country has officially recognized small business week, but in our country, small businesses have always accounted for and still account for most of the jobs created. certainly most of the new jobs created and in missouri, that's absolutely the case. we ought to be doing all we can to create that environment where people get that new job, often get their first job. i think we're doing that. there's nothing better for small business than a strong overall economy, and almost daily now we see some new number that sets a new record for the last 40 years or maybe the last 50 years, in case of the unemployment number. just this week we had for the 13th month in a row more jobs available than people looking for work. and that had never happened a single time, not one single time until 13 months ago. so the best thing obviously for

small business is to be part of a growing economy, a vibrant economy. we're seeing that. there are reasons for that. the tax cut act and jobs creation act in 2017 is one of those. almost every small business now pays less in taxes on their business than they were before. they're allowed to deduct fully the cost of new equipment so they can reinvest and reinvent and grow their business. that means more jobs. tax cuts also allow people to keep more of their money, and that means they have more of their money to spend. in my state, in missouri, we found that in the first 12 months of the tax cut -- so these numbers are now about six months old, and i think if anything, have gotten better -- that the sales tax and use tax was up 2.5%. we know that the last quarter the overall gross domestic

product was up 3.2%. but 2.5% of real growth in just tax income is one of the way you measure whether people are spending their money or not. and they are. people in this economy feel more confident about their jobs, and that makes a big difference. the fear that people had of losing their job for the previous eight or ten years really is gone. people now go to work believing that there's a better chance they'll get a promotion than the chance that they'll lose their job, and that makes a real difference. so we've done things that are helpful in cutting taxes. we've done things that are helpful in reducing regulation. the president's been particularly helpful in leading that recovery of removing regulatory red tape, and that allows small businesses -- actually, small business, mr. president, is much more affected by regulatory red tape than big business.

big business can hire somebody to go through the regulations and stay totally focused on that. small business can't. and if you're afraid you're going to violate some federal regulation, you're less likely to make the kind of investment you'd like to make than you otherwise would be. we created more access to credit by cutting down some of the overregulation of community banks. there's more we ought to be doing. one thing we can do that a lot of small businesses really benefit from is the new market tax credit program. this is a program that was first authorized in 2000. it encourages investment in high-poverty areas or low-income areas. in missouri, again, 42,000 new jobs have been created as a result of the new market tax credit investment program. i went the other day to the first new supermarket in north

st. louis that opened since 1968. and one of the reasons that they were able to open that new super market was that they were able to use the new market tax credit program. that's a program we clearly need to extend. senator cardin, from maryland, and i once again have introduced that legislation, and we hope that can happen. on the health front, nothing better for small business than the idea of association health plans. that's been challenged in court, but i'll tell you what, in missouri, we've had experience with this for a long time. it does work. it just, frankly, makes sense. if you're a small restaurant owner, you're not going to have as good a program for your employees as if you could get that program through the missouri restaurant association or through the national restaurant association or some other association that allows you to be the kind of group that 180 million americans already

get their insurance from. so we need to continue to work on this as we honor small business, things like we've done the last couple of days. the ex-im bank is often not thought of as a thing that is small businesses use, but there are more small business ex-im banks loan processed than big business loans. even when ner big business loans, those big businesses almost always have small business providers to what they do. the equal employment opportunity commission can't fully work in a way that people can count on it if it doesn't have the people there to make it work. and we did that today. so my colleagues and i are here today to talk about small business. it is the engine that drives america. this is the week we honor it. but, frankly, our economy is dependent on it every single week, and i'm glad to be here to talk about it.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. ms. ernst: mr. president, our nation's economy is booming, and last friday's jobs report far exceeded anyone's expectations showing we added 263,000 jobs last month. and unemployment, it's sitting at the lowest since 1969. and at the backbone of it all is our small businesses. just look at my home state of iowa. 99% of our businesses are small businesses. with our state's economy continuing to grow and our unemployment amongst the lowest in the nation, it's clear that our small businesses' success is iowa's success. each job creator in our state are leading the way by providing

innovative solutions and creating new opportunities for our workforce. too often small businesses struggle to comply with some of the most costly and burdensome regulations that come out of washington, d.c. as a way to rein in these regulations and to foster a more thoughtful rulemaking process, this week i reintroduced my prove it act. this bipartisan legislation gives the small business administration's office of advocacy an opportunity to ask agencies to prove their regulatory analysis when proposing a rule that may be economically harmful to small businesses. it gives iowa small businesses a voice in the rule making process. one increasingly important component of our country's labor market is women-owned small businesses.

iowa ranks in the top ten for growth in employment and revenues in women-owned businesses. however, these businesses still face many challenges. that's why i recently introduced the expanding contracting opportunities for small businesses act which addresses the discrepancy in sole source manufacturing contracts that puts women-owned small businesses at a disadvantage. this bipartisan bill is a sensible and a simple fix to help ensure all of iowa's small business owners get a fair shot to compete and to succeed. commonsense deregulation coupled with tax reform has helped fuel economic growth and has contributed to high levels of consumer and business confidence. but, folks, there's still a lot of work to be done. while many of iowa's small businesses would absolutely love to provide their employees with the option of paid parental

leave, it is just far too costly. and that's one reason why i'm working with senator mike lee on a proposal that would allow new moms and dads who work at one of these small businesses the opportunity to receive paid parental leave. mr. president, as a member of the senate small business and entrepreneurship committee, i'm excited to celebrate national small business week and to continue fighting for pro-growth policies and a regulatory system that encourages innovation and job growth, one where iowa's small businesses are heard loud and clear. and as i said before, when iowa's small businesses are successful, iowa also succeeds. and with that, mr. president, i will yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from arkansas.

mr. boozman: thank you, mr. president. i'm pleased also to join many of my colleagues today to celebrate national small business week. nearly every day we do business with these local retailers or use products that they had a hand in creating somewhere along the supply chain. still it can be easy to focus on the larger companies that dominate america's economic landscape. but this week is a time to shift our attention to the entrepreneurs and innovators who reach for their piece of the american dream and work tirelessly to achieve it. this is no small feat, but it happens over and over again each day as it has throughout our nation's history. this week we have the opportunity to recognize and command those who take this leap of faith while generating positive economic activity and benefits that help strengthen and sustain the system that has created more wealth for more

people than any other in human history. this system is capitalism. it underpins our society. it is marked by the freedom and ability to make our own economic decisions. and those decisions have often led americans to start businesses and become their own bosses. as a result, america's small businesses are now without question the backbone of our country. as the small business administration has reported, more than half of americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the u.s. each year. it's clear that small businesses drive the u.s. economy. i recently was in north central arkansas where i met with several small business owners and their employees. this last time -- this time last year i heard small businesses in south and

southwest arkansas to highlight and learn the interest they have in our state. representatives from the small business administration were on hand for some of the visits underscoring the agency's willingness and desire to help promote and assist small businesses, owners and entrepreneurs who are establishing or expanding their companies. at each stop the conversations provided me with invaluable insights about the challenges and opportunities that businesses face. the discussions also inevitably turned to how the economic climate has changed for the better in recent years. whether it's changes in the tax code that helps make small businesses even more competitive, including the qualified business deduction, altering the estate tax, or increasing bonus depreciation as well as providing regulatory relief and certainty, we have witnessed how these pro-growth policies have not only helped drastically uplift and improve america's economy but have also

given business owners and entrepreneurs the confidence they had been lacking for so many years about whether to invest or expand their opportunities. according to the small business administration, arkansas is home to over 247,000 small businesses, which is over 99.3% of all businesses in the state. these enterprises employ over 479,000 arkansans, making it easy to see how much of an impact they have on our state's economic climate. in addition to empowering the economy, small businesses also contribute to the communities that they operate in. they embody the american values and ideals that help build our country, hard work, willingness to take risks, and vision for opportunity. that's why we recognize the importance of entrepreneurs by passing a resolution designating may 5 through 11 as national

small business week. i encourage people across my home state and throughout the country to support small businesses in their communities especially this week. i would also encourage my colleagues to continue listening to the concerns and advice of our entrepreneurs and those that they employ. we can build on our positive economic growth by pursuing more policies that will help our small businesses succeed. this show of support certainly means a lot to the folks who own these companies and their employees who count on them to earn their livelihoods. it also serves as a way to further cultivate and reward the entrepreneurial spirit that is at the very heart of america. i applaud the men and women in arkansas and across the united states who work incredibly hard running their own businesses and chasing the american dream. this week we celebrate them and our nation's enterprising legacy

that helps us make us who we are. thank you, mr. president. mrs. blackburn: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. president. i am pleased to join my colleagues and celebrate national small business week. i love this poster that they have prepared today because tennessee is right at the heart of this. and for over five decades national small business week has been an opportunity to recognize the tremendous contribution of small businesses and entrepreneurs to the american economy. we know that -- and we hear it said so often that there is nothing small about small business because of the economic impact that it has.

and i tell you the statistics really do bear that out. according to the most recent report from the small business administration's office of advocacy for my home state of tennessee, there are over 603,000 small businesses located in our state. now, 99.4% of all the businesses in our state are small businesses. that speaks to the health and vitality of our economy. collectively these small businesses employ over 1.1 million people, and that accounts for 42.3% of the entire workforce in the state. so small business has an enormous footprint in the state of tennessee. now, we have heard a lot about

the booming economy in recent weeks, and as we celebrate mother's day this week, and i do hope it is a happy mother's day for everyone, we know that this economy that is booming, that is growing with low -- record-low unemployment numbers with economic vitality, wage growth that we have not seen that this is an economy that makes the lives of millions of working women and makes those family lives better and we celebrate what this economy is doing for the nation as a whole and specific to tennessee as we celebrate mother's day we celebrate these women-owned businesses. and what we do know from the research that is out is

tennessee is the fifth best state in the country for female-owned small businesses and that they are seeing dynamic growth in both revenue and employment. now, the economic gains that have come about because of the tax cuts and the regulatory reforms that have been enacted by president trump, voted on, pushed through by congressional republicans have changed the economic landscape of millions of americans. since tax reform was signed into law, 3.2 million new jobs were created, 90% of the taxpayers have received a bigger paycheck, and jobless claims are at the lowest that they have been in 50 years. here is the connective tissue between these encouraging stats

and what i hear back in tennessee. because the economy is strong, now is a great time to grow or to expand or to start a new business. entrepreneurs feel confident so they are betting on themselves and making decisions that they need to make in order to succeed. they are highing that new employee, adding a new store or a new location, and daring to turn their dreams into a reality. small businesses are the key driver of our turbo-charged economy and will continue to do all that we can to help them thrive. i will tell you also, as a member of the senate veterans' affairs committee, that i want to thank those entrepreneurs who are veterans, who are stepping up at record rates in our state

and are starting their small businesses. some of these deal with services that have needed and products that are needed by our military post or used by our national guard, and these veterans make great small business owners, and they also make great employees. the skills they learned defending our nation while in uniform are uniquely well suited to succeed in business. the discipline, the focus, the resilience, the ability to plan, to adapt, to work collaboratively with others in order to get a job done. and, and indeed, for themselves and their families they are getting the job done. these are the hallmarks of soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, but they are also the qualities of successful

entrepreneurs. we're thrilled they choose to call tennessee home. the american small business is not only facts and figures, the true values of our small business comes not just from the contribution to the american economy but also their contribution to another american dream fulfilled. entrepreneurship is the embodiment of the american dream. it's about men and women pursuing their passions. they work hard, save their money, make pa plan, put -- make a plan and put that plan into action. oftentimes they struggle. sometimes they'll end up failing, but they pick themselves up, preserve their right to move forward, push forward, and they never stop trying. our economy and our nation is stronger and better for their efforts. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor.

mr. scott: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from south carolina. mr. scott: thank you, mr. president. national small business week is about so much more than simply saying thank you to our small business owners and entrepreneurs. it's about recognizing everything they do for our communities. they aren't simply the economic backbone but a common thread that binds us together. we all remember the stores we visited when we were young or with our families to pick out a few pair of shoes -- a new pair of shoes. they host bake sales, donate to local churches and charities as well as support local youth teams. they invest in us and we invest in them. south carolina is home to more than 400,000 small businesses employing nearly 800,000 people. having been a small business owner myself, i've got to tell you that one of the more

exciting times you could ever have in life is starting a small business. i know senator braun can talk about what abs sports -- abc sports could talk about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. for me the thrill of victory was when i signing a paycheck for my employees and the agony of defeat was when i was not signing the back side of that paycheck for myself. being a small business owner certainly teaches you incredible lessons about life, about people, and certainly about the community that you want to serve. owning your own small business is a rewarding and sometimes challenging experience. as part of small business week, it is also my honor to recognize vet friends of mount pleasant south carolina as the senate small business of the day.

dale sutcliff, a u.s. veteran of desert storm, founded vet friends 20 years ago with the simple mission of reuniting veterans. following his service dale recognized the benefit that reconnecting veterans could have and quickly set up a platform where veterans can reunite with their fellow service members during the time in which they served our great nation. the vet friends platform has over 2.5 million veterans and members and has brought together thousands of veterans. in the process the platform has helped veterans share their stories, share their photos as well as stay informed about upcoming events and reunions. currently vet friends employ over 25 south carolinians and almost all have a close

relationship with a veteran. the team at vet friends has a long-standing tradition of supporting the veterans community and are regularly seen volunteering at the raffle ralph -- at the ralph johnson v.a. medical center. and they actively work with the wounded warrior and patriots point in washington. it is clear that vet friends values and goals not only enhance their business plan but also improve the community that they belong to. vet friends is an amazing example of what our small businesses are capable of, and i thank dale sutcliff and our small business owners throughout south carolina for pouring their heart and their soul, as well as their dreams, back in the community. and let me finish, madam

president, by saying happy mother's day to all the mothers and especially my mama. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from indiana. mr. braun: it's an honor when i was asked about cleanup on small business week from on conference, been a main street entrepreneur my entire life. my wife and i moved back to our hometown in 1978. she will celebrate her 41st anniversary this september with her only job, a business in our downtown selling home accessories and gifts. i'm very proud of you, maureen. three years later i had my opportunity to stake out my attempt of being an entrepreneur. as senator scott mentioned, it's fraught with pitfalls. there's no guarantee when you

stick your neck out and want to do something enterprise, no guarantee that it's going to turn out. what a thrill it is, though, when it does, and it's what drives our great country. enterprise in this country from its foundation was built upon small businesses. we have over 500,000 of them in indiana. those businesses created over 38,000 new jobs in the last year. but things aren't as good as they could be because, as much as the tax reform did for securing the future of small business, it's not permanent. we need to make sure that that's done so sometime before 2025. manufacturing, the biggest business in indiana since the trump economy has created the hottest context for business, small, medium, or large, six

times more jobs in trump's two years have been created in manufacturing than the last two years of the prior administration. and sometimes a little business can get lucky and become a medium-sized business and a large business. you know, mine followed that path way. i will give you detail on that. mcdonald's started with one location, they'll add this summer in the state of indiana 11,000 summer jobs. international companies come to the state of indiana because our door is opened and welcomed and what a great place to have a small, medium or large business. saab will add a $25 million investment in west lafayette that will create 200,000 great jobs -- 200 great jobs. i raised a family, had a chance

to start my business, 17 years it never got beyond 15 employees. that's the number of employees it started with in 1981, that's what i had in 1998. perseverance, patience, reinvesting, keeping a low overhead so that you can get through the scrapes that will inevitably will come through an economy and some day your opportunity will rise. in the darkest hours of the great recession when our industry shrunk by over 50% literally overnight, every asset i owned was a piece of commercial real estate, a warehouse, everything i sought was a necessary, not a need, an auto and truck company, i wondered what the future held. it held the greatest opportunity i could have ever imagined if you lived your life in a way that set the stage for

opportunity. i make that point we're not doing it here in this institution. we have set ourselves up to run a lot of all the good things that are occurring from decades and decades ago to the present if we don't get our house in order in the institution of the federal government should be the pride of our country running $850 billion deficits on $22 trillion in dead, that doesn't -- debt, that doesn't bode well for any of us. the good news is if we keep this economy going i think it can go decades into the future, creating jobs, raising wages like never been done before. some of them turn into medium size businesses and larger businesses, and so often what got you there, you forget about it. and i tell folks all the time, whether you're what size business, if you're successful, share those benefits with your employees.

raise benefits through your 401(k) plan. lower health care costs if you can. raise wages certainly. make sure people look to the real world for what means the most and not the government. you look to government, especially the federal government, you're going to be disappointed. the action in our country is on main street in towns and cities across this country, and in your states. parting comments, the biggest companies in this country sometimes, in my opinion, behave most poorly. i'm going to talk about two. big ag and big health care. i took on the health care issue ten years ago in my own company. nobody should go broke because they get sick or have a bad accident. all small businesses want to offer good health care to their employees but can't. why? the industry has gotten

concentrated with huge corporations from pharma to hospitals across the board. health insurance companies who i had to tangle with. i ask you to get with it, be transparent, be competitive so you don't have a business partner that may only be the federal government down the road. big agriculture, i want to end with this because in joni's state, the high percentage of small businesses -- farmers. farmers take on the most difficult task of any business in our country. the weather, high amount of assets for the income you generate. you've got regulations like waters of the u.s. great intentions, overbearing. we've got farmers that now worry about ditch maintenance because ditches that don't have water in it most of the year are now considered waters of the u.s. we've got to get a better balance to where we have good

regulations, not overbearing regulations. i'm asking folks in this chamber, in this congress to look to get its house in order. and i'm asking big industry, big companies in the agricultural arena and the health care arena to get your acts in order so the doctors that participate within health care and the farmers that participate within agriculture can make an honest living. they're all small businesses. small businesses drive this country. thank you. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. ms. duckworth: madam president, i might be just the luckiest person in the world because i get to wake up this sunday and spend mother's day, well, being a mom. i'll probably spend the morning helping my one-year-old take a few steps and in the afternoon watching my four-year-old draw or chasing her around the house celebrating the holiday

surrounded by the people i cherish the most. but that isn't the case for far too many other moms and kids around the country. that isn't the case for women like denise reid, sabrina sabrina fulton or valerie castile, not the case for children whose mom died from preventible related deaths and that isn't the case for the families who the trump administration separated at our southern border and who still have not been reunited. the kids who were thrown in cages because their parents had the nerve to strive for a better life. this mother's day i'm thinking of those whose hearts are hurting, those moms who will give everything for another lazy sunday with their sons, those daughters who do anything to hear their mothers laugh one more time. the truth is the women, moms or otherwise, in this country deserve better than the status quo. we deserve more than the trump administration which in just two-plus years has already

changed title 9 sexual assault rules to favor the accused over the survivor, tried to defund health care collins that provide mammograms. push forward health care proposals that would have gutted maternity coverage and handed employers the power to decide whether women should have access to birth control. all this -- well, it's shocking but unfortunately not surprising because we knew who donald trump was when we elected him. he's the man who has long made clear he does not care about women or our autonomy. he's the man who once argued that women should be punished for taking up the right to choose, who's taken pride in trying to put the government between us and our doctors, and who would rather throw those doctors in jail than even pretend to care about the women who make up 51% of this nation. he's someone who ten days ago stood on a stage in wisconsin and lied, lied, lied, prioritizing a roar from the

crowd over the safety of patients and providers at health clinics nationwide. and who just last week issued two rules that would make it easier for doctors to either discriminate against women or deny them care altogether. so don't tell me that donald trump is, quote, pro-life when he's pushing for rules that endanger women's lives, when he spent years trying to strip health care away from americans. don't claim that he's just trying to protect families when he's the one to blame for the inhumane policy that's ripping toddlers and babies away from their mothers' arms. and don't you dare argue that he's leading the party of life when he won't lift a finger to stop first graders from getting massacred in classrooms by the dozen. donald trump's anti-choice stance is about looking out for families. it's about getting a slap on the back from his base and exerting even more control over women's bodies. it's sexist, regressive and flat-out dangerous. but even while this

administration's agenda is a travesty, it's not an anomaly. rather, it's just the latest step in the far right's long march to strip away women's rights, and i'm tired of it. sick of them trying to shame women when they are the ones who should be ashamed. so enough with hypocrisy, with the misogyny which some men in hallowed halls in d.c. arguing they know better than moms in illinois, arizona or missouri. we can and we must do better. that means fighting for everything from equal pay to better parental leave to better parental leave. it means proving that we care about women every day of the year, not just on one sunday in may. that's the least that our mothers and daughters and sisters deserve. thank you. and with that, i yield the floor.

mr. schatz: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. schatz: thank you, madam president. it gives me no pleasure to say this, but this administration is actively doing terrible things for women and their families. they have rolled back protections for workers. they made it easier for companies to pollute the air and the water. they've cut investments in public education. and they've literally taken children away from their parents and made zero effort to reunite

them. and they're working as hard as possible to prevent women from having access to the health care that they need. and these are not just rhetorical statements. they are policies that hurt people. they are hurting moms. the centers for disease control came out with a report just this week showing hundreds of women die every year from pregnancy-related complications, and many of these deaths are preventable. the report finds that one of the key ways to prevent these deaths is access to proper medical care. and yet, this administration has made taking away people's access to health care a top priority. they've pushed legislation to end the affordable care act. they filed lawsuits to take away protections from people with preexisting conditions. they've issued regulations that allow health care providers to refuse to provide care to someone based on their personal beliefs and keep health care

providers from giving their patients full and accurate information. as we all know, they've gone after planned parenthood, one of the leading source of health care for women with everything that they have got. i remember when i first became a member of this body, i visited a clinic in honolulu, and i remember meeting with the staff who told me that this clinic was the only source of health care for most of their patients. this was the one place that women could go for family planning services or counseling or breast cancer screenings. planned parenthood's entire reason for being is to help families. in the single year they care for 2.4 million people and provided almost 10 million individual health care services, including 300,000 breast cancer screenings and over 200,000 well women exams, all in a single year. yet, the highlight of this administration's policy on women is to attack women's health, and specifically planned

parenthood. we know it's not just health care. as i said, it's workplace safety and fairness. it's investments in public education. it's clean air and clean water. these are things that all of us care about, but moms in particular. and so whatever your political persuasion, everyone has a mom. lots of people are mom or are married to a mom. and this administration is inarguably bad for moms and bad for motherhood. moms in this country deserve better. i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from arkansas. mr. cotton: five years ago i along with 46 of other senators released a letter to the ayatollah letting him know that any nuclear deal he reached with president obama wouldn't be worth the paper it's printed on unless it was ratified as a treaty by two-thirds of the united states senate. the next president could revoke an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen. future congresses could modify

the terms of the agreement at any time. a lot of people were upset by this letter, but i don't really know why. all it did was state a straightforward lesson on american cities, something any ninth grader who has read our constitution should know. yet, the ayatollah agreed to a deal with president obama that was not in fact approved by two-thirds of the senate. in fact, it was almost rejected by three-fifths of the senate. just as we cautioned, not three years later a new president in fact did revoke that deal with the stroke of a pen. today is the one-year anniversary of america's withdrawal from the iran nuclear deal, and a lot has happened since then. just this morning iran threatened to renew its rush to the bomb, stockpiling more uranium and producing more heavy water, even threatening to

enrich nuclear fuels to dangerous levels in the months ahead if the civilized world does not cave to its demands. but we know better than to cave in to the ayatollahs. the united states will remain steadfast in our maximum pressure campaign against iran until that regime abandons its nuclear and missile program and its support for terrorism. i welcome the news that the president is announcing new sanctions on iran's mining industry as well. as for our european allied partners and members of the business community abroad, i hope iran's threats will serve as a needed wakeup call. any attempt to invest in iran's market under any circumstances other than iran's complete and verifiable cessation of its full

range of maligned activities will be fraught with huge legal and financial risks. huge risks. businesses shouldn't put themselves in that compromising position and european partners shouldn't give in to iran's high-stakes nuclear blackmail. today's announcement is the latest dangerous provocation by the iranian regime. they have continued their killing spree across the middle east. the same spree they were on before and during the iran nuclear deal. this time the united states has stood up to iran rather than rewarding its evil deeds. we designated the iranian revolutionary guard corps for what it is, a foreign terrorist organization for plotting attacks around the world and arming groups like hezbollah,

hamas and jihad, the same groups that slaughtered innocent individuals in israel last weekend with no regard for the lives they represent in gaza. we reimposed sanctions on iran that were waived by president obama. we have also recognized israeli sovereignty over the golan hiets. these are good things. iran is a weaker adversary today than it was a year ago when it was flush with bride money from its nuclear deal with the obama administration. not everyone sees it that way. at least six democratic presidential candidates have talked about reentering this outdated, obsolete nuclear deal with iran. they would give the ayatollah sanctions relief yet again at a

time when the iran economy is on the mat, not just in recession but in borderline depression. if we were to give them that sanctions relief, we know what they would do with that money. we've seen this movie before. they would use it to build ballistic missiles to kill and maim innocent civilians and to fuel chaos in iraq, syria, yemen, and further abroad. a return to the iran deal would be a disastrous decision, but more important such a decision would be every bit as reversible as the first. when are these people going to learn? everybody ought to keep in mind this simple fact. whether you're a politician making promises on the campaign trail or a business leader considering major investments in

iran. to make it abundantly clear on the one-year anniversary of that withdrawal from that horrific, terrible nuclear deal, i have a gift for them all. it's the first anniversary so it's a paper gift. i've introduced a resolution with my colleagues that reaffirms the policy of the united states to never -- never allow iran to acquire nuclear weapons. furthermore, the resolution reaffirms that sanctions can only come off of iran once it meets the basic conditions approved by congress under existing law. among other things, that law requires that iran must stop supporting terrorism and dismantle its ballistic missle program before sanctions can be waived. they can't simply be waived by a president using his so-called pen and phone. i hope this resolution clears up any confusion about where the united states stands with respect to iran and for anyone

considering investing in the iranian market. america will continue to apply maximum pressure against the ayatollah's regime so long as they continue their campaign of terror and violence against the united states and our allies throughout the middle east. and we will continue to assist those allies as they fight against iranian-backed aggression. so to the ayatollah and to all the rulers of iran, happy anniversary. i yield the floor.

mr. daines: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. daines: madam president, it's national small business week, and in montana small businesses are a critical part of our life. in fact, i grew up watching my parents build a small business. they are made up of hardworking families who lift up their communities and neighborhoods. and it's what keeps our economy growing and keeps our economy

strong. in fact, when i'm back home in montana, back in my hometown of bozeman, you might find me grabbing a cup of coffee at whole smoke with my sweet wife sandy or it might be picking up a new mount from my taxadermist and if you're in billings, you've got to stop and get a cinnamon roll at stelas. heading through helena, the great lunch there at steve's cafe, or if you're up in the northwest part of the state you might grab a beer at the cabinet mountain brewery or nothing like a breakfast at isaksons. and -- at psyches. and i still remember how excited the men and women who were stationed in afghanistan from

our very own 495th when we hand carried over to afghanistan back in december some beef jerky from lincoln, montana. because for them that high-country beef jerky tasted like being back home. and these mom and pop shops in montana tell the stories of the ideal that makes this nation great. in fact, in montana 90% of our businesses are small businesses -- 90%. montana small business owners, they are hardworking montanans. they've taken a leap of faith to pursue their dream of owning their own business. they get up early, they roll their sleeves up, and they don't stop working until they get the job done. they are folks who put everything they have into starting a business. they are working all day, oftentimes into the night to

keep that business growing. their voices that make our economy run in montana are seldom heard on the national stage. those businesses i mentioned earlier that i like to frequent, they are not household names across our country. they are well-known names back in their respective communities, but their not on the national stage, and it's my honor to be their voice to fight for policies that make their lives back in montana easier. and thankfully under republican leadership over the last three years our country has experienced record economic growth that is not by accident. since we passed tax reform, over 3.5 million jobs -- news jobs -- have been added to this economy, and we're seeing more money in the pockets of montanans. wages are up, productivity is up, and the unemployment rate

sits at a 50 -- that a five- decade-year-old low of 5.6%. many said that couldn't be done, and guess what. under president trump's leadership working with this republican congress, we've gotten it done. i want to make sure that this hot streak continues. because the businesses -- montana communities relies on small businesses. and that's why i introduced the main street tax certainty act that would give these small businesses permanent tax relief. because when government stands out of the way, when burdensome regulations are lifted, and when congress finally understands that it's not government that creates growth but it's the individuals, the hardworking men and women in this country, then there's no telling how far we can go as a nation. we've got to keep this economy

booming, and we must keep montana's small businesses thriving. thank you, and i yield back.

to these events where bringing in capital t decision-makers for in-depth discussions about what americans can expect from their lawmakers in the months ahead. these conversations explore the fate of the nation's policy agenda where compromise is possible and where it's not. and now the politics of 20/20 will affect congresses legislative work today. this morning, we're fortunate to hear from the most powerful member of the 116th congress, house speaker nancy

pelosi. speaker pelosi has a habit of making history. [applause] she has a habit of making history and breaking records. she's the only woman ever to become speaker of the house. she's the first californian to serve as speaker. she's the first person in more than six decades to reclaim the speaker's gavel having held the office before and she's in charge of an energetic caucus of 235 members with a record-setting 2035 different opinions. speaker pelosi's leadership gives her unparalleled insight into the changing nature of americans politics as well as a deep understanding of the most pressing policy challenges facing the nation. today, will have the chance to hear from the speaker about why she the is against pursuing impeachment charges,

what her legislative priorities are, where she believes democrats and republicans can work together. robert costa will talk to her about immigration, border security, climate change and infrastructure and we may even get to the subject of next year's presidential elections and what qualities she would like to see from her party's standardbearer. it's now my pleasure to welcome the speaker of the house, nancy pelosi and robert costa. [applause] >> thank you madam speaker, pleasure. >> good morning, thank youfor joining us here at washington post life. speaker pelosi, i appreciate your time, i know how busy you are to come here . >> are we in quorum call? >> we are not click. >>

insolvent by 2022 if we do not act and we needed to act a year or so ago and we haven't done it. that's a shame. miners who receive their health care through companies who went

bankrupt in 2018 are at risk of losing coverage in the coming months if we fail to act soon. so how did we get here? unlike many other public and private pension plans, in 1974, miners pension plan was well managed and 94% funded prior to the crash of 2008. however, the financial crisis hit at a time when this plan had its highest payment obligations. if the plan becomes insolvent, these beneficiaries face benefit cuts and the pension benefit guaranty corps will assume billions of dollars in liabilities. so to shore up the 1974 pension plan, which is headed for insolvency due to cocompany bankruptcies and 208 financial crisis, to ensure the miners who are at risk due to the bankruptcies will not lose their health care and to extend the black lung disability trust fund tax at $is.10 per ton and 55

cents per ton of surface mine coal for ten years. west virginia has more retired union coal miners than any other state, more than 27,000 retirees live in west virginia alone. i'm going to read you a letter to give you a perspective of what we're dealing with here. richard from west virginia said i'm writing this letter with respect and concern to preserve our pension. my name is richard. i live in morgantown, west virginia. my career as an underground coal miner lasted 35 years. i am soon to be 68 years old working underground all those years, the physical labor tends to take a toll on a person's body. i receive a monthly pension of $1,466 a month from the pension fund. this monthly pension is used to pay utility bills, purchase groceries and everyday necessities. i am also helping support my 5-year-old grandson and his mother who doesn't earn enough for them to live on their own. my daughter became addicted to prescription opioids after

having serious medical problems. she has been clean for five years and has been trying to rebuild her life. but we are supporting her and her son. my pension is a major source of income for my family and it will be devastating if i were to lose any of it. i can't imagine how we would survive. our county and surrounding counties are heavily dependent on coal miners pensions. should we lose our pension, the economy in this area would plummet. i'm also writing as a voice for those who are unable to write you to. i'm asking your committee to carefully consider the bill to preserve our pensions. i have another one -- another from west virginia said, dear senator, i have worked in the united mine workers since 1973. i worked about 13 and a half years then, had a layoff in the early 1980's, had to find work in another field, got a job driving a school bus for 25 years. i'm retired now but i still subdrive for the county, was a bus driver, bus association, also drive a bus for ace

adventure resort. i'm 74 years old now and still very active in the workforce. i thank god for my health and still married to a wonderful woman, had four kids, three of them have passed away, one from cancer, one from allergy, my daughter died from a drug overdose. i am still paying on my daughter's funeral expenses. this retirement check that i get every month is a big help getting this bill paid. also had to pay one of my son's funeral expenses. since 2011, it has been very hard trying to keep your head above water. i get only $261 a month but i am so thankful for what i get and it really helps out a lot. please find a way so we can keep our retirement check. we will help keep on praying for all of you who are fighting for us. i just want to finish by saying these are people who have gone to work every day, they didn't take money home because they were letting that go into their retirement and pension. they thought that was being taken care of and managed problemly. -- properly. it wasn't their fault.

they already paid. now because of bankruptcies and financial collapses they can't get their money. it's just wrong. it's not who we are as a country. through the bankruptcy laws we have in america today, you can be in line if you're -- if you're a financial institution, somebody that basically is in line before the person that we're basically there to serve. the miners who get these pensions average $460 a month. that's the average pension they receive. that's not much. most of these are widows, too, whose husbands have passed away. i'm asking, it's been a bipartisan bill. i appreciate all my colleagues on the republican side, my democratic colleagues and everybody for working and trying to take care of the people we made a promise to. this was a pension that was guaranteed by harry s. truman with john l. lewis at the time. it's in stone. it's there for us and it's basically one that we cannot walk away from. so i thank you, madam president, and i yield the floor.

a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from wisconsin. ms. baldwin: i rise today to talk about an issue that is top of mine for women in wisconsin and across this country. and that's health care. let's take a look at what we've seen from this president and congressional republicans over the past two and a half years. there have been repeated

attempts to repeal health care legislatively that would result in the loss of health care for millions of americans. the administration itself has acted in a way that undermines the affordable care act, that frankly sabotages the guarantee health care protections that millions of women and their families rely on. and an ongoing lawsuit is making its way through the courts that would -- if the administration had its way, result in overturning or striking down the affordable care act. last saturday was may 4. it was actually the two-year anniversary of house republicans passing legislation that would repeal the affordable care act.

i remember that day and in particulari remember watching the -- particular i remember watching the ensuing -- conducted at the rose garden at a press conference between president trump and speaker ryan and others. there was literally backslapping and high fiving going on because they had taken the first step towards taking people's health care away. it was hard to believe. but just a few months later, we saw three courageous republican colleagues in this chamber, senator mccain, senator murkowski, and senator collins joined every democrat in this chamber in voting against repealing the affordable care act. they listened to their constituents. they listened to the families in

their states. now, i too voted to defeat that legislation that would have repealed the affordable care act. and i've done likewise on a number of other particularly partisan efforts by president trump or congressional republicans that would -- would take away some of the protections that the people of the united states and wisconsin enjoy. and i did so -- i voted no on those efforts because the people of my state didn't send me here to take their health care away. they actually sent me here to work across the party line and make things better. throughout that summer, that was the summer of 2017, individuals across this country stood up and

they called their elected representatives with one simple message, protect our care. when congressional republicans failed to repeal the affordable care act, the trump administration kind of doubled down and went to work really undermining and sabotaging our health care system. rewriting some of the rules on guaranteed health care protections that millions of people rely on. for example, the administration ended something that we call the cost-sharing reduction payments. these were payments that helped lower out-of-pocket expenses for people participating in the affordable care act exchanges. and this was a critical component. so when that was done, it meant

that there were higher costs, out-of-pocket costs for almost 90,000 wisconsinites. the trump administration also slashed funding for outreach efforts to help people know about the open enrollment periods and know that they needed to sign up for the health care that's offered on the affordable care act exchanges. trusted navigator programs like those in my state have had their funding cut by nearly 90% in the past three years. these navigator programs are so helpful to people, particularly people in rural areas because they help guide people through the process of obtaining affordable, comprehensive health care protection and coverage.

it means when these programs are sabotaged, that fewer people each year will be able to get the help they need to find and enroll in health insurance on the exchanges. the administration is also promoting something that i call junk plans. these are junk insurance plans. why do i call them that? because they are relieved of really having to do what you buy insurance to do. they don't have to cover people with preexisting conditions. they can say no, or they can charge a rate so high that no one could possibly afford it, or they could have an annual limit or a lifetime limit, or they could simply carve out the preexisting condition and not offer coverage for it. these junk plans also have no obligation to cover any of the

essential health benefits as identified in the affordable care act. in wisconsin, none of these junk plans are required to cover maternity care. none of them. this takes us back to the days before the affordable care act when no plans in wisconsin's individual health market covered maternity care. and beyond just encouraging individuals to sign up for these bad and very limited policies, the administration supports allowing taxpayer dollars to subsidize these plans. so american taxpayers are potentially footing the bill for junk health insurance, some of which isn't really even worth the paper it's written on.

the nonpartisan congressional budget office just announced that as a result of these activities, the sabotage, that two million more people will be without health insurance by the year 2020. that's just around the corner. after the affordable care act went into effect, we saw more americans than ever before gain access to health insurance. but according to the congressional budget office, during president trump's tenure in the white house, one million more people each year will have lost health insurance. the trump administration is literally taking us backwards on this matter, and american families are paying the price. i wish i could say it stops here, but there's more. president trump and attorney general barr are now taking

sides in a case that's pending in the federal courts. they're taking the position that the court should strike down the entire affordable care act. this lawsuit threatens to take away guaranteed health protections and raise costs for wisconsinites, frankly all americans who have preexisting health conditions. in wisconsin, there is more than two million people in our state with some sort of preexisting pg health condition, and they would stand to lose their guaranteed protection. it would once again give insurance companies the power to charge women higher premiums than men or to deny health coverage for women who get pregnant, because it's considered, by the way, a preexisting condition.

over the past few weeks, i have been meeting with wisconsinites who frankly want to know why the president is working so hard to repeal or strike down or overturn their care, raise costs, and take away their protections. and they're really frightened, they're frightened that if this lawsuit succeeds, insurance companies will again be able to deny coverage or charge higher premiums for the more than 133 million americans who have some sort of preexisting health condition. i got to hear from lindsay in milwaukee, wisconsin. lindsay is a breast cancer survivor. she will be on hormonal therapy for another two years, and she will continue to need m.r.i.'s,

mammograms, and blood work each year to be sure that her cancer has not returned. lindsay is worried that if the affordable care act is repealed or overturned in court, she could lose her health care coverage because of a lifetime maximum or could be charged more because she has a preexisting condition. just recently, i met with grace in green bay. grace is 15 years old, and she has been living with type one diabetes since she was just 2 years old. in order to manage her disease, she needs insulin and various other medical supplies that cost $1,500 per month. right now, those supplies are covered by her family -- her family's insurance.

but grace understands without the affordable care act, her insurance company would again have the power to charge her more or deny her coverage because her diabetes is a preexisting condition. and she could also be at risk of reaching her lifetime limit. grace and her mom are worried about the trump administration's lawsuit to ask the court to strike down the affordable care act, and she is worried, they're worried about republican attempts to eliminate protections for people with preexisting conditions. and they know that president trump has no plan to protect people with preexisting conditions. he never has. and i suspect he never will. the house recently passed a resolution that calls on the

trump administration to reverse its position on repealing the entire affordable care act. last year, i heard several senate republicans promise to protect people with preexisting health conditions. more than one of my new republican colleagues campaigned on it in 2018. here's their chance to prove it. let's vote on this resolution in the senate so every senator in this body can be on record protecting health care for people with preexisting conditions. it's time. it's time for senate republicans to take a stand against president trump's sabotage so we can start working in a bipartisan way to expand coverage and lower health care costs.

as i have said in this chamber many times before, the people of wisconsin want both parties in congress to work together and to make things better by making health care more affordable and taking on rising prescription drug costs. i've heard from countless wisconsinites who are struggling to afford the prescription medications that they need to live, and prices keep going up year after year. jackie from muskego was diagnosed with an incurable blood cancer in august of 2015. she takes a drug called revlamid for her cancer, and her medication costs her up to

$21,000 per year just to stay alive. since the beginning of 2017, salgene has increased the price of revlamid by nearly 25%. president trump campaigned on lowering the cost of prescription drugs, but so far we're not seeing any results. it's been all talk. instead, with his tax bill, president trump gave drug companies a huge corporate tax break as they continued to increase the costs of prescription drugs. pfizer, for example, got an estimated $11 billion in tax breaks, and then they announced that they were raising the list price of 41 of their prescription drugs that they

manufacture. it's time to take action to hold these drug companies accountable, and it's why this week i'm introducing a bipartisan plan with senator braun of indiana to require basic transparency and accountability for drug companies that increase their list prices. drug corporations are making prescription drugs more and more expensive, with no systematic transparency for taxpayers. meanwhile, american families, taxpayers, and our health care system are footing the bill for these price increases, and then are forced to pay more at the pharmacy for the medications that they need. we need greater transparency. we need greater accountability for drug corporations that are jacking up the costs for families in need of affordable

lifesaving treatment, and i want to thank senator braun for working with me on this effort as well as senator murkowski for joining this effort because both democrats and republicans agree that prescription drug costs are too high in this country. so let's work together to bring relief to american families. i strongly believe that if both parties look past the partisan debate in washington, we can find common ground on solutions that work for the american people, and i stand ready to work with any of my colleagues in the senate on solutions that help lower costs and expand health care coverage for our constituents. i yield back. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the

senator from kansas -- from iowa. mr. grassley: i want to address my colleagues with three different subjects. the first one is very, very short. but things that are being talked about right now, particularly in the other body. many in the media seem very, very unhappy with the results of the mueller report, or might be embarrassed that the world knows that they sold a bunch of snake oil for the past two years. talking two years about collusion with russia. and now after the mueller report has come out, they now find out that the jig is up. i hope the media will pursue the origins of the russian collusion investigation with the very same vigor over the last two years

that they have pursued the collusion narrative. it would go a long ways then to restore the media's damaged credibility, and knowing how all this started will help us prevent such a fiasco from ever happening again. now for a third or fourth time i want to visit with my colleagues about the flooding in the midwest and particularly my state of iowa. this is an ongoing flooding in the midwest, and particularly iowa, and i.t. not going to end -- and it's not going to end for a while. flooding on the mississippi has gotten worse, as flood protection has not been adequate in several areas of scott county along the mississippi to deal with historic water levels.

parts of downtown area in davenport are now inundated with floodwaters. and this picture is a perfect example of it. and i think you probably have seen this on television quite a lot. this area includes many businesses and homes. it appears that this will be the most damaging flood in davenport's history. unfortunately, the national weather service reports that this week's forecast is filled with rain for the whole of our state of iowa. which could cause additional flooding, reflooding throughout the state. the missouri river could rise two to four feet, depending on location and tributary flows. and as of right now, most of southwest iowa is without even

minimal flood protection due to breached, overtopped, or compromised levees caused by the unique weather system that brought record floods down the lower missouri river earlier this year. the army corps of engineers is working to fix the large breaches, but communities are threatened by even more -- threatened by even minor rain. this recovery will be long, and federal resources will continue to be needed as the restoration and the rebuilding that's necessary takes place. i'm committed to continue to work at the federal level to help iowa and our neighboring states through this whole process. in april, the environment and

public works committee held a field hearing on the midwest floods chaired by senator ernst of iowa, where she and i, along with other senators, had a chance to question the army corps of engineers on its management of the missouri river. for years, i have worked with several of my congressional colleagues to make flood control the number-one priority of the corps in its management of the missouri river. protection of life and property should take precedence over recreation and experiments that may or may not help endangered species and the other purposes of the river identified in the army corps of engineers' master manual. from 1979 until changes in that

manual in 2004, the manual stated the number one priority was flood control. in other words, protecting life and property was more important than anything else. changes to the manual then were made in the year 2004. it made it so that the corps then must consider other purposes for the river. they have to balance these other purposes with flood control. since that time -- since 2004, in other words -- there's been dramatic increase in flood frequency and floodwater levels. the river's flood-carrying capacity has greatly changed, and there were no natural events before 2011 that could have changed these -- caused these

changes. i reread -- i reiterate, life, safety, and property should be the number one priority of the corps in its management of the missouri river. my colleagues and i have also heard complaints about the unresponsive corps and the lack of communication with local residents about the floods. after the 2011 floods, some communications were enhanced. however, a lack of updated data and communication was still one of the most common complaints. as a direct result of meetings with local levee sponsors, homeowners, small businesses, farmers, and all stakeholders, a group of ten senators requested the corps begin sending e-mail

updates to all local sponsors on a weekly basis starting within 30 days. these updates should include snowpack levels, available flood-control storage in the missouri mainstream reservoir system, cubic feet at the system's dams and flow rates in key tributaries, as well as current national weather service precipitation forecasts and the spring flood outlooks. today, the environment and public works committee held a hearing on oversight of the public works program. my colleagues on the committee are asking core leadership about flood -- corps leadership about flood control on the missouri river and what emergency resources are necessary to help the corps with the recovery

process. with over is 00 miles of levees -- with over 100 miles of levees needing repair, we know that additional resources will be needed. we also know that the state of iowa, iowa communities, and individual iowans will need the assistance from programs such as the community development block grant and the economic development administration disaster accounts. i have been working with my colleagues on the senate appropriations committee to ensure that critical funding for iowa is provided through the emergency supplemental appropriations. i filed an amendment to the disaster bill, along with my colleagues from the midwest, to help farmers who have lost an estimated -- somewhere's between $17 million and $34 million of their unfarmed storage -- stored

corn and soybeans. my amendment would allow impacted midwestern farmers to address agricultural losses not covered by crop insurance or either programs. i will continue to provide the appropriations committee with damage and need assessments for recovery in iowa as we get further clarity on the actual numbers. furthermore, several midwest senators and i introduced the disaster tax relief act of 2019. this bill includes a series of disaster tax relief provisions that will help american families and businesses recover from the terrible disasters that have occurred as far in 2019, including the midwest flooding. the disaster tax relief

provisions that we have worked on will reduce penalties and make it easier for people to access retirement funds so that individuals and families can get back up on their feet faster and rebuild their lives. they also make it easier for disaster victims to claim personal casualty losses, and they suspend certain limitations on charitable contributions to encourage more donations for disaster relief. for businesses affected by the disasters, this tax relief is available to help them retain employees while businesses get back up and running. iowa govern reynolds and her administration are working closely with fema on adding scott county to the existing

disaster declaration and other key needs such as housing assistance for communities in southwest iowa who have very little existing options for people to return or stay in those communities. i have talked also to acting administrator gainer of fema about this matter and urged him to promptly work at getting this much-needed assistance to those in need. governor reynolds has also established a flood recovery advisory board to coordinate flood recovery and rebuilding efforts across federal, state, and local levels of government. as an ex-official member, i am working forward to participating in these meetings to ensure the federal government is offering

needed assistance to iowans affected by the flooding. and this isn't a case of doing something new through the federal government for people hurt by natural disasters. this is a case of following on to policy that's been around the -- been part of the federal government for several decades, that the federal government is an insurer of last resort for natural disasters that can't be anticipated and appropriate insurance provided in advance. so i expect that the federal government will do exactly what we have done for decades and do it in a nonpartisan way, almost in a consensus way, as we have in the past, of replenishing these funds that provide the money for this disaster.

i happen to appreciate the stamina and determination of iowans in fighting these natural disasters, and many of these people that i'm referring to have a long recovery ahead of them. this iowa spirit will help us pull through these difficult times stronger and better, just like we have in the past. then, mr. president, on another matter -- relatively shorter compared to what i just said about flooding -- millions of americans rely on lifesaving prescription medicine. so i'm here to report to my colleagues what secretary azar announced earlier today about making available information on the price of drugs on the

television advertising that you see so often about drugs, with all kinds of information but not much information about what a drug costs. and the public ought to know that. americans across the country expect and depend upon breakthrough drugs to live longer, healthier lives. however, these miracle medicines won't save lives if people can't afford to take them. as chairman of the senate finance committee, i've been taking a close look at drug supply chain in the united states. i'm working to lower drug prices. and, by the way, this is being handled in not only a bipartisan way in our committee but also i believe this'll end up being very bicameral. the finance committee has held a

series of hearings on this issue. so far we've heard from economists, executives from the pharmaceutical industry, and pharmacy benefit managers. i've also introduced a handful of bipartisan bills to increase competition, and these bills are bipartisan and now we're finding even bicameral, and in fact the house of representatives tends to be ahead of us here in the united states senate on these issues. so bipartisan momentum is going to help us accomplish our goals, and perhaps more importantly -- and i don't think he gets enough credit for this -- we've also got president trump leading the battle from the white house. based on a speech that he did in june last year, based upon several steps that secretary azar has done to carry out the

edict from president trump to get prices of prescription drugs down, and what was announced today is the most recent step in that direction. and i'm going to get to that in just a minute. there's one common denominator contributing to high prices that americans pay for prescription drugs. it boils down to one word -- secrecy. and what the secretary azar did today is attacking that secrecy. there is zero price transparency in the u.s. health care system. in our system of free enterprise, competition, and transparency drives innovation. it drives higher quality and it lowers costs. americans have to hunt for a

good buyer. you can bet your bottom dollar iowans know where to fill up their gasoline tanks and they'll do it at the most affordable place. when there's no transparency, there is no price comparison. that's a big reason there's sticker shock at the pharmacy counter, and american consumers and taxpayers are, of course, paying the price. the pharmaceutical industry spends a boatload on direct-to-consumer advertising. that's to the tune of $6 billion a year. that's probably why the average american today sees nine prescription drug ads every day. the food and drug administration regulates these ads for the truthfulness and requires the disclosure of side effects. but the industry, however, is not required to disclose to

consumers how much drugs cost. now that's about to change, and that happened this morning. i'm glad that secretary azar is making good on president trump's commitment to lower drug prices for americans that he announced in a speech last june. health and human services has finalized its rule to require price disclosure on tv ads for prescription drugs. price transparency is a critical remedy to help cure the high cost of prescription drugs in america. these regulations will help towards that. it's not a final solution. final solutions are going to come in bipartisan and bicameral legislation that we're going to

consider later this year. and just to throw out a compliment to senator durbin of illinois, because he and i worked on this very subject that senator azar announced a solution for by regulation. we tried to get this in a requirement in legislation that went to the president last year. we did get it through the united states senate. it did not get through the house of representatives. but secretary azar found through reading laws that we had passed maybe years ago that he had the authority to do what the house of representatives a year ago didn't have guts enough to do, take on the pharmaceutical companies because they oppose the durbin-grassley amendment, and now it has gotten done as a

result of regulation by secretary azar, which is a direct result of instructions given to secretary azar by president trump back in june of last year that we've got to do something to reduce drug prices. i yield the floor. ms. hassan: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new hampshire. ms. hassan: mr. president, as mother's day approaches, i rise to join my democratic colleagues in sharing our constituent stories about the importance of protecting women's access to health care. mr. president, no matter where they live and no matter their economic status, women in our country deserve access to comprehensive preventive care and family planning services that will enable them to stay healthy and to thrive. and we know that centers like

planned parenthood have made a huge difference in the lives of the women who they serve. my office recently heard from a woman named ashley from hookset is the, who said, and this is her -- -- her quote. i'm safe thanks to planned parenthood. she continues speaking about planned parenthood, quote, when i was 15 they were there to help me understand the changes that my body was going through and provide me with the information that i needed to keep myself healthy and protected. throughout the rest of my teenage years, i've trusted planned parenthood, says ashley, to provide me with all of my routine health care procedures. ashley continues, quote, in more desperate times they were there to explain my options and support my decisions with anonymity and compassion. ashley goes on to say, quote, i'm deeply concerned about the title 10 gag rule and the

implications it may have on my getting the care i need. she says, i'm thankful for elected officials who are fighting back and speaking out for me and the thousands of people like me who deserve access to quality affordable care, no matter their income or zip code, end quote. mr. president, ashley's story is one of thousands that speak to the importance of title 10 supported health centers, including planned parenthood, which are a major source of preventive care and reproductive health services including cancer screenings, birth control, h.i.v. tests and counseling centers. in new hampshire title 10 funded centers deliver care to nearly 18,000 granite staters annually and title 10 supported planned parenthood centers serve 60% of those 18,000 granite staters.

that's why the trump administration's actions to discriminate against providers and to cut investments in family planning clinics are so dangerous. and it is why we have to keep fighting for women like ashley who are rightfully concerned about this constant barrage of attacks on health care. mr. president, i'm going to continue standing with my democratic colleagues on behalf of women's constitutionally protected rights and against the trump administration's partisan attacks on women's access to health care. thank you. the following statement be printed separately in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. hassan: thank you. mr. president, i rise to express my disappointment about the confirmation earlier today of janet dhillon to the eeoc.

i joined senator murray to express my concern that the republicans were blocking a highly qualified nominee to the eeoc. the eeoc is a vital and bipartisan agency that enforces workers' civil rights and helps protect them from harassment and discrimination while they're on the job. the eeoc has long operated with bipartisan support and requires a quorum of its five members to decide the cases before the agency, cases which include racial discrimination, gender discrimination, age discrimination, and the discrimination against people who experience disabilities. but the partisan obstruction of the feldblum nomination marked a significant break for how we nominate members to this board, and the administration still has not nominated a replacement for ms. feldblum. the senate should not have moved forward until that happens. mr. president, it is also clear

that ms. dhillon would not fulfill the duties that the eeoc is entrusted with particularly with protecting workers and ensuring members of the lgbtq community are not discriminated against. ms. dhillon has served as a leader of the retail litigation center, which has long opposed proconsumer and proemployee policies. additionally, during her nomination hearing before the help committee, ms. dhillon would not commit to maintaining the current eeoc position that the civil rights act forbids employment discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation, saying, this is her quote, the current law is in flux, close quote. mr. president, for a commission that is tasked with enhancing workers' rights and protections, we cannot have a nominee with a record of putting corporations first and who is unwilling to ensure that lgbtq

people are not discriminated against in the workplace. mr. president, i oppose this nomination and i'm disappointed that more of my colleagues did not do the same. thank you, mr. president, and i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: thank you, mr. president. this coming sunday mothers and other special women who are mother figures and caregivers for our children across the country will be honored for the important work they do to nurture the next generation. many moms will receive cards and flowers. some will enjoy breakfast in bed or dinner out. a few lucky ones might get plaster hand prints or hand made mutions. i love those. -- handmade mugs. these gifts no matter what they are will be treshed because when

it comes down it all moms really want are a couple of things. they want their children to be happy and they want their children to be healthy. unfortunately, thanks to this administration's continuing attacks on our health care, a lot of mothers can no longer count on that. just ask rachel whose daughter, alice, was born in detroit with a heart condition called shone's complex. when alice was only one day old she had her first open-heart surgery. thabz. she was one day old. four years later she has an artificial heart valve, a love of dancing and the biggest grin you have ever seen. she also has what the insurance companies call a preexisting condition. she'll have to take heart medication for the rest of her life. alice's mom rachel writes her hospital stays and medications cost well over $1 million, if not closer to $2 million.

without the affordable care act, our family would be bankrupt, worrying about how to pay for her lifesaving medications. no mom should have to worry about going bankrupt because her child was born with a heart condition. it could happen to any of us. and no family should go broke paying for the medication that's keeping their child alive. alice deserves better and alice's mom deserves better too. i've said it before and i'll say it again, over and over again, health care is personal. it is not political. we should shall working across the -- we should be working across the aisle to expand access to care, improve quality, reduce costs. and we should be doing something to resolve the maternal and infant mortality crisis that is happening right now in the united states of america so that mother's day is a day of joy instead of a day of sorrow.

instead we find ourselves fighting an administration that won't stop trying to take away the protections that people like alice count on, and thousands, millions across the country count on. in fact, the united states department of justice last month agreed with a federal judge in texas who said the entire affordable care act must be struck down, and that includes coverage for those with preexisting conditions. not to be outdone, the senate republicans passed a budget resolution out of committee that includes repeal of the affordable care act with no replacement. what would that mean for michigan families? our healthy michigan program that provides health care to more than 650,000 michiganders,

gone. children staying on their parents' insurance until age 26, gone. lower drug prices for seniors, gone. protections for people with preexisting conditions gone. that would be horrible news for alice and every other michigan child born with a heart condition or any other health challenge. so what's the republican alternative to the a.c.a.? they don't have one. but don't worry, president trump says republicans will unveil a really great health care plan after the 2020 election. after the 2020 election. in the meantime, the affordable care act could be struck down in the courts with the support of the trump administration, and alice and her mom could really be out of luck. in honor of mother's day,

here's what we should be doing together. we should reaffirm the affordable care act's protections for alice and all people with preexisting conditions. we should once again guarantee that every insurance plan covers prenatal and maternity care. by the way, instead of the junk plans that the administration's approving right now, they don't cover prenatal and maternity care. and we should strengthen health care for moms and babies through the children's health insurance program and medicaid which covers about half of the births in our country. a few years ago, the finance committee reported out a bipartisan bill called the quality care for moms and babies act. this bill would create a set of maternal and infant quality care measures in the children's health insurance program and in