E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 116 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 166 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 No. 24 Senate The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS As a number of my Republican col- called to order by the President pro Mr. GRASSLEY. Last night, in the leagues have confessed, the House man- tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). State of the Union Address, President agers have proven their case. President f Trump called on Congress to put bipar- Trump did sanction a corrupt con- spiracy to smear a political opponent, PRAYER tisan legislation to lower prescription drug prices on his desk and that he former Vice President Joe Biden. The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- would sign it. President Trump assigned Rudy fered the following prayer: Here are the facts. The House is con- Giuliani, his personal lawyer, to ac- Let us pray. trolled by Democrats. The Senate re- complish that goal by arranging sham Strong Deliverer, our shelter in the quires bipartisanship to get any legis- investigations by the Government of time of storms, we acknowledge today lating done. There are only a couple of Ukraine. President Trump advanced that You are God and we are not. You months left before the campaign season his corrupt scheme by instructing the don’t disappoint those who trust in will likely impede anything from being three amigos—Ambassador Volker, You, for You are our fortress and bul- accomplished in this Congress. So the Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, and wark. time to act is right now. Ambassador Gordon Sondland—to work Lord, show our Senators Your ways I am calling on my colleagues on with Rudy for this goal. President and teach them to walk in Your path of both sides of the aisle to get off the Trump did use the resources of Amer- integrity. sidelines and to work with me and Sen- ica, including an Oval Office meeting Through the seasons of our Nation’s ator WYDEN, as President Trump al- and security assistance to pressure history, You have been patient and ready is, to heed the call to action that Ukraine, which was at war with Russia, merciful. Mighty God, be true to Your he gave us last night and pass the Pre- to participate in this corrupt con- name. Fulfill Your purposes for our Na- scription Drug Pricing Reduction Act. spiracy. The facts are clear. tion and world. It is the only significant bipartisan bill But do President Trump’s acts rise to We pray in Your Holy Name. Amen. in town. President Trump, the AARP, the level the Framers envisioned for f and the libertarian Cato think tank, to removal of a President, or are they, as name just a few people involved, have PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE some colleagues in this Chamber have all endorsed the bill. said, simply ‘‘inappropriate,’’ but not If you are serious about fulfilling The President pro tempore led the ‘‘impeachable’’? With respect to those promises to lower drug costs, my office Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: colleagues, ‘‘inappropriate’’ is lying to door is open, as Senator WYDEN’s door I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the the public; ‘‘inappropriate’’ is shunning is open. It is time for the Senate to act United States of America, and to the Repub- our allies or failing to put your per- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, and to deliver for the American people. indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I yield the floor. sonal assets into a blind trust or en- couraging foreign governments to pa- f The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- ator from Oregon. tronize your properties. That is some- RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME thing you might call ‘‘inappropriate,’’ f The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. but that word does not begin to encom- BLACKBURN). Under the previous order, IMPEACHMENT pass President Trump’s actions in this the leadership time is reserved. Mr. MERKLEY. Madam President, as case—a corrupt conspiracy comprising f Senators, our decisions build the foun- a fundamental assault on our Constitu- dation for future generations. I want tion. MORNING BUSINESS those generations to know that I stood This conspiracy is far worse than Wa- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under here on the floor of this Chamber fight- tergate. Watergate was about a break- the previous order, the Senate will be ing for equal justice under law. I stood in to spy on the Democratic National in a period of morning business, with here to defend our Senate’s responsi- Committee—bad, yes; wrong, defi- Senators permitted to speak therein bility to provide a fair trial with wit- nitely. But Watergate didn’t involve for up to 10 minutes each. nesses and documents. I stood here to soliciting foreign interference to de- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- say that when our President invites stroy the integrity of an election. It ator from Iowa. and pressures a foreign government to didn’t involve an effort to smear a po- Mr. GRASSLEY. I ask unanimous smear a political opponent and corrupt litical opponent. Watergate did not in- consent to speak for 1 minute. the integrity of our 2020 Presidential volve an across-the-board blockade of The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without election, he must be removed from of- access by Congress to witnesses and objection, it is so ordered. fice. documents. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S871 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 09:40 Feb 06, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A05FE6.000 S05FEPT1 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with SENATE S872 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 5, 2020 If you believe that Congress was spring out of nowhere. With respect to I stand here today in support of our right to conclude that President Nix- the Chief Justice, the road to this mo- Constitution, which has made our Na- on’s abuse of power merited expulsion ment has been paved by decisions made tion that shining city on a hill. I stand from office, you have no choice but to in the Supreme Court undermining the here today for equal justice under law. conclude that President Trump’s cor- ‘‘We the People’’ Republic, while Jus- I stand here today for a full and fair rupt conspiracy merits his expulsion tice Roberts has led the Court—deci- trial as our Constitution demands. I from office. sions like Citizens United in 2010, stand here today to say that a Presi- President Trump should be removed which corrupted our political cam- dent who has abused this office by so- from office this very day by action in paigns with a flood of dark money, the liciting a foreign country to intervene this very Chamber, but he will not be equivalent of a stadium sound system in the election of 2020 and bias the out- removed because this Senate has failed drowning out the voice of the people; come—betraying the trust of the Amer- to conduct a full and fair trial to reveal decisions like Shelby County in 2013, ican people and undermining the the extensive dimensions of his con- which gutted the Voting Rights Act, strength of our Constitution—must be spiracy and because the siren call to opening the door to voter suppression removed from office. party loyalty over country has infected and voter intimidation—if you believe I yield the floor. in our Republic, you believe in voter this Chamber. f Every American understands what empowerment, not voter supression— constitutes a full and fair trial. A full decisions like Rucho V. Common Cause RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY and fair trial has witnesses. A full and in 2019, giving the green light to ex- LEADER fair trial has documents. A full and fair treme partisan gerrymandering, in The PRESIDING OFFICER. The trial does not begin with the jury fore- which politicians choose their voters Democratic leader is recognized. rather than voters choosing their poli- man declaring that he is working hand- f in-glove with the defendant. When dis- ticians. It is one blow after another cussing why the Senate tries impeach- giving more power to the powerful and STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS ments, Alexander Hamilton stated: undermining the vision of government Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ‘‘Where else than in the Senate could of, by, and for the people—blow after will speak later this afternoon, at have been found a tribunal sufficiently blow making officials more responsive about 3:30—prior to the vote on the Ar- dignified, or sufficiently independent’’ to the rich and wealthy donors than ticles of Impeachment—about impeach- for that daunting responsibility? the people they are elected to rep- ment, but this morning, I would like to Every American should feel the sad- resent. briefly respond to President Trump’s ness, the darkness, the tragedy of this These Supreme Court decisions have third State of the Union Address. It moment in which this Senate is neither elevated government by and for the was a sad moment for democracy. sufficiently dignified nor sufficiently powerful, and trampled government by The President’s speech last night was independent for that responsibility. and for the people, paving the path for much more like a Trump rally than a The Senate trial became a coverup this dark moment in which the U.S. speech a true leader would give. It was when the majority voted on January 22 Senate chooses to defend a corrupt demagogic, undignified, highly par- and again on January 31 to block all President by converting a trial into a tisan, and, in too many places, just un- access to witnesses and documents.