vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote? if not, the yeas are 50, the nays are 49. motion is confirmed -- disagreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, bureau of consumer financial protection, kathleen laura

kraninger of ohio to be director.

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from nevada. mrs. cortez masto: thank you, mr. president. the bureau was created in the aftermath proliferate financial crisis to protect americans from predatory and abusive practices and ensure that financial

institutions play by the rules. since 2010, the cfpb has investigated and held accountable abusive student loan companies, predatory payday lenders and fraudulent multinational corporations, just to name a few. it has also protected our nation's veterans and active duty service members from targeted scams and illegal debt collection practices. the cfpb has secured over $12 billion in relief for americans, and just this past april the consumer financial protection bureau sued wells fargo for creating millions of fake accounts, for destroying credit scores and forcing millions of customers to pay phony penalties and fees. the people at the cfpb work every single die make the system safe and fair for hardworking families. we can't go back to the way things were before the cfpb was

created. we can't go back to a time when there was no strong consumer advocates at the federal level. i remember this time all too well. i was nevada's attorney general when the markets crashed in 2008. the subprime mortgage crisis hit nevada harder than any state in the country. we had the highest foreclosure rate in the nation for 62 months straight. i worked to hold the big banks accountable for the damage they did to our state and to help people stay in their hoaxes meanwhile, the federal regulators regulators were asleep at the wheel. they were letting the big banks write their own rules and defraud consumers until the markets came crashing down. the cfpb was designed to close the leadership gap at the federal level, to stand up to predators like wells fargo and protect the rights of the american people. to ensure the cfpb continues its mission of looking out for consumers' best interests, we need strong leadership at the

agency. we need someone with the right experience, the right qualifications, and the right mind-set. we need someone willing to stand up, not only to bad actors in the financial industry but also to president trump. the administration has already stripped critical enforcement powers away from the cfpb. it's repealed rules that govern predatory payday lenders and shut down an office that focuses on protecting students from abusive student loans. we can't afford to go any further down this path. president trump's nominee for cfpb, director kathy kraninger is unqualified to lead the agency. in her testimony before the senate banking committee on which i sit, she failed to demonstrate an understanding of the cfpb's core functions or even a willingness to uphold its central mission. like many of the president's nominees, kraninger seems

handpicked to undermine the agency's mission. she seems -- and she testified to this, and it appeared at the hearing that her main goal was to be a faithful disciple to mick mulvaney, the architect behind this administration's plan to destroy the cfpb from the inside out. and she will continue crippling its power to -- the power that is essential to protecting american consumers. the next director of the cfpb will be called upon to make a choice -- to stand aside and allow powerful special interests to call the shots in our country's financial system or to fight for families who want fair and affordable loans to buy cars, homes, or college education for their children or a bank account and credit card without costly fees or who are simply trying to make ends meet. kathy kraninger can't be relied upon to make the right choice, and she does not have my vote.

so i encourage my colleagues to vote against this nomination. mr. president, thank you. i yield the floor -- or i notice the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: a senator: mr. president, are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: yes, we are. ms. klobuchar: i ask the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. klobuchar: mr. president, i first wanted to comment on the importance of an agreement on the farm bill. this is something that has been long in coming. i want to thank chairman roberts and ranking member stabenow for their work, as well as the members in the house, including my colleague from minnesota, republican leader collin peterson, who will be taking over the ag committee in the house next year. this is a bill that is so

important to rural america and in my state. we have seen low commodity prices for too long, and as a member of the ag committee, i know that the last farm bill has some really good things for a strong safety net. but this farm bill will allow us to make some changes to the way the data is collected which will be helpful for our farmers with farm insurance. we've got some improvements in dairy. we have got some good work that is going on with regard to conservation and some changes there. and as you know, our senate bill got 86 votes. we don't even get that for a volleyball resolution around here. and it was a bipartisan bill, and much of that bill, i know, will be contained in this tentative agreement. tentative is with a small "t," and the only reason we're saying that is because we've got to get

the printed version out, and my hope is that we can get this done in the next week. we do not want to go into next year without a farm bill. with what we're seeing with the tail wind from these tariffs, with what we're seeing with still diseases lurking out there, we just in minnesota and in other states in the midwest got through avian flu a few years back and every so often we've seen some outbreaks of that. we lived through h-1-n-1, we've got a good provision in here that i authored with senator cornyn for a vaccine bank. so there's a lot of important steady policy here in the farm bill to show rural america we have their backs and really to show the world that a time of great global competitiveness and with issues for our farmers with everything from weather to prices, to global competition, we want to make sure that america stands by our farmers. and this farm bill is a sure way to do it. so i'm very excited that we as a

member of the ag committee, that we are close to releasing some language here and look forward to getting this done immediately. we've all litigated these issues over the last year. it's not like some new idea has been airlifted into this bill. literally every single issue from the nutrition discussions to the conservation issues to what we've seen on the farm programs to rural economic development to rural broadband has been discussed at length, and we are ready to go. let's get this bill done. the second reason, mr. president, i'm here today is to talk about the urgency of addressing climate change. and this does fit into the farm bill because i'm glad that the farm bill is a source of so many of our conservation programs for our country, and also the farm bill is part of economic development across our country. climate change is going to be a challenge for everyone, certainly from the last report

that we just received on the friday of the holiday weekend -- and i have a feeling some people thought that was a good day to bury it. well, it didn't exactly work given that it was a slow news day and it ended up on the front page of every major newspaper and leading every major newscast. people noticed, and they noticed because this report wasn't just about numbers and percentages and all those kinds of things that our scientists have long agreed on when it comes to global warming. this was about the impact. the reason it's good to talk about the farm bill and then this is one of the major impacts that was contained nbltions report was -- in that report was the impact on farmers in the midwest whereas predicted in this report issued by this administration, you would see acres and acres of land with billions of dollars in losses that wouldn't be able to be farmed for corn and for other important crops in america unless we act. this was yet another dire

warning about the cost of inaction on climate change. and it was in the form, of course, of the fourth national climate assessment. this report is simply the latest in a line of recent studies, including the u.n.'s report, what was released last october. the administration released this new report, as i noted, the day after thanksgiving, just hoping americans were too busy with their families out shopping. but no one could not notice this report. 1,700 pages produced by 13 federal agencies, it was the product of 1,000 people, including 300 leading scientists, including officials from federal, state, and local government, tribes, national laboratories, universities, and the private sector. these 300 scientists concluded that consistent with previous reports -- and, by the way, i remember hearing nasa telling us what would happen. i remember our military leaders

telling us what would happen, predicting to us that we would see rampant wildfires in the west. that's what we're seeing. predicting to us ten years ago that we would see a warming of the ocean that would result in tougher, bigger and more dabbling hurricanes -- and more damaging hurricanes, exactly what we're seeing. these scientists concluded that consistent with all of these predictions over the last decades that we must drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to ensure the health of the american public, the livelihood of our farmers and ranchers and the strength of our economy. the report states that climate change has serious health consequences for the american people. remember, this report is not something that came out of some think tank. it's not a report that came out of some congressional committee. it is not a report that came out of some university. no, no, this is a report that came out of the trump

administration, all 11 agencies were involved in this report. the midwest alone in this report by the trump administration is predicted to have the largest increase in extreme temperatures. we'll see an additional 2,000 premature deaths per year by the year 2090, mosquito and tick-borne diseases, which we've already seen in my state, will spread, and food and waste safety will be affected. as i noted we should also be expecting worsening disasters, and anyone that watched that horrific tape of those parents trying to get their kids out of that wildfire in northern california when it suddenly came up faster than they could be expected, trying to calm a dad, trying to calm his child down as he drives through a raging fire, watch that tape. go home and watch that tape because that tape will remind you of what we're dealing with.

wildfires flooding hurricane. wildfires seasons already longer and more destructive than before could burn up to six times more forest area annually by 2060 in parts of the united states. these wildfires will have a drastic effect on air quality and health particularly on the elderly, pregnant women, children and those already suffering from heart and lung diseases. the report also makes it clear that our farmers will face extremely tough times. crops will decline across the country due to higher temperatures, drought, and flooding. agricultural yields could fall to 1980's levels within a few decades. that is just by all the science and work we've done to increase those yields. in parts of the midwest farms will be able to produce less than 75% of the corn that they produce today, and the southern part of the midwestern region

could lose more than 25% of its soybean yield. this is not a report that came out of my looking at some books. no, no, no. ness a report that came out of 1,000 people that work for the trump administration. this is an administration report. the report also emphasizes that our economy could lose hundreds of billions of dollars or more than 10% of our g.d.p. by the turn of the next century. that's more than double the loss of the great recession a decade ago. everyone knows someone that lost their job during that recession. everyone knows someone that lost their house or went into debt; right? well, think about that doubled. more than 10% of our g.d.p. again, not a report by a liberal think tank, not a report by a congressional subcommittee. this is the report and prediction of the trump administration. we cannot ignore the dire

warnings of the report, and i appreciate the administration put this worth out. i wish they had not done it on a friday afternoon, but it kind of backfired on them. we cannot ignore the climate changes already happening around us or that the devastating consequences for our country exist and that we're going to see more of them in the years ahead. we must seize this opportunity to ensure the health of the american public, to support our businesses and farmers and to make our economy more resilient. we must act. the american people know that. i hear about climate wherever i go in my state. hunters that are concerned about tick-borne illnesses, that are concerned with what we're seeing with things that we've never seen go into our deer population. to business leaders at the port of duluth, to students at the university of minnesota, increasingly warmer temperatures are having effects in minnesota.

lyme disease has spread farther north. i bet everyone in my state knows someone that got lyme disease. times they catch it right away and it goes away. sometimes it causes a lifetime of troubles. lyme disease has been spreading farther north. aspen forests are shrinking. moose range in my state decleaning. 37% more rainfalls as a result of megarainstorms than we had ever seen just 50 years ago. and the rag weed pollen season extended three weeks in the twin cities in the past 20 years making people who suffer from allergies notice it first. this is in stark contrast to comments made by some who still have suggested that climate change should be debated. well, even in this chamber, 98-1 or 97-1 we voted a few years ago that in fact climate change is occurring. we even acknowledged it finally.

but guess what? we're a little behind the people who already notice it happening. over the past week, unfortunately, the president has repeatedly cast doubt on his own administration's report on climate change. these are people that work for him. these are agencies headed up by his own commissioners that issued this report. i am a former prosecutor, and i believe in evidence. and as this report shows us, the facts and the science can't be more clear. this report put out by the president's agencies note that the u.s. is already 1.8 degrees warmer than it was 100 years ago and that the seas, the oceans that surround the country are an average 9 inches higher and climbing. the recent u.n. report warned that the atmospheres will warm

up by as much as 2.7 degrees by 2040 and describes a world that we already see of worsening wildfires and natural disasters. as the nasa website has said, most of the warming occurred in the past 35 years with the five warmest years on record taking place since 2010. every week brings fresh evidence of the damage. my state of minnesota may be miles away from rising oceans, but the impacts in my state and in the midwest are not less of a real threat. climate change isn't just about melting glaciers and rising ocean levels. and we certainly have seen that with the hurricanes. but we've also seen flooding that we've never seen before in duluth and places across minnesota. so we know it's happening. the question is, what do we do about it? now that the president's own agencies have said it's

happening, what do we do about it? well, what i would like to hear acknowledging this new report about the impacts of climate change, not just the nerdy numbers of climate change, now that we know the impacts, let's do something about it. number one, the clean power rules. when those were first put out a few years ago, i think the business community at first thought they were going to be worse than they were. they were a reasonable path forward, giving some exceptions and more time to small power companies. i know in my state, minnesota power, xcel energy, our state, our major power companies were ready to work with those rules. and while our small power companies were concerned, we were working with them to make sure that there were exceptions and that they had a path forward to make sure that they could meet the goals by working with the big power companies. we already had businesses in my state like hargill that were out front on this, that saw the risk to their consumers and their business if we do nothing about

climate change internationally. so we were ready to roll with those clean power rules, but they got reversed by this administration. i call on them to go back at it and put those rules out again. let's get them done. secondly, gas mileage standards, that is something else that we should be going back to. we had an agreement with the auto companies just a few years ago to get that done. but instead, once again they went backward. third, the international climate change agreement. every other country in the world has pledged to be in that agreement. we had pledged to be in the agreement, and then the administration said we were going out of that agreement. at the time they did that, the only two countries that weren't in the agreement were nicarauga and syria, and now they have joined the agreement. i remember a time when the u.s. was a leader in innovation and a leader in responding to the challenges not just in our country but our world.

we should be leading because otherwise other countries are going to get ahead of us when it gets to innovative technology to meet these climate change and energy challenges of our time. that's what this is about and that's what we need to do to move forward. my state has been a leader on this with a republican governor a few years back and a democratic legislature, we were able to pass an electricity standard ahead of its time. seven years ahead of schedule, 25% of minnesota's electricity generation comes from renewable sources. that is clearly part of our way forward, but not the only way forward. guess what. we did it in conjunction with our farming communities with an agreement as well on biofuels, and we did it across the aisle on a bipartisan basis, and we can do that here in this chamber

right now if we have the will to get it done. as last week's report makes clear, inaction is not an option, not for our economy, not for our farmers, not for our environment, our country, and certainly not for the american people. military and security experts have reminded us that climate change is a threat to our national security increasing the risk of conflict, humanitarian crisis, and damage to critical infrastructure. as you look at some of the refugees that have been moving up in places like europe, you look at the people coming up from africa, a lot of that is because they used to engage in subsistent farming and now they can't do it anymore. so, yes, we need to adapt with science, we need to adapt with cutting-edge seeds and farming, but we also need to adapt by putting in place as follows that -- policies that bring down

our greenhouse gas, so we have a chance to leave this earth to our kids and grandkids in a way that they can live a life like we have enjoyed. more severe weather, heat waves that could reduce our water supply, extreme rainfall that could damage critical infrastructure. this is a country that has always gotten ahead of challenges. i ask my friends on the other side of the aisle to remember the republican party of teddy roosevelt, the republican party of conservation, the republican party that saw you want to conserve your resources and don't use them all yourself so you can leave things to other people. that's what we have to find to get this done. i will end by quoting pope francis, his visit to this congress and his visit to washington is something that i will never forget. and one of the things that he has said is this, what kind of world do we want to leave to

those who come after us, to children who are now growing up? that's a pretty good standard. think in your life of those kids that you love or your neighbor's kids or the grandkids and ask yourself what kind of world you want to leave them. and this is no longer just some hypothetical thing. it is right there in the report by the trump administration. it is right before our eyes in the videos we see online of that dad driving his kid through a wildfire in northern california, it is right there as we see the damage the hurricanes are doing on the east coast, it is right there in the midwest when we see rampant flooding and ticks and lime disease and things that we never used to see in minnesota. the evidence is right before our eyes. let's believe it and do something about it. thank you, mr. president, and i yield the floor.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. moran: mr. president, i rise this afternoon to discuss the department of veterans' affairs and this agency's continued challenges with properly implementing the letter of the law. as we know, the v.a. has faced significant difficulties and change over the past five years, issues that have spurred congress to act. this congress, we've passed multiple pieces of legislation designed to reform numerous policies from accountability to education under the g.i. bill to transforming health care. recent news has put a spotlight on the v.a.'s struggle to implement the forever g.i. bill which has resulted in delays or improper accounting of veterans earned educational benefits. this is unacceptable and causes an unnecessary strain on

veterans as they pursue higher education. this is critical the v.a. fix this problem. this should not be a matter of if but when the v.a. fixings this issue and provides accurate, earned benefits to veterans. after these struggles, i am sure that similar challenges will occur in the v.a. mission act signed into law in june of this year, the most transformative legislation to the v.a. health care system in over 30 years. we are closing in on a six-month mark before the mission act must be implemented, june 6, 2019, will be when the new community care program under this act takes effect. this law requires several major critical reforms to the v.a. health care system. i want to quickly outline some of the biggest changes that the v.a. has required by law to implement. first, the v.a. must establish new eligibility criteria for

veterans to receive care in the community and that must be based on clearly defined, easy to understand access standards. the v.a. must establish and apply quality standards to make certain that all v.a. and community care facilities are provided -- are providing our veterans with the highest level of care, the car they deserve. the v.a. must create a thorough and reliable processes for the v.a. and community care partners for a veteran receiving care in the community to make certain that the burden is no longer on the veteran and accountability is instead on those charged with providing the care. the v.a. must start to plan and properly project their health care expenses. this requires the v.a. to establish a well-vetted strategic planning document that better forecasts health care demands and what the v.a. and community can supply to our nation's veterans. i certainly understand how large of an undertaking this effort

is, implementation of the mission act, while it is important, it is also a challenge. and that there are many within the v.a. who share our desire to transform the v.a.'s health care system so that it is -- it can continue to provide care for veterans for generations to come. there are many at v.a. who want to see this done well and done right. but i do know it will take time. change is not something that occurs in a day, a monltdz, -- a month, or even a year, and the changes here are fraught with difficult if not done the correct way. the key is making certain that changes are taking -- the key to making certain that change is taking place is how you respond to those difficulties. v.a. leadership can learn from the past and change the culture and complacency and excuses and we no longer should have asking why but why not. the v.a. will be testifying next week on the status of the

mission act implementation before the house and senate veterans' affairs committee. i will be there and i urge them to hold nothing back, to tell us where they clearly anticipate struggles and in no way sweep anything under the rug that they make certain we know the challenges they face and we can help them in the solutions. without real change within the v.a., we cannot hope for real change for our veterans and we cannot afford to fail them any longer. the american people, congress, and the president have charged the v.a. with a daunting mission, but it is a mission that is so worthy to provide our veterans, those who have served our nation with a v.a. that is worthy of those veterans' service. mr. president, i yield the floor.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. mrs. fischer: thank you, mr. president. i rise today to continue my tributes to the current generation of nebraska men and women who lost their lives defending our freedom in iraq and afghanistan. each of these nebraskans has a special story to tell. today i will recall the life and service of corporal matt henderson of lincoln, nebraska. matt was born on may 15, 1979, in columbia, missouri, to owen and rebecca henderson. at the time matt came into the

world, his dad owen was attending veteran school. after school, they raised their family matt and his newly born sister kelly. as matt grew, he had many friends and enjoyed playing outside and enjoyed hunting and fishing. many time he could be see with his -- by his dad's said. his favorite companion was his curly haired golden retriever rocket. matt loved sports and participated in many growing up, including baseball and basketball, wrestling, track, and football. but his favorite of all was football. he was a devout nebraska huskers and chicago bears fan. matt and his wife jamie began

dating while they adennedded palmira junior-senior high school. jamie remembers matt matt warins jersey. after graduating high school in 1998, matt attended nebraska wesleyan university where he studied athletic training an criminal justice. he also played on the football team and an avid weight lifter. in 2000, matt joined the u.s. marine corps because he was attracted to the discipline and the direction that it offered. he completed boot camp at marine corps recruit depot in san diego before attending and completing infantry training at camp

pendleton. due to a strong interest in the construction field, matt also finished combat engineer school at camp lejeune. after engineer school he was assigned to the first combat engineer's battalion at camp pendleton. on august 1, 2001, matt proposed to jamie on mission beach in san diego just after sunset. they were so excited to finally get married and begin planning it their wedding in nebraska which was scheduled april 12, 2 2003. in january of 2003, matt's unit was informed they would be among the first forces to invade iraq. jamie was forced to postpone the wedding and instead she and matt were married in a civil ceremony in san diego. the two of them couldn't imagine

something happening during matt's deployment and never being able to marry one another. in february of 2003, matt deployed to iraq. he joined other u.s.-led forces in the invasion of iraq and kuwait in order to oust saddam hussein. during his deployment, matt was chosen to be a squad leader due to his leadership abilities, technical skills, and the respect of other marines. matt's family had no communication with his during this time and they were glued to the tv watching the news every evening with the hopes of catching a glimpse of matt. upon matt's return home in may of 2003, he and jamie finally had their big church wedding in lincoln, nebraska, where they renewed their vows in front of their family and friends. following the wedding, jamie moved to california to live at

camp pendleton with matt. without the distance, she and matt had more time to spend together, and they enjoyed socializing with their other friends in the marine corps. in february of 2004, matt deployed to iraq for the second time and jamie moved back to nebraska to be closer to their families. as a squad leader, matt was very aware of and concerned about thing dangers of his second deployment. on may 26, 2004, matt was leading his squad of several other marines in sweeping an area in the anbar province of iraq for explosive devices. this particular area had seen a dramatic increase in violence and demonstrations at the time, and the province was in full-scale revolt.

during the sweep, matt and two of his men, including shelton, nebraska native kyle kadner, were killed when an i.e.d. was detonated. matt warned his squad to take cover but was unable to get out of range. the remainder of his squad survived with one person suffering wounds. corporal matt henderson's memorial service was held the plymouth church in lincoln on june 3, 2004. hundreds of family, friends, and fellow soldiers attended the ceremony to honor matt and to pay their respects. in what seems an impossible task, matt's father gave the eulogy that day. matt was laid to rest at the lincoln memorial park cemetery. for his ultimate sacrifice, corporal matt henderson received

the naval achievement medal with cluster, a purple heart, and numerous unit citations and campaign ribbons. he was the first to receive the prestigious noncommissioned officer combat engineer of the year award post humanly -- posthumously. he was a consistent source of inspiration for his fellow marines. he was the kind of young man that people were just drawn to. he was a tough yet selfless marine. corporal matt henderson lived life to the fullest and he is missed dearly by his family and friends. i join all nebraskans and americans across the country in saluting matt's bravery and his sacrifice.

thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: i'd say to the senator from nebraska, this senator has had too many of the opportunities to give the same kind of speech in remembrance of fallen floridians just. just like her constituent who have given the ultimate sacrifice in the protection of this country. and i thank the senator from nebraska. mr. president, 30 years ago a gentleman by the name of dr. james hanson was the

director of the nass sa god -- nasa goddard's institute for space studies. he testified to the u.s. senate energy and natural resources committee that he was 99% certain that the year's record temperatures were not the result of natural variation. this is 30 years ago. it was the first time a lead scientist drew a connection between human activities, the growing concentration of atmospheric pollutants, and a warming climate. this senator was a young congressman at the time representing east central florida and florida's space coast and just two years prior,

i had flown for six days on the 24th mission of the space shuttle, in this case our orbiter was the space shuttle columbia. growing up on the indian river on florida's atlantic coast, it's easy to think that nature's bounty is endless, that the sand beaches, the crystal clear water, the blue sky, and the warm sun, it would continue forever. it would be like camelot. but peering out the window back at the planet from the window of a spacecraft, when i looked even all of the earth suddenly took

on a new meaning. i realized how thin the line was between our protected, shared home, the planet and how thin that line is between uninhabitable space. so when dr. hanson testified about the greenhouse effect and how that thin layer of an atmosphere was becoming polluted , it got my attention because i remembered looking at the rim of the earth and seeing that little thin film as we orbited the earth every 90 minutes. and since his 1988 warning, the evidence is unfortunately

confirming dr. hanson's prediction in 1988. we saw just recently extreme events in 2017 and 2018 alone included back-to-back record atlantic and gulf hurricanes and unprecedented and devastating wildfires. global temperatures are rising and so are the seas. why? the extra heat is absorbed by the oceans which cover two-thirds of the earth. that extra heat when absorbed in water causes water to expand. and we see in 2016 and 2017 they've had two of the highest global temperatures ever

recorded since we began measuring in 1880. 2018 is on a track to be the fourth hottest year on record. warmer air and water make the environment more hospitable to toxic algae blooms. mosquitoes that carry deadly diseases and things like poison ivy, and these are three things that i think we can all agree that we need less of, not more. the oceans are warming and they are fueling the intensification of hurricanes. and we saw that just recently in irma and michael and creating the conditions that warming

water is that bleach coral reefs and feed toxic algae blooms. my beautiful home state, florida, which i've had the great privilege of serving is ground zero for these impacts. according to the fourth national climate assessment report released by the administration just last week, the day after thanksgiving, climate change is expected to make south florida more vulnerable to diseases like the zika virus. florida could see more than 3 -- than $'46 billion in property value -- $346 billion in property value to be lost over

the course of this century. but this question stretches beyond property value. a florida department of health assessment determined that almost 600,000 people in south florida are going to face extreme or high risk from sea level rise. warming water, nutrient enrichment, overfishing and coastal development are all contributing to the dire situation of one of our nation's crown jewels, the coral reefs of the florida keys. and so the real question is, what are we going to do about it? well, i think there are three things we ought to consider. first, we truly cannot afford to politicize the air we breathe.

the science is not up for debate. the greenhouse gas emissions are heating the atmosphere which in turn heat our oceans supercharging the hurricanes, leaving us vulnerable to drought, and threatening the water we drink and the food we eat. reports of political censorship or political interference with science are unacceptable, and they are foolish if we ignore the science. we do so at our peril. i think secondly we ought to consider that we're going to have to stop putting so many greenhouse gases into the atmosphere so fast. and this is called climate mitigation. and it means that we must invest

in new technology in the chill of -- in the economy of the future, things like wind and solar, electric vehicles, and more efficient buildings. each one of them would have a huge impact in lessening the amount of derivatives of carbon that we put into the atmosphere. and third, i think we should consider that we're going to have to make our communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change, climate change that is already upon us and climate change that in the future we're not going to be able to avoid, like you just can't cut off the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere and the warming that results therefrom that's already in the system. you talk to the scientists,

there's something just beyond about 4 degrees fahrenheit more of the average annual global temperature that if it rises beyond which there is no return. we have a chance but time is of the essence. and so we ought to consider climate change adaptation. you don't have to agree with climate science to know that it makes sense to do this. sop i want to urge our colleagues ole both sides of this aisle that separates republicans from democrats, you need to take this seriously. for the sake of your states and mine, for the good of our

planet, for the good of our children, for the good of future generations, take climate change seriously. listen to the experts and come together to work on solutions. and instead of saying i'm not a scientist, listen to the scientists. don't try to censor their warnings or hide from the truth. instead of saying making changes could cost money, think about the cost to our economy and our society if we don't act. coastal communities inundated with catastrophic flooding, midwestern droughts that raise food prices, and soaring health

costs. these are some of the cost that are coming to our country, indeed to our society, indeed to civilization of planet earth. we must act and we must do it now. mr. president, i yield the floor. leigh -- mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: i want to commend the senior senator from florida. throughout my career i've been so impressed and so grateful for his strong voice on the environment. he's the only member of this body who's seen earth from space. and, mr. president, i thank my dear friend, the senior senator, senator grassley who is going to

speak so that i could go ahead and i will. i will be brief, mr. president. i just want to say in the 44 years i've served the united states senate, i've never been so concerned about the state of press freedom around the world, including i deeply regret to say in our own country. i was brought up in a family that owned a weekly newspaper, owned a printing business, spoke of the first amendment as being the most important part of our constitution because it promised freedom of speech, promised diversity of religion, and that promise is a democracy. but the premeditated murder and dismemberment of jamal khashoggi by saudi authorities and then their ridiculous, ridiculous, transparent attempt to cover it up has shocked the consciences of people everywhere.

yesterday by voting to discharge senate joint resolution 54, the senate showed that the saudi world family needs to hold accountable all those responsible for that horrific crime if it wants to ever salvage relation relations -- relations with the united states. look what is happening, mr. president, if we don't stand up and speak out. just a few days after mr. khashoggi's murder, the body of bull geren journalist was discovered. investigations suggest she was raped and beaten and strangled. i think the motive is pretty clear -- she spent the past year reporting on corruption. at least 43 journalists have been killed for their work so far in 2018, according to the committee to protect journalists. 15 other journalists have also

been killed, although their deaths have at least not yet been officially linked to their work. according to data compiled by freedomhouse, the muzzling of journalists and independent news media sat its worst point in over a decade. similarly, according to the committee to protect journalists, the number of reporters jailed for their work -- jailed for being reporters -- sat a level not seen since the 1990's. strong men around the world are cracking down with impunity. frankly, this son of a printer, this son of a newspaper owner is not surprised. at home, president trump regularly demonizes the news media. he calls the news media the enemy of the people, hoping that his acidic outbursts and threats

will dissuade journalists from accurately reporting on his administration. with the eyes of the world upon him, he makes a mockery of the entire notion of an independent press, something that we have guaranteed from the first part of the our country in our constitution. the president makes a mockery of that. he brands anybody who challenges him as either liars or worse. while holding hands with those willing to sing his praises. he even went so far as to rescind the credentials of one reporter who persisted in asking questions the president didn't like. i've been here with eight different presidents. i've never seen that before, not even in watergate. a few days ago he publicly denigrated the decorated, retired u.s. admiral, the man who led the raid that killed osama bin laden, who had dared

criticize the president's attacks against the press as the greatest threat to democracy, which it is. so this man, who avoided the draft five times, this president avoided the draft five times, denigrates the admiral who led the charge and got osama bin laden. now, as americans who cherish the first amendment, who rely on a free press for sustaining our democratic form of government, we should be appalled. the words of a president matter. they always have. but this president's rhetoric gives comfort to autocrats the world over who are emboldened to clamp down on dissension confident that they have a powerful defender in the united states as a censor in jailing journalists. we americans see despots in other countries quote our

president about this. we see them pass laws outlawing so-called fake news, which their leaders use to justify dismissing and castigating reporting with which they disagree and to be able to persecute their political opponents. we should fear the day when a free press is seen as unimportant or a luxury. something no longer cinnamon us in with our -- no longer synonymous with our country and our values. we must recommit ourselves to elevating and celebrating our free press as one of the cornerstones of our democracy. america should always protect the freedom of the press and not denigrate it just because our president, for the first time in history, demeans and tries toss silence the press. we must stand up as the founders of this country and as every leader in this country up till

now has done and defend a free press. in this challenging time for press freedom around the world, the committee to protect journalists honored four exceptional journalists at the 2018 international press freedom awards in the new york city. one amal khalifa is the cofounder of the sudan isogonal i feel network which has covered protests in sudan, whose leader al beau sahara has been indicted by the international criminal court. because of her reporting, she has been harassed, detained, physically abused by sudanese authorities, but she still does her job at great personal peril. nastaseia stonko was taken hostage by a group while reporting on the conflict in eastern ukraine. since her release, she has continued to risk her safety and

her life by reporting on the war and on other human rights violations by ukrainian service in conflict-torn areas. an investigative reporter who found the independent news website to bring attention to a political situation in her country of venezuela. in 2017, when she covered protests against venezuela's president nicolas maduro, members of her team were attacked and threatened. but she courageously continued her work. she has since emerged as one of venezuela's most recognized and championed for independent journalism. lastly, naku wmen, has devoted her life to calling attention to human rights violations in vietnam. in october 2016, she was sentenced to ten years in prison

on charges of prop began dyeing against the state -- propagandizing against the state. after her health began to deteriorate, she was released from prison. we often speak out about the abuse of repressive governments around the world. we must also speak out against the increasing attempt to demean and intimidate the press here at home. the president may continue to do that, and some of these -- as some of these people do in these other countries. we should not stand for that. america was built on the idea of freedom of the press and if the president won't defend the freedom of the press, we should. and the lives of these four brave individuals should remind us of what is at stake. the slippery slope we're on and to stand up for what is on even when our president will not. mr. president, i yield the floor.

mr. schumer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. now, next friday, appropriations expire for seven of the 12 appropriation bills for fiscal year 2019, and we are in good-faith for example goes with our republican -- in good-faith negotiations with our republican counterparts here in congress to get them enacted. the good news is, because of the bipartisan work in the senate, approximately 75% of the federal government is funded for 2019. the bad news is that the seven

bipartisan appropriations bills are hanging in the balance for one reason and one reason only -- president trump. president trump has said that he wants to shut down the government unless he gets $5 billion from the american taxpayer for an unnecessary border wall. the president hasn't even tried to get mexico to pay for it, as he promised in his campaign over and over and over. he hasn't outlined a plan to deal with eminent domain concerns or even a plans plan as to how it would be built. and he hasn't even spent the $1.3 billion congress allocated last year in the fiscal year 2018 budget for border security, fences, drones, technology that

actually makes sense. now he's asking, having not spent that money, for more. so this isn't actually about border security. this is the president trying to manufacture a shutdown to fire up his base. make no mistake, the president is the only person who holds the ultimate responsibility for a government shutdown. he can decide if we're going to have one or not have one. he certainly has the power to shut down the government, but he has two very reasonable ways to avoid one. first, he could agree to sign the bipartisan d.h.s. appropriations bill that senate democrats and republicans already agreed to, which includes $1.6 billion for border security on top of the $1.3

billion that president trump still hasn't spent from last year. it's just somewhat we've done in previous years -- funding for fencing on the border where experts say it makes the most sense. it would protect our border far more effectively and far more quickly than any wall. and so leader mcconnell voted for that bill, chairman shelby voted for it, as did senator rubio. even senator graham, the president's strongest supporter and closest ally in the senate, voted for that bill. now all of a sudden it seems that republicans, afraid to buck the president even when they know he's wrong, want to renege on that agreement to go along with the president's shutdown plan. but it doesn't have to be that way. this bipartisan negotiated deal

remains on the table and would certainly receive more than 60 votes in the senate. and, second, if the president doesn't want to agree to that bipartisan bill, we could avoid a shutdown by passing a continuing resolution for the department of homeland security. we think it should be for a whole year. it would keep the government open and still provide another $1 .3 billion for border security on top of the $1.3 billion the president has not yet spent. again, this option would certainly receive more than 60 votes in the senate. so president trump has a simple choice of two good bipartisan options. if he decides to support either the bipartisan d.h.s. bill or a continuing resolution, i am confident that both would pass by comfortable margins.

the only position that cannot garner 60 votes is the president's potionings. he is add month about having a partial shutdown. he keeps repeating over and over again that he wants a shutdown. and make make no mistake about e is the eliminate reason there would be a shutdown. if president trump wants to throw a temper tantrum and shut down some ptsds and agencies -- some departments and agencies over christmas, that's certainly within his power, but he has two more sensible options available to him. it would be a shame if the country suffered because of a trump temper tantrum. it's the president's choice. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa.

mr. grassley: millions of americans woke up this morning and started the day with their dose of prescription medications their daily regimen is prescribed by their health care providers to treat an illness and to improve the quality of their lives and for many americans, prescription medicine extends and saves their lives. without their prescription medication, millions of americans would not survive. for so many of our loved ones who have diabetes, high blood pressure, cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, or other chronic health care conditions, prescription drugs are a basic

necessity for their living. without pharmaceutical treatment or cures, too many of family gatherings at thanksgiving just past arguably would have never -- would have had fewer plates at the table this holiday season. as a nation we're incredibly blessed to live in a country where investment and innovation unlocks cures and treatments. and yet the escalating price of prescription drugs are consuming concerns for too many millions of americans, including even iowans who bring up this subject regularly at my county meetings. i've come to the floor of the senate to address the sticker shock that greets consumers when

they pick up their medicine at the pharmacy or open their medical bills after a hospital visit. rising drug costs -- rising drug prices that americans pay for out of pocket and as taxpayers are gobbling up a bigger share of income. for some people on fixed income, sky high drug prices are eating up every spare penny that they can scrape together to pay for their prescriptions. so it's time that we talk turkey to our friends at big pharma. and i don't make fun of our friends at big pharma because i use the word friend because we all enjoy a longer life and better quality of life because

of miracle drugs. as a fiscal conservative who whole heartedly believes in free enterprise, i don't want the government intruding unnecessarily in the marketplace. the reasons millions of americans benefit from life-saving drugs in the first place is due largely to capitalism and the entrepreneurial spirit that driving innovation -- drives innovation and opens new frontiers of modern medicine. i also believe that strong intellectual property rights help incentivize companies to invest in research and the development so new cures are found for our loved ones. however, the government does have a responsibility to keep a check on unfair business practices and to actually rein

in anticompetitive behavior that harm consumers and fleece taxpayers. there's a general agreement that these are constitutional as well as legitimate roles for government. and, of course, if you're going to protect the consumers and not fleece taxpayers, this can happen in a number of ways. it happens when brand name and generic drug makers game the system to pad their profits at the expense of taxpayers and consumers. it happens when hospital, middlemen and providers determine which drugs to prescribe based on its reimbursement and markup from insurers, including public health programs for the military and veterans or the big ones

like medicare and medicaid. throughout my public service in the united states senate, i've established a fundamental commitment to transparency and remember that transparency, particularly in government, brings accountability but also transparency in the private sector will bring transparency -- or bring accountability. from whistle-blower protections to the public's right to know, sunlight sweeps away wrongdoing, strengthens good government, and helps consumers and taxpayers get the most bang for the buck. i've worked across the aisle to apply this standard to help lower drug prices. it's an issue that resonates loud and very clear in every household of america. in fact, i once contacted my

office a couple of years ago regarding real sticker shock for their especial especial pi -- for their epi pens. the money they were paying for the antiallergy medication jumped $600 for a two-pack. on their behalf, i started digging for answers. it turned out that mylan, the epi pen distributor had jacked up the price for over a decade during the obama administration. from 2006 to 2016, it rose more than 400%. epi pen is the most widely prescribed especial deaf run -- epidefrine auto injector in the united states.

parents, grandparents, day care providers and teachers across the country keep their homes, their cars, and classrooms stocked in case of an emergency. now, 400% increase, how was mylan able to accomplish this? well, it classified epi pen as a generic drug instead of a brand-name drug in the medicaid drug rebate program. simply that incorrect classification cost the united states treasury and states big time by allowing my lan -- mylan to pay lower rebates. the watchdog at the department of health and human services at my request found the misclassification may have resulted in the taxpayers and the states overpaying for the drug by as much as one and

three-tenths billion dollars. what's more, a competing pharmaceutical company sued mylan using the false claims act, a whistle-blower law i updated over the years. this antifraud tool encourages people to report andest pose wrongdoing against the government. in this specific case, this whistle-blower exposed fraud against the taxpayers for misusing the medicaid drug rebate program to the tune of $456 million. i'd like to share a time-tested lesson i've learned throughout my 30 years of oversight work in the united states senate. when you smell smoke, there's a fire. the epi pen misclassification may be the tip of the iceberg.

as part of my epi pen oversight, i requested additional misclassification data from the office of inspector general at h.h.s. as of early 2018, the office of inspector general identified the names of ten drugs that accounted for 68% of medicaid reimbursements for potentially misclassified drugs just in the year 2016. the epi pen and some of its variants are included within the group of ten drugs as well as a commonly prescribed antibiotic and commonly prescribed drug for an underactive thyroid condition. so in a nutshell, it appears that the same drug companies may be undermining the rebate program by misclassifying commonly prescribed drugs that can be found in medicine

cabinets in the households all across the united states. simply that is wrong. and i'm going to do whatever i can to fix that issue. recently the f.d.a. approved the first epipen generic and of course that's a good step in the right direction. now, as a senior member of the senate finance committee and also the last four years as chairman of the senate judiciary committee, my sights are set squarely on lowering drug prices without compromising access for innovative cures and treatments delivered by the american pharmaceutical industry. through oversight and even legislation, i'm working to set things right that includes putting a stop to the shannon begans that ma -- shenanigans

that manipulate regulatory loopholes and unfairly extend monopolies over certain drugs. this happens when a brand name and a generic drug maker work in cahoots to delay the lower-priced generic's entry into the market. for starters, a bipartisan bill with senator amy klobuchar of minnesota and i would inject a healthy dose of midwestern commonsense medicine into big pharma with a bill we have that would do away with what we call the pay for delay shenanigans. so we have this bill that goes by the title preserve access to affordable generic drugs.

this bill would end the sweetheart deals between brand name and generic drug makers that end up cost be the american consumer and at the same time the u.s. taxpayer and arm and a leg. it would increase access to more affordable generic drugs sooner rather than later because of the pay-for-delay scheme. specifically, our bill would crack down on anticompetitive payoff schemes that effectively rip off taxpayers and consumers. these so-called reverse agreements delay consumer access to the cheaper generic drug. i am 100% certain that our pay-for-delay bill would help lower drug prices for our consumers and save the taxpayers

' dollars through medicare and medicaid. that's because generic drugs can be up to 90% cheaper than brand name drugs. and that happens to be a tremendous savings. so ending these payoff agreements would gut artificially inflated prices consumers are paying for some prescription drugs. putting an end to these payoff schemes will end the chokehold that they put on the market by doing -- market. by doing so we can restore timely access for affordable general near ricks to reach -- generics reach the market, boost competition, expand consumer choice, and at the same time lower drug prices. in addition to the pay-for-delay bill that klobuchar and i have,

i'm also cosponsor of a bill led by my friend senator pat leahy that would inject another dose of bipartisan common sense into the pharmaceutical industry. we use the acronym creates for this legislation. the letters stand for creating and restoring equal access to equivalent samples act. it seeks to stop anticompetitive practices that block lower-cost generic drugs from the pharmacy store shelves. it would help generic companies get the samples that they need to manufacture equivalent products. right now a common practice by bad actors in the industry prevents potential generic competitors from obtaining the samples that they need to test

their drugs or blocks them from participating in shared safety protocols. this practice of deny and delay is fueling deficit spending. that's because the taxpaying public shelves out a -- shells out a whole lot of money to fill brand-name prescriptions when the cheaper generic drug could do the same thing. this would save a tremendous amount of money because we have the scoring by the congressional budget office estimating that our bill, the creates bill, would result in $3.8 billion net increase in the federal deficit. improving access to lower-cost generic drugs while preserving the incentives for innovation

and intellectual property rights ought to be seen by my colleagues as a win-win solution. i hope you won't just take my word for it because more than 80 organizations support the final passage of the creates act. they would go all the way from the aarp over to the consumers union. those tend to be liberal organizations, all the way over to taxpayers for common sense that i think generally tends to be more conservative. our creates bill was approved in june by the senate judiciary committee that i chair and has 30 senate cosponsors. in addition to these -- this legislation, i'm also keeping tabs on proposed buyouts and mergers in the pharmaceutical supply chain.

without a doubt, increased market integration will impact consumers and taxpayers. for example, the mergers between cigna corporation with express scripts holding company and the c.v.s. health corporation with aetna may negatively impact consumer choice. according to the kaiser family foundation, once completed, these two mergers would result in just four entities controlling 71% of all medicare part d enrollees and 86% of stand-alone drug plan enrollees. notwithstanding the consumer benefits of business integration that can include more innovation and cost-saving efficiencies, we can't afford to turn a blind eye

to potential negative consequences that consolidation in the u.s. pharmaceutical supply chain may have in the marketplace. so i'll wrap up my remarks today with this message for the american people -- president trump made a promise to the people to lower drug prices. his administration is working to deliver on that promise. and most of the stuff that's going on so far has been within what the law allows the president, through the secretary of h.h.s., to do. so congress doesn't have to be involved in everything. but congress can surely give support to this program. now, the president's blueprint for bringing down prescription drug prices lays four principles -- boost competition, enhance

negotiation, create incentives for lowering list prices, and, lastly, bring down out-of-pocket costs. last month he signed the patient's right to know act, so he has the help of even some new legislation now. i cosponsored this bill by senator susan collins to ban what's called gag clauses. they keep pricing information from consumers every time you visit the pharmacy counter. the new law prevents health insurance companies from prohibiting pharmacy providers from sharing pricing information with consumers. so now under collins' legislation, a pharmacist can alert a customer if their co-payment would cost more than paying out of pocket, as just an

example. so, you know, put a little bit of transparency into the whole process. let your pharmacist help you as much as he can to save money. but, no, there are rules that some companies have that you can't share that information. so along the lines of also hoping to save the consumer some money or at least to educate the consumer on the farmcy and have more -- farmcy and have more transparency, the senator and i passed for passage of an amendment that supports existing health and human services authority requiring drugmakers to disclose the list price of prescription drugs in direct-to-consumer advertisement. it happens that the house of representatives rejected our amendment. nonetheless, the secretary of h.h.s. is moving forward with

our concept to improve transparency by requiring companies to include these same drug prices in their direct-to-consumer advertising. another example of where the president, through the secretary of h.h.s., has under present law to move ahead, we wanted to let the secretary know through the durbin-grassley amendment that we wanted to back him up in his efforts. drug companies are already required to include possible side effects in their tv ads, so isn't it common sense to add on to that list price information to further improve consumer decision-making? the more information patients and health care providers have to make decisions on costs and

outcomes it seems to me the best off they are. finally, i'd like to say a word about another commonsense solution to high drug prices. for over 20 years, i've -- i've advocated for the safe reimportation of drugs from companies such as canada. the late senator mccain, along with senators klobuchar, introduced s. 92, the safe and affordable drugs from canada act. i'm a cosponsor of this bill, and i plan to work to get it enacted into law. in today's marketplace, there's a giant disconnect between consumers and the prices they pay for their prescription medicines. too many of my constituents in iowa -- too many of my constituents in iowa -- to many

of citizens units in iowa, it is just plain baffling why this can't be done. americans have come to expect the best medicine when they need it most. we need to improve the marketplace so that it functions properly to lower drug prices and raise the bar on the outcomes. looking ahead, our republican majority here in the united states senate will keep up the momentum to deliver cost savings to the american people. on my watch, i'll continue working across the aisle to lower drug prices, restore competition, and increase transparency in the pharmaceutical industry. i welcome the incoming democratic house majority to join our efforts in behalf of the american taxpayer and consumer. as americans count our blessings during this season of thanksgiving going into christmas, we give thanks for

the gifts of friends appeared family who gather together around these celebration tables. i'm thankful for good health and the opportunity to serve iowans. along these linings i will do my best to restore competition in the pharmaceutical market and to stop the gravy train that's taken taxpayers for a ride. i yield the floor. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: notwithstanding rule 2,i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: without objection. question is on the motion. all those in favor, say aye. anybody say no? the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. mcconnell: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 1153.

the presiding officer: question is on the motion. all those in favor, say aye. those opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, federal energy regulatory commission, bernard l.macnamee of virginia to be a member. mr. mcconnell: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion: we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of bernard l.macnamee of virginia to be a member of the federal energy regulatory commission signed by 17 senators as follows -- mr. mcconnell: i ask that the reading of the names waived. officer without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask that the mandatory quorum call for the cloture motions be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: and the

clerk should call the roll. the clerk will call the roll quorum call: