Transcripts For CSPAN2 U.S. Senate 12072017 20171207

Families across our country by providing a tax credit as large as 25 for employers who offer up to 12 weeks of paid family leave. Employees would be able to take this time without needing to choose between potentially falling behind on their bills or spending time caring for their loved ones. Caring for families today does not just mean taking care of children. My proposal helps to ease burdens on family caregivers taking care of aging parents as well. The Senate Special committee on aging recently released a report focusing on americas aging workforce and the opportunities and challenges associated with it. One of its findings is that a growing group of aging workers are also caregivers. In fact, one out of every four employees over the age of 50 serves as a family caregiver. Some employers are implementing strategies to support them, but i believe that this credit will go a long way in encouraging additional employers to take proactive steps to help these workers. This proposal also gives businesses the flexibility to set up these plans in ways that make sense for their companies and does so without mandates that some simply cannot afford. I also want to take this opportunity to briefly address some of the criticisms of my proposal. It has been said that a provision in this bill was designed to punish states and localities that have laws mandating paid leave already in place. If employers in states and localities that already require some paid leave go beyond what is mandated at the local level, they will be able to take advantage of this credit. We designed this credit to be targeted toward lower and middleincome workers who do not currently have access to paid family leave. We want to expand that access. Moreover, mr. President , i was happy to see an addition that was included in the Senate Tax Bill regarding state and local taxes. Most nebraskans will tell you that our property taxes are too high, and i agree. I supported the proposal to allow for a state and local property Tax Deduction of up to 10,000 on federal taxes. As this bill moves towards a conference committee, i urge our conferees to keep this proposal and my Strong Families act in the final bill. These provisions would help our families and they would help americas middle class. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. I would suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call a senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from oklahoma. Mr. Lankford i ask unanimous consent to suspend the quorum call. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Lankford mr. President , were in the middle of a have protracted conversation about tax reform. This conversation started in january. I heard people say it was riewshed through, rushed through, it started in january. There were hearings in the house and senate, different drafts, shot down and come back again and now were in the 12th month of going through this process. As we get close to the end, i wanton outline what were working on to tell the American People what is actually happening here. The focus here from the very start of it was two simple things. How can we reduce the rates for individuals so they can spend more of keep more of their own money and then spend their money to stimulate the economy. And the second question, how can we stimulate the economy . Those two things are very clear. This dramatically simplifies the tax structure that we have and it reduces rates for people so that people have more of their own money to be table to spend. Businesses have more of their own money to be able to invest in their biz, to business, to be able to buy their own equipment, and expand their business. That helps everybody in the economy. Whether you spend or save your money, you can keep your own money. Heres what it means for hardworking americans and in particular for my state of hardworking oklahomans. Every bracket gets a Tax Deduction. The Tax Foundation, as they study the senate plan state by state, they looked at the middleclass income family in oklahoma and the Tax Foundation found that the middleclass income family in oklahoma will have will take home 2,200. People will be able to see if in their paycheck. The senate plan doubles the standard deduction so that a single adult working will have the first 1212 where the first 12,000 is not taxed all. We also double the Child Tax Credit to 2,000 directly to be able to protect the people that need the help the most. What does that look like for us . When you take an oklahoma family of four, that family with all the incomes put together with two working parents that are there, that typical family of four in my state makes about 73,000, combining all of their intersection together had that family of four with a 73,000 total income for the family will see a cut in their tax bill of 2,200 next year. They pay typically about 3,600 in federal taxes, next year they will pay 1,500 in federal taxes. Thats a pretty dramatic shift for. They. Lets take a teacher in oklahoma, a cheecher who teacher who has been teaching for a cup of years, a single mom, 41,000 in total income, that single mom with a couple of kids will see a tax reduction of 1,400. That is significant to her in daytoday life. I can assure you that every oklahoman would like to see an extra 100 or 150 extra in their paycheck every month. This is a process that really does affect real people and it has been lost in all the conversation. It has been interesting to me to hear the debate and all the noise on it. Im hearing things that are tax myths. The most common one is that it will increase taxes for those in poverty. People out there saying it will increase taxes for those individuals, it does not. It does the opposite, not only by reducing rates but increasing the Child Tax Credit, it helps people who need help the most. I have also heard individuals out there in the media say this is going to hurt people because the individual mandate, something unrelated to tax policy entirely, has been snuck into the tax bill. Well, the individual mandate on the Affordable Care act is a tax policy that was actually added to a health care bill. This is a tax bill dealing with the tax aspect that snuck into the original obamacare bill. How does it work . The mandate says if you dont buy the Insurance Approved by the folks in washington, d. C. , then you get an extra tax on you. Where does that tax go . Well, in oklahoma 81 of the people that pay that extra tax make 50,000 or less. That extra obamacare tax, that penalty that was put on there was targeted directly at the middle class, and the middle class in oklahoma pays that fine 81 of the fine that is paid is paid by people making 50,000 or less in my state. We want to see that tax rate go down for those individuals and we want people to be able to have their choice. Thats a significant change for those individuals that are not only trying to make ends meet they dont want to see another tax laid upon them. Heres another myth. They say that the tax cuts for individuals arent permanent. May i remind everyone that the tax changes for the individuals that were made by the Bush Administration had the exact same effect. They had a tenyear life span. As we went out to the end of the tenyear life span, they were renewed. This is the same. A future congress will go back and evaluate, is this the right formula that is in place and be able to determine just like in 2011 when the tax rates were made permanent, give them the future window to evaluate if this is the right direction. Theres another p one that i heard several times saying that it will hurt teachers and it will hurt schools. Its interesting to me. I heard someone this past weekend specifically say the senate bill takes away classroom expenses from teachers. The ironic part about that is the senate bill actually doubles the deductibility for teachers and classroom expenses. The lie is that it the senate bill takes it away, the truth is that it doubles it so that teachers have twice as much as they can deduct. Teachers make a limited salary, the last thing that we need to do is hurt the teachers as they take care of the kids in their classrooms. It doubles deductibility for teachers. Many parents set aside a little bit of money every month to go toward the childs college education, this could be used for education that they can use from kindergarten to 12th grade as well as college, increases that opportunity. The house bill did have a portion in their bill about student Loan Interest and tuition waiver for graduate students. The senate actually does not have those two areas. I think thats important. Theres also been a great myth thats out there that republicans are cutting social security, medicare, and medicaid with this bill. Can i tell you, there is nothing in this bill about social security, medicare, medicaid. We are not trying to damage or change any of those programs. In fact, there was one of the hears that came up in it just last month where joint commission on taxation, joint commission on taxation, was asked that question and they confirmed that there is nothing in the bill that is trying to change those policies. That is just a myth. What we need is a healthy growing economy. Our economy has been flat for the last eight years, growing at around 2 . Historically the United States economy, since world war ii, has grown at about 3 . That little one percentage point may not be a big deal, but thats increased jobs, wages, and opportunity. I feel sorry for College Graduates that graduated in the last several years because trying to land a job in this economy and are finding it difficult to get a job in this economy and they wonder if it has always been like that. It has not. If you go back just a decade or two decades ago, people were graduating out of college and landing into great jobs because the economy was growing faster. If we dont do something to get this economy growing faster again, we will continue to have limited opportunities for all americans and peoples paychecks will continue to be flat yet another decade. This is a way to nudge the economy, to say lets get it back going again. Quite frankly, my democratic colleagues eight years ago passed a 1 trillion stimulus package and said that would nudge the economy and the economy didnt budge at all. This is an opportunity to come back and say, lets do this rieft. Not having right. Not having the government spend your money, but allow you to keep more of your money and allow the free market by spending and saving watch the economy lift. That lift makes a tremendous difference. One last interesting conversation. Theres been a lot of folks that talked about deficit or debt effects in this bill, to say that this bill could be up to another 1 trillion in the deficit. That is typical washington speak. There are 130 economists that look at this, all turn in reports, everyone has a p different outlook has a different outlook. They run their models, but everyone is guessing. I get that. They are educated guesses, but they are all guessing. It is the responsibility of us in the chamber to look the to look at the study and determine if this works. For instance, j. C. T. Said that there will be a half trillion dollars in deficit. When they didnt take into account is any increase in international funding, any increase in our american businesses that do business here in america and across the ocean. Thats not really taken into account in theirs many they dont look at tremendous swaths of the economy because they dont have that in their model. But they estimate that well have half a trillion dollars in deficit even without those things in there if our economy grows by. 1 . 1 . As i mentioned before, our economy is stuck at 2 or less. If we typically run at 3 . They are saying if we can go from. 9 to 2 then were half a trillion dollars in deficit over ten years. If our economy grows. 2 , according to j. C. T. , we breakeven, if we go. 3 , were in the positive. Do you understand what im saying . If you ask the questions, they have conservative estimates, as they should, as economists. But if our economy goes up to even maybe 2. 5 , so half a percentage point of whats typical for us, were far in the black. I understand its always a risk. My democratic colleagues took a risk eight years ago when they spent almost 1 trillion in the stimulus package saying, i hope this works, and it did not. I understand its a risk, but i think its an appropriate risk to be able to say lets allow americans to keep more of their own money to invest in this economy on the risk that we grow the economy. 2 more to be able to breakeven. I think the American Economy can grow much faster than that. She has for decades up until the last decade. Lets get us back to our old normal and allow that to be our new normal. Theres a lot of questions on the tax policy, rightfully so. Its important to all of us. Lets get it right and keep moving. Overu over the next couple of weeks well do a conference committee. Its a back and forth about how do we resolve the differences between the house bill and the senate bill. When thats done, it will have to pass the house and it will pass the senate and go to the president s desk. In the days ahead, americans will see the changes in their own paycheck as they see their rates go down and people are able to keep more of their own money. Understanding that the median family, their rates are set to go down by 60 in this bill. Its a tremendous benefit to them and one we shouldnt miss that opportunity. With that, mr. President , i yield the floor. I would note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call the presiding officer the senator from illinois. Mr. Durbin are we in a quorum call . The presiding officer we are. Mr. Durbin i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin mr. President , as you know, and many do, 16 years ago i introduced a bill called the dream act, and the dream act was written to cover young people brought to the United States by their parents who have grown up in this country but do not have legal status. They are undocumented. Some of them dont learn that until theyre in high school or later. They think theyre americans. They went to school with a lot of american kids. They pledge allegiance to that flag. They sing our national anthem. They truly believe they were americans and didnt learn until later in life that in fact they overstayed a visa. Perhaps their parents overstayed a visa is a better description and that has affected their legal situation. So i introduced this bill, a simple bill that said if you have a child in america caught up in that circumstance, we will give them a chance to get legal. They didnt make the decision to come here in the first place but they ought to have a chance to become legal in america and to become citizens. Thats what the dream act said, and we set up certain standards. How do you become legal in america . First, if you have a serious criminal record, goodbye. We dont want you, dont need you. Second, if youre not going to finish school and drop out, sorry, there is no future for you in this country or limited future. And third, would you consider serving in our u. S. Military as a way of proving that you want to be part of americas future . So we set that up with the dream act and time passed, and we didnt pass the bill. One of my colleagues in the senate went on to be elected president of the United States, barack obama, and i reached out to him and said, mr. President , can you figure out a way to protect these young people who are subject to deportation through no fault of their own, and he did. He came up with an executive order called the daca program. Under the daca program, young people like those i described came forward, paid a 500 filing fee, and then went through a criminal background check to make sure they have no problems, submitted their information, and each of them were given a twoyear renewable protection plan, so they could live in america, not be deported, and be able to legally work. What happened to those people . 780,000 of them showed up, paid the fee, and got the protection under the daca program. Then came a presentation campaign, the last one, where donald trump as candidate for president said im going to get rid of this daca program. I think its wrong. It never should have been done by executive order. He said that and then was elected and set out to do it last september 5, he did just that. Announced by the attorney general of the United States. They said that by march 5, 2018, the program would end. What it means is that today and every day, more and more of these protected young people fall out of protection. About 120 a day. So for 10,000 of them, 10,000 of them who were protected by daca now can be deported, and the numbers will continue to grow until march 5 when the president said the program should end when 1,000 young people a day in america will lose daca protection, be subject to deportation, and cannot legally work. President trump said to us when he eliminated the daca program september 5 i challenge congress. Do what youre supposed to do. Pass a law to take care of this. Well, i accepted that challenge and i joined with senator lindsey graham, a republican of south carolina. We introduced the dream act. Were ready to pass the dream act. I think there are votes on the floor to pass the dream act. Some of my republican friends have said to me we support it, but we want a show of good faith on your part that you will strengthen our Border Operations to reduce others from coming into this country, and i said sign me up. As a democrat, i will join with you as a republican to fund things that are sensible, realistic, and effective to take our tax dollars and make our borders safer. I accept that. So now were in a position where the president s challenge has really come to the spot where we have to do something. Were going to leave here by december 22 to go home and enjoy the holidays. If we dont fix this problem before we leave, imagine what that means to these 780,000 young people. They dont know what their futures going to hold. Well, who are they . 20,000 of them teach in schools, grade schools and middle schools and high schools across the United States. 20,000 of these dacaprotected young people. When they lose their right to legally work in america, they are finished as teachers, finished. Out the door. 20,000 teachers could be lost. In addition, there are students who are in a pretty tricky situation. About 30 of them go to Loyola Medical School in chicago. They won the competition to be accepted at that medical school because loyola, unlike other medical schools, said we will open competition to dacaeligible people. Some of them were the most brilliant kids in america who never dreamed, being undocumented, they could make it to medical school. They have. Theyre doing well. But theres a problem. You cant finish medical school and move on to where you want to be unless you complete a residency after medical school. The residency is actually a job, a job involving a lot of hours and hospitals, learning to be a doctor. All doctors go through it, and these medical students would go through it as well, except if they lose daca protection, they cannot legally work, therefore they cannot even apply to be residents and complete their medical education. Our failure to act, our delay in acting jeopardizes their medical education. Do we have a surplus of doctors in the United States . No. The a. M. A. Tells us just the opposite, and across illinois, i can point to communities down state and neighborhoods in chicago area desperately in need of doctors. Can we waste a medical student at Loyola Medical School because the senate is just too darn busy to take it up . Mr. President , does it look to you like the senate is too busy to take up an issue like this . The fact of the matter is we have done precious little this year, and we have plenty of time. Its also a reality that a lot of people are watching carefully to see if we do our job. I started a long time ago coming to the floor of the senate, telling the story of these dreamers, the story of these people who are protected by daca. I can give the greatest speech in the world, people would yawn, but when i tell them the story of these lives and these people, it changes the conversation. They come to understand who they are and why this is critically important. Today is kind of a milestone. This is the 100th story that ive told on the floor of the United States senate. They are all in the congressional record, for those who want to go off and take a look at it. Its the story of another one of these dreamers. His story is particularly compelling. This is his photo. His name is kia mincho. Cia mincho was 7 years old when his family brought him from seoul, south korea, to the United States. He grew up in new jersey. From a young age, he was quite a good student and active in his community. In high school, he took multiple advanced placement courses. He was president of his class. Here is a picture of him at his high school graduation. In high school, kia was a member of the science academy, a member of the varsity track and field team. He was a volunteer at his church and he taught summer school. At the same time, he was working over 40 hours a week. You see, these kids, these young people, dreamers, dont get federal government loans or pell grants, so they have to work extra time to get the money to go to school. He worked 40 hours a week in a restaurant to help support his family and pay for his education. Now he is a student at temple universitys fox school of business. He is studying accounting in the honors program. He continues to work two restaurant jobs a week for nearly 40 hours to help his family, but last year Something Else happened that was significant in his life. Kia mincho, an undocumented student in america, was allowed to enlist in the United States army. The program he enlisted in is called military accessions vital to the National Interest program. Its known by the acronym mavni. This Program Allows immigrants like kia with special skills vital to the National Interests to enlist in our armed forces. More than 900 Daca Recipients just like kia min with these schools have joined the military. They took the oath. They said that they were willing to die for this country and serve in our military. Some Trump Administration officials have claimed that Daca Recipients are taking jobs away from americans, but kia min and hundreds of others have vital skills that our military just couldnt find in other places. Kia min, with many other dreamers, is now waiting to ship out to basic training. He continues his undergraduate studies, working full time, waiting for a chance to serve the United States of america, willing to risk his life for a country that doesnt recognize him as a legal resident. He wrote me a letter, and heres what he said. Daca means everything to me. It gives me the opportunity to work and support myself. It is with great pride that i call myself american even though my status says otherwise. I recently visited the phoenix military academy, one of the six military cad miss that were part of the Chicago Public school system. Im proud to say the Chicago Public school hosts the almrest largest junior rotc program in america. 10,000 cadets. You ought to see them marching on the memorial day parade. Just wave after wave after these uniformed Young High School students. And it turns out that many of these cadets are dreamers who want to do just what kia min has done volunteer to enlist in the United States military. How can you question this mans commitment to america if hes willing to die for this country . How many kids in high school would step up with that kind of courage . Well, hes demonstrated and others have, too, that they can give a lot to our country. Without daca, if it ends march march 5, its over. For kia min and 900 others who have volunteered to serve our nation, theyre finished. They cant continue their service to america, even though the skills they bring are necessarily vital to our National Interest. And for the thousands of rotc cadets in chicago, drilling every day, taking this seriously, its over for them, too. Theres no avenue left for them to step forward and serve our nation. Would america be better if we deported kia min back to south korea, a country he may not even remember . Will we be a stronger country if we lose this kind of courage and this kind of commitment of a young man willing to risk his life for a country that does not legally recognize him as part of its population . In a few weeks, were going to get to go home for the holidays. Im looking forward to it. I really am. Its a big holiday for my family, and im sure it is for many others. But can we really go home and enjoy our families, knowing that we havent answered the most basic question that the president said to us on september 5 when he said can congress act . Can you pass a law . Can you solve a problem . Thats what it comes down to when its daca and the dreamers. When i introduced the dream act with senator lindsey graham, republican of south carolina, he said, and i quote, the moment of reckoning is coming. Hes right. Lindseys right. Its a moment of reckoning for this young man, but more importantly, its a moment of reckoning for this senate as to whether or not we are serious about why we were elected. If we cannot solve this basic frob in a matter of days and weeks, shame on us. Were not overworked, for goodness sakes. Were just not inspired to do it at this point, and we need to be inspired to do it. We shouldnt do to this young man and to the thousands of others who count on us the unacceptable and walk away from our responsibility. Now is the time before the end of this year to let this young man know that when hes called to serve our country and proudly do so, we have done everything we can to clear his path. Mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. Gardner mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that privileges of the floor be granted to the following member of my staff, matt mattis, for the remainder of today. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Gardner mr. President , i rise today to honor the heroism of boats ones mate second class leon george. On december 2, 1921, 26yearold joe george served as a crew member aboard the u. S. S. Vessel, a repair ship moord next to the u. S. S. Arizona at pearl harbor. The attack on the u. S. S. Arizona was a defining event for our nation, one that we humbly remember each year to preserve and honor the 243 americans who perished that day. On that day, joe george, along with so many other courageous heroes, would take swift and decisive action, putting his own life on the line to save sailors whom he had never met and would never know. When the u. S. S. Arizona was attacked, the forward ammunition magazine of the ship exploded. Weve all seen that very famous photograph of the arizona engulfing countless sailors in the inferno. Joe george from his post on the nearby repair boat recognized six badly burned sailors trapped in the control tower on the arizonas main mass with no escape options available. Joe, despite the fact that he was ordered to cut the line, to cut the rope between the vessel and the sinking arizona, relentlessly heaved a line over and over, spanning a distance of over almost 80 feet between the two ships, until joe was finally able with his rope to reach the sailors. Joes selfless action saved six sailors who would have otherwise perished in the flames on the arizona that day. While two of those six would succumb to their injuries shortly thereafter, the remaining four survivors have joe to thank for their lives. Amidst all the chaos that day, joe george was never identified as the sailor who threw that lifeline. In fact, the four survivors diligently sought for information to recognize the man for whom they were never able to thank, to find joe george, the moron saved their life but they never knew. It wasnt until 36 years later that the Unknown Sailor would be acknowledged, when joe george conducted an interview with the university of texas on august 5 of 1978, joe george was cricket his experiences while crass contributing his experiences while serving as part of the oral history for the day of infamiliary. That was the infamy. This is the first day that joe would speak of the event, confirmed by his Commanding Officers remarks and most important the two living survivors who have joe to thank for their lives. Joes actions that day, which we find hard to match words of doing it justice, are nothing short of what an American Hero is, in servitude, dedication, and sacrifice. While the years of searching for joe and establishing the basis for proper recognition do not go unappreciated, it is with Great Respect and admiration that we take a moment to honor this distinguished sailors actions so long ago. The specific events of december 7, 1941, 76 years ago today, continue to age with each passing year. But the memories and stories of heroes like joe thrive as our nation reflects in humility and gratitude. It is with Great Respect that i recognize this time today to honor joe george, 76 years ago today joes actions saved six sailors. And today joes family will receive the Navy Bronze Star with valor at the remembrance ceremony of pearl harbor in hawaii. This is the first time a medal has been presented on the memorial of the u. S. S. Arizona. I was honored to work with the Colorado Springs resident Donald Stratton to solidify this honor for george. Don was one of the sailors that joe saved so many years ago. 76 years later, we culminate the work of don strattons mission. Credit to the man whom the stratton family has everything to thank for. Its beyond words of excitement that we can be part of this monumental occasion with so many others that worked tirelessly over the years make this happen over the years to make this happen. My hope is that joes valeant story joins the foundation of our history for future generations to appreciate the sacrifice of countless heroes who have come before them. I had the incredible privilege of spending a part of veterans day just a few weeks ago with Donald Stratton and his family in Colorado Springs, colorado. I was in his living room where he and his wife shared their experiences together, where Donald Stratton talked about what it was like to be on fire with five of his shipmates shimmying across that rope to the vessel, shimmying to their freedom, their saving. I was in that living room on veterans day when the family received a phone call that the Colorado Springs city council was name ago bridge in honor of donald strategiening, to see the exuberance and joy that the family shared at that recognition, to know that Donald Stratton didnt stop at pearl harbor but after a year in the hospital, he would return and go on to fight in mission after mission. And 76 years ago, donald strategienings last mission strattons last mission is complete with the recognition of the man who saved his life. I want to read a letter today that will be presented at the Memorial Service at pearl harbor where joe george, a hero that saved so many lives, will be rewarded awarded the bronze star. Dear mr. Stratton and the george family, don broke seven days ago on this day to a world at war. The peaceful waters of this harbor churned in violent reaction a vicious attack that forever changed the course of our nation. You know. You were here. All of you here today are united as family, soldiers, say, and airmen through the blood and sacrifice of so many who gave so much. The recognition of joe george is an exclamation point to the thousands of Service Members on the u. S. S. Arizona and the men he saved and the families to exist today who are celebrating at pearl harbor today because of his heroic actions. This has been a long time coming, a last mission for rightful recognition. As the days march forward, so, too, have far too many of our world war ii veterans. Please know that your work to achieve this one last salute to courage proves that you will never be forgotten. These still waters will ripple for eternity in awe of your tireless and unyielding dedication to this great country. On august 15, 1945, my grandfather stationed in france wrote a letter to his family that started with these words aha that day 14 august is indeed a historymaking day. And last night at 12 00 when at least all the rumors were confirmed that the world was at packers i said a silent prayer and know that it wont be long until we are all together again. To all who are present day in spirit and in person, you are making history and bringing our nation together once again as the final mission is accomplished, giving due recognition for valor in combat, for heroic and meritorious service. In the words of donald strategiening, on december 7, 1941, everybody had to be somewhere. Todays ceremony reminds our nation of how truly blessed we are because you were here. Mr. President , this is very well likely the last Memorial Service at pearl harbor that well have survivors of the u. S. S. Arizona in attendance. And i hope that americans across the country will take the time to reflect the greatness of so many whove left us behind now but whove left us a country that we can be so proud of. He 76 years of freedom 76 years of freedom thanks to them. Mr. President , i yield the floor. A senator plop . The presiding officer the senator from georgia. Mr. Perdue thank you, mr. President. Last week the United States Senate Finally broke through the gridlock and voted to change our archaic tax code once and the for all, but it only take 31 years to get here. 31 years. Along with regulatory relief and by the way so far this year this body and this administration have removed 860 regulations and rules from the real rulebook in washington. Along with regulatory relief and unleashing our energy potential, this is the single most important thing we can do to unleash our Economic Growth and bring relief to American Workers. These changes to the tax code are a win for american families, American Workers, and american businesses. Let me just give you a couple examples, mr. President. The family of four that makes a Median Income today of 73,000 a year will see their tax bill go down by 2,200 a month. Now, thats a 60 reduction in their federal income tax, mr. President. A single parent, a single mom with one child making a Median Income will get a 75 tax cut. The standard deduction is double. Child care credit is doubled to 2,000, mr. President. The individual and make that was unleashed on the American People by obamacare is eliminated. And. By the way, just in two 2014 alone thats the latest year we have any official records from the i. R. S. This insidious part, this mandate, fined 8 million americans 2 billion, mr. President. The irony of that is almost half of those people make less than 25,000 a year. In addition to those changes, the one i love and the one my father and mother would have loved they were public schoolteachers teacher expense deduction has been doubled under this bill. In addition, 6 million taxpayers have been removed from the federal income tax roll. And thats just the half of it. Businesses see their Corporate Tax rate go from 35 to 20 , allowing them to create jobs here in america and expand production and compete with the rest of the world. Our archaic repatriation tax were the last major country in the world to have a double tax on profits made by u. S. Companies around the world. Thats some 2. 6 trillion by some estimates we hope will be reinvested here in the United States. According to outside analysts, this bill creates a million new jobs, mr. President , and the average compensation of the average family in america should go up by 4,000. Some estimate as high as 9,000 per year. The g. D. P. Only has to go from 1. 9 to 2. 1 , mr. President , to more than pay for all of this. Now, thats not my estimate. Thats the estimate of the joint committee on tax if you dont believe them, then the Congressional Budget Office which we have all kind of problems w but even they say that you only have to grow the economy. 4 . So from 1. 9 to 2. 3 , mr. President , to more than pay for this investment in the American Worker. I would argue that because of the last two quarters, were already seeing 3 growth, because primarily of the expectation that were going to act on tax and because the reality of the fact that weve been moving on the Regulatory Regime thats been perpetrated on the American Worker these last eight years. A lot of benefits, mr. President , but, you know, in my opinion, the person who benefited from this tax bill the most is that person in america who gets a job. When if comes to the corporate when if comes to the corporate when it comes to the rapp corporate rate, ive seen how important it is for americans to compete with their counterparts around the world. The most stimulative part is this Corporate Tax cut because of the impact it will have on our businesses and workers and because it creates a level Playing Field with the rest of the world. Lets be very clear. My original goal was 15 , mr. President , because i know this is a dynamics situation where the rest of the world today is going to move because of what were doing. Both the house and the senate agreed on 20 . Now theres some talk about changing it in conference. But my question is this the house bill approved 20 . The Senate Approved 20 perform the purpose of this conference is to work between those two decisions to find the differences and mold those into a final bill that both the house and the senate can vote on. My question for this body is and for this conference, is whats between 20 and 20 , mr. President . I dont quite understand this. This seems to be should be a nobrainer. The best thing we can do for people in the United States who work with their hand, mr. President , every day these are people that punch a timecard, just like did i when i was working my way through college. But the best thing we can do for them to create a level Playing Field with the rest of the world and lower this Corporate Tax rate. The current rate sends jobs overseas and keeps our workers from competing on a level we have the best workforce in the history of the world, mr. President , and yet we have hamstrung them such that other companies can come to the United States and buy our companies and take those jobs overseas. We need to get this tax rate competitive and as low as possible, otherwise other countries will immediately lower their rate and well still be at a significant disadvantage. Look, if we dont take bold action right now, we may not get the chance to do so again for another 30 years. We need to make sure we dont get outpaced by other countries, even after we make these tax changes but let me just describe why this is so important. Today, with a tax rate of 35 , mr. President , asia averages 18 , europe about 20 , and so if we go to 20 , the rest of the world is going to move. We already know that the United Kingdom is moving to 15 . Others are talking about it as well. But today we have a 50 differential, and that difference allows Countries Companies in other countries to come to this country, buy our companies, and use that tax differential to pay for part of the acquisition cost. Now what that does is that takes jobs overseas and actually thwarts our ability to compete. Today there are because of this relately and because of this 50 differential, there are twice as many Foreign Companies buying u. S. Companies, both C Corporations and passthroughs, as there are u. S. Companies buying Foreign Companies. Mr. President , we simply center to change that. Let me give you some examples of how competitive this and how dynamic this issue about Corporate Tax rate is. Germany today has a 16 tax rate. That compares to our 35 top tax rate. The u. C. Today is 19 the u. K. Today is 19 . They have already announced theyre going to 17 next year, mr. President. France and the netherlands have also announced theyre going to take rates lower next year. When the u. K. Goes to 17 , france lowers theirs, the netherlands lowers theirs, germany is sitting right there already at 16 , if we increase this Corporate Tax rate from what weve already agreed to in our negotiations in this body, then well replicate the 50 differential with the rest of the world almost immediately. Mr. President , we will have accomplished nothing. The greatest burden on the American Worker, again, is this Corporate Tax rate of 35 . Its estimated that every 1 drop in the Corporate Tax rate could mean roughly 30,000 new jobs in an economy thats 30 billion larger. We cant afford to play around with this Corporate Tax rate that weve already agreed on, mr. President. Its time to stop that debate. All of these changes in the tax code, though, were meant to lift up americans. Simply put, its the family that will benefit from this. Its the individual thats trying to get an education and get that first job. Its those people who are going to retire and depend on a robust federal government to take care of them in their retirement, mr. President. But right now with this debt crisis, were losing the ability to do the right thing. Members of both sides of the aisle have previously supported many of these changes to the tax code. There was no reason to vote no on this bill. There is no reason to not support them now. The United States made history the other night, mr. President , about 2 00 a. M. Saturday morning by proving this plan by approving this plan. We now have certain individuals in this body and the house that will go into a conference and theyll work out the differences between the house bill and the senate bill. Thats called democracy. And im looking forward to see that bill come back to this bode. We body. We must lose sight of what this is all about. We cannot take this standard of living for granted. This body is great at spending money, mr. President. But right now every dollar we spend of discretionary money, by definition is borrowed money. This can no longer be the case. This tax bill is clearly an investment in our future. Mr. President , im not embarrassed to say that i believe in capitalism. Capitalism is what made this country different from any other country in the world so far. Right now the economic miracle of this past century is based on three simple things innovation, Capital Formation and the rule of law. That combined with the best workforce in the history of the world has created this economic miracle. And yet, we sit here today where my children, the next generation is the first generation in the history of our country that face lower economic prospects than the generation before them. That does not have to be the case, mr. President. Its up to this body to stand up and do whats right for the next generation. This is a critical part. Dont miss this. This is a critical part to solving our debt crisis. This is the least we owe to our children and our childrens children. We must continue doing all we can to make sure that we put this tax bill on President Trumps desk before christmas. Our children and our childrens childrens futures depend on it. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from tennessee. Mr. Alexander thank you, mr. President. Mr. President , let me tell you a story. Yesterday i was in nashville, and i went to chickfila on charlotte avenue about 2 00 p. M. In the afternoon. And i ordered six chicken nuggets, some mac and cheese and some waffle fries. And i was about to leave, and a lady walked up to me and said, senator, thank you for what youre doing to help me with insurance. I said, well, what do you mean . She said my name is marty parish. Im a selfemployed farmer. And the year before obamacare, she called it started, my monthly Insurance Premium was 300. Next year its 1,300, and its very hard for me to afford. I said i guess youre one of those americans who work hard and you dont get any government subsidy to help you pay for your health insurance. She said thats exactly right. I have to pay for the whole thing myself. I said, well, marty parish, ive got a Christmas Present for you. If congress can pass by the end of the month legislation that would lower your premiums in the year 2019 by 18 , thats according to avalear, which is one of the leading Health Consulting firms in the country, which made the announcement yesterday. So if your premiums are 1,300 a month, thats a couple thousand dollars less youll have to pay. Thats still way too high. Or if the senate and the house agree on a tax bill that removes the individual mandate and the Congressional Budget Office is right, that will put upward pressure on those same rates. But only a maximum of 10 . So youre still going to get an 8 decrease in your rates in 2019, and thats about 1,000 in your pocket. Those are real dollars. Marty parish, if shes like the average r tennesseans her premiums will rise 185 over the last five years and seen them go up an average this year of 58 more percent. So a very good Christmas Present for marty parish and men and women like her across this country would be for this congress, before the end of the month, to pass what we call the alexandermurray and the collinsnelson legislation which will lower premiums by 18 . More than that, that Christmas Present, which is all wrapped up in a nice package and sitting in the white house waiting for anybody who wants to to consider it, according to the Congressional Budget Office, it will reduce, it will reduce not just reduce premiums, it will reduce the amount of federal tax dollars that go to pay for obamacare subsidies. Because if the premiums are lower, the subsidies are going to be lower. And if the premiums are lower and the subsidies are lower, then the federal debt is going to be lower. So here youve got for my friend who i met yesterday at chickfila, an 18 on average reduction in her 2019 Insurance Premiums. Less of her tax dollars going to pay for Affordable Care act subsidies and less federal debt for her and her family. And because the president has said he wont put up with it and because senator murray, the democrat who is ranking on the help committee, and i agree on this, there will be no bailout of Insurance Companies in these proposals. Now who would support Something Like this . Well, President Trump supports it. He told us that last week. In fact, he asked for it. He called me specifically a few weeks ago and said i dont want people hurt in the next two years while were still debating what to doing long term about health insurance. Why dont you work with senator murray and see if you can put together a bill that keeps people from being hurt, that stabilizes the market so premiums dont go up so much. I said, mr. President , were already working on that. Ive talked with him a half dozen times about that. Met with him at the white house, talked with hem the other day. He has said publicly and privately that he supports the alexandermurray legislation and he supports the the legislation supported by senator collins a republican and senator nelson a democrat. So thats one, a pretty big one. Senator mcconnell, the republican majority leader, he supports it. He said that publicly and privately. He supports both of them. Senator schumer, who is the democratic leader, said two or three weeks ago that every single democrat in the senate would vote for alexandermurray. And that it had 60 votes and senator mcconnell should put it on the floor as soon as possible and he thought it would pass with a lot of votes. The bill hasnt changed except in one way. Its gotten better from the point of view not just of democrats, but of republicans. The idea that senator collins and senator nelson have come up with, the idea of creating an invisible risk pool, or a Reinsurance Fund, or a Stability Fund to allow states to do that would permit those states to do what maine has done and what alaska has done and what minnesota is trying to do. And its this alaska created such a fund, they call it a Reinsurance Fund. Maine calls it invisible risk pool. They put money in to take care of the very sick people in the individual market in alaska. And once theyve done that, theyre able to lower rates for everybody else by 20 . Now, mr. President , thats in addition to the 18 that avalear talked about thats in our bill in addition to that. Maine did a similar thing in a little different way in their state. And who else likes this idea . Well, republicans in the house of representatives like it. They of course are a full partner in this exercise. Theyll have to consider it and decide whether theyre for it. I think it would be pretty easy for them to support collinsnelson because it was in the repeal and replace bill for the Affordable Care act that the house passed and voted for. In fact, the socalled compromise by representative meadows and representative macarthur. Included an invisible risk pool of up to 15 billion to allow states this is pretty good republican philosophy. To allow states to make their own decision about doing this and decide as maine did, as alaska did, as minnesotas trying to do, to say were going to create this fund and were going to take care of the very sick people who use most of the money that we spend on health care. And when we do that, we lower the rates for everybody else. And in the alaska case, because it lowered the rates for everybody else, again, premiums went down, subsidies went down, and alaska was able to pay for 85 of its Reinsurance Fund with federal dollars without any new federal dollars going to alaska. So thats what happens when you allow states to use their own good judgment. And thats why senator collins, a republican, and senator bill nelson, a democrat, have suggested it over here. The other thing that the house of representatives did in its republican repeal and replace p bill was continue the costsharing payments for two years. Costsharing payments are payments that the federal government makes so that lowincome americans wont have to make them when they buy their insurance. It makes them to the insurance, but the benefit, the benefit is supposed to go to the individual consumer or to the taxpayer fron the lower rates. The house of representatives in its repeal and replace bill understood, just as the distinguished presiding officer, senator cassidy, and senator graham and senator johnson understood, that if theyre able to repeal and replace obamacare or make any significant major changes in it, it will take a couple of years to put it into place. And you dont want people to be hurt in the meantime. Thats exactly what the president said to me when he called me a few weeks ago. He said i dont want people hurt during this twoyear period. So the house of representatives put in their repeal and replace bill two years of costsharing payments. Not to bail out Insurance Companies. It doesnt bail out Insurance Companies. The benefits go to individuals. They want to make sure that rates stay down and people didnt get hurt. The proposals were talking about, the Christmas Present i talked about to the young farmer in tennessee, both have fundamentally been a part of the house repeal and replace bill, which is why, while i cant speak for the house of representatives, what they do is their business, what i believe is they study alexandermurray and collinsnelson, theyll find they like it because theyve already voted for it once this year. The house of representatives created the invisible risk pool. That was a real breakthrough in their ability to pass a bill. And then, second, they wanted to make sure that during this interim, between the time that we tried to change the individual Insurance Market in this country, that people arent hurt. So ive come to the floor today, mr. President , just to say theres a lot going on today and next week. It involves defense spending. It involves the amount of money we can spend for the next year in our government. It involves a tax bill the senator from georgia has just talked about it, an historic tax bill that i hope we can pass. But theres also an opportunity for every single one of us to give a Christmas Present to the nine million americans who have been hammered by skyrocketing Insurance Premiums. We dont need to debate whose fault that is. I dont need to say its all the fault of the Affordable Care act. Democrats dont need to say its President Trumps sabotaging it. Lets forget that for a moment. Lets just say the fact of the matter is that in tennessee, premiums will go up in 2018 by 58 and going to go up more the next year if we dont do something about it. We have two bills that will save the selfemployed farmer in tennessee or the songwriter or business woman, we hear you, we know you cant afford these rates, and if youre paying 1,300 for two of you, and thats way too high, and we can begin to take those rates down. According to avalier18 in 2019. According to Congressional Budget Office if we dont take this action, rates will go up 25 . If what we have includes lower premiums, less debt, less money going to obamacare subsidies, and it doesnt bailout Insurance Companies, why should we not pass it. I think we should pass it. I dont want to run into marty parish between christmas and new years and say, sorry about that Christmas Present. I could have i couldnt get it dont. She would say, isnt the president for it . I would say yes. Didnt the democratic leader say that the democrats are for it. I would say yes. And then she would ask, why didnt it pass . I would have a hard time coming up with thats answer. I hope over the next few days we are able to did what the democrats and republicans have suggested and what 12 Democratic Senators and 12 republican senators have offered to the senate in alexandermurray, and what have offered, both ideas are very much like two provision voted on this year on the house of representatives list, realize its the Christmas Season and a very nice Christmas Present for nine million hardworking americans who dont get any government help to pay for their skyrocketing health Insurance Premiums would be these bills into law so they can count on Insurance Premiums in 2019 that are, on average, 18 lower. I thank the president. I yield the floor. Mrs. Murray mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from washington. Mrs. Murray thank you, mr. President. Mrs. Murray mr. President , i come to the floor today as a voice for 800,000 young men and women who are counting on all of us to pass the dream act. We cant wait because they cant wait. Every day that passes is another day they are forced to keep their lives on hold. Right now hundreds of thousands of young people in this country are deferring their dreams of finishing a College Degree, becoming a doctor, buying a home, raising a family, starting a small business, or serving in our military all because President Trump pulled the plug on the daca Program Three months ago. Imagine that feeling. Imagine waking up day after day without any certainty about what happens next. Imagine that the country you love, the country you have grownup in where you are part of the community, where you pay your taxes, where you spend your time, your energy, and your money will not commit to uphold this promise to you. That is wrong. Mr. President , dreamers were brought to this country as children. Some of them so young they dont remember it. Holding up their futures or sending them to a country they have never known makes no sense for them or our country. It does nothing to solve the broken immigration system and it doesnt reflect a country of opportunity or promise, something that the u. S. Has always aspired to. Mr. President , my colleagues have been sharing stories from their state. Here are a few from my home state of washington, just a few, and i have heard so many in recent months. Not long ago i was in tacoma and i visited a Community Organization that has helped hundreds get in the daca program, including a woman named adriana. As early as middle school she was representing her School District in statewide math and science competitions. Now, after becoming a certified nurse assistant, she letting the program collapse would be a huge setback for adriana and she would lose her ability to work. I heard from an assistant from Washington State university who was brought to this country at the age of nine. Thanks to daca she was able to get a job helping adults with disabilities, which has allowed her to pay for college. She is a fulltime student with a parttime job and still finds time to volunteer in her community. She is on track to graduate in 2019 and dreams of owning her own company some day. I heard from another daca recipient who owns a business in Washington State. He said his College Degree from the university of washington that he completed without any federal funding, by the way, no help at all, symbolized one of his great life challenges. And as he noted, he is now using his education, his school, his earnings, and his taxes to contribute to the u. S. Economy. He writes, and i quote, this country is my home. End quote. The thawlt that this country the thought that this country would slam the door shut on him is so backward. So thats why we senators who were elected to work for the people and address the big issues facing the country need to act. So i urge my republican colleagues, consider the stories youve heard from your own state. Think about the communities you represent and the young men and women who are studying and working and opening businesses in the communities that you travel to and live in. Show them that President Trumps reckless, decisive agenda does divisive doesnt not represent or your state. Work those dreamers who are unsure if they can keep their job at a hospital or as a firefighter or serve in our military to fight for our freedoms, who are unsure if they can stay in the only country they know as home as remain with loved ones. We need the help of every member to push back against the policies that are hurt our friends, neighbor, he could workers, and loved ones. To paraphrase dr. King, we know that only our light can drive out the dark forces of bigotry and division in our country. I want to thank the Daca Recipients who have shared their stories in letters, in person, at rallies across the country. I know it cannot be easy to speak up in these uncertain times. I want dreamers to know there are a lot of us here in congress and across the country who are inspired by your courage and resilience. We stand with you and we will not stop until we get this across the finish line. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. I note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk should call the roll. Quorum call quorum call the presiding officer the senator from New Hampshire. Ms. Hassan mr. President , i ask we vitiate the quorum call. The presiding officer without objection, so ordered. Ms. Hassan thank you. Mr. President , it is my honor to announce our latest Granite Stater of the month, an inspiring, resilient and generous young man from merrimac, New Hampshire. Max mendez, an 8yearold boy also known as mighty fax and professor max has battled leukemia for over a year, and he has proven to be a shining example of the values that make the Granite State and all of our communities strong. As max began treatment last year, procedures, blood draws and tests at bostons Childrens Hospital, he was often recognized for his courage and grit. The hospital had a supply of toys and after these procedures, he would often be rewarded with one of them. Max received so many toys that he started to donate some of them to other kids and realized that giving toys felt even better than receiving them. In the face of his own Severe Health challenges, max started mighty max mega toy drive to help supply the jimmy fund clinic, the Danafarber Cancer Institute and boston Childrens Hospital hematology and oncology unit with presents for brave, young patients like himself. In true Granite State faction, max and his family received invaluable support from their community, including friends, local businesses, schools, sports teams, and the local police department. Maxs community donated toys, offered space as Collection Sites and delivered donations to max and the mendez family. With extra help from his sister mccale la makail la and another family who helped advertise the toy drive and store donations, mighty maxs toy drive received roughly 3,000 toys ahead of the Holiday Season this year. Mighty max, the mendez family, and all of the Granite Staters who supported the toy drive demonstrate the spirit that makes New Hampshire such a strong, resilient state. While battling lee leukemia d enduring painful treatments, max found it in himself to bring joy to others who face similar challenges, and his entire community, including people max will never meet, is stronger because of his generous spirit and hard work. Max is an inspiration for all of us during this Holiday Season and beyond, and i am proud to call him our Granite Stater of the month. Thank you, mr. President. And i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk shall call the roll. Quorum call