mr. president. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the question occurs on the amendment 340 as modified. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: vote: vote: the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote? seeing none, the tally is, the yeas are zero, the nays are 57. and 43 senators responded "present." mr. enzi: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. enzi: mr. president, i call up amendment number 389. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: the senator wyoming, mr. enzi, for mr. strange, proposes an amendment numbered 389. mr. enzi: mr. president, i ask that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. who yields time? no one yields time. time will be charged equally to both sides. mr. cornyn: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. cornyn: mr. president, this w

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator hawaii. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent to vitiate the quorum call. the presiding officer: the senate is not in a quorum call. mr. schatz: thank you, mr. president. you know, this afternoon -- late this afternoon around 5:00 a number of republican senators indica unwillingness to support the so-called skinny bill, which would rip health care from 16 million people according to c.b.o. and increase health insurance premiums by 20%, and not 20% over several years, 20% per year for the next several years. doubling health insurance premiums over the next four or five years. that's the bill we're talking about. but they said, look, they don't like this bill, but they are willing to vote for it if they are provided assurances that this is just a -- sort after procedural vote. we just had a motion to proceed that was procedural in makers according to them. we think it's the vote on health care. now, the second vote, which is actually a vote to enact legislation, they're saying they're going to vote fo

mr. president. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: is noter from connecticut. mr. murphy: thank you, mr. president. this process is an embarrassme embarrassment. this is nuclear-grade bonkers what is happening here tonight. we are about to reorder one-fifth of the american health care system and we are going to have two hours to review a bill which at first blush stands essentially as health care system arson. this bill is lighting the american health care system on fire with intentionality, and to use the word "freedom" at its center? there's freedom in this bill. there's the freedom to go bankrupt. there's the freedom to get sick and not be able to find a doctor. there's freedom in this bill to die early. that's not hyperbole, guys. that's what happens when overnight 16 million people lose insurance. and don't tell us that's because people all of a sudden won'ting mandated to buy t this is a vicious cycle that happens. when you get rid of the mandate, every single in

mr. president. sena >> mr. president. >> the senator from hawaii. >> mr. ident, so many of us have spoken so many timeses now against the repeal of the affordable care act which would hurt millions and millions of people in ournt country and especially the sickest, poorest, and oldest among. i would say i'm probably the only senator here who is not born in a hospital. i was born at home and rural japan. pne i lost a sister to pneumonia when she was only two years old in japan and she died at home. not in hospital or maybe your life could have been saved. it's hard for me to talk about this. i think you can tell.igrant, when i came to this country as an immigrant, my mother brought me to this country so we can have a chance at a better life. we came here with nothing. she had no paying jobs. growing up as a young girl in hawaii, my greatest fear washe that my mother would get sick and if she got sick, how are we going to pay for her care. how would she go to work and if she didn't go to work,i there would be no pay. there would be no money. i know what it's

mr. president. mr. president, this legislation known as the americans with disabilities act is 27 years old today. it's a piece of legislation that both recognizes and guarantees the rights of people with disabilities. it is at its heart a civil rights bill. the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. mr. casey: the a.d.a. is a civil rights bill that promises liberty and freedom for people with disabilities. the liberty and freedom all americans are promised that our founding documents guarantee and that we in the senate are charged with protecting for all citizens. we should be celebrating. we should be celebrating the liberty and freedom of people with disabilities, but instead -- instead of having a celebration of the americans can disabilities act on this anniversary day, the senate republican bill, which i guess is -- basically the house bill that we're -- we're on right now -- that bill threatens that freedom, threatens that liberty that was accorded in the americans can disabilities act wi

mr. president. at this point in president obama's presidency, we allowed more than 90% of his nominees to clear by a simple voice vote. and we only ask for those procedural votes known as cloture votes eight times. at the same point under this current president, president trump, democrats have allowed voice votes 10% of the time. 90% of obama's nominees got a voice vote, 10% of trump's got a voice vote. and they forced procedural hurdles 30 times. often these needless delays have nothing to do with a nominee's credentials or whether or not the democrats support the nominee. in many cases, in fact, they actually do support the nominee, like the nominee before us. as "the wall street journal" observed, democratic obstruction against nominees is nearly total. most notably a demand for cloture vote filings for every nominee no matter how minor the position. what does this mean? it means a two-day waiting period and then another 30 hours beyond that. it's not about changing the outcome. it's about wasting

mr. president. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: is noter from connecticut. mr. murphy: thank you, mr. president. this process is an embarrassme embarrassment. this is nuclear-grade bonkers what is happening here tonight. we are about to reorder one-fifth of the american health care system and we are going to have two hours to review a bill which at first blush stands essentially as health care system arson. this bill is lighting the american health care system on fire with intentionality, and to use the word "freedom" at its center? there's freedom in this bill. there's the freedom to go bankrupt. there's the freedom to get sick and not be able to find a doctor. there's freedom in this bill to die early. that's not hyperbole, guys. that's what happens when overnight 16 million people lose insurance. and don't tell us that's because people all of a sudden won'ting mandated to buy t this is a vicious cycle that happens. when you get rid of the mandate, every single in

mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i want to start this afternoon by offering deepest condolences to the marine corps and all those who lost loved ones in the tragic plane crash yesterday in mississippi. we're still learning details about the incident, but we know that at least 16 on board the plane perished as a result of the crash. our hearts break for all those impacted and the many lives cut short in this tragedy. we're reminded of the bravery that our voluntary service members exhibit, putting their lives on the line both at home and abroad, in order to defend our communities and our freedom. we're indebted to them for their courageous, courageous sacrifice. now on a totally different matter, obamacare is a direct attack on the middle class. seven years ago democrats imposed it on our country. in the years since americans have found themselves at the mercy of its failures repeatedly. choice was supposed to go up, but it plummeted. costs were supposed to go

mr. president. i'm here, mr. president, to oppose the nomination of john bush to the united states court of appeals for the sixth circuit. i've been a member of the judiciary committee since i was sworn in as a united states senator six years ago. i participated in dozens of confirmation hearings. over time i've become accustomed to hearing nominees attempt to dodge our questions. but i've rarely come across a nominee who was as reluctant to respond to my questions as john bush, and i've rarely felt so unsure and concerned about how a nominee would assume the responsibility of a federal judgeship if confirmed. and i should emphasize to my colleagues as well as to the people of connecticut, there is no nomination that i take more seriously than a federal judgeship, having been before numerous federal judges, district court judges, court of appeals judges and the united states supreme court on four occasions, and having seen as a law clerk as well as a practicing lawyer the normal impact and profound importance of t

mr. president. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: is noter from connecticut. mr. murphy: thank you, mr. president. this process is an embarrassme embarrassment. this is nuclear-grade bonkers what is happening here tonight. we are about to reorder one-fifth of the american health care system and we are going to have two hours to review a bill which at first blush stands essentially as health care system arson. this bill is lighting the american health care system on fire with intentionality, and to use the word "freedom" at its center? there's freedom in this bill. there's the freedom to go bankrupt. there's the freedom to get sick and not be able to find a doctor. there's freedom in this bill to die early. that's not hyperbole, guys. that's what happens when overnight 16 million people lose insurance. and don't tell us that's because people all of a sudden won'ting mandated to buy t this is a vicious cycle that happens. when you get rid of the mandate, every single in

mr. president. to my friends on the security council, i must say that today is a dark day. it is a dark day because yesterday's actions by north korea made the world a more dangerous place. their illegal missile launch was not only dangerous, but reckless and irresponsible. it shows north korea does not want to be part of a peaceful world. they have cast a dark shadow of conflict on all nations that strive for peace. yesterday's act came from the same vicious dictator who sent a young college student back home to his parents unresponsive and in a coma. for americans, the true nature of the north korean regime was painfully brought home with the images of 2 guards holding otto warmbier up as they transfer your him from a prison he should have never been in. otto warmbier is one person and of millions who have been killed, tortured, or deprived of human rights by the north korean regime. two americans, the death of one innocent person can be as powerful as the death of millions, because all men and wom

mr. president. i'm really glad that i was able to be here on the floor to hear the remarks of my great friend, senator kaine. it is gut check time in the united states senate. the legislation that we're going to consider tomorrow, it would hurt a lot of people in ways i think that are very hard to fathom. one of our colleagues said, i didn't come here to hurt people. everybody came here with designs on how to make their community, their state, their nation a better place. and we are on the verge of taking a vote on a bill that objectively will rain a level of devastation down on this country that's really hard to fathom. i can't match senator kaine's eloquence talking about the personal stakes here. we take for granted the fact that, as employees of the united states senate, we get a health benefit that makes sure that if we do fall ill or if our children fall ill, we won't have to think about whether or not we have the money to be able to afford treatment. but that's not how it is for all of those f

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: mr. president, i am here this evening to stand with patients and families and communities nationwide to make sure they have a voice to continue speaking out against trumpcare, and to urge our republican colleagues to stand with their constituents and join democrats in rejecting this mean bill. mr. president, before i go any further, i want to talk about an incredible group of families i met with recently who are making their voices heard against trumpcare. these were parents with kids who are battling serious and complex medical conditions, and these families have spent the majority of their summer here in washington, d.c., sharing their stories about what having health care means to them. the little lobbyists, young kids, 3 years old, 5 years old, 8 years old who should be at home in their neighborhoods like other kids, but instead they are here fighting for their own health care and their lives. i held a press conference with these families here in the capitol where their parents shared

mr. president. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i listened very carefully to the majority leader and his request that we come forward and bring amendments to the floor, all of our ideas, how we can improve our health care system, that this would be an opportunity through budget reconciliation for us to deal with those issues. so, mr. president, i asked my staff to prepare amendments in order to protect the medicaid system from cuts. you asked my staff to prepare amendments to protect the essential health benefits that are in the affordable care act because it's important that we preserve those benefits, whether it is mental health and addiction services or one that's particularly important to maryland; that's pediatric dental. we all in maryland recall the loss of a 12-year-old not too many years ago because he couldn't get dental care, did he manta driver. i asked my staff to take a look at preparing amendments to protect minority

mr. president, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from pennsylvania. mr. toomey: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to speak on the health care topic for 15 minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. toomey: thank you, mr. president. i'm going to speak mostly about some medicaid reforms that were proposed in the bcra. but in the course of the discussion, i'm going to touch on some of the issues that our colleague who just finished raised. as we know, the bcra bill is not going to be the vehicle that we will take to a conference committee with the house, but i hope we will get to a conference committee with the house. and i hope that the result of that, among other things, is that we'll address the need to make important reforms to medicaid because they're long overdue. let me start by introducing -- i'll start with a chart here that illustrates our federal deficit and what exactly is driving our federal deficits. the fact is, i think we all know here we have two big categories of fede

mr. president, despite mr. bush's claims that he can't remember how it was that world net daily found its way on to his computer screen and despite his claim that he can't recall how he discovered, and then later cited, the writings of a birther conspiracy theorist, i suspect in mr. bush's case the simplest explanation is probably the right one. i suspect the reason mr. bush quoted from sources like world net daily so frequently is that mr. bush tbreengted -- f.b.i. -- frequen ted those sources. that is a suspicion based on my judgment. mr. president, the fact that a man who anonymously wrote inflammatory and anonymous blog posts and consumed information from sources that routinely published lies and racially insensitive material could be confirmed to a lifetime appointment on one of the u.s. courts of appeals should shock the conscience of each and every member of the senate no matter what your politics are. i have served on the judiciary committee for eight years and during that time i've had the opportunity

mr. president, they're wrong. i am here along with many of my colleagues today to take a stand, to make sure that families know just who president trump is trying to fill our nation's court system with and call on republicans to reject this nomination of john bush to the sixth circuit court of appeals. mr. president, i consider my decisions about whether or not to support judicial nominees to be among the most important and consequential choices i make as a united states senator. and, like supreme court justices, circuit court judges have lifetime appointments. they set legal precedent. they decide on the majority of federal cases. they can change and shape the lives of generations to come. and so it is the responsibility -- and so it is a responsibility i do not take lightly. mr. president, there are so many troubling aspects of this nominee's record -- previous statements, writings, legal views -- that should alarm every american from his views on lgbtq rights, about race, about campaign finance reform, to his vi

mr. president. the presiding officer: if no one yields time, time will be divided equally between both sides. mr. cornyn: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. cornyn: i am advised we are not in a quorum call, is that correct? the presiding officer: that's correct. mr. cornyn: mr. president, yesterday, we took a giant step toward delivering on our promise to the american people to provide relief from the failures of the affordable care act, otherwise known as obamacare. over the last seven years, we have discussed what our solution would look like, and everybody who has been willing to participate in that conversation, sadly, not our democratic colleagues who simply refused to do so, but every member of our conference has engaged in discussions and had input on how best to accomplish the goal of providing people affordable coverage, increased access, market stability and better care. we can talk about all of the details, but basically what this boils down to is how do we provid

mr. president. the president of the united states, mr. donald trump. president trump: thank you mr. president for your gracious hospitality, we have had a wonderful stay, it has been great but the people of poland have been so fantastic. as you know, polish americans came in droves and voted in the last election, and i was very happy with that result. i want to thank you and them. it is an honor to be here. it is a majestic nation, it really is, it is a spectacular place, some of the most beautiful sites. we saw coming over, very inspirational. you are rich in history and you have absolutely an unbreakable spirit. that is something we have learned over the course of many years. the president and i had a productive meeting in which we reaffirmed our enduring bonds of friendship. and have united our citizens for a long time. we have never been closer to poland than we are right now. poland is not only a great friend but an important ally and a partner with respect to our military. we have had great cooperation with poland, we fought shoulder to shoulder in many different encounters, pa

mr. president. mr. president, each michigander i talk to has their own unique hopes and dreams, but some aspects of the american dream are truly universitial. financial security, the opportunity for your children to grow and prosper and for a dignified retirement. mr. peters: we know there are almost limitless paths to achieved these shared goals. for my parents' generation, this often meant a fair day's pay for a day of hard work, a wage that grew steadily over time and perhaps a pension that could support a comfortable retirement and even the money to help with college tuition for your children. for small business owners, the path could mean bootstrapping a business from scratch, scraping by at first, building a business that had a good product, and did the right thing by your employees and then grow into a profitable business. but in today's economy, for so many people the connection between today's hard work and tomorrow's economic security isn't always so clear. new entrants into our work force are

mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. merkley: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator oregon. mr. merkley: mr. president, we're now considering the cruz amendment that he names consumer freedom. but there couldn't be a more misnamed amendment to come before this floor. americans know this as the fake insurance amendment. this is the amendment that says, hey, insurance companies, we're going to do you a big favor and let you sell these policy this as that aren't -- these policies that aren't worth the paper they're written on. and, hey, isn't this wonderful, says my colleague from texas, because people only have to pay a few dollars a month for those worthless policies and that's freedom. work --work i'll tell you, if the colleague had been out talking to people in rural america, as i have been, if he'd been out there talking to people in red america, as i have been, he would be hearing that people are terrified about this effort to annihilate health insurance. one out of three people in oregon has been able to be on the oregon health

mr. president. we like to think the secretary general for his breathing regarding the launch of the missile. the situation requires clarification and investigation. since there's been a ballistic missile registered it showed up on the russian system of warning of rocket launches according to information from the administer of russian federation based on an objective and technology based monitoring of the situation and established that the parameters and data regarding the target of the missile are in line with tactical criteria of midrange ballistic missiles. we are carefully following the development of the situation on the korean peninsula and we like to call your attention to the point russia and chinese statement about this issue made in moscow on july 4th. this was immediately following the missile launch. we find this action from the dpr to be in a miscible and to be running counter to security council resolutions. russia and china have urged them to firmly comply with the provisions of said r

mr. president. mr. corker: mr. president. mr. schumer: leader time. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. without objection. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. and last year, we know the united states was the victim of an attack by a foreign power in the very foundation of this dear democracy, the right of the people to a free and fair election. the consensus view of 17 agencies is that mr. putin interfered in the 2016 election. for that alone, the united states has more than just cause to sanction president putin and intelligence -- putin, an intelligence apparatus he directs. but to date, mr. putin and his allies have not suffered serious repercussions for this stunning breach of our right as a sovereign nation not to have our elections disturbed by a foreign capital. that all changes today. congress has drafted this sanctions bill to hold mr. putin accountable for his actions and to send a message to him and the rest of the world, any further attempts to degrade our democracy will meet further sanctions and action. we will not stand by i

mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i spoke with senator mccain this morning, let him know that the senate continues to send its thoughts to him. our friend from arizona is a pretty tough guy, as we all know. he'll be back with us soon, and we will continue to offer him best wishes for a speedy recovery. in the meantime we'll continue to keep sending his family, the people of arizona in our thoughts. we'll continue to work on items before the senate. as we all know, the nomination before the senate today is of particular concern to senator mccain. just a few days ago he, as chairman of the armed services committee, came to the floor to underline the importance of confirming the nominee before us. here's what he said: in order to rebuild the military, the pentagon needs to ramp up readiness programs and embark on an ambitious plan for modernation to make sure our service members are given the training, resources and capabilities they need. to do that, the departme

mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i move to proceed to calendar number 1275, h.r. 2810. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 175, har 2810, an act to authorize appropriations for 2018 for the department of defense for military construction and activities for the department of energy, and for other purposes. mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i'd like to start this morning with a few words about our friend and colleague from arizona, senator mccain, who we'll have an opportunity to welcome back today. as i noted last week, we all know senator mccain is a fighter. s that evidenced by his -- that's he evidenced by his remarkable life of public service just as it is evidenced by his quick return to the senate this afternoon. i know he's eager to get back to work and we're all very pleased to have him back with us today. now, mr. president, on the vote that we'll have today. in just a couple of hours, se

the presiding officer: the president pro tempore. mr. hatch: mr. president, the final pieces of obamacare care were signed into law a little over seven years ago. since that time republicans not just in congress, but throughout the country have been united in their opposition to the law and our commitment to repeal it. this hasn't been simply a political or partisan endeavor. we're not just trying to take a notch out of president obama's win column. the simple truth is that obamacare is not working. the law was poorly written and the system it created was poorly designed. even a number of obamacare supporters have come to acknowledge that it hasn't been working the way it was promised to work. as a result, millions of americans have suffered astronomical increases in their health insurance premiums, and fewer and fewer insurance options to choose from. that is obamacare's great irony. the law requires people to buy health insurance while also making it impossible to do so. for ?efn and a half years -- for seven and a half years republicans fought to

mr. president. we like to think the secretary general for his breathing regarding the launch of the missile. the situation requires clarification and investigation. since there's been a ballistic missile registered it showed up on the russian system of warning of rocket launches according to information from the administer of russian federation based on an objective and technology based monitoring of the situation and established that the parameters and data regarding the target of the missile are in line with tactical criteria of midrange ballistic missiles. we are carefully following the development of the situation on the korean peninsula and we like to call your attention to the point russia and chinese statement about this issue made in moscow on july 4th. this was immediately following the missile launch. we find this action from the dpr to be in a miscible and to be running counter to security council resolutions. russia and china have urged them to firmly comply with the provisions of said r

mr. president, ladies and gentlemen. it is my great pleasure to welcome to warsaw, to welcome topoland, the president of the united states of america,donald trump. i am delighted with his visit. this is one of the first international visits paid by mr. president trump. this expresses our bond and the high-quality of the alliance between poland and the united states. it demonstrates that we are and that we mutually assess each other as loyal partners of those who cooperate on many different areas, including the area of security within the nato alliance. today, this was one of the points of our discussion that we had during the meeting with the president followed by a preliminary session of armored allegations. we talked about the presence of american soldiers in poland and talked about strengthening the security of our property, including the eastern flank of nato. we discussed security in europe. we mention the situation in ukraine. we talked about the upcoming military exercise, which will take place in belarus. we talke

mr. president, regarding the delay of mr. delrahim's confirmation, i ask unanimous consent to enter two news articles into the "congressional record." the presiding officer: without objection. mr. hatch: thank you, mr. president. of course mr. delrahim's appointment is just one example among many. this particular example serves an important case in point. democrats are deliberately slow-walking dozens of confirmations in a cynical effort to stall the president's agenda and hurt the president. but they're hurting the country. they're hurting the senate. they're hurting both sides. i don't want to see republicans respond in kind when democrats become the majority. and when they may have the presidency. and it probably won't surprise anyone to hear they're not limiting their obstruction campaign to executive branch nominees. in fact, looking at the judicial branch shows this is part of a long-term obstruction strategy. in february 2001, just days after the previous republican president took office, the senate democratic leader sa

mr. president. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: thank you. mr. president, i do not know -- and i don't know if anybody knows -- whether the republican so-called health care legislation will pass tomorrow, whether the beginning of the debate will take place or whether it will not. i don't know that. but this i do know, is that the legislation being proposed -- and, by the way, we still don't know what that legislation is. but in general, what we do know is that that legislation being proposed is the cruelest, most destructive and irresponsible piece of legislation ever brought to the united states senate in the modern history of our country. i know the media focuses on do the republicans have the vote? how is this senator going to vote? how is that senator going to vote? all of that is interesting to those of us inside the beltway, but the far more important issue, which we don't discuss enough, media doesn't cover enough, is what this legislation actually would do if it w

mr. president. i yield the floor. mr. prince president, the majority leader says he will move forward this week with about on a straight repeal of the affordable care act in its entirety. i don't believe that a majority of senators are willing to support a reckless leap in the dark but that both would mean. it's a vote that would end protections for people with pre-existing conditions and would take health coverage away from tens of millions of americans, tens of thousands in new hampshire. it would terminate the medicaid expansion that has been critical to siding the opioid epidemic in my state in so many states across the country. according to the nonpartisan congressional budget office, a straight repeal of the affordable care act would result in more than 32 million people losing their insurance coverage by 2026. premiums would roughly double in the individual marketplaces. i urge my republican friends not to go forward with this misguided approach. the idea that they can repeall the healthcare bill now and give us a n

mr. president.ince senator last had to ask ministers question, there have been further horrific terror attacks around the world. these include attacks in manchester, london, kabul. the government is working to assist australians impacted by these attacks. >> thank you very much indeed, senator wong, for a very timely and important question. and of course i'm sure i speak on behalf of all members of this chamber in expressing our horror and outrage at the terrorist attacks that have occurred since the senate last met and in particular our grief at the news that australians have been among the victims both here in melbourne last week and overseas. it is a reminder to us that this is not a problem that exists on the other side of the world. it's not a problem that is not our problem. it is a problem that reaches out both in a familiar and hospitable city like london or in our own suburban streets to threaten and take the lives of australians. now, senator wong, i want to thank you and the australian la

mr. president -- [inaudible] president trump: thank you, everybody. reporter: mr. president -- [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> tonight on c-span, the senate foreign relations committee considers u.s. ambassador nominations. efforts examined to fight gang violence. south carolina congressman -- on find consensus on major issues in progress. >> the senate foreign relations committee held the confirmation hearing for investor nominations to key u.s. allies. including singapore, italy, the united kingdom -- nominees include former u.s. senator -- president trump's nominee for investor to nato. this is 2.5 hours. [chatter]

mr. president. to my friends on the security council, i must say that today is a dark day. it is a dark day because yesterday's actions by north korea made the world a more dangerous place. illegal missile launch was not only dangerous, but reckless and irresponsible. it shows north korea does not want to be part of a peaceful world. they have cast a dark shadow of conflict on all nations that strive for peace. yesterday's act came from the ame vicious dictator who sent young college student back home to his parents unresponsive and in a coma. for americans, the true nature of the north korean regime was painfully brought home with the ottos of 2 guards holding warmbier up as they transfer your him from a prison he should have never been in. is one person and of millions who have been killed, tortured, or deprived of human rights by the north korean regime. two americans, the death of one innocent person can be as powerful as the death of millions, because all men and women are created in god's image

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. carper: i understand we're not in a quorum call? the presiding officer: the senator is correct. mr. carper: i can just start. i think i will. i spent many of years of my life on an airplane, navy pilot. lamar alexander said something the other day, a pilot doesn't take off in an airplane unless he or she knows what the destination is. i thought that was pretty interesting. true. with respect to the health care, health care in this country, we have actually known for a long time what the destination is. and the destination is a combination of three things. better health care coverage for less money and cover everybody. that's really our destination. it's not just the destination this year in this congress. it's been our destination really since harry truman was president. and for some years, we've argued and disagreed about how to get to the destination. i don't think anybody would argue about the need to get to that destination. the question is how. in 1993 i mentioned yesterday in my

mr. president, members of the security council. mr. president, members of the security council, according to the official news agency of the democratic people's republic of korea, dprk, and various governmental sources, at approximately 9:00 a.m. local time on for july, 2017, the dprk launched a ballistic missile which its term the fire of inter- continental ballistic missile. the missile was launched near the airfields in the northwest of the dprk. according to the dprk's covered distance of 933 kilometers during a 39 million our flight reaching an altitude of 2800 kilometers before impacting into the sea according to these parameters, the missile would have a range of roughly 600 kilometers is launched on the more typical making it in intercontinental ballistic missile icbm, according to widely used definitions. the dprk did not sense the launch specification to those responsible to your space and maritime safety. the official media claims that dprk was now quote a full-fledged neutral power that has been in possession of the most pow

mr. president. i congratulate you and your assumption of the security council presidency this month. confident of china's skilled leadership and guidance of this council's important work. i also wish to thank the u.n. special coordinator and special representative of the secretary-general for his briefing to the council this morning. before proceeding, i also a new deep appreciation for bolivia for its wise leadership of the security council in june including its convening of the 20th june meeting of the council and reflect on the 15th -- 50th year of israelis for important occupation and arab lands since 1967. as reflected in the statements made by council members that day, the international consensus is firm and clear. the two state solution on the basis of the 31967 borders remains the central pillar of the just, comprehensive and peaceful solution based on the relevant resolutions the madrid principles and other peace initiative. also clear are the responsibilities of this council. prepare them to act to advance a solution for this conflict which continues to impact international

mr. president. the president of the united states, mr. donald trump. >> thank you very much, president duda, for your gracious hospitality. we've had a wonderful stay. it's been quick, but the people of poland have been so fantastic. and as you know, polish americans came out in droves. they voted in the last election, and i was very happy with that result. i just want to thank you and thank them. a true honor to be in poland. it's a majestic nation. it really is. a spectacular place. some of the most beautiful sites we saw coming over. very inspirational. you're rich in history and have absolutely an unbreakable spirit. that's something we've learned over the course of many years. the president and i concluded a productive meeting in which we reaffirmed our enduring bonds of friendship and have united our citizens for a long time. we've never been closer to poland, i think, than we are right now. poland is not only a great friend but a truly important ally and partner with respect to our military. we've had great cooperations with poland.

mr. president. i yield the floor. >> mr. president. >> senator from vermont. >> i don't know if anybody knows whether the republican so-called health care legislation will pass tomorrow, whether the beginning of the debates will take place or will not, i don't know that, but this i do know, is that the legislation being proposed, and by the way, we still don't know what that legislation is, but in general what we do know is that that legislation being proposed is the cruellest, most destructive and irresponsible piece of legislation ever brought to the united states senate in the modern history of our country. now, i know the media focuses on do the republicans have the vote, how is this senator going to vote, how is that senator going to vote? all of this is interesting to us inside the beltway, but the far more important issue, which we don't discuss enough, media doesn't cover enough, is what this legislation actually would do if it were implemented. right now, unique among major countries on earth, we do not guarantee hea

mr. president, 70 years after the u.n. was first seized with the question of palestine, the denial of the palestinian people's right to self-determination still continues. how many palestinian generations will have to endure the suffering caused by the persistent disposition, exile and military colonial israeli occupation in all its m manifestation? how many more years do we have to wait? how many more decades do we have to wait? here i must state before the council if affirmation and defense of the palestinian people's right is equated with being anti-israeli, then it means that only negotiation of palestinian rights can be considered pro-israel. that is not only offensive and unacceptable, it becomes an existential matter for the palestinian people. moreover, it applies that just peace, one that recognizes the legitimate aspirations and rights of the palestinian people is not possible and that somehow our collective pursuit forever peace is anti-israel. we reject such an equation and continue to believe that peace is pos

mr. president, and i yield the floor. >> mr. president, the majority leader says he will move forward this week with a vote on a straight repeal of the affordable care act in its entirety. i don't believe that a majority of senators are willing to support a reckless leap in the dark that that vote would mean. it's a vote that would end protection for people with pre-existing conditions.e it would take health coverage away from tens of millions of americans, tens of thousands in new hampshire. it would terminate the medicaid expansion that has been critical to fighting the opioid epidemic in my state and so many stitch across this country. and according to the nonpartisan congressional budget office, a c straight repeal of the affordable care act would result in more than 32 million people prem by 2026. premiums would roughly double in the individual marketplaces. i urge my republican friends not to go forward with this misguided approach. the idea that they can repeal the health care bill now andor give us a new bill in two years

mr. president. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. nnell: i ask unanimous consent that the senate be in a period of morning business withh senators permitted to speak thereon for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i understand there is a bill at the desk and i ask for its first reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the title for the first time. the clerk: h.r. 2430, an act to amend the federal food, drug, and cosmetic act and so forth and for other purposes. mr. mcconnell: i now ask for its second reading and in order toeplates bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14, to inmy own q. the presiding officer: objection having been,the title of the bill will be read for a second time on the next legislative day. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3:00 p.m. monday, july 17. further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to da

mr. president. i yield the floor. mr. enzi: mr. president, i yield such time as the senator from kentucky needs. mr. paul: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kentucky. mr. paul: as a physician and eye surgeon, i have seen obamacare up close, and it's not working for americans. if you look across the country, you say, is it working? you find that obamacare premiums have doubled for those in the individual marketplace in just a few short years. you find that the obamacare insurance mandates have caused 4.7 million people to lose the insurance that they chose. if you like your doctor, you can keep him or her. that was the promise and it was a lie. 4.7 million people were told they couldn't choose that insurance they want and couldn't choose their doctor. it is estimated there are 800,000 few jobs because of obamacare. how does that happen? well, if you work 32 hours a week and your employer has to give insurance at 30 hours, guess what happens, some people get moved to 28 hours. you add up all of those hours and mil

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. whitehouse: may i ask unanimous consent that any pending quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. whitehouse: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent to speak for up to ten minutes as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. whitehouse: thank you, mr. president. there was an interesting press conference earlier today in which i joined with senator heitkamp, senator capito, and senator barrasso on a common piece of legislation that will help address climate change. that does not happen often. so it was a good sign. this is not a comprehensive solution. it may not even make much of a measurable difference. but it will make some difference. it will help drive america's technological edge, and it will help as it gets implemented reduce our carbon emissions. it was very good to be working with those senators. the fundamental problem that we face with carbon capture and utilization and the reason why so little of it now happe