[inaudible conversation] [inaudible conversation]

>> we leave this event and go live to the u.s. senate. call p, pending? the presiding officer: we're not in a quorum call. mr. menendez: i rise today as brave citizens in iran are taking to the streets to exercise their fundamental right to freely express their opinions and protest against their government. as a democracy founded on core values, including the freedom of speech, equal rights under the law, and basic human dignity, the united states must always stand up for those peacefully advocating for these principles. for decades america has championed these principles not only because they are right but because they promote our interests. we know that nations whose governments respect human rights and freedom of expression, that uphold the rule of law, that protect the civil rights and liberties of their people, these nations serve as america's most reliable allies, most strategic

security relationships and most prosperous economic partners. our enduring belief in democratic values compels all of us to stand up, not as democrats or as republicans but as americans and support citizens around the world courageously protesting the regimes that oppress them. we stand with those who speak out and even risk their own lives to make their voices heard in the struggle against oppression, inequality and injustice. the fact that today's protests in iran are against a regime that engages in activity that directly threatens our nation, our allies and our security interests is a separate matter. iran's leaders may try to blame the protests on outside forces, but in reality, this unrest is homegrown. the iranians marching in tehran know exactly who is to blame for their economic hardship, inequality, and oppression they face in their daily lives.

it is the regime itself. those of us who have closely followed developments in iran for years, it's no surprise to learn that the regime continues to disregard the basic rights of its citizens. the regime has proven it has no moral quorums with forcing the innocent to suffer. already security forces are responsible for the deaths of more than 20 iranian protesters, and they have detained and imprisoned hundreds of people for simply speaking their minds. of course, these abuses are just one example of the consistently odious behavior we have witnessed from ie an -- iran in recent years. this is a regime that has proven is more interested in building ballistic missiles than building bridges, that it believes money is better spent on terrorist networks in lebanon and syria than on schools and hospitals for the iranian people, that any revenue generated by iran's international energy deal goes directly into the pockets of

those fehrmenting discord in the region and not into the hands of iranian citizens trying to feed their families, that it will continue to engage in malign activity that isolates it from the community of nations directly at the expense of the iranian people. for these reasons and many more, i sincerely hope the international community lives up to its responsibility to support all those who are protesting this repressive regime. however, words go only so far. the united states must continue to lead international efforts to counter the iranian regime's destabilizing behavior overseas. but unfortunately, this administration has yet to take the lead. we hear plenty of bluster from this president, but threatening tweets do not constitute policy, nor can they hold iran accountable. putting a nation, quote, on

notice means nothing if there are no policies put in place. we need a real strategy that addresses iran's destabilizing activities in the middle east, whether it's the regime's continued support for terrorist networks, illegal ballistic missile development, or human rights abuses and political interference in other countries. these threats are what compelled me to work with my colleagues across the aisle last year to pass the counter iran destabilizing activities act, a bill to hold iran accountable for its ongoing support for terrorism, ballistic missile proliferation, and human rights abuses. this legislation passed the senate with an overwhelming bipartisan majority of 98-2. and ultimately, it served as the base text of the countering america's adversaries through sanctions act which addressed a wide range of hostile behavior from not just iran but russia and north korea as well.

this bill calls for the administration to develop a comprehensive regional strategy to deter conventional and asymmetric threats. we're fast approaching the deadline for that strategy. more importantly, however, we have heard the president say for more than a year that he was going to develop a plan to hold iran accountable. and thus far we have seen nothing more than tough talk. the reality is this administration has yet to fully implement critical provisions of this law that could substantiv substantively counter iran's nefarious behavior. the law gives the president the authority to target human rights abusers, including those complicit in the ongoing repression of protesters. but he has yet to use that authority. the bill also authorizes the president to go after those individuals and entities who are violating international arms embargoes, exporting hateful

ideologies and weapons across the region, and fehrmenting violence and chaos against innocent civilians in syria and yemen but he has yet to go after these actors. and while the administration designated the iranian revolutionary guard under terrorism authority, something i applaud, it is not effectively targeted actors associated with the irgc. look, all of my colleagues know that i was deeply skeptical and strongly opposed to the joint comprehensive plan of action. i voted against the jcpoa precisely because i thought it was a mistake to roll back sanctions on iran without the total dismantlement of its nuclear infrastructure. however, refusing to certify aroon's compliance with a deeply flawed deal as the president did in october does little to address its shortcomings. the president's move in october was a hollow attempt to fill a

campaign promise while continuing to let iran enjoy the benefits of the jcpoa and continue its nonnuclear malign activities throughout the region. furthermore, this decision was carried without a clear path forward and without specific proposals that could have gone to critical international support. at the end of the day the trump administration's actions may have actually left the united states with less leverage to address iran's far-reaching nefarious behavior in the middle east, whether it be its support for terrorism or human rights abuses or its illegal ballistic missile development. none of these critical security challenges are addressed simply by knoll certifying -- not certifying the jcpoa nor does it move toward a comprehensive international strategy for the nuclear program iran plans to resume immediately following this agreement's expiration. in short, the president's own lack of policy has squandered

whatever leverage he may have hoped to gain. furthermore, the president has severely disadvantaged himself by gutting the very instruments in his national security apparatus that should be taking the lead on iran and all foreign policy matters. i can tell you that as an architect of the sanctions network that crippled iran's economy and forced its leaders to negotiate with the international community, i know how essential our diplomatic arsenal is to confronting iran. the president, however, seems committed to hollowing out those agencies and offices that are in the best positions to advance our diplomatic interests. the trump administration, for example, has shuttered the office of sanctions policy at the state department. the office of foreign control the treasury department is now woefully understaffed. and as the president publicly talks about supporting democracy, his administration has scrapped funding for human rights and democracy programs and even removed the word

democracy from usaid's mission statement. meanwhile, iran continues to increase its presence in iraq, maintain support for the terrorist organization hezbollah, and take credit for bah shar al-assad's murderous grip and power on syria. the united states must be able to work with its allies if we are serious about hostledding iran accountable. we should be corralling our allies in europe to begin streeting all of hezbollah's entities as a terrorist organization. we should be moving our allies towards a development of a comprehensive international strategy for addressing iran's nuclear ambitions once the jcpoa expires. finally, this administration must prioritize the release of american citizens, unjustly arrested and detained in iran. today princeton university student shuway wang, a scholar from one of the most renowned

academic institutions in my home state of new jersey remains in prison under resick louse charges of espionage -- ridiculous charges of espionage. similarly, a former student of rutgers university remains in prison along with his father, a former unicef employee. and robert levinson remains missing after more than ten years. in short, the president's approach towards iran thus far has been a disjointed mix of campaign promises, bluster, and confusing signals to our allies, not a serious consideration of how to effectively confront and existing and growing threat. so as we approach a legally mandated dead lin for the -- deadline for the president to present congress and the american people with a sound policy to confront a real threat, i call on the president to make use of our incredible national security establishment, to consult experts who can help formulate a strong, sound policy

capable of confronting iran's destabilizing behavior in the middle east. and to implement a strategy that will effectively confront iran's continued support for international terrorism. its belligerent missile tests and its ongoing and public and brutal abuses of human rights within its own borders and around the world. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor and observe the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. cassidy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. cassidy: mr. president, are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are. mr. cassidy: i request that it be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cassidy: thank you. mr. president, republicans just passed the largest tax reform panch in 30 -- package in 30 something years. adle middle -- and middle america will go home with bigger paychecks -- i should say

february. it will take that long for the i.r.s. to update their software and they will go home with more money in their pocket. if there's been a theme of the trump administration, it's that they want those working americans, those middle-class americans to do better under this president than under the previous eight years. mr. president, that tax reform package is part of that. and i'm just amazed that my democratic colleagues objected to it. they objected to middle americans having more money in their pocket, in their take-home pay for no other reason i think than to resist president trump. well, what i'm about to speak to well speaks to better jobs, better wages for working americans for those middle-class families. this afternoon, mr. president, the u.s. department of interior released the trump administration's draft proposed program for offshore oil and gas leasing. this proposal would mean more affordable energy made right here in the united states of

america and, by the way, that's good news for american workers and families. i commend president trump and interior secretary zinke for their commitment to supporting american workers and making america energy dominant. for decades past administrations have handcuffed american energy manufacturers by restricting offshore leases to the western and center gulf of mexico. you can only drill there, not elsewhere. past plans left 90% of the u.s. offshore resources off limits to energy producers, and in the process, saying no to thousands of good paying american jobs and billions of dollars in offshore investment. when i say offshore, i mean off the american shore but creating jobs here in the united states of america. the trump administration proposal rejects the status quo and puts american workers and families first. it would open areas with significant oil and gas

potential, areas off the coast of alaska and the atlantic and pacific and portions of the eastern gulf of mexico. now, what are the ramifications of this? according to one study, opening the eastern gulf of mexico would create nearly 230,000 new american jobs by 2035. it would bring roughly $115 billion of investment to the united states. federal, state, and local governments would collect an additional $70 billion in tax revenue by 2035, not because rates are going up. no, rates have now gone down. but rather people are making more money and because they're making more money at lower rates, federal, state, and local tax receipts continue to increase. american energy production would be boosted by about a million barrels of oil making our country more secure. now, let's take a look at the

state-by-state job increases from these lease sales. florida, floarmd gets the -- florida gates the -- gets the biggest gain, texas 62,000, my home state of louisiana would add 31,000 new jobs. alabama 21,000. mississippi 12,000. and the rest of the united states, 15,000 new jobs. now, i know some of my colleagues across the aisle, including my democratic colleague from florida, have expressed concerns about this energy production plan's impact on fishing and military training in the gulf of mexico. let's remember, oil and gas manufacturers have coexisted with other activities for decades. and i share my colleagues' interest in protecting our communities, business, and the environment. the reality is that these goals are not mutually explowsive, especial -- exclusive, especially on the gulf coast. let's me use louisiana as an

example. according to noaa, louisiana has four of the ten top ports in the country by volume and value of seafood landed. in 2016, two louisiana ports alone received more than 670 million pounds of seafood landed in the gulf. this is in addition to the oil and gas production off of our coast. together with texas, our two states accounted for half of u.s. shrimp landings. noaa also reports that roughly half of the jobs in commercial and recreational fishing in the gulf exist in states where there's also oil and gas production. recreationally, gulf anglers accounted for 33% of fishing trips which equals 39% of the total u.s. catch. of course, more than 85% of recreational landings were in inland estuaries or state territorial waters. most of the oil and gas activity we're discussing today is in deeper federal waters many miles

away. again, the gulf coast is a working coast and it's been proven over the decades that multiple industries can successfully compan coexist. when my colleague from florida brought up his concerns about potential conflicts with the department of defense operations in the gulf of mexico, i took that very seriously ensuring that our military is equipped to train and test is vitally important. however, it's simply not true that the eastern gulf of mexico must be completely free of energy production in order for the military to conduct operations. our military's own testing data from the last five years makes that very clear. this map shows all the department of defense testing done in the last five years in the eastern gulf of mexico. department of defense used only 19% of the eastern gulf of mexico during the last five years or to put it differently, 81% of the gulf went untouched. but when you look at the space

-- when you look at it more closely at the space regularly used by our military, it becomes clear that this objection to energy production in the eastern gulf does not pass the smell test. this is the panhandle of florida. right here is the state of alabama. for those who are interested in it, the flor-bama bar is and this is where folks from louisiana love to go and enjoy themselves. this is, if you will, zoomed in on the last map and shows spaces the military used for more than 14 days during that five-year period. so out of five years, these are the spaces used for more than 14 days, not per year but over the five years. only 0.5% of the eastern gulf of mexico was used by the department of defense for more

than 14 days over the last five years. 0.5%. that means department of defense regularly uses only one out of every 200 acres in the gulf. now, i met both with the interior department and the defense department urging them to work together to ensure the best use of federal waters. this data shows that it can be done. i'm confident that under the trump administration's proposal, we can provide thousands of americans with good paying jobs, boost our energy manufacturing and security, strengthen our economy, and do it in a way that is environmentally responsible and protects our communities. i applaud today's announcements because it will make a true difference for our country and for the american people. the american worker who's not done well over the last eight years but under this administration has begun to do well and this is the next step in making sure that his and her future is as bright as it ever

could be. mr. president, i yield the floor.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. lee: mr. president, i ask that at the conclusion of my remarks the senator from texas, mr. cornyn, be recognized. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. lee: mr. president, i rise today to honor the life of a truly remarkable man. thomas s.monson, the president of the church of jesus christ of

latter-day saints. on tuesday night at the age of 90, president monson was called home by his heavenly father. i expect his reunion with his wife francis was a joyous occasion and i'm confident that that reaoupb -- reunion will provide comfort to his three children and eight grandchildren but his legacy is far greater than his family even though that was of paramount important to him and his wife francis. president monson's legacy also includes the countless men and women whose lives were touched by him as well as the confident global church that he helped to shepherd to expand and to strengthen. consider this, in the 54 years thomas monson served as an apostle, church membership swelled from two million to 16 million. that accomplishment is a blessing from god but it was

realized by saints like president monson who devoted their lives to serving him. in his case starting at an exceptionally young age. thomas monson was born and raised in salt lake city in a large and devoutly faithful family. he attended utah state university. he served with honor in the united states naval reserve and worked for a time in printing. by the age of 22, he was the bishop of a ward, a local congregation in salt lake city charged with guiding over 1,000 people in their walks with christ. by 36, he was a member of the forum of the 12 apostles, one of the youngest people ever called to that special calling. but brother monson did not give in to hubris as a result of those unexpected and in many cases early promotions. quite the opposite, he was

humbled by the very heavy mantle that had been placed on his shoulders. s members of president monson's ward remember the young bishop as a companion to people enduring struggles and hardships. there were 80 widows in his ward. he took time to visit every single one of them on a regular basis. also in his ward when he became bishop were 18 servicemen fighting in the korean war. every month he sent letters to those 18 men to remind them that they had not been forgotten. even decades later, he would speak of these service men and widows during the church's general conference meeting, his love for them could still be felt by those in attendance. those stories illustrate the kind of man president monson truly was. i can testify to this fact through personal anecdotes of my own, including the fact that in 2010 shortly after i had been elected to the united states senate, president monson invited

me along with my wife sharon and our three children to visit with him in his office in salt lake city. he prayed with us, encouraged us and offered us counsel. as many as much as anything we t honored that he would take the time to meet with us and show interest in our lives. this is perhaps the single most consistent thread in president monson's life. he was someone who at every step of his life, at every stage of his service was always willing to reach out to others, to visit them even without anyone else expecting it. he was known, famous in fact for routinely interrupting his daily routine and just to visit someone who happened to be sick, who happened to be in the hospital, who happened to be going through something difficult. president monson didn't always know the reason why he needed to visit the person in advance. he just knew it needed to be done, and it always did. there were lessons that we can learn here in the united states

senate about this type of service. this type of service that is selfless, that is eternal in its scope and its reach, this type of service that blesses the lives of other human beings without any expectation of remuneration. he was a leader who understood how even small, seemingly insomething acts of kindness -- seemingly insignificant acts of kindness could affect people's lives in profound lasting ways. he always urged his brothers and sisters within the church and elsewhere to be on the lookout for signs that god was calling them to help. never fail to follow a prompting of the holy spirit, he would say. and on a regular basis, he did just that. this could mean visiting a relative in the hospital or delivering a meal to a coworker who was mourning a loss or just checking in on a friend he hadn't seen in a while. for president monson, it was always about taking time for that personal connection.

president monson knew that little encounters build strong relationships and strong saints. in 2008, president thomas s. monson was called to lead the church as its president. he proved to be a good steward of the church in a fast moving world and in an expanding, growing faith community. many obituaries have already noted how in 2012 he lowered the age requirement for missionaries, a decision that increased the missionary force in short order from 52,000 to almost 70,000. it's almost 20,000 more young people to spread the gospel and daily serve in those communities around the world. but president monson did far more than that to strengthen the church's commitment to caring for the least in our community. under his leadership, the church expanded its poverty and disaster relief programs. he even added caring for the poor and needy to the church's

official mission statement. president monson lived in utah almost his entire life, but his heart was with the church spread throughout the world. during the depths of the cold war, he helped lead the latter-day saints trapped behind the iron curtain. mormons in the soviet union were poor, just like everyone else, and didn't have a temple and their governments forebade them from trafrlg abroad. -- traveling abroad. they didn't have access to temple ceremonies. that didn't sit well with president monson as he told his brothers and sisters from the pulpit during a trip to east germany he wanted them to share in every blessing of the faith, so he gave everything he had to help those people, even the shirt off his own back. quite literally. he returned from one trip to the soviet union in his house slippers because he had given his spare clothes to the less

fortunate, a funny story that brings to mind the words of the savior. for i was a stranger and you took me in. i was naked and you clothed me. around that time president monson began two decades of quiet diplomacy with soviet authorities including with eric honniker himself. his labor reaped a tremendous harvest. in a regime that was hostile to religion and to outsiders he won approval for mormon missionaries to come and spread the gospel and in 1985 he won an even bigger triumph when a temple owned behind the iron curtain in germany. he had followed a prompting of the lord. the result was nothing less than that dramatic impactful tear in the iron curtain, one that had stifled religious belief.

but religious belief was facilitated by this noble servant of the lord jesus christ. there are just a few stories from president monson's life. those are just a few that i've shared. i'd like to conclude with just one more. not long ago president monson was asked what he wanted for his birthday which was coming up at a time. here was his simple response. quote, do something for someone else on that day to make sure that his or her life would be better. find someone who is having a hard time or is ill or lonely and do something for them. that's all i would ask. close quote. president monson was always looking for little ways to help other people. that wish is as true in death as it was in his life. in lieu of flowers for his funeral, the church has requested contributions to be made to the church's humanitarian aid fund. president monson's legacy will

outlast his death because he chose to follow the one who conquered death, taking upon himself the sins, the transgressions, the pains, the miseries of all mankind so that we too might return to live with him. president monson will be missed. president monson, god be with you until we meet again. mr. cornyn: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i know we're fresh back from the holidays, the start of a new year, and all of us are already thinking a lot and working hard on the tasks we have at hand. we have a lot to do, especially before the next continuing resolution expires on january 19. but i don't want to make the

mistake of failing to recount the good work that we were able to accomplish on behalf of the american people in 2017, because sometimes in the hustle and bustle of life, we fail to acknowledge those things that we've actually been able to do, for which we ought to be grateful and that our constituents need to know about. and i want to take just a few minutes to do exactly that. because unfortunately, in the hyperpolitical and hyperpolarized political environment we live in today, especially with the advent of social media, there's always some naysayers and pundits who want to offer their comments, and one of the things i've noticed most about many of those naysayers and pundits when they comment on what's happening here in washington is how little they know about the facts. and so the facts matter, and i want to offer those for the

public's consideration now. in january of last year the nation was quickly called to order following the inauguration of president trump. one of his first actions was to nominate neil gorsuch to the united states supreme court. i think most of us were astonished at the quality of this selection. many of us not being familiar with the tenth circuit court of appeals on which justice gorsuch served in denver, colorado. justice gorsuch was quickly confirmed in april, and then we moved on to fill other judicial vacancies which of course are the prerogative of the president to make that nomination to be confirmed with the advice and consent of the senate. and we, like the president, have made filling these judicial vacancies a priority. the fact of the matter is, though, that the senate is in

the personnel business. in other words, our friends in the house of representatives don't have to vote on confirmation of judges and other presidential nominees, but we in the senate do. all told, we've confirmed 19 men and women to the federal bench in 2017, setting a record for appellate judges confirmed during a president's first year in office. two of them, jim ho and don willette i'm pleased to say will serve from texas on the fifth circuit court of appeals that sits in new orleans. these are exception qualified nominees and typical of that description of the type of people that president trump has selected to serve in the federal judiciary. but our work wasn't just confined to confirming the president's nominees. after eight years of overreach, hundreds of burdensome ruled passed during the previous administration, many in the waning hours of president

obama's presidency, were rolled back or suspended. i'm glad congress did its part using the congressional review act to roll back 15 harmful regulations last year. as much as anything, i think that's contributed to the soaring stock market, the increase in consumer confidence, and the extraordinary rebound of our economy. as last summer began, we passed a bill funding texas priorities. it funded things like the national space administration programs at the houston's johnson space center that will advance missions hopefully back to the moon and eventually to mars. and we allowed through that funding to make sure that the department of homeland security had what they needed to hire additional border patrol and agents at ports of entry to improve those check points and to add immigration court judges

too. i remember thinking about hurricane harvey. a friend of mine years ago asked the rhetorical question, he said you know what makes god laugh? and he answered, when we make plans. hurricane harvey is perhaps an example of that because we were making other plans when we got this natural disaster known as hurricane harvey. texas was pummelled with the most extreme rain be event in the history of the united states, devastating more than 28,000 square miles along the coast. i along with the entire texas congressional delegation helped secure roughly $30 billion for recovery efforts. but the thing i'm most proud of is the way that ordinary texans responded to their neighbors in need. they weren't waiting around for washington to act first. they wanted to act to help their

neighbors and their community and their state. but we also are recognizing we have a presiding officer from louisiana, i just want to make special note of the cajun navy that came over from louisiana to help rescue people off of their rooftops. that's part of not only what makes texas and louisiana great, but what makes america great, too, when people will come to the aid of their fellow americans. but as texans tore out sheet rock and molded carpets in their living room, federal resources helped piece together those lives that were disrupted. now we have got to make sure we complete the task by delivering additional relief not only to texans but to florida, puerto rico, and the virgin islands, as well as to those states devastated by wildfires out west. and i'm hopeful with the house having passed a substantial disaster relief bill and sent it

over to us, that is something we will take up and pass very soon, perhaps as soon as january 19. i have spoken a moment about natural disasters, but let me now turn to a man man-made disa, because after the hurricane, texas was dealt a second blow just two months later. when a man opened fire at a purse at sutherland springs, texas. with multiple convictions for domestic violence, a felony conviction and a history of mental illness, this individual should never have been able to legally purchase a firearm. because under existing law, those conditions disqualify you from being able to purchase a firearm. if you're a convicted felon, you're convicted of domestic violence or have a history of mental illness. that's why following this terrible disaster where 26 people were killed, i introduced

the bipartisan fix nics act. that's fix the national instant criminal background check act, to ensure that existing laws are enforced and convicted felons don't exploit our background check system by lying and buying. i'm going to continue to urge the passage of this important piece of legislation which is, as i say, bipartisan, as it should be. the fall of 2017 gave way to winter and soon came the flurries of snow, not only here in washington but back home in texas. the week before christmas, we completed comprehensive tax reform, a historic overhaul of the tax code and the first in more than three decades. we said originally that our goals were threefold. one is to make the tax code simpler. the second is to make sure that everybody in every tax bracket saw a decrease in their tax

liability. and third was to make the american tax code competitive in the global economy. because until that point, we had the highest tax rate in the industrialized world, which caused companies to move offshore or to invest offshore and create jobs in other countries rather than the united states because we had the most burdensome tax in the industrialized world. as i said, this bill, now law, reduces taxes in all income brackets, boosts the standard deduction and child tax credit, which means only one out of ten taxpayers will likely choose to itemize because they will actually benefit more from the standard deduction along with a child tax credit. it will allow businesses to add jobs and raise wages and reinvest from overseas. for example, a family of four making the median income will see their taxes drop by more

than $2,000, a reduction of nearly 58%. tax reform complements an economy that has already been truly unleashed under this administration. just since january, the economy has added 1.7 million new jobs, and over the last two quarters, our economy has grown at more than 3% as compared to an average of 1.9% under the previous administration. and while it's not historic in the sense that the tax bill was historic, there is other important legislation that we passed with little fanfare but significant impact which i'd like to mention. one is a bill i championed called the protect our children act which reauthorizes task forces that combat child exploitation online. the second i would like to mention is a bill that tackled elder abuse. a third, called the safer act,

was now signed today by the president. it reauthorizes rape kit audits and prioritizes the training of pediatric nurses handling sexual assault cases. i was shocked and chagrined a year or so ago to learn there could be as many as 400,000 untested rape kits either sitting in evidence lockers or in laboratories untested. now, thanks to the debbie smith act, named after a heroic woman who has championed the funding of federal efforts to identify and test this backlog of rape kits, that number is far smaller today, but the reauthorization of the safer act is important to keep our commitment to victims of sexual assault that we will do everything in our power to help them identify their assailant and to bring them to justice, and at the same time exonerate people who may be falsely accused because there is

no d.n.a. match. finally, other legislation i filed and has now been signed into law assist police departments in hiring military veterans. we know our police departments always are in need of good, highly qualified applicants for those important first responder jobs. after signed by the president, it streamlined the process that active duty personnel and reservist members go through to apply for their commercial driver's license. we know that this is a long and arduous process to apply for a commercial driver's license, so why not take our active duty military who are soon to retire or our veterans and expedite their ability to qualify for a commercial driver's license when they leave the military? as i said, these bills don't grab big headlines, but they chip away at problems and were

passed on a bipartisan basis, which i think puts the lie to the canard that nothing ever gets done in washington. the job of men and women in congress is to serve the people who elected us. this last year, we made important strides, but our work is just beginning, and as i said at the outset, there is much that lies ahead. many americans and many texans are still knocking at the door of greater prosperity. i hope we will make it our new year's resolution to open that door a little wider in 2018. mr. president, i yield the floor, and i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk shall call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. booker: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. booker: i understand we're in a quorum call. the presiding officer: we are. mr. booker: request to vitiate the quorum. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. booker: thank you. i rise because earlier this day, the president and attorney general sessions rescinded the cole memo. it is issued under -- it was issued under the obama

administration to have prosecutors shift the focus away from nonviolent marijuana crimes and towards more serious crimes that threaten our communities. this memo was a critical step in the right direction, undoing some of the catastrophic damage that has been caused by the failed war on drugs. it is a step forward for the federal government in mending our broken drug policies that have so hurt our nation in so many ways. i believe it is a step forward that the vast majority of americans who believe the war on drugs failed agree with, it's a step forward that improves america's safety, saves money, and better lives are lost with our most fundamental values of fairness, equality and justice. but yet today attorney general jeff sessions has instruct the

department of justice to not just double down on failed policy, but to turn back the clock and undermine the well-being of our country. the policy change actually goes against what jeff sessions promised elected officials in this body before his confirmation. we heard already from the other side, senator gardner, that he had a commitment from the attorney general that before his confirmation that this is not what he would do. this is an attack on our most sacred ideals and the very purpose of the department of justice which is to protect americans, elevate ideals of justice, and do right by people. it is a failure of this administration who said, as our president did during the campaign, that he would honor what states are doing. it's a betrayal of our attorney general who gave a -- at least one republican member of this body, but most significantly, it

is hurting -- it will hurt america. it ignores the fact that there is a growing bipartisan consensus that the war on drug has failed. it sacrificed our critical urgently needed resources in our communities, violating values, and destroying communities. let me walk through the four points one by one. first, this massive waste of public resources urgently needed in other areas. we have spent in the last four decades in this country so much on these policies, and at the same time that we're disinvesting from public education, from our public colleges, disinvesting from science and research, investment in our research, yet have spent trillions of dollars in this failed war on drugs. we have created a nation that

says we are the land of the free but we are the incarceration nation on the planet earth with one in every four incarcerated people on this planet are imprisoned here in the united states of america. one out of every three incarcerated women on the planet are incarcerated right here in the united states of america. between the time of 1990 and 2005, we've devoted so much of our resources to building new prisons. during that time, we were building a new prison in the united states one out of every ten days to keep up with the massive amount of people who were being driven into our prisons, one new prison every ten days as our infrastructure crumbled, as our roads and bridges crumbled. we sidelined the resources of our law enforcement officials. i know this having been a former

mayor. the precious time, resources, and energy of the law enforcement officials, redirected them into marijuana enforcement. and for what? at a time when we have real issues to deal with our country, a drug epidemic, a time when people cannot afford treatment, that there are waiting lists for treatment because we don't have the resources to deal with this opioid epidemic are instead using our resources to enforce marijuana laws. the centers for disease control, the c.d.c., reported last year that 91 americans died every single day from opioid epidemic in this country, meanwhile, according to f.b.i. data, since 2014, one american is arrested every single minute for

marijuana possession -- one american every minute for marijuana possession, that's police resources, that's resources to put people in jail, to hold them, to feed them, court resources, all that could be used and invested in our society to deal with the ravages of the opioid epidemic. police resources that are being used for marijuana possession that could be being used to chase after violent offenders. this is somehow crazy that we think we can arrest our way out of a problem. doubling down on these failed efforts makes no sense. it is a massive waste of our precious resources as a society, but, number two, it's also perpetuating injustice in our country. we believe that everyone in this

nation should have equal justice under the law. those are the words written on the supreme court, but we know this war on drugs has not been a war on drugs, it's been a war on people, and not all people, but certain people, the most vulnerable people. it has been a war on poor people, it has been a war on mentally ill people, it has been a war on people of color. the unequal application of marijuana laws has created a system where outcome are more dependent on race and class than dependent on guilt or innocence. it is privileged -- in privileged communities in places all across this country, marijuana is being used with little fear of consequences, openly spoken about, joked about with little understanding of the painful fact that the war on drugs in america has scarcely

affected their drugs, but the war on drugs because of the unequal applications of the laws is affecting people in other communities. i've seen this personally. i went to stanford and to yale and i watched drug use being done openly -- openly marijuana use. there's no f.b.i. investigations, no sting operations set up to go after the privileged in this country. there are people in this body that openly admit to using marijuana with no consequence, but if you're poor or vulnerable in the united states of america, they are coming after you. and there will be consequences. i've had countless conversations with elected officials about their own personal drug use because it's outrageous to me, this outrageous hypocrisy that they could flaunt drug rules on -- while poor people and people of color suffer as a result of our marijuana laws.

the facts are clear, the disproportionate marijuana laws has created a system of massive injustice in our country, continue is it obvious there is no difference in america between blacks and whites for using marijuana, no difference between blacks and whites for selling marijuana, but blacks are 3.7 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person is. this is a targeting of certain communities, a targeting of low-income people who are having their lives devastated by this unequal application of the law. and jeff sessions announcement today will make the problem worse. and people don't understand what it means if you get a felony conviction for marijuana possession. most people have no understanding that this is a lifetime sentence in america. it not only affects the

individuals' -- individual's ability to get a job, you can't get a pell grant if you have a felony conviction for marijuana usage, which many people in this body have done. you can't get business licenses for a felony conviction of marijuana, you can't get food stamps, you can't get public housing. it devastates individuals economically, but it devastates their families as well. it destroys the lives of children who suddenly the earner in their family who are guilty of no more serious crime than some of my colleagues. suddenly they have to pick up the pieces after one of their parents is sent away to prison missing one day of work or two days of work often means losing your job, not being able to make the car payment or rental payment. we know children who have a father in prison or arrested are more likely to be expelled from schools. this marijuana enforcement is

devastating families which are the fundmental building blocks of communities. these laws weaken our economic health. one study found if it weren't for mass incarceration explosion as a result of the war on drugs, the poverty rate in this country would be 20% lower. we have inflicted a self-infli self-inflicted wound by wasting police resources and the financial resources of this country, and we have taken another self-inflicted wound by destroying families and communities economically. but it also has hurt our safety as a country. there are communities all across this nation who worry about the safety of their children, the safety of their families, the safety of their neighborhood, and by taking these critical resources away from law enforcement, this is a sacrifice of our efforts to make communities safe and strong. in 2016 more americans were arrested for marijuana

possession than for all silent crimes com-- all violent crimes combined. how many unsolved murders are there, how many unsolved assaults, how much violence and crime should our police be investigating as opposed to dealing with marijuana prehib big -- prohibition? fewer police resources, fewer officers. we've occupied our prisons with more marijuana arrests than for rape or murder, aggravated assault, or even the unsolved robberies alone in ou our county because we are spending our precious police resources on marijuana prohibition. historians now attest to the complete and utter failure of another prohibition in this country which is the prohibition of alcohol. it arguably made people less safe. it led to more drinking and was a blow to our economy and the ability of our officers to do the job. it was even a blow to officers' safety and security.

if we're serious about making our communities safer or stronger, families more secure, we should be focusing on how to undo the catastrophic damage of marijuana prohibition, not double down on it. i say all of this is -- as someone who ran a police department in newark. it was under my authority as mayor. my officers would talk about th churn of people they arrested again and again on nonviolent charges which, by the way, many of our law enforcement officers may have engaged in. deepening the distrust between officers and the community for arresting people that people in positions of authority, like senators and presidents, had done themselves. i saw firsthand how the disproportionate enforcement of our drug laws made communities like mine overcriminallized and underprotected, overcriminalizing possession of marijuana and underprotecting them on serious crimes.

this is an issue which i know too personally. i've seen this from walking privileged and elite communities like universities or here in washington. and i know it because i may be the only senator that when i go home, i go home to an inner city community. i go home to a community where it's about $14,000 per household. i love my neighborhood. i love my community. i love my neighbors, but it is outrageous to me that communities like mine and all over this country have seen the vicious impact of a war on drugs while other communities, elite communities can brag and joke about marijuana usage that they've done. i'm proud that i've spent most of my adult life working with the people of newark, new jersey, a city that's rich with culture, that's rich with art, that's rich with civic

engagement, but i know from patterson to passaic to newark that there are communities like mine that every single day are getting the devastating blow of this prohibition of this war on marijuana. i see the anguish people feel like the unjust and the unfairness of it all for having lives upended for getting caught with small amounts of marijuana. i've seen countless people who couldn't find a job, a decent place to live to support their families. i'll never forget as a city councilman in newark waiting in line at the dmv and a guy comes to me and tells me the story that he was issued the uniform. he finally had a job that had a pension, that he could support his family, move out of a bad neighborhood into a better one, how he was so excited and then they ran his record and 18 years earlier he had a nonviolent marijuana-related charge and they took it all away from him.

think about that comparison to the highest office in the land where marijuana users have occupied with no consequence, the hip pock creals of it all. -- pip hock crazy of it all. this isn't a few people. this is hundreds of thousands of americans who are bearing the browntsz of nonvie -- brunt of nonviolent charges for marijuana that have had their lives destroyed and that lifetime sentence of time and time again having to check a box about a marijuana arrest, having their uniforms taken away, opportunities closed. and i've seen how these laws make us less safe. when are we going to get back to this understanding that we, all of us as americans put our hand on our heart and we make a pledge, we swear an oath that we will be a nation of liberty and justice, not for the privileged, not for the elite, but we will be a nation of liberty and

justice for all. countless people have talked about equal justice under the law, these ideals and principles from this floor. they talked about it in the suffrage movement. they talked about it in the civil rights movement. it goes all the way back to slavery. frederick douse lass on the 24th -- douglas on the 24th anniversary of the emancipation proclamation made a statement that was as true then as it is now. he said where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that a society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe. well, this is the war on drugs. this is the marijuana prohibition. it has been a systematic oppression of poor people in our

country. it has destroyed and devastated individuals, families, communities, cities. it has bled our national treasure. it has filled our jails to the point where we had to build more and more and more of them. it's taken away resources from investing in drug treatment or education which we know not only drives down drug use but empowers people economically. this is the war on drugs. this is the war on marijuana. attorney general sessions' policy recession today will only make these problems worse. at a time that the majority of the american public agrees with me, agrees that this prohibition must end, the majority of the american people understand that this policy makes our communities less safe, wastes taxpayers' money, makes it more difficult for police officers to do their jobs, and ultimately

hurts the struggling folks at the bottom of the economic ladder most and disproportionately affects black and brown americans, that they are the ones that are bearing the brunt of our failure to get rid of prohibition. but let's be clear about what this setback is. the american people know the war on drugs has failed. they want change. republicans and democrats and independents in states all across our country are making change at their legislature, at the ballot box, voting in a repeal of these awful, unfair, wasteful policies. all across this country red states and blue states, americans are marching, or standing up and fighting to change these laws. and we know that states that have legalized marijuana have

seen a massive increase in revenue, decreased rates of serious crime. crime is going down in those communities. and they've been able to put the more resources to use and to address urgently public needs like education and infrastructure. in colorado, arrest rates have decreased and state revenue has increased. washington, d.c., right here, has seen a 10% decrease in violent crime over the three-year period following legalization. it is time for congress to step up to the plate. it is time for us to once again live up to our oath. it's time for us once again to fight to make our country a place of liberty and justice for all. and i know that right now attorney general jeff sessions and president trump are standing squarely on the wrong side of history.

i know what our ancestors have talk us about the arc of the universe bending toward justice. i know this is not a matter of if but a matter of when we'll have same marijuana policies in this country and end the prohibition that's destroying neighborhoods. i know these things but how long? how long will people suffer? how long will we waste resources? how long will we make ourselves less safe? how long? this fight is more than about a substance, a plant. it's more. it's about the soul of our nation. it's about our ideals. it's about justice. it's about justice for veterans who rely on medical marijuana to treat their ptsb. they fought us for. they stood for us. and now according to jeff sessions, their use of medical marijuana to deal with their p ptsd, they're criminals. that's not the america i believe in. it's about justice for the man who has a criminal records for

doing something that three out of four presidents have done who now can't get a job, can't get a business license, can't move his family into a better home. this is not justice. this is not the america i know we are. this is about the mother that i stood next to with her child who had gervias syndrome who fell into seizure after seizure, multiples per day, a refugee who -- according to jeff sessions, she's a criminal. this is not our america. this is not the land of truth and justice to treat a parent like that like a criminal. this is about families and communities that too long have been fractured by the inaction of this body to address the overcriminallization of our country. this is about the very values that people fight for and stand

for. this is about who we will be. we cannot fall into this nation where the privileged and the elite have certain laws and the poor and the struggling have others. when jeff session -- what jeff sessions did today is unconscionable, unacceptable, and i will fight against it. because when i go home, i see the communities in struggle. i can't turn my head and not understand that there are millions of americans who are hurting from this decades long war on drugs. this is a self-inflicted wound that goes deep to the bone of our country. it undermines our health and our well-being and too many suffer because of it. we have got to fight and i feel the sense of hopefulness because around this country, democrats and republicans on the state level are making changes. they're marching forward. they're undoing past wrongs. i feel a sense of hope and promise and even though today we

were delivered a painful blow by our federal government to cast a shadow against every american citizen who's using medical marijuana, every american citizen who is doing things that senators have done, i still know the truth will go marching on. i still know we are a nation of justice. i know we're better than this. and i know what our future holds. and so i ask my colleagues to reject this action by the attorney general, to speak out against this devastating reality. there are senators here who represent states that the people have spoken. it's now time that we speak for the people. it's now time that we speak for our country's ideals. it's now time that we don't just speak the words of our pledge but we make this country in truth a nation of liberty and justice for all. mr. president, thank you. i note the absence of a quorum.

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

quorum call:

mr. blunt: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. mr. blunt: i move the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. blunt: mr. president, very two topics i want to talk about today. one is iran. there is no question that iran is the principal state sponsor of terrorism in the world. both the obama administration and the trump administration have without hesitation made that point. the iranian regime provides money. it provides material support for groups like hamas and hezbollah and a host of other terrorist groups. they've threatened to wipe out one of our closest allies, israel. their threat is to, frankly, wipe israel off the map. and they've systematically

trampled on the fundamental freedoms that all people everywhere would want to have, and they have done that by taking those freedoms away from their own citizens and those human rights away from their own citizens. in recent days, we really have seen what happens after a decade of that kind of corruption and oppression. protesters began a week ago to protest. it was by all accounts unexpected by the previous protest groups, by the military, or by the government, but it spread to at least 50 cities where brave people wanting to stand up and in the streets standing up by thousands have protested a government that denies them their rights and a government that has impoverished their country while it funnels billions of dollars to terrorists across the world and across the middle east. where did those dollars come

from? unfortunately, mr. president, too many of those dollars came from us. i came to the floor in this spot nearly two years ago to ask that same question about the -- where that money came from after the obama administration paid iran what amounted to $1.7 billion in what appeared to be the ransome for the release of five american hostages but what at the time was explained, well, this is just money that we've had for a long time that was part of an economic agreement, a foreign military sale that we've held on to. and it just turned out that the story was not true, mr. president. we later learned that $400 million of that payment was delivered in palates of cash that were -- came off an airplane and palates stacked high with cash and that on top

of the hundred billion dollars in sanction relief, we had another billions of dollars in just straight cash. the sanctions relief under the terribly thought out iranian nuclear deal and the cash to apparently grease the skids to that agreement and others could happen. we've heard of other things in recent days where the administration turned its back on bad things that were happening in order to see that the iranian deal was going to go through. now, if the iranian deal had been a good deal, that would have been one thing. but to turn your back on bad things so that another bad thing can happen is either -- is even worse. so where is this money going? protesters have seen that the money that we delivered to them and the sanctions relief that we delivered to them didn't go to them and didn't go to their economy. it continued to finance terror

around the world and war in other countries. the state department once again in their assessment said this. they said, quote, iran remained the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in 2016 as groups supported by iran maintained their capability to threaten u.s. interest and allies. the iranian islamic revolutionary guard, the quds force along with iranian partners, allies and proxies continue to play a destabilizing role in the military conflict in iraq and in syria and in yemen and the state department, quote. those assessments always come about a year late after you've had time to assess the previous year. i have no doubt, mr. president, that that same assessment for 2016 will also be the assessment for the year we just ended 2017 and, frankly, the iranian people are tired of it.

they're angry. they're putting their lives on the line to protest the regime, the response of the iranian government has been predictable. first of all, they blamed others for creating these problems. they said we were agitating those freedom fighters in their country, those freedom protesters. they crens sured access -- censured access to the social media. they cracked down by arresting hundreds of people. the reports are that at least 20 people have been killed. it's clear that their behavior hasn't changed, that the hope that the iranian deal would somehow bring the long sought after moderates in the current government to the forefront have not happened. we should support the iranian people. i join the administration in expressing my support for the men and women, young and old, and the courage that they have as they stand up and try to achieve the greatness of that

country with its long heritage and its incredible assets and location and in resources should be able to achieve. mr. president, they just have not been allowed to do that. the last time that happened, our country was very quiet. this time our government is speaking up. hopefully others will join, the european countries have more economic impact in iran than we do. and there's a good reason for that. we've been very thoughtful of wanting to support this regime. they have not. it's time for them to speak up as well. mr. president, i joined a the administration, i join the president, not to let this moment pass again. not to one more time act as if nothing has happened and somehow this is exactly what the iranian government says it is because it's almost never, mr.

president, what the iranian government says it is. and we wish for those who care about freedom to stand up and defend and encourage those who are seeking greater freedom. the other thing i want to talk about today very briefly, mr. president, is i want to commend the administration and the federal emergency management agency for a decision that they just made. and that was -- that decision was to make houses of worship eligible for federal disaster aid. this is in line with legislation that i introduced in september of last year. senator gillibrand and i introduced after the sandy -- the hurricane sandy impact of hurricane sandy on houses of worship. fema's public assistance program provides financial grants for the repair, reconstruction, and replacement of private nonprofit facilities.

private nonprofit facilities. however, until yesterday houses of worship were ineligible for fema public assistant grants. as we saw last year, houses of worship, church, synagogues, mosques, and other places are critical institutions within communities. they help feed people in need and in trying to respond to disaster. they provide comfort and shelter during those disasters. fema not only did the right thing by making houses of worship eligible for disaster assistance, it did what our constitution demands. according to fema officials, the change in policy was prompted by the supreme court's ruling in the case of the lutheran church of columbia, missouri, versus the state of missouri who had -- we have a provision in our constitution that i argued against, that other missouri elected officials filed amicus

briefs against that said our constitution was wrong in finding that religious not for profit organizations couldn't be eligible for state programs simply because they were religious. that's not what the u.s. constitution says. it's not the supreme court determine what state institutions have a right to do. so fema has taken an important step. i think it's equally important now that we make this policy permanent law. the right thing to do deserves to be permanently the right thing to do. mr. president, i'm hoping that we see the legislation that i've introduced and many have cosponsored in whatever is the next supplemental disaster funding. money's going to be spent. let's go ahead and properly authorize it as the supreme court said we had every right to do and fema has decided it's the right thing to do. we're in a new year. we have new challenges.

one of the goals we have is to be sure that we move forward and strengthen our economy to help those responding to disaster, expanding opportunity for hardworking families. we've done that with regulatory reform, with judges that will determine what the law says, and with the tax bill that people will soon see in their paycheck that it is actually all about hardworking families. let me also submit for the record from the joplin globe editorial today, this was a community in 2011, the tornado struck over 100 people were killed. according to the globe editorial, just to remind me of the numbers, some 28 churches were either destroyed or damaged by the tornado that came through joplin. a significant number were totally destroyed. and i've been to a number of those buildings that they have

been replaced. but they were replaced without any of the kind of assistance that other not-for-profits would have had. the joplin globe editorial ends floods, fires, tornadoes, and hurricanes don't treat churches differently. neither should fema. and i want to again congratulate fema for the decision they made on this topic. mr. president, i submit this editorial for the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. blunt: mr. president, i believe there's the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk should call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. sullivan: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. mr. sullivan: i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sullivan: for the past year or so, i have been coming down here nearly every week. i know the presiding officer looks at this as possibly his favorite time of the week because he gets to hear a lot of these alaskans of the week speeches. i know the pages love them. but i come down to the floor to

talk about my state, really brag about my state, and recognize an alaskan who has made a difference, made a difference in their community, whether it's a small community, big community, in the state, in the country, and i have repeatedly stated, and i'm sure not all of my colleagues agree, but maybe some of them do, that alaskans live in the greatest state in the greatest country in the world. we certainly have the most beautiful landscapes and all seasons. i was in fairbanks and anchorage over the holidays. it was wonderful. winter is such a great time in the great state of alaska. for those who love snow, alaska is the place to be, so we want everybody to come visit, but it's truly the people and strong communities throughout alaska that make our state so great, such a welcoming place. and for those of us who live in alaska, sustainable community is everything. living in one of the most

magnificent places on earth also certainly has its challenges. we depend on each other. our traditional knowledge, our ingenuity, our warm-hearted nature and our determination to overcome these challenges is what makes our state great and is often the theme of our alaskans of the week. so today, mr. president, i'd like to transport you to the village of tuntutuliak. it's a village of about 400 people southwest of bethel, alaska, along the 700-mile-long mighty kuskequim river and introduce you to a truly amazing elder who for 77 years has worked tirelessly for his community and for our state. this is james charles, who is our alaskan of the week.

over the past decades when there has been a meeting on the kuskequim concerning fish or wildlife subsistence, james has been there helping to create a fishing and hunting community and regulations not only for the region but the entire state of alaska. james was born in 1940 in a fish camp below helmet point on the kuskequim river. during that time, alaska was being devastated by a tuberculosis epidemic. in fact, in the mid 20th century, alaska native people experienced the highest incidents of tuberculosis of any population ever. this is one of the many challenges we talk about. sadly, the epidemic took james' father, his uncle, and both grandparents, leaving his mother

in the community to care for her three children. the community, like many still unfortunately in alaska, didn't have hospitals or clinics. they didn't have medicine, and the federal government basically turned a blind eye to the havoc that this disease was wreaking all over alaska, particularly in our small villages. but what the community did have was each other, and they had food, and they had the bounty of the land, and they had elders to help teach the young people in the village the true meaning of subsistence living. james' mother, emma, hunted and fished to feed the family, and she and james' uncle taught james how to be a conservationist, only taking enough fish and wild game to survive and ensuring enough was left for other villagers, lessons he has passed down to the younger generations of alaskans year after year after

year. james met his wife nancy 50 years ago. she lived in another village, and he met her when he was actually out trapping for food. he said, quote, i walked 52 miles and found my wife at the end of my trap line. it was my best catch ever. unquote. james' accomplishments are legion. he spent 22 years in the alaska national guard, like so many alaska natives who serve at higher rates in the u.s. military than any other ethnic group in the country. he has served on the federal subsistence regional advisory council, the fish and game advisory council, and the kuskokwim river salmon management group. james travels all around our great state, attending different meetings and testifying at the board of game and fish.

he has dedicated his life to fish and wildlife conservation so he can set an example for alaskans today and future generations, including his own family. he has five children, 15 grandchildren, and 12 great grandchildren. he's so committed to keeping culture and tradition alive that none of his kids or grandkids or great grandkids are allowed into his house unless they are able to speak yupik, the traditional language of his people. for all his work to help continue a vital tradition of subsistence and conservation in alaska, james was awarded the conservationist of the year award by the fish and wildlife service this past summer, which he accepted at this year's alaska federation of natives convention. so for his work, mr. president, james is our alaskan of the week. thank you, james, for all you've

done for the great state of alaska. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the following statement appear in a separate place in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sullivan: mr. president, i'd like to say a few words about one of the members of my staff who happens to be on the floor with me right now, alex shank, who is unfortunately for me leaving my office on january 5 to pursue another opportunity in washington, d.c. alex has been in my office since 2015. he has been a legislative correspondent and rose to be a legislative aide where he oversaw issues related to my work on both the environment and public works committee and the commerce, science, and transportation committees. most notably and importantly for this body and i believe for the entire country, alex was key, the key member of my staff who

drafted senate bill 756, the safe -- save our seas act, s.o.s. act, an important bipartisan piece of legislation which we worked on with senator whitehouse and others that passed the senate earlier this year. this legislation, which is awaiting movement in the house, will address a very important issue, not only for alaska but for the entire country, which is the epidemic of marine debris affecting our oceans, our shorelines, inland waterways, coasts across the globe and fish and wildlife habitat and the health and sustainability of our fisheries. when -- what alex was able to do in terms of this bill was very impressive. he brought together an

impressive coalition of industry and conservation groups to support the bill. in addition to working on that important legislation which we're hopeful will move in the congress soon in the house and get signed by the president, alex ran point on hearings that i chaired as -- at the subcommittee on oceans, atmospheres, fisheries, and the coast guard. he has a bachelor's of science degree from hyde point university in north carolina, a master's degree in applied political science from american university. he is an avid outdoorsman, as you can probably tell. he is a good-natured and extremely hardworking member of my team. he will be sorely missed. we wish him the very best. thank you, alex. mr. president, i yield the floor. and i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to legislative session for a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it adjourn until 3:00 p.m. monday, january 8. further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day and morning business be closed. finally following leader remarks the senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the campbell nomination. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until

senate stands adjourned until we are going to be dispensed at this point to take you to live coverage of the u.s. senate. will have this entire event on her desk to fund the federal government by january 19. members of both parties including leadership on both sides have publicly stated their desire to approach this issue in a serious and collaborative manner. those sentiments were new funding agreement that meets several critically impor