S1064 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 29, 2016 they have worked with Senators from agencies and law enforcement—we can chairs have traditionally wielded im- across the aisle to advance this legisla- help end this crisis once and for all. I mense power—from President Martin tion through the legislative process. It look forward to taking the next step Van Buren, when he was in the Senate, is thanks to their hard work that we toward that objective later today. to Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Arlen are debating this bipartisan bill today. f Specter, and Senator JOE BIDEN. The junior Senator from Ohio has Judiciary Committee chairmen have called CARA the only bipartisan legis- RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY historically prized their independence lation that includes a comprehensive LEADER and guarded it at all costs from being and evidence-based approach to help The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- manhandled for partisan purposes. It communities combat this epidemic. It pore. The Democratic leader is recog- was so independent, in fact, that past would strengthen prescription drug nized. chairmen have stood firm in the face of monitoring programs, it would improve f opposition from Presidents and Senate treatment initiatives, it would expand leadership. prevention and education, and it would FILLING THE SUPREME COURT At crucial times in American his- give law enforcement more of the tools VACANCY tory, the Senate and the Nation have it needs to fight back against this epi- Mr. REID. Madam President, ‘‘His- looked to the Judiciary Committee to demic. tory won’t forget this misstep by do the right thing. During the Civil It is no wonder this bipartisan legis- Grassley,’’ this poster says. ‘‘History War, Chairman Lyman Trumbull of Il- lation is supported by more than 130 won’t forget this misstep by Grassley.’’ linois and his committee authored the national anti-drug groups. In a recent That is from the Burlington Hawk Eye, Thirteenth Amendment. The Thir- letter, they noted the only way to Iowa’s oldest newspaper. That is what teenth Amendment abolished slavery ‘‘stop and reverse current trends’’ was they said. It is the headline from the during the Civil War. We know that with a comprehensive approach, such during that period of time there was as that included in the Comprehensive oldest newspaper, as I indicated—the Burlington Hawk Eye. great consternation as to what should Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015, be done. Even the great President Lin- that leverages evidence-based law en- The misstep referenced here is the unprecedented statement by the senior coln had trouble deciding what should forcement and health care services, in- be done during the early days of the cluding treatment. Senator from Iowa and the Republican Civil War. So this bill takes the kind of com- leader to deny the President the right In 1889, Chairman George Hoar of prehensive approach that is needed and to fill the current Supreme Court va- Massachusetts and his committee at the same time, as these groups also cancy. The article ends with this dec- drafted the Sherman Antitrust Act, re- noted in their letter, ‘‘the cost of the laration: bill is kept low’’ with ‘‘no impact on A few weeks back, when the longest- fusing to give in to the special inter- mandatory spending.’’ tenured U.S. Senator from Iowa passed a ests of Carnegie, Vanderbilt, and the I ask colleagues to join with us in vote that gave him the record of most con- Rockefeller monopolies. That was big- working to pass this bipartisan author- secutive votes in the Senate, we lauded his time independence. ization bill. We will also have opportu- service to us. We noted in casting votes on In 1937, Chairman Henry Ashurst matters before the Senate, he was doing from Arizona, who was born in nities through the appropriations proc- what Iowans elected him to do. We gave ess this spring to continue important Winnemucca, NV, led his committee in Grassley an attaboy for that. We take it standing firm against President Frank- funding, just as we did last year. In- back. deed, just a few months ago we appro- lin D. Roosevelt’s attempt to pack the ‘‘We take it back.’’ That is a blis- Supreme Court. Chairman Ashurst was priated $400 million to opioid-specific tering statement, a revealing state- programs—nearly one-third more than a Democrat, just like President Roo- ment, a substantive statement. ‘‘We sevelt. Yet Ashurst and his committee what the Senate appropriated the pre- take it back.’’ ceding year—and we understand that maintained their independence, even There is a lesson that Senator GRASS- all $400 million of those funds still re- against the wishes of Senate Majority LEY and my Republican colleagues Leader Alben Barkley, a longtime Sen- mains available to be spent today. should learn from this editorial. By re- That is right. All $400 million remains ator who became Vice President later. fusing to give President Obama’s Su- Imagine that. He was the Senate ma- available to be spent. preme Court nominee a meeting, a I sincerely hope our friends across jority leader. He was from Kentucky. hearing or a vote, they are abandoning the aisle will join us in supporting this Imagine that Judiciary Committee the oath of office they swore when they legislation to address our national cri- chair standing up to a majority leader became Senators. This abdication of sis. This is an important bill for each from Kentucky. of us in this Chamber, and I look for- their constitutional responsibilities The accomplishments of these power- ward to taking action today to get us will epitomize their work as Senators. ful chairmen and many others are the closer to seeing it become law. I have Whatever they may have accomplished historic models against which the sen- talked about the urgency and the during their careers will be secondary ior Senator from Iowa will be meas- multifaceted complexity associated to their decision to place electoral pol- ured. If he keeps his current obstruc- with this epidemic, and I want to un- itics over their job. tion, history will not be kind to his derline the hard work being done in the Remember that our job here is to tenure as chairman of the committee. Senate to address it. vote. That is what we swore to do—to As of today, the chairman has yielded The chairs of the Judiciary Com- follow the Constitution. And the Con- his committee’s long-held authority mittee and the Health, Education, stitution couldn’t be clearer on this and independence to the Republican Labor, and Pensions Committee, whom issue. So the stakes should even be leader for the sole purpose of weak- I recognized earlier, have been looking higher for Senator GRASSLEY and the ening President Obama, of weakening at ways to both improve law enforce- other Republican Senators. Why? Be- the Presidency of the United States, ment tools and increase education and cause as chairman of the Judiciary and obstructing the Senate’s work. awareness respectively. The chair of Committee, Senator GRASSLEY presides The chairman has turned the impar- the Committee on Finance has, as his over one of the most important and tial reputation of the Judiciary Com- committee explored in a hearing last prestigious committees in the entire mittee into an extension of the Trump week, been focused on how this issue Senate. This has been the case for 200 campaign. Just last month Chairman affects our child welfare system. And of years—200 years. GRASSLEY spoke at a rally for Donald course, we again recognize the coopera- The Senate Judiciary Committee was Trump in Iowa. At that rally, the tion of Members of both parties—chairs established 200 years ago. In 1816, it chairman said: was one of the original 11 standing and ranking members and a bipartisan We’ve had this trend going this way, away list of sponsors on both sides of the committees. Twenty decades have from the basic principles that established aisle. passed. That is how long the com- our government. And so we have an oppor- Working together across the aisle— mittee has been in operation. Through- tunity, once again, to make America great with State and local governments, out history, Judiciary Committee again.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:27 Mar 01, 2016 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G29FE6.002 S29FEPT1 smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with SENATE February 29, 2016 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1065 Before I close, let’s remember what considers important judicial nominees, ecessors and give President Obama’s he said: ‘‘We’ve had this trend going especially—especially—someone to fill Supreme Court nominee a meeting, a this way, away from the basic prin- a vacancy on the Supreme Court. As hearing, and a vote. He simply should ciples that established our govern- Senate Judiciary chair, the senior Sen- do his job. If he doesn’t, history will ment.’’ ator from Iowa has a job to do. I re- never forget this unprecedented My friend from Iowa would do well to peat, my criticism is not personal. It is misstep. History will never forget this look at his own committee as it trends professional and it is substantive. misstep by Senator GRASSLEY. away from—again, the quote, ‘‘away The senior Senator from Iowa out- I yield the floor. from the basic principles that estab- lined that job himself when he assumed Madam President, I ask the Chair to lished our government.’’ That is what the chairmanship of the Judiciary announce the business for the day. the Senator from Iowa said at the Committee. When he took over as f Trump rally. chairman, he promised Republicans Even now, he and his committee are would ‘‘restore the Senate to the delib- RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME wasting millions in taxpayer dollars erative body that the founders in- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- developing partisan opposition re- tended.’’ Listen to that. That is what pore. Under the previous order, the search on Secretary Clinton. It has he said, to ‘‘restore the Senate to the leadership time is reserved. been going on for many months, more deliberative body that the founders in- than a year, including asking for ma- tended.’’ That is a quote. f ternity leave records for staffers and Another quote. He said he took the MORNING BUSINESS time sheets from her office—just basic responsibility of ‘‘vetting of nominees The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- staff people. For months, Senator for lifetime appointments to the fed- pore. Under the previous order, the GRASSLEY blocked the confirmation of eral judiciary very seriously.’’ Senate will be in a period of morning vital State Department officials, even The senior Senator from Iowa is fail- business until 5 p.m., with Senators career Foreign Service officers who are ing this commitment that he made to permitted to speak therein for up to 10 here, so we could give them a raise himself. He made it. He made the com- minutes each. after their valiant service all around mitment to ‘‘restore the Senate to the The Senator from West Virginia. the world. He held that up, and people deliberative body that the founders in- couldn’t understand it. It had nothing tended.’’ The Founders are the people f to do with Secretary Clinton. He did it who wrote the Constitution. He is the first chair of this important committee COMPREHENSIVE ADDICTION AND as a way to weaken the Presidency of RECOVERY BILL President Obama. What he has done is to take the unprecedented step of re- damage U.S. diplomacy worldwide. fusing to meet, conduct hearings or Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, as Election day is more than 8 months hold a vote on a Supreme Court nomi- we are all sadly aware, the United away, but it is affecting nearly every nation. He is following the Republican States is experiencing an epidemic of action taken by the Grassley Judiciary leader’s call to refuse the President’s drug overdose deaths. The statistics Committee. There is much more at nominee a meeting, a hearing or a are just startling. Since 2000, the rate stake than Senator GRASSLEY’s reputa- vote. The senior Senator from Iowa, of of deaths from drug overdoses has in- tion. When the committee’s independ- all people, should know how important creased 137 percent, including a 200-per- ence is threatened by partisan politics, a vote is. cent increase in overdose deaths attrib- the future of this institution hangs in My friend has a lot of rollcall votes, uted to the use of opioids. the balance, and when the Senate is 7,545 consecutive votes as of today, but West Virginia has the unfortunate undermined, our democracy is under- what good are 7,500 consecutive votes if distinction of leading the Nation in mined. Future generations will suffer you simply sweep the votes you don’t drug-related overdose deaths—more irreparably if the Senator from Iowa like to take under the rug? It taints than twice the national average. As I continues to do the bidding of the Re- this achievement. If he doesn’t like travel across the State, I hear con- publican leader and the Donald Trumps President Obama’s nominee, then he stantly about the devastation caused of the new Republican Party. doesn’t have to vote for the nominee, by this epidemic. West Virginia com- Senator GRASSLEY and I have worked but don’t run from a hard vote. Don’t munities are grappling with the seri- together for three decades. I served a hide. What good is a chairmanship if it ousness and pain of addiction. No fam- couple terms in the House. Then I came is just a rubberstamp for partisan poli- ily or community—mine included—is here. My seat was way back there. tics? What good is a chairmanship if it immune from this pain. When I gave my maiden speech, my is used to weaken the Senate and dis- As one of my constituents put it, first speech, I talked about the Tax- rupt our Constitution’s system of ‘‘We must give our young people a rea- payer Bill of Rights, an idea I had in checks and balances? And that is what son not to start using something that the House and I couldn’t get past first it does. robs them of everything they have.’’ base. Last week the Des Moines Register Other West Virginians have bravely Presiding in the Senate that day was published an open letter from one of shared their family’s stories of addic- Senator David Pryor from Arkansas, Senator GRASSLEY’s former employees. tion’s pain with me. In the powerful who was chairman of the subcommittee It was stunning. He worked in the Sen- words of one of my constituents, ‘‘It on the Internal Revenue Service. Sen- ate. This man’s words capture what is only takes a few seconds to use drugs— ator GRASSLEY was also listening. They at stake: but a lifetime to fight.’’ both contacted me. In fact, I received a The institution of the Senate has managed Drug addiction is a diseases that note from Senator Pryor and a call to perform its constitutional obligations for knows no boundaries, and West Vir- well over 200 years. Every single nominee for from Senator GRASSLEY saying: I like ginia is certainly not alone in this the Supreme Court that has not withdrawn that legislation. I will work to help from consideration has received a vote with- fight. My colleagues in the Senate—in- you. And they did, and we got that in 125 days. Today, I feel nothing but shame cluding, I am sure, the Acting Presi- passed. So I have nothing personal for the fact that my senator, my former dent pro tempore—return each week against Senator GRASSLEY. I like him. friend, will be bringing that unbroken his- with similar stories. No matter our po- He helped me pass something that was tory to an end. litical party, we should all agree on landmark legislation as a brandnew That was the headline last week in one thing, we must act to change these freshman Senator, but today, as a U.S. the Des Moines Register, Iowa’s largest horrifying statistics and to save lives. Senator, I have a duty to speak when newspaper. Some steps have already been taken the Republican Senate refuses to follow I hope the chairman of the Judiciary to address this drug epidemic. The ap- its constitutional obligations to pro- Committee doesn’t continue down this propriations bill we passed last Decem- vide advice and consent on the Presi- path. It will not benefit him, his com- ber included funding to expand preven- dent’s Supreme Court nomination. mittee, the Senate, the State of Iowa tion efforts. It included improved data As a Senator, I have a duty to de- or this great country. Instead, he collection and new treatment services, mand that the Judiciary Committee should follow the examples of his pred- training for our servicemembers who

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