Transcripts For CSPAN2 U.S. Senate U.S. Senate 20240714

About 2 gallons working this afternoon on an executive nomination. Expected to vote on limiting debate on the next defense secretary. The chaplain of the house of representatives, father patrick conroy, will open the senate with prayer. The guest chaplain let us pray. Righteous god, deliver your people from evil. Set our lawmakers on safe paths, protecting them from dangers. Preserve them and their loved ones, keeping them from stumbling. Provide our senators with counsel, even in the night sessions, that they may prevail against the evil that seeks to destroy our nation and world. As they trust your loving kindness, may their hearts rejoice in your salvation. Lord, deal bountifully with them and the members of their staffs. We pray in your marvelous name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of americ, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Grassley mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley first, i have a duty to perform for the leader. I understand that there are two bills at the desk due to second reading due for second reading en bloc. The presiding officer the clerk will read titles of the bills for the second time. The clerk h. R. 582, an act to provide for increases in the federal minimum wage and for other purposes. H. R. 748, an act to amend the Internal Revenue code of 1986 to repeal the excise tax on highcost employersponsored Health Coverage. Mr. Grassley in order to place the bills on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14, i would object to further proceeding en bloc. The presiding officer the objection having been heard, the bills will be placed on the calendar. Mr. Grassley mr. President , i ask to speak in morning business for one minute. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley passing the United Statesmexicocanadian agreement means more Market Access for our farmers and businesses and more protection for our workers. This agreement includes new commitments in critical areas such as customs, digital trade, services environment, and labor that are crucial to bringing higher wages and more jobs to the american workers. Of course, enforcement is key to a strong and durable trade agreement that will deliver all the benefits that i just listed. We need enforcement measures that work for all aspects of this agreement. Its time to bring nafta into the 21st century, and thats what the u. S. Mexicocanadian agreement will do. The time for usmca is now. I yield the floor. And i suggest 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 mr. Mcconnell madam president. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell so the senates first order of business this week will be confirming a thoroughly well prepared nominee to a post of Vital National importance. Later today well vote to advance the nomination of dr. Mark esper to serve as secretary of defense. Tomorrow well vote on his confirmation. When dr. Esper was nominated in july of 2017 to serve as secretary of the army he possessed an impressive record that spanned Public Service, the private sector, and of course distinguished service in uniform. As a student he excelled at west point. He served honorably in combat during the gulf war with kentuckys 101st airborne, the screaming eagles. Later he obtained a masters degree from the Kennedy School and a ph. D. From George Washington university. In the years since dr. Esper has continued to serve his country compiling an outstanding record in Public Service. He served as Deputy Assistant secretary at the pentagon, as a senateappointed member of the u. S. China economic and security review commission, and of course as a trusted staff expert right here in the capitol. As a result, many of our colleagues have been familiar with this nominee for more than a decade. Members on both sides remember mark esper from his time on staff with our former colleague chuck hagel. Some knew him during his tenure with the Foreign Relations committee or with what was then the Governmental Affairs committee. And many of us inevitably crossed path with the smart and levelheaded National Security advisory for majority leader bill frist. When President Trump nominated mr. Esper to be secretary of the army two years ago my colleagues and i were well acquainted with his expertise, his patriotism. Its no wonder that this body confirmed that post by an overwhelming bipartisan margin and since then secretary esper has continued to impress. He continued to earn the praise of experts and colleagues from every corner of the National Security landscape. Quote, hes highly regarded inside the army. Soldiers like him, end quote. Hes, quote, someone who can work across the aisle, somebody who can work with congress. Additionally, somebody superbly well l qualified by experience and temperament for the position. Another quote, the nation would be lucky to have mark serve in any capacity. Hes particularly well suited to step into one of the most important jobs in the world. High praise from former pentagon officials of the obama years from widely recognized National Security professionals and just last week our colleagues on the Armed Services committee offered a ringing endorsement of their own by voting by voice to favorably report his nomination to the floor. So, madam president , it would be hard to draw up a more compelling case than the one in front of us for confirming dr. Mark esper. And its hard to imagine a more persuasive argument for doing it right away. No further delay than the front pages of newspapers all around the world every day. The world is full of serious threats to america, to our allies and to our interests. Not least among them obviously is irans insistence on continuing to ratchet up tensions in the middle east, having a senateconfirmed secretary of defense, especially one of this quality, could not come a moment too soon. So, in closing, madam president , when secretary esper took his last job, he wrote Army Personnel a letter that laid out three priorities readiness, modernization, and reform. Since then hes played an active role in this administrations effort to restore the primacy and lethality of Americas Fighting forces and the success of defense authorizations and Ongoing Operations abroad bear his fingerprints. Every day we are reminded that his work continues and were reminded why. So today my colleagues should be proud to join me in voting to advance the esper nomination and put the right man on the job. Mr. Cornyn madam president. The presiding officer the senator from texas. Mr. Cornyn madam president , over a week ago i traveled to the texasmexico border with the Vice President as well as the presiding officer and other republicans on the Senate Judiciary committee. We visited mcallen located in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley, which is a beautiful region with a thriving economy. Folks in the region continue to struggle to manage the growing humanitarian crisis caused by the massive influx of migrants arriving at our southern border. The Rio Grande Valley has been disproportionately impacted by this migrant crisis, with 46 of all apprehensions last month occurring in that sector. Its taken a toll, as you might expect, on the Border Patrol, the department of health and human services, local communities, and the nongovernmental organizations working to provide care for these migrants. Our trip provided the opportunity for the Vice President and members of the Judiciary Committee to meet with the men and women who are on the front lines of this crisis and hear about the challenges that they face every day. We also discussed what Congress Needs to do to help them address this crisis. Chairman Lindsey Graham invited all the members of the Judiciary Committee, both republicans and democrats, to go on the trip, but unfortunately none of our democratic colleagues accepted that invitation. Instead of going on a bipartisan basis, Senate Democrats chose to wait a week and go on what was a clearly partisan messaging mission. The minority leader said the purpose of the trip was to, quote, investigate, inspect, and evaluate conditions for migrants at facilities on the border, close quote. They traveled to mcallen, exactly where we were one week before, and they had a very similar itinerary, but they had a very different mission. Our mission was to find out what Congress Needed to do to help fix the problem. Theirs was to shine a light in a bipartisan fashion on conditions of migrants which were largely of congresss own making as a result of congressional inaction on dealing with the underlying causes. We both met with chief patrol agent rudy kar ish and had the chance to speak to the migrants themselves. But our takeaways from these nearly identical trips was quite different. This was like ships passing in the night. I left that trip feeling immense gratitude for our professional Border Patrol agents working to complete their duties with professionalism and compassion. As this crisis has grown, theyve been asked to do more and more with less and less. They go to work each morning not knowing exactly what the day will bring. Will they encounter a group of hundreds of migrants . Will they find abandoned children left for dead by smugglers . Will they rescue a drowning family from the rio ground or rio grande or worse find those who succumbed to the dangerous journey . This is not the fault of our Border Patrol agents and its not a side effect of the 2016 president ial election either. This migrant crisis has been bubbling up for years. We got a glimpse of how bad it could be in 2014 when thenpresident obama announced there was a humanitarian and security crisis, his words, on the southern border. In may of 2014, the height of apprehensions that year, nearly 69,000 people were detained at the southern border. In may of this year, that number has more than doubled to 144,000 in one month alone. So president obama called it a humanitarian and security crisis in 2014 and the problem has roughly doubled since that time. If theres one thing i hope our colleagues found on their trip, as the minority leader said to investigate, inspect, and evaluate, i hope its this, i hope their investigation confirmed what they have reflectively denied for months on end, that there is, in fact, a crisis at the border. I hope their inspection revealed that the problem isnt with the administrations policies or with the actions of our Border Patrol, its our broken immigration system. I hope they evaluated that without some type of action, real action by congress, the situation along the border will only continue to get worse. As this senseless bipartisanship over Border Security carries on, People Living and working along the border are also hurting. When i when we were in mcallen a week and a half ago, we heard from one Border Patrol agent who talked about the role Border Patrol plays at the centralized Processing Centers. He said we wear different hats. Sometimes were fathers, sometimes were mothers, brothers, sisters, play pals, and even counselors. We do this because we care. We do this because there is a real need. And, madam president , there is certainly a need. Last month we passed Bipartisan Legislation to send muchneeded humanitarian relief which will provide some temporary help. That bill also included funding for the departments and agencies that have depleted their resources trying to manage this crisis the best they can, and it made 30 million available for communities. In other words, they had to pay out of their own pockets for something thats the federal governments responsibility, and im glad we at least provided 30 million for reimbursement. This was a long overdue and important step to support those who have been working day in and day out hour by hour, minute by minute to manage this crisis. But as the folks we talked to in mcallen reiterated, the underlying problem still exists. In other words, you can treat the symptoms or you can treat the cause, but we shouldnt be confused. We have been maybe addressing some of the symptoms but we have done nothing to address the underlying cause. These officers and agents work incredibly hard to enforce our laws and provide Compassionate Care for those in their custody, but without meaningful action from congress, we are sending them into a losing battle. Without fixing the loopholes and repairing the broken system that facilitated this humanitarian crisis in the first place, well be finding ourselves experiencing deja vu every month. If you think 4. 5 million was needed for this emergency just a couple of weeks ago, wait six more months when there will be another 4. 5 billion required and there after and there after and there after. Well, what is the answer to the underlying root cause . What does Congress Need to do in order to fix it and to staunch this flow of humanity across our border . Well, theres only one bill out there with bipartisan support, with support both in the house of representatives and the United States senate that would provide relief along the border, and thats the humane act. Its an honest, nonpartisan attempt to fix the problem. No poison pills, no radical proposals, just reasonable policy designed to solve the problem. This bill would close whats become known as the flores loophole. This is an effective way to extend the flow of those trying to game the system without hindering trade or travel. In addition, the humane act would improve the way we process individuals entering into our country. We got the recommendation for our legislation from the bipartisan Homeland Security advisory committee. It would, for example, establish reasonable Processing Centers which would have personnel on hand to assist, including medical personnel and asylum officers at the border in regional Processing Centers. Finally, it would improve standards of care for individuals in our custody, something we all want to see happen. It would require the department of Homeland Security to keep Families Together during Court Proceedings and ensure that migrants had timely access to medical assistance as well as Recreational Activities, Educational Services and even legal counsel. The humane act requires additional training for customs and Border Protection and i. C. E. Officers, immigration and customs enforcement, for everyone who deals where children. The humane act is the only bipartisan bill currently proposed, and i would urge all of our colleagues to give it serious consideration. I can only hope that this trip that our democratic colleagues took convinced them it was time to quit playing games and get serious about finding a solution to the humanitarian crisis on our southern border. Madam president , i yield the floor, and i would note the the presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Morning business is closed. Under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. The clerk nomination, department of defense, mark t. Esper, of virginia, to be secretary. Mr. Cornyn madam president , i would note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call a senator madam president . The presiding officer the senator from maryland. A senator madam president , i ask unanimous consent to vitiate the quorum call. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Van hollen and i ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Van hollen madam president , i rise today to recognize and thank an extraordinary public servant, one who has contributed greatly to the United States senate. Next week my constituent Judy Schneider will retire after a long and very distinguished career serving the United States senate, the United States house of representatives, and the Congressional Research service. Where she has earned a reputation as one of the nations top experts on the workings of the United States congress. She has joined us in the gallery today so i hope all my colleagues will make sure that we Pay Attention and play by the rules. When i was a new member of congress, member of the house of representatives, one of my very first meetings was with Judy Schneider. I was sprowd that judy was proud that judy was my constituent in marylands aight Congressional District and i was glad to have her advice. Since then i have sought her counsel many, many times during my years in the house and the United States senate. Judys service at the Congressional Research service has been nothing short of extraordinary. Over the past four decades she has educated hundreds of members of congress and their staff on congressional operations and procedures. As the author of numerous articles and the coauthor of the congressional desk book, the practical and comprehensive guide to congress, judys expertise on the intricacies of congressional structures and procedures is unmatched. And judy is known equally well for the positive personal impact she has had on each of her students. From giving lectures to the countless conferences to her direct connect to congress series, judys impact has been farreaching. Through her dynamic, informative, and humorous style, shes been described as having a lifechanging impact on her students. For her remarkable work, Judy Schneider has received a number of well deserved and prestigious awards. She received the 1988 planned meant oorp award for her work educating and training women in public policy. A fellowship in the 108th congress through the Stennis Center for Public Service leadership and the distinguished member award from women in Government Relations. In 2015 women in Government Relations created the Judy Schneider fellowship in recognition of her efforts to educate women about the congressional procedure and policy. Judy has mentored thousands of women and this fellowship will ensure that her legacy is felt by many more. Last year judy received the Lifetime Achievement in democracy award from the Congressional Management Foundation in recognition of her outstanding impact and important work in congress. This award truly exemplifies the role that Judy Schneider has played for so many of us. Her mission has always been clear. Because of her deep love for this institution and for our country, she has used her unique talents to try to help make our democracy work better. She has trained generations of staff and members, including a number of staff who later became members of congress themselves. She represents the very best of Public Service. She exemplifies the service in a way few have bringing the legislative process to life with humor and passion. Her presentations packed with information and insight and delivered with wit and humor were designed to train members of congress and their staffs so that we as a body function better and consequently so that our democracy functions better. If some of us are finding that the senate is not functioning particularly well at the moment, we cant say that we werent taught better. As they say, you can lead a senator to riddicks Senate Procedure but you cant make him or her read. Some have been heard to say that they found judy to be just a little bit intimidating. What is intimidating about judy is the depth of her knowledge of this institution, her pursuit of excellence in her work, and the exacting standards take she practiced and demanded of others, and her unwielding commitment to quality. Most importantly, her deep love and concern for the United States congress is reflected in all that she does. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Transformative Impact that Judy Schneider has had on this body and to thank her for her career at c. R. S. , her dedication to Public Service, and the lifetime of work that has truly made a difference in the lives and careers of members of congress. I know that while we will miss her daily presence in these halls, Judy Schneiders commitment to the congress will continue to inspire us to serve this institution and the people we represent to the best of our abilities. And i know that would be the highest tribute to judy that we could pay. And madam president , since Judy Schneider is a stickler for procedure, i now suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call quorum call quorum call the presiding officer the senator from iowa is recognized. Without objection. The clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. The clerk cloture motion, we, the the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of mark t. Esper of virginia to be secretary of defense, signed by 17 senators. The presiding officer by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. The question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of mark t. Esper of virginia to be secretary of defense shall be brought to a close. The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote vote the presiding officer does any senator wish to change their snroat has any senator has any senator not voted . On this vote the yeas are 85, the nays are 6. The motion is agreed to. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from pennsylvania. A senator i would ask consent to speak ask consent to vitiate the quorum call. The presiding officer were not in a quorum call. A senator ask consent to speak in morning business. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Casey thanks very much. Mr. President , i rise today to speak about an issue that we dont talk enough about around here, and thats the threat to the Affordable Care act and the lawsuit that was filed and is now in a federal court, this time in the Circuit Court of appeals for the fifth circuit. Earlier this month there were oral arguments. That case could be decided in a matter of or a short time, maybe even this fall. And because it doesnt i guess because its not an issue thats being debated in the halls of congress by way of hearings or votes or otherwise, it doesnt get the attention that it warrants. This lawsuit which is now a direct challenge to the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act would be every bit as devastating and harmful as the repeal efforts that were undertaken two summers ago, 2017. And the consequences of success in that lawsuit would put us in the same place we would be if put the country in the same place it would be if the repeal effort were successful. We know, for example, that the protections that were put into place in the Affordable Care act basically the Affordable Care act had to parts to it if you want to simplify it. One was new protections and the other was new coverage. So 20 Million People got covered. Roughly 20 million that didnt have coverage before, most of those 20 million are the higher number at least at the time were folks who gained their Health Coverage through Medicaid Expansion. And as we now know, Medicaid Expansion has had a number of positive impacts on the American People. It came into force really came into effect right in the middle of or in one of the early stages of our broader awareness of the opioid crisis, the addiction crisis. Were it not for the expansion of medicaid, a lot of people in my home state of pennsylvania and around the country would not have treatment for opioid misuse or the broader category of Substance Use disorder conditions. So Medicaid Expansion helped a lot of people with treatment, which is essential to free yourself from the blip of an addiction that weve seen so often. Mr. Casey so if this lawsuit, for example, were affirmed in the Circuit Court, it was successful in the district court, if it were affirmed in the fifth circuit, that would mean that that court would have declared the Affordable Care act unconstitutional. The effect of that is Medicaid Expansion goes away. Protections for a much larger number of americans, not simply those who needed opioid treatment or treatment for an opioid addiction or Substance Use disorder condition, not just those who are newly enrolled, the roughly 20 million who got coverage, when youre talking about the protections, youre talking about a much larger number of americans. Maybe as high as 150 million americans or more who had protections not only in the circumstance where they had a preexisting condition but also protections against capping the coverage someone would get or the treatment they would get over a year or over a lifetime, just to mention two or three new protections. For example, all those young people who were able to stay on their Parents Health Insurance Plan until the age of 26, that would go away, too. So youre talking about a tremendous coverage loss of at least millions of people, potentially as high as 20plus Million People, and the wiping out of the elimination of protections for tens and tens and tens of millions of americans. Now you would think in that circumstance those who have been most determined to have the Affordable Care act struck down, you would think because theyve had about eight years now give or take to prepare something to replace, you would think they would have a replacement ready to go. Maybe a replacement enacted into law but at least, at least a replacement that is ready to go on day one, has all the details worked out. And not just any replacement, not just a replacement that has words like preexisting conditions in the title of the bill but Something Real and substantial and credible on a complicated subject like health care. Meaning that the replacement would cover at least 20 Million People, would provide all the protections for all those americans, whether its on preexisting conditions, protection against a preexisting condition or otherwise, and would be comparable in its impact, its positive impact on americans. You would think that bill was ready to go and ready to be enacted into law. That is not the case. And i was i shouldnt say i was surprised, but i was somewhat concerned when i picked up politico, i guess it was last week, about a week ago now, and a number of republican senators were expressing the hope that the lawsuit would be successful, the hope that the Affordable Care act would be declared unconstitutional. But what i didnt see in that article and didnt see in a lot of other places is a replacement that will provide a comparable if not an identical measure of protection. Thats when he told us all along, that they have a better way to do it and the American People are going to be better off. Thats the promise thats been made by the republicans in the senate and the house over the years. You think that would be ready but it apparently is not ready. So i hope that maybe in the month of august that plan will be developed and ready to go. And not just any old plan that has a nice title on it, surge protections that cant be brought to fruition or brought into effect because when you provide the kind of protections that the Affordable Care act provides, youve got to make the math work. Youve got to make sure you can pay for it. Youve got to make sure the policy will support what you promise in the details of the legislation. So well see what happens. But it is now if this lawsuit were to be affirmed at the Circuit Court level, im assuming that there would be an appeal by one side or the other, but if we reach a point where a court has said that a. C. A. Is unconstitutional, i hope that theres going to be a replacement that will provide all of the protections, all of the coverage, and all of the essential elements that were in the Affordable Care act done a better way because thats what theyve all promised on the other side. I dont think thats likely to happen. Somethings going to give. Something will be cut. Something will be taken away or a lot more than that. Just by way of one example, just one number, only one number for today, 642,000 i think its 642,700. Thats the estimate of the number of children who live in pennsylvania who have a preexisting condition. Okay. So any change in law by way of the court, a federal court or the Supreme Court or otherwise or change in law pursuant to congressional action has to make sure among many things that every one of those 642,700 children in pennsylvania have protections in place by law for a preexisting condition. In addition to all the all the other adults across pennsylvania. Basically its almost one out of every two americans has a preexisting condition. Thats the rough thats the rough estimate. Thats a lot of people across the country. Some people believe owe owe some credible, reliable estimates have it north of 130 million americans. So those are the only two numbers ill give. So the lawsuit is problematic. If that were all, that would be bad enough. But there are two other things that are problematic when it comes to health care. One is the proposed cuts by the administration. Now, i realize that House Republicans and Senate Republicans may not agree with the president s proposal, but hes in the same party and his budget director is in the same party. And the congress of the United States has to react to that budget proposal. The Administration Proposed a tenyear medicaid cut of 1. 5 trillion, and thats with a t, trillion, not billion. 1. 5 trillion cut to medicaid. A similar cut or i should say a comparable cut actually a lower number to medicare over ten years, 845 billion. Well, youve got to be able to say okay, if there is a replacement, a credible replacement that provides the identical protections and coverage that the Affordable Care act provided, if that is the case, what would happen to health care if you cut medicaid by 1. 5 trillion and medicare by 845 billion . Got to answer those questions if youre serious about health care. Now, if youre just kind of moving things around and having a talking point for a campaign maybe, thats different. But if youre serious about health care and youre serious about coverage and youre serious about adverse impact on kids, people with disabilities, and seniors, you cant cut medicaid by 1. 5 trillion. One way to describe medicaid is the Nursing Home Program for the middle class in many instances. Okay. So medicaid is not a program for someone out there, someone distant who is not worthy of our support and our help. Medicaid is us. Medicaid is who we are. Because we decided more than 50 years ago we are the United States of america. And were the strongest country in the world for lots of reasons. Thank goodness we have the strongest military. Thank goodness we have the strongest economy. But were also the greatest country in the world because folks around the world have seen they can follow our example once in a while. And they saw more than 50 years ago that we said if youre a child in a lowincome family or you have a disability or youre a senior trying to get into a nursing home, medicaid is going to help you do that. And we also passed medicare at the same time. So if youre serious about health care, youve got to be really concerned about these budget cut proposals by the administration. Third and last topic on this is the efforts undertaken by the administration when in the midst of failing to repeal the Affordable Care act and thereafter, the efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care act and not in any way an overstatement, when you have an advertising budget to let people know that they can go to the exchanges, not the Medicaid Expansion but the exchanges to get Medicare Coverage and get a subsidy to help them Purchase Health care maybe for the first time, millions of people got that opportunity and millions still have it. In order for folks to know about that, to know about their eligibility, to know about the benefits of that, youve got to advertise. We know that. The administration cut the advertising budget by only 90 . Not quite 100 but 90 cut in the advertising budget. Also in other ways where they have undermined and sabotaged the system. So if youre concerned about health care, youve got to be concerned about that sabotage. Youve got to be concerned about medicaid and medicare cuts. And you have got to be concerned about this lawsuit. So we have a lot of work to do just to protect the gains, the coverage gains and the protection gains that have been won, hard won over many years that benefit tens and tens of millions of americans. Im not sure i can put a total number on them. So i hope that those who are rooting for this lawsuit to be successful have factored in all of that when that day comes if it were to come to change health care radically and dramatically for the American People. And with that, mr. President , i will yield the floor. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to legislative session and be in 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 the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 138, s. 1199. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk calendar number 138, s. 1199, a bill to amend the Public Health service act to revise and extend the Poison Center network program. The presiding officer without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the committeereported substitute amendment be agreed to and the bill as amended be considered read a third time. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i know of no further debate on the bill as amended. The presiding officer if there is no further debate, the question is on passage of the bill as amended. All in favor say aye. No. All opposed no. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. The bill as amended is passed. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell now, mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 00 a. M. Tuesday, july 23. Further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning business 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, morning business be closed, and the senate proceed to h. R. 1327 under the previous order. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell so if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of senator boozman. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Boozman mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from arkansas. Mr. Boozman i rise today to honor the service and sacrifice of Sergeant Mike steven of the stone county Sheriffs Office. Sergeant steven was mortally wounded in the line of duty on july 18, 2019. As a veteran of the United States army, he spent 20 years in Law Enforcement, mike steven was a true public servant. He bravely wore many of the uniforms we associate with serving and protecting communities. His work didnt stop in his own community. He also advocated for his brothers and sisters in blue before the Arkansas State legislature. Mikes second home was the fire station. He started serving at the Pineville Fire Department when he was 16 years old, and for the last 11 years, he served as chief. His colleagues at the Fire Department had Great Respect and admiration for him. He was known as a leader who put 110 into everything that he did. Sergeant stevens colleagues in the Sheriffs Office will remember him as a man who led from the front and pushed everyone to do better. Sergeant steven truly was a hero. We honor his service and sacrifice. Certainly my thoughts and prayers are with his wife susan, along with many other family members, friends and colleagues in the Law Enforcement community. I humbly offer my sincere condolences as they grieve mikes passing. I stand with all arkansans in expressing our heartfelt gratitude for Sergeant Stevens steadfast devotion to serve as a Law Enforcement officer. It takes a special person to put their life on the line every day to protect our communities. Sergeant steven exemplified what it meant to serve and protect, running toward danger as an army veteran, a member of the stone county Sheriffs Office and as pineville fire chief. Arkansas will be forever grateful for his sacrifice. Mr. President , i ask consent that my following remarks appear somewhere else in the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Boozman thank you, mr. President. Todays heat index is a brutal reminder of what that we are at the height of the summer. While we all struggle to stay cool, too many children across the country have to deal with an initial discomfort this time of the year hunger. We cant control the temperature outside, but we do have an opportunity to help relieve their hunger pangs by modernizing usdas Summer Food Service program which offers children from lowincome families free lunch and snacks in the summer. The Summer Food Service program is hamstrung by rules that date back to the 1960s and dictate a onesizefitsall approach to the problem. Because of this, five out of six of the children who participate in the School Lunch Program during the school year miss out on meals during the summer. The program falls short because its inflexible. It requires that children travel to a Central Location and eat their meals together. While this works well in some communities, too many children still go hungry during the summer. More than 14 million lowincome children across the country live in communities that are ineligible to operate an open summer meal site. Even in communities where there are sites, access can be far from easy lack of transportation and extreme weather often keep children away. In rural areas where roughly three million lowincome children live, the closest site could be several miles away. Senator leahy and i are leading a bipartisan charge to overcome this challenge and make federal child nutrition programs more efficient, flexible, and better equipped to reach children in need. Our bill, the hungerfree summer for kids act of 2019, brings together senators from different regions and views across the political spectrum in an effort to address this issue. The majority leader is one of the original cosponsors as well as senators brown, hydesmith, and hoeven. I am grateful for their support. We hope to add more names to this coalition moving forward. This Bipartisan Group teamed up because we have seen the need for more options to end hunger in our communities and share a belief that the best solutions to this problem come from the ground up. The changes we have put forward come directly from the leaders of organizations in our communities who are dedicated to ensuring children do not go hungry during the summertime. They have seen firsthand how difficult these summer months are for children who are unable to access meals at a Central Location. Their expertise and ideas help us fashion alternative options to provide states with flexibility that will help fill the gaps where the programs fall short. The solution proposed by the hungerfree summer for kids act 2019 channels the energy and want two of these helpers to make the summer meals to make this program work for all areas of the country. Kathy webb, executive director of the arkansas hunger relief lines, is one of those leaders on the ground in my state. She said the hungerfree summer for kids act of 2019 will make a significant difference because it provides the options families need to overcome the barriers and access nutritious food that their kids need in the summer. I stress that the organizations that provide summer meals at centralized locations do an excellent job. Not only do they supply nutritious meals children need to ensure their development does not suffer while out of school, but they also provide educational and Recreational Activities in a social setting. But again, this doesnt work for every child in need. Too many are falling through the cracks. In fact, summer meals currently reach less than 20 of children who participate in similar programs during the school year. Our bill proposes two alternative options states can utilize through the Summer Food Service program to reach these kids. The first would allow for meals to be consumed off site through innovative means like mobile feeding and other programs such as the backpack meals. The other option would authorize the summer e. B. T. Program which would provide eligible families 30 per summer month per child with a maximum of 100 per child per year to purchase food from approved retailers. Summer e. B. T. Was shown to reduce child hunger by over 30 in usda pilot programs. To my colleagues, as you plan your itinerary for the august work period, i encourage you to visit summer feeding programs in your communities. Talk to those on the front lines of this effort and ask them about our proposed changes to the Summer Food Service program. I think you will find they face similar challenges to those who are seeking to overcome with the hungerfree summer for kids act of 2019. August is the ideal time to see how organizations in your communities are using the program to help those in need and how these proposed changes will help them increase their reach. With that, mr. President , i yield back. The presiding officer under the previous order, the Senate Stands adjourned until 10 00 a. M. Tomorrow. Showboat takes place tomorrow. Also tuesday they passed 9 11 active compensation fund. Later this week bait and both on executive nomination. Although the senate live on cspan2 when members return tuesday. Marissa schulte covers washington for the New York Post enjoins us for the 9 11 Victim Compensation bill. Its been voted on tuesday in the senate votes to permanently reauthorize the fun. What are the details in the bill . The bill extends the 9 11 Victim Compensation fund to 2092 its not a permanent fix but the idea is legislation will live on for the lifetime of the september 11 victims. Who are some of the sponsors that we might recognize custom customer. Has wide spread support from both sides of the aisle. There is 75 cosponsors out of a hundred in the senate and kirsten tilbury and senator schumer have taken the lead on that. The legislation is named after three people, who are they and can you tell us a little bit about the. It is named after three 9 11 First Responders from new york who served at ground zero ray seifer, james and lou and unfortunately all of them have gotten sick after service and have died in the years since. Lou is notable because he spent his final days on earth tried to advocate for the bill. He spent time before the house Judiciary Committee with emotional testimony of jon stewart in the days before he died and in his final act he gave senator rich mcconnell his nypd badge to push the legislation forward. The house passed this bill more than a week ago. Senators were holding it up and those were senators, ran paul from kentucky and senator from utah. Kirsten gillbrand passes on a set of four in these two senators held it up. On thursday they reached a compromise so these two senators would allow amendments on the legislation tomorrow and assuming mms will be bolded under voted down the bill will go to full pass in the senate. And jon stewart for one of the daily shows how much influence did he in the First Responders did they have he has made this is passion project. He started as a host of the daily show. And in the years he has forged friendships with the First Responders and turned to him for his leadership as well. He has come to congress countless times to push the lawmakers for action in the First Responders have come so many times asking for help, many sick, many dying and they have offered very emotional testimony to get this through and in fact, jon stewart had a very viral video last moment for the house Judiciary Committee where he said shame on you for not getting this done and is from these lawmakers into action. If it passes in the senate on tuesday it will go into the white house, what is President Trumps take on the bill . He is expected to pass it. And senator schumer said in both chambers they expect to have them at dirty beat appropriate and of something happens in President Trump because it would still get through according to senator schumer. We will keep looking for your tweets at marissa underscore scholz in europe reporting at ny post. Com. Thank you so much. Tonight on the communicators we will discuss roles that venture capitalists play in startup companies. Secrets of sandhill road. Members who come in and often they have a Powerpoint Presentation so they have a bill of product at this point in time. Its an opportunity for the u oo printer to tell us about the expansion of the company. What could this thing look like if they get their and why is this team the right team to be able to go after that. Its an intellectual process by which we get to learn new interesting things and make decisions about whether this is a team we should back for the opportunity. Tonight at 8 00 p. M. On the communicators on cspan2. Here is a look at the primetime schedule on the cspan networks. Starting at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan, the arrival of the casket and Memorial Service for Supreme Court Justice John Paul stevens who died last week at the age of 99. At 830 eastern on cspan2 the road to the white house coverage continues with minnesota senator ab klobuchar at a live event. At 8 00 p. M. On cspan3 looking Online Platforms and the impact of entrepreneurship in the United States. Cspan washington journal live everyday with news and policy issues that impact two. Coming up Tuesday Morning, the National Security reporter and political congressional reporter join us to preview special Counsel Robert Mueller congressional testimony wednesday. Then we talk with New York Times magazine about his reporting on the life and career of special counsel mueller. Be sure to watch cspan washington journal live at seven eastern Tuesday Morning and joined the discussion. Testimony from fbi director Christopher Wray about the agency. He will be speaking before the Senate Judiciary Committee Live as heading in eastern on cspan3. And House Intelligence Committee chair adam schiff will discuss the Mueller Investigation and upcoming testimony. He will look at what is being done to protect your selection from foreign interference. That conversation hosted by the center of american progress. Robert willie testified to congress on wednesday about possible obstruction of justice and the abuse of power by President Trump and russian interference in the 2016 president ial election live coverage starts a at 830 eastern or listen wherever you are with the free cspan radio. Before the hearing listen to the complete Mueller Report as cspan. Org on your laptop or mobile device. Type Mueller Report audio in the search box at the top of the page. The audio is courtesy of timberland media. Watch live coverage as a nation governor see insult lake city. Friday thursday 915 eastern recognizing the space program. Then at 930 a conversation about safer and smarter roads. Just after 1 00 p. M. Eastern improving infrastructure with larry hogan. The National Government Association Live friday on cspan2 and cspan. Org or listen for the free cspan radio app. We have a very busy week in washington with her two guests, one is noah who is White House Reporter for the Los Angeles Times. We also say good morning to the russian reporter for the wall street journal. We will start with the mueller hearings which on wednesday will be life on cspan3. We will get you to weigh in on what to expect. First during other here is a look. We want the American People to hear from special counsel mueller what his investigation found. Others have spent the last few months systematically lying to the market people about what the investigation found. They found no collusion, they found no obstruction exonerated the president , all three of the statements are lies, they dont collusion and obstruction of by the president and refuse to exonerate the president. Its very important to the American People to hear what the facts are because this is a president who violated the law six ways from sunday and if anyone else had been accused of what the report find the president has done they would been indicted. Its important that we not have a lawless ministration and president and its important that people see where were at and what were doing. I want to follow up on what you just said. You read the report, do you believe the president is guilty of high crimes and this demeanor for impeachment by the house . I think there is very substantial evidence that the president is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors. We have to present those facts to the market people and see where we go from there. The ministration thus be held accountable in the president to be above the law. First off what you suspect is the mood on the hill leading in to the mueller hearings. And what could you identify as being a win or something for the democrats to say this was worth it in the end. The mood is one of anticipation on the part of democrats but also anxiety and the stakes are very high for democrats, nancy pelosi said they will not proceed to impeachment proceedings unless they can bring the public along. Democrats are viewing file mueller as the best shot at doing. That. What is the current posture of the white house leading into the syrians. What ishi the best and worst takeaways . I think the president himself has really tried to undermine the credibility and the investigation, there will be a lot of people on the hill they cannot case for him. I think more simply, one of the things that has always can do is to continue to ask out loud, things in the report that are in his favor which are the ultimate questions of cooperation with russian efforts to become involved with the election and the fact there was not enough evidence in the indictment of the president and to recommend impeachment on the issue is a very important point. The hearing is this wednesday and you can watch it live on cspan3 starting at 8 30 a. M. And cspan. Org look at the phone numbers at the bottom of the screen noah with the los angeles time is the White House Reporter for the Los Angeles Times and we are talking with siobhan hughes, congressional reporter of the wall street journal. We have democrats, republicans and three separate lines. We will get to your calls and w just a couple of minutes prayed staying with the mueller hearings, take us to the gop side of each of these two committees. What are they hoping to achieve with these hearings. Its an opportunity forhe them. A big focus for the gop has to been to discredit the report in particular the origin. They are not convinced that russian interference throughout anything legitimate but they feel it throughout dossier that was compiled and later taken over by the clinton campaign. The origin with the federal government and diplomat but wrapped up into all of this information from the dossier. The other things republicans can do is fascinating. There are three hours for Robert Mueller to testify, however, there are 41 members who are entitled to five minutes each. If you do the math you can see they are going to be 25 minutes, it comes from the democrats time. Itll be interesting if republicans try to use all five minutes and go over that and really make the democrats anxious though some are not getting the time. What else will you be looking for. That is noise the question with these hearings. How much are we seeing individual members trying to showcase. That is always huge. Another thing im looking for is democratic leadership which is been anxious about all the energy towards impeachment and there seems to be they want to keep the pressure on mueller through the president but not so much so as to get aground impeachment from their own members because they are not sure politically if thats the best thing toth do. How do you push the throttle but not too hard. What does success mean in those terms when you push so much pressure on the hearings. I want to get your thoughts as well. Robert mueller is a reluctant witness and how to be subpoenaed to come in. What strategy or tactics might you be looking for members of congress to go off the script. The night that muellers letter came out that he was finished with the report i happened to spot him at his favorite restaurant he was with his wife andnd another couple ad they were in a very quite booth and quiet restaurant. He does not like this limelight at all. From democrats they know he was carrying in the book the stick with the Mueller Report and most people have not read the book. Democrats feel like if he wants to stay within the four corners of the report there are lots of things that the American Public is not aware of. If they can geter him to say the words out loud, to bring the stories to life and the voice of a credible person then they are getting information in front of the public that they might not otherwise consumed. Americans did not read the book but maybe they will see the movie that is how democrats are viewing this and they will focus primarily on five episodes. They will take you back to june of 2017, the Washington Post that just reported the special counsel was investigating mr. Trump for obstruction of justice and that set off a dramatic phone call to the president to don mccann. Thats a big moment. Robert europe first on the idemocratic side. Thank you so much for taking my call. Two things about trump, first i want to use this opportunity to tell you about his tweets on for congresswoman, i think trump has criticized a marker more than that. In the hypocrisy of the some mass he has spent years criticizing the country with foreign dictators and himself in the process. He is despicable and continues to show he is unfit to be president of the country. He once said, if you dont clean up our country and the garbage soon were going to go spiral. That on september 17, 2017. He called this country third world country and the washington greataid the idea of american greatness as leader of the free and unfree world has vanished. Host with that commentary, do it do you have a question for our guests . Caller