Congressional Record—Senate S1909
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
April 12, 2016 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1909 understand and appreciate what this Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend I first learned of the threats they are can do for their constituents, what this increased expensing limitations, and for facing, the U.S. Agency for Inter- can do for the American workplace, other purposes. national Development has provided and how we can help small businesses Mitch McConnell, Daniel Coats, Lamar millions of dollars to nongovernmental Alexander, Bob Corker, Roger F. provide the services and benefits they Wicker, Orrin G. Hatch, Thom Tillis, organizations in Indonesia to try to en- need to provide so they can compete in John Hoeven, Kelly Ayotte, John sure their survival in the wild. this very competitive workforce envi- Thune, Mike Rounds, Roy Blunt, John Important progress has been made. ronment. Cornyn, Pat Roberts, John Barrasso, Back when the program started, it was With that, I yield the floor. Johnny Isakson, James M. Inhofe. feared that the orangutan would be ex- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- Mr. MCCONNELL. I ask unanimous tinct in the wild within 15 years if jority leader. consent that the mandatory quorum nothing was done. That has not hap- AMENDMENT NO. 3464, AS AMENDED call be waived. pened, but their survival is far from as- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without sured, as an article in the April 6, 2016, move to table the Thune amendment objection, it is so ordered. edition of the New York Times entitled ‘‘Adapting to Life as Orphans, Fires No. 3464. AMENDMENT NO. 3680 TO AMENDMENT NO. 3679 and Corporate Expansion Threaten In- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I call up donesia’s Orangutans,’’ describes. It re- question is on agreeing to the motion. amendment No. 3680. minded me of what had sparked my at- The motion was agreed to. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The tention 20 years ago and how much AMENDMENT NO. 3679 clerk will report. more there is yet to do. (Purpose: In the nature of a substitute) The senior assistant legislative clerk Orangutans and humans share 97 per- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I read as follows: cent of the same DNA. They are ex- call up substitute amendment No. 3679. The Senator from South Dakota [Mr. traordinarily intelligent animals and The PRESIDING OFFICER. The THUNE] proposes an amendment numbered physically far stronger than humans, 3680 to amendment No. 3679. clerk will report. but today, like all species, their sur- The senior assistant legislative clerk Mr. THUNE. I ask unanimous con- vival depends on humans. read as follows: sent that the reading of the amend- The Indonesian Government has The Senator from Kentucky [Mr. MCCON- ment be dispensed with. taken steps to change people’s atti- NELL], for Mr. THUNE, proposes an amend- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without tudes toward orangutans, so they are ment numbered 3679. objection, it is so ordered. recognized as deserving of protection, Mr. MCCONNELL. I ask unanimous The amendment is as follows: not as pests to be killed or captured consent that the reading of the amend- (Purpose: To strike and replace section 4105) and kept as pets. In many ways, the ment be dispensed with. Strike section 4105 and insert the fol- orangutan is or could be Indonesia’s The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without lowing: equivalent of China’s Giant Pandas objection, it is so ordered. SEC. 4105. ADS-B MANDATE ASSESSMENT. which are protected and admired (The amendment is printed in today’s (a) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 1 year around the world. RECORD under ‘‘Text of Amendments.’’) after the date of enactment of this Act, the Among the biggest threat to orang- CLOTURE MOTION Inspector General of the Department of utans today is the palm oil industry, Transportation shall assess— which is responsible for the destruction Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I (1) Administration and industry readiness send a cloture motion for the sub- of huge areas of tropical forest where to meet the ADS–B mandate by 2020; orangutans live. The fires used to clear stitute amendment to the desk. (2) changes to ADS–B program since May The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clo- 2010; and the forest for the planting of palm oil ture motion having been presented (3) additional options to comply with the trees has caused havoc on the environ- under rule XXII, the Chair directs the mandate and consequences, both for indi- ment and public health, contributing clerk to read the motion. vidual system users and for the overall safe- not only to the destruction of species The bill clerk read as follows: ty and efficiency of the national airspace but widespread drought. system, for noncompliance. The New York Times describes this CLOTURE MOTION (b) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after increasingly precarious situation. I We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- the date the assessment under subsection (a) want to quote a few passages from that ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the is complete, the Inspector General of the De- Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby article: partment of Transportation shall submit to ‘‘The blazes destroyed more than move to bring to a close debate on Senate the appropriate committees of Congress a. amendment No. 3679. report on the progress made toward meeting 10,000 square miles of forests, blan- Mitch McConnell, Daniel Coats, Roger F. the ADS–B mandate by 2020, including any keting large parts of Southeast Asia in Wicker, Roy Blunt, Orrin G. Hatch, recommendations of the Inspector General to a toxic haze for weeks, sickening hun- Thom Tillis, John Hoeven, Rob carry out such mandate. dreds of thousands of people and, ac- Portman, James Lankford, John f cording to the World Bank, causing $16 Thune, Mike Rounds, John Cornyn, billion in economic losses.’’ John Barrasso, Johnny Isakson, James MORNING BUSINESS ‘‘They also killed at least nine orang- M. Inhofe, Jerry Moran, Kelly Ayotte. utans, the endangered apes native to Mr. MCCONNELL. I ask unanimous the rain forests of Borneo and Suma- consent that the mandatory quorum THREAT TO INDONESIA’S ORANGUTANS tra. More than 100, trapped by the loss call be waived. of habitat, had to be relocated. Seven The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, a Decem- orphans, including five infants, were objection, it is so ordered. ber 16, 1997, New York Times article en- rescued and taken to rehabilitation CLOTURE MOTION titled ‘‘Asia’s Forest Fires, Scant centers here.’’ Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I Mercy for Orangutans’’ described the ‘‘Indonesia has approved palm oil send a cloture motion for the bill to widespread illegal logging and slash concessions on nearly 15 million acres the desk. and burn agriculture that posed an ex- of peatlands over the last decade; burn- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clo- istential threat to the orangutan, one ing peat emits high levels of carbon di- ture motion having been presented of the world’s only four species of great oxide and is devilishly hard to extin- under rule XXII, the Chair directs the apes. It was after reading that article guish.’’ clerk to read the motion. and speaking to scientists who had de- ‘‘Multinational palm oil companies, The bill clerk read as follows: voted their lives to saving the orang- pulp and paper businesses, the planta- CLOTURE MOTION utan from extinction that I started a tions that sell to them, farmers and program in the foreign aid budget to We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- even day laborers all contribute to the ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the help protect their rapidly shrinking problem.’’ Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby habitat. ‘‘While it is against Indonesian law move to bring to a close debate on Calendar Orangutans live in only two places on to clear plantations by burning, en- No. 55, H.R. 636, an act to amend the Internal Earth, Borneo and Sumatra, and since forcement is lax. The authorities have VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:19 Apr 13, 2016 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G12AP6.052 S12APPT1 emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with SENATE S1910 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE April 12, 2016 opened criminal investigations against family of four, 4 months of mortgage HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES at least eight companies in connection and utility payments, or 6 months of CALIFORNIA CASUALTIES with last year’s fires, but there has yet rent. Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I to be a single high-profile case to get And the wage gap is even bigger for wish to pay tribute to four service- to court.’’ African-American and Latino women. members from California or based in ‘‘The government in Jakarta, the African-American women are paid just California who have died while serving capital, has recently banned the drain- 63 cents. Hispanic women are paid just our country in Operation Freedom’s ing and clearing of all peatland for ag- 43 cents. We can’t allow this discrimi- Sentinel and in Operation Inherent Re- ricultural use, and it has ordered pro- nation to continue. solve since I last entered names into vincial governments to adopt better Next, I would like to address a long- the RECORD. fire suppression methods. But it has standing myth about the wage gap. TSgt Anthony E. Salazar, 40, of not publicly responded to calls for bet- Some say it exists only because women Hermosa Beach, CA, died April 13, 2015, ter prevention, such as cracking down choose lower-paying professions than at an air base in southwest Asia in a on slash-and-burn operations by large men. For example, women are the vast noncombat related incident.