Bass, and and to back them up there are similar problems, stay there and work with them i believe my experiences if the nation believe somebody is behind them they are likely to do the right thing the right way and hopefully for a longer time. I will finish with this. My father in law was the guadalcanal marine and he would be very proud of your service, years of service and what very much forward to taking command of the marine corps so we wish you the very best. General neller, will command congratulations, thank you for your service. General neller, i apologize, we had to have a quorum, Judiciary Committee and stepped out briefly so i apologize for asking a question that has already been asked but i want to talk about what would be your top ground Modernization Program priorities. Right now the two top programs yet to be fielded, the joint tactical vehicle and amphibious combat vehicle. Both of them are in jail tv as i understand it, close to initial production and we should down select two vendors with 16 vehicles this fall and eventually pick one. So in that area a couple other things, but radar a whole variety of other things, but right now as far as specific programs those two are at the top. The reason, and your capabilities. We need a wheeled vehicle that needs more survivability. Going around since at the mid 80s. Only so much growth left in the frame and need something that will give us more survivability and traffic ability, and we are going to buy 5500 of them and i am assuming they will meet the requirement. I dont know who the vendor is. The amphibious vehicle we have is 40 years old, refurbished, rebuild a number of times, it is okay in the water and not so okay on the ground. It is not survivable and because the vehicle spends 90 of its time ashore, it will give us more survivability to the moved through the surf to the beach. That leads to the next question ship to shore maneuvers, to the challenges, i was down at camp lejeune on month or so ago. Can you talk about the ship to shore maneuvers all the way from the connectors, and elaborate on additional capability compared to what you have today . A lot of moving passes the vagaries, we got to get to the objective area, and we use cushioned vehicles and Landing Craft to remove heavier loads the shore. Neither the amtrak nor the ac, we have to be worried about denial so we will work through choreography and joy land under cover of darkness for our security so the amtrak the we have has to have search capability moving at a certain speed, under cover of darkness. Last question has to do with the size of the force. There have been studies, the optimum size of the marines at 186,000 below 187,000, 184,000 moving to 182,000. At 5,000 differential that was a lot of marines and killing capacity. I met with you in my office, this sort of thing will make it work no matter what hand you are dealt. We are working where we are with troop productions looking to that optimal number if you agree with the assertion that 187 is the optimal number . The of the lumber for deployment ratio what we would aspire to at 186, we built into our plan as we have gone down the units we took down and what units we bring back. And the command requires, and the depth as well which is the minimum sustainable level at 182, 186, affordable, and required to do that, it would take some time. I look forward to supporting your confirmation, thank you, mr. Chair. Thank you for being here. Your commitment to service, sacrifice thank you for being here, very grateful for your dedication. You and i had a chance to talk about a lot of these issues, after a meeting her eyes and a report that i did summarizing cases in 2013 as a snapshot to understand, i want to brief you on that. Camp pendleton for 2013 50 cases of Sexual Assault alleged, ten of those cases, we have an issue with Domestic Violence to look at you also had 18 for civilians a 28 out of 50 are not part of our survey so Sexual Assault last year estimated 20,000 Sexual Assaults doesnt include civilians or spouses, more than half of your Camp Pendleton cases are not even counted in those numbers. The other Statistics Service numbers are 21. The other and not want you to be aware of is the challenge we have responding appropriately. Among your spouses, made no longer launched to prosecute. Other civilian complaints, eight during the year end of your Service Members eight withdrew sonya behalf of the cases that were reported to report a case you have to put your name on the bottom line, it was very invasive. It was public, to withdraw have to withdraw within a year does not Show Confidence in the system. And there is the issue, how much retaliation existing. And those reported a rate with retaliating against that process and retaliation comes in all forms, 53 socially would appear, 35 administrative, 32 professional, 11 punishment. So more than half of these cases and there is a chain of command retaliations of really do look to the lower level standards, we have an issue, Sexual Harassment and sexual discrimination, in all cases 60 comes from the unit commander. You have to dig deep to create a Better Climate which i think will be essential for you to be essential, and little water and discipline in the range. As we talked about, i look forward to working with you on that. I appreciate your answer to senator mccain with combat immigration. When it joy like to raise is i know the physical fitness tests are gender norm and i know in the case she was trying to create a requirements to be standards. As you look at your standard review and as you look to whether you are going to ask for a waiver for positions today i would urge you not to seek waivers because all you are saying is no one can meet the standard today but if we begin to create tougher standards to coming to the marines and make some gender neutral you will have women who meet those standards. Asking for a waiver says under no circumstances could anyone in need the standard i caution you not to take action because the future of the force we want our best and brightest. Are like to ask you basically wind you are going to look at these issues you expect you will ask for an exception or waiver. I have not seen all the data and i dont believe in any way, shape or form presuppose whether we will not. I have not talked to the commandant about this. I will eventually because he is no longer going to be our commandant. I would ask that he inform the as to what we are going to do so i take all your points. I want every marine to have the best opportunity to be successful. Nobody joins the marine corps to fail. Anybody joy in here to fell . Good. We are going to be successful. In the best place they can be successful and do the best for themselves but more importantly for the unit. I know this will take close scrutiny. This is not something anyone takes lightly but we will begin to make sure we have the most operationally capable. Thank you, general, for your service. It is not only yours but your family and we are grateful to you for taking on this very important mission. No one join the marine corps to fail, that is for shore and i know you want to give every opportunity to every marine to serve to the best of his or her ability. And part of the reason marines may, quote, fail or appear to fail may be invisible wounds of war. End my colleague asked about Mental Health issues posttraumatic stress is the result of combat related injury that never been recognized in the past as much as they are now and maybe not known as much as they should be. My distinguished colleague and i, senator mccain, the Suicide Prevention act to provide more research and care to marines and others who are injured in duty, often in combat, Mental Health generally for suicide that occur among them. I welcome your commitment that you will encourage and support efforts to deal with posttraumatic stress and those invisible wound support. You have total commitment to those actions. Do you have any specific initiatives you played it . Is early to ask you but in that area to encourage more marines to come forward, to identify themselves, ask about the stigma associated with those kinds of wounds . Wonder if you have any specific initiative. I dont at this time. All i can tell you is this. Like everybody else we learned a lot the last 12 years, we learned a lot about some bad things. I do think that the force recognizes these invisible wounds be traded because he looked fine. I believe those days are gone. That said there may be marines out there, any Service Member out there still dealing with something bugging them. The marines are toxins to and serve with i dont know anyone who is not out there and reaching out to try to hold from and they believe you will try to help them and they will come forward and there are a lot who have those who have been diagnosed will take care of them because they are part of the force we are not perfect because we have a lot to learn, the regiment takes care of marines raising contact with them even when they are no longer on active service. We odum our best support and i commit to use that if confirmed they will get it from me. I welcome and applaud that commitment and your sensitivity on this issue. I can guarantee without being an expert that there are marines and soldiers and sailors and air men who are out there with wounds that are bothering them with encouragement to come forward. Let me shift. Can i interrupt . Are you familiar with the legislation Suicide Prevention act . I am not. I will become familiar with it if confirmed. I am interested. I wasnt aware of it. We will make sure the Office Receives additional material on it. Senator mccain has been a champion i am proud to work with him on this issue and it is critically important, 22 veterans every day in this country, strongest best country in the history of the world, commit suicide and this bill is an effort to correct that problem. If i can focus my remaining seconds on the f 35 fighter, i knows that we have not yet passed the initial operating capability tests and stage. I wonder if you could comment on what you see as the importance of this fifth generation fighter to the marine corps . We hope soon we will be able to declare based on the writing evaluation. As far as the airplane replacing three different airplanes, i am not sure we realized the potential of this airframe other than it is a fifth generation aircraft and will enter air space of our adversaries that we were not able to enter before and do whatever the mission, the real exciting thing about this airplane other than we can hold targets at risk is part of the join forces we were not able to hold that risk before is the electronics and information that this thing is going to be able to gather and disseminate to the force on the ground. And drop bombs and tell me what is on the other side of the hills so that is what i am interested in, as would will do will not just help us do what we do now better it will change how we do what we are going to do and that is what we have to learn as we go through this so it is expensive. The more we build the more allies by the cheaper it will be so i am excited about the potential this provides not just to the marine corps and naval force but join force. Thank you very much, thank you. Thank you, chairman. I want to thank you, general, for your service to the country and your wife as well and your whole family appreciate all you have done and are willing to take on in this important position. I want to ask you about iraq. Several others have asked you about it but having served our country in iraq just seeing the director of the fbi, said that isis poses a greater Terror Threat than al qaeda. That is pretty telling. What is it we need to do in iraq now to address isis the we are not my time in iraq is a bit dated although i am someone informed in my job to do what we are doing as far as marines and the joint force. We do what we need to do now we are training the iraqis and insuring provision of equipment and ammunition and supplies, working in their Operations Centers, advising them, the only thing we are not doing is accompanying them. At least to the best of my knowledge. At the end of the day whether we do or not, they will do this, they have to restore their territory and i believe based on what i have seen them do in the past they have the capability to do that because we have to defeat isis, we have to get them to the point at they are insignificant, some people on the internet saying a bunch of stuff but dont have capability or anything to back it up and right now they are not, that is not where they are, they have planned and terrain and masquerading as the country. As you look where we are with iraq and our current force posture in afghanistan, we have consistently heard from general comfort and others is important that we have a condition based withdrawal from afghanistan as opposed to a calendar withdrawal would you agree with that thinking about what we have seen in iraq after leaving . It is my military opinion that a condition based withdrawal is more affective than one based on time. Obviously your enemy and wait you out and know when you are going to leave versus what is happening on the ground. You would agree with leon that . I would say that is an accurate statement. One thing you said in terms of what were doing in iraq the we repeatedly raised in the committee from your experience on the ground generally does the employment of joint terminal controllers make airstrikes more accurate and effective . I would agree that capability or having that with a maneuver unit makes the more effective . One of the issues that needs to be addressed obviously right now as i understand it with Iraqi Security forces do you believe that American Military dropping airstrikes in iraq right now would be more effective if they were embedded at the taxable level . In principle yes but there has got to be some methodology we worked out that for a pilot to go out there as good as they are to find a target. There has got to be some coordination going on because we have americans in the Operations Center so there has to be coordination where it they get a general location or target to look at so that they are not just out there flying around but i dont know the answer to that but if there were controllers generally a unit is more effective. Certainly on the grounds, help ensure the targets are more precise, we spoke briefly about this in my office with what happened in benghazi where brave americans were murdered one thing we are upset about is that our military couldnt respond quickly enough and wanted to know where we are today if we had another benghazi type attack in north africa or the middle east tonight with the marine corps being in a better position to respond. To date post benghazi, what is referred to as the new normal, end in spain, that forced is grown across basis. In a six our alert, and a warning to position themselves in bases in western africa, and Security Locations in support of host nation capability is much greater particularly if we have some idea that something is going to happen or we know that someone is going to go there and we need protection so were and abettor place then we were at that time. Thank you. General, congratulations on your nomination. Marine corps pound for pound the finest fighting force we ever created so lets keep it that way. Is it true that isil is targeting military personnel and their families calling for a tax at home . I am not aware they specifically targeted american citizens. I am aware that they put information about american citizens on social media. It is my understanding they urged people to come after military personnel and their families encouraging people here to do so. If the recruiters had been armed would things have been different . I dont know. I think they would have been. Here is the question. I dont want to ever have ever again. I dont know. We got to know. I think it would have mattered and it is not your job to decide. Time to get real with where we stand as that nation. Theyre coming after us here and everywhere else and we better get ready to be able to send our people. General they entered general dunford felt the greatest threat to America Today was russia, not radical islam. Do you agree with that . I agree with general dunford that as a nation state russia is the greatest threat but i believe the greatest threats, is radical extremists in. Gee would read the greatest threat of all is a radical islamic nation state with a Nuclear Weapon . Any radical organization with a Nuclear Weapon is of grave concern. Do you agree that if the day she believed iran is a radical islamic nation state . I believe that iran is a state that is involved in a number of activities that created instability in other parts of the world. Do you believe the ayatollah means it when he says debt to america and israel . Never spoken to the ayatollah to ask that question. I doubt if you will but given the behavior of iran and gas activity would it be smart to assume the worst when it came to the ayatollah, not the best . It would be my military advice to watch him closely in everything they do end judge vermont their actions and hold them accountable for those things they do that violate International Law and destroyed the stability of the region and the world. Would you agree theyre the primary destabilizing influence in the middle east . Supporting extremist organizations that toppled four arab capitals . I believe they are destabilizing force. Do you agreed that assad would not last two minutes without iranian and has beheld . Iranians are supporting the government. I dont know how long he would last or not last. Theyre the main benefactor. They are providing a great deal of support. Do you agree the proamerican prowestern government was toppled because of iranian support . They received a significant amount of support from iran. To what degree that allowed them to topple the antigovernment do you think there would be a different outcome . That would be speaking as if on my part. I have been to yemen a couple times. The government they had was trouble they have a huge amount of tribal land factional comically iranian support facilitated their successful actions in yemen to topple the government. They agree as bull would have a hard time surviving without iran . They would not have the same capability they have today. From a marine corps you are not answering the senators questions. Please answer the question. Do you believe in that or not . Im not trying to put you in a bad box, trying to explain to the American People to the iranians are and what theyre up to. That is all im trying to do. Do you agree with me that they are a very destabilizing influence in the middle east, the largest state sponsor of terrorism and we should know that . Yes, senator. As to the marine corps you have indicated that in 1975 during core was in a bad spot. Come along way. Do you agree with me even if we impose sequestration and finlay implement by 2021 the marine corps will be in a bad spot . Yes senator. A time we need the marine corps the most. We will not provide capabilities we need to provide the nation. In your time as a marine have you ever seen a larger need for the United States marine corps than today . In terms of the threats we face. This is a very challenging time and this is a time of force like a ring or will have great ability for the nation. Thanks very much. When saying we do what we need to do in iraq i dont know where you have been. Obviously isis is winning in iraq. Not to be in favor of us, in some scholastic cancer you know full well as i do air controllers make the difference. 75 of the sorties flown return to base without firing a weapon and this line about they are the ones that have to do it themselves they cant do it themselves. Been knows that. The iraqis cannot do it themselves. That is why they are losing and that is why they lost the second largest city. That is why isil continues to make gains in the only people fighting against them are the iranianbacked shiite militias so the iraqis have to do it but without american assistance including air power, including air controllers on the ground we will see the stalemate and for you to say were doing what we need to do maybe you can tell me what we are doing that will win against isis. Can you tell me that . What we are doing is providing an adviser team and support. That is succeeding and causing success. It stemmed tied for isis but it is not removing them from iraq. So you believe isis is losing . I do not. You believe they are winning . I dont believe they are winning. I think they are at a stalemate right now. There at a stalemate. When you have a stalemate, when the enemy controls the secondlargest city and a third of it and the only people fighting the marshy at militias backed by iranians of the one responsible for the deaths in and general dunfords testimony, marines and soldiers orchestrating the attacks i dont think we are, quote, doing what we need to do. I will give you some written questions. I am very disappointed in the number of your answers. Let me go back again you know what happened according to recruiting stations, the guy walked up to the door and shot and killed four marines that was in the media now matter what job you are holding, you knew that. Shouldnt we have had those marines be able to defend themselves . The marines needed the protection they had at the recruiting station. Only one individual at the reserve center where they they should have defend themselves. I will have questions for the record but if you think we are doing what we need to do in iraq en syria, we have the real strong and different view of the situation. We lost too many good marines in the battle of volusia and ramadi. Senator gramm and i were a very fair. One of my sons fought there and for us to say we are doing what we need to jill, frankly is not in keeping with the appreciation we should have for the sacrifice of those brave young people. I want to say i dont think everyone understands the sacrifice the marines made in iraq better than general miller and his comments, his professional opinions based on what he knows, not the commander in iraq but the commandant, but i certainly think no one feels more deeply about the situation in iraq, that should be the record. Almost as if they were matter and antimatter. Inequality a third time. Always to the right and almost always anything complicated. Filmmakers Robert Borden and fraud and neville talk about their documentary best of enemies in the 1968 debate between william f. Buckley and liberal board vidal over war, politics, god and sex. Not someone here very unlikely today, today i believe someone is saying the numbers, to talk about hot topics, hot salacious topic number 2 whereas i dont think that was the norm in tv at the time and i dont think these guys needed as morgan said that. Howard k. Smith was moderator, the distinguished newsman who i think was really embarrassed by this. Was moderating but disappears for sometimes 5 or more minutes at a time. Today you wouldnt have moderator jumping in every thirtysecond so really everyone at abc stood back and put the fire burn. Sunday night a 00 eastern and pacific on cspan2s q a. Cspan2 brings the best access to Congress Live debate and votes from the senate floor. Hearings and Public Policy events and every weekend booktv with nonfiction authors and books and authors, live coverage of book festivals around the country and behindthescenes look at the publishing industry. Cspan2 the best access to congress and nonfiction books. Senate majority image mcconnell has set up a procedural vote on reauthorize and Export Import Bank which saw its charter expired last month. Tivo isnt the form of an amendment to the transportation spending bill prompting, republican ted cruz, an opponent of reauthorize in the bank to call senator mcconnell liar for his earlier assurance that there was no deal involving a bank vote. Here are the floor remarks by mcconnell and ted cruz. The hard work to pass a bipartisan fiscally responsible multiyear highway bill that doesnt raise taxes or increase the deficit continues. Hasnt been easy. We always knew obstacles lie ahead at every turn and they sure have. But our country needs of multiyear highway bill and we will get there if we continue to stick together. The most challenging issue now relates to amendments. Supporters of the x m bank are voting to reauthorize and made it clear theyre ready to stop all other amendments if denied the opportunity. They have proven they have the votes to back up the threat as well. This presents a challenge for the senate, to opponents of the bank like myself in particular. I believe we can still move forward and our believe the more equitable and balanced proposal largest offered will allow us to do so. Let me explain it provides votes on two long sought amendments. It allows a vote on an amendment to reauthorize the x m Bank Something in the every democrat wants. Second it allows a vote on an amendment that would repeal obamacare, something nearly every republican wants, something we will continue to fight for. X m should be the only vote we take on this bill. Under the compromise i just filed it wont be. That is a much fairer way forward, madame president. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting against x m and r urge every senators to take this opportunity to join me in voting to give the American People a fresh start than they deserve on health care. I know we will engage in a robust debate in all these issues. We should and we will take a vote. The clock demands we file cloture given the Highway Trust Fund will expire at the end of next week i hope we still have a robust amendment process on this critical bill. I encourage every one of my colleagues were with bill managers on their jermaine amendments senators should note this. Yesterday i circulated bill language to both sides of the aisle i intended these to modify amendment 2266. That went. Contained technical and conforming edits as well as removal of a provision related to future developments not needed to offset the bill. I wanted to let my colleagues know the amendment contains one additional modification removing provisions that would have terminated the 1. 7 billion hardest hit mortgage programs several senators on both sides of the aisle and particularly senator portman on our side of the aisle has been a real champion on this issue expressing opposition to its termination so we have reduced spending levels in the bill to accommodate this change while ensuring the bill remains paid for for three years. Madam president today is that sad day for this institution. The senate operates based on trust. Whether we are democrats or republicans these hundred senators have to be able to trust when a senator says something he or she will do if we disagree on substance, though we dont lie to each other. We just witnessed this morning is profoundly disappointing. I want to describe the context of two preceding discussions. Number of weeks ago when the senate was considering trade Promotion Authority a group of senators gathered on this floor for many minutes. Because they were pressing for the Exportimport Bank they huddled on the floor and negotiated a deal ahead in front of cspan and the world and. Than when they had their deal they had the most to pass. Shortly thereafter we had a Senate Republican lunge where i stood up and ask the majority leader very directly what was the deal just cut on tpa and was there a deal for the Exportimport Bank . Was a direct question. I asked the majority be hearing from the republican senator. The majority be was visibly angry with me that i would ask such a question. The majority leader looked at me and said there is no deal, there is no dealoteis p6bsontre ipi qupi mnmiee ofndon. L a lake is like any other senator in this body, they could offer any amendment they liked on any amendable vehicle but i gave them nothing, there is no deal, i gave them nothing. He was emphatic. And he was repeated. Following that republic discussion, senator mike lee and i approached the majority leader afterwards in which he emphasized again there is no deal, i will do nothing i oppose the Exportimport Bank. All i said is they can offer an amendment like any senator can to any bill. Madam president , i went back to my office and i sat and had a long discussion with my staff. My staff told me that afternoon hes lying to you. Thats what my staff said. We have been around the senate a long time. He is not telling you the truth. And what i told my staff that afternoon, i said well, i dont know if thats the case or not but i dont see how when the majority leader looks me in the eyes and makes an explicit promise and by the way looks in the eyes of every other republican senator and says that to every other republican senator, i dont see how i canne him and says that to every other republican senator i dont see how i cannot take him at his word when he makes an explicit promise. As a result, i cast my vote in may in support of tpa because i support free trade. I felt i had no choice but to assume when the majority leader spoke to 54 republican senators and made an explicit promise he wasnt lying to us. Tp a moved on to the house and it became abundantly clear there was a deal. There was a deal in the house for the Export Import Bank. The second time tp a came up i voted no because of that corrupt deal. I will note to the public the majority leader is speaker of the house, repeatedly said there was no corporate deal we made no deal, we made no deal. That is one element of the background context. Let me tell you second element in the background context. A number of weeks ago when we were debating, the iran review act, there were a number of amendments senators filed. I filed an amendment that would put teeth in the iran review act by acquiring affirmative approval before sanctions on iran could be lifted. Other senators filed very good amendment. Senator marco rubio filed an amendment calling for iran to recognize israels right to exist as a jewish state before sanctions could be lifted. Our friends on the democratic side did not want to vote on that amendment. Ending response the majority leader cut off all amendments. Madame president , i sat in the Majority Leaders Office and urged the majority leader invoke cloture on senator rubios amendment. Invoke cloture and senator rubios amendment calling on iran to recognize israels right to exist and setting that is the precondition, i argued vociferously with the majority leader that if the democrats were so opposed to voting on that amendment, that was all the more reason because it was important substantively and the majority leader said no. He would not do so. Invoking cloture on an amendment was an extraordinary step and he wouldnt do so so he cut off every amendment. He filled the tree. The democratic leader senator harry reid calling out the majority leader, fulfilling engaging in the same procedural abuse harry reid did over and over again in this body now the republican leader is behaving like the senior senator from nevada. What we just saw was not what the majority leader told you and every other republican senator. What we just saw was not as proponents of the Exportimport Bank like anyone else standing up to offer whatever amendment they like on any issue. With the majority leader did was he called up that amendment. He called it up himself. Why does that matter . As majority leader he has priority of recognition. When he calls up and amendment no one can stop him. He didnt just call it up he filled the tree. Just like harry reid he filled the tree blocking everyone elses amendment and i agree with harry reid when he said the obamacare amendment is the cynical amendment of course it is. It is showmanship. We will have a vote on repealing obamacare, republicans will vote yes and republicans will vote no, a 60 vote threshold, it will fail, an exercise in meaningless political theater. When we had a fight in october of 2013 to to actually stop obamacare the majority of the year then the minority be was opposed to doing something with real teeth in it to stop obamacare but an empty shell vote is a good way of distracting from what is going on. There is profound disappointment among the American People because we keep winning elections, we keep getting leaders who dont do anything they promised. The American People were told if only we have a republican majority things will be different. In 2010 the American People showed up in enormous numbers and we got a republican majority in the house. And very little changed. Than the American People were told the problem is the senate. If only we get a republican majority in the senate and retired harry reid as majority leader then things will be different. In 2014 the American People rose up in enormous numbers, voted to do exactly that. We had a republican majority in both houses of congress in six months. What has the majority done . First thing we did in december, we came back and pass that trillion dollar plan filled with pork and corporate welfare. That was the first thing we did. The republican majority voted to Fund Executive amnesty and leadership, the attorney general. Madame president which of those decisions, one iota different if harry reid were still majority leader. Not a one. This senate operates exactly the same. The same priorities, let me tell you why. Not that the majority get things done but it is one and only one voice. Joy of voice of the Washington Cartel on k street, and big corporations. Go to the American People and ask, is reauthorize in the x m bank a priority for you . The standard response for most of them would be the what . They dont know what this is. It is an egregious example of corporate welfare, the american taxpayer being on the dime for hundreds of billions of dollars in loan guarantees given to a handful of giant corporations. It is a classic example of cronyism and corporate welfare. Among others one person who has clarity of fought on that as then senator barack obama who described it as a classic example of corporate welfare. That is when he is in the senate. Now that he is in the white house corporate welfare sounds pretty good, just about all the democrats are supporting the corporate welfare with the exception of bernie sanders. I give credit to senator sanders for standing up against corporate welfare. Every democrat who rails against big money and corruption of washington, every democrat who styles himself or herself a populist their actions on this matter speak far louder than their words. When it comes to republicans republicans also are listening to case street and the lobbyists. Y . A not complicated is the giant corporations getting special favors from taxpayers, hire an army of lobbyists the right Campaign Check after Campaign Check and these checks go to both democrats and republicans. It is career politicians in both parties kept in office by bidding its taxpayer. And wealthy and powerful corporations, the largest recipients, the boeing corporation had an Earnings Call and paraphrasing. It is not impacting us, private loan alternatives out there. Even though the market could provide, compliance lawmakers from the public to enrich giant corporations. You know who doesnt have lobbyists . A single mom waiting tables. You know doesnt have lobbyists . At teenage immigrant like my father was washing dishes making 0. 50 an hour struggling to achieve the american dream. You know doesnt have lobbyists . A factory worker who just wants to work and provide for his or her children. They dont have lobbyists and so what happens . Career politicians in both parties ganged up with a giant corporations to loot their taxes to make it harder for people who are struggling to achieve the american dream. Coal miners in your state dont have lobbyists representing them here, the individual miners, the majority leader teams up with the democratic leader to take from their paychecks to fund giant corporations. It is wrong and it is corrupt. Madame president , it saddens me to say this. I sat in my office, i told my staff the majority leader looked me in the eye and looked 54 republicans in the eye. I cannot believe he would tell a flat out lie and i voted what he told the press over and over and over again, was a symbol lie. This institution should not operate at the beck and call of lobbyists in washington. This institution, the majority and minority leader arm in all arm again should not teamrm again should not team up against american taxpayers. Iran poses the National Security threat to this country but the majority leader refused to do what he did for the Export Import Bank on iran, refused to invoke cloture. That was an extraordinary step. Madame president if he was telling the truth and when he said there was no deal why would he do what he just did . We now know that when the majority leader looked as in the eye to make explicit commitment that he is willing to say things that he knows are false. That has consequences for how this body operates. If you or i cannot trust what the majority leader tells us, that will have consequences on other legislation as well, on how this institution operates. There are a lot host of amendments that the American People are focused on, things like Defunding Planned Parenthood after the gruesome video. The majority leader doesnt want to vote on that. That is something the American People are focused on. He brought up his obamacare amendment as a smokescreen because it is intended to fail but what he didnt bring up is my amendment to end the congressional exemption from obamacare the court deal harry reid cut with president obama to exempt members of congress. We have to live under the same rules as everyone else, majority leader doesnt want to vote on that because he doesnt want to end the cronyism for members of congress anymore and end the cronyism for giant corporations. To enrich themselves at the expense of the American People . There are a host of priorities that the voters whoy did you and me, madam president i ask you to think about when you were running for the senate not long ago do you recall any of your constituents ever saying we want the Exportimport Bank . They want other things, they have other priorities than those are not the priorities of republican leadership. Sadly today we have government of the lobbyists by the lobbyists and for the lobbyists. That is not how the United States senate is supposed to operate. A far more important amendment than bringing back this corporate welfare and cronyism is my amendment that provides the sanctions on iran cannot be lifted. Unless and until iran does two things. Number one it recognizes israels right to exist as a jewish state. Number 2, it releases the four american hostages languishing in american prisons. That is a far more important issue than enriching more lobbyists and getting more campaign contributions. That is what we should be voting on. Accordingly, madam president and i call up my amendment number 2301 to the mcconnell amendment as modified. The amendment is not an order to be offered as it is inconsistent with the Senate President with respect to the offering amendments, their number, degree and kind. Madam president , i appealed the ruling of the chair that the amendment is not in order