comparemela.com

The president pro tempore the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Black, will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Eternal god, your words are pure. When hate seems to triumph, surround us with your protection and favor. Have mercy upon our nation and world. Lord, the wicked are often exalted as they blaspheme and destroy. May our lawmakers not permit inaction to derail liberty. How long will the enemies of freedom seem to prevail . Awake us all and use us for your glory, for we trust in your mercy. We pray in your great 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 america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Grassley madam president . The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley i ask to speak in morning business for one minute. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley agriculture and the family farmers of america depend upon exports for prosperity. Passing the u. S. Mexicoen canadian agreement is then critical to provide farmers and ranchers with a certainty that they need to make longterm business decisions. Over 10 billion worth of Agricultural Products are exported each year to our neighbors that supports more than 86,000 jobs. Modernizing and improving our trade relationships with canada and mexico is a bipartisan nobrainer. Former secretary of agriculture tom fillsack and i discussed the usmca in des moines last month at a local dairy processing plant. Secretary vilsack and i agree we must pass the usmca to help our farmers. I yield the floor. Mr. Mcconnell madam president . The presiding officer majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell the senate is in the midst of confirming several more of the president s well qualified nominees to important federal posts. After we complete todays vote on ambassador kelly craft whom we confirmed a month ago to serve as am bass door to ambassador to the u. N. , well turn to several more Public Servants who the president has asked to serve at the department of state, treasury, health and Human Services and Veterans Affairs among others. Meanwhile, madam president , the Appropriations Committee is working to produce government funding legislation. With the good faith bipartisan, bicameral approach, well be able to build on the agreement the president signed into law last month and ensure Adequate Funding for the American Peoples priorities. As always i know my colleagues and i are grateful to chairman shelby and Ranking Member leahy for their work. I hope were able to consider significant bipartisan funding legislation here on the floor this month before turning to a temporary continuing resolution while work continues. Now on an entirely different matter, today congress observes the 400th anniversary of a reprehensible moment in the history of our land. In august 1619, an english ship landed at the tip of virginias lower peninsula. On board were 20some africans who the crew had captured from a portuguese slave ship. These men and women wore sold to the colonists and with that englands american colonies had taken their first step into the already massive transat whran tick slave trade. The shameful history of slavery and what would become our nation had begun. In many ways slavery is the United States of americas original sin. This systematic racial exploitation wove its way into the colonies economies and societies. Almost two centuries later, the disgusting practice was a stumbling block in our founding debates. Ultimately allowed to continue for the sake of union, some of our founders participated personally even as they argued the philosophical case for equality under god and under law. Thomas jefferson owned slaves while he wrote the declaration of independence and the shameful inconsistency was not lost on him. Indeed jefferson wrote, i tremble for my country when i reflect that god is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever. Indeed, madam president , justice did not sleep forever. The last century and a half have seen the moral truths on which this nation is founded slowly overcome one racist evil after another. After an unthinkably bloody civil war, slavery in america was no more. Almost a century later much too late, the failures of reconstruction and the cruelty of jim crowe began giving way to the heroism of the civil rights movement. Change has come too slow. The process has been incredibly imperfect. But every american should take pride in the undeniable progress we have made in overcoming the terrible chapter that was opened 400 years ago. We should take pride that our american ideals of equality and justice, not the sins of our forefathers, are the true, deepest bedrock of this great nation. Today with the Nation Congress looks back to 1619 and remembers the size and scope of slaverys stain on our history. We mark the somber an versry anniversary with grief for all the slaves whose godgiven freedoms were so brutally denied. We reflect gratefully on the tremendous rich contributions that generations of African Americans have made to this nation despite this violence and adversity and we give thanks that true American Values slam the door on this unjust part of our nations history and continue to prevail today. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Morning business is closed. The senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. The clerk nomination, department of state, kelly craft of kentucky to be representative of the United States of america to the sessions of the general assembly. Mr. Mcconnell i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call mr. Schumer madam president. The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Schumer are we in a quorum, madam president . The presiding officer we are. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer now, madam president , i begin this morning with some news for my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. As stipulated by the National Emergencies act, democrats will once again force a vote to terminate the president s National Emergency declaration. The provisions of the National Emergency act dictate that the resolution of disapproval be privileged and therefore must be voted upon. As everyone no doubt remembers, the Trump Administration declared a National Emergency in february of this year after congress repeatedly denied the president funding for the construction of a border wall that he promised mexico would pay for. A few weeks ago, the administration released the list of military Construction Projects its planned on canceling in order to steal money for the president s wall. The president s National Emergency declaration was and is an outrageous power grab by a president who refuses to respect the constitutional separation of powers. I say to all of my colleagues this issue rises to a large and vital constitutional issue. Does our country truly have checks and balances, particularly when we have such an overreaching president . We all must consider the dangerous precedent that would set if president s may declare National Emergencies every time their initiatives fail in congress. It is outrageous. There is balance of powers. The president failed in congress. He didnt say it was an emergency then. But he uses the National Emergency law, which is intended for true National Emergencies, floods, states of war, and then overrules the will of the people as voiced in the congress. This is so wrong. The president has clearly attempted to usurp the power of the purse given exclusively to congress by the constitution, by taking funding from projects weve approved and giving it to projects weve repeatedly declined to approve. This goes to our democracy. This goes to how the Founding Fathers set up that delicate balance. We have never had such a president overreach on an emergency basis. The recourse for such a brazen power grab should be an overwhelming bipartisan vote in the congress to terminate the Emergency Declaration and reassert our constitutional authority. Most of my colleagues know this is wrong. In fact, when we had a vote last time, 59 senators, including a good number of republicans, voted against the emergency. And do you know what adds insult to injury . Who is the president stealing the money from . Our military. Projects that protect our nation, support military families, local economies, local schools. The Trump Administration has proposed pilfering funds from projects in 23 states, three u. S. Territories, and military installations in 20 countries, including 80 million from projects in north carolina, 30 million in arizona. Even a middle school in kentucky. How do we say the men and women who risked their lives for us and whose families sacrificed, that were taking their money away, that the president is taking the money away, and were going to shrug our shoulders . Huhuh, not this member, not this senator, not, i believe, every senator on our side, not a whole bunch on their side, on the republican side. We need some more people to join us. I hope well see even a larger majority stand up for both the constitution and the military and its military members and families. Democrats and republicans alike should vote to terminate the president s National Emergency declaration. You can be sure we will make sure that everyone will have a chance to do so within the next month. If we dont do it, how many more emergencies will the president declare . Who else will he take money from . And use it for purposes that he wants but that congress doesnt and the American People are largely opposed to . Now, on another matter, we have until the end of the month for members of both parties to Work Together and fund the federal government, one of our most basic responsibilities as legislators. At the end of july, both parties came together to produce a budget deal that set the blueprint for negotiations this fall. The same spirit of bipartisanship is required now to move forward through the appropriations process, and it starts with goodfaith discussions on how we allocate funding to the 12 subcommittees. To be successful, that process must be fair, cooperative, and bipartisan. Under a partisan process, we know what happens. We all lived through it just nine months ago. The president demanded funding for a border wall and then shut down the government when congress didnt give in to him. Now just nine months later, i have read reports that republicans are considering going down the same path again, potentially risking another Government Shutdown over the exact same issue. Everyone on both sides of the aisle i believe there is goodwill here. Both sides want to avoid a shutdown. Certainly the republicans learned their lesson. It wasnt very good for them last time. Both sides want to avoid a shutdown, and both sides would prefer to have a real budget, not a c. R. The way to get that done is for both parties to Work Together and keep the appropriations process bipartisan, not for the republicans to tell the democrats. These are the 302bs, and this is the order in which we will do the bills. Thats not bipartisan and thats not what the bipartisan agreement called for. Finally, on guns. Over the august recess, leader mcconnell promised that we would hold a debate on gun violence when we returned to washington. Now that were back, democrats will insist on holding leader mcconnell to his promise. The debate on gun safety should be our first order of business, and the place to start a debate is a vote on the housepassed bipartisan background checks bill. Its the foundation on which most other gun safety laws depend. We cant make a real dent in preventing gun violence without first patching the glaring loopholes in our laws that allow criminals, spousal abusers, the adjudicated mentally ill to buy firearms without a background check. Some are talking about the socalled red flag, but the red flag doesnt work if there is no background check. Mr. Jones is red flagged. Then he goes online or goes to a gun show and buys a gun without a background check. So the red flag doesnt work unless we tighten the loopholes, close the loopholes on the background check law. Later today, Republican Leaders will meet with President Trump to talk about the congressional agenda this fall. Gun violence, according to the reports ive read, is expected to be a topic of the conversation. I strongly urge my republican colleagues to prevail on the president to support universal background checks. Leader mcconnell has said he will bring a bill to the floor if it has the president s support. That means there is a truly historic opportunity for President Trump to lead his party towards sensible gun safety laws that in the past republicans in obeisance to the n. R. A. Have refused to support for decades. Public support, public pressure is mounting from one end of the country to the other. 93 of americans support background checks. The majority of republicans, the vast majority, the majority of gun owners, the vast majority, support it. The president can provide republicans important political cover. They shouldnt need it because so Many Americans are for this, but they do because of the power, sometimes exercised rather ruthlessly by the n. R. A. And so the president can do it. This is a moment of truth for the president , for leader mcconnell, and for all of my republican colleagues. The American People are fed up. Too many people are being killed across the country every day. Just yesterday, i was waiting at the airport. A man came over to me and grabbed my arm and said to me that his nephew was a victim of gun violence and pleaded with me for action. Its affecting more and more people, their families, their friends, their communities. I imagine every one of my colleagues has met someone like this man. I dont know his name. Over the past month. The mayor of dayton, ohio, joined with democrats yesterday at a press conference. Another incredibly compelling voice pusher for some progress on this issue. We invited her to speak at our caucus lunch today, and i expect my republican colleagues have mayors in their states that just like her are exhausted by the daily gun violence in their cities. Republicans have a chance today to convince the president to do the right thing and come out in support of a policy that is not a fig leaf, that is not milquetoast and will do nothing but one that will actually save lives. I strongly urge our republican colleagues, leader mcconnell, to use this afternoons meeting at the white house to discuss supporting the bipartisan background checks bill. I yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call quorum call quorum call mr. Peters mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from michigan. Mr. Peters i move that the quorum call be vitiated. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Peters thank you, mr. President. I rise today to oppose the nomination of Dale Cabaniss to serve as director of the office of Personnel Management. With roughly 5,500 dedicated employees, o. P. M. Is responsible for managing the federal government civilian work force, overseeing governmentwide policies for recruiting, for hiring and training, and administering the health care, life insurance, and Retirement Benefits that impact millions of americans every year. The director of o. P. M. Plays a crucial role in the federal government. Not only by managing the agencys employees, but by serving as a leader and an advocate for more than two million hardworking men and women in the federal work force. The next director of o. P. M. Must have a proven track record of effective leadership. And while i act acknowledge and admire miss cabaniss record of Public Service which includes more than 20 years here in the senate, i do not believe her experience and qualifications satisfy the requirements of this very important and very challengeing position. Challenging position. Last summer, the Trump Administration released its governmentwide reorganization proposal which includes plans to dismantle the office of Personnel Management as we know it. Since then, congress has repeatedly attempted to engage in an honest and productive dialogue with the administration about their reorganization proposal. However, they have not been transparent about the repercussions of this plan and what the plan what the repercussions could have on the federal work force. They have not demonstrated how taxpayers will be better served by their proposal, and it remains unclear if they have even studied the full impact of their proposal. In short, they have left too many fundamental questions simply unanswered. The office of Personnel Management is charged with safeguarding the Nonpartisan Civil Service from the political motives of this or any white house. During such a time of uncertainty and upheaval, o. P. M. Needs strong and steady leadership that is focused on good governance, and that wont be swayed by public whims of elected officials. This agency and the millions of americans it serves each and every day deserve a proven, independent leader. Simply put, Dale Cabaniss is not that leader. While ms. Cabaniss has some experience leading a small agency, i am not confident that her background has prepared her to provide the stability and the autonomy that o. P. M. Deserves. Unfortunately, after a rahall review of miss cabaniss record, i do not believe that she is the right choice to lead o. P. M. At this critical time. I will be voting no, and i urge my colleagues to do the same. I yield the floor. Mr. President , i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call mr. Cornyn mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from texas. Mr. Cornyn id ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Cornyn mr. President , for nearly 15 years, the debbie smith act to be the driving force behind our progress to eliminate the nations rape kit backlog. Though exact numbers are difficult to estimate, experts believe that there are hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits in the United States. Each one of them, of course, represents a different story, the story of a Sexual Assault victim and also as a result of the science, the d. N. Assigns, it holds the key to a apprehending a violent criminal and stopping them prosecute committing further assaults. Since the debbie smith act was signed into law in 2004, more than 1 billion has been invested in state and local crime labs for d. N. A. Testing. This program also supports training for law enforcement, correctional personnel, forensic nurses and other professionals who work with victims of Sexual Assault. Though the primary goal of the program is to reduce the rape kit backlog and identify attackers, processing this d. N. A. Evidence can assist investigations into other nonviolent crimes as well. Once the evidence is tested, its uploaded into the f. B. I. s d. N. A. Database called codis. This is senator a criminal this is similar to a criminal if i were database, but it convicts other people who will convict crimes. So if it is collected as a result of a Sexual Assault, you may in fact be able to get a hit that will help you identify somebody whos committed a burglary, a murder, a robbery or some other crime. This is particularly true when somebody commits a crime in one state and moves to another state to be able to connect the identity of the person based on their d. N. A. , not based on where the offense was committed. According to the National Institute of justice, 42 of the hits on the f. B. I. D. N. A. Database system are the direct result of debbie smith act funding, 42 . In addition to helping us get more catch and release off the street, this information in addition to helping us get more criminals off the street, this information may also be the key to exonerating individuals who were wrongly accused and preventing innocent people from being put behind bars for a crime they didnt commit because d. N. A. Evidence is very, very powerful. States have seen the positive results of this program at the National Level and have been following suit. Texas has led the nation in passing mandatory rape kit testing laws conducting audits on the backlog, and using debbie smith funds to analyze untested Sexual Assault evidence. Since 2011, the debbie smith act has helped texas reduce its backlog of previously unsubmitted rape kits by approximately 90 , from over 20,000 kits to now around it,000. Around 2,000. This program has allowed us to provide victims of Sexual Assault with the resources they need and the answers they deserve. While more effectively identifying criminals across the board. The benefits of this law simply cannot be overstated, and thats why the debbie smith act was readily reauthorized in 2008 and 2014. Now it is time to reauthorize this important legislation. Earlier this year, senator feinstein, the senior senator from california, and i introduced the debbie smith act of 2019 that will extend this program through 2024. As you might expect, with this kind of nonpartisan legislation, it sailed through the Senate Earlier in year. In fact, it passed the senate in may with not one person voting against it. But here we are nearly four months later, and the house of representatives has not scheduled a vote. If they dont take action before september 30, the law will expire, something i hope we all can agree would be unconscionable and certainly completely unnecessary. The benefits of this program transcend politics or party and allowing it to expire would be a disservice to the victims and the advocates who have championed this bill for the last 15 years.  particularly debbie smith herself. So its time for the house to vote to reauthorize the debbie smith act so we can get it to the president s desk without further delay. One of the strongest advocates for the reauthorization of the debbie smith act is the rape, abuse, and Incest National network also known as rainn. In its 25year history it has helped three million survivors and their loved ones. Last week they held a press Conference Announcing the delivery of more than 32,000 signatures urging the immediate passage of this legislation by the house of representatives. Debbie smith also spoke at the press conference. Just to remind colleagues, debbie is a remarkable woman whose advocacy was borne from a terrible personal experience. We have the had the benefit of hearing from debbie many times over the years. I believe there is no one who has done more to support victims of Sexual Assault than debbie, and im continually grateful to her for her courage and her candor as she travels around the country advocating for survivors. It cant be easy to talk about your own personal Sexual Assault and how you tried to grapple with the fact that your rape kit has not been tested and, thus, you dont even know who you are attacker was and whether he may show up at some future date and try to repeat his crime. During the press conference, debbie spoke p about the years of fear she dealt with while waiting for her attacker to be identified and she said, the years i spent waiting for justice can never be returned to me. Now, thats a heartbreaking reality for survivors of Sexual Violence and a reminder of why its so critical to reauthorize the debbie smith act without further delay. While we cant turn back the hand of time and somehow change history, we can act now to provide victims with the support and the answers and the closure that they need. I would urge Speaker Pelosi to bring the debbie smith act to the floor immediately in the house to demonstrate congress ongoing commitment to support victims of Sexual Violence. Mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. Kane mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from virginia. Mr. Kaine mr. President , i rise to object to President Trumps continual raid on the budget of the United States military. The president promised the public as a candidate that he would build a border wall with mexico and that mexico would pay for any wall that he would build. The president has broken his promise and it shocks me that as commander in chief he now insists that its got to be our troops and our military families and our nations security that have to be sacrificed for his foolishness. Frankly, it shocks me even more that republican colleagues in this body seem perfectly willing to let him do that. If you wont stand up for the men and women in our military, who will you stand up for . If you wont stand up for important projects in your own state, who will you stand up for . If you wont stand up to protect your Defense Authorization bill or your defense appropriations bill from being cannibalized, when will you stand up . We will have a vote soon to block the president s destructive efforts to weaken our military and trample on the power of congress to set the nations budget and appropriations levels. And im hoping that my colleagues, democratic and republican, will stand up. Let me first address the need for a secure border. Ive called the president s insistence on using military monies to build the wall foolishness. What do i mean by this . I dont challenge the need for Border Security. I strongly supported a comprehensive Immigration Reform package in 2013 that included vast amounts for Border Security, much more than the president has asked for. The bill had strong bipartisan support in the senate, but the republican majority house refused to even take the bill up in committee, much less on the floor of the house. Had we passed that bill in 2013, it would have been a powerful step forward for immigrants, dreamers, employers, t. P. S. Recipients, the american economy, and the security of americas borders. In february of 2018, i worked with a Bipartisan Group of 16 senators, eight democrats and eight republicans, and we put a proposal on the table, a permanent fix for dreamers and a major investment in Border Security. In fact, we put an investment in Border Security into that bipartisan bill that was every penny that the president had asked for for the next ten years, 25 billion. But President Trump attacked that deal and killed the bill even though he had earlier indicated that he would sign it. 25 billion for Border Security over ten years with basic guidelines to ensure that the moneys were spent wisely and not foolishly. Mr. President , i learned something from that experience. What i learned is i dont believe the president cares about solving Border Security issue. The substance of it Means Nothing to him or he would have embraced a deal that gave him every penny he asked for in february of 2018. He could have had a deal a long time ago if this mattered to him. What the president cares about is big Campaign Rallies with people chanting build a wall so he can continue to stoke his political machine. Thats what i call foolishness. But it gets worse. A foolish insistence on political sloganeering over problem solving is one thing, but taking money out of the military budget from key priorities affecting our troops, the lives of our troops and their families and safety is something much worse. It is disrespectful and its dangerous. The president proposes to raid the military construction budget to the tune of 3. 6 billion to build 173 miles of border fencing. Thats an average cost of 4,000 per linear foot of fence. For reference, a standard sixfoot fence costs 25 a foot and a standard sixfoot brick call costs 90 a foot. The proposal is to spend 4,000 a foot on fencing. Let me give you examples of projects in virginia and elsewhere that are being slashed to build this 4,000afoot fence. In virginia, we will lose 77 million in mill milcon projects. 25,000 is being taken away from improvements to a Navy Ship Maintenance facility in portsmouth and here is what the d. O. D. Said about the importance of that work on the ship main street ship maintenance facility, and i quote, the building has been cited for a number of life safety violations. These include no sprinkler protections and inadequate egress. Impact if not provided, approximately 330 personnel working more than 256,000 manhours annually will remain in a highrisk environment with continuing significant rework, higher stress and additional operating costs due to inadequate working environment. That is what this cut will mean to that facility. 41 million is being taken away from improvements to a hazardous chemical Storage Facilities in portsmouth and norfolk and heres how the d. O. D. Describes the impact of that cut and why the dollars were needed. If this project is not provided, norfolk will continue storing Hazardous Materials in nonconforming Storage Facilities that do not meet current life safety and fire code requirements. There are noncompliant fire walls, inadequate Fire Suppression systems, fire alarms and inadequate ventilation. 10 million is being taken away from a cyber facility that was recently announced to be located at joint base langley eustis. Needless to say Cyber Protection of our nation is a higher and higher of priority every day. Heres what happens if those funds are not provided. We will be unable to reach operating capability without a facility that includes the required skiff, classified facility space from which to operate. Having the required skiff space is necessary for the team to receive the intelligence and perform the training required to perform in the Cyber Mission space. Continued use of lease space is costly and represents an enhanced security risk. Those funds are being cut. 75. 4 million to go outside of virginia, give a few examples, 75. 4 million is being taken away from heating plant improvements at an air force base in alaska. Here is what that means according to department of defense. Failure of the boiler is expected within the next three to four years. That was stated in 2017. Loss of heat and power during subarctic winters with temperatures as low as 65 degrees below zero farenheit would be devastating to facilities and the missions housing those facilities. If the situation were deemed critical enough the base would be forced to consider evacuating facilities due to a lack of heat and power. Once closed, the facilities would freeze and require many millions of dollars of repair to return to usable condition, completing the planned replacement of all boilers will guarantee continued steam and Power Generation to support the flying mission. That money is being taken to fund a wall. 62 million is being taken away from improvements to a school on the base at fort campbell, kentucky. Heres what that means according to the department of defense. The existing School Structures do not comply with current building codes. Antiterrorism and forced protection standards and sustainability standards. Heating ventilation and air conditioning and Electrical Systems are not sufficient. The substandard environment will continue to hamper the education process and the middle school will not be able to support the d. O. D. Curriculum and provide for a safe facility. The continued use of a deficient, inadequate, and undersized facilities that do not accommodate the current student population will continue to impair the overall Educational Program for these students. 13 million is being taken away from improvements to a Childcare Center at joint base andrews here in the d. C. Area. Heres what that means according to the d. O. D. The current facility, a Childcare Center, has suffered from sewage backup, heating ventilation and air conditioning failures and mold and Pest Management issues. This project will accommodate 165 children and staff. As of february 2018, 115 children are on a priority one waiting list. Why would we do this to these military families and their kids when they are sacrificing to volunteer and serve the country . Take the program away, take the funding away for the Childcare Development center they need to spend it on a wall that the president promised mexico would pay for . Were making these families now pay for it. Were making their children now pay for it. Were making the troops now pay for it. 50 million is being taken away from a space im sorry, from a Health Care Center at camp lejeune, a Health Care Center for military members and their families. Heres what that means according to the d. O. D. This project solves the problem of providing primary Care Services to the active duty Operational Forces located in substandard infrastructure throughout the installation. The current capacity is insufficient and cannot accommodate more than half of the population, resulting in a dispersion of patients and personnel. Existing facilities in some cases will lack basic requirements such as sinks, proper ventilation and exam rooms with doors. Impact if not provided, required mental and dental services for marine in garrison care will continue to be provided in substandard, ineefficient, decentralized and uncontrolled facilities. My son was at lejeune for a number of years. That one stings. Why would we take away Health Care Facilities for marines living on the garrison . 8 million is being taken away from the Space Control Center at peterson control center in colorado. This is interesting because the Armed Services Committee Just worked together with the administration to enhance a space force, a Space Command because its a higher priority, and needs to be. We all agree that it needs to be because of advances that are being made in space capacities by china, russia, and other nations. And yet, partisan proposal is to take 8 million the proposal is to take 8 million away from the space control facility. Heres what the d. O. D. Says about that one. There are no adequate facilities located at either peterson or Buckley Air Force base for this space control squadron. The only solution that meets the Mission Requirements is to construct a new facility on Peterson Air Force base. If this facility isnt constructed, the military will be unable to stand up to Space Control Mission and equipment with operational and Strategic Mission impacts due to inadequate facilities. We just have reached a deal with the administration to elevate the space force to meet the challenges of our principle nationstate competitors, and yet these moneys are being taken away. Will we really do this . Will we really do this to the safety of this country, to our security, to our troops and their families . Will we allow the president to unilaterally hurt these patriotic people when he has long been able to find a fair and comprehensive immigration deal with congress that includes Border Security funding . Will the Senate Majority say a word, raise an objection, show support for the military, show that Congress Sets the budgets and appropriations, not the executive, make clear that no president not this president or any president should be able to move money around at will to support a blatantly political agenda at the expense of critical defense priorities . That is what we will be voting on soon, and i urge my colleagues to reject the president s foolish and dangerous raid on our military. And with that, mr. President , i yield the floor and i note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call a senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from vermont. Mr. Leahy i ask consent the calling of the quorum be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Leahy mr. President , i ask consent to proceed as in morning business for no more than ten minutes for up to ten minutes. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Leahy mr. President , last week the administration an announced that it was going to raid 3. 6 billion from military Construction Projects to pay for President Trumps ineffective and Controversial Border wall. That is the wall that he gave his solemn word that mexico would pay for it. Now the money is being taken out of our military. Look at some of the things hes taken the money from. A new middle school in kentucky. A child Development Center at joint base andrews in maryland. A New Elementary School in puerto rico. A fire rescue station at the air force base in florida. These were canceled from a president who apparently values his cynical Campaign Promise over our men and women serving our country in uniform and their families. Remember, on the campaign trail he repeatedly gave his word, he promised that mexico would pay for the wall. Supporters cheered about that, mexico would pay. My friends on the other side have my friends on the other side forgotten that . Now convincing mexico to do so is forcing our troops and their families who already sacrifice so much to keep our country safe, to sacrifice yet again just to keep his ego safe. This announcement should outrage every United States senator of both parties, not because itsen insult to our troops which it is but because it is part of a larger pattern by the president to disregard the congress and to subvert the constitution. Hes doing so not in furtherance of our National Security or to address the very real humanitarian needs along our border. Hes doing so merely in service of his own ego. And that should not go unchallenged. For those at the white house that there are people who actually read the constitution, theyll find that article 1, section 9 of the constitution established a congress, and congress alone possesses the power of the purse. Congress exconclusive power over our governments Spending Priorities is one of the most critical checks and balances in our constitutional system. The president can propose funding for whatever project he wants. He has that absolute right. But its the job of congress to decide where to invest the American Peoples hardearned tax dollars. And in a democracy and under our constitution, the president has to respect those decisions. But this president apparently is willing to ignore our countrys foundation on document, the constitution or perhaps hes not read it. When President Trump declared a National Emergency in february citing a crisis at the southern border, he did so for only one reason, to do an end run around congress and the Appropriations Committee, to use taxpayer money to build a wall on the southern border when congress specifically voted to downsize his request by 4. 2 billion. He cited ten u. S. C. 2008. S that an an unauthority unlocked by the declaration of a National Emergency. He used it to raid military Construction Projects to pay for the wall, projects we had determined were important and worthy of federal dollars like cleaning up the housing for some of our soldiers and their families. And hes done this by contorting the law beyond all recognition. Hes undone congressional funding decisions. This should concern any senator in a state where Critical Military Construction Projects are being canceled to pay for President Trumps obsession with a medieval wall. It should concern those of us that believe that the constitution should carry more weight than the whims of a president who genuinely thinks and hes actually said this out loud that the constitution gives him the right to do whatever i want as president. No. We have a constitution because the president is not above the law any more than the rest of us. Only a few weeks ago the administration yet again disregarded objections from congress, announced plans to divert 116 million we appropriated to the department of Homeland Security for National Security purposes. As well as 155 million from femas wildfire and Hurricane Disaster Relief Fund and use it to detain more immigrants by increasing the number of i. C. E. Detention beds and Building Court facilities for the deeply misguided, dangerous, and cruel remain in mexico program. The level of funding was set in the fiscal 2019 department of Homeland Security act. That was passed by congress, signed by the president just six months ago. It is one of the last issues resolved. Like the wall funding itself, is central to the final argument. Now i had serious concerns with the funding level we agreed to at that time. I still do. Theres no reason to turn to mass incarceration when most people cross our borders are desperately fleeing violence in their home countries, not seeking to do harm to ours. More humane and cost efficient ways to address these issues exist and allow us to have a secure border. But a deal is a deal. Its what we agreed to. The president signed that bill into law. But then for the president to undo what he signed into law only months later by increasing funding for i. C. E. For transfers is outrageous. The fiscal year 2019d. H. S. Appropriations act set a level of funding that required d. H. S. To end the fiscal year with a debt ceiling of 45,520. Theyre now operating at a level of 52,930 beds, 31 increase all without the approval of congress. The president will say he is merely relying on general transfer authority provided to him by congress in the d. H. S. Appropriations act to increase money for i. C. E. Detention beds. Well, thats ridiculous. Its disingenuous and makes no sense. Congress provides the executive branch certain transfer authorities so it can be flexible and react in real time to emergencies, changed circumstances. We provide this flexibility for decades for president s of both parties because it was the responsible thing to do. No government can anticipate all of its needs at the beginning of each fiscal year, and we trust the administration to follow the law, follow the constitution, and use the authority appropriately. Weve done this for both republicans and democrats. But pass administrations of both parties have respected the will of congress and the most for the most part when the Appropriations Committees objected to a transfer of reprogramming, the objection was reached until a compromise might be reached. This president , however, after all he said the constitution allows him to do anything he wants even though it does not, as thrown that tradition out the window. He has decided that Consulting Congress is a boxchecking exercise that he summarily disregarded. And for the second year in a row hes increasing mine for i. C. E. Detention beds over the objection of the Appropriations Committee in violation of the agreements reached in the d. H. S. Appropriations laws. Earlier this year he used the transfer authority to divert 2. 5 billion from the defense accounts to pay for his wall after congress refused to give him that authority, that money. And thats in addition to the 3. 6 billion we did give him which he recently announced hell take from thats in addition, rather, to the 3. 6 billion he recently announced hell take from military Construction Projects and 600 million he took from the treasury Asset Forfeiture account for the wall. And hes doing all this while refusing to spend the money that congress appropriated to address the root causes of migration in central america. So when is it going to stop . When will members on the other side of the aisle take a stand and actually defend it and say if we pass a law, we expect you to follow it. So far the abuses of authority have been used in ways that mostly impact issues democrats care about. Republicans have stood silent. But what happens when the administration crosses a republican red line . What about members from states impacted by the canceled military Construction Projects . When this has been canceled in your state, will you stand up for those states . They wont stand up for the congress or the constitution, will they at least stand up for their own states . Last month the administration threatened to cancel over 4 billion in foreign assistance, blatant violation of the law. Funds were appropriated by overwhelming majorities of republicans and democrats and after lengthy negotiations between the house and senate, including the white house, and signed into law by the president. So these funds were intended to implement policies and programs which fulfill our treaty obligations, support our allies, protect the public against ebola and other infectious disease, counter russian aggression. You know, i know my time is up. I just ill put my whole statement in the record but if we care about the institution, we ought to stand up and follow the constitution. Ill offer amendments to Appropriations Bills that do that. I urge all members to support me. We may agree or disagree on the utility of the president s wall, but we ought to agree that we will follow the constitution. I ask consent my full statement be made part of the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Leahy i yield the floor. The presiding officer the question occurs on the nomination. Is there a sufficient second . There appears to be. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote vote vote the presiding officer are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote . If not, the ayes are 56. The nays are 38. The nomination is confirmed. Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senates actions. The clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. The clerk cloture motion, we, 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 elizabeth darling of texas to be commissioner on children, youth, and families, department of health and Human Services, 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 elizabeth darling of texas to be commissioner on children, youth, and families, department of health and Human Services, shall be brought to a close. The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote vote vote the presiding officer are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote . If not, the ayes are 57, the nays are 37. The motion is agreed to. The clerk will report the nomination. The Clerk Department of health and Human Services, elizabeth darling of texas to be commissioner on children, youth, and families. The presiding officer under the previous order, the Senate Stands in recess until 2 15 p. M

© 2025 Vimarsana

comparemela.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.