The presiding officer the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Eternal god, the lord of the harvest, we acknowledge that only by your might can we live productive lives. Inspire our lawmakers in their daily work to labor for your glory. Give them the desire to please you even with their motives, so that their thoughts, words, and deeds will honor you. Keep them from avoiding irksome and unpleasant issues, as they arrange their priorities to accomplish your purposes. Lord, guide them in the paths of justice and cooperation. As understanding and forebearance prevail among them. We pray in your great name. Amen. The presiding officer please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The presiding officer the clerk will read a communication to the senate. The clerk washington, d. C. , september 7, 2017. To the senate under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable ben sasse, a senator from the state of nebraska, to perform the duties of the chair. Signed orrin g. Hatch, president pro tempore. Mr. Mcconnell i ask that the joint release be read. The clerk condemn being the terrorist attack that took place between august 11 and august 12 in charlottesville, virginia, and so forth. Mr. Mcconnell in order to place the joint resolution on the calendar, i would object to further proceedings. The presiding officer objection having been heard, the joint resolution will be placed on the calendar. Mr. Mcconnell at the utset of the week at the outset of the week, i outlined three issues that we needed to address immediately. Provide resources for Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma preparedness, ensure that the government remains funded and ensure a default is prevented, so that the emergency resources i mentioned can actually get to americans who need them. Thats what the legislation i filed cloture on yesterday achieves, and it achieves it all together in one package. It will provide certainty and stability for first responders, state officials, and the many others involved in preparing for and recovering from these storms. With critically needed emergency resources that will not be interrupted by the prospect of a shutdown or default. The recovery effort for a recordsetting storm like harvey has strained resources to the limit already. The advance of another historic storm now makes the need for action even more urgent. So lets Work Together and act on this legislation very quickly. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President . The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Mcconnell mr. President . The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the quorum call suspended. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that following leader remarks, the senate be in a myriad of morning business in a period of morning business for senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each until 11 00 a. M. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President , i ask consent to amend my previous consent request, that it will be debate only with senatosenators permitted to spek therein for up to ten minutes each until 11 00 a. M. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call mr. Flake mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from arizona. Mr. Flake i ask unanimous consent to vacate the quorum call. The presiding officer without objection. Under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. The senate will now be in a period of morning business until 11 00 a. M. For debate only with senators permitted to speak for up to ten minutes each. Mr. Flake mr. President , last month i spoke here about an amazing story i was told and i had the opportunity to host several veterans who survived the sinking of the u. S. S. Arizona during the attack on pearl harbor. They recalled to me an incredible story of a true American Hero named joe george. Id like to briefly remind everyone of that story now. On december 7, 1941, joe was a 26yearold mate second class board the repair ship u. S. S. Vessel in pearl harbor. That morning the vessel was just outside the u. S. S. Arizona. At 7 48 a. M. Many sailors including joe had just finished their breakfast when the Imperial JapaneseNavy Air Service attacked pearl harbor. As we know, the arizona suffered a direct hit by a japanese bomb that detonated ships powder magazine resulting in explosion, sank the ship and claimed the lives of 1,177 service men. During this unimaginable chaos and carnage, joe george displayed stunning composure and courage. Joe spotted six sailors trapped on a control tower of the sinking arizona. These men were severely burned and searching for a way to safety. Those six Wounded Soldiers were seemen first class harold quam, russell mott, gunners mate first class earl rainer. Ocean mate second class alvin borack, seaman first class do the straton and fires control first class lauren runer. Upon seeing these men, joe threw a heaving line between the arizona to rescue the soldiers from the sinking ship. Suspended 40 feet in the air, the six soldiers climbed 70 feet hand over hand above the board to safety above the vessel. These sailors did all this while enduring injuries so severe that two would succomb to their wombs following the attack. As they crossed the heavy line joe george remained on the line encouraging the men to push on. The four soldiers who survived their injuries each returned to service with honor during world war ii and then went on to live long lives. Joe georges legacy of heroism ribble remain alive will remain alive in the children, grandchildren and four grandchildren who survived the infamous day thanks to joes incredible bravery and service. Joe george was never awarded a medal for his role in rescuing these six soldiers although his Commanding Officer commended his courageous action. When i met one of the arizona survives who was rescued by joe, he told me joe george was never awarded anything for his bravery. Hes no longer with us but i believe in his memory he should be awarded the navy cross. Lauren bruner was another survivor joe saved. He said to me the six of us would not have survived except for his courage. In spite of being at high risk himself, he fully deserves high commendation for his actions. I feel he should be rewarded for this courage and presented the navy cross. In his own words during an interview in 1978, joe said, ill tell you the only thing i can tell you about that day is my conscience was my guide. Well, his conscience was that of a hero. We need more people like joe george in this world. Thats why today im committed to honoring joe and why i raise today i rise today with the honor and privilege to call for a unanimous consent for the passage of a resolution honoring joseph leon george. Joe passed away in 1996 and its long overdue that the senate, the United States navy and a grateful nation honor the heroism of bosons mate second class joseph leon george. God bless joe george whose immense courage and astounding composure serves as an example for the men and women in uniform who follow. Let us never forget their heroism and sacrifice. Id like to thank my colleagues, senator gardner, senator lee, senator cotton, senator mccaskill and senator bennet for joining in this resolution and helping to ensure its passage here today. I ask unanimous consent that the Armed Services committee be discharged from further consideration and that the senate now proceed to s. Res. 243. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk Senate Resolution 243 expressing the sense of the senate that joseph leon george should be honored for heroism at pearl harbor, hawaii, on december 7, 1941. The presiding officer without objection, the committee is discharged. The senate will proceed to the measure. Mr. Flake i ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Flake thank you, mr. President. I yield back. I note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call a senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from florida. Mr. Nelson i ask consent that the quorum call be lifted. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Nelson mr. President , im here to give a report on behalf of florida to the senate. Senator rubio and i were there all day yesterday in miami, other parts of south florida, and were preparing for what would another andrew. Andrew, thought to be a category 4, actually was a category 5 with winds in excess of 155 miles an hour. Likewise, thats what we have. I see the leader has come in. Would the leader okay. Ill speak for just a few minutes, then giving you an update. Mr. President , there are a number of things i believe that the federal government is prepared, unlike we were 25 years ago with hurricane andrew. The federal government is certainly prepositioning supplies. But look at the situation with regard to fema. Fema is stretched, and, of all things, fema runs out of money unless we act by tomorrow. And, thus, i left florida in the middle of the night to come back to make sure that it has my stamp of imprimatur on this legislation, and im very glad that the majority leader has agreed to double the amount, basically 7. 5 million, for fema and another 7. 5 million for cdbg, Community Development block grants, both of which would be for natural disasters. And because of that, it gives the flexibility to fema that some of the money will be used in the case irma hits florida, but also the fact that irma has already devastated our u. S. Citizens, our fellow citizens in the Virgin Islands as well as puerto rico. And so this package is essential that we pass this legislation and pass it quickly, and especially pass it before tomorrow. Now there are some needs that need to be called to the attention of fema. I have emailed yesterday to the administrator of fema, brock long. People are trying to get out, but theyre stuck on the roads, and now theyre running out of gasoline. If you look at the pictures, on anything going north out of florida, the roads are jammed. The interstates, the turnpike, they are jammed. The phenomena that is occurring is people need gasoline, and theyre running out on the road, which is all the more chaos. Or theyre going to the gas stations, and the gas stations are running out of gasoline. And so an urgent plea that i made yesterday that i would make to fema again, that we get gasoline into the state of florida, down into the peninsula so the evacuation, as the orders come along the coast as the hurricane gets closer and closer, that people will be able to flee. This is an unusual one. Usually you will see the tracks from the National Hurricane center move around. Basically the track of what is expected from the hurricane center, it has stayed fairly steady for the last 36 hours. We will get our next update at 11 00 this morning, but it hits south florida somewhere in the miami area, and it will go right up the coast, and it will go on up the coast of georgia, south carolina, and into north carolina. That is a massive population along the eastern seaboard of the United States. And finally, mr. President , i would say that as we consider this package, which i think we will pass, i want the senate to be forewarned that this 15 billion package, this is only temporary. It will probably only take us through mid october at the most, with the massive amount of requirements in texas and add to that at least that much if not more for the eastern seaboard, particularly with not only water damage but wind damage that is being done and the destruction of the residences and people being homeless, what we have seen in texas unfortunately, the terrible things that have happened there, that could almost be so overwhelmed by what could happen in florida. And so, mr. President , i urge the senate, i implore the senate, i beg the senate to pass this package but recognizing that there is going to have to be a lot more that is coming. And finally, i would say my congratulations to the majority to the minority leader, the democratic leader. And i think of him as the majority leader. My congratulations to him. He is a consummate deal maker. And i say that in the best sense of the word because absolutely, thats what the American People want us to do. They want us to get together in a bipartisan way to get things done, to build bipartisan consensus to get results. And senator schumer, the democrat leader, has done that and hes done it with flying colors. Mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. Schumer thank you, mr. President. The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Schumer first let me thank my friend from florida for his kind words and also say this during these troubled times in the state of florida, we hope and pray that irma will not do too many damage, although signs point in the other direction. The people of florida could not have a stronger, more effective, more compassionate advocate than the senator from florida, senator nelson. He knows how to get things done. He knows how to inform people about whats going on. And hes able to reach in a bipartisan way across the aisle to help in all times, but particularly in times of need. The people of florida are lucky to have you as their senator, particularly at this moment, i would say to my dear friend, bill nelson. Now, mr. President , yesterday, the congressional leadership and the president reached a bipartisan deal on three crucial issues shortterm aid for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, the debt ceiling, and government funding. Alongside the aid package for texas and louisiana, the senate will take up and pass an extension of government funding in the debt ceiling, both to december 15, although that may be modified to december 8, as i understand it. And we all agreed to Work Together to avoid a default in december as well. This is a good agreement for the American People, and everyone should breathe a huge sigh of relief. This agreement takes the threat of a shutdown and default off the table this month and will help us quickly get resources to fema and other agencies that are helping with rescue and recovery in the wake of harvey and will in all likelihood be needed in the wake of irma as well. The nation has been clamoring for bipartisanship, for the two parties to Work Together, to do the countrys business, rather than engage in needless brinkmanship. Yesterdays agreement was a ray of hope for both parties coming together on the big issues. Let it be a ray of hope also that both parties can come together to help the dreamers. Now, democrats have said, we democrats have said from the very beginning of this congress that were willing to work with our republican colleagues and the president for the good of the country, so long as we dont sacrifice our principles. We have never been for obstruction for obstructions sake. We will never be for that. This agreement is a reminder that we dont always have to wait until the 11th hour risking shutdown, risking default, in order to compromise and do the right thing. Importantly, this agreement gives congress a way forward on what are some of the thorniest issues this month, allowing us to move to other vital work. The threemonth agreement is a compromise. In the past, so many of our colleagues have said, if the other party is president , were not going to do anything to help. We didnt want to say that. We didnt want to say its all on you. We wanted a compromise. A compromise is that. Not dictating what should happen but working together. I give the president credit for understanding that in the oval office when leader pelosi and i made the compromise suggestion. I thank him for it. Now, since President Trumps decision to end daca on tuesday, its absolutely necessary that Congress Move forward to pass a clean dream act. 800,000 dreamers anxiously await action by this congress. There is no reason to wait. Lets put a clean dream act on the floor, which i believe would pass by a significant margin, and tell these hardworking dreamers that they belong in this country, too, a country they want to be part of desperately. If the majority leader and speaker do not offer a clean dream act, we democrats will find other legislative vehicles to attach it to until it passes. And let me say this. I spoke once again to the president this morning. He called. He said he wanted to help in the dream act, and there are many ways to help, but here are two. One, persuade other republican senators to cosponsor a bill introduced by senators durbin and graham. We now have four republican cosponsors. We need more. There are many on the floor, in the senate who seem to be sympathetic to the dream act. Maybe the president can help them get to cosponsors. And second, to urge my friend, the republican leader from kentucky and the speaker of the house, mr. Ryan, to put the dream act on the floor asap. We can get this done, get it done quickly. End the anguish of so many americans. And make sure that our economy continues to move forward so it is not needlessly ripped apart. Now, there are other work we have to do. Health care. To shore up its marketplaces, particularly by guaranteeing the Cost Reduction programs. Discussions in the help committee between my good friend, chairman alexander, and our great Ranking Member, patty murray, are proceeding in a bipartisan way in perhaps the new spirit of the moment, maybe longer than a moment, we hope and pray. Im hopeful that the full senate will be able to this month take up and consider Bipartisan Legislation that emerges from committee from the committee to stabilize and improve our health care system. In a similar vein, we must consider a multiyear reauthorization of chip, the Childrens Health insurance program. Chairman hatch and Ranking Member wyden, again in a bipartisan action are having a hearing on chip today in the finance committee. That should be another matter of immediate priority for this senate. And of course, as the people of florida brace for Hurricane Irma and the people of puerto rico and the u. S. Virgin islands live through it now, the senate must be prepared to quickly respond to that storm just as were doing with harvey. We also have to take into account some of the other disasters that are occurring in states like washington, oregon, california, montana. Wildfires are raging out of control. They, too, will need disaster assistance. Because of the immediate and strong impact of harvey and it seems irma, we shouldnt forget that our friends in the west will need Disaster Relief and need it soon as well. And so, mr. President , the deal we reached with Republican Leaders and President Trump yesterday will allow congress to work on all of these important items this month and in the following months without a looming specter spector of a shutdown or default on our debt. And it should help bring both sides together to ultimately get another deal on sequester relief, Lower Health Care premiums, the dreamers, and other many other items in december. Thats good for this congress, thats good for the American People, a ray of hope, as i said the majority leader has already filed cloture on this package. I hope we can proceed quickly, hopefully today, to ensure its passage. I yield the floor. The presiding officer the senator from maryland. Mr. Cardin thank you, mr. President. I take this time to chair with my colleagues a meeting that i had last thursday in montgomery county, maryland, with casa de maryland. We put together a roundtable discussion to talk about immigration and the need for Immigration Reform and the concerns we had about the current status of people that are concerned about what is happening with immigration enforcement. And that was before the president made his announcement on terminating the daca program, the program that provides relief for the dreamers, those who have been in this country for a long period of time and only know america as their home. And i must tell you, at that discussion i had last thursday in montgomery county, maryland, it was clear to me about the fear of uncertainty. I talked to many families that were concerned about how the Trump Administration was enforcing our current laws, what would be the resolution of the temporary protective status that people are here legally under t. P. S. , and i had a chance to see firsthand some of the dreamers that are here under the protection of the daca program. It was very clear to me that what the people in that meeting were looking for was leadership in washington that recognized that its in our National Interests for us to provide the type of Legal Protection through these individuals who have made america their home, who took the risk to come here for a better life for their families, to have a way in which we could provide them the protection that they need. These individuals came to this country, the children particularly, the dreamers, when they came with their parents. It was the parent decision to try to find a better life for their children. They only know america as their country. They dont know where the country the country where they came from. America is their only home. They have helped to build this great nation. They have attended our schools. They have joined our military. They have joined our workforce, and they truly are the future of america. The daca program which we recently celebrated its fifth anniversary provided protection for these dreamers against arbitrary removal. It only applied to those who came to this country when they were younger than 16 years of age. You had to be here before june, 2007. They had to go through a background check to make sure that they had not violated any of our criminal statutes, and they had to have been enrolled in schools or our military. So it was really dealing with young people who were innocent in regards to any of the violations of our immigration law. It really dealt with individuals who came to this country and were part of america. The daca program provided not only protection against removal but gave them the protection in the workforce. They were given documentation so that they could legally work here in the United States and get the protection of our labor laws and not be subject to an underground economy or the abuses in the workforce that sometimes we see among immigrant families. Mr. President , 800,000 children have taken advantage of the daca program. In my state of maryland, 10,000 are registered under the daca program. And then comes President Trumps decision this past week. His decision to terminate the program in six months, terminate it now, as far as new daca registrations, but to terminate this program. What that immediately did is provide uncertainty and fear to 800,000 individuals in this cutting edge and their families in this country and their families. First, it has the potential of ripping families apart, 800,000 here in the United States. It provides uncertainty to those who are currently in the daca program t provides fear as to what tomorrow will bring and will drive many of these individuals into our into the shadows, into the underground, into protecting themselves against the enforcement of removal. Secondly, this decision is tragic by President Trump for a second reason. It will hurt our economy. Mr. President , i got the numbers in maryland. I think it was somewhere around half a billion dollar to our state g. D. P. From the dreamers alone. The dreamers are part of our economy. Theyre adding to our economy. I got a phone call from one of our major employers in maryland expressing grave concern about President Trumps decision, the impact it will have on that company and on our economy. These are individuals who have been trained in our schools, who have gone to our colleges, who have served in our military, and are now adding to the economic strength of america in their employment and in their innovation. It makes no sense from the point of view of our economy. And then the third reason the president s decision was tragic is one that speaks to the strength of america, what makes america the great nation that it is. Yes, we are proud of those who serve in our military and we know that we have the Strongest Military in the world and were very proud of the way that our military protects this country and provides Global Leadership. And, yes, we are very proud of our economy and what it produces and the Economic Growth that it provides for the people in this country and its engagement in the global economy. But what really makes america the unique, strong nation it is is our values, what we stand for, our democratic institutions. The fact that we are the beacon of hope for people all over the world, providing opportunity, that you can come to this country with dreams and those dreams can become a reality. Thats what americas values are about. And President Trumps decision end to the daca program runs afoul to the principles that have made america the great nation it is. That we are a safe haven for those who are seeking refuge from persecution, that we are a nation that embraces diversity, recognizing diversity as our strength. President trumps decision to end the daca program runs afoul of americas core values. It weakens us as a nation and certainly weakens our Global Leadership on our values, as we present that to the global community. So, mr. President , as a result of that decision, what do we need to do . Each one of us needs to stand up and be counted speaking out about america and what makes this nation the great nation it is. And then collectively we need to take action to show the American People that we will stand up, not just for the dreamers and we need to stand up for the dreamers but we will stand up for the values that have made america the great nation that it is. Mr. President , i support s. 1615, a bill that has been introduced by senator durbin and graham, a bipartisan bill, and i thank both of our colleagues for their leadership in bringing that bill forward. That bill would provide the protection for the dreamers, for the dacas, so that congress will say, no, mr. President , we do not want to terminate this program, that this program is in our National Security interest, this program is in why america is the strong nation it is. It is not just right for the 800,000. It is right for all people in this country. And then, mr. President , this body showed great leadership a few years ago when we passed comprehensive Immigration Reform. Im for passing comprehensive Immigration Reform. Lets take care and protect the dreamers and then lets Work Together to pass comprehensive Immigration Reform that we did just a few years ago that was never taken up in the house of representatives. And let me close by just telling a few stories about dreamers in maryland. One appeared in the Baltimore Sun. It begins, jesus perez doesnt remember much about his returnee to the United States two decades ago beyond his parents using a simple phrase that would change the course of his life were leaving. Perez was five when he left mexico. He never looked back. Perez is now 25 years old, Research Assistant at the Johns Hopkins university in baltimore. For mr. Perez, the daca program was a relief that allowed him to come out of the shadows. It also allowed him to take the job at hopkins and get a standard drivers license. To now have it in limbo means that you either lose it all or start all over again, perez said, trailing off, im not going to let that happen. We will begin win in the we will win in the end. I want mr. Perez to know that were going to fight here in the United States senate, not just for his ability to remain here in the United States but what that means for the strength of our economy. In maryland our University Community has strongly supported the daca program. Dr. Lowe called the decision antithetical to the core values of higher education. He vowed in a letter to students and staff to continue to identify all avenues available for offering support. Johns Hopkins University president ron daniels, provest mr. Kumar, reaffirm the support for daca saying that Johns HopkinsUniversity Students directly impacted by the decision will be given the aid they need to complete their degrees. President daniels and provost kumar said, quote, the decision on daca will not deter us from working to ensure that all members of our community can participate fullly in our mission. The pursuit of education and service to the world. End quote. Well, as president lowe and president daniels fight on behalf of the daca children, weed into to also we need to also let the American People know that were going to fight for what makes this nation the great nation it is. The Baltimore Sun also told a story of monica perez, one of the dozen of dreamers from maryland who rallied near the white house on tuesdays protest of the decision. The 23yearold baltimore woman came to the United States from mexico when she was seven years old. Ms. Perez said daca gives us the opportunity to feel safe. Weve already been in the shadows for so long. Ms. Perez works for casa lemaryland. Let us do the right thing and immediately extend the daca program. These are not 800,000 faceless individuals. I just urge all my colleagues to get to know the dreamers and to understand their life story. Its heartwrenching, the courage that theyve show, the obstacles theyve the courage that theyve shown, the obstacles theyve overcome. Lets not put obstacles in their way. Lets allow their dreams to be able to come triumphant lets stand up and fighte fight for te dreamers. Lets Work Together to fix our broken responsibility. Thats our responsibility. This is our opportunity. Lets Work Together to getting done. With that, mr. President , i would suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Peters mr. President , i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Peters i ask unanimous consent that the morning business for debate only be extended until 11 30 a. M. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Peters mr. President , i rise today as a provided michigander, american, and the son of an immigrant. My mother madeleine group in france and met my father herb when he was serving overseas. They fell in love and married. She had the opportunity to immigrate to the United States where she started a new life with my dad and was proud to become a new citizen of the United States of america. She worked hard as a nurses aid and Union Steward and provided inspiration and opportunity for me and my sisters. And because of the Detroit Tigers dont have a game on tv at this in rochester watching me speak right now. Mr. President , my mothers American Experience informs my views on the nearly 7,000 michiganders who have benefited from the protection of the deferred action for child Arrivals Program flown as daca. Known as daca. Lets look at the facts. The young men and women helped by daca known as dreamers are students. They serve in the military and launch new businesses and create jobs and boost Economic Growth. These dreamers did not choose to come in this country. They were brought here by their parents. They have no meaningful connections to the Foreign Countries that they left as children and often dont even speak the language. They know no home other than the United States of america, and they were raised as americans. They have passed extensive background checks, paid fines, and continue to pay taxes which reduces our budget deficit. They pay into social security, which increases its solvency for all americans. According to the cato institute, deporting the more than 700,000 daca participants would cost yes, cost the federal government over 60 billion and reduce Economic Growth in this country by 280 billion over the next decade. Rescinding daca is not just cruel and unfair. It is a terrible Economic Policy and a bad deal for the american taxpayer. Numbers can only say so much. I often tell the story of a fellow michigander, ola caso. Ola is pictured right here. Her family came to the United States legally but unsuccessfully seeking asylum in 1998. Ola was only five years old when she came to america. After 13 years in the country 13 years dwshes 13 years the government attempted to deport her and her mother back to albania just weeks before she was set to graduate from high school. Backed by the support of fellow michiganders, olas family was granted a stay of deportation. Im proud to report that ola ultimately graduated as the valedictorian of her high school class, and she recently graduated from the university of michigan and plans to attend medical school and is the beneficiary of the daca program. Our nation is facing a doctor shortage, especially in rural areas, and this young woman wants to dedicate her life to caring for others, deporting ola makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. As a country that seeks the best and brightest, we should not spend taxpayer dollars to deport contributing members of our society, especially when they were brought here through no fault of their own and when they voluntarily came out of the shadows through daca. Madam president , let me be clear. I strongly disagree with President Trumps decision to rescind the daca program. Congress must provide leadership and help these young people who are giving back to our country. We must provide them with the certainty that they deserve and take a positive step forward, reforming our broken immigration system. We must move beyond the politics of scarcity and division. The dreamers are not taking away limited american jobs. They are creating new jobs and are growing our economy. They are creating jobs with their own Small Businesses, helping american entrepreneurs grow their companies as they expand in their communities and fighting to keep us safe as members of the United States armed forces. Our nation needs more innovators, doers, and dreamers. Not fewer. I will fight for ola and all of the dreamers who make this country better, stronger, and more prosperous for all americans not just because it is good for our bottom line, but because it is simply the right thing to do. Madam president , i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Cornyn madam president. The presiding officer the majority whip. Mr. Cornyn madam president , i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Cornyn madam president , for better or for worse, history repeats itself sometimes much sooner than we would like. We now know that florida officials as well as those up the east coast of the United States have begun ordering e evacuations as Hurricane Irma has intensified into a category 5 storm that could make landfall this weekend. Its my sincere hope that all the residents of florida will be safe as well as those in other States Affected by irma and that they take proper precautions. If there is one thing we learned from Hurricane Harvey, its the importance of listening to local officials and leaders when it comes to evacuations, when it comes to precautionary measures. Whatever happens, were going to stand by the people of florida and carolinas and others affected just as they have stood by us in texas and louisiana as a result of Hurricane Harvey. In the meantime we pray that irmas trajectory changes. Down in texas, of course, were still thinking about another hurricane, and that is of course Hurricane Harvey. Its hard to believe, but not even two weeks have passed since the storm first tore through our towns great and small, and of course communities are still reeling from the devastation. One of them i visited earlier this week is the meyerland neighborhood in houston. Its been flooded three times in three years. On monday i visited the home of a single mom who survived several recent storms unscathed, but this time harvey found her and found her home and destroyed it. It was a pile of debris out front of her home of her lawn ready to be picked up by dump trucks. As a matter of fact as you drive down the street after house after house after house, there are piles of furniture, clothing, dry wall and other debris thats been pulled up and discarded and ready to be picked up by the dump trucks. Throughout the region there are piles like that stacked up in rockport, aransas pass, lake jackson and west colombia. As recently as this week lets remember some of these places were still under mandatory evacuation orders as the rivers crested and higher waters moved downstream. But heres my main point. As the rubble piles up and up and up, its sometimes hard to see past the wreckage of the last couple of weeks. Sometimes its hard to see whats right in front of you. Thats why some skimp words simple words by historian david mccull law are important to keep in mind in times like this as we worry about what might follow irma. Mccullough said we think we live in difficult times. We think we have worries. We think our leaders face difficult decisions. But so it has nearly always been. Hes right. Weve been through tough times before. We certainly have been through tough times through storms like harvey in texas before. As a matter of fact, back almost, a little over a century ago, on september 8 in 1900, a hurricane like harvey, a category 4 hurricane slammed into the city of galveston with winds surpassing 135 miles per hour. Twothirds of the city was destroyed and approximately 10,000 people lost their lives. 10,000 people. By comparison, so far the death toll of harvey is 70. We can be grateful that the death toll that was experienced in galveston was not repeated. But like galveston, the city of houston and the surrounding area will recover. Of course back in 1900 it took a couple of days for the world to find out what had happened because communication was not what it is now. But when the word finally spread, america noticed. One little girl in chicago sent ten cents to help because thats all she had. Ten cents. Well, that was probably worth a lot more back then than it is now but it certainly is a lot for a little child. Her story also reminds me of a fiveyearold boy in philadelphia i heard about last week who set up a lemonade stand, and wearing a Houston Texas hat, he raised more than 400 for victims of Hurricane Harvey. How remarkable. Now whats changed since galveston . Quite a bit. One crucial difference is weve gotten a lot better at disaster prediction and response. As a matter of fact, my state, from the governor on down to our local officials plans for disasters like these and anticipates them. And its that planning which has reduced the loss of life and gotten people out of harms way. Well, houstons 503 billion economy will hopefully bounce back quickly. With our help it should. The fourthlargest city in the country is known for energy, and thats what we here in washington must devote to ensuring that aid is expedited. Supplemental funding to aid the Harvey Recovery needs to be voted on promptly. Our friends in the house did it yesterday, and now its our turn this afternoon. The senate will soon consider legislation that will keep the governments lights on until december 8 and increase the nations borrowing capacity. Thats important because without lifting the debt limit, we couldnt actually vote for and send aid to the victims of harvey because wed be bumping up against the debt ceiling. More importantly, this afternoon we will consider 15 billion of new emergency funds. These will be available to texas families that, like the woman i met in meyerland, are removing the rugs, the furniture and rebuilding the very walls of their home. These funds include 7. 4 billion to femas Disaster Relief fund as well as 3. 4 billion to h. U. D. s Community BlockGrant Program and 450 million to the Small Business administration disaster loan program. And as large as these numbers are, more than 100,000 people who have actually lost their homes, this is a down payment, unfortunately, on what will be additional costs that congress will have to vote on. As a matter of fact, after hurricane katrina, congress voted on seven separate supplemental appropriations before the job was done. Like i said, these are large numbers but not in the context of this unprecedented hurricane that dropped 50 inches of rain in five days on the city of houston and the surrounding area. I hope my colleagues will keep in mind the scope of this cass tass fee catastrophe and deliver this funding to those for whom harvey has caused much more than just dollars. Getting back to the texas economy which i mentioned just a second ago, i want to talk about how important it is to get my state back up and running, because its so important to the United States economy. As columnist Brett Stevens wrote last week, he said Economic Growth isnt just a matter of parking lots paving over paradise. Companies often do real tangible good, he said. What matters for us today is that they underwrite Safety Standards and fund scientific research, they develop new technologies to warn us of impending storms and engineer new materials that make buildings more secure. Thats probably one of the biggest reasons why the damage from the hurricane, Hurricane Harvey didnt compare with the damage to the galveston hurricane in 1900, because of building standards, building codes and new materials that have been devised to help make buildings more secure. So thats why harvey wasnt like galveston in 1900. And in the days and weeks ahead we need to remember how far weve come. Thats not to say we still dont have a long way to go. While the strong texas economy is crucial to Recovery Efforts, education will be too. Thousands and thousands of texas schoolchildren have been displaced by Hurricane Harvey, and many Public School children are still wondering when their classrooms will be opened, if at all, or whether theyll simply be transferred to other schools. Because their existing school does not literally exist anymore. Yesterday i spoke with mike morass, commissioner of texas Public Education who told me about the many challenges that schools in texas are now facing. For example, an entire School District in rockport, texas, is closed indefinitely leaving more than 3,000 students without friends and teachers to go to school with. In the houston independence School District, more than 200 schools were affected by the flooding with at least 50 suffering extensive damage. Our Health Care Facilities are also dealing with other concerns bill mckeon, president of the texas medical center, one of the largest medical centers in the world, told us that his employees had problems getting to work due to road closures, debris and families without homes and vehicles. When your office is in the worlds biggest medical complex and employs more than 100,000 people, thats a big problem. It is a problem, it is a big problem, but we are going to deal with it. Like galveston in 1900, like new orleans after katrina, these storms humble us but provide us a way to show the human spirit and ingenuity that so routinely follows as we rebuild and recover. Once again, David Mcculloughs words are useful. He said a sense of history is an antidote for selfpity, selfimportance. Colleagues, lets keep in mind those wise words of david mg cull owg as we weather this storm and brace ourselves for the next. Madam president , i yield the floor and i note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call a senator madam president. The presiding officer the senator from indiana. Mr. Donnelly madam president , i ask unanimous consent that george delong, a member of my staff the presiding officer the senate is in a quorum call. Mr. Donnelly i ask the quorum call be lifted. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Donnelly madam president , i ask unanimous consent that george delong, a member of my staff, be granted floor privileges for the duration of todays session of the senate. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Donnelly thank you, madam president. Madam president , i am here today to urge the white house and the National Security council to develop and deliver to congress a clear, comprehensive United States strategy to address the urgent threat posed by north Koreas Nuclear missile program. I have introduced an amendment to the National Defense authorization act, the annual National Defense bill that we will consider soon, requiring that strategy within 90 days. And i hope all of my colleagues will support it when the time comes. Im honored to colead two Senate Panels that have been focused on this threat for years, the Armed Services subcommittee on Strategic Forces where i work with my colleague senator fischer to oversee our Nations Nuclear arsenal, Missile Defense systems and Nuclear Nonproliferation programs. In the banking subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and finance where i work with senator ben sasse to oversee the development and enforcement of u. S. Sanctions laws. In my role on these two panels, i have traveled to south korea, the d. M. Z. , and china. I have met with u. S. Forces and foreign leaders to discuss our challenges and our options for overcoming them. I have worked with colleagues both republican and democratic to shape legislation to improve our homeland defenses, strengthen our military, and expand our sanctions in response to kim jonguns dangerous behavior. I sat in dozens of meetings, hearings, and classified briefings on the subject of north Koreas Nuclear program and what we can do about it. Just yesterday, every member of the senate had the opportunity to attend one of these briefings and hearings from the leaders of the pentagon, the state department, and the Intelligence Community about our various efforts against kim jongun. Im sorry to say i walked away from yesterdays briefing with the same concern i had after every briefing on this subject in the past eight months. We have operational plans for our military and scattered talks among our diplomats, but we need a substantive strategy. With each passing week, at times with each passing day, north korea is making its intentions clear and its progress toward a nuclearcapable icbm known for the entire world. We see missile tests with growing ranges, warhead tests with growing yields, test shots that fly over the territory of our allies and threats that target United States territories. Kim jongun says he wants to shoot a nucleararmed missile into the United States mainland. I take him at his word, as we all should. In times like this, its critical every move we make be a deliberate one that moves the ball forward toward the outcome we want, the outcome we need to achieve. We should be doing everything in our power to do that in a way that wont put americas sons and daughters, moms and dads, brothers and sisters who make up our nations military in harms way unnecessarily. Theres more than 20,000 United StatesService Members in south korea. At last count, more than 300 of them were from my home state of indiana. Another 40,000 u. S. Troops are in japan, and nearly 4,000 on guam, not to mention thousands of sailors and marines aboard our vessels at sea in the region. I have every confidence in the ability of these men and women to defend our nation, but we owe it to them to make every appropriate effort to end this conflict in a way that doesnt unnecessarily put their lives at risk. We talk a lot about a hole of government effort. Thats not what were seeing right now when it comes to our response to north korea. I see a Treasury Department that needs to dramatically step up its sanctions enforcement to not just induce pain but to cripple north koreas ability to progress further on its nuclear program. I see a diplomatic corps grappling with the top National Security priority in the pacific. Bar none, lacking the resources, the guidance and the backing from washington to do their jobs. I see a United States embassy in seoul with no ambassador. I see a state Department Without key positions filled in various areas including arms control, nonproliferation, and asian affairs. I see a defense Department Without an assistant secretary for strategy, plans, and capabilities. Or for that matter, an assistant secretary for asian and pacific security affairs. We can do better, and we must do better. This is not a partisan critique. It is not fearmongering. It is not a call to arms. This is my effort to speak on this floor before my colleagues and the country, a request we have all made to the white house many, many times. Give us a strategy on north korea and let our country unite behind it. The country is looking for leadership on this. The world is looking for leadership. Lets define our objectives based on the best interests and safety of our country and our allies and develop our strategy to achieve it. Let us Work Together across departments and agencies, across grasps of government and across party lines to get there. This is way too important to not do that. No more mixed messages. No more bluster. We have to act, and we cant afford to waste our efforts in chaos and disarray. We have to continue improving our Missile Defenses and be prepared to use them to protect our territory, the territory of our allies and all of our people. We have to sanction chinese banks that do business with north korea. We have to cut off the liveliness of the kim the lifelines of the kim regime, including oil supplies and foreign currency, not to topple the government but to eliminate their ability to continue down this murderous path. We have to be doing far, far more to get our partners in the region to do more. Allies and competitors alike in service of a goal that we all share. There is ample support for all of these efforts in congress. Senator fischer and i worked together to provide even more funding for Missile Defense than the president requested because it is so important. Senator sasse and i have worked together to gather options from some of the nations best and brightest minds on how to shape sanctions that could actually impact north koreas ability to continue their nuclear program. Whether kim jongun agrees to it or not. And i believe there will be ample support among our allies and even our adversaries around the world if we provide the kind of clear and forceful and effective leadership that america has always been known for in the past. There is not a nation on earth that is safer with the existence of north Koreas Nuclear weapons program, and that includes north korea itself. However hard the path forward may be, we can all agree that the status quo is not enough, is not even close and will not continue to work. We cant fix that without a strategy. So im here today asking the administration once again, reaching out our hand to them, to take that first essential step forward and asking my colleagues to support my amendment to the National Defense bill to require the administration to submit a north korea strategy to congress within 90 days. We can do this together. Thank you, mr. President , i yield back. Mr. Donnelly mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that morning Business Today for debate only be extended until noon. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Donnelly mr. President , i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call mr. Hatch mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from utah. Mr. Hatch i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be the presiding officer without objection. Mr. Hatch mr. President , before we adjourn for recess, i came to this lectern to issue a call for comity, cooperation, and compromise. My message that day was simple. If were serious about legislating, truly committed to doing the work the American People sent us here to do, then we must look beyond the horizon of our differences and find common grounds. Since january, this congress has been its own worst enemy. And its been marred in the muck of its own making, bogged down by partisan squabbles and ripped by gridlock. The likes of which i have never seen in all my years of public service. I wish i could say the situation across the country is better, but sadly it isnt. The polarization we see here in the senate is on the is only the indicative of the division we see all around the nation. The events of august threw that division into sharp relief but they also showed us our ability to heal, our remarkable capacity to lay aside superficial differences in moments of crisis to come together as one. In charlottesville, in houston, august brought us a tale of two cities. One that showed us both the weaknesses and strengths of our great country. In charlottesville we saw the worst of america on full display. In the violence, vitriol and vulgar, racism of nazi demonstrators. We stared evil in the face and in the terrorist attack that ensued, we saw the ideology of hatred brought to its logical end point. None of us will soon forget this attack on innocent civilians. The stag nantz human error of that stagnant human error of that hot summer day, we caught a glimpse of the darkness buried deep in the soul of america. Mr. President , charlottesville was more than a tragic event. It was a gutcheck moment for all and for all americans. It was a national low point that demanded all of us to take stock of where we are as a society and where our rhetoric is taking us. The men who perpetrated this horrific act of violence, whether by their words or by their actions, represent the dregs of a dying culture. But if the violence in charlottesville showed america at its worst, then the rescue and Recovery Efforts in hurricaneravaged houston showed our country at its best. Just two weeks after the brutality in charlottesville, our nation again watched in horror as Hurricane Harvey made landfall in texas unleashing a flood of biblical proportions. Relentless rainfall battered the coast for days, leaving in its wake a trail of destruction and shattered life. Harvey left behind unprecedented devastation, but it also gave us countless stories of hope and heroism. On national tv, we saw weathermen rushing to the aid of a stranded driver, pulling the man to safety before the current could take him away. We saw everyday texans wade in the neckdeep waters to form a human chain, saving the life of a stranger trapped in his car. We watched as three teenaged boys navigated the streets of houston in a fishing boat, driving from house to house to rescue their neighbors as the floodwaters poured in. Mr. President , these are just a few stories among thousands more. These stories remind us of the hope and humanity during a tragedy. They speak to the testament of the innate goodness of people. They show us that in a moment of crisis, our capacity to come together for the good of our communities is really unparalleled. Tragedies like those in houston strip us of all that is superfluous, leaving behind only our common humanity. In the moments of peril that moved tens of thousands to band together to save their city, considerations of race, religion, class or creed fell into complete irrelevance. First responders, volunteers, and Good Samaritans who put their own lives at risk to rescue others served indiscriminately. They took no thought for who they were helping, what their background or beliefs were. Houstons heroes saw only lives that needed saving, and they went to work. Mr. President , if theres any good that comes from tragedy, its that for a brief but beautiful moment, we were able to see each other as we truly are. Not as republicans or democrats, rich or poor, black or white, but as members of the same community, partakers of the same human condition and children of the same god, mr. President. For a brief moment, we are able to see each other as americans. I pray that the hope of houston may inspire all of us here in the senate. I pray that we may look to the citys example in the work we have before us, setting aside our petty, partisan differences to come together for the good of the nation. I pray that as senators we might see each other as friends, equals, partners and patriots anxiously engaged in the important work of legislating, and i pray that we can esteem each other by our mutual love for this great country, not by the r. Or d. That follows our names. Now more than ever, we need strength and unity here in the senate. The challenges we have before us are enormous. In the next few weeks alone, we need to secure emergency relief funding for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, raise the debt ceiling, fix our broken tax code, find a way forward on Immigration Reform, and our todo list just keeps growing. Each of these items taken on its own is challenging, taken as a whole, but taken as a whole our agenda is daunting, but i truly believe we are up to the task. I truly believe we can step up to the plate, just as the people of texas did and tackle the challenges before us. As i said before we broke for recess, the senate is capable of so much more. I know because i have seen the senate at its best. I have seen the senate when it truly lived up to its reputation as the worlds greatest deliberative body. I believe we can again see this body at its best, mr. President. My central message today is simple. We can do hard things. I know because we have done them before, so lets make laws, not excuses. Lets move forward on an agenda that puts the needs of americas families front and center. This is an important pivotal time in our nations history, and its up to us to make that pivotal time an important time, a successful time, one where were brought together to work as colleagues rather than opponents, which has been far too much, as far as im concerned, over the last number of years. Mr. President , i hope that we can all get together and do a better job for america. With that, i yield the floor. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from pennsylvania. Mr. Casey thank you, mr. President. Mr. President , i rise today to speak for just a few minutes about the dreamers in our country, the young people that we have had a debate about recently and will continue to debate with regard to the socalled deferred action for childhood Arrivals Program, known by the acronym daca. The United States is a proud nation of immigrants, and ending this program does not make sense either morally or in terms of our economy. Rescinding the program will cost the United States jobs, it will hurt our National Security, and its a total betrayal of the trust of the federal government. Dreamers are young people who have lived in our country for a long time since they were children. They have been lawabiding residents. They have learned english, they pay taxes, secure jobs to support themselves and their families, and our government promised them, promised them that they would be protected if they came forward, and now the administration is breaking that promise. President trumps actions with regard to daca are an insult to america and are an insult to american values. This action is unjust, its immoral, and its without regard for basic fairness. Tearing apart the lives of these young people will make our nation less safe and harm our economy. Ending daca does also not make sense financially. In pennsylvania alone, estimates are that ending daca would cost pennsylvania 357 million per year in g. D. P. Losses. Nationwide, the number is 460 billion from the g. D. P. Over the next decade. Ending daca would remove approximately 685,000 workers from the u. S. Economy. According to the cato institute, the cato institute, deporting daca presents would cost more than 60 billion. And finally, the institute on taxation and Economic Policy estimates that 1. 3 million young people enrolled in or eligible for daca pay some 2 billion each year in state and local taxes. Let me just share one story of many, mr. President , about a dreamer that i met, in this case back in april of this year. I was proud to meet with her, this individual, from lancaster. Her name is audrey lopez. Audrey is one of those dreamers. She came to the United States as a child with her parents who were seeking a better life for her and her family. She grew up in pennsylvania and graduated from college. The United States is the only home that she knows. When i met audrey, she was worried about the debate about immigration and immigration policy. The debate that we have been having in washington since mostly since january of this year was causing great fear and uncertainty in her community. Audreys obviously concerned about the immigration debate and in particular what happens with daca. She has worked with church world services, an organization that helps resettle hundreds of refugees each year in pennsylvania. They provide services to help new arrivals adjust to their new home and become successful members of local neighborhoods. Audrey is now a student at American University pursuing her masters degree, a masters degree in International Development of course after Getting College education as well. This is america. This is who we are as a nation. When young people like audrey have a chance to work hard and to succeed, to get an education, to contribute to the American Economy and to the fabric of our society. Were a country in which hardworking young people who are working to better themselves and their community are given a chance do so, in a sense fulfilling or living that dream. This program, daca, has allowed almost 800,000 young people whose stories are very similar to audreys to grow up and thrive in america. It makes no sense to heartlessly remove dreamers from a country they call home. In response to President Trumps decision to end daca, congress should move immediately to pass the bipartisan dream act. This bill will allow dreamers to become permanent residents if they meet the very stringent qualifications outlined in the bill. In pennsylvania alone, 5,000 people have been granted daca status. Passing the dream act will give these people the security that they need and a future they can count on. We should be focused on humane and Commonsense Solutions that keep our nation safe and allow it to thrive. I was proud to vote for the dream act in twefn in 2007 and 2010 and hope we will have a vote on the clean dream act very soon. I yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call