E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 115 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 163 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017 No. 81 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Thursday, May 11, 2017, at 2 p.m. Senate WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017 The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY Here they will see the memorials built called to order by the President pro LEADER to honor their service. tempore (Mr. HATCH). The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. The Bluegrass Chapter Honor Flight PAUL). The majority leader is recog- has brought hundreds of veterans, most f nized. of them Kentuckians, to Washington for this purpose. Despite the signifi- f PRAYER cant logistical and financial planning LEGISLATIVE SESSION that goes into these trips, Honor Flight The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- works to make sure veterans have the fered the following prayer: opportunity to travel at no cost to PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL Let us pray. themselves. DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE OF The program organizes travel and Almighty God, You are our strength THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGE- food for these veterans, many of whom and always ready to help us. Uphold MENT—MOTION TO PROCEED our lawmakers with Your powerful would never be able to visit our Na- hands. Lord, let Your presence be felt Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I tion’s Capital or see the memorials at by them as You guide them in these move to proceed to H.J. Res. 36. all without Honor Flight. challenging times. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The The national monuments built on the clerk will report the motion. Give them the wisdom to do Your Mall pay tribute to those who sac- The legislative clerk read as follows: will, finding nourishment and reassur- rificed for the cause of freedom. I wish ance in their fellowship with You. Help The Senator from Kentucky [Mr. MCCON- to add my voice to those who welcome NELL] moves to proceed to H.J. Res. 36, a them to do their best in life’s daylight, these veterans and thank them for joint resolution providing for congressional their service to our country. for the night comes when no one can disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United work. States Code, of the final rule of the Bureau HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION Empower our Senators to grow in of Land Management relating to ‘‘Waste Pre- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, on grace and in a deeper knowledge of vention, Production Subject to Royalties, another matter, I am glad to see many You. May they continue to prosper and and Resource Conservation.’’ of our Democratic friends here with us be in health, even as their souls pros- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I today. Yesterday they sent me a letter per. Inspire them to be strong and full ask unanimous consent the Democratic indicating they want to participate as of courage, ever confident in Your leader and I be allowed to give our we work on legislation that can bring grace and mercy. leader remarks at this time. relief from ObamaCare. In that letter, We pray in Your strong Name. Amen. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without they acknowledged the need to ‘‘im- objection, it is so ordered. prove and reform the health care sys- f WELCOMING KENTUCKY VETERANS TO OUR tem.’’ NATION’S CAPITAL After 8 years of defending this failing Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, law and its higher costs, reduced PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE today it is my privilege to welcome a choices, and dropped coverage, I am The President pro tempore led the distinguished group of Kentuckians to glad to hear that Senate Democrats are Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: our Nation’s Capital. Because of the in- finally willing to concede that the sta- I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the credible work of the Honor Flight Pro- tus quo is simply unsustainable. I ap- United States of America, and to the Repub- gram, over 80 World War II, Korea, and preciate their willingness to acknowl- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, Vietnam veterans from across my edge that ObamaCare hasn’t lived up to indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. home State will travel to Washington. its promises. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S2851 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:23 May 11, 2017 Jkt 069060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A10MY6.000 S10MYPT1 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with SENATE S2852 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 10, 2017 That is certainly a reality that Sen- That is why we continue to engage in tor nominee. As I said yesterday, once ate Republicans entirely agree with. It productive conversations with each the Senate receives a nomination to is why we are working to keep our Member of our caucus on the way for- fill this position, we will look forward commitment to the American people to ward on providing relief from to a full, fair, and timely confirmation move beyond the failures of ObamaCare. I look forward to con- process. This is a critical role that is ObamaCare. tinuing these talks and welcoming our particularly important as our country If our friends on the other side of the Democratic colleagues to the conversa- continues to face serious threats at aisle want to join us in replacing tion if they are ready to join us. It cer- home and abroad. ObamaCare with commonsense re- tainly is an important step for the en- RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY LEADER forms, I welcome their input. It is dis- tire Democratic caucus to acknowledge The PRESIDING OFFICER. The appointing that it has taken our Demo- that the status quo is failing the Amer- Democratic leader is recognized. cratic colleagues this long to come ican people and that Congress cannot FIRING OF JAMES COMEY around, but I look forward to hearing sit by while Americans suffer the con- Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, yes- their ideas now, and I look forward to sequences of this failed law. terday the President fired the Director joining in a robust debate on the Sen- REMOVAL OF JAMES COMEY of the FBI, Jim Comey, who was lead- ate floor as we pursue smarter Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, one ing an active investigation into the healthcare solutions. final matter, whatever one thinks of Trump campaign’s possible collusion As we continue working to address the manner in which Director James with Russia. this critical issue, it is important to Comey handled the investigation into The President provided no reasoning remember why we need to act in the Secretary Clinton’s unauthorized use for the firing other than he had the first place. Across the country, more of a private server and her mishandling recommendation of his Attorney Gen- and more Americans are feeling the of classified information, it is clear eral—who has already had to recuse pain of ObamaCare. Listen to these re- what our Democratic colleagues himself from the Russia investigation cent headlines. thought of it—both at that time and for being too close to the President— Thousands of Obamacare Customers Left consistently thereafter. and his Deputy Attorney General, Rod Without Options As Insurers Bolt. Last year, the current Democratic Rosenstein. More Insurers Abandon Obamacare: Who leader said it appeared to be an ‘‘ap- There is little reason to think Mr. Might Be Next? palling act,’’ one that he said ‘‘goes Rosenstein’s letter is the true reason Obamacare Choices Could Go From One to President Trump fired Director Comey. Zero in Some Areas. against the tradition of prosecutors at every level of government,’’ and the Why? Because if the administration ObamaCare is failing the American truly had objections to the way Direc- people, and it keeps getting worse. prior Democratic leader, when asked if James Comey should resign given his tor Comey handled the Clinton inves- Families face skyrocketing premiums, tigation, they would have had them the fewer choices, and the risk of losing conduct of the investigation, replied ‘‘[o]f course, yes.’’ minute the President got into office, the doctors or plans they like. Just but he didn’t fire Director Comey then. this week, we saw even more troubling It is also clear what our Democratic colleagues think of the man who evalu- The question is, Why did it happen news out of States like Maryland, last night? We know Director Comey where one major insurer proposed a ated Mr. Comey’s professional conduct and concluded that the Bureau needed was leading an investigation into premium increase of more than 50 per- whether the Trump campaign colluded cent, warning that the ObamaCare a change in leadership. The Democratic leader just a few weeks ago praised Mr. with the Russians, a serious offense. market is ‘‘in the early stages of a Were those investigations getting too death spiral.’’ Rosenstein for his independence and said he had developed a reputation for close to home for the President? We saw similar stories out of Con- The dismissal of Director Comey es- integrity. necticut too. There, insurers have also tablishes a very troubling pattern. This What we have now is our Democratic requested double-digit increases, which administration has now removed sev- colleagues complaining about the re- could top out at 52 percent amid wor- eral law enforcement officials in a posi- moval of an FBI Director whom they ries that the last two insurers on the tion to conduct independent investiga- themselves repeatedly and sharply exchanges ‘‘may leave.’’ tions of the President and his adminis- criticized; that removal being done by These States aren’t alone.