mr. sullivan: indeed. senator menendez: isn't it true russia illegally occupied part of georgia's territory? mr. sullivan: yes. senator menendez: russia's bombing campaign in syria also involved bombing indents? russian bombing in syria campaign also involve bombing innocent? mr. sullivan: i believe so. senator menendez: now, we have established that the kremlin behavior continues to pose a national security threat to the united states. congress sought to address that to the countering america's adversary through sanctions act that passed 98-2 and president signed into law. does it help or hinder u.s. national security when president trump characterizes russia's interference as a hoax? mr. sullivan: the united states government hasn't accepted that it's a hoax. the united states government's position led by president trump is, we are dedicated to stopping it. we acknowledge it occurs. is ongoing and doing all we can to stop it. senator menendez: does it help or hinder national security when president jokes about election i

mr. menendez: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. menendez: i rise in support of the motion that shortly will be made by our colleague from florida. i want to congratulate senator cardin and he for their leadership in this regard. i think appreciate the chairman and myself, having joined them in moving this expeditiously through the committee, and i'm looking forward to its critical passage on the floor. time is of the essence. the people of hong kong are fighting for their lives. six months ago millions of hong kong citizens took to the streets to peacefully protest the erosion of their democracy and their rights. now a half a year later we find mounting anger and unrest with the violence against students and protesters, most dramatically in the crackdown of hong kong's polytech university only getting worse. people are being shocked. the violence perpetrated by the authorities in hong kong and by extension beijing are turning the city into a battlefield. this is not the hong kong that any of us want to see. the special character of

mr. menendez: i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. menendez: mr. president, i come do the floor today to talk about the united states relationship with turkey and certain actions that the united states must consider in order to protect our national security interests and those of our true allies in the region. today more than ever we need strong allies and partners in europe. as the trump administration does nearly everything in its power to erode our alliances and denigrate our closest friends, we find increasingly emboldened regimes in russia and china. the u.s. cannot stand up to them alone. throughout the cold war, our diplomats worked assiduously to build strong bonds with allies knowing that having close partners was better than having enemies on the world stage. our strongest allies should be those in nato, those who have made a treaty commitment to mutual defense, those who share our values, those who cork in concert with us to face the threat from countries like russias and iran with common cause. unfortunately, turkey under e

mr. menendez: madam president, i'm going to yield the floor. mr. inhofe: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. inhofe: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h.r. 1865, which was received from the house. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 1865, an act to require the secretary of the treasury to mint a coin in commemoration of the opening of the national law enforcement museum in the district of columbia and for other purposes. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. inhofe: i ask unanimous consent that the blunt amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to, the bill be amended and considered read a third time and passed and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? wi

menendez. >> thank you mr. chairman.nt to thank you and chairman crapo for holding a hearing on these important housing bills including the co alert jack. i hope the committee will consider it in its agenda having other housing related opportunities i think this is one of the most critical elements of our economy and the lives of our families help we can do more. in the age when bipartisanship is supposed to be dead, senator scott and i were able to work together to introduce this lifesaving bill carbon monoxide is a true silent killer. it is tasteless, colorless, odorless and yet all it takes is a few minutes of exposure to face serious health risks like brain damage and death. luckily this danger is entirely preventable. carbon monoxide alarms are proven way to alert families to a grave health threat but a co detector is not a luxury accessory for well-to-do homeowners it's a basic lifesaving necessity that belongs in every home and that includes public housing. unfortunately, while federal assisted housing is its most

mr. menendez bill the co will bect and supporting hr 4300 as well. let me jump back to affordable housing because after my discussions in my state so many stakeholders about the need for a formal housing, we need to pass the affordable housing credit improvement act. we should expand the low income tax credit by 50% helping to additionalthan 3500 homes and nevada over the next 10 years and millions more nationwide. i have to say thank you so much for putting into perspective the distinction between a low income tax credit and the htf reedit everything has to work in conjunction. what i find after talking to the stakeholders is there is not one single financing piece. you have to cobble it together and work with local government, the private sector, the builders everyone to get that done and it requires stakeholders coming together to make that happen. i appreciate the conversation today. mr. yes, thank you for being here. ost thank you for being here. onttended a hearing recently mortgage lending in native american communities. the witnesses mentione

mr. menendez: mr. president, over 104 years ago the ottoman empire launch add systematic campaign to exterminate the armenian population through killings, forced deportation, starvation and other brutal means. every year i join the armenian community in honoring the memory of the victims who made invaluable contributions to sustain the armenian people and preserve armenian history and culture before their cruel inhuman deaths. at the time of the genocide, the united states diplomats who witnessed it knew that the tragedy that they were seeing was an intentional choice. henry morganthal, the then-united states ambassador to the ottoman entire, said that the turkish government's deportation order for the armenians was a death warrant to a whole race. those are his words. quote, they're a death warrant to a whole race. and a name which, quote, they made no particular attempt to conceal in their discussions with him. we know what to call such an intentional, highly organized effort to destroy a people on a

mr. chairman. >> senator menendez. >> thank you, mr. chairman. the topics of today's hearing are of particular importance to me as new jersey is in the midst of a large medical marijuana expansion. and i have concerns that cannabis and cannabis-related businesses will continue to find themselves shut out of the financial and insurance systems. for example, if an insurance company is required to offer coverage to a cannabis business under state law, the insurer faces a serious and fundamental conflict between state and federal laws. that's why yesterday i introduced the claim act with paul merkley and kramer to end the confusion and legal exposure that arises between the state and federal insurance laws. mr. chairman, i'd like to -- mr. chairman, i'd like to introduce a -- mr. chairman, the acting chairman, introduce a letter of support from eight insurance trades into the record. >> you can do anything you want with me as acting chairman. >> then i'd like to ask you now to consent to the claim act -- no. thank you, mr. chairman. miss pross and mi

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mr. menendez: mr. president, i come to the floor again with respect to senate resolution 150, which i introduced with senator cruz to recognize the armenian genocide. i'm glad he's with me today to call for unanimous consent on this resolution many we're proud to report that we have 28 sponsors on this important resolution. last month the house of representatives passed a version of this resolution by a vote of 405-11 -- 405-11. that sent a strong bipartisan message of dedication to the truth, dedication to historical fact and dedication held by so many in congress that genocide is genocide. as a country we should do whatever we can to prevent future genocides, but when it happens we have an obligation as a country to call it what it is. if not, we are operating outside the facts and not honest to ourselves and the world. this sets the record straight, a record that so many administrations over years have sought to obscure, these administrations, republicans and democrats have dug their heads in the sa