mr. nelson: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, i join our colleague from texas in asking the senate to take up and pass the space frontier act of 2019. we are asking to expedite consideration of this bill in order to allow for the house to take it up and pass it tonight. i want to thank senator cruz, senator markey, and the chairman of the commerce committee, senator thune, for working with all of us on this bipartisan issue, and it updates the commercial launch and earth observation regulations. it extends the international space station through 2030. this is no minor task to get that national laboratory that is orbiting high above the earth of which six human beings are on board right now, doing research. and for all of the people participating, including the commercial sector, to know that they will have that national laboratory for all the way to the end of the decade of the 2020's is going to be allowing them to plan and to invest and who knows what discoveries they will make in this unique environment of zero grav

mr. nelson: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: i ask consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. nelson: madam president, this is my farewell speech, and i thought it would do well to think back to the very first speech that i gave on the floor, my maiden speech. my maiden speech was about a couple of months after first time being sworn in. i had waited back then -- this is 18 years ago. it was appropriate for freshman senators to wait a while. don't speak up right away. so i waited two or three months until it felt like it was the appropriate time. and i remember there was nobody out here. it was an empty chamber, and in the course of this speech -- and i picked the topic of the day. i think we were trying to balance the budget at the time, something that 18 years later we're still trying to do. and then in the course of the speech, i mentioned that it was my maiden speech. nobody out here except the presiding officer. all of a sudden those doors swing open right there. and then in

mr. nelson: madam president, this is my farewell speech, and i thought it would do well to think back to the very first speech that i gave on the floor, my maiden speech. my maiden speech was about a couple of months after first time being sworn in. i had waited back then -- this is 18 years ago. it was appropriate for freshman senators to wait a while. don't speak up right away. so i waited two or three months until it felt like it was the appropriate time. and i remember there was nobody out here. it was an empty chamber, and in the course of this speech -- and i picked the topic of the day. i think we were trying to balance the budget at the time, something that 18 years later we're still trying to do. and then in the course of the speech, i mentioned that it was my maiden speech. nobody out here except the presiding officer. all of a sudden those doors swing open right there. and then in strides senator robert byrd. i was standing at a desk over there on the other side, and senator byrd's seat was either here or here. and so i finished my speech. and he says, will the senator from fl

mr. nelson: madam president, this is my farewell speech, and i thought it would do well to think back to the very first speech that i gave on the floor, my maiden speech. my maiden speech was about a couple of months after first time being sworn in. i had waited back then -- this is 18 years ago. it was

mr. nelson: mr. president, would the senator yield for a question? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. a senator: would the senator yield for a question? mr. whitehouse: of course. mr. nelson: i say to my friend, the senator from rhode island, would it be fair to sum up the senator's statement of what is happening to the planet by saying that the additional heat that is prohibited from radiating out into space and is trapped by the greenhouse gases, that additional heat, 90% of which is absorbed by the oceans, and as the water of the oceans heat up, the volume rises. and, thus, sea level rise, and the increased heating up of the entire earth's temperature. is that a true statement? mr. whitehouse: that is a very true statement, and i would add that there are very few transcendent moments that take place here in the temple of mamman where big special interests throw their weight around. but one of them that i've been privileged to be here for was the senator from florida, senator nelson,

but as mr nelson implied, the organizations, environmental organizations in the room have left. they are calling this out to be a sham. there are many other factors that are determining how these will be determined beyond just this item at the water board. the p.u.c. must support the board's -- >> thank you for your comments. next speaker, please. sonia? >> good afternoon, commissioners i am echoing many of the sentiments you have already heard. i really welcome commissioner's kaman his -- comments and willingness to try to revisit some things and renegotiate some things and the willingness to look at more specific solutions. unfortunately, i think it is very late in the process. as we heard, it has been going on for years. this should have happened earlier. at this point, all these piecemeal possible solutions creates an overwhelmingly bleak picture for the rivers -- it is all part of a system. it is the entire san joaquin, the delta, the san francisco-based system. all of these paces are spaces pieces are supposed to sit together. i think we have to urge you tomorrow to suppor

mr. nelson: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. nelson: thank you, madam president. i just wanted to address the senator from missouri to tell her that she has been a wonderful, wonderful colleague. for this senator, as someone of more moderation in her politics, who comes from a republican republican-dominated state, she has negotiated the political winds so well and has always kept her eye on representing her state. this senator from florida particularly appreciates that, because being a democrat in a republican state is not ran easy task -- is not an easy task. and she has done it with such dignity, looking out for her people, looking out for the people that are voiceless. and i just want her to know that she has the appreciation of this senator from florida. i yield the floor. mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the assistant democratic leader. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: the sen

mr. nelson: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: madam president, i rise to speak today on a subject that our colleagues here know is very dear to my heart, america's space program. and although this is the last of many, many floor speeches that i've made on that subject, i stand before the senate with a heart full of gratitude, joy, and hope for the future of our space program. i've been extremely privileged to have witnessed and in some cases participated in the extraordinary triumphs of our nation's 60-year quest to explore the heavens. i flew to orbit and marveled at the beauty, fragility, and seemingly peacefulness of mother earth, our planet. i had the honor of that trip with one of the finest crews to have ever flown in america's space program. captain robert gibson, our commander, major general retired charlie bolden, our pilot, who went on to command three missions, hoot having flown five missions, four as commander and of course general bol bolding ultimately becoming the administrator for nasa for the entire time o

mr. nelson mandela, a free man taking his first steps into a new south africa. >> while the world is changinge apartheid government of south africa sees the writing on the wall. south africa which an has been a pariah state won't be able to continue in the post-cold-war world. >> when he's released from prison, it becomes a global moment that signifies one of the earliest indications that the 1990s is going to be a very different sort of decade. >> i greet you all. in the name of peace, democracy, and freedom for all. >> he becomes a moral beacon around the world because of the way he handled himself. so you had this world, this moment in the early '90s when the peacemakers were in charge. the stars aligned. >> there has been a dangerous late-breaking development in the persian gulf. u.s. intelligence sources confirm that within the past few hours, more than 100,000 iraqi troops have massed along that country's border with kuwait. >> saddam hussein sends a substantial fleet of tanks and other mechanized forces to the kuwaiti border. it's shocking in washington and other than western capitals.

mr. nelson: madam president, this is my farewell speech, and i thought it would do well to think back to the very first speech that i gave on theor

mr. nelson: mr. president, i have been listening to our colleagues with rapt attention at the excellence of their presentations. the depth of their understanding of this problem. i couldn't help but notice on the senator from oregon's charts, often the source was noaa or nasa, two agencies that we have had to worry in the last two years about the attempted muzzling of science, of scientists, and the seeming putdown of science. not by the agencies themselves, because they are of such great experts. as a matter of fact, when i have held several hearings at ground zero, which is south florida where we are seeing the effects of climate change in the rising of the seas and now seeing at high tide the water sloshing over the curbs of south florida cities, having these hearings there, it is often the nasa scientist and the noaa scientist that are testifying. so i want the senator from oregon, the senator from delaware that preceded him, and several others, the senator from massachusetts, to know how much i

mr. nelson: mr. president, before in a request -- the presiding officer: will the senator withhold? mr. kennedy: i'm sorry, mr. president -- the presiding officer: will the senator withhold his suggestion? mr. kennedy: certainly, i will. the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, i want to rise to speak on behalf of the bill, senate 756, the first step act. and it is a first step, and it is a mitety important first step. and hopefully this bill to going to pass later today. this revised first step is long overdue. i'm proud to see that the house, the senate, and the president all working together, as they should, to pass this important bill -- this country of ours incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. the federal prison population has grown by over 700% since 1980, and it consumes one-quarter of the department of justice budget. now, no one questions that some people deserve to go to prison for the crimes that they commit. sometimes for a long

nelson? >> thank you mr. chairman. general mackenzie, that was a very good dialogue with senator cruz. i commend you. for your quick and sharp responses. given the fact that the u.s. supported coalition has really routed isis in syria, what is next? and we've your answer in with not necessarily just isis but al qaeda and other groups in the areas such as yemen, anyplace that there is chaos, some of the regions of north africa, the horn of africa, etc. >> thank you, we are seeing the fruits of the military campaign in iraq, a government is in the process of seating itself and prepared to move forward to building partner capacity with the government. we are seeing the fruits of some success, i don't want to oversell it because isis is active in pockets in iraq but iraqi security forces are generally proving effective at squashing them when they appear and i noted earlier i believe the long-term success for isis is not going to be the complete disappearance of the entity but the ability of local security forces to be able to deal with the problem with those, that is in iraq. in syria i th

asked the question about lord nelson's appearance because i had written in my note book lord nelson looks like mr. being. also, i could have sat in the audience and on call and response but i will say a few things before i prepare. one, is that as a child living in fort hood texas. i like most children wanted to grow up to be a dallas cowboys cheerleader. or, president of the united states, i couldn't decide. somewhere along the way i found something that suited my skill set much better than either of those and now i am a professional historian. as such, i don't actually have a powerpoint and i will read to you my talk really, i have a flip phone i haven't changed much since about 1999. this talk is really about how african-american engaged the world during the world war i year. and order to talk about that, i wanted to put out a few things. one, i wanted to engage the ways in which women were used as verbs. women are the verbs that men used to communicate with one another. in the world war i years and as we all know this is one of the central things about white supremacy in the south and elsewhe

question about lord nelson's appearance, because i had written in my notebook, my god, lord nelson looks like mr. bean. also, i have so many -- i could have sat in the audience and done call and response with kira's talk. i'll say a few things before i go into the remarks that i have prepared. one is that as a child living on ft. hood in killeen, texas in elementary school, i, like most girls and boys, wanted to grow up to be a dallas cowboys cheerleader or president of the united states. i couldn't decide. then somewhere along the way, i found something that suited my skill set much better than either of those and now i'm a professional historian. and as such, and very much as a 20th century person, i don't actually have a powerpoint and i'm going to read to you my talk. really, i have a flip phone. i haven't changed much since about 1999 in a bunch of different ways. but i also was thinking, so this talk is really about how african-americans engaged the world during the world war i years. but in order to talk about that, there are a few things that i wanted to sort of put out there first. one,

mr. chairman. >> thank you, senator nelson. we thank both of our witnesses for your patience and also thank your families for being here to support you. and we are adjourned. thank you. >>> c-span's rorchlg of the state funeral for former president bush continues thursday. first a service at st. martin's church in houston at 11:00 a.m. eastern. that's followed with the burial ceremony that afternoon at the george bush presidential library and museum in college station, texas. watch it live on c-span. >>> sunday on q&a -- >> i worked with four people who once in future president, jimmy carter, bill clinton, barack obama and to my surprise, donald trump. >> publisher of many. nonfiction books. >> i also came to understand about donald trump and this is profoundly important for the way things work now is donald trump in his heart of hearts believes he always wins. here's a guy who has been in new york real estate, but gambling real estate, boxing, wrestling, beauty contests, television, construction, never been the target of a cri

mr. cruz: madam president, i rise today to recognize my distinguished colleague and friend senator bill nelson. he has represented the people of florida in the united states senate for 18 years now. today it may seem that there's very little that unites people of different parties in this congress. it may seem a strange notion to say good things about your political rivals and opponents, but this is america. i think the day will never come where men and women of honest hearts and good faith cannot come together and find common goals worth fighting for together. bill and i have served together on the senate armed services committee and on the senate commerce committee, but the principal area bill and i have had the privilege of working closely together concerns space. bill and i have worked hand in hand promoting and protecting america's program of space exploration, supporting the critical institutions in the state of texas, in the state of florida, and throughout the country that have made our country a world leader in space. and it has been a true bipartisan partnership. both bill and i beli

asked the question about lord nelson's appearance, because i had written in my notebook, lord nelson looks like mr. bean. [laughter] -- i lentz-smith: also have so many, i could have sat in the audience and done a call and response. i will say a few things before i go into the remarks i have prepared. living in fort hood in texas during elementary school, most girls and boys wanted to grow up to be a dallas cowboys cheerleader or president, i could not decide. somewhere along the way, i found something that suited my skill set better than either of those and now i am a professional historian. such, and as a 20th-century person, i don't have a powerpoint, i am going to read to you my talk. really, i have a flip phone, i have not changed much since 1999 in a bunch of ways. this talk is really about how african-americans engaged the world during the world war i years. in order to talk about that, there are a few things i wanted to put out there first. one, i wanted to, kind of engaging with talks, talk about the ways in which women got used as verbs. that men used to communicate with each other. in t

nelson. black americans joined the union army to fight for their freedom. thank you, mr. president.s showcases a nation that is rich in diversity, heritage and national wonder. this christmas, i encourage every american to visit our celebrated national parks and find your part. mindo ask that you keep in and your hearts, the empty seats at the family dinner tables across this great land. whether that is a loved one that is currently deployed or one gave the ultimate sacrifice to our country. our warmest thoughts and prayers to those members and families who defend this great land. thank you for your sacrifice. lastly, it is my high honor to introduce a man who has made america strong and safe again. as a former navy seal commander, i know that this president and commander in chief loves our troops and will always have their back. ladies and gentlemen, they are introduced the president of united states, donald j. trump -- his lovely wife, first lady, melania. ♪ >> the man who brought christmas back to america. president trump: thank you very much. --ant to thank you for being doing s

. >> and i know that's not nelson, that's rowan atkins, that's mr. beam. >> the question is, high tech versus low tech. in fact it's something that we debate a lot among ourselves. in fact just last week, i don't think i'm giving anything away because this was an unclassified event, but the navy has taken to convening a series of what it calls breaking in the mold workshops in newport at the naval war college. we had the second one last week. this is something that we really dig into. if we want to build to 355 ships, if we assume we're at the end of a couple of pretty good budgetary years, exactly how do you get to -- you're talking about a 30% bulking up of the size of the fleet in raw numbers, what do you do? can we afford to do it with aircraft carriers, guided missile destroys, nuclear powered submarines? the answer is probably not unless somehow we manage to find a lot of efficiencies in the shipbuilding sector that simply are not there. you can make the case that there's some more efficiencies you could squeeze out. certainly it's not a 30% in

nelson. that throw in atkinson, mr. bean. [laughter] dr. holmes: the question is about high-tech versus low-tech. it is something we debate a lot among ourselves. i don't think i'm giving anything away because this was an unclassified event, but the navy is taking to convening a second series of what it calls breaking the mold workshops. we had the second one last week. but this was something that we really dig into. to what extent -- if we want to build to 355 ships, we think we goodn the end of a pretty budgetary year, but it sounds like it may level off or decline. when you are talking about 30% of bulking up in the size of raw numbers, we saw 285 ships now. what do you do? can we afford to do it with aircraft carriers, guided missile destroyers, nuclear powered submarines? the answer is probably not, unless we somehow managed to find a lot of efficiencies in the ship the link sector that i think are simple he not there. you could make the case that there are some more efficiencies you could squeeze out, but it is certainly not a 30% inc

nelson. that's rowan atkins. that's mr. bean. >> the question is low tech versus high tech. it's something we debate ourselves. i don't think i'm giving anything away, but the navy has taken into convening a second of what it calls breaking the mold projects. we had the second one last week. this is something that we really dig into. to what extent -- if we want to build 355 ships and we assume we are at the end of a couple of budgetary years but it sound like that's going level off or decline. you're talking about a 30% bulking up of the fleet in raw numbers. we have 285 ships now. what do you do? can we afford to it with aircraft carriers? nuclear missile destroyers and nuclear powered submarines? the answer is probably not unless we find a lot of efficiency in the shipbuilding sector that are not there. you can make the case there are some more efficiencies you can squeeze out, but it's not a 30%ers in. what's the answer? you try to substitute lower cost platforms that can achieve the same bang for the buck. i'm a big proponent of the diesel powered submarines as an adjun

nelson: thank you, mr. chairman. good morning, german, and you have contributed a lot by bringing this. admiral, not having seen you for a while, i am reminded that when you were one star, you were tasked with the duty of the first congressional delegation into afghanistan. led by no less than john mccain, and i will never forget going in lights out into bagram and then meeting with a group of military members from florida, and we met in a bombed out aircraft hangar where you could see this guy through that bombed out roof. you could see the sky through that bombed out route. it's a great set of memories that i have for you all the way up through your illustrious career to the top position in the navy, so thank you and mr. ambassador, thank you for your service. i have observed over the years the rapid technological advances in our commercial companies. seeing this, for example, in telecommunications, seeing this in our civilian-based program, of course what so many of the contractors provide for defense. do you see

to president trump's newest monument, camp nelson, where over 10,000 black americans joined the union army to fight for their freedom. [applause] thank you, mrogether these parks and public lands showcase a nation rich in diversity, heritage and national wonder. this christmas i encourage every american to visit our celebrated national parks and, yes, find your park. i also ask this season you keep in your mind and hearts the empty seats at the family dinner tables across this great land. whether it is a loved one currently deployed or one that has given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. our warmest thoughts and prayers go out to those members and their families who defend this great land. thank you for your sacrifice. [applause] lastly, it is my high honor to introduce the man who has made america strong and safe again. as a former navy seal commander, i know that this president and commander in chief loves our troops and will always have their back. ladies and gentlemen, may i introduce the president of the united states, donald j. trump, and his lovely wife, first lady melania. ♪ mr. zinke: the man who brought christmas back to amer

mr. president, it will be a long time before the senate sees a champion for nasa and space exploration like bill nelson. it may never see one as committed again. the senate, the state of florida, and the country will miss bill nelson as will my wife and i. he was even tempered in tough times, he was civil in the midst of incivility, when some of us are prone to looking backward trying to figure out what we did wrong or what we could have done differently, bill was always looking forward and upward. i have had just the pleasure, not only of being bill's colleague but being his friend, what a fine human being. one of my greatest regrets here is that some fine human beings are not going to be with us next time, and this chamber and the country will show they are missed. there's nothing bill is now looking forward to more than spending time with his beloved grace and visiting his children bill jr. and nan ellen. every one of us salutes the great senior senator from florida, everything he's accomplished in his distinguished career in the senate and just the great man that he is. i yield the floor. mr. inhof

mrs. carter in all pink headlined south africa's global citizen festival with her man jay-z along with pharrell, ed sheeran and more. oprah also paid tribute to her friend, the late nelsonof the greatest honors of my life. >>> and finally romance deniers john mayer and halsey come clean. >> how do you feel about addressing the elephant in the room about you and i are dating? >> it's about that time. >> the singers revealed all last night on john's instagram live show, current mood. >> are we dating? [ drum roll ] >> no. >> but would they date? no. >> halsey and i ask for publicity in this very difficult time. >> that's funny. >>> now to julia roberts who shared some laughs with our nischelle turner. she have joins us from new york with that. hey niecy. >> julia's movie, no laughing matter. julia plays a mom desperately trying to save her son in the drama "ben is back" opposite lucas hedges. now lucas' dad, peter, actually directs them in this movie. so i had to know if that gave julia some inspiration. >> do you think you could ever direct your kids? how would they take direction from you? >> i do it all day. brush your teeth. wear your shoes. get your bag. we're gonna

mr. speaker, at first i'd like it thank senator thune and senator nelson, the chairman and ranking member of the senate commerce committee, who introduced a companion bill to h.r. 6227 in the senate. i also want to acknowledge senator mccowsky and senator can't well, the ranking member of the senate energy and natural resources committee for their work on this bill as well. finally, the president's white house office of science and technology policy, as well as the leadership at n.s.f., nist and the department of energy, have been steadfast in their support. this legislation will help the u.s. to become the world's leader in quantum development. let's support this bill and send it to the president's desk. mr. speaker, i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from texas is recognized. ms. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. i have no requests for time. i urge passage and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: m

mr. trump and could possibly weighade inte pool of potential 2020 candidates. we asked for his thoughts comparing president trump to nelson >> tom, thank you for being with us. we have not spoken since the midterm elections. first give me your analysis of what the outcomes of the elections now mean. we saw the outcome in mississippi this week. you had dug deeply in georgia and florida. how do you look now, post midterm elections at the political landscape? >> well, reverend sharpton, i think the biggest statistic coming out of the mid terms is the spread between people who voted in the congressional elections for democrats and people who voted for republicans in congressional elections. and the spread between the two is 8%. which is a gigantic spread for a national election. so i think the headline is that the republicans had an absolutely terrible election and the democrats had an absolutely great election. >> so now what does that say to you that needs to happen now, going forward? and what do people like you, who mobilize grass roots activists all over the country, what does that encourage or discourage you to -- in te

nelson, wrestled him to the ground, the speaker cried uncle and next thing you know, they're asking for a border wall. it's unacceptable. we can talk about security in the context of comprehensive reform. mrpresident, open up the government. >> did you ever hear from secretary mattis on this matter? now that mattis is leaving in february, where does this stand? >> sure. look, i sent a letter to secretary mattis. he's been asked about this on a number of of occasions when he appears before the house armed services committee. i think there's a general acceptance right now, an understanding between democrats and republicans that president trump does not have the authority to build a border wall using military construction dollars, not today. he would have to get authority from congress and that's not going to happen. because remember, the majority of americans oppose building a concrete structure on the southwest border so it's not going to happen. >> is there something you're looking for, either names or criteria for james mattis' replacement come february? >> if we could get a jim mat why is clone, that would be wonderful. he has the experience, he's well studied in the art of war and he u

mrs. scott king and jesse jackson and others, i'm trying to teach others. every one of us owes that to the next generation and every once in a while a nelson mandela will emerge to dig deeper and demonstrate more strength and more sacrifice but we can get there. never give up hope. that's why south africa is changed and we can change the world. >> that does it for this hour. "politics nation" will be back here tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. eastern time and at 9:00 p.m. eastern tomorrow night, three great hours of the mandela 100 global citizen festival from south africa. up next, chris matthews continues our coverage remembering the life and legacy of george h.w. bush. ♪ >>> tonight the country remembers the life and remarkable legacy of president george herbert walker bush, the 41st president of the united states died last night at aged 94 in his home in houston, texas. his passing comes hardly eight months after the death of his wife barbara. bush 41 spent a life in service to his country from his days in a navy pilot shot down by the jane

mr. durbin: secondly, i would like to enter into the record a tribute to my colleague and friend bill nelson of florida. he is leaving the senate after an amazing career. we served in the house for eight years, a quarter of a century in the senate. he is an extraordinary man who represented state of florida so well. served as one of the few congressional astronauts in 1986 when he was on the space shuttle columbia. he's a courageous hardworking man, his wife grace by his side. they have done so many great things. we went to haiti together. i respect his commitment to public service and his commitment to the people of florida. he will be missed. unanimous consent that -- i ask unanimous consent that my statement be entered into the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: we are debating bored security and yesterday the commissioner of border protectionings appeared -- protectionings appeared before our committee. when he came to my office last year, i said him to, if i gave you a plank check for border security to make us safer in the united states, what would you buy? h

mr. chairman. let me say to you, , to the witnesses and the audience my apologies for coming in two minutes late. i was on the floor for the farewell address of our colleague senator nelson. i'm sorry that i was not here when i should've been. thank you for the st. peter's almost ten years ago i helped my first hearing as the chairman of the crime and drug subcommittee in this room. the subject of the hearing, the threat to the united states posed by the mexican drug cartels. ten years ago we had that hearing. at this hearing in march of 2000 i quoted a justice department report that concluded mexican drug cartels are, quote, the greatest organized crime threat to the united states. so here we are ten years later. how are we doing? last month the dea's 22 national drug threat assessment concluded that mexican drug cartels remain the greatest criminal drug threat to the united states. i closed my 2009 hearing by saying we must take action to reduce the demand for illegal drugs in the united states and stem the flow of illegal guns and money to mexico. democrats and republicans must work together to find bipartisan common sense solutions to this challenge. now today ten ye

nelson. and i'm sorry that i was not here at the moment i should have been. mr. chairman, thank you for this hearing. it was almost ten years ago that i held my first hearing as the chairman of the crime and drug subcommittee in this room. the subject of the hearing, the threat to the united states posed by the mexican drug cartels. ten years ago, we had that hearing. at this hearing, in march of 2009, i quoted a justice department report that concluded, mexican drug cartels are, quote, the greatest organized crime threat to the united states. so here we are ten years later. how are we doing? last month, the d.e.a.'s 2018 national drug threat assessment concluded that, mexican drug cartels remain the greatest criminal drug threat to the united states. i close my 2009 hearing, by saying we must take action to reduce the demand for illegal drugs in the united states, and stem the flow of illegal guns and money to mexico. democrats and republicans must work together, to find bipartisan common sense solutions to this challenge. now, today, ten years later, we are in

mr. nelson: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, i ask consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. nelson: mr. president, i want to speak about one of the world's great natural treasures, the florida everglades. 18 years ago is an anniversary. as a matter of fact, december of 2000, one of the major water bills that the congress passes usually about every five to seven years was enacted. and they typically contain army corps of engineers projects for water, for water handling, for water channeling. the great rivers and lakes of america. all of those water projects that are so vital to the economic functioning of this country, ports, dams, renourishment projects, beach renourishment all across the country this water bill was passed back in december of 2000. and it also authorized for the first time the comprehensive restoration plan for america's florida everglades. it was a 30-year multibillion-dollar effor