hoeven: mr. borman, you and i talked about how to make sure these restaurants and other small businesses that people in cuba are trying to get going -- how do we support that effort? mr. borman: several ways. one is, the folks who make the exports from the united states know who they are intended for and they know those individuals because they are often relatives. if the items don't get to them, they will hear about that. we have a good working relationship with a lot of the exporters to make sure the items go way they are supposed to go. sen. hoeven: now you are starting to help people, entrepreneurs, the kind of things that hopefully will create some pressure for a change. do you have a way to enforce that? if we have products going in there, to make sure they are getting to these small businesses? the other thing is payment. how are you going to make sure that people get paid for products they ship into that market? mr. borman: so far, we have not heard any complaints of u.s. exporters not ge

hoeven: mr. bormann, you and i talked specifically to make sure that these restaurants and other small businesses that people in cuba are trying to get going. how do we support that effort as we do this? mr. borman: several ways. one is the folks who make the experts from the united states know who they are intended for an end of the individuals because they are often relatives are running bed-and-breakfast in the auto repair shops. if the items don't get to them, they will to about that. we have a very good working relationship with a lot of exporters to make sure that they items go to where they are supposed to go. sen. hoeven: now you're talking about helping people in the business and altered northside which will create some pressure for change over there. do you have a way to enforce that if we're going to have good products or other products going in there to make sure that they are actually getting to the small businesses that are trying to get going? the other thing is payment. how do you

hoeven: thank you. sen.oberts: i thank the senator and thank the panel for responding. >> thank you, mr. chairman. we've asked you three or four times about alimport. y'all said you hope that will see this restriction lifted. i can remind you, hope is not a strategy. we are hopeful that you will take the concern that is being expressed today about alimport back to your smaller groups as you discuss opportunities going forward. we have long been concerned about the extension of credit for ag transactions and trade. hopefully, tomorrow, we are going to take a move in the right direction. i think you have highlighted the number one thing we think we can deal with, which is 908. i support lifting the embargo entirely. that may be a bridge too far for this congress. so we've got to take these baby steps. i have a couple specific questions for you, undersecretary. the federal checkoff dollars have not been used for promotion of trade with cuba. the assumption is that this is due to the language of psra, which prec

we just can't keep dealing with every disaster and building it back as senator hoeven says the way it was only to rebuild it time and time again. we have to do that differently. so we have to look at risk reduction. and then the last thing, we oftentimes at feem had a and as your committee staff will tell you have not been good stewards of the basic functions of our programs, whether it's it personnel, a lot of the things that may not be things people want to talk about in disaster, but if you don't have the foundational systems of your management working right you're not going to build that catastrophic disaster response team t it goes from how you hire people to how you mr. your systems, how you set up your architecture for it. so we look at these five areas and draw all of our programs through that lens of are we as a nation building the cape ability to respond to catastrophic disasters, not just what fema does but through all those grant dollars that have funded local and state capabilities. are we building the capability to respond as a nation to catastrophic disasters. so that,

re just can't keep dealing with every disaster and building it back, as senator hoeven says the way itwas only to rebuild it time and time again. we have to do that differently. we have to look at risk reduction. and then the last thing, we oftentimes at fema, and as your committee staff will tell you, have not been good stewards of the basic functions of our programs. whether it's i.t., personnel. a lot of things that may not be things people want to talk about in disaster. but if you don't have the foundational systems of your management working right you're not going to build that catastrophic disaster response team. it goes from how you hire people to how you build your systems, how you set up your architecture for i.t. so we look at these five areas and draw all of our programs through that lens of are we as a nation building the capability to respond to catastrophic disasters? not just what fema does but through all those grant dollars. that have funded local and state capabilities. are we building the capability to respond to the nation's kafrkts disasters? so that mr. chairman

senator hoeven. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i actually want to pick up on a point that senator donnelly's making, and that is, i think there has to be a carrot and a stick to what we're doing here. we want to expand ag trade. that's good for our farmers, hopefully that's good for the cuban people. but at the same time we want to put more pressure on the cuban government to change its policies on human rights. so what can we do as we work here on ag trade to make sure that we're doing that. how do we get these products down to the small businesses and the entrepreneurs that are actually trying to make something happen in terms of free enterprise in cuba, and how do we at the same time create some pressure on the -- on the cuban government on the castro regime to change and to particularly change in regard to human rights. i'd like to hear from each one of you on that. >> senators, you well know coming from the big ag states that you're from, agriculture throughout history has been a way to break down some of the barriers that we

the question occurs on the hoeven amendment number 299 as modified. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed nay. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the amendment as modified is agreed to. the question occurs on the sullivan amendment number 279. all those in favor say aye. those opposed say nay. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. the question occurs on the wicker amendment number 1126. all those in favor say aye. those opposed nay. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. the question occurs on the flake amendment number 294. all those in favor say aye. those opposed nay. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. the question occurs on the cassidy amendment number 308. all those in favor say aye. those opposed nay. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. the question occurs on the portman amendment number 1128. all those in favor say aye. those opposed nay. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes have it. the amendment is agre

senator hoeven. >> thank you, mr. chairman.actually want to pick up on a point that senator donnelly's making, and that is i think there has to be a carrot and a stick to what we're doing here. we want to expand ag trade. that's good for our farmers hopefully that's good for the cuban people. but at the same time we want to put more pressure on the cuban government to change its policies on human rights. so what can we do as we work here on ag trade to make sure that we're doing that. how do we get these products down to the small businesses and the entrepreneurs that are actually trying to make something happen in terms of free enterprise in cuba, and how do we at the same time create some pressure on the -- on the cuban government on the castro regime to change and to particularly change in regard to human rights. i'd like to hear from each one of you on that. >> senators, you well know coming from the big ag states that you're from, agriculture throughout history has been a way to break down some of the barriers that we have

and i'm pleased to be joined in this effort by senator heitkamp heitkamp senator hoeven, senator lankford and hopefully others as this discussion progresses. iran's government is largely dependent on its exports of oil for its revenue source. it sends oil to countries such as china japan india south korea, and the sanctions that have been imposed have really hurt. they have -- they have hurt iran's economy. they have really been what has brought iran to the table here. the sanctions that have been in place have cost the government in tehran some $40 billion in lost export revenues in 2014 alone, and this is according to the treasury department. but under the sanctions regime and the joint plan of action, countries are still able to purchase iranian oil and i don't think a lot of folks understand that. they say okay, the sanctions are in place so iran can't be driving -- deriving any forest their oil exports. but in fact countries are able to purchase iranian oil up to 1.1 million barrels per day and no surprise, countries have purchased up to that limit nearly every month since the j.p.a.

the bipartisan hoeven-manchin bill to authorize the keystone x.l. pipeline. the permanent solution for medicare sustainable growth rate that passed 92-8. the child health insurance bill passed 92-8. the renewal of that. and the cornyn-klobuchar bill to fight the scourge of modern-day slavery known as human trafficking. these are not republican messaging bills. the majority leader has admirably avoided the temptation to fill our agenda with partisan bills just to score cheap political points. instead we have focused on bills that command broad bipartisan support. moreover consider the bills that the majority leader has indicated are next up for floor consideration. the corker-menendez iran agreement legislation that passed the foreign relations committee with unexpected and impressive unanimity. the bipartisan alexander-murray rewrite of no child left behind and the bipartisan congressional trade priorities accountability act that passed out of the finance committee last night with the support of 13 republicans and 7 democrats. by identifying these priorities,

the question occurs on the hoeven amendment number 299 as modified. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed nay. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the amendment as

hoeven: thank you mr. president. i rise today to speak in support of the justice for victims of trafficking act. it's good legislation drafted and introduced by the senator from texas senator cornyn, and alsoor the senator from minnesota, senator klobuchar. they had originally put this bill together in the last congress and i was pleased to be a cosponsor of that bill and i'm also very pleased to to be an original cosponsor of the legislation that they've introduced earlier this year and the the legislation that we have on the floor now. this bill has many strong points many important strong points. i'm going to go through some of them not all of them, but a number of them. for example, it makes sure that victims get restitution and witnesses get rewards for cooperating with law enforcement before others, and it encourages prosecutors to get training on restitution in human trafficking cases. its of gives law enforcement greater authority to seize the assets of convicted human traffickers. and it protects victims and

klobuchar 296 hoeven 299 as modified sullivan 279 wicker 1126 blake 29 -- flake 294 cassidy 308 portman 1128, brown 310 brown 312 heller 1122 shaheen 303. i further ask that there be no second-degrees in order to any of the amendments listed and following disposition of the shaheen amendment the committee-reported substitute as amended be agreed to, the bill as amended be read a third time and the senate proceed to a vote on passage. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. wyden: reserving the right to object, mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: mr. president would the majority leader consider at this time modifying his request to drop the kirk amendment number 273? the presiding officer: will the majority leader so modify his request? mr. cornyn: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president as i understand the distinguished senator from oregon is asking to amend the consent request and i would reserve the right to object to that request and make the simple point that the kirk amendment targets onlin