Allsenators briefing. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Daines mr. President , i left montana yesterday morning to come back here to washington, d. C. , to do the work of the American People. But, as always, my heart remains in big sky country. Thats especially true right now as fires burn across our state. In fact, just yesterday, of the top 30 wildfires in the nation, 28 of those 30 wildfires were in montana. Our crisis in montana isnt water, its not too much water. Its not hurricanes. Its fire. It is smoke filling the air and filling our lungs. Its communities being evacuat evacuated, montanans standing on the side of the road looking at the fires moving toward their homes. Weve seen the loss of homes and many structures, and theyre looking at the tons of fuel just lying on the forest floor waiting for a spark to ignite. In fact, in this year alone, over 1,600 fires have burned nearly one million acres in montana. Thats nearly the size of the entire state of delaware. At my invitation, secretary of agriculture sonny purdue and secretary of interior ryan zinke, both came to montana just about two weeks ago in fact, two weeks ago tomorrow so they could see firsthand the impact wildfires are having on our great state. We went out and saw the lolo peak fire. The impact is devastating. We need to ensure that montana gets the resources it needs, first of all, to stop the fires. Im very grateful to the men and women who are risking their lives to fight these fires going on virtually very little sleep, living in tents, fighting these fires. The firefighters battling on the ground, theyre away from their families. Theyre giving everything to protect our lives, our lands, and our property. Tragically tragically, already in montana, two firefighters have lost their lives. Trenton johnson, age 19, and brentwoodham, age 29. Preventing wildfires is impossible, but we can do much more to lessen the severity and impact of these fires. Seven million federally controlled acres in montana are at high risk for wildfire. Five million acres five million acres have been designated for accelerated Forest Management due to insect infestation disease. Were talking about dead trees. And yet since 1990, our state, montana, has lost over 40 of its forestry workforce and lost twothirds of its mills. The remaining mills that we have are not running around the clock multiple shifts, which they could do except for the fact they cant get enough logs. Were literally bringing in logs from out of state and even out of the country to our mills in montana to keep them going. Lets talk about Mineral County, montana. It was founded in 1914. The counties in western montana the county is in western montana. It is wellknown for its abundant natural resources. The invent of the sawmill came to this area around the middle of the 20th century. Most of the others followed suit. For decades the Timber Industry thrived. Montanans worked hard, they earned good money in the Timber Industry. In fact, the Timber Industry produced tax revenues to support their schools, teachers, infrastructure, allow our counties to prosper. But in the early 1990s, things changed. Across the state of montana, environmental lawsuits became a barrier to timber contracts that were awarded to montanas Small Businesses. A community that once thrived on the abundant resources surrounding surrounding them, now sits with one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. Today Mineral County has just a single lumber mill. And folks there today are watching the very resources that supported their grandparents burn. In fact, in Mineral County alo alone, over 25,000 acres have been torched this fire season, and the fires continue to burn. In fact, the weather outlook for september continues with abovenormal temperatures, belownormal precipitation. This fire season is not over. Were going to be in it for quite sometime. And the mismanagement of our federal forests and these radical environmentalists have prevented hardworking montanans from having jobs, and this just adds more fuel literally to these wildfires. Our inability to act and treat these acres further deteriorates the health of our forests and the communities that desperately depend on them. I can tell you, i can speak on behalf of all of montana. We are tired of being told that others know better than we do while we watch our forests burn every summer, our mills close, our neighbors lose jobs, our counties lay off road crews because they dont have the funds anymore to support basic infrastructure, and our communities suffer from the lack of management of our federal lands. Because a safe forest, a vibrant forest, is a managed forest. A healthy forest is a managed forest. And timber jobs are good jobs. A properly managed forest is also good for wildlife habitat. We have teamed with the Rocky Mountain health foundation. Their headquarters are in missoula, montana. If you want to see more elk, more wildlife, you need to manage the forest. It is good for wildlife habitat, good for Water Quality because a wildfire is devastating to the watershed. Because what happens, the wildfires come three, they wipe out the trees, they wipe out the grasses and then when the spring rains come, when the snowmettlen the snowmelt comes in the spring, you see tremendous devastation of fish habitat and losing good sources of water for our communities. And lets talk about the unspeakable amount of Carbon Emissions that are produced by these wildfires. I can tell you, were done listening to radical environmentalists when they tell us otherwise. Too many Forest Management projects have been held up in frivolous litigation at the expense of the people of montana. One such project, the stonewall project, it was halted because of the terrible cottonwood decision, which is the 21st century poster child for radical environmental activism. Two fires were abelias on the very two fires were ablaze on the very lands that were set to be managed, had it not been for these radical environmentalists. This is wrong. We need litigation relief. We need to reform the process that our land managers go through to get these projects done. The National Environmental policy act or nepa was established to provide guidance for land managers to analyze all project alternatives and allow for public comment. This process has become so bogged down with additional steps and litigation that projects now at times take years to get through it. Others never even make it. You see, when it takes this long to analyze whether or not to even start a project, the forests continue to get more and more overstocked, more and more loaded up with fuels. A forest is a renewable resour resource, but if you do not manage the forest, they become unhealthy, they become prone to wildfire. Something needs to be they something needs to be done. We cant wait any longer we need our colleagues to come to the table because we need comprehensive Forest Management reform. How many more thousands of acres in montana and all over the west must burn before we act . Tying the hands of the state, tying the hand of the local communities, tying the hands of the people of montana who best know how to manage these lands has not served us well. We need to change course. I will work with anyone of any party and at all levels of our government to ensure that forests are managed in a way that reduces the severity of wildfires because montanans deserve it. Montanans are tired of seeing and breathing the smoke. The firefighters risking their lives out there deserve it as well, and because, quite frankly, it makes sense. Because heres the bottom line either we are going to manage the forests or the forests are going to manage us. It is time to put the loggers of montana back to work. I urge my colleagues to join me in this effort. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from wyoming. Mr. Barrasso thank you, mr. President. I ask unanimous consent the quorum call be vitiated. The presiding officer the senate is not in a quorum call. Mr. Barrasso thank you, mr. President. Over the last several weeks, i have spent a lot of time traveling around my home state of wyoming and you may have in your home state of arkansas as well. We have talked to a lot of people. We hear a lot from people as we travel around to the rodeos, the fairs, and the parades. One of the things that i have been hearing more and more about because im seeing it daily in wyoming and i know senator daines has talked about it, senator tester, both the senators from montana, have been the incredible forest fires that have been raging in the west. There are more than a million acres of land burning in the west. Smoke is spreading around the west. Certainly in wyoming, fire as well as smoke impacting people, impacting land, impacting the soil, the air, the water, and impacting life as well as property. The damage that is happening is dramatic, and in many ways, its similar to the kind of comprehensive damage and destruction that were seeing with the big storms. They are hitting Hurricane Harvey and irma on the way to florida. These are incredible storms. The people of wyoming want to express their sympathy and share their sympathy for the people who have lost family members, property, and the people who are still in danger. I also know in wyoming, people are wanting to volunteer, wanting to go to help out, collecting food, supplies, clothing, taking up collections, as well with the churches, communities and schools because thats the american spirit. So today i come to the floor to express my admiration for the resilience of the people of the west as well as the resilience of the people of texas and louisiana and all the americans who are today dealing with the disasters that they are facing. The other thing i heard a lot about, mr. President , this wont surprise you, the concerns are still out there regarding the Obamacare Health care law. A lot of people in the media seem to think the discussion about that Health Care Law is over. Well, i can tell you that for the people of wyoming, they are still very concerned about what were seeing in terms of a collapse of the Health Care System, with fewer choices and higher prices. For them, the conversation is not over, and they want to make sure that its not over in congress either, because obamacare is still failing, the American People are certainly suffering. So we need to do something about it. We need to act. There was an article from the Associated Press that was in the paper on monday that really summed up the situation. The headline was this millions who buy Health Insurance brace for sharp increases. The article goes on to say millions of people who buy individual Health Insurance policies and get no help from the Affordable Care act are bracing for another year of doubledigit premium increases and their frustration is boiling over. The article says that these are mostly middleclass folks, it says, hardworking people who may be selfemployed or work for Small Businesses that cant afford to offer health care. It goes on to say that these millions of americans bear the brunt of market problems such as high costs and diminished competition. Mr. President , thats exactly the exact situation that people are facing in wyoming, and i assume youre facing in your home state of arkansas as well. The Obamacare Exchange for my state is only one Company Selling insurance, and it wasnt supposed to happen that way. You will recall democrats in congress who supported the Health Care Law said it was going to create more competition and that it would bring down the prices and costs for them. In september of 2009, president obama said that without competition, the price of insurance goes up. He also added that the quality goes down. So whats the situation now . All summer long, we have heard about insurers were giving up, pulling back, were dropping out. Millions of americans will have less choice when it comes to their Health Insurances with opportunities by 2018. On august 24, the largest Hospital System in new york state announced it would stop selling Obamacare HealthInsurance Plan it had launched four years ago. This is the home state of the democrat leader in the senate, somebody thats come to the floor supporting the Obamacare Health care law. The company is blaming the flaws of that Health Care Law and the fact that they havent been able to do the reforms we need to do. The things that i propose and the things that make sense to me, the democratic leader wont allow us to address the many, many flaws of obamacare. Meanwhile, the people of his home state of new york are losing another option to help get the coverage that obamacare requires by law for them to have. People living in 47 of all counties will have only one option for coverage next year. Millions of americans stuck in an insurance monopoly of obamacare. So yesterday was the deadline or monday was the deadline for Insurance Companies to say what they will need to charge next year. People across the country need to be very worried about how much more expensive their Health Insurance will be. Lack of competition is one reason for the skyrocketing prices, but another big reason for the increase in prices are actually the tax increases that were put in place when obamacare was passed. The Health Care Law included a trillion dollars, 1 trillion in new taxes. The biggest ones hitting working families is a tax on every Health Insurance plan that gets sold. Its called the Health Insurance tax. There was a new study last month that found that this tax is going to raise prices by about 500 per family next year. The tax alone raising the cost 500 per family next year. Thats to pay for one of the taxes. Republicans want to get rid of the tax. That was part of our repeal and replace plan. Every democrat voted no, voted no to removing the tax. So premiums are continuing to soar because the Health Care Law is unsustainable and the taxes are unbearable to hardworking families. We have got to do something to help people, to reverse the damage caused by obamacare. I voted for the repeal legislation in july. I am going to continue to work to replace obamacare. Until that happens, im glad to see that the committee on health, education, labor and pensions is looking into other ways that we can make changes to obamacare. The committee is working on ways to stable identifies the individual market next year. Were going to hear from governors, and state Insurance Commissioners about giving states more flexibility in dealing with some of the Health Care Laws mandates. The committee is going to be listening to doctors and patients. When i talk to doctors and patients and nurses back in wyoming, they tell me the Health Care System we have got now under obamacare isnt working. We see it every day, mr. President. But what i hear and what i see when i was at the hospital when i go back to my own medical office is we need to replace it with something that actually makes health care more affordable. I was a big part of the republican reform effort. Let the states do what works for the states and for the people who live there. The obamacare law is still hurting americans. Its not Getting Better on its own. Its up to us in congress to do all that we can to help americans who have been trapped by the obamacare death spiral. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. Mr. Thune mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from south dakota. Mr. Thune mr. President , it is no surprise that americans consistently rate jobs and the economy as a top issue of concern. A recent survey found that 50 of voters consider themselves to be living paycheck to paycheck. About onethird of voters say they are just 400 away from a financial crisis. That means that a single unexpected car repair or Health Care Bill could easily put them in the middle of a financial emergency. Too Many Americans have seen their American Dream dimmed in recent years. Hopes for a secure future have turned into worries about where the next rent or mortgage payment is coming from or whether it will be possible to save anything at all for retirement. Mr. President , we dont have to resign ourselves to the status quo. We dont have to accept the longterm economic stagnation of the Obama Administration as our economic future. We can get our economy going again and we can set it up for strong growth for the long term. Thats going to require some work. Its going to require repealing burdensome and unnecessary government regulations that have slowed Economic Growth, and its going to require reforming our complex, outdated tax code, which is increasingly strangling our economy. Mr. President , the tax code might not be the first thing that people think of when they think of Economic Growth, but it actually plays a huge role in every aspect of our economy. It helps determine how much money americans have left over from their paycheck to save or invest or whether or not they can afford a car or a house. And when it comes to businesses, it can be the key to determining whether or not a young business gets off the ground or an existing business has the money to grow and hire new employees. Unfortunately, our current tax code is not helping our economy. Its doing the opposite. It limits americans opportunities. It punishes their success. It discourages investment and growth. It cripples Small Businesses. It encourages Large Businesses to send jobs overseas, and it keeps our economy from reaching its full potential. Reforming our tax code is an indispensable part of getting our economy back on the path to longterm health. Without comprehensive tax reform, the economic stagnation of the obama years is likely to become the status quo going forward. This fall, mr. President , republicans in the house and senate are going to make comprehensive tax reform a priority, and any legislation we pass will be governed by five principles. First, any bill has to result in increased wages, jobs, and Economic Growth. Second, it must provide tax relief for the middle class. Third, it has to keep jobs here at home. Fourth, it has to increase american competitiveness in the Global Economy. Finally, it has to simplify the tax code. Republicans will be talking a lot about these principles over the coming weeks, but today id like to take just a few minutes to talk about the first of these principles, and thats making sure the tax reform legislation increases wages, jobs, and Economic Growth. Flattening wage growth has been a problem in the United States for decades, and during the eight years of the Obama Administration, wage growth was almost nonexistent. Economic growth was also weak throughout the Obama Administration. During the last year of the Obama Administration, years, i might add, after the recession ended, Economic Growth was averaging a dismal 1. 5 . Thats barely half of the growth needed for a healthy economy. Or for what we have seen historically in this country going back to the end of world war ii. And while things have been looking up a little bit lately, we still have a long ways to go to get back on the right track. Things need to get better and they need to get better faster and we want things to get better for the long term. During the Obama Administration there were periods of Economic Growth but quickly followed by weak periods. Thats not good enough. We need to put our economy on a strong, healthy footing for the long term. So what does the tax code have to do with all of this, mr. President . How is it discouraging wage growth, job growth and Economic Growth . Well, mr. President , i want to talk about three big ways that its discouraging growth. To start with, tax rates on businesses large and small are too high. Our nation has the highest Corporate Tax rate in the industrialized world. At least ten Percentage Points hiernt higher than competitors. Tax ranges can range up to 44. 6 for Small Businesses. It doesnt take an economist to realize that high tax rates leave businesses with less money to invest. Less money to spend on wages, less money to create new jobs. And less money to put back into new property or equipment for their businesses. This situation is compounded when youre an American Business with International Competitors who are paying a lot less in taxes than you are. Its no surprise that u. S. Businesses struggling to stay competitive in a Global Economy dont have a lot of resources to devote to creating new jobs and increasing wages. On top of our high business tax rates, theres another major problem with our tax code that puts American Businesses in a competitive disadvantaged globally, and thats our outdated worldwide tax system. What does it mean to have a worldwide tax system . It means that American Companies pay u. S. Taxes on the profit that they make here at home as well as on any profit that they make abroad once they bring that money home to the United States. The problem with this is twofold. First, these companies are already paying taxes to foreign governments on the money that they make abroad. Then when they bring that money home, they end up having to pay taxes again on at least part of those profits, and at the highest tax rate in the industrialized world. This discourages them from bringing their profits back to the United States to invest in their domestic operations. Instead, our tax code gives them a strong incentive to leave that money abroad and to invest in Foreign Workers and foreign economies. The other problem is that most other major world economies have shifted from a worldwide tax system to whats known as a territorial tax system. Mr. President , in a territorial tax system, you pay taxes on the money that you earn, where you make it and only there. You arent taxed again when you bring money back to your home country. Most of American Companies foreign competitors have been operating under a territorial system for years so theyre paying a lot less taxes on the money they make abroad than American Companies are, and that leaves American Companies at a disadvantage. These Foreign Companies can underbid American Companies for new business simply because they dont have to add as much in taxes into the price of their products or services. Mr. President , in addition to discouraging growth with high tax rates and our outdated worldwide tax system there is another major way our tax code discourages growth and thats by leaving Small Businesses with very little cash on hand. Ive mentioned the high tax rates that Small Businesses face which already restrict their cash flow. Well, the accounting rules in the tax code just compound that problem. Under current law, small and mediumsize corporations are often required to pay tax on income before they receive the cash and they cannot deduct all of their expenses when they pay the invoices. It can take years or even decades for them to recover the cost of their investments in equipment and facilities. For instance, right now the cost of a computer is recovered over five years. Tractors over seven years during the ag sector of the economy. And commercial buildings, over 39 years. The consequences of deducting investments over so many years is that businesses can be left extremely cash poor in the meantime, and cashpoor businesses, mr. President , dont expand. They dont hire new workers and they dont increase wages. Mr. President , any bill republicans consider has to fix these elements in our tax code that are discouraging growth. It has to lower rates for businesses both large and small. It has to shift our outdated worldwide tax system to a territorial tax system so that American Businesses are not at a competitive disadvantage in the Global Economy and so that American Businesses have an incentive to invest their profits at home in american jobs and American Workers instead of abroad. And any bill we consider has to address the Cost Recovery rules that are keeping Small Businesses cash poor often for years at a time. Mr. President , ive already introduced legislation to help startups and small to mediumsize businesses recover the size of their investments faster. Its legislation that i hope will become part of the final bill that well consider here in the senate. Im looking forward to working with chairman hatch and my colleagues on the Senate Finance committee as we work to draft a final bill. The American People have had a rough few years, but economic worry doesnt have to become the status quo for the long term. American workers and job creators are as dynamic and creative as ever. We just need to clear the obstacles from their path. The comprehensive tax reform will allow us to do just that. Mr. President , i look forward to helping to bring the American People real relief this year. Mr. President , i yield the floor, and i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Thune mr. President , i would ask that the quorum call be vitiated. The presiding officer without objection. Quorum call the presiding officer under the previous order, the Senate Previous order, the senate good afternoon, everyone. As i think you now know in a meeting at the white house the president and the senate and House Democrat leadership agreed to a three month continuing resolution, and debt ceiling into december. I will be adding that as an amendment to the flood relief bill thats come over from the house on the floor