rest of the country, I read in longer need to micromanage these pur- We have a very talented staff that horror the reports from a border facil- chases. Consumers should not continue comes up with these creative names. It ity in Clint, TX, where the children to overpay for electricity due to out- is onshore energy—Opportunities for were unbathed, where sickness was dated rules, regulations, and laws. UP- Nations and States to Harness Re- spreading, and where infants were DATE PURPA would solve this prob- sources for Energy. The ONSHORE Act being cared for by other young children lem. It protects utility customers from will simplify the Federal onshore oil in custody barely old enough to care added costs; it frees State utilities and gas permitting process. So whether for themselves. No child, no matter from unnecessary mandates to buy we are talking about oil and gas per- where they are from, deserves to live in power; and it helps develop all energy mitting or utilities or carbon capture such conditions. sources, including renewable energy. or nuclear power, we must engineer our Our bill improves due process for mi- I am also working to pass a bill way to American energy solutions. grants by expanding access to legal called the USE IT Act. It stands for Commonsense reforms will help the services and our immigration courts. It Utilizing Significant Emissions with United States stay on top and stay safe provides grants to nonprofit organiza- Innovative Technologies. This bipar- at the same time. tions and local jurisdictions that pro- tisan bill would help researchers find I yield the floor. vide critical services in shelters to mi- uses for captured carbon dioxide emis- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- grants released from DHS custody. Bol- sions. ator from Vermont. stering border security and treating The research is already happening in Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, last migrants with humanity are not mutu- Wyoming. It is taking place outside week, Democrats and Republicans on ally exclusive goals. Indeed, accom- Gillette in the Integrated Test Center. the Senate Appropriations Committee plishing both together is the American The USE IT Act will further this effort. came together and we approved by a way. We are America. We can do two It will apply our Nation’s brightest vote of 30 to 1 an emergency supple- things at once. minds to take carbon from the air, to mental to address the most urgent hu- Apparently, President Trump never capture it from the air, to trap it, and manitarian needs at our southern bor- got the memo about our American val- to transform it into valuable products. der. Some would say that the way the ues. Since the day he took office, he Captured carbon can be used to ex- Senate has been led lately, you has demonized and vilified immigrants, tract oil from wells that otherwise couldn’t get a 30-to-1 vote to say the asylum seekers, and refugees at every would not be profitable. It can also be Sun rises in the east. opportunity. Through false and inflam- used to make building materials and The bill reflects weeks of good-faith matory tweets and cruel policies, he carbon fiber. It can be used for medical negotiations between Republicans and has worked to instill widespread fear purposes. Democrats to forge a bipartisan agree- among immigrant communities, tar- In addition, I am working to promote ment to mitigate what has been an es- geting asylum seekers as if they were nuclear energy. Nuclear power is safe, calating humanitarian crisis—one hardened violent criminals. reliable, and carbon-free. Today it pro- where infants and toddlers are sleeping In just this past week, he threatened vides 60 percent of America’s carbon- on cold cement floors in wire cages and widespread arrests of thousands of im- free electricity. It is by far our largest under bridges. Inaction is simply not migrant families, seemingly without carbon-free source, and it is doubling an option for those who care about al- concern for the many families that the wind and solar in terms of the total leviating the suffering of desperate would be torn apart and the separated that we get from wind and solar. We children and families seeking refuge in children who happen to be American have already made progress on ad- the United States. citizens who would be left behind. Now vanced nuclear technology because ear- Action in the Senate requires com- he has backed away from that threat lier this year we passed a bipartisan promise. That is the reality in a body temporarily, but he has promised to re- nuclear bill called the Nuclear Energy where 60 votes are required to move a visit it. Innovation and Modernization Act, and bill forward. No one, Republican or Just last week, the Trump adminis- that became law—signed into law. Democrat, is going to get everything tration went to Federal court to argue This bill, now law, will ensure that they want—including me, and I am the that it should not be required to give we remain a leader in nuclear innova- vice chairman of the Appropriations detained migrant children tooth- tion. It will simplify the process for li- Committee—but that is the nature of brushes and toothpaste, soap, towels, censing and developing advanced reac- compromise. One thing I am not will- showers, or proper sleeping conditions tors. This progress will help increase ing to compromise on is our American when in U.S. custody—that such amen- our use of carbon-free energy. We need values, and this bill reflects that. ities are not part of the definition of all the energy. We need the renewable The Senate supplemental protects ‘‘safe and sanitary’’ conditions. energy. We need the nuclear energy. unaccompanied children, some of our What would we say if another coun- We need the oil, gas, and coal. We need most vulnerable migrants, by securing try were holding Americans like that? all of it, and we must address our nu- funds for their safety and their well- It has become painfully obvious: clear waste problem. being in HHS custody. It includes $109 President Trump views immigrant That is why I fought to complete the million to ensure the safety and well- families, asylum seekers, and refugees licensing of the storage facility at being of those children through post- not as human beings but as political Yucca Mountain. I recently chaired a release wraparound services, legal serv- ammunition intended solely to rile his committee hearing on this draft pro- ices, and case management to get chil- base. When asked about the horrendous posal. dren out of cages and put them in lov- conditions at DHS and ORR facilities

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:14 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.023 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE June 26, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4539 and the separation of families, he said and get our 31 votes. It is because we Congress rejected the administration’s it is not true and he repeated his know we have to first act to provide request, it acted as though it was threat of mass deportations—even safe, humane care for the migrant chil- above the law, above the Constitution. though many of us here in the Congress dren and families who seek mercy and Nobody is above the law in this coun- in both parties have seen it. He is ei- safety. try. None of us in the Senate are, and ther willfully ignorant about what has It was yesterday that the House neither is the President of the United been widely documented or he has no passed its own version of an emergency States. qualms about lying about it. supplemental for the southern border. Let’s not forget the President’s dec- Not a single one of the President’s It is also a very good bill, and it goes laration of a national emergency to anti-immigrant, fearmongering tactics further in offering protections to im- fund his wall when Congress debated it would address the very real humani- migrants in our care than we are able and refused to provide him the money tarian crisis overwhelming our south- to do in this Chamber, because there he had requested. We have to stand up ern border. This is exactly why the bi- have been objections from the Repub- for ourselves as an institution. I urge partisan Senate supplemental does not lican side of the aisle. It provides im- my colleagues on the other side of the provide a single dollar for President portant additional protections for chil- aisle to join me—not as Democrats or Trump’s request for hundreds of mil- dren who are under the care of the Of- Republicans but as U.S. Senators—in lions in additional dollars for the in- fice of Refugee Resettlement and for saying no to this President when he carceration of immigrants in ICE fa- those being held at CBP processing fa- blatantly ignores the will of the Con- cilities. cilities, and I support that. We should gress. It is why we did not provide any of be taking care of the children in our I thank Chairman SHELBY for work- his requested funds to pursue mis- custody as if they were our own. Tak- ing with me on this bipartisan humani- guided policies like ‘‘Remain in Mex- ing care of children is not a partisan tarian assistance bill. ico,’’ which law enforcement officials issue. We should all agree on that. We need to work quickly to resolve have stated actually encourages, not I am also pleased that the House bill the differences between the House and discourages, illegal crossings. It is includes a provision to protect the the Senate bills so we can get a bill to why, in a bipartisan way, we included a funding that Republicans and Demo- the President’s desk. I hope President strict prohibition on the transfer of crats have already appropriated to ad- Trump will have the good sense to sign supplemental funds for any purposes dress the causes of migration in Cen- the supplemental bill into law. Then other than addressing the humani- tral America. I am upset the President let’s turn to the much needed debate tarian crisis at the border. And finally, has threatened to take that money and on comprehensive immigration reform. it is why we refused to include any of reprogram it elsewhere. We showed we could do it when I was the deeply harmful, unprecedented We were not able to reach agreement the chairman of the Judiciary. We changes to our immigration and asy- on that issue in the Senate, but in a showed we could get a 2-to-1 vote in this body. Let’s do it again. lum laws that the President has advo- few moments, we will have an oppor- Of course, I urge Members to oppose cated for. tunity to vote on the House bill. I hope the Paul amendment. I am under no illusion that this sup- Members on both sides of the aisle will Four months ago, Republicans and plemental bill will address all of the be able to support it. Democrats came together and appro- Neither the House nor the Senate bill problems with our immigration sys- priated funds in the State and Foreign tem—far from it. It is a temporary so- has any funding for additional ICE de- Operations Act that would help lution to address some of the most ur- tention beds. This is no mistake. The counter terrorism and human traf- gent issues. We need to have a broader President’s predisposition to turn to ficking, promote democracy, combat debate about comprehensively address- mass detention above all else is cruel, poverty, provide humanitarian aid, and ing those problems, just as we did irresponsible, and also a horrible waste support global health programs. A bi- years ago. of taxpayers’ money. There are alter- partisan majority of Congress sup- Years ago, a bipartisan group of Sen- natives to detention that exist that are ported this funding and the President ators put forward a thoughtful, bipar- safe and less expensive. signed it into law. The Paul amend- tisan immigration bill. As chairman of The administration needs to use the ment proposes to rescind $4.6 billion, the Senate Judiciary Committee, I resources it has for ICE detention serv- clawing back programs with a wide held three hearings on the bill. We had ices to house those people who truly range of consequences. five days of markups. We considered 212 present a danger to our communities Counterterrorism programs would be amendments, 141 of which were adopt- and not lock up every man, woman, cut. These funds support programs that ed, including nearly 50 from Repub- and child simply for being here. Lock target vulnerable youth to prevent licans. And then 68 Senators supported up those who really do present a dan- radicalization. These programs provide the legislation on the floor. ger. Most 5-year-old children do not. It governments with the tools to counter Unfortunately, the Republican makes no sense to lump them all in to- the influence of violent extremist orga- Speaker of the House would not bring gether. We carefully negotiated ICE’s nizations, including by countering ter- up the bill, even though it would have bed levels in the fiscal year 2019 Home- rorism financing. passed overwhelmingly, because he land Security Appropriations bill just a Programs to combat human traf- thought it might violate the Dennis few months ago, which was passed by ficking would be cut by the Paul Hastert rule. I think, if we were to both Republicans and Democrats, and amendment. These programs support have that same process here again there is no reason to revisit it now. nongovernmental organizations that today, I would bet we would also have We have heard that the administra- promote stronger government policies 68 Senators—Republicans and Demo- tion plans to set up a request to fund and programs to combat human slav- crats—vote for it. more ICE detention beds through re- ery and trafficking. They help hold per- Yet this is a conversation and a de- programming the money that we need. petrators accountable and support gov- bate we will have to have on another I urge my Republican colleagues to ernments that are combatting human day. I will be happy to work with those join me in opposing any such request. trafficking, and they help to protect Republican and Democratic Senators The administration should not do ad- victims of trafficking. who worked together to get an immi- ministratively what both Republicans Programs that strengthen civil soci- gration bill before, but we are not and Democrats have rejected. ety, independent media, and promote going to do it in the context of an Unfortunately, this is a pattern with democracy in Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, emergency supplemental, which is this administration. It just wants to Hungary, Egypt, and many other coun- meant to address the most urgent hu- ignore bipartisan majorities in the tries would be cut. These funds support manitarian needs at the border. It is House and Senate. It ignores the will of efforts to hold governments account- why Senator SHELBY and I and others— Congress. It uses loopholes and ignores able for repression, promote freedom of Republicans and Democrats—have traditional norms in the appropriations expression and religious freedom, and worked for weeks, quietly behind the process. It uses suspect readings of the provide services to victims of persecu- scenes, in order to put this together law to accomplish its agenda. When tion.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:14 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.024 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE S4540 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 26, 2019 The Paul amendment would claw I am proposing to actually pay for This group spent $300,000 to help Bra- back humanitarian aid. There are more this by taking the money from a part zilians get off Brazilian welfare. That people forcibly displaced in the world of the budget that is being wasted and might be better spent talking to Amer- today than at any time since World put it into the humanitarian crisis on icans about American welfare. Yet we War II. It is a global humanitarian cri- the border. Should we provide care and had no business in sending that money sis that is contributing to instability shelter to immigrants at the border or to Brazil. and insecurity, including in our own should we be paying for clown shows Is any of this a higher priority than hemisphere. The amendment would re- and a traveling circus? Should we pro- what we are doing at the border? I scind funding for U.S. refugee aid and vide food for the children that remain would say not. aid to victims of famine, earthquakes, at the border or should we pay to sup- Is it more important to pay for the and other natural disasters. port the businesses of deported immi- cost of the situation on the border or And funding for PEPFAR, programs grants? should we also be sending foreign wel- to combat malaria and TB, and other Listen carefully. When we catch peo- fare abroad? global health programs would be cut by ple coming across the border illegally, The United States spent $223 million the Paul Amendment. This includes we send them back to the country and to fund a highway in Afghanistan. We programs to respond to deadly say: Don’t worry. We will send you found out afterward that the security pandemics like Ebola. money to help you start a business. that our government hired to protect There are countless other examples, They break our law, and we give the people while they were building the since the Paul amendment uses a meat them money to start a business back in road at $1 million a year were actually cleaver approach to demolish most of their home country. If you ask politi- funneling the money to a terrorist our international development and hu- cians here, the answer is: Fund it all. group, called the Haqqani network, our manitarian programs that reduce pov- Just put it on the credit card. We will sworn enemy. The Haqqani network is erty, respond to crises, build free mar- just keep borrowing. Your kids and known for killing our soldiers, but we kets, and strengthen democratic insti- grandkids will pay for it. were paying those in the Haqqani net- tutions. I mentioned some of these examples work for being security guards while Why are there unobligated balances that I would cut, but let’s hear about we wasted millions of dollars in build- in these programs? These funds were some more. Where is your money ing a highway in Afghanistan. I would appropriated only 4 months ago and are going? Where is the money coming say let’s spend that money at home. available for obligation through the from so that we could actually pay for The road we have now built for the next fiscal year for multiyear projects. this crisis at the border? My amend- Afghanis is in such disrepair after only That is how foreign assistance works. ment rescinds the remainder of this a few years that they can’t afford to In the last two foreign aid appropria- year’s funds for the Inter-American maintain it, so we are asking you to tions laws, Senator GRAHAM and I in- Foundation. You may not have heard cough up a little more money. They cluded targeted rescissions of funds of this, but last time this bill was au- need $22 million to keep the highway in that could no longer be spent effec- thorized was in 1985. For over 24 years, good repair. tively, or that were about to expire. we haven’t done anything. We haven’t We spent $273 million on a develop- That is the responsible approach, and even looked at the program. We just ment grant program that didn’t actu- one that preserves the integrity of the keep feeding it money. ally do anything. It taught foreign peo- appropriations process. That is not the What do they fund in the Inter-Amer- ple how to fill out grants to get more approach in this amendment. ican Foundation? Let’s see. They spend I urge members to vote no on this money to support small businesses of money from us. It is not enough that amendment and pass the bipartisan bill deported immigrants. One time we they are fleecing you and sending your reported by the committee 30 to 1 so asked them: Do you at least exclude money to all of these boondoggle that we can sit down with the House criminal deportees? They had a blank projects around the world; we have a tonight to work out the differences look on their face, and they didn’t have program to teach foreigners how to get with the House bill. an answer. They aren’t excluding peo- more welfare from us. I yield the floor. ple we deport because they have com- This amendment takes $4 billion that The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- mitted a crime in our country from re- they want to spend on the border and ator from Kentucky. ceiving American welfare. says: That is fine. Let’s do it. Yet let’s Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, today we This group spent $1.2 million helping take it from foreign aid. Let’s take it will consider funding to address the hu- people in Mexico, Guatemala, and El from foreign welfare. Let’s take it from manitarian crisis on the border. The Salvador to improve their ‘‘spending llama fairs and guinea pig shows in spending bill will be $4 billion. While strategies.’’ Does that sound like a Peru. It is utterly ridiculous. This pro- there is a humanitarian crisis at the good use of money? If we need money gram has not been looked at since 1985. border, we also have in our country a at the border, let’s quit sending it If we eliminate the program, we can debt crisis. We are adding debt at about south of the border to improve the pay for the money they want to spend $1 trillion every year. The overall debt spending habits of those in Mexico, at the border. is $22 trillion, and the interest on the Guatemala, and El Salvador. That is what it would mean to be re- debt that we have to pay every year is These funds also subsidized guinea sponsible legislators—to make prior- exploding such that it is crowding out pig farmers in Peru, a llama fair in Bo- ities, decide where to spend the money, other spending. livia, and advertisements to buy car- and not just simply run up the tab and While I do agree that there is a hu- bon credits in Mexico. If we have a cri- say: Your kids and grandkids can pay manitarian crisis at the border, we sis at the border—both sides of the for it. must not ignore the debt crisis that aisle have now finally woken up to I recommend a ‘‘yea’’ vote on offset- faces our country. We should not bor- there being a crisis—let’s spend it on ting the spending for this supplemental row the money and pull out the credit the crisis and not be supporting a spending bill, and I hope Americans card, yet again, every time a crisis oc- llama fair in Bolivia or a guinea pig will watch to see who votes to offset curs. Congress has an obligation to find farm in Peru. this by cutting wasteful foreign wel- lower priorities to cut to pay for higher This same group that I would like to fare. priorities. I thought that is what legis- take the money from to spend it on the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- lating was about. You are supposed to border spent half a million dollars to ator from Alabama. say that right now we have a crisis at ‘‘jump start’’ the Haitian film indus- Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I believe the border. So maybe we are not going try. Does that sound like a national there is no longer any question that to send welfare to foreign countries. priority to anybody? If we want to the situation along our southern bor- Every American family has to make treat people in a more humanitarian der has become a full-blown humani- these decisions. Why doesn’t Congress? fashion on the border and we need to tarian and security crisis. I think that What Congress does is simply add it to spend some money down there, maybe is a given. Leader MCCONNELL has firm- the bill your kids and your grandkids we could not be supporting the Haitian ly established that fact right here on will be paying. film community. the Senate floor, and charges from the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:14 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.025 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE June 26, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4541 other side of a manufactured crisis I believe, overall, this is a solid bill. Daines Lankford Romney have fallen silent. At this juncture, It provides the resources that are need- Enzi Lee Rubio Ernst Manchin Sasse there is little need to recapitulate the ed to address the crisis that we face at Fischer Markey Scott (FL) case for action. the border. As I say again, it contains Gardner McConnell Scott (SC) We know what our professionals on no poison pills, and it is poised to pass Graham McSally Shelby Grassley Merkley the frontlines need in order to get a the Senate with strong bipartisan sup- Sullivan Hawley Moran Thune handle on the situation. The only ques- Hoeven Murkowski port, unlike the version that came out Tillis Hyde-Smith Paul tion is, Will the Congress come to- of the House last night. Toomey Inhofe Perdue gether and act or fall prey to partisan- Wicker So I say to my colleagues in the Isakson Portman ship while the crisis escalates further? House, now that there is a bipartisan Johnson Risch Young I am pleased to say, last week, the acknowledgment that the crisis on our Kennedy Roberts Appropriations Committee charted a southern border is real, do not derail NOT VOTING—8 course for strong bipartisan action. By the one bipartisan vehicle with a real a vote of 30 to 1, the committee ap- Bennet Harris Sanders chance of becoming law soon. Booker Klobuchar Warren proved an emergency appropriations Those who want to alleviate the suf- Gillibrand Rounds bill to address the crisis at the border— fering—and I think it is most of us—on The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this 30 to 1. Such an overwhelming bipar- the southern border will soon have a vote, the yeas are 37, the nays are 55. tisan vote would not have been possible bipartisan path forward in the Senate Under the previous order, the 60-vote without the cooperation of my col- bill that we have here. threshold having not been achieved, league and good friend, Vice Chairman Those who choose to obstruct over the bill was rejected. LEAHY. I thank Senator LEAHY for partisan demands will soon have a lot The PRESIDING OFFICER. The working with us to find a path forward. of questions, I think, to answer when This bipartisan committee product, Democratic leader. which it is and which I will soon offer the crisis escalates further, and it will. Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask as a substitute amendment to the I believe there is no excuse for leav- unanimous consent to address the Sen- House bill, provides $4.59 billion in ing town at the end of this week with- ate briefly on leader time. emergency supplemental appropria- out getting this job done. I hope we The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without tions to address the humanitarian and will be coming together soon and do objection, it is so ordered. security crisis at the border. our job. Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, the It does not contain everything that I yield the floor. bill that was before us has failed. Most Senator LEAHY wanted, and it does not The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under of us on this side of the aisle would contain everything that I wanted. More the previous order, all postcloture time have much preferred that bill, but it importantly, it does not contain any is expired. has failed. poison pills from either side, which is The question is, Shall the bill pass? The bill that Senators SHELBY and remarkable. That is why it passed the Mr. GRASSLEY. I ask for the yeas LEAHY have worked on diligently is Appropriations Committee by a vote of and nays. now before us. I am going to vote for it. 30 to 1, and that is what gives us the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a I think most of us on this side are best chance today, in the U.S. Senate— sufficient second? going to vote for it so that we can without further delay—of passing a bill There appears to be a sufficient sec- quickly move to conference. that is badly needed. ond. Speaker PELOSI has called the Presi- I will take just a few minutes to The clerk will call the roll. dent and suggested a few changes. I briefly outline for my colleagues the The bill clerk called the roll. think there are four changes to this particulars of the package reported by Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is bill. We could quickly have a con- the Appropriations Committee. necessarily absent: the Senator from ference, talk about those four changes, Of the total funding provided, the South Dakota (Mr. ROUNDS). try to get them in the bill, and finish lion’s share—$2.88 billion—will help the Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the this quickly. I hope that is what will Department of Health and Human Senator from Colorado (Mr. BENNET), happen. Services to provide safe and appro- the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. I yield the floor. priate shelter and care for children in BOOKER), the Senator from New York The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- its custody. (Mrs. GILLIBRAND), the Senator from ator from Alabama. An additional $1.1 billion is included California (Ms. HARRIS), the Senator AMENDMENT NO. 901 for Customs and Border Protection to from Minnesota (Ms. KLOBUCHAR), the (Purpose: In the nature of a substitute.) establish migrant care and processing Senator from Vermont (Mr. SANDERS), Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I call up facilities; to provide medical care and and the Senator from Massachusetts my amendment No. 901. consumables; and to pay travel and (Ms. WARREN) are necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The overtime costs for personnel. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. clerk will report. There is $209 million provided for Im- PERDUE). Are there any other Senators The bill clerk read as follows: migration and Customs Enforcement to in the Chamber desiring to vote? fund the transportation costs and med- The Senator from Alabama [Mr. SHELBY] The result was announced—yeas 37, proposes an amendment numbered 901. ical care for detainees; to conduct nays 55, as follows: human trafficking operations; and, Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I ask again, to pay travel and overtime costs [Rollcall Vote No. 182 Leg.] unanimous consent that the reading be for our personnel there. YEAS—37 dispensed with. There is $30 million for FEMA in Baldwin Heinrich Schumer The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without order to reimburse States and local- Blumenthal Hirono Shaheen objection, it is so ordered. Brown Jones Sinema (The amendment is printed in today’s ities for expenses that they have in- Cantwell Kaine Smith RECORD under ‘‘Text of Amendments.’’) curred related to the massive influx of Cardin King Stabenow migrants in their communities. Carper Leahy Tester Mr. SHELBY. I ask for the yeas and There is $220 million included for the Casey Menendez Udall nays. Coons Murphy Van Hollen The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a Department of Justice to help process Cortez Masto Murray Warner immigration cases and provide badly Duckworth Peters sufficient second? Whitehouse Durbin Reed There appears to be a sufficient sec- needed resources to the U.S. Marshals Wyden Feinstein Rosen ond. Service for the care and detention of Hassan Schatz Federal prisoners. The yeas and nays were ordered. Finally, $145 million is provided for NAYS—55 The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- the various branches of the U.S. mili- Alexander Braun Cornyn ator from Kentucky. tary that have incurred operating ex- Barrasso Burr Cotton AMENDMENT NO. 902 TO AMENDMENT NO. 901 Blackburn Capito Cramer penses in support of multiple missions Blunt Cassidy Crapo Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, I call up along the border. Boozman Collins Cruz my amendment No. 902.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:14 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.027 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE S4542 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 26, 2019 The PRESIDING OFFICER. The You are taking one problem at the The yeas and nays were previously clerk will report. border, and if you enact the Paul ordered. The bill clerk read as follows: amendment, you will create 100 in its The clerk will call the roll. The Senator from Kentucky [Mr. PAUL] place. The bill clerk called the roll. proposes an amendment numbered 902 to So I move to table the Paul amend- Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is amendment No. 901. ment No. 902. necessarily absent: the Senator from Mr. PAUL. I ask unanimous consent I ask for the yeas and nays. South Dakota (Mr. ROUNDS). that the reading be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without sufficient second? Senator from Colorado (Mr. BENNET), objection, it is so ordered. There appears to be a sufficient sec- the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. The amendment is as follows: ond. BOOKER), the Senator from New York (Purpose: To rescind $4,586,000,000 from The Senator from Texas. (Mrs. GILLIBRAND), the Senator from foreign assistance and exchange programs) Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask California (Ms. HARRIS), the Senator At the appropriate place, insert the fol- unanimous consent that the remaining from Minnesota (Ms. KLOBUCHAR), the lowing: votes in the series be 10 minutes in Senator from Vermont (Mr. SANDERS), SEC. lll. Of the unobligated balances for fiscal length. and the Senator from Massachusetts year 2019, there are hereby rescinded— The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there (Ms. WARREN) are necessarily absent. (1) all of the amounts for the East-West objection? The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. COT- Center; Without objection, it is so ordered. TON). Are there any other Senators in (2) all of the amounts for the Inter-Amer- The clerk will call the roll on the ican Foundation; and the Chamber desiring to vote? motion to table. The result was announced—yeas 84, (3) from the amounts appropriated under Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is nays 8, as follows: title III of the Department of State, Foreign necessarily absent: the Senator from Operations, and Related Programs Appro- [Rollcall Vote No. 184 Leg.] South Dakota (Mr. ROUNDS). priations Act, 2019 (division F of Public Law YEAS—84 116–6), an amount equal to the difference be- Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the tween $4,586,000,000 and the sum of the Senator from Colorado (Mr. BENNET), Alexander Ernst Peters amounts rescinded under paragraphs (1) and the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Baldwin Feinstein Portman Barrasso Fischer Reed (2). BOOKER), the Senator from New York Blackburn Gardner Risch Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, we are (Mrs. GILLIBRAND), the Senator from Blumenthal Graham Roberts going to spend over $4 billion today, California (Ms. HARRIS), the Senator Blunt Grassley Romney Boozman Hassan Rosen and I just propose that we pay for it. from Minnesota (Ms. KLOBUCHAR), the Braun Hawley Rubio There is a humanitarian crisis at the Senator from Vermont (Mr. SANDERS), Brown Heinrich Sasse border, but there is also a debt crisis. and the Senator from Massachusetts Burr Hoeven Schatz (Ms. WARREN) are necessarily absent. Cantwell Hyde-Smith Schumer We spend hundreds of millions, if not Capito Inhofe Scott (FL) billions, on wasteful projects. Let’s The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there Cardin Isakson Scott (SC) take it from foreign aid welfare and any other Senators in the Chamber de- Carper Johnson Shaheen spend it on our southern border. We siring to vote? Casey Jones Shelby The result was announced—yeas 77, Cassidy Kaine Sinema spend hundreds of thousands of dollars Collins Kennedy Smith subsidizing guinea pig farmers in Peru, nays 15, as follows: Coons King Stabenow a llama fair in Bolivia, and advertise- [Rollcall Vote No. 183 Leg.] Cornyn Lankford Sullivan YEAS—77 Cortez Masto Leahy Tester ments to buy carbon credits in Mexico. Cotton Manchin Thune There was $273 million spent trying to Alexander Graham Reed Cramer McConnell Tillis teach foreigners how to fill out grant Baldwin Hassan Risch Crapo McSally Toomey applications to get more welfare from Blumenthal Hawley Roberts Cruz Moran Udall Blunt Heinrich Romney Daines Murkowski Warner the United States, $300,000 to help Bra- Boozman Hirono Rosen Duckworth Murphy Whitehouse zilians get off of Brazilian welfare, and Brown Hoeven Rubio Durbin Murray Wicker half a million dollars spent jump-start- Burr Hyde-Smith Sasse Enzi Perdue Young Cantwell Inhofe ing the Haitian film industry. There Schatz NAYS—8 Capito Isakson Schumer are billions of dollars that we can Cardin Johnson Scott (FL) Hirono Menendez Van Hollen Carper Jones spend on the southern border, but we Shaheen Lee Merkley Wyden Casey Kaine should take it from somewhere and not Shelby Markey Paul Cassidy King Sinema add it to the debt of our kids and our Collins Leahy NOT VOTING—8 Smith grandkids. Coons Manchin Bennet Harris Sanders Cornyn Markey Stabenow The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Sullivan Booker Klobuchar Warren Cortez Masto McConnell Gillibrand Rounds ator from South Carolina. Cotton McSally Tester MOTION TO TABLE Cramer Menendez Thune The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I am Crapo Merkley Udall vote, the yeas are 84, and the nays are Daines Moran Van Hollen going to move to table this amend- Duckworth Murkowski Warner 8. ment. Being the chairman of the For- Durbin Murphy Whitehouse Under the previous order requiring 60 eign Operations Subcommittee, this is Feinstein Murray Wicker votes for adoption, the amendment Fischer Peters Wyden (No. 901) is agreed to. taking one disaster and creating 100 in Gardner Portman Young its place. This $4.6 billion will destroy The amendment was ordered to be all the humanitarian assistance we NAYS—15 engrossed and the bill to be read a have passed to deal with an unprece- Barrasso Ernst Paul third time. Blackburn Grassley Perdue dented wave of refugees. The global Braun Kennedy Scott (SC) The bill was read the third time. health programs are all impacted se- Cruz Lankford Tillis The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill verely, including PEPFAR and the Enzi Lee Toomey having been read the third time, the child survival and maternal health pro- NOT VOTING—8 question is, Shall the bill pass? grams. This money comes out of those Bennet Harris Sanders Mr. LEAHY. I ask for the yeas and accounts. Can you imagine how it is Booker Klobuchar Warren nays. going to be to deal with Ebola after Gillibrand Rounds The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a cutting the Global Health Program? The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this sufficient second? Programs to counter the influence of vote, the yeas are 77, and the nays are There appears to be a sufficient sec- Russia and China will be zeroed out. 15. ond. Counter-human trafficking programs The motion is agreed to. The clerk will call the roll. will be dramatically reduced. Counter- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is terrorism programs are all affected by question is on agreeing to amendment necessarily absent: the Senator from this amendment. No. 901. South Dakota (Mr. ROUNDS).

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:14 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.029 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE June 26, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4543 Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the to stay in session this week to finish fense, told the Senate Armed Services Senator from Colorado (Mr. BENNET), the NDAA bill and allow for a vote in Committee, on which I sit, that the the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. relation to the Udall amendment. Sen- agreement was working as intended BOOKER), the Senator from New York ators should plan to vote on Friday on and had been written with an assump- (Mrs. GILLIBRAND), the Senator from the Udall amendment. Yet the vote— tion that Iran would try to cheat. He California (Ms. HARRIS), the Senator here is the good news—will start first went on to note that while the deal was from Minnesota (Ms. KLOBUCHAR), the thing in the morning and be held open imperfect, it established a strong veri- Senator from Vermont (Mr. SANDERS), into the afternoon to accommodate as fication and inspection regime that and the Senator from Massachusetts many Senators as possible. Iran was complying with the agree- (Ms. WARREN) are necessarily absent. To be clear, obviously, I believe that ment. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there the Udall amendment can and should I continue to agree with Secretary any other Senators in the Chamber de- be defeated—I hope with a resounding Mattis’s conclusions. The purpose of siring to vote or to change their vote? vote in the Senate—and that we should the JCPOA was to prevent Iran from The result was announced—yeas 84, put this issue to rest before we break developing a nuclear weapon within a nays 8, as follows: for the Fourth of July recess. Holding 2- to 3-month timeframe. That is the [Rollcall Vote No. 185 Leg.] up the Defense authorization bill is not kind of timeframe we were looking at. YEAS—84 an acceptable outcome. The JCPOA was not intended to cover Iran’s ballistic missile program or its Alexander Ernst Peters The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Baldwin Feinstein Portman Democratic leader. malign activities throughout the re- Barrasso Fischer Reed Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, first, I gion. Blackburn Gardner Risch thank the majority leader for under- What the JCPOA did accomplish, Blumenthal Graham Roberts however, was lengthening Iran’s nu- Blunt Grassley Romney standing how strongly we feel on the Boozman Hassan Rosen Democratic side and how many Ameri- clear breakout capacity from 3 months Braun Hawley Rubio cans feel that the constitutional right to 1 year. It included strong limita- Brown Heinrich Sasse tions on enrichment, redesigned and re- Burr Hoeven Schatz of Congress to examine foreign conflict Cantwell Hyde-Smith Schumer and potential war should be upheld. built the Arak heavy water reactor so Capito Inhofe Scott (FL) The fact that we will get a vote on the it can only be used for peaceful-use re- Cardin Isakson Scott (SC) Udall amendment, which is something search purposes and not for the enrich- Carper Johnson Shaheen ment of weapons-grade plutonium, and Casey Jones Shelby we have asked for, is only fair and only Cassidy Kaine Sinema right. There may be differences of required Iran to ship all spent nuclear Collins Kennedy Smith viewpoint on both sides, but the fact fuel out of the country. Coons King Stabenow The agreement also included a bind- Cornyn Lankford Sullivan that it will be on the floor and be de- bated is exactly the right thing to do. ing commitment from Iran to never Cortez Masto Leahy Tester pursue a nuclear weapons program. Cotton Manchin Thune It is something we want and have Cramer McConnell Tillis asked for, and I thank the majority That is in the very beginning part of Crapo McSally Toomey the JCPOA document. This commit- leader for understanding that and al- Cruz Moran Udall ment necessitated a continuous inspec- Daines Murkowski Warner lowing it to happen. Duckworth Murphy Whitehouse Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I suggest tion regime by the International Atom- Durbin Murray Wicker the absence of a quorum. ic Energy Agency, IAEA. Enzi Perdue Young Further, the agreement included pro- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The visions that would see the inter- NAYS—8 clerk will call the roll. national community reimpose sanc- Hirono Menendez Van Hollen The senior assistant legislative clerk Lee Merkley Wyden tions automatically—the snapback—if Markey Paul proceeded to call the roll. Ms. HIRONO. Madam President, I ask Iran was violating the deal. Instead of building upon the JCPOA NOT VOTING—8 unanimous consent that the order for to address Iran’s other malign activi- Bennet Harris Sanders the quorum call be rescinded. ties, Donald Trump threw out all the Booker Klobuchar Warren The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Gillibrand Rounds benefits of the deal, took on an enor- BLACKBURN). Without objection, it is so mous risk, and isolated the United The bill (H.R. 3401), as amended, was ordered. passed. States in the process. IRAN The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- In early April, the President took the Ms. HIRONO. Madam President, Don- jority leader. unprecedented step of designating the ald Trump and the hawks in his admin- Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, ORDER OF BUSINESS istration are fueling a dangerous esca- the IRGC, a foreign terrorist organiza- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I lation with Iran, and instead of taking ask unanimous consent that notwith- tion. He designated the IRGC as a for- responsibility for this escalation, the eign terrorist organization. That was standing rule XXII, the cloture mo- President is once again blaming others an unprecedented step, overruling the tions filed on Senate amendment No. for a crisis of his own making. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 764 and S. 1790 occur at a time to be de- Adding to the confusion and concern General Dunford, in the process. Gen- termined by the majority leader in is the President’s penchant for using eral Dunford argued that this first-of- consultation with the Democratic lead- his Twitter account or an outburst its-kind step would put American er. from the Oval Office to jump between troops in the region at risk for retalia- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there calling for restraint and embracing a tion. He was right. objection? potential war. Later that month, Donald Trump re- Without objection, it is so ordered. Instead of listening to the Presi- scinded waivers granted to key Amer- H.R. 3401 dent’s latest outbursts or dissecting his ican allies, such as Japan and India, to Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I latest tweet, let’s take a hard look at purchase Iranian oil, effectively stran- am glad that the bipartisan Senate what he has done to bring us to this gling the Iranian economy in the proc- border supplemental has passed with dangerous moment. ess. Over the past few months, the ad- an overwhelming vote. I commend In May 2018, Trump followed the lead ministration has sent thousands of ad- Chairman SHELBY, Senator LEAHY, and of the hawks in his administration and ditional troops and a carrier strike the members of the Appropriations unilaterally—unilaterally—pulled out group to the Persian Gulf. Committee for breaking the logjam. of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Ac- These actions, taken unilaterally, S. 1790 tion, the JCPOA, breaking the agree- have isolated the United States from Mr. President, on the NDAA, the ment and leaving its other signatories, our allies, encouraged Iran to stop Democratic leader and I have had ex- especially our allies in Europe, holding complying with elements of the nu- tensive discussions on the path forward the bag. clear deal and to step up their aggres- on the Defense bill. For the informa- Only a few weeks earlier, Jim Mattis, sive actions in the region, and brought tion of all of our colleagues, we intend the President’s own Secretary of De- us to the dangerous precipice of war.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:14 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A26JN6.007 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE S4544 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 26, 2019 Although the President made the and Communications Committee. But Mr. MERKLEY. I yield the floor. eleventh-hour decision—actually, 10 these are just Bill’s official titles. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- minutes before a strike—to call off a He has been a key strategist, writer, ator from Ohio. military response to Iran’s downing of crisis manager, event planner, gram- S. 1790 an Air Force drone, the fact that we marian, computer programmer, and Mr. PORTMAN. Madam President, I got so close to a military strike is graphic designer. From directing key would like to speak about the legisla- chilling, given the implications of ig- communications initiatives to design- tion that is before us right now on the niting an open war with Iran. ing floor charts, no job has been too big floor. It is the annual National Defense We have learned to our peril over the or too small for Bill, and I will be for- Authorization Act, incredibly impor- past few years that Donald Trump does ever grateful. tant legislation that the Senate, pretty not keep his word or the word of our He has drafted and edited countless much every year, is able to pass on a country. He says something one day, speeches, columns, releases, con- bipartisan basis. only to reverse himself at a moment’s stituent letters, statements, and talk- It is really an exception. There is so notice. We cannot rely on his restraint ing points over the years. much else that we are locked up on to avoid blundering into a war with Born and raised in Michigan, he has here with partisan gridlock. With re- Iran. That is why I am continuing to always been able to capture the values gard to our troops, we tend to come to- call on my colleagues to join in sup- and the heart of Michigan in his gether, Republicans and Democrats, porting a vote on Senator UDALL’s writings. His attention to detail is im- and make commitments to them that amendment to the National Defense peccable. He is an expert on proof- we are going to give our men and Authorization Act. reading and has impressively planned women serving in the Armed Forces This amendment makes clear that and organized our annual caucus re- the resources and support they need to only Congress can authorize the use of treats and has provided us with ex- carry out their critical mission. military force against Iran and would traordinary experiences and speakers. We have now proceeded to that legis- provide a clear check on Donald Bill is also one of the most creative lation. I want to talk a little about it. Trump, John Bolton, and other hawks people I know, from designing logos to It has a lot of incredibly important in the administration. inventing the Velcro ‘‘countdown’’ things in it. It is really important to We cannot allow this administration floor chart, like the one you see here, Ohio. and this President a free hand to stack which shows how many days Bill has In my State of Ohio, we have a lot of the deck toward military action and worked for me in the U.S. Senate. It is defense installations. They are very away from meaningful diplomacy. Oth- actually very cool. I have to show you: important to our national security be- erwise, we risk committing another They come off. That is pretty inven- cause they do important work. They generation of American soldiers to a tive. Whenever you see these on the are also important to our Ohio econ- protracted, disastrous war in the Mid- floor of the U.S. Senate, you can think omy. Ohio’s defense spending now ac- dle East. of Bill Sweeney. So we had to make counts for more than 66,000 direct jobs, I yield the floor. sure Bill had his own chart before leav- more than $4 billion in salaries, and The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- ing. more than a $14 billion economic im- ator from Michigan. He is someone who has always been pact. Forty-three of our 88 counties in TRIBUTE TO BILL SWEENEY able to make something look good and Ohio are impacted by these facilities. Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I function well at the same time. He has So they are critical to our State, to rise today to pay tribute to my long- a passion for organization. He designed our economy, to our soldiers and their time staff member and friend, Bill many of the systems that my office re- families, and to tens of thousands of ci- Sweeney, who will be moving on to a lies on to run efficiently today. As I vilian employees as well. new challenge in his career after nearly said earlier, we literally are using inte- Again, because of the good work 20 years of service on my team. grated systems that Bill has designed being done in Ohio, including at Bill actually started working on the over the years. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, campaign November 1, 1999, and we Bill is also one of the smartest people which is our largest single employer in were sharing stories of his being up in I know. I will miss his sharp wit and Ohio, it is really important to our mili- a crowded little space changing my his sense of humor. With all of the hats tary readiness and to our national se- ‘‘Stabenow for U.S. Congress’’ signs to Bill has worn, he is leaving very big curity. This bill has proceeded through ‘‘Stabenow for U.S. Senate’’ signs with shoes to fill. I will always be incredibly the Armed Services Committee in the little stickers that we used because we grateful for his loyalty, his work ethic, bipartisan manner in which it usually didn’t have very much money at the his friendship, and his passion for serv- is done. I love seeing that. It is legisla- time. ice. tion that every Member of this body, I Bill has been with me a long, long Bill will be joining the team at hope, will be able to support at the end. time, and after so many years, it is AARP and continuing to work on so It has a lot of important initiatives tough to know what to say because many issues we have championed to- and some much needed reforms—in- there is so much to say. gether over the years. I wish him in- cluding, by the way, this year, a 3.1- Bill Sweeney has worn more hats on credible success and happiness in his percent pay raise for our troops. I my team than anyone ever has. He new chapter in his career. I apologize, think that is necessary. They are in started working on my campaign, as I but I am so happy he is moving on to harm’s way around the world. They are mentioned, for the U.S. Senate as a a big challenge and yet so sorry to lose ensuring our safety, and we should en- fundraiser. After the campaign, I hired him. sure that they are fairly compensated him as my systems administrator, and Thank you, Bill. for their hard work and their sac- he played an integral role in setting up I suggest the absence of a quorum. rifices. my new Senate office. By the way, we The PRESIDING OFFICER. The One of the bill’s other important ini- are still today using the systems he set clerk will call the roll. tiatives that has a big impact on my up, and I truly believe they are the The bill clerk proceeded to call the State is authorizing $1.7 billion to in- best the Senate has. roll. crease the rate of production for both After a short time, I promoted him to Mr. MERKLEY. Madam President, I our M1 Abrams tanks and also for up- director of information technology. ask unanimous consent that the order grades to 165 tanks that are already in Then, Bill’s gift for messaging and for the quorum call be rescinded. service. That is an increase from last writing led to more promotions as my The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without year’s figure. It also authorizes about director of outreach, speechwriter, and objection, it is so ordered. $249 million to upgrade the Stryker ar- then senior communications adviser. (The remarks of Mr. MERKLEY per- mored fighting vehicles. Eventually, he took on a broader role taining to the introduction of S. 1987 This is great news for the men and on my team as deputy chief of staff, are printed in today’s RECORD under women who are out in the field in our chief of staff, and his position now as ‘‘Statements on Introduced Bills and Armed Forces. They love these vehi- staff director of the Democratic Policy Joint Resolutions.’’) cles, and they need them. The Abrams

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:14 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.035 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE June 26, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4545 and the Stryker are the most advanced Now, frankly, we kept it open mostly Nowhere is Russia’s continued ma- and lethal tanks and armored vehicles through foreign sales. Other countries ligned behavior on display more than on the battlefield today. One of our pri- around the world, including our allies, in the country of Ukraine. For the past orities in Congress should be to ensure were still buying Abrams tanks and 5 years, we have seen Ukraine work to that we are providing our troops with Stryker vehicles. And Israel was buy- break free of Russia’s orbit and seek what they need to be able to do their ing the Nemera vehicle, which is an ar- greater integration with the demo- duty and to protect themselves. We mored vehicle that is much like our cratic framework of the West, with the want to be sure they have the highest Abrams tank without the turret. That EU, with the United States, and with quality equipment to be able to do kept us going, plus a little bit of up- our NATO allies. Most vividly during that. Only by ensuring that these funds grade to our tanks. the 2014 Maidan protest in Kiev, Russia are allocated to such key vehicles like Now, today, again, and since 8 years responded to these appeals for democ- this can we be sure our Armed Forces ago, when there was a proposal to shut- racy by illegally invading and annexing are able to maintain their advantage— ter this plant, we have been able to in- Crimea, which remains occupied in vio- their qualitative advantage on the bat- crease production slowly but surely to lation of international law to this day. tlefield. the point that today we have the abil- In the eastern region of Donbass, This isn’t just a big win for our mili- ity to really have that plant humming. more than 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers tary, however. It is also a big win for a We have a lot of people who are work- have been killed fighting Russian- plant called the Joint Systems Manu- ing. It is on its way up, and that is backed separatists. I have been to the facturing Center, or JSMC, which is really exciting. frontlines, the so-called line of contact the tank plant in Lima, OH. The best The funding allocated under this leg- in the Donbass, and let me tell you tanks and armored vehicles in the islation we talked about today is really that it is very much a hot war. Just world are made at this plant. It has the important because it will allow this last November, the Russian Navy at- best workforce in the world to do it. I JSMC—the Lima tank plant—to hire, tacked three Ukrainian naval vessels have seen them in action many times. train, and retain more workers dedi- and captured two dozen Ukrainian sail- It is the only facility in the United cated to making the best equipment ors in international waters near the States that has the capacity to produce possible to protect our troops. Kerch Strait. These individuals remain I will tell you that the workers at tanks like the Abrams tank and the unlawfully detained by the Russian the tank plant are very proud of what Stryker armored vehicle. It is a really Government to this day. I urge my they do. A lot of them are veterans. important strategic asset for our coun- Senate colleagues and the entire inter- They know that what they are doing try in Lima, OH. national community to join me in call- Having been out there a lot, visiting every day by providing these armored ing for the release of those sailors. with the workers, watching them work, vehicles has the potential to save the I know here, on this side of the At- seeing what they can make, and having lives of the American men and women lantic, what is happening in Ukraine in uniform across the world who are re- talked to the soldiers in the field who can sometimes seem like it is half a lying on these vehicles to keep them use these products, I can tell you how world away, but it is not. It is very rel- safe and to be able to have that quali- important they are. Most recently, I evant. In a sense, it is where the mod- tative advantage on the battlefield by was at the Lima tank plant in March ern battle is taking place between two having the best equipment possible. different ideologies—between whether where I was able to speak directly with Last year, I had the opportunity to the workers there about the long-term a country wants to go toward freedom be the first Member of Congress to see and democracy in the West or whether, health of the Lima plant, which the the latest models of the Stryker Dra- Obama administration, about 8 years again, to stay under the orbit of the goon vehicles, up-armored at Lima. Russian influence. ago, attempted to shutter. This was a real fight also. The Army Here, in Ohio, we have a large and vi- The President sent a budget to Con- came to us and said: We need to have brant Ukrainian-American community, gress—President Obama—saying we some additional capability with regard particularly in Northeast Ohio, who would like to close down the tank to our Stryker vehicles to be able to have a vested interest in seeing that plant because in the future we won’t push back against potential threats on their ancestral homeland can defend need these tanks, at least not imme- the European continent. At that time itself from Russian aggression as it diately, and some day we will have a we had no tanks in Europe, and we works to align itself more with NATO new generation of tanks, and mean- needed to upgrade what the Strykers and the West while promoting a plat- while, let’s just shut down this plant. could do by providing for additional form of democracy, freedom, trans- Some of us stood up, and I fought lethality, particularly to provide a tur- parency, and free markets. against that. We were able to convince ret on top of the Stryker vehicle. We Frankly, we should all be supportive the U.S. Congress to overturn what the did that. of Ukraine’s efforts to reshape itself as President wanted to do and instead to Now, as I saw with the 2nd Calvary a beacon of liberty in the region. As co- provide funding for the tank plant to Regiment in Germany, they are using chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, keep it open. Even though production these vehicles, and those drivers of which I cofounded with my colleague was down at that time, we were able to those vehicles, those other troops who Dick Durbin, I have been an advocate keep the plant open and not have it be are using those vehicles, love them. It of the Ukraine as it works to break mothballed, as the administration feels like, again, it gives them the abil- free from Russia’s influence. I traveled wanted to do. Thank goodness we did ity to be effective on the battlefield. to Kyiv to meet with their newly elect- that because now we know—particu- They are also training with a coalition ed President, Volodymyr Zelensky. I larly with the Russian influence in Eu- of our allies, including Poland, the am encouraged from my meetings that rope and what our allies are telling us United Kingdom, and Denmark. The they will stay on the right path toward they need—that we have to have these work our men and women in uniform reform, but to properly do so, they also armored vehicles and these tanks, and are doing with our allies in Europe is have to defend themselves from Rus- we need to continually upgrade them. vitally important because it forms a sian aggression. If we had shut down that plant, we framework of defense to protect our For the past 3 years, I have success- would have lost this incredible work- NATO allies from aggression. fully introduced and passed amend- force that is there building something The importance of an American mili- ments to the legislation before us that is unique. There is nothing quite tary presence in Europe has never been today, the National Defense Authoriza- like the welding, as an example, and in doubt, but perhaps now, more than tion Act, to expand U.S. military aid to the cutting that goes into our tanks. at any time since the end of the Cold the Ukraine. These provisions built and We also would have lost the supply War, the security of Europe is uncer- expanded the primary statutory frame- chain. That would have been detri- tain. We have seen repeatedly, these work for U.S. security assistance to mental. It would have cost taxpayers past few years, instances of military Ukraine, the Ukraine Security Assist- so much more to try to take that plant aggression, electoral interference, and ance Initiative. out of mothballs and recreate it again diplomatic provocation by Russia to- This year, I was pleased to see a fur- than to keep it open as we did. ward its western neighbors. ther $300 million authorized in lethal

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:14 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.043 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE S4546 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 26, 2019 and nonlethal aid to Ukraine in the when I give these remarks, I like to ater and singing. Anybody who knows NDAA. This security assistance pack- talk just a little bit about what is Cal knows this is another thing that age is good news and sends a strong going on in Alaska at the time. has stayed with him throughout his signal that America stands with the We have just celebrated the summer life. Ukrainian people, and we will make solstice, which in a lot of States isn’t a Then, like his patriotic mom and sure their military has the capabilities big deal, but in Alaska, it is actually a dad, he decided to enlist in the Air it needs to defend its sovereign terri- huge deal. It is the longest day of the Force. He was stationed at Vandenberg tory on land and in the sea and air. year, which was last week, and that Air Force Base, where he worked on But our commitment to Ukraine se- really means something. You get the 12 the Titan II Missile System—an elite curity should extend to other forms of midnight Sun energy, and everybody is position, something that he credits to support as well. I have offered an out. There are celebrations throughout the schooling he received at Little amendment that I hope will be in- the State. Friends and neighbors gath- Flower. cluded in the final bill to pressure Rus- er at parties and community events When he got out of the Air Force, he sia to release the Ukrainian sailors well past 12 midnight. I had the oppor- made it back to Louisiana to take care kidnapped in the Kerch Strait. It would tunity to spend last weekend in Fair- of his father, who had gotten sick. This do so by adding the release of the 24 banks, AK, where there was a 12 mid- was during the height of the movement Ukrainian sailors as a condition for night Sun baseball game and a 12 mid- for civil rights—one of the greatest any U.S. military cooperation with night Sun 10K run. I got to participate movements, of course, in our Nation’s Russia. We need to take a firm stance in some of that. There was just great history, a lot of which took place here against Russia’s blatant disregard for energy and a great feeling and a lot of on this Senate floor. As he often does, international law in this matter, and sunlight all night. Cal jumped in. He jumped in with both passing this amendment will help us do Across the country and in Alaska, we feet. He began working with CORE, the so. also just celebrated Juneteenth, which Congress of Racial Equality—one of the I am glad to see that the National marks the anniversary of the Emanci- leading civil rights organizations in Defense Authorization Act will keep pation Proclamation. Anchorage cele- the early years of the civil rights the lines of production running, from brated the weekend before last, and Cal movement. He and six other students the factory floors in Lima to the Williams, our Alaskan of the Week, were the first Black students to proud- frontlines all around the world. I am was there, as he has been there nearly ly integrate what was then called glad we will be continuing to help every year since the first celebration in Northeast Louisiana State College. Eventually, a friend who had moved Ukraine defend itself from unlawful the 1980s. Cal is a staple at that event to Alaska talked him into coming up Russian aggression. I hope we can also and has been at so many other events to our great State. This was in 1965. Cal push for the release of the Ukrainian in Alaska over the decades where peo- brought all of his intelligence, his the- sailors who have been detained ille- ple get together, where he has been a atrical and musical talents, his abiding gally in the Kerch Strait. community leader and has tried to do deep faith, his fun, and his deep com- I look forward to voting on the bill’s good things for our communities mitment to civil rights and community final passage in the Senate in the next throughout the State. So let me tell service to our State in 1965. week so the men and women who give you a little bit about Cal and how In some ways, it was a good time to so much of themselves to keep us safe lucky we are to have him in the great be an activist in Alaska. Our State cer- have the resources they need to fulfill State of Alaska. tainly isn’t perfect. It is a State, their important mission. He was born in 1941 in Monroe, LA. I though, that is very committed to I yield the floor. know we have some Louisianans as equal rights and justice for all. Yet, I suggest the absence of a quorum. pages here. That was the segregated just like everywhere in the country, we The PRESIDING OFFICER. The South, and he was born 7 days before had our problems, and we had our chal- clerk will call the roll. the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The senior assistant legislative clerk lenges. As I mentioned, we certainly He is from a very patriotic family. His were not perfect in that realm, so Cal proceeded to call the roll. parents immediately joined the cause Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I ask had work to do. of fighting and supporting our Nation Initially, he was a dishwasher in the unanimous consent that the order for during World War II. His mother hospital by day and was a community the quorum call be rescinded. worked in the factories to help out the activist by night. He helped to lobby The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. war effort, and his father joined the the mayor’s office in Anchorage to get CRAMER). Without objection, it is so or- Army and was sent to the Pacific the- paved roads and to bring electricity to dered. ater to defend America. predominantly African-American TRIBUTE TO CAL WILLIAMS Basically, Cal was raised by his neighborhoods. He also helped bring Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, it is grandmother, who happened to live people into the voting booths, which Wednesday. Now, normally it is Thurs- across the street from church and a K– was so important. day when I come down here to talk 12 Catholic school, built and run by the The same friend who brought him to about somebody who is making a huge Franciscans to serve the African-Amer- Alaska, Charles LeViege, started a difference in my State, somebody we ican Catholic community in the area. newspaper that focused on the African- refer to as the Alaskan of the Week, Nobody in his family was Catholic, but American community. He joined with someone who is doing something for it was the best school in the area, so the Alaska Native leadership to lobby the community or the State or the that was where he went. The lessons he for the landmark legislation that, country or maybe all of the above. I was taught at this school, the Little again, took place on the Senate floor, know we have a new set of pages, but I Flower Academy—to serve the less for- here, in 1971—the Alaska Native Claims think it is commonly known that this tunate, to feed the hungry, to help all Settlement Act. He became the presi- is the most anticipated speech of the in need—have stayed with Cal forever dent of the Anchorage chapter of the week by the pages. I see the heads nod- and have really driven his sense of NAACP, of which he is still a vice ding, so that is great. service. president to this very day. You guys are learning well, early, so The much beloved Sister Consuela, I have only gotten to 1971, and you that is wonderful, and I know that the who was the longtime principal and can see how much he has done. Presiding Officer really enjoys it as homeroom teacher, made sure that he In the 1970s, he had a little sojourn in well. learned all this. Hollywood to fulfill a lifelong dream of I am going to talk today about Cal- Sister Consuela was feared and respected. being in the movies. He was. He got vin Williams, whom everybody in Alas- If you did anything bad, if the Sister didn’t some gigs—a spot in a film with Angie ka knows as Cal, who is our Alaskan of see you [do something bad], you knew that Dickinson. The pages don’t know who the Week, who lives in Anchorage via God did. I carry that with me today. she is, but she was a great actress. Louisiana. I am going to talk a lot After high school, he attended Gram- But like some people who leave Alas- about Cal here and why he certainly bling State University—another all- ka, he missed it too much, so he de- deserves this great honor, but also Black school—where he pursued the- cided to come back, and he did.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:14 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.045 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE June 26, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4547 So over the years since he has been Among other things, he was instru- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without back, he has helped raise funds for an mental in the 2018 Coast Guard Author- objection, it is so ordered. African-American economic develop- ization Act. The subcommittee that I IMMIGRATION ment venture. The group built a build- chair on the Commerce, Science, and Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the issue ing in the Fairview community of An- Transportation Committee is in charge of immigration is one that is front and chorage, which is still there today. of the Coast Guard. We were the ones center in the minds of most Americans, They had a social club on the top spon- drafting that. It had many provisions as it should be. sored by the Alaska Black Caucus—a in it for the whole Coast Guard, cer- For the last 21⁄2 years, our country place to meet with executives and bank tainly many for Alaska and other parts has been roiling with immigration con- officers in a nice setting, community of the country. troversy. This new President, now 21⁄2 leaders. He also brought his expertise to the years into his term, came to office and He worked in television. He worked 2017 and 2018 Homeland Security budg- immediately instituted a travel ban on for the Alaska Housing Finance Cor- ets. His efforts helped secure landmark a majority of Muslim countries. It was poration, which has been key to help- appropriations for the first Polar Secu- controversial. ing people get home ownership. rity Cutter, an icebreaker for the Coast In the city of Chicago, people showed All through these years, he clung to Guard, the first one in 40 years, and for up spontaneously at the airport, law- his roots and his faith. He is a member critical infrastructure projects for the yers, to counsel travelers to try to find of the Knights of Columbus and a faith- Coast Guard around Alaska and around some volunteer effort that might re- ful parishioner at St. Anthony’s Catho- the rest of the country. spond to their worry and concern about lic Church in Anchorage, where he is Probably his signature initiative— the travel ban imposed by President the director of the church’s Filipino and very, very hard work—was on a bill Trump. gospel choir, which sounds like angels. that we affectionately know in my of- The case went to court. The court ‘‘When we sing,’’ he said, ‘‘we sing for fice as the Save Our Seas Act, both the stayed this decision and, in a later ad- the Lord.’’ And no doubt, when they first one, which our offices worked judication, allowed it to go forward. sing, the Lord is listening. closely on with Senator WHITEHOUSE It was the first of many actions He visits prisons to read the Bible from Rhode Island and was signed by taken by President Trump on the issue with inmates, sings every week to the the President last fall to much fanfare of immigration—most of them very patients at Providence Extended Care in the Oval Office, and our Save Our controversial. and every other week to our senior Seas Act 2.0, which Senator WHITE- I remember the repeal of DACA in home, which we call the Pioneer Home HOUSE and Senator MENENDEZ and I September of 2017. This is a program I in Alaska. The residents there love rolled out in a press conference just had worked on for years. It started Cal’s Elvis impersonations. this morning. with the DREAM Act, which I intro- If you are in Alaska and happen to be SOS 2.0, as we call it, is an innova- duced with my fellow U.S. Senator there for Christmas, you should stop by tive piece of legislation that really sets Barack Obama as cosponsor. We tried Bean’s Cafe, a place where the hungry us on a promising path as a nation to to pass it here in the Senate but were go for a meal, and Cal will be there tackle the serious problem of plastics, stopped time and again by the rules of every Christmas wearing a Santa cap, ocean debris, and trash that enter our singing for hours for everybody who the Senate and the filibuster. oceans and harm fisheries, marine life, Regardless of that, time passed and comes in the door. and possibly human life. This litter This is a gentleman who has done so President Obama became President, ends up on the shores of Alaska, all and I appealed to him, with the assist- much for his community and my State, around America, and threatens the and what is he most proud of? When ance of Senator Lugar, a Republican livelihoods of coastal communities Senator of Indiana, asking if he could asked, ‘‘My greatest achievement was throughout America. in 2017 when I received the St. Francis find some way as President to provide Tom did yeoman’s work to ensure relief to these young people brought to Stewardship Award from the Arch- that we introduced in the Senate today diocese of Anchorage,’’ Cal said. the United States as children, who a comprehensive, substantive bill that wanted a chance to earn their way to St. Francis was the patron saint of all stakeholders—Democrats, Repub- the Little Flower Academy. ‘‘I have legal status in America. licans, the Trump administration, en- President Obama came up with a pro- come full circle,’’ he said. ‘‘Sister vironmental groups, industry—are all Consuela would be proud of me.’’ Then gram called DACA, and that program working on together. Literally, all of said that if you are one of those chil- he adds: ‘‘But nothing was ever enough the key stakeholders on this critical for her.’’ dren, you could come forward, pay a issue are pulling on the same oar. substantial filing fee, go through a It is enough for all of us, though, Cal. He did incredible work on this bill. criminal background check, and if we I thank him for all he has done for An- He is a great team player, someone I established that you are no threat to chorage, for so many different commu- am proud of and we are going to miss. this country, that you are moving for- nities, for Alaska, and as an example Tom is getting married this summer ward with your education and had for our country—for his generosity, to his fiance Meg, and they will be en- plans for a job and a career, we would kindness, enthusiasm, faith, and faith- tering a whole new chapter in their allow you to stay legally in the United filled service throughout his life. lives. It will be an exciting one, I am Congratulations to Cal for being our States and not be deported for 2 years sure. We wish them all the best. Alaskan of the Week. I can’t thank Tom enough for all of at a time, renewable—check in and TRIBUTE TO THOMAS MANSOUR the work he has done for my State, for make sure that your status hasn’t Mr. President, it is with a heavy our country, and I ask that all of my changed. heart that my office is saying goodbye colleagues in the Senate recognize the In the end, 790,000—790,000—young to my very first Coast Guard fellow, re- great work that he did. Just here on people across America took advantage cently promoted—actually, promoted the spot, I might even make him an of DACA. Their lives were changed yesterday—to lieutenant commander, honorary Alaskan of the Week for the overnight. With DACA, there was no Thomas Mansour. great job he has done. longer a fear of a knock on a door. Thomas happens to be sitting right Thank you for the opportunity to say They could become students and, as next to me here on the Senate floor. a few words about Tom. students, become teachers. Tom is from Montgomery County, MD. I yield the floor. They can learn skills to be nurses, He graduated from Eckerd College in I suggest the absence of a quorum. engineers, entrepreneurs, even doctors. St. Petersburg, FL. We were lucky to The PRESIDING OFFICER. The It was a liberation for these 790,000 have him join my office as a Coast clerk will call the roll. given the chance, finally, to be part of Guard fellow for the last 2 years, and The legislative clerk proceeded to America and its future. he has done great work. call the roll. As I have said so many times on the I am going to brag about him a little Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask floor, and Senator MENENDEZ was the bit here on the floor. I will probably unanimous consent that the order for first to ever say it, and I thought it embarrass him. the quorum call be rescinded. was such an apt description of these

VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:00 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.047 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE S4548 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 26, 2019 young people: They had spent their en- policy—was such an abject failure. This is an illustration of the crisis in tire lives pledging allegiance to that Even ‘‘ending it’’ didn’t end the strug- real terms, a crisis we face at this bor- flag every morning, believing it was gle that many of these young people der that should never be taking place. their flag. They learned, at some point, are still going through to this day. Valeria, this 23-month-old girl, ac- they were not legally here in America. That was the fourth thing this Presi- cording to her mother, loved to dance, President Obama gave them a chance— dent did by way of getting tough on play with her stuffed animals, and 790,000. immigration policy. brush the hair of her madre and padre. In September of 2017, President Don- Then he announced several weeks ago Her father Oscar had sold his motor- ald Trump ended the DACA Program. in one of his infamous tweets that he cycle and borrowed money to flee from He challenged Congress: Pass a law. was going to initiate a policy of mass El Salvador to come to the United Don’t rely on an Executive order; pass arrests and mass deportations. There States. He and his wife, Tania Vanessa a law. Well, we tried. We tried, on a bi- are some 11 million—that is the best Avalos, were simply looking for safety partisan basis in the Senate, and Presi- estimate—undocumented people in this and opportunity for their family. dent Trump rejected our effort. It was country, and the President said mil- Vanessa’s mother said: ‘‘They wanted a unfortunate, but it meant that these lions would be deported. We saw it in better future for their girl.’’ They people—these 790,000 and hundreds of its earliest stages around the city of planned to cross into the United States thousands of others who could have Chicago. and seek asylum and try to find a safe Betty Rendon, a grandmother who been eligible—were stopped in their place in the future. tracks. Luckily—luckily—the courts had been in the United States for more That is the reality of what we are came to their rescue and said for these than 10 years, was deported. How dan- discussing on the floor of the Senate gerous was Betty Rendon to this coun- people, despite President Trump’s deci- this evening and have been for the last try? Not at all. In fact, she was a semi- sion, the 790,000 should be protected several days. Unfortunately, President nary student at a Lutheran seminary from deportation. No new ones could Trump responded to this tragedy with near Chicago. She had deep family apply, but it gave them temporary re- a political statement. He tweeted: roots, children and grandchildren in lief, which could end any day, any the community who were American ‘‘The Democrats should change the week, or any month. That, in my mind, citizens, but that was not enough. ICE, Loopholes and Asylum Laws so lives was the second major move by Presi- the agency of enforcement of Depart- will be saved at our Southern Border.’’ dent Trump to roil up this immigration I might remind the President that ment of Homeland Security, issued de- situation in America, to get tough on the same laws he now deals with in this portation orders, and she was forced to border crisis were exactly the laws 790,000 young men and women who sim- leave this country. ply wanted a chance to live in this I have asked those in charge at the President Obama was faced with when country. Department of Homeland Security: he was President. Something different He then terminated temporary pro- What threat was this woman to Amer- has happened. It isn’t just the laws of tected status. That was a category of ica? After being here 10 years and liv- this country; it is the way we are ad- immigration given to people who were ing a life that showed she was no ministering the laws that currently in dire circumstances—victims of ter- threat to anyone, why was she a pri- exist. rible extreme weather events or polit- ority to deport from this country? I sincerely believe we are better than ical and human disasters in their coun- They couldn’t answer. this situation depicted in that photo- try—who were allowed to come here Now we have an unprecedented hu- graph and what we have heard over and and live in the United States in a pro- manitarian crisis at our border. I over. I believe America can have a se- tected status, hundreds of thousands of thought long and hard about the state- cure border and respect our inter- them from all over the world. This ment I am about to make and the national obligations to provide safe President, Donald Trump, said: The photo which I am about to display. haven to those fleeing persecution, as end of it. We are going to put an end to Even though it has been on the front we have done as Democrats and Repub- it. It is over. That was the third strike page of major newspapers like the New licans for decades before this adminis- as far as I was concerned, but it wasn’t York Times, it is such a heartbreaking tration. the end, by far. photo that I at least warn in advance Yesterday I met with Mark Morgan. Last June 2018, with a great deal of anyone following this speech that if Last month, President Trump named pride and with biblical quotes, Attor- you would be troubled by the images in him as Acting Director of U.S. Immi- ney General Jeff Sessions came forward this photo, please look away or turn gration Customs Enforcement, ICE. and announced a zero-tolerance policy: away from what I am about to show Mr. Morgan, a former marine and Anyone presenting himself at the bor- you, but I believe it has to be shown to former FBI agent, had been asked to der would be considered suspect crimi- the American people. It is a photo of a carry out the mass arrests that Presi- nal, and if they had in their custody a shocking and horrifying image of Oscar dent Trump talked about in his tweet young child, they would be separated. Alberto Martinez Ramirez and his 23- several weeks ago and the mass depor- In the end, at least—at least—2,880 in- month-old daughter Valeria. They died tations of millions of immigrants fants, toddlers, and children were sepa- in their effort to try to cross from Mex- whom the President had threatened. rated from their parents. It was a dra- ico into the United States. This is the Shortly before I met with Mr. Mor- matic move. It was an inhumane move, photo which was in the newspapers. It gan, he was named to a different posi- but it was done to create what they is a shocking portrayal of the despera- tion, Acting Director of U.S. Customs call a deterrence to discourage people tion this family faced. and Border Protection. As of yester- from coming to our border. Within We are told by his wife that they day, he moved from being in charge of days, the public reaction against zero tried to come through the ordinary interior enforcement within the United tolerance grew to a point where even port of entry, the usual place to States to be in charge of solving the this President, who does not have present yourself to seek asylum in the humanitarian crisis we now face at our ‘‘sorry’’ in his vocabulary, came for- United States—this mother, father, border. ward and said they were going to end and child—and they were told that the If that sounds like a rash move and that policy of zero tolerance. ordinary port of entry was closed to hard to explain, it is not the only one. What about the children, though, the them. So they attempted to cross the In the 21⁄2 years that President Trump ones who actually were separated? It Rio Grande River. has been President, we have had four took a Federal judge in Southern Cali- From what we were told, this father different people leading the Depart- fornia to come forward and say there took his little daughter, less than 2 ment of Homeland Security—four—in had to be an accounting of the children years old, and swam across the river. 21⁄2 years, and it is not the fault of the and their parents and a reuniting. It He put her on the bank and then went Senate or Congress for holding up went on for weeks and months. Still, to back to help his wife come across. His nominations. They just change that this day, there are children adrift in daughter panicked and jumped in the often. Within the Department of Home- America. Their families can’t be found river behind him. He tried to rescue land Security, in every major depart- because zero tolerance—this inhumane her. They both drowned. ment, we have had repeated turnovers

VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:00 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.049 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE June 26, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4549 and changeovers in the leaders there. Last month, I led 24 Senators in call- brought to a place of safety. And we Even those today who are nominally in ing on the International Committee of have to have a timely process so that charge are in an acting capacity. They the Red Cross and the inspector gen- the determination of eligibility is not 1 can’t bring them through the regular eral of the Department of Homeland year or 2 years in the future. It is time order of vetting and background checks Security to investigate these Border for us to work together on a bipartisan to be given these responsible positions. Patrol facilities, including the ones I basis to do that. So as of yesterday, Mr. Morgan is in visited in El Paso. The circumstances Mr. President, I see another Senator, charge of this crisis at the border. there were unacceptable by any normal my colleague from Oklahoma, on the There is a gaping leadership vacuum American standard. To think that we floor. I hope he can give me 10 minutes. in the Trump administration’s Depart- were packing these people into deten- Thank you. I appreciate that. ment of Homeland Security. To have tion cells far beyond the capacity—‘‘ca- IRAN four different heads of the Department pacity 35’’ written over the door. I Mr. President, although I may not in 21⁄2 years, to have every position of counted 150 standing shoulder to shoul- often say it, I want to make it clear. I responsibility for immigration or bor- der in that room with one toilet. It is think President Trump made the right der security held by a temporary ap- just unacceptable and impossible to ex- decision the other day in deciding not pointee is unacceptable, and the White plain that this is happening in Amer- to start a war with Iran. He must ac- House has not submitted names to Con- ica. cept responsibility for some of the gress for permanent nominations to For me to call on the international challenges we now face. these positions. Red Cross to look at this circumstance I think the decision to walk away The Trump administration can shuf- is something I never thought I would from the agreement that prohibited fle the deck chairs, but we know the do. I have done that before but only in Iran from developing nuclear weapons obvious: President Trump’s immigra- foreign countries, asking that some of was shortsighted. By every report that tion and border security policies are the horrible conditions in the deten- we have received, this agreement— failing. Their failures are found not tion of prisoners be investigated by the international agreement—with inter- only in the detention of children and International Red Cross. I never national inspectors was being followed families in inhumane circumstances thought I would be asking the same of by the Iranians. Yet the President de- but also this tragic photograph of a the Red Cross, to look in America. cided to walk away from it. His at- desperate couple turned away at the Earlier this month, the inspector tempt to isolate Iran from our allies, border who tried their best to find an- general of the Department of Homeland to seek regime change, and to declare other way to present themselves in the Security released a report detailing the economic war on Iran, unfortunately, United States. inhumane and dangerous overcrowding have all led to this moment in history We have a responsibility in Congress, of migrants at the El Paso port of where a confrontation seems immi- Democrats and Republicans, to deal entry, which I had visited. The office nent. Many around the President here in with this crisis that has been created found the overcrowding was ‘‘an imme- Washington and abroad have been anx- by this administration. diate risk to the health detainees and ious for a conflict with Iran. Many of In February, after the President fi- DHS employees.’’ the same people were anxious for a con- nally agreed to end the longest govern- Earlier today, the Senate passed leg- flict with Iraq. I remember that. I re- ment shutdown in the history of the islation with funding to alleviate some member it well because I was one of 23 United States, Congress passed a bipar- overcrowding at the CPB facilities and Senators who voted against the inva- tisan omnibus appropriations bill that to provide food supplies and medical sion of Iraq. They are still there, en- included $414 million—in February, $414 care to migrants. This bill we have gaged in a war some 17 years later. million—for humanitarian assistance passed also includes critical funding Thousands of American lives have been at the border. I have asked what hap- for the Office of Refugee Resettlement lost, and thousands more have been in- pened to this money. The explanations to care for migrant children. jured. We are spending trillions of dol- are hard to follow. Some said: Well, The House of Representatives passed lars in taxpayers’ money in a war with- more than half of this humanitarian their own version of the bill last night. out end in Iraq. assistance has been invested in a build- The House legislation, which I also One of the great tragedies of the Iraq ing which will be ready for occupancy support, includes critical oversight war, one of the few its architects have in about a year and a half. measures, particularly when it comes ever admitted, is that the Iraq war ac- Here we have kids without diapers at to these children. Now it is time for us tually ended up empowering Iran. the border, questionable food sources, to reach an agreement—the House and Today, the Iraqi Government is actu- filthy clothes, separation of children the Senate, Democrats and Repub- ally something of an Iranian client from families, and they are setting out licans—and to do it in a timely fashion. state. Yet the same unrepentant voices to build a building that might be open I am willing to work with my col- are again beating the drums for regime in a year and a half. It would seem to leagues to find a bipartisan answer, as change and another war in the Middle me that those who were in medical I did on the first version of this, which East. practice and triage cases would cer- passed in the Senate. What is hap- Do the American people want a third tainly start with the immediate hu- pening at our border is unacceptable. war in the Middle East at this moment manitarian challenge before they start The President has to come to realize in our history? I don’t think so. the long-term responsibility of build- that just getting tough is not the an- Some have even had the audacity to ing a building. More needs to be done swer; it takes more. argue the 2001 authorization for use of at our border. We need to commit ourselves to military force approved by this Con- In April, I visited El Paso, TX. What international assistance in these three gress to respond to those who attacked I saw in the Border Patrol’s over- countries that are the sources of these us on 9/11 somehow gives this President crowded facilities was heartbreaking. I people: El Salvador, Honduras, and authority and permission to invade want to add here, as I do every time I Guatemala. Overwhelmingly, those are Iran. I don’t agree with that at all. bring this up, that I believe the men the origins of these migrants who come I cannot imagine anyone here who and women—the professional men and to the United States. took that vote 18 years ago thought women at the border, the ones I met We have to realize, as well, that peo- they were voting to start a war with and spoke to—are caring people. They ple are coming here in desperate cir- Iran that would still be going on 18 are genuinely concerned by the human- cumstances, as this photograph I years later. I find that impossible to itarian crisis they see unfolding before showed on the floor depicts. Many believe. them every single day. Some undoubt- times they are prepared to risk their The Constitution is clear. Article I, edly have done improper things and lives and even lose their lives as they section 8 says that the power to declare mistreated these detainees, but the try to make it to the United States in war is the explicit power of the U.S. ones I spoke to understood, as human desperation. We have to find a way, an Congress, and it should be. beings, the need for us to do more as a orderly way, to accept those who truly No one should ever send our sons and country. need our protection and need to be daughters into war without the consent

VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:00 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.050 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE S4550 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 26, 2019 of the American people through their the decision to overthrow Saddam was It is a $750 billion authorization. elected representatives. Our Founding correct.’’ He made that statement 1 There will be additional appropriations Fathers were wise in making sure this month after writing a New York Times that have to be done to be able to des- awesome power did not rest with a op-ed piece entitled: ‘‘To Stop Iran’s ignate that, but that is exactly what King-like or Queen-like figure but with Bomb, Bomb Iran.’’ President Trump had asked for and the people’s elected representatives. Sadly, what I find most stunning said is what is needed, and it is what I have made this same argument in about the administration’s march to the Department of Defense has said the House and in the Senate during my war in Iran is that its actions have, in that they would need to keep our coun- career, regardless of who sat in the fact, contributed to the current mess try safe and to prepare for the future. White House, a Republican or a Demo- and Iran’s threat to restart its nuclear There are a lot of elements in the crat. program. bill. I want to identify a few of them, Recently, I was pleased to join with President Trump has been pursuing a beginning with a 3.1-percent pay in- Senator UDALL and others in legisla- policy impossible to follow: calling for crease for our troops. That is some- tion reaffirming no war with Iran with- a regime change, trying to flatter and thing that is much needed. The pay for out the consent of Congress. This bill is meet with the Iranian President our troops has been very, very behind also now an amendment to the Na- Rouhani, trying to negotiate a better for a long time, and this starts an ini- tional Defense Authorization Act. I deal, threatening Iran militarily, tight- tial process of getting them a little bit sincerely hope we will have a timely ening sanctions. Who knows what the above inflation to start trying to catch vote to make sure the President under- policy is going to be from day to day. up. stands that he cannot authorize the in- The President impulsively withdrew It also deals with an issue that is vasion or military force in Iran with- from the nuclear agreement without very important to our military fami- out the approval and permission of first designing a credible way to get a lies, and that is their housing. There Congress. better agreement. He went on to des- are many areas and many bases and Some of the eerie, familiar state- ignate Iran’s military as a terrorist or- posts around the country and around ments and distortions used to sell the ganization, even against the advice of the world where the housing has fallen Iraq war are reappearing now. Vice our military. And he tried to starve behind: mold issues, plumbing issues, President Cheney repeatedly warned us Iran of the agreed benefits it was to re- electrical issues, roofing issues, and in those days that Saddam Hussein was ceive from the original deal. flooring issues. It is important for the members of our military to have a safe actively pursuing nuclear weapons. He Let me be clear. There is no doubt place that they come home to that even alleged there was ‘‘no doubt’’ that that Iran is responsible for dangerous really feels like home. They are trav- they were amassing those weapons to destabilizing actions in that region and eling around the world. They are in dif- use against the United States. beyond. Its proxies attack our service- ficult places, and as much as their fam- Former Pentagon adviser Richard members in Iraq and threaten our al- ilies can be kept safe and have a place Perle argued that Iraqis could finance lies in the region. But why not push that they can make home as a family— the postwar rebuilding from their own back against Iran without withdrawing that is exceptionally important. For oil wealth, and he had ‘‘no doubt that from the nuclear agreement? Why give those single men and women, it is im- they will.’’ them the pretext for belligerence and portant that they have a place where President George W. Bush, who undermine our credibility with the they can actually get rest and have claimed war was actually his last global powers party to our own nuclear connection with each other. This bill choice, provocatively tried to link al- deal? deals with additional funding to deal Qaida with Saddam Hussein—a dubious The tragic end result of this dan- with housing, which is much needed. claim echoed by his then-Secretary of gerous incoherence is that our allies This bill also deals with spouses, in Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and one are united against us, and Iran may we their transition from facility to facil- some are even trying to brazenly use start nuclear activities, which had ity, being able to pick up an additional today. been frozen for the last 4 years. job. For many of the spouses who are Secretary Rumsfeld even tried to This Congress, already a rubberstamp traveling with our men and women in claim war in Iraq would last ‘‘Five for too many of President Trump’s in- the military, when they move to a new days or five weeks or five months, but stincts, must not do so in a march to base or post, they also want to pick up it certainly isn’t going to last any another war in the Middle East as well. a new job in that place. It takes longer than that.’’ That is what our I yield the floor. months to do that transition now. Secretary of Defense said. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- There is also an issue with licensing. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul ator from Oklahoma. If they have a professional skill in one Wolfowitz and Vice President Cheney Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, I State, when they move to another said we would be welcomed in Iraq as want to rise today to speak to the Sen- State, there are some additional hur- liberators. Wolfowitz argued that ate and compliment two of my col- dles for them just to move to that next ‘‘hundreds of thousands of American leagues, Senator JIM INHOFE from my State. This bill helps deal with that troops is way off the mark.’’ State of Oklahoma, my senior Senator, and, again, helps those families know Five days or 5 weeks, welcomed by and Senator JACK REED, for their lead- that when they move, as we ask them the Iraqis? Well, the war started, and it ership and bipartisan work on this to move to different locations, it is a has never ended. There are 150,000 year’s National Defense Authorization little bit easier on their family to also American soldiers deployed in Iraq. Act for fiscal year 2020. pick up a second job if they choose to The war continues into its second dec- This is a complicated bill. It has had do that. ade. Incidentally, no weapons of mass hundreds of amendments, both in com- Oklahoma is home to Altus Air Force destruction were ever found, no nuclear mittee and in the initial managers’ Base, Tinker Air Force Base, Vance Air weapons, and we certainly weren’t package that came out of committee Force Base, Fort Sill Army Post, greeted as liberators. Iraqi oil did not that has already been debated, and McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, pay the $2 trillion that American tax- there are a lot more amendments that and, of course, the amazing facilities payers were forced to pay for that war are still being debated in the process. for our Army and Air International in Iraq. It is an incredibly complicated issue Guard. We have a lot of folks in Okla- More than 4,500 Americans have been to bring the authorization and infor- homa who are veterans who come back killed and 32,000 wounded, including mation for all military for the next to Oklahoma to retire, and a lot of my brave and amazing colleague in the year. It is something that Congress has folks who are actively serving there. Senate, Senator TAMMY DUCKWORTH. done for a long time. But for JIM This bill deals with every one of those How do some of the current occu- INHOFE, this is his first year to chair facilities in some way. pants of the White House driving Iran this committee and to actually be the Let me give a few examples. The KC– policy feel about that Iraq war dis- driver for this, and I think he has done 46 tanker—a brandnew tanker that will aster? Well, National Security Advisor an exceptional job of walking through be the refueler for the next genera- John Bolton said in 2015: ‘‘I still think this piece of legislation. tion—has already begun its delivery. It

VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:00 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.052 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE June 26, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4551 is coming to Altus, and it is already Turkey and the F–35 and the security Iran is the largest state sponsor of there at Altus Air Force Base. In fact, of that advanced weapons system also terrorism in the world, and the insta- I had the privilege, along with Senator dealt with something that some folks bility in the region is not something INHOFE, to ride in from Seattle on the may not have noticed, but I did, and new and is not President Trump’s very first KC–46 tanker coming to other folks have as well, and that is fault. It has been a long-term issue Altus Air Force Base in the 97th Air the retirement of chaplains. with not only the United States but all Mobility Wing. That wing does all the We lose track at times that when of the West and all of the region. training for every pilot who will fly the people enter into the military, these Our issue is not with the Iranian peo- KC–46 for the decades ahead. Whether mandatory retirement ages will sneak ple. They are smart. They are entre- they are in the Reserve or in the Guard up on folks. Well, it is especially so for preneurs. They are well educated. But or Active Duty, they are going to be chaplains because many chaplains ac- they also live under the thumb of a connected to Altus Air Force Base for tually enter into their service in the ruthless regime led by the ayatollahs. the KC–46. It has long been awaited, military after—as a second career. For That regime squashed the Green Move- and it is finally arriving. many folks in the military, that is ment several years ago in Iran—the This bill does the authorization for their first career, and then they have a people just wanting more freedom. an additional 15 tankers, as we are second one, but not so for chaplains. The issues we are facing with Iran modernizing that force, and we will do Many of them are pastors or mission- right now are not President Trump’s a few every single year for quite a aries or counselors in hospitals and fault, are not because he is being mean, while. other locations. They get into their just as Iran’s attack on the Khobar The bill includes funding for the pro- service and then time out. Towers and the murder of many of our curement of critical Army weapons and Chaplains need a little bit of extra people was not because President Clin- combat vehicles, including the Paladin time to serve so they can serve a full ton had put sanctions on Iran the year Integrated Management System up- term with the U.S. military. One of our before. It wasn’t President Clinton’s grade, which is assembled in Elgin, OK, amendments in this bill allows those fault that the Khobar Towers were at- right next to Fort Sill. The Fires Cen- chaplains to be able to complete serv- tacked; it is not President Trump’s ter of Excellence at Fort Sill organizes, ice and be a part of that. fault in this case. He has pushed back trains, and equips all the Paladin units There are many other aspects of this on a terrorist regime and is demanding in the Army Paladin Integration Man- bill that is literally hundreds of pages that they change their ways not only long that deal with military service. I agement. In fact, the skills that are in the nuclear setting but also in con- want to bring up one additional ele- coming in at Fort Sill Fires Center of ventional terrorism around the region ment. It is an element that has been in Excellence are asked for all over the and, quite frankly, around the world. great debate in conversation here in world. Almost every one of our allies We cannot allow them to continue to Congress, and it deals with the country and every single foreign base is asking terrorize their neighbors. of Iran. No one wants a war with Iran. That for the good folks from Fort Sill who This bill deals with not the military is why we have used sanctions and dip- are trained to help protect our men and policy specifically with Iran but deals lomatic means to address this. All women around the world. with our defense and our preparation these accusations that the President is Additionally, Senator INHOFE and for any enemy, including Iran. There is secretly going to try to take us to war Senator REED and all their staff have an amendment coming up for debate with Iran I find absurd, especially for worked to get in some of the amend- and conversation that changes the the man who is trying to get us out of ments that I brought in on the base rules of engagement with Iran, that lit- a war in Afghanistan, out of a war in text. Those amendments—they heard it erally says to this administration that Syria, and out of a war in Iraq. Sud- out. We got a chance to have dialogue. they cannot engage in any hostilities denly, secretly, he wants to get into a They have now been included long with Iran. They can only defend them- war with Iran? That is absurd. term. selves if attacked but cannot respond All of the region is looking to us to One of those that I worked with one until they get a vote from Congress. help push back on the biggest bully in of my colleagues on—Senator SHA- I cannot imagine a worse set of rules the region for decades, and every Presi- HEEN—we worked on a sense-of-the- of engagement for anyone in the U.S. dent since Jimmy Carter has tried to Senate on dealing with Turkey. Turkey military who is forward-deployed and isolate and push back on Iran. I do not is a NATO ally. They worked very facing risk from Iran than to say: You want to suddenly limit President closely with us in the development of can respond when Congress votes for it. Trump from trying to isolate and push the F–35, but we have a problem. The I will certainly vote against that back on Iran because some folks don’t leadership in Turkey is now reaching amendment, as it comes up as one of trust him. out to Russia to buy the S–400 air de- the final amendments, to say to our In the days ahead, we as a nation will fense system. The F–35 is incompatible military leadership: I will not handcuff cautiously, diplomatically, economi- with the S–400 Russian system sitting you in the face of the threat that is cally isolate Iran to try to bring them right next to it. We will never ever Iran. into cooperation with the rest of the allow the F–35 to sit next to the Rus- I have heard folks on this floor and in world, but in the meantime, let’s not sian S–400 system. the media want to lay the issues we handcuff our folks who are in harm’s We tried to make that clear in mul- have with Iran on President Trump. way in that region and tell them: If tiple conversations with Turkey and May I remind this body that we had 444 you want to respond, come and get a with Turkey’s leaders. We tried to hostages taken in Iran in 1979. Iran was vote from us first. bring this up over and over again. I the mover that bombed Beirut and our In closing, I again thank Senator worked with Senator INHOFE, along Embassy there in the 1980s. Iran is the INHOFE, who has done tireless work on with my colleagues, Senator SHAHEEN one that attacked the Khobar Towers this NDAA, and Senator JACK REED for and Senator JACK REED, to make it in Saudi Arabia and killed many of our their great bipartisan leadership on clear that we will not allow the F–35 to folks in the 1990s. The reason Bashar this. They have done yeomen’s work on be sold to Turkey if they are also going Assad is still in power in Syria right this. to purchase the S–400 from Russia. now is because Iran and their forces I hope that this bill will not only I maintain my strong support for the have brought them up. The reason pass the Senate but that we will put it F–35 program and applaud its advanced there is a civil war in Yemen right now on the President’s desk in the days capability. The military actually will is because Iran is providing the weap- ahead and give some stability to our be shaped around the F–35 in the days ons there and the insight to be able to military forces around the world and ahead, based on its capabilities. But we instigate that civil war that is hap- that they will know we understand cannot allow Turkey to have the F–35 pening in Yemen right now. The reason that 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, and and also buy a Russian system at the there is constant peril on Israel’s bor- in every time zone in the world, they same time. ders all the way around is because Iran are standing watch for peace and free- One of my other amendments that I is funding Hezbollah and Iran is fund- dom. They are not a threatening pres- dealt with when I was dealing with ing Hamas. ence. They are a peaceful presence, and

VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:00 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.054 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE S4552 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 26, 2019 their strength has brought exceptional within their borders and look the other production of counterfeit pills that ac- peace to the world. I am grateful for way when it arrives in the United tually contain fentanyl. them and for their families and for the States. That is the criteria that would get a amazing sacrifice they make every Simply, there have to be con- country crosswise with us as a con- day. sequences for countries that knowingly sequence of this legislation. What I yield the floor. allow the production of fentanyl in would the consequences be? The legis- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- their own land, to then be exported to lation contemplates that if a country ator from Pennsylvania. the United States, and that do not—I is not doing enough with respect to the UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—AMENDMENT am referring to the governments—co- existing list of illicit narcotics, then, NO. 900 operate with us as fully as they could they would stand to lose various forms Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. President, I come and should be. of foreign aid from the United States, to the floor this evening to offer an That brings me to the bill I intro- specifically, economic development amendment about the opioid addiction duced. It is called the Blocking Deadly grants, development finance aid, health crisis that is devastating our Nation. Fentanyl Imports Act. It is a bipar- aid, agricultural aid, and military aid. The origins of this epidemic are no tisan bill that I introduced with DOUG It is important to note there are doubt complicated, but there is a sim- JONES. I want to offer that as an other categories of aid that we provide ple fact within this complicated prob- amendment, to get a vote on this bill to foreign countries and more precisely lem; that is, the introduction of the we are considering right now. to entities within those countries that synthetic opioid fentanyl has made I should point out that since 1983, would not be affected by this. They are this the deadliest drug epidemic in Congress has utilized the Foreign As- not affected under current law, and American history. sistance Act as a way to deal with this they would not be affected under our Fentanyl is 30 to 50 times more pow- kind of problem. Specifically, this leg- bill—aid such as products-related as- erful than heroin, which is obviously islation—the Foreign Assistance Act, sistance, disaster relief, food aid, med- lethal. Just 2 milligrams of this sub- the existing law—forbids certain cat- ical aid, and aid to refugees. Existing stance—that is equivalent to a few egories of U.S. foreign aid from going law doesn’t interrupt those forms of grains of salt—is enough to kill most to countries that don’t assist us suffi- aid even with bad-acting governments, people. This synthetic opioid has con- ciently in our effort to control illicit and our bill wouldn’t either. In addi- tributed to or caused 30,000 of the 50,000 substances. tion, even the categories of foreign aid opioid overdose deaths in the United There is a finite number of illicit that could be shut off and that would States since 2017, and it is killing drugs that are on the list. They include be shut off are subject to a Presidential Pennsylvanians at an even higher per- heroin, marijuana, cocaine, and meth- waiver. If, for whatever reason, the centage. amphetamine and its precursor chemi- President believes it is more important As is the case with most illicit drugs, cals. Congress has periodically updated that we continue even those forms of the vast majority of this is not actu- the list and expanded the list as times aid, then, under our amendment, the ally coming from within the borders of have changed. In 2005, the House and President could do so. the United States; the vast majority Senate voted to add methamphetamine Again, to just sum up, the simple originates outside our borders. So co- and its precursors. Senator JONES and I thing here is that a country that know- operation with the governments of and a number of our colleagues believe ingly tolerates the production and ex- other countries is essential if we are it is past time that we add fentanyl to port of fentanyl and is not as coopera- going to make progress in ending this this list, especially since it is arguably tive with our government as they could scourge. the most lethal drug in the world be in stopping it shouldn’t be getting There are some countries that are ex- today. all kinds of U.S. foreign aid. That is tremely helpful. Canada and Mexico Our bill would do a couple of things. all. That is what our amendment would are, unfortunately, important transit It would add fentanyl to this list on do. The majority on the Senate For- points for drugs into the United States. the Foreign Assistance Act, the illicit eign Relations Committee supports Their governments work closely with substance list. That would then require this. The State Department made some ours and, I think it is fair to say, are the State Department to identify those suggestions that we accepted. Some of doing all they reasonably can and con- countries—at the moment, China—that the suggestions included that we drop tinue to strive to do more to end this are the most significant sources of il- the reference to precursor chemicals devastating influx. But fentanyl is par- licit fentanyl and fentanyl analogues. because that might capture too many ticularly difficult because such tiny Then we would toughen the require- countries that shouldn’t be captured quantities are so lethal, and the fact is ments in determining whether or not because they are not the precursor another country is, in fact, sufficiently that not all foreign governments are as chemicals used for the purpose of pro- cooperating with the United States. We cooperative as they could be and they ducing illicit fentanyl. We acknowl- only toughen the requirements for should be. edged that, and we changed it. It is well known that the primary those countries that are found to be I would again stress that the waivers source of the fentanyl that is on the significant sources of fentanyl, not the are available to the President in the streets in Pennsylvania and across other drugs already on the list but event the country ought to get those America—the source is ultimately those countries determined by our waivers. China. China has been cooperating in State Department to be significant So let me remind my colleagues that some important ways. China shares ad- sources of fentanyl. For that small set this is the worst drug crisis in Amer- vance electronic data on mail parcels, of countries, if the President finds that ican history. Fentanyl is at the heart and that is helpful. As of May 1 of this one or more of the following three cri- of it. We should hold accountable coun- year—a few weeks ago—China agreed teria are not being met, then, those tries that are not doing enough to stop to schedule fentanyl as a class that is countries would face the risk of having this poison from leaving their country prohibited in China, and that forgoes these forms of financial aid withheld. and coming into ours. the need to schedule every conceivable These are the three criteria we want I am not asking for passage here and variant of the chemical. That is a good them to meet: No. 1, whether they have now, but I am asking for a vote. Let’s development. But we can’t be sure that in fact scheduled fentanyl and ana- have an up-or-down vote. I would be China is going to follow through on its logues as a controlled substance in happy to set the vote at a 60-vote commitment—the one I just mentioned their country; No. 2, whether steps are threshold. Let’s send a message to any is very recent—and they still don’t do being taken to actually prosecute peo- country in the world that there will be all they should on pill presses. They ple who are illegally trafficking in consequences for them if they choose also have a history of breaking agree- fentanyl; and the final criteria we to go down this road. ments with the United States. would add is whether or not they re- With that, Mr. President, I ask unan- Maybe even more importantly, we quire the registration of pill presses, imous consent to set aside amendment don’t know what other countries might because we know that unregulated pill No. 862 and call up my amendment No. decide to tolerate fentanyl production presses have been found to be used for 900.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:00 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.055 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE June 26, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4553 The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there fect a very narrow category of coun- those whom we are trying to help in- objection? tries that are determined by our State side of those countries in the pursuit of The Senator from New Jersey. Department to be major sources of our own interests. So if we come to Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, re- fentanyl. At the moment, there is a that point, I hope we can ultimately serving the right to object, I agree with grand total of one that I am aware of come to an agreement. the Senator from Pennsylvania that we that would qualify for that designa- With that, I yield the floor. need to fight the opioid epidemic from tion. Nothing else flows from this. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- every angle. There are no consequences unless you ator from Pennsylvania. The trafficking of this drug fentanyl first meet that criteria. So that alone Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask coming into the United States has to makes it obvious that it couldn’t pos- unanimous consent to speak as in stop. Many lives are at stake. In my sibly apply to every country in the morning business. State of New Jersey, over 3,100 New world. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Jerseyans died in 2018 alone as a result I would also underscore the cat- objection, it is so ordered. of prescription pain killers, heroin, and egories of aid that would be subject to BORDER SECURITY fentanyl. being withheld in the event that a Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise this While I support the Senator from country is, in fact, a source of fentanyl evening to speak about the horrific hu- Pennsylvania’s desire to use all of the and is not cooperating with us—our manitarian crisis at our southern bor- leverage we have at our disposal to economic development grants, develop- der—the inhumane and truly des- pressure China to do a better job at ment finance aid, health aid, agricul- picable conditions under which mi- regulating illicit fentanyl, as is exem- tural aid and military aid are all forms grants, including children, are being plified by the amendment I cospon- of aid that I think are entirely reason- held by the U.S. Government. Children sored with Senator SCHUMER and oth- able to withhold. The categories that I are being held for prolonged periods of ers that is in the underlying legislation think the Senator from New Jersey is time in facilities that are woefully in- we are considering as of now, the Sen- concerned about we exclude from the adequate, and that is an understate- ator from Pennsylvania’s amendment risk of being withheld, because I ac- ment. could potentially have far more wide- knowledged the Senator’s point. There On my left is a chart with some pic- reaching implications. are categories of foreign aid that don’t tures. I want to walk through each of I believe every Member of the body go to foreign governments. They go to these pictures to talk about these chil- should be concerned about the poten- NGOs. They go to folks on the ground dren by name. Since September of 2018, tial collateral damage should this be- who are actually advancing a cause we these children have died while in come law. believe in. For instance, there is the United States Government custody. The Trump administration’s State democracy development fund. We I will start at the lower right-hand Department, when we asked them for wouldn’t affect that even if a country corner of the chart as you are facing an assessment of the original version of is a major source of illicit fentanyl and the chart: Carlos Hernandez Vasquez, this amendment, concluded that it not cooperating with us fully. We rec- 16 years old; up here on the left top of would lead to the suspension of U.S. ognize that this category of funding the chart, Wilmer Josue Ramirez foreign assistance to every country on doesn’t help that government. It helps Vasquez, 2 years old; Darlyn Cristabel the planet. That is not something I can us with the hope that we could change Cordova-Valle, age 10; Juan de Leon support. that government. I am not convinced Gutierrez, right here on the other side When we talk about China, our aid to that we are as far apart as it may ap- of the chart, just 16 years old; Jakelin China isn’t to China as a nation. China pear to be. Caal Maquin—many know her name doesn’t need our aid. It is giving out I would remind everyone that I am from the time when she passed away— aid all over the world. Our aid to China only seeking a vote. I am not asking just 7 years old; and finally, Felipe is to individuals, entities, and organi- for unanimous consent for the amend- Gomez Alonzo, just 8 years old. zations that actually promote our na- ment itself. I hope we can get back to These six deaths occurred in the span tional interests and our national secu- the business of actually debating sub- of less than 1 year and are the first rity by creating opportunities for dif- stance and voting in this body. Some- deaths in at least a decade. Mourning ferent parts of Chinese society to be times the minority leader has sug- their deaths is not enough. I think we independent from the Chinese state. So gested that we have become a grave- can at least agree on that. As much as it is not China that gets our foreign as- yard of legislation. Well, I am just pro- anyone can mourn their deaths, that is sistance, but, in large part, that ulti- posing that we have a debate and have not enough. We must act in light of mately would be denied, and that is a a vote. I hope we can get to that. this terrible darkness that these chil- type of loss that the Chinese would be The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- dren experienced and that their fami- only too happy to see happen. ator from New Jersey. lies are living with and that our coun- My office worked extensively Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, as I try is experiencing as well. through the weekend with the Senator said, we worked all weekend long with In recent weeks we have heard some from Pennsylvania’s office. We offered the Senator from Pennsylvania’s office, of the reporting. There have been re- numerous different compromise agree- and we are happy to continue to work ports of children held without adequate ments, but none of them were accept- with him to see if we can come to a medical attention, without food or able. So while I agree with the spirit of common ground. His original amend- water or sanitation. this amendment, I cannot support it as ment that we were discussing did in- Just by way of one searing example, it is currently drafted, and therefore I clude the elimination of democracy Warren Binford, a law professor at Wil- must object. promotion, and that is something that lamette University, who spoke with The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- China would only be too happy to children at the Texas facility, said: tion is heard. achieve. Basically, what we saw are dirty children The Senator from Pennsylvania. I understand that in this amend- who are malnourished, who are severely ne- Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. President, very ment—which I have not had the full op- glected. They are being kept in inhumane briefly, I hope the Senator from New portunity, nor my staff, to fully ana- conditions. They are essentially being Jersey will continue to engage with us. lyze—he may have excluded that. That warehoused, as many as 300 children in a There is a possibility that we are not is another step forward. So we are cell, with almost no adult supervision. as far apart as it may appear. happy to engage with the Senator and This is a lawyer who is trained to un- Let me be very clear. It is an abso- see if we can come to common ground derstand and to explain these kinds of lute fact that every country in the beyond today. conditions. This isn’t some casual ob- world would not be affected by this leg- My goal, however, is to join the Sen- server. This is an expert in her field islation at all. Whoever at the State ator in punishing countries that are ul- who is telling us this. She is not a Department suggested that chose not timately allowing this to happen, but Member of Congress. She is not an em- to read the language or chose not to not to do it in a way that doesn’t pun- ployee of the U.S. Government. She is understand it. Our legislation would af- ish the country but actually denies a lawyer who saw this with her own

VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:00 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.056 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE S4554 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 26, 2019 eyes—children who are malnourished, Then, to compound that, they don’t are less safe. It hurts our national se- neglected, living in inhumane condi- have basic necessities. I can’t even curity. It doesn’t just undermine our tions, warehoused, with 300 children in imagine the fear. values. It is not just immoral. It makes a cell with no adult supervision. There is a great hymn in my faith us less safe. It is a national security This same law professor reported wit- that talks about being a servant. I will threat as much as it is an insult to our nessing a 14-year-old—a 14-year-old— not go through all the lyrics. The song values or at least the values we claim caring for a 2-year-old without a dia- is named ‘‘The Servant Song.’’ I will to have as a government in the execu- per, lack of medical care, with flu out- take the sacredness out of it for pur- tive and legislative branches. breaks and lice infestation. poses of where we are speaking today. This administration has sought to in- Law Professor Binford said: One of the lines of ‘‘The Servant Song’’ crease family detention. They sought It’s the worst conditions I have ever wit- says: ‘‘I will hold the . . . light for you to relax the standards under which nessed in several years of doing these inspec- in the night time of your fear.’’ children are held. The administration tions. I can’t imagine any other cir- recently canceled English classes, rec- That is what a trained professional is cumstance that anyone here could de- reational programs, and legal aid for telling us about what is happening in scribe to better fit that description—in unaccompanied minors at shelters these conditions. the night time of the fear of children across the country. A Senate colleague of mine talked who may have survived, but others, as Recently, an attorney for the Depart- about going into a facility where chil- this chart depicts, lost their lives be- ment of Justice argued that the gov- dren were housed. This is a Senator cause of failures of our government. A ernment should not be required to give with a lot of experience in the Senate. 2-year-old, a 10-year-old, a 7-year-old, a a detained migrant child—or in this He said, usually when you walk 16-year-old, an 8-year-old, and another case children—toothbrushes, or soap, through any kind of facility or any 16-year-old who were in government or towels, or showers, and probably kind of environment in the United custody of the United States of Amer- goes on from there. It is hard to com- States of America where children are, ica lost their lives. I can’t even begin prehend how insulting that is to our you can hear them laughing and play- to imagine that fear. values; how cruel and inhumane that ing and having fun—that beautiful We all have to ask ourselves a lot of is. If our government can’t provide noise of children playing. He said you questions, but one question we have to that to a child, how can we call our- couldn’t hear any of it. He talked ask ourselves in both Houses of Con- selves a government? How can we say about the eerie and disturbing quiet in gress and the administration is, Will we have the values that we claim to that place. There was no noise, no this government be there in the night have as a government? This person was laughing, no happiness, I guess, is prob- time of the fear experienced by these a lawyer for the U.S. Government from ably the best way he described it. children or not? It is readily apparent, the U.S. Department of Justice. A law- Then this one Senator talked about from all the reporting month after yer said that, not some low-level em- making eye contact with a child. As month, that we are in no way meeting ployee of some department in the Fed- soon as he or she made eye contact, the that test for too many children. Maybe eral Government. A lawyer in a court- child would turn away. some are in better conditions, but room said our government shouldn’t I am sure we have other examples there are a lot of children—I don’t even have to provide toothbrushes or soap or from colleagues here and in the House know the number. I hope it is only in towels. and within our government, but when a the hundreds, but many people believe We should not be relaxing standards law professor who has been in a lot of it is a lot more than that. There may when, according to the American Acad- these circumstances tells us this, we be thousands or more who are in the emy of Pediatrics, the Department of should listen, and we should act. night time of their fear. Another lawyer reported speaking Our government is not only part of Homeland Security facilities already with young mothers and children—all creating the fear, we are doing next to don’t meet the basic standards for care of whom were claiming asylum at a nothing to alleviate it. We should ask of children in residential settings. Texas facility. The mother reported a ourselves, will we be there for them in Moreover, the Academy of Pediatrics lack of proper medical care, or clean the night time of their fear? stated that detention itself, even for clothes, or sufficient cups or baby bot- The administration’s response to all short periods of time, can cause psy- tles, forcing reuse and sharing of those of the reporting of this horror has been chological trauma and induce long- same cups and bottles, as well as moth- an insult to the United States of Amer- term mental health risks for children. ers wiping their children’s runny noses ica. It is an insult to the taxpayers who I made this point to the administra- or vomit with their own clothes be- send money to the government and tion months ago; that when you are cause they have nothing else—not even say: Make sure that when a child setting up your protocols about how to a paper towel—to clean with when they comes to our borders, we treat them deal with a child, please consult with are experiencing these conditions. This humanely; make sure the system the American Academy of Pediatrics— particular lawyer was quoted in the works. It is an insult to our values, of which is probably the leading organiza- Texas Tribune, just in case anyone course. tion in the whole country—about how wants a source. It is an insult to the proclamations best to care for a child and what not to These reports of overcrowding and we make as Americans to the world do. I think we should listen to them, lack of medical care, sanitation prob- that we are a beacon of light for the and I hope the administration would lems, and lack of food or water are an world in so many ways. Thank good- not only be listening to the American abomination. This is not America. It is ness we are in some other facets of our Academy of Pediatrics but would be in- not the America we grew up with. It is government and of course the lives of corporating their expertise and proto- not the America we tell the world we our people. On this issue, we are bring- cols. are. We have told the world for genera- ing darkness not only to the lives of Conditions for migrant adults are tions that we care about each other; those children, but we are bringing also completely unacceptable and an that we welcome people to our shores darkness to the world. insult to our values. Last month, the and try to treat them fairly. We can’t We are less safe as a country when Department of Homeland Security Of- say that when we have these kinds of this happens. We empower people fice of the Inspector General issued a insults. around the world—very bad actors report. This isn’t just a routine report. Just imagine the fear a child experi- around the world—who have been per- I will read the headline: ‘‘Management ences in these circumstances—the fear petuating this narrative for genera- Alert—DHS Needs to Address Dan- that comes from being alone, the fear tions that America allows this to hap- gerous Overcrowding Among Single of not having their mother or their fa- pen. When you do that, you empower Adults at El Paso Del Norte Processing ther or some loved one nearby, in many the bad guys to recruit and to marshal Center.’’ This is a management alert circumstances. Some, I guess, might their forces against you. When you sent by one part of the government— have an older sibling with them, but treat children this way, who then lose not just the executive branch but one just imagine how frightened they are. their lives in government custody, we department to the other—the inspector

VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:00 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.057 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE June 26, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4555 general to the management of the De- MANAGEMENT ALERT—DHS NEEDS TO AD- mediate health and safety needs of detainees, partment of Homeland Security. That DRESS DANGEROUS OVERCROWDING AMONG who cannot continue to be held in standing- SINGLE ADULTS AT EL PASO DEL NORTE room-only conditions for weeks until addi- is how bad it is. PROCESSING CENTER (REDACTED) tional tents are constructed, we consider the I will read just one line on page 9 of MAY 30, 2019 recommendation open and unresolved. We the report: Memorandum for: The Honorable Kevin K. will continue our spot inspections of the McAleenan, Acting Secretary, Depart- southern border facilities and may revisit El Recommendations. ment of Homeland Security. Paso sector sites to monitor overcrowding. We recommend the Acting Secretary of From: John V. Kelly, Acting Inspector Gen- Consistent with our responsibility under DHS: eral. the Inspector General Act, we will provide Subject: Management Alert—DHS Needs to copies of our alert to congressional commit- 1. Take immediate steps to alleviate the Address Dangerous Overcrowding Among tees with oversight and appropriation re- overcrowding at the El Paso Del Norte Single Adults at El Paso Del Norte Proc- sponsibility over DHS. We also will post the Bridge Processing Center. essing Center. alert on our website for public dissemina- For your action is our final management tion. They didn’t say work on it for a cou- alert, Management Alert—DHS Needs to Ad- Please call me with any questions, or your ple of months and try to get something dress Dangerous Overcrowding Among Single staff may contact Diana Shaw, Assistant In- done. Their own inspector general is Adults at El Paso Del Norte Processing Cen- spector General for Special Reviews and ter, the purpose of which is to notify you of Evaluations, at (202) 981–6000. saying take immediate steps. urgent issues that require immediate atten- BACKGROUND tion and action. Specifically, we are recom- Mr. President, I ask unanimous con- In May 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Pro- mending that the Department of Homeland sent to have at least the body of this tection (CBP) and Border Patrol leadership Security (DHS) take immediate steps to al- jointly testified before Congress that they report, if not the attachment, printed leviate dangerous overcrowding at the El in the RECORD. Paso Del Norte Processing Center (PDT). are experiencing an unprecedented border se- curity and humanitarian crisis along the There being no objection, the mate- Issuance of this management alert is con- sistent with our duties under the Inspector southwest border. According to CBP statis- rial was ordered to be printed in the General Act of 1978, as amended, to conduct tics, the number of southwest border mi- RECORD, as follows: inspections and recommend policies to pro- grant apprehensions during the first seven mote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness months of FY 2019 has in general already sur- in DHS programs and operations. passed that of the total apprehensions for We have incorporated the formal com- each of the previous four fiscal years. At the ments provided by your office on the draft sector level, El Paso has experienced the management alert and appended them ver- sharpest increase in apprehensions when batim. Your office concurred with the rec- comparing the first seven months of FY 2019 ommendation we made to alleviate over- to the same period in FY 2018. Table 1 shows crowding at PDT, but gave a target comple- the total number of apprehensions by cat- tion date of November 30, 2020. Because egory and the percent increase for the El DHS’s corrective action is critical to the im- Paso sector. TABLE 1.—EL PASO SECTOR BORDER PATROL APPREHENSIONS

Apprehensions Apprehensions October 2017 to October 2018 to Percent Increase April 2018 April 2019

Unaccompanied Alien Children ...... 2,116 10,027 374% Family Units ...... 3,865 74,072 1,816 Single Adults ...... 7,665 13,953 82 Total ...... 13,646 98,052 619 Source: Border Patrol southwest border apprehensions by sector

During the week of May 6, 2019, we visited a cell with a maximum capacity of 12 held essed, and hundreds of detainees in line to five Border Patrol stations and two ports of 76 detainees; surrender their valuables, such as money and entry in the El Paso area, including greater a cell with a maximum capacity of 8 held phones, to DHS staff. Figure 4 depicts some El Paso and eastern New Mexico, as part of 41 detainees; and of the outdoor lines we observed on May 7, our unannounced spot inspections of CBP a cell with a maximum capacity of 35 held 2019, and May 8, 2019. We also observed staff holding facilities. We reviewed compliance 155 detainees. discarding all other detainee property, such with CBP’s Transport, Escort, Detention and PDT’s seven general cells and three small as backpacks, suitcases, and handbags, in Search (TEDS) standards, which govern isolation cells are unable to accommodate the nearby dumpster. Border Patrol per- CBP’s interaction with detained individuals, the number of detainees currently being held sonnel told us that these items might be wet, and observed dangerous holding conditions at the processing facility within TEDS have bugs, and be muddy, and, therefore, pre- at the El Paso Del Norte Processing Center standards. Further limiting available space sented a ‘‘biohazard.’’ (PDT) Border Patrol processing facility, lo- is the need to separate detainees with infec- We are concerned that overcrowding and cated at the Paso Del Norte Bridge, that re- tious diseases, such as chicken pox, scabies, prolonged detention represent an immediate quire immediate attention. Specifically, and influenza, from each other and from the risk to the health and safety not just of the PDT does not have the capacity to hold the general population. detainees, but also DHS agents and officers. hundreds currently in custody safely, and Border Patrol agents told us some of the Border Patrol management on site said there has held the majority of its detainees longer detainees had been held in standing-room- is a high incidence of illness among their than the 72 hours generally permitted under only conditions for days or weeks. According staff. Border Patrol management at PDT and the TEDS standards (TEDS 4.1). to Border Patrol’s custody logs, there were other sites also raised concerns about em- 756 detainees on site when we visited PDT on ployee morale and that conditions were ele- OVERCROWDING AND PROLONGED DETENTION AT May 7, 2019. Of those, 502 detainees (66 per- vating anxiety and affecting employees’ per- THE PDT BORDER PATROL FACILITY PUTS DE- cent) had been held at PDT for longer than sonal lives. They noted that some employees TAINEES AND DHS PERSONNEL AT RISK 72 hours, with 33 detainees (4 percent) held eligible for retirement had accelerated their According to PDT Border Patrol proc- there for more than two weeks. On May 8, retirement dates, while others were consid- essing facility staff, the facility’s maximum 2019, we returned to PDT for another unan- ering alternative employment opportunities. capacity is 125 detainees. However, on May 7 nounced spot inspection and observed that In addition, Border Patrol management on and 8, 2019, Border Patrol’s custody logs indi- some family units and adult females had site said there is an ongoing concern that cated that there were approximately 750 and been transferred, but overall numbers were rising tensions among detainees could turn 900 detainees on site, respectively. TEDS even higher as additional detainees had ar- violent. We observed that staff must enter standards provide that ‘‘under no cir- rived for processing. According to Border Pa- crowded cells or move large numbers of de- cumstances should the maximum [cell] occu- trol staff, on May 8, 2019, the total number tainees for meals, medical care, and cell pancy rate, as set by the fire marshal, be ex- on site was approximately 900. cleaning. For example, at the time of our ceeded’’ (TEDS 4.7). However, we observed During our visits, we observed the triage of visit, 140 adult male detainees were crowding dangerous overcrowding at the facility with hundreds of detainees outside in the PDT the hallways and common areas of the facil- single adults held in cells designed for one- parking lot. There were approximately 75 ity while their cell was being cleaned. We ob- fifth as many detainees. Specifically, we ob- people treated for lice, hundreds of family served staff having difficulty maneuvering served: units waiting in the tented area to be proc- around this crowd to perform their duties,

VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:00 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G26JN6.059 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE S4556 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 26, 2019 and were told that staff feel they have lim- their entirety in appendix A. We also incor- transiting through Mexico to reach our ited options if detainees decide not to co- porated DHS’ technical comments in the southern border is frustrating our best ef- operate. final alert, as appropriate. forts to respond quickly. The overcrowded conditions also com- DHS Response to Recommendation #1 The current migration flow and the result- plicate efforts to ensure compliance with Concur. CBP has constructed a 500-person ing humanitarian crisis are rapidly over- TEDS standards. For example, CBP was holding capacity soft-sided structure at El whelming the ability of the Federal Govern- struggling to maintain hygienic conditions Paso Station, will construct an additional ment to respond. In March 2019, CBP encoun- in the holding cells. With limited access to tent by July 31, 2019, and will open a Central- tered over 103,000 illegal border crossers and showers and clean clothing, detainees were ized Processing Center within 18 months. inadmissible aliens. In April 2019, that num- wearing soiled clothing for days or weeks. CBP will continue to review the number of ber exceeded 109,000—the highest monthly Although TEDS standards do not require a migrants in custody at Border Patrol sta- levels in more than a decade. DHS has taken steps to ensure an elevated change of clothing for adults, Border Patrol tions to determine available space and trans- standard of care in response to the current agents said they were nevertheless trying to fer subjects accordingly. The Border Patrol, humanitarian crisis and has directed addi- obtain clean clothing for adult females be- through its single point of contact at El tional personnel and resources to the border. cause the lack of clean clothes was ‘‘wearing Paso Sector, will continue to communicate CBP has constructed a weatherproof and cli- down on them.’’ We also observed detainees with ICE to improve the migrant transfer mate-controlled soft-sided structure in the standing on toilets in the cells to make room process. and gain breathing space, thus limiting ac- The estimated completion date is Novem- El Paso Sector. The structure will allow Bor- cess to the toilets. Border Patrol agents said ber 30, 2020. der Patrol agents to expedite, process, and detainees who were not ill were raising med- transport migrants to ICE or the U.S. De- ical complaints to obtain temporary release OIG Response partment of Health and Human Services. The from the cells, adding to the medical staffs We observed conditions at the El Paso Del structure provides areas for eating, sleeping, burden. Norte Processing Center (PDT) Border Pa- recreation, and personal hygiene for up to trol facility that represent an immediate DHS NEEDS A COORDINATED APPROACH TO MAN- 500 people. There are also separate areas for risk to the health and safety of detainees AGING LONG-TERM DETENTION DURING SHARP processing, medical evaluations, bathroom and DHS employees. Specifically, Border Pa- INCREASE IN APPREHENSIONS facilities, laundry, trailers, sleeping mats, trol agents told us some single adults had kitchen equipment, personal property stor- Although CBP headquarters management been held in standing-room-only conditions age boxes, office space, television, and lock- has been aware of the situation at PDT for for days or weeks. Border Patrol manage- ers. months and detailed staff to assist with cus- ment on site said there is an ongoing con- Additionally, a modular facility that is ca- tody management, DHS has not identified a cern that rising tensions among detainees pable of holding up to 800 people is projected process to alleviate issues with overcrowding could turn violent. Dangerous overcrowding to be in use by July 2019. Construction of a at PDT. Within DHS, providing long-term among single adults in PDT requires imme- permanent Centralized Processing Center detention is the responsibility of U.S. Immi- diate action. (CPC) in El Paso is planned to further allevi- gration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), not While we consider the actions outlined in ate overcrowding. The CPC is expected to be CBP. El Paso sector Border Patrol manage- DHS’ response to be partially responsive to operational in approximately 18 months, ment said they are able to complete immi- the recommendation, the recommendation with a holding capacity of approximately gration processing for most detainees within will remain unresolved and open until DHS 1,800. Congress can also help by working on a few days, but have not been able to trans- offers an immediate corrective action plan targeted solutions to restore integrjty to our fer single adults into ICE custody quickly. to address the dangerous overcrowding at immigration system and remove the incen- Border Patrol managers at the stations we PDT. tives for families and children to cross our visited said they call ICE daily to request de- APPENDIX A—DHS’S MANAGEMENT COMMENTS border illegally. tention space for single adults. They said in TO THE DRAFT MANAGEMENT ALERT The draft report contained one rec- some instances ICE officers tell them they ommendation, with which the Department cannot take the detainees. In other in- MAY 28, 2019 concurs. Attached find our detailed response stances, ICE initially agrees to take some Memorandum for: John V. Kelly, Acting In- to the recommendation. Technical com- adult detainees, but then reverses the deci- spector General ments were previously provided under sepa- sion. From: Jim H. Crumpacker, CIA, CFE for Di- rate cover. ICE has the infrastructure to transport and rector, Departmental GAO-OIG Liaison Again, thank you for the opportunity to detain aliens nationwide, but its current Office. review and comment on this draft report. ability to do both of these tasks is also Subject: Management Response to OIG Draft Please feel free to contact me if you have strained. ICE senior managers stated that Management Alert: ‘‘DHS Needs to Ad- any questions. We look forward to working ICE does not currently have sufficient deten- dress Dangerous Overcrowding Among with you again in the future. tion bed space to take all of Border Patrol’s Single Adults at El Paso Del Norte Proc- adult detainees, and explained that Border essing Center (PDT)—For Official Use ATTACHMENT: MANAGEMENT RESPONSE TO Patrol has the authority to decide which de- Only’’ (Project No. 19–039–SRE-CBP). RECOMMENDATION CONTAINED IN 19–039–SRE-CBP tainees are the highest priority to transfer Thank you for the opportunity to review The OIG recommended that the Acting to ICE custody. ICE managers also stated and comment on this draft report. The U.S. Secretary of DHS: that ICE prioritizes requests from CBP over Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ap- Recommendation 1: Take immediate steps any other requests for bed space and, when preciates the work of the Office of’ Inspector to alleviate the overcrowding at El Paso Del possible, uses its national transportation General (OIG) in planning and conducting its Norte Processing Center (PDT). system to fly and transport detainees to review and issuing this report. Response: Concur. In an effort to alleviate available detention beds. DHS performs an essential role in securing the overcrowding at the PDT brought on by When we discussed the situation at PDT our Nation’s borders at and between ports of the unprecedented increase in the number of with ICE, ICE officials suggested the El Paso entry, and enforces U.S. immigration law families and children arriving at the South- sector could develop a single point of contact within the interior of the country. U.S. Cus- west Border, CBP has implemented a multi- to better prioritize requests for adult deten- toms and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. layered approach. tion beds. They said with individual Border Immigration and Customs Enforcement CBP has constructed a 500 holding capacity Patrol stations making requests to ICE, the (ICE) officers and agents continually uphold soft-sided structure at El Paso Station that highest priority detainees may not be trans- the utmost professionalism while performing has been operational since May 2, 2019. CBP ferred to ICE. Prioritization could alleviate essential border security operations. DHS is will construct an 800 holding capacity mod- the situation at PDT and in the El Paso sec- devoted to the care and processing of the in- ular facility at El Paso Station to be oper- tor in the short term, but would not con- dividuals in our custody with the utmost ational by July 31, 2019. In addition, a perma- tribute to a coordinated DHS approach to dignity and respect. nent CPC with a holding capacity of approxi- managing long-term detention during this The current situation on the border rep- mately 1,800 is planned to further alleviate sharp increase in border apprehensions. resents an acute and worsening crisis. Our overcrowding in El Paso. It is scheduled to RECOMMENDATIONS immigration system is not equipped to ac- be operational within 18 months. commodate a migration pattern like the one CBP will continue to review the number of We recommend the Acting Secretary of we are experiencing now. Previous patterns— migrants in custody at USBP stations within DHS: somewhat predictable in composition and El Paso Sector to determine available space 1. Take immediate steps to alleviate the predicated on seasonal variations—are no and transfer subjects accordingly. USBP, overcrowding at the El Paso Del Norte longer the norm, Through April 2019, CBP through its single point-of-contact at El Bridge Processing Center (PDT). enforcement actions along the southwest Paso Sector, will continue to communicate DHS MANAGEMENT’S RESPONSE AND OIG border are 84 percent higher than the same with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Oper- ANALYSIS period last fiscal year; this includes a 117 ations to improve the migrant transfer proc- DHS management provided written com- percent increase in U.S. Border Patrol ess. ments on a draft of this alert. We included a (USBP) apprehensions. Additionally, the In an effort to supplement staff, CBP will copy of DHS’ management comments in speed with which illegal migrants are continue to temporarily detail Border Patrol

VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:00 Jun 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A26JN6.012 S26JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE June 26, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4557 Agents and CBP Surge Force personnel to El Once they arrive at our shores, it is the postcloture time be considered ex- Paso Sector, as well as utilize personnel critical that they are treated with pired and the Senate vote on amend- from the U.S. Department of Defense. compassion and human dignity and re- ment No. 861, with no further amend- Due to capacity issues, USBP will continue ceive a fair opportunity to present ments in order. processing non-criminal family units for im- mediate release under an order of recog- their claims. I further ask that the time until 1:45 nizance. That is the America that we believe p.m. be equally divided; that at 1:45 Estimated Completion Date: November 30, in. That is the America we were taught p.m., the Senate vote on the substitute 2020. to believe that we are—a nation that amendment, as amended, if amended; APPENDIX B—MANAGEMENT ALERT respects human life, human values, and that the cloture motion with respect to DISTRIBUTION gives people a fair chance when they S. 1790 then be withdrawn and the Sen- DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY present themselves for asylum. ate vote on the passage of S. 1790, as Secretary The only good news that we can re- amended, if amended, with no further Deputy Secretary port tonight is that the Senate passed intervening action or debate; finally, Chief of Staff a bill to provide nearly $4.6 billion in that at a time to be determined by the General Counsel humanitarian aid, including $2.88 bil- majority leader, in consultation with Executive Secretary lion to the Office of Refugee Resettle- Director, GAO/OIG Liaison Office the Democratic leader, on Friday, June Under Secretary Office of Strategy, Policy, ment to care for migrant children and 28, the Senate vote on the Udall and Plans to help minimize the time they are amendment, No. 883, notwithstanding Assistant Secretary for Office of Public Af- held in Federal facilities, in Federal the passage of S. 1790, and that it re- fairs custody. The House also passed a bill, quire 60 affirmative votes for adoption. Assistant Secretary for Office of Legisla- which I support. We must quickly con- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there tive Affairs ference these bills to provide the need- objection? Commissioner, CBP ed resources while we also ensure there CBP Component Liaison Without objection, it is so ordered. are protections for migrants and great- f OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET er accountability and transparency Chief, Homeland Security Branch from DHS to ensure the funds are ap- MORNING BUSINESS DHS OIG Budget Examiner propriately spent. Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I ask CONGRESS The faster we get this done, the bet- unanimous consent that the Senate be Congressional Oversight and Appropria- ter, and maybe we can reduce the like- in a period of morning business, with tions Committees lihood that six more children will die Senators permitted to speak for up to Mr. CASEY. This report details dan- in the next couple of months in the 10 minutes each. gerous overcrowding for a prolonged custody of the U.S. Government. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without basis at this detention center and the I end with this note: I talked about objection, it is so ordered. dangers it creates. According to the re- what we are as a nation and what we f port, a facility with maximum capac- believe that we should be and the ity of 125 detainees is holding approxi- standard we are not meeting now. We BUDGETARY ENFORCEMENT mately 900. Some migrants were held must be a nation that respects people LEVELS in standing-room-only-conditions for who come to our shores and treats Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, section 251 days or weeks with limited access to them with a measure of human dignity of the Balanced Budget and Emergency showers or clean clothing. Migrants, and compassion and fairness. Deficit Control Act of 1985, BBEDCA, many of whom are asylum seekers, What we must not be is a nation that establishes statutory limits on discre- were observed standing on toilets refuses asylum seekers who flee perse- tionary spending and allows for various themselves to make room and gain cution and violence from the murder adjustments to those limits. In addi- breathing space. These conditions not capitals of the world. We must not be a tion, sections 302 and 314(a) of the Con- only violate Custom and Border Pa- nation that separates children from gressional Budget Act of 1974 allow the trol’s transport, escort, detention, and their families. We must not be a nation chairman of the Budget Committee to search standards but are an affront to that gives migrants, including chil- establish and make revisions to alloca- our values as a nation. Asylum seekers dren, who are in squalid and inhumane tions, aggregates, and levels consistent who have fled violence and suffered conditions, no hope of getting out of with those adjustments. through an arduous journey should not that circumstance. The Senate will soon consider S. be subjected to unhealthy, unsanitary, We are, indeed, when we are at our Amdt. 901 to H.R. 3401, the Emergency unsafe conditions under any cir- best, a nation of opportunity, a nation Supplemental Appropriations for Hu- cumstances. of immigrants, and, of course, a nation manitarian Assistance and Security at Asylum seekers are coming to our of laws. It is imperative that we fix our the Southern Border Act, 2019. This shores because of violence in their broken immigration system more measure provides supplemental appro- home countries. Everyone knows this. broadly so that it, once again, reflects priations to address humanitarian as- This isn’t a theory; it is fact. Hon- these American values. sistance and security at the border. duras, Guatemala, and El Salvador As we work on a broad response to a The measure contains spending that rank in the top 10 countries in the broken immigration system, let us at qualifies for cap adjustments under world for homicide. Why do we think least be there for those children in the current statute. they are coming? Would any one of us nighttime of their fear—No. 1, not to This measure includes $4,586 million journey hundreds or thousands of create that fear and, No. 2, not to per- in budget authority that is designated miles? I don’t think so. petuate it for these children. At a min- as being for emergency purposes pursu- According to a report issued from imum, we should make a pledge in our ant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of Doctors Without Borders in 2017, government to never have six deaths of BBEDCA. Of that amount, $145 million Northern Triangle countries—the coun- children who are in the custody of the is for spending in the security category tries I just mentioned—are experi- U.S. Government. and $4,441 million is for nonsecurity encing ‘‘violent displacement, persecu- I yield the floor. spending. CBO estimates that this tion, sexual violence, and forced repa- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- budget authority will result in $1,048 triation akin to the conditions found in ator from Oklahoma. million in outlays in Fiscal Year 2019. the deadliest armed conflicts in the ORDER OF PROCEDURE As a result of the aforementioned world today.’’ That is not some Mem- Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I ask designations, I am revising the budget ber of Congress just talking. unanimous consent that notwith- authority and outlay allocations to the For asylum seekers, the decision to standing rule XXII, the cloture vote on Committee on Appropriations by in- move is not a choice; it is a necessity. Senate amendment No. 764 occur at 12 creasing revised security budget au- The journey can further subject them noon on Thursday, June 27; further, thority by $145 million, revised non- to violence, danger, and other abuses that if cloture is invoked, amendment security budget authority by $4,441 along the way. Nos. 864, 863, and 862 be withdrawn and million, and outlays by $1,048 million

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