S3730 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 12, 2018 I know each of my colleagues can tes- On Christmas Eve last year, the sen- gressional review of certain regulations tify to the important roles military in- ior Senator from Montana took to the issued by the Committee on Foreign Invest- stallations play in communities all Bozeman Daily Chronicle with a piece ment in the United States. across our country. My fellow Ken- titled ‘‘Tax bill a disastrous plan, fails Reed/Warren amendment No. 2756 (to amendment No. 2700), to require the author- tuckians and I take great pride in Fort Montana and our future.’’ Quite a pro- ization of appropriation of amounts for the Campbell, Fort Knox, and the Blue nouncement. It reminded me of the development of new or modified nuclear Grass Army Depot. We are proud that Democratic leader of the House. She weapons. Kentucky is home base to many out- said our plan to give tax cuts to mid- Lee amendment No. 2366 (to the language standing units, such as the 101st Air- dle-class families and businesses would proposed to be stricken by amendment No. borne Division and those of Kentucky’s bring about ‘‘Armageddon.’’ Armaged- 2282), to clarify that an authorization to use Air and Army National Guard units. don. military force, a declaration of war, or any In our State, as in every State, the How are these prognostications hold- similar authority does not authorize the de- tention without charge or trial of a citizen military’s presence anchors entire ing up? The new Tax Code is causing or lawful permanent resident of the United communities and offers a constant re- Northwestern Energy to pass along States. minder of the sacrifices that keep us millions of dollars in savings to Mon- Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, safe. It is our responsibility to support tana utility customers. My friend Sen- I suggest the absence of a quorum. them. I look forward to delivering that ator DAINES recently shared what tax The PRESIDING OFFICER. The support when the Senate votes on the reform already means to Montana clerk will call the roll. NDAA later this week. small business owners. In Chester, at The senior assistant legislative clerk f Stricks Ag, it means bonuses of nearly proceeded to call the roll. $1,000 for each employee. In Missoula, WISHING LARRY KUDLOW A Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I at Big Sky Brewing, it means worker SPEEDY RECOVERY ask unanimous consent that the order bonuses and money to purchase new for the quorum call be rescinded. Mr. MCCONNELL. Now, Madam equipment. The same goes for Cabinet The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without President, on another matter, I want to Mountain Brewing in Libby. Over in objection, it is so ordered. share the Senate’s warmest wishes for Thompson Falls, tax reform gave RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY LEADER a speedy recovery for Larry Kudlow, Thompson River Lumber the breathing The Democratic leader is recognized. the Director of the National Economic room to buy their first new forklift in Council and Assistant to the President, 19 years. CONGRATULATING MITCH MCCONNELL AS THE LONGEST SERVING SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADER who is currently recovering at Walter These are the workers and job cre- Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, Reed from what we are told was a ators whom Senator DAINES bet on before I begin my remarks, I wish to small heart attack. Larry is not just a when he voted for tax reform and congratulate our Republican leader on famously happy warrior for pro- helped make all of this possible. He becoming the longest serving Repub- growth, pro-opportunity economics; he voted for Montanans to send less to the lican leader in the Senate. My friend is also widely regarded as really one of IRS and keep more of their own hard- Leader MCCONNELL reached that mile- the best guys in Washington. We hope earned money to save or invest as they stone today. he gets well soon. see fit. It is too bad their senior Sen- It is no secret we disagree on a whole ator took the opposite approach and f lot of issues, both political and philo- tried to block these tax cuts from hap- TAX REFORM sophical, but that doesn’t mean we pening, let alone that Democratic lead- can’t or don’t work together or that I Mr. MCCONNELL. Now, Madam ers in both Chambers now say they will don’t admire the qualities which help President, speaking of the economy, by repeal tax reform if they get the make him the longest serving Repub- now it is no secret that under the last chance. But Republicans will keep lican leader. administration, our Nation’s economic picking up the slack and will keep He understands his caucus and rep- recovery was slow, stunted, and almost standing up for the American people. exclusively focused on the largest resents them well. He knows how to f urban centers. Between 2010 and 2016, fight, and he knows how to cooperate. that is where more than 90 percent of RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME The job is not an easy one so it is a tes- the population growth happened; it is The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under tament to his qualities that he has where nearly three-quarters of new the previous order, the leadership time done it longer than anyone in the his- jobs went. Most everywhere else—in is reserved. tory of the Senate. our smaller cities, small towns, and f TRUMP-KIM SUMMIT rural areas—families heard a lot of Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, on talk about what my Democratic col- CONCLUSION OF MORNING North Korea, in the early hours this leagues called an ‘‘economic recovery,’’ BUSINESS morning, President Trump and Chair- but they saw few or none of the effects The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning man Kim met in Singapore for the first in these small towns and small commu- business is closed. meeting between a sitting U.S. Presi- nities. So it is no surprise that after f dent and the leader of North Korea. It was a welcome improvement to see the seeing their communities suffer under 8 NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZA- two of them having a dialogue rather years of Democrats’ policies, millions TION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019 of Americans are ready to take a dif- than engaging in name-calling and ferent route. That is why they elected The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under saber-rattling. Certainly, Americans a Republican President and Republican the previous order, the Senate will re- feel better about talking than name- majorities here in Congress. And we set sume consideration of H.R. 5515, which calling and threats of war, which had about implementing our agenda to the clerk will report. characterized the relationship up until take money and power out of Wash- The senior assistant legislative clerk now. ington and put it back in the hands of read as follows: Though we are all rooting for diplo- middle-class families and small busi- A bill (H.R. 5515) to authorize appropria- macy to succeed, we must be clear- nesses all across our country. tions for fiscal year 2019 for military activi- eyed about what a diplomatic success But even as the positive effects of ties of the Department of Defense, for mili- with North Korea looks like. A diplo- tary construction, and for defense activities these policies have become more and of the Department of Energy, to prescribe matic success would be the complete, more obvious, they continue to encoun- military personnel strengths for such fiscal, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization ter near-complete party-line opposition and for other purposes. of the Korean Peninsula—nothing less. at every turn. I recall that just 2 or 3 Pending: Why do we say that? It is not to make days after President Trump signed our Inhofe/McCain modified amendment No. any political points, but a nuclear historic tax reform into law, several of 2282, in the nature of a substitute. North Korea with ICBMs probably pre- my colleagues across the aisle were of- McConnell (for Toomey) amendment No. sents a greater danger to the United fering some dramatic predictions. 2700 (to amendment No. 2282), to require con- States and the safety and well-being of VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Jun 13, 2018 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G12JN6.002 S12JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE June 12, 2018 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S3731 our country than any other in the something North Korea would say, not I yield the floor. world. It is imperative that we actually South Korea or the United States. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- get action here, not just photo ops. Again, it seems the President has un- ator from Iowa. Previous negotiations have sought the dercut our foreign policy by drawing a same goal, with good reason. In 1994 false equivalency between joint mili- Mrs. ERNST. Madam President, I and 2005, those negotiations yielded tary exercises with our allies and the come to the floor to make amendment agreements that were, in fact, much nuclear testing of a rogue regime. No. 2400 pending, but it is my under- more rigorous than the initial commu- Ultimately, if this is the result, it standing that we are almost at an nique issued by President Trump and will have failed President Trump’s own agreement on the hotline. Chairman Kim. This communique lists standard. The President has said that This bill has cleared committee by denuclearization as a far-off goal but ‘‘if North Korea doesn’t denuclearize, voice vote and by my colleagues on the includes no details about a pathway to that will not be acceptable.’’ President Republican side by the hotline.