mr? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. cassidy: mr. president, i rise to speak about john mccain. mr. president, as one of those rising to pay tribute, i'm perhaps one of the least qualified to do so. i say that although john mccain and i served together, it was only for the last four years of a storied senate career, and we were not on any common committees. but let me say why i am qualified,. in that brief period, i say firsthand that which others rise and speak of from many more years of acquaintance. i speak of 2014 when i was running for senate for the first time and john mccain came to louisiana to campaign on my behalf. and it was remark to believe see how veterans responded to him. and we would go -- oh, my gosh, it was a sort of schedule that is legendary for john mccain. we started off in covington, louisiana, then went to new orleans, and then went to baton rouge, to lafayette, drove up to shreveport and came back to new orleans -- all in one day. and others would have been tired. he was energized. he taught me about social m

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator for wyoming. mr. barrasso: mr. president, i come to the floor today to add my voice to the am around the -- to the many around the world who are remembering our dear friend and colleague john mccain. john mccain was a man of the highest character, courage, and credibility. known for his stubborn courage and his heroic patriotism. he leaves a legacy of devotion and love for his country and his family when i first came to the senate, mr. president, john was very welcoming. he knew i had been an orthopedic surgeon and told me to

mr. president. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: i ask that my time be allocated to leader time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. now, for several weeks our republican colleagues have been stonewalling our efforts to gain access to judge kavanaugh's full record on behalf of the senate and, more importantly, on behalf of the american people. in doing so, they've discarded a tradition of bipartisan cooperation when it comes to requesting a nominee's record. whether you've been for a nominee or not, we used to all agree that the senate should be able to review their full record. for the sake of transparency and openness for a vote, advice and consent on one of the most important jobs in the country and in the world -- a lifetime job of tremendous power, not an be a tract power, but the decisions the supreme court makes affect the daily lives of americans. so this is just incredible. for justice kagan, democrats joined with the republican minority to request all of her records. for

mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. cornyn: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: mr. president, early this summer i was privileged to be at the white house when president trump announced his nominee to succeed justice anthony kennedy whose retirement from the u.s. supreme court became effective just a couple of days ago. judge kavanaugh's nomination continues the streak that we republicans in the senate have been on for the last 18 months under the trump administration. we have set new records. specifically, we set a record last year for the most circuit judges confirmed in a president's first year, and we set a new record this year with the recent confirmation of president trump's 23rd circuit judge, texan andy oldham who will serve on the fifth circuit court of appeals. and that's two weeks ago. we already set the record with the most judges confirmed in the pr

mr. president. mr. president i ask that the next group of remarks be in a different place in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: mr. president a free independent press is vital to our democracy. it's enshrined in our constitution. we need tenacious dedicated journalists, journalists who will inflict the comfortable and comfort the inflicted to challenge special interests to connect americans with their communities. that's why i join my colleagues this week on a resolution condemning this administration's awful, vicious demagogic attacks on reporters. the decision last week to bar a reporter from attending a white house event just because the white house didn't like the questions she asked to the repeated labeling of the free press as enemies of the people. watch the video last night, mr. president. watch the video in florida last night where the president egged on egged on, egged on his supporters to start screaming at -- it is supporters -- to start screaming at newspaper re

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from idaho. mr. crapo: i rise to speak of brett kavanaugh to serve as an associate justice of the supreme court. on july 9, president trump announced his nomination of brett kavanaugh to be our 114th justice. serving on our highest court is the pinnacle of achievement and nomination to the bench is testament to a distinguished legal career. when we imagine a supreme court justice, we think of respected jurists well steeped in legal questions, rigorous in attention to detail, respectful of traditions, faithful to the law, awed by the recognition of the proud and profound responsibility wielded, and fair to all involved. our legal system requires it and the american people value it among their highest ideals of government. throughout our history the central tension of our republic can be defined as the exercise of government power versus liberty. each expands at the expense of the other. finding a way for both central authority and individual freedom to coexist and support each other remains our biggest

mr. president . the presiding officer: the senator for wyoming. mr. barrasso: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session for morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. barrasso: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator for wyoming. mr. barrasso: mr. president, i come to the floor today to add my voice to the am around the -- to the many around the world who are remembering our dear friend and colleague john mccain. john mccain was a man of the highest character, courage, and credibility. known for his stubborn courage and his heroic patriotism. he leaves a legacy of devotion and love for his country and his family when i first came to the senate, mr. president, john was very welcoming. he knew i had been an orthopedic surgeon and told me to take a look at his x-rays. of course the x-rays showed the many fractures as a result of being shot down over hanoi and the subsequent beatings as a prisoner of war. it was out of pure genero

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from delaware car car i ask -- a senator: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. carper: mr. president, i rise today with a number of my colleagues to speak out against the trump administration, e.p.a.'s dirty power plan, a proposal intended to replace the obama administration's clean power plan. this proposal from this administration fails in at least two aspects. first, it fails to address climate change and, second, it will put americans' health at risk. mr. president, millions of american children are headed back to school in my state and your state, states across the country this week, next week. all three of my children are grown. but not so long ago we were sitting -- sending them off to school, helping them with their homework, making sure they're getting good grades. as far as we know, we didn't know how many failing grades. however, i can't say the same for the trump administra

mr. president. i want to tell you that i recognize and acknowledge your political will and your participation in this. and on the same path, i want to bear my testimony, mr. president and my acknowledgment to both negotiating teams. especially that the team is headed by mr. robert lighthizer. and also the accompaniment and support we have had from the white house through jared kushner. and i also extend this recognition to the mexican teams . they are listening to you, they are close to you right now. the foreign minister and the secretary of the economy. [speaking in spanish] translator: and this supports the negotiations, it's been difficult and a very hard negotiation altogether with difficult moments of course. but i truly technology now that -- acknowledge now that we have been able to reach an agreement which we are about to make public and this is the result of good understanding and good work. i'm quite hopeful that now canada will start accepting with the united states this sensitive bilate

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from pennsylvania. mr. casey: mr. president, i don't think we're in a quorum call. the presiding officer: the senate is not in quorum call. mr. casey: thank you, mr. president. i would ask consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. casey: thank you, mr. president. i come to the floor tonight to spend a couple of minutes talking about the nomination of judge brett kavanaugh to the united states supreme court. we know that the debate has been engaged now for a number of weeks and that the american people are part of that debate. i've already expressed my views about the process that led to his nomination. i have very strong views about it. i think it was a corrupt bargain between at least two, if not the only two far-right organizations and the administration to choose from a list of only 25 individuals to serve on the supreme court. in other words, if you're not on the list of 25 chosen by those groups, or at least certainly ratified by those groups, you cannot be nominated

mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. cornyn: mr. president, the senate is not in order. the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. the majority whip. the senate will be in order. senators will take their conversations off the floor. mr. cornyn: mr. president. the presiding officer: majority whip. mr. cornyn: mr. president, we've been hit with some hard news in recent days. toughest of all perhaps was losing our friend and colleague john mccain this past weekend. he was a man who loved his country and was beloved in return. one of the things i appreciate the most about our friend senator mccain is he truly believed in all his heart, in all his being, in all his soul in american exceptionalism and that america had to lead in the world. because in the absence of american leadership, that void would be destabilizing and even dangerous. we know that john cast a long shadow in congress over the last four decades of american politics, and we will continue to honor and remember him this week and into the future. but tears and sentim

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator for wyoming. mr. barrasso: mr. president, i come to the floor today to add my voice to the am around the -- to the many around the world who are remembering our dear friend and colleague john mccain. john mccain was a man of the highest character, courage, and credibility. known for his stubborn courage and his heroic patriotism. he leaves a legacy of devotion and love for his country and his family when i first came to the senate, mr. president, john was very welcoming. he knew i had been an orthopedic surgeon and told me to take a look at his x-rays. of course the x-rays showed the many fractures as a result of being shot down over hanoi and the subsequent beatings as a prisoner of war. it was out of pure generosity on his part that we became friends and traveling companions. john took great pride in this institution and in knowing that none of us in this body of 100, left or right, republican or democrat, conservative or liberal, none of us agreed with him 100% of the time, but every one of us respected him and t

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. shelby: i object. before i -- the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. shelby: i would just like it to say that the senator from connecticut has got a worthy amendment here. we're all concerned about what's going on in yemen. i would hope that we would not do it on this bill because we're trying to keep a lot of riders off, but this is something that we're going to have to address. i would like to work with him, and others would on both sides of the aisle because what's been going on in yemen is atrocious. i object, though, at this point in time. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. murphy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. murphy: thank you, mr. president. i'm of course disappointed by the chairman's objection but i take his commitment to work on this issue to heart. i look forward to doing that. i'd like to speak for a moment about the amendment and about the reason why i was very hopeful, and remain hopeful, that we may get the chance to vote on t

mr. president, the president of the coalition of african-american pastors. paula white and we are with you 100%, and we are all in it together. we will work together to make a difference. [indiscernible] he worked with president bush. >> he marched with marla the king, too. >> it was my turn to go. [laughter] mr. president, i am certainly honored to be here with you, i 10 minutesike from from this house. you are invited any sunday. this is a very critical time that we are in. one of the things i remember the ast and recall about statement you made when you are running, you said if you are able to win the white house, christians would have a friend in the white house. i was really eager to find out whether or not that word would be kept. here with you today as a representative of the christian community, it is so wonderful -- i am elated to know that you are a man of your word, you have an ear to hear from god, this country is in great hands. my prayer for you is that your ear would always be open to the wisdom and the spirit of god. and i am praying for you

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. flake: mr. president, did you hear about -- the one about three robots that walk into a bar. no, you haven't. it's not a joke but rather a project paid for in part by the department of defense. these robots, called beerbots, you see a depiction here, were programmed to serve cold beers to graduate students. researchers say that programs can be used in restaurants and bars, but, as you can see the private sector has developed robot bartenders. they've been mixing drinks at bars and even on cruise ships for years now. with our national debt exceeding $21 trillion, taxpayers should not have to pick up the pentagon's tab for beerbots and other unnecessary items in the bill we're considering now. this mini bus bill provides over $800 billion for the department of defense, labor, h.h.s., and education, yet over the past three days we've considered four amendments to the bill. not a single one offers a reduction in spending, not a single one. i it introduced a handful of commonsense amendments that if a

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from pennsylvania. mr. casey: thank you, mr. president. i rise today, as my colleague from alaska just did so eloquently, to pay tribute to our colleague and friend, senator john mccain. i guess i have to start with a question -- where do i begin? where does anyone begin after all we've heard these last number of days and will continue to hear in the days ahead when we pay tribute in a more formal way in the next few days here in washington, in arizona and around the world? john mccain lived to serve his country, and his life could be best described by many words, but three come to mind: courage, commitment, and character. there's a line attributed to abraham lincoln where he said in the end, it's not the years in one's life that counts. it's the life in those years. it's a loose translation, not exact. but when you consider the life in those years in the context of john mccain, what a life it was. a remarkable human being who was able to rise above the horror of being a captive and being tortured to achieve so much in his life a

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. hatch: is it appropriate to give a speech at this time? the presiding officer: the senator is recognized. mr. hatch: i thank my president. mr. president, i wish to begin today on a topic of sports betting. in may the supreme court cleared the way for any state to legalize sports betting which had been prohibited all but a handful of states since 1992. i'd like to say upfront that i'm not a fan of sports bet be. -- sports betting. i have grave concerns about gambling in general and sports betting in particular. there's no question that sports betting like other types of gambling and addictive behavior has ruined far too many lives. and to those dell terrous social effect, the threat sports betting poses to the integrity of the game. and you can see why the prohibition on sports wagering in the professional and amateur sports protection act passed the senate 88-5. i authored this legislation and fought tooth and nail to get it passed because i knew without it, sports gambling would rupt

mr. president, the senator from idaho. >> mr. president, i rise to speak about presidents nomination of appellate judge serve as an associate justice of the united states bring court. on july 9 president trump announced his selection of judge cavanaugh to be the 114th justice in our nation's proud history. for a practicing lawyer, serving on our highest court is the pinnacle ofchmi a achievement. nomination to the bench is testament to distinguished career. when we imagine a supremeed court justice, we think of respected jurists well steeped in legal questions, rigorous to detail, respectful of traditions, faithful to the lawf, awed by the recognition of the proudnv and profound responsibility wielded and fair to all involved. our legal system requires it. theeg american people value it among their highest ideals of government. spread throughoutio our history we can be defined as the exercise of government power versusli liberty. each expands at the expense of the other. finding a way for both central authority and individual free

mr. president until the very end he served his country. until the very end. and service to john mccain meant living something unique. in all the history of the world living in service to something unique. the american, e pluribus unum, when compared to the brutal divisions of our time, but it was an idea that defined john mccain's life. in it, and through his service, he defied characterization, frustrated the tired conventions of the way party loyalists are supposed to behave, active against his own political interest time and time again in a way that from our vantage point today is nothing short of awe-inspiring and he recognized that democracy was hard, but that living in bondage to tyranny was far harder. we talk a lot in this chamber about freedom. no one in this city and few in american history knew as much or as vividly about the price of freedom as john mccain. our words are too often cheap and imminently forgotable. but john mccain paid our freight with his body and with his soul. to our shame, he lived long enough to have it take to the senate floor

mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. cardin: mr. president, i rise today to express great sadness for the passing of senator john mccain. it marks a deep loss for this country, the state of arizona, and above all his family and friends. john mccain was an honorable public servant who sacrificed greatly to serve his country in uniform and as a lawmaker proudly represented the people of arizona. mr. president, i will always remember the bipartisan luncheon that we had. when senator mccain recounted his experiences as a prisoner of war in vietnam. there wasn't a dry eye in our caucus. in my visit to vietnam, i had a chance to visit the hanoi hilton and see firsthand the place where john mccain acted so bravely. he was truly an american hero. i'd like to express my deepest sympathies and condolences to cindy, their children, and their family at this very difficult time. in his final letter to americans, senator mccain reminded us that, and i quote, we are citizens of the world's greatest republic, a nation of ideals, not blood and soil.

mr. president. and now as he consider the life of this man, in stark relief to what now passes for our politics, he continues to serve. as a beacon to who we are and who we can be when we are at our best. if john mccain can forgive the north vietnamese torturers, we can at least forgive each other. but that gesture of senator mccain was not merely a gesture of conciliation for conciliation sake. it was reflective of a world view that saw the humanity even in his enemies, of a sometimes unfathomable decency that could overcome most any difficulty, and a deep dedication to another american idea, the idea that character is destiny. and to the eternally optimistic american preference for tomorrow over yesterday, how i don't know whether or not senator mccain, whether or not john subscribed to the great man or great woman theory of history, the notion that the story of humanity is written by the actions and choices of great individuals. i don't know if he believed it or not. but i do know this. he lived

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. alexander: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the mandatory quorum call be waived. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of lynn a. johnson of colorado to be assistant secretary for family support, department of health and human services, signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of lynn a. johnson of colorado to be assistant secretary for family support, department of health and human services, shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: vote: the presiding officer:ville all senators vote

mr. president. >> mr. secretary? >> mr. ident, i would like to make two key points first as you mentioned, the economy is doing incredibly well. for the first time since we have been keeping records, we have more open jobs than we have people to fill those jobs. >> right. >> and so these programs are needed for the economy. we have jobs ready and waiting for individuals when they leave prison. second, i would like to follow up on what some of the governors have said u these programs work. as you know and as everybody at the table knows i was a u.s. attorney in miami. and when you talk with the law enforcement community, what they will tell is you that these programs foster public safety. when someone leaves prison, the best that can happen for them is for them to find a job. the best that can happen to society is for them to find a job and start contributing to society rather than go back to the old way of crime. this is very much a win-win for the individual. it's for the safety of the community. and for the economy of the

mr. president. gonzalez, can you talk little bit about confined space rescue and tie that in with there being no height restrictions for recruits into the department? >> i have restriction. there are no height restrictions. old days, it used to be how tall they have to be to get in the truck. 5'8". there used to be restrictions in that regard. >> commissioner covington: not everybody -- you can do the job and the chief of the departments downing the job -- >> what you're getting at. historically someone thought as a firefighter, the idea firefighters are strapping 6'4" male. we've seen time after time. depending on the nation we're responding to, sometimes the smaller statues ups it through a window. we'll serve that purpose much better. >> i understand you have photos. >> yes ma'am. i was just doing little recruitment plug there. if you've 5'5" and healthy, you can go for it by all means. >> commissioner covington: i want to thank chief for showing me around on inauguration day and reviewing the ac

mr. president. and first, our firefighters -- which there are 30,000 of them -- are doing spectacular things. we've had six deaths related. and we forget that firefighters, while they're in the frontline, their homes and families are in jeopardy, and our hearts and prayers need to be with our frontline firefighters that are out there every day. it is a matter of gross mismanagement; there is no question. the fuel loads are up. the density of our forests is historical. we have dead and dying timber. and if you don't believe me, believe your own eyes: go out and take a look at our forests. take a drive out there and look at the dead and dying timber. it's been a gross mismanagement for decades. but we're burning our forests, we're destroying our habitats, and we're destroying our communities and neighborhoods by these catastrophic fires of two-, three-hundred-thousand acres. thus far, there's 5.7 million acres of our public lands that have been destroyed at a cost of about $3 billion this fiscal year.

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. mr. sasse: thank you, mr. president. like so many today, i rise to honor john mccain, to sing john mccain's praises. there are many here, most here who knew him longer than i did. i'll admit that when you and i, mr. president, first got here in 2014, i knew john mccain as somebody from the history books. i knew john mccain as somebody destined for the history books. i knew john mccain as an american hero. but i didn't know john mccain the man. i didn't know john mccain, the flesh and blood, genuinely hilarious guy. but over the past 48 months i had the privilege of actually getting to become friends with john mccain. it's sort of weird to say when you're our age -- you're a good bit older than i am, but when you're roughly our age, mr. president, i'm 46 and john mccain was an octogenarian, and he befriended me. i've been on many overnights with john mccain, i've been to war zones with john mccain. i've been cussed out by john mccain lots of times. he would call me stupid bastard on a regular basis and he meant it affecti

mr. president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. portman: today i want to join my colleague from minnesota and other senators in talking about our colleague, an american icon, who played an outsized role as our country's story. senator john mccain was first and foremost a patriot. throughout his whole life and very prolific life, he lived the motto of his 2008 presidential campaign, which was simply, country first. i had the privilege of helping senator mccain during that 2008 campaign. i was in the private sector then, and i took time off to spend about six weeks with him traveling around the country. i was on the campaign trail with a group of his loyal friends, including the first friend, lindsey graham. i had known john for many years but you really get to know somebody in a different way during the intensity and pressure of a national campaign. i played the role of his opponent, then senator barack obama to prepare for his debates. i took that role very seriously, maybe too seriously on occasion. it was my job to get under his

mr. president, any comment on john mccain, sir? mr. president, why won't you call john mccain a hero, sir? >> reporter: they're two words capable of hitting the mute button on president trump. john mccain. at five different photo ops, the president was asked to comment on the late senator. and each time mr. trump greeted the question with stone faced silence. >> make your way out. >> reporter: the president's harsh feelings for mccain have been hard to miss, even in the days since the senator passed away. instead of a full statement from the white house, mr. trump posted a short tweet. my deepest sympathies and respect go to the family of john mccain. our hearts and prayers are with you. a longer statement was drafted by staffers but not used. flags were brought to half staff sunday, returned to full staff monday morning, only to be lowered again in the afternoon. finally, the president issued a statement, brief, though in keeping with white house tradition, ordering flags flown at half staff, saying despite our differences on policy an

mr. president.ay that i greatly recognize and acknowledge your political will and your participation in this. and i want to bear my testimony, mr. president, and my acknowledgement to both negotiating teams. especially the team that is headed and led by mr. robert lightheiter. and also the accompaniment and the support we get from the white house through jared kushner. and i also extend this recognition to the mexican team. they are listening to you. the foreign minister and the secretary of the economy. yes, this has been a negotiation that has taken months. it's been difficult and a very hard negotiation all together with difficult moments, of course. but i truly acknowledge now the fact that we have been able to reach an agreement that we are about to make public. and this is the result of good understanding and good work. and i, of course, i am quite hopeful that now canada will start discussing with the united states the sensitive bilateral issues. congratulations. i'm very grateful and i am at

mr. preside president.the administration and the president-elect of mexico. as you know, we are now going through a period of transition, and it has been possible to create a highly unified front. between the negotiating team of this administration, the people appointed by the president-elect of mexico. the observers and participate in this agreement, in this understanding to reach the point we are now reaching. the president-elect has been aware of everything that has been happening, and i have also had the opportunity of talking to him directly and personally of the progress being made. you have also had direct conversations with president-elect. the things we have to do and i hope we have the space to do it would be to find -- a good toast with tequila, of course, to celebrate this understanding. >> enrique, i think that's exactly right. and you know the good relationship that i've already established with the president-elect. i was very impressed with him, i must tell you. he was terrific in every way.

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: madam president, i ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. nelson: madam president, i'm here to call on the the senate leadership to bring up the wrda bill. it needs to come up soon for consideration, because right now in florida we are facing a massive environmental and economic crisis, and it's so sweeping that it brings up the memories of the 2010 deep water horizon oil spill, the b.p. oil spill. because right now neon green slime is clogging the caloosahatchee river on the west coast and the st. lucie river on the east. madam president, i've been to stuart, stuart on the east coast. i've smelled the stench of toxic algae choking the waterways. i've talked to mothers and grandparents who are worried about exposing their children to the harmful toxins, and they're concerned about that if they get anywhere near. that's why we wrote to the c.d.c. asking for health care guidance. i've the met with business owners who have literal

the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i moved to proceed to executive session to consider calendar 1061. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. mr. graham: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from south carolina. mr. graham: thank you. i have been thinking about this. i have been dreading this. and i am now going to do this. to all of my colleagues who have gone before me, you have done right by our friend, senator mccain. the family appreciates all the good words, the kindnesses, the anecdotes that have come their way. this is a tough time for the family. john has seven wonderful children, cindy, devoted wife, you really did well by john. but before anything else, i just want to know -- i'm going to try to make this somewhat fun, even though i don't feel in a funny mood right now. but the bottom line is, let's start off with the tie. to anybody who may be watching on television, this is a naval academy tie. i wore this today, john, to honor you and to ann

mr. president. >>commissioner cleaveland: thank you, mr. vice president. chief, i did have a couple of questions. first off, i did want to congratulate the 124th class for that video. it was terrific, and i would urge every class to put together a similar video of their experiences. i think it really is a bonding experience, and it gives the families and relatives and friends and everybody that's at the graduation a really good idea of what they went through, so i commend them on putting that together. on the 125th class, i know you said you're going to refresh the list. does that impact the current list, so when new people -- new scores come on, i guess it bumps people down potentially, correct? >> commissioner hayes-white: correct. the -- well, potentially. the list, it doesn't move someone's rank. >>commissioner cleaveland: right. >> commissioner hayes-white: so it potentially could expand, but someone's ranking does not change. it can be added to, and the -- the person is on the list for a two-year period of time. >>commissioner cleaveland: so the rank

the presiding officer: without objection. mr. coons: mr. president, i come to the floor today to speak in honor and memory of our colleague, senator john sidney mccain iii. i asked myself a series of questions as i was trying to prepare for today's comments. first, who was he? who was john mccain? john was a man deeply in love with his country and its promise, a man optimistic that tomorrow would be better than today, and a man grateful for the chance to serve a cause greater than himself. his humor was rooted in that hopefulness, the sometimes sharp sting of his words in debate rooted in his passion for his pause and his love of the fight and his restlessness rooted in an impatience to get on with it, to get busy defending liberty or make a difference in the world, to help soften the burdens of millions not yet free. john was both a romantic and a cynic, as some have said, in love with and passionate about the causes he fought for, yet clear-eyed about the long odds he often faced in a world hostile to our ideals. in trying to summarize joh

mr. president, any -- mr. president, any thoughts on john mccain? mr. president? thoughts on john mccain, sir? >> thank you very much, everybody. thank you. >> do you have any thoughts at all on john mccain? >> keep moving. >> nothing at all about john mccain? why won't you say anything about john mccain? >> we're finished. >> mr. president, any comment on john mccain, sir? mr. president, why won't you call john mccain a hero, sir? >> could have been easy for him. he could have said he's a hero. >> yeah. you know, there's a gracelessness there that i think is worth noting. this isn't about politics. john mccain and donald trump didn't see eye-to-eye. that's a fact. but, as an admiral, the letter he read speaks to, this is not really about what john mccain thought of donald trump. this is, in the end, what john mccain sacrificed for our country. donald trump has repeatedly been unable to take the high road to understand there's a moral leadership role inherent in being the president of the united states that people like admiral kirby. his son, others who served, i'

mr. president. >>commissioner cleaveland: thank you very much, mr. vice president. chief gonzales, did you have a comment? >> a couple comments, mr. president. one, i might have mentioned that the bike medic was named choker, but it was larry pera, and choker was on that drill to train. and choker was there that day when we looked at the ambulances, and he was the one that i really -- i put a lot of weight into his opinion. he told us about the shooting that they had on the smaller ambulance, and that was tough for them. that sold me. let's go with what's safe for our members 679 secondly, i'd like to address a little of what commissioner veronese was alluding do about the a.d.u.s. absolutely, we don't want to stop the process. not to be overly dramatic, but i've been to a couple of fires where we pulled a couple of fatalities out of these units. so we want to make it safe moving forward, bottom line. there's other ways to expedite the process, as well. dan has, like san jose's model. it would cost

mr. president. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you, sarah. c i had e back. metimes when you're president, you have to make sacrifices, sop i d the back nine. >> yeah. i understand, mr. president, sir, mayor cruz of san juan is on the line. >> i was expecting this phone ll. i'm sure she wants to tell me what a great job i'm doing. [ laughter ] yes, mayor? t you wanted to tame? >> ah. yes, mr. president. phone. glad to have you on the i'm begging you, puerto rico needs your help.yo >> i healoud and clear, and you called the best person for the job. trust me, i know things are, as thlocals say, "despacito." [ laughter ] we're going to get more help to you. we'll get it to you immediately, probably by tuesday or wednesday at the latest. >> mr. president, that's not good enough.d >> well, you shove paid your bills. [ audience groans ] fema takes a few days, unless you join fema prime. >> what are you talking out? >> ma'am, i don't know if you know this, but you're on an islandth

mr. president.ecognize this would be good from the point of recognizing what we're reaching on this deal. hope and i wish that the part with canada will be materializing in a concrete fashion. so we can have an agreement the , a tripartosed it heid. the agreementrate between the united states and mexico because we are a final and iof understanding hope that in the following days, we materialize the formalization of this agreement. , it has todditional do with the involved and committed participation of the administration of the president-elect of mexico. as you know, we are going through a period of transition. creates been possible to between theont negotiating team of this administration and the people appointed by the president elect .f mexico and the observers participate in this and to reach the point we .re reaching the president-elect has been aware of everything that has been happening and i have had the opportunity of talking to him directly about the progress being made. you have also had

mr. president, any -- mr. president, any thoughts on john mccain? mr. resident -- >> do you have anything to say about john mccain? >> let's go, keep moving. let's go. >> do you believe john mccain is a war hero? >> why won't you say anything about john mccain? >> mr. president, any comment on john mccain, sir? >> we just have new tape in to cnn which is the president just moments ago speaking at the white house with some kind words about senator john mccain. let's have a listen. >> also our hearts and prayers are going to the family of senator john mccain. there will be a lot of activity over the next number of days. we very much appreciate everything that senator mccain has done for our country. so thank you very much. >> april, quite a change there in the span of a couple of hours. why did it take so long in your view? >> his silence was deafening. social media, those inside the white house and outside the white house put pressure on this president. that's what my sources are telling me. republican sources are saying it was an embarrassment. all of th

mr. president? id, the tax cut cut cut cut bill. >> [cheers and applause] president trump: and we almost did it. in this case a couple congressman thought it was a little bit tacky, so we called it the jobs bill. it is the biggest tax cut in the history of our country, and people are benefiting by it. benefiting, and those companies are the ones that are providing all of the jobs. we are setting records on jobs. we are again protecting religious liberty. >> [cheers and applause] alsodent trump: and we're standing up to social media censorship. that is the new thing. you know, i would rather have cnn than lik -- it ise anybody, including liberals, socialist, anyone being censored. we have to live with it. there are too many fake sources. everyone is like a newspaper. you have twitter facebook. you can't have censorship you can't pick one person and say, he's out. so we will live with fake news. we have no choice but because that is by far the better alternative. because it can turn around. it could be

mr. president.k you very much, both alex and linda. you do an incredible job. i would like to now welcome up jerry howard, ceo of the national association of home builders. jerry does a phenomenal job running that group, respected all over the country. jerry, please, say a few words. >> mr. president, the men and women who house america, men and women who house north carolina, are overwhelmingly small business people who work and live in the same communities. this initiative that you are about to sign will enable them to help their neighbors, their employees, to economic security in retirement. this initiative will help them compete against larger businesses in a very tight labor market which is tight because of the success of your economy, and we are all grateful for that, but it is causing us a little bit of problems. but this initiative is going to help us out a lot, mr. president. this initiative simply is good for business, it's good for employees, it's good for communities, it's good for the e

mr. president. r someone who grew up just across the bay in pinellas county, starting out working 6 bucks an hour, it's a through honor to be standing here endorsed by the president of the united states! i appreciate your support, mr. president, but i appreciate more the leadership you're showing for our great country. we have the strongest economy we've had in years. we have standing four square behind our ally, the state of israel. we have strong constitutionalist being put on our courts, including the supreme court. we have ended the disastrous iran deal. and under the president's leadership, we are standing against socialist distater ships in latin america like cuba, venezuela and nicaragua. florida is going in the right direction and we need to continue our success and build upon it. we can't go back to the days of charlie chris where the gold ol' boys run the show. we can make our state without fear for economic opportunity if we continue with strong conservative policies. we can fight illegal

mr. president. >>commissioner cleaveland: thank you, mr. vice president. chief, just had a couple of comments and questions. i am really pleased to hear -- you said we had 129 facility requests and 128 were closed out. these are requests through public works, correct? >> correct. >>commissioner cleaveland: and was that within the last month? >> yes. >>commissioner cleaveland: that's really excellent. >> the month of july. >>commissioner cleaveland: what was the majority of these facility requests? >> sorry? >>commissioner cleaveland: what was the majority of these facility requests? >> plumbing and electrical, probably the two categories. >>commissioner cleaveland: mostly at fire houses. >> yes, and we've been working diligently with chief rivera, olivia scanlon, been working diligently with d.p.w. to get on a better schedule to meet our needs because things are starting to fall off the back end, so yeah, we're really happy with -- with the progress that's been made. >>commissioner cleaveland: i'm delighted, too. this is one of the things that i'd hoped wh

mr. president. they're free, mr. president. we've had press reports that they're free.ad press reports. what do you have to say about that? what do you have to say? >> only one thing to say. thank god. >> you could not have had a more stunning beginning to a presidency. the whole last year of the carter administration is defined by the hostages and now in the first hour of reagan's administration they're free. that's a case where the image absolutely defines the reality. >> i just won't call them hostages. they were prisoners of war. >> if the hostages had not been released, reagan would have been forced to focus on the hostage crisis. with the hostages back, he was free to focus on the economy. >> inflation and unemployment are threatening the american way of life as never before. and without a change of policy these intolerable conditions will get even worse. >> inflation flared again last month, almost doubling the rate of the month before. >> in 1967 inflation was 2.9%. last year it was 12.4%. >> people were afraid. people had begun to think that america was in a ki