Transcripts For CSPAN2 U.S. Senate U.S. Senate 20180213

A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from washington. Mrs. Murray thank you, mr. President. Mr. President , as people around the nation listen to this floor debate, im sure they can hear the divisions about immigration loud and clear. I know i can. Immigration policy is hard. It is emotional, and it has vexed this congress for decades. And while the floor debate were having right now can be trying and can be actually thrown off kilter by one more illtimed tweet from the president , we have to keep our eye on the ball, because as tough as it may seem right here, the stakes are so much higher for millions of people who live every day in this country. They are trapped in a broken immigration system. They face the constant fear of deportation, and they suffer the threat of being ripped apart from their families, their friends, and the communities that they love. So just like the deep divisions we see on this issue across the country, finding a path forward in the senate, in the house, and then all the way to the white house is not going to be easy. But tackling the tough issues and engaging in fair and honest debate is why we are here. Creating more a more Perfect Union is why we are here. Finding a bipartisan path forward to both secure our borders and protect the futures of so many hardworking families is why we are here. First, though, we have to agree to some basic truths. To start, dreamers, hundreds of thousands of our friends and our neighbors, our teachers, our firefighters, our service members, our students, are not criminals. They are not ms13 gang members. Nor are they the shadowy figures depicted in discussing campaign ads in the president s speeches. They are not a drain on our economy. In fact, dreamers are just the opposite, contributing in countless ways to our communities and enriching the lives of so many others. So who are dreamers . Dreamers are determined, they are passionate, they are american in every way except on paper. They are fighting for the only lives they have ever known. They are fighting for their loved ones with everything they have got. And they are trying to do it the right way. A few years back, when congress had fallen down on its job to fix the broken immigration system, dreamers stepped up to work in good faith with the federal government. Dreamers like jose manuel vazquez. He grew up in south seattle. He didnt know he wasnt a naturalborn citizen until he went to get a drivers license. Thanks to the daca program, jose manual was able to graduate from the university of washington, he started a tech business, and he volunteers at local nonprofits. Another dreamer who grew up in pasco, washington, described being 4 years old when he was taken to the airport to fly to the United States. He was so young, he said he didnt understand what was going on. He only recalls being confused about why he couldnt bring all of his toys with him to his new home in america. Years later, after he enrolled in daca, he said he was able to quit working in manual labor and start working as a personal banker at wells fargo. There are hundreds of thousands of dreamers with similar stories. They came out of the shadows. They paid their taxes. They kept promises. They underwent background checks and did the hard work, even if only for a temporary shot at the opportunities so many others in this country have taken for granted. So what dreamers are is the embodiment of so much of what this country was founded on. Mr. President , thats truth number one. Truth number two, we all want to keep america safe with commonsense Border Security measures, and for anyone to claim otherwise is merely an attempt to muddy the debate so critics can retreat to their partisan corners and fall back on hateful rhetoric and try to stop a bipartisan bill from actually moving forward, because the reality is no matter what Political Party you ascribe to, protecting and defending the safety of fellow citizens and preventing those who could do us harm from entering this country is something we all believe in, and something we are all working for, which leads me to truth number three. And that is despite failed attempts in the past, today is a new day and a new chance to finally fix our broken immigration system for the dreamers who call our country home. A new chance to honor our countrys rich tradition of welcoming people from around the world who add to the rich tap industry of our tapestry of our nation, who enrich our communities, and who will write the next chapter of our nations history. Its a new chance for my republican colleagues to stand by their word and do what they said work with democrats in good faith to find a bipartisan path forward that will allow dreamers to stay here in the country they call home. I Hope Congress finally has the will to see this through, to be a nation of laws, and a land of opportunity. With the right piece of legislation, we can be both. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Cornyn mr. President. The presiding officer the majority whip. Mr. Cornyn mr. President , are we in a quorum call . The presiding officer the senate is not in a quorum call. The senate is in a quorum call. Mr. Cornyn it is . I ask consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Cornyn mr. President , yesterday we began floor debate on something we have literally been talking about for years. I remember the election of 2012, meeting at the white house with then president barack obama with Speaker Boehner and mccarthy and others and the president was prepared to do something that he threatened to do but we asked him not to do and that is to take unit latry action unilateral action with these children who were brought to the United States in violation of our immigration laws. We said, please, president obama, give us a chance to work with you to come up with a solution. And he listened and said no. Im going to do im going to sign an executive order or action and im going to go this alone. Well, unfortunately for the young people who were the beneficiaries of this daca executive order, the court struck it down and so they were left in doubt and in some jeopardy wondering whether now that they had been granted a deferred action against deportation by president obama what their future would look like. And so President Trump, upon the advice of general kelly, who was then secretary of Homeland Security, said give the congress some time to deal with this, and, indeed, here we are with a deadline of march 5. And all the time this president has been in office, since january 20 of last year, this is basically living on borrowed time as far as the daca program is involved. President trump said this is legislative responsibility, Congress Needs to deal with this. Here we are, debate having started, actually begun on february 8 when the majority leader mcconnell initiated the motion to proceed on the debate. Of course you will mer what happened you will remember what happened, the government was shut down because our democratic colleagues refused to deal with this until we dealt with the daca issue. The majority leader said were going to deal with this on february eight if there is no other agreement and it will be a fair and impartial process. Everybodys ideas will be aired and people should be able to vote on those ideas. Well, here we are, and we started yesterday on the cloture on the bill. Now theres under the senate rules theres 30 hours which will expire tonight at 11 00, or there abouts, and were waiting on our colleagues across the aisle to begin this process that they were so eager to initiate that they shut down the government. And so far the majority leaders come to the floor and made an offer about noon today saying well start with a vote on an amendment of your choosing and then well go to one of our choosing. Well go back and forth and have an orderly process so i can follow through on my commitment to deep a fair and equal and keep a fair, equal, and orderly process. Well, even though they were willing to shut down the government to bring us to this point, now they seem to be incredibly reluctant to actually have a vote on any of their proposals. It really is bizarre. We all want a solution for these young adults. In america we dont punish children for the mistakes that their parents make and were not going to punish these young people who are now adults who have been able to go to college and been able to, in many instances, become productive people. We want to provide them an opportunity to flourish, and indeed the president , notwithstanding the fact that 960,000 Daca Recipients that currently exist, i will be able to up that level whether they signed up or not. Thats 1. 8 million young people. We will not only give them deferred action, well give them an opportunity to become an american. Incredibly generous. But our colleagues across the aisle seem to be tripped up by their own plan and unable to respond to this generous offer. The president has said in return for the 1. 8 million young people who will have a pathway to citizenship and predict ability and stability and a great future for their lives, were going to have to secure the border. Were going to have to do the sorts of things the federal government should have done a long time ago. Coming from texas, a border state, we have 1,200 miles of common border with mexico. As we heard this morning in the world threats hearing in the Senate Intelligence committee, the director of of National Intelligence the director of National Intelligence the cartels make money trafficking in people, drugs or other contraband and they are exploiting the porous nature of our border with our neighbor to the south, mexico. An even Young Children are being sent up through the borders, exploiting a loophole in the law. The president has also said in addition to dealing with Border Security, he wants to change Legal Immigration to focus on the neural family mom, dad, and the kids. If other people want to come to the United States, then they can qualify for various employmentbased visas. They can come study as a student, they can qualify with an h1 visa, but were going to limit the number of visas and green cards based strictly on your family relationships. And then he said he wanted to deal with the diversity lottery visa. This is perhaps the most difficult to understand visa our government issues. Basically what we say is there are 50,000 diversity visas, and for those countries that arent otherwise represented, were going to spread those like like bread on the water and welcome 50,000 people without regard to their background, their education, their other merit or qualifications. And some have said, like the president , and i agree with him, we ought to look at not only how immigrants can benefit from coming to the United States but also what qualities they have that they can bring us. And, yes, we ought to compete for the best and brightest. For example, the 600,000 or so foreign students who come to our colleges and universities, what about focusing on those who graduate in stem fields, science, technology, engineering, and math. There are some folks who say we ought to staple a green card to those people because we want to continue to attract the best and brightest. We dont want to train and educate them and send them home only to compete with us. Thats some great ideas. But we wont be able to have votes on bills unless our friends across the aisle agree to get on a bill and breferrably the bill preferably the bill that senator grassley and others have filed will be looked at this afternoon based on those four pillars. Well, coming from a border state, i spent quite a bit of time in the Rio Grande Valley and laredo and i learned a lot from the experts at the border, which is the Border Patrol officers themselves. I talked to many pedia padilla and he works in the Rio Grande Valley. His sector, at times, has been one of the busiest in the country with some 200,000 apprehensions a year just in the Rio Grande Valley itself. I sief ive seen the border firsthand and it is vast and the terrain varies widely. There are areas where there is hardly any water at all separating mexico and the United States and yet still others that include 230foot cliffs out in the river bank particularly out in west texas. And ive had the opportunity to invite i was going to say big ben out in west texas. I also had the opportunity to welcome many of my colleagues who dont come from border states to my state so they could become better informed about the nature and the challenge of Border Security. When you spend time there and speak to the local officials and people who live and work along the border, you realize the scale of the challenge were facing in securing the border as well as combating the cartels and people who are importing poison into the United States, and unfortunately, taking far too many lives as a result of drugs. You realize that a one size fits all approach doesnt work. Generations of texans know that too. People who live in border communities are an invaluable resource. We ought to be talking to them about what would work best to provide the security but in but in a way that would also be helpful to your local community. And i mentioned before one of those down in hidalgo, texas where the Border Patrol said we need physical barriers to control the flow of ilLegal Immigration across the border. The local community said we need to improve the flood levy system so that we can actually buy affordable insurance so we can develop our property at a reasonable cost. Out of that came a bond election for a levy wall system that was a winwin. It provided the flood protection needed by the community. It provided the physical barrier that the Border Patrol said they needed in order to control ilLegal Immigration. So there is a an opportunity for a winwin here if we would listen to the experts and talk to the local stakeholders and the people who live and work and play along the border with mexico. Ive also had many conversations with hispanic leaders from across my state. One of them is my friend roger rocha, who is the head of lulac. He has helped to give Daca Recipients to not only stay and work but to become american citizens. Well, yesterday i said there will be a process thats fair to everyone. Thats what the majority leader guaranteed. And all of our colleagues will have a chance to have their proposals considered. Amendments will have a 60 vote threshold before they can be adopted. Thats the rules of the senate. What im interested in is solving the problem. And that not only means finding a proposal that can get 60 votes in the senate but one that can be passed in the house and signed into law by the president. I read this morning when i got up and was making a cup of coffee and looking through the newspaper, our colleague across the aisle, the democratic whip, who i worked with and met with on this topic many times, he said his goal was to get all the democratic and 11 republicans to get to that 60vote threshold. That was his goal in this legislation. Whats missing is how he would propose to get this passed through the republican majority in the house and signed by the president if it doesnt comply with the president s requirements he laid out in his four pillars. Im interested not just in a futile act, im interested in actually making a law, which means passing the senate, passing the house, and getting signed into law by the president. Yesterday a group led by chairman grassley in the Judiciary Committee put forward a proposal that i believe can pass the senate, can pass the house, and can be signed into law by President Trump. Its called the secure and succeed act. The name itself is quite fitting. Weve got to secure the border and weve got to be able to provide for the future success of Daca Recipients. Its not one or the other. Its both. The secure and succeed proposal provides a pathway to citizenship like the president proposed for 1. 8 million daca eligible recipients. Far more than president obama ever offered. This is really pretty incredible. What president obama offered was daca for 690,000 young people. This president has offered a pathway to citizenship for 1. 8 million. Some people may think thats far too generous, but the president made that offer expecting to get Boarder Security and these other provisions done at the same time. This legislation provides a real plan to strengthen our borders and utilize boots on the ground, better technology, and infrastructure. It reallocates visas from the diversity lottery system in a way thats fair. And it continues the existing familybased immigration categories until the current backlog is cleared. Im proud to cosponsor this commonsense solution not because its perfect. No piece of legislation ever is. But what it does is it advances the issue in a way that can pass the senate so the house can take it up so the president is ultimately sign it. Thats the only way i know to get something accomplished here. But Everybody Needs to get to work. Our democratic colleagues who voted to shut down the government over this issue seem now unprepared to meet the deadline they themselves insisted upon. Even after the majority leader has provided a fair and open process for everybody to participate. So Everybody Needs to get to work. Our colleagues have known for a while that this was coming. They asked for this debate. But theyve not yet filed any proposed legislation. Im wondering what the holdup is. But heres the bottom line. Im not interested in gamesmanship for gamesmanships sake or political theater for political theaters sake or ideas that cant become law. As the president said two weeks ago, the ultimate proposal must be one where nobody gets everything they want but our country gets the Critical Reforms that it needs. About 124,000 young people hope we can rise to the occasion. Thats just in my state alone, current Daca Recipients. 124,000 Daca Recipients hope we can rise to the occasion and take advantage of the tremendous generous offer that President Trump has made and a bill that he said he would sign into law if we were able to pass it in the senate and in the house and get it on his desk. 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 quorum call quorum call quorum call quorum call quorum call quorum call reed reed mr. President mr. Reed mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from rhode island. Mr. Reed i would ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Reed thank you, mr. President. Mr. President , last september President Trump took it upon himself to create an economic humanitarian and political crisis by rescinding the deferred action for Childhood Arrivals Program or daca. Without proposing a serious solution for the nearly 800,000 Daca Recipients who now face deportation. These people and their families have had to endure fits and starts of uncertainty as democrats and some republicans have worked tirelessly to advance the dream act and other compromises offered chiefly by senators durbin and graham also have supported by the presiding officer only to have President Trump and republican majority find a way to say no or to stall the process. This week, however, the senate has an opportunity to address the panic and stress the president caused not just for those on daca and their families but also for our nations businesses and our broader economy. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for this chance for an open debate on a solution for dreamers. In particular, i thank again senators durbin and graham and senator flake, the presiding officer, mr. President , thank you, for their advocacy and efforts to find a bipartisan compromise. I thank leader schumer for his leadership in pursuing a resolution and leader mcconnell for keeping his commitment to have this debate. I thank them all. The basic facts of this debate are clear. The American People overwhelmingly support finding a solution for dreamers that protects them from deportation and provides a pathway to citizenship for those who work hard and play biff the rules. Play by the rules. I believe a bipartisan majority of my colleagues want the same thing. The question before us is whether the partisanship and raw feelings surrounding this debate will prevent a solution to this crisis from becoming law. So i urge my colleagues, let us forge the bipartisan agreement that the American People want and the dreamers deserve. Let us end this crisis. Then after this bipartisan show of good faith, let us again take up the kind of comprehensive Immigration Reform that many of us in this body have already voted to pass so we can fix our broken immigration system once and for all. I do not believe, however, that solving the daca crisis which President Trump in a sense created should come at the cost of radically restructuring Legal Immigration. According to the conservative Cato Institute, President Trumps immigration proposals in exchange for resolving the daca crisis would result in an approximate 44 reduction in Legal Immigration, Legal Immigration. This would be the largest cut to immigration in nearly a century. In addition to the profound effects such cut would have on american families, culture, and opportunities, it would also level a massive blow to the American Labor force and Economic Growth. According to the Cato Institute and independent Research Firm macko advisors, this could cut our projected Economic Growth rate by 12. 5 in the next year or two. That would be a significant blow to our economy and it could lead to even Economic Growth projectses down the line projection down the line. Just as the nation faces a skyrocketing deficit, the National Academy of science estimates that immigrants, on average, contribute over 92,000 more than they receive in government benefits over the course of their lives and losing these American Workers would further shrink revenue that could help balance the budget. If congress decides to take on Immigration Reform of this magnitude, it must be in bipartisan Immigration Reform and not in the context of resolving this crisis that has been prompted by President Trump. Nor should this discussion suggest that a desire to do the right thing by dreamers somehow indicates a lack of appreciation for the importance of securing our borders. I believe my colleagues both sides of the aisle that Border Security is of critical importance to our nation. I have voted to increase to kin crease support for Homeland Security and Border Control by billions of dollars. In fiscal year 2000, there were 8,619 Border Patrol agents on the southwest border. Today there just show of 20,000. The Obama Administration added 3,000 Border Patrol agents on the southern border, doubling the amount of fencing. Unlawful immigration began lessening under president obama and today fewer people are entering the country illegally across the u. S. Mexican border in the last 50 years. I believe a Strong Border to keep our nation safe, what i do not believe in is symbolic action like the construction of a wall that would drain taxpayers dollars without making americans any safer. There isnt a reason that americans on both sides of the political divide have spoke out against dreamers. A great many of them are outstanding and accomplished. Our communities would feel the loss of all that they contributed. It is true they were brought here as children outside the appropriate process but this was through no fault of their own. As they grew up here, they pursued higher education, started american families, worked hard, paid taxes and stayed out of trouble with the law. They passed background checks, been fingerprinted, paid hundreds of dollars of fees and submitted records to immigration officials whose job it is to spot criminals in the system. It is not blanket amnesty or entitlement but is earned and kept up. Hundreds of Daca Recipients serve in the United States armed forces like zion whose mother brought him and his brother from indonesia when they were young and didnt know about his undocumented status until he applied for a drivers license. He told the post and was deeply affected when he saw the crash of flight 193 in 2001 but could not join the army out of high school because of his undocumented status. Because of daca he was able to enlist in the army but many of my colleagues have spoken movingly and eloquently about the dreamers who have come forward to tell their stories. I associate myself with their remarks and challenge my colleagues who have not met some of these young people in person to listen to their stories and perspectives. Over the past few months i and my staff have had the opportunity to meet several impressive dreamers living in ohio who illustrate what the loss of daca means to them and their families. I met one young woman who is studying at Brown University who needs daca to ensure she can stay here to attend medical school. Another young man i met told me that daca, for him, means being able to drive to school and work every day to save up for advanced education. These young people want to live productive lives, and indeed, according to the center for cenr american progress, letting daca expire completely would cost our nations economy over 460 billion over the next decade, including annual loss to Rhode Islands economy of an estimated 60 million. Finding a solution for these people is not just right thing to do, but it also makes smart economic sense, and i believe that is part of the reason why the American People are largely in agreement on helping dreamers. I also want to note that this same moral and economic sense applies to the need to provide deportation relief and legal status to qualified recipients of temporary protected status, t. P. S. And deferred enforced departure. These individuals came to america from devastated parts of the world seeking safety and a fresh start and have become integral members of our community and economy. Like Daca Recipients they have passed rigorous background checks, paid hundreds of dollars in fees and demonstrated that they are not a risk to Public Safety or national security. The average t. P. S. Beneficiary has been in america for 19 years and many have been here even longer. About 70 to 80 are employed and collectively parents to 275,000 american citizen american children. Since 1989, i have been fighting for a pathway for citizenship to libyans who have escaped two civil wars and the ebola outbreak. They have been fictures fixtures of their communities for 30 years. But could face exportation due to the t. P. S. Protection. Congress can and should include these populations in this legislation. Mr. President , i have taken the tough votes to strengthen our border and ensure immigrants play by the rules. I have voted for the dream act and comprehensive Immigration Reform that passed in this body. I know we can address this crisis if we choose too. The only true path forward is real bipartisan compromise, not posturing or legislative gamesmanship. I urge my colleagues to support compromised legislation to address the specific crisis before us, and when we have done that, to begin ernest discussions on bipartisan and comprehensive Immigration Reform. With that, mr. President. I would yield the floor and also note 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 rhode island. Mr. Whitehouse is the senate in a quorum call . The presiding officer yes, it is. Mr. Whitehouse in that case, i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be vitiated. The presiding officer without objection. Whitmr. Whitehouse thank you,. President. Im here for my 197th time to wake up speech. Were getting a little dog eared but we keep doggedly along. Last week i spoke about Corporate America outsourcing its lobbying to the u. S. Chamber of commerce, a determined enemy of any action on Climate Change. When proclimate Companies Support the chamber, they support its anticlimate lobbying and its anticlimate election spending and threatening and they enable the chambers anticlimate stranglehold with the fossil fuel industry on congress. The chamber is not alone in its anticlimate advocacy on behalf of Corporate America. Another big Washington Trade Association obstructing Climate Action despite having many pro Climate Action members, is the National Association of manufacturers, often called nam, National Association of manufacturers. Over the last two decades, n. A. M. Has spent more than 150 million lobbying the federal government and each year n. A. M. Lobbies extensively for the fossil fuel industry. Here are some of n. A. M. s fossil fuel lobbying greatest hits. N. A. M. Lobbies to expand offshore drilling in the atlantic, gulf of mexico, pacific, and arctic. I wonder how many of its members want to be out there supporting offshore drilling in all those areas . N. A. M. Advocates for the continued use of coal in the electric power and industrial sectors. Theres not a Congressional District left where a majority of voters dont want coal plant emissions regulated. Yet, there is n. A. M. N. A. M. Lobbies to roll back fuel economy standards that save consumers billions of dollars at the pump. Never mind that the equipment that keeps cars cleaner is manufactured. The National Association of manufacturers is opposed. N. A. M. Sent what it calls a key vote letter to all members of congress urging repeal of a rule to protect streams from mountain top removal coal mining pollution. More on that in a moment. N. A. M. Urged the Trump Administration to withdraw from the paris agreement. More on that that moment too. Finally, n. A. M. Opposes any efforts to put a price on carbon pollution. Back to that key vote letter, the n. A. M. s Key Vote Advisory Committee indicated that votes on h. J. Res. 38 procedural motions may be used for designation of key manufacturing votes in the 115th congress. This letter warns members of congress to vote the way the group wants or risk losing out on its endorsement and all the Campaign Support that goes with it. Who knows, run up a bad enough score, and n. A. M. May support your opponent. Well, youd think, youd think that protecting streams and Drinking Water from pollution from coal mining would be nothing but common sense. Streams fouled by coal mining waste literally run orange. This is the actual photograph. This is not a black and white photograph thats been color corrected. This stream is running orange. And as one West Virginia woman whose local stream was contaminated told the new york times, orange is not the color of water. But n. A. M. And its fossil fuel allies opposed those clean water protections. Why . Where is the manufacturing value in streams that look like that . Follow the money. Look at the National Association of manufacturers major donors. A lot of usual suspects. Coal companies, oil companies, and kochowned Oil Production companies. Heres whats strange. There are also a lot of companies that care about climate and sustainability that fund the National Association of manufacturers. Just look at the pharmaceutical and health care sector. Bristolmyers squibb, eli lilly, johnson and johnson. Novartis, pfizer and United Health all belong to and fund n. A. M. If you go on their websites, youll find them urging people to live healthier, longer lives. So why are they lobbying through n. A. M. To let Coal Companies make streams look like this . Youll find these companies on their websites touting their commitments to sustainability and to reduce Carbon Emissions. So why are they lobbying through the National Association of manufacturers against Climate Policies they actually support . The National Association of manufacturers rather inexplicably opposes all serious Climate Action. In particular, it opposes putting a price on Carbon Emissions. It even funded a debunked study that claimed putting an economywide price on carbon would cost millions of jobs. It lobbied for a legislative amendment making it more difficult to begin pricing carbon. But look at n. A. M. s own Member Companies who are already pricing Carbon Emissions. Archer daniels midland, cargill, corning, microsoft, and Stanley Black and decker all apply a price on carbon in their own internal management and accounting. They understand that pricing carbon doesnt kill jobs. They understand that pricing carbon makes economic and environmental sense. Here in congress, what we see is n. A. M. Claiming to represent them, but actually carrying water for the fossil fuel industry and waging fullscale war on good climate policy. And just like with the chambers proclimate members, we see essentially no pushback. When the ostensible for these companies lobby against these companys stated position, why would you as a Big American Corporation take a position on a very big issue and then delegate your lobbying to an entity in washington that is opposed to your stated position . Indeed, we see virtually no corporate lobbying by anyone for good climate policy. Even companies with an internal carbon price dont lobby for a carbon price. The American Opportunity carbon fee act which senator schatz and i have introduced in the last two congresses, would create an economywide price on Carbon Emissions, using Market Forces to dramatically reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions, protect our future, and improve public health. It would be border adjustable to protect American Companies from unfair competition abroad. And it would return all of the revenue it raised to the American People. Liberal and conservative economists agree, this is the best way to tackle Climate Change. But the National Association of manufacturers, on behalf of its fossil fuel allies, opposes us. It protects at all costs the massive market failure that allows the fossil fuel industry to duck the costs of its pollution. That is a market failure 101. And its not just that. N. A. M. Opposed cap and trade. N. A. M. Opposed the paris agreement. N. A. M. Sued to stop the clean power plan. N. A. M. Supports the climate deniers of the Trump Administration. They have no alternative, no better idea, no other way that they want to address the climate crisis. Theyre just against any serious action on Climate Change. Archer daniels midland, cargill, corning, microsoft, and Stanley Black and decker are members of n. A. M. All of them, all of them supported the paris agreement. But all this time they continue to fund the National Association of manufacturers. It doesnt make any sense. These companies are already pricing carbon. They know its good policy. They support the paris agreement. And yet, they fund the trade Advocacy Group that is pulling out all the stops to kill the policy they support and the agreement they support. I asked last week, and ill ask again, when is the cavalry going to get here . Lots of proclimate Companies Fund the National Association of manufacturers anticlimate crusade. Its bizarre but its true. Intel says it believes that Global Climate change is a serious environmental, economic, and social challenge that warrants an equally serious response by governments and the private sector. But intel funds n. A. M. As n. A. M. Fights any response by governments. Kpmg has an entire practice area devoted to advising companies on the emerging risks and hazards of Climate Change. But kpmg funds n. A. M. As n. A. M. Ignores and talks down those very hazards. Mack kor mccormick is focused on reducing Carbon Emissions and like a lot of Good Companies even expects its suppliers to do the same. But mccormick also funds the National Association of manufacturers. Card funds n. A. M. Procter gamble says as a global citizen, we are concerned about the negative consequences of Climate Change. We believe industry, governments, and consumers can Work Together to reduce emissions to protect the environment. Thats what they believe, but they fund the National Association of manufacturers that tries to stop any such effort. Verizon is so concerned about Climate Change that it has reduced its own emissions by over 50 . But verizon still funds the National Association of manufacturers. I could go on, but you get the picture. Company after Company Claims that addressing Climate Change is their priority. And many do great things, truly great things inside their fence lines and in many cases even out their supply chains demanding sustainability compliance. But here where the rubber hits the lawmaking road in congress, the Corporate Support is for groups leading the war against Climate Action here in washington. And virtually none of the companies show up here on the other side. Its not like they say, okay, ill support the National Association of manufacturers and their efforts to obstruct any Climate Action, but im going to come down and make clear on my own, in my own lobbying that we want Climate Action. Im going to offset the lobbying that this group that i fund does against the position that i espouse. No, they dont do that. They almost never come in on their own to support good climate policy, to counter balance what their own advocates are advocating when their own advocates are advocating against them, which explains why the fossil fuel guys keep on winning here in congress. Its easy to win when the other side doesnt show up. Or if they do, shows up wearing your jersey. Here is how bad it is. The National Association of manufacturers and the chamber and the fossil fuel industry hired a bunch of washington lobbyists, and they hired the washington lobbyists to create a fake Consumer Group. The fake Consumer Group was called the Consumer Energy alliance. The fake Consumer Group then created a Fake Initiative in kentucky called these names are always so comical kentuckians for solar fairness. Whats the goal . The goal is to support kentucky legislation making it harder for consumers to sell rooftop solar power back to the big utilities. N. A. M. Is behind this scheme. Why . If youre Johnson Johnson or cargill or corning or microsoft or kpmg or procter and gamble, why do you want to be associated with a scheme like this . Remember, this is ostensibly the National Association of manufacturers. Out in the real world, there is a lot of manufacturing going on in Renewable Energy. We manufactured offshore Wind Turbines out in Rhode Islands waters. Rhode island boat builder blunt marine even got the contract to manufacture the new boat to get technicians out to service the manufactured turbines. The framing on which our offshore Wind Turbines stand was manufactured in louisiana. Solar arrays are manufactured and installed all around the country, providing more american jobs than coal. In texas alone, solar provides nearly 9,000 jobs, and more than 1. 6 gigawatts of solar capacity has been manufactured and installed in texas. Or go to iowa where a third of their electricity is from wind, and look how much groundbased wind turbine manufacturing and maintenance is going on. Really good jobs. Why is the National Association of manufacturers so violently opposed to manufacturing in the Renewable Energy industry . Why does n. A. M. Get involved in a kentucky utility regulatory issue with nothing apparent to do with manufacturing . And why is the National Association of manufacturers exactly and perfectly aligned with the fossil fuel industry and not its own membership on so many issues . Here in washington, the fossil fuel lobby is relentless. They have a bad name and an obvious, obvious conflict of interest, so they like to do their political dirty work through groups like the National Association of manufacturers and the u. S. Chamber of commerce. I get it. Disguise is an ageold tactic, but why does Corporate America put up with having its trade association used as a disguise to fight Climate Action . And to get involved in state quarrels that benefit only the fossil fuel industry . The effect of Corporate America allowing its trade groups to be captured by fossil fuel interests is this the effect is that Corporate America is now, for all practical purposes, collectively united against Climate Action in congress. Say whatever they say on their websites, do whatever they do within their fence lines or out their supply chains, sign whatever they sign by way of letters and advertisements, thats all good, but when it comes to congress, here where the law making rubber hits the road, Corporate America is collectively united against Climate Action. Either through direct antagonism like the fossil fuel industries or by letting antagonists like the National Association of manufacturers and the chamber be their lobbying intermediaries and erase their good Climate Policies by the time they get to congress and replace them with the fossil fuel industrys climate denial, or by simply ducking the fight and not showing up on game day. If america is going to meet its responsibilities to ourselves and to the world and finally pass good climate policy, we are going to need everyone, including Corporate America, to do their part. Right now, fossil fuel interests from Corporate America are all over the field, armed and ready for political battle, and the good guys, the good guys are not even showing up at the game. Mr. President , i yield the floor. A senator mr. President. Mr. President , a community built without access to Drinking Water would never be expected to grow and to thrive. Parents wouldnt move their children to a home where they dont have Running Water for bathing and for drinking. Mr. Peters restaurants wouldnt be able to cook and keep their kitchens clean. Manufacturers wouldnt build new factories where they couldnt access water for cooling and other types of processes. Simply put, a Community Without access to water would fail. Being connected to highspeed broadband in the 21st century is as critical to the prosperity of Rural Communities as being connected to Running Water, and i have seen it firsthand. While meeting with michiganders in barry county, we discussed recent economic development. Part of the county is seeing new construction of homes, the creation of new businesses, and an influx of young families. The other part of the county has seen much more limited growth. You can guess which part of the county is set up for broadband and which isnt. My constituents from barry county know that highspeed internet is the key to Economic Growth, educational opportunity, and access to limitless services, information, and ideas. Our Rural Communities and our nation as a whole are now at a crossroads. We have the opportunity to level the Playing Field for all americans by making the right investments right now in Rural Communities across our nation. These towns are not connected to the broadband by not by choice. They are not connected to broadband because it is simply too expensive to deploy in these geographic areas. Local City Councils in rural areas must struggle to fund broadband projects themselves or they struggle to convince providers that it makes economic sense to invest in their communities, especially in places where populations are small or spread out. While deployment can be expensive, highspeed broadband is not a luxury. It is Critical Infrastructure. Highspeed broadband is Critical Infrastructure the same way that pipes that carry our water and the wires that carry our electricity are Critical Infrastructure. The federal government has a role to play in infrastructure when it comes to the National Deployment of lifechanging critical innovations. And we have been here before. In the 20th century, the u. S. Faced a parallel challenge with the deployment of electricity. It took strategic federal action to bring the electricity to less populated rural areas. These commonsense investments raised our overall standard of living and spurred productivity in an Agricultural Sector that was at risk of falling behind urbanbased industries. If we can successfully electrify a nation, then we have no excuse for not connecting it to the internet in the modern era. Rural electricity has been the breakthrough or was the breakthrough in the 20th century. Universal highspeed broadband will be the breakthrough of the 21st century, provided we invest in it. Any serious National Infrastructure package needs real federal investment in rural broadband. Unfortunately, the Trump Administrations infrastructure proposal utterly fails to recognize the urgency for robust connectivity nationwide, especially for communities caught on the wrong side of the digital divide. The administrations plan fails to provide any dedicated funding for rural broadband. Strategic federal investments are needed to fill in the gaps for states and local communities struggling to keep up with the internet demands of today, let alone getting ahead of the connectivity demands of tomorrow. This administrations infrastructure proposal would only create more gaps. Although the administration is advertising their infrastructure proposal as a 1. 7 trillion plan, 1. 5 trillion of it would fall on the backs of cashstrapped state and local governments. If this is all that they are proposing, this is simply a lost opportunity. If this is all that they are proposing, this administration is setting up our communities for failure. And what they are actually proposing, well, they are proposing toll roads and hiking state and local taxes, and they arent even being sut billion this. Its in black and white. The administrations plan says, and i quote, providing states flexibility to toll existing interstates would generate additional revenues. Mr. President , michiganders did not send me to the United States senate because they want toll roads and higher local taxes. As a candidate, President Trump promised real federal investment in communities across our great nation. Now his administration is offering up state and local taxes and tolls to pay for roads, bridges, and waterways, and zero dedicated dollars, zero dedicateed dollars for broadband expansion. As i said earlier, any serious National Infrastructure plan needs real federal investment in rural broadband. Universal broadband means rural prosperity, continued Economic Growth, and international competitiveness. But we must invest in this goal in order to reach it. I urge my colleagues to join me in making Real Investments in rural highspeed broadband a top priority in any infrastructure legislation. All of our friends, family members, and neighbors in Rural Communities across our great nation are counting on us to deliver this. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. Mr. Cardin mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from maryland. Mr. Cardin thank you, mr. President. I want to share with my colleagues a concern i have about a group of people that are legally in this country that have a similar problem as the daca registrant dreamers that we need to Pay Attention to. Im strongly in support of legislation to pass to protect the daca and dreamers, and i will talk a little bit about that also. But there are a group of individuals who have been in this country for a long time, similar to the dreamers, to know no other country but the United States of america. They are legally here, and they also have a date on their back as a result of the Trump Administration in some cases not renewing their whats known as temporary protective status. In other cases, have deferred that decisionmaking on the extension of temporary protective status. In 1990, Congress Passed legislation that authorized the creation of the t. P. S. Program. We recognized that there were times in which Armed Conflict or environmental disasters or other extraordinary circumstances would present itself where individuals would not be safe in their home country, and that they would be permitted to legally come to the United States under this protective status. Id like to call it humanitarian protective status because these conditions have continued in many of these countries for decades. Many of these people have been here for decades because the circumstances in their home country have not changed. Administration after administration has renewed their protective status, and they have been permitted to live here legally, to be able to work, to go to school. They serve in our military. They have served our nation very, very well. The numbers here are smaller than the dreamers. The total number is approximately 437,000. The largest country by far is el salvador, which is 195,000. Honduras about 57,000. And haiti about 50,000. I think the members of congress are fully aware of the circumstances in Central America and recognize the fact that for many families, it was not safe to stay in their country because if they did, their children would likely either end up in a gang or be murdered. That the economic circumstances in these countries did not allow for Economic Opportunities for their families. As a result, the United States welcomed them here in a protective status, and theyve become part of our economy. For the state of maryland, this number is actually larger than the dreamer category. We have 22,500 that are in t. P. S. Status. 90 are from el salvador, honduras, and haiti. Its been estimated, mr. President , that this Group Contributes 1. 2 billion. 1. 2 billion to the maryland g. D. P. They have been in our country for decades. They know no other many of the young people particularly know no other country but the United States of america. It would not be safe for them to return to their country. And we have information about that, and i call that to my colleagues attention. The process we go forward on extending the t. P. S. Status is that we first get the recommendation from our embassy in the country itself. In this case ive had a chance to review the recommendations from the embassy, and its clear that our experts on the ground in the country felt that these families should be able to remain in the United States. There are many reasons for that. Some is the bilateral relationship with the country itself, where the country has asked us not to return these individuals to their country because they cannot handle this population returning to the country. They dont have jobs, and the infrastructure of the country will not handle that. I think we all are familiar with haiti and how devastated it has been by storms. They literally do not have the capacity to be able to handle the return of the haitians, and it would be an incredible burden on the country of haiti. There are no Jobs Available for these individuals. I think were all familiar about what happened on the returning of certain individuals in Central America. If we force deportation, make no mistake about it, individuals who have been law abiding here in the United States, adding to our economy, part of our social fiber, believing that theyre americans, will be returned to an environment where theyre going to be vulnerable to the intimidation of gangs, without employment many will have no choice but to choose to either join a gang or be subject to the type of intimidation and violence thats standing for the gang means not only for yourself but for members of your family. Thats something we should not be allowing. So for all those reasons theres also the economic reasons that the recommendations have been to continue this program, the challenge is they now have dates on their back because of the decision in some of these countries not to extend the t. P. S. Status by the Trump Administration. Very similar circumstances to the dreamers. It doesnt quite have the same amount of attention around the nation. These individuals are legally in this country. They came here legally, but they have been here for the same length of time and they are part of our fabric, the same as dreamers. Its for that reason that the right result is to protect their legal status here in the United States, to give them a pathway to citizenship so that they can become legal citizens of the country that they know as home. S. 2144, the secure act, was introduced by senator van hollen, senator feinstein, myself and others, in order to accomplish that. Mr. President , i hope that during the debate were having here that we will find a way in which we can incorporate protection for these 437,000 people legally here so that they know their future is here and they are protected in the workforce. As i said, its very similar to the dreamer issue. We know that the dreamer issue, the crisis, the march date that we are facing was created by the president of the United States. The daca program was created by president obama on june 15, 2012. Since that date weve had about 800,000 who have registered under the daca program that are now legally working. Theyre attending schools. They are able to operate motor vehicles. They are clearly our future teachers, our doctors, our engineers, our entrepreneurs. They are very much part of our economy. In maryland, we have 10,000 who have registered under the daca program. They contribute 500 million to the maryland g. D. P. So for so many reasons, it would just be common sense for us, i would think without too much controversy, to pass a bill that says to the, i believe its a total of 1. 8 million, we know that you know no other home but america. We welcome you. Were going to pass legislation that protects your status and gives you a pathway to citizenship. We do that because america doesnt tear our families apart. We dont say to people who know no other home but america that we dont want you to stay here. Because thats what we stand for as a nation. She is are the values that make america the strong nation these are the values that make america the strong nation that it is. And, by the way, these individuals are contributing to the growth of our economy. All of us benefit. Mr. President , over the last several months, a longer period than that, i have been in the company of many of the dreamers and many of the people who hold the t. P. S. Status. Ive been at roundtable constitutions in which weve had an roundtable discussions in which weve had an opportunity to listen to their stories about how they view america as their home. One said that the best birthday present she ever got was when president obama passed the daca executive order, when she knew that she had a future in america. Others have told us stories about, without the protection under the daca program, they never could have gotten a drivers license and therefore would never had an opportunity to advance in our economy. Others have attended our colleges. The interesting thing is ive been at many meetings on College Campuses where for the first time a student recognized that their fellow student was a dreamer. They didnt know that. They just knew them as one of their classmates in school. Ive been in businesses where for the first time employees discovered that one of their colleagues happened to be a dreamer because they didnt know that. They just knew them as a fellow employee. So let me just this is widely supported. Its important for our economy, important for our values, keeping Families Together and the American People support us on this. Poll after poll Shows Americans believe that those dreamers should be protected here in the United States. I want to include statements that i have received from the prince georges and Anne Arundel County and baltimore city. The schedule superintendents wrote maryland provides students with a worldclass education. Essential to our success is our commitment to providing children a safe and welcoming environment to learn. Termination of daca will have a direct and damaging effects on the maryland students who are currently benefiting. It is a direct threat to marylands economic stability and safety as it will strip students of their ability to work and drive legally, pay taxes and pursue postsecondary opportunities. Parents who lose Work Authorization will face deportation or be moved into dangerous underground economy, causing financial uncertainty for their families and harmful stress on their children. In addition the daca decision could impact our ability to motivate our youth to remain committed to their education and pursuing college and careers and lead to the worsening economic hardships of our daca community. Mr. President , ive sao ep many letters of ive seen many letters of support and seen testimony of t. P. S. Ers and dreamers. I want to emif a saoeusz one letter want to emphasize i letter i received from a police task force. What is said is very important. Theres a lot of reasons why we should be protecting t. P. S. Recipients and Daca Recipients. He said were all concerned that be a sent action by congress this population will be driven back into the shadows and be hesitant to report crimes and cooperate in investigations. Such an outcome would risk undermining community safety. Were not safe by people going into the shadows. This is the United States of america. Why would we want people to try to hide from us . Thats not the country we are. We dont create fear in the hearts of lawabiding citizens. These are lawabiding citizens. They have sisters and brothers who are u. S. Citizens. They have other family members who, some are t. P. S. , some are dreamers, some are u. S. Citizens. We dont tell families that we are going to tear them apart. Thats not what america believes in. These are all individuals who have gone through security checks. These are people who have been lawabiding, complying with our laws, working, serving our military, building this country. So, mr. President , i know that the first order of business, and i support this, is to make sure that the dreamers are protected. And i strongly support that and would vote for a bill on the floor right now tonight thats been introduced by some of our colleagues that protects the dreamers in and of itself, with nothing else connected to it. We should do it. It shouldnt be controversial. But i also urge us to make sure that we take care of those that are in t. P. S. Status. Its a smaller group. It doesnt have the same degree of national attention, but its the same values, the same economic concerns, its the same families and its the same issues. So i hope we find a way in which we can include both the dreamers and t. P. S. And protect their status here in america, give them pathways to citizenship because its the right thing for them, its the right thing for their families, its the right thing for our nation, its the right thing for our economy. And i know that my colleague from maryland is on the floor whos been one of the great leaders on this issue. I know hes met with many from the community that are in both the dreamer and t. P. S. Status. I have joined him at meetings around maryland where we have talked to the families. I just want to personally thank, through the chair, my colleague for all the work that he has done in order to bring this issue to the United States senate. With that, mr. President , i would yield the floor. Mr. Van hollen mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from maryland. Mr. Van hollen thank you, mr. President. I want to start by thanking my colleague from the state of maryland, the senior senator from the state of maryland, senator cardin, for his leadership on many, many issues, but especially as we gather here on the senate floor to discuss the dreamers and immigration issues, including folks who are t. P. S. Recipients. I want to thank him for his leadership in maryland and around the country on these vital issues. And i think the country understands how important it is that we provide the dreamers with a secure future. These are individuals who have grown up in our country. They know no other country as home. They have been in classrooms with our kids. They have pledged allegiance to the flag. They are now students either in college or working in businesses. Some of them are Small Business owners. Many serve in our armed forces. And it would be disgraceful if after welcoming these young people, we were to cast them away. Unfortunately, last september President Trump lit the fuse on the deportation of the dreamers, and that clock has been ticking every day and every month as we approach the march 5 deadline. And so we as a senate, as republicans and democrats, but more importantly as americans, need to come together and finally do our work so that we operate as a body that can help solve problems in this country. And part of that is making sure that these dreamers have a secure home and a pathway to become full citizens here in the United States of america. I was just over the other day talking to the president at the university of maryland. We have a number of Daca Recipients who are there training to be engineers, training to be doctors, people who are looking forward to participating in the only country they know. The United States of america. I do want to now turn quickly to people who are here under whats called temporary protected status. These are individuals who are in the United States and could not return home because of disasters in their home countries. Whether by earthquakes or by hurricanes or other events that made it impossible to return home because their homes had been destroyed or other circumstances had changed that made it impossible for them to return. And we, the United States of america, granted these individuals temporary protective status. And so these are individuals who are in the United States legally, and many of them have been here for over two decades. In the case of el salvador, we have most people who are here from el salvador on temporary protective status here in the United States since the year 2000. They have their families here, their business men and women, they are working productively in all our communities. In the case of honduras, it was even earlier before the year 2000. 1998. And so senator cardin and i and others have introduced legislation called the secure act that would also provide security here in the United States for these individuals on t. P. S. Status, and unfortunately, a series of decisions coming down from the Trump Administration have put the future of these individuals in jeopardy. The clock is also ticking on many of these people who have been here for more than 20 years toward deportation, and these are individuals who are, again, working here illegally and they are contributing to our communities, and i believe that as americans we should recognize that its important that we provide a secure future for them as well. Thats why we introduced the secure act. So im hopeful that as we debate a secure future for the dreamers, that we also find a way Going Forward to provide a secure future for those who are here under t. P. S. It seems to me, mr. President , that the answer is in plain sight here. The answer is making sure that dreamers have a secure future, providing a long path to citizenship so long as they meet all the requirements, and that we ensure we have Border Security. I dont think there is a senator in this body who doesnt believe that the United States has to have strong and secure borders. The debate has always been whats the smartest, most effective, most costeffective way to provide for Border Security . And i hope nobody is interested in wasting taxpayer dollars on things that dont work. It seems to me we should be about the business of finding the most costeffective way to ensuring that Border Security, and as we do that, we should be listening to the experts as to what works and what does not work. And unfortunately, we have seen more focus in recent months on things that cost a lot of money but dont really significantly improve our Border Security, so im hoping that we can come together and have a rather conversation about how we secure our borders in the most costeffective way. So, mr. President , this is a moment for the senate really to stand up and do its job, and i think that if you look at those two issues, a path forward for the dreamers, path toward citizenship for those who meet all the requirements, we find a way to do smart, costeffective Border Security, that that is clearly the way forward. And i do hope that as we consider those two important priorities, that we also come together and find a way forward for people who are here on temporary protective status because in my conversations with republican senators, they recognize that these individuals who are here legally, working in the country, been here for an average, i believe, of over 20 years, about 20 years, that we should find a way to make sure that they have a secure future here. We may want to look at ways to reform t. P. S. Going forward, and we can have that discussion, but for those who are here now and who have been living in the United States for decades, working, lets find a way to provide them with a secure future as well. So this is going to be the test for the senate in the coming days, hopefully coming days, but if not, in the coming weeks. I hope, mr. President , that we can get the job done. And i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call quorum call mr. Mcconnell mr. President . The presiding officer majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that the motion to proceed to h. R. 2579 be agreed to, that senator toomey or his designee be recognized to offer amendment number 1948 and that senator coons or his designee be recognized to offer amendment number 1955. Further, that the time until 8 00 p. M. Be equally divided between the leaders or their designees and following the use or yielding back of that time, the senate vote on the amendments in the order listed with 60 affirmative votes required for adoption and that no seconddegree amendments be in order prior to the votes. Finally, that if any of the amendments are adopted, they become original text for the purpose of further amendment. The presiding officer is there objection . Mr. Durbin mr. President , reserving the right to object. The presiding officer the stability democratic leader. Mr. Durbin mr. President , there have been meetings that have been going on all day on a bipartisan basis to try to resolve the issue before us, which was the president s decision to end the daca Program Effectively march 5 of this year. I believe progress is being made. I hope that we can continue along those lines. The proposed amendment by the senator from pennsylvania does not address this issue and for that reason, i will object. The presiding officer the objection is heard. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President , i ask unanimous consent the presiding officer majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to executive session for the en bloc consideration of the following nominations, executive calendar 155, 261, 469. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk nominations, department of transportation, adam j. Sullivan of iowa to be an assistant secretary. Ron yald l. Batory of new jersey to be administrator of the federal railroad administration. Federal motor carrier safety administration, Raymond Martinez of new jersey to be administrator. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask consent the senate vote on the mom nations en bloc with no intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc, the president be immediately notified of the senates action, that no further motions be in order and any statements relating to the nominations be printed in the record. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the senate resume the presiding officer the question occurs the question occurs on confirmation of the nominations en bloc. All those in favor say aye. Opposed no. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. The nominations are confirmed en bloc. Mr. Mcconnell now, mr. President , i ask unanimous consent the senate resume legislative session for a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 00 a. M. Wednesday, february 14, further that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day and morning business be closed. I further ask that following leader remark, the senate resume and vote on the motion to proceed to h. R. 2579. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell if theres no further business to come before the senate, i ask it stand adjourned under the previous order following the remarks of senator moran. The presiding officer without objection. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from kansas. Mr. Moran mr. President , thank you. This week the National Congress of American Indians is holding its Winter Council here. Tribal leaders across the nation are here to meet and confer and to advocate on policies that are important to them and to their tribal members. I welcome them to washington, d. C. And i encourage them to make known to us as members of the United States Senate Things that are important to them as tribal leaders and things that matter directly to their tribal members. Mr. Moran one of the priorities i know exists is the issue of tribal sovereignty. It is throughout the conversations you have with tribal leaders, the importance of maintaining the sovereignty of their tribe. And tonight i want to highlight for my colleagues s. 140. Its a package of tribal bills that include the tribal labor sovereignty act which i introduced here in the United States senate some time ago. By moving forward on this legislation and with its passage, we would return to the days in which the law was as it existed for 70 years after the passage of the National Labor relations act. That was true for 70 years until the National Tribal Relations Board stripped tribes of their status. Passage of this legislation would correct this decadeold error made by the nlrb. The National Labor relations act was passed in 1935. It exhibited federal employees though not specifically explicitly included, tribal governments had their sovereign status respected by the nlrb for the next 70 years. This approach caused no problems and was the expectation. But in 2004, the National Real estates labor reelingses board Relations Board enacted righttowork laws. Tribes struggled to find economic success for their tribal people. But the nlrb has intruded upon the gains made. The tribal labor sovereignty act that is introduced and will be before the senate before long is pretty straightforward and it is straightforward. It exempts tribalowned entities operated on tribalowned lands. Businesses owned by individual tribal members or any operations off the tribal lands still remains subject to the scrutiny of the National Labors relation board. In 2013, the United States senate had a vote taken on reauthorization of the violence against women act. It included new authorities for tribal governments to protect native american women, including when harmed by nonindians. With the passage of the law, congress placed our trust in tribes to exact justice. We rightly determined that tribes should have the ability to punish indian and not and nonindian offenders, but we cannot trust them to fairly treat them. Many have the highest wages and have the best benefits. Tribal jobs are coveted because perspective employees know what a good job they have available to them. In 2015, the Indian Affairs committee, of which im a member, held a legislative hearing on tesla. Testifying was robert welch. The tribe is unionized but he testified in support of the tribal sovereignty act and many tribes do welcome labor unions. That is all fine, but the trouble is the tribal labor sovereignty act says it is up to tribes to decide, not the nlrb. More than 1660 tribes support this legislation. The vote i seek in my view shouldnt be seen as anything partisan. Ive work to pass this legislation without a recorded vote. Ive taken it to the floor to do a live u. C. Request. I looked to get it included in appropriation bills, yet, it was always forced to be withdrawn which brings us close to a floor vote on this legislation. Nearly two dozen democrats, members of the United States house of representatives, including a member from the democratic leadership, supported this legislation as it passed the house of representatives in a strong bipartisan way. And we have strong bipartisan backing of this legislation in the United States senate. In fact the Indian Affairs committee reported this legislation out by a voice vote last summer. My point is the bill is not about labor. This is about the ability of tribal governments to provide Vital Services without intrusion. That was the point that the nlras exception, that was the point of that exception. Jefferson ke el writes, law enforcement, fire, e. M. S. Departments, schools, hospitals, Natural Resource management. All tribal governments play critical roles in ensuring the safety and health and stability of tribal and surrounding communities. Thats why cities and counties and local units of government are excluded from nlrb and thats why tribes should also be secluded. 80 years later why it is that every other form of government in this country is treated one way and tribes are treated a different way. Why do tribes have to accept this federal intrusion . The answer is they should not. This is a matter of sovereignty and they should be treated just like every other governmental entity under this law. Members of this chamber should believe that tribal governments elected by their members, possess the rights to make informed decisions on behalf of those they respect they represent. If their tribal members believe they made errors, they too are subject to elections just like we are. Mr. President , i rise this evening to encourage my colleagues to reach that reach that same conclusion, that sovereignty is an important component of how we treat native americans, that they should be able to manage their Tribal Affairs on tribal lands with tribal businesses and i urge my colleagues to vote that way when this legislation is on the senate floor. I yield the floor. The presiding officer under the previous order, the Senate Previous order, the senate it was slow going on the Senate Floor Today but they continued what they expect to be several days of work on immigration policy. Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell has said that that they would allow senators to offer amendments with 60 votes needed to pass. This an as yet to officially debate the bill. Twice today majority leader mcconnell sought to begin debate on a measured by republican senator pat toomey dealing with socalled sanctuary cities and a proposal by chris coons and senator john mccain on daca. Democrats blocked that effort twice today including just a few minutes ago. There had been long periods of silence on the senate floor, quorum calls where no senators have come to the floor to speak. Thats because discussions on immigration are largely happening off the floor. Next up on cspan2 we will show you the Senate Leaders talking about the effort earlier today to bring forth those first two amendments. Mr. President , for months senators have been clamoring for floor debate on daca, Border Security and other urgent issues pertaining to immigration. We certainly have had ample time to prepare. Week we set aside for this debate has arrived. For this the week my democratic colleagues insisted we dedicate to this