with them at the department of homeland security, thank you for being there for them. thank you. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session to consider the following treaties on today's executive calendar en bloc: numbers 9 and 10. i further ask unanimous consent that the treaties be considered as having passed through their various parliamentary stages up to and including the presentation of the resolutions of ratification that any committee conditions, declarations or reservations be agreed to as applicable, that anany statements be inserted in the "congressional record" as if read. further that each treaty be voted on en bloc but considered voted on individually. the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, the president be notified of the senate's action, and that following the disposition of the treaty, the senate return to legislative session. the presiding officer: without objection.

-- is there objection? without objection. the clerk will report the titles of the treaties. the clerk: treaty doc 110-19, treaty on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. treaty doc 112-6, the convention on the law applicable to certain rights in respect of securities held with an intermediary. mr. mcconnell: i ask for a division vote on the resolutions of ratification en bloc. the presiding officer: all those in favor stand to be counted. all those opposed, stand and be counted. two-thirds of the senators having voted in the affirmative, the resolution -- the resolutions of ratification are agreed to en bloc.

mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that at 5:00 p.m. on tuesday, november 15, the rules committee be discharged from further consideration of h.r. 4511 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. i further ask that there be 30 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form and following the use or yielding back of time, the bill be read a third time and the senate vote on passage of the bill with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of calendar number 720-727 and all nominations on the secretary's desk, that the nominations be considered en bloc, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate, that no further motions be in order, that any statements related to the nominations be pringtsed in the record, the president be immediately notified of the senate's action, and the senate then resum -- resume legislate

tifer session. the presiding officer: is there objection sno without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the executive session for the en bloc consideration of calendar number 728-734 officer snrer objection? without objection. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the nominations. the clerk: nominations, department of state: rina bitter of texas to be ambassador to the loo people's democratic republic. sungy. kim of california to be ambassador to the republic of the philippines. andrew robert young of california to be ambassador to bevment rkina f aso. w. robert system iminkton of california to be ambassador to the republic of nigeria. joseph done van jfer jr. to be ambassador to the republic of indonesia. christopher coons of delaware to be representative of the united states of america to the 71st

session of the general assembly of the united nations ronald h. johnson of wisconsin, to be representative of the united states of america to the 71st session of the general assembly of the united nations. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that the senate vote on the nominations en bloc without intervening action or debate, if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, the president be immediately notified of the senate's action and the senate then resume legislative session without any intervening action or debate. officer snrer objection? -- the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. the question occurs on the nominations. if there is no further debate, all those in favor say aye. all those opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the nominations can confirmed en bloc. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration

of s. con. res. 53. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate concurrent resolution 55, directing the clerk of the house of representatives -- 53 -- senate concurrent resolution 53 directing the clerk of the house of representatives to make a correction in the enrollment of h.r. 5235. officer snrer objection to proceeding to the measure? #*s without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the motion tthemotion to reconsidere considered made and laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the commerce committee be discharged from further consideration, the senate now proceed to s. res. 562. officer the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 562, expressing support for the designation of the week of october 9, 2016-october 15, 2016, as earth science week.

the presiding officer: is there objection proceeding to to the measure? without objection, the committee is discharged. the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the senate now proceed to the consideration of the following senat senate resos submitted earlier today: s. res. 585, s. less 586, s. res. 587, s. res. 588. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, i

want to express my appreciation to the senate that in the funding bill, it includes the money for zika $1.1 billion that has been so desperately needed, not only assisting local governments and state governments with things like mosquito control but also starting the trial on the zika vaccine. the first trial is necessary. there will be a second and larger trial and hopefully at the end of the that we'll have a zika vaccine. this has gotten to the level of being quite uncomfortable. over 2,000 pregnant women in the continental u.s. and our territories that have the zika virus and we know from the c.d.c. that up to 12%, it's likely that there will be a

birth defect. so i want the senate to know how much i appreciate this. in my own state of florida, we have been so severely hit. now with 91 of our fellow citizens that are pregnant with the virus. and we say godspeed to them that they will not have the baby with birth defects. but now at leasts the cavalry has arrived and we have the money to now proceed with trying to stamp out this zika virus. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: i come to the floor for the same reason that senator shaheen of new hampshire is here. i rise today to speak on the

survivors bill of rights. this is a noncontroversial and very bipartisan bill. it has already passed the senate. amanda nguyen is a rape victim and a survivor who has been the surviving force -- the driving force behind this legislation. she is founder and president of an organization that goes by the acronym "rise" -- r-i-s-e, a group that advocates on behalf of survivors of sexual violence. amanda has worked hand in hand with both political parties on this bill to establish new rights for survivors of sexual violence. this is the way it should be because, regardless of political party, all members of congress should be empowering survivors

of sexual violence. however, while republicans were ready to move forward on this bill last week, democrat leadership has been stalling amanda's diligent efforts. this bill ensures that all survivors of sexual violence have equal access to all available tools in their pursuit of justice. this includes the proper collection and preservation of forensic evidence that is so vital in cases of sexual violence. this bill also guarantees these survivors a new package of rights. like i said, this is a bipartisan bill, very noncontroversial. it has already passed this body 89-0. each day others like amanda will fall victim to sexual violence.

the senate should not wait one more day to help these people seek justice. so, after senator shaheen speaks, i am here now to request unanimous consent to move this bill. my understanding is that it's now okay with the democrats to agree to the passage of this legislation. mr. president, i yield the floor hopefully for the purpose of senator shaheen to state her views on this bill. mrs. shaheen: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new hampshire. mrs. shaheen: i'm pleased to join my colleague, the chair of the judiciary committee, as he requests a unanimous consent vote to pass the sexual survivors rights act. passage of this bill marks a momentous day for survivors of sexual assault, and it really is

a testament to the important progress that we can make in congress when we work together on a bipartisan basis to address the needs of the american people. the sexual assault survivors rights act for the first time establishes a set of codified court-enforceable rights to address unique issues faced by sexual assault survivors. it also assures survivors the opportunity to enforce these rights in federal court. last february i introduced this legislation, but the real inspiration for the bill came many months earlier when i first met with amanda nguyen, a young sexual assault survivors who faced challenges after reporting her assault. as senator grassley said, she was really the moving force behind this legislation. she told me about the he repeated battles she had fought to prevent her tape forensic --

her rape forensic kit from being destroyed and she recounted the grueling process she and other survivors have endured in order to win justice. well, i was deeply moved by amanda's experience, and soon after that initial meeting, i got to work with staff. we worked through multiple drafts and with invaluable counsel from amanda as well as dozens of nationally recognized experts and organizations. we produced a final bill that was introduced in february, and i want to thank senators blumenthal and leahy for their counsel throughout the process and for serving as original cosponsors. and as i said earlier, i also want to thank senator grassley and senator schumer, who hasai d ranking member of the judiciary committee, they moved the bill through that committee in april. it passed the full senate in may and the same legislation sponsored by representatives wasserman schultz, lamar smith,

mimi walters and zoe lofgren was unanimously passed by the house earlier this month. following the introduction of the bill, there was a grand swell of nationwide support for the rights set forth in this legislation, including more than 90,000 people who signed a petition urging congress to act. so, clearly, the bill resonated with the american people, especially those survivors of sexual assault. because so many survivors feel intimidated by the legal process and they choose not to go forward, that's one reason why sexual assault is the most underreported and unpunished crimes nationwide. nearly 70% of attacks go unreported. and many survivors who initially file charges become frustrated by the legal obstacle course. they give up before their cases are resolved. or for many of them, their cases simply slip through the cracks. now, the rights set forth in

this new law will apply only in federal cases, but we know from experience that when congress makes reforms to federal statutes, it often serves as a model and cat a list for -- cat catastrophe a lift for -- and catalyst for states to improve their own laws. it reensures them that they will be protected as they pursue justice. the act, as senator grassley said, will establish fair procedures with regard to rape forensic kits including the right not to be charged any fees related to the forensic medical examination, the trite have sexual assault -- the right to have sexual assault evidence pro-served for the entire statute of limitation period, the right to be informed of the results of medical exams, and the right to written notice prior to destruction of a rape kit. these and other rights are basic and essential protections that all survivors ought to have

regardless of where they live. now in drafting the legislation, we wanted to make clear that by establishing these rights for survivors without precondition, we ensure that survivors' interests are legally protected regardless of how or if they choose to move forward with an official report to police. we know that sometimes in the immediate aftermath of an attack, many survivors are not prepared to face the additional emotional challenges of confronting their attacker in the legal system. we also know that after survivors have a chance to heal, that they're often more prepared to seek justice. states around the country are recognizing this fact and extending their statute of limitations on sexual crimes. the rights in this legislation hand in hand with that process at the state level ensure that even if a survivor only seeks a medical forensic exam or reports

an assault nonely,, -- anonomously, if the survivor is not ready to move forward, she can be assured that evidence is preserved for the future. i thank all mile colleagues in both the senate and the house who have come together on a bipartisan basis to create a reform process that ends the silence surrounding sexual assault, that brings it out of the shadows and gives survivors a fair shot at justice. when the president signs this bill into law in the days ahead, it will send a powerful message to survivors all across the country. you do have rights. we do care about you. and if you choose to come forward, we're going to ensure a justice system that treats you with dignity and fairness. again, i thank all my colleagues. i know that senator grassley is

going to be requesting unanimous consent that this legislation go forward. mr. president, i'd like to be recorded as present and voting "yes" on that unanimous consent request. and i'm pleased to be able to join senator grassley as he makes this momentous request. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: i thank senator shaheen for her support and her detailed explanation of what the legislation does and for everything that she's done to help move this legislation along. at this point i ask unanimous consent that the committee on judiciary be discharged from further consideration of h.r. 5578 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

the clerk: h.r. 5578, an act to establish certain rights for sexual assault survivors and for other purposes. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the committee is discharged. mr. grassley: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: mr. president, i know of no further debate on the measure. the presiding officer: is there further debate on the measure? if not, the question is on passage of the bill. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the jies -- ayes do have it. the bill is passed. mr. grassley: i ask unanimous consent, mr. president, that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection.

mr. grassley: mr. president, i would ask unanimous consent to speak for which time i might consume, and i would say it would be in the neighborhood of about 10 or 12 minutes, maybe 15 minutes. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. grassley: i do very much appreciate the leadership on the other side of the aisle, letting this survivors bill of rights pass. i do have some comments, though, on the procedures that have held this bill and other bills up for too long of a time. i usually don't feel the need to address the democrat leader's remarks on the floor, but he's decided to put partisan politics above rape survivors for the last week at least, so i cannot stand on the sidelines and let those remarks go unrebutted.

the democrat leader recently said right here on the floor of the senate that -- quote -- " congress is floundering because of republican inaction." end of quote. this could not be further from the truth. if you want to know what's really going on, it's that the democrat leader is using political gamesmanship to hold up noncontroversial as well as bipartisan legislation mostly by republican members who are up for reelection this year. why isn't the so-called objective media reporting on this? i would ask you to look no further than earlier today when senator johnson offered a noncontroversial bill to fight

fight -- to fight a.l.s., a tragic disease, and the democratic leader blocked it. look no further than what happened last week to senator toomey's bill, a noncontroversial bill to prevent animals from cruelty and torture. the democrat leader blocked it. look no further than what happened earlier this week to senator thune's bill, the noncontroversial mobile now act. the democrat leader blocked it. look no further than what happened earlier this summer to another noncontroversial bill backed by senator johnson that would improve whistle-blower protections. the democrat leader blocked it. look no further than what happened a few months ago to senator ayotte's bill, a noncontroversial bill to make

anthrax vaccines available to first responders. the democrat leader blocked it. that same day, just a week after five police officers were killed in dallas, i tried to pass my noncontroversial bill to assist families of fallen police officers. the democrat leader blocked that bill as well. each time then republicans tried to pass noncontroversial bipartisan legislation. each time the democrat leader blocked it. he is the common denominator. i wish i could say that i'm surprised by the obstruction that is being pushed by the democrat leader, but how can can -- how can it be?

this, this is how the senate has operated under his control, under his tenure. even members of his own party weren't allowed to offer amendments to legislation unless he allowed it. in fact, there was at least one member on the other side who went a full six-year term without ever being allowed to offer a single amendment on the senate floor for a vote. the democrat leader's actions in recent weeks blocking these other bipartisan -- and let me emphasize, noncontroversial bills is pure unfiltered partisanship. it's election-year politics at its very worst. it's the same failed strategy that american voters rejected in 2014 when they gave republicans

control of the united states senate. perhaps the las vegas tribune had it right a few months ago when they wrote that for the democrat leader -- quote -- "it's politics first, last, and always." end of quote. so today i had an opportunity to champion for an man did -- for amanda wynn and all survivors of sexual assault across the country. i'm delighted that the democrat leader relented on this very, very important piece of legislation and let this bill pass. i urge the democrat leader to allow these other bipartisan initiatives to pass as well. on another subject, mr. president, today i want to again discuss the unnecessary restrictions on unclassified

documents from the f.b.i.'s investigation of secretary clinton. by way of background, on september 12, i came to the floor and gave a speech about the f.b.i. improperly restricting unclassified documents as if they were actually classified. since that speech the f.b.i. director has continued to talk about transparency as transparency should be talked about because the public's business ought to be public, and when there's transparency, there's accountability in government. but behind the scenes the f.b.i. won't provide documents to the senate judiciary committee unless we agree to very strict crops -- controls and strict secrecy. the f.b.i. doesn't want the committee or the committee staff

talking about what is in these documents to anyone, not even privately with witnesses and their attorneys. today i personally spoke with director comey about the terms his staff is insisting on as a condition for providing the clinton investigation documents. i want to be clear with the people of iowa and the american public about what it told -- about what it told him and what my position is as chairman of the senate judiciary committee, which is responsible for oversight of the f.b.i. the committee did not agree to any conditions before the first document delivery last month. in fact, nobody at the f.b.i., senate security or senate leadership consulted with me as

chairman of that committee before accepting the documents addressed to the judiciary committee. still, we honored those limits in good faith anyway. while we tried to get the unclassified material separated from the classified material. we honored the limits even though we were not obligated by any legal restriction or agreement. the controls of these documents are overkill for this kind of unclassified material. the access controls make it unnecessarily difficult to use documents and to follow up on the information in those documents. the most objectionable restriction is that we cannot talk about the contents of the documents with witnesses and other third parties such as

their counsel even if we do it in a nonpublic way. and that substantially interferes with the senate's ability to continue its constitutional oversight of the executive branch. so the majority leader and i each wrote to director comey asking for a separate set of unclassified documents. director comey did not answer that letter. then the f.b.i. released through the freedom of information act virtually all of the same unclassified material that it was asking the senate to treat as if it was -- as if it was classified. releasing as much as possible to the public is the right thing to do, and i very much appreciate

that director comey is complying with his legal obligations for transparency under the freedom of information act. but these document controls imposed before the public release make it look like the f.b.i. is trying to muzzle congress and keep us from working with the information until after the foia process is completed. so you know what congress is forced to do? congress has to wait in line behind foia requesters before we get access to information in a way that we can actually use it as follow-up for our investigation. the way this process is working sets a very dangerous precedent that could undermine transparency, and transparency

is essential for accountability in government. frankly, this whole process is an end run around our constitutional oversight responsibility. if an agency wants to slow walk freedom of information requests and give unclassified information to congress with all kinds of strings attached to prevent us from using it, it could easily thwart oversight and accountability for months or even years. i cannot agree to document controls that prevent the committee from doing its job, and the f.b.i. should not ask me to do that. we offer -- we actually offer not to publicly disclose the contents of the documents and to treat them as confidential under

senate rules. why is that not enough for the f.b.i. to provide documents before the freedom of information process is complete so that we can use those very same documents in privately questioning witnesses? all 100 senators need to consider the consequences of allowing the executive branch to unilaterally impose restrictions on unclassified information like this. we must protect the independent powers of the senate from the executive branch overreach. i yield the floor.

mr. portman: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. portman: i rise today to talk about legislation that would support our first responders, specifically those who work on our urban search and rescue teams. these are fema task forces around the country that are staffed by volunteers, brave individuals who are willing to go into danger, who are willing to go to places like the aftermath of 9/11 as they did or katrina as they did. we just had the 15th anniversary of the be 9/11 attacks here on the floor, and many of my colleagues came on the floor and talked about how much they appreciate those first responders who responded for us. they talked about the virtues of them, how they put their lives on the line to rescue victims. those heroes included members of our urban search and rescue teams. like we all do, i remember where i was on be 9/11. i was here in washington. my wife was in for a rare visit.

the morning 9/11 happened, she got i think the last enterprise rental car out of town and went straight home to be with our three kids to let them know that they would be safe. as she was driving back to ohio on a pennsylvania highway, she saw flashing lights coming the other way. it was ohio task force one, and she recognized the truck right away because we knew a lot of the members of that task force. the lights were flashing as they went into danger. they were driving to 9/11. they were there for weeks. some were there for months. again, they put their lives on the line for all of us. every place around the country these task forces are staffed by the same grave individuals. not just brave but really highly skilled. i think about the bravery of people like chief jeff pane of ohio task force -- jeff payne of ohio task force one who immediately left his family and went to the world trade center. we think of men like ray downey,

one of the architects of fema's search and rescue program. ray gave his life that day on 9/11 so that others could live. i think about so many around the country who are not just brave again but highly skilled and do extraordinary work. they bring specialized skills that most first responders wouldn't have, skills like heavy rigging or the ability to lift large and heavy objects like iron beams or concrete walls, skills that were needed at the world trade center. they are absolutely critical to the future of our emergency response. they also went to katrina to save lives there. they are volunteers. they leave their families on a moment's notice when they are needed for this vital support. and again on 9/11, some lost their lives in service. these families who are affected by that want to be sure that when those members supply at the risk of their health, their employment and their personal liability when they put it all on the line that we're there for them. that's what this legislation does. it doesn't have to be the way it

is now because we could put legislation in place that would take a lot of those concerns away, give people more peace of mind, protect these first responders from lawsuits, from medical expenses and job losses as a result of their service. the legislation is called the national urban search and rescue response system act. it is something that fema asked this congress to do after 9/11. it took congress a while to get through it, but we finally put together legislation with fema over the last year and a half. the legislation was worked on by republicans and democrats alike. it's been totally nonpartisan. the co-author of this legislation is tom carper who is the ranking democrat on the homeland security committee. the homeland security committee has passed this legislation not with a vote of democrats and republicans on each side but unanimously with democrats and republicans working together. we actually passed the legislation unanimously back on may 25.

the support not only has the support of homeland security and government affairs chairman johnson, ranking member carper, senator cory booker, senator mike bennet, senator dianne feinstein, but it's also just spence. this is exactly the kind of legislation we should be passing around here. it has the support of fema, the strong support. they are the ones who worked with us to put this together because they want to codify what current rules are and expand those rules and clarify them. it has the strong support of the international association of firefighters. and they are wondering why can't we get this done? it also has the support of homeland security secretary jeh johnson. with whom i spoke yesterday in a public hearing about this very bill. he said let's get it done. he wants us to complete this project. he testified before us yesterday, what will probably be his last testimony as secretary before the homeland security committee, and he said let's get this done.

despite this unusual and strong bipartisan support on a critical bill to help these first responders, we can't seem to get it done. after getting out of committee on may 25 with a unanimous vote, we then took it to the floor, we in fact over the last couple of weeks have had it as a hotline, meaning you ask your colleagues whether you are okay with it passing and of course there has been no concern at all about the substance of the bill, so on our side of the aisle no concerns were raised. over the last couple of weeks -- by the way, it took one day to hotline it, one day to hotline it on our side, of course, because there is no controversy about it. on the other side of the aisle, we have been asking every day, i have been asking my colleagues, including tom carper and cory booker who want to get this done if they can help. they said there seems to be a hold on it. it's a -- they say it's an unanimous hold. in other words, somebody is objecting to it over there on the other side of the aisle, but

they won't come forward and say that they're objecting to it. to me, that's wrong. that's why a couple of days ago i said i was going to come to the floor and ask unanimous consent and find out who could possibly be objecting to this. my colleagues asked me if i could give them a couple of days to check it so i have, so i didn't do it day before yesterday when i planned. i didn't do it yesterday because i wanted more time to check on it. they continue to tell me that there is a hold and it's an anonymous hold. i hope it's not for political purposes. that would, of course, be an incredible disservice to these first responders. if they think that these task force members should come home from saving lives and have to pay for expensive injuries or health problems acquired in their service, we should have a conversation about that. if they think they shouldn't have a job waiting for them when they get back, we should have a conversation about that, but frankly in my view i don't think that's the issue. i can't imagine on the substance anybody objects to this. so let's get this done. mr. president, i ask unanimous

consent that we get it done, that the senate proceed to immediate consideration of calendar 578, s. 2971. further, that the committee-reported amendment be agreed to, the bill as amended be considered and read a third time and passed and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. reid: my friend from ohio talks about common sense. common sense dictates to me that the republicans who run the senate have months to turn their attention to bills like this. they also have months to do something else. after almost 200 days, we have been waiting, waiting for the republicans to have a hearing with merrick garland. the supreme court is at a stamped still. nothing's being done. a new term and they basically are afraid to take cases of controversy. why? because it's 4-4.

so common sense dictates to me that we should address the vacancy of the supreme court caused by the death of justice scalia. march 16, 2016 he was nominated. we're approaching october. to date, the senate has not held a vote, even a hearing. it's nice a few of you have decided to break with the republican leader and even met with the man. that was nice of them to do that. why haven't they held a hearing? because they know they can't hold a hearing. here is one of the most reasonable people that could ever be selected to the supreme court. the former chair of the judicial committee, orrin hatch, said he should be put on the bench. he would be a consensus nomination. but not in this republican world, nope. so democrats would be happy to consider bills like this about what the senate requires as soon

as the republicans have a little common sense, they used that word, and schedule a vote on the nomination of judge garland. i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio has the floor. mr. portman: mr. president, this will be the last time that i will have the chance probably to talk to the minority leader across the floor, and i have worked with him on a number of things over the years including when i was in the senate and before the senate. i guess i'm just going to plead with him this evening, please don't block this. this has nothing to do with the supreme court nomination. it has nothing to do with the other rancor that we've seen here on the floor. this is a bill that's totally bipartisan. in fact, it's one that tom carper, who is the ranking member of the committee, is the co-author of. it's one they have been asking for from fema for ten years. you know, going back to a chief administration even. it's one that has been up here on the floor for the last couple of weeks with no objections on the substance, not a single one. i know that senator reid knows

well that he's got a task force in nevada, too. it's the nevada task force one located at the clark county fire station in las vegas. i know he knows it well. they strongly support this legislation. of course they do. all of them do. the international association of firefighters strongly supports this legislation. if i can ask unanimous consent to put senator reid's name as the author rather than me, i would do that tonight. am i permitted to do that, mr. president? mr. reid: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. portman: okay. i'm willing to have this be a reid bill. it would be a good bill here toward the end of the session for you to do which would help your firefighters. i will withdraw my name from the bill. i'd ask unanimous consent to withdraw my name from the bill and insert senator reid's name instead or anybody else he chooses. the presiding officer: is there

objection? mr. reid: yes. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. reid: i have objected. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. portman: all right. well, mr. president, i thank you for hearing me out tonight and to my colleagues. i hope this is legislation we can move forward on as soon as we get into another session, i guess the lame-duck session. i hope to go to work with my colleague from nevada on that. i know that he has been very supportive of firefighters and he does not object to the merits of the legislation, so my hope is that we could get this done. mr. reid: mr. president, i would ask my friend before he leaves that the senate modify his request, that following the vote on confirmation of the nomination of merrick garland to be justice of the united states supreme court, the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of his matter. the presiding officer: will the senator modify his request? mr. portman: no. on behalf of the majority leader, of course i object to that.

i'm amazed that we're blocking legislation to help our urban search and rescue teams by bringing partisan politics into this discussion, and i object. mr. reid: mr. president, i have to submit that -- that my friend still has the floor, so i don't want to interrupt him. you still have the floor. mr. portman: i yield to the minority leader. mr. reid: mr. president, i don't know how anything could be more political, more repugnant to our system of government than what has happened with merrick garland. the senior senator from iowa came to the floor. i have been waiting for him, came to the floor, talked for a long time. and in the process, took credit for a bill that was senator shaheen's bill. it was her bill. he took it, put his name on it. but it was interesting. in the same setting he complained i objected to some bills advanced by republican

senators. i have to say the senator from iowa has a lot of nerve to complain about our side blocking legislation. the republican senate has written a book on obstruction filibustering 644 times in the time i was leader. that's a lot. i mean, it's so far out of the norm that it's not worth trying to illustrate more than what i did yesterday. lyndon johnson, he was majority leader for six years. there's some dispute over how many filibusters he overcome. we know it was one. some say two. so two compared to 644 shows how outrageous is the conduct of the republicans. the senator from iowa has written the book of obstruction of nominations.

he single handedly blocked judge garland's nomination and doing so it's unprecedented. never has the judiciary committee acted in when manner. and to use senator grassley's own words, senator grassley's action is -- quote -- pure unfiltered partisanship. it's election year politics at its very worse. that is a quote from my friend, senator grassley. the senior senator from iowa is looking for pure unfiltered partisan, next time he combs his hair or shaves, look in the mirror. that's where he'll see it. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. a senator: mr. president, i want to come to the floor to finally say that after a lot of work, the senate has finally passed funding to take on zika, the cause i've been talking about since april of this year. mr. rubio: i want to say in full credit to the senate, this is actually a proposal we passed, a

similar proposal the senate passed back in may is now the one before us. i am sad that it took so long to get to this point but at least we are here now and as i've said before, better late than never. to the people of my home state of florida, the people of the island of puerto rico who have been disproportionately impacted by the outbreak of zika in the united states, i want to say despite a long wait, help is finally on the way. help is finally on the way in the form of a $1.1 billion anti-zika package which was part of this larger law, this larger bill that passed today to keep government open beyond september 30. included in the law that passed today is $15 million that's specifically targeted for states with local transmissions. and the only state so far that's had local transmissions is my home state of florida. so today $15 million is on its way to hopefully florida if we can get this done in the house to help with the fight against zika. it also includes $60 million specifically for territories like puerto rico.

puerto rico has the highest number of infected american citizens with zika. so today is good news for puerto rico. this is -- took far too long but i'm glad we're finally here. this antizika package rightfully prioritizes americans in florida and in puerto rico and i'm encouraged that after months of working on this, my calls for action have finally been answered and that real assistance from the federal government is finally on its way. i do and i have to reiterate it's shameful that it took so long and that this public health crisis was made worse by people playing political games here in washington, d.c. and if anyone is in doubt about whether that's partisan attack, let me tell you think the games have come from both sides of the aisle. it took far too long for colleagues in my party to understand the gravity and severity of this outbreak and sad to say but the dkic minority -- democratic minority in the senate used this as a political tool for much of the month of august and even as late as yesterday but i'm glad that these critical resources are now moving forward so that we can

help thousands of americans suffering from this virus so that we can step up our mosquito eradication efforts and ultimately so that we can develop a vaccine that eradicates zika for good. and while the funding is on its way, the problem still continues. the mainland of the united states there are now 3,358 cases of zika. and u.s. territories, primarily the island of puerto rico, there are now close to 20,000 cases. in my home state of florida, there are now 904 cases. 109 of them were locally transmitted meaning they were not acquired abroad. they were acquired in the state. and there are 91 pregnant women in the state of florida infected by zika. and while congress did nothing and while the president refused to fully spend the spending authority he had available to him for weeks, this crisis continued to grow. and the health impact of it is well understood but the economic impact has not been discussed nearly enough.

we know for a fact that there are bookings that are down on miami beach and my friends, that is not just an inconvenience. my parents worked in the hotel industry. that's how they raised our family. my father in particular. and if hotels are suffering because people are canceling trips because they are afraid of zika, it is the people that work at those hotels that are most immediately impacted. we've seen restaurants and small businesses associated with visitors report back the same thing. anecdotally i've had people come up to me over the last month and say is it safe to travel to florida, is it safe to go down there? the answer is it is. it is safe to come to florida but that doesn't mean we don't have a zika problem. and it doesn't mean it doesn't need to be addressed. and local communities and the state of florida and the island of puerto rico, the territory, the commonwealth has had to step forward and fund it on their own until now. now while this is good news that we have finally passed zika funding in the senate, it now has to go over to the house. and i would just urge my colleagues in the house to pass

this quickly. not just to keep the government open but to finally fund the fight against zika and to ensure that the research that's going into developing a vaccine is not slowed down. there are other things we can do to address n. very proposed, for example, opening up the small business administration loan program that is available for businesses that suffer the effects of natural disasters to also be able to avail themselves of these loans if they are suffering because of the health epidemic and the s.p.a. has indicated they're open to that change. i hope that is something we'll look at when we return in november. but suffice it to say i want to close out here today by just telling the people of florida that after a twhait took far -- wait that took far too long after months of hard work and focus and bipartisan cooperation, help is finally -- is on the way. help is finally on the way in the form of $1.1 billion, including $is a million for -- $15 million for florida and $16

million for the territory of puerto rico. thank you, mr. president. with that i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the roll. quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. rubio: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. rubio: i understand that there is a bill at the desk and i ask for its first reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the title of the bill for the first time. the clerk: h.r. 954, an act to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 and so forth. mr. rubio: i now ask for a second reading and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14, i object to my own request. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bill will receive its second reading on the second legislative day. mr. rubio: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. thursday, september 29. following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired the journal of proceedings be approved to date and the time for the two leaders be reserved to their use later in the day. finally, that following leader remarks, the senate be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. rubio: if there's no further

business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order following the remarks of senators carper and coons. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. rubio: mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. coons: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. coons: mr. president, i rise today to speak in honor of a friend of a fellow congregate, betty dewhurst russell someone i knew for a long time and mechanic of my church, central presbyterian in wilmington, delaware. earlier today betty passed away. i'm so honored to have an opportunity here on the floor of the senate to briefly recognize her for her remarkable service to the united states and for her great and soaring spirit. bet cri was a young midwestern girl when she ventured to st. louis, missouri in 1940 to begin her schooling as a nurse.

upon graduation, she volunteered for service in the united states army. betty was posted to long view, texas for training. she would meet her future us band lloyd byron russell known as russ of wilmington, delaware. she served as a first lott from april 1943 to january 1946 through the 70th general hospital. betty served alongside her uncle, chief surgeon colonel l.d. cassidy. and in something that she recounted to me a number of times once i was elected to this body, betty during the second world war as part of the 70th general cared for hundreds and hundreds of american soldiers, among them two who returned home to serve in this body as senators. bob doll of kansas and -- bob dole of kansas and senator inouye of hawaii. she received the battle star and was awarded the european african

and middle eastern campaign ribbon. betty was underrably proud of her service saving so many american lives. one cherished memory that betty shared with her family was that when she was caring for one particularly badded wounded g.i., his last request was to hold close an american flag, a big one he said. she went to the red cross and they gave her a big american flag. she spread it over his body. he put his arms around it, smiled, and took his last breath. betty and russ were married in a foreign country and required cutting through a whole lot of red tape. they were eventually married twice, once by the french government and once by the u.s. army. betty and russ returned to live in our hometown of women mington, delaware -- wilmington, delaware. they were married for 53 years before russ passed in 1998.

betty and russ' four children were born and raised in delaware. she served her community faithfully by helping to establish the well baby clinic, by serving as a cub scout den mother, as a a volunteer at the junior board memorial hospital, at the wilmington flower market for over 50 years and as a charter member of the community club. she was also a long time board member of the library and friends of the library in hoak hessen and faithful member of the presbyterian church. she has lived a full and wonderful life, full of dedicated service to her faith, her family, and her country. she always saw the best in others and she always had a hopeful attitude about the day that lay ahead. and so i am grateful for having had the opportunity to know betty for just a few years in our wonderful home state. and i'm so grateful for the career, the life of service that

betty russell gave as a gift to all of us in delaware and this grateful nation. thank you.

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mr. coons: i ask unanimous consent to engage in a colloquy with senator carper for up to 30 minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. coons: mr. president, it is with a heavy heart that senator carper and i come to the floor this evening to honor chris leech and jerry ficcus, two brave wilmington firefighter whose lost their lives this past saturday night. in any state, any community, the loss of a firefighter or police officer is devastating. but in our small state of neighbors, a close-knit state with an even closer-knit first responder community, a community that includes families and multiple generations, it is especially hard. to those who knew chris and jerry, it must be little comfort now that we're here on the floor of the united states senate to pay tribute to their lives, but in the next few minutes, we hope to capture just a fraction of the light that they brought to their families and to our

community with their love and their service. lieutenant christopher leech wasn't supposed to be working on saturday night, but he filled in for another firefighter, always willing to step forward and serve. after getting the call there was a fire in a row house, chris did what he had been training to do since 1993. chris did what he'd told his friends all the way back to high school what he'd always wanted to do as long as they could remember. he fought fire. chris grew up in the volunteer fire service. he joined the tallyville fire company at the age of 18, rising steadily through the ranks of the volunteer fire service to captain. the more time he spent at the fire house, the more he loved t at the age 262, he joined the claymont fire company. chris was a lifelong learn,doing

whatever he could to develop new skills to support his crewmates and to help save lives. chris took classes all over our country from virginia to texas to california. and chris' training paid off. in july of 2002 at house fire in claymont, a firefighter fell through the first floor into the basement. chris and two others saved that firefighter's life. earning chris a series of reasonable care in additions including fireman of the year from new castle county volunteer fire service and from the claymont fire company. several months later, chris joined the wilmington fire department where he was assigned to engine 4-blvment platoon. he was transferred to special operations, command of engine 1-b where he was quickly recognized for his work and then to rescue 1-bment. at that time of his passing, he was serving with engine 6. all of this time, chris never stopped learning and improving, never stopped acting on his

passion for fire fighting. he researched and applied for and earn add $200,000 grant for extra training and equipment. he wrote the standard operating procedures for the special operations command. he trained as an instructor in nims, the national incident management system, and made sure that every tallyville volunteer member became certified. he served on the new castle county rescue team earned add bachelor's of science in the fire service administration from waldorf university. throughout a long and distinguished fire fighting career, chris was constantly achieving and growing, saving lives and building new skills. described by so many i've spoken to as a firefighter's firefighter, his commitment to his brothers and sisters at the firehouse was relentless. if he thought the department needed something done, he'd go do it himself. if the fire company couldn't afford something, he had aide find a way to make it happen.

that went beyond his professional leadership. chris, i've heard from so many, was a good and loyal and faithful friend, a softball teammate but also a practical joker. a lover of billy joel and lynnard skinnard, a so-called mr. fix-it, a big guy with a big heart and a deep voice who couldn't hide when he entered a room. chris was someone who volunteered at the firehouse on his days off and visited elementary schools to talk about his love of fire fighting and to help persuade a young generation to join him. as his friend andy described him, chris was the kind of lieutenant you just wanted to work for. he loved his job, he loved his colleagues, and he loved his responsibility, but there was nothing he loved more than his family, his mother fisherman, his sister -- his mother fran, his sister, his fiance and her boys landon and casey. chris loved his beautiful children. he said there was nothing better

than being a father to his kids brendan age 16, abby 14, and megan 12. he took them camping and fishing and to the beach and the boy scouts and always found a way to be there for their every activity. he lived for his kids. chris lost his own father mirkal to cancer and -- michael to cancer. chris honored his father by being a great dad himself, just as michael was to him. we can only hope that in the brief time each of us have here that we shine brightly and relentlessly for the people we love and the community we serve. few -- few -- shine as brightly as chris leech did. with that, mr. president, i'd like to yield the floor to my colleague from delaware, senator carper, who will share some words about another hero whom we also lost on saturday, senior firefighter jerry fickus. mr. carper: i want to thank my

colleague, senator coons, chris coons, for allowing me to join him together to offer this tribute to chris leech and jerry fickus. earlier this day, the floor was busy with activity and really joyful activity, as democrats and republicans tried to work together to come to agreement on a spending plan to fund our government past the end of this fiscal year into the beginning of the coming fiscal year and worked out some difficult compromises. ithere was actually a lot of joy here. as we said goodbye to one noard and headed for our respective states until after the election, and so on the heels of what was a joyous afternoon comes a far more serious one. and that's the opportunity to say goodbye and to say thank you to a couple of delawareans who are true public servants who

tragically lost their lives this past weekend in trying to save the lives of others. chris leach and jerry fickes. i'm going to talk about jerry as senator coons has shared with us some wonderful words about chris leach, lieutenant chris leach. on saturday jerry fickes, a 13-year veteran of the wing ton fire department rushed into a burning home along with his colleague, chris, and others, when a member of the team believed to be chris became trapped in the blaze. they were told, i understand from those who were present at the fire, that the wilmington fire department showed up they were led to believe there were people inside the house, the house was on fire and they needed to be saved. once inside the building i think they went into the baix but the floor -- into the basement but the floor above them apparently gave way and their lives were

lost in that fire. two other firefighters were critically burned and hopefully they are going to live, but one has burns on 70% of her body. our hopes and prayers are with her and with her colleague who received also very serious burn damage. jerry fickes was a husband. he was a father, a u.s. army veteran, beloved member of delaware's firefighter family, and that is a strong family, senator coons, strong family, strong bond. very proud of proud of them all. he was born not in delaware. he was born in evanston, illinois, to his mom julian and his father jerry, after whom jerry fickes jr. is named. enlater moved to kansas city, a suburb of kansas city. his life was full of football games outside with his neighbors and five brothers and sisters, jerry, kimberly, steven and david. the neighborhood kids played together crossing through each

other's yards i'm told constantly to get to different houses, that the neighbors were unsuccessful at keeping shrubs along their property line. when jerry started his freshman year in topeka, kansas, his grades were less than stellar but in reality he was bored. once he joined the army rotc things turned around. it gave him structure, he became driven. by the time he reached his junior year in college he would meet his future wife laura. while she was working jerry had it all together. he was a serious student but known to be a fun loving guy. he graduated with a degree in computer and science and math m. his motto became mind, body and spirit. if you have all three, you're sound. college and the rotc taught jerry there was a lot more to

learning than just learning facts. that's when things started to click with jerry. he started his obligation to the army with officer training in fort benning. he took a test and scored so well that the army asked him what he would like to do. what he would like to do. that doesn't happen every day. jerry told him he wanted to join the infantry because he wanted to make a difference and that's where he felt he could best do it. i think that tells us a lot about the kind of managerry fickes was -- the kind of of man jerry fickes. his wife recalls the first time she met jerry in a his dorm building where she answered the phone. when people would call for him people would say his name differently. fix. fickes. laura could never find his name in the directory until she met him in person. she asked him how do you say your name and he replied you can say whatever you want to say and walked away. little did she or he know that someday she would take that name a few years later as her own.

once married, jerry had the opportunity to become an actuary with a company in wilmington and the newlyweds with their hard to pronounce last name came to the east coast. jerry worked at alaco and became a consultant in philadelphia. but something always nagged at jerry. he had the heart of a servant. when the first gulf war came around he knew he could use training in chemical warfare to be an asset. he called as a reservist in kansas to be put on the activation list. but he was not called up. but jerry wanted to do more. and so it didn't surprise laura when jerry decided to join the aetna hook and ladder company in newark, delaware, as a volunteer firefighter. for ever a decade jerry juggled his fighter fighting abilities with a career in financial services and a new family that would include ben and josh. it didn't surprise laura when

after 12 years of volunteering jerry would no longer ignore his true calling. he gave up his job in financial services to work full time with the wing ton fire company. from day one jerry jumped at the chance to take every call that came in on his shift. because of this, the firefighters called jerry a dynamo and sometimes his determination to get the job done right would leave jerry draped in insulation from an attic while everyone else's gear was nearly clean. those were mischievous days running around in kansas weren't far off. around the firehouse jerry was known as a prolific prankster. friends would recall he often would pull a prank, sit back and watch in waiting as everyone tried to figure out who was responsible for this latest joke. jerry lived a full life but perhaps no job was more important to him than helping to raise their two sons, ben and josh. jerry was always interested in hearing about their sons and even about their friends, their

interests, goals and projects. he was the first to help them research a science project, chaperon big gatherings or teach sunday school at grace lutheran church in hockessin. even though jerry didn't care much for money he knew how much his son ben did. jerry did the first few triathlons with ben this past may. they both ran a marathon. imagine that. son and father and they were both getting excited about the next race. jerry was excitinged to learn his son qualified for the marathon. when josh and ben learned from their dad what is really important in life and that is to serve others. shake adults' hands and look them right in the eye. give up your seat on the subway, bus or train for somebody else. that's the way jerry lived his life. that's what he passed down to his children.

jerry was a true public servant. he devoted his entire adult life to others. he was also a man of deep faith. his service and ultimately his sacrifice reminds me, and i know senator coons, of the passage from the book of john, greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends. while no words can ease the suffering of jerry's family, we seek solace in the memory of a life lived for others and a life given to others by a brave and selfless man. i pray and will continue to pray for jerry's wife of 26 years, laura, their two sons, ben and josh, jerry's dad, jerry sr., his brothers, sisters and many, many nieces and nephews and his brothers and sisters in the wilmington fire services. words can never express the pride we have in our hearts for our firefighters in delaware, the city of wilmington and throughout our state, how grateful we are for their

sacrifice, for that of their families and because of the work they do every day, the work that jerry did and really gave up his life for is unlike any other. from the moment he and his fellow firefighters put on that uniform every morning they answered a call that they know could put their lives at risk in just a moment. i'm reminded of the words of firefighters prayers that go like this. when i'm called to duty, god, wherever flames may race, give me the strength to save some life. and if according to our faith i have to lose my life, please bless with your protecting hand my children and my wife. the prayer embodies the selflessness jerry fickes displayed every single day, took an oath to serve knowing one day he might not come home feeling even more strongly he had to serve others. it is my hope the community of delaware can help look after jerry's family, his wife and children, help to comfort them in their time of need and

looking out for them in the days to come. tomorrow's delaware firefighters will continue to put on their gear to go to work to protect our communities. we salute you. we say thank you. and thank you for your unwavering commitment to lives lived in the service to others. you are an inspiration to us all. so is jerry. and god bless each and every one of you. and may god bless jerry fickes. thank you. mr. coons: thank you, senator carper. mr. president, before we conclude, let us share our deepest gratitude to arty hope and brad speakman, two wimgton badly injured in the fire. they are still in the hospital, chester crozer recovering. we're thankful as well for the safety of john kothry, peter cramer and terrence tate also injured in the fire and for all their colleagues. for delaware's first responder community, in some ways

tomorrow will be like any other. our firefighters, our police officers, our e.m.t's and paramedics will be on call keeping us safe and secure. and we, the rest of us in our community and state and country, we'll go on about our lives, many folks really not thinking about them until the moment we need them. but no matter what we're doing and what we're thinking, when their shift starts, they'll be on. they'll be on duty ready to run without hesitation, even into situations that would cause the rest of us to run in the opposite direction. as christiana fire chief chris pirello said this past sunday the only thing we signed up to do was to protect our neighbors and neighborhoods, and that we will continue to do no matter what comes our way. we are both so grateful for the dedication, the service and the love shown by the delaware fire service to protecting neighbors. in that sense, today and

tomorrow and the days after will be like any other in that we can continue to rely on our first responders and we are grateful for them. but in so many other ways and the ways that truly matter, it just won't be the same. for chris' and jerry's families and friends, for their brothers and sisters at the firehouse, for all the members of our first respond community and the delawareans who had a chance to work or serve with them and to be protected by them, things won't be the same. that's why we pray for their families. we pray that tomorrow will be just a little easier for them than today and that the next day a little easier than tomorrow, and so on until the pain is eventually matched by the joy that comes from remembering someone you love. and by the gratefulness we all feel for having had the privilege to know someone special. one of life's unsung joys is to look in a child's face in the presence of one of their heroes. mr. president, have you ever

seen a young child as a fire truck goes by, their eyes are wide with amazement as the station door rises, sirens wail, the lights flash and the bright red truck goes by with an american flag waving from the back. as adults, we notice it. we take notice. we wonder what might have happened and then we go back to our day. even though a child doesn't know more than we do where the truck is going, they know. they know that that's what a hero looks like. as a father, i look at firefighters like chris and jerry with the same sense of awe that young children do. not just because of their uniforms or the sirens or the truck, but because of their commitment, their deep and life long commitment to do a dangerous job. they love their children and their families. they have been there for their friends and neighbors. they served their communities and their brothers and sisters, the firehouse tirelessly all while risking their lives every day leaving for a shift never knowing if they would come home that night or the next morning.

that's what a hero looks like. this week and the weeks to come, i know senator carper and i and our whole community will remember, will mourn, will pray for and be grateful for chris and jerry. like a child watching an engine rush by will see their lives fly by in our memories and our tributes knowing they went by too quickly. leaving us before we can truly appreciate where they're going or why, but amides -- amides so much we cannot know we can take solace in knowing they're going for a reason far bigger than any of us. as we watch them pass into memory, we can say to ourselves what the child says when he sees a fire truck goes by, "that's what a hero looks like." let me leave you with the same passage from scripture shared by senator carper from john 15. greater love has no man than this to lay down one's life for one's friends. thank you, chris and jerry,

for your sacrifice, your service, your love, and for laying down your lives for all of us. and thank you, senator carper, for joining me tonight. thank you, mr. president. mr. carper: thank you for those beautiful words, heartfelt, i know. a few years ago, the senator on the floor here, it would have been joe biden who served here for six terms, six terms. someone who loved the fire services in delaware and was beloved, still is beloved by them. and i've heard joe say a number of times, i i know senator coons has as well. these are his words. when talking to people who have had a serious loss in their lives. he would say may soon come the day when the memory of the one you have loved and lost bring a smile to your face before it

brings a tear to your eye. and that would be my prayer for these families, the leach family and the fickes family. thank you. mr. president, if i may, i would like to ask unanimous consent that eric hansen, a detailee for the homeland security and governmental affairs committee, be granted the privileges of the floor for the remainder of the second session of the 114th congress. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. carper: thank you so much. with that, i would yield the floor. i will note a quorum -- i will not note. the presiding officer: the the presiding officer: the

after the ascent of the earlier you tweeted a flood of incoming democratic leaders and the co-sponsor the bill john cornyn talking to the media. tell us about the role chuck schumer played in getting the speed overwritten. >> guest: this is not the reason we saw the veto override today. this has sponsors pay john

cornyn is the majority whip and they sent it and shimmers the number three democrat right now but he will likely be the next democratic leader in the senate in 2017. the two together pushed for passage of this bill. they really got the ball rolling and there were initial objections last year or earlier this year that there was an adjustment made the bill was rewritten so the scope was made a little bit more now and that helped make other members who were not familiar with it a little more comfortable with the bill because their objections to it by the president as we know when some members of congress who feel that it could undermine u.s. sovereignty as well as may be jeopardized our relationship with saudi arabia which of course is a very critical u.s. ally. with these two powerful sponsors and of course the emotion and the facts behind the terrorist attacks i think lawmakers were

willing to get behind it and get the ball rolling however it is unusual to have a bipartisan measure like this go through with this kind of support. >> host: what makes movies or stories about people in crisis or in a crisis and the crises are changing them or changes everybody else and if you don't show conflict and if you don't show flaws and if you don't show someone growing out of their flaws or something like that you see something that you can't connect to and it doesn't quite have the same impact. >> the movie itself as a classic , an update of the classic show business story about how the band got together

and recorded its big hits. strikingly you know expensive. >> is time for regular spotlight on magazine segment and in our segment today we are featuring a story you will find in the magazine first thing that they author -- resurrecting the idea of a christian society. the article is called a bigot baiting and we are joined by the editor of first things. welcome to the program. >> guest: great to be with you. >> host: could you tell our viewers about the magazine foror those who don't know. >> guest: first things covers religion culture and politics all the things that are worthgu arguing about and what we are told not to talk about at dinner we so we ad with their familiess so we approach these questions from a conservative point of view and try to look at the deeper trends at work in our

society rather than address the new cycle directly and that also the intersection of faith and politics. >> host: are you funded by a church or are you funded by subscription or how does that work? >> guest: we subscribe for those who pay for the magazine we raise money through subscribers. there is no one particular foundation or individual that supports us. >> host: it's a broad day support we have for leadership. the title of the article is bigot dating. it is provocative, why choose the title? harkens back to race baiting. our country is in turmoil in purposes of of the the law and order rhetoric, clearly, i machining retrospect, to draw voters away from george nixon, to richard somebody who was going to put he brakes on the social

transformations and which bred a sentiment among working class americans. what i've observed is that the baiting has shifted and what has me is how pervasive homo itions of bigotry, phobia, racism, xenophobia have on the left and this inspite of the remarkable ransformation of our society for the better over the last 50 years. maybe this e think has a function of trying to mobilize the democratic party's base, just as bigot baiting, race baiting was attempt to party's the republican base generation ago. host: you said, though, you will things still exist today? guest: those things, not even emotely in the same form as when i was a child, in baltimore, maryland. black and you came into the italian neighborhood,

you got beaten up with baseball i mean this is just the same as in the '60s. remains important political issue. we saw that in the debate on monday night when hillary accused donald trump of and sexist.st unprecedented in politics. nixon d be like richard of being ubert humpry a facist. on why has thect temperature risen in this retic, social realities have changed and i think it is bait minority voters to make them feel like, democrats, ote for we're at risk of being pushed

of voter -- the idea id as kind of return to jim crow. that is understandable why politicians want to use rhetoric. host: you start with transgender example. as an guest: right, it strikes me, it s very odd to me the obama administration would double down n something that is such a marginal influence on social -- not actual people, we're talking about large numbers of people, rubled high school kids, numbers.l but i think it is a way of eeping this question in the forefront. what kind of society do you want, voter? wicked e society or the racist society that the republicans are going to give you? kind of sharp is i think a political dynamic that really important to think

about as we go forward in this particular campaign. host: our guest with us until end of the program, here to talk about his piece in his arguments. 202-748-8000 for democrats. 202-748-8001 for republicans. independents, 202-748-8002. it is from the magazine "first the article is "bigot aiting," and rusty reno is our guest. first call from rachel, who is in texas on our independent line. guest.e on with our good morning. caller: yes. cindy. host: cindy? caller: cindy, yes, sir. you know,to tell you, i voted republican and democrat. my has nothing to do with religion and here lately all i ear is liberals doing this, liberals passing gay marriage and this, that and the other. doesn't matter how you vote, there is -- i'm going to you, there is a lot of

republicans that are gay and just because the way you vote, i believe in god, and the way i vote don't have anything to do with it. i don't like how y'all connect way people votes on how they how they live and all you're do suggest separating this country. host: okay. guest: for the record, vialso voted democrat and republican years.e last 30 in fact, i made a point of for pro life democratic candidate necessary nebraska, where i lived for 20 it is because i think important for the pro-life cause for there to be pro-life we will , the only way make progress. has to be bipartisan consensus. think, cindy, i would say, i don't see the future of our purely partisan republican and democratic terms. bobby, rochelle,

democrats line. racist yes, saying -- ways. host: say that again, sir. racist donald trump has ways. guest: well, my view of donald that there is a lot of 1950s queens in donald trump and more like the construction workers that he well-educated he folks who have learned to speak bout racial matters in a much more sensitive and delicate way. demotic luster, i think violates a lot of rules of political correctness. but i just find myself, i find to conclude that he's being -- to call someone a of death a sort penalty for a person in public life and i just don't think that applies to him.

lots of reasons to vote against donald trump, that would not be, one of them. host: so if your argument is the emocratic party would use tactics to bring onboard groups of people, what, just continue the party itself? guest: look at the democratic party, what it is, mostly white, liberal leadership, that has over time lost the confidence of white working class workers and trump is especially been effective at siphoning away. potentially, we don't know of course, siphoning away those so the party has become more and more rainbow jackson n, as jesse prophesied in the 1980s. keep that have to cause together there is not a interest mony of between wall street bankers who support ore likely to hillary clinton than donald trump and hispanic farm workers in california. how do you keep these

people together on the same page maintain thatd to coalition? guest: republican party has their own problems, they are cht has to do with libertarian versus conservative party nd the republican has techniques to keep people together. the nism, if communism, great glue that held the american right together and the fall of the soviet union has, know, i've always said to my republican friends, the worst us g that ever happened to was end of the cold war. one of the worst things that democratic to the party is our monsemulti cultural society. that will be difficult for the democratic party to survive that. it will lead to the splitting groups from rent that coalition. people naturally have different interests. host: groups, you are saying, trying to attract and keep? guest: keep. no.have to say you emphasize multi cultural ideals, but you insist they have realized as a way.

so you can't make progress, progress, for fear, you can't admit you're making racial it will lead ear people to think, we don't have to put emphasis on this, think interests now and not my cultural interest. the tactic e saying is us versus them, that way they goinged to the democratic party with them. guest: right. race baiting means you put the hook for the voter. acism was on the rise or white americans are xenophobic and immigrants.ve out that goes into voter's mouths and pulls them back into coalition. host: butler, kentucky, you are on the line. richie,an line, this is hi. caller: how you doing today? years old and i lived through this whole deal, you know. thing. to stress one my family has lived all the way

ack to the civil war and, you know, white people never get credit for what we've done in civil war to free the black people. we thing is this, you know, have to quit telling people that we're abusing them. have e to self-responsibility. i sit here and watch the people iraq and of afghanistan and fleeing from, responsibility to pick up their arms and fight for heir country like we have this country? we can't continue to bring have no re who don't self-responsibility for themselves. the black gener gentleman was the air, his hands in that was sad, it really was. the other gentleman who pulled a the officer was shot, look at it, he's been arrested times.13

and one had seven children. you know, i can only afford two children, that is what i had. your question? host: he's gone. you want to respond to anything said? guest: from rose in colorado, independent line. caller: yes. am i on the line? host: you are on, go ahead, rose. you.er: thank i'm calling concerning mr. opening statement that lbgtq community was just a in our oup of people country that are young. teenagers and confused. senior ne, i am a citizen. i am an african american. and i am istian straight and have been married 45 years to my husband,

male and female. but, when he opens with a statement such as he made that totally untrue nmy opinion, to comment more on and because i do believe not only do i believe, i know country and his generally the mass media, is baiting and ce bigotry and bias against minorities of all sorts. gender and of age, they want things to go way, rather than the people's way. to your t me go back challenge to my statement about rights.der the -- something like 600 people have had ted states sex change surgery.

so we're talking about small number of people. the obama administration has focused on the north carolina issue had to do with hols, chools, we're talking about teenagers and percent of the population that identifies as transgender is, you know, again, small.ingly or.001% of the population. what i look at in the bigot piece, why has this come to the floor as an issue, you pressed in s being the public elm? boards let local school make accommodations? i continuing has to do with the fact it serves a political is to keep the struggle for liberation front and so that you can draw contrast. in ou are democrat, you are favor, you are against big tree.

if you are republican, you are bigotry, a very useful dynamic if you're a democrat. definition of bigotry in your mind is -- anybody who dissents from any exual revolution at level is a bigot. the fact that i don't think a cancan marry a man or woman marry a woman is bigotry. hat is clear in the public realm, i'm labeled a bigot. pretty much every human person until the last 25 years has been a bigot. t is absurd when you look at it. but, that is why we have to ask his question, why has this political atmosphere emerged? i think because it serves purpose. host: obviously true believers care about the cause says. question to ask, why politicians gravitate and put it front and center? it because it helps them get elected.

host: viewer from twitter says gop has history of using racist politics to win. what is your response to that? guest: as i said at the the ning of the segment, republican party in shift in the and conquering of the outh as republican politics certainly use those tactics. the e '60s, '70s and into '80s, i just don't think it's een relevant or effective in the present, which is why there are no republican politicians tactics.ace baiting i think that what law and order means out of the mouth of donald not what it meant out of the mouth of richard nixon. by a longshot. caller: yes, good morning. morning.d caller: the two most important topics to talk about at dinner are religion and politics.

guest: good for you. caller: the i think they should separately.out guest: culture is the politics culture.gion is if you don't talk about those things you are not talking about the world.og in caller: indeed, indeed. do think they have gotten mixed up in the political sphere we should be kinder to one and take each other's they are. know, as i wonder what you think about on politic?ourse i'd like to hear you talk about in. and with religion mixed guest: right. s i try to layout in my book, "resurrected idea of christian ociety," i think religiously founded society is actually more

capacious and tolerant and less society.han secular the problem with secularism, it politics, nothing transcends the struggle for the future of the earthly city, is no heavenly city to which we have higher loyalty. to lower the y blood pressure in the political greater actually a influence of religion in our country as a whole. the same as having religion influence politics directly. dogmas do not dictate party politics. a person of faith can ake a decision to go left or right in our political context. christian faith as 11 in the entire political brings us around

to seek common good for everyone. binginghamton, new york. lil senext. aller: yes, i find him absolutely atrocious. host: who? uest: the stuff coming out of your mouth. caller: the democrats are the are race baiting. i don't know what planet you're but you hat you read, need to really get out in the real world. of my and was raised part life in the south. if you think that all through '60s and the '70s and '80s there was not a race problem and republicans were not pushing it, you are dilutional. sorry, but you're mistaken. i specifically said that republicans did push race baiting in the '60s, '70s and '80s. caller: they needed help, by having them come to our property meal, could get a fwd they could get money and

trade.tes could those fat white guards sat there with the p their face thanfood and acting holier thou. host: susan is next from virginia. republican line. caller: hey, good morning. wow. good conversation. i think the problem is earlier a called, madenessee her opinion, and then right fter that, a young gentleman called, i'm assuming he's black, he sounded black, he called her redneck. we throw words around and we're attention. of ess i lost my train thought. i'm so sorry. i'm in et me just say, favor of having thicker skin in debates, so that we can be more forgiving of the

slang at people use think we can , i have thick skin and recognize, i believe most americans really all to flourish together and so we docked it a bit more in our society. one way to start is to not sort

the next president making appointments to the supreme court of the united states will be president donald trump. with hillary clinton in the white house the rest of the world will never forget when they have always looked at the niceties of america.

i'm brian rory from antic on new york and my question is how do you feel about the transpacific partnership and if elected would you do anything to change it to make it more favorable for americans as a whole? >> i've heard a lot of people say we are getting screwed over by the transpacific partnership in general and even though i am in favor of it i once know how you feel. >> hi i'm jack rosenbury, i'm in media inc. indications that st. johns pfister college. i if i had a chance sq would the trespasser trump i took them so long and they basically evidence of the country to greater president obama really was a citizen of the united states and one of the evidence came out as late as 2008 or as early as 2008 why he still persisted in

proposing that idea. >> hello my name is cody abraham. i'm a junior in political science and history double major in albany new york and if i could ask any question of the candidate what are your thoughts on common core and what track you see america's education system going if you are elected in the next four years? >> voices from the road on c-span. >> congress voted overwhelmingly to allow families of september 11 victims to sue saudi arabia for its alleged backing of the attackers and president obama, the first veto override of his presidency. president obama and a number of the administrators spoke out against the veto including ca director john bernier called the vote a dangerous slippery slope. >> i think the legislation is