force has the resources necessary to develop a new cruise missile that can defeat modern air defense systems for decades to come. we also need to ensure that the national nuclear security administration has the resources it needs to refurbish the warhead that flies on the cruise missile. letting our bomber and cruise missile capabilities become obsolete would send a disastrous signal to the kim regime that its nuclear program has yielded strategic benefits. on the other hand, modernizing our forces shows mr. kim that he will never get a nuclear upper hand in east asia. the bottom line is that we need a holistic approach to north korea. we need the sanctions that we are considering here today in the senate. we need a strong, strategic deterrent, as i've described, and i urge my colleagues to support the sanction bills in front of us to put pressure on north korea financially.

this needs to be a comprehensive, ongoing, sustained effort. we have to stand strong against our adversaries and stand strong with our allies, and we have to do it consistently and we have to do it over time, and we have to be steadfast. that's the type of foreign policy that can be effective. that's the type of foreign policy we need to undertake. that's what we're trying to accomplish with this legislation, and i commend the sponsors of this legislation who are here on the floor today. i hope further that my colleagues will support not only this legislation but critical investments in our nuclear bombers and cruise missile forces when we consider the annual defense bills later this year. i'm very familiar with these systems as the b-52's are based at the air force base in my state. they provide a tremendous

deterrent in a very important part of the nuclear triad, but we have to continue to invest in that nuclear triad, in the bombers, in the icbm missiles and in our submarine fleet. i believe that both sanctions and a strong military are critical to our national security and that of our allies as well as to maintaining stability in this potentially volatile part of the world. as we've said before, the united states is the world's best hope for freedom, for peace and security. thank you, mr. president. and with that, i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. gardner: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. gardner: thank you, madam president. we have heard a number of colleagues come down to the floor today -- the presiding officer: we are in a quorum call. mr. gardner: i ask the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection.

mr. gardner: madam president, we've heard a number of colleagues come to the floor and support the legislation before us today that north korea sanctions legislation, members from both sides of the aisle who recognize the need to address the forgotten maniac in north korea. we've also heard members talk about a number of firsts that this legislation contemplates, the first time that this would put in place mandatory cyber sanctions for cyber attacks. this is something that applies, yes, to north korea today but in the future it could apply to any nation who wishes to use its means to attack the u.s. or our businesses, so it's a critically important piece of legislation that we are going to pass today that can have a lasting impact on the security of this country. we've also heard from a number of members who have talked about their concern with china. now, while this legislation is not targeted at china, this legislation is targeted at north korea, we've talked about how it's not targeted to the north korean people but to the regime of kim jong-un. the legislation does everything

we can to try to give the people of north korea a better way of life to find ways to communicate to break down this -- the silence that they are faced with in this economic deprivation zone, to give them tools, perhaps ways to -- radios and cell phone technologies so they can find out what's happening beyond the confines of the torturous regime. but it does have an impact on those who try to get around the sanctions of the prohibited activities of the legislation. in fact, some of the strongest legislation comes in language that addresses whether you export to or from north korea, whether you export from or import to north korea, those -- import from north korea or export to north korea, goods, raw metals, precious materials that can be fund, the -- funneled, the goods, the money from that funneled to weapons of mass destruction, the activities prohibited by the legislation.

so if north korea is exporting gold or coal and we know that gold and coal are chiefly responsible for north korean foreign currency reserves, then that entity could be designated as a sanctioned entity under the legislation. and perhaps those -- those entities are in china. but the fact is we need cooperation with china. we need cooperation with japan and south korea that we have had so strongly in the past to grow even more. we have an opportunity for trilateral alliance, cooperation between the three nations that will allow us to work together, to share intelligence, to share cooperative efforts and exercises when it comes to north korea and to work with china to help make sure that it's sticking by what it says it wants to do, and that is to denuclearize the north korean regime peacefully. i think it's key to our cooperation with china as we work on any number of issues,

whether it's trade issues, whether it's the issues dealing with the internet, whether it's issues dealing with the south china sea. those are things that we continue to work with china on and are working to resolve, but we also have to make sure that part of that conversation is north korea. china controls a tremendous number of levels of power in north korea. 90% of their economic activities in north korea can find their way to some way subsistence of china, to create a reliance on china, economic reliance that they have right now. and so this legislation will target those who were doing too much to empower the kim jong-un regime to give them the money that he has used to develop missiles and develop weapons of mass destruction. just to give you an example of some of the commodity trade that we have seen, trade and commodity sanctions that this bill will include addresses the issue of rare earth minerals, coal and other goods that are

exported to other countries to earn foreign currency from the north korean regime and to give people an idea of how much money that is, experts put rare earth minerals at around $1.8 billion and $245 million respectively. that's a lot of money that the regime is currently getting from outside in trade of these goods. but if that trade, if this $1.8 billion of, if this $245 million goes back to build weapons of mass destruction, this act will begin to sanction them. the president's required to unless he issues a very narrow case-by-case national security waiver. it's a mandatory investigation into those activities. and so i think this is a strong step again that is receiving tremendous bipartisan support, and with that, madam president, i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. gardner: madam president? the presiding officer: we are in a quorum call. mr. gardner: i ask the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator is recognized. mr. gardner: thank you, madam president. we have been discussing some of the opportunities to strengthen our alliance between japan and south korea and the united states. in the legislation before us today is language that addresses the cooperation, trilateral cooperation between the united states, south korea and japan, that we would seek to strengthen high-level trilateral mechanisms

for discussions and coordination of our policies toward north korea, that we would work between the government of the united states, the government of south korea and the government of japan to meet these goals to ensure that the mechanisms that north korea is using when it comes to nuclear, ballistic and conventional weapons programs are addressed by the three nations, that we address together in this trilateral alliance human rights record, the cybersecurity threats posed by north korea. and it also talks about in the legislation before us that the united states, korea and japan, we meet on a regular basis. the legislation encourages that the united states, the trilateral alliance meet together, including the department of state, department of defense, intelligence community and representatives of counterpart agencies in south korea and japan so that we can continue to focus our efforts on the trilateral alliance and strengthen it. if you look at the conversations that are taking place today, we've heard our colleague from

hawaii, senator schatz, talk about the -- the need for cooperation when it comes to thad. he talked about the concern that the allies, our allies, neighbors of north korea have when it comes to their air defense systems and how they are going to protect themselves from a upon missile strike from north korea. those conversations are continuing. we talk about extraordinary cooperation opportunities we have in sharing intelligence between the three nations. and it all comes on the heels of what has been over the past year, last year in particular with the 17th anniversary of the end of the world war ii, some recognition of historical complexities in the relationship between japan and south korea. late last year, recallly thi --t year, early this year we saw some agreements. that was a new step forward in cooperation in terms of working through these complexities. that activity was followed shortly thereafter by north korea's fourth nuclear test, and

what a great statement it was for japan and south korea to begin finding solutions to these historical complexities at a time that perhaps is needed now more than ever because of the challenges that their neighbor in the north poses to them. and so while we work on thaad, while we work together to find ways to protect our allies and to assure theme that our allies -- them that ou our commitment remains, i know the senator from minnesota is on the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. ms. klobuchar: today i join my colleagues in support of the north korea sanctions and policy enhancement afnlgt i commend senator gardner for his leadership as well as senator menendez, chairman corker, ranking member ca cardin for thr leader on this legislation because protecting the american people and others in the region

from national security threat ts like north korea should in fact be our top priemple priority. the reason there is overwhelming bipartisan support for strong sanctions legislation against north korea is because there is absolutely no doubt that north korea is a well-established threat in the region. north korea threatens global peace and security. experts oexpertsestimate that na has 20 to 100 nuclear weapons. since 2006, north korea has tested four nuclear bombs. last month north korea claims to have test add hydrogen bomb. while our analysts in the u.s. are skeptical that it was in fact a hydrogen bomb, it was a nuclear bomb all the same. with each test, north korea gets closer to producing a nuclear bomb small enough to fit on a long-range missile, the very same kind of missile that north korea used over the weekend to

launch a satellite into outer space. that missile has a range o of 5,600 miles. this means that alaska, karvelg the rest of the west coast of the u.s. is actually within range of a north korean bomb. our union allies and australia are also within range of a north korean bomb. and of course japan and south korea, two of our key allies in southeast asia, are closest to the danger north korea poses. and it is in our national security interest to protect these vital allies. but it's not just north korea's nuclear threat we need to be concerned about. north korea funds its weapons regime through human trafficking, something i care deeply about, through the production of illegal drugs and selling counterfeit u.s. currency. north korea is also one of the largest suppliers of the arms trade and has become the bargain-basement emporium for

the sold soviet weapon system. north korea has a pattern of shipping these illegal arms to terrorists in the middle east. north korea also threatens our cybersecurity. north korea's cyber attack on the sony corporation of america in 2014, which leaked private communication and destroyed the company's data systems, cost sony, an american company, more than $35 million. this is sony corporation of america. it costs them $35 million. why this company? because the company produced a movie that mocked north korea's leadership. last summer north korea pledged to follow up on its attack on sony with more cyber attacks, promising to wage a cyber war against the u.s. to hasten its ruin. and that is an exact quote. america is not north korea's only target for cyber attacks. in 2013, north korea launched a

cyber attack on three major south korean banks and two of south korea's largest broadcasters were temporarily shut down after a cyber attack. these cyber attacks cost south korea an estimated $720 million. this is real money, real jobs in our own country and in our allies'. we must take strong action to curb north korea's nuclear program and address the other threats that it poses to the u.s. and our allies. weak sanctions against north korea have clearly proven unsuccessful. the legislation before us today represents the tough response that is necessary to send this message directly to north korean leaders. disarm or face severe economic sanctions. this bill puts pressure on north korea in three important ways. first, it requires the president

to investigate those that help north korea import goods used to make weapons of mass destruction. all people i angz and businesses involved in helping north korea obtain illicit weapons would be banned from doing business with the u.s. and have their fng -- their financial assets frozen. as we track down and bring to justice those who assist north korea and its effort to harm the u.s. and our allies, we must also hit them financially. this bill will help to cut off north korea's funding and further financially isolate them. second, this bill sanctions those who attack u.s. cybersecurity. this bill is the first piece of legislation that lays out a framework for sanctions against the north korean cyber threat. combating cyberterrorism is a key national security priority. we must be proactive about rooting out those who enable

cyber atafntlattacks. this bill addresses the serious human rights crisis in north korea. north korea is the most isolated economy and society in the world. the current regime exerts total control over daily life. even haircuts are controlled, madam president. that's right. women are allowed to pick from one of 14 hairstyles and men cannot grow their hair longer than two inches. 32% of the people in north korea are undernourished and 34% of the population receives food aid. madam president, as a member who has worked extensively to fight modern-day slavery, i am particularly disturbed by the fact that north korea is also among the world's worst human traffickers. the state department's annual report on human trafficking consistently rates north korea as one of the worst human

traffickers. the united nations considers human trafficking to be one of the three largest criminal enterprises in the world. the first two are illegal drugs, illegal guns. last year i was proud to be the lead democratic cosponsor of legislation with senator john cornyn to fight trafficking and help trafficking victims. it was signed into law by president obama last may. the justice for victims of trarvegging act tackles sex trafficking head-on so we're doing work in our own country, but we also need to be a beacon for those victims abroad. sex and labor traffickers treat north korean men and women like commodities. yamni york, a north korean woman who escaped after being sold into the sex trade, has dedicated her life into shining light on what she calls the dark of the place on earth, north korea. this bill calls for harsh sanctions against human rights violators. it calls for mandatory

investigations into those who bankroll north korean labor prisons and sex trafficking rings. but it also acknowledges the important work of human rights organizations that provide assistance to those suffering in north korea and allows them to continue their lifesaving work. china fuels much of the demand for north korea's human trafficking, and they help fund the north korean regime. beyond enacting swift and severe sanctions against those associated with north korea's weapon suppliers, hackers, and human rights violators, we must pressure china to get serious about sanctioning sanctioning th korean sheevment unless we have china's help, the regime will not truly feel the repercussions of its actions. madam president, we have come together today across party lines in a bipartisan effort tht north korea poses. we are united in our belief that our national security and the

security of our allies requires a swift and strong response to north korea and those who fund its tyrants. we are also united in our belief that we must vigorously investigate and sanction those who in any way help north korea develop weapons of mass destruction and those who seek to undermine cybersecurity. and we must do everything in our power to help improve the lives of innocent north currency. that is why i am supporting this bill, and i thank my colleagues for their leadership. again, senator menendez, senator gardner, senator cardin, senator corker. i wanted to add one more thing, madam president, just another minute, as i try to do every day, as does senator shaheen, to address the issue of the ambassadors to norway and sweden. it has been 864 days since we've had an ambassador to norway. it has been 468 days since the president nominated azita raji

to be ambassador to sweden. i appreciate senator corker's leadership on this issue. we are working very hard to get these two ambassadors confirmed. these countries are the 11th and 12th biggest investors in the united states. senator cruz is the one holding up a vote on this. we are hopeful that at some point we will be able to move ahead. this has been going on way too long. some of our best allies in the fight against russian aggression -- senatorway actuall norway aca border with russia -- we have to be on their side as they take in thousands and thousands of refugees. we have talked about the need for a strong europe. yet these are the two major countries in europe that we don't have ambassadors from the united states. that must change. and, again, i thank senator corker and senator cardin for their leadership. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. mr. corker: madam president, i

think senator capito is next. i did want to just mention that i appreciated the way that senator klobuchar has worked the issue, especially of norway and sweden. and i do think we're on the cusp, maybe in the next 24 house, of that being resolved. but thank you for your diligence and patience. with that, i yield the floor. exi exi thanmrs. capito: madam , i rise today in strong support of the north korea sanctions and policy enhancement afnlgt i comeng senators corker and gardner, menendez and cardin for their hard worke work on this hd bill. north korea poses a very serious threat. last month the north currency test add nuclear device as they continued to advance their weapons technology. just this weekend the north currency launched a satellite as they worked to build a ballistic

missile program. cyber attacks launched by north korea have crippled businesses, like sony pictures, and targeted our allies like south korea and jeavment thjapan. the threats will only continue to grow. our current policy towards north korea has failed -- failed -- to protect the safety and security of the american people. this legislation takes significant steps to deny north korea's capabilities and limit the nuclear and ballistic missile programs. stop cybersecurity attacks, and end north korea's horrendous -- horrendous human rights violations. mandatory investigations and mandatory sanctions are the hallmark of this legislation. under this bill, the administration is required to investigate the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, human rights abuses, ans cybercrimes. when investigations reveal misconduct related to these activities, sanctions are

required. importantly, the bill will target minerals and other items that the north korean regime uses to finance its weapons program at the expense of its own people. sanctions under this bill would also apply to businesses or individuals around the world who help north korea expand its nuclear weapons and cybercrime capabilities. similar legislation imposing sanctions targeted towards north korea passed in the house last month with a nearly unanimous vote. that's quite an acheecht. today i hope this bill will pass by a similar margin and show that the senate is united in our resolve against the security threats posed by north korea. on another important note, madam president, last night the united states supreme court put the environmental protection agency's clean power plan on hold. this landmark decision will prevent the obama administration

from enforcing this rule until all legal challenges are complete. west virginia, my state, has lost nearly 10,000 coal mining jobs since 2009. nearly every week, every week hundreds of layoffs and more notices devastate west virginia's coalfields, west virginia's families, communities. the impact on state and local budgets has been stark. school boards have announced significant cuts to education due to the loss of coal severance tax revenue. this is happening all across the state. as bad as the current economic situation is, the clean power plan would have made things even worse for families and communities in my state. well, we know that e.p.a.'s play book earlier this year the supreme court struck down e.p.a.'s mercury rule targeting power plans since the agency failed to follow the legal

requirements. but because the mercury rule went into effect years before legal challenges were complete, billions of dollars had already been invested and many jobs had already been lost. my arena act has recognized that the 29 states and hundreds of other organizations challenging the president's power grab deserve meaningful judicial review. my legislation said this rule cannot go into effect until the litigation is complete. such common sense. and i'm very pleased that the supreme court has agreed with this commonsense position and recognized the immediate impact of this rule. i also want to extend my appreciation to west virginia's attorney general patrick morrisey for his leading role in this case. on behalf of our state, he is head of the legal challenge against this administration. and last night's decision is just the latest legal setback for an out-of-control e.p.a.

congress has passed legislation dispriewrveg of -- disapprovingf the clean power plan. the be judicial branch now seems poised to play its role in protecting both the separation of powers and the principles of federalism from the administration's power grab. increasingly this lame-duck president stands alone as he attempts to further his climate agenda. the american people are not behind him. a majority of congress has come out against his efforts. and now the supreme court has raised concerns. this is an important step toward having the american people, not an unchecked bureaucracy, set our energy agenda. and we must continue to fight to permanently block this rule. i yield the floor.

a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. kaine: madam president, i also rise to support the north korea sanctions and policy enhancement act of 2016, and it's good to see on the floor colleagues who have worked on this important legislation. maryland, new jersey, our committee chair, the senator from colorado. and i appreciate their efforts and believe this can be a great example of bipartisanship and near unanimous agreement. we have witnessed recently many provocations by the north koreans, the ballistic missile test. this past weekend violates numerous u.n. security council resolutions and threatens both the united states and especially our allies in the region. this closely follows a nuclear test in january, another deplorable action by north korea, and missile nuclear weapons program proliferation concerns that have been the subject of a lot of discussion in this body. i appreciate the drafters and the foreign relations committee for moving swiftly to deliver a

response that includes penalties for the missile launch and the nuclear test. i will also mention, madam president, that north korea's detention of american citizens can't be overlooked. this includes the recent detainment in north korea of otto frederick warmbier. we've got to ensure safe return of our citizens detained there. a little bit about how destabilizing north korea's actions are. this recent test was expected and it is a proof of the north korean grim determination to develop nuclear weapons, even if it's hampering and hobbling their economy and causing their citizens to suffer. they have been given warnings that they shouldn't do it but they have also been giving warnings to the global community that they would. this is a country that is determined to defy a host of u.n. security council resolutions that ban it from

conducting nuclear and missile tests. the international community has been speaking with clarity about what the line is, don't do this, but north korea has chosen to proceed. kim jong-un has once again displayed a willingness to defy the international community and at such a cost to his people. the economy there is absolutely hobbled because of his desire to be a militaristic leader but at the suffering of his population sl resulting. his strategy to have a nuclear military and economic development for his people isn't going to work because he can't have both. and the legislation demonstrates that these things are not possible by imposing a significant economic cost. the legislation shows that the u.s. will hold countries and private entities accountable for compliance with international rules and law. kim jong-un's backward calculus left his countryism' rished and almost -- country impoverished.

roughly 90% of its foreign trade is with china which is why china can have significant leverage over north korea. china using leverage to curb north korea is very disappointing. we need to continue to pressure china to increase sanctions on north korea and elevate this issue in bilateral discussions with china. there are a number of north korean nuclear weapons -- i'm sorry. the number of north korean nuclear weapons could soon approach china's within the next decade and that is a direct threat to regional stability. yesterday at a hearing we attended james clapper stated north korea is expanding its uranium enrichment activities, restarted plutonium production and could start extracting plutonium from spent fuel within a matter of months. china can no longer turn a blind eye to this. as a permanent member of the u.n. security council, china needs to help foster international peace and play the role that an international power

on the u.n. security council needs to play. they need to play the role in additionally advancing or pushing for more human rights in north korea because they have the leverage to do so. we don't trade with north korea, our leverage is somewhat limited, but china with a 90% trade share has that leverage. the good thing about these sanctions is that they will sanction the activities of chinese companies and entities that are trading with north korea, and that secondary sanction i think has the ability to work and put pressure on. we've seen recently how sanctions can work in another context, in the iran context and the architects of the sanction policy with iran are in this room and they deserve praise because there's no way that iran, a rogue nation that was moving forward to develop nuclear weapons, would have ever entertained a diplomatic discussion to try to put limits on that program had it not been for sanctions that were designed to have a strategic and careful effect. and so we need to do the same thing here.

and these sanctions do that. in conclusion, the united states has got to undertake a more proactive approach to north korea to address the nuclear ballistic missile programs. this legislation is good because it not only puts congress even more firmly on the record in opposition to north korea's activity, but it also provides the executive branch a more robust set of policy tools to confront the threat that's posed by pyongyang. this is an example of legislation that came out of the committee bipartisan and unanimous. it represents the best of bipartisan foreign policy legislation and i'm strongly in support of the bill. with inwith that, i yield the f. mr. cardin: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: i first want to thank senator kaine for his input in this legislation and so much other legislation that goes through the senate foreign relations committee. he's an extremely valuable member of our committee, a really good thinker. but more importantly, he listens to others on the committee and finds a common way that we can

make important national foreign policy issues bipartisan. and he's done that, did that with the iran review act, in reaching a way that we could bring that together in a bipartisan manner. he was very helpful on the north korean sanction bill that we have on the floor here. so i want to thank senator kaine for his contributions. and senator corker, i know we are getting -- madam president, we're getting near the end of this debate. i've been listening to debate throughout the day, and i think it points out the best traditions of the united states senate. so many members have come to the floor in serious debate about the national security challenge that north korea presents not just, as i said, to the korean peninsula, not just to our allies in east asia, but globally and how u.s. leadership is going to be vitally important and we're going to act. the united states is going to act.

the united states said tonight it's going to pass a very strong sanction bill, very strong message bill that we do not intend to sit back and let north korea proliferate their weapons of mass destruction. we also don't plan to sit back and let them commit gross violations of human rights. we won't sit back and allow them to attack our intellectual property through cyber attacks and that we are going to act as one, united. we're going to act, democrats and republicans, house and senate, we'll work with the administration, we're going to get this done. and then, yes, we are going to go to the international community. we are going to put pressure on our other countries. we know that the republic of korea is with us. we know that japan is with us. china needs to be with us. and we're going to go and talk to china and explain and work with them so that we can get international pressure to isolate the north korean regime until they change their course. it's critically important to our security, but also to the people

of north korea. so i thought this debate has been in the best tradition of the united states senate. again, we have the architects, as senator kaine pointed out, of drafting this bill. senator corker's leadership clearly set the climate in our committee so that we could have that type of debate. i'm sorry that no one here could sit in on some of senator corkers and senator menendez's meetings as they were negotiating specific terms of the bill. each had their views but they listened to each other and they recognized by listening to each other, they could come out at the end of the day with a stronger bill and as a result our two colleagues, we were able to reach that common ground and i think very shortly we're going to be able to show the people of this country the best traditions of the united states senate on foreign policy issues and i'm very proud to work with senator corker and my colleagues on this bill. thank you, madam president. mr. corker: madam president, obviously i appreciate the

comments -- the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. corker: thank you, madam president. i appreciate the comments of the distinguished ranking member, our former chairman, senator menendez is here. senator gardner, the two of them were way ahead of the senate in many ways in addressing this issue prior to this, these last provocations by north korea. and i want to thank them for that and then again, as senator kaine mentioned, doing it in the best fashion of the united states senate where where there are differences we work together to hammer those out and end up as senator cardin just mentioned, with a stronger piece of legislation. i want to also commend the house. i mean, they sent over a very good bill. they really did. it was strong. you know, senator gardner and senator menendez, with all of us working together, were able to broaden it out and to deal with some other issues that were not dealt with in that piece of legislation.

and the fact is things have occurred since that legislation passed that i think have caused people to want to put in place a much stronger, much bolder footprint as it relates to north korea. what's amazing -- and i appreciated your comments about senator kaine, i don't think we have a more thoughtful nor more principled member on our committee and i don't think there is any way the iran review act would have occurred without him taking the steps that he did to break the logjam at that time let's face it, with some important constituents that mattered, and it really allowed us to move ahead with it, obviously senator menendez on the front end and senator cardin as a new ranking member, but what's amazing in many ways is that north korea has gotten this far along. i mean, it's been through multiple, multiple administrations, differing

parties. over the last 20 years they've just continued to move along. and while i think our nation did a really good job in focusing on the problems that iran was creating, and senator menendez who is sitting beside me here certainly led in putting sanction in place with senator kirk and others, we moved swiftly to arrest that and hopefully while we had disagreements over the content of the actual agreement and that's represented by differences and votes on the agreement itself, it did bring them to the table. and what's amazing is that, you know, again, they've progressed so far along, way beyond where iran is. what's also amazing to me is that china, i'm going to be having those conversations, by the way, with our counterparts this weekend in munich regarding this very issue. and what's amazing to me is you have right on their border this country which is definitely, you

have to say a rogue country. that is creating provocations in the region. we've all visited the d.m.z. and see the fact we have 28,500 troops right there, they are there to keep peace. they have been there, by the way, since 1953. so we're right there in the region, we have allies, and again it's just amazing that it's gone this far, that china has not been willing to take the steps that, as senator kaine mentioned, their 90% trade partner easily could cause this to go in a very different direction. but even more importantly here we are taking action that i hope will lead to other members of the international community joining us in sanctions but china, the very entity that could do something about this, is blocking the u.n. security council's action towards this being done in a multilateral basis on the front end. but this is what happens.

the united states senate in the past has taken unilateral action. we know that we are much better off with multilateral sanctions. a lot of times it starts this way. it started this way with iran. over time, we were able to build worldwide support or mostly worldwide support towards isolating them and causing them to come to the table. again, this entity, this country is much further along. hopefully we'll have the same success, but we have to realize this is going to take, because of the 20 years of efforts that they have under way and especially the bold steps they have taken since 2003 that senator gardner so aptly outlined in an earlier discussion, we will have to do far more than this. we need to put this in place but we're also going to have to remain diligent and keep moving ahead, and it may take additional actions down the road. it's certainly going to take tremendous oversight and involvement by the administration and the

administration to follow and the administration after them. this is a great step, though, for the united states senate. it's a great step for our country. again, i want to thieng our house colleagues. my guess is we'll send this bill back over this evening about 5:45. some changes may be made, it will go to the president, and we will have spoken with one voice, and the best -- in the best way the united states senate speaks, in a strong way, and we will be doing something that again furthers the safety and security of our own citizens, which is what we're here about. with that, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. kaine: madam president, i need to put the horse after the cart. i ask unanimous consent that sanjay muke, michael pasquel and michael eckord in my office be granted floor prisms for the remainder of the 114th

congress. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator from new jersey. mr. menendez: madam president, i just want to take a moment as we are winding down this debate, the debate that has been extraordinary not only because of its unanimity, which i think is incredibly important when we are facing a challenge to the national security and interests of the united states, but also because of the tone and tenor and the seriousness of the issue which members on both sides have taken to it. and that's incredibly important. i know that my colleagues, the distinguished chairman and the distinguished ranking member have spoken to this, but it is important to note that when the senate on a bipartisan basis perceives a real threat to the potential national security of the united states and of significant allies, that it can come together and send not just a powerful message but a powerful strategy to try to deal with that challenge. so i salute all of my colleagues

who have engaged in this debate, and again i thank the leadership of the committee as well as senator gardner for working with me. you know, when i introduced this legislation last year, i felt that the time for strategic patience which had been a hallmark of our policy had run its course because we had hoped that that patience would have had a unique regime in north korea move in a different direction. but it came to a point in which multiple tests of nuclear explosions, each increasing in the size of its effectiveness, the attempts to miniaturize those efforts, the missile launches that we're going through in addition to the terrible human rights labor camps and other human rights violations inside of north

korea, and what is happening to the north korean people, that strategic patience in and of itself was not getting us to the goal, and if anything, while we were being patient, the north koreans continued to move in a direction for which you needed what i think is a strategic resolve. and that's what we have come here to today. the bipartisan effort to have a strategic resolve, to not only focus on north korea but in the secondary sanctions to save those who want to deal with north korea and to help north korea achieve its goals in violation of international norms. will have a consequence, because right now we have all been focused on north korea as a government, as an entity, but this legislation now broadens that to say to those who want to help the north koreans provide

the wherewithal, the material wherewithal for their nuclear missile and other programs, that there is a consequence to you. and i believe that is an appropriate use of sanctions, and that's what i want to close on. on this question of sanctions. for 24 years between the house foreign affairs committee and the last ten in the senate foreign affairs committee, i have viewed u.s. foreign policy in that peaceful diplomacy has an arsenal. that arsenal is in part how one can direct international opinion to a country who is violating international norm, to the extent that that country can really be affected by international opinion. north korea is an example of a country that is difficult to affect by international opinion. the use of your age, the use of your trade as inducements to a country to act in a certain way that you hope will join the

international community and follow the norms and the international will, and then the denial of aid or trade and other sanctions as a way to get them to move away from the direction in which they are violating international norms. and outside of that universe, international opinion, use of aid, use of trade, denial of aid, denial of trade and sanctions particularly that we have begun to perfect in the financial sector, we can have a very powerful tool, and that shouldn't be used bluntly but nonetheless is an important tool is our arsenal of peaceful diplomacy in the world. and so being -- looking aside from the military universe of what is available to us, which should be our last resort, when we are talking about peaceful

diplomacy, there are moments in which sanctions is the last use of our peaceful diplomacy in a way to get countries to move in a direction we want them. this moment which i think is about strategic resolve does exactly that. it uses sanctions, not just against the regime in north korea but against those who would give it the wherewithal to follow its illicit pursuits, and i think that's what's incredibly powerful about this legislation and the appropriate use of our arsenal of peaceful diplomacy in the hopes, in the hopes that we can deter the north koreans from where they are and move in a different direction, and in the hope that we can get other countries in the world -- and it will have to be more than hope. it will have to be also a strategic resolve to get those other countries to join us as we did in the case of iran. we did not start with the world

wanting to come together with us because of their economic interests and other strategic interests. we ultimately through american leadership drove the moment in which we had a multilateral international effort that brought the iranians to the negotiating table. it is my hope that the beginning of what happens here in the senate today begins a process that can proselytize others in the world to come and join us so that the nuclear nightmare that is potentially north korea never, ever is materialized. and with that, i hope we have an overwhelming unanimous vote on this legislation, and again i thank the leadership for working with us, and i yield the floor. mr. cardin: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: i think as you listened to my colleagues you know how proud we are to serve

with people who have such deep knowledge and strategic views on how we as a nation can better defend ourselves and lead the world. senator menendez's comments about america's strength, yes, i think everyone understands that we had the great -- we have the greatest arsenal in the world, and we do, but america also understands the power of diplomacy, that diplomacy has to be backed up with incentives and disincentives. incentives, yes. the american taxpayer is generous on development assistance and our assistance in helping countries develop into stronger democracies in which they can be stronger economies and have a better life for its people and by the way be better consumers of u.s. products. that's what america does to

offer incentives, but we also lead the world in saying if you do not follow the international acceptable norms, there will be consequences, and those consequences mean that we will not let you do commerce to strengthen your ability to harm your neighbors and to harm global security. and that's what senator menendez was talking about. the sanctions that we're imposing here are aimed directly at north korea's ability to compile weapons of mass destruction, to harm their own people and to harm others with the use of asylum. that's what these sanctions are aimed about. they are aimed to prevent them from being able to do it. it also shows u.s. leadership because our allies look to the u.s. first. look, it's an international financial system, and if the united states is not prepared to move forward, you cannot expect the rest of the -- of our allies

to move ahead, so it's a clear signal that we are prepared to take these actions. we are taking these actions. we're going to take them by ourselves if we have to, but it will be much more effective if we can get the international community to support us. and senator menendez is absolutely correct. i remember when we did this against the part tied south africa and we were able to get actions taken by other countries after we acted. you're absolutely correct on iran. we acted on iran. we then got other countries to act. if the united states did not show the leadership, it would not have happened. i mean, that's now true with north korea. our actions will help us get other countries to act so that we can hopefully accomplish our goal of a peaceful north korea without the use of our military might. but let me just explain what's at stake here. we all understand the tests that are going on, the so-called

satellite tests. that's to develop a missile that can deliver a weapon well beyond the republic of korea, that could directly attack u.s. interests, certainly our allies' interests. that's what they're trying to do with these tests, is developing weapons of mass destruction that could cause unspeakable damage. that's what we're trying to prevent, and it's not just the direct actions by the north koreans. they have already shown their willingness to work with other rogue states in developing weapons of mass destruction, and if we allow them to be able to accumulate these weapons, they could then transfer them to other rogue countries and they could be used against our interests. and we also know that north korea is willing to make arrangements with terrorist organizations, and these weapons could end up in the hands of terrorists and used against our

interests. so that's what's at stake here. there is a lot at stake. and that's on the weapons program. we already saw north korea act in regards to sony on cyber. we know that this is a growing field. if we don't take action now, the circumstances are only going to get more damaging to our u.s. interests. and the one area that i really do congratulate senator gardner and senator menendez for bringing to this bill, and that is the human rights issues, the gross violations of human rights. we talked about those. there's no country in the world that is worse in treating its citizens than north korea. they're literally starving their population, starving their population. they torture their population. they have these -- they imprison anyone who dares to say anything against the government. they execute, just do summary

executions if they don't like you. we know that. it's been documented, documented over and over again. and this legislation speaks to american values. our strength is in our arsenal, our strength is in our universal values, that we won't allow that to happen. that, yes, we have an interest in how the people of north korea are treated. that these are international norms that have been violated by north korea. so i just wanted to follow up with senator menendez because i thought he articulated it so well about america's strength and how we act. it is not just because we have the best military in the world. it's because we have the will to stand up for values that are important for not only our national security but for global security. and when the united states leads, other countries join us, and we get results. and hopefully we're going to be able to change north korea's conduct through these measures.

that's in the best interests of the united states. that's in the best interests of our allies, and it's in the best interests of north korea. that's what this legislation speaks to. and i share senator menendez's hope that we'll see a very strong vote in a few minutes, and i know that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle have expressed their views on this, and, madam president, i just urge everyone to support this effort and to show america's resolve in a united policy in this regard. with that, madam president, i would yield the floor and suggest the absence -- i'll yield the floor. mr. gardner: madam president?

the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. gardner: madam president, i want to thank all of my colleagues for their thoughtful input during this debate. we've had great discussions from numerous members who've come to the floor throughout the day to discuss north korea and the north korea sanctions and policy enhancement act. i want to thank chairman corker for his leadership on the committee and the product today, which is a very good bipartisan sanctions action that i hope and agree with senator menendez, our colleague from new jersey that this will indeed receive unanimous -- hopefully -- support and to thank you, senator menendez, through the chair, for his efforts to make this a success. and to, of course, the ranking member of the committee and the ranking member of the asia subcommittee as well, for the work we set out a year ago to work on this problem, address this challenge. the purpose of the north korea sanctions and policy enhancement act is very simple. the purpose of the bill is to peacefully disarm north korea through mandatory sanctions that would deprive the regime of the means to build its nuclear and

ballistic missile programs. to deriv deprive the regime from carrying out its gross abuse of the human rights of its own people. obviously there's more work to dovment the discussions today talk about the work we have to do with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, in the other chamber. the work we have to make sure the united nations security council recognizes this challenge. to make sure that china understands that we shouldn't have a nuclear north korea. so let's build that relationship of cooperation with china. let's build that relationship with trilateral lines between south korea, japan, the united states. those are the things that we can begin to accomplish with this legislation. it was a conversation i had with admiral gortney not too long ago, a conversation about north

korea, what he sees. and through his comments you can tell his concern that he believes the situation in the korean peninsula is at its most unstable point since the armistice. over six decades, we today are seeing the most unstable point on the korean peninsula because of a rogue regime that tortures its own people, that kills its own leaders, and deprives the human dignity of its citizens. strategic patience has failed. one expert said that we've moved from strategic patience to benign neglect. that's not leadership. and so today we start a new policy based on strength, not patience. this legislation would mandate, not simply authorize but mandate the imposition of sanctions against all persons that

materially contribute to north korea's nuclear and ballistic missile development, import luxury goods into north korea, enable its se censorship and hun rights abuses, engage in activities undermining cybersecurity, have sold, supplied, or transferred to or from north korea precious metals, including aluminum, steel, and coal for the benefit of north korea's regime and illicit activities. $1.8 billion in raw metals, $245 million in other goods that are sanctioned under this act, including those entities that dishied thedecidethat they woulm north korea would go to the development of proliferation activities. the cyber sanctions and strategy that we require are unique to the senate bill. they will be the first mandatory sanctions in history passed against cyber criminals. this bill also codifies executive order 3067 regarding

this is applies to cybersecurity, which was enacted last year in the wake of the sony pictures hack. it is also a unique feature of our senate bill today. the sanctions are unique to the legislation. experts put north korea's rare minerals and steel exports at about $2 billion. these sanctions could have a significant impact in deterring the regime. the sanctions in this bill are secondary as we've discussed, which means they would be applied to individuals and entities int not just in the und states but around the world who assist the government of north korea and the designated entities that engage in the activities prohibited by this legislation. it mandates a strategy and sanctions against north korea's human right right abuses. you can see what it does on the chart, and you can see the opportunity we have before us and the american people and our obligation to make sure we are doing everything we can to stand up for the people of north korea

and stand up to totalitarian regime of north korea. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation tonight, this bipartisan product of countless hours of debate and discussions and negotiations, to come away with a good product that we can be proud of, to work with the house members so that this is on the president's defnlg i urg pr. i urge complietion to support -s sphowrt this and i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. corker: mr. president?

i'd like to ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. corker: mr. president, i also would ask unanimous consent that we yield back all time and ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. the queyn yeas and nays are ord. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the yeas and nays are ordered. under the previous order, the committee-reported amendment is agreed to. under the previous order, the clerk will read the title of the bill for the third time. the clerk: calendar number 359, h.r. 757, an act to improve the enforcement of sanctions against the government of north korea and for other purposes. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the question occurs on passage of h.r. 757, as amended. the yeas and nays have previously been ordered. the clerk will call the roll.

vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote? if not, the yeas are 96, the nays are zero. h.r. 757, as amended, passes. mr. tillis: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from north carolina. mr. tillis: i ask unanimous consent that the senate be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up toton minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. tillis: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. toomey: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. toomey: mr. president, i would also ask consent to speak as if in morning business, but also to be allotted time beyond ten minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. toomey: thank you, mr. president. mr. casey: mr. president, i rise thong to talk about child care, in particular one piece of legislation which i've introduced today but also to talk more broadly about the critical need in our country for

more options, more opportunities for families, especially low-income families, to be able to forward child care and not just to afford any child care but child care that is of a high quality. the bill that we're introducing today -- we just introduced today, i should say, is the child care access to resources for early learning act. and of course we have an acronym. the shorthand for the bill is child care -- ccre, standing for the words in the bill that focus on re resources for early learn. it is my belief -- and i think the evidence is abundantly clear over time -- whenever this issue is studied in terms of the impact of the positive -- the positive impact of early care learning on a chiecialgd the evidence tells us over and over again that if kids learn more now, they're going to literally earn more later.

and that connection between learning and earning is very compelling, and i think it's an essential part of the debate we have to have here when it comes to not just the education -- or early education and care for a young child but the impact that has on all of our lives when it comes to the economy. so high-quality early learning, we know now from the evidence, contributes to a reduction in the need for special education. it also helps to lower juvenile justice rates, it also helps to improve health outcomes over time, it also increases high school graduation and college matriculation rates, and for some children from low-income households, a lot of these studies have also shown that by the age of three, they will have heard 30 million fewer words --

30million fewer words than their more affluent peers. so even before they enter kindergarten, this so-called word gap means that they're already far behind. so depending on where the income level of the house can often determine how many words that child has heard in his or her life. the reason why it's such a big number, of course, is because the words get repeated. but even when you factor in the repeating of words over and over again, just imagine how far behind they are if they're behind by 30 million words. if it were five million words, that would be a substantial gap, but of course it's much worse than that. i believe, i think the evidence shows that in the decades to come, the strength of our economy and the fiscal stability of our nation will depend on the viability and vitality of our