the distinguished senator from vermont is recognized. mr. leahy: i thank the distinguished presiding officer, my friend from kansas. mr. president, in an editorial this morning in "the new york times" was entitled "why the lies about voting fraud"? ten years ago, this congress

reauthorized in a bipartisan fashion the voting rights act. during the course of many, many, many senate and house judiciary committee hearings, we fought against the false narrative that in-person voting fraud was at all common in our country. the evidence irrefutably shows it is not, but yet the evidence does not shop those who are determined to make it harder for americans to cast their votes. right after five justices on the supreme court gutted the core protection of the bipartisan voting rights act, several states by republican majorities enacted voting restrictions that made it harder for many americans to vote. it is most troubling that our president-elect has decided to himself an unfounded charge of widespread voting fraud. i can imagine he's disappointed

in the fact that he got 2.5 million less votes than his opponent and did not win the support of a majority of americans who voted last month, but we should all hope that when our next president is presented with unfavorable realities, he will not resort to spreading information that has no basis in fact. that cannot and should never be the standard of american leadership. in an article published in "the valley news" of west lebanon, new hampshire, reprinted this morning in" the vermont digger," researchers at dartmouth explored president trump's allegation of widespread voting fraud and they found nothing to support his claim, noting no voting fraud concerns espoused by the trump are found in any observable features of the 2016

presidential election. other analysis made this crystal clear. in a report to congress, the g. government accountability office concluded that no indication of impersonation, d.o.j. impersonation or anywhere in the u.s. from 2004 to 2013. that's a reality. the presidential election continue not be penalized about voter fraud. i say this, mr. president, because this year we have seen a dangerous uptick in what some call fake news. these articles are no basis in reality or factual evidence, but they are broadly circulated because they affirm a particular ideology or because they are proving a way to make a quick buck by drawing the attention of unsuspecting online readers. fake news stories get attention.

we saw what happens when a man walks with a rifle into a pizza place in the district of columbia where children often congregate, fires the rifle because of one of these fake news stories he had read. some consider this despicable propaganda to be harmless, but it certainly is not without its victims. we know that the spread of lies to fake news can have real-world consequences, even for the public's faith in the public itself. there's no doubt that that's the way russia sees it. so in conclusion, it should not be too much to ask our elected officials to offer the facts and realities, eliminate debates over policy for the years to come, as we should, but america deserves leaders who refuse to peddle in lies for political gain. i call on leaders of both sides

of the political aisle to no longer defend the indefensible, and i ask that the "new york times" editorial be included in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: and, mr. president, i yield -- i yield the floor to my colleague. mr. grassley: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. roberts: i thank the presiding officer. mr. president, today i have some good news. today we have before us a legislative package that reflects two years of work for the health, education, labor and pensions committee. when we first embarked on this process, the goal was to find ways to spur innovation and reduce time it takes to -- it takes new therapies and

treatments to get from the research bench to the bedside for patients. the bill is the 21st century cures act, which includes -- and i'm going to repeat this several times -- true bipartisan victories, true bipartisan victories for patients in our health care system. now, throughout my time in congress, i have been a consistent supporter of funding for the national institutes of health, n.i.h., to fulfill our commitment to prioritizing biomedical research and innovation. n.i.h. research returns priceless benefits, giving health care providers new tools and drugs to heal and give hope to individuals. the benefits of this research investment to kansans back home have been direct and personal. back in 2012, the university of kansas cancer center received

national cancer institute designation, n.c.i. designation. these senators are major players in research and development for cancer treatment and prevention. now, the legislation we'll be voting on today, i hope, or tomorrow, i hope, or at the very least next week does commit an additional $1.8 billion for vice president biden's cancer moon shot. this will not only help the university of kansas as they continue to push toward comprehensive cancer center designation, but all americans who stand to benefit as we work to win the fight against cancer. now, mr. president, in addition to research funding, this bill includes a provision i authored along with senator klobuchar to improve and increase transparency in the review and approval of processes for

medical devices. specifically, the bill does this. it encourages the f.d.a., the food and drug administration, to accept international consensus standards to provide more predictability for innovators. second, it makes improvements to the advisory committee's selection process in an effort to provide more transparency. and it provides a technical correction to establish a process by which the food and drug administration may remove certain products from the class one device reserve list if they think premarket review is no longer necessary to prove reasonable assurances of safety and effectiveness. as senators isakson, casey and roberts priority seeks to

provide more seeks for f.d.a. review of combination products, therapies that do not fit neatly into simply a drug or device. the legislation also includes important reforms to our mental health system based largely on a bill the help committee passed earlier this year. with this section of the bill, we seek to clarify and improve our mental health parity laws. we reauthorized the substance of abuse and mental health block grants. we promote evidence-based practices to ensure we are utilizing our scarce resources on programs that work, not continuing to fund what doesn't work. and we reauthorize the garrett lee smith memorial act for suicide prevention and invention in the national child traumatic stress initiative. now, there is a lot more work to be done, obviously, to address the deficiencies in our current

system, but this bill, this bipartisan bill is certainly a good step in the right direction towards improving access to mental health services and eliminating the stigma of seeking treatment. finally, the 21st century cures act includes numerous priorities that my colleagues on the finance committee and i have been working on for several years. one provision i was proud to support in committee extends the rural community hospital demonstration program for another five years. as our rural hospitals continue to try to make ends meet, this program helps what we call tweener hospitals, and it helps those survive who do not qualify as critical access but do not survive under the current medicare payment system. it is a critical system that

benefits kansans in junction city, in ulysses and fort scott by keeping their hospital and access care open. more rural relief along with senators thune and crapo, we have championed a provision to protect rural access to durable medical equipment under the competitive bidding program. we would have liked to see a more permanent solution. however, this bill delays applying competitively bid prices in those areas and requires the department of health and human services to take into account stakeholder input as well as average travel distance, volume of items and services furnished and the number of suppliers in these areas when determining adjustments in setting bid prices. i have the privilege of being the cochairman of the senate rural health caucus. i know how critically important these and other pieces of the package are for our beleaguered

rural health care system. there is no question that we have many challenges ahead, and while this package may not be a silver bullet to ensure cures for all that ails us, it sets priorities in research, cancer, cancer precision medicine, regenerative medicine and heart breaking diseases like alzheimer's through the brain initiative. we all know someone affected by these dreaded diseases. it also makes significant changes in how these new chairmans are evaluated, hopefully approved and delivered to patients, providing more tools in the medicine cabinet which will improve many, many lives. and advances in medical research benefits us all, and this bill does just that. now, mr. president, i would like to mention or make a comment

with regard to previous discussion of this bill on the floor of the senate. unfortunately, a very small minority of my colleagues want to criticize and even villainize this legislation and those that worked so hard on it, which is terribly disappointing to me. with the passage of this bill, both republicans and democrats can take pride in putting together and working toward a bipartisan bill that lives up to its name, the 21st century cures act. i regret the tone of the debate that took place with regards to this bill and personal comments that were made. i would remind my colleagues there is a rule 19 that the distinguished presiding officer can invoke at any time or any senator can ask that a senator's words be taken down under rule 19. i only mention that to say that i hope that we can -- we can

look upon a bipartisan bill like this and say look what we've done and be proud of it and certainly not get into the mud with regards to any personal comments. so i urge my colleagues to advance research, advance the development treatments and support this bill. it's a good bill. it's a bipartisan bill. we should all be proud of it. thank you, mr. president. i yield back. ms. stabenow: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: thank you, mr. president. first, we got a little out of order from what the speaking schedule had been when we started this afternoon. i wonder if i might ask unanimous consent that senator nelson go immediately after me. he has been courteous enough to allow me to speak at this point and i would ask unanimous consent that he speak after i'm done speaking. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection.

ms. stabenow: thank you very much. mr. president, first let me say that i want to congratulate everyone who has worked on the cures bill. there are many positive things. there are areas certainly that i have concerns about. many positive things. i'm looking forward to coming back as well and working with colleagues on how we complete the job on mental health by providing full funding for community mental health across the country. that is not in the bill. but there are some positive steps forward on health care. i think it's very important as we are coming to the end in the next week or two of session that we talk about the fact that when we come back, there will be incredibly important debates on health care, and one of them is what will happen to medicare for tens of millions of seniors and people with disabilities going forward in our country.

so i want to take a in a moment speak about the fact that, first of all, medicare and social security are great american success stories. those two programs have lift add general -- lift add generation of seniors out of poverty and created a quality of life for them and a guarantee, after paying in all their lives, that health care and some basic economic security will be there. i am particularly concerned right now, though, about the comments we're hearing about proposals to fundamentally change medicare and undermine medicare. we are hearing every day now that medicare is in jeopardy of being dismantled as we know it, taking away the security, the peace of mind for tens of millions of americans and their families across the country who are currently on medicare, the health care guarantee of

medicare, or those who care for others or those who within the next few years will be on medicare, or who are concerned about their children. and why are we expressing concerns now? well, first of all, the speaker of the house said on sunday that the -- that medicare is burning through the budget and has consistently said that medicare is on the verge of bankruptcy, which is not true. it appears that the goal is to scare people by telling us that medicare won't be there for our children. it will only be -- it will not be there only if we don't keep our commitments to medicare and the people of this country. i think i've heard almost every single day since the 1980's that if we want to save medicare, we have to destroy it as a

guaranteed health system somehow. now, we know there was a huge difference of opinion and a partisan split back when medicare was created between democrats and republicans, and i'm proud as a democrat that we created medicare and have been able to expand prescription drug coverage and other quality measures and other coverage that's so critical. but it seems like we are constantly going back and in some way redebating whether or not medicare should exist as we know it. and so we hear that to save medicare we have to destroy it as a guaranteed health care system, which i completely reject, as do my democratic colleagues. so we're hearing you have to cut medicare, you have to change it from a guarantee into a maybe. we also hear all kinds of different names used that --

whether it is a voucher system, where you get a certain amount of mona voucher, you go into the private sector, you try to buy coverage and then whatever is not covered by your voucher you have to make up the difference. i would remind people that medicare came into being because the private sector was not providing affordable health care for seniors and people with disabilities. and we have absolutely no reason to believe that that would not be the case today. so we hear eligibility changes and premium supports and means testing and all kinds of other things that go to the very essence of what medicare is all about. and, again, medicare is a great american success story that americans of all ages want to see continue and expanded upon. so regardless of what kinds of names are used, the end result is still the same: these plans

are plans to take away the benefits americans have worked their entire lives for, a system they've paid into, that lets them know that they are able as they get older, as all of us get older, to have the health care that we need for ourselves and our families. now, what's also not mentioned is the fact that medicare is solvent through 2028, it is solvent through 2028 -- thank you to the affordable care act, which extended the fiscal solvency of medicare. also, the affordable care act closed the gap in coverage -- what's been called the doughnut hole -- for prescription drug coverage. and, by the way, if the a.c.a. is repealed, there will be another hole then in that coverage, and seniors' medicare

prescription drug costs are going to go back up. so we have seen that medicare in fact is solvent through 2028, it actually costs less for prescription drugs today than it used to cost, and we are seeing quality efforts going on every day, preventive efforts to continue to extend solvency and bring costs down. i'm all for improving medicare. i've supported efforts to bring additional quality and accountability into medicare and will continue to do that. we want to make sure that it continues to be more and more effective. but if we want to strengthen medicare, cutting it, taking it from a guarantee to a maybe is not the way to do that. and, in fact, it's not, despite the speaker's own hashtag --

abetterway -- it is not a better way. 80% of the spending goes for long-term care for senior citizens. there are two things that are deeply concerning to me. first, every house republican budget since 2011 -- every one -- has effectively turned medicare into a voucher for people eligible after 2023. six years from now. it would raise the cost, it would take away the certainty and the guarantee of medicare, and it would reopen the gap in prescription drug coverage. for millions of people across michigan -- across michigan and across america, you don't need to make health care harder. it needs to be easier.

second, in addition to the fact that the budgets and the comments of the speaker of the house about making this a priority to change medicare, to create chaos in the system, to take away the universal guarantee, we now have the new president-elect nominating dr. tom price, a current house member, for secretary of health and human services, who has supporting -- who has supported that budget privatizing medicare, block granting and cutting medicaid, long-term care for seniors in nursing homes and so on. and we're told by the nominee that expects republicans in congress to move quickly on this legislation in the new year. even though president-elect trump promised throughout his campaign that medicare would be safe on his watch. he made that promise to the people i represent, the people we all represent, and i can

assure you, i am going to be doing everything possible to make sure that promise is kept. gutting medicare -- the only thing that's going to do is create chaos for tens of millions of seniors of, people with disabilities and for the health care system in general. seniors, people with disabilities, all of americans deserve better than this. so as we enter the new year, democrats will fight tooth and nail to protect medicare, to make sure medicaid and long-term care is available for our seniors, to make sure that the guarantee that has been there for a generation for health care, for retirees and people with disabilities is continued. medicare is a great american

success story, and we are ready to do everything possible to protect it and strengthen it as a guarantee for americans in the future. thank you, mr. president. mr. nelson: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, i want to speak about dreamers. these are children that are brought to this country in an illegal status because they are brought by their parents that are undocumented. but these are children that often do not know that in fact they are undocumented. and, as a result, there are threats in the new administration to completely reverse president obama's order,

his executive order, that allows these children to stay in the united states and to continue their education. i want to tell you about one such dreamer. this is he li -- elijah dawkins. he came from the bahamas in an undocumented status with his mother at age six months. elijah's mother was deported shortly thereafter, and he was raised by family in florida. always he thought he was an american citizen. after high school, he joined the army. this is when he served a tour in iraq.

he came back and was mustered out of the army with an honorable discharge, after having the iraqi service medal having been awarded to him. he was assigned a very sensitive position as a photographer. promptly, after coming back and starting his studies, he decided to join the navy reserves. and, as such, he was given a top-secret clearance with his photography at a very sensitive location -- guantanamo, with all of the detainees.

so, elijah is off his reserve duty. he's back resuming his studies at the university of north florida, and all of a sudden because at one point he had started to fill out a passport application but did not go through with that application, never turned it in -- so later on he's filling out a passport application and one of the questions is, "have you ever applied for a passport?" and he checked the box "no" because he hadn't. the u.s. attorney's office came in and arrested him, threw him in the clink, and in the process then found out that he was

undocumented because of the circumstances that i just told you, and here a veteran, not only of iraq and guantanamo, army in iraq, navy in guantana guantanamo, is in a detention center awaiting trial. fortunately, elijah dawkins' situation came to my attention, and i started raising some cane about this. as a matter of fact, in a further hearing in front of a federal judge the federal judge, in essence, dressed down in court the assistant u.s. attorney who had pursued this case. and fortunately the charges were dropped.

therefore, that enabled elijah to go on and to continue his studies, and in the process, since he had no conviction, he was allowed to apply for u.s. citizenship. his military service had justified him for that. and this past week he is now graduating from the university of north florida. because a child came here under no fault of their own in an undocumented status, it is not right that children that grow up to be great assets for the united states such as elijah dawkins would be penalized and threatened with deportation. now, obviously, we have to attend to the national security implications in his case of

potential passport fraud, which was not the case, but this was a man who had not committed that fraud and who had served his country honorably. and so as this case has resolved itself into a happy ending, just think of all the other stories of dreamers that are out there that share elijah's commitment and love of country, commitment to the ideals that all these dreamers share of growing up in the only country that they have ever known and that they always thought that they were a member of that country. i've said it before. i'll say it again. the dreamers are our neighbors,

they're our friends. they are our high school valedictorians, and they are our veterans. they were brought to this country before they ever even knew of the significance of their trip, and they have benefited our communities greatly. and so it's clear that america is stronger for a person like elijah dawkins. and as this congress comes to a close, i want to remind all of us and urge us to remember next year when there's an attempt to turn around that white house executive order, i want us to remember the faces of people like elijah dawkins, and i want us to come together and to acknowledge their many contributions to this great country. mr. president, i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. merkley: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that my intern emma peterson be granted privileges of the floor for the balance of the day. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. merkley: thank you. colleagues, we are now four weeks out from a presidential election in which millions of american voters indicated they wanted a change. donald trump, our president-elect, campaigned and was elected on a platform he called drank the swamp. getting rid of entrenched special interests, sounds good. fighting on behalf of middle-class americans -- sounds good. taking on wall street, powerful special interests -- sounds good. in fact, month after month, our president-elect attacked secretary clinton, saying she was too close to wall street banks. he said things like she will never reform wall street. and he said i know the guys at goldman sachs.

they have total control, he indicated, over his opponent. pretty harsh words. so with months of hammering wall street and hammering his opponent, it came as a big surprise to many last week when president-elect trump announced that he would be naming steve men -- mnuchin, a darling of wall street, an plea of goldman sachs, to run the treasury department, the single most important post in our economy, to be run by wall street. instead of draining the swamp here in washington, it looks like our president-elect is turning our government intended to be of, by, and for the people into government of, by and for wall street. appointing a 17-year goldman sachs executive to oversee financial regulation is the definition of a fox guarding the

hen house. it has the potential to undo all the progress and recovery we have made since shutting down the wall street casino which dragged our country into the great recession. and furthermore, wouldn't it be great to have someone at the helm in our economy who fought to put people into homes instead of fighting to kick people out of their homes and into the street, as he has done. one of the great things about america is the resiliency of the american people. they come upon a challenge, a catastrophe, and they work to put the pieces back together again. and so we've made our way through the great depression. we've made it through two world wars. we've made it through the september 11 terrorist attacks. and we have worked to recover

from the great recession. that crisis saw 8.7 million jobs lost, trillions of dollars of lost family wealth. more than two million businesses shuttered. a financial crisis that cost about four million americans their homes, wiped out the hard-earned retirement savings of millions of more families. the american people are working to rebuild, but they haven't forgotten. they haven't forgotten the foreclosed homes. they haven't forgotten the lost jobs. they haven't forgotten the retirement savings. they haven't forgotten the shuttered businesses across our great land. and they definitely haven't forgotten the recklessness of wall street that made it all happen. but it seems like perhaps our

president-elect donald trump has already forgotten, not just the driving force behind the great recession of 2008 that caused these calamities for millions of american families and businesses, but that he's also forget his campaign vow to take on wall street. instead, mr. trump is planning to put wall street in charge of the treasury department. again, the most powerful economic position in the united states of america. and where does wall street stand on these issues? wall street hates the provisions that congress adopted to end predatory lending practices in mortgages and consumer loans. they hate those provisions, and they want to get rid of them. they want to get rid of the watchdog that makes sure that those provisions don't return. and wall street hates the provisions that we adopted to shut down the wall street casino where wall street firms make

huge bets with the deposits of american savers. to terrible consequences. bloomberg news reported that trump's nominee steve mnuchin was front and center during these operations of the wall street casino. have no doubt that he plans to do what he can to restore that casino. right after his nomination, after his nomination, he promised to strip back parts of dodd-frank while being interviewed and went on to suggest that the volcker rule, which is the provision that shut down the wall street casino, should be weakened or eliminated. so it is not speculation. it's sphrait from his own testimony to the american public after he was nominated that he wants to restore the wall street casino. the consumer financial protection bureau is another

target. that protection bureau is a watchdog on the beat against predatory practices, financial practices. you know, it's a pretty good thing when you've got an organization that has returned nearly $12 billion to 27 million american citizens harmed by illegal and predatory practices in the lending business. and furthermore, the consumer financial protection bureau has saved far more by preventing these practices in the first place on current lending. $12 billion returned, but who knows how much they saved consumers on the front end. maybe it's $50 billion. maybe it's $100 billion. maybe it's more. but the fact is our citizens are getting a better foundation for financial success. if you believe in the success of american families, you want to block predatory practices designed to undermine them, and

that's what we did here in congress. and that's what's at risk. we did a lot of powerful things to rectify the excesses that led to the disaster of 2008 under the bush administration. we have created stress tests to ensure the strength and security of our largest banks, that they had sufficient reserves to withstand periods of economic challenge. that makes sense. we put procedures in place to unwind megacorporations when they fail so that they can be unwound and not take the rest of the economy, the financial system down with them. that makes sense. we established a cop on the beat to make sure people aren't scamed by credit card companies. it makes sense. we made sure we had an organization to which people could appeal when they thought there was a predatory practice to have it rectified and have

the funds returned to them if they were right. that makes sense. all of this makes sense. it makes what type of sense? it makes common sense. aren't these just the common understanding that when a predator damages a family, our entire community suffers? when a family loses its home, our entire community suffers. don't we understand that when people are thrown out into the street, as steve mnuchin's bank specialized in, the family's hurt, the children are deeply hurt. but now we have a nominee who specialized in wall street and specialized in foreclosures. wouldn't it be great i say again to have a nominee for an economy, to head our economy that worked to put people into homes, that worked to make families successful, not someone who specialized in throwing them out of their homes and onto the

street. in 2009, in the depths of the financial crisis, steve mnuchin purchased indybank. he renamed it one west and he took over as the c.e.o. and under mnuchin became what housing advocates in california call a foreclosure machine. why do they call it a foreclosure machine? because it pushed forward 36,000 homeowners in the midst of the great recession into foreclosure. using tactics that were certainly off-limits bike lobosigning, fake signing. let me put this directly, fake signing of documents. his bank was responsible for more than one-third of all reverse mortgage foreclosures

which disproportionately were targeted at america's seniors. let me tell you the story of ossie lofton. ossie lofton, a 90-year-old woman from lakeland, florida. she took out a reverse mortgage on her home, a type of loan that allows an elderly individual to draw upon the equity of their home to help them meet their basic monthly expenses. you know, the beauty of this is once you have that reverse mortgage, assuming it's not designed with predatory features, it can supply to its seniors a steady supply and they don't have to write a monthly mortgage check to anyone. instead, they get income to help meet those basic expenses. so it's hard to imagine how you end up in default in this situation. but individuals are still responsible for paying property taxes and homeowners insurance, and in ossie lofton's case,

there was confusion over her homeowners insurance coverage. the bank sent her a bill for for $423.30. ossie looked at that and she thought she had it right. she sent the insurance company a check for $423, overlooking the 30-cent payment. well, they sent her back another bill for 30 cents. again, she misread it. she thought they were asking for three cents and she mailed them three cents. 27 cents shy. well, what did one west do under steve mnuchen's leadership? they foreclosed on ossie for 27 cents. i have in my hand right here 30 cents, a dime and four nickels. why would a bank foreclose on a

woman who owed them a few cents? why would they do that? well, if you followed kind of these predatory practices, some banks looked at it this way. they said if we can find a technicality to grab someone's home, we can resell it for far more than we are owed, that's a huge profit. so for that 27 cents, she lost her home. she and thousands of others lost their homes so this bank could profit rather than working out a mortgage modification. that's really a crime against an american citizen, a specialty of this bank, a specialty through which steve mnuchin

profited millions and millions of dollars. millions of dollars of income based on the suffering inflicted on thousands and thousands of american homeowners. or we can look at another story. leslie park's mom took out a subprescribing adjustable -- subprime adjustable rate mortgage to make repairs. she faced hard times and was falling behind but under very constructive negotiations with one-west -- you recall the hamp program where a bank could rework it -- they were saying to her we're reworking it, all's good. but meanwhile they were pursuing foreclosure. and the result was thinking she was working out a modification, she came back to her home in the middle of a blizzard and found herself found out. this is an example of the widely

publicized two-track policy in which banks would pretend to work out a modification while aggressively pursuing foreclosure. not a good practice, not fair to the homeowner. or let's look at another story of greg and diane herowesky. their refinancing in 2004 to pay off the original mortgage with a loan from deutsche bank and use the rest to cover health care costs. but the loan interest soared to 12.375% and then greg started having health problems, so they were having trouble keeping up with those high-interest payments. so they asked the tbanchg to work with -- asked the bank to work with them. what bank? one west, to work with them to modify the loan. but the bank turned them down,

misled them about how much they owed, lied to them about how much was at stake and the heroweskies felt betrayed by the misrepresentation and took one west to court, and judge jeffrey spinner said the following about the bank's behavior. which bank? one bank, the bank steve mnuchin was heading. he called the bank's behavior -- and i quote -- "harsh, repugnant, shocking and repulsive." he also added unequitable, unconscionable, vexatious and appr obrius. he pretty much summoned every word in the dictionary to say how wrong the bank's action was in dealing with this couple. the bank lost that case, but they were aggressive in pursuing

everything so they took it to appeal. they spent a lot of money and had all of the lawyers taking on this couple, and eventually the bank won. they won, no grace, no compromise, no home for this couple. the bank won and the heroweskys lost as did thousands and thousands of individuals who owned homes that lost them to these very aggressive foreclosure strategies. that's not all. mr. mnuchin and his bank didn't just prey on hardworking americans. they also ran an operation that has a record of discriminating against minority home buyers and minority neighborhoods. fair housing advocates have filed a legal complaint after legal complaint about their practices. here's an example: according to the california reinvestment coalition and fair housing advocates in northern california, the bank's southern california branches made a total

of only two mortgage loans to african-american home buyers during 2014 and 2015. that's one per year. two loans over 24 months in one of the country's most diverse communities. a community that includes los angeles, where african-americans make up more than 9% of the population. this practice is known as redlining. it is an egregious practice. what's more, of the 35,877 homes that one west foreclosed on just in california between april 2009 and april 2015, 68% were in majority nonwhite areas. looking at this record, it's pretty clear that mr. mnuchin has not used his skills in life to put people into homes. he's used his skills to kick

people out of their homes and into the street. instead of fighting for homeowners, he's made a living, the life of a megamultimillionaire, off the suffering of low-income and middle-income americans. our president-elect bashed his opponent for being too cozy with wall street banks. he told iowans -- and i quote -- "i'm not going to let wall street get away with murder." but then he nominates an individual with this record of predatory practices of private profit over the suffering of thousands of families to lead our economy in the years ahead. this is just four weeks after his election. just four weeks after we heard the cries of he would stand up to wall street, he's putting

wall street in charge. and there's more. he's not appointing just one, but two former goldman sachs executives to key positions of power and influence. one is stephen bannon, assigned to be his chief strategist. that's right, goldman sachs, chief strategist for our president-elect. and now we have economist in chief, the treasury secretary also coming from the same direction. it sounds like instead of -- quote -- "draining the swamp," our president-elect is helping wall street restore the predatory practices that destroyed the living and the lives of millions of american homeowners. this is wrong. and i call on president-elect trump to reverse course. fight for government of, by, and for the people. not government of, by, and for

wall street. thank you, madam president. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: madam president, the business of the 114th congress is drawing to a close as we wrap up a few final bills smplets one of -- one of the most important bills we'll be passing there week is the national defense authorization acts. in fact, this is one of the most important bills that we pass each year. the national defense authorization act is one of the two bills that ensure that our military men and women have the tools and resources they need to

defend our country. it's the bill that authorizes funding for the body armor our troops wear and the weapons that they carry into the battle. the bill that authorizes funding for the advanced technology our military needs to be successful in today's battlefield. and the bill that authorizes troop pay increases which help us retain an all-volunteer force. making sure our troops have what they need to defend our country is pretty much our most important responsibility as members of congress. first, of course, because the security of our country depends on it. and second, because we owe our men and women in uniform nothing less. this year's national defense authorization act authorizes the largest troop pay increase in six years. it modernizes the military health care system to improve quality of care for troops and families. it reduces pentagon bureaucracy to focus resources on our

nation's war fighters. and it supports our allies amid growing threats. it also addresses the dangerous underfunding of the military that's occurred under president obama. it stops troop reductions for the army and marine corps and authorizes additional funds to address readiness shortfalls. members of our military should not have to be salvaging spare parts from retired aircraft to keep their planes in the air. over the next few years republican majorities in congress will work with president trump to ensure we have the strongest fighting force in the world and rebuild our nation's military. madam president, this bill is an important start. madam president, as we finish up the work of the 114th congress, we're also looking forward to the 115th. republicans will move quickly to take up a number of important measures. two big issues that we'll tackle right at the beginning are

repealing obamacare and confirming a supreme court nominee. i don't need to tell anyone that obamacare is a failure. a gallup poll released last week found that 80% of americans want major changes to obamacare or want the law repealed and replaced. that shouldn't come as any surprise. the president promised lower premiums and affordable care, but obamacare has meant exactly the opposite. premium costs have soared and soared again. deductibles have increased and health care choices have been sharply reduced. one constituent contacted me -- and i quote -- "my obamacare premium went up from $1,080 per month to $1,775 per month. a 64% increase. $21,300 a year for health

insurance. another constituent wrote to say -- and i quote -- "my obamacare premium doubles next year." doubles, madam president. i don't know too many americans who can afford to have their health insurance premiums double. still another constituent wrote to tell me -- and i quote -- "today i received a new premium notice from my obamacare insurance. my policy rate for myself, my wife and my teenage son has increased by 357%. 357%." madam president, obamacare is on the brink of collapse. we know what millions of americans already know, and that's that the status quo is unsustainable. it's time to repeal this law and replace it with something thatting works, and that's what we're going to do. we're going to get started on a repeal as soon as the 115th

congress convenes and then we're going to work step by step to replace obamacare with real health care reform. health care reform that focuses on the states rather than having the federal government running everything. health care that gives more control to patients and doctors when it comes to health care choices and decisions. health care that provides choices and is patient centered so there are more options out there, more choices, more competition in the marketplace. and a health care system that allows flexibility for our small businesses on whom much of the responsibility for providing health care for the employees falls. madam president, another thing that we're going to get started on right away in january is confirming the president's nominees, including his nominee for the supreme court. our democrat colleagues have spent a lot of time talking about the importance of confirming a ninth justice to the supreme court. i trust that they'll bring that same eagerness with them in january. i look forward to working with

them during the confirmation process. madam president, after justice scalia's death, i came down to the floor to honor him. like others who spoke at the time, i mentioned his gift for language, his keen mind and most of all, his absolute commitment to the law. for justice scalia, the constitution truly was the supreme law of the land, and he didn't let anything interfere with that. his politics, his personal opinions, his feelings about a case, none of those things were allowed to play a role in his decisions. that, madam president, is the key right there. we all know that justice scalia had personal opinions, but when it came down to deciding cases, he ignored them. he looked at law and the constitution, which is the supreme law, and he judged accordingly. madam president, it's wonderful to have strong opinions.

it's wonderful to have sympathy for causes or organizations. it's wonderful to have plans for fixing society's problems. but none of those things -- none of those things have any business influencing your ruling when you sit on the supreme court. there are only two things that should influence a supreme court justice's ruling. the law and the constitution. the minute that something else comes into play, whether it's a justice's personal feelings or political philosophy, you've done away with the rule of law and replaced it with the rule of personal opinion. madam president, we've gone through a lot in this country to ensure we'll be governed by the law, not by someone's personal opinions. justice scalia will be a hard justice to replace. but i'm confident that president-elect trump will nominate a justice with a similar respect for the rule of law, and i look forward to working with my colleagues to

get a qualified nominee confirmed. madam president, repealing obamacare and confirming a supreme court nominee are two important things that we're going to do next year, but they're just the beginning. republicans are going to spend the 115th congress fighting for the american people's priorities, from growing our economy, creating better paying jobs to securing our borders and protecting our nation. we have a chance to do big things for the american people in 2017. and we can't wait to get started. madam president, i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio brown thank you -- mr. brown: thank you, madam president. it strikes me -- the presiding officer: senator, the senate is in a quorum call. mr. brown: thank you. i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: it strikes me as pretty unbelievable that we are in the process of debating a continuing resolution yet nobody's read it, nobody understands what's in it. we hear news reports but nobody that i know here, at least on our side, has been in the room in the negotiations, even though there's a democratic president and the senate is 45%, 46% democrats, even though more people voted for democratic senators than republican senators in this election and most of the last several elections, even with all that

that shouldn't matter but the fact is that they are asking senator mcconnell and the republican leadership are asking us to vote on something this complicated with this many ad-on amendments that we've not even read yet. i mean, what kind of way to run the senate is that? we do know, though, madam president, that from the reports i can get and what they've told us is that this senate's response, majority leader mcconnell's response to the mine workers has been pretty pathetic. now, we passed -- i met with senator hatch today in his office. i met with senator wyden in his office. one of the things we did in itself -- the finance committee, my republican colleague from ohio senator portman and other coal state democrats and republicans, senator capito, senator manchin, senator warner, senator mccain, senator toomey, all of us in this

committee supported a bipartisan fix for mine worker pensions and health care yet the continuing resolution at best, at best we understand -- again, we haven't read it yet because they won't show it to us yet even though they want us to vote on it -- at best it has some four months of health care and nothing for pensions. now, this is not a taxpayer bill. this is moving money, unused money from the miners -- abandon -- the miners abandoned mine fund in to fund these pensions for mine workers and mine worker widows. keep in mind, madam president, i know the presiding officer doesn't represent coal states and may not know a lot of miners like i do and some of my colleagues but she knows about mining. understand, there are more miner widows than there are likely to be insurance salesman widows or realtors widowers or whatever. this is a dangerous -- mine working is a dangerous job.

mine workers too often get injured and killed on the job. their lives are shortened from injury. their lives are shortened from illness, from black lung and other illnesses. so mine workers are more -- mine workers who marry at 20 or 25 are likely to -- their spouse is likely to outlive them by a number of years. that's the other reason we should do this. the third reason we should do this, madam president, president truman, almost 70 years ago made a commitment that we've lived up to till now. the reason why we aren't living up to it now is because the majority leader of the united states senate said no. i don't know why exactly he said no. i know that he has -- he's not a big fan of the united mine workers union. i mean, i support the united mine workers union. i care about unions. i know unions helped create the middle class in this country. but that's not the point. my caring about this, there are 12,000 mine workers around my

part of the country, more than a thousand in ohio that this will be a really, really, really bad christmas for them because they've already got notice as senator manchin said that their health care is going to be cut off. and if we do a four-month fix, then they're going to get another notice in january that their health care is going to get cut off. how is that -- how do you treat people that way? i mean, we all -- we dress well here. we're all paid well. we have good health care. we have good pensions. but we're telling these mine workers, yeah, you may have earned this under the old rules but sorry, we just can't take care of you. they can -- my friends over there can bail out the banks. that's okay. and then banker compensation keeps going up and up, but they can't take care of mine workers with a relatively small pension and health care, they can't take care of them? we passed a mine workers bipartisan -- bipartisan mine worker pension and health care bill. we passed it out of committee. we did it the way senator mcconnell, the jrts leader,

want -- the majority leader, wanted us to. we went through the process. now he's not willing to honor that. madam president, it's pretty outrageous but at the same time they're doing something -- something special in this bill for wyoming. i mean, nothing against wyoming. i like senator enzi. i like senator barrasso. i want to help their state. but this is a part of the country -- it's pennsylvania. it's ohio. it's west virginia. it's virginia. it's states that have thousands and thousands of mine workers and this senate is betraying them. if my colleagues think we should go home for christmas starting next week without doing this, that's just morley reprehensible. we should stay if it means we stay. senator manchin and i were talking today and senator casey and center kaine and -- senator kaine and i were talking we're willing to stay till christmas to get this done because it's morley reprehensible. it's outrageous that we would leave here without taking care

of these mine workers. i know dave skinner. i have known bay burdis for 35 years. these are people that worked really hard in the mines under dangerous conditions. they're the reason we're able to have so much manufacturing in ohio because the coal they mine produces the -- helps to produce the electricity that make our standard of living so much higher than it would be without it. i spoke at the rally. thousands of mine workers were here late this summer, maybe july. i'm not sure what month it was. maybe september. when they were here and it was a really hot day, and i remember the president of the united mine workers, cecil roberts said, he just asked the crowd, how many of you are veterans. it was a huge number of people who waved their hands because they were all standing at this rally. how many of you have fathers or mothers who are veterans? it seemed like the whole crowd. these are people who served their country. they make our communities work and we're going to betray them? we're going to forget them

because one senator who happens to be the majority leader for whatever reason does not like the united mine workers. and that's fundamentally what this is. i don't ever want to embarrass nick. i don't call people out but this is 12,000 mine workers that are going to have a really bad christmas and are really -- their lives will be shortened if we do take care of them. the stress they're under. they already got one november indication. we do this for four months, they'll get another notification in january that says sorry, we know we gave you health care for a while but we're cutting of ow again. the house of representatives wants to do it. the house of representatives that took out of a bill this week by america provisions for steel and aluminum, that's a whole other issue. i don't understand why they would do that. but the fact is the house did it. the president wants to do it. a strong majority of the finance committee wants to do it. if we brought this to a vote on the senate floor, there's no question it would pass to fix this. it doesn't cost taxpayer money. it's not a bailout. it's honoring a pledge that

harry truman made, that we've made in the '50'snd '70's and '80's and all of a sudden we're not honoring that pledge. we can fix this. we know how the senate should do it. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call: a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. a senator: i ask unanimous consent that a military fellow from my office -- the senate is in a quorum call. the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. blunt: i'd like to ask that a militaries fellow from our office, major andy anderson,

be given floor privileges while we debate h.r. 34. point without objection. mr. blunt: --. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. blunt: we never want americans to be involved in a fair fight. we always want them to be involved in an unfair fight where they have every possible advantage. it doesn't always work out that way, but it should always be our goal. and that's what the defense authorization bill is designed to do. this will be the 55th consecutive year that the congress has passed, the senate's passed the national defense authorization act. the leadership of chairman mccain, of ranking member jack reed makes it possible for us to be here one more time emphasizing that the number-one priority of the federal

government is to defend the country. it's hard to find a bill that we pass every year for more than half a century, but this critical piece of legislation really provides the vision and the authorization necessary for the military to move forward and to do that number-one job of defending america. there has been and i think today we'll see again in the vote on this bill strong bipartisan support that this bill always receives, though there's sometimes a discussion about when it should be passed, we have not failed to pass it in a long time. it includes a lot of provisions that i think will make a big difference. one is a pay raise for our troops that they deserve. it's the largest pay increase in the last six years. and again it's to fulfill our commitment to those who currently serve as well as we need to fulfill our commitment

to those who have served. i'm also glad that there's a vital project to the nation that happens to be located in my state, in st. louis, missouri. this is the final version of this bill includes authorization for the land acquisition for the national geospatial movement from the south part of st. louis where it's been for seven decades to a new location that allows them to build a facility that becomes as it is right now fully backing up the only other facility in the world that does the level of geospatial work that this one does. when something happens in springfield, virginia, that that location isn't monitoring the world as it usually does, all of that work goes to st. louis where on every other day they share the responsibility for geospatial.

there's a provision in here at a more fundamental level of safety to build a fire station at fort leonard wood in missouri. so everything from building a fire station to creating a $1.7 billion facility that allows us to further keep an eye on the world as we do now is a good thing. it also addresses the issue that was raised early this year concerning members of the national guard, men and women who were given a bonus and then wrongfully asked to return that bonus. it was not their error. that money in most families has long ago been spent, was thought to be appropriately handed over to them. and they shouldn't be penalized because other people made a mistake when that distribution was made. and with this bill, they will not be penalized. i think there's an increase here

in end strength. it's in the conference report. i certainly supported senator more -- moran's efforts on this issue and commend him for the hard work he put forward to make sure we don't lose any more ground on the strength we have and the ability we have to be ready. making down payments on our readiness issues, stabilizing our force at a time when we really face more challenges around the world, not less, was a minimum thing for us to do. but the bill does that. senator moran's leadership was important in flicker that as -- important in accomplishing that as well. this bill once again puts congress on record against the president's plan to move terrorist detainees held at guantanamo bay to any location on u.s. soil.

i along with a majority of americans oppose the idea that we bring these terrorists here. the president made a campaign pledge really a decade ago now, and ten years later not only has that campaign pledge not been able to be fulfilled, but the congress once again today asserts our view that it should not be fulfilled. the administration admitted earlier this year that americans have been killed by terrorists released from guantanamo, and they made that admission, by the way, just days before they approved another dozen inmates to transfer somewhere else in the world where i don't think they can be kept count of and track of like they need to be. we don't need to close this facility. we don't need to abandon the facility. and i'm glad that there are

strict prohibitions here that don't allow that to happen. this bill also makes important steps toward enhancing the quality of life for our service members and their families. general ray owed -- odinero said the strength of the military is in military families. we need to do a better job recognizing that. i hope we're able to advance an effort that was in the senate bill that didn't get in the final bill. the military families stability act next year, this is an action that would allow military families to stay longer at a location or to move earlier than the individual who is in the military does. if there's a professional reason or an education reason for that to happen. the investment that military families have made in the

country, the investment they made in what the person serving has learned in a very complicated defense world don't need to be unnecessarily complicated by whether someone gets to finish a year in elementary school or gets to stay another three months so they could graduate from high school, particularly if the person in the military is willing to go on ahead and bear their own expense until the family, with the assistance that families get as living assistance, the family then moves later. this was determined by everybody that looked at it, except the pentagon, to have no cost. and every senior officer that came before the defense appropriations committee, i asked about this concept of, in making it a little easier for people to stay for a spouse who needed to go ahead and move a

little early to start that teaching year at a new school, get a job that was available at a hospital, to do whatever that spouse could do to continue to have their professional career, i asked officer after officer, "what do you think about this?" and one after another they all said this is exactly the kind of development we need -- kind of investment we need to make. we didn't quite get there in this bill, and i'm grateful that senator mccain has pledged to work further to study why the pentagon itself, or at least the department of defense at the highest levels, is the only place that thinks this would cost anything or would be too much trouble. it wouldn't be too much trouble. i hope we see it in the bill next year. now someone who's really helped in my ability to look at this bill, the work that i do as a member of the defense appropriations committee, the work that we do with great

military facilities in our state is here on the floor today, major andy anderson. he's been a great resource to our office, and we have benefited for some time now having military fellows come in and spend a year with us. i continue to hear from them that it is also is a great benefit to them to see how this part of the process of preparing to do what's necessary to help them defend the country works. the knowledge and experience that major anderson has gained as an army officer helped in discussions we had both in the state and in the nation. i've been particularly appreciative of his willingness to go beyond what might be considered the typical duties of a military fellow in a senate office. for instance, he's taken personal interest and has been instrumental in assisting a missouri family in getting their father's remains returned home from laos after having been shot

down over laos during the vietnam war. he has devoted a lot of time to gathering and analyzing data on legislative history and actions and will continue to be critical to the office moving forward. i want to also thank his family and wish him the best as he and his wife audra and their sons reed and joel go to what military assignments they have next. this bill renews the iran sanctions act and the iran sanctions act would have expired at the end of the year. i'm certainly hopeful that the administration understands that this act is really a foundational element of the regime that they entered into. it was an agreement that i didn't support. i still don't support it, but extending the iran sanctions act

is perfectly consistent with what the iran nuclear agreement purports to do. if the iran sanctions act is a problem, the iran nuclear agreement is just as bad as i thought it was. when that agreement was completed, the administration repeatedly promised that u.s. sanctions on iran for its support of terrorism will remain in place under the agreement. for example, the day the agreement was announced, president obama himself said we will maintain our own sanctions related to iran's support of terrorism. the administration continues to recognize the iranian state as the leading state sponsor of terrorism. this iran sanction act extension sends another message to iran that the congress and the country of the united states are paying attention. it gives the next administration a powerful tool to hold iran responsible, and i certainly

urge the president to sign this bill. i urge my colleagues to vote for it. but i just say in conclusion that once again for 55 years in a row the congress of the united states is going to make the point that the number-one obligation of the federal government is to defend the country. and this bill helps allow that to happen. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: i rise --

the presiding officer: senator, the senate is in a quorum call. mr. sanders: i would ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sanders: madam president, i rise in strong opposition to this legislation, the so-called 21st century cures act. while i appreciate the work that senator murray and senator alexander and others have done on this legislation, i cannot in good conscience vote for it in its current form. madam president, it goes without saying that everybody, whether they are republicans, democrats, or independents, we all want to find cures for the terrible diseases that are impacting the lives of millions of people, whether it is cancer, whether it's alzheimer's, whether it's diabetes, whether it's so many of these terrible illnesses that strike children, we all want to find cures to those illnesses. but that is really not what this debate is about. the debate we are having on this bill is simple, and that is, do

we continue to cave in to the demands of the pharmaceutical industry, an industry that is making record breaking profits by charging the american people by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs or do we have the courage to stand up to the c.e.o.'s of big drug companies whose prices are so high that one out of five americans who get a prescription from a doctor is unable to afford to fill that prescription. and let's be clear. if you cannot afford to fill that prescription, you're likely going to get sicker and in some cases you are going to die. so it is incomprehensible to me that we have a major bill dealing with prescription drugs and yet we're running away from the most important issue, the

issue that impacts millions of people that the american people feel very strongly about, and that is the greed of the pharmaceutical industry, the outrageously high prices that our people are being forced to pay. that is the issue that we must be focusing on. madam president, if we were really serious about finding cures for life threatening illnesses and diseases, maybe, just maybe we would adequately fund the national institutes of health and the food and drug administration. but over the last 12 years, medical research has been cut by over 20% after adjusting for inflation. and even if this bill passes, funding for the n.i.h. this year will still be roughly $7 billion less than what it was in 2004. meanwhile over the same time period, just to put this in context, the top 1% has received

over a trillion dollars in tax breaks. in other words, we cannot fund the agencies who are trying to find cures for diseases, but we can give unbelievably significant tax breaks to the 1%. madam president, let me very briefly give you a few major reasons why this bill should be defeated. number one, as i said a moment ago, the most important prescription drug-related crisis facing our country right now is the skyrocketing price of prescription drugs. this bill does not even deal with that issue. how can we talk about a bill dealing with the pharmaceutical industry without addressing the elephant in the room? the fact that we pay the highest prices in the world for medicine and in many cases those costs are soaring. in america today, one out of five people between the ages of 19 and 64 cannot afford to fill their prescriptions.

hundreds of thousands of seniors are forced to cut their pills in half because the medicine they need is just too expensive. let me just give you a few examples, just a few. since 2007, mylan has raised the price of epipens by 461% while reporting -- rewarding its c.e.o. with a 671% increase in compensation. maybe just maybe we might want to address that issue. last year pharmaceuticals increased the price of dar daran by 5,000%, to $750 for just one pill. while thousands of children in flint have been poisoned by lead, valiant increased the price of the leading drug to treat this disease by 2700% in a

single year from $7100 to about $27,000. meanwhile at a time when 35 million americans cannot afford the medicine they need, the drug companies are making enormous profits and providing extremely generous compensation packages to their executives. last year, fellow americans, while you are paying more and more for prescription drugs you desperately need, the five major drug companies made over $50 billion in profit, $50 billion in profit, five drug companies while the ten -- top ten pharmaceutical executives received over $320 million in compensation. in fact, the prescription drug companies literally have money to burn. this year the pharmaceutical industry spent $131 million to

defeat proposition 61, a ballot initiative in california that would have lowered average drug prices by at least 24% for millions of people. they spent $131 million in california to defeat a proposal that would have lowered drug prices. madam president, how does it happen that the narm suit cal company -- pharmaceutical companies can charge any price they want for prescription drugs? the answer is clear. the prescription drug industry along with wall street are the most powerful political forces in america. i have been fighting the greed of the prescription drug industry for decade, and as far as i can tell, the pharmaceutical industry always wins. they never lose. they win but the american people lose. since 1998 narm suit cal -- pharmaceutical industry has

spent more than $3 billion in lobbying all over this place, hundreds and hundreds of lobbyists telling members of congress what the pharmaceutical industry wants. and they have made hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions. they currently have over 1200 lobbyists on their payrolls here in washington, including former leaders of the democratic and republican parties. that is why the pharmaceutical industry makes huge profits while the american people cannot afford the medicine they need. now, madam president, it would be one thing if these outrageous price increases were happening in other major countries. are these price increases taking place all over the world? the answer is they are not. in 2013 we spent nearly 40% more per person on prescription drugs than canada and five times as much as in denmark.

now, how does it happen that in denmark, in u.k., and in france the cost of prescription drugs is significantly lower than it is in the united states? that is an issue that it is high time for us to begin discussing. in the united states, just as an example, it costs $730 for a 90-day supply of crestor which is used to treat high cholesterol but just $160 in canada. $730 in the united states. $160 in canada. americans with heartburn pay $736 for a 90-day supply of nexium but that same product costs $214 in canada. americans with arthritis are forced to pay $895 for celebrex but just $212 in canada. now, madam president, during this campaign, recent campaign, president-elect donald trump

promised among many other things to lower the prices of prescription drugs. that's what mr. trump said. he promised that he would and i quote -- allow consumers access to imported, safe and dependable drugs from overseas to bring more options to consumers. he also promised to require medicare to negotiate with the drug companies for lower prices, something that today is banned by law. here is what president-elect trump said while on the campaign trail. quote -- we are not allowed to negotiate drug prices? can you believe it? we pay about 300 billion more than we are supposed to than if we negotiated the price. so there's 300 billion on day one we solved. end of quote. donald trump. so since president-elect trump supports requiring medicare to

negotiate with drug companies to lower prices which is an idea that many, many people in this body also support and since mr. trump believes that we should be able to reimport low-cost medicines from canada and other countries, i am quite confident that all of my republican colleagues will support an amendment in my hands that will do exactly what mr. trump said that he would accomplish as president. think about what you can do to pave the way for mr. trump to come in. you will have already satisfied one of his major campaign pledges. therefore, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the pending motion to concur with an amendment be set aside and i ask unanimous consent for the immediate consideration of a motion to concur in the house amendment to the senate

amendment to h.r. 34 with a further amendment that i send to the desk. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. mr. blunt: reserve being the right to -- reserving the right to object, one way to be sure and not get the work done we're doing today is to add another topic. i think the work we're doing today is important. the -- my friend from vermont mentioned some statistics that were right a couple of years ago about the decline in health care research money. we're not where we should be, but we're not where we were two years ago either, when my side took control of the majority. i got a chance to chair the appropriating committee for health and human services and for the first time in 12 years we had an almost 7% increase, and the gentleman is absolutely right. at the moment we were 22% behind in research buying dollars where

we were 12 years earlier. but if everything is a priority, nothing is a priority, so we did what the government should do and what people want the government to do: we went through the process of prioritizing. we eliminated 18 programs last year, zeroed them out. they were either duplicative or not doing what they were designed to do. so we could prioritize exactly the important health care research that this bill talks about, and my friend from vermont mentioned. a 7% increase last year, another 6.5% increase this year, another $2 billion came out of our committee, came out of the full appropriating committee, has been on the desk ready for the minority to let us take up for months now that would have done -- that would be almost a 14% increase in two years. 14% of the 22% would have been

eliminated if we could have taken up the bill that i still wish we were voting on today, but the bill we are voting on today does some of what that baseline increase would do. and why do we want to increase health care research? obviously for individuals and their families who might be able to better deal with or totally avoid a health care crisis they'll otherwise have. from the point of view of taxpayers, alzheimer's -- already mentioned here today -- alzheimer's, we're spending $250 billion a year on alzheimer's right now. the n.i.h. projection for 2050 is we'd be spending $1.1 trillion that year of today's dollars. that's twice the defense budget. now, you know, $1.1 trillion sound like a lot. $250 billion sounds like a lot to me.

in fact, pretty small numbers sound like a lot to me. but when i think of twice the defense budget that we could be spending on alzheimer's alone -- and that's just tax dollars, that's not what families would be spending if we don't invest in research now -- it makes a big difference. so from alzheimer's, there's an inducement here that i'd like to see even more specific, and when we get back to the regular appropriating process, i'll work to do that again. but there is a prize involved here inducement. there's the beau biden cancer research fund. there's montana that could go -- there's montana that could go to -- there's money that could go to everything from -- everything from autism to alzheimer's benefits when we focus on research. there's also money in this bill to further enhance the ability to get drugs to the marketplace quicker. so that people have an opportunity that they don't

currently have to work with their doctor and decide they want to try that new advancement. but this bill matters. i think in some ways it's better to let n.i.h., the real research remembers, prioritize -- the real researchers, prioritize spending and us prioritize research as a top iefnlg i think this bill should pass. i think it should pass today. i was on the house floor last week when they overwhelmingly voted for it to pass. the sure way for this bill not to pass in this congress is to do something now that changes the subject. now, i'm particularly glad that my longtime friend from both the house and the senate is really interested in president trump fulfilling his campaign pledges. and i'm particularly pleased to see him agree with at least that one pledge. but that will happen next year.

today's work is to pass the bill on 21st century cures. i look forward to the vote that does that before we leave this week, and, mr. president, i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. sanmr. sanders: mr. president, let me state that in inflation-adjusted dollars -- not nominal dollars -- funding for the national institutes of health this year will still be roughly $7 billion less than what it received in 2004. that's point number one. point number two -- and i would yield briefly to my friend from missouri -- do i hear you say that you in fact are supportive of, a, reimportation, and, b, having the federal government, medicare negotiate prescription drug prices with the pharmaceutical industry? that's what i thought i heard you say. i would yield to my friend.

mr. blunt: well, in terms of the money -- i than thank my red for yielding. if terms of the money available for research, we have taken that 22% of buying power and changed it to about 15%. if we'd have dealt with our bill this year, we would have changed it from 15% to about 7% or 8%. we need to get back to where we were 12 years ago and then not stop in real buying power. i want d.o.d. to do that. and i think what i said about the overall discussion of reimportation and other things is i was just delighted to hear my friend from vermont so supportive of what the next -- shall president's program is. mr. sanders: i am. i am very supportive of t i was wondering if my friend, when he said we were going to get to it next year, what does that mean? you will be pushing the ability of americans and pharmacists and distributors to be able to

benefit from unfettered free trade and by low-cost medicine, same impact drugs solde sold in america from canada and the u.k. and will you will as mr. trump made the point, allow medicare to negotiate for lower prices? that's something we can expect our republican friends to support the president-elect on. mr. blunt: if my friend will yield, i will just say this we have passed this bill in the congress, that bill several times over the last few years. on each occasion, often with democrat administrations, the only obstacle had been for the administration to certify that reimportation could be safely done. mr. sanders: exactly right. mr. blunt: and none of them have ever been willing to do that. sanders sanders my friend is -- mr. sanders: my friend is exact right. near the republican nor democratic administration will have the guts to stand up to the pharmaceutical industry so that today if you have a salad, it is likely you are going to get your salad, your tomatoes, your

lettuce from mexico or some other country in very poorly inspected farms. that's no problem. but somehow or another we are led to believe that it is impossible to bring in brand-named medicine from canada or the united kingdom or france, just cannot be done. it is beyond belief that anybody with a straight face believes that that is true. clearly, this is what the pharmaceutical industry wants us to believe. but i would hope that my friend from missouri will not accept what the pharmaceutical industry tell us and understands that the next secretary of h.h.s. should certify, with proper procedures, that we can reimport medicine. i would yield to my friend. mr. blunt: well, i would thank my friend for yielding. i would just say if the secretary of h.h.s. is certify that, that's a good thing. and i voted for that in the past. but i know what a tomato looks like, the form boy that i am. i know what a tomato looks like.

i don't know what's inside a capsule. that's always been the obstacle that the people we have asked to look at this and certify the safety -- now, if -- if people can figure out how to do that so you know what's inside that pill, the worst thing you can do healthwise is believe you're taking a pill that isn't the pill you blierve a taking. mr. sanders: i know what a tomato looks like, too, but you don't know what kind of pesticides or how that tomato was grown. the idea that we cannot get a product from pfizer or the other major drug companies across the border from canada safely really doesn't pass the laugh test, frankly. this is one of the things the pharmaceutical industry has been pushing for years. so we have unfettered free trade for fish, for vegetables, for meat from all over the world. but from canada or the u.k. or france, somehow we cannot safely bring medicine into this country

at a fraction of the price that our pharmacists are now paying. frankly, i would say to the senator from missouri, it does not really pass the laugh tevment and i would hope that we could work -- clearly we want the medicine coming in to be safe. i think we can do that. there's no debate about that. i would look forward to working with you. i would yield. mr. blunt: i think the one thing we will accomplish before this week is out is passing this bill, but i hope this bill doesn't become something that we continue to refer back and say we've already done that. this bill is a step in the right direction, but in health care research, it does not get us where i'd like to be or where we were 12 years ago. we need the kind of research dollars that encourage young researchers to stay in the research business, the kind of research dollars that encourage us to find solutions, the kind of research dollars that ensure that every family that could avoid a crisis or be able to

deal with it in a better way is able to do that, and so i look forward to the bill without this being passed as we finish the week. and i'd yield the floor. mr. sanders: i agree with the last statement that the senator from missouri maivmentd but let me give you, mr. president, another reason why i am opposed to this bill. incredibly, this legislation makes it easier for prescription drug companies to get away with fraud. and fraud is something that the major drug companies have been perpetuating on the american people for a number of years. it is not widely noarntion but -- it is not widely known but it should be known, that since 1991 drug companies have paid over $35 billion in fines or reached settlements for fraud and misconduct. $35 billion. but instead of cracking down on

pharmaceutical company fraud, this bill actually legalizes the fraudulent behavior of some of the big drug companies. specifically, under this bill, pharmaceutical companies would be allowed to promote unapproved uses of drugs to insurance companies, a practice which is currently illegal. mr. president, why would we allow the pharmaceutical industry the opportunity to market drugs to insurance companies for uses that haven't been approved by the f.d.a.? this is a major, major problem. let me give you a few examples. in 2013, the justice department ordered johnson & johnson, one of the major pharmaceutical companies in the country, to pay $2.2 billion in fines for -- quote -- "recklessly promoting drugs for uses that have not been proven to be safe and effective" -- end of quote. according to the u.s. attorney handling the case, johnson &

johnson's -- quote -- "promotion of respirtal for unapproved uses threatened the most vulnerable populations of our society -- children, the elderly and those with developmental disabilities." congress rightfully determined that this is unacceptable and made it illegal. but under this bill, it could become legal. that is wrong. in 2010, astrazeneca pharmaceuticals paid $520 million to resolve allegations that it illegally marketed the anti-psychotic drug seraquel for uses not approved as safe and effective by the f.d.a. in 2009, eli lilly was fined over $1.4 billion for its off-label promotion of another anti-psychotic drug known as cibrexa. according to federal investigators, the illegal

activity increased patients' costs, threngtdzed their safety -- threatened their safety and negatively affected the delivery of health care services to over 9 million military members and their families who rely on tricare." we need to make it harder for the pharmaceutical industry to commit fraud. but instead this bill allows the pharmaceutical industry to in fact commit even more fraud. that is unacceptable. third, mr. president, let's be clear. this bill would cut medicare and medicaid by $1 billion. mr. president, millions of senior citizens are in desperate need of medicare and medicaid. today, thanks to medicare, 48 million seniors and 9 million people with disabilities have health insurance coverage through medicare. and over 73 million americans are enrolled in medicaid. the last thing we should be

doing today is cutting medicare and medicaid. we need to make health care more affordable to senior citizens, the disabled, and low-low-income families with children, not more expensive. finally, this bill -- and this is quite significant -- cuts $3.5 billion from the affordable care act's prevention fund to prevent alzheimer's, diabetes, suicide, heart disease and lead poisoning. instead of cutting medicare and medicaid, instead of cutting funds for health care programs, we should be demanding that the wealthiest people in this country and the largest corporations start paying their fair share of taxes. we should not be cutting life-and-death programs for the most vulnerable people in this country. so i say to my colleagues if you want to lower the outrageous costs of prawtion -- prescription drugs, vote against this bill. if you are opposed to legalizing pharmaceutical fraud that can endanger the lives of many americans, please vote against this bill.

if you are opposed to cutting medicare and medicaid, vote against this bill. if you want to prevent cuts to programs that would prevent alzheimer's disease and many, many other diseases, vote against this bill. it is time to stand up to the pharmaceutical industry and stand with the american people who are tired of being ripped off by this extremely greedy industry. thank you, mr. president. with that, i'd yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. alexander: mr. president, i come to the floor today to speak about the fires in tennessee, but i would observe beforehand that by tomorrow we'll be voting on the 21st century cures and the mental health bill. i have a little different view of it than the senator from vermont. for example, using the money in the prevention fund, which was a part of the affordable care act, pretty good use of it, i would say, is to support the president's precision medicine

initiative and to support the vice president's cancer moonshot and to support the brain initiative at the national institutes of health. thus, what we do in the bill, $1.4 billion for precision medicine, $1.8 billion for cancer moonshot, $1.5 billion for the brain initiative. we're interested in reducing grief and reducing spending in this country, accelerating the arrival of med -- medicines that will identify alzheimer's before its symptoms and other medicines that will retard the progression of alzheimer's would be a magnificent thing to do. it would be a miracle for many families. and it's not just a miracle. it's something that dr. francis collins, a renowned scientist who is head of the national institutes of health, the national institutes of hope is what he calls it rksz predicts is what will happen in the next

ten years. along with a vaccine for zika, along with a vaccine for hiv-aids, along with a vaccine for the flu which killed 35,000 people last year, along with the advances in regenerative medicine, which would put a physician like our former majority leader, bill frist, drt of business. bill frist was at one time a heart transplant surgeon. he transplanted more hearts than anybody in the world, i think, or nearly anybody. but dr. collins believes that with advances in using our own adult cells, we will restore hearts. we won't have to transplant them. we may be able to restore eyesight. these are the kind of miracles that this legislation will encourage that can affect virtually every american family, and the other part of the legislation equally important to the money is that it would make

reforms in the food and drug administration and in the national institutes of health that will move those treatments and cures through the regulatory and investment process more rapidly at lower costs into the medicine cabinets, into the doctor's office where they can help virtually every family in this country. that's why 85 senators yesterday voted to end debate on this bill, and i suspect more will vote tomorrow to send it to the president. that's why the house of representatives, 392 of them, voted for this bill. only six democratic members of the house of representatives voted against it. they're not persuaded there is some evil force in there. they like what they see. and not only them, the president of the united states says this is an opportunity we just can't miss, and the vice president of the united states, talking about his cancer moonshot, says this is a big and important step

forward, and the republican speaker of the house, paul ryan, turned a couple of somersaults figuring out the way to do the funding on this because it's an important part of his own agenda for our nation's health care future, and i've heard the majority leader of the senate, senator mcconnell, say in private meetings and in public that this is the most important piece of legislation we'll pass this year. add to it the mental health legislation that senator cassidy and senator murphy and senator cornyn worked so hard on over here, add that to it and we get something that we can be very proud of, which is why it received such a big vote yesterday. so i want the american people to know that's what we're doing. i think that's what they want us to do. now, we could do something in a partisan way, we could do something by executive order or we could take two years as we literally did in this bill, two years, multiple hearings, multiple consultations, many differences of opinions.

all of them resolved, though, in a bipartisan way and produce a lasting result. it won't be like obamacare where the next day one party's trying to repeal it and the next party's defending it. it won't be like some other partisan legislation. this will last. nobody's going to be trying to repeal it because almost everybody voted for it. and the money will come just as the legislation says year after year. so i'm proud of the senate and i'm happy for the american people, and i look forward to tomorrow. now on a more somber note. a week ago last wednesday on a mountaintop called the chimney tops in the great smoky mountain national park, someone spotted a fire and called the national parks about 5 -- national park service about 5:20 in the afternoon. i have been up chimney topple times, more times when i was younger than when i have been older.

but it's a peak with rocks at the top. we're not like the west where they have a lot of rocky mountains. we don't have many of them. we have 83 average inches of rainfall a year, unlike southern california or phoenix, places like that where they get only a few inches a year. so we have almost rain forests, and when the fall comes, lots of leaves on the ground. but the fire started up on the chimney tops, and i can tell you that there wouldn't have been anyone within 100 miles who would have imagined that somehow the next monday wind would have swept that fire, killing 30 people, injuring another 134, causing evacuation of 14,000 empeople, wrecking lives and wrecking homes. there have been some people wonder a little bit, well, how could this have happened?

look, we've had fires all over east tennessee this year. we're not used to that, because we've had a drought for a long time. i ask consent to put in the record following my remarks an article by bob hodge about greg ward of sevier county. this is the county where gatlinburg is. greg ward spent his 53 years roaming around the woods and waters of sevier county, according to bob hodge, the writer of "the knoxville sentinel." the long and short of it is those who know the waters and woods of east tennessee know this drought has been with us for a while. trout-stocking programs wouldn't work because the water was so low that it wouldn't handle the trout, and it was too warm for them to survive. the creeks were flowing in some places at 10% of normal.

we have maybe seen that once before in anyone's memory back in the 1970's, but for the last three months, there has been little rain, and according to bob hodge's article, we've had a drought since 2015. i ask consent to put this in the record following my remarks. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. alexander: on friday, governor haslam of tennessee, senator corker and i went to gatlinburg, and the only think i can think of to say to the assembled people there were two things. one was your character is measured not so much by how you handle things when things are going well but how you handle adversity, and if that's the measure of character, the character of the people of gatlinburg and sevier county is through the roof because they're not complaining. the mayor of -- the mayor of gatlinburg, mike warner, had his

home burn down in 15 minutes. he was there at the press conference worried about other people, not himself. cindy ogall, the city manager for a long time of gatlinburg, had her home burn down. she was there, not complaining, worrying about the other people of gatlinburg and sevier county. mike warner's business was also burned down. he is staying in the apartment of a friend nearby. that's happening -- that story is over and over and over again in sevier county. there have been extraordinary gestures by people to help. at one point shortly after the fire started, there were 140 fire trucks from all over east tennessee, 400 volunteers. the fires just kept going and going because this wind came up on monday night after the fire was started up ten miles away on the top of this rocky mountain, and a 90-mile an hour wind blew the wind somehow all the way into gatlinburg. and the wind knocked down

transformers and started all these other little fires, and people were racing for their lives. i mentioned on the floor there were stories of firefighters having to get back in their trucks because to get away from the bears that were running toward them, escaping the fire, of people driving through fire to escape, of windshield wipers melting as they -- as they did that. terrifying experience. in the west, they may be used to this. nobody ever gets used to it, i guess, but we don't see that where we're from, with 83 inches of rain typically in a year. so i salute the people of sevier county and gatlinburg for their courage and character and compassion to one another. i know it's going to take a long time for many to get back on their feet. we're doing what we can to help. i salute the governor of tennessee. he was there the next day. so were many of his agencies, working seamlessly together. we went back there with him, as i said, last friday.

we have arranged through the state for federal assistance which will pay for 75% of the cost of fighting the fires. then that same day, we went on down to some other counties in tennessee which had experienced a tornado at about the same time. we went into mcminn county. no one was killed there, but several were hurt. we went to polk county where we talked to a lady named mrs. stoker who wasn't hurt but in the trailer next to where she lived, the trailer had been blown across the road and her daughter and the daughter's husband had been killed. we talked to her for a while, and the governor and senator corker and i were very impressed with her. i doubted that we would have the strength she does. she said to us -- as we left, she says you fellows go on back up there and do your job and we'll take care of it here. i'm sure she will, but i'm awfully impressed with mrs. stoker. so i told the people of sevier

county that many, many senators had said something to me about the fire. senator feinstein called, for example, because of her experience in california. i'm here only to say those two things, that the people of sevier county and gatlinburg and of the area where polk county is and mcminn county is, if their character is measured by how they handle adversity, their character is over the top. and secondly, to thank all of those who have tried to help. one last example. in the m mcmimm county area, a young woman had a baby during the tornado. her home was damaged. she went to the hospital. when she came back the next day, the neighbors had found another home for her. they had clean sheets and everything that she -- everything that she needed. so there are wonderful stories of a terrifying set of

incidents. i wanted to come to the floor and say that we're proud of the people of eastern tennessee. i thank the president. i yield the floor.

a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the distinguished senator from indiana. mr. coats: madam president, are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. coats: madam president, today i rise for the second time on the senate floor to deliver a farewell speech. it doesn't seem like that long ago back in 1998 that i delivered my first senate farewell speech. i spoke then about making the transition from senator to citizen, and i reflected on the end of 24 years of public service. standing here today in 2016, 24 years has now become 34 years, as the call for additional public service has brought me back to the united states senate. now as i begin today, i want to

assure my family, which is some of whom are in the gallery, my colleagues, some of whom i'm pleased to come over to hear me speak, the campaign contributors that i will not be back for a third farewell address. through it all, the ups and the downs, the highs and the lows, the successes and the failures, i felt nothing but gratitude for the incredible privilege of serving, serving in the military, working as a congressional staffer to then-congressman dan quayle, serving in the house of representatives representing my home state, as a united states senator, representing our country overseas as u.s. ambassador to germany; all this together has been the adventure of a lifetime and i'm so very

grateful for the opportunities that i have been afforded. participating in the process of governing, being in the arena, fighting for the principles and values which i believe, these experiences have all been a privilege almost beyond description. it's time to express a few thanks. my good friend and fellow senator from tennessee, lamar alexander, who is sitting here today, who has a good habit of speaking words of wisdom, has said when you're driving down a country road and see a turtle on the top of a fence post, chances are that turtle didn't get there on its own. i didn't get there -- i didn't get here on my own. throughout my career, i've been blessed to have the support of so many talented and wonderful people who provided invaluable help along the way. first and foremost, i want to thank god for his providence,

guiding my steps along the way. i want to thank my family -- my wife marsha for her unwavering support and wise counsel. our three wonderful children, our ten grandchildren for their love, their support, their patience that allowed me to engage in the consuming job of an elected official. i want to thank my former senator and vice president dan quayle, the mentor, friend and the person who first encouraged me to consider public service. and i want to express gratitude to former indiana governor robert orr who chose me to fill the senate seat vacated by then-vice president quayle. i want to thank president george w. bush who gave me the opportunity to serve as our nation's ambassador to germany. and colin powell who led the

department of state during my time as ambassador. and i want to thank the exceptional staff that i've been blessed to have support me over the years. , some that are here today and many that have served through the years and gone on to achieve great success in their own careers. i specifically want to thank the five chief of staffs that i've had as a senator who have put the team together to support me in such exceptional ways. david hoppi, david gribbon, sharon shonastein and don have led our team with exceptional leadership. and i want to thank my colleagues for their friendship and encouragement over the past six years. this is a demanding job, and we all work hard, but it's also a job that allows each of us the opportunity to spend a lot of

time interacting together. the friendships that i have had and now have with the talented men and women that i've served with in the body is what i will miss most upon leaving the senate. last and certainly not least, i want to thank the citizens of indiana. hoosiers have given me the honor of representing them in the world's greatest deliberative body. hoosiers, thank you from the bottom of my heart. i'm not here today to offer deep reflexes about this institution -- reflections about this institution or to advise my fellow senators how to govern in the years ahead. it is clear at this time in our history in our great nation, we are a divided country with two very different visions for america's future. the senate is not immune to

those divisions, but i firmly believe that all of us, republicans and democrats, are trying to do what we think is in the best interest of our country and its posterity. we are all united in the common cause of making our country a better place, a safer place and a more prosperous place, even if our means of getting there differ. and with that spirit in mind, i know there are many topics of significant importance that the senate will consider when i'm gone. but i want to briefly discuss two transcendent issues that i believe jeopardize america's continued existence as the world's leading nation. these are issues i have repeatedly expressed deep concern about on this senate floor. from a practical standpoint, our country simply cannot keep borrowing money that we don't have. today our national debt exceeds $19.5 trillion and continues to grow by the second. meanwhile, programs that millions of americans depend

on -- social security and medicare are two -- could be never closer to insolvency. america's looming fiscal storm is bearing down upon us, and the alarms are sounding louder each day. and one day if not addressed, this debt bomb will explode and have a devastating effect on our country's economy and on our children's future. my second great concern is what i call the terrorist bomb, the threat posed by terrorist or rogue state actors who could successfully conduct an attack with weapons of mass destruction. we must ensure that the world's most dangerous weapons stay out of the hands of its most dangerous people. and we must also adapt to the new threats we face, such as the cyber attack that could shut down our financial systems or electric grid. these challenges require all those who govern to rise above the political consequences that may occur in making the hard

decisions needed to make our country stronger and more secure for future generations. in conclusion, i'd like to say this. my congressional career began during the reagan administration. i'd like to conclude my comments today with a reflection on remarks ronald reagan made during a memorial service in 1987 for the fallen sailors of the u.s. stark. allow me to quote a few of the words president reagan shared that day. yes, he said, they were ordinary men who did extraordinary things. yes, they were heroes. and because they were heroes, let us not forget this. that for all the lovely spring and summer days we will never share with them again, for every thanksgiving and christmas that will seem empty without them, there will be moments when we see the light of

discovery in young eyes, eyes that see for the first time the world around them and wonder why is there such a place as america , and how is it that such a precious gift is mine. as citizens of this great country, we have been given a precious gift, the gift of freedom. america has been a beacon of freedom that has burned bright before a world that cries out for liberty. but we should never forget that we've been able to preserve this precious gift throughout our history because men and women have heard the call, and it said i will stand in defense of freedom and i will sacrifice for future generations. in looking back on my life in public service, i've experienced moments when i also have seen that light of discovery of this precious gift of america and asked myself how is it this precious gift is

mine? i've seen the light of discovery at veterans day ceremonies as we remind ourselves that this gift has been earned and preserved by those who have fought in defense of our freedoms and especially those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. i have seen it in the eyes of wives and young children who rush into the arms of dads arriving home from the front lines of battle. i have seen it in the tears of joy as our olympic athletes stand while "the star-spangled banner" is played before the eyes and the ears of the world. i've seen it in the naturalization ceremonies for immigrants like my mom express pure joy in becoming an american citizen. do we not then, those of us who have been given this privilege and the challenge of serving in this body as united states senators, do we not then have an obligation and solemn duty to

carry on the task of ensuring that the young eyes of future generations can see this light of discovery and continue to wonder how it is that such a precious gift is theirs. and so my colleagues and friends, with gratitude to the almighty, love in my heart for each of you, and bright hopes for the future of our beloved country, i bid farewell and yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from indiana. mr. donnelly: madam president, i rise today as we bid farewell to my good friend, my colleague, to my pal, the senior senator from indiana, dan coats, who has served the state of indiana and our country so well and with such honor and such dedication for more than 35

years. i also want to note how grateful i am for serving with you, madam president, for what an extraordinary senator you have been, what a good friend and someday i hope to come up and see the white mountains of new hampshire and visit and see your family. but we have been very, very lucky to have been touched and blessed by you. as many of us know, my friend dan's service to his country started long before he was elected to this body. after graduating from wheaton college in illinois -- and he has not often told folks that he was a soccer star there -- he joined the united states army where he served from 1966 until 1968 and earned the rank of staff sergeant. after coming to indiana to earn a law degree at indiana university's mckinney school of law in indianapolis, dan moved

to fort wayne where he soon continued his public service as a staff member for then-united states congressman dan quayle. in 1980, dan coats was elected to represent the fourth congressional district of indiana, a wonderful area which he served so well. and it was an office he held for eight years. then in 1988, as senator quayle was elected to serve as vice president, senator coats was appointed to the united states senate, and he successfully won reelection in 1990 and in 1992. for ten years dan continued his legacy of service to our beloved state. and as i mentioned, dan is the senior senator. i am the junior senator. so whenever we have football discussions, dan wins every time. through his work on the senate

armed services committee and the intelligence committee, he ensured our country was more secure and more prosperous for the future. in 1999, dan retired from the senate. he was soon called back, though, when president bush asked him to serve our country again. this time as the u.s. ambassador to germany. then ambassador coats arrived in germany ready for his duties on september 8, 2001. we know how much our world changed three days later. and how important his job became to ensuring the united states continued its constructive relationship with our german allies and in keeping all of us safe back here at home. he not only forges strong relation -- forged a strong relationship with the then german chancellor but also played a key role in the

establishment of a new u.s. embassy in the heart of berlin. it's hard to stress how critical dan coats' leadership was for our country at that time. as he used american diplomacy to help maintain american security. in 2011 dan made his return to the senate eager once again to serve the people of indiana. over the last six years he has produced steadfast leadership on the finance committee, the intelligence committee, and the joint economic committees. on a more personal note, i have always been able to count on him as a partner, to be a thoughtful friend, willing to work together to address the many issues impacting hoo hooziers and our e country because when it comes down to it, we're americans and we're all in this together.

dan has always been ready to roll up his sleeves and work in a bipartisan manner, whether it was on an issue impacting our veterans, protecting our national security, advocating for fiscal responsibility, or even the finer issues of government, such as making sure that government publishing office could change their style guide so that as the rest of us all know, dan was able to make it clear we are not indianians. we are hooziers and it should be discussed as such. it has been an honor to serve with him. he is a true gentleman and a great teammate and worked to improve the lives of the hard-working families we represent. i'm proud of the work we've done together. as dan leaves the senate, i wish my friend and my partner and my

senior senator the best. he'll be remembered for his extraordinary service, his love of country, his love of our state, and his loch of his -- his love of his family. i hope he will be able to spend a lot of time with his wonderful wife, marsha, their three children, and their ten grandchildren. dan has been blessed to have a wonderful family, and we've been blessed that we could be part of his life. may god bless senator coats and his family. may god bless indiana and may god bless america. madam president, i yield back. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, as i listen to the eloquent farewell remarks of my friend and colleague, senator

dan coats of indiana, i could not help but think that he sounded happy, contented, serene, and at peace with the decision he has made. but he leaves the rest of us feelinfeeling bereft and sad and knowing we will miss him as a friend and as an eas esteemed colleague. as the 114th congress draws to a close, many words of affection and gratitude will be offered in tribute to our friend and colleague dan coats as he leaves this chamber but there's no better word that better defines this outstanding leader than the one word that has guided his

entire life, and that word is "service." as we have heard from his colleague from indiana, the junior senator, in 1966 at the height of the vietnam war, dan coats enlisted in the united states army achieving the rank of staff sergeant. in 1980, he was selected to the u.s. house of representatives from indiana's 4th congressional district and joined the senate eight years later. he quickly became widely known and deeply respected as a strong voice for fiscal discipline and national security, and as an expert in our intelligence agencies and foreign affairs.

dan coats left the senate in 1999 and was named as u.s. ambassador to germany two years later. he arrived at his post in berlin just three days before the terrorist attacks of september 11, 2001. and i cannot help but think how fortunate our country was to have him in that key position at a time of such turmoil and anxiety and fear for our country and all the world. he played a central role in strengthening the relationship between our nation and germany during that critical time. after his tenure as ambassador

had ended, senator coats continued his service. he became the president of big brothers and big sisters of america and offered his talents to many other civic and volunteer organizations, including the center for jewish and christian values which he chaired with another dear friend of mine, senator joe lieberman. with his wife, marsha, he founded the foundation for america renewal to advance faith-based solutions and initiatives to help resolve our nation's many social problems. when dan coats returned to the senate in 2012, he pledged to the people of indiana, to our nation that he would focus his tremendous energy and

extraordinary intellect on cutting wasteful spending, reducing our national debt, promoting pro-growth job creating policies and strengthening our national security in an era where we face numerous threats from every possible place. and he has kept those promises. as a father and a grandfather, two roles that i know that he cherishes, senator coats has taken to heart our obligation to ensure a sound, economic future for the next generation. it has been a particular honor to work side by side with dan coats on the intelligence committee. his public service through that committee will never be fully

known to the public, but i can share with you that senator coats has almost instinct yawl ability to get to the heart of an issue, no matter how complex or difficult the topic. that, of course, is also a tribute to the fact that he has thought so deeply about the issues that confront our country and the threats posed by rogue states and terrorist groups. he was one of the first members of the senate to recognize the crisis that would emerge due to this administration's failed policy and incoherent strategy towards syria. his strong and effective

advocacy for improved cyber security, a passion that we share, is another example of his deep commitment to the safety and security of our nation and its people. for years senator coats has worked to protect our nation's most critical infrastructure from devastating cyber attacks. senator coats has warned us it is not a matter of if but of when such attacks occur right here in our country, and he did so, he led the way knowing of the political pressure that would be brought to bear to accept the status quo of cyber insecurity that exists within our country's most important

infrastructure. senator dan coats is an inspiring role model to all of us who seek to serve. he is the -- he epitomizes dedication, effective service, and an untiring commitment to making america already the greatest country in the world an even better place to live. our nation is truly grateful to this great man, and i am so grateful for his friendship. i wish senator coats and his family all the best in the years to come. thank you.

madam president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. portman: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: woe are. mr. portman: may i ask consent it be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. portman: i speak today as a neighbor of dan coats. i'm his neighbor here on the senate floor. i'm his neighbor back home. i represent the state of ohio. he's next door in indiana. i also was involved in dan coats' early political career because i was asked to interview him when i was a young lawyer for his potential move from the united states house to the united states senate. there was no way to be involved in that process without

acquiring great respect and admiration for this man. i got to know about his family and his background. he is literally and figuratively a boy scout in every way. he's also a guy who we will miss here greatly. he has become the voice of reason and the voice of wisdom and the voice of knowledge here in the united states senate. in our conference meetings he's the person when he stands up to speak, others stop their conversation and actually listen, which is a rare trait for people in public office sometimes. but that's because dan is always sincere. he's to the point. and again he has the experience and knowledge to be able to speak intelligently on a whole range of issues, some of which we heard today on the national security front, but also he is an advocate for economic growth. he's the leader here on some tax reform proposals. he is the guy who continually reminds us of our solemn duty

here to represent all of the people. so, dan, we will miss you greatly. and i know that marsha is happy to have you around a little more and you're going to have a great time with your grandkids, as we've talked about. but we want you to know that there will be a great loss here when you move along. and i've got to find a new neighbor. so, madam president, i yield back my time. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. mr. blunt: i just have one story i want to tell about senator coats. we've been able to serve together on the intel committee. we sat near each other on that committee. we've worked together on other things. but i came to the senate when senator coats came back to the senate. it's already been established here today. he then served in another capacity as ambassador. then in 2010 when you and i came to the senate, he came with us. and everything -- almost everything in the senate, there's some element of seniority in how everything is done. and in our class as the only

person in our class with prior senate service, dan coats is the ranking member of our class. he was 88th in his seniority in the senate the day he started his second term in the senate. for circumstances i turned out to be 89th. and in the process of going through and selecting offices, when they got to 88th, dan coats called me standing in the hallway of the russell office building, and he said, i'm standing here in front of an office that says -- it was harry truman's office when he was in the senate. he he said you choose after me, don't you? i said, yes, i choose after you. and he said, i if i don't take this office, will you take it? it was the best office of the is 12 offices still left. that wouldn't be the reason i'd take it, but i said, yeah, i

would take that. it would be a great thing for me to be in an office that harry truman had spent 10 years in the senate and i later found out also 82 days as vice president in that office, and senator coats said, well, if you'll take this office -- and i said, i'll stay there, if i take that office. so i'm actually about the only member that every year when the question comes around do you want to look at another of course, i send it right back and chk the "no" box. almost everybody else checks the "yes" box just because they want to see the real estate in the building that's available. and i said, i'll stay there if i take t he said, i'm going to find an office somewhere else. and i've chaired the rules committee the last couple years. i deal with lots of members about lots of requests. i don't actually know of very many similar circumstances -- in fact, i don't know of any exactly like that one -- where senator coats said, i want you to have the office -- i mentioned it to him the other day.

you know, the reason for that was it was the right thing to do of the and if there's any part of dan coats' character that comes through time after time, it's that pamplet -- part. it's that part of who he is that always wants to do the right thing. he is a man of great consherntion of great courage, of great willingness to serve, a and a good friend. it has been one of the horns of my -- honors of my life that i've got to spend six years working in the senate with him.

a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: madam president, first, i notice that senator coats is still on the floor. i just want to add my personal congratulations to senator coats for an incredible career of public service, not only here in the senate but serving our country in a very important diplomatic role. and you -- senator coats has added such dig noit this body -- dignity to this body. he is a person of you incredible integrity, a person who always listens and tries to do what's right, not just people for his state but for the nation. it has been a real honor to serve with senator coats in the united states senate. i wish him only the best going

forward. i know he'll to infind ways to help -- i know he'll continue to find ways to help our country. i would ask consent that i can put into the record the statement in regards to the 21st century cures act. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cardin: madam president, this is a bittersweet moment as i rise to pay tribute to my esteemed colleague, dear friend, and fellow senator barbara a. mikulski, the longest-serving woman in the history of the united states congress. senator barb has been more than a dedicated champion for the state of maryland. she has fought tirelessly for the welfare of all americans across the country, for the -- you especially the disadvantaged. equal pay for equal work, funding for child care for working families, quality health care for all americans, an am by us have -- an ambitious space exploration program, fire

protection grants -- these are but a few of the causes that senator barb has worked on for more than four decades as an outstanding public servant and legislator. she is rooted in the city we both call "home," baltimore, where her father ran a grocery store in highland town. she eed her bachelor of science degree in sociology from mount sates ago necessary college and a degree from the university of maryland social work. she became a social worker and then demonstrated her formidable organizational skills and resolved when she led the successful opposition to a 16-lane highway that was going to cut through the fels point neighborhood in baltimore. throughout her 40 years of congressional service, she has returned to baltimore almost every night. she ran for the city council in 1971 where she served for five years before she was elected to the house of representatives to represent maryland's third

district. a seat that she held for ten years. i was proud to succeed her in the house when she was elected to the senate in 1986 and became the first female democratic senator elected in her own right. here in the halls of the senate, she opened doors that had previously been closed to women. she refused to accept second-class treatment because of her gender and fought to be recognized as an equal. generations of young women who chose to participate in public life or who dreamed of joining the united states senate have benefited from senator barb's trail-blazing legacy. from affordable housing and education to child care to health benefits to pensions, she has left an indelible imrongts imprint on the nation's social policies as a senior member of the health, education, labor, and pensions committee. it is fitting that she authored

the lilly ledbetter fair pay act of 2009, the first major bill to be signed into law by the first african-american president. i know one of her proudest accomplishments is strengthening the social safety net for seniors by passing the spousal anti-impoverishment act which helps keep seniors from going to bankruptcy while paying for a spouse's nursing home care. senator barb has said, "we work on macro- issues and macaroni and cheese issues." our national debate reflects the needs and dreams of american families. in 2012 she became the first woman and the first marylanders to chair the senate appropriations committee. she has worked well with senator cochran and other republicans on the committee to produce annual appropriations bills under difficult budget congress straints. i think she has shown how the senate can work in a productive, bipartisan fashion. senator mikulski has served as the dean of the women senators from both parties, promoting

collegiality, civility and consensus-building. in this capacity, again, she has been one of the leaders of this institution with respect to making it work better. senator barb has always had her feet planted firmly on the ground, but she has reached for the stars. no one has been a stronger advocate for the national you are a naughtics and space administration, nasa, or the national oceanic an administratn and for research and understanding the universe to make life better here on earth than senator barbara mikulski. not only has she reached for the stars, she is a star. nasa named a super-know have a after her in 2012. supernova mikulski, discovered fittingly by the hubble space telescope on january 25, 2012. the super-nova is 7.5 million light years away and the recommend in the events of a

star more than eight times as mass safes our own sun. senator mikulski has so much political energy per square inch of height that she's reached her own orbit in space. even though her realm includes the entire universe, senator barb hauls kept the needs of marylanders close to her heart during her tenure. whether it is fighting for funding to restore the chesapeake bay, supporting mass transit improvements in baltimore, standing up for federal employees and retirees who work and live in our state, or posting the world's best recipe for crab cakes on her web site, i know i speak on behalf of each and every marylander when i say how much we'll miss her outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment to our state. i am privileged to have worked with her for ten years here in the senate and for 20 years before that when i was in the house of representatives. i'm proud to have stood alongside her as two members of "team maryland." one personal basis -- on a

personal basis, i have a very close friend, my service in the senate is much more productive and much more enjoyable, much more rewarding because of senator mikulski. the united states congress, the state of maryland, and the united states and indeed the world are better places because of senator mikulski's public service. she may not be the tallest senator, but she certainly leaves the biggest shoes to fill. i will miss her, but i will remain eternally inspired by her shining example of public service at its best.

madam president, if i might, in a separate sporkts a -- in a separate spot, a separate place in the record, i'd like to pay tribute to senator barbara boxer. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cardin: for ten years i have been in the senate, i have been privileged and had the pleasure to serve alongside the senator from california, barbara boxer, on the environment and public works committee, and on the foreign relations committee. she is the ranking member of the environment and public works committee and previously chaired the committee, the first woman to do soavment she has spent the last 40 years in elected office, here in the senate and ten years before p in the united states house of representatives and six years in the marin county board of supervisors. she was the board's first woman

president, earlier she worked as a stockbroker. senator boxer has also been a journalist and the author of two books. first time senator boxer ran for the sixth congressional district seat in 1928, her -- 1982, her campaign slogan was "barbara boxer gives a damn." her constituents have agreed. she ran for reelection four times and never received less than 67% of the vote. in 2004 when she was running for the third term in the senate, she received 6.96 million votes, the most votes any candidate has ever received in the history of the united states senate. oscar madison and felix unger may have been the original odd couples, but senator boxer and the senator from oklahoma, senator inhofe, have been the senate's odd couple. unabashed liberal and unabashed conservingive working together to pass some of the most important legislation of the last quarter century.

a periodic surface transportation bill and a water resources development act reauthorizations. these bills have put millions of americans to work and made our economy more frkt. -- efficient. as if in morning business bonches understands the -- senator boxer understands the importance of building and the importance of preserving. she has helped to set aside more thank one million acres of federal land in california as wilderness, the omnibus public lands pearnlings which became law in 2009 includes three boxer bills to protect 57,000 acres in big surand laspedros forest. she wrote the senate bill that elevates the pinnacles national monument in america's 59th national park. she helped champion the creation of fort order national monument and was instrumental in expanding the gulf of the fair

moneys and a national marine sanctuary. she also authored the california missions preservation act to protect and restore california's 21 historic missions and led the effort in the senate to create the manson-moore national historic site. senator boxer's concerns for the environment hasn't been just a parochial interest. no one -- no one has fought harder to defend and improve our nation's landmark environmental laws such as the clean air act, or the clean water act. she has fought to remove arsenic from drinking wawrkts the air we breathe rng the food we eat are better because of senator boxer p. senator boxer's environmental bonafides are well-known, but she has been sub-verbally effective lerlg on so many other issues. she has championed women. in 1991 she led a group of women members to the judiciary committee to demand that the committee, which was all male and all commit at the time, take anita hill's charges seriously.

senator boxer has defended women's reproductive health choices and privacy. she was involved in passing the freedom of access to clinical entrances act and the violence against women's act. she is a senior member of the foreign relations committee where she chairs the first committee to focus on global women issues. madam president, at a business meeting earlier today, the members of the senate foreign relations committee unanimous place add resolution honoring her work on that committee and her work in the united states senate. we noted at that time that the subcommittee that she was the ranking provided the type of help globally for women and girls and was most moatable in her work in afghanistan. she's made a difference around the world for young women. senator boxer authored the first-ever specific authorization for after-school programs, a bipartisan bill then-president george w. bush signed into law in 2002. today after-school programs are

funded at -- today's after-school programs are funded at $1.15 billion, allowing them to serve 1.6 million children. she was the author of another bipartisan bill to accelerate america's contributions to combat global hiv-aids and tuberculosis. senator boxer wrote two laws to enhance economic and security cooperation with israel. in 2012, she worked with the senator from georgia, senator isakson, on united states-israel enhanced security cooperation act which extended loan guarantees to israel, increased the u.s. military stockpile in israel and encouraged nato-israel cooperation. in 2014, she worked with the senator from missouri, senator blunt on the u.s.-israel strategic partnership act of 2014. further strengthening economic and security cooperation between the two countries madam president, senator boxer has strong principles. she could be outspoken when the

need arises, but she is also a consummate legislator, able to work across the aisle and across the hill to get important things done. we're going to miss her skills and her leadership. i know we will continue to hear from her because she is not the retiring type, but she certainly has earned the right to spend more time with her husband stuart and her children doug and nicole and their four grandchildren. we wish her well. we'll miss her in the senate. madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. lee: madam president, over the weekend, syndicated columnist george f. will wrote about a disturbing ruling in a french court. the court ruled that a video called "dear future mom"

produced by the global down syndrome foundation must be banned from french television. it cannot be viewed on television anywhere in france. what, you might ask, triggered this draconian act of censorship? was it speech inciting violence? hate speech? no. discrimination? no. in fact, it's the opposite, as it turns out. i'll let mr. will tell the story as i read the words from his column. the column is entitled -- "the right to be spared from guilt." the word inappropriate is increasingly used inappropriately. it is useful to describe departures from good manners and other social norms such as wearing white after labor day and using the salad fork with the entree, but the adjective has become a splatter of verbal thought, a weasel word,

thoughtlessly measuring seriousness. its misty imprecision does not disguise but advertises the user's moral obtuseness. a french court has demonstrated how inappropriate can be an all-purpose device of intellectual evasion and moral cowardice. the court said it is inappropriate to do something that might disturb people who killed their unborn babies for reasons that were, shall we say, inappropriate. prenatal genetic testing enables pregnant women to be apprised of a variety of problems with their unborn babies, including down syndrome. it is a congenital condition resulting from a chromosomal defect that causes varying degrees of mental disability and some physical abnormalities, such as low muscle tone, small stature, flatness of the back of the head and an upward slant of the eyes. within living memory, down syndrome people were called among lloyd's.

-- among -- mongoloids. now they are special needs people. what they most need is nothing special. it's for people to understand their aptitudes and therefore quit killing them in utero. down syndrome, although not common, is one of the most common genital anomalies, 149.7 in 1,000 births. when prenatal genetic testing, sometimes the baby is aborted. cleft lips or pal ats which occur in 72.6 per 100,000 births also can be diagnosed in utero and sometimes there are other reasons a baby is aborted. in 2014, in conjunction with the world down syndrome day, march 21, the global down syndrome foundation prepared a two-minute video titled "dear future mom" to assuage the anxieties of pregnant women who

have learned that they are carrying a down syndrome baby. more than seven million people have seen the video online in which one woman says -- quote -- i'm scared. what kind of life will my child have? close quote. down syndrome children from many nations tell the woman that her child will hug, speak, go to school, tell you he loves you and -- quote -- can be happy just like i am, and you'll be happy, too, close quote. the french state is not happy about this. the court has ruled that the video is, wait for it, inappropriate for french television. the court upheld a ruling in which the french broadcasting council had banned the video as a commercial. the court said the video's depiction of happy down syndrome children was -- quote -- likely to disturb the conscience of women who had lawfully made different personal life choices, close quote. so what happens on campuses does not stay on campuses.

there in many nations, sensitivity bureaucracies have been enforcing the relatively new entitlement to be shielded from whatever might disturb even inappropriate jokes. and now this rapidly metastasizing right has come to this -- a video that accurately communicates a truthful proposition, that down syndrome people can be happy and give happiness should be suppressed because some people might become ambivalent. or morally queasy about having chosen to extinguish such lives because this is why the video giving facts about down syndrome people is so subversive of the flaccid consensus among those who say aborting a baby is no more -- is of no more moral significance than removing a tumor from a stomach.

pictures persuade. today's improved prenatal sonograms make graphic the fact that the moving fingers and beating heart are not mere fetal material, they are a baby. toy maker fisher price, children's apparel manufacturer osh kosh, mcdonald's and target have featured down syndrome children in ads that the french court would probably ban from television. the court has said in effect that the lives of down syndrome people, and by inescapable implication the lives of many other disabled people, matter less than the serenity of people who have acted on one or more of three vicious principles. that the lives of the disabled are not worth living or that the lives of the disabled are of negligible value next to the desire of parents to have a child who has no special meaning

inconvenient needs or that parents should suppress the voices of down syndrome children in order to gairntd other people's right not to be disturbed by reminders that they have made legal choices on the basis of one or both of the first two inappropriate principles. that's the end of mr. will's column which i have just read in its entirety. now, madam president, as americans enter yet another era of change in our politics, it's my sincere hope and indeed my prayer that it can be also a season of change in our hearts. here in the united states, the free speech rights of groups like the global down syndrome foundation, their rights to produce videos like "dear future mom" which i highly recommend are protected, thankfully, by the first amendment. but the rights of actual americans with down syndrome,

both born and unborn, can only be protected by their fellow citizens, and not just in our laws, but in our communities, in our families, in our culture. this time of year, we would all do well to remember the life-changing joy that can come from a single unexpected and special child. and also to remember the courage of their mothers and fathers who chose life. the heroes who chose to make room at the inn. i know i speak for all my colleagues when i wish all of them a very merry christmas. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. i note the absence of a quorum.

the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. kaine: madam president, thank you for the recognition. i rise today to join -- the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. kaine: i'm sorry. i ask that the proceedings under the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. warner: madam president, i rise today to join my colleague to spoke earlier today, the senator from ohio, who we will

hear from shortly, the senator from pennsylvania and particularly to thank my friend, the senator from west virginia, who without his tireless efforts this cause that we are fighting for might not still have a chance. i want to commend him for the countless hours and the amazing amount of work he's done on an issue that we have been here time and again on, and that is begging this body to take meaningful action on the miners protection act before the end of this year. for over a year and a half, we have been coming to the floor to tell our colleagues that if we do nothing, retired coal miners and their families -- for the most part, we're talking about widows because most of the miners have passed -- will lose their health care at the end of this year. well, the end of the year is

upon us. it's literally days away. and we have taken every procedural step to ensure a vote on the miners protection act. under the leadership of the senator from west virginia, we were asked to go through regular order. we were asked to have a hearing. we were asked for those of us, the senator from pennsylvania and i who sit on the finance committee, to have a committee markup. we had the committee markup. we reported the bill out with strong bipartisan support, yet here we are days away from this supposed end of the session, and we have still not had that vote. we have a long-term bipartisan solution, but instead we're being told that the c.r., the c.r. that might simply fund the government for a few months, may only have some kind of stop-gap effort, a stop-gap effort that would barely provide enough time

for those who are already threatened with losing their health care at the end of the year, barely enough time to even try to reschedule a doctor's appointment. these miners, many of whom face devastating illnesses as a result of their time in the mines, will be given absolutely no certainty that they will receive their medical care or their needs if we simply would extend this bill to the time of the c.r. until after -- what would happen after may 1. and that's nothing to say the more than 100,000 miners across the country, thousands of them in my state, in virginia, whose not only health care but future pension benefits are threatened by the approaching insolvency of the united mine workers 1974 pension fund. madam president, you may not know this -- as a matter of fact, even my colleague from west virginia didn't realize

this -- but today, december 6, is actually national miners day. each year on december 6 we set aside a day to honor the mine workers of today and yesterday and reflect on their contributions to our nation and rededicate ourselves to doing everything we can to protect their lives and health. think about that. today is actually national miners day. what better day to take the long-awaited action to make sure that those miners -- again, particularly more often than not their widows, that we honor the commitment that was made back in 1947 to make sure that their health care and pension benefits, at least their health care benefits are guaranteed. because the reality is even with stronger safety standards, coal

mining remains a dangerous and difficult profession. the truth is nobody can really understand what it's like to be in a mine unless you've been underground. i've had that opportunity a number of times during my career. and so many of the miners i've worked with and supported when i was governor, now while i'm a senator, have seen all of the changes that have been brought about by the changing nature of the industry, by globalization, by technology. and now many of those communities are on hard times. if we were to produce this kind of -- one more hit to these communities, a hit whereby the federal government doesn't honor the commitment they made to various miners in terms of protecting their health care, the miners and their families -- and quite honestly, we're not doing our job. we have put together and worked in that bipartisan fashion. we have a solution. we have a solution that wouldn't add to the debt or deficit.

mr. president, i hope that those who are holding up this long-term solution -- and it is not simply one side. we have complete support on this side of the aisle and a number of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle -- again, we ask let's make sure these miners, their widows and their families don't lose their health care come the end of this year. we can ensure that happens, and i look forward to working with my colleagues to make sure that that promise becomes a reality. with that, i yield the floor to my colleague from pennsylvania. a senator: i'm going to yield the floor to my dear colleague and my friend from georgia. mr. isakson: mr. president, xi. the presiding officer: the senator is recognized.

mr. isakson: it was my l understanding i was going to follow the senator from connecticut on the v.a. bill and i'm happy to follow new jersey connecticut or the senator from virginia or whoever knows what order we're supposed to be in. mr. manchin: sir, that's so kind of you. we can be very brief on ours if you don't mind. mr. isakson: i yield to the senator from west virginia? mr. manchin: yes. mr. isakson: and you'll yield to the senator from connecticut? mr. manchin: let's let you do yours. mr. isakson: the senator from connecticut followed by the senator from georgia and then the senator from pennsylvania. i ask unanimous consent. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection,so ordered. mr. blumenthal: thank you, mr. president. i want to thank my colleagues for their gracious yielding to me. at the beginning of my remarks i want to ask unanimous consent that my committee staff be granted floor privileges, the committee staff from the

veterans' affairs committee, for the remainder of this week. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. blumenthal: there is welcome news today, which is that the senate has received from the hoe h.r. 6416, a bipartisan comprehensive measure that keeps faith with our veterans and makes sure that we continue our progress toward leaving no veteran behind. and i want to emphasize at the very start this measure is a down payment. it is far from a final or even fully acceptable solution to many of the problems that it addresses. it has more than 70 provisions. it's broad and comprehensive in scope and scale. more veterans, many at risk of homelessness, will receive the care and benefits they need and

deserve. v.a. hospitals will have better management and more mental health care givers and emergency room doctors. families of veterans will be helped by extending critical education benefits to surviving members of those families. work will finally begin to help descendants of veterans exposed to toxic substances. but again, on those issues and so many more, we are only taking another step in what must be a journey toward helping our veterans with the services that they need and they deserve and they have earned. one example long awaited, a landmark move will commence research on the descendants of veterans who have been exposed

to toxic substances and address the painful residual wounds of war, an area that's all the more important today because we know that the modern field of combat is ridden with nerve gas and other toxics and poisonous substances that all too often may endanger not only the brave men and women engaged on the battlefield, but also their descendants. this measure expands the definition of homeless veterans to include individuals, perhaps women, fleeing domestic violence. and it broadens eligibility for critical homeless prevention programs. many of those women who are fleeing brutality and violence deserve this kind of help. under this legislation, the veterans health administration will be given the flexibility it

needs in scheduling physician workloads to bring them in line with the common practice that prevails in most medical centers and it's past time that we adjust the 1950's schedules and practices and policies to work regulations within the v.a. hospital and the needs of today's veteran. one extraordinarily important provision here relates to mental health, long a priority for me. it would make it easier to hire mental health care counselors and access mental health care treatment, significantly overhauling v.a. construction practices and authorize major medical construction projects in reno, nevada, and long beach, florida. on the issue of accountability, that is so critically important

and needs so much work, a provision in this measure would limit the ability of the v.a. to place an employee who is under investigation for misconduct on paid administrative leave for more than 14 days. this limitation would end the current practice of placing problematic employees on long periods of administrative leave -- paid administrative leave. and so the provision would force the v.a. leaders to address issues when they arise to impose accountability. i want to thank my colleague, senator isakson, for his leadership, his dedication, his attention to detail, his flexibility in the best traditions of this body. he clearly has put veterans first by sharing their ideas, and they have come to us from

many of the veterans service organizations. and i want to acknowledge all of them as well because they have been such a positive force. and i want to thank my staff on the veterans' affairs committee for their work on this bill and others that we passed, such as the clay hunt veterans suicide prevention bill, which i did in partnership with senator mccain and senator isakson. we need to do more to help veterans cope with opioid addiction, combat homelessness, protect veterans against identity theft, make sure that our health care system for veterans continues to improve. it is still clearly a work in progress and still fails to meet the demands of access for thousands, tens of thousands of our veterans, even as it provides quality health care to

many, many others. many of the current challenges faced bivens -- by veterans are directly attributable to management failures. that's why accountability needs to improve. i want to thank senators burr and tester for their bipartisan agreement to move forward on these challenges and hopefully we will continue their work in the next session. and likewise, i've worked with senator moran and chairman isakson on numerous accountability reforms in the veterans first act that was before this chamber. again, providing goals and measures that we must achieve in the next congress. our bipartisan effort to pass hopefully within the next few days h.r. 6416 is a crucial test of whether there is necessary will and determination in this

body to move ahead on the enormous challenges yet unmet and the enormous obligation that we have. just as critical as the health care challenges, so too are the chronic problems in providing veterans the benefits they have earned, benefits that are denied them in decisions that they appeal. today over 450,000 veterans appeal, await a decision. that's why i introduced the department of veterans appeals modernization act of 2016. the present appeals process is a travesty. it is a mockery of justice. it must be reformed. it must be given the resources to make it effective. and even when veterans earn benefits, there are too many examples of unequal application.

i join senator murray in her effort to ensure that all caregivers for severely wounded and disabled veterans, regardless of when the veteran served, have access to caregiver support services. these caregivers are moms and dads, spouses, children who provide care day after day after day at great expense and burden to them with very little support from a nation that should be grateful to them as it is to the veterans themselves. simply put, veterans deserve better and they deserve more. even when they have grievances, often they are denied a day in court, forced into arbitration agreements concerning their reemployment rights and workplace protections. that is why i introduced the

justice for service members act in june to clarify that service members cannot be denied access to the courthouse and forced into arbitration and that service members cannot be forced to sacrifice those rights as a condition of future or continued employment. it's about basic american justice. who deserves it more, that justice, than our veterans who fight for it, die for it, and should be never denied it. i want to thank again all of my colleagues who have worked with me over these past two years. we owe every veteran, regardless of the war or the conflict, regardless of the era, the basic guarantee that they will never be left behind, that this nation will keep faith with them, and this body owes

them the obligation to summon the political will to cross partisan lines to make sure that we keep faith with them. and as i yield the floor today, i want to express my gratitude again to chairman isakson and say i yield the floor today, but none of us should ever yield in the fight to help our veterans. thank you, mr. president. mr. isakson: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. isakson: mr. presiden, i thk the senator but i want to take this moment on the floor to praise him for the contribution he's made to the committee over the last two years. i want to tell you a story. richard became ranking member of the same year i became -- the same time i became chairman. we met. we made a commitment to one another we were going to move forward on a united veterans committee, address the problems of our veterans and do it in a bipartisan fashion. mr. isakson: to set the tone for that, we introduced the clay hunt suicide prevention act

which richard introduced, richard blumenthal introduced and passed it unanimously in the committee 99-0 on the floor of the senate in the first weeks of this congress. we did so to set the table that whatever the problem is -- we should never let our pettiness and politics and partisanship stop us from helping a veteran. because of richard blumenthal and his effort on suicide prevention and our commitment to make it bipartisan, we passed that unanimously early on in the session. since that time have addressed other issues as well. in fact, the bill that we discussed today which is named in part for richard blumenthal is as he said a minute ago a downpayment on the continuing debt we owe to our veterans who have served us well. i said that first day in the committee when i took over as chairman. you know, there are no republican veterans and no democratic veterans. there are only american veterans. they are the americans that fought for our flag, fought for our constitution, fought for our liberty and fought for each of us. i'm proud to have fought with richard in the fox hole of the

united states senate for our veterans. there is much left to be done. with the passage of this act today which is named after senator blumenthal and congressman jeff miller who is retiring in the house, we're making another downpayment on what we owe our veterans. there other other payments soon to come. i met earlier today with john mccain. we've made a commitment to make sure veterans choice is made permanent to our veterans and work to see to it that veterans have the best choice they can have. not to privatize the v.a. but optimize the exposure of veterans to health care services wherever they need them. i met last night with jon tester, our colleague from montana, who will replace richard as the new ranking member on the committee. he is equally committed with us to see to it that we move beyond the current sunset of the choice program to solve the choice program as well as the other problems that confront our veterans. we're a team of americans, not republican americans or democratic americans but committed americans to see to it that our veterans get what was promised to them. as senator blumenthal said, this

bill addresses homelessness. it addresses women's health care issues. it addresses the possible passage of exposure to toxic waste in a hereditary fashion to our surviving children and grandchildren to our veterans, an obligation we owe to see if there is any transfer of those toxic substances, that the v.a. benefits that go to the veteran also can be passed down to the child who is a victim of heredity through no fault of their own. we do a lot on the court of appeals. we have 450 appeals on a backlog. we're adding to judges in the appeals process and we need to do more to expedite the appeal process. i was personally disappointed this year that as close as we got in dealing with the administration in finding solution we still fail to say to our veterans we're going to solve your problem of waiting in line. i had the sad duty of breaking into tears myself in the living room of a veteran two weeks ago back in the my home of marietta, georgia, a veteran who has been

trying for for years to get an appeal responded to and never getting an answer as to whether his appeal is justified or not. that is just not right. we can find a way in this country to get the manpower and womanpower necessary, make the moral commitment that's imperative, and see to it our veterans who have an appeal get an expeditious answer and our veterans need to cooperate in that process by giving us all the backup data as fast as possible for every appeal they ask for. but it is not right for an appeal to last as long as one that's before us in the united states veterans administration today which is 25 years old. that's right. the oldest appeal is 25 years old in the veterans administration. i am committed and i make the commitment on the floor of the senate today to work with richard, jon tester, the members of our committee and everybody in this body to see to it that we say the 450,000 veterans who are waiting on appeal, we'll get you an answer and get it faster. and the sons and daughters who are signing up today for the

united states military, if you have a need for an appeal, we'll see to it that you get an expeditious answer. they deserve the best and no less than a thorough answer and a response to the appeal that they make. it's been a privilege and a pleasure for me the last years to work as -- last two years to work as chairman of the veterans committee and work with richard blumenthal. i commend him on the contribution he's made. it's equally great to work with his staff is that worked to see to it that we brought the best legislation possible to the floor of the senate. i particularly want to thank tom bowman, my chief of staff who has made a lot of things happen the last two years but things have just begun in the veterans commission of the united states senate. we're going to work together to reach the dreams we all have to see to it that our veterans have seamless services and we pay back to them what we owe to them equally what they sacrificed and pledged for us, their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. as chairman of the committee, i will yield the floor to the senator from pennsylvania by thanking senator blumenthal for his support and ask each of our members of the united states

senate to help us pass this downpayment on the promise and the debt that we owe to the veterans of the united states of america. i yield to the senator from pennsylvania. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from pennsylvania. mr. casey: i ask consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. casey: i rise to speak about the miners protection act and first of all want to commend and salute the work that's been done in which chamber. i'll especially highlight the senators on the democratic side that have been working. i know this won't cover everyone but i want to thank senator manchin, the senior senator from the state of west virginia, senator brown from ohio, and senator warner from virginia and others, including the democratic leadership for working on this. and i know we have bipartisan support on this issue and i want to thank our republican colleagues who have worked on this. unfortunately we're told, and

this is just today we're told in the negotiations and the back and forth on the continuing resolution which we should be voting on this week, we're told the majority leader mcconnell is not going to, not going to include the miners protection act in the continuing resoluti resolution. that is very bad news, especially when we consider how we arrived at this point in terms of bipartisan support. i'll get to that in a moment. instead, apparently, the proposal or i guess at this point it might be beyond the proposal because it might be in a draft of the continuing resolution, but be that as it may, what's been proposed is a four-month -- four months of health care for miners and their families instead of a lifetime guarantee. that is in a word unacceptable. and i won't dwell on that because i want to get to the

rest of our -- the rest of our argument, on why this is -- arguments on why this is a proposal that we cannot accept. a long time ago, before the turn of the last century, the great novelist steven crane who's known mostly for "the red badge of courage ," a great novel and who died i think at the age of 28 or 29, but prior to his death in addition to all that he wrote and a great novel, he wrote from a magazine an essay about a coal mine near my hometown of jackton, lackawanna county. i come from a county that had what they used to call hard coal, anthracite coal and it heated homes across the nation, across the world for not just years but generations. steven crane described how dangerous it was to work in a coal mine.

he did it with such beauty and such skill but there were so many horrible images. i of course won't read the entire essay but at one point i described the inside of a coal mine as a place of -- quote -- insecurityible darkness, a soundless place of tangible loneliness -- unquote. then it described all the ways a miner could die in the mines. so that was the 1890's. of course coal mine drag is safer but still very, very dangerous. know matter what the danger level, no matter what the circumstances of today, we owe these miners their health care and their pensions, and we owe their families. so what they don't want to hear and what we should not engage in is just the usual horse trading and kind of back and forth of washington. they deserve the miners protection act.

it's not some theory. it's not some idea. it's legislation that was introduced, debated, and then voted on by the finance committee. 18-8, a bipartisan vote, in a place that can't agree sometimes on the time of day let alone something as substantive and as important as health care and pension benefits for those who earn them. this isn't some extra thing we're given, not some gift we're giving. they earned it. in many cases not just for years but for decades they earned th this, okay. so we owe them this. this country owes them this. this chamber owes this to these miners. it was a promise a long time ago in the late 1940's. so these miners kept their promise. they went to work every day,

year after year and decade after decade and their families depended upon that promise. some of them served in wars, including vietnam, for example, just one example, served in vietnam and then worked in the mines again and worked and worked and worked. so they kept their promise. they kept their promise to their family. they kept their promise to their country, and they kept their promise to their company and yet here we are once again and the only ones left out are the miners. the companies will figure out a way to do okay. the country will move forward. the senate will be just fine, but once again we stand at the precipice or at the threshold of a new time period. people are wanting to get out of here for the holidays yet coal miners are not us -- not asking

us anything but keep a promise. we should keep our promise and the republican majority leader should keep that promise. it's outrageous that anyone would think it's appropriate to propose temporarily, temporarily saving benefits when in practice these recipients would be notified almost simultaneously that they're both eligible for benefits temporarily and that their benefits will terminate. that's not just wrong, that's an insult. it's an insult to them and to their families. just imagine the stress of this. we can't imagine it. i'll answer my own question. we cannot imagine it. probably no one in this building can imagine the stress on these individuals and their families. so it's completely unnecessary. let me highlight because i know we are limited on time tonight

some of the letters or highlight portions of letters that i've received. i know the senator from west virginia has received even more because of his great advocacy and his work and the substantial impact that his -- that the mining industry has had on his state and the great work that was done by miners to this day. here's a letter from -- and i won't useful names to protect people in case we haven't gotten their permission. this letter is from wanesburg, pennsylvania, southwestern pennsylvania. i'll just limit it to a son talking about his mom. he said, i'm writing to you for my mother asking us to vote on this bill. he tells in the letter that his mom is a widow and he said -- quote -- she now lives on a fixed income. her life depends on this passing -- meaning the bill passing.

she has cancer and will need surgery. her life depends on this bill passing, okay. this isn't just another bill about some far off issue. so that's a son writing to us from wanesburg, pennsylvania about his mom. here's another letter from a son writing about both his parents. and i'll just provide an excer excerpt. he writes, it would be very comforting to know that these -- that his parents could continue their current umwa benefits till they turn 65. he's worried about the fact that two parents are going to turn 65 in 2017, and he wants to make sure that they're protected. the third and last letter that i'll just excerpt from or read an excerpt from is from a miner himself. from johnstown, pennsylvania, a

town i know pretty well, cambria county, a lot of mining there over many years. he's talking about working the mines for 21 years, 21 years. he said, and i quote, when you make a promise, it should be kept, unquote. that's what a miner from johnstown who worked the mines 21 years reminds us of. just what i said, a promise should be kept. he goes on to say -- quote -- "this insurance has gotten my wife and me through many health concerns, including breast cancer, which my wife still fights today." and then he goes on to talk about how this would dramatically change their access to doctors and medical care. so we're not talking about some budget number here. we're talking about a family telling us the life of their mother depends upon it.

another family member whose mom has breast cancer, her life -- or at least her health care at this point depends upon it. so this isn't theory. this is legislation which passed the finance committee, as i said, 18-8. all we have to do is have the leader, majority leader stand up and say we're going to attach this to the continuing resolution and have the house speaker say the same because they have, they have control. that's all they have to do, attach it to the continuing resolution, and we will finally have kept our promise. so temporary relief is not only insufficient, it is an insult. okay? it's not just insufficient. it's dead wrong. so no one here should be playing games with people's ability to pay for medication, paying for their oxygen. that shouldn't be the subject of games or horse trading.

or pay to keep the heat on. so we delivered in both parties. we delivered to majority leader mcconnell everything he asked for. committee consideration, debate, and a vote in the committee. and now it's come to the floor of the united states senate. it's time for all of us to keep our promise to coal miners and to make the miners protection act permanent law and to keep our promise to those miners and their family. and i would yield the floor. i want to again commend and salute the senator from west virginia as i yield the floor. mr. manchin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mr. manchin: i want to thank my dear friend from pennsylvania, my neighbor state, for his commitment to the hardworking people that made this country what we have today. you know, there's a lot of people that don't really know the history of how we are the super power of the world, how we won two world wars, how we energized the whole industrial might, how we built the middle

class. it came because of the domestic energy that we basically extracted right here in america. and it was done by mine workers. my grandfather came to this country as a young child in the early 1900's, and his family came here to find a better life on both sides. i had one set of grandparents came from czechoslovakia. the other set came from italy. and they both ended up in the coal mines. and my uncles, my cousins, there were coal camps all over the area i grew up in, farmington, west virginia. i was so proud of the heritage i had. i'll never forget my boy scout leader was pat keener, and he was a coal miner. and when the coal mines automated in 1959, he had to go on and find a job up in ohio in the auto industry. my little league ball player, little league coach was a coal miner. everybody that i knew from the hunting and fishing clubs were

all coal miners that took all of us and showed us how to do things and enjoy the outdoors. it's just an unbelievable network of people, and most all of them were military. most all of them were veterans. and they continued to serve their country when they left the mines and went to the military and came back to the mines. so i rise today really with a heavy heart because i thought we had this fixed. i thought this was something that we had done and senator casey laid it out so well. and we have done everything. this day's been coming for quite some time. i warned everybody two years ago that this finite time would come december 31st of this year. and we started working in earnest quite a while ago. and we were told as you said to go through the regular order to do things we were supposed to do. it got its full purview, if you will, and it passed bipartisan. everyone is sympathetic. everyone knows the hard work that's done and how hard that work is and dangerous that work

is. my uncle on my mom's side got killed in a 1968 mine explosion in farmington. i lost a lot of kids that i went to school with, classmates. so it's been very near and dear to me. as governor of west virginia, the sago mine disaster, we lost 12 miners there. we had the logan mine disaster. i lost two people there. then we had the u.b.b., we lost 29 people. i've been through. i know how dangerous and tough this business is. but i know the country depends on them. i want to make sure everyone understands it was never intended for the government or the taxpayers to pay. it never was. it wasn't set up that way. 1946, john l. lewis. john l. lewis basically said we're going to go on strike. we're pulling everybody out. after world war ii. now the economy had been ramped

up because there was 100% employment. we were producing everything and consuming because of the war effort. when that happened, then the economy starts down. he says oh no, we've got to build this, keep this economy going. we can't let this tail off. and they said listen, from the beginning of the 20th century until 1946 -- 46 years -- these miners have done backbreaking work. you heard the old adage that i owe my soul to the company store. my grandfather told me he worked in the mines in the early 20's. he had four children, was expecting the fifth child. he said at the end of the day he had no money. all his was at the company store. he had to buy everything there at the end of the month. he owed them for working. he had no health care. he had a little doctor that helped him a little bit. he had no pension retirement. they worked until they died and that was about the way it was. in 1946 they said enough's enough. you shouldn't toil and you shouldn't work this hard and so many people benefit.

you help build a country and you get nothing. so they said from that day forward -- and that was the kreug amendment that was signed and by the blessing of the united states president, harry s. truman, then they said from that day forward all the coal that we mine, a percentage of that coal or the money on that percentage of coal would go into a black lung fund and then it would go into the a.m.l. fund and then it would go into the miners basically health care and retirement, their pension and retirement. a portion of that. so it wasn't coming from taxpayers. it was coming from the work they were producing. that's where this came from. everything's going fine. and then basically congress -- congress basically passed bankruptcy laws that allowed companies to go and declare bankruptcy, and basically divest themselves of all the responsibilities for the people who work for them. we had the 1974 plan, the 1992

plan. so we're dealt with something that was not the makings. these people negotiated contracts in good faith by bargaining, and they would give away -- they would give away salary or money that could have been in their pocket because they knew they were going to get guaranteed health care. and now here we stand basically saying i'm sorry that's not going to happen. you're going to lose your pension and health care. we have over 16,000 that will lose their health care benefits by the end of this year, less than four weeks away. 16,000. senator casey read some letters. i'm going to read some letters too. what we're doing here is we're holding up -- and, mr. president, i know that it affects all the hard work -- this is something that is not easy for me. i've never done this. i've been here six years. i've never used this procedure. but i have never felt so committed and so beholden to people that have given so much, we're talking of 60, 70, 80-year-old widows.

most their husbands have died. most their husbands have passed on and they're still dependent on this. this is the health care they have. the little clinics we have in the coal communities around west virginia, southwestern pennsylvania, those clinics will not survive. this has a ripple effect. now i'm understanding they're going to give us a four-month extension. four months. let me tell you what these people have gone through and i'll read these letters. they were told in october, the first of october, that you will lose your benefits of health care. 16,000 were sent letters. you're going to lose them by the end of the year, end of this year. now what we're about to do, which i believe is totally, totally inhumane, we're about to now send them another letter if it passes the way it's going to be presented to us in the c.r. that i'm sorry, mrs. smith, i know we told you you're going to lose your health care on december 1, but now we're going to tell you that on january we'll send you another

letter and tell you you're going to lose it in april. now you tell me if there's anything fair about that. you tell me how you face people that have given everything and now we're just going to extend it for another four months with no certainty that anything will continue from there. we're asking for a permanent fix. we have a pay-for for that permanent fix. it's the -- it's the excess that we have, surplus in the a.m.l. money. but everybody has other plans for that. well, guess what, the people that need it have plans also to try to keep themselves alive. that's the plan they have. and that's what they're asking for. so i haven't ever used this tactic before but i feel so compelled that i say we're going to do whatever we can to keep this promise. and we've asked for the health care. this had a health care pension provision. it has only the health care provision right now because we understand that we worked and we negotiated and we said this is something that we felt that we needed now because it had a

finite time, the end of this month. we'll work on the pensions next year too to make sure they're going to be preserved. but with that being said, i've gotten letters the same as everybody else in the coal country that we come from. i have one from jo ann stevens. she says dear senator manchin, without action i along with thousands of other coal miners and widows of coal miners will lose our health care on december 31. my husband died in 2012 of pancreatic cancer. he also had black lung. he loved his job even though it was so dangerous and hard. he believed he was working to ensure a good retirement and health benefits not just for him but for me and our family. i'm asking congress to please, please do the right thing and don't let us lose our health care benefits. i have another letter. this is carol turk. she writes my husband works in the mind with blockages in his brain until he had enough time -- he worked even though

he was that ill so i would have insurance, knowing that he was very ill. he retired in 2009. he passed away in 2011. he was a good worker. he stayed over and he worked days off when needed and this is how they thank him in return. how is an older person supposed to live when they take away your retirement, take away your insurance and never give you a raise in social security? everything raises and medical is outrageous. i guess when you're old they expect you to crawl in a corner and die. i pray every day that god gives me another day and i'm praying they pass this health care provision so that others and myself can live just a little bit longer. and i have another one. she says dear senator manchin and all of you who are trying to help us my husband charles passed away from cancer. my husband told me if he took

his medical coverage he would not go to the doctor because he didn't want to leave me in debt if he didn't get medical coverage. he didn't want to go to the doctor. my income was cut almost 75% when charles passed away. charles was promised these benefits for us both. he worked all those years in coal dust to help supply this country with the energy that it needed. pray that our government pass this bill to help the thousands that will be affected by not having health care. some people will choose to buy medicine instead of food. this is so sad and coal miners work in the mines for so long. some people that never work can get help under the new health care law. so why not help the ones that have worked and paid for it? why can't they get what they were supposed to get? she says i'm proud to be an american and a daughter, a sister, a wife and a mother of a coal miner. i have one here that explains it very well. she says dear senator, i have

educated and have dedicated my life to a career in nursing in boone county, west virginia. my husband developed a kidney disease and heart disease at an early age. he did not smoke, drink nor do drutions. -- drugs. during the war he developed an auto immune disease. he worked for 30 years underground in the coal industry as an electrician in the mines and maintenance worker. he was an educated man but loved working with his hands. after coming out of the u.s. air force when he worked in the rural elect -- electrification agencies in the white house, he chose to go in the mines. rick worked hashed every day and during the -- worked hard every day and during the last 15 years he worked he would sometimes travel to get chemotherapy treatments while he was still working. he had heart disease as a result

of those treatments. so many heart surgeries, stints and bypass surgery followed along with a renal disease. he worked providing electricity. they were comfortable in their homes not risking life or limb for the luxuries provided for them by the coal miners. they did not strike and continued providing the valuable coal resources this country needed. after educating me to a master's level, putting a girl through medical school and another daughter to teacher's education, we depleted many of our financial resources to do this. knowing we had a secure retirement and health plan through his union. during the last one and a half years of his life after retirement, rick died of leukemia that developed from many years of chemical treatments for his auto immune

kidney disease. meanwhile, i worked another 26 years as a school nurse plus additional years as a registered nurse planning to utilize my husband's percentage of retirement and health benefits to secure my retirement. when the courts of this land allowed bankrupting companies to fold on their commitments to our miners, that has become a frightening impossible situation for myself, a widow, and many more in my same situation. devastation is the only word that can be used to describe the trickledown effect it will have on so many other businesses and health agencies. if this congressional action does not carry through to secure our union miners, retirees and widows, you are not only destroying the 12,000-plus miners, but the other 20,000 widows involved. you are destroying huge infrastructures and businesses that depend on the income and health benefits where these individuals serve. please note only the union miners contributed to these funds, not the nonunion miners

who chose much higher wages, opposed to the union wages and structure. please consider this so that we can go into christmas knowing that we have the security of the fund being stabilized. some will have no way out. some individuals will literally not survive without the needed health care and pensions they worked and sacrificed their health to obtain. thank you. this is sue perez from south charleston, west virginia. we have many, many more. the thing i want to emphasize is these are real people. this is not just something that we are fabricating. these are people that work every day. these are people that are still living, still contributing to their families, still depending on the health care. the ripple effect is unbelievable. and to sit here and say that we're going to pass a c.r. because we want to go home for christmas early, to say that we have the comfort of being home and we have got 16,000 miners retired, we have the widows and families depending on health care and they have been told they're going to lose it

december 31, but we're in a hurry to leave. we just can't wait to leave. we've got to get out of here. well, i'm sorry. that is not the way we do it back home. that's not how we treat our friends and neighbors, and especially not how we treat our miners. and i'm asking all of you to work with us, to make sure we get a permanent fix. that's all we're asking for. we have a way to do this with the surplus a.m.l. funds to pay for that. that's money that was made from mining of coal to be used for this. that's what we're asking for. that's what we promised them. that's what we owe them. so i thank all of my colleagues, each and every one, for being so considerate. we've had a bipartisan support. i will say this. if this was a stand-alone bill on this floor, it would pass. this bill on this floor would pass with democrats and republicans working together. it would pass on the house also. but that's not the case. we can't get a stand-alone bill. we have what we have. we're asking for the compassion

of our leaders on all sides of the aisle here to give us a clean, give us a long-term fix for our health care for the retired miners as promised. and with that, mr. president, i yield the floor to my dear friend from ohio. mr. brown: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: thank you. i thank the presiding officer and thank you, senator manchin, for driving this issue. it's done better than it would have done without you, and thank you for making a real difference. senator casey and your impassioned pleas and reading those letters from mine workers, retired mine workers, widows of retired mine workers in western pennsylvania and all over west virginia and southeast ohio. i got a letter, we're all getting letters in our offices that are heartfelt and just make me wonder why aren't we doing something. i want to share a letter from a lady in galipolis, ohio.

it's a village, i was just there in the community of rio grand earlier this week. this is a letter to mitch mcconnell, who is frankly the single person standing in the way of doing this. she writes dear leader mitch mcconnell, just to inform you as a member of the united mine workers umwa that it's vitally important that we keep our insurance. my husband larry worked 35 years as a miner. he has had bypass surgery last august 8, 2016. he has black lung, copd, chronic ideopattic gout, acute bronchitis and other things. she said, she writes i have a history of cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. we need members of congress to consider all that the coal miners have contributed to the welfare of this country. now we ask that they remember the commitments made to the coal miners. please keep that promise made to

the coal miners. over and over, please keep that promise made to the coal miners. but instead, we hear one -- all kinds of excuses. again, one man, the majority leader of the senate, the republican senator from kentucky, one man standing in the way. senator manchin just said that if this came to a vote right now on the senate floor, it would easily have enough votes to pass it, but one man has blocked this and the continuing resolution. he has kind of distributed, dropped a few crumbs to a few miners for a few weeks on health care but not pensions, but it's one man standing in the way. when i look at the other senator, the two senators from pennsylvania, one democrat, one republican, two senators from west virginia, one democrat, one republican, two senators from ohio, one democrat, one republican, two senators from virginia, both democrats, all of them want to move on this but we keep hearing excuses, again, from one man, the majority leader of the senate from

kentucky. we're told by the majority leader we need bipartisan support. well, we got it. the bill cosponsored by republicans and democrats. as senator manchin said, if it were brought up for a vote, we could pass it tonight. then we're told the bill needs to go through regular order, which is the way in washingtonspeak of simply saying send it to a committee, examine it, debate it, bring a couple of witnesses in, bring in experts, talk about it. we did that. senator warner and casey and i all sit on the finance committee. we helped get this bill through with a bipartisan vote of 18-8. not even close. again, the senators -- republican senators from pennsylvania and ohio joined the democratic senators from those two states 18-8. then we were told by the majority leader the one man who is stopping this, find a pay-for, find a way to pay for it. we did. the bill is fully offset, as senator manchin said, as senator casey said, a number of us have said.

this does not cost taxpayers a dime. this isn't a bank bailout that costs real dollars. this isn't even the auto rescue which was so important to my state. that cost real dollars, although the money was paid back. this won't cost taxpayers anything. the congressional budget office estimates it would reduce the federal deficit by $67 million over ten years because they would get the right kind of health care rather than having to rely on other kinds of government programs. these miners again, we keep saying this over and over, they have done everything that we have asked them to do. president truman almost seven decades ago made this commitment. we have lived up to this commitment through presidents of both parties, including this president barack obama, but one person, again, one person has stood in theaway. the miners in my state can't afford to have this reduced to political gamesmanship. they're hardworking people. they have spent their careers doing dignified work. i remember when we spoke to the rally on a really hot day

earlier this year, thousands of miners there, i remember cecil roberts, the president of the united mine workers, stood up at the beginning and he said put your hand up if you're a veteran. hundreds and hundreds of hands went up. then he asked put your hand up if you are -- if your father or your mother was a veteran. again, hundreds more hands went up. these are people that served their country, and those that weren't off to war were producing the coal to produce the electricity to power the war machine, whether it was world war ii or korea or vietnam or anything since. but not taking up, not taking up the mine workers protection act is violating, violating the promise made by president truman, violating the promise that we have all made. the bill should ride on the continuing resolution. the majority party has the ability to make that happen right now. i was talking a moment ago just quietly and privately to senator casey, and we were talking about unlike, unlike the -- unlike the spouses of insurance agents or

realtors or teachers or senators or bankers, mine workers are much more likely to die at a younger age. when you talk about a so many -- by any cross-section, by any analysis of who is -- who has been -- who is most in need of this kind of help. mine workers, there are a lot more mine worker widows than there are in other professions because of the danger of the work. the much more likelihood of dying on the job, much greater likelihood of getting hurt on the job, much greater likelihood in later years of developing brown lung and developing various kind of heart ailments and bronchial elements because they worked in the mines. and that makes it an even -- an even more fundamental moral question that we do something about this, when you think how many mine workers are sick and need health care, how many need these pensions, how many mine workers died and their widows

need this help and we sit here doing nothing? and i -- i just say again to leader mcconnell get out of our way. just let this -- let this come to an up or down -- however you want to do it, however you want to schedule this, however you want to move this through the senate, we should be doing it now. we shouldn't go home for our christmas break until we take care of these miners. it's the right moral thing to do. it's the right thing for our country. it's a promise we made, a pledge we made. we should honor it starting this evening. mr. president, i yield back. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mrs. shaheen: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new hampshire. mrs. shaheen: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. shaheen: thank you. today the senate foreign relations committee approved the resolution to allow montenegro to become a member of the north atlantic treaty organization. you'll here -- i'm here this afternoon to urge that the full senate take up this issue and give a prompt vote to the ex-session -- accession before we bring the 114th done a close. a top priority of the historic nato summit that happened in warsaw in july was bolstering the alliance's resolve and capacity to deter russian aggression against the baltic states and the rest of nato's eastern flank. also at the warsaw summit nato formally invited montenegro to become its 29th member nation. all 28 member states must now ratify the accession protocol

according to our own procedures. in the united states, that means the senate must ratify the protocol. in the decades since the end of the cold war, nato has been a tremendous force for stability, democratization and freedom in europe. that's exactly why more countries, including those created by the breakup of yugoslavia, are eager to join. montenegro has worked hard to prove its commitment to nato, including by strengthening its democracy, making significant progress in fighting corruption, and improving its defense capabilities. montenegro's membership in nato would have significant impact, including completing the alliance's unbroken control of the adreyatic coast. it will serve to further anchor the baltic region and the security framework of nato. and it speaks volumes that vladimir putin has fiercely opposed montenegro's accession.

during montenegro's general election in october, authorities arrested 20 people suspected of plotting with support from russia to overthrow the cabinet and s.a.s. nate montenegro -- and aassassinate montenegro's prime minister. while neigh know is purely a defensive alliance, russia has warned montenegro of retaliation if the country continues to pursue nato membership. by quickly approving the resolution on -- accession, the united states senate candom straight that it stands firmly with montenegro and we will not allow russia to bully european states with impunity. it would reaffirm that nato's door remain open. and stand ready to contribute to nato operations. nato must stand firm on the prink that the decision to seek membership in the alliance cannot be blocked by a third party. nato is the most ambitious and

successful alliance in history. across nearly seven decades, it's risen to every challenge, deterring the soviet union during the cold war, integrating former soviet block countries into a europe whole and free, restoring peace in the balkans after yugoslavia's breakup, invoking article 5 in defense of the united states after september 11, and most recently taking the fight to the islamic state terrorist group in syria and iraq. montenegro is a small nation with big strategic importance. it's accession to nato would strengthen the alliance. in turn, membership in nato would bolster montenegro's democracy and independence. as i said, the foreign relations committee today approved the resolution of accession. i hope the full senate will bring the resolution to the floor for a prompt, favorable voavment the united states -- vote. the united states has always

stood strong for freedom and democracy in europe, and it's time to stand strong for freedom and democracy in montenegro. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. gardner: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. gardner: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i'm pleefsed to come to the floor -- i'm pleased to come to the floor to talk about senate bill 3084, the american innovation and competitiveness act. that is piece of legislation that has taken several years of patience, perseverance, a lot of hard work, testimony from both sides of the aisle. many a pleased that senator peters from michigan and i have finally been able to come up with a product that is the strongest bipartisan support in both the senate and the house. this is an effort that builds on the american competes

legislation. american competes was first passed over a decade ago as an effort to make the united states more competitive economically, an effort to make sure we had the skills and our workers, the stem force education to compete with nations around the world as global competition increases, as other nations try to gain an advantage over the united states in their manufacturing processes and in their innovation processes. and so the american competes legislation arose from a report that was put together by a group of individuals, a very, very smart business leaders, scientists, known as the rising above the gathering storm rorkts the rags report. the item being how are we going to make sure that the united states remains competitive? how do we make sure that we have the education programs we have -- we need in this country to gear the next generationwork force for a -- generation workforce for a more competitive environment? so, mr. president, we have put together this bill, a bipartisan bill, passing it out of the

commerce committee for the first time in a decade, the america competes legislation, to renew this policy effort. and so, mr. president, i would ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 695, s. 3084. i further ask that the committee-reported substitute amendment be withdrawn, the gardner substitute amendment be agreed to, the bill as amend be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. brown: mr. president, i reserve the right to object. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: mr. president, this legislation sounds pretty good. it is bipartisan. but i also know in my state there are more than a thousand mine workers retired and they're widows. we know that people that have worked in the mines for 35, 30, 35, 40 years are more likely to

be sick, more likely to die younger. so these thousand-plus mine workers that have been denied their pensions, their pensions and their health care have been threatened. many, many of them are widows of mine workers, yet we have bipartisan support. it passed out of the finance committee 16-8 and senator mcconnell, one person, one person in this body for weeks and weeks and months and months have blocked the mine workers pension and health care act. i'd be very happy to support and to help senator gardner in this legislation, the american innovation and competitiveness act. i would hope that he would speak to the republican leader and ask him to do the right thing to help these pensioners and these widows and mine workers who -- whose pensions are threatened, whose health care is about to be

cut off. mr. president, i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. gardner: thank you, mr. president. i want to reiterate this legislation, the american competes bill. it's a bipartisan product. it's countless hours working with people from around the country to come up with a bill that focuses on giving workers, ploy es, -- workers, employee, the skills they need to succeed. i understand the gentleman from ohio's objection based on the needs to move forward with legislation that they are talking about. it's my understanding that there is at least an effort to work on that legislation that would provide at least some time to come up with a longer term solution providing an extension of health care coverage that they have been seeking at least for some time, although not the entire benefit package that they are hoping would be extended under the legislation that they are also talking about. mr. brown: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: if the gentleman

would yield. i would be happy and i know -- not exactly speak for my colleagues but i know a number of senators on this side of the aisle would be pleased to work with you on this. i'm hopeful we can do both in the days ahead. mr. gardner: i thank the senator from ohio. one of the challenges we have, of course, is the time, the calendar, as this reaches toward the end. i'm committed to staying here as long as we can to fix this and to make this work. i do worry about our colleagues across the hallway and their calendar and making sure that they are finding the time to process this legislation along with legislation the gentleman from ohio is concerned about. again, this is i think something that we ought to be able to move on as we address your concerns, as we address the concerns that are i think at least to some degree going to be addressed in the continuing resolution to work on legislation that truly is bipartisan, truly has been beneficial from the standpoint of providing more resources for

manufacturing partnerships, more resources for commercialization efforts, additional resources for system stem -- for stem education, finding more people to get involved in underrepresented minority community members involved in stem education fields. these are things i think we can work on and this place has to have the ability for work together on efforts that the gentleman from ohio is so concerned about and also the efforts that we have through the american competes legislation. i believe we can do both and i understand the objection and appreciate the offer and willingness to work. i know when you have a house and a senate that operate on two different calendar, one of which is under our control and again let's stay here till we get this done, but there is one that is out of our control and i just hope that we can move forward on this because all 50 states do benefit from the bipartisan work that we have been able to put forward on the american innovation and competitiveness

act. mr. brown: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: i appreciate those words. i also recognize we've not seen the continuing resolution yet. there's a rumor that it's got four months of health care but no pension assistance and no fully funding the pension and the health care assistance -- the health care, they've already gotten a notice it's going to be terminated. if we do this in four months, they get another one in january. but that's all hearsay because we've still not seen the bill. i know we're working on separate calendars. i understand that. the house, maybe it's going to take their ball and go home showing the real maturity in its leadership. but the fact is we ought to -- we need to stay here. i don't know why we need to go home for christmas tomorrow or even friday. i think we should stay here till we finish. we've been here till december 24th before. i'm fine with that. i want to be home. i have grand children. i have a wife whom i love and i have grandchildren and i have kids and i want to see them all but i want to take care of these

miners. to say the house is on a different calendar, show us the bill. let's talk about it. let's negotiate this. follow regular order where we have a 16, 18-8 vote. we can honor on what senator gardner wants to do with colorado. i'm fine with doing that but we're not going to do any of those things till we take care of these miners. we have an obligation to them begun by president truman and we betray that commitment to 12,000 miners in this country, retired miners and their widows, in some cases, and it's just morley reprehensible. i want -- morally reprehensible. i want to do that. it's up to my colleagues to push the majority leader for whatever reason he's the one that's blocked this and continues to block our doing this and we should stay here till it's finished. mr. president, i yield the floor.

guard mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. gardner: i ask unanimous consent that 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 guard mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the appointments at the desk appear separately in the record as if made by the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. gardner: i ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule 22, the postcloture time with respect to the motion to concur with the house amendment to the senate amendment to h.r. 34 expire at 2:00 p.m. on wednesday, december 7. i further ask that if cloture is invoked on the conference report to accompany s. 2943, that the postcloture time be counted as if cloture vote had been invoked on 1:00 a.m. on wednesday, december 7. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. gardner: i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m. wednesday, december 7. following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date and the time for the two leaders westbound reserved for their use later in the day. following leader remarks the senate resume consideration of the house message to accompany h.r. 34 post cloture vote. finally that the time from 3:00

p.m. to -- until 4:00 p.m. tomorrow be reserved for tributes to the president of the senate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. gardner: senators should expect to vote in relation to the 21st century cures legislation as well as the conference report to accompany the national defense authorization act beginning at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow. if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned till

>> >> here is what the president-elect said about the project.

[inaudible conversations] and everything fine? you will see them. >> allotted things to a lot of people. very well. >> what about canceling of contract with airforce one? >> it will be over $4 billion for air force one corporate and is ridiculous. we want boeing to make money but not that much

. >> responded to those threats that our reckless with consequences. i just got a call from the reporter that the trees the president-elect has madeca canceling the contract to build their force one now of last of dialect -- i looked i think the president of the united states is still barack obama.

and will be president until 20 of the january right now the president-elect running around the world with his tweet bar making statements that our destructive and for the american public. says if you was the secretary of state he shed be in the transition office figuring out how he makes a smooth transition of the american government to his administration not making the decision himself to announce at 3:00 in the

morning because he cannot sleep. kind of ope this kind of operation from somebody who is used to running a big business. running trump towers or casino can act like that and read don't know if heou endorsed defense in those that made up of a contract to appropriate the money. that is the of process. the democratic process of this country. and and 22020 and 47 characterss with hundreds of jobs that people in my district, a good hard-working americans.

we haven't seen the contract we don't know what the deal is. how many have to laugh? we just know a tweet went out to have the big rally with a victory lap but there is no piece of paper. rec and if i were to make a recommendation is talk to the indians the native american indian the treaty's waived with the united states of america in made dead treaty with carrier to get $7 million for indianall

and he will get $7 million and no one knows but the president-elect should spend his time in the transition office for deciding who will hold the job to make this country run. it will not be run by one man in the whitehouse making pronouncements and thinking all the world will go to the ground to worship him. we have a democratic process and the burden on the house as we leave it to. i am sorry to be leaving because might think it is a very tough session to help the new president's understand how the presidency works. it is not a business.bers

and the 435 members of this house takes the money of taxes to put those out as we see fit for the country.s is >> can they pass the of bill and spends the money as the congress has decided it should be spent. >> if you look at us constitution as the president-elect has looked the first article is the congress. the preeminent body in this government because we are elected by the people. >> your time is expired. >> and we as a prior -- we stopped reading. >> thank you for your

service as an incredible public service and. he gave his farewell speech this afternoon we will watch that down and fell attributes from fellow senators. >> madam president today i rise for the second time on the senate floor to deliver a farewell speech. it does not seem like that long ago 1998 when i delivered my first farewell speech i spoke then about making the transition andrs reflected on the end of 24 years of public service.ears, now does become 34 years the uni calling for additional

public service fop's -- five. i want to assure my family some of whom are in the gallery, my colleagues some of them have come to hear me speak campaign contributors even the campaign committee for the farewell address. [laughter] the through all the ups and downs in the highs and lows and the successes and failures eye except nothing but gratitude serving end of military with dan quayle and the house of representatives representing my home state as united states senator as u.s. ambassador to germany the

felice did venture of la lifetime and i am so grateful for the opportunities i have been afforded. in doc process of governing to be in the of what iex believe they have all then a privilege beyond description. it is time to express a few things i fellow senator from tennessee who has a good habit who says when you drive down a country road to see a turtle on the top of a fence post chances are it did not get there on its own . and i did not get here on my own. from my career to have so many talented and wonderful people that provide the

invaluable help along the away. and those guided by steps along the way my wife marcia ch, the wonderful children for their love and support into a cage in the consuming job i went to thank my former vice president dan quayle mentor and friend to consider public-service of the former indiana ag governor and his then-president george debut bush as a yacht for trinity

to serve as an ambassador with colin powell and that exceptional staff supporting you with the years some of our here today and gone on to achieve great success specifically those that put the team together we have all led our team for their friendship and encouragement in riyal work hard and as

time interacting. the french ships that i have now had with the talented men and women and last but not least to think the citizens of indiana of the world's greatest deliberative body. did with the health of this institution about the government in the years ahead.nt and then a divided country with our visions for america's future.

this segment is not to be on i the believe that all thosetr republicans and democrats try to do what is in the best interest of our country of posterity in the common cause to make our country better place in a more prosperous place even if the means to get their differ and in the spirit those of the importance but i want to briefly discuss what i believe jeopardized the continued assistance these are the issues i have repeatedly expressed fromry the practical standpoint and today the national debt is of

$19.5 trillion and meanwhile social security and medicare to creeping ever closer to insolvency.l and one day if not addressed to have a devastating effect sed with our children's future the second great concern with rogue state actors who can successfully conduct an attack of mass destruction.ous status of the hands of the most dangerous people. such as a cyberattack or the electric grid.e who

the requires all of those of a political consequence that may occur of future generations. >> in conclusion and with the reflection that ronald reagan paid for those fallen sailors. and allow me to quote a few words yes they were ordinary men yes they were here in because they were heroes when this might forget to do all the lovely spring and summer days for a free thanksgiving and christmas lig

there will be moments for those that see for the first time and wonder why is there such a place as of america? a bettis citizens of this great country we have the gift of freedom.re a it is of beacon of freedom to cry out for liberty preserve felicia and led never forgeten d we should preserve this precious gift to hear the o call to set will stand in f defense of freedom for future generations and to experience those moments to see that light of discovery

of this precious gift, is it this is mine? i have seen the light that the veterans day ceremonies.ur and those that have foughtwh in defense of the freedom of fields and his sacrifice. home m lows who russian to the arms of battle. the tears of joy as olympic athletes stand as the star spangled banner is played before the world. and naturalization ceremonies to express spiritual way got to become an american citizen.vilege those of us who have given those challenges as united states senators to have an

obligation and then continue to wonder how would is such a precious gift.de to and so my colleagues and friends, with love and myhe heart for each of you i did farewell and i yield the floor. >> madam president? >> the senator from indiana. >> madam president i rise today as we bid farewell to my good friend and my colleague, mike powell, this senior senator from indiana. ofa

whose served the state and our country so well with such honor and a dedicationan for more than 35 years. what and for what and extraordinary senator you have spent to see the white mountains of new hampshire and as many of us know bod starting what long before he was elected after graduating from week to college and notce often told you was a soccer star to join united states army 19,663rd 1968 to earn the rank of staff sgt. and then coming to indiana

to earn a law degree at the school of law in indianapolis where he continues as public-service for the congressman and dan quayle. and in 1980 elected to represent the fourth congressional district of indiana that he served so well and an office he held eight years. in 1988 senator quayle was elected to serve as vice president and appointed in the united states senate into successfully win reelection in 1990 and 89 ad. and continued his legacy to our beloved state and is theat senior senator so whenever

we have football discussions with the senate armed services committee and the intelligence committee to be more secure and more prosperous and then retired from the senate. in them president bush asked to serve again as the ambassador to germany. ready for his duties in 2001. we know how much our world changed three days later in our important his job became to ensure that they continue their relationship to keep all of us safe and not only to for just wrong relationship to play a key

role in the establishment of the embassy in the heart of berlin. c it is hard to stress - - stress how critical his leadership was at that timentain with use of american diplomacy and and 2011 once again to serve the people ofas indiana. and has produced steadfast leadership on the finance committee in the intelligence committee and the economic committee's. on a more personal blow to the mike and always count on him to be a thoughtful friend working together to address the many issues impacting hoosiers in beer

all in this together. he is always ready to work in a bipartisan manner. and advocating for fiscal responsibility such as making sure to make sure they could change the style guide as the rest of us know he could make it clear we aeronaut indiana we are hoosiers.se it has been an honor to serve with you. and 2:00 a.m. through the lives of the hard-working hoosier families that we represent.

and as dan leaves the senate floor wish my friend and partner and my senioremembered senator for his extraordinary service the love of the state and loveil of the family. i hope they can spend a lot of time with his wonderful wife marcia he has spent less to have a wonderful family and we have been blessed that we can be a part of his life. indiana god bless the senator in his family and indiana and god bless america. >> i yield back. >> madam president as i

listen to the eloquent farewell remarks of my friends and colleagues from indiana i could not help but they he is at peace with his decision he has made his leaves the rest of us feeling bereft and sad knowing that we will miss him as a friend and esteemed colleague. 114 for the 114th congress with perfection and gratitude would-be offeredeaves in gratitude as he leaves uh chamber but there is no word

for this outstanding leader his that's has guided the entire life in and that word is service. as we have heard from his colleague from indiana thet junior senator, in 1964 at the height of the vietnam war he enlisted in the united states army to achieve the rate of staff sgt and in 1880 the u.s. house of representatives in to join the senate. he quickly became widely known and deeply respected as a strong voice of discipline in national security.

in with the intelligence agencies of foreign affairs. and then to be named as u.s. ambassador to germany to years later. to ride that the post just three days before the terrorist attacks of september 112001. och i cannot think of fortunate our country was at the time of such turmoil for our country and all the world.een our and to strengthen the relationship and after his

tenure as ambassador had ended, the senator continued became president of big brothers and big sisters of america when civic and volunteer organizations including the center for jewish and christian valuesrman with another dear friend of mine, senator lieberman. to found the foundation of america's renewal with the faith based solutions to help me solve with the social problems. and when he returns to the senate in 2012 he pledged he

would focus his tremendous energy and extraordinary intellect with the pro-growth job-creating policy and strengthening the national security with numerous threats and he has kept of loews promises and that he cherishes, the senator has taken to heart our obligation the sound economic future of the next-generation. it is a particular honor to work side-by-side with senator coats on the

intelligence committee. and it will never be fully known to the public. and i can and share with you that the senator has the instinctual ability that matter how complex and difficult the topic that is also a tribute that he is thought so deeply about these issues of our country with terrorist groups.t one of the first members of the ascendant that were of live and emerged to this administration's failed policy toward syria.

the strong yen effectivese advocacy to move cybersecurity is another example of his deep commitment of the security of our nation to protect the most critical infrastructure c of a devastating cyberattack whom warning us is not a matter of if but when. led but he did so am glad the of way of the political pressure brought to bear of the status quo of the

cybersecurity and senator coats is an inspiring role model. -- sac to serve.de a and epitomizes effective service that an entirely commitment to make americald already the greatest country in the world, a better place to live our nation is truly grateful to this great manor coa iso grateful for him is friendship. . .

madam president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. portman: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: woe are. mr. portman: may i ask consent it be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. portman: i speak today as a mr. portman: i speak today as a madam president i speak today as a neighbor dan côte, i'm his neighbor on the senate floor and in his neighbor back onto that represent the the state of ohiod his next-door nidea. i also was involved in dan coatg earlier political career because i was asked to interview him when i was a young lawyer for his potential move from the united states house to the

united states senate and there was no way to be involved in that process without acquiring great respect and admiration for this man that i got to know know about his family and his background. he is literally and figuratively a boy scout in every way and he's also a guy who we will miss here greatly. he has become the voice of reason and the voice of wisdom and the voice of knowledge here in the united states senate in our conference meetings. he is the person who when he stands up to speak other stuff their conversations and actualln listen which is a rare trait for people in public office sometimes. this man is always sincere, to the point and again he has the a experience and knowledge to be able to speak intelligently on the whole range of issues some which we occurred on the national security front and also he's an advocate or economic growth and the leader on tax

reform proposals. he is the guy who continually reminds us of our solemn duty here to represent all the people so we will miss you greatly and i know marge is happy to have you around a little more. kno you are going to have a great time with your grandkids as we talked about but we want you to know that there'll be a great loss here when you move on. i've got to find a new neighbor so madam president i yield back my time. >> madam president. tell >> the senator from majority. >> madam president i have one story want to tell about senator coats. each we have been able to servee. together on intel committee and we sat near each other on that committee and we worked together on other things but i came to the senate when senator coatslr came back to the senate. authority been established herey today he served in other i came capacities and then in 2010 when you and i came to the senate he came with us and everything,ry

almost everything in the senate there is some element of seniority and how everything is done. p in our class as the only person in our class with prior service dan coats is the ranking member of our class. he was 88 in his seniority in the senate the day he started his second term of the senate. e circumstances i turned out to be 89 and in the process of going through selected offices when they got to 88 dan coats called me standing in the hallway of the russell office building and he said i'm standing here in front of an office that says it was hairy truman's office when he was in the senate. he said you choose after me, don't you and i said i choose after you if you said if i don't take this office will you take it? it was the best office of the 11 offices to left, the 12 offices still left. he was the best of the 12 offices still left and that

would not have been the reason that i said yeah i would take that. he would be a great thing for me to be in office. harry truman had spent 10 years in the senate and i later found out also 82 days as vice president in that office and senator coats said well if you'll take this office -- i said i will stay there if i take that office and i'm the only member every year when the question comes around do you want to look at another office e send it right back in his check the no box. t almost everybody else checks the yes box because they want to see the real estate and the doping that's available.omewhere i'm going to find an office somewhere else and i have chosen the rules committee in the last couple of years. i deal with lots of members about lots of requests. i don't know of any exactly like that one way or senator coats

said i want you to have the office. i mentioned it to him the other day and he said you know the reason that was it was the right thing to do and if there is any part of dan coats' character that comes through time after time it's that part. it's that part of who he is that always wants to do the rightf gt thing. he's a man of great conscience, of great courage and great wellenius to serve and a good friend. he has been one of the honors of my life in elected office that i've got to spend six years working in the senate with him. >> this is a live look at the crowd gathered in fayetteville north carolina where president-elect trump is scheduled to speak shirley and mr. trump's nominee for defense secretary general james mattis will also be there. fayetteville is the home of fort bragg a major army base north of the city. ♪

♪ while we wait to bring you the jump event likely will hear some more tributes to the retiring senator dan coats.ed >> mr. president. >> the majority leader. yesterday the senate voted overwhelmingly to take the next step in the 24 century bipartisan legislation ton. bolster medical innovation. it's legislation promotes critical investment and research and treatment development. of administering cures while protecting safety.edicine.

and regenerative medicine.he this legislation puts me patience% strength of the research and treatments needed to cure the most devastating diseases and helps enhance mental health programs and provides funding to help fight opioid abuse. i've heard from health professionals across my state who have oppressed to the university of kentucky are state's largest research university this bill as a presence that reflects the growing support from congress for increased investment investt research that addresses the compelling question of our day.o i will be pleased to welcome the president to the capitol this morning. here's one example he says of how the university will be better equipped to improve the

lives of those in our possibl commonwealth. we know this bill wouldn't have been possible without chairman alexander ceaseless efforts alongside the ranking member murray to drive it forward.nk we thank them both as well as members like senator cornyn senator hatch and senator cassidy who of all endeavored to make the bill the strongest they could be. i also want to recognize vice president biden who joined us yesterday for his efforts to include his cancer moonshot initiative. in the packets this is an issue that hits close to home for the vice president as we all know it he's been a leading voice in supporting his efforts to strengthen cancer research and to find a cure.oo i'm pleased we will pass this legislation soon so that we can begin to put its provisions to work on behalf of american families.n a on the other important issues before the senate i've spoken with the speaker and a number of occasions about an issue facing coalminer retirees like those i

represent in kentucky and a provision to address that issue so the retirees don't you lose their health care benefits at the end of this year. we look forward to turning to it as soon as possible. a we are also looking up to wrap up conference reports including the defense authorization bill and the water resource development will. last night i took the next up on the defense conference reports and we could pass it this week. this legislation will provide more of the tools servicemembers need to take on national security challenges help strengthen our military posture and support our men and women in uniform with the benefit and the pay raises they have earned. war i hope the senate will also take the next steps in on the water development resource conference report and supporter ofnation's resources investing in our nation's waterways, safe

infrastructure enhance commerce and support safe and reliable oe water storage is to prevent future situations like the one we saw in flint, michigan. to that point this bill also includes assistance for families like those in flint who have already then impacted by lead poisoning. mr. president we all remember where we were on september the 11th, 2001. the man we honor today certainly does. he was in berlin. he had only just begin his second day as ambassador to germany and then everything changed. c

planes smashed into the world trade center terrorist attacks at the pentagon were his son-in-law worked, his family thankfully emerges unbroken thao day. others were not so fortunate. and he found himself thrown drawn into a role he could not have foreseen a day earlier. a role in which he would excel but one that would forever change him. those who know dan coats say bats that day in september affected him profoundly. p it shook him as a father, it sharpened him as a policymaker and clarified mistakes and his sense of responsibility. tug he may not have known it then that he would feel the tug of that responsibility many years later and answer the call. senator coats had enjoyed a successful congressional career when he decided to retire in 1998.

he earned a reputation for working hard to get things accomplished coming an indispensable member of this conference. seek in fact after dan announced his decision not to seek re-election then majority leader trent lott said you can't leave he recalls saying, i can't go forward in the senate without you. leg dan's success was no accident. he learned the legislative rope is working for an up-and-coming congressman named dan quayle. he applied that knowledge as he progressed from staffer to successor first in the house and then in the senate. whether dwas this was evident when dan was focused on rebuilding the military after the cold war, bringing opportunity to low income families and children ama even dissecting the finer points of american policy. dan's yes, garbage policy. hoosier

to begin dance time in the senate crucial landfills were filling with trash and hoosiers were fed up so in came dan with a warcry. don't dump on us and just the right blend of determination legislative know-how and humor captured the attention of colleagues and the hearts of constituents. -- back in indiana hoosiers were over the moon. for many their firstame introduction to this plucky newscenter came through his famous trash at. the coats for senate commercial which featured a cigar chomping man from new jersey earned in the place in the campaign ledgers and perhaps a ticket i back to the senate. when senator lott may not been able to persuade dan to run for re-election eight years later he did offer this prophetic

statement that befits him their wealth -- farewell. dan coats is leaving the senatea he said that he is not leaving us.he rest i have a feeling he's going to have a real influence in many ways for the rest of his life and he's going to stay close to all of us. that's right, he was.forwar fast-forward to just over a decade later former senator coats looked out and saw a country in crisis, adrift on the world stage, stagnant at home, sliding into despair. dan was deeply unsettled. he shared his concerns with his wife, marcia. he realized he had two choices. he could sit back and watch or he could do something. dan coats chose to do somethingr the election was hardly a sure thing. he pulled through anyway.

when he returned to the capital capital he put his head down and got right to work. dan can be a man of few words. he doesn't always feel the need to speak up but when he does people pay attention. body it's a true mark of distinction and a body like this with its big egos and sharp elbows. people listened to this former pastor when he explained the ins and outs of foreign policy.er people listened to this veteran of previous health care debate when he dissected the problem of obamacare and when this fiscal experts shared the waste of thed week, people paid attention. it's how we have learned the taxpayer dollars were being spent on swedish massages and bunny rabbits. that's how we discover taxpayer money was being wasted to determine whether hunger plus anger is a real thing.

going senator coats knew he wasn't going to solve all of our nation's problem as one senator in one term but he understood the important contributions he could make. he also recognized his responsibility to make them. in the process he cemented a legacy that while launch him here in the senate.. it will certainly continue on ic my office. my own chief of staff is a coats allow him. speaker ryan says chief of staff is another coats alum. the list of codes staffers who have gone out to do great things from former white house chief speechwriter michael gerson to incoming indiana governor eric holcombe is as long as it is impressive. i know dan is looking forward ta spending more time at wrigley field after he retired. i here's a tweet they had sent out

last month. a century in the making, we have finally made it. what a great day to be a cubs fan. it's hard to overstate the importance of the moment for him this is a guy who spent part of his honeymoon, his honeymoon at wrigley field. i wonder if maybe, just maybe he was able to see a little himself in his favorite team. like maybe in a guy like fellow university of indiana hoosier ge kyle schwarber who stepped out for season and came back and picked right up where he left off without a hitch knocking it out of the park just when his team needed him most. dan promises he's not coming back a third time. s we will see. it's obvious they had never needed the officer that title. it's not the first time, not the second time, not a third time.

that said i'd i do know dan isn't going to stop caring. i know he isn't going to stop working so we are going to keep the dan coats signal plugged inp when the people call out for a hero yet again and i hope our friend will suit up one more time because if nothing else we are really, really going to miss him. let us recognize and congratulate senator coats for his many years of service. let us wish him well in his latest retirement and let me personally thank him for his wise counsel and trusted friendship. i will miss you, my friend.

>> mr. president center mark kirk has never been one to be intimidated by a challenge. he is willing to work hard even when the going gets tough. he never shies away from the tough debate and he always comes prepared. he has been defying the odds for a long time and inspiring others along the way. nearly five years ago senator kirk suffered a debilitatingd stroke one that threatened to end his senate service nearly as soon as it had begun. in the blink of the night, kirkland from juggling yi committee hearings to lying in a would ever walk again. or talk again. again. or read again.ate if senator kirk had decided to

just quit the senate and focus on his recovery, no one would have blamed him but he didn't de that. he never lost hope and he never gave up.illino he set his sights on getting back to work for the people of illinois and the nation. that's exactly what he did and we were there to witness him several months later, a smile on his face. jill manchin to one side, joe biden to the other, one foot in front of the other. senator mark kirk climbed and ci climbed and climbed and climbed. he ascended each of those 45 capitol steps to the top of this chamber as we all cheered him on. him mark rested assured no one would

let him fail or fall that day. a and senator manchin could resttg assured he would have to go another day waiting for his buddy to return. days after mark stroke senator manchin hopped on a flight to chicago to check on his friend and person. he saw first-hand of many challenges curt had to overcome in recovery but he never doubted marks will and determination ork desire to get back to work. k kirk he says is like the energizer bunny. he just keeps going and going and going. manchin and kirk are an unconventional pair, one a i democrat in the other a republican.n the west virginia and is in outdoorsmen and it will annoy senator is a gamer. senator manchin is a mountaineer and senator kirk -- but as is the senior senator from west

virginia put it they click from day one and quickly became the best of friends. now they go voting together. they meet for lunch nearly every thursday and they support eachhe other. the support of good friends like senator manchin have been critical for senator kirk's dramatic recovery. he has been supportive and othes places including the mailbox. if you look after his strokes a fellow stroke survivor from elle and i wrote senator kirk to share his own story with words of encouragement. don't give up on yourself he wrote. all the hard work is worth it. ps he said i think kids should get paid to go to school. the pair quickly became penpals and even picked up a new joint sport of tower climbing in their rehabilitation.

senator kirk called jackson his personal hero. last year he invited him to visit washington too and be his guest at the state of the union. to hear kirk tell it he may have never made it out at all without jackson's support and kind words. i know the support he received from his fellow senator didn't go unnoticed either. after mark stroke senator durbin offered to help out however he could.tory rem senator kirk's said the senate could be more than just a place to work. it can actually be a family. in his own words the things that divide us in politics or infinitesimal compared with our humanity. a powerful message and i think it's one we can all learn from. senator kirk says america's men and women in uniform represent the greatest force for human

dignity on earth. he is right.eet the work he has done to help us meet the obligation our nation has to military families and our veterans will into her beyond his term. mark kirk a veteran himself understands the sacrifices our service vendors and their families make each day on our behalf. he knows they deserve our full support not only when they are on active duty but also after their tours are complete. that's why he has worked to help guarantee the quality health care are our heroes are counting on. it's why he has worked to help rece va so that our veterans receive care as well.na he has proven himself as a leader on national securityue issues too.f he understands the value and works to strengthen them especially with israel.

he is a clear-eyed view of our adversaries too and has never been afraid to speak out and take action from north korea to iran. when it comes to iranpear o specifically senator kirk was the tip of the spear on this issue. bringing attention to the threat of iran's aggressive behavior an and holding tehran accountable. he has long been an advocate for critical iran sanctions like those just this past week. even with the administrationollg pushing back even when democratic colleagues pushed back too. he doesn't back down and we were able to see the legislation through.enate, so senator kirk may be leaving the senate that he has cast a long shadow here and he is not done yet. we know he won't stop looking out for our country.

we know he won't stop advocating for stroke survivors. we know he is not going to stop. he will keep going and going and going like he always has. senator kirk reminds each of us that it's possible to persevere through even the most difficult of obstacles. so today we thank him for the impact he has made on this body, for the inspiration he has beenm to so many and for the year cs dedicated to serving the people of illinois. >> again we are waiting to take you live to fayetteville, north carolina where president-elect donald trump will speak to -- speak shortly. the speech was scheduled to get underway at crown auditorium at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. another stop on his think you two are following the november election. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ president-elect trump mentioned a number of people in the city today. some spoke to reporters afterwards.

here are remarks in front of the elevator to the trump tower from d.c. mayor marilou bowser and iowa governor terry branstad. >> good morning everybody. i am muriel bowser from washington d.c. and i came up to meet with the president-elect and congratulate him on behalf of the residents of washington d.c. but also to welcome him. we are a unique entity in our system. washington d.c. is neither a city, county or state that we are very proud to be the nation's capital. as such we welcome every american president as he comes to the white house. so while i won't talk about the specific things that the president-elect and i discussed i will say that we had a

wide-ranging conversation about things that are important to washingtonians. who we are, how we function as a city, county and the state, how our city's economy is booming and how we have economic development projects and exciting opportunities. i also talked to him about some concerns a washingtonians happy to talk to him about his transition and even how his transition and the transition that we went through just two years ago maybe alike. we are also very focused on education. his ideas about education and how our city is focused on education as well. we also finally had a discussion about the inaugural activities, the city's preparation and his vision for is an odd duration. i can take a couple of questions.

the one thing -- ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> thank you, thank you. thank everybody. [applause] thank you. thank you. thank you. [chanting] trump, trump, trump. >> so the weather was really bad