S628 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 6, 2018 habitat for bald eagles, white-tailed the oil and gas industry and partisan ‘‘Statements on Introduced Bills and deer, and striped bass. The future of politics over those of independent sci- Joint Resolutions.’’) our coastal economy depends on rec- entists, coastal residents, and the Mr. GRASSLEY. I yield the floor. reational access, fishing, and tourism, elected officials who speak for our I suggest the absence of a quorum. which are now potentially at risk be- coastal communities. That was made The PRESIDING OFFICER. The cause of this ill-advised decision to painfully clear when the Republican clerk will call the roll. open the coastline off of Delaware and Governor of Florida, a close ally of the The senior assistant legislative clerk the rest of the mid-Atlantic to poten- President, petitioned to shield just proceeded to call the roll. tial oil and gas exploration and produc- Florida from potential oil and gas ex- Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I ask tion. ploration and production. unanimous consent that the order for My colleagues know that I make an Sure enough, Florida promptly got a the quorum call be rescinded. effort to promote pragmatic and bipar- public promise from Secretary Zinke The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without tisan ideas. It is one of my top prior- that its coastlines would be spared. I objection, it is so ordered. ities, day in and day out, to work am sure Florida’s coastline is beau- COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS across the aisle and do what is right for tiful. In fact, I visited Florida’s coast- Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, it is our constituents and for the United line, and I can tell you it is beautiful. no secret that our country faces a States. But guess what; so is Delaware’s. We major healthcare crisis and, in fact, a Let me be clear. My view is not based deserve to be able to protect our coast- dysfunctional healthcare system. on an anti-oil or anti-natural gas mes- line just as much as Floridians do. I in- We have some 30 million people who sage. I support an ‘‘all of the above’’ vite Secretary Zinke to once again have no health insurance, and that energy strategy and have advanced leg- come to Delaware but to instead see number is going to go up in the coming islation that will embrace an ‘‘all of the coastline and see these fragile re- year. We have even more people who the above’’ energy strategy, and I ac- sources and see what they have to offer are underinsured, with high deductibles knowledge there are many places in for wildlife, for conservation, for fish- and copayments. Our people pay the the United States where we can, and ing, for hunting, and for tourism. highest prices in the world for prescrip- do, safely produce these resources, both Secretary Zinke promising to exempt tion drugs, which means that millions onshore and offshore. But what if we Florida is the Trump administration of people who go to the doctor to get a happen to face a spill of the scale and deciding which States have to deal prescription are simply unable to af- size of Deepwater Horizon? with oil and gas drilling based purely ford the bill. In fact, the description of This is an overlay of the footprint of on partisan, political considerations. I that is the definition of a dysfunc- the 2010 oil disaster of the Deepwater tional, failing healthcare system. Horizon and how it spread to impact think the state of our coastal commu- nities and local economies shouldn’t be In the midst of all of that, there is the gulf coastline. It is perhaps a little another particular crisis dealing with hard to see here, but the State of Dela- auctioned off to the highest bidder and shouldn’t be subject to partisan poli- primary healthcare, and that is that ware and New Jersey and its fragile even when people do have health insur- coastline are underneath that foot- tics. Instead, they should be protected based on science and based on the ance in many parts of our country, print. It suggests how we might end up they are finding it very hard to go to a facing dramatic impacts, negative im- views of coastal communities. I am here today to voice my profound doctor and to get in to a doctor to pacts on tourism and fishing that de- treat the ailments that they have. We pend on clean coastlines to support disappointment in this blatant neglect of local voices and the well-being of in- fall behind many other countries in tens of thousands of jobs and billions of terms of our lack of emphasis on pri- dollars of economic activity in my dividual States and coastal commu- nities. I came to the floor to fight for mary healthcare, which should be the home State. heart and soul of any strong healthcare If we are going to think seriously my State and to raise the local voices system. The bottom line is that when about doing this, we need to think I have heard from our coastal commu- you get sick, you should be able to get about the impacts. We need to ask nities. Our coastlines are just too frag- to the doctor when you need to and not whether the costs outweigh the bene- ile and too vital and too important to have to wait weeks and months in fits. When it comes to the Trump- let partisan politics get in the way of order to do so. Zinke plan to drill off the coast of their future. In the midst of a failing primary Delaware, I am here to tell you that With that, I yield the floor. healthcare system, there is one very the potential costs dramatically out- I suggest the absence of a quorum. strong bright spot, and that is that for weigh the benefits. As you can see in The PRESIDING OFFICER. The many decades now, in every State in this graphic, a spill the size of the clerk will call the roll. this country, we have had community Deepwater Horizon could devastate all The senior assistant legislative clerk health centers run by the people them- of our beach communities and pro- proceeded to call the roll. tected wildlife areas in Delaware and Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask selves—democratically run—addressing the region. unanimous consent that the order for the healthcare needs of those given Again, protecting our coastlines, an the quorum call be rescinded. communities. Today, in America, we idea supported by scientists and coast- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without have about 27 million people—27 mil- al residents alike, should not be a par- objection, it is so ordered. lion men, women, and children—who are accessing community health cen- tisan issue. In Delaware alone, mul- f tiple city councils, all up and down our ters. In my own State of Vermont, one RECESS coast, have openly opposed offshore out of four Vermonters gets their pri- drilling through letters and resolutions The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under mary healthcare through a community they have sent to me and the rest of the previous order, the Senate stands health center. our congressional delegation. in recess until 2:15 p.m. These centers do more than provide Coastal lawmakers from both parties Thereupon, the Senate, at 12:29 p.m., primary healthcare. They also provide have opposed offshore drilling. I know recessed until 2:15 p.m. and reassem- dental care, an issue that is too often for a fact the same is happening in vir- bled when called to order by the Pre- ignored when we talk about the tually every other coastal State poten- siding Officer (Mr. PORTMAN). healthcare crisis. They provide mental tially impacted by this unwise deci- f health counseling, which is more im- sion. These are the people we should be portant now than perhaps it has ever CHILD PROTECTION IMPROVE- listening to—the people who don’t just been because of the opioid and heroin MENTS ACT OF 2017—Continued visit the coast for a week in the sum- epidemic our country is experiencing. mer but who live on it, who rely on it, The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Equally important, they provide low- who have built their lives and their ator from Iowa. cost prescription drugs at a time when local economy around it. (The remarks of Mr. GRASSLEY per- so many Americans cannot afford the Instead, as this decision shows, the taining to the introduction of S. 2386 medicines they need. That is what Trump administration is prioritizing are printed in today’s RECORD under community health centers do, and they VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:25 Feb 07, 2018 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G06FE6.023 S06FEPT1 February 6, 2018 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S629 do it well, and they do it cost effec- ing the drug companies responsible and stand or applaud his speech are guilty tively. accountable for the products they of treason? I certainly hope not. To my mind, there is no question but brought into the market. As some peo- The one who levels such a charge that there is strong bipartisan support ple may recall, in April of 1994, the knows neither the meaning of ‘‘trea- here in the Senate and in the House for CEOs of the seven largest tobacco com- son’’ nor the power that the words of a community health centers. Yet now we panies testified before the House En- President carry.