quorum call:

mr. cardin: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: thank you, madam president. i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cardin: equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or bridged by the united states or by any state on account of sex. equal rights amendment. most americans believe it's part of our constitution today. but it's not. supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg stated, and i quote, every constitution written since the end of world war ii includes a provision that men and women are citizens of equal stature.

our does not. the state of maryland has a provision very similar to that in its state constitution. many of our states have acted on the equal rights amendment. but as justice scalia, the late justice scalia said, certainly the constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex. the only issue is whether it prohibits it. it doesn't. we need to pass the equal rights amendment in the constitution of the united states for many reasons. the most basic reason, it provides additional protection against discrimination against women. it has a higher standard to prevent discrimination. it shows america's leerm globally on -- leadership globally on human rights. so congress in 1972 started the process by passing the equal rights amendment. we passed it in 1972.

now of course it requires 38 states to ratify before it becomes law. and to date 37 states have ratified the equal rights amendment. we're one short of accomplishing our objective of puttings the equal rights amendment at long last in the constitution of the united states. but there is an additional hurdle or potential hurdle. and that is when congress passed the resolution in 1972, it put a seven-year time limit for the states to act. now they extended that to ten years, and this is strictly a provision that is discretionary to congress. article 5 of the constitution puts no limit on the time for ratification of the constitutional amendment proposed by congress for the states to ratify. in fact, the 27th amendment was ratified in 1992. it deals with congressional pay raise. it was first proposed in 1789 to

be part of the bill of rights over 200 years later it was ratified. so there's no time limit in the constitution for the ratification of a constitutional amendment. to remove any doubt, congress should extend the time as it did once before. so in order to accomplish that, i joined with senator murkowski, the senator from alaska, bipartisan effort with senate joint resolution 6 that removes the deadline, the time limit on the passage of the equal rights amendment. and i would ask unanimous consent, madam president, to include in the record an op-ed piece written by senator murkowski and myself in regards to why we need to get that resolution passed. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cardin: so on november 13 the house judiciary committee took up a very similar resolution, house joint

resolution 79 by representative jackie speier. and they now have reported it out favorably. so we now have moving through the house of representatives a resolution that would remove this time limit that was imposed in the 1970's on the ratification of the equal rights amendment. so what i'm imploring upon my colleagues, we're very close to getting this done. we know there was a change in the leadership in virginia. virginia could very well be the 38th state. but let us remove the ambiguity as to a time limit. we will celebrate in this congress the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment of the constitution, the women's suffrage amendment passed in 1920. in this congress we will celebrate -- and i think all of us will join in why it took so long for women to have the right to vote. people are asking why is it taking so long to put in the constitution of the united states the equal rights

amendment. we have a plan that we can get this done by passing the resolution i talked about for the 38th state to ratify and at long last that the united states provides the leadership on universal human rights by placing the equal rights amendment in our constitution. with that, madam president, i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mrs. murray: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: madam president, i ask that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. murray: i ask unanimous consent that the -- i that i speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. murray: as president trump and senate republicans continue to press forward with their relentless attacks on families health care, democrats are going to continue to make clear just what is at stake by lifting up

stories of patients and families across the country starting with natasha, from my home state of washington. because of a diagnosis she received when she was young, natasha had long believed that she could not conceive, so she and her partner were particularly surprised last year toe get the news that she was pregnant. and with that unexpected news came all sorts of questions, including whether they could handle the cost of things like maternity care and postpartum care and newborn care. now, fortunately, natasha's family had coverage through medicaid so all the medical costs she had been so concerned about were completely covered. instead of worrying about how they would pay for the health care she needed, she and her partner were able to focus on getting ready to welcome the newest adetion to their family -- addition to their family.

natasha's story shows why families across the country are so worried as republicans continue down the damaging path they have been on for years. since day one of the trump administration, republicans have been working to raise families' health care costs, take away their coverage and make health care lower quality. in the senate republicans have stood with president trump as he tried to implement draconian caps on medicaid through his trump care bill and proposed budgets that slashed funding for medicaid. they've also stood by as president trump has implemented a gag rule on title 10 funded clinics, jeopardizing reproductive health care for patients. and republicans are opposing democrats' effort to lower skyrocketing prescription drug prices by allowing medicare to negotiate on behalf of patients and reverse president trump's steps to promote junk insurance

plans that do not protect patients with preexisting conditions and do increase family's health care costs. republicans are even cheerleading a partisan lawsuit that will be catastrophic to families across the country. we could get a ruling any day now and about republicans get their way, protections for the over 100 million people in this country with a preexisting condition could be thrown out the window. millions of families covered through the exchanges and medicaid expansion could be thrown off of their health care. young adults could be kicked off of their parents' plans before they turn 26. and patients could be stuck paying tens of thousands of dollars for their care as caps on their out-of-pocket costs are eliminated, caps on their lifetime and annual benefits, even for those who, by the way, covered through their employers' plans will come back, and essential health benefits that

make sure their coverage includes everything like prescription drugs and emergency care could go away. for patients like natasha, republicans' health care agenda would be a disaster. not only would it gut medicaid which help her get the health care she needed but if republicans succeed in this lawsuit, insurance companies could discriminate against patients like her for having a preexisting condition, including, by the way, being pregnant and choose not to cover essential health benefits like maternity care. and the junk plans president trump is already promoting leave patients facing similar problems today. in fact, many of those junk plans ask patients whether they're pregnant or planning to become pregnant as part of their application process. and that's because these junk plans are already allowed to deny coverage or exclude benefits or charge higher premiums for patients with a preexisting condition. republicans' approach to

patients' health care making it more expensive, harder to get and lower quality is clearly designed to work for big insurance companies, not people like natasha. and her story is one of many, one of tens of millions, in fact. there are so many other families across the country who are seeing their well-being put at risk by republicans' harmful health care ageneral today but we have seen before what can happen when people share their stories, when we lift those stories up, when we put a face or a name to the people republicans could hurt with their policies. when republicans tried to jam through their trumpcare bill, we stopped it because people across the country fought back and they spoke up. and as president trump and republicans continue using every tool they can to try and undermine families' health care, democrats are going to be here to continue to remind our colleagues on the other side of the aisle that everything we do and don't do here in the capitol

has real consequences for real families, especially when it comes to issues like health care that every family has to deal with. we're going to continue lifting up those voices who aren't here on the senate floor and making clear what the g.o.p.'s health care plan would actually mean to people's lives, whether it's losing coverage right as you finally have the chance to start a family or being rejected because you have a preexisting condition. this isn't a matter of politics for families. it's a matter of life and death. and we aren't going to let republicans forget it. thank you, madam president. and i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. reed: thank you, madam president. madam president, i have serious philosophical disagreements with many of the judicial nominees put forth by the administration, but i believe mr. menashi is especially unfit to serve on the

federal bench. his record indicates an inability to serve as a fair and impartial judge, and so i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reject his nomination to a lifetime appointment on the bench. steven menashi's public record demonstrates a deep contempt for a wide spectrum of americans and particularly some of the most vulnerable amongst us. in his own writings and as editor in chief of the dartmouth review, he has directly expressed or condoned disturbing views and issues such as lgbt rights, racism, and student aid. even if we were to cast these sentiments aside, mr. menashi's recent work in the trump administration provides ample evidence that he is unfit for a lifetime appointment to the bench. consider his performance as acting general counsel at the department of education. mr. menashi oversaw the roleback of regulations designed to protect students and taxpayers from predatory for-profit

institutions of higher education. more egregiously, mr. menashi wrote outlining the administration's scheme to provide only partial debt relief to students defrauded by for-profit colleges, a scheme that a federal judge ruled violated federal privacy laws. under this scheme, the department of education used data that was collected to hold institutions accountable for providing education leading to gainful employment to further punish their victims. the department has still failed to comply with the court's orders resulting in a secretary of education -- in the secretary of education being held in contempt. mr. menashi's -- mr. menashi supervised the work on the proposal to rewrite the rules dealing with sexual assault and sexual harassment on college campuses. the administration's own analysis concluded that the new rules would dramatically reduce the number of sexual assault

investigations. mr. menashi worked on the rolling back efforts to address disparities and those with disabilities. in march a federal court ruled that the department had engaged in an illegal delay and had acted arbitrarily and capriciously. during mr. menashi's time at the department of education, the administration argued that it was appropriate to use federal education funds to purchase guns for school. also consider mr. menashi's time as a white house counsel where he helped steven miller in crafting some of the administration's most draconian immigration policies. while he was an advisor, the white house cut refugee admissions to a historic low effectively banned asylum for refugees traveling through mexico, and threatened to end birthright citizenship. his views and work experience call into question how his

personal biases would color his rulings and whether he has the judicial temperament and political independence necessary to serve on the federal bench. this is not the kind of legal judgment that deserves a lifetime appointment to the federal judiciary. and while the senate has spent considerable time and hours on mr. menashi's nomination, one can't help but notice the fact that the majority leader seems to scrupulously avoid calling up votes on legislation that would help working americans and working families. i hear from our rhode island constituents every day about countless pressing issues that the senate should be debating and voting on. we could be considering an infrastructure bill that would provide robust investment to enable the building of our crumbling roads, bridges, schools, and other critical infrastructure. we could be working to increase pell grants and lower the cost of college. i think every member of this

body would agree that another vital issue that we hear often from our constituents about is the need to address skyrocketing prescription drug costs. according to families u.s.a. , nearly three in ten american adults, nearly 80 million people, have not taken required medicine due to its cost. in fact, addressing prescription drug costs alone would go a long way towards bringing down health costs overall. there are dozens of proposals from senators on both sides of the aisle to help address this issue yet republican leadership has refused to allow any debate on prescription drug prices or health care costs more broadly this year. sometime i and many of my colleagues have proposed numerous times that medicare would be required to negotiate drug prices with the drug companies to ensure seniors and taxpayers are getting the best

price. the department of veterans affairs already does this. while there's no silver bullet in solving rising drug costs, this would be a commonsense first step in the right direction. there are also more than 250 bills passed by the house that majority leader mcconnell refuses to bring up and has been left in the legislative graveyard. let me repeat that. more than 250 bills are awaiting action here in the senate. the house is doing its part to look after the people's business and the senate should follow suit. these include the enhanced background checks act which would expand the national firearms background check system to include virtually all gun transfers and block illegal sales that currently happen through gun shows and private transfers. they include the reauthorization of the violence against women act which is the primary law to

provide services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. they include the american dream and promise act to provide a pathway to citizenship for daca recipients, t.p.s. holders, and those with d.e.d., that's deferred enforced departure. furthermore republicans continue to block democratic-led efforts to pass commonsense election security legislation. this is despite warning after warning from our intelligence and national security agencies that russia undertoo an un-- undertook an unprecedented effort to fear entire -- interfere with our 2016 elections and the russians are actively working to do it again in 2020. instead of elevating someone with an extreme record like mr. menashi to one of the highest courts in the land, we should be debating and voting on legislation that will protect health care, expand educational

opportunity, secure our elections, fully fund the census, and prevent gun and domestic violence. in addition to many, many other important topics. the majority has refused to allow the senate to vote on and address the pressing issues that americans care about and this body is failing to get its appropriations work done on time. so i urge the majority leader to end this partisan paralysis and let the senate get to work oishes that can im-- issues that can improve the lives of rhode islanders and all americans. and with that, madam president, i would yield the floor and i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call:

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. ms. duckworth: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. duckworth: thank you, madam president. as if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent the veterans' affairs committee be discharged from further consideration of senate 1573 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. i further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: is there objection? a senator: madam president, reserving the right to object.

the presiding officer: the senator from arkansas. mr. boozman: thank you very much. madam president, i do object. while we very much appreciate what senator duckworth is trying to accomplish, i must object to the request for unanimous consent. the bill has only one cosponsor. it has not gone through regular order. the senate v.a. committee has not considered the policy implications of the legislation. in the appropriations subcommittee on veterans' affairs that i chair has not beenivnd the budgetary impacts the bill would have. this legislation would be a significant policy change for the v.a. and would reduce revenue to the v.a. medical centers by eliminating certain co-payments. policy changes such as this should be thoughtfully considered through full committee before being considered by the full senate. so i look forward to working with senator duckworth to see if we can get this resolved, but

based on these facts, i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. ms. duckworth: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. ms. duckworth: madam president, i am disappointed that the majority has objected to passing our bipartisan legislation. every senator should support a simple fix to ensure veterans enrolled in the v.a. system can obtain preventative medications without out-of-pocket costs. all americans deserve -- all americans deserve access to the best health care possible, especially the veterans who signed up to defend our nation. yet, because of this objection, our veterans will continue to pay more for essential preventative medication compared to every other insured american. one of the affordable care act's critical patient protections was prohibiting insurance companies and other health systems, including the department of defense's own tricare from charging co-payments for drugs that are designated as preventative by the u.s. preventative services task

force. the a.c.a. recognized that preventing serious illness such as heart disease and breast cancer, may help avoid complex and costly medical treatments down the line. most importantly, preventative medicine may also increase patient survival odds. that is why the a.c.a. required every insurer to cover preventative medications at no additional cost to enrollees. the time has come to expanned this vital patient protection to cover veterans enrolled in v.a. health care. congress has the power to stop veterans from being the only insured americans who are charged co-pays and out-of-pocket fees for essential drugs and potentially lifesaving preventative health medications. this includes everything from critical vaccinations to common medications such as aspirin to lower the risk of heart disease and more advanced drugs such as tamoxifen inhibitors to lower the risk of breast cancer. the question is simply does the

senate majority in this congress have the will to exercise this power to swiftly fix the problem? unfortunately, today's objection provided a disappointing answer. i hope the majority will consider -- will reconsider its opposition to passing the bipartisan veterans preventative health coverage fairness act by unanimous consent. i am confident that a democratic house majority would act swiftly to pass senate 1573 if we can get this commonsense bill to that chamber. after all, i'm confident that if asked, the majority of americans, if not all americans, would agree that it is simply wrong to force veterans to pay more for essential preventative medications that are critically important for reducing the risk of heart disease and building bone density. this should not be controversial. it's certainly viewed as a commonsense legislative update by the veterans community. that's why my bipartisan bill has been endorsed by the veterans of foreign wars of the united states, the american

legion, the disabled american veterans, and the paralyzed veterans of america. making sure veterans enrolled in the v.a. system can obtain preventative medications without paying out of pocket should be something that every senator can agree on. senate democrats certainly share this conviction. that is why every member of the democratic caucus agree to pass the bipartisan veterans preventative health coverage fairness act right now. unfortunately, today's objection proves that not every member of the republican conference shares this conviction. with deep disappointment, i yield the floor, and i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. a senator: i ask the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. gardner: madam president, this week across this country, we celebrated veterans day. veterans day across this country and colorado means a lot of different things to so many different people across our nation, but one thing it's always stood for is a day of thanks, a day of thanks to share and celebrate the men and women and our families, our communities who have done so much for our country so that it will continue to be the greatest nation on the face of this earth. in colorado we celebrated with parades and parties and races and marathons and fund raise,events all over the centennial state to recognize the work of our veterans, the sacrifice of our veterans and their families. admission to all of our state parks was free so veterans and

their families could enjoy the land that they have defended. and in colorado springs, where we have a number of veterans and active duty military members, three of the largest school districts, they didn't take the day off for veterans day, but instead they held veteran appreciation events -- breakfasts and luncheons with local veterans is, wrote letters to men and women who had served and had events to learn about the sacrifices our veterans have made for our country. we take great pride in our veterans and our veteran community. in colorado, our six military bases including the united states air force academy, all play a critical role in defending our nation and keeping the world a safer place. colorado is home to more than 400,000 veterans who have bravely served our country. earlier this year i was fortunate enough to meet more than 100 colorado heroes as part

of the high plains honor flight, a tradition that has been carried out for a number of years. every year this tradition brings colorado veterans to our nation's capital touring the war memorials and taking the opportunity to meet these veterans, look them in the eye, to shake their hands and say, thank you. i could spend all week talking on the floor about colorado's veterans, their incredible acts of service, but if you get the chance, i hope that people will visit pueblo, colorado. it's the home of heroes, home of heroes, medal of honor memorial in pueblo, colorado. the memorial pays tribute to more than 3,400 people that have received our country's highest award for military valor. outside the memorial, there's four statues, one for each of pueblo's medal of honor recipients. one of these men, lieutenant raymond murphy was a united

states marine who was serving in korea in 1953. after a failed raid with heavy casualties, lieutenant murphy organized and led his platoon in an historic rescue effort to save his fellow marines, providing cover and driving the enemy back. he rescued his fellow men under intense enemy fire. he sustained numerous wounds but refused treatment until everyone else had been treated. lieutenant murphy stayed on the battlefield until every marine was accounted for. when president eisenhower presented murphy the medal of honor, he is quoted as saying, what is it about the water out there in pueblo? all you guys turn out to be heroes. that's our pueblo, colorado. whatever it is, there must be a lot of it in colorado's water. u.s. army captain groburg, another coloradan, was based out of fort carson, also received the medal of honor for his

heroic actions in afghanistan. his patrol was ambushed by an individual wearing a suicide vest. the captain drove him down to the ground. the bomber's explosive vest -- the bomber's vest exploded, severely wounding the captain. he miraculously survived the blast and his actions saved many of his patrol members' lives. his actions were certainly extraordinary and they showed the character of the men that served, that they would do anything to protect those they love. i'm also reminded of a coloradan that i've had the honor of working with and meeting over the last several years. two years ago, in fact, i had a veterans day experience that i'll never forget from another veteran who refused to give up on his fellow brothers in arms -- brothers and sisters in arms. i was visiting donald stratton, who was a seaman first class on the u.s.s. arizona when the

japanese launch add surprise attack on pearl harbor. mr. stratton was one of the last five remaining survivors stationed on the u.s.s. arizona. since that time two years ago, we've lost lauren bruner. even fewer today than there were. he told me how a young sailor named joseph george disobeyed the orders to abandon ship in order to save his life and the other sailors. joseph george never received a medal for his actions and donald stratton didn't think that was fair. it didn't sit well with him. so mr. stratton and i and his family worked together to finally convince the navy to honor joe george, to give this hero the recognition that he deserves. donald stratton's story sticks with me because he had already fought one with regard for his country and then he had to spend another 16 years fighting government bureaucracy in order to honor the man that saved his life and the lives of others.

it's a reminder that our veterans need our help and our support to receive the recognition and the care that they continue to deserve. all of the stories that i have described, the individuals that i have talked about, are extraordinary. but there are so many other countless acts of heroism. every single earn in our armed -- every single earn in our armed services had acts of sacrifice that may not make the front page of newspapers, but we shouldn't lose sight of that fact that every day they sacrifice for our country. they've put their bodies, their minds through vigorous training, boot camps and deployments. they've given up valuable time with their loved ones, months at a time, if not longer. the holidays they'll never go back tox the important milestones they've missed with their families. they've placed their civilian lives on hold to serve our country. and too many people return with wounds of war, both physical and

mental. all of these sacrifices and their willingness to place their lives on the line for our country they love, adds up to a debt that we can never repay. never pay back. but i who especially this veterans day, this celebration this week -- but i hope this veterans day, this celebration this week, it is our responsibility to take care of those that take care of us. we owe it to them that they can receive the best possible care, that they have the tools necessary to navigate civilian life. we've taken great steps to improve the lives of veterans and the care they receive, but we can always do more, and we must do more. we must do more. we must do more and never give up. we can do better than the status quo. for veterans living in the rural areas like the eastern plains of colorado, long drive times and a shortage of doctors and nurses at the v.a. facilities make it difficult to receive the care that we promised. there's never been a fight too dangerous or a task too difficult for these men and women who have served our

country. we have to be in this fight to make sure that we approach veterans' care with the same commitment and find creative solutions to ease the solution to civilian life, to make sure that they have the care they need to make sure they have enough nurses and doctors in these places to provide the best possible care. earlier this year i introduced my v.a. readiness initial to make sure we're following through on every one of these promises. it focuses on four pillars -- expanding access to services, encouraging innovation, v.a. accountability and empowering transitioning service members. it introduces more oversight, more transparency and accountability to -- and at the v.a. facilities to eliminate fraud and to increase the quality of care. in order to increase -- in order to ease the transition to civilian life, it enhances programs that start veterans -- that help veterans start small businesses.

it promotes innovative approaches to suicide prevention, which is a heartbreaking problem in the veteran community. in l do coal we're losing -- in colorado we're losing one of our own nearly every seven hours to suicide. in recent years we've lost more veterans to suicide than we've lost in combat. think about that. we've lost more veterans to suicide than we've lost in combat. in colorado we lose roughly 200 veterans a year to suicide. i'm working with my colleague, senator tammy baldwin from wisconsin, to designate 988 as a crisis hotline that veterans can call when they need help. veterans answered our call when we needed them. we need to be able to answer their call when they need us. when somebody is suffering from a heart attack or a medical emergency, you call 911. but how many people know a number to call if they find themselves in a time of mental

health crisis? is it a ten-digit hotline? yes, it is. how many people can know that and know that now off the top of their head? how many people can tell a friend from need what that hotline is? let's make it a special number like 911. it is currently ten digits long. this is an easy-to-remember hotline, 988, to connect people in need with help. when a phone call is made, they will receive special help. i also hope that every veteran in colorado will look to our offices, my office in colorado and my colleague's office from colorado, senator bennet, and others, if there's anything we

can do to help. too many times people don't know the services that we can help them with. thanks to the outpouring of veterans who contact my office each and every year, we were able to help open the v.a. medical center in aurora, colorado, last year. it was long overdue but essential to the care and to make sure that we have the finest medical care to coloradans. senator johnny isakson, somebody who will be stepping down -- we're going to miss him -- was instrumental in making this happen. johnny is a true statesman for our veterans. we are grateful for his work to make sure that the v.a. hospital in aurora is the crown jewel of our support system in our state for veterans. mr. president, november is also military family appreciation month, and i certain liszt want to express my gratitude to the military families who share the burden of services. this isn't just an individual effort. this is indeed a family effort. when one member of the family

serves, the entire family serves. at this time of year -- this time of year, we all know can be difficult. with the holidays coming up for troops and their families. so as all of us celebrate thanksgiving, christmas, hanukkah, other tra i guess dids in our families, i -- other traditions in our families, i hope that our prayers will go to a military family in need. heroes who are placing their needs on hold to protect the american dream. so to everyone who has served this country, know that our nation is grateful. it is because of veterans and the commitment that you bring that we can continue to live in a nation with unlimited opportunities, a nation founded in liberty and rooted in the principles that inspire hope and optimism around the world. to every veteran, thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything that you have done in service to our beloved country. may god bless you and god bless

this great united states of america, as you continue to serve and as we continue to serve you. mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. portman: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator for ohio. mr. portman: monday was veterans day, and it gave us all the opportunity to come together as republicans and democrats, independents alike to express our immense gratitude to our veterans for putting on the uniform of the united states. on behalf of all of us, i just listened to my colleague from colorado talk about our cherished veterans and their service. and he is a champion for our veterans. and he's absolutely right. our veterans need to be at the front of the line for health care and getting the access to the best care possible. hasn't always been the case. we've made some improvements in

the last few years. those are now being implemented. they're not perfect, but thankfully it is much better. and i heard that over veterans day. he also talked about our families, and the families of veterans also make sacrifices. sometimes we forget that. in the last several years, as the optempo has been a little higher and families have had to sacrifice even more, we are particularly grateful for those families. the presiding officer today is one of our veterans here in the chamber, and as a marine he has served our country with distinction and we appreciate him and all the other veterans here in the senate. in my home state of ohio we have 850,000 veterans roughly. it makes us a state that is particularly proud. we are a state that has produced some of the great american fighting men and women heroes

from ulysses s. grant to neil armstrong. when i go to veterans events, i am inspired and overwhelmed by the veterans i get to meet. on veterans day, i was in blue ashe, ohio, at a memorial that has been set aside for our veterans. it's awe wonderful day -- it's a wonderful day in blue mr. ashe but every day of the year this beautiful park is there. it commemorates veterans that were in the war. there are soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen who are representing each of the conflicts america has been engaged with, all the way from the american revolution to the heroes of the global war on terror. and behind a description of each of those conflicts is this separate statue of a fighting man or woman. most importantly to me, on monday, on the other side of those statues were the

veterans, and they were there from every conflict from world war ii right up to those soldiers who have recently come back from afghanistan. today as we are here on the floor talking about our great veterans, there are soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, active duty in places all around the world including in syria, including afghanistan and iraq. after i was at this event in blue ash, ohio, i then went to columbus, ohio, and had the opportunity to go to the national veterans memorial museum. this is a new spectacular museum outside of columbus, ohio. it is something that we're very proud of in ohio. i took the lead here in the senate to try to be sure we had the national designation, and we have that now.

it's the national veterans memorial museum. but it was funded almost entirely with private-sector dollars, over $75 million raised just from the private sector in the columbus central ohio area. president trump signed legislation into law last year to designate it as the national memorial. it is a beautiful way to pay tribute to our veterans mostly by stories. you walk in and there are story boards about different veterans experiences. the facility itself is inspiring , one of the finest architectural designs we're told in the country the year that it was built. when i went around and thanked veterans at this memorial, i heard the same thing i heard in blue ash and i hear every time i thank a veteran, which is more or less this, thank you for your service, the response being i was just doing my job. i was just doing my duty. duty.

i'm the son of a world war ii veteran and the grandson of a world war i veteran. duty is a word i heard a lot growing up. and service and honor. and for our country today, those words are very important to remember. so our veterans have played a key role in ensuring we have the freedoms we too often take for granted. but also there is a culture around veterans that we need to hear more and more of today and we need to be sure our young people are hearing which is this notion that service beyond self is important, that duty, honor, sacrifice is part of the fundamental values of our country. the fact that we have had such support for our veterans, to me, ought to also be translated into support for those who are in active duty. when i talk to our veterans about their concerns, yes, they talk about health care or disability, other issues that

my office helps veterans on every day, and we're proud to do that. what they also tell me is they want to be sure we're taking care of the troops. they want to be sure that we are honoring our veterans by ensuring that the men and women in uniform today who are out on the front lines for all of us are getting the support they need from the united states congress. unfortunately we're letting them down right now. whether it's the national defense authorization bill, which is still in conference, which normally is a bipartisan bill, it gets done quickly, that establishes the framework for how we provide readiness, how we provide the right weapons, ensure our soldiers, marines, airmen, sailors have the very best. but second, we're not even providing the funding bill this year. and we've tried. we've brought it to the floor here of the senate and we've asked for a vote on it. we've not been able to get that vote. right now we're operating on

what's called a continuing resolution, which is not good for the military. i was at the youngstown air reserve station last week, which is a reserve unit in ohio that provides airlift capability. they got about 1,500 airmen, support people, pilots there very worried about the continuing resolution and its impact. they can't plan for training exercises. they can't plan for upgrades in their equipment to keep the cutting-edge technology they want to have for safety for their pilots and crews. i also heard, of course, a lot about the possibility of a government shutdown and how devastating that would be for our military. wright paterson air force base is in ohio. that's their top concern. unfortunately i will tell you, although our highest priority here in the senate ought to be ensuring that at a minimum our troops have what they need, we haven't done that this year. i would urge my colleagues on both sides, let's figure out how to do what we typically do

here, which is if we can't agree on everything in the spending bills, let's at least agree on providing thissing funding for our troops -- on providing this funding for our troops. it's particularly important this year because in that funding is a pay raise for the troops that they need badly. it's very important for ohio. i said earlier one of those states that is proud of all the veterans that live there, all the people from ohio who have stood up to serve their country, but we're also proud of our military facilities. defensing spending now accounts for 66,000 direct spending in ohio, more than $4 billion in salaries and more than $14 billion positive economic impact in ohio. we've got great facilities. i mentioned wright paterson air force base, the youngstown air reserve station. we also have the place where we make our tanks. during the obama administration that facility was nearly shut down. a bunch of us led the fight.

i led the fight here in the senate to keep it open. thank goodness we did. today we need it. we need to be producing these tanks. we need to push back against threats that we see. our army wants these vehicles, armored vehicles including strikers and tanks. but we're very proud of that facility in ohio. we want to be sure that, again, we have the l funding for it so that we can move forward. in this appropriations bill is funding for new tanks and new striker vehicles. the facility i talked about, youngstown air reserve station, they need new airplanes, they need new update -- upgrades. the funding bill enables them to construct a gate for the facility which is safe because homeland security folks told them the gate does not protect the base properly. so we have funding in this legislation to be able to do that. i remain concerned that we're not coming together as we do for our veterans for our active

duty. my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have repeatedly blocked these procedural motions to move the bill forward, but their disagreements seem to be more with broader issues. how we're going to fund other issues, maybe including the wall on the southwest border, from what they say. let's deal with that bill separately, but let's not take it out on our troops. let's not make our troops a pawn in these political fights. the funding bill we have was drafted on a bipartisan basis. it also is bicameral in the sense that the house bill for the defense appropriations bill this year is very similar to the senate bill. the united states and the defense could do it over the years because our allies are under siege in places like iran, china, north korea, turkey, and russia. while we fight over funding our defense this year, their arsenals, those countries' arsenals continue to grow.

i've heard from every branch in the military on this and they all said the same thing. failing to pass an agreement and dw -- defaulting to a continuing resolution, even a continuing resolution negatively affects their ability to carry out their missions. for the army that means delaying critical equipment like land-based hypersonic missiles. it also means more than 4,000 military families in single soldier dwellings would not be awarded to service members and the housing units in desperate need of repair won't get the upkeep they need. for the navy, they means it will mean delaying the start of nearly three dozen construction projects and creates a nearly $2 billion shortfall for research and development, among other things. by the way, that includes holding research into artificial intelligence, a.i. development, which is critical now. china is making great strides in

that area. we've got to be sure we're more than keeping up. for the air force this funding is necessary to field the new f-15 e.x. fighter to maintain the ef-35 fleet and recruit and train pilots on the state-of-the-art aircraft. in ohio a c.r. will negatively affect wright paterson and what we do at a counter intelligence operation, among other things, at wright paterson air force base. again, failing to pass the agreement will also keep us from moving forward with the across-the-board 3.1% pay increase for our troops, which is key to ensuring they're fairly compensated for their hard work and the sacrifices we've talked about today. it will be the largest pay raise in a decade and they shouldn't be prevented from getting it because of our political differences here on other issues. anyone who's read the constitution will tell you that the very first stated purpose of the federal government is to, and i quote, provide for the common defense.

that's our fundamental responsibility here. if we can't put aside these partisan disagreements and reach an agreement to fund our armed forces, we're failing to carry out those duties. i hope it doesn't come to that. i hope politics can be put aside and we can agree soon to give our men and women in uniform the comprehensive support that they need. because when you meet veterans, as i did on veterans day across our state, you can't help but wonder when they'd be if they didn't have the funding they needed when they were out there putting their lives on the line for all of us. and again, to honor our veterans, we have to also honor our active duty. it's critical to our men and women in uniform and it's critical to our national security. mr. president, i yield back.

mr. casey: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator for pennsylvania. mr. casey: mr. president, i would ask consent to vaish yit the quorum call. -- to vitiate the quorum call. the presiding officer: the senate is not in a quorum call. mr. casey: i would also ask consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. casey: thank you, mr. president. i rise today to recount the life of a colleague who recently passed away, senator kay hagan, from the state of north carolina. i wish i didn't have to stand

here to talk about her in the past tense because so many people who have served in the senate with kay hagan, so many -- so many staff people across the senate, and i would say in the context of both members and staff, i would say both parties. so many of us recall serving with her fondly, but we also were very saddened by her passing. kay hagan was -- it's very difficult to encapsulate someone's personality or their life in a few short remarks, but you could not have met kay hagan, even for a short period of time or worked with her even for a short period of time, without being captivated by her spirit, her energy, her optimism

not only about her life but about work. you could also be captivated by her ability to connect with people and to demonstrate the kind of uncommon decency that we don't see enough of in politics and even public service. we're going to miss that -- that energy, that optimism, that decency. we're also going to miss her commitment to public service even when she was not an elected public official. so my remarks today will not in any way encapsulate her whole life, her life of service, but i'll try to just provide some reflections. one thing you knew about kay hagan when she got to the senate was she was very clear about the people that she represented in the state from which she came.

if you were in a short conversation with her or a long conversation, even a 30-second conversation, you were likely to hear the two words north carolina, if not once in a short conversation, several times. she was so proud of her state, so proud of the opportunity she had to represent the people of north carolina. she, of course, understood and work was faithful to the basic obligation to represent the nation as well, but she was fiercely loyal to and always concerned about the people of north carolina. she was a fierce advocate for working people in north carolina and around the country. she also happened to serve at a time when the senate was considering and then ultimately

having taken a vote on the patient protection and affordable care act. and at that time it was a long debate and a lot of contention obviously and there still is on health care. but kay hagan was very clear about where she stood. we happen to serve as members of the health, education, labor and pension, known by the acronym help, one of the two committees in the senate that considered health care, both the help committee and the finance committee had fierce debate about and then ultimately votes on the patient protection and affordable care act. but here's what kearnt kay hagan said -- here's what senator kay hagan said when the help committee approved similar, or i should say related legislation, which at that time was called

the affordable health choices act. that was the original health care bill that went through that committee, the help committee, ultimately changed when it was considered by the finance committee and then by the whole senate and the changes made and the deliberations, or the negotiations, i should say, and deliberations with the house. here's what she said. i guess this would be late 2009 -- i guess 2009. she talked about this one particular health care bill as. our bill ensures that a preexisting condition will not help are you from are getting coverage. this focuses on prevention and wellness which will keep our nation healthier and save taxpayers money in the long run. i will continue working with my colleagues to get reform legislation to the president that stabilizes costs, expands

coverage and improves the quality of care for all americans. unquote. that's what senator kay hagan said at the time. of course we're still wrestling with a lot of those issues. so she was predicting, in a sense, some of our future debates. but kay hagan wanted to get things done for the people she represented and really for the american people. one of the areas where she demonstrated that commitment to leadership, that commitment to getting things done, was in the area of children's issues. in that same committee, the health, education, labor and pensions committee, she was the chair of the subcommittee on children and families and later i was able to follow in her footsteps. but that was so emblematic of kay hagan's service, to not just be concerned about what is right in front of us, the issue of the

day or the issue of the moment, as important as those issues are, but always thinking about what comes next, always focusing on the future. thinking about the future, not just in a compassionate way as it relates to children, but in a very strategic way. because kay hagan knew that investing in our children was essential for building the economy of the future, having the kind of country that we say we want to have. so kay hagan was ahead of her time in that regard focusing on america's future which meant kowfg on -- focusing on america's children, whether it was financial literacy and the curriculums for middle and high school students or whether it was from her earliest days in the senate to improving the lives of children in any way that she could. so when i think about kay hagan, i think of not just the senator, not just a colleague and a friend, but a -- but a public

servant, someone who cared very deeply about service. i often quoted the inscription on a building i worked in -- in the state capitol of pennsylvania, harrisburg. it was called -- it's called the finance building. and i worked in that building for ten years. and the inscription on that building is very simple about public service. it says all public service is a trust given in faith and accepted in honor. that's what it says in that inscription, a great summation of what public service must be about, what an election must be about, that public service is a trust that is given to one person, given to a group of people and that that trust must be honored by the service that you render. here's another way of saying it.

a predecessor of kay hagan in a sense because she was a member of the senate and at the time a real pioneer for women in the senate, margaret chase smith who said, quote, public service must be more than doing a job efficiently and honestly. it must be a complete dedication to the people and to the nation. unquote. that's what senator margaret chase smith once said and i think kay hagan's service was totally consistent with -- with that sentiment, that public service is more than just doing a job honestly and efficiently as senator smith said at the time, it must be a complete dedication to the people and the nation. kay hagan demonstrated that in her life and in her work. i join so many members of the

senate in expressing condolence and also commendation for the good work that she did, but condolence, of course, to her family. so i speak on behalf of my wife and i know many people here in the senate who served with kay to offer condolence to kay's husband chip and three children jeanette, tilden, and carrie and kay's five grandchildren. we're thinking of them today and all these days since her passing, and we pray that she will rest in peace and express again how much we will miss kay hagan in the senate but also because of the person she was. god bless you, kay. with that, i would yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call: the presiding officer: the senator for rhode island. mr. whitehouse: i first ask that the pending quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. whitehouse: second, i ask unless there is no objection that the 1:45 p.m. vote be allowed to start now. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. all postcloture time has expired. the question is on the nomination. there is a sufficient second. there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote: