S5042 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 7, 2017 was 2 years old. Brandon goes to col- The legislative clerk proceeded to dent Obama’s Acting Solicitor General lege and studies every day to be an ar- call the roll. in the previous administration. Never- chitect, and he makes straight A’s. He Mr. LEE. Mr. President, I ask unani- theless, at Ms. Barrett’s confirmation holds down a job to help support his mous consent that the order for the hearing, a number of my colleagues in- family with medical bills and volun- quorum call be rescinded. sinuated that her Catholic faith would teers in his community. Brandon is The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without somehow prevent her from applying grateful for the DACA Program that objection, it is so ordered. the law freely and fairly. has given him the opportunity to work f Here is an actual quote from that and pay taxes. Yes, he is grateful to hearing: ‘‘Dogma and law are two dif- RELIGIOUS TESTS pay taxes. ferent things,’’ remarked one of my This President continues to divide Mr. LEE. Mr. President, I have been colleagues. ‘‘When you read your our country like no other President we doing a lot of thinking lately about the speeches, the conclusion one draws is have known. Every day it is clear that fascinating men and women of Amer- that the dogma lives loudly within his values are not in line with ours. I ica’s founding generation. I want to you, and that is a concern.’’ increasingly believe he is not fit to share with you one of their stories. Another one of my colleagues even lead this great Nation. Jonas Phillips was a penniless Jewish went so far as to ask Professor Barrett His campaign began with anti-immi- immigrant to America. He was an in- to confess her faith under oath in the grant and racist rhetoric. He accused dentured servant, a hard-working busi- committee. ‘‘What is an orthodox Mexican immigrants of being rapists nessman, and an American patriot who Catholic?’’ this committee member and criminals, and his bigoted words served in the Philadelphia militia dur- asked. ‘‘Do you consider yourself an or- have never stopped. He called for a wall ing the Revolutionary War. During the thodox Catholic?’’ along the entire border with Mexico—a British occupation of New York City, If these remarks had been some sort wall that would cost billions of tax dol- he sneaked messages past the censors of bizarre, one-time aberration, I prob- lars and which border communities by writing notes in Yiddish, under- ably would have passed them over in si- don’t want. He called for a ban on Mus- standing that his adversaries wouldn’t lence. But I feel compelled to speak out lim refugees—turning our backs on be able to understand or decipher it because I wondered whether a pattern people who are fighting terrorism and easily. might be emerging—a pattern of hos- who value the freedoms that we have Years later, Phillips addressed a let- tility toward people of faith who come here in the United States. He tacitly ter to George Washington and to other before this body. accepted the support of the Ku Klux delegates at the Constitutional Con- Just a few months ago, another emi- Klan, neo-Nazis, and bigots in Char- vention assembled in Philadelphia. He nently qualified nominee, Russell lottesville. He pardoned a law enforce- urged the delegates not to include a re- Vought, appeared before the Budget ment officer who terrorized the Latino ligious test in the Constitution as any Committee to be considered for a post community in Maricopa County, AZ, kind of requirement for service for the in the Office of Management and Budg- with unconstitutional raids and who Federal Government because no man, et. One of my Senate colleagues used forced detainees into inhumane living he wrote, should be ‘‘deprived or his time to question this nominee, not situations. Joe Arpaio is not a ‘‘good abridged of any civil right, as a citizen, about management or about budgets guy’’ as President Trump called him. on account of his religious senti- but about the nominee’s evangelical Joe Arpaio is the criminal. ments.’’ Christian beliefs. This President doesn’t seem to Jonas Phillips wrote this letter for a ‘‘In your judgment,’’ asked this Sen- value—let alone embody—the prin- reason. He wrote this because Pennsyl- ator, ‘‘do you think that people who ciples that America stands for, and vania, the State where he lived, re- are not Christians are going to be con- now he wants to kick out of the coun- quired officials to swear that the New demned?’’ Mr. Vought explained to the try young people who do value this Testament was inspired by God. As a committee that he is an evangelical country—like Carlos. Carlos was brought to New Mexico faithful Jewish person, Jonas Phillips Christian and that he adheres to the from Mexico when he was less than 1 could not do that. beliefs espoused by evangelical Chris- year old. New Mexico is the only home ‘‘By the above law,’’ he wrote, ‘‘a Jew tians. That apparently wasn’t good he has known. Because of Carlos’s im- is deprived of holding any public office enough for the questioner, who later migration status, his opportunities or place of government.’’ stated that he would vote against Mr. were limited. He couldn’t play sports in Thankfully, Jonas Phillips’ letter— Vought’s nomination because he was school, couldn’t go on field trips, even Jonas Phillips’ prayer—ultimately not ‘‘what this country is supposed to though he pledged allegiance to the would be answered. The Convention be about.’’ United States with his classmates. had voted unanimously to ban religious This is disturbing. This is not what Carlos registered with DACA 2 years tests for Federal office. The language the country is supposed to be about— ago and, in his words, he was given the Framers inserted into the Con- some sort of inquiry into one’s reli- wings. He is a full-time student at New stitution was unequivocal upon this gious beliefs as a condition precedent Mexico State University, studying to point. It said that ‘‘no religious test for holding public office in the U.S. be a mechanical engineer. He volun- shall ever be required as a qualification Government. These strange questions teers as a firefighter. He works as a to any office or public trust under the have nothing to do with the nominee’s server at a local restaurant. He began a United States.’’ competence, patriotism, or ability to drive to help Hurricane Harvey vic- When the Founding Fathers wrote serve among and for Americans of dif- tims. Carlos says: the word ‘‘ever,’’ they meant it. That ferent faiths equally. In fact, they have We as DREAMers have proven ourselves to word means something in the Constitu- little to do with this life at all. In- be worthy of being here in the United States. tion, and we need to protect it. stead, they have to do with the after- There are 800,000 young people like I feel the need to stress this point be- life—what comes after we die in this Roxana, Brandon, and Carlos hoping to cause of the conduct of some of my col- life. To my knowledge, the OMB and do their part to make our country leagues. Yesterday a Notre Dame law the Seventh Circuit have no jurisdic- strong. By any measure, DACA has professor, Amy Coney Barrett, came tion over that. been a huge success. We already have before the Senate Judiciary Committee This country is divided enough. Mil- the outlines of a program that works on which I serve. She had been nomi- lions of Americans feel that Wash- for America. We in Congress must roll nated as a prominent legal scholar and ington, DC, and the dominant culture up our sleeves and make this program lawyer in this country to be nominated despises them, and how can they not the law of the land, and we must make as a circuit judge. That is why she was when they see their leaders sitting here sure that America truly does belong to before our committee. grilling patriotic citizens about their Roxana and all of our Dreamers. Her nomination has been endorsed by faith like inquisitors. How can they I suggest the absence of a quorum. prominent legal scholars from across not feel that their values are not wel- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The the political spectrum and across the come in this Chamber within this gov- clerk will call the roll. country, including Neal Katyal, Presi- ernment?

VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:54 Sep 08, 2017 Jkt 069060 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G07SE6.034 S07SEPT1 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with SENATE September 7, 2017 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S5043 Religious freedom is of deep concern be brought to bear; that is, the type of tion reform. There were Dreamers to me as a Mormon. Members of the discrimination brought about by gov- there. They were there late at night Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ernments against individuals. and had tears streaming down their Saints have weathered extraordinary At a minimum, this body can do its faces. Then I think about the time that religious persecution. Much of it, espe- part by respecting the constitutional President Obama put DACA into place cially initially, was sponsored by gov- rights of citizens who come before it. and made it so that they could come ernment actors. Lest we forget, we work for them, not forward, sign up, and legally work. The first Latter-day Saints were ex- the other way around. I trust my col- Now we are going to turn our backs on iled from home to home. In 1838, the leagues—Republicans, Democrats, and those same people, those people who Governor of Missouri ordered that Mor- Independents—will take this to heart were brought here through no fault of mons be driven from the land or because religious freedom puts all their own. Whether or not the current ‘‘exterminated.’’ And yes, that is an ac- Americans on the same footing. It administration disagrees with the past tual quote. helps men and women stand upright, administration, our country made a Our first leader, Joseph Smith, once honest before the law and before God. commitment to them that they could said: ‘‘The civil magistrate should pun- I yield the floor. sign up for this program. Back when we ish guilt but never suppress the free- I suggest the absence of a quorum. passed comprehensive immigration re- dom of souls.’’ The PRESIDING OFFICER. The form, I felt that our committee—the That, of course, was before he was clerk will call the roll. Senators who voted for that bill, both martyred by a bigoted, angry mob. The assistant bill clerk proceeded to Democrats and Republicans—made a Our country’s ban on religious tests call the roll. commitment to them that day that we is a strong bulwark for religious free- Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I were going to work on their behalf. dom. As an original provision of the ask unanimous consent that the order That is why this is so wrong. Constitution, this ban against religious for the quorum call be rescinded. I do appreciate that this morning the tests predates even the Bill of Rights, The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without President said that he wants to work and it applies not to just some reli- objection, it is so ordered. to pass this bill and that he said the gious adherents but to all of them f DACA young people do not have to equally. DACA worry over the next 6 months about The religious tests raised against Mr. any actions taken against them. Those Vought and Professor Barrett do not Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I are, of course, good things. I just wish favor one sect of Christianity over an- am here today to talk about the DACA this had not happened in this way, but other as was sadly common for much of Program, the Deferred Action for it did. our Nation’s history. Rather, these par- Childhood Arrivals Program, which is I am also not surprised that so many ticular inquiries tend to favor the sec- very important in my State. We actu- people have stood up in support of Sen- ular, progressive creed clung to so con- ally have 6,000 kids who have gone ator DURBIN and Senator GRAHAM’s fidently by many of our Nation’s ruling through that program. bill, that so many Republicans, Demo- elites. This creed has its own clerics, As we all know, 800,000 young people crats, leaders in business, leaders in its own dogmas, its own orthodoxy, and who have lived in the United States labor, and religious leaders have stood as these nominees have discovered, it since childhood are included and af- up. has its own heresies as well. fected by this recent action by the ad- As we discuss the fate of these young More and more, the adherents of this ministration, which I strongly oppose. people under DACA, I am reminded of creed seek to use the power of govern- These Dreamers were brought to the someone who is not young—Joseph Me- ment to steamroll favored groups, espe- United States as children through no dina, who is a decorated Army veteran cially dissenters, from their own per- fault of their own and are working hard and an immigrant who just celebrated sonal political dogmas. So they force to educate themselves and contribute his 103rd birthday this July. He is 103 evangelical caterers to bake cakes to our Nation. In fact, more than 97 years old. When I found him, he was a celebrating same-sex marriages, as is percent of DACA recipients are now in young 99 years old. The reason I found the case that is now before the Su- school or in the workforce, and all him was that we were talking about preme Court of the United States, and DACA recipients are required to meet this very issue—about DACA and about they force nuns to purchase contracep- the program’s education requirements. kids, actually, today who want to serve tive coverage—nuns. They sue religious One recent study found that 72 percent in the military. As we know, through hospitals that will not perform abor- of all DACA recipients who are cur- various ways, some of the DACA kids tions or sex reassignment surgeries for rently in school are pursuing a bach- are courageously serving in our mili- religious reasons. Yes, the secular pro- elor’s degree or higher. According to tary right now. Of course, they will not gressive creed has proved that it is ca- the American Association of Medical be able to if they are deported, but just pable of triumphalism and intolerance, Colleges, more than 100 students with think that we are actually considering just as the creeds that have gone before DACA status applied to medical school deporting people who are currently it, not because its own adherents are last year. serving in our military. uniquely wicked—to the contrary, be- The young people who have benefited In any case, let’s go back 103 years cause they are human. from DACA have often been in our ago or so—actually, maybe a little be- There is a way out of this vicious country almost their entire lives after fore that. Joseph Medina came to the cycle of religious intolerance, and it is having been brought here as children. United States from Mexico when he a way that we have to find. That is for They are valuable members of our com- was only 5 years old. He did not actu- all of us to treat one another with ci- munity, and they have contributed to ally know he was born outside of our vility and respect while jealously de- our economy and to the fabric of our country. He had been brought across fending the rights of conscience for society. In fact, one recent study esti- the border as an orphan by his aunt ourselves, our neighbors, and all of our mated that ending this policy would and his stepfather, and he did not know fellow citizens—for Christians, Jews, cost the country over $400 billion over that he had been born outside of the Muslims, atheists, agnostics, and ev- the next 10 years. United States. He had lived his whole eryone else. Ending DACA, which has been in life in Sleepy Eye, MN, until he was in This body can do its part by sup- place since 2012, would create tremen- an Army boot camp in 1944. At that porting legislation like the First dous uncertainty and risk deportation time, Joseph Medina wanted to serve Amendment Defense Act and the Mar- for nearly 800,000 Dreamers who are our country, but he found out that he riage and Religious Freedom Act, studying and working across our Na- actually was undocumented. which would protect the people who tion. In his own words to me, he said: Well, have conscious objections to recent When I think of the Dreamers, I back then, the Army really wanted us. cultural changes and make sure they think of, first of all, the night that the The Air Force wanted us. The Navy are protected against one of the most Judiciary Committee, on a bipartisan wanted us. Everyone wanted us. brutal forms of discrimination that can basis, passed comprehensive immigra- So what did they do back then?

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