stabenow number 3. senator stabenow: it seems when we talk about tax reform the top priority should be closing the loopholes that are incentivizing jobs to go overseas. i know that's a major priority for the people of michigan. this would simply say that there will be a budget point of order against any legislation that would give a tax cut to companies that are shipping our jobs overseas. senator enzi: does anyone want to speak in opposition? i'm told that in consultation with the parliamentarian the chair finds the amendment nongermane and out of order so i'll rule it out of order. senator stabenow: mr. chairman, i would appeal the ruling of the chair and ask for a record vote. senator enzi: i move to table the appeal and ask for a roll call. senator stabenow: sorry. senator enzi: the motion is nondebatable. the clerk will call the roll. the clerk: mr. grassley. senator grassley: aye. the clerk: mr. craper. senator crapo: aye. the clerk: mr. graham. senator graham: aye. the clerk: mr. toomey. senator

member of the senate finance committee, senator wyden, for being here as well as finance members stabenow and cantwell and the leader on retirement issues, sheldon whitehouse though he is years from retirement himself, very selfless of him. tomorrow, house republicans are expected to unveil the fine print of their long-awaited tax plan. senator schumer: at the risk of using a halloween pun, we're sure it will be full of tricks for the middle class and treats for the wealthiest americans an biggest corporations. we don't know yet what is -- what the republicans will do to middle class americans' 401k retirement accounts. but many republicans have sugg scrested that they may move the cap on pretax contributions to 401k's all way down to $2,400 per year. it's now $18,000 if you're below $50,000 and $24,000 -- if you're below 50 and $24,000 if you're above 50 years of age. no matter how you slice it, it's an immediate tax hike on american families' retirement plans period. it would be bad for millions of families which is why it's opposed by groups like the aarp. the president suggested that

next amendment is stabenow number eight. ms. stabenow: thank you, mr. chairman. i would hope this would be an amendment that we could all support. given the comments from colleagues that the cut in the budget resolution on medicare isn't really a cut. so, if that's the case, then i think we should be very clear that structurally medicare won't be changed, with the almost $500 billion in cuts in the budget resolution. and this would simply put a budget point of order against medicare privatization. which i know is a great worry to seniors in michigan and people across the country. 47 million americans, mostly seniors, but people with disabilities, depend on medicare. including two million people in michigan. that's about one in five people in our country. medicare's a promise. it's a guarantee that america's seniors who paid in their whole lives, people have paid in their whole lives have affordable, comprehensive insurance when they retire. a lot of folks holding on just -- having a tough time in terms of insurance and they breathe a sigh of relief when they're 6

senator stabenow: i wanted to offer information and agree with .enator king and illustration in our last farm bill, we put in opportunities for people to work in terms of the snap program understanding that the majority of food assistance, 80% goes to children, seniors and people with disabilities. so 80% is helping those who are not in a position to do this. but because of the support that senator king is talking about, we have seen innovative work being done in states that has been successful and i think what senator king is talking about, we have even a proven record of providing opportunities for people. >> mr. chairman. mr. king: under the rules, will to him.ime to contend contend i remember when you were governor, you were a fine governor. let me explain gently why i think my way is better. what i'm proposing in this amendment was proposed by president clinton with respect to tanf, and it has worked. it has worked in every single state. and it's worked because president clinton -- he didn't approach it being hard hearted or the purpose wasn't to throw anybody out in the cold. the p

next is stabenow number eight. .. >> [roll call] >> [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] >> the appealis tabled. next is number 10 these seek recognition?. >> day meet opposition?. >> yes. go-ahead. >> this is about the reserve funds that were once again repeal would replace the affordable care at the american people have seen this awful movie before and they'd want to see it again and hear the efforts to bring it back once more. whiz would raise costs of those with pre-existing conditions and let's reject this amendment and walked out of here for what we ought to be doing to be seen as bipartisan with health care cost to help the american people rather than launch an another assault on their well-being. >> the question is on the amendment the clerk will call the roll. [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] >> 12 nays and 11 yays. >> the amendment is not a green to. number 34 so those in opposition? the proponents recognize the amendment?. >> at the time is long overdue for us to end the of corrupt finance system that we have which allows billionaires like the koch brothers and others tha

senator stabenow. >> thank you mr.chairman and before offering my amendment i want to say a little rebuttal to my friend from pennsylvania. we have a finance committee a number of days ago where we asked the republican and democratic witnesses to tax cuts pay for themselves? everyone said no and there's no evidence in history of that. there just isn't traded sounds great and i wish it really did happen but what we have seen in our country is deficit as a result of doing tax cuts particularly the tax cuts that don't go into the pockets of middle-class families or small businesses or companies that are making things here in america. therefore it doesn't turn around via kona me. that leads to an amendment that i have that would created budget point of order against any legislation that would give a tax cut to companies and ship my job overseas. i know we do this around the world and we have companies that do this around the world that we have seen over and over again companies that close up shop to take basically a race t

we have one stretch of road in the stabenow that is a result of this event. that is i-55 frontage road and st. john the baptist. you heard the governor's take to the issues with regard to the evacuations in those areas. the other area that we have closed is closed because of floodgates preventing folks from getting there. st. bernard, you have l.a. 46, 300, l.a. 624, and and 625, all in st. bernard in jefferson parish, you have l.a. 45, and in orleans, you have u.s. 11. road is closedt because of the floodgates, not because of water intrusion as of yet. with the governor setting -- saying the potential of water rising because of high tide and the storm surge, we want to encourage everyone to please go .la.org and make sure you are paying attention to real-time closures. gov. edwards: motorists should understand that they may well get to an area of a road that has standing water before someone from state police or the oral parish sheriff's office so forth, or d.o.t. d, it may not be marked as a high water area or be closed. that is why we are asking everyone t

the hollywood producer whose name is in the news a lot nowadays but you've also got senator debbie stabenow who is here local state and federal officials are here talking about the kinds of issues that women feel have been under represented by this current administration but also talking about the way women are treated and the way they are listened to so it's really a broad agenda and if i can look through just a couple of of i. here they're talking about raising money for the national resources defense fund and on environmental group there was an opening prayer by a native american. and then there's a restored of yoga class and a shoe box religious service in between all of these things you can pick and choose of the many events going on right there about five thousand women we are told who are expected to be here today and for the next two days through sunday you mentioned and john the names of some actresses there and i'm just wondering how and the subjects of sexual harassment whether that's playing a particular role at at this conference. it is indeed and it's it's really fortuitous ti

stabenow: thank you, mr. president. first, let me say the people of michigan and our country deserve a better deal than what is in this budget. there are a number of concerns i have, but i want to mention three big ones that i'm proud to join with colleagues on amendments that would address them and votes that will be coming up. the first is the fact that this budget would take $473 billion out of medicare. i offered an amendment in committee to make sure that wouldn't include privatizing medicare, but that was voted down. so that is certainly something that could happen. $1 trillion in medicaid cuts as well. in michigan, three out of five seniors in nursing homes are there with the help of medicaid health insurance. this is children, families, senior citizens. there will be an amendment offered that senator nelson and i, senator sanders offered to take out this cut for medicare. there will be one offered for medicaid with senator sanders and myself and senator casey to strike that. second, 80% of the tax cuts built int

democratic senators debbie stabenow, sherrod brown and others wrote a letter to republican leaders -- saying in part tax reform "simply cannot require retirement savers to foot the bill."some republicans -- including congressman glenn grothman -- don't want to touch 401(k)s either. rep glenn grothman (r- wi): my major goal is to focus on people who are working. and 401ks? that's how a lot of working people save for retirement. republicans could release their initial tax reform bill as early as next week. in washington, i'm jessica smith (jrstone) a rock climber suffered serious injuries after falling 60 feet last week. the man was climbing near donnor ski ranch in nevada county when he fell. two off duty firefighters were also rock climbing in the area and came to his rescue. the firefighters provided first aid to the climber while an air ambulance was called. first responders from the helecopter stabilized him and hoisted him into the helecopter. the climber was flown to the donnor ski ranch where he was transfered to a hospital in reno with serious injuries. ( justine ) two women...

about career advice and if i say where do you want to be and i will say maybe i will have cancer or stabenowedthat is terrible. i wantmies sparkling. we as human kind need to do that. that is the key reason i wrote my book. i want to encourage people to think about what future you were excited about. people saying if we work together we can get there. >> that seems like the perfect place to end actually. working at the idea of cooperation and how we can work together to envision a positive future. i will take the proi priority saying we will continue this at a reception and book signing. we will have desserts. eric and max are there to talk to. thank you, gentlemen. this has been so eye opening and amazing. investigative journalist art levine is here talks about his bo book and is intervied by jeffrey liberman >> mental health care as offered by providers and clinicians continues to be portrayed as an alied good and supposedly more people need to receive more treatment regardless of the quality. unfortunately, the political debate over repealing obamacare has obscured the truth that even havin

you've got bob casey and debbie st stabenow. >> if they don't get it done quickly, they're not goingne. this is the largest transfer of wealth from the middle class and working people to a privileged few in history. over time when that's revealed, this cannot stand of its own weight. second i think it's important to look at it that it's not just democrats and republicans. the republican party has to decide whether it still is the party of fiscal responsibility or are prepared to take the united states permanently above 100% debt to gdp. more importantly having been through a couple in congress, rather than dnr, you have to look at this regionally. this is an enormous wealth transfer from the northeast to upper midwest in california to the midwestern and southern states. >> if we lose the local and state tax deductions in the coastal state. >> what does that really mean? if you are a republican in new york or california or new jersey or upper midwest and you're going to vote for this and go to washington, i would pack permanently. because people are going to lose their sense of humor

i also support similarly bipartisan legislation by senators blunt and stabenow to extend funding for our nation's community health centers. i welcome the fact that the senate finance committee held a markup yesterday and were able to advance the bipartisan bill to fund the children's health insurance program. now the rest of us in congress need to do our job. let's bring both of these bills up for a vote because, quite frankly, we cannot afford to wait any longer. our nation's children and millions of americans that use community health centers as their primary medical home cannot afford to wait any longer. historically, these programs have not been controversial to reauthorize and they should not be now. madam president, i'm urging my colleagues to prioritize the children of our rural and underserved communities who will be hurt if we do not act soon. let's do what's right for our country's children and families and pass this vital legislation as soon as possible. madam president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: qu

democratic senators debbie stabenow, sherrod brown and others wrote a letter to republican leaders --t tax reform "simply cannot require retirement savers to foot the bill."some republicans -- including congressman glenn grothman -- don't want to touch 401(k)s either. rep glenn grothman (r- wi): my major goal is to focus on people who are working. and 401ks? that's how a lot of working people save for retirement. republicans could release their initial tax reform bill as early as next week. in washington, i'm jessica smith governor jerry brown says, congressional seats could be on the line in california, depending upon how lawmakers vote. governor brown said today ... republicans could lose their jobs because the tax plan eliminates a state and local deduction used by many californians. all 14 california republicans backed the budget that was just passed, paving the way for a one- and-a- half trillion dollar tax cut. some republicans in other states that rely heavily on the deductions... voted against the proposal. in san leandro... two teens were arrested for impersonating police off

senator stabenow out and i sit together on the committee. we are intensely committed to a bipartisan approach. the majority leader ruled that out and he said that we are not going to do a bipartisan approach. he said we are going to do a partisan approach and he is set on using reconciliation to jam through a republican plan. we can forward with our principles for tax reform. republicans said they are for them, like they are for the middle class. if you're making $60,000 or $70,000, you take away the if you're deductions and the family comes out behind. maybe we will see something else, but those of the facts, as of today. one of the things that has occurred to me about the reconciliation process and the next step is, if reconciliation is bad enough, take a look at section 4111 of the chairman's mark. it is required that there be a -- of the bill before the vote. you could have no score on the cost of the bill at all. it seems to me, particularly when i listen to my friend, senator corker, this is not a sensible way to proceed. maybe we are

community health centers, such as the bipartisan bill that senator blunt of missouri and senator stabenow of michigan have introduced the community health investment modernization and excellence act of 2017. that's s. 1899. and i am proud to support that bipartisan bill. so, folks, i urge that we work together in a bipartisan way. we should not be using children and access to health care as a bargaining chip. we should be taking up these two bills and provide reauthorization and funding and certainty immediately for both c.h.c.'s and chip funding now and without hesitation. mr. president, thank you. with that i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from pennsylvania. a senator: thank you, mr. president. i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: the senate is not in a quorum call. mr. casey: thank you, mr. president. as you know, the children's health insurance program expired on the 30th of september in large part because we spent much of this year and in the days leading up to that date debating the repeal of the affordable care act instead of focusing

you are running against three-term democratic senator debbie stabenow. to government power for as long as i have been alive and just walk around the city of detroit. just walk around michigan. i believe that this brand of freedom by telling people the good news of what our god and our country has guaranteed for us, enabling us to go off and work hard and do what we can, and not rely on the government but to rely on each other in rely on our own hard work to do great things, that is what's best. i believe that when we work together and we get results that is what people really want to see. ainsley: i know that michigan did go for president trump. what about kid rock? he says he is not going to run now. maybe in the future he will. but he is saying for now he is not running. would you like to seek his endorsement or have you talked to him? >> absolutely. kid rock is a patriot. and we are serving in our own unique ways. he is serving by voicing his message of free speech and not allowing anybody to dictate to him how he thinks. i'm an independent thinker as

the senior senator from michigan, senator stabenow, shared her concern for a textile that incentivizes jobs to be shipped overseas. our friend the democratic leader wrote about tax code failure to help american workers compete. many democrats call for action against tax form done. i hope our democratic friends will work with us now in a serious way to actually do it. after all, it is not as if tax form has changed since our friends made the statements. as recently as a few years ago. the only thing that changed was the man in the white house. as the only difference. the american people are counting us. let's get this done. >> before i get into everything, i have just seen the president trump has resumed his twitter wore the number member of this body. our friend from tennessee. it has long been pastime for the president to quit his daily compulsion to engage in twitter feuds and instead get to work for the american people. we have a lot of serious issues to deal with this country. our challenges are too entrenched in complex to be solved if the president spends his time in a meaningles

the senior senator from michigan, senator stabenow, expressed her concern for a tax code that incentivizes jobs to be shipped overseas. and our friend the democratic leader wrote about tax code -- about the tax code's failure to help american workers compete. many democrats called for action to get tax reform done. i hope our democratic friends will work with us now in a serious way to actually do it. after all, it is not as if tax reform has changed since our friends made these statements. as recently as a few years ago. the only thing that's changed is the occupant of the white house. the only difference. so let's get it done. the american people are counting on us. on one final matter, in addition to our important legislative priorities, the senate is also working hard to confirm the president's excellent judicial nominees. last night i filed cloture on two nominees for u.s. district courts, scott palk has been nominated to serve as the district judge for the western district of oklahoma. he has served in multiple roles in the u.s. attorney's office prosecuting crime and terrorism cases

am offering today which will be voted on at i believe 3:00, along with senators casey and senator stabenow, is very simple and straightforward. it would simply prevent the republicans from cutting medicaid by $1 trillion, and it would be fully paid, fully paid for by stopping the republican effort to give the wealthiest people in america another tax break. plain and simple, this budget resolution is nothing more than a massive transfer of wealth from working families to the very rich. huge tax breaks for billionaires, terrible cutbacks on programs that working families desperately need. at a time when the middle class of this country continues to shrink and when families in the state of vermont and all across this country are struggling to make ends meet, they are struggling to put food on the table, put gas in their car, to pay their electric bill, to pay their health insurance, maybe put away a few bucks to send their kids to college, it would be highly impork-barrel and bad economic policy to take from these working families, to take from america's senior citizens to give even more to t

senator stabenow. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. and first i want to lend my voice to remembering pete d minute chi. we worked together on many things, including mental health legislation. and he was a very, very dear man who cared deeply about the budget committee and the processes here. i also want to thank my friend, senator corker, for his thoughtfulness in his comments. and mr. chairman, while i disagree with this budget in substance, i want to thank you for openness in process that you have put in place that i think were overdue in terms of making sure that we know ahead of time the amendments and the process. and so thank you for bringing important transparency to this process. i really appreciate that. i agree, we need tax reform. i want to see tax reform that helps small businesses, real small businesses. close tax loopholes to create jobs here at home and puts money in the pockets of middle class families. in michigan and across the country. and i know senator corker has left, but i couldn't agree more that we need to clos

in 2012, representative lance and senator stabenow, blount and i passed a mental health demonstration project into law. this project is allowing states to demonstrate that building up community-based behavior health clinics improves access to care. last week we induced legislation to extend the years of and expand it to more states. this is one way to help address the opioid crisis. we also need to enforce mental health laws to ensure health insurers are offering mental health benefits equal to physical health benefits. it is irrelevant if mental health benefits are not offered in the first place. there have been proposals which included provisions that allow states to waive benefits, meaning insurance would not be required to cover mental health and addiction treatments. that's not good. cutting billions from medicaid program would also mean loss of coverage for millions suffering from substance use disorder. we cannot take these steps backward. i am encouraged by steps being taken across the health care sector to address the crisis, including the limiting of opioid prescription for

stabenow: thank you. mr. president, we need tax reform that helps small businesses, closes tax loopholes that are taking jobs overseas and instead be creating those jobs at home, and we need tax reform that puts money in the pockets of middle-class families in michigan and all across the country, and we need an american budget that shows what we value as americans. too often we think of budgets as sterile numbers on a spreadsheet. in reality, budgets are about people. they're about the middle-class parents who are sitting down to do their taxes and feeling like it's them, not the wealthiest 1%, who are carrying the heaviest burden. they're about helping small business owners in pontiac, michigan; family farmers in cadillac; and michigan companies who are creating good-paying jobs. and they are about ensuring that the most vulnerable among us -- our children, senior citizens, people with disabilities -- are valued and respected. we can't consider a budget without considering people. will it help middle-class f

i ask unanimous consent that senator stabenow be added to amendment number 1120 as a cosponsor. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: mr. president, this amendment says no to the cutting of $1 trillion to medicaid and forcing 15 million americans often the health insurance they currently have while at the same time providing a $1.9 trillion tax break to the top 1%. this is not what the american people want. it's what the billionaire class wants and i make the radical suggestion that maybe we listen to ordinary americans and not just wealthy campaign contributors. mr. enzi: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. enzi: i urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. this amendment would increase mandatory spending and taxes each by more than $1 trillion. i understand my colleagues are concerned about medicaid and this budget is focused on preserving medicaid for those who need it most. in order to preserve medicaid, we must be honest about its fiscal trajectory. the status quo is not possible, it is on a path t

stabenow: well then, i appreciate that. thank you. mr. president, i know we are in the middle of a discussion and certainly a debate right now about a budget resolution. obviously i participated in discussions of how concerned i am about the priorities in the budget resolution. i think people of michigan and the country deserve a better deal. but while we're doing that, the clock is ticking on some very, very important programs where we actually have bipartisan support in committee. i want to thank chairman hatch and the finance committee, working with myself, working with our ranking member, senator wyden, for moving forward last week a reauthorization, five-year reauthorization of the children's health insurance program, what we call chip. the problem is, and it passed out with only one negative vote so we got a strong bipartisan vote coming to the floor. my concern is that now we move on to tax cuts geared predominantly to wealthiest americans, a bill that includes medicaid cuts and medicare cuts and other debates. and yet, we have thi