E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 116 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 165 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2019 No. 205 Senate The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was have it, and it seems like up to now consideration of the following nomina- called to order by the President pro there is no way to stop it or cure it, tion, which the clerk will report. tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). but thanks to modern medicine, the The legislative clerk read the nomi- f symptoms can be treated to help pa- nation of Matthew Walden McFarland, tients live a much better life. of Ohio, to be United States District PRAYER Ninety percent of all individuals di- Judge for the Southern District of The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- agnosed with Parkinson’s disease are Ohio. fered the following prayer: on Medicare. Our bill, the bill to reduce The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Let us pray. prescription drug prices, would help ator from Illinois. Eternal God, the giver of every good these seniors afford their medicine TOBACCO TO 21 and perfect gift, help our Senators to with a cap on out-of-pocket expenses. Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, this listen clearly to Your sacred Word and In other words, they would know at the week we are going to be voting on some find wisdom in Your guidance. May beginning of the year that they only appropriation bills. They are rather they remember Your teachings and have to spend x number of dollars on large. They call them minibuses. But courageously follow them. drugs, no more. there will be six or eight appropria- As You guide them along the right Of course, this brings me to what tions bills bunched together, and they path, keep them from stumbling. May Congress should be doing. Congress will include things other than strictly they live such exemplary lives that needs to act, not only for those with spending measures. they will be like sunlight at dawn, Parkinson’s disease, but for all Ameri- One of the areas that will be ad- growing brighter with the passing cans who need our help. dressed is the age that you must reach hours. I yield the floor. to purchase tobacco and vaping mate- Lord, give our lawmakers wisdom to I suggest the absence of a quorum. rials in the United States. It is known carefully guard their thoughts, to The PRESIDING OFFICER. The euphemistically as T–21, and I have strive to speak truthfully, and to clerk will call the roll. supported it for years. The notion of refuse to deviate from integrity. The legislative clerk proceeded to raising the purchasing age to 21 for We pray in Your great Name. Amen. call the roll. these products, to me, just makes f Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask sense. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE unanimous consent that the order for We know that they are addictive. The President pro tempore led the the quorum call be rescinded. Both cigarette tobacco and vaping ma- Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without terials have nicotine in them, a highly I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the objection, it is so ordered. addictive chemical. Raising the age of United States of America, and to the Repub- f purchase across the United States to 21 lic for which it stands, one nation under God, makes sense. indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME But I am disappointed as well. Al- The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under though I originally sponsored this bill, BLACKBURN). The Senator from Iowa. the previous order, the leadership time there have been several revelations in f is reserved. the last few months, which call for us f to move far beyond the idea of estab- PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICING lishing a new age for purchasing these REDUCTION ACT CONCLUSION OF MORNING products, and let me be specific. Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, BUSINESS One of the things we have been work- Senator WYDEN and I received a letter The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning ing on is trying to address the shock- from the Michael J. Fox Foundation business is closed. ing increase in the use of vaping mate- for Parkinson’s Research. Their letter f rials and e-cigarettes by young people endorsed our bipartisan Prescription across America. It has been called a Drug Pricing Reduction Act, which EXECUTIVE SESSION public health epidemic, not by a politi- tries to respond to what we are hearing cian but by the Commissioner of the from our constituents about the public Food and Drug Administration. That outrage over the big increases in pre- EXECUTIVE CALENDAR Commissioner told us, as well as the scription drugs. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under Surgeon General of the United States, Now, it happens with Parkinson’s dis- the previous order, the Senate will pro- that this is an issue that cannot be ig- ease that about 1 million Americans ceed to executive session to resume nored. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S7123 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:01 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A18DE6.000 S18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE S7124 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 18, 2019 Today, we estimate that nearly 30 years to put an end to these kid-friend- issues, but she is the mother of a teen- percent of school-age children are ly flavor pods. ager, and she decided to speak out vaping—more than 5 million kids Well, the tobacco giant Altria—it against vaping. I thanked her. I praised across America. used to be Philip Morris, if I am not her along with the President. They did A group of young high schoolers mistaken—stepped in and bought the the right thing, but now we are not came in to see me from New York last lion’s share of the stock of Juul, the sure where the President is on this sub- week and said: Senator, you are all most prolific producer of vaping de- ject. We are not sure if he is going to wrong. In our schools it is a majority. vices in the United States. continue his effort to end the scourge A majority of the students are Altria knows this business and how of vaping and e-cigarettes. vaping, not only outside of the school, to attract kids because they used to I hope the President comes back to but even in the classroom. They have make Marlboro cigarettes. Remember the position he announced in Sep- hooked up vaping devices to the cloth- that cowboy designed to appeal across tember. We need his help to ban these ing that they are wearing, and when the board, particularly to young smok- flavor pods. the teacher turns his or her back on ers? The recent appointee as FDA Com- the class, they are puffing on their Well, now they have a new gig. It is missioner, Stephen Hahn, has told me vaping materials—their Juuls—and called vaping, e-cigarettes, and Altria personally and many of my colleagues blowing the white vapor into the air of has bought in in a big way. that he thinks this is a serious issue. I the classroom. They have been taking out ads to believe he ought to be given the au- It sounds incredible, but they told me support raising the Federal age to pur- thority to exercise his legal right and it is true and it happens all over the chase tobacco products to 21. power to stop these pods and stop these school—in the restrooms, in the cafe- Wait a minute. A tobacco company devices as quickly as possible. teria, in the classrooms. wants to raise the age for purchasing I yield the floor. The reason it is happening is that so the products? I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The many students are vaping now and it is They do. They see it as inevitable, but it is also part of their market clerk will call the roll. an addiction. As these students con- The legislative clerk proceeded to strategy. That is the same policy I tinue to vape, their appetite for the call the roll. have supported, and I thank my col- product grows. Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I Kids are using these products for leagues Senator SCHATZ and Senator ask unanimous consent that the order many reasons, and I can get into the KAINE for joining in the effort, along for the quorum call be rescinded. psychology of it for a minute, but let with Senator ROMNEY. But what we The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. me dwell on the obvious. have seen is that Altria has invested CRAMER). Without objection, it is so or- The flavors that are being sold on $13 billion to acquire a 35-percent stake dered. these vaping materials are designed for in Juul, which controls more than 70 RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY LEADER them—to attract children to Juul’s percent of the vaping market. Tobacco The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Re- products, to flavors like Cotton Candy, is big in vaping. publican leader is recognized. Altria and Juul together now believe Unicorn Milk—whatever the heck that IMPEACHMENT that if the only thing we do is just is—Cool Mint, Mom’s Sugar Cookies, Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, all and, yes, Menthol.