E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 114 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 162 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2016 No. 137 Senate The Senate met at 3 p.m. and was Senator from the State of Oklahoma, to per- call with respect to the cloture motion called to order by the Honorable JAMES form the duties of the Chair. be waived. LANKFORD, a Senator from the State of ORRIN G. HATCH, The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Oklahoma. President pro tempore. pore. Without objection, it is so or- Mr. LANKFORD thereupon assumed dered. f the Chair as Acting President pro tem- CONTINUING RESOLUTION pore. PRAYER Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, f Members on both sides have been work- The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- ing toward an agreement to respon- fered the following prayer: RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY LEADER sibly fund the government. We have Let us pray. made a lot of important progress al- Almighty God, Ruler of all nations, The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- ready. I expect to move forward this show our lawmakers clearly what their pore. The majority leader is recog- week on a continuing resolution duty is and strengthen them to be nized. through December 9 at last year’s en- faithful in doing it. May they do even f acted levels that includes funds for the small duties in a way that will glo- LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPRO- Zika control and our veterans. Talks rify You, transforming common tasks PRIATIONS ACT, 2017—MOTION TO are continuing and leaders from both into acts of worship. May they fear PROCEED parties will meet later this afternoon only to be disloyal to the highest and at the White House to discuss the Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I best they know, never betraying those progress and the path forward. who trust them. Help them to meet to- move to proceed to H.R. 5325. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY LEADER day’s joys with gratitude, its difficul- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- ties with fortitude, and its duties with pore. The clerk will report the motion. The legislative clerk read as follows: pore. The minority leader is recog- fidelity. Bring them to this evening nized. unashamed and with peaceful hearts. Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 516, H.R. CONTINUING RESOLUTION We pray in Your sacred Name. Amen. 5325, a bill making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending Mr. REID. Mr. President, my staff f September 30, 2017, and for other purposes. has been working diligently to work CLOTURE MOTION with the majority to come up with a PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mr. MCCONNELL. I send a cloture way to go forward on spending. We es- The Presiding Officer led the Pledge motion to the desk. pecially need to take care of that, but of Allegiance, as follows: The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- we also need to address Zika funding. I I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the pore. The cloture motion having been am not going to lay down any markers United States of America, and to the Repub- presented under rule XXII, the Chair here today because we are still trying lic for which it stands, one nation under God, directs the clerk to read the motion. to work something out, but I do want indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The legislative clerk read as follows: to say this. Republicans need to get away from their vendetta against f CLOTURE MOTION We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- Planned Parenthood. We are not going APPOINTMENT OF ACTING ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the to play any funny games and try to PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby find the money someplace else. move to bring to a close debate on the mo- Planned Parenthood should not be part The PRESIDING OFFICER. The tion to proceed to Calendar No. 516, H.R. of Zika funding. clerk will please read a communication 5325, an act making appropriations for the More than 2 million women received to the Senate from the President pro Legislative Branch for fiscal year ending care at Planned Parenthood clinics tempore (Mr. HATCH). September 30, 2017, and for other purposes. around the country last year. They Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, Orrin G. The legislative clerk read the fol- didn’t go there for abortions. They lowing letter: Hatch, Shelley Moore Capito, Thom Tillis, Mike Rounds, Marco Rubio, went there because they needed help U.S. SENATE, Cory Gardner, Pat Roberts, Roy Blunt, with their health care. The women PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, John Barrasso, Roger F. Wicker, Steve needed that, and they still need it. Washington, DC, September 12, 2016. Daines, Daniel Coats, John Thune, To the Senate: They need it more than ever now with Thad Cochran, Susan M. Collins. Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, this scourge that is sweeping our coun- of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby Mr. MCCONNELL. I ask unanimous try, which is Zika. I just want to make appoint the Honorable JAMES LANKFORD, a consent that the mandatory quorum sure that everyone understands that we ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S5487 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Sep 13, 2016 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A12SE6.000 S12SEPT1 smartinez on DSK3GLQ082PROD with SENATE S5488 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 12, 2016 are not going to play any games with of this unprecedented hold on Senate piles of money in Senate races across Planned Parenthood. It is through. Do Republicans by the Koch brothers. the country. They are trying to tighten your vendetta someplace else because Let’s look at another example. We all their grip on the Chamber by electing it will not be on the Zika funding. remember—and we should if we don’t— more stooges. KOCH BROTHERS what happened earlier this year when The Kochs and their dark-money em- Mr. President, Webster’s dictionary the junior Senator from Kansas, Mr. pire are flooding the airwaves with defines an oligarchy as ‘‘a government MORAN, had the audacity to admit and misleading and false advertisements. in which a small group exercises con- suggest that Merrick Garland’s nomi- The ads from the Koch brothers are not trol for corrupt and selfish purposes.’’ I nation to the Supreme Court deserved always easy to identify. The groups will state that again: ‘‘a government in consideration. He didn’t say he was that sponsor them have names that which a small group exercises control going to vote for him. He simply said sound harmless enough. Turn on your for corrupt and selfish purposes.’’ By he deserved consideration. TV or open your mailbox, and you will that definition, it appears that our What happened after that? Senator see a quick disclaimer in tiny print government is moving ever closer to an MORAN may be the Kochs’ biggest and that says who paid for it. It says things oligarchy just like Putin’s Russia. most outspoken supporter in the Sen- like: ‘‘Sponsored by Concerned Vet- For the last 8 years, Charles and ate. He has proven that time and again. erans of America,’’ ‘‘Sponsored by David Koch and their inner circle of He has defended his home State billion- Freedom Partners,’’ ‘‘Paid for by the billionaires have wielded immense aires here on the Senate floor multiple LIBRE Initiative,’’ or ‘‘Paid for by power within our democracy. Indeed, it times, but even the loyalty he showed Americans for Prosperity.’’ They are is no exaggeration to say that the Re- could not spare him from the Kochs’ afraid to tell us how much money they publican Congress is bought and paid wrath. The Koch brothers rallied their get from the Koch brothers. Take, for for by the Koch brothers. These two massive political machine against example, the U.S. Chamber of Com- brothers, who are worth $100 billion, their home State Senator, Mr. MORAN. merce. No one knows and they won’t are going to spend any amount nec- One of their groups, the Judicial Crisis tell us. It has been suggested that 80 essary to ensure that their interests Network, threatened to launch an ad percent of their money comes from the are represented in city halls, state- campaign against Senator MORAN. Koch brothers. I don’t know if that is houses, and even the very Capitol. What happened? Senator MORAN per- right, but I do know that they are Last year, at one of their secret plan- formed a breathtaking about-face in doing a lot of spending against the in- ning meetings, the Kochs and their cro- about 10 minutes, and he has since re- terests of Democrats. As to this dis- nies vowed to spend unlimited monies fused to support a hearing or a vote for claimer, such as being paid for by to exert influence in this year’s elec- Merrick Garland. Whether it is the Americans for Prosperity, the LIBRE tions. I have been disappointed that nomination for the Supreme Court, the Initiative, Freedom Partners, or Con- this Republican Senate has done noth- Keystone Pipeline, or the Export-Im- cerned Veterans of America, it would ing to stop the Koch’s crooked oligar- port Bank, Senate Republicans always be accurate to simply say: Paid for by chy agenda. Campaign finance reform seem to take the Koch brothers’ side, the billionaires, the Koch brothers.