comments that the majority whip has said about the senator, i can add to the accolades of the senator from kentucky by pointing out that he and i have a common trait, a comm denominator between us. we both married above ourselves. and the fact that his wife, the honorable elaine chao, now our secretary of transportation, former secretary of labor, it is truly one of the remarkable couples in the nation's capital of political leadership. and i congratulate him on the comments from the require. the presiding officer: the presiding officer: without objection. mr. alexander: mr. president, the senate's majority leader, senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky, will become the longest serving senate republican leader

i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. daines: madam president, i'd like to thank my colleagues on their work on the legislative branch appropriations package. for the first time in a decade, a decade, the legislative branch bill received for consideration outside of a year-end omnibus. returning to regular order, the legislative branch bill and all our other appropriation bills is a much-needed change. because it's our job to ensure the timely funding of our government. the legislative branch appropriations bill is good news for government transparency, for accountability, for security at the capitol. this bill will increase public access to campaign filings. it will strengthen accountability in how government property is used. it will make investments also that will help meet the security needs on the capitol campus. i'd like to thank senator murphy, my ranking member, for working with me in a bipartisan manner on amendments to the legislative branch division. the resulting bill makes sound investments in numerous priorit

it is a role of the senate -- the role of the senate, all of us, to stand up and to state where we believe this country should be headed. mr. president, the threat and power of nuclear weapons has not changed. in fact, in the complex and unstable times of present day with more states seeking nuclear weapons, i think it is imperative that congress be more involved, not less, in the development and deployment of our country's nuclear arsenal. therefore, my amendment simply puts congress back in the loop, restoring the oversight put in place by the john warner amendment in 2003. it is our fundamental duty to review, authorize, and appropriate, if necessary, the programs that the executive branch will execute. i would contend that this is especially true given the nature of nuclear weapons and the capability for destruction. some may agree with the need for new or modified or low-yield weapon, and some may not, but everyone in congress should have a say on the issue. my amendment simply ensures that congress has evolved every step -- is involved every step of the way in the development of any

to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable todd young, a senator from the state of indiana, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: orrin g. hatch, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of h.r. a 5515 which the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 442, h.r. 5515, an act to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2019 for military activities of the department of defense and so forth and for other purposes. i- mr. schumer: mr. president. are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not in a quorum call. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. now americans are deeply troubled by the images and news of parents being separated from their children at the southern border. the trump administration policy of zero tolerance at the border has already resulted in 2,300 cases of forced family separation. according to homeland security stat

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kentucky. mr. paul: one of the greatest things about our country is the bill of rights. you know, when we passed the constitution, many people were fearful that if specific rights were not enumerated, they might be be taken away. i think other people said, well, we don't need a bill of rights. who could imagine a time when we would take away the right to trial? who can imagine a time when you wouldn't get a lawyer, or that you could be held indefinitely without a trial? so some people oppose the bill of rights -- opposed the bill of rights and said we don't need this because it's so obvious that no one in their right mind would ever argue that an american citizen or someone apprehended or accused of a crime in the united states would be held without limit, would be sent to a camp in another country and held forever without a trial. none of our founding fathers ever imagined that could happen. and yet, here we are. here we are at a time where just four or five years ago, this body passed a bill that

comments that the majority whip has said about the senator, i can add to the accolades of the senator from kentucky by pointing out that he and i have a common trait, a common denominator between us, we both married above ourselves, and the fact that his wife, the honorable elaine chao now our secretary of transportation, former secretary of labor, it is truly one of the remarkable couples in the nation's capital of political leadership. and i congratulate him on the comments from the majority whip today. >> health and human services secretary testified this morning on president trump's prescription drug pricing plan before the senate health, education, labor, and pensions committee. watch the hearing tonight at 10:00 eastern time here on c-span 2. >> c-span, where history unfolds daily. in 1979, c-span was created as a public service by america's cable television companies. and today, we continue to bring you unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supreme court, and public policy events in washington, d.c. and around the country. c-span is broughto you by your cable or

information of senators. the vote's not set yet, but we're hopeful that it will be. and as soon as we have final clearance, we'll let senators know. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. 1 a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. booker: is there a quorum call right now? the presiding officer: there is not. mr. booker: thank you very much. mr. president, i rise today to speak about the humanitarian crisis we're facing in our country. it's a moral crisis, a crisis that didn't come about by some natural disaster. it's been manufactured by the actions of the trump administration, the actions of our president. since the past april, over 2,700 children, some of them just infants, have been forcibly separated from their parents. that's about 45 children every single day. these children have been ripped from the arms of their parents. in some cases literally. these children have been imprisoned or deported. and at this very moment, many of these children are being warehous

the senate should follow the mcconnell standard. senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts, considered by many to be a likely democratic presidential contender in 2020. she says, quote, mitch mcconnell should follow the mitch mcconnell rule. let the american people have a say. dick durbin, number two democrat in the senate, makes the same case today. quote, senator mcconnell set the new standard by giving the american people their say in the upcoming election before court vacancies are filled. with so much at stake for the people of our country, the u.s. senate must be consistent and consider the president's nominee once the new congress is seated in january. senator kamala harris, also on the judiciary committee, also seen as a rising star in the democratic party with a growing national profile. she makes the same case. quote, the american people who are set to vote in less than four months deserve to have their voice heard. we should not vote on confirmation until they have voted at the ballot box. all saying the same thing. and th

i know the senator from ohio wants to speak and the senator from wyoming has been waiting. people in our nation are being hurt today. americans are being taxed heavily. a tariff is a tax on the american people. what the senator from ohio is doing is saying that the senate should not even vote on a measure to alleviate the pain that americans are going to feel, the jobs that are going to be lost over the next couple of months as this trade war continues. and i'm just disappointed. i cannot believe with the zeal that we both came into the senate 11 and a half years ago to debate and deal with the big issues of our nation and to have an amendment that supported -- that's supported in a bipartisan way when people know -- when they know that the trade policy that is being put forth by this administration is being made up on a daily basis and they know that jobs are going to be lost and farmers are already hurt, we cannot even vote on amendment -- even though we may disagree -- vote on an amendment. so on this day, june 27, let it be known that a bill that is very relevant because

live coverage of the u.s. senate heren c-span2. the presiding officer : the senate wl comeo order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. ho one, created creator, light of light, we praise your holy name. lord, you are the joy and strength of our lives. you can remove all pain, misery, and strife. be for our lawkers a source of truth. may they view pressing issues in the light of your precepts, embracing your wisdom and power. give them a passion for compassion and joy as they rememberour desire that they live abundantly. continue to shine in all our hearts so that neither the shade of doubt nor the shadow of death can bind us to the light of your can -- can blind us to the light of your great love. we pray in your sacred name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the 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 senate will co

here in the senate it is already happened. what we need to do now is to have the same level of energy. those millions of americans targeting the house of representatives and telling them that they want net neutrality and they want nondiscrimination principles and they want equalhe protection for the smallest of voicndt companies to be the law of the land. net neutrality. we need entrepreneurs and job creators and small businesses which are the lifeblood of the american economyeroct against the natural tendency of the biggest corporations to pump up profits at the expense of the little guys. you don't have to take my word for it, just looking back over recent history before net neutrality protections were codified we saw in 2007 and associat press investigation found that comcast was blocking a severely slowing down bit torrent, a website that allowed consumers to share video, mic and video game files and in 2007 and 2009 at&t forced apple to block skype and other competing services from using at&t's wireless to encourage users

now live to the senate floor 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 god, who has created too give our lawmakers zeal with knowledge that they will order their priorities for your glory. remind them to strive to bring deliverance to captives, the recovery of sight to the morally blind and freedom to the downtrodden. as our senators make plans, give them faith to know that your purposes will prevail as they cultivate reverence for you, bless them with life, security, and peace. may they remember that you are able to do immeasurably, abundantly above all that they can ask for imagine according to your power working in and through them. we pray in your strong 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 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

on tuesday, a formulations committee spoke on the senate floor after an amendment he offered to the defense authorization bill was barred from getting a vote. we will hear from senators. this is about 30 minutes. speak on the ndaa bill that is before us today, and i think most people know that we have been engaged in some tariff discussions with other countries through the administration. we have a trade act of 1974 and one of 1962 that have laid out provisions as to how we would go about dealing with tariffs. in one section, section 232, there is a place where the president of the united states can declare something a national security issue, and when he does that, it keeps him from having to go through the normal processes that one goeshrough in dealing with tariffs. typically when the president chooses a section of that bill, the trade act, when he uses those, he has to go through a process when he decides he wants to put a tariff in place on another country. he's got to go to the i.t.c. or some other entity to show that somehow or another the united states has been harmed, and the reaso

the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. inhofe: i make a point of order that amendment 2366 is not germane. the presiding officer: the point of order is well taken. the amendment falls. mr. inhofe: i make a point of order that amendment 2700 is not germane. the presiding officer: point of order is well taken. the amendment falls. mr. inhofe: i call up amendment number 2276 on behalf of senator boozman. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from oklahoma, mr. inhofe, for mr. boozman, proposes an amendment numbered 2276 to amendment number 2282 as modified to h.r. 5515. mr. inhofe: i ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reed: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. reed: i call up amendment 2885 to 2276. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from rhode island, mr. reed, proposes an amendment numbered 2885 to amendment number 2276. mr. reed: i ask consent the read

but the senate has the last word on him. please, urge your senators to vote against the nomination, if he wins a seat on the supreme court, it will be for life, his life and your. >> ronald raegon picked him for a supreme court seat, the opposition was multifaceted and including that ad. mass protests and vigils and organized phone banks, letter to the senators and one of the most intense fights for a supreme court seat ever. the opposition to him was successful. bork did not end up on the court. 58-42. the fight to replace anthony kennedy started today and this is without knowing the nominee to replace him. joining me new presidential historian. thank you for being with us tonight. >> my pleasure, rachel. >> what are you thinking about this moment? the unprecedented nature of the republicans action last year in 2016 when they held open a seat so president obama couldn't name a nominee. it makes me feel at sea as to how to compare this to history. how are you looking at this today? >> that was a stolen seat. school children 5

quorum cl: the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. mr. blunt: are we in a quoru llg o: yes. . blunt: i morph the quorum call be -- i move the quorum call beveai the presiding officer: without objection. mr. blunt: i with aens to talk about the economy today. yesterday the labor department announced thatur economy hit a milestone that we'd never hit before in the time that we've been measuring these two things. at the same time there are now more jobs available in the united states than there are job seekers. when i was in missouri last week, w did a number of events all over the state, and at that time i was confident that in the 12 states in the middle of country there were more people -- there were more jobs t ere were people looking for jobs, and that was news. but even bigger news is the news that was annouteay that there are 6.7 million job openings and there aren' 6.7 io peoplnt. the unemployment rate is 3.8%. itches t lowest nber that we've seen in 50 yea, and the last time numbers were this low, in fact, was in the vietnam war when

the senator from ohio. mr. portman: i ask unanimous consent that my comments i am about to make be included in the record with my previous comments. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. portman: we talked a little bit about a growing economy, we talked about the fact that one of the weak unless we have right now is the fact that despite a growing economy and lower unemployment, all this good news coming with the tax cut and the tax reforms and the investments, we have a problem right now, which is that many people are outside the workforce altogether. historically high levels of labor force participation not being part of the workforce but instead people being sidelined and how do you get those people back into work, 8.5 million men between 25 and 55 as an example who are not working, not showing up on the unemployment levels because they aren't even looking for work. i made the point that there are a number of reasons for that. we talked about those, but the one that is most significant today is puts u

the presiding officer: the senator connecticut. mr. murphy: i'd ask consent that i speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. murphy: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, we have begun the period of time in the year when insurance companies start to declare what their intention is with regard to rate increases, and the news is not good for american health care consumers. i'm going to be joined on the floor today by a few o my colleagues to talk about what the impact of these radical increases in premiums are going to be for our constituents. the news is not good. but it's frankly no surprise because now for a year and a half the trump administration has been waging a very deliberate assault on the american health care system, trying to sabotage it as retribution for the country not agreeing to overturn the affordable care act, which now enjoys widespread popularity across the country. and this deliberate campaign of sabotage, beginning on the first day that trump got in office with an executive or

of the united states senate. thank you. >> let me mention, thank you, mr. chairman, we will turn to the farm bill before the fourth of july. i am hopeful that the house will get to theirs. it will probably look a little different from ours but i'm hoping they will get to theirs shortly which will give us a chance to get in and make them law which is what i know we are all potentially interested in doing. i want to thank both of you for the process that has led us to today. in my home state of kentucky, our agricultural heritage is a central part of our economy and our pride from poultry and beef and soybean and tobacco was 75000 plus farms in the bluegrass providing jobs in a great way of life for a lot of people i represent. i'm proud to support this bill is for us today. it will provide much-needed certainty for our farmers. one way it does so is by protecting crop insurance, and protecting them from natural disaster that could wipe out an entire operation. the legislation also provides important reform to suppo

the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, i have another unanimous consent request, but let me just say that the unanimous consent request that the senator from wisconsin has just objected to, indeed fema does oppose this and that's the whole purpose of the u.c. request because people are about to get shut out of the temporary housing that they have, having evacuated from puerto rico, evacuated to florida, and that fema program runs out, according to fema, june 30. but, in fact, the law is on the books that fema could activate that program, just like they did after hurricane katrina for the poor people in new orleans that had to evacuate from their homes. in that case, most of them evacuated to a different state, a lot of them having gone to houston, texas texas. and if pentagon president hears e-- and if the president hears emotion in this senator's voice, up deed it is there. i will address the remarks later, so my second unanimous consent request involves a matter of medicaid assistance and housing assistance to

from which he was elected to the senate will chance to view the body of the senator. it will lie in state all day before the high requiem mass on saturday morning. >> we will be there when the lands at laguardia and proceeds into st. patrick's tonight. in the meantime, we would like to present a report on of life and career senator robert kennedy with cbs news correspondent walter cronkite. weeks,e last few robert francis kennedy was enjoying himself. a good fight to fight and he was a fighter. ideals were at stake and he idealist and for a man whose demeanor always ofgested a boyish kind shyness he really enjoyed getting out among people. he enjoyed the physical contact. refused police protection because he said that all the people wanted to do was to hurt him. not to he made a point of that. he knew that the people him andant to hurt he plunged into areas that even local mayors steered clear of and he was manhandled. something seemed to grow in the shy third brother of a in theseamily weeks of primary campaigning. the younger brother who had stayed behind the scenes

the roll. quorum call: senator mr. president? mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: mr. president, request proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. ms. murkowski: mr. president, i ask and ask unanimous consent that privileges of the floor be granted to members of my staff, allison nichols, sterling againwitch, michael mc cambridge, and ceilia butlered and jonathan slithe for today and tomorrow. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. murkowski: mr. president, i would like to take a few minutes while we have an interlude here with the farm bill to speak with my colleague, senator sullivan, about the nomination of an alaskan in my view an extraordinary alaska. she has been nominated to serve as the assistant secretary of indian affairs at the department of interior. it is my very strong hope that ms. sweeney can be confirmed to this position before we leave for the 4th of july recess. i see no reason why this body should delay the confirmation. i want to give just a little bit

is the hoven amendment. by senator klobuchar, all those in favor of that amendment, signify by saying aye? opposed no? the ayes have it. are there further amendments to title 5? take into consideration of this bill that we go back to title 12. or is it title 11. zpli think senator grassley wanted to say something. >> senator grassley do you wish to say anything in regard to amendment 12. >> something deal with the health farming act. >> you are recognized. >> so this bill procedurally, more than substance, but also a part of it on substance, because i support industrial ham. i object to this bill being amended to the farm bill on several grounds, procedurally the bill is way out of order, it it was first introduced in april, bypassed referral to the judiciary committee and was placed on the legislative counter. now the bill is being taken up on this committee. i objected on procedural grounds, this bill is squarely within the judiciary jurisdiction. hemp is a controlled substance that's subject to the provision of titl

the body of the senator will lie in state at st. patrick's all day tomorrow before the high requiem mass on saturday morning. >> we will be there when the plane lands at laguardia and proceeds to st. patrick's cathedral tonight. we would like to present a report on the life and career of senator robert kennedy with cbs news correspondent water cronkite. -- walter cronkite. >> these last few weeks robert francis kennedy was enjoying himself. there was a good fight to fight and he was a fighter. and he was at stake an idealist. for a man whose demeanor always seemed to suggest a boyish shyness, he enjoyed getting out among the people. he enjoyed the physical contact. he refused police protection because he said all the people wanted to do was to touch him. , not to hurt him. he made a point of that. he knew the people did not want to hurt him. he plunged into areas that local mayors steered clear of. something seemed to grow in the shy third mother of a dynamic family in these weeks of american painting. and the brother who had stayed

and those staffers in the senate i know all regard the intelligence committee staffers as the utmost staffers, the least likely place for something like this to happen. >> it is a really extraordinary set of allegations against somebody who has been working in the intelligence committee for such a long time. i just -- i can't think of a similar episode of a congressional staffer indicted for either the underlying leaking or for the lying. and it's -- i think julia is right to try to set this into the larger context of president trump pretty much demanding of his justice department that they bring him the head of some leakers on a pike. so there's one head for president trump. >> yeah, i mean, everyone can do the search right now, or start the search, but the last senate staffer indicted by the justice department for lying to the fbi, in my personal search of my own memory, i cannot think of a case like this. ruth marcus, gene robinson, thank you both for joining us, really appreciate it. >>> coming up, bob corker had another one of those phone calls with the president. a phone call in

the senate has information the justice department wants the information.he senate is pruchgt hand going over so the justice department can act on it. what's that about? then later on tonight we got reporting from multiple sources that the unauthorized disclosure of information was from somebody who had been a long time staffer on the committee. the house and senate intelligence committees handle incredible license active material under incredibly rig rouse secrecy protocols. and being a long time staffer according to the walgds it was a 31-year staffer who serve in a non-partisan capacity under multiple administrations and under different majorities, this senate -- senate intelligence committee staffer was reportedly being investigated by the justice department for unauthorized disclosure of information. that's what we had as of last night in this sort of reporting that was bubbling up through the day. now we've got a very unexpected turn in this from "the new york times." i think we got the headline here. if -- here it is. justice department seizes "new y

last week the senate introduced it's farmville. the committee is expected to mark up the bill on wednesday. there is wide bipartisan suppor . there may be disagreements on the extent of those reforms. there is little disagreement on many of the common sense reforms that are out there. today we will have a chance to hear about the farm subsidy reforms from a true leader in the senate. that will be followed by a panel. shortly thereafter. i had the honor of introducing senator chuck grassley. by every measure senator grassley works tirelessly to earn that trust. nator assley brings integrity to a nation's capital or he has developed a number range -- reputation for independence. to make government work for the people it serves and not the other way around. a chairman of the senate judiciary committee, senator grassley understands the critical role congress throws our system and checks and balances. the matter which political party chose congress or the white house senator grassley connects the robust oversight of the federal bureaucra

the senate majority leader. mitch mcconnell for the first time in history said it only took 51 votes to get a supreme court nominee through. they have 50 votes and mike pence. that gives them 51. so if they hold together, they can ram this through without a democratic vote. democrats can huff and puff all they want and they'll be very unhappy. there's a lot of issues where justice kennedy sided with the liberal side, the democratic side. not the conservative republican side. you know, that was a reason this was a big issue in the last election. donald trump won. he will probably get a conservative justice on the supreme court, which will make it a solid 5-4 majority. not a swing vote. a solid 5-4 majority, this is the biggest moment of the president presidency so far. >> shepard: is there a chance in your mind -- can you come up with a way that if democrats work very hard and the president's detractors try all they will that they could delay this until after the mid-terms or is that not going to happen? >> no. fi

now, the senate on c-span2. 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. sovereign god, thank you that your mercies endure forever. show us your ways and teach us your paths, as you lead us with your truth. today, set the hearts of our lawmakers on heaven's way. in all of their actions, may they seek your celestial approval. remind them that you are the only constituent they absolutely must please. may our senators stand on your promises and lean on your grace. lord, thank you for your mercy. you lift the lowly, satisfy the thirsty, and fill the hungry with good things. and, lord, thank you for the faithfulness of our summer pages. we pray in your holy 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 th

the senate does a lot of its business on precedent. what they did with a confirmation of neil gorsuch, they altered the precedent. this door was opened by harry reid in the fall of 2013 as nuclear option 1. he lowered, changed the precedent, the threshold for all types of judicial nominees, administration nominees from 60 to 51. that opened pandora's bucks. mitch mcconnell made sure that the democrats got a taste of their own medicine. now we could have nuclear option 3. the senate is scheduled to be in session all august long. if the president is able to submit a nominee soon, we could have hearings, confirmation votes, sometime in august before they start the term in october. >> dana: so the change that mcconnell made for gorsuch, is that the precedent? they only need to get to 51. >> right. they changed the precedent for all supreme court nominees. now, they still have 60 votes for legislation. that's another issue. >> dana: democrats a be very frustrated today. they have to look back and i think blame senator harry reid for starting

for the senator was critically hurt. police identify the alleged assailant as a 24-year-old, and native jordanian who came to the country 11 years ago. his brother gave the name to police, and fingerprints confirmed the identification. wasg the things discovered a newspaper clipping criticizing senator kennedy's support of the aide to india.s he would not tell them his name. robert kennedy was shot at 12:15 a.m. pacific coast time. the end of a brilliant, political and public career at the age of 42, robert francis kennedy was dead. kennedy, borncis november 20, 1925, stands behind his father, joseph patrick kennedy, and this 1934 family portrait. he was eight years old, the third of four dels sons and a family of nine children. the oldest son was killed in world war ii. john fitzgerald kennedy was assassinated in 1963, 3 years after becoming president of the united states, the former rose fitzgerald. mr. and mrs. kennedy hold a fourth sun, edward, nelly senator in massachusetts. joseph pete kennedy went to london in 1937

isn't that what the senate is here for? let's debate this and consider this that i didn't think the purpose was to avoid things people think are tough or challenging or they disagree with. why in the world is that the body that can have a debate and vote about something as timely, important and relevant ef this. >> the senator from tennessee. >> of the very brief printing of the senator wants to speak. people in our nation are being hurt today. americans are being taxed heavily. a tariff is a tax on the american people. what the senator from ohio is doing is saying that the senate should not even vote on a measure tome alleviate the pain that americans are going to feel, jobs that are going to be lost over the next couple of months as this trade war continues. i'm just disappointed. i cannot believe with the zeal that wed both came into the senate 11 and half years ago to debate and deal with the big issues of our nation and to have an amendment that supported in a bipartisan way when people know when they know that the trad

there will be no eulogy for net neutrality on the floor of the senate today. the fcc will not have the last word when it comes to net neutrality. the american people well. we are going to have a tsunami of americans contact their members of the house of representatives to demand a vote on net new trial be the same way we have the vote here on the senate floor. we know when the vote takes place that the american people are going to win. this net neutrality is going to win. but nondiscrimination is going to win. too many people think today that this whole idea of discrimination you can start talking about it in a way that has not been a part of our culture for a generation. but it's back. in a lot of ways, net neutrality is part of the whole discussion of whether or not the american people get protect did against discrimination. we now have enhanced urgent need because the role of the fcc are now vital and net neutrality is no longer the law of the land. that is what happeneday to them. the chairman of the federal communications commission ajit pai is taking his

i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. kennedy: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not in a quorum call, senator. mr. kennedy: madam president, i'd like to talk today for a few minutes about food stamps and the farm bill. let me preface by saying that it's been my experience that the american people are the most generous people in the world. we spend about a trillion dollars of taxpayer money at the federal, state, and local level helping our neighbors who are less fortunate than we are. in america -- and i'm very proud of this. if america, if you are -- if you are homeless, we will house you. if you're too poor to be sick, we'll pay for your doctor. if you're hungry, we will feed you. and that separates our country from a lot of other countries that exist and have existed in the world, and i'm very, very proud of those principles as an american. so i do get upset when people suggest that the american taxpayer is not generous with his or her money. we're the most generous people in the world. now, in

floor of the united states senate. thank you, sir. >> well, let me mention -- thank you, mr. chairman. we'll turn to the farm bill before the 4th of july. and i'm hopeful that the house will get to theirs. it will probably look a little different from ours, but i'm hoping they will get to theirs shortly, which will give us the chance to get into conference and actually make a law here, which i know we're all intentionally interested in doing. i want to thank both of you for the process that's led us to today. in my home state of kentucky, our agricultural heritage is an essential part of our heritage and pride. 75,000 farms in the blue grass provide jobs and a great way of life for a lot of people that i represent. i'm proud to support this bill before us today. it can deliver much needed certainty for farmers. one way it does so is by protecting crop insurance, a crucial tool for our farmers that face challenges such as natural disasters or inclement weather that could wipe out an entire operation. by any measure, this

host: what is the state of the house bill in the senate? alan: it is largely dead on arrival of the agriculture committee has its own plan. unlike the house where it was rejected last month, narrowly passed on friday. the senate has been a much less partisan process because it does not touch the cap program. the senate agricultural committee had their bill passed out, 20-1. they will be taking it up next week. they will bring up the house bill, but that is procedural. they will substitute with their own plan. host: we want you to join our conversation today. we have three phone lines open. the first phone line is for those of you who work in the agriculture sector. call in at .(202)-748-8000 snap recipients, we want you to call at (202)-748-8001. and if you don't fit either of those categories, call in at (202)-748-8002 to join the conversation. what is the response from the industry to the house bill? alan: are you talking about the agriculture or -- ok. looking at agriculture, they have been fairly pleased with the current bill, and there

the jushl filibuster when democrats controlled the senate. looking back, was that a major mistake? >> this is driven by leader mcconnell's vision -- >> yes, but it is the decision for earlier -- >> but you're assuming -- you're ignoring what i said which is when it comes to supreme court nominees, the republicans don't care about process or precedent or principle. they want to control the court and they will do whatever it takes to get there. had harry not done that, and had we had a lock-up on the supreme court nominee. mitch mcconnell would have done exactly the same thing that he did. we'd be in the exact same position no matter what harry reid did. >> what he did, he didn't include the supreme court but the other judicial nominees, was that a mistake on his part? >> not one that affects us today. obviously we're seeing it in the circuit court nominees run through and the district court nominees but i think the notion that this wouldn't be done by the republicans is fanciful. >> senator whitehouse, thanks for joining us. >> good to be with

senator, i can add to the accolades of the senator from kentucky by pointing out that he and i have a common trait, a comm denominator between us. we both married above ourselves. and the fact that his wife, the honorable elaine chao, now our secretary of transportation, former secretary of labor, it is truly one of the remarkable couples in the nation's capital of political leadership. and i congratulate him on the comments from the require. the presiding officer: the presiding officer: without objection. mr. alexander: mr. president, the senate's majority leader, senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky, will become the longest serving senate republican leader in history surpasng former senator bob dole of kansas. this according to the senate historical office. today i senator mcconnell's 4 79 lgt day as senate republican leader, a position that he assumed on january 3, 2007, after republicans lost control of both chambers of commerce. i'd like to take a few minutes to put senator mcconnell's leadership in perspective. that perspective begins in the year 1969. i was 29 years old and work

one perfectly placed senator, republicans have a 51-49 majority on the senate floor, but senator john mccain is too ill to vote which means republicans have a one vote advantage on the floor, 50- -49 but when the first vote came up, three democrats voted for neil gorsuch. heidi hide camp in north dakota where the president visited tonight campaigning against her and where donald trump won by 36 points. joe manchin in west virginia and joe donelly in indiana, all three of them voted for neil gorsuch. but this time everything could be different. if one senator does what he has promised to do. a retiring senator in his final months in office who is not in the senate leadership or a chairman of a committee is normally in a powerless position bidding fond fair well to his colleagues. but tonight, jeff flake, who is in his last months in office, has positioned himself to become the most powerful senator. he's not a chairman of a committee. he is normally ignored by most of his republican colleagues and by the republican majority leader of the senate, mitch mcconnell. jeff flake is normally

the presiding officer: the senator from indiana. the presiding officer: i rise to discuss my efforts on senate armed services committee on behalf of of the people of indiana for a defense bill that supports indiana's role in our nation's defse, that protects america's security interests and defense-related jobs. mr. donnelly: before i get to that, though, i want to take a moment to acknowledge the chairman of our committee, my frnd senator john mccain. he's an american hero. i hope as he watches the senate do its bipartisan work on this year's ndaa, the john s. mccain national defense authorization act, that he knows all of us here are thinking of him back in arizona, wishing him the best in his battle. when you think about john mccain, you think about a fighter. you think about the epitome of a man who defends ourreom every single day. i'm proud he's our chairman. i'm proud he's friend. and i want to talk about provisions i secured in a national defense bill that we're considering. efforts i supported and an amendment that i filed.

. >> our republican colleagues in the senate should follow the rule they set in 2016 not to consider a supreme court justice in an election year. senator mcconnell will tell anyone that listened that the senate had the right to advise and consent. that was every bit as important as the president's right to nominate. >> neil: the battle is on. so are we. justice anthony kennedy is leaving the supreme court. that's got everybody plotting. it's our biggest issue today. it's our only issue this hour. it is that important right now. welcome, everybody. i'm neil cavuto. this is "your world." get ready for a summer to remember as the supreme court justice is getting ready to hang up his robe. we've got you covered with joe lieberman on the very big battle to come. religious leader bob vanderplaid said the holy war yet to come and rand paul on whether any of this gets done. first, to shannon bream at the supreme court where the search is now on. hi, shannon. >> this is an interesting day. the term closed out, closed it up and said see you back october 1. no hint of any retirements. what we di

president, i thank the chairman, senator boozman, the ranking member, senator schatz, and their staff for their expertise and their work in making sure the appropriations process lends its support to the mission act, the john mccain mission act that we enacted in the senate and was signed by the president now just a few short days ago. i yield the floor. mr. brown: we've seen in our own country over the past few days shocking and heartbreaking, they don't reflect our values as a nation. i'm glad the president is reversing course. i'm glad he's signing something, putting a stop to his administration's cruel, pointless, and heartless policy of separating children from their parents at the border. that's just the beginning of the work that needs to be done to undo the damage that the president's policy has inflicted on these children and to begin to create a more human and humane immigration solution. any parent can tell you that being separated from a child is one of the worst things you can imagine. we've seen pictures and heard the sounds of crying children, some still in diapers. whe

he's also a member of the senate intelligence committee. not be able to talk to us about this matter, but i am going to ask him anyway. senator wyden, thank you very much for being with us tonight. i appreciate your time, sir. >> rachel, you are quite good at making correct assumptions. and under the senate rules it's just not possible for me to get into it. >> let me just -- i want to push around the edges of that with great respect for your fidelity to your responsibilities as a member of the intelligence committee, sir. the "times" is reporting tonight that there is a connection between the justice department surveilling their reporter, looking at a reporter's e-mails and looking at her phone records while she was a reporter going back years. the "times" is reporting a connection between that treatment of their reporter which obviously raises a lot of first amendment concerns and this investigation into whether or not there were unauthorized leaks from a staffer on your committee. is the "times" right to draw those two things together? ar

so we have 42 judges through the senate. have 40 judges on the calendar of the senate. we have about 40 working their way through my committee. number of k of the times, very rare that a blue slip isn't returned. elana: i'm hoping to use my last question on a fun one. you sometimes have some complaints about the history channel on your twitter feed. very recently the history channel reached out and said, would you like to collaborate with you on some kind of episode or some kind of themed project. any contact with the history channel? senator grassley: yes. i think we wanted to do that and we ran into this situation ith the house -- senate -- capitol ethics people that it would be promoting a profit-making organization and we couldn't do it. so i have gone to #realhistorychannel and once a week you'll find history on my twitter and instagram. host: we have a minute left. bob: how often do you talk to president trump? senator grassley: well, i would say it would average at least twice a month. sometimes his initiating a phone call to me. very seldom do i initiate a phone

the president. this is not one. senate has a role, they represent the rest of the country, and as a political matter donald trump didn't come in with a mandate, he came in with a deficit. he got fewer votes than the other person. as a political matter when you deal with the senate and the rest of the nation, there isn't that legitimacy. listen to what donald trump said last night. >> justice kennedy's retirement makes the issue of senate control one of the vital issues of our time. >> he is betting this is going to help his base turn out mid terms. final thoughts, stephanie? >> we have seen millions and millions of women across this country first march of 2017, seen a record number of women run for office. do you think this is going to slow down motivation of women? you've got to be kidding me. what we're seeing is as women across the country step up right now with extra enthusiasm, recognizing that their futures are at stake, their children's futures are at stake with this court neimominee and everything that goes around

covers the house and the senate. but the three of us are more focused on the senate side of things, and it's part of the fact that we are survivors, part of the fact we are talking about crime and international affairs. because the senate had a dominant influence over both of those subjects. >> sure. because of confirmations, because of treaties, because of the way the senate was set up. >> i just want the record to show. >> ok. the record shall show. our first picture is in the cabinet room. sir, if i could ask you to move over two seats so i could see -- thank you, so i could see the pictures. this is what we believe to be the first partisan leadership meeting the president had, the gop event. he would have bipartisan leadership meetings, then he would have the republican leadership, his party. a head-on shot from the cabinet room. because we studied the picture, we know there's one staff person on the far end on the right, ken ballou. but this was an initial talk of getting the republicans used to coming down, beca

bu no, the united stateswn. senate right now, on june 12, is becoming a by where, well, we'll do what we can do, but my gosh, if the president gets upset with us, then we might not be in the majority. and so let's don't do anything that might upset the president. so, lk, in no way -- i'm in no way upset, mr. president, with my frirom okloma. i'm not. i understand that he's doing his job, and he's actually filling in in a wonderful way for senator mccain, who happens to be ill at home, someone we all love. but, look, i kw there's not going to be a vote on this amendment. i know it. i'm not about to hold somebody else's amendment up from being voted on, because i tpho he that every -- because i know that every ounce of power possible is going to be used to keep f voting on thi amendment because, well, my gosh, the president might not like it. and, therefore, we as senators might be offending som by, by the way, just voting on an amendment. vo on an amendment, up or down, and deciding whether we in fact want to assert som