a terrorist. if you don't fight back, then tomorrow you will have to pay a very hefty price. thank you. >> thank you very much, everybody. thank you. [inaudible conversations] >> when did you last speak with rudy guiliani? when did-- [inaudible conversation [inaudible conversations] >> c-span2 is taking you live to the senate floor where lawmakers will work on judicial confirmation, a vote for the u.s. court of appeals judge for the 2nd circuit, which covers

connecticut, new york and vermont. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal father, the source of light and life, we praise your holy name. because of you we live, and move, and have our being. remind us that we are not adequate for our daily tasks without your strength and abiding presence.

lord, empower our senators this day to think clearly, speak wisely, and live faithfully. may they strive to do their best and then leave the results to you. eternal god, we are trusting you to fulfill your purposes for our nation and world. we pray in your powerful name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

mr. grassley: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: i'd ask for one minute in morning business, please. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: a five-year decline in farm income, retaliatory tariffs on u.s. ag commodities disrupted renewable biofuel policies, devastating natural disasters, and now shortages of lp gas needed to drive harvested grain add to the growing burdens weighing heavily on the minds of iowa and

american farmers. mounting pressure to pay bills, to get the crops out and make ends meet can be overwhelming. we have expressed lately lots of worries and pressures that come from increasing farm bankruptcies or increase in rural and farm suicides. there are many uncertainties in farming that are beyond human control but there are other areas where congress can help. as a farmer and as a senator representing the number one agricultural state, i'm fighting to build mental health resources as an example, the grassle grassley-tester bill to help preempt suicides. uphold the r.f.s. by fighting with the e.p.a., and to pass the

u.s.-mexico-canadian agreement. these are issues are tops on the minds of iowans and not just the farmers. i yield the floor. mr. mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: while our senate democratic colleagues continue blocking this body from considering funding for our armed forces, the senate has taken advantage of this time to confirm more of president trump's well qualified nominees for federal service as well as the judiciary. yesterday we confirmed chad wolf to serve at the department of homeland security following president trump's decision to designate him acting secretary. he is now heading up the department. i want to take a moment to thank the outgoing acting d.h.s. secretary kevin mcaleenan, his tenure leading the department of homeland security capped off a

distinguished career in public service, including nearly two decades rising through the ranks of the customs and border patrol. his leadership at d.h.s. saw significant progress in mit gaifting major aspects of our border security and humanitarian crisis, a strong focus on cyber security, and hard work to strengthen the department all across the board. so i thank the outgoing acting secretary for his years in public service and particularly for his leadership in this recent chapter. now today we'll vote on confirmation of steven menashi to the second circuit court of appeals. mr. menashi won major support from the judiciary committee, majority support on the judiciary committee on the basis of strong academic and legal qualifications. degrees from dartmouth and stanford, clerkships on the appellate level, and the supreme court and experience in both

teaching and practicing law. i would urge all of our colleagues to vote to confirm this impressive nominee this afternoon. as my colleagues know, i have no qualms about spending floor time on the personnel business. our democratic colleagues have made it necessary by subjecting this president's nominees to unprecedented systematic delays and obstruction. and so the majority has been willing to do things the hard way. we're giving the american people the government they voted for as chosen by the president they elected. but my republican colleagues and i wish that we could also be spending floor time on productive bipartisan legislation that the american people need to actually become law. we want to pass the usmca and the 176,000 new american jobs it would create, but speaker pelosi continues to block it. the far left objects to their passing anything, anything that

the president likes. we want to pass a conference report for the ndaa, critical legislation for our national defense. congress has passed a bipartisan ndaa every single year since 1961. but now it's another casualty of the impeachment obsession. house democrats steamrolled republicans in order to pass a wholly partisan bill. i believe this may be the first time ever that either chamber has passed a purely partisan ndaa. now they're stalling the conference committee and jeopardizing the whole process. and we want to pass the defense funding bill that our democratic colleagues have now filibustered twice so that our service members and commanders get what they need. back in the summer the republican and democratic leaders in the house and senate all agreed and all signed on to an agreement with president trump, a bicameral, bipartisan

agreement. everybody signed it. we brokered this deal to make sure the appropriations process did not, did not get bogged down with bickering over policy issues. we all agreed to keep poison pills out so the government funding could move forward. but just a few months later, our democratic colleagues are now insisting on exactly the kinds of poison pills they foreswore when they signed on to the agreement this summer. they're holding up funding for our men and women in uniform because they disagree with the president's views on border security. they want to chip away at the exact presidential authorities that they specifically agreed not to be touched. let me say that again. they want to chip away at the exact presidential authorities that they specifically agreed not to be touched. in short, my friends and

democratic leadership smelled an opportunity to pick a political fight. our service members need their funding. american workers and small businesses need their new trade deal. our armed forces need the authorizing legislation that's been a bipartisan slam-dunk every year for almost 60 years. 60 years. we cannot cease all legislation just because democrats would rather fight with the president. we won't neglect the business of the american people just because the house committee is holding some public hearing. if they're going to keep plowing ahead with their impeachment obsession, they cannot abdicate their basic government responsibilities at the very same time. now on another matter, last tuesday was election day and dozens of states and localities including my home state of kentucky. but there was one important aspect of election day that didn't get much attention.

unlike in 2016, last week's elections were not, not marred to the same extent by foreign interference from our nation's adversaries. and neither were the 2018 midterm elections last year. as of now, no reports of foreign intrusion into voter records. no reports of significant and successful disinformation efforts on social media or anywhere else. by any reasonable standard, by all available evidence, the past two elections have gone a whole lot more smoothly than back in 2016. now this wasn't for lack of tryintrying, madam president. russia and our other adversaries have tried for decades to interfere in our politics, to undermine the confidence of the american people in our democracy. and they will not likely let up any time soon.

this fight is nowhere near over. but make no mistake, our defenses are a whole lot stronger. a massive coordinated effort to confront this threat have brought together the congress, the trump administration, all 50 states, the private sector, and more than 2,000 local jurisdictions. we've worked to address the weaknesses russia sought to exploit during the obama administration and proactively strengthen our defenses. last week the attorney general, the secretary of defense, the acting homeland security secretary, the acting dmplets nmplets implets and the heads of the phish, the n.s.a., u.s. cyber command and cyber security and infrastructure security agency issued a statement. here's what it said. election security is a top priority. in an unprecedented level of coordination, the u.s. government is working with all 50 states and u.s. territories,

local officials, and private sector partners to identify threats, share information, and protect the democratic process. now i know my colleagues already know about these significant efforts thanks to the groundwork laid by the intelligence committee's painstaking investigation. we know about it because we have provided $380 million to help modernize state election systems. back in september i cosponsored an amendment in committee that will bring the total to more than $600 million. and we know about the progress because we've had a bipartisan all-member briefing from administration experts. senators literally broke into applause in appreciation for what the administration was doing to protect our elections. the story is not finished. the crucial work continues, but

the progress is undeniable. no longer is threat intelligence siloed within the federal government. this administration has moved to share vital information systematically with everyone from states and localities to social media companies. no longer is interference cost free for adversaries. the administration has sanctioned and prosecuted russians engaged in election interference and issued an executive order that paves the way for additional sanctions on those who seek to interfere. the department of homeland security now runs a national cyber security and communications integration center, a physical war room of sorts on election day for sharing information and coordinating action. that's a long list, an online platform that 200 jurisdictions reportedly tapped into last week. and long before election day, this administration was

connecting with all 50 states and more than 2,000 localities to deploy new cybersecurity tools, new training for election workers, provide threat alerts. the list, madam president, goes on and on. our adversaries are still at the door but two election days in a row now we have benefited from stronger defenses. progress like this should earn bipartisan applause. and like i said, behind closed doors it did but in public, our democratic colleagues have not loudly cheered these successes. instead they're trying to use the very serious issue of election security to repackage their long-held liberal view that washington, d.c. needs far more power over elections. look, madam president, nobody really believes that all the partisan proposals from speaker

pelosi and company are some kind of tailored response to russian meddling. not when they transparently serve the same goals the democrats have wanted since way before 2016. for goodness sake, "the new york times" was editorializing for federalizing elections right after election day 2012. even when they liked the outcome. that was the same election cycle, by the way, in which president obama mocked, mocked his republican opponent for being too tough on russia. so let's not mistake these long-held liberal policy goals with some new targeted response to russian meddling. election security is too important to become a trojan horse for ideological goals that democrats have wanted for many years. we need to continue the serious work that federal, state, and local officials are engaging in

every day, work that is already yielding results, and we need to stay vigilant because our adversaries will not stop. so i want to salute the federal, state, and local professionals who helped make last week an apparent election security success, and i urge senate democrats to stop blocking the bipartisan appropriations process so that we can secure hundreds of millions of dollars more for the folks out there on the front lines. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, steven j. menashi of new york to be united states circuit judge for the second circuit. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. durbin: madam president? the presiding officer: the assistant democratic leader. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: madam president, last month we lost kay hagan after a long illness.

kay was always a fighter, starting with her days in the north carolina state legislature and continuing to when she answered the call of serving in the senate during the perilous days of the great recession. kay was the right person to might for north carolina when she was needed the most. she came from a family that knows service and sacrifice. her uncle was lawton chiles, former representative and governor of florida. her father and brother served in the navy, her father-in-law was a major general in the marine corps. her husband is a vietnam veteran who used his g.i. bill to pay for law school. when kay spoke about veterans' issues, she spoke from the heart. as a young girl, she was putting bumper stickers on the car for her uncle. her father won an election to become mayor of lakeland, florida. while interning for her uncle, she learned the ups and downs

about congress. she operated an elevator in this building. north carolina governor hunt encouraged her to run for office. in 1998 she unseated a republican incumbent and won a north carolina seat in the u.s. senate. she earned a reputation for a commonsense hard worker interested in results, not partisan fighting. as cochair of the state budget committee, she increased the state's rainy-day fund and balanced five straight budgets. she also helped make record investments in education, raised the pay for teachers, and increased the minimum wage. she was one of the most versatile women in her state. she juggled girl scout events, winning reelection four times, raising her growing family, and serving as a sunday school teacher. in 2008, kay ran for and won a united states senate seat, becoming the state's first female democratic senator.

with her family's military background, it surprised no one that kay fought hard in the senate for military families and veterans. when she heard about 9-year-old jamie ensberger passing away from leukemia because of contaminated water at the base at camp le jeune, she helped pass an act to help those affected receive health care. kay also introduced a bill that was close to my heart. it would ban for-profit colleges from using the phrase g.i. bill in their aggressive marketing efforts aimed at separating veterans and service members from hear hard-earned -- from their hard-earned education benefits. kay made the toughest votes count, knowing the continents to her own career. as long as it helped people of north carolina and the united states, she was always a crucial partner. the affordable care act and the 2009 economic stimulus package were politically difficult for

many, but kay stepped up and supported them. she was brave to the highest degree. historians will remember that bravery. she stepped up when america needed her and today because of it america is stronger and better. we will all remember kay hagan, her friendship and that we had the privilege to call her a friend an colleague. she is survived by her husband chip, three children, jeanette hagan, tilden, and carrie hagan, her father joe p.rifken. it was my honor to serving with kay hagan and to memorialize her service to north carolina and to the united states in this statement today. and i yield the floor.

mr. thune: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. thune: madam president, november is national adoption month. later this morning i will be spending time with a family that i nominated to receive an angles in adoption program. it is designed to bring recognition to individuals who are making extraordinary contributions to adoption, permanency, and child welfare. angles in adoption is a program that each year members of congress invite an individual family to receive an award. i've been making these nominations for more than a decade now. it has been a privilege and indiana expiration to meet south dakota families who have opened their hearts and homes to children in need. this year i nominated mike and kim adams, fellow residents of sioux falls, south dakota. mike and kim have a tremendous heart for children. they have fight biological children, but as they learn more about the plight of children in

poverty, they were drawn to adoption. god put the country of ethiopia on their hearts in a particular way and in 2008 they adopt add daughter from ethiopia, eva. within a few years, they had adopted three more children, selena and emanuel and shakira, making them a family of 11. but the story doesn't end there, madam president. seeing the poorest of the poor in ethiopia move and in addition to adorns they sought ways to help families stop poverty. in 2013, mike and kim agreed to take over two schools in ethiopia when the agency running them was forced to pull out of the country. the adams family formed the adams thermal foundation to support the schools. today the foundation supported more than 1,000 students in two schools in ethiopia. the school's mission is to serve

children most in need, those who might otherwise miss out on the opportunity for an education. in addition to academic instruction, the schools provide other resources in an effort to alleviate some of the effects of poverty and to make it easier for the children to stay in school. to name one example, at the end of last year, the foundation completed a project to provide a permanent source of clean water to its school in atoro, ethiopia, as well as to seven local villages p. in addition to providing essential health and sanitation benefits, the new pipeline also frees children from the hours' long task of fetching water for their families, meaning many more request attend school. in learning mike and kim's story, i was struck by how love multiplies and expands. mike and kim's willingness to open their hearts has led not only to four children finding a forever home but to hope and opportunity for hundreds more.

i feel privileged to have learned their story and to be ail to nominate them for an angels in adoption award this year. madam president, national adoption month is an honor -- or is a chance to honor all those who, like the adams, have chosen to welcome a child in need of a home. sadly, not every child is born in a safe and loving home. some are born to parents who are unable to take care of them. some lose their parents to war, accident, or illness. and tragically, some are born to parents who refuse to take care of them or actively seek to damage the great gift in their care. but thankfully, there are parents out there eager to receive these children. across co our -- across our country there are countless parents whose homes and hearts are prepared to welcome a child in need. they may not yet know the names of their future sons or daughters, but they're ready and waiting to meet them.

national adoption month is a good time to rededicate ourselves to caring for children in need and helping them find loving families to receive them. madam president, the gospel, gee says says whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. there are few actions more worthy of admiration than a decision to welcome a child in need and create for that child a secure and loving home. i am so grateful for all the generous families across this country who have opened their hearts and found sons and daughters through adoption. i'm also thankful for all of the birth mothers who have chosen adoption for their children to give them a better life and a loving family. madam president, i'm honored to be able to recognize the adams family today for their embrace of their own adopted children as well as everything they've done to make life better for children in ethiopia. madam president, i yield the floor and i suggest the absence

of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. schumer: madam president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: now, madam president, for the past few weeks including this morning, the republican leader has amazingly accused democrats of

being uninterested in making progress for the american people because we're so distracted by the impeachment inquiry into president trump. it's a ludicrous charge, not the least because leader mcconnell has shuttered the senate when it comes to legislative business. the house has passed over 250 bills that leader mcconnell has taken no action on here in the senate. leader mcconnell proudly called himself the grim reaper and blocked just about everything that came for the house -- through the house long before impeachment was even being talked about. so this idea that impeachment is blocking us from doing things belies the record of senator mcconnell. the house has passed -- let me repeat it -- 250 bills and mcconnell has taken no action on them from january forward. there are lots of these bills we

could have put on the floor this week. not a one. republicans just block and block and block. they blocked legislation to protect americans with preexisting conditions, to reauthorize the violence against women act, and even to secure our elections from foreign interference. and i heard leader mcconnell a few minutes ago say everything is fine with elections. we don't need anymore legislation. go talk to the election officials around the states and the states are the ones who have the say. the bottom line? they think we need to do more. the experts think we need to do more. only leader mcconnell doesn't and again he is blocking that. if russia interferes in 2020, and i hope they won't, all eyes will be on the leader, the republican leader who has repeatedly prevented us from moving forward on bipartisan

legislation to make our elections safer. and here's another example of the legislative graveyard. in a few minutes the two senators from connecticut, senators murphy and blumenthal will be moving forward on bipartisan background checks, h.r. 8. it's overwhelmingly supported by the american people. senator murphy, senator blumenthal will ask for unanimous consent. the republicans will object. so while the republican leader accuses of democrats are being too distracted to make promises -- to make progress, he's turned the senate into a legislative graveyard where we hardly ever vote on legislation, we hardly ever have an open amendment process, hardly ever even debate major issues despite commitments made by the republican leader in the past. at one point and i'm sure my colleagues from connecticut will point this out, he said yeah, we ought to do something on background checks.

nothing's happened, nothing. you don't even have to ask me. my friend, the republican senator from connecticut, said something last week that caught my attention. he said he and i may not agree on much, that is, senator toomey and i, we don't agree on much but here's what senator toomey said. quote, our democratic colleagues have frequently criticized the republican leadership and republican majority for not legislating. sometimes they have a point. his words, not mine. i was down here on the floor yesterday with the senior senator from texas talking about how the senate might go about trying to lower the cost of prescription drugs. i disagreed with the senator's consent request. it was too narrow, a little rifle shot. we need to do a whole lot more. but we agreed we could work through the issues if the republican leader would only allow a debate on the floor where both sides could offer

amendments and receive votes. we democrats very much want to vote on legislation that would maintain the protections that people have when they have preexisting conditions. we democrats very much want to have a vote on allowing medicare to negotiate with the drug companies dramatically lowering drug prices. let's have a debate a all these. who's stopping that? not the democrats. the republican leader. so the fact of the matter is, the kinds of open debates we wish the american people wish have not happened in leader mcconnell's legislative graveyard. the man who proudly called himself the grim reaper goes far too far in accusing democrats of stifling progress. instead he should take a hard look in the mirror. now yesterday, madam president, public hearings began in the house impeachment inquiry into

president trump with the testimony of george kent and william taylor. ambassador taylor, a career public servant, a war hero, long-serving presidents of both parties provided a startling new revelation, that his aide overheard a conversation between president trump and ambassador sondland during which the president made clear he cared more about ukraine investigating the bidens than he did about helping ukraine. the aide is reportedly said to appear before the house for a deposition later this week. and mr. sondland is set to appear before the intelligence committee for a public hearing next week. all senators have an obligation to seek and review the full facts developed by this inquiry to be able to render impartial justice. however, some of my republican friends here in the senate have said they're not even paying attention to the hearings in the house. the distinguished chairman of the judiciary committee, a

former house manager of an impeachment case who at the time repeatedly urged senators not to make up their minds before the case was in recently said, i've made up my mind. there's nothing there. it's before a single bit of evidence is presented in the senate. alice in wonderland. first the verdict. then the trial. that's not becoming for the chairman of the judiciary committee. and while my republican colleagues may not have been paying attention, i have been paying attention. my democratic colleagues in the senate who know they might have to act as judges and jurors in this case are paying attention. america is paying attention. and the evidence we all heard from mr. taylor and mr. kent cast a troubling portrait of a president who is trying to use the powers of his office for personal political gain. as the public hearings continue,

we have a responsibility here in the senate not to prejudge the case but to examine the evidence impartially at the very least -- impartially. at the very least senators should be paying attention. on menashi. today the senate will vote to confirm -- will vote on the confirmation and in all likelihood vote to confirm steven menashi to serve on the second circuit court of appeals. mr. menashi is one of the mos mostcontemptable nominees to come before the senate in all my time in this body. he would be a disgrace, a disgrace to the seat once held by the great thurgood marshall. sitting before the judiciary committee, menashi refused to answer simple questions. he showed a breathtaking contempt for senators on both sides of the aisle. his record on race, women's equality, lgbtq rights and rights of imgrants should be disqualifying. at the department of education he helped cook up an illegal scheme to use the social

security data of studented swindled by for-profit colleges in order to deny them debt relief. a judge ruled his scheme violated federal privacy laws. at the very least, madam president, a candidate for a judgeship should show respect for the law. that's the lowest possible bar. a judge is supposed to revere the law, uphold it, and apply it with an even hand. how can anyone trust mr. menashi to come even close to doing that? mr. menashi is a textbook example of someone who does not deserve to sit on the federal bench, particularly with a lifetime appointment. my republican colleagues in my view rubber stamped too many of these extreme unqualified nominees, nominees in mr. menashi's case who are almost craven but on a few occasions a small group has stood up and said enough. this is too far. well, my colleagues, if there

was ever anyone who was too far, it's menashi. there is no reason president trump couldn't find a more suitable nominee for the second circuit court of appeals. i urge my republican colleagues to do the right thing today and reject the menashi nomination. on tax returns. yesterday, a federal court -- appeals court ruled that congress can seek eight years of the president's tax returns. no doubt, the president will appeal the ruling to the supreme court in an effort to keep hidden what the president has been hiding for as long as he's been in public life, his tax returns. why the president has engaged in such an astounding breach of transparency is still unknown. president trump, what are you hiding? the d.c. circuit's decision in an 8-3 ruling was clearly the correct legal result. it should be upheld.

on farmers and veterans, last but not least. president trump has long fashioned himself a champion of everyday americans. workers, farmers, veterans. this week has been a grim reminder that despite the president's promises, his administration almost every week undermines the very people he claims to champion. take our veterans who serve as we commemorated earlier this week on veterans day. the department of veterans' affairs decided in 2017 to help vietnam-era veterans who were exposed to agent orange by expanding the list of diseases that were eligible for health benefits to include bladder cancer, hypertension, parkinson's-like symptoms, and hyperthyroidism. there are tens of thousands of veterans whose lives would be changed by this decision. it was the right decision based on research done by the v.a. but unfortunately it was

recently revealed that o.m.b. director and acting white house chief of staff mick mulvaney blocked funding for these new health benefits because of what it would cost. think about that. mick mulvaney who thought adding $1.5 trillion to our deficit was an acceptable cost for tax cuts for the rich believes the costs of health benefits for sick veterans is just too high. so wrong. so wrong. it's shameful that mulvaney could actually be in the position he is. and the next time the president claims to be a champion for our nation's veterans, the american people should remember what he's doing here, denying benefits to men and women who were in our armed forces, exposed to agent orange, and are now sick. it's too expensive to help them but not too expensive to give tax cuts to the wealthiest of americans.

shame on the administration. shame on mulvaney, and shame on president trump. and what about our farmers? it's no secret that america's farmers have struggled as a result of president trump's trade policies and retaliatory tariffs from other countries. the administration even created new programs -- a new program through usda to help offset the losses farmers were facing. well, now it turns out that the trump administration has grossly mishandled that program. a report by the democratic minority on the agriculture committee led by its ranking member, senator stabenow, revealed that the lion's share of federal aid has gone to large agricultural conglomerates scattered across the south, not the small family farms in the midwest that have suffered most. 95% of the largest per-acre payments have gone to southern states, while the lowest payments have disproportionately gone to the farmers who were

suffering in the midwest. the administration lifted the limits on aid to row crops but kept the limits for other crops, meaning more aid has gone into the pockets of the largest and wealthiest farms in america. the report even showed that tens of millions of dollars have gone to foreign-owned entities, including a beet factory in brazil. president trump has claimed to look after our farmers. he has claimed to look after our veterans, but he has instead turned his back on them. more and more americans, farmers, veterans, others, are starting to notice. i yield the floor. mrs. murray: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i want to thank senators murphy and blumenthal for their tremendous leadership that we are here on the floor

today to speak about. i come today not just as a member of the senate representing my home state of washington, but as a former educator, as a mother, and as a grandmother, devastated by how the gun violence epidemic is tearing apart our families and ravaging our communities in every state. and i am furious at republican leaders who continue to stand by and do nothing while more and more lives are lost. just as i was after newtown, parkland, sutherland springs and marysville in my home state of washington, i could go on. mr. president, we don't have to continue this cycle of violence, heartbreak, and inaction, and we are here today to emphasize that there is action that we can take right now because earlier this year the house passed h.r. 8, meaningful, bipartisan gun safety legislation to address this terrible crisis through

universal background checks and other popular rarms, but in the 260 days since h.r. 8 passed the house, it has languished here in the senate, despite repeated calls from myself and my democratic colleagues for a vote. and that's why 58 days ago, following the tragic events at el paso and dayton and midland, i joined my democratic senate colleagues here on the floor to try and break this cycle and demand that we address the scourge of gun violence in this country by taking a vote here in the senate on h.r. 8 which would install universal background checks. a policy that, by the way, is supported by an overwhelming majority of americans. in the face of republican apathy, people across the country raised their voices even louder, demanding action to end the endless wave of gun tragedy,

so much so that after this summer's string of horrors, president trump bowed to public pressure and made a commitment to finally act to address the gun violence epidemic. after months and years of inaction and far, far too many lives lost, it was the first sliver of hope in a long while. that the president and senate republicans would finally for the safety of -- put the safety of families over their allegiance to the n.r.a. and do something substantive about ending this nation's gun violence epidemic, working with democrats with commonsense reforms to end gun violence and keep people safe. now, more than two months later, president trump has betrayed his pledge to address this tragic epidemic, as if the past summer never even happened. once again, he's chosen to abdicate his responsibility to keep our families and our communities safe, and it's broken yet another promise he made to the american people.

kowtowing to the n.r.a. and its unpopular agenda to stymie commonsense gun reform as soon as mass shootings were out of the headlines. well, i can assure you senate democrats and i are going to keep fighting for commonsense gun safety reforms like universal background checks, even when gun violence isn't making a headline that day, because while president trump continues carrying water for the n.r.a. and senate republicans continue hiding behind president trump, democrats here understand that congress has a duty to act to protect lives and the president's cowardice absolutely should not set congress' agenda. while president trump's backtracking on this serious issue is disgraceful, i ask my republican colleagues to remember we are not beholden to the president or to the gun lobby that we do not need president trump's permission to vote on bills or to act to save

lives. in fact, in states across the country, we have been able to take on the gun lobby and make meaningful progress to address this crisis. in my home state of washington, we have closed background check loopholes and we have enacted extreme risk protection orders. we were able to accomplish those things because of the advocacy of groups like moms demand action across my state, the washington state alliance for gun responsibility, every tun for gun safety, march for our lives, so many more. as well as the dedicated volunteers and activists behind those organizations. the brave people who have been out making their voices heard and putting pressure on lawmakers to do their jobs to end this senseless epidemic. people like jane white who lives in mill creek, washington. after she tragically lost her niece to gun violence, jane joined the fight to pass lifesaving legislation in washington state by putting pressure on her state lawmakers

and won. there are people like jane all across the country who are speaking up, fighting back, even when it means reliving some of the hardest moments of their lives in order to prevent others from suffering as much as they have. mr. president, that is hard and brave to do, but there is absolutely nothing hard or brave about simply having a vote on a bipartisan house-passed legislation to ensure universal background checks. to the contrary, it's the height of cowardice not to hold that vote while families across the country wonder which movie theater or shopping mall or synagogue or mosque or church or community space is next. and while students spend their time in school on active shooter drills while they should be learning. but unfortunately, cowardice is what we are seeing from far too many republicans here in the senate and in the white house when it comes to protecting families from this scourge of

gun violence. so i want to be clear. i hope my republican colleagues allow this legislation to pass today, but if they don't, for jane and so many others, senate democrats are going to keep shining its spotlight on the inaction on gun violence here in the senate and the broken promises coming out of the white house. we're going to keep making the case, building support, and we will not give up until this is done. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. a senator: thank you, mr. president. mr. murphy: i have two unanimous consent requests. the first won't draw objection. the second i fear will. my first is that the following five interns in my office be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the year -- madison mallon, chris brown, britt jackovich, kevin bradley, and alana van nostrin. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. murphy: thank you very much, mr. president. senator murray noted 100 people

die from gunshot wounds every single day. we can't go 24 hours without news of another mass shooting somewhere in america. my kids and millions of others hide in corners of their classroom or in their bathrooms preparing for a mass shooting at their school, and this body does nothing about it. the good news is we have a piece of legislation that enjoys 95% support in the american public and will undoubtedly make an enormous impact on gun violence rates in this country, and so i will give more extensive remarks after i make this unanimous consent request, but my request will be that the senate immediately take up h.r. 8, the universal background checks bill that was passed in a bipartisan way through the house of representatives and has received no action, no debate here in the united states senate since that time. so, mr. president, as if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate

consideration of calendar number 29, h.r. 8. further, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: is there an objection? the senator from mississippi. mrs. hyde-smith: mr. president, reserving the right to object. legislation that would affect the rights of american citizens under the second amendment should not be fast tracked by the senate. efforts to criminalize otherwise lawful conduct with firearms by law-abiding gun owners should not be exempt from consideration by the appropriate committee of jurisdiction. it should not be exempt from debate on the senate floor. if this so-called commonsense bipartisan legislation was indeed crafted with strong bipartisan input, it shouldn't have any problems advancing by regular order.

many questions about this legislation need to be answered before it's forced upon law-abiding gun owners. if i wanted to give my best friend's son or grandson my hunting rifle, would we first have to appear before a licensed gun dealer and go through a lengthy and potentially expensive background check? this is my understanding. we have many questions like this. my constituents would like to have an opportunity to weigh in on our measures like these, which is why we can't fast track legislation that affects america's second amendment rights. i object to this unanimous consent request, mr. president, and i yield the floor. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. murphy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. murphy: i appreciate the good-faith objection from my friend from mississippi, but the good news that i can convey to her is that my republican senate friends who want to have some impact into the consideration of

the future of american gun laws have ample opportunity to do that because you're in the majority. senate republicans control the judiciary committee. senator mcconnell can decide to bring any measure to the floor. and so if the concern is there hasn't been enough republican input into the question of whether criminals or terrorists or people who are seriously mentally ill have access to guns, have a committee hearing, don't just stay silent. it doesn't pass the straight-face test to come down here to say, we can't take up h.r. 8 because we haven't had input on it. you're in the majority. you have the ability to pass legislation that you support, that democrats can support as well. and the idea that we are just going to sit here and twiddle our thumbs week after week as

100 people are killed by guns through suicides and homicides and accidental shootings, it's an abdication of our basic responsibility as united states senators. there's nothing that matters more to our constituents than their physical safety. and there are kids that are walking to school in cities in every single state in this body who fear for their lives, whose brain chemistry is changed by the trauma that they go through because of that fear for their safety, and they can't learn, they can't cope, and they can't build strong relationships. my kids go through active shooter drills at school because they in fact expect that someday someone will walk through their doors and start firing a military-style assault weapon in one of of their classrooms. and i get it. there is a difference of opinion on exactly how we should expand background checks. i understand that maybe my republican colleagues don't want

to support h.r. 8. but you're in the majority. you have the ability to lead a conversation that can find that common ground on expanding background checks. so i'm not just going to accept this argument that we can't bring h.r. 8 to the floor because we've got some concerns about it. i can't get a piece of legislation to the floor in any other way other than to offer this motion. and the american public are not going to accept silence from this body week after week, month after month, in the face of this epidemic carnage that is happening across this country. parents know that they are kids aren't same they know that they are kids aren't safe and they expect us to act. the president's attorney general said the other day that we made some progress on the issue of background checks over the summer, but now we've got the impeachment proceedings and so that's stopped all this discussion. that's -- that's not true.

the impeachment proceedings right now are in the house of representatives. the discussion on the future of a background checks bill was in the senate. it was happening between myself and senator manchin and senator toomey. we are still at the table ready to negotiate a compromise version of a background checks expansion act, and we frankly got hot lots of time on our hands in the senate. we've got plenty of time. we've got plenty of bandwidth here in the senate to negotiate with the white house over a universal background checks bill. so you can't say that we can't tank h.r. 8 because we haven't had input. republicans are in charge the. you have the ability to have as much input as you want. the white house can't say that impeachment is stopping a debate on background checks from happening. i'm ready to talk. senator toomey is ready to talk. senator manchin is ready to table. and we have evidence just from this summer about how important

universal background checks are. on the last day of august, a gunman fled from police in odessa, texas. he hijacked a united states postal service van. he killed its driver and then randomly fired on people as he drove through the streets. during his shooting spree, the gunman killed seven people and wounded over 20 others, a reign of terror throughout the streets of this texas town. now, the current background checks bill worked as it was intended to work. the shoot irtried to buy a gun -- the shooter tried to guy a gun in 2014 but was denied. why? because he had been found to be so seriously mentally ill when he was committed to an inpatient institution that his name was placed on the list of individuals who are prohibited from buying weapons. the problem is, texas doesn't have universal background checks. meaning that it was as easy as

pie for the shooter, after he got deny add gun purchase at -- denied a gun purchase at a bricks-and-mortar store, to find a private seller who would sell him a military-style weapon without a background check. and in this case, it resulted in 020 people getting hurt and seven people being wounded. this easy way to find loopholes through the nation's background check system. but what happens every single day. every single day somebody buys a gun at a show, or online or at a private sale. and so i am deeply, deeply troubled. i'm profoundly, profoundly aggrieved by the -- my body's reluctance to even take up a conversation about the future of gun policy in this country. i wish there wasn't an objection. i wish that we had an opportunity to be able to discuss the future of background

checks, the future of our gun laws on the senate floor. our constituents expect us to have that debate. this won't be the last time we come down to the floor to try to force a debate, to try to force a conversation in this body so that we can find bipartisan consensus on an issue that enjoys 95% public support, 80% from gun owners, 70% support from n.r.a. members. there is almost nothing else that is less controversial in america today than the issue of universal background checks and we will continue to press that case on behalf of the american people. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. blumenthal: mr. president, we ought to be aggrieved, we ought to be angry, and we ought to be in fact furious -- not just frustrated, but furious at this sad, even pathetic objection to moving forward with

a bill that is supported by 95% of the american people. and the simple fact is that our senate colleagues have been talking to us in good faith, not only about a background check bill but also about emergency risk protection orders because we know there is no single solution, no panacea, and that emergency risk protection orders are the other side of the coin to background checks. last week "the washington post" reported that president trump has given up on passing lifesaving gun violence legislation. the reason? fierce lobbying by the n.r.a. let's face the stark truth here.

the objection on the floor today is not the result of any lack of clarity about the need for background check legislation. it is the result purely and simply from the president saying no. we need to do our job. we have continued talks, in fact, with members of the white house staff, after the impeachment proceedings began. my hope is that "the washington post" article is untrue. i believe it certainly in no way forestalls or prevents these discussions from continuing. i think there is a reason to hope. but it will take courage and strength to do it. the president said yesterday that he was too busy doing his

job meeting with the president of turkey, an individual who has potentially enabled war crimes in northern syria. if he wasn't too busy to do that kind of meeting, he shouldn't be too busy to do gun violence prevention. and the fact is that the stakes are simply too high for there to be delay. 36,000 americans are killed every year or more. that's 100 every day. and gun deaths are in fact rising, not declining. the trends are absolutely alarming and appalling, and we are complicit in these deaths if we fail to act.

as i speak on the floor right now, there is a school shooting in santa clara, california. how can we turn the other way? how can we refuse to see that shooting in real-time demanding our attention, requiring our action? we are complicit if we fail to act. it is not just a political responsibility, it is a moral imperative. and the unconscionable loss of life is our responsibility. this problem is one that we can solve. we may not be able to prevent all the deaths that occur, all 100 every day in america, but we

can save lives, and our goal has to be to save as many lives as quickly as possible. i have been hopeful for the first time in a long time, as i've talked with my colleague, senator graham -- he and i have worked together conscientiously and closely on extreme risk protection order legislation. there have been a series of encouraging conversations with the white house, and all seem to be proceeding well -- and all seemed to be proceeding well until there is a report of the president talking to wayne lapierre of the n.r.a. apparently it takes own a phone call -- or a couple of them -- with the n.r.a. to turn around the white house and stop the

progress we have been making and throw out the window all the good work that we've done. over these past several months, senator graham, the white house, and my office have made important strides on emergency risk protection orders. we knee they work. they -- we know that they work. they enjoy broad, popular support. at least 70% of the american people support some type of extreme risk protection, including two-thirds of republicans and 60% of gun owners. states like connecticut, which was the first to adopt them, have shown that they have a palpable, tangible, measurable effect. they are a crucial tool for law enforcement. the full implementation of connecticut's emergency risk protection order law was associated with a mere 14% decline in firearm suicide

rates, and passage of indiana's law in 2005 is associated with a 7.5% decline in the firearm suicide rate. we know these laws work. in the 17 jurisdictions that have passed them, there have been a decline in suicides and homicides and domestic violence shootings. we can save lives. we can put together a measure that combines background checks, emergency risk protection orders, and other sensible steps. and we can work through this body. the objection that we are bringing it to the floor precipitously is absolutely ridiculous. there is no reason that we have to give up now to throw away all

our work simply because the house is doing something unrelated on impeachment. there has been too much good work as well by groups doing the grass roots work of mobilizing public support. moms demand action, students demand action, all of the groups that have rallied around for gun safety. in connecticut, the newtown action alliance and the connecticut against gun violence and sandy hook promise show us the way. in the last election, gun violence was on the ballot. gun violence prevention won, and that is the reason that the house has passed h.r. 8. that is the reason that we should do it here. history will judge my republican

colleagues harshly if they fail to act, and the voters will judge them even more immediately, equally harshly. so the n.r.a. is imploding. it's -- its vice-like grip should be crumbling. they should have the ear of the president, but they should not have the ear of my republican colleagues. to the president i say the american public is saying they own you and all they have to do is snap your fingers and you fall into line. prove them wrong. all you need to do is take the final steps on this legislation, give us a green light, tell us that we can move forward and that you will sign this bill. and to the majority leader, i say whether or not the president gives us that green light, we need to do our job.

please do your job. let us have this vote. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. mr. cornyn: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i'd ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h. con. res. 72 which was received from the house. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h. con. res. 72, concurrent resolution directing the clerk of the house to make a correction in the enrollment of h.r. 2423. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceed to measure? without objection. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to and that the motion to reconsider be

considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. cornyn: mr. president, unfortunately this congress has been defined by previously unprecedented political antics. things that used to be far above the political fray are now getting roiled in controversy. for example, yesterday when the minority leader blocked a bipartisan bill that i introduced to reduce drug prices, a bill that received unanimous support in the judiciary committee. and i recognize my friend from connecticut, senator blumenthal, who is the chief democratic cosponsor of that bill. but i think the most egregious example of politicalization of things that used to be nonpartisan has to be the

politicalization of the violence against women act or vawa. for 25 years this program has supported survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault through a range of political programs and resources. as a long-term victims' rights advocate myself, i'm a proud superpower of the violence against women act and consistently fought not only to continue it but to strengthen it as well. i think there's more we can and should do to support victims, and i know folks on the other side of the aisle feel the same way. it's safe to say, though, that we've had our fair share of disagreements on how exactly to accomplish that. earlier this year our democratic colleagues allowed vawa to get caught in the crosshairs of a funding debate when they insisted we should not fund this vital program because it's overdue for updates. this is a rash move to be sure that lines up with my, my way

or the highway legislative strategy sometimes deployed by our friends on the other side. but that hasn't stopped my republican colleagues led by senator joni ernst from iowa from pursuing a compromise. for many months now senator ernst has been working with senator dianne feinstein, the senator from california, to find ways to make improvements that both sides can agree on. that's the way things get done around here. you try to build consensus, and maybe you don't get everything you want. but if you can get 80% of what you want, you ought to take it and run. but last week unfortunately democrats walked away from the negotiating table when it came to the violence against women act. rather than continuing the discussions with the opposing people -- people of opposing views, they took the easy way out and simply walked away and introduced their own partisan

reauthorization, one that they know has no chance of passing. just like the version that passed the house this last year, this is a messaging document worth no more than the paper it's written on. it's not going to reauthorize vawa or make the program better, and it's not going to support victims because it stands no chance of becoming law. i'm truly disappointed that our democratic colleagues have once again chosen to play politics rather than deliver real results, this time for the victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. despite the games being played here, my republican colleagues and i are working to put in the hard work that it takes to actually accomplish something and legislate. senator ernst said she'll soon be introducing a good-faith proposal that actually has the chance to become law. it's not a partisan document. it really is a return to where we used to be where the violence

against women act enjoyed broad support on both sides of the aisle and was truly not just bipartisan, but nonpartisan. it's a shame that something as urgent and undeniably important as combatting domestic violence and sexual assault has somehow fallen prey to washington, d.c. politics. i hope our colleagues will reconsider and return to the negotiating table so we can reach a compromise and finally reauthorize the violence against women act. mr. president, on another matter, in recent months there's been a lot of coverage in the news and in social media about the health consequences of e-cigarette use, the "e" stands for electronic cigarette use. we've been seeing alarming headlines about vaping related

illnesses that led to severe health consequences and dozens of deaths, and i find it particularly concerning that an increased number of children in middle school and in high school are using thesing products, even though it's not, it's inconsistent with the law. it's against the law. the national youth tobacco survey estimates that more than five million middle and high school students currently use e-cigarettes, up from 3.6 million last year. five million middle and high school students are using this product that the law says they should not be using. folks at home are certainly dealing with the fallout. last year 19% of texas high school students had used an e-cigarette in the last 30 days and news reports lead me to believe that number has done

nothing but gone up. and certainly there are negative health consequences associated with it. a teen in michigan was recently hospitalized, as my colleague from michigan will know, was recently hospitalized after vaping and then had to have an incredibly rare double lung transplant because of the damage done to the lungs. this is causing alarm for parents, for educators, for health professionals, and just about everybody else who's heard about it. it certainly caught my it attention. yesterday the help committee, the health, education, labor and pensions committee here in the senate held a hearing to look into the government's lackluster response to these public health concerns. and i'm seriously concerned with how, compared to traditional cigarettes, this industry is able to evade countless government regulations especially through online sales. consumers are able to purchase

traditional cigarettes online but there are clear guardrails in place to prevent minors from using online purchases to skirt the age restrictions. at the time of delivery, if you buy cigarettes online you have to sign and show an i.d. proving your age. that just makes sense to me. you have to show an i.d. when you purchase cigarettes at a gas station or convenience store, and buying them online should be no different. but in the case of e-cigarettes, it is different. anyone, no matter how old or how young, can go online and buy e-cigarettes and have them delivered to your front door, no questions asked. and you better believe underage kids are taking advantage of that loophole. a recent survey found that about a third of underage e-cigarette users bought them online. and what people need to understand, mr. president, is

e-cigarettes are essentially a nicotine delivery device. nicotine, of course, is an addictive drug. so it's not as if there aren't negative health consequences. even if they aren't smoking tobacco, if they use e-cigarettes there are true risks to the health of these young people. an adult, i believe, ought to be able to do things that maybe negatively impact their health. we have an obligation, i think, to protect children, particularly not those who are making bad decisions before they are prepared to understand what the consequences really are. so while it's important for us to understand the health impact of these devices and have serious conversations with our own children about the risks, we should do something to prevent children from getting their hands on e-cigarettes in the first place. so i've introduced a bill with senator feinstein and senator van hollen that prevents online

sale of e-cigarettes to minors using the same safeguards that stop them from being able to purchase regular cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products on the internet. the law is the same with regard to who can legally purchase them. we ought to have the procedures in place that prevent underage smokers from buying cigarettes online without a signature, without an identification card proving their age. we ought to have the same procedures in place using e-cigarettes. this bill has brought bipartisan support with a quart of all senatorses ago cosponsors and it recently passed the house by voice vote. when we talk about passing consensus legislation here in the senate, this is about -- this is about as easy as it comes. so i hope we can bring this legislation to the senate floor soon so we can prevent the next generation from using legal

loopholes to get their hands on e-cigarettes. mr. president, i yield the floor. ms. stabenow: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: thank you, mr. president. this week america is paying tribute to more than 19 million people in our country, a half a million people in michigan, who show us every day what service is all about. america's veterans have served in many ways and on many different fronts. however, i think they all have a couple of things in common. the first is that they love our nation so much that they're willing to put their lives on the line for our constitution, our democracy, our values and ideals, for our country.

and the second is that they understand that patriotism is a lot more than a feeling of pride. instead, it's a way of life. veterans don't finish their military service, hang up their uniforms and go home never to be heard from again. instead these are the people around us who take a good look at their community, their state, our country, see what needs to be done, and step up. not all of us have what it takes to serve in our armed forces. yet, all of us do have the ability to follow the example of those who have served us, see a need, raise our hand. imagine how much better off our nation would be if we all had that same dedication to give something back. as we've been celebrating

veterans day this week, we should all remember when american men and women sign up to serve in our armed services, they really sign a blank check to our country, a check that could include everything, including losing their life. when our nation accepts that check, we need to make sure we're holding up our end of the bargain. unfortunately the trump administration is failing to provide veterans with the benefits they have earned, especially when it comes to health care. congress passed the v.a. mission act last year to improve veterans' access to health care and to expand benefits to caregivers, which is so important. yet, the v.a. missed the october deadline -- missed the october deadline to include

vietnam and korean war veterans in the expansion. and the v.a. has kicked eligible veterans out of the caregiver program without explaining why. meanwhile more than 60,000 veterans who received emergency care at non-v.a. facilities in 2017 are still waiting for the v.a. to pay their medical bills. perhaps worst of all, this administration turned their backs on more than 80,000 vietnam-era veterans who have developed illnesses because of toxic exposure to agent orange. we've known for a long time that agent orange exposure has caused many serious health issues. in fact, i first started working

on this issue regarding agent orange and fighting for veterans when i was in the michigan state legislator trying to get the federal government to recognize and help provide v.a. coverage for these illnesses. over the years some things have changed, improved, but it has been way, way too slow. veterans who have been suffering for years were offered hope in 2017 when then-veterans' affairs secretary david shulkin added bladder cancer, underrer active thyroid, high blood pressure, and parkinson's like diseases to the list of diseases for agent orange benefits without going through a lot of bureaucracy to get health care coverage. he did so at the urgency at the

national academy of medicine based on science of the connection. unfortunately, veterans with these conditions are still waiting. this was back in 2017. they are still waiting to get that health care, and that's because the office of management and budget director, mick mulvaney, quietly ignored the science and rejected the coverage expansion. why? we now know through e-mails that have been made public that he thought it was too costly. really? let me remind you that these veterans each signed a blank check to our nation for veterans who were exposed to agent orange, the check they signed is in the amount of their health and well-being. now, a number of colleagues in this chamber, led by senator

brown, who i see on the floor, have repeatedly asked the v.a. to explain the coverage. their questions over and over again have gone unanswered. and we only know really what happened when a veteran trying to get help -- trying to get treatment finally filed a freedom of information request, to get information about who was holding it up, what was going on. and just recently we now have found out that the office of management and budget that mick mulvaney blocked the care because he thought it was going to cost too much. it's now november of 2019, and vietnam veterans are still not getting treatment for these diseases. so yesterday my friend, senator

brown from ohio, requested unanimous consent on his resolution, which i'm believed to be -- pleased to be a cosponsor of that expands the coverage by the v.a. for agent orange exposure. it would fix this, say to the o.m.b. director, we want to make sure we are keeping our end of the bargain for our vietnam vets who were exposed to agent orange. but once again, leader mcconnell and republicans chose to stand with the trump administration and mick mulvaney, to stop veterans from getting this critical health care coverage. and i was amazed to actually hear the objection include the words it cost too much. it's not enough to praise our veterans with words. we do that all the time, especially around november 11.

but praise doesn't pay the medical bills. praise doesn't give a veteran a healthy life, a job, a home, opportunities. this administration, congress, and our country must keep each and every promise our country has made to those who have served, period. each and every one of them signed that blank check to our country. leader mcconnell, it's time to hold up our country's end of the bargain. i yield the floor, mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: thank you, and i thank senator stabenow. she is exactly right. she used the term a couple of times, blank check. people join the army, people become marines, people go off to a service academy, people enlist

in the national guard. essentially they sign a blank check to our -- to cash by all of us who protect -- that care so much about protecting our country. you know, it used to be -- senator stabenow, has been with senator tester, one of the real leaders in this. it used to be many years ago when it became clear that veterans -- that veteran after veteran after veteran, young veterans in those days, 20 years ago, that far removed from vietnam, were coming down with these illnesses, and congress decided bipartisan, almost unanimously, rather than make every single veteran, every soldier, every marine, every sailor, make them prove to the government -- make them prove to the v.a. that they should be eligible for health care coverage based on the illness they got because of agent

orange, congress decided, you know, we should make every single person go through proving -- through that process. so what did we do? we made a list of illnesses that typically come from agent orange -- exposure to agent orange, and any veteran who was sick from one of these illnesses, no questions asked, got health care. that's what we did. that was then. today in this time when i hear my colleagues that sit over here. i don't want to make this partisan, but it's become that because it's president trump, it's vice president pence and senator mcconnell who say no to this. we have the secretary of the v.a., appointed by president trump, the secretary of the v.a. came up with these four additional illnesses around which scientific consensus, there is scientific consensus saying these illnesses are caused by agent orange and individual veterans shouldn't have to prove they got sick or

got parkinson's or bladder cancer because of agent orange. that's how we serve those who served us. you know what senator mcconnell does? his office is down the hall, as my colleagues know. senator mcconnell, we should do tax cuts for rich people but we can't afford to spend millions of dollars, it's a lot of money, but these are people who served us in -- in southeast asia in the 1960's. senator mcconnell turns his back on them, president trump turns his back on them, the new secretary of the v.a. turns his back on these soldiers. there's 80,000. does president trump want to wait until all -- until all 80,000 are dead or do we serve those who served us? every time i think about this, i just -- i just can't believe that the president of the united states, who didn't serve.

i didn't either. i understand that. but, you know, because i didn't serve in vietnam and i'm just slightly on the young side of this generation, because i didn't serve maybe i should work a little heard as a member of the veterans committee to make sure that the people who did serve are taken care of. this president who didn't serve, i don't judge him for that, but maybe he should work harder, maybe not just making speeches about veterans, but coming to the table and tell senator mcconnell quit blocking our attempts to take care of these 80,000 veterans. it's just outrageous. mr. president, i'd like the -- the remainder of my remarks to be placed in appear different point in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: thank you. i rise to honor a dedicated ohio public servant, detective george delrio. he served his community, dayton,

with honor and integrity. november 4, a few days ago he was working as part of a local d.e.a. drug task force. he made the ultimate sacrifice to keep his fellow ohioans safe. he laid down his life while doing his job. he was working with fellow dayton officers to protect the people. he was sworn to serve in the miami valley. in the days since his passing, we've heard story after story after story of detective delrios service to his community and family. the hall ways an parking lots were packed to show their respect for detective delrios. he was believed by friends and colleagues. he was devoted to his family. he was kind, funny, fair, he was a good cop, even while spending his days undertaking dangerous

work, often under cover. this is an example of the contributions that immigrants make to our great country. he came to this country as a child from mexico. hes decades of teamwork, his work in the d.e.a. saved lives and changed lives. he embodied the motto, service with honor. chief richard biehl, who i've gotten to know on a number of occasions because of the tragedy of the shootings and the tornado and the k.k.k. attempted rally, the chief said that he had an impact nationally and internationally. his legacy will live on through the many lives he touched. not surprisingly, he continues to serve through his wishes to be an organ donor. in times of tragedy, ohioans always rise to the occasion. we witnessed an outpouring of

community support in the days since detective del rio was taken from us. while no gesture can repay him or kathy and his children and grandchildren for their sacrifice, today we honor this hero's memory. we lift up the entire dayton community. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: