February 7, 2017 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S871 the Denali region, observed the natural visitors with unparalleled opportunities to more vibrant and have positively contrib- splendor of Denali, and, along with Alaska’s experience and explore millions of acres of uted to the betterment of the United States; territorial delegate to Congress, Judge an accessible wildlife sanctuary that rep- Whereas the United States has a moral ob- Wickersham, and pioneering biological sur- resents one of the crown jewels of the United ligation to ensure that people fleeing vio- vey naturalist Edward Nelson, tirelessly ad- States; lence and persecution are protected; vocated for Denali’s protection; Whereas residents of the State of Alaska Whereas the United States Senate should Whereas early proponents of national continue their subsistence way of life by continue its legacy of bipartisan leadership parks, such as the Boone and Crockett Club, hunting and gathering in the majority of on refugees and asylum seekers; the Campfire Club of America, and the Amer- Denali National Park and Preserve; Whereas a ban or halt on resettlement may ican Game Protective and Propagation Asso- Whereas Denali National Park and Pre- result in prolonged and indefinite family sep- ciation, sponsored early expeditions, includ- serve hosts the only working sled dog kennel aration; ing those of Sheldon and Brown, and advo- in a national park, and winter patrols are Whereas executive actions targeting refu- cated for the creation of a national park at conducted inside Denali National Park and gees and asylum seekers could place these Denali; Preserve using the age-old tradition of dog most vulnerable populations at serious risk Whereas, in 1910, miners from the mushing; and of death or injury; and Kantishna Hills discovered an approach by Whereas Denali National Park and Pre- Whereas refugees are the most thoroughly which Denali might be climbed, relying on serve, known for its breathtaking scenery screened and vetted entrants to the United years of observations while following quartz and iconic wildlife, protects more than States, undergoing multiple security checks leads and hunting sheep in the foothills of 6,000,000 acres of towering mountains, expan- by the Department of Defense, the Depart- the Denali area; sive valleys, glacial rivers of ice, braided ment of Homeland Security, the Department Whereas Athabascan Walter Harper joined streams, and wildland for the benefit of all of State, the Federal Bureau of Investiga- Archdeacon Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, people of the United States: Now, therefore, tion, and the National Counterterrorism and Robert Tatum to successfully summit be it Center: Now, therefore, be it the highest peak of Denali in 1913, opening Resolved, That the Senate— Resolved, That— the door for thousands of individuals to test (1) congratulates and celebrates Denali Na- (1) it is the sense of the Senate that— their own endurance and fortitude by at- tional Park and Preserve on its centennial (A) the United States should remain a tempting to climb the giant massif; anniversary; global leader in welcoming and providing ref- Whereas President Woodrow Wilson signed (2) encourages all people of the State of uge to refugees and asylum seekers; and into law the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to estab- Alaska and the United States to visit and ex- (B) no person should be banned from enter- lish the Mount McKinley National Park, in perience this national treasure; and ing the United States because of their na- the Territory of Alaska’’, approved February (3) designates February 26, 2017, as ‘‘Denali tionality, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual 26, 1917 (39 Stat. 938, chapter 121), for the ben- National Park and Preserve Day’’. orientation, gender identity, or gender; efit and enjoyment of the people of the f (2) the Executive Order titled ‘‘Protecting United States and the preservation of the the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Denali area’s scenic beauty, animals, birds, SENATE RESOLUTION 56—EX- Into the United States’’ issued by the Presi- and fish; PRESSING THE SENSE OF THE dent on January 27, 2017, undermines the na- Whereas Congress expanded the boundaries SENATE THAT THE UNITED tional interest of the United States; and of Mount McKinley National Park in 1922, (3) the Senate directs the Secretary of the 1932, and 1980 and renamed that national STATES SHOULD REMAIN A GLOBAL LEADER IN WELCOMING Senate to transmit an enrolled copy of this park Denali National Park and Preserve resolution to the President, the Secretary of after the traditional Koyukon Athabascan AND PROVIDING REFUGE TO State, the Secretary of Defense, the Sec- name for the highest peak in the park, REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEK- retary of Homeland Security, the Attorney Deenaalee, meaning the High One; ERS AND THAT NO PERSON General, the Director of the Federal Bureau Whereas Denali National Park and Pre- SHOULD BE BANNED FROM EN- of Investigation, and the Director of Na- serve protects and interprets Denali, which tional Intelligence. is the highest mountain in North America, TERING THE UNITED STATES BE- at 20,310 feet, and the tallest above-water CAUSE OF THEIR NATIONALITY, Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, the mountain, with a vertical relief of almost RACE, ETHNICITY, RELIGION, United Nations High Commissioner for 18,000 feet measured from its base; SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER Refugees has reported that more than Whereas Denali National Park and Pre- IDENTITY, OR GENDER 65 million people have been forcibly serve preserves a wild subarctic landscape displaced around the globe by the end with a rich and diverse tapestry of plant life Mr. LEAHY (for himself, Mrs. SHA- HEEN, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. of 2015. In the face of such staggering and intact ecosystems where bears, wolves, human suffering, we must not shutter caribou, moose, and Dall sheep roam as they REED, Mr. CARPER, Ms. WARREN, Mr. have for thousands of years; SANDERS, Mr. COONS, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, our doors and abandon our foundational principle of religious free- Whereas Denali National Park and Pre- Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. dom. Yet that is exactly what our new serve protects a wide array of fossils that BLUMENTHAL, Mr. UDALL, Mr. MARKEY, point to an age 70,000,000 years ago, when di- President would have us do with the Mr. WYDEN, Mr. BENNET, Ms. KLO- nosaurs roamed that northern land; Executive order he signed 2 weeks ago. BUCHAR, Mr. FRANKEN, Mr. BROWN, Mr. Whereas Denali National Park and Pre- This is not something I support, and MURPHY, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. SCHATZ, serve contains 2 of the oldest-known archae- for good reasons. Ms. HEITKAMP, Mr. DONNELLY, Mr. ology sites in North America, the oldest of Our freedom of religion was en- which dates to just over 13,000 years old; HEINRICH, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. DURBIN, shrined in the Constitution 225 years Whereas glaciers still blanket 1⁄6 of Denali Mr. CASEY, Mr. PETERS, and Mr. SCHU- ago. Since forging this promise, we National Park and Preserve and continue to MER) submitted the following resolu- shape the landscape by carving mountains, have been a confident Nation wel- tion; which was referred to the Com- coming those of all faiths. The Execu- feeding silt-laden rivers, and depositing rock mittee on the Judiciary: and silt across the valleys; tive order issued by the new Repub- Whereas Denali National Park and Pre- S. RES. 56 lican President threatens these found- serve was designated as an International Whereas the United States is a country ing ideals and the very freedoms we Biosphere Reserve in 1976 and has become a founded on the principles of religious and po- enjoy as Americans. It singles out Mus- premier international tourist destination; litical freedom; lim refugees and those fleeing violence Whereas, in 2016, nearly 600,000 visitors set Whereas hateful rhetoric against refugees in Syria, and it suspends the refugee foot in Denali National Park and Preserve, and asylum seekers betrays the principles on the greatest number of visitors in the his- which the United States was founded; program as a whole. This is not the tory of Denali National Park and Preserve Whereas for centuries, people from around America I know. It is contrary to our and a record number of visitors for the State the world have sought refuge in the United values and contrary to the example of Alaska; States in pursuit of freedom and protection America needs to set for the world. Whereas key tourism partners like the for themselves and their families; The ongoing conflict in Syria makes Alaska Railroad, the cruise ship industry, Whereas people often seek refuge and asy- clear the enormity of the humanitarian air and bus tour companies, and other outfit- lum in the United States to flee war, armed crisis we face. The terror inflicted by ters have worked diligently to provide a wide conflict, violence, and religious, ethnic, and both Bashar Al-Assad’s regime and array of ways in which the many visitors to political persecution; ISIS has forced more than half of Syr- Denali National Park and Preserve may ex- Whereas refugees and asylum seekers have perience Denali, including hiking, dog been welcomed by towns, cities, and States ia’s 23 million people from their homes mushing, rafting, and cycling; across the United States; and claimed the lives of hundreds of Whereas Denali National Park and Pre- Whereas refugees and asylum seekers have thousands of civilians. Currently, there serve’s historic Denali Park Road provides made their new communities stronger and are more than 4.8 million registered

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:55 Feb 08, 2017 Jkt 069060 PO 00000 Frm 00109 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A06FE6.068 S06FEPT2 rfrederick on DSK30MX082PROD with SENATE S872 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 7, 2017 Syrian refugees, the overwhelming ma- residents. But there continues to be an come together once again in support of jority of whom are women and chil- understandable fear that the Trump my resolution. dren. Communities across the country, administration may again attempt to f including some in Vermont, started the bar them from this country. Like process to welcome these refugees who them, I fear that the Trump adminis- AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO have undergone years of security tration may again seek to bar lawful MEET screenings and vetting. Rutland, VT, is immigrants from returning to their COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES prepared to welcome 100 refugees, but homes, work, and families in Vermont. to date only two families have arrived. I also fear for the young Somali ref- Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask One of these families shared that their ugee in Vermont who has been pa- unanimous consent that the Com- own children ‘‘were exposed to a lot of tiently waiting for the completion of mittee on Armed Services be author- terror, and the sound of bombs and the the resettlement process so that his ized to meet during the session of the sound of bullets and gunshots all day pregnant wife and young son will be Senate on Tuesday, February 7, 2017, at long.’’ This is no way to live. That is saved from the squalor of a refugee 9:30 a.m. why I strongly agree with Rutland’s camp and reunited with him in The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without mayor Christopher Louras, who said Vermont. And the man from Sudan objection, it is so ordered. accepting refugees ‘‘is just the right who has been waiting for his two young COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS thing to do from a compassionate, hu- sons to finally be granted their visas to Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask manitarian perspective.’’ We must do join him and the rest of their family. unanimous consent that the Com- more. And the husband whose Libyan wife mittee on Foreign Relations be author- There are other humanitarian crises was recently granted a visa and has ized to meet during the session of the impacting the world. Closer to home, been waiting for the International Or- Senate on Tuesday, February 7, 2017, at ruthless armed gangs in El Salvador, ganization for Migration to arrange her 10 a.m. Honduras, and Guatemala continue to flight to the United States. I am con- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without brutalize women and children with cerned for these families and for so objection, it is so ordered. near impunity. We have a moral obli- many others in Vermont and around COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS gation to respond, and it is in our na- the country. Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask tional interest to do that. Americans are bound together by our unanimous consent that the Com- National security leaders agree that shared ideals. Among those ideals are mittee on Veterans’ Affairs be author- anti-Muslim rhetoric is not only con- tolerance and diversity. They unite us ized to meet during the session of the trary to our values, it also makes us as a nation; they make us stronger. Senate on Tuesday, February 7, 2017, less safe. FBI Director Comey told the That is the message we should be em- off the Senate floor immediately fol- Senate Judiciary Committee in No- vember 2015 that part of ISIL’s nar- bracing—one of inclusion, not one of lowing the vote scheduled at 12 p.m. rative is to depict the United States as exclusion and division. Federal District The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without anti-Muslim. The Defense Department Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford per- objection, it is so ordered. has made a similar point. House Speak- fectly encapsulated this sentiment at a SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE er Ryan has also denounced a ban on naturalization ceremony for 31 new Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask Muslims, noting that it is ‘‘not con- Americans in Rutland, VT, last week. unanimous consent that the Senate Se- servatism’’ to impose a religious test. The summary of his powerful remarks, lect Committee on Intelligence be au- A bipartisan majority of the Senate which he directed particularly to our thorized to meet during the session of Judiciary Committee agreed in Decem- new Muslim citizens, was this: ‘‘You the 115th Congress of the U.S. Senate ber 2015 when it passed my amendment are equal in the eyes of the law.’’ This on Tuesday, February 7, 2017, from 2:30 confirming that ‘‘the United States simple message is clear, and unequivo- p.m. to 4:30 p.m., in room SH–219 of the must not bar individuals from entering cal: You are welcome, you are equal, Senate Hart Office Building. into the United States based on their you are protected. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without religion.’’ That is why I am introducing a reso- objection, it is so ordered. The chaos and confusion caused by lution expressing the sense of the Sen- f this Executive order at our airports in ate that no one should be blocked from the United States as well as around the entering the United States because of PRIVILEGES OF THE FLOOR world highlights the recklessness of their nationality, race, ethnicity, reli- Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask this administration’s attempt to bar gion, sexual orientation, gender iden- unanimous consent that Zach Ormsby people based on their religion and na- tity, or gender. Adoption of this resolu- of my staff be granted floor privileges tional origin. The devastation this is tion simply reaffirms the basic prin- for the duration of the consideration of causing to lawful immigrants and refu- ciple that this country does not have a the DeVos nomination. gees fleeing violence is immeasurable. I litmus test. It will also show that the fear for my constituents who are lawful Senate will not allow fear to under- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without permanent residents of the United mine the very principles and values objection, it is so ordered. States who also happen to be nationals that we cherish and that we have sworn f of one of the seven targeted countries. to defend. The resolution is consistent Due to the widespread outrage ex- with the strong bipartisan actions CONFIRMATION pressed by thousands of concerned citi- taken by the Senate less than 4 years Executive nomination confirmed by zens and legal challenges across the ago when we passed comprehensive im- the Senate February 7, 2017: country, the Trump administration has migration reform legislation that in- DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION cluded protections for refugees and now clarified that the Executive order ELISABETH PRINCE DEVOS, OF MICHIGAN, TO BE SEC- should not apply to legal permanent asylum seekers. I urge Senators to RETARY OF EDUCATION.

N O T I C E Incomplete record of Senate proceedings. Today’s Senate proceedings will be continued in the next issue of the Record.

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