his plan to create 25 million jobs over 10 years is centered in part in debt reduction, centered in part and energy and infrastructure investment but also it centered with economic growth over 3%, not be any medical growth we have no. the risk lucas, they look everything. you will never get growth. let's try. does anybody think that growth rates with is the best we can do? he doesn't. vice president-elect pence doesn't. the whole plant is there. he doesn't that all these deals are bad. he believes nafta was a bad deal for the american worker. it sounds like a critical mass of private union households and certainly non-college educated households in places like wisconsin and michigan, pennsylvania, ohio, all the people i grew up with. they agree.

it was a remarkable route among that group. in large part because he said i'm going to renegotiate bad trade deals. he says he won't have trade deals. he's pointing out some of them have not worked for the people there intended to benefit. he wants to, in his 100 a plan, he wants china to be declared a currency minute of it. peace deal spoke with a leader of china today. >> how did that go? >> it was fun. it's been made public. that's all i will say about.com a lot of other things. but in any event he's made very clear that washington has wanted for 30 years at least, i've been in polling for 28, sulleys 28 years. they wanted an outsider, somebody who owes nothing to anybody in washington to come here and just clean out the rot

from the inside out. it's important they finally got a chance. there was an open question whether the 72% of americans who tell pollsters i want to take the country in new and different directions. i want change. some of them questioned whether they're going to vote for somebody who is never done this before. they did an good for them for saying i'm going to follow that through. >> public opinion is your business. did the trump movement and the bernie sanders movement proceed from the same had watered? >> in large part a day. they also something else and, along with the barack obama move into the snake, which hillary never saw them coming. that's a problem. i'm not picking on the loser. i'm just saying that if you misread america you really can't govern america. the idea that they didn't see senator obama all coming in 2008. a woman at the dinner party remark to a big clinton adviser,

you know, what about senator barack obama running? i really enjoyed him in the 2004 convention. that i used with it. they just said, flash in a pan your two-term presidential flash independent. they never saw barack obamacoming. i think hillary clinton would've been much stronger did not clear to feel for. if they been for five she would've risen. i thought her best debate was the first debate by the before fun. he never saw her come back coming. >> would you been in worse shape if you are to run against joe biden? >> maybe but he didn't run. look, it's like the lottery. you can't win if you don't play. i think not. vice president biden, can you tell he's been around a long time? i grew up in the delaware valley where he is legendary.

look, maybe maybe not. i think the cultural sid psychiatrist that don't of said would capture as a rebuke to anybody who's in a position of power and represents some type of lobbyist consultant, politician, media access. vice president biden would have been left, he could've done nothing but on the obama-biden presidency i would think the that would be weird if he had not. joe biden is not earning -- that would've been a typical thing to do because a majority of americans to make your questions reservations about the affordable care act. it hasn't worked for a lot of folks. folks. many folks is the essence i many folks is that this sensitivity for the people who need it, didn't realize their premiums would be increased or their quality and choices would be diminished, or that they've been lied to two dozen plus times.

>> but the president job ratings are at 55% now so maybe that would've been -- >> i think they were comparing him to the nominee. i would expect that for him. i think he is popular but that popularity is not transferable to hillary clinton. >> one last question and i will turn to the audience. steve moore, one of the brilliant economic thinkers, let me ask you one final thing. when you campaign pledging to drain the swamp and venue of life at the swamp, how can you work with the swamp? i don't mean you off course but i mean -- >> that's all right, you can. it's my way describing the consultant, particularly the republican consultancy. i just feel like candidates often loose and consultants always win. what i say consultants is also the lobbyists in the opinion elites.

they made this excuse like you know, bob dole, he just seemed to old, and mitt romney, he seemed to step and john mccain, people thought he was come could do it. the only thing all three had in common was you. makeup urged from the system early and i think that the public, the voters, particularly in the primary electorate, republican primary electorate were rebuilding against -- we valley against them, not us. i can't tell you how much credibility legitimacy donald j. trump has. is not part of the swamp your no one got rich off of his campaign, trust me. nobody got rich off of his campaign what you think is very fitting for who he is. the articles out today that he won having spent probably even less than half then hillary clinton spent. if you are surrounding yourself

with a small core team, brooklyn have seven or eight times our staff. double plus their money to give credibility to say i'm going to come here now and not need all the sexy people to tell us what's going on. history is one olympic is also online. it does talk about term limits, talks about lobbying bands in which o'connor when some people's minds. people in this country are very wise. my job for years has been come i get an epidemic of see how is a purely. for years people said we really need five people to do one job? i would think without knowing what the job is the answer is no. the american people a way that i think of the political class in saying the waste, easy-to-use, the duplicative miss, the nonresponsiveness, the labyrinth

byzantine elastic taste of the cover. that could be turned around. but i think this swamp, you can train the swamp is to have an effective government that works. >> i want to take questions by want to start with steve moore who is one of the two co-authors of the obama plan spent badly not the obama tax cut plan. >> it's the other guy. federal tax cut plan. >> president-elect. >> steve, maybe if you don't mind standing up and describing in general terms what it is you guys have done, what you think it goes from here. i think there's a microphone right behind you. >> thank you. kellyanne conway congratulations. mayor, what, did you knock it out of the park. i was in florida and i saw a bumper sticker that explains why you defied the polls.

it said vote for donald trump your nobody has to know. >> i talked about that. i talked about the undercover trump voter for months ago. i was criticized by "the wall street journal" but we are good. we are here. >> i did work on the tax plan. quick story by the way, mayor, emphasize the point that you made. when larry and i first met with donald trump about four or five months ago we met with him in trump tower and asked larry of the cbc, and he asked to give us to be economic advisers to him and work with you on tax plan and other economic issues. we both looked at each other and said, donald, we can't work for. we believe in free trade. this is exactly the point you were making, mayor. he said okay, we can agree to disagree on that but i want you

to work with taxes and saw. we did work on. you summarized it very well, mayor. the heart of the plan is a business tax cut. i think we can get this done in the first 150 days. i really do. i think we can do with democratic votes and we were talking about this i think we can get a lot of democrats to vote for a business tax plan in excess of infrastructure spending ended and basically want to take the highest business tax rate in the world. by the way not just for corporations but for small businesses do i have to tell you all, when we first met with donald trump on this, he said when you do this tax plan i don't just want it to be for the corporations. he said i wanted to be for the 26.5 million small businesses in this country. okay, we will do that. that 50% tax rate is not just for boeing and microsoft and

apple, but every single small business in america including the small business startup in silicon valley and the korean grocery down the stree street ir city street in your cities but if we leave now to take you live to capitol hill where some republican leaders are speaking to reporters before the senate reconvenes. >> we have a new chairman of our interesse, cory gardner who will make some comments shortly. our goal will be to wrap this lame-duck session up as soon as possible. and we intend of the busier beginning january 3. there are some conferences in progress. we hope to be able to finish energy. i'm particularly interested as is senator alex at others, president of vice president as well in the 21st century cures bill which is very broad by partisan supporter we hope to wrap that up and we are in

ongoing discussions obviously about how to fund the government and for how long. >> since the eisenhower administration there have been 14 occasions in which the same political party had majorities of both houses and the white house. 11 times under democrat control, three times under republican control. we see this election on november 8 as a historic opportunity for us to make real progress on behalf of the american people. american people believed overwhelmingly the country is headed in the wrong direction, and we have now been given a tremendous opportunity, may be the last opportunity during our lifetimes here in the senate to turn the ship of state of an. we to take advantage of every opportunity we can to be responsive to the message that

the american people sent us, the voters on november 8 and to make will progress on their behalf. >> and i think everyone would agree this was a combative election process this year, but the results were very decisive. the american people came out in big numbers and they voted for change. republican senate was listening. we want to address the american people's biggest concern, their biggest priorities. we believe improving the economy, creating better paying jobs in the economy and defending and protecting the homeland, keeping americans safe. the other take away from the election is that people are extremely frustrated. they are tired of business as usual, of the status quo in washington, d.c. i think all of us need to that message, and it's my hope here in the senate and with the new white house coming that we can work together to restore the trust of the american people to put the record of accomplishments and address the

most basic and highest concerns and priorities in the coming years. >> yesterday the obama administration came out with new rules and new regulations on oil and gas production on public lands. you will remember that the white house chief of staff has said at the end of this administration that are going to be using our dishes executive actions -- audacious. i would caution the magician because anything that they come out with after a bout the first of june will be subject to something called the congressional review act. we've used that five times in the last session of talks, put things on president obama's desk that he is vetoed and we didn't have the vote to override. now i feel assured that president trump will sign those things, to reverse some of these light regulations coming out by the obama administration, and we plan to use that technique

vigorously in the next administration. >> so in the six years i've been in the senate, every time i go home, over 2000-pound meetings in our state, the issues were always jobs, stronger families, but then you quickly go to what stood in the way of that. the rolling disaster of obamacare, out of control regulators and real concerns in the last six or eight months every time i was anywhere talking to the people i work for about what could happen to the supreme court. i think of all those fronts, this congress, working with the next congress working with the next president has a chance to really head in a new direction, elizabeth of the people i work for, it's the direction they would like to see us go. >> thank you. apparently the speaking order is done by height so i am last. just want to talk about the past

two years in the majority as we have let on transportation as we let him energy, as would lead great success over the past two years with bipartisan efforts and accomplishments. that led to the majority this november and it will lead to keeping retaining and growing the majority in november of 2018. we have election we're focused on, sharing those results. it's about making sure we take of every man and woman in this country and the opportunity to succeed for this great nation. >> senator mcconnell -- [inaudible] what is your reaction? >> yeah, i'm not going to comment on white house personal choices. >> the are un-american still you are afraid for the future. do you have any -- [inaudible] >> well look, you know, american

campaigns are pretty robust. i think a lot of americans don't realize without a lot of elections like this in the past. i'm thinking of 1824 come andrew jackson. henry clay, john adams. almost anything i heard in the course of this campaign pales in comparison into what adams and jefferson said about each other. usually unsigned document. american campaigns are pretty spirited, pretty robust. what's different is with the internet, point of rt comp everybody gets a constant, constantly confronted with all this. look, i think it's time for election to be over. i think president obama should be commended for the way he handles himself after the election. vice president biden, hillary clinton. it's time to accept the results of the election, to lower the

tone and to see what we can do together to make progress for the country. >> has president-elect can't given you any indication on -- [inaudible] >> obviously having some conversations about a whole variety of things, the new administration setting up shop. it won't surprise you t to know that on october interest in sharing it all with you today. [inaudible] >> i'm sorry speak what does he favor a cr into next year speak with we are working on how to fund the government. >> do you agree with the president-elect that the -- [inaudible] >> what i think we're going to do is to try to make as much progress with the american people as we can on the things that affect their lives. things like addressing the health care crisis that we have,

repeatedly and replacing obamacare. things like comprehensive tax reform. things like appointment to the supreme court and other courts. we're going to address the real concerns of the american people. not go back and we litigate what anybody on either side may have said to a very hotly contested presidential race. i'm going to take one more. [inaudible] >> we are going to pass about. [inaudible] >> we are going to take up the house bill. i think it is already held at the desk and we are going to pass it. okay, thank you. [inaudible conversations]

[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]

[inaudible conversations] >> senate republican leadership team led again by mitch mcconnell, reelected as the majority leader. in this bit of senate news from the hill, the roll call router, tweeting that senator orrin hatch saying circumstances have changed since he announced he would not run again in 2018. again, that from roll call. and this from the other side of the aisle from our producer, rc tempered is on capitol hill, new york senator chuck schumer was elected senate democratic leader for the 115th congress. and his team coming on board,

held a news conference earlier today. we will show that day while we wait for the senate returned at 2:30 p.m. eastern time. >> okay. good morning, everyone. and we had a great meeting. went very smoothly, and i am humbled, truly humbled and offered to receive the support of my colleagues to be the next leader of the senate democratic caucus. i am even prouder to introduce the team joine join me up here y which i will get into very soon. i came into this job for aware of its challenges and what it means that my colleagues trust

me to live up to a high standard set by my friend, mentor, just someone, my foxhole buddy, harry reid. harry reid is like an older brother to me. his support and counsel are invaluable. and when i speak for the entire caucus and i say we are grateful for his leadership, his service, his friendship. now i want to say to the american people exactly what i just said to my caucus. i am going to wake up every single day focused on how senate democrats can effectively fight for america's middle class, and those struggling to join it. last tuesday night was something none of us expected. i suspect that's true for many of you in the press as well. it certainly didn't go the way we democrats hoped. it was a tough night, no doubt about it. when you lose an election like

this, you can't flinch. you can't ignore it. you need to look it right in the high and ask why, analyze it, and learn from it. one thing we know is that we heard the american people loud and clear. they felt that the government wasn't working for them. they felt that the economy was rigged against them in many places, the government was too beholden to big money and special interests. now, there's a debate going on about whether we should be the party of the diverse obama coalition, or the blue-collar american in the heartland. some think we need to make a choice and spent all of our energies focused on one group of americans or another. i believe that their desire to be a division. in fact, there must not be a division. we need to be the party that

speaks to and works on behalf of all americans. and a bigger, bolder, sharper edge economic message that talks about how people in the middle class and those struggling to make their can do better. but also deal directly with the unfairness in the american economic system. we will unite our caucus and speak to the blue-collar worker in west virginia, and michigan, as well as the people who live along the coasts. under leader reid we had seven members in leadership. i decided to expand the team and add three new members who are here today, and i'm so proud of each of them. bernie sanders, joe manchin, tammy baldwin. adding them to our team shows we can unite the disparate factions of our party and our country. >> senate democratic leaders from earlier today.

we take you live back to the capital now and senate minority leader harry reid. >> sorry we are a little bit late. our caucus got pretty wound up, and the last call on his dtcc, and there's a lot to talk about some senator schumer is there finishing the. we will be fairly quick today. we have this thing is going in session right now and so we're going to answer those questions we need to and briefly to each of you that i of course express my appreciation to my two leaders here who have been with me so many years, with senator schumer. i appreciate all the support. they have made my life so much more pleasant, then it would've been without them. and i say the same to senator schumer. i congratulate him being part of the new leadership, and senator schumer for the choices he has

made for his new leadership team. as you know, senator schumer has been -- through his entire time in the senate, as has these two fine people with me today. dick durbin and i came here, came to washington together in 1982, in the house. i came to this in a few years before patty, but not too many. and she still has a long career ahead of her, and is going to be as good as the past patty. we have a few short weeks to finish the work of this congress. we need to pass the appropriations legislation. we had a fine report from senator mikulski today, but it all boils down to what the house does first. they've got to do the first move. they will make the first move and we will wait to see what they do. i believe and to think we believe as a caucus we should follow the law.

we have a situation where there's a lot in effect that says we have our budget done, that we'd equal spending for defense and nondefense. that's what we should do. we should do it for the whole year. i think there's no reason we shouldn't. she is ready to go. her subcommittee chairs ranking members are ready to go. we should get that done. we kind of lose track of some the people who have been really lost, the people in flint, michigan. a judge last week that an order, the state to give him water to drink. they are not doing that on their own. we have a lot of nominations, should've been done a long time ago. fcc, we have 48 c. which there was a drafting error by mitch mcconnell's clerk, no one disputes that.

that should've been changed a long time ago. we still haven't gotten that done. so we are ready to work with republicans during these next few weeks. and, of course, it's already been laid out with senator schumer's leadership today. they are also willing to work with republicans. but also going to stand for what we worked on for many, many years, to stand up for what is right and what is there. i will take a few questions. [inaudible] have you on a personal level -- [inaudible] >> i think it would be educational for the country to have some hearings on an electoral college system. no wonder she did this and no wonder there's some concern. when the votes are finally counted, we've been told yesterday she will win the election by more than 2 million

votes. it's unusual in such a short period of time in this young century we've already had two elections where the loser got more votes than the wind. so i think it's something we should look at, absolutely, yes. [inaudible] >> of course i accepted it. whether i really speed we believe this to take you live back to the u.s. senate, convening now for legislativethe work. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal lord god, who alone spreads out the heavens and rules the raging of the seas, make haste and touch our nation with your healing hands.

use our lawmakers to provide the checks and balances that will unite this land. give them the wisdom to inquire of you, seeking to be your instruments in the unfolding of your loving providence. confound the enemies of freedom, until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. do for this land we love immeasurably, abundantly, above all that we can ask or imagine, as your will is done on earth

even as it is done in heaven. o god, you are our helper and deliverer, continue to be our shelter in the time of storm. we pray in your strong name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

mcconnell mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, this morning, our conference came together to select a republican leadership team for the 115th congress. it's an honor to be chosen once again by my colleagues to continue serving as leader. i know i speak for every

republican senator in expressing gratitude to the american people for entrusting us with this new majority. it's a great responsibility and one we do not take lightly. i want to recognize senator schumer and the new members of his team as well. leading a party, any party in the senate, is no easy task. our colleague from new york has got a tough job ahead of him, but he's pretty tough as well. and i send him my congratulations. regardless of party, though, one thing is clear. we've got work to do, and i know each of us is eager to get started. that includes senator-elect todd young from indiana. i've had the opportunity to spend time with him again this week and to congratulate him on his truly impressive victory. it was a hard-fought race and he

should be proud of the outstanding campaign that he ran. of course, our friend senator dan coats leaves behind some pretty big shoes to fill. i will have more to say about that later, but i'm confident senator-elect young is up to the task. so we're all looking forward to him joining us on this side of the capitol come next man. mr. reid: mr. president, election day was tough for a lot of americans. to say things didn't go the way that we wanted on this side of the aisle would be a gross understatement. america's still reeling from this, and there will even be -- they will be even more concerned in a few days when the final vote tally comes because hillary clinton will have gotten more

than two million votes more than donald trump. so i think it speaks volumes that a democratic senator entered legislation yesterday that would take a look at the electoral college system. this should not be a partisan issue. it should be the issue that committees of jurisdiction in this body takes a look at this. let's 4reu67b to some -- listen to some experts talk about it, find out if the system is working very well. it was set up a long time ago, and maybe it should be changed. so i think it's something we need to take a look at. it's interesting that just in the last few years, this century, we've had two winners of elections that got less votes than the losers -- i'm sorry. we have two elections this century where the losers got more votes than winners. so we need to take a look at that, and so i hope something is

done, and on a bipartisan basis because no one knows what's going to happen four years from now, eight years from now, 12 years from now. something that should be looked at. it's very important for us as a country to take another look at the electoral college system. well, mr. president, there are a number of bright spots on election day, but i have to say without any question one for us was in nevada. we scored victories every place. the koch brothers came to the state, publicly said reid has been hard on us and we're going to teach him a lesson. i wasn't born yesterday, mr. president. i knew -- they really didn't frighten me. in spite of all their untold wealth, they could not affect what we had built up over the years in nevada.

we carried the state by about 30,000 votes for hillary clinton, which maybe in california it doesn't sound like a lot, but in south carolina and nevada, it's a lot of votes, 3,000 votes. the senate seat to replace me, we led by a large margin. we picked up two democratic house seats. out of the six democratic house seats that were picked up in this past election, a third of them came from nevada. we turned the assembly to a big, big majority. the state senate in nevada only has 21 members. it was 11-10 republican. it's now 11-10 democratic. but to make it even better, a day after the election, a republican state senator switched to become an independent, like bernie sanders, like angus king, and is caucusing with the democrats.

so there is a two-vote majority there. so it really was a good day for nevada. we rejected the division of america that some had, but we also enacted some important reforms. in nevada, the wild west, n.r.a. members galore, we voted to have background checks. when i went to the state legislature a long time ago, mr. president, in 1969, as a young assemblyman, i introduced legislation to have a three-day waiting period before you could buy a gun. and that's been the long statement in most of rural nevada, they eliminated that, but i started being concerned about this a long time ago. and now in nevada, we're going to have background checks of people purchasing guns. that's good.

and the national rifle association has spent millions of dollars trying to stop that. we care more about making guns, keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people than individuals catering to special interests. and i say, mr. president, i mentioned the n.r.a. listen. the national rifle association used to be a different organization. after the columbine abhorrent in colorado, they came out and said we should do something for background checks. they've changed. members of the n.r.a. in nevada, they understand that. they are like n.r.a. members all over the country. the majority of n.r.a. members believe there should be background checks. you shouldn't be able to be a criminal to buy a gun or you shouldn't be able to be something really unstable

mentally. so we elected the first latina senator in the history of the country in catherine cortez masto. we're a diverse state. i'm happy that our elected leaders that we brought back here certainly represent that. i've talked about catherine cortez masto. she is going to be a wonderful senator. i'm so proud of her. i have known her family for years. i have admiration for her accomplishments as a prosecutor, as attorney general of the state. the nevada seat was a koch brothers prize, but they came in second. we also elected reuben kuid to the house of representatives.

he is a fine man. he will do a good job, this young man. i have so much admiration for him. and the picture on the front page of our papers in las vegas was really wonderful. he has -- his mom and dad, immigrants themselves, with their boy who is now going to be a member of congress. that's pretty dramatic. they came to the united states wanting to live the american dream. that's what they have done. serving with reuben and serving with kat win in the congress -- with catherine in the congress is a woman by the name of jackie rosen. she has zero experience. it's a seat that congressman heck could have held in the senate, held for three terms. she didn't have a long resume, other than a wonderful person, a great family and was involved in

community activities. she was president of her synagogue. she proved to be a tremendously talented candidate, and she will be good here in washington as a member of congress. dina titus, long-time member of congress, is returning to the house for a fourth term. she knows nevada inside and out. she was a long-time member of the state legislature, a professor at unlv. so i'm grateful for these good people that are now going to be members of the congress of the united states. catherine, reuben, jackie and dina will do great things for nevada and the country. for our leadership in the state senate, there is an african-american, jason feroshi -- i'm sorry, in the assembly. i get jason there and turn their names around here.

we have an african-american leading the state senate. he's a majority leader. a wonderful young man, so talented, well educated, ph.d., law degree, he's got it all, aaron ford. and i mentioned jason ferguson, he is going to be leading the assembly as a speaker. just a good person, a good guy with an accomplished record in the assembly. you know, there has been some talk about the reid machine. of course, the machine is leaving washington in a few weeks, but it's not about me, mr. president. it's about our state. it's about the progress we have made over the years. the victories we saw last week speaks volumes about the talent of the candidates, the people working to make sure these victories happen. most of the work done in the state was by volunteers.

thousands of people, thousands of people in the streets two weeks before the election. on one saturday, 70,000 doors were knocked on. in the small state of nevada, 70,000. we all know having knocked on doors ourselves not 70,000 people were home but thousands of people were reached through that process. so i mentioned our state has a crop of incredibly talented leaders to stand up to a trump administration and hold republicans accountable. and our new leaders are going to fight for the issues that are important to the people of the state of nevada. all issues dealing with immigrants -- my father-in-law was an immigrant to the united states from russia; grandmother

from england. so we're going to do everything we can to make sure that people understand the importance of immigration. and they asked me a couple of days ago, the republicans want to revive yucca mountain. i know you and conservatives are concerned about money. so if you want to revive yucca mountain, bring a great big checkbook because it's going to cost to revive that not millions of dollars. billions of dollars. billions. there's nothing there. all the equipment has been junked, ground up. it's where they sell up junk, metals. gone. what i say if the republicans want to waste money on that, let them do it. let them do it. because it doesn't meet the environmental standards of anyplace, let alone our country. let them try to revive it. as i say, make sure you've got

a lot of money, i say to my republican friends. we're going to do everything together this next few weeks, and certainly when i'm gone, the new congressional delegation will do everything we can to protect clean energy. we have done a lot of in nevada with solar and geothermal. we need to continue that. in nevada, 87% of the state of nevada is owned by the federal government. that's hard to comprehend, but, mr. president, you're from south carolina. do you realize you come to one of those beautiful wilderness areas, it doesn't matter where it is in nevada, that land is not mine. that land is not nevada land. it is your land. it is public lands. you have a right to enjoy those beautiful mountains that we have as well as anybody. we have beautiful -- we have 314 separate mountain ranges. we have a mountain 14,000 feet high. we have 11 -- i'm sorry, we

have 32 mountains over 11,000 feet high. those are your mountains like they are mine. so please, i say to the presiding officer, don't be part of a deal to sell these public lands to the private sector, -- the states, local government can't protect these lands. for your children and grandchildren don't let them mess with public lands. so, mr. president, i appreciate your listening to me. but i close by saying i'm very proud of what happened in the state of nevada last tuesday. a week ago yesterday. is there anyone on the floor wishing to speak? i will yield the floor, mr. president. thank you, mr. president. the presiding officer: yes,sir. the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, what is the business before the senate?

the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to s. 3110, which the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to the consideration of s. 3110, a bill to provide for reforms of the administration of the outer continental shelf of the united states, and so forth and for other purposes. mr. nelson: mr. president, i want to speak on the bill. we're going to have a vote somewhere around midday tomorrow on this bill. this senator comes to this issue, drilling for oil off of our coast, with a long history. ever since i was a young congressman, i've been fighting to keep oil rigs off of florida's coast, and now it's especially important at this time as we have a new

administration coming in that took a public position in the election declaring the president-elect's intent to open up additional areas off the coast to oil drill. so the package that we are going to consider tomorrow is an enhancement of just exactly that goal. i want to point out to the senate why this is not in the interest of our country. now, first of all, we are dealing with a law that we passed about six -- five years ago with an acronym of gomesa, which opened up for the first

time oil revenues that came from federal waters to be shared with the gulf states. primarily we were doing this in the interest of louisiana because louisiana had been hit so hard by hurricane katrina and of which there was the need to restore a lot of those marshes. and this was another way of getting revenue to the state of louisiana. at the same time that bill was passed, it enhanced a law that we had passed with my former colleague, senator mel martinez back in the 2006 time frame that kept the oil drilling off of florida in the gulf and kept it

off, and it is in law, and it's the only place of the outer continental shelf where it is in law that you cannot drill up through the year 2022. i want to point out for the historical record why that is so and why this bill that we're considering tomorrow is not in the interest of the country. this area in yellow is the gulf of mexico off of florida. this is florida, the peninsula, the keys. this is the gulf coast of florida. over here is pensacola. all of that area in yellow is off limits to drilling up to the year 2022. why?

well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize what happened to florida's economy back in the deep water horizon oil championship. -- oil spill. the oil got as far as pensacola. the spill was here off of louisiana. it got to the beaches of pensacola, some to destine, some tar balls to panama city until the wind started sending it back the other way. but what happened to florida's tourism industry on its gulf coast? for an entire season the tourists thought there was oil on our beaches, and tourists did not come for an entire season all the way down to marco island, naples, all of these

beautiful, sugary white sand beaches, including northwest florida beaches, didn't come because they thought there was oil there. that didn't just affect the airlines and the hotels. it affected the dry cleaners and the restaurants and all of this largest industry in florida which is the tourism industry. that's one reason. another reason is there are so many of the bays and estuaries along this gulf coast where the critters are hatched that supply the fish stocks for the entire gulf. and of course there are stocks that are hatched here that migrate out into the other oceans.

but there was a third reason, and that reason is that all of this area to the east of this line -- in other words, 125 miles off of panama city, 235 miles off of tampa bay, even farther off of naples, all of that is the largest testing and training for the united states military in the world, and the department of defense issued two letters under the signature of two republican secretaries of defense saying that any oil-related activities here would be incompatible with our testing and training mission, this being the largest one in the united states.

now that's why we don't have drilling there. and you will hear the proponent of the bill will say we've exempted this part. we've exempted it not only because it's off limits in law, but what they are doing for the rest of the gulf coast is almost doubling the revenue sharing that would go to the states, the gulf states, and thereby giving the incentive all the more for the state governments to want to have the drilling off of their coast. regardless of the united states military, regardless of the economic engine of florida, regardless of the very delicate environment.

but there's more. as a matter of fact, the bill before us would offer revenue sharing to states. now mind you, this is drilling in federal waters that any revenue would typically be to the federal government. as a matter of fact, it's estimated by c.b.o. that it is a loss of $7 billion to the u.s. treasury. and that would also be available for the states on the atlantic. here's florida, georgia, south carolina, north carolina, virginia, maryland, new jersey, new york, and on up on the atlantic coast. now, i brought this chart to show not only the gulf area off

of florida and the military testing and training ranges, but look at the military testing and training ranges off of the atlantic coast. if it's incompatible here, are not we going to hear, as we have heard from some of the department of defense that it's going to be incompatible in the atlantic region? and so i want to urge that not only have we been battling to keep our coastal environments and beaches clean and unpollutee only argument. the argument is also the argument of keeping our national

security tested and trained in the most sophisticated weapons and training for the best military in the world. now, this senator is a senior member of the senate armed services committee. there's a reason that we do not have oil rigs out here. first of all, in the state of florida, we have tyndall air force base at panama city. that's where they are training our pilots the f-22's. at eglin air force base near fort walton beach, that's where all of -- about half of the united states air force training

and the other services -- the navy as well as the air force -- are training their pilots for the f-35 that is now being cycled in to be the workhorse of our fighters. the united states navy which will have f f-35's but has the f-18's, they will fly squadron into key west naval air station. they'll be there for a week or two, and when they lift off from the runway at bo boca c will whh whechica, they can be over air

space not having to spend the time and fuel to get to the area of their testing and training. so the department of defense has said you simply cannot have oil rigs operating in an area where we are testing these very sophisticated we weapons systems that we need a lot of space. this is from this location down here some 300 miles as well as the training that goes on. so it's not just for benefit of our military. it's key to our national defense. we have watched the tar balls wash up on the beaches. we've seen the sugary white sands of pensacola beach be completely black, covered from

oil. we saw the harm that was done not only to the local businesses that catered to tourists, such as the hotels, the restaurants, the attractions, all the ancillary businesses as the dry cleaners, the real estate firms. to put it into perspective, this is for our state of florida, a $50 billion industry that oils the engine of our economy. we're talking about generating some $700 million in sales tax revenue for the state and it helps support more than 450,000 jobs throughout the state. and so why would you risk destroying a state's economy as well as our military preparati

preparation. it's not like that we don't have other places that we want to produce oil? think of the oil shale that has been tapped to in the dakotas, in oklahoma and texas that is not producing at maximum capacity. and so it is emblazenned on our memories as floridians the image of the hazmat crews in those hazmat suits and the coast guard vessels skimming off the water just six years ago. our fishermen and our business businesses, they certainly haven't forgotten their own losses that amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. and so if the new administration

and if the oil industry wants to have a fight on this issue, well, they certainly have one. this senator is going to continue to try to keep the oil rigs off the state of florida with everything that i have for all of the reasons that i have stated, and i would commend to our colleagues when we vote tomorrow, beware of all of the effects of almost doubling the revenue for the gulf coast states of texas, louisiana, mississippi, and alabama, which is at the heart of what is behind this particular bill that we're going to vote on. but beware also there are hidden

messages in this revenue sharing and it strikes at the heart of what we've been trying to protect here: environment, our economy and our united states military preparedness. mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. nelson: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: as long as there is -- the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum. mr. nelson: i ask consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. nelson: mr. president, as long as no other senator is asking to be recognized, let me just say from the perspective as the senior senator of florida that i think it is the obligation of those of us who were backing the candidate that did not win the presidency to as president obama has said is that the president-elect will be the president, and it's incumbent on

the rest of us regardless of party to reach out and to try to help the new president on behalf and for the sake of our country. this senator who has always tried in my four decades of public service, always tried to reach out in a bipartisan way and bring people together, to build consensus in order to govern will continue to do so. and this senator greets the new administration with that statement. it's also important that a statement like that be made, especially in this time in which we are so rent asunder, where we

are so divided and where we have come through an election that has been the only word that i can think of is ugly. things were said that in ordinary course of conversation in this election that would not be said and particularly as we try to heal the wounds of both sides and take back the awful things that were said and create an atmosphere where we can come together for the sake of our country, then that is especially important and this senator is going to contribute to that. it is my hope that it will be

received on all sides that we will reach out and try to bring people together. mr. president, i think it was important to say that, particularly at a time where the feelings have been hurt and the feelings have been so high and so tense. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. cornyn: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: thank you. mr. president, we are living in historic times. the 115th congress will be the first time in a decade that republicans have held both

chambers of congress and the white house. before the george w. bush administration in the early parts of this century, you'd have to go back to the eisenhower administration. i believe it was 1945 to find a comparable time of republican control. interestingly for the history buffs, in the -- who may be listening, there's actually been 14 times since 1945 when you've had single-party majorities in both houses and the white house. 11 of those times have been our democratic colleagues and three times have been republicans. so i come back to where i started in saying these are truly historic times. this morning our republican conference met to elect our leadership team to serve in the next congress during this extraordinary time. after gaining the majority two years ago, it's been a pleasure to look back and see what we

have been able to accomplish, even with the president from the opposing party in the white house. yesterday i mentioned the rewrite of no child left behind which sent more authority back to the states and parents and teachers to make education decisions for children in kindergarten through 12th grade. i also mentioned passing a long-term highway bill for five years, something we hadn't been able to do for a long, long time. but those are just two concrete examples of how working together we can tackle big and tractable problems and frankly nothing happens around here in the united states senate unless it is bipartisan. but we also passed some other important legislation, something negotiated by majority leader in the house at the time, nancy pelosi or leader pelosi and speaker john boehner which was reform of our social security

laws in terms of how doctors under medicare are paid, an important item because if doctors are not paid a prevailing fee or competitive fee for their services, they're simply not going to see medicare patients and seniors are not going to have access to the care that they deserve. we also passed a bill sanctioning north korea for its nuclear program and its human rights abuses. and we also passed legislation to better support our troops who fight and put themselves in harm's way to keep us safe every day. so i'm grateful to our republican colleagues for voting to continue the direction of progress for the american people by reelecting their current leadership, including the senior senator from kentucky, senator mcconnell. i've had the honor as all of us have to serve alongside senator mcconnell for several years, although i've served for the

last four years as the whip or the right hand of the majority leader when it comes to trying to corral votes and try to promote our legislative agenda. and i found the majority leader to be a wise and steady hand in a town marked by the absence of those virtues among men. so i'm proud to serve with him in the next congress as i am with all of our colleagues and in his case as the majority leader as his assistant. we also had a chance, having come back together after the election, to talk about the future and to talk about our agenda going forward. yesterday i pointed out several legislative priorities, policy items that we have to get right for the american people, like confirming a supreme court justice that will interpret the laws as we write them and as the constitution is written, rather than seeing themselves as somehow another policy-making

branch of government. we've also run and promised that we would repeal and replace obamacare, which was a failed experiment, failed because the president, when he promoted it, said that if you like what you have, you can keep it; said if you like your doctor, you can keep yew doctor. and -- your doctor, and an average family of of four will see their premiums go down $2,500 -- none of which has proven to be true. it's very important that we keep that promise of repealing obamacare and then replacing it on a step-by-step basis over a tran sis period with more affordable -- transition period with more affordable health care that will preserve the choices in health care between americans and their families and not washington, d.c. and then there's the matter of regulation. if there's one thing that after our democratic friends lost their 60-vote majority in the united states senate and the house republicans flipped the

house to have divided government -- if there's one thing that's characterized the obama administration, it's been executive actions and overregulation. in august it was reported the president had -- and his administration had issued 600 major regulations with a price tag of more than $740 billion. and if there's one thunk i hear from my constituent -- one thing i hear from my constituents back in texas, small business owners and the like, that is they're feeling the strangling effect of overregulation, along with the costs of compliance and the uncertainty that goes along with it. so it's no surprise really to see that our economy has essentially flat-lined and not been growing, because none of this is good for the small business owners that we're relying upon to create jobs and opportunities. and i.t. not good for -- and it's not good for american families who are looking for those jobs in order to provide for their families and simply

put food on the table. so we're eager to roll back those expensive and unnecessary, in many instances, and certainly in every instance burdensome regulations so the economy can have some breenling room and begin -- breathing room and begin to grow again. many of us are interested in addressing tax reform as well. there's bipartisan consensus that our tax code is simply too complex and counterproductive. in fact, it is literally a self-inflicted wound. when it comes to forcing $2 trillion-plus of dollars overseas that american-based companies would like to bring back, but the reason they don't do it because the they would be subject to double-taxation, first in the country where the money has been earned and secondly when they would bring it back to the united states. well, rather than do, many of them have left that money overseas, which means rather than investing in american jobs, in american infrastructure, they

are literally investing in jobs overseas and in building infrastructure to support their facilities in other countries. which makes no sense whatsoever. so tax reform is high on our agenda, and i believe that at a time when everybody understands that our tax code has simply gotten too complex, too expensive, and too counterproductive, i'm optimistic that we'll be able to make some real progress. coming from a border state, i can tell you that i'm delighted to hear president-elect trump talk about the importance of border security. in a post 9/11 world, it is simply critical that we know who is coming into our country and make sure that they do so only by legal means. so securing our border is something we need to deal with, and thank goodness there's no shortage of good ideas. chairman mike mccall in the

house homeland security committee has got a bipartisan bill that i think would make great progress along those lines, but obviously we're going to have to have an important discussion among all members of congress and the administration about how best to accomplish the goal. but we also need to remember that our ports of entry, which are where legitimate trade and travel occur, that we do nothing to impede that, because legitimate trade and travel are very important to our economy. the u.s. economy enjoys about 6 million jobs, just as a result of trade between the united states and mexico alone, so i look forward to working with the administration and with our colleagues to make sure we secure our border against illegal immigration, including the human trafficking, drug trafficking, and potential violence that goes along with that, while making sure that our legitimate trade and travel in our ports of entry are supported so that we can benefit from

those as well. and, of course, as we discussed and debated early this congress, having updated and efficient infrastructure is vital to the health and well-being of our economy, and i mentioned the transportation bill that we passed, a long-term transportation bill, that will provide for some of that but certainly not all that is necessary. we need to take a look at the proposals that the president-elect is going to send our way. but there's no shortage of good ideas be discussed both in the house and senate as well. i look forward to learning more about those. but one thing that hasn't been talked about very much, mr. president, is how we're going to pay for it. and that's going to be an important item to discuss as well, because frankly we can't keep spending our kids' and grandkids' inheritance -- or at least forcing upon the younger generations the obligation to pay for bills that we incur

today. and one of the things i hope that will occur as a result of this historic election is that we will have the courage and the willingness to sit down and come up with structural solutions to our financial situation, which is $1 trillion-plus in debt -- $19 trillion-plus in debt, because of the federal reserve keeping interest rates so low, we're not having to pay huge amounts of money in order to service that debt or pay interest to the people who own that debt. but that's going to change if the federal reserve begins to raise interest rates, and we're going find ourselves -- and we're going to find ourselves paying more and more money to service that debt to the bondholders and less and less of that money available for our priorities here domestically whether they be national security or other investments and things like research -- medical research and the like. so finding out how we can crack that nut and come together on a

bipartisan basis, working with the white house, to deal with our long-term fiscal problems and continue to meet the needs of our nation are going to be challenging but exhilarating to do. mr. president, many are talking about the next steps and what should and shouldn't happen in light of the new political reality. but what's clear to me today is that republicans are united by a strong desire to listen to the concerns of the american people and to deliver results. results that make their lives easier and our collective futures stronger. but i want to say, as committed as the majority party is to that, we can't do this alone without the cooperation and the consensus building that comes along as part of the legislative process. unfortunately, we've seen the last years characterized by obstruction and filibusters and blocking things that are

essentially already receive bipartisan support, and i'm talking particularly about the appropriations process. one of the terrible things that's happened this last year in the united states congress is the appropriations committees have gotten back to work on a bipartisan basis. you'd see bills coming out at a fiscally responsible level agreed-upon spending caps with democrats and republicans supporting them, only to see them dead on arrival on the floor of the united states senate. that's the kind of mindless obstructionism that i think i hope we can avoid going forward. and just from the conversations i've had as a result of this election, many of our democratic colleagues appear to be willing to work with us and certainly with the new leadership on the democratic side of the aisle. i'm more opt mick that i've been -- i'm more optimistic than i've been in a long time that we can come together, while maintaining our strongly held convictions

and principles -- i'm not talking about compromising those, but, rather, working together when we can and trying to work together to better serve the american people. mr. president, i would yield the floor. and i'd note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. vitter: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator louisiana. mr. vitter: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i rise -- excuse me, i ask unanimous consent to vitiate any quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. vitter: thank you. and now i rise in strong support of s. 3110, the american energy and conservation act of 2016. this would increase revenue-sharing with the states for offshore oil and gas development, and this legislation is scheduled for a vote here on the senate floor tomorrow. i'm pleased that the senate is finally voting on this really critical legislation, and i want

to thank my colleague from louisiana, senator cassidy, for his lead and his hard work on this crucial issue. senator cassidy and myself and several of our colleagues have worked hard over the years to bring this issue to the forefront and help both congress and the american people understand how important revenue-sharing is to the louisiana, to other energy-producing states but to the country, for the good of the country to expand american energy. i also want to thank leader mcconnell and chairman murkowski for working with us to bring this important bill to the floor for a vote. revenue sharing with oil and gas-producing states is only fair for two key reasons. first, energy-producing states incur real costs and real impacts from that production, including environmental. and second, revenue sharing is the most important way we can continue to incent domestic

energy production over the long term in this country. so it makes it fair and smart for our u.s. energy future. energy production is essential to job creation and an overall healthy economy, and if it weren't for the oil and gas jobs that accompanied the energy sector boom earlier this decade, we would have remained and perhaps still be in a technical recession. one point i want to emphasize is that many of those jobs have been created by small firms in the oil and gas sector and support sectors. these small business energy jobs are something i've highlighted in my chair -- in my role as chair of the small business and entrepreneurship committee, and that is vital in terms of the impact in this sector. this legislation would increase revenue sharing for the gulf states that produce energy offshore and would establish

revenue sharing for new production off of alaska and off of virginia, north carolina, south carolina and georgia. these are all areas that welcome the opportunity to have this revenue sharing to incent domestic energy production and increase the availability of american energy. contrary to what some have said, this legislation would not authorize any new offshore drilling. let me repeat. this legislation does not provide for new or expanded lease sales. this bill is about revenue sharing. now, let me be clear on what revenue sharing means for states like louisiana, but there are many more. in louisiana, we spend 100% of these revenues on environmental concerns, specifically coastal restoration. we lose about a football field

of land in coastal louisiana. just think of a football field like you watch every sunday at an nfl game. that amount of land just in coastal louisiana, every 38 minutes, and that's 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. no time off for weekends, holidays, nothing. it's a constant loss. it's an environmental disaster. that's the most significant environmental issue by far that we face in our state. and so our state is committed to spending all the money that we receive from revenue sharing to restoring and rebuilding and protecting our coast. that's vitally important for louisiana, but it's also vitally important for the rest of the country because louisiana supplies so much energy that's good for america. let me be clear on what this

legislation does. it expands revenue sharing to alaska and the mid-atlantic states, so it has impacts well beyond the gulf in a very positive way. beginning in 2027, alaska, virginia, north carolina, south carolina and georgia would begin receiving 37.5% revenue sharing from oil and gas production off of their coasts, which is what louisiana, texas, alabama and mississippi receive on new production there. it would also increase revenue sharing that those gulf states receive under the gulf of mexico energy security act of 2006 or gomesa. under that law, revenue sharing in those four gulf states is capped at $500 millionfer year between all of them, but beginning in 2027, that cap would increase substantially,

and that cap right now is completely arbitrary and far too low. revenue sharing is vital when it comes to adequately compensating states that help provide so much u.s. energy. it needs to be adequate if we're going to continue to incent those states to play that very important role in our u.s. economy. this legislation would help bring that objective to reality, and it's a critical component of a robust strength and revenue-sharing regime for those major energy-producing states. so i urge my colleagues to pass this important legislation. again, i thank everyone who has worked on this starting with my colleague from louisiana, senator cassidy, who will be speaking exactly on this topic, i believe, immediately following me. so with that, i welcome the senator's remarks, and i yield the floor.

mr. cassidy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. cassidy: thank you, mr. president. thanks to senator vitter for both his support and his kind words and his tireless effort over his senatorial career to highlight the fact that louisiana is losing so much land, there's something we need to do about it. i also want to thank majority leader mcconnell for following through on his commitment to allow a vote on the american energy and conservation act of 2016. this was introduced earlier this year by senators murkowski, scott, vitter, tillis, sullivan and me. i thank each of you for your hard work. and also to senators kaine and warner for helping to draft the atlantic portion of the legislation and for cosponsoring an earlier version. this is, as i have just said, a bipartisan piece of legislation that uses an all of the above strategy to pursue true american energy independence. more than anything else, though, this legislation is about creating better jobs with better

benefits. if there is one message we have heard from this past election, if we actually listened to the american people, we would hear what they were saying. what we are hearing is that they want jobs that work for them, jobs with better benefits. this helps accomplish that. for example, a study conducted by quest offshore resources, inc, projects that this legislation would incentivize the creation of 280,000 new jobs by 3035. the same study estimates $195 billion in new investments and an additional $51 billion in cumulative government revenue. that's $51 billion in new federal revenue this bill helps unlock. it goes a long way to addressing our debt, deficit and obligation to future generations. the american energy and conservation act will benefit american families and small businesses by expanding

opportunities for states. not just gulf coast but elsewhere, to support energy development. now for years, energy activities in coastal gulf states and adjacent offshore waters have produced billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas for american fema. these states support offshore energy development for the rest of the country and provide the support and pay for the infrastructure needed to bring this energy to market. as with all development, there are increased costs associated with supporting increased traffic, additional use of local and state resources, as well as transportation corridors such as pipelines, vessels and trucks to get this energy delivered to consumers across the united states. this bill is truly an all of the above energy jobs bill. this legislation includes legislation -- language introduced by senators heller,

heinrich, risch and tester that streamlines a process for developing the renewable energy and public lands while establishing the first-ever revenue-sharing paradigm for renewables. this legislation incentivizes tapping into the 27,000 megawatts of carbon-free energy that the bureau of land management estimates to be provided by these projects. furthermore, if offshore revenue exists for oil and gas development, the same should be true for offshore wind development. that is why we are using the same model established in gomesa to extend revenue sharing to states that support offshore wind projects. this legislation thus incentivizes developing some 4,233 gigawatts of carbon-free generation that the bureau of land management estimates is available for development off our coast. and this is the american energy and conservation act of 2016.

this legislation makes significant investments in conservation projects all over the u.s. this legislation provides an additional $807 million for projects that increase access to public lands for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreational activities. this particular provision was included in senator murkowski's bipartisan sportsman act of 2015, which 24 senators have cosponsored. the legislation makes investments in a variety of important programs, including the payment in lieu of taxes program. this legislation is supported by over 50 important stakeholder groups, including the national association of manufacturers, u.s. chamber of commerce, the american chemistry council, american petroleum institute and the consumer energy alliance. these organizations understand that this legislation is a jobs builder and good policy for

american workers. mr. president, i urge my colleagues to support this legislation, the american energy and conservation act of 2016. with that, i yield back. a senator: mr. president? mr. vitter: i notice the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from arkansas. a senator: i ask unanimous consent that are the quorum call be lifted. mr. cotton: my arkansan of the week is jack shackford. it is sadly posthumous. he passed away last month during one of his many hunting trips to arkansas. he loved our state and its people, and we all miss him badly.

jack first got to know arkansas on the other side of the world in vietnam. jack and my dad lynn served together in the same infantry squad in vietnam in 1969 and 1970. they became the closest of friends, a friendship that only grew over nearly half a century. jack was from missouri. so he and dad were able to see each other regularly, often on deer hunting trips in arkansas and duck and goose hunting trips in missouri. he became like the brother my dad never had, a second son to my grandparents. jack also got to know my mom, avis, just as my mom and dad got to know jack's wife joy. over time my sister and i came along and jack and joy became like an uncle and aunt to us, just like my parents felt about curt. some of my oldest memories are traveling to see the shackfords

in places like silver dollar city and branson and seeing how happy my dad was in days leading up to jack's visit in arkansas. jack was a life long hunter and outdoorsman. he worked for 34 years at the missouri department of conservation. if it flew or ran or swam, you can pretty much bet that jack knew how to find it, track it, kill it and cook it. in fact, i have to confess that jack probably put more meat on the cotton family table than my dad ever did. he taught me a lot of lessons as well. not just about the outdoors, but about life. jack helped me see some things through my dad's eyes, and i figure he probably did the same thing for my dad. their example from vietnam contributed to my decision to join the army. that wasn't an easy time in the cotton household, believe me, but jack was there to help smoothe things over and he encouraged me all along the way. jack was a patriot. he put his life on the line to

defend the country we love so much. and i know from my dad's war stories that jack was fearless and brave. but he was also gentle and outgoing, the kind of guy who makes fast friends. he sure made a lot of friends where he was like an adopted son. he even belonged to our county wildlife federation. above all, though, jack was a loving family man, a devoted husband to joy and father to curt and his wife mary. and jack was a doting grandpa to sarah and shelby. they'll miss jack as we all miss him so dearly. the pain hasn't gone away yet, and it won't for awhile, and it may never. but with the pain, we ought to be swelled with pride and gratitude to have known and loved such a fine man. jack shatford, rest in peace and follow me.

mr. president, i ask that the following remarks appear in a separate section of the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cotton: the world may be more unstable than ever, the security architecture we build after world war ii is at risk. our parents and grandparents fought to keep the world free from a conflict between major powers. they created order out of the chaos of world war and genocide. they protected our freedom and ensured that our democratic ideals would be the dominant power in the world. the foundation of that order is the u.s. military. since they toppled nazi germany and imperial japan they held firm against the north korean assault on the democratic south. they faced down a powerful soviet union through decades of cold war. they liberated kuwait and they shed blood and sweat for over a

decade, keeping america safe from islamic terrorism. today our military is composed solely of volunteers. we don't press our people into service. they choose to serve. since the draft was abolished, we've had a basic compact with our men and women in uniform. in exchange for their service, we ensure that they have the best training, equipment and leadership that america has to offer. we make certain that if our troops must face the enemy, they are equipped to meet the task. with regret, i must say that this compact is fraying, that we're failing in our duty to our military. today the armed forces face a growing number of threats and a shrinking budget. russia is resurgent. they don't think they lost the cold war. only that they were behind in half time. russia's invasion occupation of ukraine and georgia make it clear that moscow seeks to dominate it's so-called near

abroad and moscow must divide the great atlantic alliance viewing the federation of democracies as a threat to the power and authority of the putin government. their bombers probe our airspace in ways unseen since the cold war. they recently sent a carrier fleet through the english channel. they probe our electronic defenses with daily cyber attacks and they rattle a saber of their nuclear arsenal at the west. china hassles risen. they sought to establish military control over the east china sea and south china sea. china also probes and attacks american servers stealing vital military and industrial secrets. china has quadrupled its defense spending in the past few years, seeking control of the pacific rim. north korea is growing a nuclear arsenal and developing the capability to hit any american city with those nuclear bombs. iran continues to violate the

terms of its nuclear agreement and is the world's worst state sponsor of terrorism. just last month iranian backed rebels fired chinese antiship missiles at an american warship. had it not been for the skill of the crew and modern defenses sailors may have come home in boxes. in afghanistan, we've lost 15 service members in 2016. they continue to fight daily, protecting americans from the threat of a resurgent terrorist threat. and how have we repaid their service? we cut their budget by over $1 trillion. we've told them to do more with less. we've ignored their needs, their long and repeated deployments, their brutal operations tempo. we've cut their pay, forced them to sail on rickety ships and told them to fly on aircraft that are so old, they date back to the truman and eisenhower administrations. this neglect has taken its toll. in january, 12 marines died in

a helicopter crash. low readiness around subpar flying hours were to blame. last week six green berets were killed in 72 hours. they died in three separate incidents, stretching from the continental united states to jordan to afghanistan. the air force is 4,000 airmen short of what's needed to maintain their fleet and their 7 00 pilots short to fly that fleet. they're salvaging parts from scrap yards to keep their aircraft flying. since may, five f-18 hornets and super hornets have crashed, killing two pilots and destroying all five jets. in the army, just 30% of brigade combat teams are properly trained and equipped to fight. the navy has had to defer maintenance for combat ships, leaving them more dangerous for the crews. we are wrong to ask our military

to work and risk their lives under these conditions. and we cannot wait until the next fiscal year to fix this crisis. because it is a crisis. this is no way to treat our troops, and the military needs relief now. i will soon introduce a $26 billion emergency spending request, a lifeline to our overworked war fighters. the funds will be used to address immediate needs and military readiness and overseas operations. they will give our war fighters critical relief in these trying times. they will help keep our men and women in uniform safe as we ask them to do an increasingly dangerous job. i ask my colleagues to put aside all debates and do what is right for our armed forces. they are the ones risking their lives daily. not us. they are the ones out on the front lines defending our country. not us.

they are the ones begging for help, and we are the ones obligated to provide it. mr. president, i yield the floor. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call: