senator cornyn, i do think -- and i believe you mentioned it miss mcdonald that the ability to have people in prison begin to work before they're released has real potential. maybe mr. tollman you mentioned it. i do think that can work. my observation over the years of attempts to have education and other kind of character-building programs in prison before they're released doesn't seem to have much benefit. do you agree with that, miss mcdonald? >> it's very hard to find a -- excuse me. it's hard to find a current or a released prisoner who has not been offered programs galore. they do exist in prisons, but i think work gives a sense of self-esteem and is the best training for re-entry that we've got. the risk assessment, the

-- defect and begin supporting the cornyn bill. what is occurring is rather than looking to find consensus or to join together to support legislation that might actually help solve the problem, some of the democratic leadership are actively lobbying their own members not to get on legislation or support legislation that might actually pass and might actually work. that strikes me as incredibly cynical and not -- and doesn't demonstrate an interest in actually solving the problem but, rather, political grandstanding. so i would encourage all of our colleagues, regardless of where you stand on this issue, let's try to figure a way to move forward. we have a real opportunity to address the common element found in most of these mass shootings and we don't have any time to waste. we can do better for the american people and get the mental health and safe communities act done. madam president, i -- on another matter, i have 11 unanimous consent requests toker committees to meet during today's session of the senate. these have been approv

but it's worth considering and thank you senator cornyn and all of you for your work. >> senator cornyn? >> one thing strikes me as true, it's for people who don't want to change, they never will change. but there are people in prison, ms. campbell may be an example of that, who ha, if given an opportunity, to reduce their level of confinement by dealing with their underlying issues, whether it's drugs, alcohol, mental health issues, work skills, general education can earn a lower level of confinement, perhaps halfway house, perhaps in-house confinement which is the goal, as you know, mr. tolman, of the corrections act. it provides those incentives for people who have the desire to turn their lives around. but for those who don't, i agree, no -- we can't design enough programs because none of them will work if somebody hasn't made the decision in their own mind that they want to turn their life around and take advantage of that. mr. deroche, what's your experience been with the prison fellowship? >> thank you, senator. for all the senators, in the testimony that i submitted there is cit

senator cornyn mentioned a 19% improvement. that's enough. show me a program that has a 19% improvement rate, i'm interested. the only problem is, i have never seen a new program that the first few years that data always looks great. as time goes by, they haven't proved to be able to maintain that success. that's worth considering. thank you, senator cornyn and all of you for your work. >> one thing strikes me as true, it's for people who don't want to change. they never will change. there are people in prison, ms. campbell maybe an example of that, who haif given an opportunity to reduce their level of confinement by dealing with their underlying issues, whether it's drugs, alcohol, mental health issues, work skills, education -- general education, can earn a lower level of confinement, perhaps halfway house, perhaps in-house confinement, which is the goal of the corrections act to provide those incentives for people who have the desire to turn their lives around. for those who don't, i agree, we can't design enough programs because none of

withwant to echo and agree what senator cornyn said just a minute ago. i don't think we should see this bill is on the double reversed the pendulum. the american people feel good about the direction of our criminal justice system. nonor would it be fair to say ts will search to push the pendulum back so that it swings in only one direction. that is not true either. we are making adjustments to the existing framework and in some result inmight similar sentences or in larger sentences. penalties andome extend the statutory maximum. this is not a reversal. this is made necessary by what we have seen in recent years and it has occurred to us in some instances, we over punish crime and that's not a good thing. this results not only in a waste of money but of human lives and we want to avoid that where we can. i was wondering if i can ask -- you have spoken about the important role congress plays on the top and in the bottom and, setting the top range and the bottom range. can get tocongress the point where most of the senators and members of the penaltiese, c

-- defect and begin supporting the cornyn bill. what is occurring is rather than looking to find consensus or to join together to support legislation that might actually help solve the problem, some of the democratic leadership are actively lobbying their own members not to get on legislation or support legislation that might actually pass and might actually work. that strikes me as incredibly cynical and not -- and doesn't demonstrate an interest in actually solving the problem but, rather, political grandstanding. so i would encourage all of our colleagues, regardless of where you stand on this issue, let's try to figure a way to move forward. we have a real opportunity to address the common element found in most of these mass shootings and we don't have any time to waste. we can do better for the american people and get the mental health and safeup to thr. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. murray: madam president, i come to the floor today to speak on an issue that hits far too close to home for far too many familie

also senator cornyn, senator whitehouse. senator lee and i joined with senator booker who try to craft the effort before us today. there was a lot of hard work involved, most done by our staff, that's the case around the united states senate in most instances but at the end we have a product well worth the title of meaningful historic reform. and i want to thank miss yates from the department of justice for encouraging us and grading us as we made progress on this effort. i'd like to address a couple things that we wanted to make clear. first, we believe that there are many non-violent drug offenders currently serving lengthy mandatory minimum sentences. and that that is the category that we were looking at. in 2011, the sentencing commission did a comprehensive study on mandatory minimums. they found 55,000 people were in federal prison serving mandatory minimum sentences for a drug crime, 55,000. that's more than 50% of all federal drug offenders and more than one quarter of all federal prisoners. many of those serving are

cornyn: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i'd ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be rescinded. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order, morning business is closed. and under the previous order the senate will resume consideration of s. 754, which the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 28, s. 754, a bill to improve cybersecurity in the united states through enhanced sharing of information about cybersecurity threats and for other purposes. mr. cornyn: mr. president, it's easy for the public and the press to focus on the issues that divide us here in washington, d.c. and around the country, and in fact in washington, d.c., that's a world-class sport. focusing on divisions and the things that separate us, the things we clearly can't agree on on occasion. but today i'm happy to highlight an area marked by broad consensus and true bipartisan spirit. in my time in the senate, i've learned that neither politi

cornyn: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. cornyn: mr. president i continue to read in the up newspaper, in the press particularly that that covers our activities here in congress, talking about the shutdown that was averted because we were able to pass a continuing resolution by -- before the midnight end of the fiscal year on witness day night. -- on wednesday night. but i'd like to reflect just a few minutes on what the cause of this drama is and where the responsibility actually lies for all of this shutdown drama which is completely unnecessary if the senate and the congress were permitted to basically do our job. for example just this afternoon our democratic friends decided to filibuster legislation that would help our veterans and our men and women in uniform because it would fund the full range of services to veterans and construction of military facilities. if you think about that for a moment it becomes even more outrageous because the idea that in order to force this side of the aisle to the table in order to spend more money

cornyn: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. cornyn: mr. president, while he's still on the floor, i want to thank the senator from new jersey for his remarks. he's clearly one of this institution's experts on cuba and the castro regime. and i think we need to pay attention to what he's saying. unfortunately we seem to be dealing with other countries and other regimes as we hope they will be, not as they are in reality. and that was an important set of remarks so i thank the senator. mr. president, i have 10 unanimous consent requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they've been approved by the majority and minority leaders. i'd ask unanimous consent they be agreed to and printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: yesterday the united states senate voted to advance the national defense authorization act, what we call the ndaa. i worry sometimes that we talk in senate-speak and we don't actually communicate what this legislation is, so i'd like to talk a little bit about what thi

bill: senator john cornyn thank you from capitol hill for your time. what is next?ox senior judicial analyst. based owe what is describing what happens now. >> his call for special prosecutor or independent counsel is actual word is particularly appropriate in light what the justice department dumped on us friday afternoon, that is not withstanding the destruction of emails and deception under oath and attacking of political organizations with what she disagreed, mrs. lerner, lois lerner, the former head of the charitable branch of irs will not be prosecuted. we now know this justice department is not above making political decisions when the evidence of guilt is overwhelming. now with respect to mrs. clinton, she had three audiences before her, bill, on friday. she forgot about one of them. she had the committee. we all knew that and bested some of them and a couple got under her skin. she had the american public basically listening for 15 second sound bites and general impression. the third audience she forgot about the 25 fbi or special prosecutors watching and l

cornyn: mr. president? p. the presiding officer: majority whip. mr. cornyn: mr. president, after years of hard work, the united states senate yesterday passed legislation that will help keep the personal information of the american people safer, whether that personal information is in the hands of your bank or your credit card holder or whomever. as we know the threat of cyber attacks is all too real, 21 million americans lost their personal information, sensitive background information at the office of personnel management just this last summer. 21 million. as a matter of fact, the suggestion has been made that many of those people were individuals who filed extensive questionnaires, responses to extensive questionnaires in order to obtain a security clearance. so you can imagine the sensitiveness of that information. that followed on a breach at the internal revenue service in which the data of more than 100,000 taxpayers was stolen. it is a felony to divulge individual income tax information of an american taxpayer. it's a felony. yet somehow, some way this cy

durbin, cornyn, lee, graham, schumer, whitehouse, booker, senator scott. we have recent been joined by tillis and coombs. it is a trial -- truly landmark piece of legislation. it's a result of months of hard work, very thoughtful deliberation. it's been called the most significant criminal justice reform bill in a generation. i'm pleased to say that this bill has formed the basis for a bill in the house by chairman goodlat and ranking member conyers. further, president obama has stated that congress -- has asked that congress send him a bill this year. and if he did so, he would sign it. i am not -- i'm kind of glad that we have that bipartisan approach. i'm also pleased that such a large set of organizations from across the political spectrum have endorsed this bill. at this time, i would like to introduce into the record letters of support from major chiefs association, a group of 41 interfaith community organizations, the drug policy alliance, american bar association, the association of prosecuting attorneys, the american federation of government emplo

>> well, right now are eating a kettle cornyn corn, infused ice cream with homemade peanut brittle, and orange and blue m&ms. >> we have naming competitions. on our social media sites, we give them to customers and let them know, the background of the flavor, we pick a winner based off of however many come in. >> reporter: get your scoop of party like it's 1986 while it lasts at location in prospect >> the first batch we made we had maybe 4 tubbs per store it was gone by weekend. >> reporter: the amazing mets munchies stretch from the boroughs to the burbs. >> no mart matter the score say true tory the orange and blue with the margarita. >> layererred manager margarita. on top, fresh blood orange. >> patrick pours with passion. >> simone boyce, "fox 5 news" ." steve: that looks good right about now, 10:30 thursday night. dari: late night snack. >> latest flash point on upper east side wave station. >> overnight work, that is keeping neighbors up at night. dari: this could be cool, want to buy michael jordan's house? the huge incentive the star is for the girl scout meeting... for the so

cornyn: mr. president, i have eight unanimous consent requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they've been approved by the majority and minority leaders. i'd ask consent these requests be agreed to and printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i want to spend a few minutes speaking about a topic that we should all be able to agree on, even in this polarized environment in which we live and work. and that is the idea that transparency and accountability are a key to good governance. transparency and accountability are a key to good governance. open government is really a prerequisite for a free society, one in which the legitimacy of government itself depends on consent of the governed. and, in fact, you can't consent about something you don't know anything about so you get my point. and like our founding fathers recognized, a truly democratic system depends on an informed citizenry so that they can hold their leaders

cornyn: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the motion to concur in the house message to accompany h.r. 1314. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, earlier this week, the whitehouse and congressional leadership announced a budget deal that will avert a potential shutdown of the federal government and prevent a default on our country's obligations. this agreement would provide relief to the arbitrary sequester caps for two years and maintain the full faith and credit of the united states by extending the debt limit until march, 2017. for months, we have been calling on both sides to abandon any reckless budget cuts and work together to give the american people much-needed relief from this sequester. i applaud president obama and the leaders from both political parties for crafting a commonsense solution that protects t

. >> senator cornyn? >> thank you, mr. chairman, thanks, miss yates, for being here and i'm proud to be a co-sponsor of this legislation and i would just point out to my friend from alabama three things. this legislation does not eliminate a single mandatory minimum. it does not reduce sentences for any violent offender, and it creates new mandatory minimums and extends the scope of several existing ones related to violence. i know the senator speaks from experience in the criminal justice system and he is urging us to be very, very careful and i agree we should be very, very careful because the public safety is at stake. but, mr. chairman, approaeciate your willingness to include the cornyn/whitehouse act and ms. yates thank you for your comments about the so-called back end of the criminal justice system. in my case, the motivation came from our experience in texas where we're proud to be tough on crime and we finally decided to be smart about crime, too, and realized people who go to prison typically get out of prison a

. >> senator cornyn. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thanks, ms. yates, for being here. i'm proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation. i would point out to my friend from alabama three things. this legislation does not eliminate a single mandatory minimum. it does not reduce sentences for any violent offender, and it actually creates new mandatory minimums and extends the scope of several existing ones related to violence. i know the senator speaks from experience in the criminal justice system. he is urging us to be very, very careful. and i agree. we should be very, very careful. because the public safety is at stake. but mr. chairman, i appreciate your willingness to include the cornyn-whitehouse corrections act as a key element of the effort. ms. yates, thank you for your efforts about the so-called back end of the criminal justice system. of course in my case, the motivation for this legislation came from my experience in texas. we are proud to be tough on crime. we finally decided to be smart about crime too and realized people who go to prison typically get out

. >> cornyn and fellow senator from the state of new jersey, cory booker are part of a bipartisan groupeeking change and frankly, brett, dollars and cents appear to be at the heart of many of those calls, 2.2 million people are behind bars in american jails this year at an annual cost of $80 billion, brett. >> kevin corke live on the north lawn. stocks were down, the dow fell 42, the s&p 500 and the nasdaq both lost about five points. republicans go after the president's tax man. and pursue a budget deal with the president. we'll talk about both things with the panel, when we come back. your body was made for better things than rheumatoid arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist move to a biologic, ask if xeljanz is right for you. xeljanz is a small pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can reduce joint pain and swelling in as little as two weeks, and help stop further joint damage. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma, and other cancers have ha

were senator chuck grassley, who is the chairman of the senate judiciary committee, senator john cornyn, the republican whip, senator mike lee of utah, senator tim scott, and on the democratic side senator patrick leahy, the ranking democrat on the senate judiciary committee, senator cory booker of new jersey, a relatively new member of the senate, senator sheldon whitehouse, senator chuck schumer. we were there to announce what we think is an historic achievement, an historic agreement. we have been working now for years, literally for years, on both sides of the aisle to make significant, meaningful sentencing -- criminal sentencing reform and reform to the corrections system of the united states of america. on that stage, from mike lee to pat leahy and dick durbin, was the entire political spectrum of the united states senate and a lot of differences of opinion. there were times a year ago when i didn't think that announcement would ever take place, but today we came together on a bipartisan basis to announce that we had reached an agreement, an historic agreement, on the sentencing

cornyn: mr. president? the presiding officer: majority whip. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i want to express my gratitude to the majority leader and to the chairman of the ag committee here in the senate as well as the two senators from south dakota, senator thune and senator rounds for their cooperation and their commitment to address this issue. i particularly want to join the chairman of the agriculture committee, senator roberts, in commending mike conway, a good texan, who is chairman of the house ag committee, who i know is -- cares very deeply about this issue. texas is a huge agriculture state, and 98% of our ag productions are run by families and employs one out of every seven texans. texas ranchers and farmers are no stranger to the peril caused by drought and other weather-related events beyond their control. with the current regulatory environment and unforeseen perils they face i understand the necessity and viability of the crop insurance program to their livelihoods. so i just wanted to say that i too stand ready to support our colleagues working t

. >> cornyn and fellow senator from the state of new jersey, cory booker are part of a bipartisan group seeking change and frankly, brett, dollars and cents appear to be at the heart of many of those calls, 2.2 million people are behind bars in american jails this year at an annual cost of $80 billion, brett. >> kevin corke live on the north lawn. stocks were down, the dow fell 42, the s&p 500 and the nasdaq both lost about five points. republicans go after the president's tax man. and pursue a budget deal with the president. we'll talk about both things with the panel, when we come back. >>> i don't believe you. this is incredible. >> i have a long career, that's the first time anybody has ever said they do not believe me. >> i don't believe you. >> that's fine, we can have a disagreement. i'm willing to stand on our record. i'm willing to remind you it was not buried in 27 pages. most of that 27 pages is exhibits, when asked about the cuss toefdian -- which we knew for one day. >> being forthcoming is to say -- you know what, investigators, congress who is investigating -- >> will you

. >> last month texas senator john cornyn asked attorney general loretta lynch to appoint a special counselo take up the investigation. critics point to the doj's response to the tea party irs scandal and a lack of prosecution in the fast and furious gun program as examples of selective enforcement. but doj sources say prior investigations into former senator john edwards and new jersey senator bob menendez, both democrats, prove the department's impartiality. >> private email server during the select benghazi committee investigation. speaking of, one week from today clinton is expected to testify before that committee on capitol hill. it should make for a very interesting day. brett? >> kevin corke live. more on this with the panel. hillary clinton survives, some say she thrived in the first democratic debate. what is next for her campaign and that email investigation? we'll ask the panel, when we come back. >>> i'm a progressive. but i'm a progressive who likes to get things done. i never took a position on keystone until i took a position on keystone. >> when we talk about syria, you're

cornyn: as someone who believes not all good ideas come from washington, d.c. encouraged that some of the provisions of the corrections act which deals with education and training actually has some real promise. mr. chairman, i would ask partmous consent to make of the record this report from the national reentry resource relating to state experiences. thatld just put out georgia, or north carolina experienced -- after the implementation of their program 19.3% reduction in recidivism. i think, rather than take this as a matter of faith, perhaps expressing our hopes and best wishes, we have some real results we can pitch to that demonstrate the workability of some of these programs. i don't think there is as much does agreement as it may look at first. obviously, for the people who will refuse to avail themselves of the opportunity to get an , incarceration works. for those people who will come out, it strikes me as common sose to try to help them they can cope with a productive life as opposed to being in the turnstile and going back and forth. i appreciate the

. >> last month texas senator john cornyn asked attorney general loretta lynch to appoint a special counselvestigation. critics point to the doj's response to the tea party irs scandal and a lack of prosecution in the fast and furious gun program as examples of selective enforcement. but doj sources say prior investigations into former senator john edwards and new jersey senator bob menendez, both democrats, prove the department's impartiality. >> private email server during the select benghazi committee investigation. speaking of, one week from today clinton is expected to testify before that committee on capitol hill. it should make for a very interesting day. brett? >> kevin corke live. more on this with the panel. hillary clinton survives, some say she thrived in the first democratic debate. what is next for her campaign and that email investigation? we'll ask the panel, when we come back. where our next arrival is... red carpet whoa! toenail fungus!? fight it! with jublia. jublia is a prescription medicine used to treat toenail fungus. use jublia as instructed by your doctor. are you g

texas senator john cornyn says nobody is popping champagne corks there is a lot of tough choices hereeta, back to you. >>> mike, doing a little math, i notice the deal takes him four months past the next election. they all have cover until after the next election. >> that's absolutely correct. make sure correctional dysfunction is not the story line heading into the 2016 presidential election. greta? >>> mike, thank you. and the search is on right now for a missing tourist after this boat capsizes drowning five people. a live report is next plus you know mary katharine ham she did something incredible to honor the life of her late husband. my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking.

citizenship of immigration services and served as special counsel to senator john cornyn. lyndon, thank you. >> thanks, joe. before we begin, let me recognize joe and holly hampton and kiefer and angelo petro for their tireless work in putting on this event. joe mentioned if you came here today expecting a lunchtime food fight over birth right citizenship and building walls on the border, i think you'll be a little disappointed today. what we do have are four of the most thoughtful, leading experts on immigration law who represent the government who come from the hill, advocacy organizations and academia. we'll hear from them today about the issues that are really going to be going on here in the last year and a half of the administration. let me do quick introductions. down on the far end, mary giovagnoli serves as deputy assistant secretary for immigration policy at department of homeland security. prior to that position, she was the director of the immigration policy center. for a number of years served as senior lawyer at first i.n.s. and them homeland security special

recognize and thank all of the original cosponsors who joined me in this bill, senators barrasso, cornyn, isakson, sullivan and toomey, and purdue. now, because of this bill, any illegal alien who illegally reenters the united states and has a prior aggravated felony conviction or two prior illegal reentry convictions will face a mandatory sentence of five years in prison. we must send the message that defiance of of our laws will no longer be tolerated. whether it is by the sanctuary cities themselves or by the illegal reentry offenders that they harbor. the problem of illegal immigration in this country will never be solved until we demonstrate to the american people that we are serious about securing the border and enforcing our immigration laws, until we have a president willing to and in fact committed to actually enforcing the laws and securing the borders. this bill is just a small step, but at least it is a step in the right direction. and yet, mr. president, there will be two consequences from the vote this afternoon. the first, it will be an opportunity for our friends on the d

senator burr and i worked closely with senators leahy and cornyn in putting together the managers' package to remove a foia exemption that they viewed as unnecessary and harmful. i'm pleased we were able to reach that agreement. however, the foia exemption that remains in the bill is needed to encourage companies to share this information, and i would oppose this amendment. the president has an amendment on the other side of the spectrum, which i will also strongly oppose. this amendment would basically undo one of the core concepts of this bill. instead of requiring cyber information to go through a single portal at the department of homeland security, it would allow companies to share cyber information directly with the f.b.i. or the secret service and still provide full liability protection. this change runs afoul of one of the most important privacy protections in the bill, which was to limit direct sharing of this cyber information with the intelligence community or with law enforcement. in other words, everything went through the portal first, where it would receive an additional scr

congressman, my senator cornyn. when are they going to say enough is enough?ongress has a role, you have your role, we do stand up to obama and say no, we will vote for this, you accept it or else? you shut this down, we are sick and tired of obama playing like a third world dictator. y.at is what i have to sa guest: i think it is important to say that the sequester is a republican idea. when the freedom caucus took over in 2010, they said unless you do this we will shut the government down. this is not the president's idea. if you want to talk about how we got into this mess, in iraq and afghanistan, the bush and ministration not only did not raise taxes to pay for it like nixon did in vietnam, they cut taxes. we have a deficit people are congress about, and came up with this provision. , he ando you, paul ryan patty murray got relief from the budget control act. to tell you how foolish things are and go back, they had a provision in there for military 62 that until you were you would get cost of living minus 1 and when you're 62 they would make it up for you

no, president obama should call over to senator john cornyn's office that is supported by the nationallliance on mental illness and association of police organizations that focuses on mental illness. something the president doesn't talk about very often when he's talking about gun control. it provide for more federal funding for states. so if that's something we can agree on from a bipartisan * perspective, i think that could work. let's answer that question about violent criminals. gregg: let me just point out, of all of these people involved none of them had been convicted of a crime nor had they been committed to a mental institution voluntarily or involuntarily, thus not triggering any of the laws. >> i think mercedes is right, this would have bipartisan * support and has the potential to get done. i would note after newtown there was additional money part of the executive across taken by the president. additional money provided for mental health services. to go to the background issues. other countries require that if you are going to get a gun, that you go see a doctor and the do

cornyn: mr.sident, just a few moments ago the senate refused to move forward on an important piece of legislation sometimes called the sanctuary cities bill. and i just want to explain for whoever may be listening, and particularly for our colleagues, what a terrible mistake our democratic colleagues made, with the is exception of two who voted to block even consideration of this piece of legislation. what this bill would do, it would withhold federal funds from jurisdictions that basically violate current law, that violate the information sharing requirement in immigration law section 642 of the 1996 illegal immigration reform and immigrant responsibility act. and secondly, it would withhold federal funds from those jurisdictions that refuse to honor lawful, legal process known as a detainer or request to notify federal authorities if local law enforcement decides to release an gleam -- illegal immigrant who happens to have been arrested for some other unrelated reason. this is a really importan

so we worked -- senator burr and i worked closely with senator leahy and cornyn in putting together the managers' package to remove a foia objection that they viewed as harmful and unnecessary. that has been removed in the managers' package. the presiding officer: the senator's time has expired. mrs. feinstein: i thank the chair. mr. leahy: madam president, much as i -- the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: much as i hate to disagree with my dear friend from california, i would on this. i don't like to see unnecessary exemptions to the freedom of information act. this exemption was added without public debate. it should have actually gone to the judiciary committee for consideration. and i think it would have made very clear if it had the vast majority of sensitive information to be shared under this bill is already protected from disclosure under existing foia exemptions. so a new exemption is unwarranted.but also what bothers me, this foia exemption preempts state and local information laws. those who believe in local control would vote for my amendment. such a s

senator cornyn has a bill that is working and he is working on the judiciary committee. i expect to see additional legislation that better support states in addressing substance use disorder in their communities and then we will see what other committees are doing and what the judiciary committee might be doing, what the finance committee might be doing on medicaid and medicare and also see if putting all this together we have a better and coordinated response to mental health. today's hearing is really to better understand the federal government's role in mental health treatment and how how to help states like tennessee deliver such critical care. i am looking forward to hearing from today's witnesses and are we putting up roadblocks, how are the programs working, i am interested in your thoughts on mental health research. one of the most important things the federal government does is to enable research because that enables individuals to move forward in this big complex society of ours. sometimes we are not good managers or good regulators but government research that

by the way, senate majority whip john cornyn says his measure is the solution. he's even introduced his own bill but he and his caucus have declined to advance it. we have to make background checks universal by closing the gun show loophole and the loophole for online sales. these loopholes allow criminals and drug abusers and mentally ill people who are already banned from having guns to get guns. finally, we need to lift the ban on n.i.h. and c.d.c. research. mr. speaker, i will not stand for another one of these hypocritical moments of silence. but i will stand up for any effort we make to pass sensible and genuine gun safety laws. this is a disservice to these families and the next families who don't want our prayers but want the lives of their loved ones back. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentlelady has expired. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. valadao, for five minutes. mr. valadao: thank you, mr. speaker. so today i have the opportunity and honor to represent my district on the senate side in a committe

senator cornyn -- i note senator stabenow and -- have done great work on mental health. i'd like to see my good friend from texas support the mow that is needed. not a pilot program. the more important point is this. doing things on mental health is not a substitute for closing the gunshow loophole. some colleagues on the other side of the aisle are feeling the heat. instead of taking the action they should, supporting the closing the gun loophole, they say let's focus on mental health without giving any reason why we shouldn't close the gun show loophole. so let's do both. now, today, madam president, we are calling on the american people to create a groundswell. president obama was exactly correct. the gridlock on congress on guns which beif you hadles almost all american people in every stayed, purposing, -- purple, red, blue, is because the overwhelming support of the american people is not translated into action here. we are calling on the american people to raise their voices. in the next few months. we are calling on the american people to rise. we're calling on t

john cornyn, who is the republican whip in the senate says, potus sending u.s. troops to syria in pursuit of what strategy? barbara lee says u.s. troops in syria and iraq is definition of mission creep, congress must , hold aink check aumf debate, and vote on military action. meanwhile, fox producer, chad ergram, quoting thornberry on sending forces to syria -- a more serious effort against isis is long overdue, however these steps may be too late. a republican caller, what are your thoughts? caller: i just remember when john kennedy sent advisers and special forces into vietnam. like the person just said, mission creep. -- they got more troops killed. they need to get out. thank you. host: wayne in california, an independent caller. caller: hello, thank you for having me. no, i do not agree. if we are going to be using special troops, we need to use them to actually fight isil, and not lying to the american people, and wasting money in ssad's troops. we wasted already one point $4 trillion over there. we need to stop lying to the american people, and actually d

senator john cornyn, thank you so much! we'll be back in a moment. that was the perfect answer.ou. take healthcare. make sure you're covered for more than what just medicare pays... consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company... the only medicare supplement plans that carry the aarp name, and the ones that millions of people trust year after year. always have a plan. plan well. enjoy life. go long. when laquinta.com sends craig wilson a ready for you alert the second his room is ready, ya know what he becomes? great proposal! let's talk more over golf. great. how about over tennis? even better. a game changer! the ready for you alert, only at lq.com. they come into this iworld ugly and messy. ideas are frightening because they threaten what is known. they are the natural born enemy of the way things are. yes, ideas are scary, and messy and fragile. but under the proper care, they become something beautiful. ♪ hi, tom. how's the college visit? does it make the short list? yeah, i'm afraid so. it's okay. this is what we've been

recognize and thank all of the original cosponsors who joined me in this bill, senators barrasso, cornyn, isakson, sullivan and toomey, and purdue. now, because of this bill, any illegal alien who illegally reenters the united states and has a prior aggravated felony conviction or two prior illegal reentry convictions will face a mandatory sentence of five years in prison. we must send the message that defiance of of our laws will no longer be tolerated. whether it is by the sanctuary cities themselves or by the illegal reentry offenders that they harbor. the problem of illegal immigration in this country will never be solved until we demonstrate to the american people that we are serious about securing the border and enforcing our immigration laws, until we have a president willing to and in fact committed to actually enforcing the laws and securing the borders. this bill is just a small step, but at least it is a step in the right direction. and yet, mr. president, there will be two consequences from the vote this afternoon. the first, it will be an opportunity for our friends on the d

time of c -- the type of continuum, and the bipartisan support that is there, senator franken and cornyntroduced the bill. i think these are federal incentives for people around the country to develop responses. >> thank you. >> no questions on this side, we'll go back to the last. >> my name is bernie aarons, i'm a psychiatrist, a medical director of a large psychiatric hospital. i used to work in samsa. i am thinking about the two speakers we heard earlier and trying to cross-reference the special education and mental health work that these people do. you raised two areas that need attention, crisis intervention teams, mental health services in jails and prisons. opportunities for expansion and training of the mental health work force. and i'm wondering whether attention -- whether the attention to federal legislation helps accelerate the implementation of those programs or diverts our attention in a way that makes it -- that may prolong that. i wonder, for example, if attention to how the bureaucratic boxes are structured in the federal government is where efforts should be spent or s

senator franken and cornyn introduced the bill. really important i think federal incentive for communities around the country to develop these effective responses. >> thank you. seeing no questions on this side we'll go back to the left. >> my name is bernie errands. i'm a psych key tryst. -- psychiatrist. and i used to work with smsa. working at a crosswalk between federal legislation and work that advocates and mental health professionals do. you have raised some very important areas that need attention. crisis intervention teams. criminal just disdivergence programs, mental health systems in jails and prisons, expansion of the and training of the mental health workforce and i'm wondering whether the attention to federal legislation helps accelerate the implementation of those programs or diverts our attention in a way that makes it, that may prolong that? i wonder, for example, if attention to how the bureaucratic boxes are structured in the federal government is where efforts should be spent or somewhere else? so i would be int

senator franken and cornyn introduced the bill.it is an important i think federal incentive for communities around the country to develop effective responses. >> thank you. no questions on this side? we'll go back to the left. >> my name is bernie aarons. i am a psychiatrist, medical director of a large psychiatric hospital. i used to work in samsa. i'm thinking about the two speakers we heard earlier and this panel and trying to cross-walk between efforts at federal legislation and the work that advocates and mental health professionals do. you've raised some very important areas that need attention, crisis intervention teams, criminal justice diversion programs, mental health services in jails and prisons, opportunities for expansion and training of the mental health workforce. and i'm wondering whether attention -- whether the attention to federal legislation helps accelerate the implementation of those programs or diverts our attention in a way that makes it -- that may prolong that. i wonder for example if attention to how the

>> john cornyn has a bill. i'm talking to hmm. let's see if we can incorporate that.f legislation than what we have today. mental illness is ani illness w don't pay much attention to. the reporting is done in virginia at a tremendous facility. we need to get accurate reporting. we should make sure they have accurate records, we want to help them. >> put up that last poll, guys. i just have a question. the last poll about laws to stop mentally ill people from buying guns, who are the 19% of americans who oppose mentally ill people from buying guns? >> it's probably people who don't want people to stigmatize a population. >> those are only the people who have about ruled by a court as mentally unstable. >> all right, we must get down to washington. >> and hillary clinton's changed position on keystone is the subject of some of bernie sanders' most pointed criticism from vermont. when a moment turns romantic why pause to take a pill? or stop to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use is approved to treat both erectile dysfunction and the urinary symptoms of bph, like needi

john cornyn donald trump could be right that they are doing well -- john: donald trump could be right are doing well, on the second point, i tend to agree that by any normal measure of hard landing is unlikely china will hit it, but it could stockton and slow a bit. by most standards in most countries, it looks like it will be ok. jason: i hope you are right. chance. i think there is a 20 percent chance they have an old-fashioned hard landing, 0% growth type of thing. austan: it would not say that. david: in what period of time? austan: over the next year. david: what is the chance of going to zero? austan: it won't be in official statistics because -- stephanie: they are made up. let's go with actual. jason: an interesting play is investors are running away from risk in part because of what is going on in china, so this is from the chief risk officer at patterson who does a lot of distress, everyone has become conservative at the same time. investors are wondering if the uncertainty are temporary or something more sinister going on in the background. you have a particularly messy coc

congressman, my senator cornyn. when are they going to say enough is enough?ongress has a role, you have your role, we do stand up to obama and say no, we will vote for this, you accept it or else? you shut this down, we are sick and tired of obama playing like a third world dictator. y.at is what i have to sa guest: i think it is important to say that the sequester is a republican idea. when the freedom caucus took over in 2010, they said unless you do this we will shut the government down. this is not the president's idea. if you want to talk about how we got into this mess, in iraq and afghanistan, the bush and ministration not only did not raise taxes to pay for it like nixon did in vietnam, they cut taxes. we have a deficit people are congress about, and came up with this provision. , he ando you, paul ryan patty murray got relief from the budget control act. to tell you how foolish things are and go back, they had a provision in there for military 62 that until you were you would get cost of living minus 1 and when you're 62 they would make it up for you

senator cornyn has a bill that is working -- that he's working on in the judiciary committee. so i expect to see the health committee report additional legislation in the coming months that better supports states in addressing mental health and substance use disorder in their communities. and then we will see what other committees are doing, what the judiciary committee might be doing, what the finance committee might be doing on medicaid and medicare, and see if putting all those together we have a better coordinated response toward mental health. today's hearing, though, is really to better understand the federal government's role in mental health treatment and how it can help states like tennessee meet such high need and deliver such critical care. i'm looking forward to hearing from today's witnesses. are there administrative things we can do, programmatic things, are we putting up road blocks? i'm particularly interested in your thoughts on mental health research. one of the most important things our federal government does is to enable -- is research. because that enable

and in first corinthians living in a series of groups in one of those groups is the term that he cornyncoined that is interpreted to read homosexuals. but libel prohibits homosexuality. and when they read the scriptures in a different way, but with his traditional understanding over 19th century the stars to changes in the middle of the 20th century and up to that point home of sexuality is not a subject for political discussion but having jail time in their of the books there is no movement to repeal them. starting in the '50s on a small scale to pick up steam with the rebellion but then by that point it is open for a discussion and it is the subject for another discussion among ordinary citizens. so the trend of public opinion it was even better that way. starting in the early '70s this is a homosexual relations are not wrong at all. this except the morality of follows such rowdy from the early '70s three-year of the '90s only 12 4% 15% of americans and for a point of reference given you the entire population and the evangelicals with the strongest opponents surrounding homosexuality