the clerk: mr. crapo. senator crapo: no. the clerk: mr. graham. senator graham: no. the clerk: mr. toomey. senator toomey: no. the clerk: mr. johnson. senator johnson: no. the clerk: mr. corker. senator corker: no. the clerk: mr. perdue. senator perdue: no. the clerk: mr. gardner. mr. kend. -- mr. kennedy. mr. boozman. senator boozman: no. the clerk: mr. strange. senator strange: no. the clerk: mr. sanders. senator sanders: yes. the clerk: ms. murray. mr. wyden. senator wyden: aye. the clerk: ms. stabenow. senator stabenow: aye. the clerk: mr. whitehouse. senator whitehouse: yes. the clerk: mr. warner. senator warner: aye. the clerk: mr. merkley. senator merkley: aye. the clerk: mr. kaine. mr. king. mr. van hollen. ms. harris. senator harris: aye. the clerk: mr. chairman. enator enzi: no. the clerk: mr. chairman, there are 12 nays, 11 yeas. senator enzi: the noes have it. the amendment is defeated. next amendment is sanders number 11. does anyone seek recognition in opposition? senator gardner. senator gardner: thank you, mr. chairman. in opposition, again, this amendment simply mak

the clerk: senate con. res. 26 use of ee mast manslaughter pacing -- emancipation call and so forth. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 218, s. 705. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 218, s. 705, a bill to amend the national child protection act of 1993 and so forth and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the committee-reported amendments be withdrawn, the hatch substitute be considered and agreed to and the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objectio

mcconnell: i ask consent that following leader remarks on tuesday, october 17, the senate proceed to the consideration of calendar number 191, the nomination of david trackenburg to be principal deputy. i further ask there be ten minutes of debate on the nomination equally devoided in the usual form and following the use or yielding back of time, the senate vote on confirmation with no intervening action or debate and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following nominations. executive calendar 327, 332, 333, and 337. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of state, stephen b. king of wisconsin to be ambassador to the czech republic. barbara lee of california to be representative of the united states of america to the 72nd session of the general sellly of the united nations. christopher smith of

yesterday the current senators from new mexico spoke about the life and senate career. togeth from new mexico and we thought we would come down together and talk about our former colleagues have passed away recently. he was born to italian immigrants in 1932. he was here's a brochure sun, wn attended catholic school, graduated from our own university of new mexico, on the university team he taught high school mathematics, though they practice and got his start in politics on the city commissiond and was selected in 1973 and became the longest-serving senator. he was a husband, father and bur grandfather, he married nancy berg out of law school. she was a good friend of ours and we spent an hour with her iw albuquerque a little of her week ago and as one would expect as a mother and grandmother pete domenici was a statesman that worked across party lines to find pragmatic solutions.nator o one of the strongest fighters our state will ever know. we belong to different political parties and we didn't always agree on things but i always put appreciated that he cared deeply

the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. almighty god, the foundation of true wisdom, you extend your powerful dominion over the universe. stand by our lawmakers and protect them with your might. lord, refresh them with your wisdom, as you prepare them not only for time but eternity. lord, we praise you for ethi ethically congruent lawmakers who in their innermost beings are true and honest. give us more senators who are true to duty as the needle to the pole. give us more legislators who are not afraid to call sin by its right name. lord, provide us with more patriots who will stand for right, regardless of the consequences. we pray in your sovereign name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the c

the presiding officer of the senate at the time, technically all senate speeches are directed to the person who is at that moment sitting in at the president of the senate, the presiding officer. it is a duty traditionally given to junior senators because it is considered so unbearably boring. so the "mr. president" jeff flake was technically speaking to today was john hoeven, a republican senator from north dakota, who will never be president. but no one in the senate, and no one in the country for one second made the mistake of thinking jeff flake was directing his comments at john hoeven. this was the most powerful anti-trump speech yet given by a senate republican. and of course the name "trump" was never mentioned. >> there are times when we must risk our careers in favor of our principles. now is such a time. we must never adjust to the present coarseness of our national dialogue with the tone set at the top. the flagrant disregard for truth and decency, the reckless provocations most often for the pettiest and most personal reasons, reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with

i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new york. mrs. gillibrand: mr. president, i rise to speak about the disaster supplemental that the trump administration is expected to send to congress as early as tomorrow. while congress has passed two supplemental aid bills since this year's hurricanes, i want to make it very clear that what we have already passed is not even close to what we will need to help puerto rico and the u.s. virgin islands recover fully and rebuild. hurricane maria destroyed their power grids, significantly damaged their water infrastructure, and has made clean drinking water dangerously scarce. three of puerto rico's biggest industries -- manufacturing, finance, and tourism, which drive their already-struggling economy, remain severely damaged because the hurricane wiped out so many factories, buildings, and hotels. many puerto ricans who had a job the day before maria struck no longer have anyplace to go to work. in other words, in puerto rico and the u.s. virgin islands, this wasn't just a natural disaster. it's also

a commitment we share here in the senate. in the meantime, obviously, tax form measures are going forward and chairman brady's lane it tomorrow or sometime this week and chairman hatch will be doing that a week or so later and we are full speed ahead on both and committee markups and to be on the senate floor in the near future. >> in addition to nominations after unprecedented 47 cloture votes for president trump nominee there has never been this sort of obstruction and for dragging when it comes to the president's ability to get his own team on and to fill federal judiciary vacancies and as senator mcconnell said it will turn to taxes but it's really important for us to remember that there is a lot of work that we need to do in responding to some of the unmet disaster needs around the country, starting with hurricane harvey in my state, turning to florida and the impact of hurricane irma, certainly maria, puerto rico and the virgin islands, as well as wildfires out west. we look forward to working with members of congress to

president, the republican senators who are cosponsoring the alexander-murray proposal in addition to me are senator rounds, senator graham, senator mccain, senator cassidy, senator collins, senator ernst, senator senator murkowski, senator burr, and senator corker. i thank them all for doing that and senator murray will talk about the equal number of democrat cosponsors that we have. we hope that senator mcconnell and senator schumer, the president of the united states, and the house of representatives will consider our proposal. this is a first step, improve it, pass it sooner rather than later. our purpose is to stabilize and then lower the costs of premiums in the individual insurance market for the year 2018 and 2019. in plain english, most americans get their insurance from the government or on the job. about 6% or 18 million americans go to the individual market to buy it. they are the ones we're worried about. they are the ones we're seeking to help. there are 350,000 in tennessee, songwriters, farmers, small businesses. they are the ones that could get the skyrocketing premium

and the senate will proceed. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the rubio substitute amendment be considered and agreed to, the bill as amended be considered read a third time and passed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following national resolutions, which were submitted earlier today: s. res. 287, s. res. 288, s. res. 289, s. res. 290. the presiding officer: is there objection no without objection, the senate will proceed en bloc. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the senate's adjournment, committees be authorized to report legislative and executive matters on friday, october 13, from 9:00

, who last month at the age of 85. as a senator, he served as chair of the budget committee. this is 15 minutes. >> mr. president, i am joined , senatormy colleague heinrich. we thought we would come together and talk about senator domenici, he passed away recently. pete domenici was born in 1932. andas a groceries son worked in his parent store and attended catholic school. he graduated from our own university of mexico. he taught high school mathematics. he went to law school and built a law press this. he got his start in politics on the albuquerque city commission. he was elected to the u.s. senate in 1973, and became new mexico's longest serving senator. he was a husband, father, and grandfather. he married nancy burke out of law school. was key to 59 years his long and successful career. she was a good friend of ours and we spent an hour with her in albuquerque a little over a week ago, and she is still very strong and is still very focused as one would expect as a mother and grandmother with her children and grandchildren. p

senator mike kinsey, chair of the budget committee and senator bernie sanders, the ranking member talked about the budget resolution and the republican tax proposal. this is half an hour. >> earlier this month the senate budget committee took an important first step toward tax reform by approving a fiscal year 2018 budget resolution focused on growing america's economy through tax policies that put more money in the hands of hard-working americans. this week we take the next step and the senate begins debating budget blueprint to pursue long-overdue tax relief for families and job creators that will jumpstart economic growth. it is crucial that congress view this fiscal framework to eliminate dated and stifling tax policies that are holding back american investments in productivity. budget committee chairman, i am proud congress and the president are tackling these important issues after eight years of stagnant growth it is clear our nation it needs, a more transparent tax systems that will leave more dollars in the pockets of hard-working families. last time congress was able to accompl

the u.s. way back. now we move forward. senator corker says the president did offer to endorse him if he ran for re-election. he said the president repeatedly encouraged him to run and the fact is, there's no truth to the president's claim that senator corker was somehow responsible for the iran deal. world powers reached that agreement in 2015 under the obama administration. senator corker voted against the iran deal. he urged other lawmakers to do the same. today senator corker hit back first on twitter writing same untruths from an utterly untruthful president. #alertthedaycarestaff that is a reference to a previous corker tweet in which the senator said the white house has been an adult day care center. he said the president's behavior is getting worse and he said the president's own aides have trouble controlling him. >> you know, multiple occasions where the staff has asked me to please intervene. he was getting ready to do something off the tracks. look, i have seen no evolution in an upward way. as a matter of fact, it appe

it's the senate hasn't done anything. i -- i'm glad that they are very critical of everybody, but the reality is, the senate needs to get to work and start doing things for the american people. it's them who have failed us at this point. >> as you mentioned, you endorsed president trump during the campaign, touting his business skills, his ability to tell it like it is, get things done. are you happy, so far, with the accomplishments of the trump administration? >> i am. i'm happy with the accomplishments of the trump administration. i'm happy with the accomplishments of the house of representatives. i'm not happy with the total lack of anything from the senate. we couldn't do health care reform. we're finally working on tax reform here, but we have over like 300 bills that we've passed out of the house that are in the senate that haven't seen the light of day. that's what i think needs to start getting done here. it's not president trump, it's the senate. the senate needs to get to work. >> and as you know, the house and

the clerk: the senator from virginia, mr. warner, proposes an amendment numbered 1138 to amendment numbered 1116. mr. warner: i ask unanimous consent that the reading be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. warner: i rise today and speak in favor of my amendment striking the language in the budget resolution that would exempt the $1.5 trillion tax reconciliation instructions from senate bill and prevent this body from dramatically increasing this body from our debt and deficits. i know everybody is coming back from lunch and probably feel pretty good and don't want to get -- get sick, but our country has $20 billion in debt. both parties have unclean hands. in the years i have worked with my republican colleagues on issues trying to address debt and deficit, but the notion that we're about to take on a budget resolution this afternoon and we're going to start with the premise that the rules that are there to try to protect us from being fiscally irresponsible, we're going to blow those off at the outse

the clerk: the senator from kentucky moves to concur with the house amendment to the senate amendment to h.r. 2266 with an amendment numbered 1568. mr. mcconnell: oi ask the reading be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask for the yeas and nays on the motion to concur with amendment. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? yes, there appears to be. the yeas and nays are ordered. mr. mcconnell: i have a second degree amendment at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from kentucky, mr. mcconnell, proposes an amendment numbered 1569 to amendment number 1568. mr. mcconnell: i ask that the reading be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i move to refer the house message on h.r. 2266 to the committee on appropriations with instructions to report back forth with an amendment numbered 1570. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from kentucky mr. mcconnell moves to refer the message to accompany h.r. 2266 to the committee on appropri

i believe it is time to change the rules of the senate. to change the rules so that president trump can get his team in place. there are two different ways to do it. one is to go back to what we had in 2013 which was in the 113th congress. it was a bipartisan agreement which lowered the number of hours after cloture to certain judges to two hours, to members of the administration to eight hours, for supreme court and cabinet members, 30 hours. that was bipartisan. it is time to do that again. it is time take the vote either to go back to what we did in a bipartisan way in the 113th congress, or to go to what we need needs to be done now because it's time to vote either for the nominees or for a rules change. >> well, i'm certainly fully supportive of senator barrasso's idea that we need to change the rules if the rules are being abused, and they clearly are. obvious from the example given, the reason that the rules are being abused is to use up time so that we can't get to anything else. but this week we will confirm four circuit judges, an

the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: senate republicans had a productive discussion with president trump yesterday about our shared agenda. we were particularly focused on how to bring tax relief, economic growth, and jobs to the middle class through tax reform. it's clear we share a lot of the same goals. it's clear that we're united in an effort to take more money out of washington's pockets and put it more in middle-class pockets. it's also clear that we're excited about this once-in-a-generation opportunity to get america going again and growing again and so we're watching our friends in the house with anticipation as they consider the comprehensive, responsible budget that cleared the senate last week. we anticipate they'll pass it by the end of the week. once they do, we'll have important legislative tools to move tax reform forward. that's something everyone can look forward to. more importantly, that's something the american people deserve, especially after so many years of an economy that failed to reach its potential,

>> well, when it came to the issue of immigration, senator flake represents a state along the border and him and as well as senator john mccain did not agree with donald trump's vision of building a wall and others that he was trying to crack down when it came to immigration. now, we should say this about jeff flake. a long-time member of the house, first elected back in 2000, this was his first term. he was elected to the senate in 2012, somebody who was a conservative conscience of the senate, in many ways, tried to stay true to his conservative beliefs but you have to wonder at this point, brooke, has he had enough? and we've seen that with bob corker, that he was going to step down after two terms. and could there be a door opening where they decide to leave the chamber or even across the capital in the house of representatives where we've seen republicans not seek re-election in 2018. phil mattingly is with me and covers capitol hill each and every day. very critical of the president? >> yes. he was looking at a state where democrats got a top tier candidate to run against him an

as the u.s. senator for indiana it's a distinct honor to speak in support of amy coney barrett, a fellow hoosier nominated by the president to serve on the u.s. court of appeals for the seventh circuit. she's a mother of seven children a distinguished legal scholar at notre dame law school. she's clerked for justice antonin scalia. mpeccable. legal credentials. some of my colleagues on the left have made an issue not of her legal qualifications but instofede her catholic faith. i'll echo what leader mcconnell has said, we do not have religious tests for office in the united states of america. period. it's frankly concerning we're even having this conversation. i applaud everyone who has spoken up in defense of religious freedom throughout this process, including notre dame's president, reverend john jenkins who expressed deep concern with the line of questioning one of my colleagues pursued with professor barrett in her hearing before the judiciary committee. reverend jenkins put into words what i believ

take you now live to the floor of the senate. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black , will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. sovereign lord of the universe, we pray today for all who

take you now live to the floor of the senate. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black , will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. sovereign lord of the universe, we pray today for all who govern. use our senators for your glory, providing them with wisdom to live with the integrity that brings stability to nations. because of their labors, enable us to live peaceful, quiet, godly, and dignified lives, growing in grace and in a knowledge of you. lord, inspire our lawmakers in every situation to seek to glorify you, doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly on the path you have chosen. may they speak for those who cannot speak for themselves ensuring justice for those who are perishing. lord, keep our senators ever in the circle of your unfolding providence, as they find delight in doing your will. we pray in your holy name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the unit

to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable luther strange, a senator from the state of alabama, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: orrin g. hatch, president pro tempore. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i senate is continuing to move forward on the outstanding judicial nominations of president trump. many of the well-qualified men and women the president has nominatedden joy substantial bipartisan support -- nominated enjoy substantial bipartisan support. unfortunately, the democrats continue to waste the senate's time with obstruction. time and time again they have erected partisan procedural hurdles designed not to change the outcome -- doesn't change the outcome -- but simply to waste the senate time. often democrats don't even oppose the nominee in question. let's compare the number of times this days' long delay has been invoked for nominees of the last two presidents during the first year of their presidency. the first year of the obam

that's the message from gop senators after president trump makes a rare visit in the last hour to the republican senator's policy luncheon. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell saying tax reform is the top priority. let's get it done for the american people so the country can get going again and growing again. connell mcshane is on the hill with all the action. >>> and we're also going to take it outside the beltway to tackle this. former republican governor of nebraska and former north dakota democratic senator byron dorgan are here in a fair and balanced debate on the substance of the upcoming tax bill and the chances of finishing the reform by december 31st. it's all happening as the dow jones industrial average rockets to a new all-time high. three stocks in the dow are the three legs of the rally stool powerful earnings specifically from companies that serve as indicators for the health of the economy. caterpillar, mcdonald's and industrial conglomerate 3m, and the new iphone 8 about to outshine its tricked out cousin the iphone x? less than an hour to the closing bell. let's s

now live to the floor of the u.s. senate. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal spirit, who is enthroned on high, thank you for the happiness we receive because of fellowship with you. keep us grateful for your sustaining presence that surrounds us with your favor. lord, bless and sustain our senators. remind them that you will not forget their faithful service to you and country. deliver them from anxiety about what the future holds, as they confidently trust you to care for them. clothe them with your righteousness and prepare them to see your face in peace. help them to see themselves as your servants, bringing the illumination of your wisdom and peace. to capitol hill. god of our hopes and dreams, we bless your holy name. amen. the presiding officer: please join in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. t

the senator fired off this rebuttal. same untruth from an utterly untruthful president -- the extraordinary exchange between a republican president and one of the party's senior statesman devolved from there. corker who also decided against seeking re-election next year said the president did not refuse to endorse him. >> no, it's not accurate. you know, nothing that he said in his tweets today were truthful nor accurate. he know it is. people around him know it. i would hope the staff over there would figure out ways of controlling him. >> reporter: when asked by cnn's manu raju if the president is a liar, corker had this to say. >> the president has great difficulty with the truth. on many issues. >> reporter: asked whether he would support him again, corker did not hesitate. >> no way. no way. no, think that he's proven himself unable to rise to the occasion. >> reporter: taken together, the decision by flake who also has quarrelled repeatedly with mr. trump, underscored the challenges facing the gop and potential comp

the two senators outlined their proposal on the senate floor. senator from washington, senator murray from washington. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. alexander: senator murray and i, along with are other senators, will offer bipartisan legislation to create more choices of health insurance and reduce cost-sharing subsidies. these subsidies pay for copays and deductibles for millions of low-income americans who buy health insurance on the affordable care act exchanges. our goal is to stabilize and then lower the costs of premiums and to enable all americans to have access to health insurance. our legislation will be based on the four hearings and other meetings that the senate's health, education, committee held last month. these hearings and meetings were bipartisan. they were lengthy and they were remarkable in this sense -- they engained nearly 60 -- engaged nearly 60 senators from both political parties in extensive discussions. we not only had the four hearings which involved the 23 members of our health committee, we invited a

leader of the united states senate has ever had to have in the history of the senate. the president and the senate majority leader are both in the same political party. but they had to have a meeting today followed by a press conference to try to prove that they don't hate each other. and i mean, hate each other with every fiber of their being. but we know that donald trump has given mitch mcconnell more reason to hate him than any president has ever given a senate majority leader and we know that donald trump uses twitter as a tool of his hatred and that no president has ever launched public attacks on the senate majority leader of his own party. until now. can you believe that mitch mcconnell who has screamed repeal and replace for seven years couldn't get it done? must repeal and replace obamacare! and of course, the only problem i have with mitch mcconnell is that after hearing repeal and replace for seven years he failed. that should never have happened. here is the first lie of many lies that president trump told in the rose garden today. >> i just want to say tha

us to this point, as we advance that budget on the senate floor this week, senators on both sides of the aisle will have the opportunity to offer their input. i look forward to putting our finances object a better path with this -- on a better path with this budget as i look forward to continuing with the other important initiatives on the senate's fall agenda.

i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from new mexico. mr. udall: thank you, madam president for the recognition. madam president, republicans have spent months trying to repeal the affordable care act. they knew tens of millions of americans would lose their care. they knew it would betray our federal trust responsibility to native americans. and they knew twho throw one -- it would throw one-fifth of our economy into chaos. trumpcare failed because the american people opposed it. americans spoke out against it in record numbers. trumpcare failed to pass four times. we hope now we've put that to bed and we can move on. but rather than listening to millions of americans, president trump has responded by sabotaging the affordable care act. his reckless behavior is already causing chaos in the marketplace. his actions have hiked up the cost of premiums, he has sent out-of-pocket costs through the roof. and instead of helping americans get better health care, he has put it out of reach for millions. i commend my colleagues, senator alexander

i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. mr. franken: thank you, mr. president. i rise today to discuss the consumer financial protection bureau's recently finalized rule to limit the use of predispute forced arbitration clauses in contracts for financial services and products. i strongly oppose the congressional review act resolution to dismantle this vital consumer protection. forced arbitration clauses force individuals to sign away their right to go to court as a condition of buying a product or service, and they allow corporate america to take advantage of a shadow justice system that is inherently biased toward the corporation, offers no meaningful appeals process. to put it bluntly, these clauses serve one purpose and one purpose alone. to help make sure the giant corporations still come out on top if they have wronged consumers. thankfully we've started to make some progress in addressing forced arbitration. five years ago the consumer financial protection bureau began an intensive study of forced arbitration clauses in c

consent to place into the senate at this point in my remarks a brief summary of the agreement that senator murray and a half. -- and i have. >> without objection. sen. alexander: mr. president says it repeatedly over the past that the chairman and ranking member come to an agreement, but that is not really enough, because our real to find ad is consensus among a significant number of republicans and a significant number of democratic senators that will cause this to be inactive, that will cause the senate to pass it and the house to pass it and the president to sign it. in my opinion, we would not have come to an agreement ourselves unless we thought that that was likely. i won't go into the specific provisions that are in this except to briefly summarize them. make the group of them section 1332 innovation waivers work by giving more workforce in ability. example,mpshire, for helping to pay for the cost of the affordable care act waiver, and this will allow them. in maine, for example, the state is applying for a waiver. the waiver has been approved, but the use of the funding has not bee

problems he laid out clearly on the senate floor. a listen. >> it's time for our complicity and accommodation of the unacceptable to end. in this century a new phrase has entered the language to describe the accommodation of a new and un-desire bl order, that phrase about new normal. we must never adjust to the present courseness of our dialogue with a tone set at the top. >> he's made this point a lot but it's best known the senate republican senator would sit on the senate floor and make a speech like he did regarding a sitting president is unprecedented. a number of people i spoke with after the speech called it historic, there was also a somber mood as to how this came about and they were losing a colleague they liked. >> both senator flake and corker highly respected on the hill, what are the senators you've been talking to saying about all this? >> it's an interesting thing, you talk to republicans. there were many who gave a standing ovation on the floor not a lot. it was democrats i felt that were the most jarred but what the

they control both the senate and the house. and so they i think know that they are going to be held accountable if, in fact, they don't do something big. that is part of the dynamic here. you have heard the president allude to this which tells you it is the argument members have been making to him behind closed doors which is that it may be easier to do tax reform now that health care has failed because there was such a blowback. you see that with rank and file voters and republican donors who is fed up with the fact that they feel like they spent millions plus dollar s to elect people who haven't fulfilled their promises. that is a central dynamic. you can't lose sight of the details in this. they are complicated and difficult to talk through. any one of them could potentially sink the whole enterprise. that is why kind of the day to day negotiations are really important. i think one policy item to watch is whether they add a tax bracket for millionaires. we are about to see mitch mcconnell come around the corner. >> we can sh

chairman of the committee and senator murray is the rankingom democratic member. thesee hearings were bipartisan. they were lengthy and they were remarkable in this sense. then came nearly 60 senators from bothat political parties in the discussion to not only have the four hearing which involve the members of our health committee, but we invited any to come to a committee meeting and meet the governors and state commissioners and others who are testifying. 37 did. so we've had extensive participation. 60 members ofar the united stats senate through four hearing in a variety of committee meetings in the process that developed this legislative component will let senator and murray unterberg and i have agreed upon. according to witnesses in our hearings, the congressional budget office and congress known as the tax committee, without these cautionary payment reductions, premiums will rise, the debt will increase to pay for the higher subsidies. $194 billion over 10 years. and, up to 16 million americans may find themselves living in counties where no companies are in

are in the senate than in the house? richard: i think that is what we are going to find -- are there more in the senate than in the house? richard: i think that is what we're going to find out. you can imagine the usual set of numbers on the senate side that might have some difficulties. corker is talking about budget deficit concerns. senator paul was to make sure there are large tax cuts. withor blake is generally republicans on policy issues, but has got his differences with his party ran out. senator mccain, senator collins. at some level they can only lose two of those members. that is going to be the challenge for republicans in putting this package together. bill: has the white house been taking an active role so far? treasury secretary steven mnuchin and gary cohen? have they been participating weekly are regularly with congress? richard: it was happening more over the summer and into september. for the last few weeks they have been engaged but letting the committees really do a lot of the detailed work to get bi

the senator from wyoming. mr. enzi: earlier this month, the senate budget committee took an important first step towards tax reform by approving a fiscal year 2018 budget resolution focused on growing america's economy through tax policies that put more money in the hands of hardworking americans. this week, we take the next step as the senate begins debating the budget blueprint to pursue long overdue tax relief for families and job creators that will jump-start economic growth. it's crucial that congress approve this fiscal framework in order to eliminate the dated and stifling tax policies that are holding back american investments and productivity. as budget committee chairman, i am proud that congress and the president are tackling these important issues. after eight years of stagnant growth, it's clear that our growth, it's clear that our after eight years of stagnant growth it is clear that our nation needs a simpler, fairer and more transparent tax system that will leave $4 in the pockets of hard-working f

the presiding officer: will the senator withhold? under the previous order the under the previous order the >> the chamber also voted to limit debate and set up a final vote on joan larson to be a judge in the sixth circuit. two more judicial nominees are expected on the floor this week. live coverage of the senate continues tomorrow here on c-span2. >>> officials from twitter, facebook and google testified today on russia's use of social media and influence on the 2016 elections. "the wall street journal" tweeting that the american public got its first glimpse at two of the russian-created ads during the hearing. senator chris coons displayed two images of ads. one was an anti-hillary clinton ad from a page called heart of texas which he said was, quote: despised by the overwhelming majority of american veterans. the second ad came from another russian-backed page, being patriotic, and promoted an october 2nd, 2016, event call minors for trump. you can see all of the hearing on c-span tonight at 8 eastern or online anytime at c-span.

we know that senator john mccain, the senior senator from arizona has just tweeted out about the announced not running for re-election of jeff flake. he said thank you to my dear friend for your service to the state of arizona and the nation. this of course coming as a surprise to some that jeff flake on this very busy day announced he is not running for re-election. let's listen in to mitch mcconnell. >> on behalf of myself and i think many of my colleagues we just witnessed a speech from a very fine man, a man who clearly brings high principles to the office every day and does what he believes is in the best interests of arizona and the country. i'm grateful that the senator from arizona will be here for another year and a half. we have big things to try to accomplish for the american people. from my perspective, the senator from arizona has always been a great team player always trying to get a constructive outcome no matter what the issue before us. so i thank the senator from arizona for his service, which will continue, thankfully, for another year and a half. and for the opportunity

the presiding officer: weeks, the senate will proceed. mr. gardner: i ask that the preamble be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. gardner: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h.r. 2989 which was received from the house. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 29789 -- 2989 afternoon act to establish the frederick douglass bicentennial commission. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. gardner: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the most to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. gardner: i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it adjourn til 9:30 a.m. thursday, october 19. further, following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journa

. >> the u.s. senate meet today to finish up work on the 2018 republican budget resolution and tax reform. a number of amendments likely throughout the day with lots of happened late tonight or early tomorrow morning. lawmakers may also take up the house passed faster relief bill that could come up later or tomorrow. now to the floor of the u.s. senate here on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal savior, we thank you for the fellowship of your spirit and your consolations of love. may our lawmakers remember that you are their rock and refuge. lord, speak peace to their hearts in these turbulent times, guiding them along the path of your wisdom. reward their efforts with a joyful harvest, as they strive to build up and not tear down. raise them above discord and division, helping them to work together to keep america strong. we are grateful for the favor you have given this nation

to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable ben sasse, a senator from the state of nebraska, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: orrin g. hatch, president pro tempore. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: this morning our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those in las vegas who suffered the horrendous massacre. we will all be praying for them and hoping they can recover from these grievous wounds. on an entirely different matter, last week the chairman of the budget committee unveiled a comprehensive budget for fiscal year 2018 that the committee will consider this week. this comprehensive budget resolution provides a path to balance by restraining washington spending, by reducing the tax burden, and by putting our country on a trajectory for better economic growth. i look forward to considering it here on the floor, after the committee finishes its work. not only will this budget put our country on a better fiscal track with reduced spendi

bob corker is getting out of the senate. eryone we're talking about is, you know, not one of the republicans who sadly in the case of john mccain is planning a long-term necessarily career. so what is it going to take for the people who want to stay in the senate to speak out? >> people out there are obviously frustrated at the ability of the congress and the administration to work together on things like health care reform. i can tell you if we don't get some type of tax reform, not just tax cuts but tax reform, there's going to be great disappointment and people will say you no longer can just blame the congress. i do think we're entering a time now we've been in the administration long enough, there's always been a honeymoon period an administration enjoys and people give a little slack. we're coming to a point now we have to get some big things done.e have to face and unless the president is able to work with congress on these things then people aren't going to stand and say, you know, we're going to give you more time. a

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that is the permission slip from a senator from the state affected by the judicial nominee. that included five nominees who have been a state supreme court justices who were not approved by republican senators to move to the federal bench. elizabeth hughes from kentucky, my wrist selby from montana, don from south carolina, lewis butler from wisconsin, patricia from north carolina, senate republicans turned obstruction of judicial nominees into an art form under president obama. yet, senator mcconnell day after day has said quote i think president obama has been treated and treated very fairly by any objective standard. he comes to the floor now regularly to complain about obstruction of trump nominees. senator mcconnell and senate republicans set the standard for obstruction. if he thanks president obama has been treated fairly would these facts it is hard to understandar why he is complaining about the treatment of president trumps judicial nominees. so far this year the senate has confirmed four of president trumps circuit court nominees, four of his district court nominee

the job we have here in the senate is the investigation being carried out by the intelligence committee. so far on an entirely bipartisan basis with senator, chairman burr and ranking member mark warner working on that. that's our role in it. and special counsel has his job to do. and we're going to concentrate on what we're doing here in the senate. [inaudible conversations] >> follow up on this question about the fill by lust -- filibusters and the rules changes. you have said from this podium multiple times there's not the votes or the interest on either side of the aisle to change the rules for filibuster. >> let me correct you -- >> well, people -- >> yeah. i think i know what i said. let me correct you. >> [inaudible] >> let me finish. there are two calendars in the senate. it's the executive calendar and the legislative calendar. what i've said in the past is there is not a desire to change the filibuster rule with regard to legislation. the executive calendar is a different matter. and i think the delays post cloture that have been employed are just simply ridiculous. and senato