vote him out. vote him out. >> thank you, kristi. that was such a powerful story. i also want to give a shout out to all the teachers out there in west virginia and beyond. [cheering and applause] our next speaker is from minnesota. minnesota's fifth congressional district and you may know him as the deputy chair of the democratic national committee. please welcome representativ the representative. >> the senate was in it recess so they could attend a briefing on the conflict on syria. they return to session right now. live coverage on c-span2.

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. schatz: i -- thank you, mr. president. i'm they're give some brief remarks about what we're on right now, which is a congressional review act vehicle to reconsider agency guidance. now, there's nothing that sounds more arcane and wonky than that. the issue at hand has to do with disparate treatment of people when they go into a -- borrow to get a car that there's plenty of evidence that black and brown people are taken advantage of and treated more poorly in the credit context than white people. and so the cfpb went to collect data and to require that people

were treated fairly. and so i'll be voting against this c.r.a. vehicle, by i actually think there's a bigger, broader, more concerning issue. and i'm going to be trying to work with the parliamentarian's office and with the leadership of both parties to address it because although it's arcane, it's very worrisome for the senate itself. so the congressional review act passed in 1996 and the idea was totally straightforward. any rule passed pursuant to substitute -- and of course all rules have to have some basis, some authority beyond the desire for the agency to want to promulgate rules -- is subject to review by the congress. so in other words if you don't like what an agency is doing, now there is a pathway -- it's called privileged -- which allows the congress to go ahead and overturn that rule. and in the senate it's especially important because it's not subject to a 60-vote threshold much this is a big deal. this allows the congress to say

anytime there is a rule made, we're going to go ahead and overturn it with a bare-majority threshold. that was the will of the congress. that is federal you law. so here's how the statute works. a rule gets submitted to goo and to congress and then a clock starts and a bunch of statutory triggers go and i've actually dug into this over the last probably ten weeks and suffice it to say it's very complicated but there is a pretty strict time line and there's 60 legislative days to take action and because we're the legislative branch of the federal government, legislative days are not actual days. it ends up taking like four times than that. the important part is that there is a process prescribed fao that and a time frame prescribed for that. that's the authority that the congress gave itself in 1996 and that authority is very clear about two things. first, it is meant-to-a ply to rules, which are binding, and it is meant to have legal force. and the c.r.a. gives the congress a way to weigh in when

an agency's interpretation of the law conflicts with the legislative intentions. and, second, it only applies to rules that were recently promulgated. in other words, they specifically envisioned that a clock would run. the rule gets submitted to congress. the clock runs. if the congress likes the rule or if there's not sufficient will to overturn the rule, then the rule stands. and if the congress doesn't like the rule, then a member can introduce a c.r.a. resolution of disapproval and then we act upon it and this is why what's happening right now is totally nuts. what's happening right now is not what we've normally done with c.r.a. what's happening right now is that we are submitting agency guidance, not a rule -- agency guidance which has no legal force to the same procedures as the rules under which the congressional review act. and the guidance in question is implementing guidance for a statute that is 50 years old.

so the guidance came out five years ago. the law that it's implement something 50 years old. and it's a piece of guidance -- it's literally interpretation of an existing law for the public and now we're going to overturn the interpretation of an existing law from an executive agency. we're not overturning a rule making. when you go through the rule-making process in the executive branch, it takes anywhere from 12 to 36 months, it's -- there's a rigorous process. it's sort of quasi judicial and you've got to sort of check all the boxes and do it. otherwise you get sued under the administrative procedures act. none of that happened. this was just guidance. and so now if the parliamentarian and the g.a.o. and everyone else decides that the c.r.a. abelias to guidance, the -- applies to guidance, the time limits on c.r.a. don't matter at all. and the interpretation of this statute is rendered absurd.

now, i will point out this is not the most well-crafted federal law on the books. it is very difficult to interpret this federal law. so i sympathize with the parliamentarian and g.a.o. and the leadership of both parties trying to make sense of a statute that is unclear in some places. but when a statute is unclear, you're supposed to interpret the statute in a way that the statute functions. and right now what we're doing is we're rendering the statute essentially absurd because, if it's a rule, you got a strict time limit. if it's guidance -- and i'm not sure if it's guidance why that wouldn't also apply to an agency circular, an executive memorandum from the under secretary. all of this could be subject -- tens of thousands of pieces of guidances and rules and views and -- whatever is considering policymaking could be subjected to a congressional review act action. and i think that is completely bananas. we are going down a path where congress can take an administrative action that has been done in the last 22 years

and subject it to the c.r.a. and you will not need 60 votes. now, this is bad for our institution. i can't stress that enough. i understand that this is not the kind of thing that people across the country are going to be deeply passionate about and march on the streets about and be motivated to vote about. but we're in the united states senate and we have an obligation to safeguard the way this institution operates. and i am deeply afraid that if we subject every piece of administration guidance -- and remember the door swings both ways in washington. we will have a democratic senate, who knows when, but we will have a democratic senate and we will have a democratic house, and we're scour -- and we can scour everything that every republican administration has done since 1996 pursuant to any law made at any time in our american history and subject it to a majority vote. and i think that the last thing

that this institution needs is a new opportunity to go down new rabbit holes on partisan issues. and a new opportunity to fight on small things and not deal with the biggest challenges of our time, and so i think -- look, i'm going to oppose this on the merits. but i am more worried about what we are doing to our institutions. and the senate right now is not functioning at a high level. we have not had any open amendment process except vote-a-rama, which i think 100 senators would agree is a useless process. and so the regular order which was called for by the then-minority leader when he was criticizing majority leader reid is nowhere to be found. and i'm not blaming him. i am neat blaming anyone in particular. but i am saying that when there is an opportunity to at least prevent this institution from falling further, we should take

that opportunity. and so i understand we're not going to be able to intervene in this moment and stop this c.r.a. but the -- let the record reflect that i do not accept that a precedent is being set. this has not been refereed yet. we have not fully had a conversation with the parliamentarian and g.a.o. about what exactly c.r.a. is supposed to mean and how it is supposed to operate. and if it is supposed to operate in an absurd way, then i think we have a lot of work to do. i yield the floor. mr. heller: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from nevada. mr. heller: mr. president, first of all, happy tax day, three words that probably don't go together. but i'll share that with you anyway because the reason that i am up here is for the first time in three decades, congress

overhauled our tax code and that's what distinguishes this tax day with the withs that uncame before it. this is the last time that nevadans will file their taxes under the broken system of the past. you don't have to look too far to see the positive impacts of our new tax laws and that they're willing having an impact on the people of nevada. nevadans and people throughout the country have already benefited from keeping more of their hard-earned money. more than a million nevadans have seen their paychecks get bigger because we doubled the standard deduction, doubled the child tax credit and taxpayers in every income category received a tax cut under this bill. furthermore, mr. president, since president trump signed the tax cuts and jobs act into law just a few months ago, moor than 500 -- more than 500 companies throughout the country have committed to giving their workers bonuses, pay raises, enhanced benefits as a direct

result of tax reform. let me share a few of those in my home state. about 11,000 nevadans got a raise. roughly 13,000 nevadans received special bonuses of up to $2,000. up to 25,000 nevadans may benefit from college tuition assistance. increased pension funding, expanded maternal and paternal leave, and more paid holidays. and more than 10,000 jobs are expected to be created in southern nevada alone. so it's no surprise that nevada was recently ranked second among states when it comes to middle-class families who benefit the most from tax reform. let me give you a few examples of how this new law is impacting nevadans. southpoint hotel, casino, and spa doubled bonuses for its 2,300 full-time workers.

the prospector hotel in ely gave its employees a $500 bonus and raised its starting wages. mcdonald's, which has around 9,000 employees in my state, is expanding its education benefits program, tripling the amount of money that eligible workers can receive to help cover the costs of college tuition. lowe's home improvement which employs more than 2,000 nevadans announced its expanding benefits like adoption assistance and parental paid leave and giving bonuses of up to $1,000 to its employees. walmart announced that it will increase wages, giving eligible employees a special bonus of $1,000, and expand maternity and parental leave benefits. that's benefiting up to 8,700 walmart associates that live in the great state of nevada. c.v.s., which has roughly 2,000 employees and 100 stores in nevada, announced that effective this month, it will increase the

starting salary and wages for hourly employees. developers of the stalled fountain blue resort recently renamed the drew announced that they will resume the project and have committed to creating over 10,000 new jobs. a-1 steel, which is based in sparks, nevada, implemented eight paid holidays for its employees. and finally, mr. president, cox communications said it will give around 1,750 nevadans bonuses of up to $2,000 today. yes, on tax day, they will be giving their employees bonuses of up to $2,000. mr. president, this is just the beginning. during a phone call from the national federation of independent businesses in nevada, roughly nine in ten nevada business owners said that because of the new tax law they plan to take action that

includes increasing workers' wages and investing in their companies. several companies are also pledging to put more of their capital back into our country rather than overseas. apple, which recently broke ground on a new facility in reno, announced it would create 20,000 new jobs nationally, open a new campus, and directly contribute p 350 -- contribute $350 billion to the u.s. economy over the next five years. make no mistake about it. the tax cut and jobs act is working for the people in nevada. and despite the bill's critics who have described these tax cuts as crumbs and said it's the worst bill in the history of the united states congress, this new bill couldn't have come at a better time. let me tell you again why. under the failed economic policies of the obama administration, nevadans suffered through eight years of historically low economic growth. think about this. in those eight years, the average economy growth was less

than 2%. as a result, wages and workers suffered. job creation suffered. and the middle h class america suffered. it's been reported that nearly eight of ten americans who work full time are living paycheck to paycheck. and if you live in nevada, you're more likely to be living paycheck to paycheck than if you live anywhere else. whether it's a single mother who is taking classes to further her education to give her kids a good life or the police officer and teacher with four children in southern nevada who tell me they are barely getting by and that they are doing the best that they can. families in my state are trying to plan for their future, but they have told me that they are struggling. but it's not just nevadans who have felt the squeeze. nearly two-thirds of americans don't even have the $500 set aside to cover an unexpected emergency expense. that's why as a member of the senate finance committee, i work

to help write this legislation. i fought to pass these meaningful tax cuts for the people of my state because they have been waiting too long for a break. i was proud to propose and secure a provision in the new law that doubles the child tax credit to $2,000 per child. think about this. the enhanced child tax credit could mean enough money for a family of four to cover more than six months worth of groceries, buy school supplies for four kids, and purchase more than 9,000 diapers and allow families to better plan for their futures. take sara as an example, a single mom living in nevada. she told us she used her child tax credit to help her and her four children move out of a family shelter and pay rent for a full year in advance. in addition to doubling the child tax credit, we doubled the standard deduction, cut rates for low and middle-class families. it's expected that a family of four will keep more than $2,000

this year. it also lowered rates on businesses to ensure that we are globally competitive and help incite economic growth. i'm pleased that this bill included my provision to make it easier for start-ups to give more junior employees an ownership stake in the company's success. i have been fighting for tax reform for years, and last year we set out to cut taxes for hardworking americans and agreed to a framework that included three main goals -- create more jobs, increase wages, and boost american competitiveness. even though it's only been a few months, i believe we have already achieved all three of those. as the son of an auto mechanic and a school cook, i grew up watching my parents work hard to provide for me and my five brothers and sisters and to provide a good life. they told us if we worked hard, played by the rules, then we, too, could achieve the american dream. the problem today is that too many people think that the american dream is out of reach, so that's what tax relief legislation is all about.

empowering families to give them a better chance to get ahead and to prepare for their futures. the tax cuts and jobs act has put my state, our country, on the right track on -- to economic prosperity, and i look forward to seeing what the rest of the year brings for nevada families and their workers. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield -- mr. president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. portman: mr. president, i just got the chance to hear my colleague from nevada talk about the importance of the tax cuts and tax reform that this chamber passed at the end of the year and is now in effect. all i can say to my constituents is this is the last year you're going to have to file under the old code. now you have the new code next year. why is that important? because it's simpler, it doubles the standard deduction as an example, which is a great simplification for a lot of

taxpayers. it also takes about three million people off the tax rolls altogether. think about that. according to the joint committee on taxation, over three million americans who currently have income tax liability will no longer have it under this new tax reform bill. why? because it focuses on lowering the rates, doubling the standard deduction, doubling the child tax credit. that helps people who are lower income americans who right now have tax liability who won't in the future. so it will be easier for a lot of people a year from now because we will have no tax reform -- no tax filing to make because they won't have any tax liability, and for others it's just a simpler form. although what's happening already this year is that the paychecks are changing. why? because the i.r.s. is saying that the employees are going to get more money in their paycheck because the employers are going to withhold less as we go into the year 2018 because the tax proposals are in effect as to the beginning of this year. so even though this is the last

time that we are going to have to file under the old code, already people are seeing some of the benefits of tax reform. when i go around ohio, i talk to people. they say rob, my paycheck has already changed. that's because 90% of americans are now being told they will have less withholding taken out of their paychecks, again because of the lower tax rate, doubling the child tax credit, doubling the standard deduction. this is really helping. the average in ohio is probably $30, $40, maybe $50 every two weeks. the average income for a median family is about $2,000 a year in tax relief. that's the average. that's a big deal. that's not just crumbs. most people i represent live paycheck to paycheck. most people i represent think $2,000 is really helpful. by the way, they told me they are using it. it might be for a long-planned vacation they couldn't afford. it might be as a couple of people have told me to help with regard to health care because they couldn't afford to buy health care until they had that

extra $2,000 in their pocket or more for some people to be able to afford health care. for others, we heard a great story this morning from my colleague in west virginia about a woman who said her daughter used to have to do her school work at school or maybe at the library. she couldn't come home and do it because they couldn't afford high-speed internet. now she can afford high-speed internet with this tax relief that is being provided. this is something that is actually affecting people right now. as you go to the post office to mail your form today or as you send it in electronically, just know it's going to get a little bit better, a little simpler, a little less tax liability. by the way, the i.r.s. has had some difficulty in accepting electronic filing today. another reason we have to actually go beyond just tax reform, as important as that is, and we have to ensure that we have an i.r.s. that is working for the american taxpayer. the taxpayer service, which is the number of calls that are being answered, the number of answers which are being given correctly, all those indicators are concerning right now.

so we do need to assure that the i.r.s. has adequate funding to respond to taxpayers, but also that there are reforms at the i.r.s. so that the computer systems do work, so that the stovepipe different systems are talking to each other. so tax reform, tax relief, very important, but also as we have seen today with this glitch with regard to electronic filing, we have to be sure that the i.r.s. is up to the task, and providing the taxpayer the service they deserve. the tax relief bill wasn't just for families and individuals. it also focuses on business relief. why? because we know that american companies were not competitive under the old code. you had investment going overseas, jobs going overseas. so for small businesses and large businesses alike, there is tax relief. we're hearing more about that because we have seen a lot of headlines. another one today about yet another major company that is making some investments here in this country. i was at the kroger company yesterday. kroger is one of the largest employers in the united states. a great grocery store chain. the largest in the country, by the way.

they happen to headquarter in ohio. they made a huge announcement yesterday. what they said is they are going to take the savings they got from the tax relief and tax reform measure and they're going to give it back substantially to their employees. and the things they talked about were really interesting. one is to increase the 401(k) match. that's important. they already give a 100% match. now they will give it at 5% rather than 4% of people's salaries. that's nice because people can save more for their retirement. they talked about helping employees who had a stuff time through an employee assistance program. they are increasing funding for that program. they are talking about applying an employee discount program so employees can buy more from their home stores, expanding how much they can buy with the discount. that helps their employees. but they also talked about something i thought was really great, which is continuous education, lifelong learning. they said that they are going to provide their employees with a $3,500 a year, $3,500 a year stipend to continue their education. maybe it's getting a g.e.d.,

maybe it's getting an m.b.a. or everything in between. they believe in education. they want to be able to help these employees be able to better themselves. they believe that will help them, too, to keep people longer term. this is part of how they are using the tax -- by the way, it's applicable to everybody who has been there six months. you can be part time or full time. you can get this employee assistance for education, all coming from the tax relief that this body passed. is it making a difference in the lives of your constituents? it certainly is in the lives of mine, i can tell you that. i have been to 13 different businesses now around the state of ohio. i have asked them this question directly, what's happening, what are you doing? all of them tell me they are investing even in their people or their plant and equipment, helping the technology so that people can be more competitive, more effective at doing their job. i have also had a half dozen roundtable discussions where i bring small business owners together, and in that dozens of businesses have told me what they are doing. some are providing more health care coverage. in a couple of cases, one is a

small craft brewer in ohio. another is an auto parts company. they are providing health care to their employees for the first time. in one case they had before, it got too expensive because of the affordable care act. now they are able to provide health care to their employees. another one never provided health care because it's a small business just getting started. now they can provide health care to their employees, because of the savings from the tax bill. others are doing much more in terms of the community, charitable giving. again, some with regard to 401(k)'s, some with regard to new equipment and machines to make their employees more productive, because when the economists look at what's going on in our economy, they think, gosh, the reason wages haven't gone up much in the last decade, and really it's been flat in ohio, is because worker productivity has not been high enough. this perform effort is providing more investment to our companies. i would much rather have people investing here in america than investing overseas. that's what was happening. three times as many american companies were bought by foreign companies last year as the other way around because of our tax code.

there is a study out by ernst and young saying 4,700 u.s. companies went overseas. when they do that, they take their investment with them. they take some of their r&d with them. we have done studies on this to be able to show this. 4,700 companies had gone overseas that would have stayed american companies just over the last 13 years if we had the kind of tax reform in place we now have. those companies have incentive to invest here. foreign companies have incentive to invest here when they are trying to decide in investing in japan, china, or europe. now they look here and say, this is a lower tax rate and you get immediate expensing. you can duct it more -- deduct it more quickly. that's why this is exciting. there's some new information out from the congressional budget office that talks about economic growth, and it says because of the tax reform effort, we're seeing higher growth rates. for this year we're in right

now, the congressional budget office projected 2% economic growth, pretty weak. i mean, it's growth, but it's not enough to get wages up or give people the opportunities they need when they work hard and play by the rules. guess what they are saying now, 3.3%. not 2%, but 3.3%. again, they say this is attributable to the pro-growth policies including the tax cuts. they also say for the first time in a long time we're seeing wages going up. they project wages up. look at last month and the month before and you can see the wages creeping back up again. that's really exciting to me. because ultimately we want to see economic growth, yes, but we really want to see working families a higher income so they are not stuck in the middle-class squeeze. the biggest expense that has been increasing, health care. yes, we have to do more on

health care and do more to chief economic growth. wouldn't it be good to have paychecks go up. if they are willing to work hard, if they are willing to play by the rules, they can get ahead and their kids and grandkids can get ahead too. i'm excited to be here today to say this is the last day we'll have to file under the old tax code but also to say the new tax code is helping to give families i represent the opportunity to do a little better, to give businesses i represent the opportunity to be more competitive and reinvest in their employees and business and productivity, that will make the biggest difference in the tax reform effort. i see one of my colleagues is here who has been a leader on the tax reform effort. i'd like to yield back my time.

ms. klobuchar: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. ms. klobuchar: mr. president, this will just be a few minutes as it's a very focused topic. i rise today to discuss senate resolution 463 which is a resolution that senator blunt and i just discharged from the rules committee that will help new parents, specifically senator parents, to bring their infant children on to the senate floor. it hasn't been brought to the senate floor yet, but i thought i would give an update and explain the importance and really the historic nature of this resolution. as you know, mr. president, this month senator duckworth made history when she gave birth to her beautiful daughter. senator duckworth has made history in many ways, but she is the first sitting u.s. senator to give birth while in office.

some have pointed out that it is remarkable that it took so long to have a senator that gave birth while in office, and i think it does speak to the fact that while we're a growing number of women in congress, there is still not that many and it is changing. we currently have 23 women senators, which is an all-time record, more than at any time in history and we're seeing record levels of women run for office. it is inevitable that in the future more women will have kids during their time in the senate. so in this way we are simply anticipating what we see as the future, and it is on us to make this a better workplace before they get here, and i think workplaces across america are making and have made those same kind of adjustments and decisions. as the ranking member of the rules committee, i recognize that this means some of our outdated rules, and senator blunt as the chair realizes this

as well, which were developed without considering needs and changing needs in the workplace must be changed. senator duckworth has taken a lead and her resolution is an important part of that change. as she prepared to give birth, senator duckworth did what many moms do, she started to come up with a plan for how to juggle her family and her work. like too many other moms in the u.s., she came to realize that there were problems in her workplace for accommodating new moms. senators have important constitutional obligations related to their service. the most fundamental among them being voting on legislation. the senate rules require senators to vote in person. we have no intention of changing that. on the senate floor they must vote and no one can do it for them. so right now, unlike in the house, children are not allowed on the senate floor. that means in order to fulfill

her senate obligations, senator duckworth would have to leave her baby for extended periods in order to come in and vote. sometimes that would be just fine, she would have child care, her husband would be there. but as we all know there are times when we vote late into the night, when we vote at unpredictable times and it doesn't work with a mom with a newborn. what did senator duckworth do? well, she called for legislation to change the rules so that senators can bring their infants on the floor during votes and we worked to come up with a workable proposal and i'm proud to say that this week the senate rules committee swiftly discharged the legislation so that it can be passed by the full senate because that is what working moms do, they stick together and they get the job done. sticking together means recognizing that we have a lot of work to do inside the halls of congress. the truth is too many american moms aren't in positions of

power to change the rules which is why it is so important for those of us who are in positions of power to be champions of change, not just near the senate but in workplaces across the country. it's wrong that america is the only industrialized country without a law that requires paid maternity leave and it is wrong that only 10% of american employers offer workers full pay during parental leave. the lack of parental leave coupled with cost of child care has a profound impact on our economy and on our society and it's one of the reasons i believe why there are not enough women in power. we must do better. passing senator duckworth's resolution represents a small step forward. in fact, it is one baby forward, and in answer to some of the questions that i got in the hallway, no, there will not be wardrobe requirements of the

baby and, no, we do not believe the baby will be required to wear a senate pin. somehow i think we'll be able to adjust to the simple notion to allow a child, an infant, on the floor for the first year of life. that's why i am hopeful that this will inspire further change both inside and outside of congress. in addition to the support of all the women senators, eyed like to -- i'd like to thank chairman blunt, leaders mcconnell and schumer and senator durbin, senator duckworth's colleague, who all played an instrumental role in getting this legislation to the floor. women may be leading the charge but there are a lot of good men who have had our backs, than is a good thing because we need to work together as we continue to fight for more family friendly workplaces. finally, i'd like to thank the one who did all the work,

senator duckworth, who continues to serve our country with strength to pave the way. we are lucky to have senator duckworth and i look forward to meeting her daughter on the senate floor during a future round of votes. mr. president, i yield the floor.

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings untd the quorum call conscious under the quorum call be be dispensed with. the presiding officer: the senator is not in a quorum call. mr. mcconnell: i ask that senators be permitted to speak up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask that the appointment at the desk be made as if made by the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 335, s. 1231.

the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 335, s. 1281, a bill to establish above bounty pilot program within the department of homeland security and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the house amendment be considered and agreed to, the committee-reported substitute amendment as amended be agreed to and the bill as amended be considered read a third time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i know of no further debate on the bill. the presiding officer: if there's no further debate, the question is on passage of the bill as amended. all in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the bill as amended is passed. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 471 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 471

designating march 29, 2018, as vietnam veterans day. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. mcconnell: i know of no further debate on the measure. the presiding officer: if there's no further debate, the question is on the resolution. all those in favor signify by saying aye. those opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it and the resolution is agreed to. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the preamble be agreed to that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 472 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 472 designating april 5, 2018, as gold star wives day. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to,

and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: now, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 wednesday, april 18. further, this following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day and morning business be closed. i further ask that following leader remark, the senate resume consideration of s.j. res. 57 with the time until noon equally divided between the managers or their designees. further, i ask that at noon tomorrow, the senate vote on passage of s.j. res. 57 and that if passed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. finally, notwithstanding the provision of rule 22, the cloture vote with respect to the house message to accompany s.

140 occur following disposition of s.j. res. 57. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: so if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask it stand adjourned under the previous order following the remarks of senator thune. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: mr. president, i want to speak to the coast guard authorization act of 2017 which i'm a cosponsor. as chairman of the commerce committee is has jurisdiction over the coast guard, i'm proud we are able to bring this bipartisan legislation which was originally introduced by senator sullivan to the floor today for consideration. the bill that we are debating will increase our national security, protect our maritime industry, increase safety for the voting public, and provide consistency for those who depend on the water for their daily work. as anyone impacted by the 2017 hurricane season will tell you, the coast guard plays a vitally important role in our nation's

first response efforts. equally critical is the coast guard's role as a member of our united states military. coast guard women and men protect our waterway, defend our shores, interdict contraband, arrest human traffickers, guarantee the free movement of commerce, and ensure the stewardship of our national resources. on any given day, the coast guard responds to an average of 45 search and rescue missions, seizes 1500 pounds of drugs, interdicts 17 illegal migrants, conducts 16 security boardings, and facilitates the movement of $12.6 billion worth of goods. these professionals do their job without seeking recognition or acknowledgment. it often goes overlooked that our coast guardsmen are serving across every ocean and on every continent, including antartica. they serve across the middle

east, including in both iraq and afghanistan. they help protect our navy's ship, defend against pirates, and ensure our strategic ports remain open. this legislation provides the coast guard the authority to better carry out those missions, including defending our critical ballistic submarines when they are surfaced and at their most vulnerable. in one way or another, the coast guard affects every american. even in my home state of south dakota. we may not have a coastline but the work of the coast guard helps facilitate the export of agricultural products that drive our state's economy. the coast guard also provides boating safety classes and outreach to tens of thousands of my fellow south dakotans and that outreach saves lives every single day. this past year was the deadliest for boaters in the past five years with a 12% increase in deaths. many of those deaths could have been prevented, and this legislation seeks to make

improvements to boater safety, such as requiring the use of an engine cutoff switch for certain recreational boats. maybe you have seen the videos of boaters falling overboard and their boat continuing in circles and hitting them, often seriously injuring or even killing them. this change supported by the recreational boating community will prevent these types of incidents in the future. this legislation also provides certainty to our mariners. it streamlines regulations, reduces burdens, and clarifies ambiguous rules that harm our commerce and our environment. we also reauthorized the hydrographic services at the national oceanic and atmospheric administration which are necessary for shoreline mapping and accurate nautical charts, and we reauthorized the federal maritime commission. finally, mr. president, this bill fixes a broken patchwork of regulations that prevents efficiency in moving goods along

our waterways. the vessel incident -- jentsal discharge act or vida is important legislation sponsored by senators casey, wicker and more than 20 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle and creates a uniform set of rules to protect the environment while providing consistent regulations for all ports and waterways. now, you will hear from some of my colleagues that this act reduces environmental controls and is being jammed down their throats. mr. president, this is simply not true. we have negotiated in good faith for hundreds of hours over the past few congresses to make this a strong piece of bipartisan legislation. we need strict, science-based, and achievable environmental standards and that's what this vida title will yield. the new standards must be based on the best available technology that is economically achievable

and and are designed to become more stringent over time as technology improves. setting limits beyond what is achievable may make for a good sound bite, but it doesn't actually improve the environment. this bill will. like so much of the work that we do at the commerce committee, senator nelson and i have worked hard to ensure the bipartisan coast guard authorization act of 2017 can garner strong support from both sides of the aisle. the measure meets the operational needs of the coast guard, allowing the service to continue to do the job that so many of our constituents rely on. it reauthorizes the f.m.c. and noaa's hydrographic services. finally, it provides needed regulatory certainty for recreational and comergt vessel operators while ensuring strong environmental protections for our nation's waterways. mr. president, we're going to have an opportunity to vote on

this tomorrow. i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the men and women of the coast guard and to support this bipartisan legislation that has been negotiated for weeks, months, and years to bring us to where we are today, working to accommodate the concerns of individual senators on both sides of the aisle but finding a balanced bill that should attract broad bipartisan support. i hope that when that vote comes tomorrow, mr. president, that we will be able to see members on both sides support this legislation and the men and women of the coast guard who do so much, so much important work for our country. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands adjourned until 9:30 a.m. stands adjourned until 9:30 a.m.

>> the senate has gaveled out for now but when lawmakers return tomorrow wednesday they will continue work on the nomination of carlos to the general counsel in the education department. confirmation vote will take place tomorrow afternoon. the chamber also devoted to advance the approval revolution dealing with auto financing. later this week work debate on coast guard programs in the nomination of oklahoma congressman to be nasa administrator. follow the senate life on c-span2 when members gavel back in. c-span where history unfolds daily. in 1979, c-span was created as a public service by america's cable television companies and today we continue to bring you unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supremeli court in public policy events in washington dc and around the country. c-span is brought to you by your

cable or satellite provider. >> tonight a confirmation hearing for president trumps nominee to be the next commander of us pacific command, us northern command and north american aerospace. the nominees spoke earlier today in front of the senate armed services committee and that hearing will air tonight at 9:0. >> on c-span2 the foreign relations committee will hold a hearing on the future of us policy with yemen. witnesses state permit and pentagon look at how the us can better aid people in government. you can see that hearing tonight starting at 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span2. >> spans washington journal live every day with news and policy issues that affect you. coming up this morning bloomberg's will be with us to discuss the immigration rolling.

steve russell will talk about congress role in the syrian conflict. there is a jersey democrat will talk about the republican tax bill. be sure to watch c-span in washington journal live at 7:00 a.m. in the morning. during the discussion. >> tomorrow a hearing on us policy in the middle east, state department officials are expected to testify on the syrian civil war and the political conflict in yemen. the hearing is held by the house foreign affairs committee and began life tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span3. >> live coverage of the tv this weekend of the 22nd annual la times couple of books. starting saturday at 1:00 p.m. eastern with journalist and the book, stranger. political reporter sarah with her book, the view from flyover

country. on sunday live coverage continues at 1:30 p.m. eastern with journalists in the book russian roulette. black lights matter cofounder with her book, when they call you a terrorist. a black lights matter more. political commentator with his book, i know best, how moral narcissism is destroying our republic. watch our weekend long coverage of the 22nd annual la times festival of books live on c-span2 book tv. >> earlier today california governor jerry brown spoke at the national press club on several issues. this included immigration, border security and climate change. this is one hour.