nation. mr. merkley: many groups of americans across our country are frightened for the future, of being deported, of being targeted as muslims, of resurgent racism towards african-americans, of anti-semitism, of losing their right to marry the person they love. unfortunately, they have good reason to be afraid. we have seen a surge, a wave of hateful, bigoted, raceist, sexist attacks happening in communities across our country since the election. the divisive rhetoric and conduct of president-elect trump's campaign over the past year and a half is responsible for unleashing this blight on our country, and he has the responsibility to turn things around, to put an end to this

division, and to start the healing. that's why earlier today 10 of my colleagues joined me here in the senate to send a letter to president-elect trump demanding that he stand up and condemn the verbal and physical attacks taking place across this country, that he denounce his own past campaign rhetoric that gave life to so many of these acts of hate and violence, and that he exclude proponents of hatred and discrimination from the ranks of his administration, including immediately firing white supremacist steve bannon. here is what the text of the letter says. "mr. president-elect, your campaign conduct and your victory have unleashed a wave of verbal and physical assaults

against our fellow americans. in just the last six days, the southern poverty law center has documented hundreds of acts of discrimination and violence towards many of the ethnic and social groups you attacked in your campaign. these attacks are absolutely unacceptable. we condemn them and we stand united with our fellow citizens." the letter continues, "unfortunately, these acts of hate have been enabled by your campaign strategy of promoting bigotry, racism and sexism. it is the consequence of your campaign attacks and discrimination aimed at hispanics, african-americans, veterans, immigrants, muslims, jews, and individuals with disabilities. many americans see a president who has chosen to knock them down rather than to lift them up. your conduct has empowered too many americans to act on their darkest impulses."

we continue the letter, "this is the wrong vision for america and the wrong path for your coming administration. we call on you to change course. we urge you, as our future president, to join us in rejecting hate and embracing respect for every ethnicity, race, and gender. we urge you to join us in fighting for a nation free of discrimination, where every child has the opportunity to thrive and to contribute according to his or her ability. we urge you to join us in fighting for our constitutional vision of equality and opportunity and envisioned in our please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag of liberty and justice for all. the letter continues, "you assume the mantle of leadership in office, mr. president-elect, it is your responsibility to put an end to the crimes of hate and prejudice sweeping our nation. these wounds to our national citizenry are of your making.

it is your responsibility to rectify this damage. you have the power as president-elect and as president to move beyond the hate-filled rhetoric of your campaign. we call on you to repudiate your campaign attacks against diverse communities of americans. we call on you to address the american people and demand that all americans end these verbal and physical attacks and replace their acts of hatred with acts of kindness. we call town exclude the proponents of discrimination and hatred from the ranks of your administration and that includes immediately firing steve bannon as your chief strategist. the letter concludes, "it is time for you to act boldly and powerfully to put our nation on a path of healing for the sake of all americans. we call on you to rise to the challenge," and it is signed, in

addition to myself, senator hirono, senator warren, senator sherrod browning, and senator ed markey, senator bernie sanders, senator al franken, who spoke so eloquently a moment ago, senator ron wyden, senator debbie 125 stabenow, senator-elect chris van hollen, and senator tom carper. and i thank my colleagues who have appropriately said this moment, this unusual moment in our history, in our time here in the 21st century, that we have a president-elect playing on hate and prejudice and bringing a white supremacist as a chief advisor is unacceptable. now, some will say that

president-elect trump cannot himself be accountable for what is happening across our country. but they are wrong. his words and his conduct are directly connected to the harassment and the physical and verbal assaults that we are seeing. and i'm going to share with you all the comments of the campaign and the acts of descension in category after category to show how these are tied together, how indeed these verbal assaults and that's physical assaults are motivated by and justified by the campaign of our president-elect. just to emphasize that it is time for our president-elect to take responsibility, to change course, to embrace the connectedness of our american communities, the vision of equality and opportunity in our

constitution, the vision of a nation with justice for all, and the fact that our president should be working to raise up all families, not raising up a few by tearing down the rest. let's start which looking at what mr. trump said about our nation's latino citizens. at the start of his campaign, mr. trump said -- and i quote -- "when mexico sends their people, they're not sending the best. they're sending people with lots of problems, bringing their problems with them. they are a bringing drugs, crime, they're rapists, and some, i assume," he added, "are good people. later in the campaign he promised to build a wall. and i will make mexico pay for that wall, "mark my words." in discussing judge curiel presiding over a lawsuit against trump university -- by the way, an american-born citizen -- president-elect trump said the

judge couldn't be impartial because the judge is of mexican heritage. judge curiel, born, raised in indiana. and mr. trump's right-hand man, his designated chief strategist, steve bannon, used his position at breitbartous in continue attacks against latinos. under his leadership, breitbart used anti-immigrant slurs to make his platform a platform for white nationalism. it is important to note that even as many commentators believe mr. bangening is a man with unconscionable views and frighteningize to white supremacist movements, john weaver, a former top advisor to governor john kasich tweeted abouthat the extreme right is foodsteps from the oval office. anna i navarro called bannon

"white supremacist, antigay, anti-semite, vindictive, and be afraid america." glenn beck known to all of us as a right-wing radio commentator, very conservative commentator, a person who has attacked virtually every idea to help working america that comes from the blue side of the aisle -- glenn beck said, bannon is -- quote -- "terrified and that he's helped to give voice to white nationalists." david duke and the american nazi party have praised bannon's elevation to the white house. so there should be no mistaking or sugar-coating what precisely what this individual, steve bannon, stands for. under his leadership, breitbart became a leader in anti-latino nativist material.

one headline after another attacking hispanics here in america. so when we look at what's happening right at this moment to latinos today, what do we see? we see students in our schools taunting and bullying their classmates. at dewitt junior high school in lansing, michigan, white students formed a human wall refusing to let their latino classmates into the school. fifth graders were chanting "build a wall." latinos all across our nation are being harassed and told they're going to be deported. they don't belong here in america, even this they were born here in america. in an dover, massachusetts, a group of white men thraw bottle of water at a woman yelling "time to go back to your

country!" "my man trump is in charge now and we don't want you here." "i can't wait until trump asks us to rape you people and send you back over the biggest damn wall we're going to build. go back to hell" and then they unsserted -- insert add racist slur for "mexican." and threw wawrlt all over the young woman's face. in the face of attacks like these, it's hard to remember that we are indeed a nation of immigrants. unless you are 100% native american, you are the child or grandchild, great-grandchild, you are the descendent of immigrants. and your forefathers and foremothers came to our country and felt they'd come to a place

where they could thrive. we have those beautiful words carved into the base of the statue of liberty, "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." it inspires all of us. and each one of us agai -- agai, unless we're 150% native american -- has an an ssess tear that came to the country and felt that freedom nowhere where they had come from. latinos are not the only group of americans suffering because of the rhetoric of the trump campaign. african-americans have become a significant target in post-trump america as too many cake their cues from our next president's words and actions towards that community. words like the ones that he used to talk about african-americans who work for him. he said, and i quote, "i've got black accountants at trump plaza. black guys counting my money? i hate it. the only kind of people i want counting my money are short guys

wearing yarmulkes." he h then went on to say. "i think the guy is lazy. it's probably not his fault because laziness is a ta trait n blacks. i believe that. it is not anything they can chrome." those are the words of our president-elect. and when he talked about the black lives matter movement on fox nurks he said "i think they're trufnlt i think they're looking for trouble." he often shows a disconnect with the african-american community generalizing that they all live in inner cities that he regularly describes as povert poverty-strickening war zones." and this began early on in his real estate career when president-elect trump wrasse publicly sued twice for discriminating against african-americans who were trying to rent apartments in his buildings. of course, we can't talk about

mr. trump's -- president-elect trump's relations are the african-american community without bringing up his long-standing promotion and advocacy of the birther moveme movement. -- which tried to delegitimize our country's first african-american president. thosent t eforts go -- those efforts go back to 2011 when mr. trump was considering a run for the white house. "if he wasn't born in this country, ways real possibility, he's pulled off one of the great cons in the history of politics." and he went on and on and on month after month questioning the legitimacy of our president in office. now, to his credit, on that particular point, mr. trump has recanted himself. but he used it it is a a race card time after time after time to delegitimize our president, president obama, because he's african-american. and the views of president-elect

trump's right-hand man, his chief strategist, steve bannon aren't any better. under bannon's leadership, breitbart create add new section titled "black crime" just two weeks after the charleston massacre in which nine african-american churchgoers were slaughtered, breitbart ran this headline -- by the way, in that attack, the attacker used the confederate flag as a symbol, a racist symbol, to justify attacking these nine individuals and what did steve bannon do? he ran the headline "hoist it high and proud:the confederate flag proclaims a glorious heritage." and bannon a accused of a plot to take down america by fixating on police shootings of black citizens.

well, the list goes on and on. proceeded to say there are after all in this world some people who are naturally aggressive and violent. certainly a direct racist statement. and what is the result that we see today? of all of this racism from our president-elect and from his chief strategist, well, we have seen a startling rise in people's willingness to use the "n" word in public. at a school in maple grove, minnesota, a boy's bathroom was -- racial slurs. alongside messages like trump train and make america great again. students from the university of wisconsin lacrosse who were living off campus found that -- quote -- go home and the "n" word written on their front

door. a man in knoxville, tennessee woke up one morning to find his car vandalized with the phrase and i'm paraphrasing, deleted you, insert "n" word and then the word "trump" spray painted on his car. and we've seen incidents hearkening back to a time in history of discrimination and segregation at a high school in jacksonville, florida, an individual put up these signs, colored and whites only. the time of jim crow in america where african-americans were treated as second class citizens. and a whites only sign was found on a door of a bathroom stall in a high school in deluth, minnesota. these are just a few of the incidents. but then there is' the assaults as well. one incident after another of african-americans being assaulted like the softball

field dugout in new york where the phrase "make america white again" was spray painted. the harassment in north carolina where somebody died to write "black lives don't matter and neither does your vote." a horrific incident in my home state of oregon in which an african-american woman was attacked in a parking lot of a grocery store in hillsboro, oregon. a group of three men threw a brick at her, broke her ribs, called her the "n" word. they threatened to rape her and they said now, we finally have a president who feels how we feel. it's hard to imagine how our president-elect with his own

racist commentary, his own past acts of discrimination, his own racist campaign, his own racist chief strategist isn't at all connected to niece incidents sweeping the -- to these # incidents sweeps the country. they are directly connected and that's why we're calling on the president-elect to change course. the election is behind us. before you are four years of opportunities to improve the lives of americans. take the assaults of the past and make them the assaults of the past. look to the vision of partnership to build a better america in the years ahead. leave that past behind. martin luther king, jr. once said, human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. every step toward the goal of

justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle, the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. let's make that the spirit of the next four years where we are dedicated together to progress for all americans to reach that goal of opportunity and equality and justice. another target has been our women across the country. our president-elect repeatedly treated women as sexual objects, women who have worked so hard to be seen as equals in our society, women have flown as astronauts. they've reached the heights of science. they've reached peak after peak of leadership across our

country. they bring their insight and wisdom into this chamber here, the u.s. senate and the house a hundred yards across capitol hill. but our president-elect has seen it differently. he's said it doesn't really matter what they write, referring to the media, as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of -- and insert a demeaning term for women. or who declared that you don't give a -- insert expletive -- if a girl can play a violin like the greatest violinist in the world. you want to know what does she look like. our president-elect derided a political opponent by commenting on her looks by saying look at that face. would anybody vote for that? can you imagine that, the next nation of our president? during the campaign our

president-elect called a female lawyer disgusting or at some point in the past had called a female lawyer disgusting because she asked to take a medical break during a court case to pump breast milk for her 3 moald daughter -- 3 month old daughter. i think we're all aware of the comments he made towards fox news debate moderator megan kelly, words i think i'll choose not to repeat at this moment. then he said pregnant women are an inconvenience for his business. and of course our president-elect was caught on tape bragging about sexually assaulting women saying i am just automatically attracted to the beautiful. i just start kissing, like a magnet. just kiss. i don't even wait. then he went on to talk about groping the women and being able to get away with it because he's a star. and he's brought intro the white house -- into the white house

chief strategist steve bannon who shares these views about women putting up a headline there's no hiring bias against women. they just suck at interviews or another that said the online harassment? women should log off. here's another. would you rather your child had feminism or cancer? as if women's rights are a disease. and we see that these comments of the president-elect's conduct and comments and his chief strategist's comments have had an impact. two men at a concert in ohio threatened to donald trump and female security guard because she wouldn't let them into a restricted section of the venue. according to one teacher, a 10-year-old girl was taken home from school after a male classmate grabbed her private

parts and when asked why he did it, the boy said if a president can do it, he can do it, too. in oklahoma city, a woman was chased on the highway because a hillary bumper sticker while the men in the other car hurled sexual insults at her. and these are just a small number of the hundreds and hundreds of events happening across this country. every member of this body, every member of the senate can relate stories from the people who have shared them over the past few weeks, of the harassment that they have suffered, their constituents who have written to them to share the harassment they have suffered. we have just had a historic milestone. we have for the first time had a woman as the nominee of a major political party and not only that, she got a lot more votes than did donald trump.

the woman's suffrage movement has come so, so far since the days when elizabeth stanton said -- quote -- we hold these truths to be self evident that all men and women are created equal. and that the history of the past is but one long struggle toward equality. we've come a long ways in the few decades since martin luther king said the long arc or the moral arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice. and across our country citizens have worked to bend that arc. in this vision of a nation that embraces opportunity for all, not opportunity only for the rich and powerful to have more opportunity. opportunity for all, for every

child to have the ability to contribute to this country. my father now deseetioned -- deceased, my father was a mechanic, never went to college, but he told me when i was in grade school, he said, son, if you go through the doors of that schoolhouse and you work hard, you can do just about anything here in america. that's the vision, that's the vision that we want to strive towards where the son of a mechanic, the daughter of a janitor, the child of a hispanic couple or an african-american couple or a gay couple or lesbian couple, where every child has the opportunity to thrive. and to do that we have to set aside these racist attacks,

these sexist attacks. well, another target has been our muslim-american community. for the last year and a half, they like other groups of americans have been denigrated and insulted by mr. trump, president-elect trump and his campaign. his campaign has worked to fan the flames of islamic phobia. take his views on registering muslim-americans. when asked whether the u.s. should have a registry of muslims, he said, i would certainly implement that, absolutely. there should be lot of systems beyond databases. we should have a lot of systems. and when the reporter followed by asking would muslims be required to register, he answered, they have to be. they have to be, he repeated.

well, let me share with the president-elect that we are not a nation that discriminates because of your religion. it's called freedom of religion. and our vision is opportunity for all. now there were nations that discriminated based on religion. those were european nations. that's why a lot of our forefathers came here to escape that oppression, and to have the freedom to thrive and to maintain the religious views that they wanted to have, not what somebody else told them had to be or improvideson them -- imprison them or register for discrimination because of their religious background. so when any american attacks our muslim-american brothers and sisters, we need to stand with them shoulder to shoulder.

if any other religious group is attacked, we need to stand with them shoulder to shoulder and stand for the vision of opportunity and equality for all. and that's what every member of this chamber should be coming down here to say, that when those are attacked, we will stand with them because that is not the vision of america. that is not the spirit of america. it certainly is 100% contrary to the vision of america. our president-elect -- from war zones. he told a crowd in minneapolis that allowing refugees into our country will import generations of terrorism, extremism and radicalism in your schools and throughout your communities. this statement is so far diverged from the truth as to make it impossible to recognize

where he got this notion. every expert will tell you that if a terrorist wants to come into our nation, the hardest path is to come as a refugee. you have to go to refugee camp. you have to be registered. you have to be vetted for years, and if you're male, you're probably not going to make it. but because the goal was to foment islamic phobia, it is much easier to come in on a student visa, not a refugee settlement visa. our president-elect told the same crowd that refugees settling in minnesota were joining isis and spreading extremist views all over our country. and now there are reports from some connected with the transition team that the

incoming administration is considering a system for registering muslim americans just as president-elect trump talked about and using our country's shameful internment of japanese americans to justify this idea because it's a precedent. let me be clear. imprisoning fellow americans as we did during world war ii was a shameful and dark chapter and a mistake, and we need to make sure we remember that it was a mistake and never use it as a precedent for action in the future. and then again here we have our president-elect's chief strategist stephen bannon who has run headlines like political correctness protects the muslim rape culture or -- quote -- "immediately after muslim is elected one, someone claims gloy

to allah. mr. bannon personally suggested we're in a global war against islam. so it's no wonder that the rhetoric of the president-elect and leader of the white supremacist web site is causing discrimination and confrontation with muslim americans around our country. some are being physically assaulted like the woman at san jose university who lost her balance and choked when a man attempted to rip off her head scarf or the muslim student at the university of illinois urban a champaign campus reported having a knife pulled on her. there are those who are otherwise intimidated including a woman riding the bart train in san francisco who was acosted when another passenger called her a terrorist who should be deported. and a pickup truck that has been driving around brooksville, florida, with writing on it

that says "all muslims are terrorists. deport them all. i hate muslims." and in georgia, a muslim teacher found a note left for her that said "head scarf isn't allowed anymore" and telling her "hang yourself with it." that is the islamophobia sweeping our nation at this very moment inspired by the rhetoric of our president-elect and his chief strategist stephen bannon and it's unacceptable. it needs to stop. as robert kennedy once said -- i quote -- "america's answer to the intolerant man is the diversity, the very diversity which our heritage of religious freedom has inspired." we need to embrace that heritage. we need to cherish that heritage. and we need to strive to live up to the best instincts of our

nation, not the darkest impulses. yet another group that is feeling threatened is our lgbtq community. i would note that donald trump and his campaign did not attack our lgbtq community and he said on 60 minutes the other night when the question of same-sex marriage came up, he said that's settled. but actions speak as well as words. and of all the possible men and women he could choose as a running mate, he chose now president-elect mike pence, the most anti-lgbtq governor in america. this individual is someone who has signed a draconian religious liberty law in indiana that

empowers individuals and businesses to discriminate against the lgbt community. our vice president-elect supported conversion therapy to change people's sexual behavior. as a radio host, he gave a speech and declared marital equality would lead to societal collapse. and mr. trump's chief strategist echoes much of this. one headline on breitbart news said dear straight people: i'm officially giving you permission to say, and then it goes on to list anti-lgbtq slurs. another headline that he put up on his web site said gay rights have made us dumber. it's time to get back in the closet.

and yet another headline said kids raised by same-sex couples twice as likely to be depressed, fat adults. how has this rhetoric affected our nation since the election? a gay couple in ogden, utah, woke up to find their car vandalized with anti-gay slurs painted on the side. rainbow flags were burned in rochester, new york. an individual in north carolina found a note on a car that said "can't wait until your marriage is overturned by a real president. gay families equal burn in hell. trump 2016." like so many of the other groups of americans that i have talked about, the lgbtq community has struggled for a long time to be accepted, to be recognized as full members of our society, to

not be discriminated against when they seek employment in our country, to have the same rights against discrimination that we adopted for race and gender and ethnicity in giant giant -- in 1964. we've come a ways but we haven't yesterday made it to that point that we have provided the same foundation against discrimination that we provided in 1964 to other groups. so while donald trump himself did not attack the lgbt community, the person he chose as vice president and the person he elevated to chief strategist for the white house very much have, and that is a powerful, powerful message that has unleashed attacks across this country. as our next president, donald

trump has a responsibility to put an end to the prejudice and to put an end to the hate crimes sweeping our nation, to calm the fears and anxieties of millions of americans who are frightened about their future in this country, about whether they will have an opportunity to contribute to this country, whether they will be fired from their job, whether their car will be vandalized, whether their children will be taunted and bullied, whether they will be attacked in a parking lot. across the nation, thousands of people have been turning out to walk the streets and to protest. they're trying to send a message. sometimes that message has gone off track. in portland, oregon, thousands turned out to send this message to our president-elect: put the

hate speech and hate acts behind you. don't bring white supremacists or deeply prejudiced individuals into your administration. let's have the next four years that embraces all americans and their opportunity to succeed. they're trying to send a message by walking with their feet from park to park across bridges, through the streets. unfortunately, some anarchists decided to destroy the effectiveness of this protest by breaking windows and setting some fires. the organizers of these protests condemned the anarchists, tried to keep them out. and most of the protests have succeeded. but i ask of our president-elect, if you won't listen to those of us who are publicly asking you to change

course, and if you won't listen to my colleagues who are privately calling you and saying to you and your team, change course, then listen to the people in the streets across america who are trying to peacefully convey the message that we are a diverse nation with a fabulous vision of embracing people, every religion and every ethnicity, and every race. let's continue that tradition. let's strengthen that tradition. let's build on that tradition. that is the message that all of us are trying to send. so i join my colleagues to repeat the request we've made on the floor here in the senate and the letter that we sent to you,

the message sent privately by many of my colleagues sitting across the aisle, a message sent by many of our leaders from civil rights groups and other organizations who have contacted the transition team, a message that has echoed with thousands and thousands of e-mails sent here to capitol hill to ask us to help convey this message, from every direction americans are reaching out and saying end the hate speech. end the hate commentary. bring people into your administration who believe in opportunity and justice for all. change directions. it's a time for leadership. it's a time for our president-elect -- donald trumpe occasion and to help build a nation that provides a foundation for every american to

thrive. thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk should call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

ms. murkowski: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: mr. president, request the proceeding under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection so ordered. ms. murkowski: thank you, mr. president. as many of my colleagues know, i have been proud to associate myself with the work of the national law enforcement officers memorial fund. i've been doing this for the many years that i've been here in the senate. and i have been privileged over the years to read the names of alaska's fallen law enforcement officers. they have a candlelight vigil that occurs at that memorial every may. it's an extraordinarily powerful and moving vigil each may. and as i have attended, i have been seated on an area where i

look out across thousands of individuals but directly in front of the stage are where they have the wives, the husbands, the parents, the children of those whose officer made the ultimate sacrifice. and as i think of those families, those individuals, as i think of those who have served and who have given that greatest sacrifice, it's very difficult to find words that express the depth of my gratitude for their service or the depth of my sorrow. and it is a great honor to be asked and a duty to demonstrate my solidarity with the thin blue line. and i go each year hoping, hoping that the next year i will

not be invited back. asked not to be invited back because then that would mean that alaska did not lose a law enforcement officer in the previous year. but unfortunately i will be invited back to the 2017 ceremony because the year 2016, this year, i'm sad to say is a most difficult one for the law enforcement community in alaska. this autumn has been particularly difficult. since this body recessed at the end of september, 25 law enforcement officers have lost their lives in the line of duty, 15 to gunfire. firearms-related law enforcement fatalities, however, are up 70% according to the officer down memorial pain. but this year -- memorial page. but this year we have to contend

with a particular type firearms related fatality, the ambush shooting. 2016 will go down in the annals of law enforcement as the year of the ambush shooting. from stanislau county in california to canonsburg, pennsylvania, in new york city nrks des moines iowa, from peach county, georgia to california, it seems that no corner of the country is immune from this tragic trend. and unfortunately alaska is not immune from it either. just this last saturday on november 12, anchorage police officer orin saleo was dispatched on a call involving an individual who failed to pay a taxi fare. as he pulled up to the scene, an individual opened fire on his patrol car. officer saleo exited his car and began to return fire.

but he was struck four times before the assailant was brought down by officer saleo and his backup. turns out we just learned this within the past day, it turns out that the perpetrator's gun was linked through ballistics to five homicides in anchorage during this year of 2016. officer saleo as undergone to surgeries and he is expected to survive. so on behalf of a grateful senate,ly take this opportunity to recognize anchorage police officer orrin saleo for his bravery and heroism and wish him godspeed in his recovery. i'd also l -- i'd also like to extend my aprerks to the men and women of the aping raj police department under the leadership of chief tally. chief tally is very proud of his team and justifiably so. from the officers on the team to

the dispatchers to the investigators who pieced together the story. up in fairbanks to the north of anchorage, we had a different outcome with a different ambush shooting. sergeant alan brandt of the fairbanks police department was not so fortunate. on the evening of saturday, october 15, sergeant brandt gathered his four children, brought them together on his bed before he was going out to report for duty. that was -- that was ordinary for this sergeant. four young kids under the age of -- i believe it's eight, all snuggling with their dad as he prepared to read the story, as he did each and every day.

unfortunately, nothing beyond that was ordinary about that particular evening. sergeant brandt had a premonition that he would get shot that evening. and he actually shared that with his family. sergeant brandt was dispatched to a call of shots fired in downtown fairbanks later that evening. he pulled up on the scene. the he was shot six times by an assail nts who took his -- assailant who took his gun and his patrol car, leaving sergeant brandt on the street to die. hearing the gunfire, brenda reilly rushed out of her home -- it was late, it was cold. she was wearing a robe and slippers, and she -- she held sergeant brandt literally in her arms while help arrived. the sergeant was first taken to fairbanks memorial hospital. then he was a lifted to alaska

-- then he was airlifted to alaska regional hospital down in anchorage. i had an opportunity to visit with him just hours after the shooting there at the hospital in anchorage. and i had an opportunity to not only hear directly from sergeant brandt about the circumstances behind the shooting but to share his thoughts with his wife present as well as his best friend. sergeant brandt was supposed to survive. his most serious injury was shrapnel to the eye. he had been shot multiple times in the legs, took a shot directly to his chest. fortunately, the bulletproof vest saved him. but shrapnel came up into his eye, and at the time that i saw him, he had a patch and he was quite concerned that he would

lose his eyesight. and if he lost his eyesight, he was concerned that he wouldn't be able to continue to serve in the fairbanks police department, a concern that he said was very, very troubling. the sergeant was released from the hospital. he returned home to fairbanks to thank mrs. reilly and to thank the fairbanks community for their support. eight days after he was released from the hospital, sergeant brandt went to the fairbanks city council. he went to speak before the council. it was actually the same day that the new mayor was being sworn in, new counsel members were being sworn in. but sergeant brandt wanted to thank the community of fairbanks, a devout and a humble man, sergeant brandt told the council that he has seen the hand of the lord, and yet he

noted, "we have many fine officers who have done greater and better things than i have," he said. "our officers," he said, "do a very hard job and they need your support." working weekends when their friends are off, working nights, sleeping during the day -- the time that you miss with your family. in sergeant brandt's words, "officers do a hard job and most of the time thankless." he said, "we need your support and not just when bad things happen." and he asked the council, he said, "can you imagine telling your kids before you go to work that you think you're going to be shot? that's what our police officers deal with every day. i just want you to know what life is like for a police officer." those were the words that sergeant brandt shared with the fairbanks city council.

later that week, sergeant brandt returned to anchorage for scheduled eye surgery, and he was fighting to save his eyes, again in hopes of returning to duty. unfortunately, sergeant brandt died from economy complications -- fro complications of that surgery. his assailant has been charged with murder in the first degree. sergeant brandt's final public utterance that the law enforcement family need the support of the community and not just when an officer has been shot -- these words must resonate throughout this nation. and as we reflect on a tragic year about to close, it is my sincere hope that this will be our resolve in the year to come. like every other law enforcement officer, sergeant brandt knew the risks, and his family knew

the risks. and in spite of those risks, his wife natasha sent him out to work each and every day because the community needs people with sergeant brandt's selflessness, courages and integrity. so my thoughts today remain with natasha brandt and her four kids, who i hope will grow up to appreciate just how much of a hero and a role model their father was. with brenda reilly, who ran out of the house in her robe and slippers to come to the aid of an sneer distress, with officer phil mcbroom of the north pole police department -- this was alan's best friend, his friend who stood watch with him there at the hospital, who maintained vigil, and then -- then cared for alan's children, along with his own four kids, and with all the men and women in law

enforcement. and once again i join with my senate colleagues in wishing officer saleo a speedy recovery. mr. president, it is following these sad and difficult comments that i continue my remarks this afternoon to pay tribute to truly a great alaskan leader who lived a full and strong life. today i rise to honor the life of edward ita of utkavek, alaska -- this is formerly known as barrow. he passed away on november 6 after a very courageous battle with cancer. and it is -- it is hard for me to even share comments about

mr. ita's life -- edward's life -- because he lived a life that was so remarkably full. and as i look to the comments that i have prepared, it just doesn't seem -- it doesn't seem appropriate to recognize with the formality that we have here in the senate with just words, because edward ita was a visionary leader in our state. and in many ways, like many alaskan natives, he lived in two worlds -- the traditional world of an inupiaq whaling captain. he was past-president of the whaling association, vice-chairman of the alaska eskimo whaling commission. and i came to know edward

through his life as a whaling captain and how he helped to translate that into this modern world because he was very much a part of the modern world of business, government, and politics. edward ita is probably best known for the two terms that he served as mayor of the north slope burrow. that's where many of us here in washington, d.c., in our nation's capitol, came to know of, learn of edward ita, and his leadership. he, a as mayor, created the healthy communities initiative to promote community-based activities. he also created the mayor's youth advisory council recognizing the need to encourage student leadership for our next generations. always focused on, again, the vision. he was deeply involved in policy discussions over how to balance

oil and gas development in the arctic with tra dicialg values -- traditional values and the impact of climate change on his communities. he came to congress to testify before our committees. he was viewed as that arctic expert, if you will, one who certainly had a ph.d. in arctic living. he spoke at just about every arctic conference that i have participated in. as one, again, who could speak to his life and a whaling captain, as an inupiaq, as a leader, as a father, as a husband, but also a very strong businessman who was committed to leading his people into -- into a modern-day world while at the

same time retainingiz retaininge land, to the waters that sustain them. our farmer colleague, ken salazar, who went on to serving as secretary of the interior, referred to edward ita as a giant of alaska who opened his eyes to the wonders of the arctic and its people. there is a great book that was authored by bob reiss entitled "the eskimo and the oil man." and it tells the story of how, as shell was first seeking to explore opportunities in the beaufort and chukchi seas, some of the resistance that this oil company met as it dealt with the native people in trying to gain consent and support for their activities in the arctic.

and how this eskimo, this inupiaq visionary helped to really bring together the world of the traditional -- the traditional subsistence lifestyle and how it could be compatible with oil exploration and development in the arctic. it is a book that once i have completed, i didn't put away on a book shelf to not read again. i keep it out because i continue to refer to it. edward was appointed in 2012 to the u.s. arctic research commission by president obama and did wonderful work within the commission there. in the business world, mr. itta was active in his regional

corporation, the arctic regional slope corporation. he severned on unanimous -- served on numerous boards as well as uic and before taking on the role of mayor, mr. itta served in numerous management rollroll on the north slope burw including public works director. locallyhe will be well-remembered for his leadership and building community infrastructure, gravel sources, sewers, roads and the airports that are so essential to the survival in the far north. edward itta really played in so many worlds and in all of them successfully. and yet he never forgot where he came from and who he was. his family, his friends, so many of us who call him "friend," mo recognize what he had provided for so many will remember his

great sense of humor, his infectious laugh. he loved to tell stories. he would walk around the community gathering where they share the whale -- a gathering that they call nalakatuk. and edward would walk me around to every little family in this semicircle on the beach, introducing me to everyone from the elder down to the youngest grandchild and telling stories about all in between. he was an amazing man. he had a compassionate commitment to the values and traditions of the inupiaq people. we will miss edward itta. i had an opportunity to be there at the hospital in barrow in the last few days that edward was on this earth and had a chance to give a hug to his wife and to

just share my love and my support for truly a great alaskan. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? mr. president? i understand the leader, the majority leader will be coming to the floor. once he's here i'll be most happy to yield. mr. carper: while she's still here i want to congratulate the senator from alaska and the chair of the energy committee on being named one of the recipients of the jefferson lincoln award this year out in california and to say how proud i was to sit in that audience and to say i have i know you and to have the opportunity to work with you. so congratulations. ms. murkowski: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: mr. president, if i can just say right back at my friend, it was indeed a privilege and an honor to be

recognized with the jefferson lincoln award along with my colleague from delaware. i think it is important to recognize, particularly at times when political heat and rhetoric can be amplified a little bit, to know that colleagues from very different parts of the country, different constituencies, different political perspectives, can come together whether working on legislative agendas or just showing respect and appreciation for the good work they do and i have such respect and appreciation to my friend from delaware. it was indeed a privilege to be recognized with you. mr. carper: mr. speaker, most people are not familiar with the

jefferson lincoln awards but they are given out every year to different people, democrats, republicans, usually people in public life. one of the recipients was bob mueller, former f.b.i. director, a man stepping down from congress after about 20 years there, he succeeded leon panetta. the reason why they present these awards to people who want to get things done; that's pretty much it. these are people from across the aisle who want to get things done. it was an honor to be there with you and our cohonorees and the panettas as well. mr. president, i'm happy to yield the floor as soon as the majority leader comes. i come to the floor maybe once a month we're in session and talk about folks who are part of the

team of homeland security. there are about 225,000 of them. what i do is every month we pick on a couple of them, a part of the department of homeland security that maybe doesn't get a lot of attention. as the presiding officer leaves, i want to say to him happy thanksgiving. but i want to, tonight if i can, in the time that i have, start off by -- i've been doing this, madam president, now for two years, coming to the floor to talk about different people who have done amazing things for all of us in part of the department of homeland security. you recall the department of homeland security didn't even exist when i came here in 2001, which was created on the heels of 9/11. we took about 22 disparate agencies and globd them together. they all had something to do with homeland security. the department has struggled at

times to try to be coherent, collegial, productive organization. i think they've hit their stride and are proud of the work they do. there's more than 230,000 employees at the department of homeland security around the country and around the world. they do some of the most difficult, some of the most diverse work that's done in our federal government. anywhere from protecting against cyber attacks -- got plenty of that going on -- to helping communities recover from natural disasters. unfortunately we have a lot of that going on as well with fema, helping out, to securing our borders. the department of homeland security faces great challenges as it carries out its mission of protecting all of us as we go about our daily lives. as most people know, the united states secret service -- the united states secret service is charged primarily with protecting the president and vice president and the families

24 hours a day, 7 days a week. when i was a kid growing up i thought that was all they do. as it turns out there's a whole lot more that they do, but that is a huge challenge especially in a presidential year like this when you have all these people running for president. mostly in the republican party, but some in our party too. and as all these candidates were traveling around this nation and going hither and yon, the secret service was there trying to keep them all safe and their families do and doing it on a pretty regular basis. this becomes a lot harder, their job, this part of their job becomes a lot harder during a presidential election year. the men and women of the secret service worked this year thousands of hours of overtime. thousands of hours of overtime in this campaign cycle. they did it in order to provide protection for every candidate who needed it, whether republican or whether independent. and they did this, the secret service did this while continuing to perform other special protection duties such

as the massive task of securing the united nations general assembly. just think, in september conversion on new york city at the united nations, we have leaders of over 100 different nations around the world. the job of protecting them and keeping them safe falls largely, not entirely but largely on the secret service. this required significantly longer hours and weeks at a time on the road and away from their families for many agents, all while standing ready at a moment's notice to thrust themselves into harm's way should their duty required. i'm enormously proud of the work done by the secret service during this election season and their work to ensure our candidates' safety and protect them from harm also protects our democracy and ensuring the american people have the final say on who will be our next president and our next vice president. the agency, secret service agencies is a secret part of

ensuring the transition of power from one duly elected to the next and ensure congress does what it needs to do to ensure the agents who have worked so hard in recent months receive the pay they earned and deserve. a pay limit in current law unfortunately prevents that from happening at the moment for those agents who are owed overtime compensation. i support efforts in this year's house and senate senate appropriations bill to address that issue and to make our secret service agents whole. i'm hopeful that a fix to this problem can be included in any final spending bill we take up during the final week of this year. the demanding work done by the men and women of the secret service comem -- exemplifies the term public servant as they put their lives on the line to protect our president and vice president candidates regardless of party or politics and even during the busy presidential campaign like the one we've just gone through. every division of the secret service, every division despite added strains continues to

exceed expectation through their work. while many of us know of the secret service's duty to protect the president relatively few of us know of the work done behind the scenes by countless work across the secret service, two of whom i'm proud to highlight. one of is called the uniformed division of the secret service. what do they do? they protect the white house. they protect the grounds of the white house 24/7. they ensure that the people's house is not just scriewr -- secure for our president and their families but secure for the guests, staff and visitors. i have no idea how many people visit the white house every year but i know it's in the hundreds of thousands and maybe more, maybe in the millions. but a lot of people go there from all over the world as visitors. one of the things the uniformed division of the secret service does is helps to make sure that when they go there, they are safe. they are safe. and one uniformed division officer who has lived her entire life in the service of others is a woman named cody hughes.

codie. she joined the secret service many years ago. here's a picture right here. guess which one she is. here with the secretary and the deputy secretary on my far left, your far right. as a uniformed officer with the white house branch, officers hughes is charged with securing one of the most iconic public buildings in the world: the white house. in the past three years alone she made more than 45 arrests while patrolling the areas around the white house, including one person who was wanted by the f.b.i. for previously making threats against law enforcement officers. since 2013, officer hughes has helped save the lives of not one, not two but three people who needed her help. one man collapsed in the white house before meeting with the president. officer hughes administered c.p.r. before the man was revived with a defibrillator. similarly, early this year when officer hughes found a man collapsed on the street outside

the white house without a pulse she administered c.p.r. until medics arrived. last year when officer hughes came upon detectives administering c.p.r. to an unconscious man she identified herself as a secret service agent and offered to help. officer hughes administered c.p.r. until medics could respond. here's a picture. as i said earlier, she is shown here with the secretary of the department, jeh johnson, and the fellow who is the director of the secret service for several years now, joe clancy who by everybody's acknowledgement has done a very good job and provided wonderful leadership. this photograph represents a time not long ago when she received the secretary's award for the secretary of the department of homeland security, and it is the, i think the highest honor that can

be presented by the secretary of the department. it's the exceptional service gold medal for, -- quote -- ," extraordinary bravery saving numerous lives both on and off duty." for an exemplary public official, codie congratulations. officer hughes teaches new agents how to respond to stressful situations while maintaining their composure at all times. i can think of few people better prepared to serve in this position than codie hughes. while officer hughes is off duty, she continues her service to others as a volunteer with the leesburg, virginia, fire company. for nearly ten years she worked on her own time to make a difference in her community and protect her neighbors during fire and other emergencies. to codie hughes, we say thank you for the example you set for others at the department of homeland security in your community in leesburg and across

our country. thank you, codie. another public servant within the secret service is a fellow named tate jar ro spshes j -- tate jarrow. after graduating from the u.s. military academy at west point, he served five years as an army infantry officer achieving the rank of captain before joining the secret service. mr. president, this is an army captain and i feel like i should say navy salutes army and navy does salute army. i like to say people like to kid folks in different services and take shots at one another in a fun-loving way but i would say to my friends in the army who kid me about being in the navy, different uniforms, same team. we're lucky we're on the same team with this fellow. but i -- special agent and tate

is a special agent in the new york electronic crimes task force, and he has worked to protect millions of americans from large-scale financial fraud. and while fraud and counterfeit investigations are one of the secret services lesser known tasks, the growth and scope and scale of cyber crimes makes agent jarrow's work more important than ever. after one of the largest data breaches in history compromised the information of nearly 100 million people, special agent jarrow worked with the forensics investigators in the f.b.i. to track down the hackers and stop them from using the information to perpetrate a large-scale stock manipulation scheme. special agent jarrow's work brought to justice three work who not only stole this information but who are also stealing more than $100 million using illegal enterprises that preyed on nonpartisan people around the -- on nonpartisan people around the world. in another case he shut down a criminal enterprise that used

investment fraud, credit card fraud, identity theft and computer hacking in stealing more than $250 million -- $250 million from some 600,000 americans and thousands of other people around the world. his work helped put away the culprit, sending the ringleader to jail for 20 years or more. special agent jarrow has been described by his colleagues -- this is a quote -- one of the most preeminent cyber investigators in the federal government. that's really saying something because we have some terrific ones. n.s.a., national security agency, department of homeland security and elsewhere. that's high praise. while they say that special agent jarrow is quiet, humble in person, he is dogged, he is dogged in his pursuit of the bad guys. and unfortunately there are plenty of them out there. the american people, their information, their hard-earned savings are all safer thanks to tate's efforts to go after the bad guys who prey on hardworking americans online. this october, just about a month

ago, special agent jarrow was honored by secretary jeh johnson, secretary of the department of homeland security with the secretary's silver medal award for his work with the new york electronic crimes task force. and shortly after that, the partnership for public service awarded special agent jarrow with the call to service award. one of its prestigious, they call it sammy awards. they go to talented federal service for outstanding service to us, the american people. the secret service is full of women and men like cody hughes and tate jarrow who dedicated their lives to serving others on the job and off the job. the work done by them and others like them, especially over these past 18 months by thousands of men and women in the united states secret service, is a shining example of public service at its best. while many of us can't gept swept away in the politics of the day or the latest headlines,

the latest tweet, there are countless public servants across the department of homeland security who go to work every day on behalf of the american people. their service, dedication and sacrifice continue to move our country forward. so to officer hughes, special agent jarrow, all the colleagues at the united states secret service, we thank you for your unwavering dedication, your long hours, tireless service to our president, to our vice president, to our families and really to the american people. all of us here in this chamber and countless others around the country are better serviced thanks to your hard work and shining example. in closing, i should acknowledge the fact that despite the excellent work i have detailed in these remarks, the secret service has faced its share of challenges in recent years, but this work, being inspector general of the department of homeland security -- this week, rather, the inspector general of

the department of homeland security issued a new report praising a number of steps that the agency, the secret service agency has been taking to make needed improvements, and these are improvements thanks in part to the exceptional work of rank-and-file personnel like officer hughes and agent jarrow and also to the strong leadership of director clancy, deputy johnson, and others to ensure that the secret service who have been committed to ensuring that the secret service remains the finest protection agency in the world. mr. president, as i prepare to yield the floor and leave the building, i just want to take a moment to say when a lot of american families gather on thanksgiving day across our country and enjoy a meal together, hopefully a wonderful meal together with their parents and their moms and dads, their brothers and sisters, their children, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, my hope is

that as we give thanks, we will also remember to be thankful to the folks that i talked about here today and the hundreds of thousands of people like them who are part of the team at the department of homeland security. one of the reasons we have the freedom as a nation is because of their diligence to duty. i extend that on behalf of all the members of the senate to folks in the department of homeland security and throughout the government. to the folks who work in this building and enable us and provide members of our staff here in the capitol, and the pages who are going to go home for a week or so and come back in a week or so, wish all of them a happy thanksgiving and we look forward to seeing all of you and the presiding officer in about 10 days. with that, the majority leader is here. i'm happy to yield the floor to him and wish him a happy thanksgiving a few days in advance. i yield the floor. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the

majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that at 11:00 a.m. on tuesday, november 29, the committee on health, education, labor and pensions be discharged from further consideration of s. 2873, and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. i further ask unanimous consent that the alexander substitute amendment number 5110 be agreed to, that there be up to 30 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form, and that following the use or yielding back of that time, the bill as amended be read a third time and the senate vote on the bill as amended with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask the chair lay before the senate the message to accompany s. 2754. the presiding officer: the chair lays before the senate the following message. the clerk: resolved: that the bill from the senate, s. 3754, an act to designate the federal building and united states courthouse located at 300 fannon street in shreveport, louisiana,

as the tom stagg united states federal building and courthouse do pass with amendments. mr. mcconnell: i move to concur in the house amendment and the house title amendment. i further ask the motions be agreed to and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the committee on environment and public works be discharged from further consideration of h.r. 5873 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 5873, an act to designate the federal building and united states courthouse located at 511 east san antonio avenue in el paso, texas, and so forth. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the committee is discharged. and the senate will proceed. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: now, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the committee on agriculture be discharged from

further consideration of s. 3395 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 3395, a bill to require limitations on prescribed burns. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the committee's discharged and the senate shall proceed. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the committee on veterans' affairs be discharged from further consideration of h.r. 3471 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 3471, an act to amend title 38, united states code, and so forth. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the committee is discharged, and the senate shall proceed. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the moran amendment be agreed to, the bill as amended

be read a third time and passed and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the committee on homeland security and government affairs be discharged from further consideration of h.r. 4902 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 49002, an act to amend title 5, united states code, and so forth. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the committee is discharged, and the senate will proceed. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to immediate consideration of calendar 453, s. 434. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 453, s. 434, a bill to strengthen the accountability of individuals involved in misconduct affecting the integrity of background

investigations, and so forth and for other purposes. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. mcconnell: i further ask the bill be read a third time and passed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the help committee be discharged from further consideration, the senate now proceed to s. con. res. 604. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 604, expressing support for the designation of november, 2016, as national bladder health month. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask -- the presiding officer: the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to consideration of s. res. 617

submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 617, designating november 27, 2016, as drive safer sunday. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 618 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 618, commending and congratulating the chicago cubs on their 2016 world series victory. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous

consent that notwithstanding the upcoming adjournment of the senate, the president of the senate, the president pro tempore and the majority and the minority leaders be authorized to make appointments to commissions, committees, boards, conferences or interparliamentary conferences authorized by law by concurrent action of the two houses or by order of the senate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: now, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn to then convene for pro forma sessions only with no business being conducted on the following dates and times, and that following each pro forma session, the senate adjourn until the next pro forma session. friday, november 18 at 9:30 a.m. tuesday, november 22 at 11:00 a.m. friday, november 25 at 11:00 a.m. i further ask that when the senate adjourns on friday, november 25, it next convene at 3:00 p.m. monday, november 28. following the prayer and pledge,

the morning business be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date and the time for the two leaders be reserved for 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. mcconnell: for the information of all senators, the first roll call vote following the thanksgiving recess will occur at 11:30 a.m. tuesday, november 29, on passage of s. 3873, the echo act. if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order following the remarks of senator portman. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. portman: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. portman: mr. president, first of all, i want to thank the majority leader for allowing me to speak briefly. i rise today to talk about an issue that's affecting every state represented in this body, and that's this heroin and

prescription drug epidemic. opioids, unfortunately, is an issue that is very much present in my home state of ohio right now. we have seen over the last 48 hours ten overdoses in one rural county in north central ohio, seneca county. we have been told that in the toledo area there have been 150 overdoses in the last few weeks of than month, heading toward unfortunately which will be a record. this issue is affecting families, it is tearing apart families, it is affecting communities, it is causing crime. pretty much every county in ohio tells me that the number one cause of crime now is the heroin, prescription drug, opioid issue. a lot of thefts are being reported because of it, but also other crimes which result from people being torn apart from their families, from their community, from their jobs based on this addiction. so i come to the floor today to talk about a report that was issued today by the u.s. surgeon

general, and this report is about addiction in america. i applaud the surgeon general for putting it out there. it's an 11-page report. if you haven't had a chance to look at it yet, i hope you will. i hope it will raise awareness around our country of this issue. it talks about something incredibly important as to how we approach it, which is that addiction is a disease and should be treated as such. as the surgeon general says, this is not a moral failing but rather it is like other diseases something that actually changes your brain, creates a problem that must be dealt with through treatment and longer term recovery, just as would be the case of other diseases. i think that alone is a significant finding by the surgeon general to help us to come up with the right policies to address it, but also raise awareness in communities around the country. in the first chapter of this report, it talks about something that this chamber has spent a lot of time on, which is the importance of prevention and education. it talks about the need to look

at this from a science perspective. it talks about the need to look at it in terms of longer term recovery. that summary in the first chapter is again something that i would commend everybody to read just to sort of bring you up to speed if you haven't been on the importance of this issue and importance of addressing it. the next chapter focuses on the science behind the addiction. it's consistent with a conference we had here in washington, d.c. almost a year ago now. senator whitehouse and myself in anticipation of proposing legislation in this area and we brought in experts from all over the country to talk about the science behind addiction, why it happens, how it happens. that was as was indicated earlier something that led us to focus on the fact that addiction is a disease. it is something that impacts the brain. the brain responds to chemical substances in certain ways for certain people, and that addiction is something that has to be addressed through again treatment and longer