mr. president. i yield the floor. ms. warren: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from massachusetts. ms. warren: mr. president, i ask permission to speak. the presiding officer: the senator is recognized. ms. warren: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, our economy is in trouble and across our country a few giant corporations hold all the power. four airlines control over 80% of all domestic airline seats in america, five health insurance giants own over 80% of the health insurance market, four companies dominate over 80% of the beef market, three drug store chains control almost all retail pharmacies in the country, two companies sell more than 70% of the beer in america. as competition has been snuffed out in industry after industry, big corporations have made out like bandits and everyone else has paid the price. how do we pay? american families shell out more for lower-quality goods. small businesses find it harder to compete against the big guys. entrepreneurs find it tougher.

mr. president. mr. blumenthal: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. blumenthal: i am here for the third time in as many days to talkbout this natios response to a humanitarian crisis affecting millions of americans. the people of puerto rico and the virgin islands is similar to the situation in florida and the gulf coast, and some years ago in connecticut and other parts of this country face a natural disaster almost as devastating as an attack would be by a foreign power. analogous, different, but this category four hurricane maria caused consequences as devastating and destructive as any that man could do. it is a natural disaster. not man made, but it is turning into a man made disaster. the response so far from our government has been underwhelming. in fact, it has been inadequate and anemic. it has been shamefully slow and undersized, and should be vastly upgraded and increased. just moments ago, i learned that lieutenant general buchanan has been appointed to head the military efforts in puerto rico.

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from environment. mr. kaine: i also rise to speak briefly about the news news this week that the president is terminating deferred action for childhood arrivals but also putting the burden on the shoulders of this body to find an appropriate solution. the president often said as a candidate and even in his early days as president that he understood some things about these youngsters. he called them incredible kids and he also said that they would be fine. he did not use that language often in talking about immigrants, and so those were positive phrases that led many to hope that he would continue the daca program. many in his administration wanted him to, others in this body, the speaker wanted him to continue the program. but he announced he was terminating it in six months and asked congress to step up. i wanted to just tell you, mr. president, about a couple of youngsters that i was with last week. i had a roundtable on daca at northern virginia community college, which is one of the largest and most div

mr. president. i yield the floor. mr. thune: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: mr. president, it is no surprise that americans consistently rate jobs and the economy as a top issue of concern. a recent survey found that 50% of voters consider themselves to be living paycheck to paycheck. about one-third of voters say they are just $400 away from a financial crisis. that means that a single unexpected car repair or health care bill could easily put them in the middle of a financial emergency. too many americans have seen their american dream dimmed in recent years. hopes for a secure future have turned into worries about where the next rent or mortgage payment is coming from or whether it will be possible to save anything at all for retirement. mr. president, we don't have to resign ourselves to the status quo. we don't have to accept the long-term economic stagnation of the obama administration as our economic future. we can get our economy going again and we can set it up for strong growth for the

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: i ask consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. nelson: mr. president, i'm here to give a report on behalf of florida to the senate. senator rubio and i were there all day yesterday in miami, other parts of south florida, and we're preparing for what would another andrew. andrew, thought to be a category 4, actually was a category 5 with winds in excess of 155 miles an hour. likewise, that's what we have. i see the leader has come in. would the leader -- okay. i'll speak for just a few minutes, then giving you an update. mr. president, there are a number of things i believe that the federal government is prepared, unlike we were 25 years ago with hurricane andrew. the federal government is certainly prepositioning supplies. but look at the situation with regard to fema. fema is stretched, and, of all things, fema runs out of money unless we act by tomorrow. and, thus, i left florida in the middle of the night to come back to make sure

mr. president. and thank you for calling this meeting and allowing us to have this vote. the images from space of northeast asia at night show brightness and prosperity. surrounding a dark, lonely space that is north korea. those images are a good illustration of where the north korean regime is today. it is alone. it is dark. and it's getting darker. north korea's neighbors, its trading partners and the entire international community are united against its dangerous and illegal actions. today's resolution builds on what were already the deepest cutting sanctions ever leveled against north korea. we have been down this road before. the security council has expressed its condemnation. we have leveled sanctions. but today is different. we are acting in response to a dangerous new development. north korea's september 3rd test of a claimed hydrogen bomb. today, we are saying the world will never accept a nuclear armed north korea. and today, the security council is saying that if the north korean regime

mr. president. >> mr. president i think it goes without saying that at a moment like this, we all come together as americans. we all about our almighty god, we spent best we asked for his grace and mercy on all those affected. we thank you mr. president and your entire team, fema, everything you are doing to deploy every resource in government to help those affected and most of all, we thank you for acknowledging that ultimately, it is god who is the source of our unity as americans. thank you for a showing this proclamation. >> thank you mr. president. >> people of all faith backgrounds know that prayer changes things. a great work is done by anyone who calls a nation to prayer. we want to give you thanks for calling us to prayer because no matter where we are, across whatever spectrum, we know that prayer changes things, it unites the nation. so, thank you sir for calling our nation and uniting us. >> i would just like to add that in our community, we have been praying, we started a 40 day fast for

the presiding officer: we are. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: the people of puerto rico and the virgin islands have been hit especially hard by powerful hurricanes. as i said earlier this week, the senate will continue to work with fema, the department of defense, and the rest of the administration to help in the recovery, just as we have in texas, florida, and across the southeast. and we're eager to hear more soon about what additional resources will be necessary. the american people are stepping up too, just as they always do, and so are the brave men and women of our military. this week 70 soldiers and 8 aircraft from kentucky's 10st airborne combat aviation brigade went from fort campbell to puerto rico. these soldiers will join the larker joint -- larger joint force element which includes medical support teams, medevac aircraft and elements from the army corps of engineers. kentucky is similarly

mr. president. >> i thank you. i give it to the president of senegal. >> we commend the adoption by the 15 members of the security council of resolution 2375 on nonproliferation in the d bmp rk -- the dprk and we commend the constructive spirit which has prevailed in these negotiations and we hail the adoption of this resolution of the pen of the u.s. delegation. its primary responsibility is to maintain peace and security. this has been many resolutions adopted on this issue. therefore, the security council has to take action and take actions that bolster the regimes in force. and it's logical. there needs to be -- as the regime of the dprk -- regime of the dprk continue to pursue an illegal military regime in violation of security council resolutions as well as nonproliferation. this is a direct threat to the security and safety of millions of people that live, work and move through the region. therefore, well, the dprk did not give prior the eight-bomb and which was felt in neighboring countries. mr. president, m

mr. president. i'm going to take some time this afternoon to respond to the remarks of the president's top economic advisor, mr. gary cohen, with respect to this administration's approach to taxes. and let me be clear right at the outset, the president and hicksf millionaires are illustrating a middle class con job and i'm going to be very specific as to why i reach that judgment with respect to what they're saying about taxes. now the president said, i don't benefit, very, very strongly. i think there's very little benefit for people of wealth. those are the president's exact words. he also said it's not good for me, believe me, the president said in a speech unveiling the tax reform blueprint on wednesday. now unless the president pays zero tax, the president is going to benefit enormously from his tax plan. his family would save billions if the estate tax is eliminated as he's proposed. his more than 500 pass-throughs will be able to take advantage of the new grand canyon-sized pass-through loopho

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: i ask that kathy glenn and david hart be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the legislative day. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown:ly -- i will speak of them in a moment. first thanks to senator boozman for honoring the courageous boys and girls of little rock. i've had the fortune of getting to know ernie green who was the senior of the little rock group. martin luther king i believe attended his graduation. my brother arranged for my daughter to have dinner with ernie greene. we heard about the ernie greene story. i want to take a moment, mr. president, to draw attention to the millions of american citizens who are fighting for their lives in puerto rico, never, ever to forever get that people in puerto rico and the virgin islands are, in fact, american citizens. it has been five days since hurricane maria ripped through puerto rico, people are without power and communication, in many cases with no end in sight. my staff has checked to see the cond

mr. president, thank you. mr. president, i rise today in opposition to the president's nomination of ajit pai to head the federal communications commission. my view is that, in particular, mr. pai will do an enormous amount of damage to one of the foundational principles of the internet -- net neutrality -- and i am going to outline why that would be a horrendous mistake for our country. mr. president, after we came to use the internet and see what an extraordinary asset it could be to our country, really beginning late in the 1990's, we laid out what i still consider to be the legal foundation for the internet. in other words, there was a lot of joking about who created the internet. the internet was being used and to see how beneficial it would be. and on a bipartisan basis, the senate and house to really lay out what were the foundational principles of the net for a variety of them. mr. president, we wanted to make sure that folks weren't hit with multiple and discriminatory taxes, a tax on access to the interne

mr. president, on taxes. now, yesterday, president trump and republican leaders laid out their tax plan, sharing the first sketchy set of details with the american people about what they want to change in our tax code. any serious analysis of their proposal would leave you with one conclusion -- president trump and the republicans have crafted a massive tax break to the very wealthy in our country. now, welfare is supposed to take care of the poor. this plan takes care of the rich. plain and simple, the republican plan is wealth-fare, the opposite of welfare. it's designed to take care of the rich. it repeals the estate tax which goes to so few people in such large amounts of money. it slashes the corporate rate. creates enormous tax loop poles for wealthy -- loopholes for wealthy hedge fund managers. and it lowers the rate, amazingly enough, on the top bracket of wealthiest americans while raising the tax rate on those at the bottom of the income scale. who would have thought secretary mnuchin, gary coen, we

mr. president. >> i thank you. give it to the president of senega lmp. >> we commend the adoption by the 15 members of the security on cil of resolution 2375 nonproliferation in the d bmp rk and we commend the constructive spirit which has prevailed in these negotiations and we hail the adoption of this resolution of the pen of the u.s. delegation. its primary responsibility is to maintain peace and security. this has been many resolutions adopted on this issue. therefore, the security croum has to take tax take action and take actions that bolster the regimes in force. and it's logical. there needs to be -- as the regime of the d bmprmp k continue to pursue an illegal military regime in violation of security council resolutions as well as nonproliferation. this is a direct threat to the security and safety of millions of people that live, work and move through the region. , well, the db rmpkmp did not give prior the eight-bomb and which was felt in neighboring countries. mr. president, my delegation wishes to under

mr. president. mr. president, the cost of health insurance has been a major problem with the affordable care act and with many of the bills that have been advanced repeal and replace this law. i rise today to introduce the lower premiums through reinsurance act of 2017. this bill would provide states with the flexibility and support that they need to kreet state- -- kreet state-base -- create state-based reinsurance programs for their health insurance markets in or the to lower premiums while ensuring continued coverage for people with preexisting conditions. i'm very pleased to be joined by my colleague and friend, senator bill nelson, in introducing this bill. senator nelson is a former insurance commissioner who comes to this issue with a wealth of knowledge dating to his experience with florida's innovative homeowners reinsurance program developed in the 1990's in the wake of hurricane andrew. mr. president, my own -- for my own part, i spent five years in state government overseeing a department tha

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. reed: thank you, madam president. senator paul has been relentless in doing something that has to be done, which is the revision of the aumf both in 2001 and 2002. but there's sort of a simple notion you can't replace something with nothing. and we have nothing. this is six months of more time when in the last 16 years, even at the request of a president, we have not been able to come together as a senate, and i don't know where the house is on this but i think equally befuddled to provide the kind of specific language that we need for an aumf. this would be a different debate and a different vote if we had before us an actual aumf which would immediately supersede the existing authorities. without such an aumf, we are going to cause confusion. we are going to cause disruption among our forces and our allies. and having spent a little bit of time in the service, when there is a possibility that in six months you will have to cease operations, you begin planning almost immediately for t

mr. president. mr. president, i want to talk about the terrible humanitarian crisis faced by the people of puerto rico and the united states virgin islands, as well as the gulf coast and the people of florida who have endured the fury and ferocity of mother nature at its worst. every one of the people who live in puerto rico and the united states virgin islands are americans. first and foremost, they are americans who are going through one of the toughest periods of their lives, a time that no american wants to face alone. and my message to the people of puerto rico as well as the united states virgin islands, you are not alone. you are not alone in this humanitarian crisis. congress will act. we will provide the kind of relief package, food, medicine, whatever supplies are necessary, not only to endure and survive but to eventually thrive. that is more than just rhetoric. that is a promise that this united states senate must make to our fellow americans. these american citizens and puerto rico, for exam

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. a senator: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. perdue: mr. president, we've had a lot of action in the united states senate which is unusual here. i'd like to address that, today. you know, i'd like to address this to the people of texas, louisiana, and all those that just experienced the devastating results and impact of hurricane harvey. obviously, our hearts go out to those people and of course we're going to do the right thing and help the people of texas which is just what we voted on today. but it's a bigger issue i want to speak to today. and i relate to this personally, because just last year, almost exactly to the day, my family was evacuated from our home in south georgia. and as i speak to you today, we were just notified today that my wife and mother-in-law who are there today will be -- we'll be evacuating this weekend from the south coast of georgia. trying to get out of the way of the next hurricane, hurricane

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: i ask unanimous consent to be allowed to speak for approximately six or seven minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: i come to the floor because i'm very disturbed about some actions coming up out of e.p.a.ing affecting biofuels and contrary to what the president promised. in other words, i think people working for the president aren't following the president's direction. as my colleagues know well, i've championed renewable fuels and other energies for a long period of time. i've worked hard to enact policies to encourage the growth of renewable electricity from sources such as wind and solar. the same is true for beautiful. -- for biofuels. i've pursued policies for conventional corneth nominee and cellulosic ethanol. i support renewable energy because it is good for the economy. it's good for our national security. it's good for our balance of trade. it's good for the rural economy. and it's good for energy independence. i was pleased this in the

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. schatz: thank you, mr. president. i want to thank the senior senator from texas for his leadership on disaster response and pledge my commitment to whatever is needed for houston and the areas around houston, as well as florida, and i appreciate the commitment at the legislative level to what needs to be done in puerto rico. we also need to continue to apply pressure to the administration because it does appear as though there is an unequal response between what's happening in puerto rico and what has happened in houston and in florida. and so we need to hold as a country the executive branch accountable for the lack of a sense of urgency for three and a half million americans who are mostly going to be without power for nine months or currently without potable water or in a devastateed situation. it is all of our obligation to do everything that we can. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that what follows these remarks appear in

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from massachusetts. ms. warren: mr. president, i request unanimous consent to speak. the presiding officer: the senate is recognized. ms. warren: it has been just over three weeks since the senate voted down three different versions to bring down the affordable care act. each of these bills would have stricken coverage for tens of millions of americans and raised costs for millions more. during the seven weeks that followed those votes, no one has clamored for another try. phones have not rung off the hook for republicans to go one more round in their effort to rip up the medicaid program. letters and e-mail aren't pouring in asking for legislation to help jack up the costs for people with preexisting conditions. tweets and facebook posts don't demand that insurers get the chance to drop coverage for mental health issues and addiction treatment. instead, the families i have spoken with have told me, often through tears, that they are so relieved that republicans stepped back from the brink and came to their senses. they

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. whitehouse: mr. president, i would request that any pending quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. whitehouse: mr. president, i am here to speak about president trump's decision to shut down the daca program, so-called dream program, that allows children who were brought here by their parents, often very young, and who grew up here, and are now as far as they know full americans -- this is their home -- to not be thrown out of their adopted country and sent home to a place that they do not know. all because of what their parents did when they were still children. you don't even hold children accountable for contracts that they enter into. you have to be an adult to be held accountable for a contract that you enter into and yet apparently this president is willing to take these children nchts -- children, break up their families, send them to a country they do not know, all because of a decision that was made by their parents, in some cases, when these kids were infants.

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: mr. president, some 800,000 people in this country woke up this morning with great uncertainty about their future because of president trump's reckless, hateful agenda. young men and women in this country are now unsure that they'll be able to finish their college degree here in the u.s. they're unsure if they can keep their job at a hospital or as a firefighter or serve in our military to fight for our freedoms. they're unsure if they can keep their home or remain with loved ones, and they are scared that this country might break its promise and use against them the very information they submitted to enroll in daca to find them and deport them. that is appalling, and it marks a very sad time for this united states of america. president trump has caused a lot of divisive and disheartening moments since the start of this year. rescinding daca is an unusually cruel and heartless move, even for this administration. and it flies in the face of so much of what and who made this country what it

mr. president. mr. president, i rise for two purposes. principally to support this legislation of ranking member reed and chairman mccain and the other members of the senate for the contributions they have made in the reauthorization of the national defense authorization act. in particular, i want to thank our men and women in uniform, our command and control military intelligence, our weather systems in the military, for the tremendous aid they have had for us in georgia, the people of florida, the people of alabama, the people of texas and louisiana and people of mississippi during two tragic hurricanes that have taken place in the last week. we think of our men and women every day for what they sacrifice for us to defend our country and keep it safe. sometimes we forget all the things they do to help us when we have times of trouble. whenever there are times of trouble, harvey and texas, what happened in florida with irma was certainly that. some of those assets are based in my state of georgia like t

mr. president. see that the senator north carolina. >> mr. president is presiding when the colloquy started talking about tax reform. i'm sure my staff is scrambling wondering what i'm going to say but i want to weigh in on this t discussion mainly because of a personal perspective of leader whose seen the focus and the discipline to deliver on tax reform. back in 2011 i was in my third term. feb republicans got the majority and i became speaker of the house. when i came in and february 2011 it was reported to me that wetr had a $2.5 million structural deficit. we had the fourth highest unemployment rate in the nation and we had six months to figure out how to balance the budget so counterintuitive to a lot of people would spend time onfo regulatory reform and tax form particularly tax reform in other words reducing the amount of revenue in the were coming in at the same time we run a deficit ourselves. in the first six months that we were in the majority we cut sales tax and then we went over a two-year period even with the $2.5 billion struc

mr. president, i yield the floor. mrs. ernst: mr. president. -- ms. klobuchar: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. ms. klobuchar: i first want to thank senator mccain and senator reed for their leadership at this important time in the rest of the world. i think that's why you see this bill proceeding. but this bill will be so much stronger if we make sure that we not only defend our shores and stand by our troops, but that we also defend the security of our democracy. and i so appreciate senator mccain and senator reed supporting this amendment that i have with senator lindsey graham of south carolina. and this must be included in this bill, and we are having a situation where one or two members on the other side of the aisle are not allowing it to proceed. the timing is critical. the 2018 election is only 400-some days away, and that's why you see us pushing this bill and doing everything we can to get it either included in the managers' package or to get a vote. this amendment which is supported by the freedom caucus and in the house is led by th

mr. president, i'd like to address the chamber. mr. president, i have -- you've been presiding on many occasions when i've risen to speak about the need to repeal and replace obamacare. mr. cassidy: although we did not begin in our last effort i personally allege with senators graham and heller making one more try and folks ask why. there is a fellow back home who is a conservative talk show host who speaks with passion about the affordable care act. and why does he speak with passion? moon performs very open. he's got a special-needs child and he has to buy insurance. and his premium per year is over $40,000. $40,000, mr. president, with a $5,000 deductible and additional deductible for his pharmaceutical costs. he could.$50,000 a year -- could pay $50,000 a year in insurance deductibles. the mortgage payment for a $500,000 is what he puts up because he has to buy insurance. he has a child with special needs. mr. president, there are many moon graffons across our nation. someone said kind of as a wag, but i think there's a ring of trut

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new york. mrs. gillibrand: i ask to suspend the quorum. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. gillibrand: i rise to speak about the humanitarian crisis in puerto rico and the u.s. virgin islands. this is one of the worst disasters our country has ever seen. the men and women and children who live on these islands are american citizens. do not forget that. they are suffering, and they need our help. they have no food to eat, no water to drink, no power, no refrigeration. if we don't give them help now, then many more people there will die. far more than those who were killed during the hurricane itself. i urge my colleagues here to think about our fellow american citizens in puerto rico and the u.s. virgin islands and what they are suffering through right now. listen to their cries for help. listen to what one of my constituents said to me. quote, we need help getting my grandparents to come to new york. their house is damaged and not safe. my grandfather is 93 with alzheimer's. he is bedboun

mr. president. over a short. of time, they and others have managed to go to some of these locations, as you know very well. some of them are very devastated, 2 days ago there was water like people had never seen before, i guess in the history of our country, we have never seen an amount of water like we have had. to occupy these different locations and take care of people, you and the others. so we want to thank you, that is really a special, special job? >> thank you very much. trump: great job! great job! thank you all very much, we appreciate it. thank you all very much. >> thank you everyone! >> we will be releasing our decision on daca sometime in the weekend, latest on monday. announcer: white house press secretary sanders said later in the day that the president's decision on daca will be announced on tuesday. he also signed a proclamation declaring sunday as a national day of rare for victims of hurricane harvey. following the signing, various leaders- various faith spoke about the day of prayer for these

mr. president. . >> mr. president, with -- we stand -- the briefing on the latest north korean nuclear tests. the provocative nuclear missile activity by pyongyang has recently gained dangerous momentum. troubled by the testing of as was announced by pyongyang officials, the testing of a terminal nuclear -- a thermonuclear device. there is no doubt that presently, we are experiencing and moste greatest dramatic stages of development in the peninsula. it is no exaggeration to state that peace in the region is in serious jeopardy, and a threat of this conflict morphing into a hot stage, will larger than ever before. display ofblatant disregard by north korea of the relevant security council resolutions and international law warrants the most vehement condemnation. the fact but regret that the dprk leadership am a through its action to undermine the global nontariff relation -- nonproliferation regime is posing a threat to peace and stability on that korean peninsula and of the global level -- at the global leve

mr. president. >> i think the representative of japan for his statement. i give the floor to the representative of france. mr. president, at the outset i would like to thank egypt for its excellent president council and i congratulate eiji of ethiopia. ethiopia on its succession to the council president this month. you can count on france possible support this coming month. which is said to be particularly busy. i thank you for convening the emergency meeting. urge that the joint request of the u.s., republic of korea, japan, france and the u.k.. i thank jeff feldman for his highly elucidating presentation. traversed north korea a major threshold in escalation following two intercontinental ballistic missile launches and the open endangerment of countries in the region. last night it undertook a sixth nuclear test. this was immediately detected by the international monitoring system of the contra -- top brands of test ban treaty organization. seniormost officials most vehemently condemned this incid

mr. president? >> have you no respect for this office? >> mr. sidency? >> both friends and critics agree the ronald reagan good guy image has been tarnished. >> what the president must do to solve it. >> may be the last chance to save his presidency. >> in the past, this television has always been able to bounce back with a television speech, a wave and a smile. but if there is a consensus among the admirers this time, it will not be enough. >> here we go. >> a few months ago i told the american people i did not trade arms for hostages, my heart and the evidence told me it was true, but the facts and evidence told me it was not. as the tower board reported what began as a strategic opening to iran deteriorated in its implementation into trading arms for hostages. >> i asked you 20 years ago how you would like to be remembered and you said as someone who has tried and done his best. how would you like to be remembered as a president? >> someone who tried and who has done his best. >> same answer now? >> yes. >> and if people said well, he was the

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. gardner: i rise today -- the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. gardner: i ask the quorum call be vitiated. i would yield to the gentleman from new york. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i would now ask unanimous consent that i be given the leader's time and the senators from colorado and virginia wish to follow me. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. speaker. yesterday the trump administration made a terribly wrong decision to terminate the daca program. dreamers came to this country through no fault of their own and they know of no other country than this one. they serve in our military. they are a boon to our economy. all they want is to live, work, and contribute to this country, like generations before, they want to be americans. as so many people do, because we are such a great country. congress has the ability, i believe the resp

mr. president, thank you. mr. president, i rise today in opposition to the president's nomination of ajit pai to head the federal communications commission. my view is that, in particular, mr. pai will do an enormous amount of damage to one of the foundational principles of the internet -- net neutrality -- and i am going to outline why that would be a horrendous mistake for our country. mr. president, after we came to use the internet and see what an extraordinary asset it could be to our country, really beginning late in the 1990's, we laid out what i still consider to be the legal foundation for the internet.

mr. president.> i think the representative of japan for his statement. i give the floor to the representative of france. mr. president, at the outset i would like to thank egypt for its excellent president council and i congratulate eiji of ethiopia. ethiopia on its succession to the council president this month. you can count on france possible support this coming month. which is said to be particularly busy. i thank you for convening the emergency meeting. urge that the joint request of the u.s., republic of korea, japan, france and the u.k.. i thank jeff feldman for his highly elucidating presentation. traversed north korea a major threshold in escalation following two intercontinental ballistic missile launches and the open endangerment of countries in the region. last night it undertook a sixth nuclear test. this was immediately detected by the international monitoring system of the contra -- top brands of test ban treaty organization. seniormost officials most vehemently condemned this inciden

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. mrs. fischer: thank you. rise to speak on the defense authorization bill. congress has passed this bipartisan legislation every year for the past 55 years, and once again this year the united states senate is debating this critical legislation to provide our men and women in uniform with the resources they need to keep americans safe. this is a bipartisan bill. it represents the combined efforts of members from both sides of the aisle. it walls approved unanimously by the senate armed services committee. all 27 of our members voted for it. that's more than a quarter of this body. the distinguished chairman, the senior senator from arizona, spoke on the senate floor on monday about the geo political challenges we are facing and the need for this legislation. and he's absolutely right. the number and the complexity of the threats that we face today are unprecedented. north korea is relentlessly pursuing long-range ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads to our shores. americans are informed abou

mr. president, i rise todayst in opposition to the presidents nomination of ajit pai to head the federal communications commission. my view is that in particularl mr. pai will do an enormous amount of damage to one of the foundational principles of the internet, net neutrality, and i'm going to outline why that would be a horrendous mistake for our country. mr. president, after we came to use internet and see what an extraordinary asset it would be to our country, really beginning late in the 1990s, we laid out what i still consider to be the legal foundation for the internet. c in other words, was a lot of joking about who could the internet. the internet was being used, how beneficial it would be, and on a bipartisan basis, big effort, out really layout what were the foundational principles of the net. there were a variety of them. we wanted to make sure that folks were not hit with multipld and discriminatory taxes or tax on access to the internet. we wrote the digital signatures law which is of enormous benefit that people, for example, in the presidents home state in nevada they are

mr. president. mr. president, over the last three days, three republican senators have publicly stated that they will vote against the health care repeal bill that may come to the senate this week. in announcing his opposition, one republican senator, john mccain of arizona, issued the following statement, and i quoty stressed, health care reform legislation ought to be the product of regular order in the senate. last night, senator susan collins, republican of maine, stated, and i quote, this is simply not the way we should be approaching an important and complex issue. she went on to say, the fact that a new version of this bill was released the very week we're supposed to vote compounds the problem. mr. president, this should be the end of the graham-cassidy repeal debate. the republican leadership should finally scrap this one-sided effort to literally change the health care system for america. there was a hearing yesterday, the only hearing on the bill we're about to vote on. it was a lengthy hearin

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. gardner: mr. president, i

mr. president? >> mr. president, how does this damage your presidency?n tanner i should. >> he's as lame a duck as -- >> i don't think he have enough time left in his administration to restore -- >> what president reagan must do -- >> it may be the last chance to save his presidency. >> in the past this president has always been able to bounce back with a television speech, a wai wave and a smile. but if there's a consensus among admirers and adversaries alike, it is that this time that won't be enough. >> quiet, please. >> voice down. >> here we go. >> yes. hold on. >> set and action. >> a few months ago i told the american people i did not trade arms for hostages. my heart and my best intentions still tell me that's true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not. as the tower board reported, what began as a strategic opening to iran deteriorated in its implementation into trading arms for hostages. >> i asked you 20 years ago how you'd like to be remembered and you said as someone who has tried and done his best. how would you like to be rememb

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. moran: mr. president, thank you. prior to arriving in the united states after the election of 2010, i was a member of the house of representatives, and i'm one of the 30% of us in congress today who were here in 2001 and approved the use of military force in real estate sponse to the terrorist attacks -- in response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. i hate to say this at this moment because the vote is so closely pending, but i don't know what the right answer to this question is. the one that we face today. i firmly believe that it is the united states senate, the united states congress' authority -- the constitutional responsibility -- to declare w war. i worry that the resolution that's before us only eliminates the current resolutions, only eliminates the current authority. what's missing is the follow-up. and i just heard my colleague from connecticut indicate that he will work vigorously to see that we have the opportunity then to vote for a resolution authorizing force. but in some ways we have the cart ahead

mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: the senate is not in a quorum call. mr. mcconnell: i understand there is a bill at the desk to do a second reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the title of the bill for a second time. the clerk: h.r. 3354, an act making appropriations for the department of the interior, environment, and related agencies, for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2018, and for other purposes. mr. mcconnell: in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14, i would object to further proceedings. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bill will be placed on the calendar. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, later today, i look forward to joining members of the senate finance committee, the house ways and means committee, and other congressional leaders in unveiling a unified framework for fixing our nation's broken tax code. it's an idea that can bri

mr. president. now, as we continue to work on the ndaa, the democratic side is committed to working with the republican side in good faith to finish this very important legislation. i'm pleased the managers have been able already to include more than 100 amendments in the substitute. i hope we can do another package today. senator mccain and reed are managing this bill with their usual great skill. i very much appreciate their hard work. i particularly know how important this legislation is to senator mccain. he wants to see it through, see it through as soon as possible. now, -- and we're going to help in that regard, of course. now, mr. president, last night leader pelosi and i had a constructive meeting with president trump and several members of his cabinet. one of our most productive discussions was about the daca program in which we all agreed on a framework. pass daca protections and additional border security measures, excluding the wall. we agreed that the president would support enshrining

mr. president, article one of the u.n. charter stipulates to bring about, by peaceful means and in conformity with the principles of justice and orernational law, adjustment settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace. due to high headedness and arbitrariness of one particular big power, however, at present, the purpose and principles of the u.n. charter and other established basic as opposed of international relations are now wantonly ignored in the u.n. arena. abnormal ask of justifying and legitimizing high headedness and arbitrariness and the acts of violating truth and justice are tolerated. the most rampant violation of international justice can be seen on the korean peninsula. unprecedented acts of injustice, such as imposing harsh sanctions on a victim for the reason that the victim chose to stand up to the offender, are openly committed in the name of the u.n. the essence of the situation of the korean peninsula is a confrontation between the dprk and the u.s., wher

mr. president. >> thanks. >> good afternoon and happy new year, everyone. ions between the soviet union and the united states. president reagan and soviet leader gorbachev are exchanging new year's messages that will be broadcast directly to the soviet and american people. this will be the first direct address to the american people by a soviet leader since 1973. ♪ >> translator: it is reality of today's world that it is senseless to seek greater security for one's self through new types of weapons. at present every step in the arms race increases the danger and risk for both sides and for all humankind. i wish you a happy new year. to every american family i wish good health, peace and happiness. >> check. is the mic on? >> yes, it is. >> oh, all right. >> a few words. >> okay. good evening. this is ronald reagan, president of the united states of america. got no history books over there, no things? i am pleased to speak to you on the occasion of -- >> are you okay? >> good evening, everyone. this is ronald reagan. president of the united states of america.

mr. president it's great to see you again. under your leadership the alliance between america approximate israel has never been stronger and deeper. i can say it in ways that people see and don't see. i want to thank you for that. i look forward to discussing how we can address what you rightly call a terrible nuclear deal with iran and how to roll back iran's growing aggressions in the region, especially in syria. as you said, we will discuss the way we can seize an opportunity for peace between israel and the palestinians and the arab world. we look forward to talking about how to advance both the way we will be speaking at the un. i want to say under president trump, america's position has been unequivocal and strong. it has both clarity and conviction. and i want to thank you on behalf of the people of israel and they have many friends around the world. thank you, mr. president. as you well know, this is the jewish new year this week. i want to wish you and the jews everywhere and people everywhere happy new year. thank yo

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator there florida -- the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, i want to speak about the defense bill, but before i do, i want to give the senate a report. senator rubio and i have been together quite a bit this past week as florida has not only encountered a hurricane that was quite unusual in that it basically affected almost all of the state of florida. florida is a big state. if you went all the way from key west to pensacola, that's as far as going from pensacola all the way to chicago. that's how big our state is. almost 21 million people, the third largest state, 75% of that a population is along the coast and of course you know what coasts do when hurricanes start threatening those coasts. this was an unusual one because it was first going to hit the east coast of florida. that was the track. the national hurricane center has gotten quite good in their ability to project the path and the actual velocity of the winds. but indeed it took -- once it took a turn unexpected as a category 5 hitting the north coast of cuba

mr. president. now, as we continue to work on the ndaa, the democratic side is committed to working with the republican side in good faith to finish this very important legislation. i'm pleased the managers have been able already to include more than 100 amendments in the substitute. i hope we can do another package today. senator mccain and reed are managing this bill with their usual great skill. i very much appreciate their hard work. i particularly know how important this legislation is to senator mccain. he wants to see it through, see it through as soon as possible. now, -- and we're going to help in that regard, of course. now, mr. president, last night leader pelosi and i had a constructive meeting with president trump and several members of his cabinet. one of our most productive discussions was about the daca program in which we all agreed on a framework. pass daca protections and additional border security measures, excluding the wall. we agreed that the president would support enshrining