mr. grassley: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa is recognized. mr. grassley: one minute for morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: the department of defense is the only agency that can't get a clean audit. sometime around 1990 there was an audit law passed directing departments to get to a point where they could get a clean audit. d.o.d. is still the only one that hasn't. sometime around 2010, i believe, we laid down a requirement that the clean audit data ought to be met by 2017. well, that wasn't met. so for decades d.o.d. has been saying that they're almost there. now they say it will be at least another five years before a clean opinion can be reached. one reason why they haven't been able to do that is the outdated mess of hundreds of financial management systems. yet the department of defense still wants to spend almost $200 million on an annual audit. i urge my colleagues to support my amendment to pause the audit effort that is doomed to fail anyway and instead invest that $200 million in updating the departm

mr. grassley: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: i'd like to speak for one minute in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: motor coach industry has been particularly hard hit by the covid-19 pandemic and the economic turndown as a result of it. iowa has many motor coach operators, several of which are really family owned and some of them for two or three generations. i've been in frequent communication with these iowans, and i'm learning that they are quickly coming to the point of making a decision of whether or not they can even stay in business. motor coaches provide transation services to all americans, providing over 600 million passenger trips annually across the country. by comparison, airlines provided service for 925 million passenger trips in 2019. while most other modes of transportation have received specific funding to help through the pandemic, the motor coach industry has not. what they are really referring to when they talk to me, they seem to feel that they've been left o

mr. grassley: the u.s.-mexico-canadian agreement entered into force july 1, and i'm eager to see the modernized agreement deliver on its promises to spur job growth for american farmers, workers, and businesses, and even help our innovators, and also at the same time it will create new opportunities with our north american trading partners. the u.s.-mexico-canadian agreement fixes many problems that we had for 30 years under nafta, and it also creates several new modern trade provisions for our 20th century economy, things that were negotiated that weren't even thought of 30 years ago when nafta was negotiated. however, even with this agreement going into effect and being a tough agreement to negotiate, it isn't going to be simple from here on out. there's plenty of work remaining to ensure that the agreement is implemented fully and properly. so i urge the administration to be expeditious in addressing any enforcement issues or noncompliance from our trading partners under the dispute mechanism. i also enc

mr. grassley: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: i ask permission for one minute in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: there is an area in bosnia, it goes by the name of sherpenya. this month is the 25th anniversary of a massacre that took place there. it happens to be the worst genocide on european soil since the holocaust. 25 years ago 8,000 bosnians were murdered out of ethnic and religious hatred. many bosnians who witnessed this horrific atrocity became refugees and found a home in my state of iowa. we must remember for those bosnians, iowans, and for all bosnians who suffered as they continue to deal with unimaginable memories. it is also important for the rest of us to make a point of remembering what happened so that we can prevent it from happening again. i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. mcconnell: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell:

mr. grassley: congress -- the presiding officer: senator grassley, we are in a quorum call. mr. grassley: i ask the calling of the quorum be suspended. now, mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: the congress has taken action in response to the coronavirus pandemic and its significant effects on workers, families, and the economy. and it's because the state, federal and local governments shut down the u.s. economy for the first time in the 240-year history of our country. we enacted four laws in march and april which c.b.o. says has increased the deficit by at least $2.4 trillion. but that doesn't measure the entirety of the relief. if you add in support from programs initiated by the fed and the treasury, you would add trillions in more of relief. one of the recent pieces of legislation the cares act devoted $150 billion of direct federal relief to governments of the states, low cattleys, -- localities, the district of columbia and tribe. that is 50% of the 2020 state general fund expenditures prior to the emergency. in addition to the $150 bi

mr. grassley: one minute for morning business, please. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: former vice president biden and now-minority leader schumer have indicated a willingness to end the so-called filibuster if democrats gain a majority in the united states senate after this year's election. meanwhile, democrats use the same rule to prevent even taking up senator scott's very thoughtful police reform legislation. the rule in question is the cloture rule which brings debate and amendments to a close so we can finally get to finality of a bill. what democrats blocked was ending debate on proceeding to police reform and start considering of any amendments that wanted to be offered. but it would have taken yet another cloture vote to get to final passage. the cloture rule ensures that no police reform bill could be passed by the united states senate unless at least 60 senators were satisfied with the outcome of the amendment process. in other words, it guarantees that concerns of the minority party, whether that be republican or democrat, would have to be addressed

mr. grassley: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: i ask one minute for morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: if reports are true that russia has been paying a bounty to the taliban to kill american soldiers, this is a very serious escalation of what russia expert edward lutkus dubbed, quote-unquote, the new cold war. mr. lutkus said that back in 2008. this sort of movement by russia, if it's proven -- there's a lot of belief russia is possible to do it -- it demands a strong response, and i don't mean diplomat inning response. -- deepic response. we've had previous things happen like this with russia. president bush tried to play nice with russia, then talking tough when putin showed his true nature. president obama repeated this cycle. you know the word resetting relations. and despite that, russia occupied parts of our ally georgia and then switching gears, president obama did when russia invaded ukraine. putin is the k.g.b. guy who only understands strength. his popularity has taken a h

mr. grassley: thank you. now that the united kingdom has separated from the european union, it's our opportunity to sit down with the united kingdom and do some business. therefore, i'm pleased that the united states and the united kingdom are making strides in our negotiations to complete a free trade agreement. our two countries, as you know, has a century ri-old relationship. that -- centuries old relationship. that will be further strengthened by a comprehensive deal that presents economic opportunities for our farmers, our manufacturers, and our service providers to the benefit of both sides of the atlantic. i will continue to insist that an agreement reached between our two countries will allow us to reach our full potential as trading partners, particularly when it comes to agricultural trade. the united kingdom has been sub to very restrictive european union rules that have no scientific basis. we call those sanitary and vital sanitary rules. and i urge the administration to work with the united kingd

mr. chair. chm. grassley: i'm going back to senator lankford. senator lankford? ok. sen. lankford: mr. chairman, thank you. i do appreciate your testimony today. it is exceptionally important to be able to walk through this. i talked to some of my caseworkers back in state, talking about the taxpayer advocate service and the work happening there, their interaction with irs staff. because of covid-19 and the downsizing that is very difficult, they're getting answers to questions and able to go through this process and help taxpayers at this point. walk me through what the closures of irs offices and re-engagement of employees and lessons learned. when we going to get things back going again? what can be done for the future protecting the information of individuals for knowing that we have to be able to work remotely and that we can get the work done again? mr. rettig: i'm the person that started shutting down our facilities. at one point, over 90% of our facilities were closed. we took to health and safety of our employees as the significant priority. that created a lot of difficulty fo

mr. grassley: i want to, before i speak, several of my colleagues on this side of the aisle over the next several minutes probably for at least more than a half-hour are coming to the floor to discuss what i'm discussing, which is a very important problem we have of rapidly increasing drug prices. so i want to thank, after i speak, these other senators will come to the floor -- senator braun, senator cassidy, senator collins, senator hyde-smith, senator mcsally. all of these people have been supportive of the prescription drug reduction act. i want to thank them for helping bring attention to this very important issue of unjustified increases in drug prices. after these folks i just mentioned speak, i understand that a my colleague from iowa, who is in support of the legislation, is going to come at a later time today. so thank you to my colleagues. according to a recent gallup poll, nine out of ten americans are concerned about prescription drug prices. specifically, they are concerned that the pharmaceutical industry will take advantage of the current pandemic to increase drug prices. t

. >> i understand the president what -- senator grassley is here to introduce and speak on behalf of mr. miller. senator grassley, please proceed. >> thank you very much mister chairman and vice -- mister vice chairman for the opportunity to introduce to the committee was in my home state of iowa, mr. christopher miller. i congratulate both of the nominees for their appointment. it is not every day that an iowa in with such a distinguished service record comes before the senate for consideration so it's a special privilege for me to give this introduction. chris is parents and much of his family still live in iowa city and or eastern iowa. i'm sure his family is very proud that he will be testifying before this committee today and be recognized for his accomplishments and service to our country. chris was raised in iowa city after graduating from city high school, he attended george washington university where he majored in history and enrolled in the rotc program. he graduated from george washington in 1987 and then he immediately accepted a commission in the u.s. army as an infill tre

mr. chairman. >> thank you, senator grassley. before we begin, would you please stand and raise your right hand? do you solemnly swear to give this committee the truth, the full truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god? >> i do. >> thank you. please be seated. gentlemen, before we move to your statements, i want to ask you to answer the five standard questions that we ask of every nominee who appears before us. they generally require a simple yes or no answer. we need to hear it so it can be transcribed. so make sure your microphones are on. first question, do you appear to agree to appear here and many other venues when invited? >> yes. >> if confirmed, do you agree to send officials from your office to appear before the committee and designated staff when invited? >> yes. >> do you agree to provide documents or other materials in order for the committee to carry out with oversight and legislative responsibilities? >> yes. >> will you ensure your office and staff provide such materials for the staff when requested? >> ye

chairman grassley will lay out both policies to incentivize we hiring of laid off americans and to help have testing and supplies to protect employees and entice customers. think of it this way mr. president. our community needed life-support today we must also get the economy into physical therapy to regain its strength. and with the covid-19 crisis that people rely on a senator romney will explain for a bipartisan bill cosponsored by senate democrats to help a future congress with a bipartisan proposal to nsstrengthen the program that americans count on. in the most important of all is healthcare it depends on knocking the virus on its heels cares part two will treat the root causes of the medical crisis. h more help to keep spreading toward diagnostics. new policies from a spike of medicare premiums and new legislation to leave us with better surge capacity with the countermeasures right here at home. there was one more central element to tie schools and jobs and healthcare all together.ot and with that historic recovery efforts to preserve accountability of gross negligence or intentional misconduct. to make sure nurses and doctors are not swamped by a tidal wave of malprac

i'm grateful to chairman grassley for his support of this legislation. it is unconscionable, mr. president, unconscionable that would we allow health care workers who risked their own lives to care for individuals in coronavirus-stricken states to be punished with unexpected tax bills. and we need to make sure that are americans who work from home to help slow the spread of the virus don't face a complicated tax situation or an unexpectedly high tax bill as a result. americans have faced enough challenges over the past several months. let's make sure tax problems are not among them. mr. president, i yield the floor i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk should call the roll. quorum call: the presiding officer: the senator from pennsylvania. mr. casey: mr. president, i ask consent that the quorum call be vitiated are. the presiding officer: without objection. -- vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. casey: thank you, mr. president. i rise this afternoon to talk about long-term care and a number of related issues that con -- challenges

grassley. >> -- senator duckworth. are we able to be joined remotely by senator duckworth? >> hello. can you hear me of? >> was yes. glad to hear your voice. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i apologize. administrator dickson, i apologize i can't be an video right but it is good to see you again. i have several questions for you, so in the interest of time please limit your answers to yes and no. given that the faa was responsible for aviation safety and the united states come your agency can take measures including legal enforcement action for violations of federal aviation regulation, is this correct? >> that's correct. >> it is faa policy to investigate complaints of low-flying aircraft that endanger persons or property, is that correct? >> yes. any kind of reckless operation of the aircraft is the responsible of the pilot in command, and that is something we would want to investigate and look into. >> hanky. with some flexibility for helicopters, and my manual is from 2018, so maybe some things have changed but i doubt it. faa regulations require a minimum altitude of 1000 feet above the highest obstacle for congested areas including any open air, is this c

mr. grassley: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from about a with a. mr. grassley: i ask permission for one minute of morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: i want to talk about the world trade organization. i said what i'm going to say now before so i want to say it again. the united states must reaffirm its commitment to significant reform of the world trade organization. the united states must move to revitalize that organization because the world trade organization advances the cause of free and fair global trade, and they do that -- necessarily do it because of the modern economy we're in. it is imperative that we continue to double down on the effort that demonstrates the united states leadership at geneva, the headquarters of the world trade organization. that includes our efforts to reform the world trade organization appellate body to work on subsidies that too many countries are using and to continue ongoing negotiations to accomplish these goals. the world trade organization can and should play an important role

mr. grassley: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: one minute for morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: representative government is a two-way street. to hold up my part of that commitment, i'm on my 40th year of holding at least one q a in every county every year. over the past two weeks, i had a q & a in 29 counties. iowans raised their concerns about the virus, unemployment insurance, the rising costs of prescription drugs, china, and access to rural broadband. iowans applauded congress' swift actions on programs like the paycheck protection program and getting much-needed resources to our rural health care workers. as always, i will continue to bring iowans' voices to the policy-making tables, and i look forward to finishing my annual 99-county meetings later this year. i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: on friday,

chairman grassley will also lay out bold policies to incentivize retention encourage offelp obtain the p.p.e. testing, and employees and inties customers -- entice customers. think of it this way, mrthe spring our economy needed life support. to continuing to support families, we must also get the economy into physical therapy so it can actually regain its strength. and finally looking torm the covid-19 crisis has weakened the critical federal trust funds that americans rely on. so as senator romney will explain, our proposal includes a bipartisan bill cosponsored by senate democrats to help a future congress evaluate bipartisan proposals for protecting and strengthening the programs that americans count on. now, our third policy -- our third pillar is the most important of all. health care. our entire reopening and recovery depend on knocking this awful virus on to its heels. so as chairman alexander blunt grassley, and shelby will explain, cares two will continue to treat the root causes of this medical crisis. more resources for hospitals and health care workers. more help to keep sprinting toward diagnostics treatments, and vaccines. new policies to shield seniors from a spike