10 0services, Alex Michael Azari mr. President. We have 14 days, 14 days by our own established deadline to do something about the dreamers issue about daca. Why do we find ourselves at this place . Since september the fifth of last year president obama, President Trump as well as attorney general sessions announced the end of the daca Reduction Program as of march 5 of this year. 780,000 young people who werent documented in the United States became here as children we given a chance by president obama to stay s here illegally e able to work here and not fear deportation. 780,000. For the most part there are students and workers who are a vital part of the community and things in their lives and promised to do in even more but the decision was made by President Trump put an end to this program. When he made that decision he also challenged congress. He said if we are going to get i this exact date of order do something, pass a law. Well here we are just about in the fifth month out of the six month period he gave us to get down to work and nothing has happened. Some of us have been working on this issue trying to address it on a bipartisan basis and hope the Republicancontrolled Congress would join with democrats to solve the problem which then president considere. Ive worked with my colleagues democrats and republicans together to craft a bill which we believe address the issues in a fair way. Compromise was included in that bill, some that i didnt like at all but thats the nature of a compromise and bipartisanship. We presented this bill to our colleagues and we also attended a meeting on january 9, most of us with President Trump where he addressed this issue. Here it was four months after he issued the challenge to congress and he basically told us its time to get this done. He said to us and this is televising you can check our remarks at there is any question about what im saying, he said to us basically send me a bill and i will sign it. I willl take the political heat on this issue. And then the republican leader on the house side said include the following four elements first daca in the dreamers second Border Security and third family reification issues and finally the visa lottery system, diversity system which we established years ago. Thats when i sat down and said to my fellow senators democrats and republicans, we have to get this done. The president has challenged us and he said hes prepared he is prepared to move forward if we can come up with a response so wege did. We came to an agreement among ourselves in the six senators and me presented it to the president to senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina a republican on january 11. He rejected it. So as of today we really dont have a bill before us and we are starting new with t conversation about what to do to meet the president s challenge but equally if not more importantly to say to 780,000 young people and those who werent eligible to apply this is what your future will be. We have had our ups and downs. Just a few days ago relative to funding the government and whether we would take this issue up i thought it ended on a positive note when senator mcconnell came to the floor and made an express promise to this chamber to members on both sides of the aisle. I tried to characterize it and i think this is accurate, check thes record if you dont think i say it quite right but he said if we have not reached an agreement on this issue by february the eighth at that point we will open a process on the floor of the United States senate with what he characterized as a level Playing Field and open the amendment process. That to me is an opportunity but can avoid that opportunity and reachag an agreement as he asked us to by february 8. We have 14 days left. I would like to involve the house in this conversation so we might reach a common agreement that unfortunately they were on recess this week and tse of who are sitting and talking about but dont have a chance to get with them. However im heartened by the fact that a number of my colleagues on her public inside of the aisle have joined a number on the democratic side of the aisle this afternoon and started what we hope will be a productive process to reach a bipartisan agreement and do it in a timely way. To achieve this goal i think we understand we are going to have to bee mindful of the realities that we face. There are a lot of issues relative to immigration. The list is pretty lengthy and there are important issues that should be considered. Its unrealistic to think that we are going to propose or even agree on a bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill in 14 days. What we can do is to address the president s challenge dealing with daca and those daca eligibles socalledng dreamers. What we can do is address Border Security in a realistic and honest way. I took a look at some of the publications that the department of Homeland Security to get an understanding of what our challenge is when itn comes to undocumented in the United States. Where did they come from . How did they come to this country and how did they stay in this country if they dont have Legal Authority to do so . It turns out each year for example the department of Homeland Security tells us 50 million visitors come to the United States from visa waiver countries. Those who are visiting from those countries have not gone through an application process to visit the United States. They come from a country that we have an agreement with that we can travel back and forth, thinking about European Countries for examples where we travel extensively back and forth between United States. Out of 50 million about 1. 5 end up staying longer than they are they are supposed to. We end up with hundreds of thousands of undocumented people here by visa overstays. 40 of all those who are in this country undocumented came here by visa overstays. There is no wall you can build on the border with mexico or canada thats going to solve that problem. This is a problem that relies on technology which we should be investing in, whichh we can invest in on a bipartisan basis of your true goal is the production of the undocumented in america and trying to make sure there is legal status r as many as possible you are looking at the anchorman tont growth this year you would look to the border first. You would look to visa overstays first. Those are the ones that are slipping through the system who should be policed and monitored through technology. They talked about it for decades. Its time to do something about it. Also to concede as i said no wall is going to stop that problem and no wall is going to solve a problem. And it and would meet look at the asylum issue which i wouldnt say i am amused that i would say im interested its the one that is always raised by the department of homelandar security. Those who present themselves in the United States at the border or otherwise and suggest they have a credible fear and returning to their home country. Its interesting to look at the statistics because you find out even though there may be this notion that they are primarily from mexico, they are not. They are primarily from countries in the northern triangle of Central America but there is a large contingent each year for china so if we are talking about asylum issue and not addressing all of the countrys major suppliers of those seeking asylum in the United States than we are not talking about it and honest terms or in its entirety as we should. As i mentioned china along with 22 other countries doesnt have an agreement in terms of deportation according to the department of Homeland Security. Theres a lot we could do there sure that china and those countries comply with United States deporting someone from your country that we find a danger to a us and rather than incarcerate them here you can have them back. They areho yours. He shouldnt be in the first place so when we talk about dealing with the issues of undocumented, the issues of security in this country many of these will not be solved with a wall. They will be t solved with technology and looking at honest terms and counting real numbers those coming from different parts of the world. I also want to address this issue about unaccompanied children coming through our border. Understand the challenge. The numbers have risen dramatically over the years and we have to take it seriously. I followed some of those children through the border to a protective gathering that they have in chicago at a place called Heartland Alliance and i went to meet them. I was shocked when i went into the cafeteria to see some of these children were as young as six years fh. Sixers all presented himself at the border of the United States. What circumstances could have led to that . Its possible a smuggler threatened or exploited the family and ended up with a child and push them across the border into the arms of one of our Border Patrol agents. Thats possible and thats something we should do everything we can to stop. Thats an exploitation of a child. That child is likely to be abused in the process of immigration and something we have to do everything we can to discourage. To simply turn away children at the border is a dangerous thing. What are we going to do with the 6yearold from honduras or el salvador or ramallah at the border when they establish their written notes or whatever that there is credible fear for returning to their country. Can we ignore at . Do we turn it back to their country regardless . We better be careful. Awful things can happen. And what do we do with the 12 or 13yearold girl who was a victim of rape and Sexual Assault in one of those countries who was sent to the United States and our border because her parents believed she was about to be raped again and killed. Return her back and sent her back and ignore the reality . I commend to my colleagues and others who followed this debate an article recommended in the new yorker last week by Sarah Stillman entitled when deportation becomes a death sentence and she followed the terrible story of the young woman he was undocumented, who was stopped and said over and over again if you send me back to mexico the husband of mine is going to kill me. There had been protective orders issued and he was a dangerous man. She was sent back s anyway and e was killed. These are complex situations not easily answered with a common definition that anyone who presents himself at the border and says is going to be turned away without any consideration about the merits of their claim. We have got to be careful. Human lives hang in the balance. Our reputation as a caring principled nation hangs in the balance as well. We need to do the right thing and stop the exploitation workers but also be mindful of the fact that people do present themselves seeking asylum leaving desperate circumstances and trying to find a safe place for themselves and their families. The conversation continues this afternoon on a bipartisan basis among senators in the United States senator toomey the presence challenge to accept that challenge and come up with a bipartisan measure. I dont know the position of the president of the United States. I couldnt express it after the experience we had a couple of weeksta ago. I dont know where he stands never issued anything by way of a suggestion to decent legislation. We havent heard fromwe him so e have to do our part. We have to meet our responsibility and hopefully the house will do the same and hopefully the white house will join us in solving this problem which the president created in september of last year. I yield the floor and suggest they absence of a quorum. The clerk will call the roll. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] the senate finishing up work on the nomination of alex hagar to the human health is serves a signature. Vote is expected this afternoon at 2 15. They are also expected to move forward on the nomination of campus governor and former senator Sam Brownback to be ambassador at large for International Religious freedom. As they continue at this quorum call we will take you to the confirmation hearing. Mr. President in the majority whip. Mr. President i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. Without w objection. Spent mr. President on monday democrats relented after three long days and allow the government to reopen. A great to pass a continuing resolution to reopen the government until february the eighth. Im glad they finally decided to fund the Childrens Health Insurance Program of which 9 million Vulnerable Children rely as well as fund our military and the Central Government entities that could not operate during a shutdown. But now we have got to work on other items that are stalled and heldel hostage. The first is disaster aid which has been held up for months. The house of representatives has passed an 81 billion Disaster Relief bill back in december. That package is gone nowhere here in the senate. Thats incredibly disappointing and exacerbates the hardships of the victims of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey as well as the folks out west who have suffered extreme wildfires and fl and mudslides. They need get access to that 81 billion in Disaster Relief funding at the house passed last december but that too has been held hostage here in the United States senate. Its especially disappointing in texas. State of i just got off the phone talking at the who is perplexed is the kindest word i can thinkhi of why we would continue to delay Disaster Relief to the people who suffered as a result of hurricanef harvey but im sure Governor Scott in florida feels the same way. Im sure Governor Brown in california feels the same way. Im sure the governor puerto rico and the Virgin Islands feels the same way. What is wrong with congress . Why cant they take up and pass an 81 billiondollar Disaster Relief supplemental that the house sense to the senate in december. Well, last august Hurricane Harvey devastated 28,000 square miles of the texas coast. Been called the most extreme rain event in history. Certainly the history of the United States. Highways were flooded, thousands of homes were gutted. Places like port Arthur Beaumont in houston have not returned to normal. Routines were disrupted. Shops and businesses remained closed and houses are being renovated or read else but because of the size of the scope of the devastation is hard to get Building Supplies and its hard to get theo workers to rebuild these damaged homes and businesses. In rock port where i visited over thanksgiving harvey made landfall with 150mile per hour winds and 13 feet storm surge. As the end of december 284 families were reported to laugh permanent housing. Some people were living in tents tents. Rockport mayor cj waxman said 70 of distances and rockport remain closed. 70 . According to the federal Emergency Management agency a third ofy, rock pt iso badly damaged it will be impossible to rebuild. Think about that. Think of this hit your hometown. A third of your hometown so badly damaged by a Natural Disaster that it will not be rebuilt and 70 of the businesses in your hometown or closed and have not reopened. Think of how you would feel. Over in a county meanwhile officials have been frustrated because they havent received the temporary Housing Assistance that they need and although fema the federal Emergency Management agency continues to marshall the full extent of its resources to help some people for various reasons many people are still living in motels and as i said even tents. Its completely unacceptable in the United States of america especially while the house of representatives has acted to produce a disaster bill but its held hostage in the United States senate. This isnt a democratic issue or a republican issue. This is something we should all clamoring to solve, problem we should be clamoring to solve it not only clamoring we shouldv be acting to vote on that Disaster Relief. Today stories like these are why we need to move additional disaster funds or Disaster Relief without delay. Its not just texas as i said. Floridians in its Puerto Ricans and People Living in the Virgin Islands and the wildfire ravaged parts of california as well. The senate has been dragging its feet long enough. The longer we wait the more people forget. I remember when the president mrs. Trump along with the president s entire cabinet came down to texas after Hurricane Harvey. The speaker of the house, the majority leader of the house, leaders on both sides of the aisle came down to texas and said we want to help. The house has passed an 81 billiondollar Disaster Relief bill but because of this unrelated immigration issue but shut down the government this is another one of the hostages that needs to be released june the first is the beginning of hurrine season and its imperative that flood mitigation and storm surge protection projects begin without further delay. With support from Harris County and the city of houston and membersf of the Engineering Community have identified the necessary process but we cant get started until we pass a Disaster Relief supplemental similar to the one the house passed in december. I talked to mayor turner about that, the mayor of Houston Texas one of the largest communities in the United States. Knowing that thehe house has passed this appropriation that thehi senate doesnt seem anywhe near taking it up. Its hard for me to explain to him why the senate has notm actd acted. The simple fact is this Disaster Relief should not be held hostage any longer. Amidst the disaster i do want to mention one good piece off news on the hurricane front. Im glad thati fema has respond to members of congress who asked that they accept applications for relief from nonprofits like houses of worship that were affect at Hurricane Harvey. This is a picture of one of the synagogues that i attended in a community in Houston Texas which shows some of the devastation that the synagogue there experienced. The rabbi asked me, would you please go back to washington and see on on a nonsectarian bases n basis whether you can get fema to expand its e relief efforts o respond to houses of worship many of which use their facilities or volunteer their facilities for Community Meetings and the like. So its good to know that churches and synagogues and other houses of worship will be able to get that sort of relief. This is the orthodox synagogue as i mentioned in houston that i visited after harvey. I saw it firsthand and as i said i have that discussion with the rabbi. The other issue we have to address mr. President is another issue that has been held hostage by this unrelated immigration issue known as daca as everybody is heard so much about now. In conversations regarding the budget caps and these are the spending levels for this current fiscal year. The fiscal year of the United States governmentov last from october the first to september the 31st but we are already well into the fiscal year. We are in january. We all have continuing resolutions because the spending caps have not been agreed to and we all know why i fight now, because her democratic colleagues refused to age to the spendi caps to get a spending bill that funds the military and the rest of governmentnt until they get a solution for the daca issue. Thats another hostage that has been taken. I am really worried about the impact on our military because we are in no or military is in dire straits when it comes to readiness. And they cant operate on a threeweek continuing resolution which is the one we are on now and even if the spending caps were agreed to today it would take the Appropriations Committee a matter of additional weeks to come up with a bill we could vote on. As a result of the shutdown the democratic leader has said he voted against the continuing resolution because he didnt like the continuing resolution. He has guaranteed us at least two more continuing resolutions. Even if the spending caps were agreed upon. But this is a terrible player for the pentagon, for the people we depend upon to defend us to keep our country safe. This is an impossible situation for them to manage mbs affect the and as efficient as we want them to be. The Defense Department has been operating under continuing resolutions for more than 36 months since 2010. 36 months since 2010. By way of comparison the military was funding that one for fewer than nine months. The consequences are clear and they are deadly. Many of the mishaps that involved our naval vessels like the mccain and the fitzgerald are the result of sailors spread then, budgets spread then, not enough training, not enough preparation for the challenges they face of these mishaps occur and people die. The wall street journal reports that only five of 58 or gate combat army are prepared to fight, five out of 58 are prepared to fight. Now i dont think our adversaries should take any comfort from that because i know americans well enough to know that that if there were an eminenteat, threat weould rise the occasion and make sure thate all 58 would be prepared to fight for right now five out of 58. The United States air force provides the airpower that a short 2000 pilots. Our military dominance across the globe is never guaranteed and we know there are many signs that our military dominance is eroding. You know when American Power erodes when we retreat either for policy or fiscal reasons they are other there are other people more than happy to fill the void. When that happens the world becomes a more dangerous place. Miscalculations occur and conflict breaks out. Since secretary mattis said last year brought the heartache caused by the loss of troops during four wars no enemy in the field has done more to harm the combat readiness of our military than sequestration. He might have said congress because congress isesponsible for sequestration and unfortunately general mattis is right. Soldiers sailors airmen and marines who so bravely serve our country deserves all the political and Financial Support we can muster so we need to quit believing our security wont be negatively impacted by our current funding approach. We need to quit bottling and raise the defense spending caps without further delay. Its dangerous not to do so and lives have been lost as a result of the lack of readiness caused by underfunding our military. Yesterday when the Senate Democratic leader spoke he said, and since bipartisanship one and the government reopened. His conversations addressing Disaster Relief continue we need to make sure that those two things continue to prevail. Common sense and bipartisanship particularly when it comes to funding our military and other critical government functions and to make sure they are no longer held hostage to an unrelated immigration issue that we are workingng on as hard as e know how to do and we understand the clock isst ticking and both Political Parties are demonstrating their good faith and working to solve that problem so lets let these other hostages go
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