the presiding officer: without objection. mr. heller: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i rise today still in shock, still in mourning over the events of october 1. when 58 people, some of them nevadans, many of them visitors to our state, were brutally gunned down by a mad man on a las vegas strip. in addition to those horrible deaths, almost 500 people were injured. many of them face long roads to physical recovery and even longer and more painful road to emotional recovery. i know i speak for all of my senate colleagues in praying for

them, wishing them the quickest recovery possible. this mad man's actions devastated our city, but i rise today to tell you that that sense of devastation is being replaced by a renewed sense of community, a renewed sense of family, of unity, of faith, and a renewed sense of strength. i've had the honor of experiencing it firsthand in the eyes and voices of those who survived and those who chose to stay in harm's way to help each other when they could have fled to safety. i've seen and heard this renewed sense of community, strength in the faces of our first responders, none of whom have ever encountered anything as horrific as the carnage of october 1 but went into danger to save lives. because? because that's what they do. i had the privilege of meeting a las vegas police officer, sergeant jonathan riddle who was stationed a block from the

shooting scene doing traffic work. when he first heard the popping noises, like most of the concert goers, he thought it was fireworks. but the second volley told him otherwise. and his training kicked in. he grabbed his rifle and he sprinted towards the chaos. keep in mind this police officer knew through his training that heavy caliber bullets were being fired and that his protective vest would not stop them. he also knew that his rifle watts useless because the shots -- was useless because the shots were coming from the mandalay bay and he couldn't shoot at the hotel in fear of hitting an innocent bystander. so he was for all intents and purposes defenseless. he knew it, but he ran anyway. he ran towards the violence. he ran towards it with one purpose: to help any way that he could. it's almost not fair to single him out because dozens of metro

police officers did the same thing. firefighters, paramedics, ambulance drivers also. it was not just professional first responders who emerged as true heroes on october 1. taylor winston, a marine, was just trying to enjoy the concert that night, but when the bullets started raining down, he was driven by his training, his instincts, his compassion for his fellow human beings. he helped several people over a fence where they took cover, but he realized the danger wasn't over. looking around, he spotted a pickup truck with a long bed. he borrowed the truck. i use the term borrowed loosely, loaded the back of it with injured people and rushed them to the hospital. but he wasn't done. he made a return trip, loaded the pickup again with wounded individuals and got them to the hospital. jack beatens last act on earth was one of sacrifice and heroism.

he draped himself over his wife protecting her from the deadly bullets. he told her he loved her, then was hit and died in her arms. jonathan smith sounded warnings when he realized what was happening. but when some people were too stunned to move toward safety, jonathan moved towards them getting them out of the line of fire. that's when jonathan himself was hit. he survived but will likely always have a bullet lodged in his neck. it's a painful reminder of his heroics but i hope it will also remind him of the people that he saved. and john, a cab driver, accelerated towards the screams and the chaos, shouted for a frightened group of girls to jump in his cab. and he drove them to safety. then john turned around, drove back to the shooting scene,

transported another group to safety. in all, john possibly saved 11 lives. there was a woman at the concert, a respiratory therapist, who had her cell phone shattered by a bullet while the cell phone was still in her hand. shards of hard plastic tore through her hand embedded in her skin. what did she do? pull the shards out of her hand, band aged herself up, rushed to the hospital where she worked to try to help other people more badly injured. at other local hospitals, doctors and nurses worked miracles around the block. when operating rooms were not available, they treated the wounded in hallways surrounded by shouting, crying, chaos, blood, they saved one life after another after another. their skill, their composure, their dedication to saving lives was stronger that night than the evil intentions of a mad man with a rifle. i was walking the hallway of one

of our hospitals with the hospital c.e.o. when a woman rushed towards him, grabbed him by the arm, through tears and sobbed, thanked him for the work his staff had done. her niece had been wounded but she was heading home. she said she could never thank the hospital staff enough. in the aftermath, the community banded together to provide every resource possible to the victims and their families. the las vegas convention center south hall was dedicated to family reunification and support services. airlines answered the call to provide free flights to the families of victims. hotels and casinos across las vegas offered free rooms. the american red cross partnered with the mirage to host a blood drive. millions of dollars have been raised by local businesses and people across the country to support the victims. the employees of mandalay bay and other mgm resort properties were understand pably stricken

and horrified -- understandably stricken and horrified and they too asked how they could help. instead of being frozen by their shock and grief, they mobilized, donating blood, offering help to the families of the victims, organizing memorials and otherwise coming together as a team, motivated by compassion and selflessness and provided comfort and solace. true leaders have emerged in the wake of this tragedy. my friend, sheriff joe lombardo, head of the las vegas metropolitan police department has been steadfast in this crisis. he will always be remembered as a rock solid presence when our city most needed one. he let me say this -- and let me say this for the world to hear. our great city will not cower in fear because of this horrible act. we will mourn, we will heal, we will comfort each other. we will pray. but make no mistakes about it, las vegas is open for business.

las vegas will simply -- will not simply go on, but we will thrive. so come to las vegas and maybe come away with a greater appreciation of what our city, our people are all about. from the blood and the horror, the terror of the carnage of october 1, las vegas has risen. we've never shied away from our image as a city of entertainment. our hospitality defines us. but the world has now seen a side much more profound, something we've always seen, and that is a home, a family, a community of people who will stand by each other during the darkest moments. a community of people bound by faith who will stand in the face of danger to protect a neighbor, a friend, a family member, or someone they've never met.

everyone around the world has heard of las vegas. the very name conjures images almost immediately. its skylines cannot be mistaken for any other. yet prior to october 1 almost no one knew the true las vegas, the las vegas that we are seeing now. a city that responds to cowered cowardly violence with love and compassion for each other. a city that responds to hatred with faith and strength. las vegas strong, it's a slogan we're now seeing on billboards, marquees and t-shirts. but behind that slogan is a true story of true strength. a story of the city growing, emerging and becoming closer and more united. a deranged man with a rifle brought death and carnage and terror to las vegas. but today las vegas stands stronger. las vegas stands unafraid. las vegas' true identity has been revealed and is one of compassion and one of heroism.

it is my hope that we will honor the memory of those lost by holding on to the sense of unity and family that has emerged since october 1, that we will, all of us, continue to be las vegas strong. mr. president, may god bless the city of las vegas, the state of nevada, and may god bless the united states of america. and i yield back. a senator: thank you, mr. president. as the newest senator from the silver state, i am humble to serve and represent my fellow nevadans. we nevadans are very proud of our state, its people and a spirit of self reliance and

community that guides us every single day. ms. cortez masto: we are proud of the vast and beauty of our rural counties and the energy of our city such as reno and my hometown las vegas. mr. president, when i was preparing to deliver my maiden speech before this body, my intention was to honor the silver state's history and people as well as share the issues that i had planned to fight for while i'm here in congress, issues that matter to hardworking nevadans. that speech was meant to celebrate nevada's founding and values, to declare the basic right of every individual to education and affordable health care, to remind my colleagues of the dignity of equality and the right to marry whom you love. that speech was to proclaim the dignity of women and their right to make their own health choices. to defend the right of immigrants and dreamers to live

in our country without fear, and to call on this body to fight for american values, including diversity and inclusion. that speech was meant to demand that our country's leaders respect every american regardless of the color of their skin or how they choose to worship. unfortunately, mr. president, my maiden speech on the floor of this body will instead talk about mass murder. today i want to recognize the courage of heroes and first responders and honor the wounded and those murdered. and i want to recognize the fundamental dignity of every american in this age of violence and rancor and ignorance, the dignity of americans not to be slaughtered by other americans just for walking outside and attending a conference. with over 43 million visitors per year, las vegas prides

itself on warmly welcoming people from all around the world to revel in what we have to offer: hospitality, in every sense of the word defines who we are. when travelers come to las vegas, they plan to enjoy themselves in the company of loved ones and friends and become a part of our nevada family. on october 1, a man attacked that family by smashing two windows in his 32nd floor hotel suite and unleashing a barrage of bullets on to 22,000 people attending the route 91 harvest music festival. in ten minutes 58 innocent people were massacred and more than 500 people were injured. at first concert goers confused the rapid gunfire for fireworks. the grim realization that repetitive bursts were not fireworks but bullets came as

those in the crowd began to collapse one after another and blood began to stain the ground. this was a concert on the las vegas strip but it looked more like a battlefield. these were innocent people. the human cost of this atrocious act of terrorism is incalculable. children lost parents. parents lost children. friends lost friends. those who survived the ordeal must not only heal from physical wounds but cope with the mental scars that will haunt them forever. i will never forget the stories that i heard walking through our hospitals and meeting with our first responders and those recovering from their wounds. entire emergency room and hallway floors were stained with blood. a recovery room in one of our hospitals was turned into a makeshift morgue. a victim's phone ringing

continuously with calls from her father who would soon learn she would never be coming home. there is one life story cut short for each of the 58 people killed that night. we've come to learn their stories. stories of sacrifice, of courage, and of love. a young man died taking the bullets that would have ended his girlfriend's life. a security guard was killed on the job. as bullets ripped through the night sky and bodies began falling to the ground, he took responsibility for keeping the public safe by directing the panicked crowd. he made the ultimate sacrifice protecting others. with approximately two million residents, the las vegas area is not a small town, but this tragedy has shown just how strong and connected our community is. and it goes beyond las vegas.

there are so many communities across this country that were injured by this tragedy in some way. many of those killed and injured were visitors to las vegas. all nevadans grieve for those dead and are doing what they can to help the survivors. you know, mr. rogers has a timeless quote. he says look for the helpers. you will always find people who are helping. and as we embrace others and the families of the wounded and those murdered, we recognize so many in the community who helped. even in the middle of the attack, there were helpers shielding strangers from bullets, and helpers who led people out of the concert venue, helpers who plugged strangers' bullet wounds with their fingers. there were helpers like jonathan. despite receiving a gunshot wound to the neck, jonathan saved the lives of 30 people by

leading them out of the venue and aiding them and taking cover. he did this even after losing sight of his own family. jonathan later said i decided i am not going to leave anybody behind. helpers like taylor, an iraq war veteran who turned a parked utility van into an ambulance. after climbing a fence as he fled the gunfire, he came across the vehicle and he knew what he had to do. before first responders arrived, taylor drove roughly 30 people to area hospitals. other helpers like tammy, also an iraq war veteran, stayed behind to help victims on the ground. tammy used her e.r. nursing experience to triage those who were immobile because of their injuries. despite her best efforts, tammy couldn't save one young woman and had the hard-breaking task of telling a mother that her

daughter was dead. tammy said i will never forget that girl's face. i had to tell the mom that her daughter had gone. in the toughest of circumstances, the promptness, efficiency, and professionalism of southern nevada's first responders and medical community saved many lives and ensured that tragedy did not escalate in further loss of life. andrew, an ambulance dispatcher, calmly and purposefully directed his team despite it being his first day in his new role. there were doctors across our valley who didn't need a call to rush to our hospitals to help. there were nurses who stayed long past their shifts to help care for and comfort the wounded, and our police officers and firefighters ran towards the bullets to help.

these first responders, doctors and nurses knew some of the people they were helping. the las vegas metropolitan police department, the clark county fire department, american medical response, medic west ambulance, community ambulance, the university medical center, sunrise hospital and medical center, the valley health system and dignity health deserve our deepest thanks for their valor and their unmatched bravery. i also want to honor and thank the red cross and the department of veterans' affairs who brought mobile units to our hospitals and the volunteer mental health counselors who came from all over the country to help provide comfort and support. i'll never forget their dedication as our community grappled with this senseless tragedy. in the days that followed, our community's compassionate response showed the world who we are as las vegassance.

-- as last vegans. so many unnamed heroes in our community stood for hours in line to donate blood. they came to the family reunification center and gave food and water and clothing, whatever they could to help families and those who were wounded. artists and volunteers created beautiful memorials and prayerful spaces for honor and grief, and local businesses as well as airlines like allegiant and southwest and medical providers like valley health systems, medic west and american medical response made sure the families of the slain as well as the wounded were provided help, support, and relief from medical bills and travel costs. in less than a week, dedicated volunteers built a beautiful remembrance wall and planted a healing garden for all of us to express our grief, reflect, and to remember.

our city also received an outpouring of support and solidarity from countless fellow americans, state governments, and foreign embassies, and i was personally touched by the outpouring of support from my colleagues in this chamber, and i thank them for it. the people of las vegas came together to heal and protect their community, but they cannot do it all on their own. it has been difficult for all of us to understand the events of the past two weeks, but one thing is clear. we cannot stand by and do nothing. as a lifelong loss vegan, -- as a lifelong las vegan, i have never seen such a profound community response. in the midst of such horror, i am so proud of my community. i continue to be amazed at the strength and spirit that will help move us forward. but they need our help. the time has come for the people

in this room, all of us, to do our part to keep our communities safe. over the past few weeks, i have heard my colleagues saying things like no law could have stopped that, or you can't legislate evil. while that may be true, we are not helpless. when something bad happens, you can always take steps to understand what happened and work together to find a way to stop a future tragedy. we condition can't stop every shooting, but we can do something to prevent the senseless mass murders. just over a year ago, 49 people were murdered at a nightclub in orlando. then the deadliest shooting in modern history. my hometown of las vegas has now broken that record. with 58 men and women murdered by one man with multiple guns rigged for combat. this is a horrific distinction to bear.

will we stand by and rate for the next community to break that record? in our communities, every day, americans make commonsense decisions to protect their health and safety. they lock their doors. they set their alarms. they go to the doctor for an annual checkup, and they wear seat belts. after the worst attack on american soil on september 11, 2001, we shape the way we protect our country and our way of life. now in the wake of the worst mass shooting in modern american history, i am calling on my colleagues to work with me to take reasonable, concrete steps to reduce the likelihood of another senseless shooting massacre on american soil. don't get me wrong. the people of las vegas are grateful to have the thoughts and prayers of nearly every member of congress, but thoughts and prayers alone are not enough.

now it's time for action, meaningful action to prevent mass murders. let me be very clear. this is not about taking away guns. i grew up in a family of gun owners and hunters. my father was a member of ducks unlimited. i have family members who are avid sportsmen, including an uncle who is a member of the nevada bighorns unlimited. my husband is a retired secret service agent. we are proud gun owners. i believe that americans have the right to own guns. but with the right to own a gun comes a shared responsibility to ensure that weapons do not fall into the hands of dangerous people. the right to own a gun must be balanced by the right of every american to be able to go out in public without fearing they will be shot and killed at a church or in a movie theater or in a classroom or in a nightclub, on a baseball field, or at a concert.

the right to own a gun is important, and equally important is the right to not be killed by someone who has no business owning a gun. the second amendment calls for gun ownership in defense of the security of america, not to terrorize its citizens. congress has the responsibility to keep weapons designed for our military out of the hands of mass murders. when we took office, -- mass murderers. when we took office, each of us took an oath to protect and defend the united states constitution. that means we are sworn to president clinton the lives and liberty of the american people. are we keeping that promise? if there are commonsense, reasonable proven steps that we can take to keep innocent people from dying at the hands of mass murderers, why wouldn't we take them? why wouldn't we pass legislation that the majority of americans support? why wouldn't we ban the tools used to kill and injure almost

600 people in the space of ten minutes? many place blame with the strength of organizations like the national rifle association and other allied interest groups, yet a recent poll finds that 93% of voters in gun households support universal background checks. count me as part of that 93%. congress is not going to repeal the second amendment, but its members need to find the courage to be honest that there is a problem. i echo my colleague, senator chris murphy of connecticut, who gave his maiden speech on this very same topic in 2013. right after the horrific massacre at sandy hook elementary school. he said he never expected to find himself talking about guns in his maiden speech, but the issue of gun violence found him. i am devastated to say that the issue of gun violence found me,

too. it found the city of las vegas, along with everyone else in the state of nevada. it's already found other members of this body and their neighbors across the country. like senator murphy, i am making it my mission to prevent another tragedy like this one from ever happening again. we should return to commonsense principles as we determine how to move forward. one, guns should not be available to people who are mentally ill, have a history of violence, or are suspected terrorists. two, everyone who buys a firearm should undergo a background check. no exceptions for people who buy from online retailers, gun shows or private dealers. we can't enforce our laws or keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people if we aren't hundreding background checks to determine who is trying to buy a firearm. and three, certain military-style accessories necessary for war zones simply

do not need to be in our communities. as members of this body are aware, the mass shooting in my hometown was made all the more lethal because of what is referred to as a bump stock, a tool designed to turn a semiautomatic rifle into an even deadlier weapon to kill as many people as possible and rain gunfire down on 22,000 concertgoers. this chamber should speak in a unified voice that these tools don't belong in our country, and this has nothing to do with infringing on the second amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners. you don't need a bump stock to hunt unless you're hunting people. if we do nothing now, there will be more massacres. we will see more fathers without daughters, more mothers without sons, more sisters without brothers. the time has come to ask

ourselves who will really be at fault the next time something like this happens? will it be the deranged killer who used a loophole to get his hands on a deadly weapon or the people who failed to close that loophole when they had the chance? my colleagues are right. we cannot legislate away mental illness. we cannot legislate away evil. but we can legislate to prevent murder. we can take smart, sensible steps to keep americans safe. we can work together with gun owners and citizens against gun violence to make americans safer. to my colleagues who are undecided, i invite you to come with me to the hospitals in las vegas, hear from the people who came to las vegas for a night of fun and country music who will have to live with emotional and physical scars for the rest of their lives. hear from dana who will never

see her fiancee again. hear from lindsey who will never see her sister again. hear from hannah's three children who will never see their mother again. i spent much of the last two weeks talking with families of those who were wounded or killed. that monday night after the massacre, i remember hugging a mother and father who were looking for their 26-year-old daughter at the family reunification center. they had gone to all of the area hospitals with the hope that they might find their daughter alive. their final hope that night, if you want to call it that, was waiting in the reunification center for the call from the coroner's office to see if their daughter's body had been identified. it so easily could have been my family frantically searching, waiting and grieving in that center. my niece was at that concert.

and the people of las vegas responded to the worst tragedy our city has ever seen with unprecedented bravery and selflessness and compassion. we are vegas strong. it is long past time for congress to follow their example, an example of so many other communities in our country touched by this violence, and finally summon the strength to get something done and reduce gun violence in america. let's not ignore the lives of those murdered or those wounded. let's actually come together and agree that we must do something to honor all of the daughters, mothers, sons, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends we have already lost to senseless gun violence. it's time for us to move beyond resolutions. we must now have a new resolve to protect the basic freedom and

safety of all americans. work with me. reach out to my office so that we can find common ground and finally offer the american people something more than just our thoughts and prayers. let's get something done in honor of the loved ones who are still with us, the family members and friends we would do anything to protect, the people in our lives we could not bear to lose. i ask my colleagues to work with me. work woo -- work with me to prevent this from ever happening again. mr. president, thank you for listening, and i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. merkley: i want to recognize the articulate, thoughtful,

passionate comments that have just been delivered by our new senator from nevada. she's already in the months here has served effectively in committees, effectively on deliberations on legislation and now she brings her voice here to this senate chamber which over the history of our country so many important conversations and dialogues have taken place wrestling with the challenges we have and looking for the path to build a future we desire. and so i welcome you. of course you've been here for some time now, but welcome you now to this, being part of of this dialogue here in this chamber, an honor that is something granted to only a few people in our nation to be able to come voice the concerns of their fellow americans, their home state constituents and strive to persuade colleagues join in an effort to make our

nation and this world a better place. thank you.

a senator: mr. president, i would ask suspension of the quorum. the presiding officer: the senate is not in a quorum call, and the senator is recognized. ms. stabenow: well then, i appreciate that. thank you. mr. president, i know we are in the middle of a discussion and certainly a debate right now about a budget resolution. obviously i participated in discussions of how concerned i am about the priorities in the budget resolution. i think people of michigan and the country deserve a better deal. but while we're doing that, the

clock is ticking on some very, very important programs where we actually have bipartisan support in committee. i want to thank chairman hatch and the finance committee, working with myself, working with our ranking member, senator wyden, for moving forward last week a reauthorization, five-year reauthorization of the children's health insurance program, what we call chip. the problem is, and it passed out with only one negative vote so we got a strong bipartisan vote coming to the floor. my concern is that now we move on to tax cuts geared predominantly to wealthiest americans, a bill that includes medicaid cuts and medicare cuts and other debates. and yet, we have this bipartisan effort that needs to get done because the funding ended september 30. so it's been 18 days and counting, and we will be

counting these days because it's been 18 days since the children's health insurance program stopped being funded. i'm very concerned about this. i assumed once we had agreement that we would be able to move something very quickly. and so it's deeply concerning to me that we're now in a situation where it's 18 days. tomorrow will be 19 days. we go into the weekend, and yet we are not seeing children's health insurance funded. nine million children in our country, nine million children. these are working families, low-income working families that are not able to have the confidence of knowing that health insurance will be there for them. chip has been an extremely successful program. in michigan we called it my child, and we have about 100,000 children who are able to

get health services because of my child. this means moms and dads go to bed at night and don't have to say a little prayer, please god, don't let the kids get sick because they know that they're going to be able to take them to the doctor. this has been traditionally a bipartisan bill, and as i said, we have had great support on both sides of the aisle, but it's now out of committee, and we need to move it. we need to make space in the calendar to be able to get this done. now, we also have something else that ended on september 30, and that is funding for our community health centers. now, this is something else that has bipartisan support, and i want to thank my friend, senator roy blunt. he and i joined together. we have 70 members of this body who have signed a letter to continue the funding for community health centers.

the problem is the funding ran out september 30. the federal funding ending september 30. we're talking about 25 million families, children. 300,000 veterans. 7.5 million children. all across the country, in many parts of rural michigan, that's the primary way people are getting their health care. as well as in urban settings. and so, again, we have an agreement, we have talked about having now that the children's health insurance bill is out of committee, having it on the floor and then having an amendment for health centers, moving that together. that's something we have done in the past. we have strong bipartisan support to do it, but it's been put to the side in favor of what is a very divisive process on a budget resolution, and tax cuts and other issues.

so i'm imploring it the leadership in the senate to focus on something where we all agree, at least the majority of us agree, the overwhelming majority of us agree, and that is making sure that the children's health insurance program and community health centers get funded as quickly as possible. this is something done through the states. this is locally driven. it meets all the tests that people talk about, and it is extremely effective, both of these programs. in 2016 alone, michigan's community health centers diagnosed coronary artery disease in more than 21,000 people. 21,000 people who if they hadn't gotten that diagnosis probably would have ended up in the emergency room, if they had been able to get to an emergency room before something fatal happened, but because we had community

health centers from the upper peninsula of michigan to our urban areas, people were able to get the diagnosis and the help that they needed. nearly 34,000 michigan residents learned that they had asthma and could treat that asthma and children could get the treatment that they need. nearly 140,000 people were diagnosed with diabetes and could begin to manage that, so it didn't become something incredibly serious and life-threatening. health centers play a very important role. if we aren't treating these kinds of things, it can be deadly if undiagnosed or untreated. so it's very important. i am worried there is not the sense of urgency there needs to be here to continue the children's health insurance program and the community health centers. i know that my democratic colleagues feel it. we are ready and willing to at any moment stop the debate on a

divisive budget resolution, focus on something that has bipartisan leadership and bipartisan support, and let's be able to get that done. in michigan, our 100,000 children that are able to see the doctor through my child get their medical care, dental, vision care that they need to be successful, to be successful in school, to be able to see the black board, to be able to read, to be able to hear because they're getting the basic health care that they need. children shouldn't have to strain to see the blackboard and get bad grades because they can't get a simple eye exam, and that's what my child helps make happen. children shouldn't have to struggle to ignore a painful tooth because the family can't afford to see a dentist, and we have heard of horrible situations where children because of abscesses have actually lost their lives. not necessary. this is something that is

preventable, and we have a bipartisan program. the children's health insurance program created with bipartisan leadership years ago that can be continued and needs to be continued. so i'm -- mr. president, i understand the debate on the floor about the budget. i understand the debate on tax reform. i want to see tax reform that simplifies the code, puts money in the pockets of hardworking families and small businesses and creates jobs. that's what i want to see happen. i also want to make sure as we are debating right now how to do that and differences in doing that, and i would argue what's in this budget bill does not do that. i want to work on something that does. we have the clock ticking, the clock ticking on nine million children and their families

whose health insurance funding stopped 18 days ago, and community health centers from small towns in the upper peninsula of michigan to the city of detroit whose health center funding stopped 18 days ago. so, mr. president, i'm going to keep counting. i hope i don't have to count too high here before we can get this done, because i know there is support here. i know there is support to do it, but it has to be a priority. there has to be a sense of urgency just like a parent who is up at 3:00 in the morning with a sick child has a sense of urgency about what they need to care for their child. we need to have that same sense of urgency here and do what i know we can do if we would just take the time, just take a few minutes to get it done. mr. president, i hope that will happen very soon. thank you very much. i yield the floor.

ms. cantwell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from washington. ms. cantwell: i come to the floor this evening to talk about amendment number 1141 which would raise a point of order against any provision that would strike state and local tax deductions. as we talk tonight about how our country moves forward economically and we talk about what are the best ways to have tax fairness in america, i guarantee you my constituents want to make sure they continue to be able to deduct on their sales tax, their mortgage deductions, and important policies that other states have for tax deductions. now, the state of washington has been a leader, and i would match our state as it relates to our tax code in efficiency with just about any other state. for a long time, washington and oregon have had the most unique tax codes in the united states of america, and yet our economies have grown faster than the national average every year

since world war ii. so we're doing something right. so the fact that we don't have an income tax in washington state and the fact that washingtonians for many of our years have been able to deduct our sales tax from our federal tax obligations for income is something we're not interested in losing. what we're interested in and what is a fair debate about our tax code, an open process and important discussion points of order if anybody tries to strip us from these very important tools. state and local tax deductions have been an important way in which our taxpayers make sure that they are treated fairly. for us in washington, as i said, many, many of our citizens use these itemized deductions because of the fact that we don't have an income tax and we're able to deduct our sales tax from our federal tax

obligations. in fact, 30% of washington residents, taxpayers, 1.1 million itemize their taxes and claim an average state and local tax deduction of $7,402. so this puts deductions back on an average of $600 back into the pockets of washingtonians each year. so any attempt, any attempt by legislation to try to erode that, particularly at a time when we also get a deduction on our property taxes as well is something critically important to our state. if legislation continues to move forward that repeals these deductions, i know our colleagues think they're doing good work by trying to simplify the tax code. in fact, they're saying we're going to increase the standard deduction as a way to simplify the tax code. but for my washington residents

and my guess is for many other states that are in the same boat that don't have an income tax, you literally are starting to penalize them and the efficiency of their tax code that is so important. for example, 40% of tax filers who make between $50,000 and $75,000 claim this deduction, and 53% of taxpayers who make over $75,000 -- between $75,000 and $100,000 claim this deduction. so when my colleagues talk about doubling the deduction from $6,000 to $12,000, or from $12,000 for a family to $24,000, i'm sure they would like us to believe that somehow is going to make the residents of washington state and our taxpayers whole. that's not the case. on average, washingtonians in those brackets could actually end up paying more. why? well, first of all, we should realize that there are over

250,000 washingtonians -- that's the estimate -- who make more in a joint filing than $150,000. so right there, these washingtonians would be in a situation where they would be under this tax proposal paying more, paying more than they are currently paying because they are not allowed to itemize and they are not allowed to deduct. i don't want to raise taxes on washingtonians. i don't want to see in tight economic times them continue to see these deductions eliminated and have their tax bills go up. washingtonians work very hard at trying to make and keep the efficiency. i know that there are other states like texas, like alaska, like florida who also don't have an income tax. i know that those states probably are struggling with the same policies and want to make sure they're making the same kind of efficiencies.

what we don't want is a proposal that is currently the republican proposal to raise taxes on working families in washington state. we want to make sure that these families continue to see the deductions that they have had in the past. so how would this work exactly in washington? well, one of the things that we're concerned about is the impact on the housing market. without the deduction for property, we do not want to see an increase in the amount of price in housing and less people being able to afford homeownership because they are no longer able to make this deduction. that would be something of great concern to washington residents. also, we want to make sure that we continue to have these deductions for both single and families of four who would be

impacted by this. for example, a single family who is -- is making the deduction, say, for example, between $50,000 and $100,000, their average total deduction is about $22,000. so this taxpayer would not benefit by increasing the deduction, the standard deduction to $12,000. the difference is they get $22,000 now in their itemized deductions. under this proposal, they would only be able to have $12,000 of that deducted. so take a family that's making over $100,000. as i said, we have $250,000 filers in our state that make between $100,000 and $200,000 -- $150,000 and $200,000. this income bracket, on average, claims a deduction of $30,000 from various state, local

mortgage interest, charitable contributions and medical expenses. but this family also would not benefit from increasing the standard deduction up to $24,000. as i said, they are already deducting about $30,000. so literally, we are raising taxes on thousands and thousands, i would say probably hundreds of thousands of washington residents. that is why i'm offering this amendment. i want us to have a point of order and true discussion about any policy that would raise taxes like this on my residents in washington state. we have to have a tax discussion that is about a fair and open process, a continued dialogue about how to make sure that working families get a fair deal in a tax policy, but one policy that is jammed into a budget proposal that then comes back to us for a 51 vote that literally

eliminates our ability to itemize and deducts and gets rid of our sales tax deduction that we have fought so hard for, that we're so proud of as it relates to the individuality of how our state operates, we should not with just 51 votes cast a vote increasing the taxes on thousands and thousands of washingtonians, and i would say on many other states in our nation. i hope our colleagues will take a close look at n. i hope -- at this. i hope they will help us in trying to make a point. let's not rush through a policy that we don't know what the impacts are. let's get specific about what the impacts are and recognize that some of our states are the most ingenious as it relates to delivering great service at lower costs. i know some of my colleagues would like to say oh, there are these big states in the east and here's how they operate and here's how what they do in collecting various forms of revenue. well, this western state

operates in a great deal of efficiency. and our residents have come to expect these sales tax deductions and these mortgage deductions, and they want to keep them. they do not want to hear that there's a sleight of hand at the 11th hour by not a broad debate but a tactic that would jam them into a reconciliation bill because of instructions and then thereby have these thousands of dollars of tax increases hoisted on them. i hope my colleagues will join me in this very important point of order that we'll be offering in this amendment and say let's have this discussion in the broad daylight and not penalize innovative states that have a different tax code but have grown faster than the national average and continue to do so and make sure that he with have tax fairness for all residents of our country. i thank the president and i yield the floor.

mr. gardner: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. gardner: i ask unanimous consent following leader remarks on october 19 that it be in order to call up the following amendments, the time until 11:45 be for debate on the amendments equally divided between the managers or their designees, and at 11:45, the senate vote in relation to the amendments in the order listed with no second-degree amendments in order prior to the votes. wyden 1302, capito 1393, cantwell 1141. further, that following the disposition of the cantwell amendment, senator warner's amendment number 1138 be called up and that the time until 2:00 p.m. be equally divided between the managers or their designees, and that at tk,

the -- 2:00, the senate vote in relation to the warner amendment with no second-degree amendments in order prior to the vote. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. gardner: i ask unanimous consent the senate be in a period of morning business for senators permitted to speak for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. gardner: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. res. 293 submitted earlier today. the clerk: senate resolution 293, commemorating the 150th anniversary of morgan state university. the presiding officer: weeks, the senate will proceed. mr. gardner: i ask that the preamble be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. gardner: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h.r. 2989 which was received from the house. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 29789 -- 2989 afternoon act to establish the frederick douglass bicentennial commission. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will