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, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2017 No. 209 Senate The Senate met at 10:01 a.m. and was Senator from the State of Alabama, to per- provide students with tuition-free edu- called to order by the Honorable LU- form the duties of the Chair. cation. They chose to do it after the THER STRANGE, a Senator from the ORRIN G. HATCH, same provision had already passed the State of Alabama. President pro tempore. Senate before we went to conference. Mr. STRANGE thereupon assumed f They didn’t have to raise this chal- the Chair as Acting President pro tem- lenge. It is not required. They chose to. PRAYER pore. In the process, they knowingly hurt The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- f schools that provide tuition-free edu- cation to students who can’t otherwise fered the following prayer: RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY afford to go to college. Let us pray. LEADER Answer us, Eternal One, as we lift Let me give you an example. Berea our hearts to You. Have mercy upon The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- College, in my home State of Ken- our lawmakers and hear their prayers. pore. The majority leader is recog- tucky, is dedicated to educating stu- Remind them that You have set apart nized. dents from the Appalachian region who the godly for Yourself, surrounding f have limited economic resources—in other words, poor kids from Appa- them with the shield of Your favor. TAX REFORM BILL May they never forget that You alone lachia. Their students’ average house- can keep a nation safe. Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, hold income is less than $30,000 a year. Lord, lead them on the path that will throughout this process of tax reform, These are kids from families making bring them to abundant life, telling Senate Republicans explained time and less than $30,000 a year. They are from them what to do and showing them again that we are fighting for the mid- Appalachia, and their families don’t which way to turn. As Hanukkah ended dle class. Our opponents lobbed one at- have the means to pay for their edu- last evening and Christmas approaches, tack after another, claiming we were cation. may Your blessings and peace rest on selling hard-working families short. Of Here is what they do at Berea. Every our Nation and world. course, that is completely wrong. The single student receives a scholarship, We pray in Your Holy Name. Amen. tax bill we passed was written to help which covers the cost of their tuition— middle-class families from the very be- every student. The students work at f ginning. Our goal was to make their the school and in their communities to PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE taxes lower, simpler, and fairer. help cover additional living expenses Under our legislation, the typical beyond the costs of attending school. The Presiding Officer led the Pledge family of four making the median fam- In fact, the vast majority of Berea stu- of Allegiance, as follows: ily income can expect nearly $2,000 in dents are able to graduate debt-free be- I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the tax relief next year. Just yesterday, we cause of the model. For example, they United States of America, and to the Repub- saw that tax reform has already in- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, have a great restaurant there. You go indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. spired job creators to increase take- there and eat lunch. The kids are cook- home pay for thousands of their em- ing, and they are serving. They are f ployees. Yet not a single Democrat working their way through school. APPOINTMENT OF ACTING joined us to pass this tax relief for When they graduate, they don’t have PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE American families. any debt. What is worse, just before we voted, Berea College, located in one of the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate Democrats raised a point of most economically challenged areas of clerk will please read a communication order that proved who is really going my State, offers a quality education to to the Senate from the President pro after low-income families. When given students with the greatest financial tempore (Mr. HATCH). the chance, Senate Democrats, led by need, and it has done so since 1855— The senior assistant legislative clerk the junior Senator from Vermont, 1855. It was founded by abolitionists. read the following letter: raised a procedural challenge to strike In fact, as my friend in the Chair U.S. SENATE, out a provision that protects colleges knows, I am originally from his State. PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, that provide students with tuition-free Let me tell you about when I first Washington, DC, December 21, 2017. To the Senate: education. Let me say it again. The heard of Berea College. My grand- Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, junior Senator from Vermont raised a mother and my grandfather had an Af- of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby procedural challenge to strike out a rican-American family who helped appoint the Honorable LUTHER STRANGE, a provision that protects colleges that them around the house, and they had ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S8187 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:49 Dec 21, 2017 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A21DE6.000 S21DEPT1 S8188 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 21, 2017 an adopted daughter. I was a little kid, is free college to everyone except at Republicans agree. We support a pro- and I remember them talking about Berea College, where it is already free, vision that would fund CHIP not just her going to college. thanks to generations of donors who for a few weeks but for 5 years. Unfor- I said: Where are you going? built their endowment. tunately, our Democratic colleagues She said: I am going to Berea. I am at a loss for words. I don’t un- are unwilling to make that commit- I said: Where is that? derstand how they can claim to fight ment to American families. Thus far, She said: It is up in Kentucky. for students one moment and then they have opposed all of our efforts to It was the closest college that would make it harder for students to afford include 5 years of CHIP funding in this take African-American students at college the next. They chose to attack week’s agreement. Whatever partisan that time. Since they didn’t have the the tax bill by any means necessary, politics are leading my colleagues on means to pay for the tuition, it was a even though they knew the outcome the other side to this mystifying con- great opportunity to get a tuition-free and, in the process, launched a direct clusion, it is time to put them aside education. attack on the ability of schools like and do right by our constituents. I A few years ago, I called the presi- Berea to provide tuition-free education hope we can all work together and give dent of Berea College and said: I would to needy students. Americans the peace of mind they de- like to try to locate somebody. This action by Senate Democrats is serve, particularly going into the He said: Well, the privacy rules are deeply disappointing and will provide Christmas season. such that all I can do is to see if we can real and lasting harm. I hope my f find them and see if they want to meet friends on the other side of the aisle re- TRIBUTE TO LUTHER STRANGE you. alize the American people will see their I said: That is fair enough. This partisan tactics for what they really Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, on would be a person about a certain age, are—an attack on low-income students a completely different matter, I would who would have originally been from who want to pursue opportunity and like to say a few words in tribute to a Athens, AL. If you can identify this find success. fine colleague whose all-too-brief time student, I would love to meet her. A number of my colleagues in Con- in the Senate will soon draw to a close. He did. When she came to my office gress have said they are interested in Senator LUTHER STRANGE of Alabama in the Capitol with her daughter, who fixing this problem, including my col- is the newest Member of this body, lives in the area, I found out that she league from Kentucky, Congressman having been sworn in just this past graduated from Berea and went on to ANDY BARR. I am committed to work- February, but he did not waste any be a nurse. She lived in the north most ing with him and other Members of time in making an impact. In this his- of her life and is now relocated in Ath- Congress, and with schools like Berea, toric year for the Senate, LUTHER ens, AL. to help right this wrong. It is hard not quickly emerged as a strong voice on This is Berea College. This is the col- to repeat. This amendment was offered policy and an important vote on land- lege these guys over here—every single by the man who wanted to provide mark legislation.