[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] that's what's happening at the supreme court. we go live to the u.s. senate floor.

yesterday's senate took up the farm bill and they will continue to debate on that legislation. the house approved the farm bill last week. now to live coverage of the u.s. senate. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain will lead us in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal father, thank you for sustaining our nation from the beginning of its existence. until this present moment. if you had not been with us, we would have been devoured by our

enemies. you kept us from being overwhelmed by the raging waters of anarchy and the fury of pestilences. may the way you have led us in the past make us confident about our future. lord, be the helper of our lawmakers. provide them with the wisdom, power, and grace needed for the living of these days. forgive our sins of commission and omission. remind us that all that is necessary for evil to prevail is

for good people to do nothing. we pray in your merciful name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the edge of allegiance to our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c., june 26, 2018. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable cindy hyde-smith, a senator from the state of mississippi, to perfom the duties of the chair. signed: orrin g. hatch, president pro tempore.

mr. mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: majority leader. mr. mcconnell: the senate voted over-wellcomeingly last night to proceed to consideration of h.r. 2, the farm bill. the reason it's reached the floor in its current form for passage by the full senate is the leadership of pat roberts and ranking member debbie stabenow. they've carried on the committee's proud tradition of focusing on substance and putting partisanship aside.

as the senior senator from kentucky, i know exactly how important this legislation is to agricultural communities in my home state and around the nation. kentucky has 12.8 million acres dedicated to agriculture. that includes about $1 billion in soybean production last year alone, about three-quarters of a billion dollars in corn, hundreds of millions of the dollars in the production of hay and tobacco, just to name a few. these crops are only part of the story. our leading agricultural commodity is poultry, $1 billion-plus industry that employs about 7,000 kentuckians on its own. these are just a few examples of what kentucky farmers bring to the country and to the world. despite the impressive scale, we're a state that's dominated by small farms. they form the backbone of rural communities throughout my state. but our farm families and those across rural america face a lot

of uncertainty. natural disasters, from droughts and floods, unstable world markets, and falling commodity prices. earlier this year, the usda net farm income is in t process of fall to go a 12-year low. the if a remains that feed and support this country are counting on us to provide the predictability and certainty of a long-term farm bill. so my colleagues and i on the agriculture committee have produce add farm bill that shows america's farmers that we understand their situation, share their concerns, and are taking action to address them. my colleagues from every corner of the country can be proud of this legislation. first and foremost, the agriculture improvement act of 2018 strengthens the safety measures that directly help commodity producers as they confront low prices. it also seizes a number of opportunities to invest in the future of american agriculture

and rural communities. i'm particularly excited about the provision that would empower farmers to begin cultivating industrial hemp, a crop that could play a key role in going forward in kentucky's economy and the nation's. the bill also focuses on rural broadband, rural water infrastructure, and the fight against the opioid l.e.p. that has hit -- opioid epidemic that has hit rural america hard. this bill takes steps to ensure the safety of american agriculture, for the sake of our farmers, our rural communities, and the entire country. this week my colleagues will have ample opportunity to consider the legislation before us. in a few days i hope they will vin me in voting to passage -- they will join me in voting to pass it. it has a little over six months since the passage of tax reform delivered measurable relief to america's working families and job creators. six months since republicans implemented a simpler 21st

century framework. six months since updated tax tracts and withholding tabs provide more take-home pay. thanks to lower tax rates, the i.r.s. is withholding less of workers' paychecks. because we double the standard deduction, married couples will benefit from a new zero percent tax bracket for the first $24,000 they earn. and parents are looking afford to -- forward to the bigger tax credits. these tax cuts are just a shot in the arm that our economy needed and they're exactly what middle-class families and workers deserve. well, at least that's what republicans believe. our democratic colleagues seem to see things quite differently. they don't think that $2,000 -- that's the average estimated tax cut this year for a family of

four earning a median family income -- seems like very much money. as far as they're concerned. after all, every single democrat voted against american families these tax cuts. they figured washington knew thousand spend the money better than the taxpayers who earned it. of course the bill became law without democrats' help, but since then they've set about trying to persuade middle-class families that getting to keep more of their own smartphone a terrible thing. so they should support democrats' efforts to repeal tax reform. i'm glad i d't have to try to make that case. it looks like more take-home pay for workers is already beginning to have effects throughout the economy, fueled in part by republican policies, consumer confidence in 2018 reached its highest level since november of 2000. sure enough, just last month, retail sales growth doubled the gains that experts had forecast and shot up at the fastest pace in half a year.

here's "the l.a. times" headline. "retail sales post sharp gains in may, signaling a surge in u.s. economic growth." that's "the l.a. times." more take-home pay for american taxpayers, more prosperity for american retailers, more demand for american goods and services and, thus, more demand for american workers. so, madam president, this what we call a virtuous circle and republicans' commonsense economic agenda is helping make it happen. our democratic colleagues may want to put washington's foot back on the brake by repealing tax reform and piling up more regulations, but they aren't just arguing with those of us across the aisle, they're arguing with the facts, they're argumenting with the data, they're arguing with american families more keeping more of their own money. they're arguing with the prosperity our agenda is already

helping to unleash. madam president, i understand there is a bill at the desk due a second reading. the presiding officer: the leader is correct. the clerk will read the title forethe second time. the clerk: h.r. 6, an act to pry for opioid use disorder prevention, recovery, and treatment and for other purposes. mr. mcconnell: in order to place the bill on the calendar under provisions of rule 14, i would object to further proceeding. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bill will be placed on the calendar. under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved.

the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: first on appropriations, the senate is continuing the process, and i want to thank chairman shelby, ranking member leahy, leader mcconnell for their work in helping move this process forward. it's been a long time since the senate has successfully processed appropriations through

the regular order. it requires cooperation on the committee, cooperation amongst the committee staff, cooperation here on the floor with the two leaders, and that is happening. if we're looking to work in a bipartisan way, this is the -- probably the best sprout of bipartisanship that has bloomed in a long time in this body. the fact that the parties are working together to prevent nongermane amendments that are intended to just create ruckus, the fact that even germane amendments that are regarded as poison pills are not being added to the bills here in the senate really bodes well for cooperation. i wish it were the same in the house where it's strictly a partisan process, but the fact that the senate is working together on appropriations bodes well for future legislation, including one farm bill that some people have an interest in this body in, many of us,

actually, including, of course, the senior senator from the great state of kansas. so this appropriations process, i ethiopia can continue this way. bipartisan, knocking out poison pill amendments, sticking together, and getting a good bill done, and the fact that yesterday i think there were just -- how many votes? just a handful of votes against the first minibus of three of the appropriations committee bills bodes well for the future. i would also caution to say there may be some extraneous forces, some even down the other side of pennsylvania avenue who might want to blow this whole thing up. if we stick together, we can make this happen in a good way for the good of the country in terms of the specific bills and in terms of bringing us back together again to get things done. so that's the optimistic note of the morning. maybe we'll have more. on immigration, in the past few weeks, not so optimistic.

the trump administration has created a humanitarian crisis at our southern border through its cruel family separation policy. an executive order signed by the president last week has barely undone the damage and largely leaves the original policy intact and raises a whole series of unresolved questions. the administration has a lot of questions to answer, and it's only they who can straighten this out. legislation might be a good thing, but we all know the path to legislation is fraught with peril. passing the house, passing the senate, being signed by the president, that hasn't happened in a while, but in the meantime, while people grapple with legislation -- and i encourage people to talk to one another -- we have a lot of questions that the administration must answer. how many children are separated from their parents, where are those children, where are the parents? what kind of care are these kids getting? how are they holding up?

i saw on one of the tv shows this morning a little girl saying where's my mommy? where's my mommy? a young girl maybe 4 years old. that is not the america any of us, regardless of our party, particles of our political philosophy, believe in. we see that in other countries that are much crueler and less democratic, small d, than us. so we need these questions answered by the administration quickly, and the second thing we need is a plan. the administration, the president and others, have said we're not going to break up families anymore even though he was the cause of breaking up the families. what's the plan to get them back together? what's the plan for the future? they now say they're going back to the way obama was because they don't have the resources. what are the resources they need, but at the same time when sara huckabee sanders says they don't have the resources, president trump says i don't want any more immigration judges.

this administration is just contradictory and tied in a knot, and compounding problem is the president rantins doing. i hate to say it. -- at these rallies, saying democrats want crime, democrats want open borders. well, mr. president, i'm the author with john mccain, someone you have also belittled, of a bill that passed this body with 69 votes that put $40 billion on the border that would have been more far more effective than any wall. we could do that now. we could do comprehensive reform now. some people would be for it on the other side in the white house, but these grants, these these -- these rants, these nasty, finger-pointing rants, a, they don't help bring bipartisanship here. we expect that of the president. he has been highly partisan. but they don't help solve the problem. he just shoots from the hip, and the different agencies, whether

it's the department of justice and the attorney general, the secretary of h.h.s., the secretary of homeland security, they don't know what to do because there are so many contradictory signals coming. and who suffers? these poor little children who are separated from their parents. two days ago, sunday, in new york, i called for a czar, a good czar, because when you have different agencies in charge, you need the white house to direct it all. this president shoots from the hip, is more interested in nasty rhetoric than solving problems, and nothing gets solved. a czar, some paperrable, level-headed person who has the president's blessing in the white house, who could help coordinate between justice and h.h.s. and homeland security and the other agencies that are involved could help solve this problem. but whether they go for the czar

or not, this administration needs to present a plan asap. of how to unify the kids and how to deal with the border. they have no plan. they had a lot of contradictory language. let's hope they can get there for the sake of humanity and for the sake of what this country has been all about for its beautiful 229 years. tax. one of the chief arguments behind the republican tax bill was the idea that giving corporations a substantial tax cut would compel companies to hire more workers, give raises, expand operations. after a few weeks of news of one-time annual bonuses petered out, many of those were staged by c.e.o.'s sucking up to the president, we have started to get a look at how corporations are really using the profits from the republican tax bill. what did harley davidson, the

iconic motorcycle company who president trump talked about in his campaign and even afterwards , do with their tax cut? they cut domestic operations, announced a nearly $700 million stock repurchasing program, and are now moving significant operations overseas. why didn't harley-davidson take that tax break to help continue to employ workers here in america instead of a buy-back so the wealthy c.e.o.'s and shareholders would get a lot of money? president trump and speaker ryan have held up harley-davidson as a success story of their tax bill, cutting jobs in america, spending the tax cut on stock buy-backs. the same thing with carrier. great big hoopla with carrier, but carrier is cutting jobs and still employs loads of people overseas even though they got a huge tax break.

this tax break has helped the wealthy, the c.e.o.'s, the shareholders, most of whom are rich, a third of whom are overseas, but not the workers, not more productivity in america. here's another one. walmart. they're krao*euted -- cited by the house as a positive work in action. walmart laid off 1,000 employees in recent months and used the tax bill break for a $4 billion buy-back in total stock. this tax bill, this tax bill is proving to be a travesty. all the things that were promised aren't happening. i know our republican colleagues, they talk to their wealthy business people and they think it's great. talk to the average person. it's become unpopular again. you know why? it's sunk in that the money ain't going to them, and the big corporations who are getting

these breaks are not benefiting them by and large. listen to this number: $450 billion in stock buy backs have been announced. that doesn't employ a single worker. that doesn't raise the salary of a single worker. that doesn't bring new equipment to the company to make it more productive so they can compete better. an analysis was just done by just capital. seven percent of the capital allocated by tax bill have gone to employees. 57% to shareholders. close to eight times as much. we democrats predicted that would happen. and despite the initial hoopla after the bill, the american people are realizing it has happened. it seems nearly every week, today with harley-davidson, there's a new example of corporate america taking the republican tax cut and putting it to work not for their

employees, not for new equipment, not for new hires, but for executives and shareholders, and let's not forget 80% of the stock in america is held by the 10% of the wealthiest people. that's who benefits. one-third of the shares in america are held by people overseas. that's who benefits. as voters head to the polls this november, they should remember that republicans spent over $1.5 trillion of the taxpayers' money to give corporate america a handout while working america got left behind. we democrats aim to fix that. i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. roberts: thank you, madam president. i ask that the -- i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without

objection. mr. roberts: thank you. madam president, i rise today as the senate considers legislation on an issue that is critically important to our nation. the agriculture improvement act of 2018, the farm bill. the goal, the responsibility, the absolute requirement is to provide our farmers, our ranchers, and growers, and everyone within america's agriculture and food value chain certainty and predictability, especially during these very difficult times. this is paramount, absolutely paramount to many other issues or a other issues and concerns. it's not an exaggeration to say our nation's food and fiber capability with regard to production hang in the balance with what we do here on this

legislation. simply put, let's get this done. many of my colleagues have introduced legislation over the last year that address priorities and stakeholders in their states. the bill that passed the agriculture committee with the help and the partnership of my distinguished ranking member, senator stabenow, passed with a strong bipartisan vote of 20-1 earlier this month, and that bill addresses many of these concerns. in fact, the ag committee's bill includes this bill we're considering today, portions of 65 stand-alone bills and an additional 73 amendments were adopted in the committee. that's called working together. that's called regular order.

needless to say, we have worked to include as many priorities for members both on and off the ag committee and we want to continue working with members to address their concerns. prepare your amendments and come work with senator stabenow and myself. we are endeavoring to craft a farm bill that meets the needs of producers across all regions, all crops, all of agriculture today is struggling, not just one or two commodities, we are indeed going through a very difficult time, what we call in farm country, a rough patch. we must have a bill that works all across our great nation, and we must ensure that our voluntary conservation programs are keeping farmland in operation while protecting our

agriculture lands and forests and other natural resources. let us not forget that in a few short decades the global population will top nine billion people. some are saying even ten. agriculture production then will need to double in the near future to meet that demand, and accomplishing this task requires efficiency not just on the farm and ranch, but also in our government. we must focus on program integrity. we have done that, and commonsense investments to strengthen our nutrition programs, to ensure the long-term health and success of those in need of assistance. we have done that in this bill with efficiencies, reform, and priority with regard to program integrity. and with trade and market

uncertainty. trade and market uncertainty, to say the least. we must provide certainty for our trade promotion and research programs. today we're losing our markets. kansas wheat is not going to mexico. mexico is buying its wheat from argentina. the same thing for corn. our corn is not going down to mexico. mexico is buying their corn from brazil. i think you could really -- i think you could really say that when you impose a tariff to try to get things done on trade deficits, you also run the risk -- and we have already seen it happen -- of retaliation, and retaliation comes back directly on our producers in agriculture. that's why we have to have this bill passed. feeding an increasing global population is not simply an agriculture challenge. it is a national security

challenge. show me a country that cannot feed itself and i'll show you a nation in chaos. this means we need to grow more, raise more with fewer resourcess in research, new technology, lines of credit, and proper risk management. it takes the government providing tools and then getting out of the producer's way. in this bill we have made and we must make tough choices and be judicious with the scarce resources that we have. through an open and deliberate hearing process over the last 18 months, members of the senate agriculture committee have asked tough questions, reexamined programs to determine their effectiveness, and tried to ensure programs accomplish their fundamental purposes. agriculture, and specifically the farm bill, has consistently

answered the call to do more with less. and to those who say passing a farm bill in this environment is a daunting task -- and, yes, it is -- i say together we can get this done. and i think about the folks back home right now. i'd like to point out that the wheat harvest is still rolling across kansas, starting in nebraska and heading to south dakota and north dakota. these farmers in the midst of harvest are facing mother nature, the unknown of a thunder storm or hail storm could hit as they try to harvest their grain in kansas. we have a drought but we're hopeful we can harvest a reasonable crop. and we must adopt here the attitude of our producers. optimism and ingenuity. a farmer doesn't plant the seed in the ground without the faith and optimism of harvesting a tkpwraod crop.

that's -- a good crop. that's what we should do. that means with bipartisan support, we must do our job. we must pass a bill that provides those same men and women the much-needed certainty and predictability they deserve. and again, that's the paramount issue. i know many members have concerns. many members have amendments that want to address a specific problem, and they feel very strongly about it. and we're here to help them. we're here to help them to address that in this bill. but we also have to understand the tough challenges we face, farmers and ranchers and growers are in a very difficult time. we must respond to that. we're the agriculture committee. we must accept that challenge. we must be champions for these people, and we need a bill. that's the number-one issue. certainty and predictability during a very difficult time for our farmers and our ranchers and our growers. this is not the best possible

bill, but it i the best bill possible under these circumstances. so i look forward t -- so i look forward to working with myolleagues on continuing to move in process forward and to my partner in this process, senator stabenow, you is so much -- thank you so much for your cooperation. i look forward to, woulding towards that goal in the days ahead. let's get this bill done. i yield the floor. ms. stabenow: madam president? the presiding officer: will the senator suspend? ms. stabenow: i will. the presiding officer: morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate have resume consideration of the motion to proceed to h.r. 2, which the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to h.r. 2, an act to provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the department of agriculture through fiscal year 2023 and for other purposes.

ms. stabenow: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: thank you, madam president. first i would ask unanimous consent that ward griffin and jason sherman, a detailee and fellow with the minority staff on the agriculture and nutrition and forestry committee, be granted floor privileges for the duration of this congress. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. stabenow: thank you so much to the majority leader and the democratic leader for their support in bringing this bill to the senate floor for consideration as quickly as they have done. i appreciate all of the agriculture committee members on both sides of the aisle for working together to write this important legislation and, most importantly, many thanks to my friend and my partner, the chairman, chairman pat roberts, for his work and his leadership and his commitment to our farmers and growers throughout this process. and it is a great pleasure to work with you. from the very beginning of this process, madam president, chairman roberts and i made a commitment that we would deliver a strong bipartisan farm bill.

despite the long road we faced, we stayed true to our word. i am proud to say that we wrote a bill that will provide certainty, as the chairman talked about, certainty to our farmers, our families, and rural communities. we stayed focused on strengthening our nation's diverse agriculture economy, and the 16 million jobs it supports. 16 million jobs. madam president, this is a jobs bill for america. a lot of those jobs are in my home state of michigan, where our food and agricultural economy supports one out of four jobs -- one out of four jobs in michigan. you know, people look at us as an auto state. weekend a. ply are -- and we proudly are an auto manufacturing state but we make things and we grow things. and i don't think you have an economy or a middle class unless somebody makes things or grows things and that's what we d and this bill is critical to both of

those things. the farm bill helps us make things and grow things, and it's critical to our michigan economy and to the economy of the country. even though agriculture supports the livelihood of so many families, the rest of us may take for granted the work they do and how much we depend on them to be successful. after all, we all have to eat and the food on our plates comes from a farm or a religious rancher. farms in michigan grow the black beans you may find in your burrito. or apple slices your kids might eat as a snack. and the men and women who own and operate so many more farms in michigan and across this country. they are the reason our grocery shelves are stocked with the safest, most affordable food in the world. the food we eat depends on the hard they put in day in and day

out, and they do this work knowing the great risks they face. for a farmer, a year of work can be lost in a single day. i saw an example of that in the upper peninsula of michigan just yesterday where severe flooding and mudslides has caused unimaginable losses in houghton, michigan and the surrounding small towns. a number of farms in menominee county experienced heavy damage. it will hurt dairy and cattle operations for weeks and months to come. on top of the uncertainty farmers face from mother nature, they also contend with unpredictable markets and certainly unpredictable situations today in terms of federal policy. the farm economy is struggling right now with low prices. many farm families are struggling to make ends meet. uncertainty about international

trade is definitely not helping. when times are tough, the farm bill provides a strong safety net to protect our farmers and ranchers. we took steps to strengthen the risk management tools and crop insurance to help producers of all types protecting their businesses from unexpected losses. all types of farms, large and small, we create that risk management safety net for them. we also made a number of important changes for our dairy farmers. the dairy support in the last farm bill, unfortunately, did just not work as predicted, as expected. leaving many families, many dairy farms, without a reliable safety net. in addition to the $1.1 billion we secured in the bipartisan budget act, we replaced the margin protection program with new, affordable coverage for

dairy farmers when the market dips. thanks to the support and the leadership of senator gillibrand and senator baldwin, senator klobuchar, we also refund premiums for dairy farms who did not see returns under the old safety net. from commodities in dairy to specialty crops in urban farming, the strength of american agriculture is rooted in the diversity of what we grow and how we grow it. this is certainly true in michigan where we grow more crops than every other state but one, that little state called california. and we're working on that one. our farm bill continues to support the wide variety of farms all across america, big and small, urban and rural. we invest in the bright future of agriculture by helping new and beginning farmers, including young people and returning veterans. and we expand agricultural

market opportunities so our farmers are make a living. historical investments in organic farming have helped producers tap into one of the fastest-growing sectors of agriculture. new and permanent investments in international trade will help farmers sell their products along. just as the farm bill provides a safety net for farmers, it also provides a safety net for our families. we know nutrition assistance provides a critical lifeline for families struggling to make ends meet. the good news is, according to the congressional budget office, nutrition programs are saving over $80 billion more than expected because of the economy -- because the economy is getting better and fewer people need temporary help. so we focused on strengthening

nutrition assistance the right way, by working on a bipartisan basis. we improved the integrity of snap and created new job-training opportunities and public-private partnerships while preserving critical food access for american families. we also worked to improve access to healthy foods through snap by bolstering fruit and vegetable incentives, what we call in michigan, double-up bucks. the farm bill also plays an important role in improving the quality of life in every single small town and rural community like where i grew up in clare, and where i was this weekend in the upper peninsula. access to high-speed internet is one of the top concerns we hear about. in 2018, having internet access is not a luxury. it is a necessity. high school students need to do

their homework and be able to apply for college. hospitals and health centers need to convect patients with special -- connect patients with specialists and be able to use telemedicine in their home. and farmers and ranchers need it to sell their products and communicate with customers. the farm bill includes new opportunities that will connect communities that need it most. we're also continuing to create jobs, strong investments in rural small businesses promote entrepreneurialship, support for renewable energy helps farmers and businesses be more efficient while also adding installation jobs in rural communities. and biobased manufacturing creates rural and urban jobs, taking cobs like corn and soybeans, turning them into products we can use every day from laundry detergent to seats

in automobiles -- yes, you may be sittingn soybeans, madam president. -- in your car, to biofuels. all of these things create opportunities for young people to stay in their hometowns and raise their families. we want children to feel they can stay at home in their small town and have the quality of life that they want for themselves and their families and have the opportunity to raise their children there. despite facing a tough budget, the farm bill continues to be one of the largest investments in the conservation of our land and water and great lakes, so important to us in michigan. contrary to the house bill, we made no cuts to the conservation title, which helps our farmers be more productive and more profitable. in fact, by focusing on successful conservation partnerships, we will actually grow funding by leveraging an additional $1 billion in private

investments. clean water, healthy wildlife habitat are not only good for our farmers and our environment, they also support hunting and fishing and outdoor recreation. again, that's where i grew up, madam president. we were outdoors all the time, hunting, issue if fishing and this accounts for over 7 million jobs. there's no doubt that this farm bill is a jobs bill. as the chairman says, it is a national security bill. it is a conservation bill. it is a food security bill. it's also a bipartisan bill. with the strong support of the members of the agriculture and nutrition and forestry committee. so i'm proud to be here with my friend and colleague, the leader of our committee, chairman roberts, and i would urge our colleagues to join us and swiftly pass this bill. thank you, madam president.

i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: 00 quorum call:

quorum call: stphaot whether r r

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mr. kennedy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator fm louisiana. mr. kennedy: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are. mr. kennedy: i ask that the quorum call be suspended, please. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. kennedy: mr. president, i rise again to discuss an issue of utmost importance to the people of louisiana and to the millions of americans who live in coastal states or in a floodplain. i'm talking, of course, about the national flood insurance program, or as we refer to it, the nfip. as you know, mr. president, in the absence of reauthorizing legislation, this program will expire in the height of hurricane season and its expiration would leave more than five million american families and businesses without insurance and therefore in limbo.

for the good of our national economy, we simply cannot allow that to happen. that's why, mr. president, i am requesting a vote to extend the program through hurricane season as either an amendment to our farm bill or after recess as a stand alone bill. my amendment to the farm bill, mr. president, is clean. it would be a six-month emergency extension that would just maintain the status quo and it will give flood insurance policy holders peace of mind while allowing us to put together a viable, bipartisan, long-term reform bill. mr. president, as you well know, flooding is the number one natural hazard in this country. it poses an extraordinary risk

to both life and to property. of course families who live near rivers, lakes, rivers, and bayous rely on the ncifp for protection, but snow melt also floods thousands of properties every year and you don't have to live in a coastal state to have a bad rainstorm. in fact, you're twice as likely to have your home flood as you are for it to catch on fire regardless of where you live. and i can assure you, regardless of where you live, if you have 20 or 21 inches of rain over a two-day period, you're going to flood. i don't care if you live on pike's peak. and if you do happen to have your home or -- have your home or business flood, your normal

homeowners policy is not going to help you. you're not covered. that's why congress created the nfip, and that's why we need to continue it, but yet we find this program in jeopardy once again. i mean no disrespect, mr. president, that congress has repeatedly and consistently mangled the reauthorization of the nfip. despite being the primary source of flood insurance coverage for millions of american homeowners, congress allowed the national flood insurance program to expire four times in 2010 for a total of 53 days. those disruptions has lasting effects for ordinary americans. in june of 2010, for each day that the nfip was expired, over

1,400 home sales was canceled or delayed. this injected uncertainty into a fragile housing market, it disrupted mortgage lending, and it sent our local emies into a tailspin. if the nfip were to lapse this july, and unless we do something, it will lapse on jull association of realtors estimates that more than 40,000 home sale closings would be affected for every month. mr. president, as it now stands, we have 21 senate session days until the nfip expires at midnight on july 31. and i regret to say that no meaningful progress has been made on our efforts to con -- to

have a reform bill that would continue and reform the nfip. and to make matters worse, mr. president, our friends in the house of representatives decoupled the nfip from spending bills in the omnibus, which only increaseses the likelihood that the nf pinch p will be -- nfip will be likely to expire. without authorizing legislation, either standa loan legislation or -- sandra lone -- to a stand still and leave americans in our coastal states and elsewhere exposed in the middle of hurricane season. we simply cannot afford, mr. president, to let down that many americans who depend on the nationalod insurance program. again, i strongly encourage my

colleagues to support this emergency extension of the nfip which i'm working on, along with senator cassidy, the senior senator from louisiana and whose support i greatly appreciate. we're a month awayrom a lapse of the nfip. 21 working days in the senate, and that's why i'm requesting a vote on a clean short-term status quo reauthorization that will get us through hurricane season. thank you, mr. president, and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

mr. cornyn: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: mr. president, as we all know, we are on the farm bill of the senate. i want to thank chairman roberts and ranking member stabenow to get us this far. when differences are along ideological lines, the differences in the farm bill tend to be regiol as much as anything he's, -- else, they've done a good job to bring a fair and equitable bill to the senate floor and that's reflected by the near unanimous vote for the bill in the committee. the farm bill has always been important, renewed every five years. it helps ensure that americans and the people who benefit from american exports around the world enjoy access to the safest, cheapest, most reliable

food source on the planet. the farm bill impacts many areas beyond food production. it promotes conservation of farm land, watersheds, foreign food aid programs reahorized as part of this bill and relay down the policy that affects the management of our nation's forests. i'm especially pleased with this year's farm bill and its impact on my home state and the presiding officer's home state of texas. among the most noteworthy provisions is protecting seed cotton eligibility for the farm bill safety net. this bill als strengthens the price loss coverage program to help provide texas agricultural producers with stability through unpredictable weather and natural disasters. finally, the bill promotes animal health and reauthorizes disease research programs, including a crucial one that will help the u.s. department of

agriculture provide research to contain the spread of the cattle fever tick. i doubt many people have heard of the cattle fever tick, but it is a real threat to our herds, our beef herds, and it has the potential to wipe out cattle herds and cause devastating financial losses. i want to highlight three areas where i do think the bill could stand some improvement. first, concerning the supplemental nutrition assistance program. there is a lot of good done in the bill for farm and agricultural programs. what many people don't know is that about 80% of the money spent in the farm bill is directed at so-called nutrition programs, so calling this the farm bill is a little bit of a misnomer. since it only affects about 20%, the bill oy affects -- deals with the farm country with about 20% of its resources. so we need to consider targeted ways of ensuring that tax

dollars used to pay for these nutrition programs are used wisely, and that's why we will support an amendment that expands work requirements for those who receive snap benefits. it's not just work but it's people who are able-bodied who need to train for work or provide community service as a condition of qualifying for this welfare benefit. my second and related amendment will authorize a pilot program to encourage nongovernmental partners to help address food insecurity in local communities. while i salute chairman roberts and ranking member stabenow for attempting to ensure the integrity of our nutrition programs, i believe these amendments will further promote the goal which we all share. the last one i will cosponsor with the junior senator from kansas whose leadership i would

like to commend is one that addresses the wildfires we've had the last two years and the destruction these natural disasters have provided in farm country. i see thehairman of the agriculture committehe floor, and i would yield to him if he has a question he'd like to ask. mr. roberts: just a comment, and to thank you for your general support for the farm bill. the issues that you have mentioned are very important, and we have in the new -- in the nutrition title addressed efficiencies that you have mentioned. we have ten states now that have pilot projects on job training to figure out nutrition, what really works best. the law currently allows states to have job training and a work requirement. kansas has that law. i'm sure texas probably has the law. i think that we have achieved it about as much as we can to at least determine where we're

going. the house bill, with all due respect, has $8 billion in cuts, and then there are questions as to how that is implemented, what agency does that. agriculture, i don't think, is prepared to really launch into a full program of job training. the one thing that you ecifspally mentioned that really caused me to come down here and interrupt a great speech is that we do have that private part to supplement the federal situation in the food stamp program. so i don't know if we have hit all three that you mentioned of concerns, but we're pretty darn close. i appreciate the gentleman's interest. we're just trying to get a program that has better integrity, that works better, is more efficient. we, by the way, deal with that

nu program for some states, actually only eight states. we're not guty of this, but a lot of states game the system. we have taken care of that. we have taken a hard look at the nutrition program, but we don't -- we don't declare the farm program to be a welfare program to try to put it in that kind of a -- a description. so basically i'm just saying with the three things that you have mentioned, we have tried to address all three. now, perhaps not to the -- to the degree that the distinguished senator would like to do, but that's still up for consideration. and i appreciate his comments. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i appreciate the chairman of the agriculture committee's comments, and i appreciate his efforts to try to accommodate the concerns that i have raised. believe me, i understand this isn't his first rodeo.

he's been down this path many times, trying to come up with a farm bill that can get past both houses of the congress and signed by the president of the united states, and that's no ea task. i would just say on the work requirement for qualifying for the so-called nutrition programs, i'm aware that since these are federal dollars, many states, even though they have the authority to impose some work requirement, community service tend to waive that rather easily since they are not spending their money. they are spending the federal government's money. so we're looking for ways to perhaps strengthen that provision. i hope we'll have an opportunity to have a vote on it. my goal is to make sure we pass a farm bill, but i do think it's important that we -- that we demonstrate our commitment to protecting the federal taxpayer and imposing modest work, preparation for work,r community service requirements on able-bodied people.

i'd yield to the chairman. mr. roberts: i thank the senator for yielding. we are looking at the waivers. we are looking at making sure that able-bodied people do achieve the goal of going from dependence to independence. it's job training to enable them to move forward more especially in this time of economic recovery, which is really the secret to all of this, the numbers in the food stamp program have decreased dramatically as we have seen our economy improve. but on those waivers, we are taking a look at the waivers. the difference is in that the house bill, you have a situation where if somebody has children 6 and under -- it used to be 10 and under -- and then on the other side, people who are 50 to 60 are now included.

that has raised some dust. then in addition -- there are several other things that you have mentioned. it's just a matter of degree. we want to provide integrity to that program. we want it to work and have it go to the people who truly need it. and so we tried very hard to accomplish that. we will study hard the good recommendations that you have mentioned, and we'll do our best. mr. cornyn: i appreciate the chairman's comments, and i have confidence in him and his ability to manage this bill successfully across the floor. mr. president, i yield the floor, and i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. roberts: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. roberts: mr. president, i have 11 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. roberts: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. roberts: mr. president, i have 11 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted.

the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate previous order, the senate the senate will reconvene at 2:15 p.m. eastern. senators will continue work on the farm bill. live coverage on c-span2. >> with the help of our cable partners gci the c-span buzz traveled to juneau, alaska, and as part of our 50s capitalist with the bus continued the trip across alaska to our next stop in fairbanks. >> c-span is valuable for lesson. for most of us it's a way to get to see our delegation delegatek

in washington. gci is a proud to carry c-span for number of reasons especially for their emphasis on education. from lesson plans and handouts to timely teachable videos and educator conferences, the c-span classroom program offer so many resources to teachers and at a great deal of value. >> thank you for being part of it, bringing your awesome bus to fairbanks, , the two of that was incredible. i heard stories of driving up from the folks about the bust up here and the things they saw on the way coming to a basket was a nice trip from what i heard. and i understand, i have driven it a few times myself and it is an awesome trip and were so glad your bus came here and using it as a tool to bring fairbanks nationwide. >> what i appreciate of the c-span is its four years old, much older than me. but what appreciate -- that's a joke by the way. [laughing] what appreciate of the c-span

it's not partisan. you watch this far in that takes place. you watch your delegations talk back and forth. it's extremely informative and very educational. one of the best things on the bus, and i'm a tech geek so i hope they take me with them on their tour because i would just spend hours on that bus, ready to go in and look at the video screens, they are interactive, people can learn and kids can learn about government. i i mean, government doesn't hae to be a bad word. >> be sure to join us july 21 and 20 seconds when we'll featured our visit to alaska. watch alaska weekend on c-span, c-span.org or listen with the free c-span radio app. >> senator chuck grassley spoke at the heritage foundation yesterday about congressional oversight of the executive branch. he chairs the judry