E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 114 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 161 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015 No. 167 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Monday, November 16, 2015, at 2 p.m. Senate TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015 The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY erans Memorial Park. Hands will be called to order by the President pro LEADER put to heart as the ‘‘Star Spangled tempore (Mr. HATCH). The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Banner’’ is played. Heads will bow in ERNST). The majority leader is recog- reverence as 106 names are read aloud, f nized. each a Kentuckian who made the ulti- mate sacrifice in the service of others, f PRAYER and each a reminder of our enduring SCHEDULE debt to America’s men and women in The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, uniform. fered the following prayer: I am proud to represent the nearly Let us pray. for the information of all Senators, this morning the Senate will resume 330,000 Kentuckians who have served in Eternal Father, inspire our law- the Armed Forces. I am also proud to makers to give You their best. Striving consideration of the MILCON–VA ap- propriations bill. Several amendments represent the many thousands of sol- to serve You and country, may they diers and their families who reside in refuse to bring You the leftovers of were agreed to yesterday, and we ex- pect more to be considered before we or hail from our great Commonwealth, their time, talents, and trust. Inspired whether at Fort Knox, Fort Campbell, by Your providential movements in our complete action on the bill. Senator KIRK and Senator TESTER expect to the Blue Grass Army Depot, or beyond. world, help them to raise the bar of I recently had a chance to meet some their expectations. Remind them that wrap up consideration today, so any Senators with amendments to the bill of Kentucky’s brave soldiers, sailors, You can accomplish through them airmen, and marines who currently more than they can ask or imagine. should be talking to the two managers. We will have a rollcall vote on the serve in Afghanistan and Iraq. Sadly, a Lord, today we pay tribute to all NDAA at approximately 11:20 a.m., and NATO helicopter had just crashed in American veterans, living or dead. We I hope to vote on passage of the Kabul, killing five people, including praise You for the gift of people who MILCON–VA appropriations bill short- two American servicemembers. I was are willing to serve their country hon- ly thereafter. honored to take part in a prayer serv- orably during times of war and peace. If we complete action on NDAA, ice led by a chaplain from Lexington, Inspired by their exemplary lives, MILCON–VA, and send the long-term KY, and I note that the occupant of the grant to us all a new dimension of com- highway bill to conference later today, Chair was with me at the time. passion, courage, and competence. Use that will allow the Senate to adjourn What an incredibly humbling mo- us to touch Your world and leave it for the Veterans Day holiday. ment it was. The tragic crash is a stark better than we found it. f reminder of the incredible danger our We pray in Your great Name. Amen. service men and women face every day, COMMEMORATING VETERANS DAY and a stark reminder of what all Amer- f AND PASSING LEGISLATION SUP- icans owe them. PORTING OUR VETERANS AND Veterans should know that they have PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TROOPS many champions fighting for them The President pro tempore led the Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, here in the Senate. One of them is Sen- Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: like many of my colleagues, I plan to ator ISAKSON, the chair of the Vet- I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the commemorate Veterans Day with the erans’ Affairs Committee. Under his United States of America, and to the Repub- people I am honored to represent here leadership, the committee has actively lic for which it stands, one nation under God, in the Senate. I will join Kentuckians sought to do right by the men and indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. at a ceremony in Shelbyville’s Vet- women who never hesitate to do right ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S7869 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:51 Nov 11, 2015 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A10NO6.000 S10NOPT1 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with SENATE S7870 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 10, 2015 by us. He has sent important legisla- It would transform bureaucratic The Senate has voted many times tion to the Senate floor that we have waste into crucial investments for our over the years to enact these bipar- been able to pass on a bipartisan basis troops and their families, like the tisan prohibitions. We have enacted and that the President has signed into raises they have earned and the quality them in Congresses with split party law. of life programs they deserve. control. We have enacted them in Con- One law we passed would improve the It would provide hope for wounded gresses with massive, overwhelming Veterans Choice Program, for instance, warriors and extend a hand of compas- Democratic majorities. And, today, the while another, the Clay Hunt Suicide sion to heroes who struggle with men- Congress elected by the American peo- Prevention for American Veterans Act, tal health challenges. ple will express itself clearly one more would help reduce the tragedies that It would also authorize a new med- time—not once, but twice—today. befall too many of our heroes and the ical facility at Fort Knox, an impor- The President may not like this bi- heartbreak that befalls too many of tant project I have championed lit- partisan action. It may conflict with a their families. erally for years. campaign slogan from 8 or 9 years ago. Important Veterans’ Affairs Com- And at a time when our country faces But here is how one Senator put it: mittee oversight has also been brought the most ‘‘diverse and complex array of ‘‘Congress’ job is to pass legislation. to bear on an agency that has lost the crises’’ since the Second World War, as The President can veto it or he can trust of many it serves; that is, the VA. Henry Kissinger observed, Senator sign it.’’ That was then-Senator Obama Of course, there is much more to be MCCAIN’s bill would help position our as he was criticizing the idea of doing done. Veterans deserve the very best, military to confront the challenges of an ‘‘end-run around Congress.’’ and the VA crisis will not be resolved tomorrow as it offers support to the ‘‘I believe in the Constitution,’’ he easily or quickly, but working to- men and women serving in harm’s way said at the time—Senator Obama— gether, there is a lot we can do for the today. ‘‘and I will obey the Constitution of men and women who risk their all for The Defense authorization bill is leg- the United States,’’ said Senator their country. islation we typically consider every One way to do so is by passing the Obama. Those were his words then. year. It is legislation that typically They should guide his actions now. Veterans funding bill that is before us. passes with broad bipartisan support. It is a result of great work by another We expect that to finally happen again f champion of veterans, Senator KIRK, today. We expect the President to fi- RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY chair of the Military Construction and nally sign it this time. LEADER Veterans Affairs Appropriations Sub- This should have been allowed to The PRESIDING OFFICER. The committee. Just like Senator ISAK- happen a whole lot sooner. We all know Democratic leader is recognized. SON’s Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the the unfortunate and unnecessary road- subcommittee led by the Senator from blocks the Defense authorization bill f Illinois has done great work for vet- has faced this year. We all know the MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND erans in sending important legislation President decided to veto the version of such as this to the floor. We will pass VETERANS AFFAIRS APPROPRIA- the bill we passed last month. That TIONS BILL one important measure today. veto is particularly unfortunate and Senator KIRK’s bill would fund the puzzling, given the two chief concerns Mr. REID. Madam President, as I health care and the benefits our vet- the President cited when he vetoed it. mentioned yesterday morning, the Re- erans rely on. It would support mili- publican leader is right about a lot of tary families by funding the housing, No. 1, he said he was concerned that the bill relied upon contingency fund- what he talked about regarding the schools, and health facilities that sus- Military Construction-VA-HUD legisla- tain them. It would provide support for ing to meet the Department’s oper- ational costs. No. 2, he said he was con- tion, but the one thing he just glossed medical research, for women’s health, over is that as a result of our holding and for veterans suffering from trau- cerned that the bill again contained a clear, bipartisan prohibition on moving firm—we as a Democratic caucus hold- matic brain injury.