vote:

the presiding officer: on the confirmation of christopher a. hart of colorado to be chairman of the national transportation safety board are there any senators wishing to change their vote? hearing none the vote is 97 in

favor, zero opposed. the confirmation is -- the nomination is approved. the question now occurs on the dinh-zarr nomination. until there is no further days debate all those in favor say aye. opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order the motions to reconsider are considered made and laid upon the table. the president will be immediately notified of the senate's actions and the senate will resume legislative session. the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i send a cloture to the desk for the committee-reported amendment. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close on the committee-reported substitute

amendment to s. 178, a bill to provide justice for the victims of trafficking signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. mcconnell: i ask reading of the names be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: mr. president i send another cloture motion to the desk for the bill. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion, we the suedes up undersigned senators in accordance with rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close on s. 1785 a bill to provide for the justice for victims of trafficking signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. mcconnell: i ask the reading of the names be dispense with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask the mandatory quorum calls with respect to these motions be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask the first-degree filing deadline be at 5:30 p.m. finally, i ask the senate be in around a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for ten minutes

each. the presiding officer: without objection. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mrs. capito: i rise today to discuss the justice for victims of trafficking act. i'm proud to join with my colleagues to cosponsor this important legislation and i applaud senator cornyn and senator klobuchar for putting forward this bipartisan bill. the justice for victims of trafficking act is a call to action. we've heard a lot of discussion about it on the floor here over the last several days. the horrible crime of human trafficking impacts thousands of americans, mostly women and children each year and it occurs in cities, in the suburbs and in rural towns. we cannot allow this horrendous crime to continue. last year, i hosted a forum at west virginia state university to discuss how we could help in west virginia in combating human trafficking. the event was very well attended

and featured law enforcement avid cavities, academics and state lawmakers. i've also supported several bills when i was in if the house of representatives to end this crime. it is absolutely monstrous to consider the sexual exploitation of a human being especially a child. we must stand up for those voices who have been silenced and say no more. while in large numbers trafficking occurs in west virginia's small communities in towns, in our hotels and truck stops, in our schools and on line. several things contribute to trafficking in the mountain state. we have quite a few interstates running in and around, high-poverty areas and unemployment rates. we also have a drug epidemic that contributes to this problem. i'm working in a bipartisan way with senator joe donnelly to address this drug epidemic but we must also say no more to this shameful crime. the justice for victims of trafficking act will make it

easier for law enforcement to identify and address patterns of human trafficking. the justice for victims of trafficking act takes a needed two-prong approach. it bolsters the tools available to law enforcement to crack down on human traffickers and helps victims restore their lives through increased federal resources. we need to take care of our sons our daughters and our neighbors and keep our eyes and our ears open. this is not a republican or a democrat issue it's a human issue and now is the time to stand up and say no more to human trafficking. now is time to show broad support for these victims and punish traffickers to the fullest extent of the law. this bill has gone through a very transparent process. it was carefully considered and unanimously approved in the senate judiciary committee. it has been available for every senator or member of the public to read for months. and earlier this week each and every senator consented to consider this bill on the senate

floor. it has widespread support from over 200 advocacy groups, including the naacp national center for missing and exploited chirp, rights4girls national association to protect children fraternal order of police and the national conference of legislatures. the innocent victims of human trafficking have suffered enough. now is time for us to join together and pass this legislation and take a significant step to end this crime. thank you. the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. kaine: mr. president i rise to speak on behalf of the nomination of loretta lynch to be attorney general of the united states. it is interesting that this is a week where we have been engaged in a dialogue back and forth about the issue of human trafficking, which is a serious and significant issue obviously. but it, along with many other issues demand a strong justice

department and a strong justice department is not possible without a confirmed attorney general as a leader. ms. lynch has been now nominated over four months ago it's been 124 days since her nomination and she has still yet to be confirmed and i rise to speak on her behalf. i have visited with loretta lynch in person. i observed her throughout the nominations process my brother-in-law worked as an assistant u.s. attorney with her in the eastern district of new york in the late 1990's, and i am impressed like many of my colleagues by her credentials her extensive experience and was gratified to see that the judiciary committee reported her nomination to the floor. i'm disappointed it has taken 124 days to get to this point i was pleased to hear the majority leader indicate the senate may take up her nomination next week, but i think it is important for the nation to recognize how critical

this appointment is and how we should not have let it go this long. i want to reflect back to probably the hardest elected office i held or held which was mayor of richmond. when i was a city councilman and mayor from 1994 to 2000, my city had the burden of having the second highest homicide rate in the united states. and we worked in our community together with everyone, especially law enforcement and community leaders to try to bring down that scourge of violent crime which was affecting neighborhoods especially the tour are poorist neighborhoods. we were able to achieve some dramatic success in making our city safer but along the way mr. president, i learned a couple of very important things. the first was this -- that you can't tackle major public safety challenges without a strong relates between the community and the local police department. it is impossible to make

progress if that does not happen. and secondly, i also learned you can't tackle a difficult public safety challenge without a strong department of justice. we relied upon that partnership with our local u.s. attorney's office in the eastern district of virginia, but all the way up through main justice and the attorney general in order to try to tackle and turn our city's public safety situation around. today there are critical issues facing this country urgent issues facing this country that deal with the relationship between our communities and law enforcement agencies. and if there is ever a time that we would want to have a confirmed attorney general in office without question marks surrounding when when that confirmation would take place it would be now. as you and you who know, we've seep over the last few months a series of controversies that have torn at all of us as we watched challenges in

communities and distraught between communities and law enforcement agencies. in early august michael brown an unarmed 18-year-old was shot during a confrontation with an officer in ferguson, missouri. that shooting spurred nationwide protests and concerns against what many in ferguson and elsewhere viewed as overly aggressive tactics by the police. a month prior to the death of michael brown eric garner died as a result of a police chokehold in new york in july when he was confronted over the selling of untaxed cigarettes. there had been similar instances in cleveland and madison. it's not limited to one part of the country. it's not limited to north south, east or west. there have been similar instances that have raised serious concerns about the connection between law enforcement and the community. and, mr. president there have also been horrible atrocities committed against members of the law enforcement community the deaths of two nypd officers shot point blank weeks ago in

new york city while they sat in their patrol car. and just yesterday as we've heard reported, shootings of police officers in ferguson, missouri. these instances in cities around the country demonstrate a significant level of tension and even distrust between the police and communities they serve often minority communities or communities of color. i am here to tell you that these tensions do not have to exist. they can be bridged. they can be solved, but it takes a fully functioning department of justice with a leader at the helm who has been confirmed to solve these issues. the department of justice has throughout history and today played a critical role in investigating cases like this and some of the situation i mentioned, the d.o.j. has been able to come in and be involved and provide some calm to situations, provide some level of competence that there would not be a sugarcoating or an effort to sweep into the closet legitimate questions in the

community. in the state of virginia, mr. president, there is currently a d.o.j. investigation concerning the police shooting death of john geer, an unarmed caucasian who was shot on the steps of his residence in august of 2013, and local officials in that county have welcomed the involvement of the department of justice because they knew that citizens would have a greater confidence in the outcome if it was being done by someone other than the officials who had been elected locally. and so there is a critical need at this point to provide some competence to communities that have questions about the relationship between their own concerns and the conversations of law enforcement departments just as law enforcement departments want to have a way to build bridges with the communities they represent. loretta lynch understands the significance of the situations in her role. she has testified one of her key

priorities would be to work to strengthen the bonds between law enforcement personnel who she has worked with during her entire career and the communities which they serve as she well understands. the d.o.j. last week released a report from their investigation into the ferguson policing practices that laid out a number of significant concerns, concerns that if they are unaddressed will continue to lead to distrust in ferguson and elsewhere, a strong justice department that can help mediate and bring the sides together as a part of the solution. now, mr. president i raise these issues only to highlight that right now we are at a critical time in the nation's criminal justice system. a delay of confirming an attorney general for four-plus months is never warranted given the importance of the position. a delay is not warranted in this case given the strong credentials of loretta lynch but the delay is especially unwelcome, given the urgent need to have leadership of the justice department which can try

to bring some calm to the situation and build confidence in communities and among law enforcement agencies. we've got to have an incoming a.g. on the job taking on the challenges in a manner that will bring different aspects of the community together, to make necessary changes and strengthen the equality of our system for all. now, of course, beyond the issue of community policing, we face so many other challenges. national security in terrorism and in that respect the eastern district in new york where ms. lynch has served has had one of the most significant dockets of antiterrorism cases of any jurisdiction in the country. she is an expert in those areas. cybersecurity. the very human trafficking issues we have been discussing on the floor today are issues that ms. lynch has worked on significantly in her role, protecting voting rights and so many more. ms. lynch is a no-nonsense hardworking prosecutor, known for her aplomb, her misdemeanor her intelligence and her ability to work with a wide variety of

stakeholders and i am absolutely confident that ms. lynch will approach these issues with the same focus fairness and expertise that she has approached her work in the past. so i stand today to urge my colleagues to not wait, to support loretta lynch for our next attorney general. it has been said to the point where it is a cliche but nevertheless a true one that justice delayed is justice denied. the refusal to confirm a leader to head the most important law enforcement agency in the united states is a delay of justice that for many seems to be a denial of justice and we can rectify that concern in communities across this country if we act with dispatch to confirm a person who is eminently qualified to hold the nation's highest law enforcement position. with that, mr. president i thank you and yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president normally we would be going back and forth. i have asked the senator from mississippi if he had any objection if i went -- proceeded for a knew minutes and i would ask consent that he be -- he be recognized immediately upon the conclusion of my comments. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: mr. president we have been working on the issue of human trafficking on a bipartisan basis for almost a year. we usually do do it bipartisan. i know when we -- they included my amendment on trafficking victims protection reauthorization act most senators voted for it. only 20 republicans voted against that victims act. the rest voted for it. all democrats voted for it. but on this issue today the judiciary committee reported out a comprehensive bill with strong

bipartisan support. we did that last year, last fall. now, this year, we reported out a less comprehensive bill with fewer protections for those at risk of human trafficking. despite that setback i agreed to keep working across the aisle to make it stronger, include the crucial prevention piece that had been in last year's committee-reported bill. we have been on the bill for three days. progress i think we all admit has been thwarted by the inclusion of a divisive provision that would limit the services available to victims of human trafficking. so i'd like to propose a way forward because i know that all senators want to work together to end human trafficking and just as we saw in my no violence against women act, 68 senators voted for that act with its provision on trafficking. we wanted to support a bill that will pass the senate. so i filed a substitute

amendment to get us around the current impasse. it includes three things. first, a klobuchar-cornyn bill, as reported earlier this month by the judiciary committee. secondly, the cornyn-klobuchar bill also reported earlier this month by the judiciary committee but without the divisive language that limits victims' services. and third the leahy-collins-mikulski-ayotte amendment filed yesterday to protect runaway and homeless youths from trafficking. this trafficking prevention bill was reported by the judiciary committee last year with the support of senator grassley, senator cornyn, nearly all of the other judiciary committee members. it has been narrowed here at the request of republicans this year. i hope that a combination of these three bills that i do in good faith will bring us together. in response to the request of

survivors, the many dedicateed people work with them to remove the unnecessary partisan provisions as a result of this impasse. they need us to find a way forward without playing politics and pass a meaningful bill. with that, mr. president i would request a number of groups and others who support this, that those letters be included in the record at this point. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: and i yield the floor and i thank the senator from mississippi for his courtesy. mr. wicker: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from mississippi. mr. wicker: the distinguished senator from vermont is quite welcome, and i'm glad we were able to accommodate each other. i come to the floor today to discuss the gravity of the current situation with regard to the administration's negotiations with iran for a nuclear agreement and it is, i

think, important to note that we received some important information today in the senate armed services committee that is helpful to us in this regard. this morning the armed services committee heard from admiral bill gortney. he gave us his assessment of iran's capabilities and ongoing efforts to thwart international agencies. admiral gortney is the commander of the u.s. northern command. he is personally responsible for defending americans in the united states mainland. this is an appointee of president obama and here are the words given to us today by admiral gortney and i quote -- "iran has committed considerable resources to enhancing its ballistic missile capabilities and has already placed another satellite into orbit this year using a new booster that could serve as a demonstrator for

intercontinental ballistic missile technologies. despite international condemnation and sanctions iran has failed to cooperate fully with the international atomic energy agency to resolve all outstanding concerns regarding its nuclear program particularly those concerning its possible military dimensions ." unquote. mr. president, these are the words from the head of the northern command in this administration and this regime, which admiral gortney described is the very regime my president and secretary of state have confidence will live up to any nuclear agreement. as the admiral went on to say the hope for a diplomatic solution should not come without vigilance, and that's what members on this side of the aisle are trying to insist upon. we cannot ignore these warning signs of miscompliance and

uncooperative behavior while expecting iran to make good on its promises. a few days ago, prime minister benjamin netanyahu stressed iran's record of misconduct and sinister objectives in his powerful address to congress. he emphasized that a nuclear iran would have serious implications for the world the region and of course for israel, one of our most steadfast allies. these concerns are important for lawmakers, and i'm glad we had a chance to hear them in person. with a record of foreign policy failures i regret to say that president obama is under intense scrutiny to hold iran accountable at this critical moment. he is under intense scrutiny because of these foreign policy failures. like many of my colleagues, i'm concerned, and i think americans are concerned that the administration might be too generous with concessions to

iran. as it has been with deals in the past. time is running out for the president to establish his legacy a dangerous motivation for negotiations with the unreliable and volatile nation admiral gortney described today. at the very least the senate should insist on the passage of a bipartisan bill to ensure the american people have a say in any agreement between the white house and iran. congressional approval would add legitimacy to any agreement and i think that is important. any foreign nation negotiating with the united states should be mindful of our constitutional system of checks and balances. congress should also be discussing the appropriate steps to take if an agreement is not reached by the deadline this month. the president is now threatening to veto legislation that puts tougher sanctions on iran. but shouldn't there be

consequences for iran if they refuse to cooperate with international investigators? the stakes are too high to make excuses for stalled negotiations or to rely on wishful thinking about iran's intentions. as mr. netanyahu said in his speech -- quote -- "if iran wants to be treated like a normal country let them act like a normal country." instead, iran continues to support terrorist groups and oppressive authoritarian regimes. we can't afford -- we can't afford to ignore its influence in unstable areas and how this influence could dramatically change should they be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. prime minister netanyahu's speech is a reminder that iran has made no excuses for its belligerent aims and ties to terrorist groups. a bad deal would spell disaster for israel whose very existence has been threatened by iranian

leaders. israel and the united states share an unwavering commitment to keeping iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. it is unfortunate that criticism from the obama administration surrounded the prime minister's earlier visit. meanwhile, the world is not safer, global threats continue to multiply, posing complex challenges to america's national security issues. one looks at the unrest around the world and it is easy to see how america is failing to lead. another member of this administration director of national intelligence james clapper, underscored the widespread instability when he testified before the senate armed services committee last month. it's important to compare director clapper's testimony with that of the secretary of state