E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 116 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 165 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 No. 156 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was Ms. MCSALLY thereupon assumed ican policy victories and keep our called to order by the Honorable MAR- the Chair as Acting President pro tem- North American neighbors close while THA MCSALLY, a Senator from the pore. we tackle other challenges, such as State of Arizona. f China. f Here we are, months after all three RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME countries’ leaders signed the agree- PRAYER The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- ment, and we are still waiting on the The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- pore. Under the previous order, the House Democrats to let it move for- fered the following prayer: leadership time is reserved. ward. Mexico has already passed it, and Canada is waiting on our move. The Let us pray. f Eternal Father, inspire our law- Senate is ready and eager to ratify it, makers to commit to accomplishing CONCLUSION OF MORNING but the Senate can’t go first. The clock Your purposes in our Nation and world. BUSINESS is ticking. As they seek Your wisdom, teach them The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Month after month, even as the Your precepts and direct their steps. pore. Morning business is closed. House Democrats have continually May they live lives of obedience and made vague statements that they sup- f abundance as they follow where You port the USMCA and want to see it lead. CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS passed, we have yet to see any real Lord, provide them with courage to ACT, 2020, AND HEALTH EXTEND- progress. Canada, Mexico, and millions do right as You give them the ability ERS ACT OF 2019—Resumed of Americans are waiting for Speaker to follow Your footsteps. Help them to The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- PELOSI to remember that serving the make glorifying You their top priority. pore. Under the previous order, the public interest requires more than just We pray in Your strong Name. Amen. Senate will proceed to the consider- picking fights with the President; it f ation of H.R. 4378, which the clerk will actually entails addressing the people’s business. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE report. The senior assistant legislative clerk Mexico and Canada are vital partners The Presiding Officer led the Pledge read as follows: at every level of the U.S. economy. They provide enormous, growing mar- of Allegiance, as follows: A bill (H.R. 4378) making continuing appro- I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the priations for fiscal year 2020, and for other kets for American-made products. United States of America, and to the Repub- purposes. They, together, buy more than $500 bil- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, lion in U.S. goods and services every The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. single year. It is a half-a-trillion-dollar the previous order, the time until 12:15 export market. Every State, every in- f p.m. will be divided in the usual form. dustry, every corner of our country is If no one yields time, time will be APPOINTMENT OF ACTING involved. charged equally to both sides. PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE For 90 percent of America’s manufac- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY LEADER turing sectors, Mexico or Canada ranks clerk will please read a communication The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. as the No. 1 or No. 2 export destination. to the Senate from the President pro SCOTT of Florida). The majority leader For American farmers and producers, tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). is recognized. our two neighbors buy almost two- The senior assistant legislative clerk UNITED STATES-MEXICO-CANADA AGREEMENT thirds of all the agricultural exports read the following letter: Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, ex- we sell to all of our free-trade partners U.S. SENATE, actly 1 year ago, the administration combined. We aren’t just talking about PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, announced the most significant trade Big Business. Tens of thousands of Washington, DC, September 26, 2019. deal in a generation—a landmark small- and medium-sized businesses To the Senate: agreement with Mexico and Canada to count on their Mexican or Canadian Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, strengthen two of our Nation’s key customers to succeed. of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby trading relationships. These realities affect Americans’ real appoint the Honorable MARTHA MCSALLY, a Senator from the State of Arizona, to per- The USMCA is the most consequen- lives. In the last 25 years, as trade with form the duties of the Chair. tial update of trade policy on this con- Mexico and Canada has quadrupled, 12 CHUCK GRASSLEY, tinent in a quarter century. It is a huge million U.S. jobs have come to depend President pro tempore. opportunity to notch new pro-Amer- on cross-border commerce. Many of ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S5713 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:36 Sep 27, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A26SE6.000 S26SEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE S5714 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 26, 2019 those jobs belong to workers in Ken- businesses need this deal. The time for Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask tucky, where our biggest industries, excuses is over. The USMCA needs to unanimous consent that the order for from auto manufacturing to bourbon move this fall, and that can’t happen the quorum call be rescinded. production, depend on this export econ- until the House Democrats stop block- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without omy. ing an enormous win for our country. objection, it is so ordered. With so much at stake, the American TRIBUTE TO ILEANA GARCIA RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY LEADER people deserve to have an excellent Mr. President, on a totally different The PRESIDING OFFICER. The trade deal in place, one that levels the matter, as majority leader, I am espe- Democratic leader is recognized. playing field for American workers and cially grateful for opportunities to TRUMP ADMINISTRATION reduces the incentives to ship Amer- offer the Senate’s thanks to the re- Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, after ican jobs to Mexico and one that ex- markable men and women who work Speaker PELOSI decided to open a for- pands American farmers’ and manufac- tirelessly to preserve and protect this mal impeachment inquiry on Tuesday turers’ access to these neighboring great institution. evening, there have been several devel- markets. On Monday, we will be saying a bit- opments. Yesterday, the President re- This is exactly what the USMCA de- tersweet goodbye to a particularly irre- leased a memorandum of conversation livers. It upgrades the playing field for placeable member of the Senate’s fam- of his July 25 call with President American workers, farmers, ranchers, ily who has worked alongside us for 22 Zelensky of Ukraine. In plain text— and job creators. It builds on the pro- years. plain text—no ands, ifs, or buts, the growth, pro-innovation policies that Ileana Garcia was born in Cuba and President pressured the leader of encourage their success here at home raised in Puerto Rico. She started Ukraine to investigate one of his lead- with an upgraded, modern runway to working for the Secretary of the Sen- ing political rivals, confirming public markets beyond our borders. ate in September 1997 as a project ac- reports. The USMCA looks specifically at key countant. Yesterday, as well, the House and sectors where outdated rules or Since then she has built a remark- Senate Intelligence Committees re- exploitive practices threaten Ameri- able success story here in this institu- ceived the official whistleblower com- cans’ job security and hurt homegrown tion, rising through the ranks of finan- plaint that precipitated this series of industries. It strengthens intellectual cial management and becoming finan- events. I read the complaint yesterday property rights to protect American in- cial clerk of the Senate in 2014. afternoon and came away more con- novation; it upgrades our digital trade But with Ileana, it is not just about cerned—even more concerned than policy; and the USMCA wins greater the impressive milestones. It is about when I had read the memorandum of market access for U.S. exporters, with the outsized impact she has had on this the President’s conversation. there being opportunities to sell more place and so many people—from the This morning, the House Intelligence dairy and poultry into Canada, a better heavy lifting of getting a new financial Committee made public the declas- playing field for auto parts and invest- system online in the late 1990s to help- sified portion of the complaint and the ment, and enforceable labor standards ing offices navigate healthcare transi- intelligence community’s inspector so hard-working Americans aren’t un- tions and government shutdowns, to general’s cover letter. That was the fairly priced out of their jobs. the everyday challenges that come correct decision. The American people What does all of this add up to? I will with a big complicated payroll like the have a right to read the whistle- tell you. According to the independent U.S. Senate’s. blower’s complaint for themselves, and U.S. International Trade Commission, She did it all with professionalism I hope that they will. the USMCA would generate more than and attention to detail.