Transcripts For CSPAN2 US Senate 20160301

So i always talk to reporters why are you now saying somethingses that youre saying i said for months because aye been talking about real ideas and they dont cover them. I give speeches about educationing and they ignore it. I give speeches about health care and they ignore it, but you talk about it you talk about anything that has nothing to do with that, and they jump all over it. It leads the newscast. What a sad indictment on the state of the political debate in this country today. [applause] so from time to time i read the main tweet, but i never stop talking about the ideas you deserve to have. Theyre on my website go on it now. Not now, when youre done, marco rubio. Com and youll see we have a real plan to fix our tax code. We have a real plan to roll back regulation. We have a real plan to save Social Security and medicare. We have a real plan to balance our budget one of the most embarrassing moments in the last debate is when donald trump was asked about the debt and he said were going to get rid of the waste and abuse and theres fraud and abuse yeast our debt is so big even if you got rid of it wouldnt make a dent. Instead of pressing him on it they move on to the next question. This has happened for far too long. Consequences are too high you deal with the debt. I have a plan to rule with the debt you can see it on our website. Were going to fully utilize our Energy Resource when is im president of the United States of america. [applause] when im president were going to have a lot more than just getting rid of the lines around the state. [applause] that happen in a debate, yeah im going to get rid of the lines around the state. Around the state. When i did it it was a catastrophe he did it, he was on message. [applause] somebody said to me well maybe that means donald trump is a robot suspect that what he said you were. But if he was a robot, he was made in china. [applause] i have a real plan on health care, and thats why i can tell you this with certainty. When im president of the United States, we will repeal and we will replace obamacare. [cheering and applause] were going to keep our country safe again. Thats the motion important job of the federal government. Okay. The most important job of the president of the United States is to be the commander in chief. The president of the United States has access to these Nuclear Codes by the way, that give you access to the most powerful military force in Human History people should think about that before they vote. Okay, access to Nuclear Codes. The president of the United States has power to send your son and your daughters and your loved ones off to die in the service of our country. I want you to think about that before people vote. And today niki already talked what weve done to our military and gutting of the military that the president has undertaken and one of the most shameful is donald trump knows nothing about the military and hes going to hire best people to work for him. Best people already work for us there are generals and commanders in the military. [cheering and applause] and by the way, if he knew anything about this he would know that you can put best people in the world in a room and theyre going to give you conflicting opinions and then buck stops on the president to choose between those different opinions the right route forward, and this guy has zero understanding of anything serious when it comes to defense or Foreign Policy and this is not an issue you can take a course in at trump university. [applause] you have to know about this on your first day in office. You have to know about this on your first day in office. We cannot elect this president of the United States a man who believes that the Nuclear Triad is a Punk Rock Group from the 1980s. [applause] defense spenting not the cause of our debt and that is why when im president of the United States we will undertake a reagan restyle bill of the United States military. [applause] were going to have a real war on terror. A real war on terror is not talking tough. A real war on terror is not outrageous an outlandish claim was what youre going to do. It sounds cool and funny to listen to on tv sometimes it sounds tough and doesnt solve jr. Problem. It doesnt involve your problem. You need a real war on terror when had best intelligence agencies find them and best military in the world destroys them and one in which if you capture terrorists alive, they dont get the right to remain silent. They go to a Court Hearing they go to guantanamo. [applause] when im president , were going to have a Foreign Policy of moral clarity again which means were allies to our ally and to our enemies dont therefore test us. You have up donald trump thinks that Vladimir Putin is a fascinating man they thinks theyre going to get well. Vladimir is a proven killer. This guy poisoned people with radio active material. He ordered people to be poisoned this guy is not a game. Hes not some Real Estate Developer from across the country youre doing a deal with. Okay hes a guy that is showing instability in the middle east and europe he provided weapons to shoot down that malaysian aircraft over ukraine hes not playing around. He will take advantage of donald trump or o anyone who is not prarred prepared for that position. One of the most outrageous things thats happen haded over the last eight years how this president has undermined our alliance with israel. [applause] israel, israel is the nation with a special purpose. Israel is not just another country. Israel was created as a home lanked for the jewish people after the holocaust. Israel is the only Free Enterprise in the entire middle east. Donald trump was asked are you going to take sides between israel and its enemies he said no im neutral because i want to work out a deal. Let me tell you guys something when im president were going to take sides. Were going to be on israels side. [applause] and everyone is going to know that. Because on my fist day in office as soon as i walk into the Oval Office Im going to cancel of iatol of iran. Were going to take care of our veterans, not use them as a prop which is way too many politicians do. [applause] the first gentleman of South Carolina nikis husband is a veteran. My brother is a veteran. He served in the special forces of a green bray. If you are a veteran, will you raise your hand so we can thank you for your service. [applause] flesh [applause] everyone running for office says identify done it. Bernie sanders and i [inaudible] thank you. We need to support you. Bernie sanders and i do not agree on many things hes a socialist, i am not. But we Work Together on something that we can agree on that is if you work at the v. A. And youre a Senior Executive and not doing a good job we should have the power to fire you, and weve past that. Donald trump says he cares about veterans but whats his record . Ill tell you his record. His record was that he asked the city of new york toe victim Homeless Veterans because there were nuisance in front of tump towers thats his record. His record is when he skipped debate in iowa he said he was doing event to raise money for veterans group. You know how much money they got out of that and previous event, zip. This is not a game. They are not props. We are going to take care of our veterans. When im president of the United States, veterans theyre good people at the v. A. And if theyre doing a good job we thank them but if youre not when im president you will be fired from your job at the v. A. [applause] when im president , our veterans will not be there begging v. A. For their benefits but take their benefits to any hospital, any doctor that they want to go to. [applause] by the way, i was in virginia last night, all day we had five stops there, four stops there, and we were reminded of many our veterans do not serving when they come home. If you go to any fire station in many america youre going to meet veterans. If you go to any Police Department in america, youre going to meet veterans. And yesterday or the cay before couple of days ago in virginia, there were three Police Officers shot. One of them was on the first day on the job a marine reservist and she died on her first the job and she was a veteran. Lives matter, not only do Blue Lives Matter [applause] but i want to thank our veterans and our Police Officers and our firefighters but what they do for our country. An that is why the stacks are so high. These are sampling of the issues before our country. If we get these wrong because we lost the election, because we nominated someone that has no idea what theyre going to do about it. Because we elect someone whose views on these issues are opposed to where we need to go as a country, then i can tell you that i honestly believe that our children are are the First Americans that inherit haded them in this country. Thats never happened in the 200 year history of america. But im running for president not because im worried about the future but because im hopeful about it. Because i know i know our government is messed up. I know our government has a lot of the problems. I know that our leaders and many instances are not best and are not doing the best. But i know that america is not a government. America is a country, a made of its people. We have a government. But our government doesnt define us. Our people do. I know that this morning people across this country got up and went to work. And they to took their familiess to school, and theyll come home tonight to raise kids and feed them and theyll go and start businesses and had this weekend theyll volunteer in their charity, commons and they give hours and money to their churches. I know that people all across this country are touching lives one life at a time. People out there if they see someone in need of help they direct it to themselves. [applause] an the great thing about this campaign is i have met so many of them. In South Carolina, i met an incredible woman whoever single day is saving lives at a pregnancy crisis center, in which shes taking in young and scared girls and convincing them that all human life is worthy that all human life is loved by god. [applause] i know people in miami, florida, who are taking care of Homeless Veterans not through a government grant. But out of their own pocket. An theyre not wealthy people doing this. [applause] you know why we do this . Its not because the law tells us we have to do it we do it because it is a nation that is shaped by our christian values. Because this is a nation that was founded on the belief that our rights come from all powerful ever living god. [applause] because this is a nation founded on the belief that our rights are source, not the law. Source is not the constitution and source is not our president. We have a god given right to go as far as our hope, dream, talent, work will take us. [applause] this is what makes us special. This is what makes us different. And i know it because ive lived it. Because like nikis parents mine came here from another country an they came here with nothing. My parent had no advanced education of any sort. My father started working when he was nine years of age. He never went back to school. He worked 70 years for the next 70 years of his life. When he got to the country, they didnt know anyone. The first words they learned in english were im looking or for work. They sacrificed. They were discouraged when they first got here, but they persevered and miracle of america changed their life. And the course of our familys history. Less than a decade after my parents came here with nothing, my father was just a bar tender at a hotel, but he was able to buy his first home. Their first home. My parents never became rich or famous people. But they were very successful people. Because after arriving here with nothing, they raised a family, they retired with dignity, and most important of all for them they lived to see all four of their children live a life better than their own. [applause] about to run out of cough drops here so i before better hurry. I tell you that story not just to you know more about me so that you remember who we are. For the story i told you is not just mine. Its ours. The vast majority of you have never met in person. I dont know your personal stories but i know that youre americans. And that because youre americans i know that everyone in this room is probably just the generation or two removed from a story not unlike my own. [applause] who are we . Who are we . Were the descendant of settle her and immigrants and of slaves of people who overcame extraordinary obstacles to stake their claim in a better life. To stake their claim in what is known as the American Dream. That is the blood that runs through our vains. Every single one of us i dont care what your last name is. Yox how its pronounced, or o the color of your skin. Or where you worship, the blood that runs in our american veins is the blood of a gogetter is the blood of someone who refuses to accept limitation of the old world. [applause] this is who we are. And now we must choose whether this is who we will remain. What we still remain in the place where people can do what my parents did for me and what your did for you that is whats at stake here. If we stay on the road we are on right now many of these things will leave us. Because the American Dream was never automatic. The American Dream did not happen on its own. What your parents did for you and what youre doing for your children now it is possible because for over 200 years, each generation before us did what they needed to do. Theres never been a time in the history when any generation had it easy. A cursory examination of our history will tell you this nation overcame having to take on the most powerful empire of the world to declare its independence and brought a civil war to put the end to brutal slavery. This was the nation that had to fight two bloody world wars that was the nation that had to overcome a great depression. This was the nation that had to work through the civil rights period that took us to where we needed to be as we continue to advance the work of equality for all. This is the nation that was divided generationally over vietnam that had long gas lines it is that had who is tamings in iran, we have never had it easy. No generation before us had it easy. Each of them face great obstacles. And each time hay did what needed to be done. My friends the moment has arrived for this generation to do its part and if you elect me president , this generation will do its apartment. [applause] if you elect me president , you will have a president that will never pitch you against each other on purpose. You will have a president that will never ask you to hate another group of americans so i can win an election. [applause] if you elect me, you will have a president that loves all of the American People even twhawns dont love me back. [applause] if you elect me, we will confront our challenges. We will embrace our opportunities because our opportunities are real. The 21st century is made for america. It is about innovation and were most innovative people in the world. Its about productivity and competition were the most productive workers on this planet. We have biggest dreamers and hardest workers 21st century is there for us. But we must shape it and we must coit now when im president , we will. [applause] so its okay it is okay to be dissatisfied of the direction of our country. It is okay to be frustrated in government leaders and both parties that have failed group it is okay to be indig assistant at the people that are in office and refuse to solve any problems because they just want to be elected theres nothing wrong with any of that. But do not give into hopelessness and fear, do not give into anger for despite how difficult things may seem, i want you to know what herself will say of us when we do our part. History will say of this generation, that we lived in the early years of this new century in a very difficult time. And it will say that we almost got it young. That after eight year was barack obama and most unusual election ever we came this close to getting it wrong. But we finally remembered who we were. We finally remembered what america was. And we rose up to the task before us like each generation before us. We solved our problems not left them for our children. We embraced our opportunities. And when our work was finished, this was the generation that left their children as the freest and most prosperous americans that ever lived. [applause] this was the generation that didnt just say the American Dream. This generation expanded it until it reached more people and changed more lives than ever before. [applause] and this is the generation that authored greatest chapter and amazing story of america. This was the generation that brought about a new american century. [applause] so im here once more before i leave where i dont know where im going next. But im going i think arkansas and then oklahoma. Thank you. [inaudible] they keep calling it the fcc primary theres acc schools in there too. [applause] this is georgia tech town ; right no . Listen, all right enough. [laughter] go gators. I was one of our last in South Carolina was a clemson we finished strong there you know why, because i said something that proanl wasnt true but i told the people listen vote for me everybody else on the ballot voted for alabama on the national championship. Im asking you to vote for me tomorrow. Im asking you to find more people. You have friends you can still influence. Who perhaps have been taken in by whats happening around them by all of this noise and idea that theyre going to vote for a strong is leader and i ask them this question. Name me a single great leader in Human History that looks anything like what donald trump is showing himself to be now. Show me a single great leader in history that is saying things, doing things or o abouting the way hes acting now this is not what we can turn over this country to our party so i ask you go out there and let your pens know that tomorrow is an important day. In november as well. Because frentdz dont let friends vote for socialists like bernie sanders. [applause] and friends dont let friends vote for candidate under the fbi investigation like hillary clinton. [applause] and friends [laughter] an friends dont let friends vote for con artists. I need your vote. If you make me president , we are going to leave our children what had mernls always leave their children, the single greatest nation in the history of all mankind. Thank you georgia, thank you, atlanta. God bless you. Thank you. So many of my former books were horizontal studies. Many countries across the whole region, the ends the rt eastward and balkan covering a minimum of six countries. Here i look at one country in depth, and i use it to explore great themes. I think great themes. The holocaust, the cold war, the challenge of Vladimir Putin. Romanian they have a longer border with ukraine than poland has so study rough map ya is study the legacy of empires. Sunday night at q and a robert author of in europe shadow two cold wars and 30year journey through roe mania and beyond. He talk about history of the balkan states, and romanias struggle to gain democracy since fall of communism. It was a corrupt country extremely corrupt because it had weak institutions that were very everything was based on bribe and double dealing. And what this shows, this is nothing new. Whats happening is thats the romanian population has grown up and become far more sophisticated. And is demanding clean government. It is its number one demand. Sunday night, eastern on cspan q and a. Taking you live to capitol hill where todays senate sings is about to begin with preliminary debate continues on a heroin and drug abuse bill that would had authorize funding for grants for education, prevention and treat of heroin and Prescription Drugs. It also establish a government and publickings task force to have guidelines for Pain Management and precipitation, live coverage on cspan2. The chaplain, dr. Barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Wise creator, the architect of destinies, on this super tuesday 2016, when a dozen states hold their president ial nominating contests, we look to you. You are the potter, and we are the clay, so mold and make the destiny of this nation conceived in liberty. Let your will be done. Lord, we acknowledge that your thoughts are different from our thoughts, and your ways are far beyond anything we can imagine. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are your ways higher than your ways and your thoughts higher than our thoughts. Give us the wisdom to not second guess the unfolding of your loving providence, but help us to remember that in everything you are working for the good of those who love you. Today, as you desire, use our lawmakers and all those who love freedom as instruments of your glory. We pray in your powerful name. Amen. The presiding officer please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. 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. The presiding officer the clerk will read a communication to the senate. The clerk washington d. C, march 1, 2016. To the senate under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable tom cotton, a senator from the state of arkansas, to perform the duties of the chair. Signed orrin g. Hatch, president pro tempore. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President . The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, senator grassley, and i will meet with president obama later this morning. We will reiterate that the American People will have a voice in the vacancy on the Supreme Court as they choose the next president who in turn will nominate the next Supreme Court justice. In other words, well observe the biden rule. Americans have by now become well acquainted with that advice from the vice president. Americans also know that both the current and future Senate Democratic leaders have a say about judicial nominees when a Different Party was in the white house. Theyve heard the senator from nevada, senator reids admonishment that nowhere in the constitution does it say that the senate has a duty to give the president ial nominees a vote. They know the senator from new york didnt even wait until the final year of president george w. Bushs term to declare that the senate should not confirm a Supreme Court nominee except in extraordinary circumstances. So look, lets use this meeting to discuss ways we can Work Together to make progress for our country, like tackling a drug crisis thats tearing communities apart in all 50 states. I was pleased to see colleagues join together to advance the bipartisan c comprehensive addiction and recovery act just yesterday. I hope well see that kind of cooperation continue. Its important for our country. I look forward to discussing it with the president , how his administration can be helpful. Mr. Reid mr. President . The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Reid the republicans, in an effort to try to cloud the issue regarding selection of a Supreme Court replaceme, usually dont make a full quote. For example, they keep talking about senator biden but they should give the whole statement by senator biden where he said c compromises cause both for the white house and the senate. If the president cooperates with the senate about his selection, than he has my support as did justices kennedy and souter. Mr. President , yesterday the Washington Post published an editorial by barbara perry, professor at the university of virginia and an expert on the Supreme Court, one of the finest law schools in all over the world is university of virginia. In her opinion piece, dr. Perry pushed back against republicans claims that president s have not historically nominated president s during an Election Year. According to her quote 14 president s have been appointed appointed 14 president s have appointed 21 justices during president ial Election Years. 14 out of 44 president s have appointed Supreme Court justices in an Election Year. Thats about a third of all u. S. President s have appointed nominees during an Election Year. Amy howell, an expert on the Supreme Court and editor of something called scotus, Supreme Court of the United States blog said past senates have considered electionyear nominees. She writes and i quote historical record does not reveal any instances, any instances since the late 1900 of the president failing to nominate or the senate failing to confirm a nominee in an Election Year because of the impending election. Close quote. Theyre using one inappropriate statement or excuse after another to explain why they shouldnt have to do their jobs that the taxpayers sent them here to washington to do. Instead of making excuses, wouldnt it be easier just to do the right thing . The right thing would be to give president obamas Supreme Court nominee a hearing, a meeting before that. Simply were saying they should be doing their jobs. Some republicans already are starting to see the right and even the light. Last week the republican senator from maine ripped the republican leader for politicizing the current Supreme Court vacancy in the aftermath of c Justice Scalias death. Again, republican the senator from maine. Heres what see said among other things. I thought it was a shame and instead of of honoring his life and legacy and extending our condolences, already were embroiled in a political fight. Close quote. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie went a step further urging the Senate Judiciary committee to hold hearings. Governor christie said, again i quote, as i always said i believe that absolutely the right thing to do is to have hearings. People can vote up or down if they choose, but hearings should be held. There is no reason for them to not take on this nomination. Close quote. Governor christies absolutely right. Theres no reason for the Supreme Court nomination not to have a full hearing and a vote. Theres no reason for Senate Republicans not to give a nominee to the Supreme Court a meeting, a hearing, and a vote. All were saying is do your job. Montana congressman, republican congressman, ryan zinke, a republican, i repeat, published an editorial in missoula, one of the largest newspapers in the state urging the republican leader to give the president s nominee all due consideration. I quote what he said, republican senator from montana, its unfortunate that partisanship took over their conversation before the justice was laid to rest. Partisan bickering and demands to ignore the constitution that unfolded after scalias death is an affront to his legacy. Scalia dedicated his life to be serving the constitution. It is time for the senate to honor that service and carry out their constitutionality, mandated duty to advice and consent. The constitution reigns supreme. My colleagues in the senate have an obligation to advice the president on nominees. Close quote. So i urge others to look at what the congressman from montana said, what the senior senator from maine said, what governor christie said. I agree with them. The constitution reigns supreme, simply in saying do your job among other things. There is no question what the constitution mandates in times of Supreme Court vacancies. Article 2, section 2, of our constitution clearly outlines the president s Legal Authority to nominate justices to the Supreme Court. It also defines the senates role in the nomination, which is to provide its advice and consent. By denying the constitutional mandate, republicans are refusing to do their job. Senate republicans should give president obamas Supreme Court nominee a meeting, a hearing, and a vote, because governor christie says there is really no reason to do so. I would like this following, mr. President , to appear at a separate place in the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Reid yesterday marked the end of black history month. We honored in the senate by passing a resolution sponsored by the junior senator from new york, senator gillibrand. The father of black history month, dr. Carter g. Woodson, now, mr. President , i really didnt know who Carter Woodson was but they had a wonderful piece on public radio yesterday that outlined in detail this man who had been a garbage man, did menial labor,. But they realized how smart he was. His personal story is remarkable. He was born in virginia to former slaves. He attended the university of chicago, not an easy school to get in, and certainly in the early part of the last century when youre an africanamerican. He went on to receive his ph. D. From harvard in 1912 making him the second africanamerican man to do so. As a professor at Howard University here in washington, d. C. , dr. Woodson decided there was a need for americans, black and white, to better understand africanamerican history. In 1926, dr. Woodson organized the first week devoted entirely to africanamerican history. He coordinated lectures, panels, hosted childrens plays, celebrated the lives of important figures in black history. He had a tough time. He couldnt find places to meet. They wouldnt allow blacks in many meeting halls. But he found rooms at the ymca, churches, black fraternity houses to meet and celebrate africanamerican history. He was relentless. Over the years the celebration of black history grew and grew until president ford decided to make it not history week but history month. He did that in 1976. So february is always recognition, since president ford did that in 1976, as black history month. In addition to passing this resolution to honor black history month, i hope my colleagues will take a moment to think about this great man, dr. Woodson, who did so much to help americans embrace black history and the many contributions of africanamerican leaders like frederick douglass, sojourner truth, w. E. B. Du bois, and many others. We must do more than just pass a civil resolution honoring black history month. We should Work Together to address issues faced by africanamericans and all americans. Today and every month of the year. Thats the right thing to do. Mr. President , i see my friend on the floor. Would the chair announce the business of the day . The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to s. 524, which the clerk will report. The clerk motion to proceed to the consideration of s. 524, the bill to authorize the attorney general to award grants to address the National Epidemics of prescription opioid abuse and heroin use. Ms. Collins mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from maine. Ms. Collins thank you, mr. President. Mr. President , i rise to speak in support of the comprehensive addiction and recovery act known as cara, which i am proud to be a cosponsor of. I want to begin by commending senators whitehouse and portman for crafting this vitally important bill, and also thank chairman grassley and Ranking Member leahy for their leadership in the Judiciary Committee. Mr. President , the heroin and Opioid Crisis in this country is devastating to far too many families, including those in my state of maine. This epidemic can be be seen in emergency rooms, local jails, on main streets and in homes throughout our country. In 2014, there were a record 2088 Overdose Deaths in the state of maine, including 57 caused by heroin, and the problem is only getting worse. Last year in the city of portland, maine, 14 people overdosed in just one day. Two of them died as a result of those overdoses. This last weekend, the Bangor Daily News had a special segment of the paper that chronicled the vivid and tragic story of a young man, garrett brown, whose spiral into addiction ultimately resulted in his death from a heroin overdose. Mr. President , this epidemic is also having tragic effects on the most vulnerable in our society, the children and babies born to addicts. Last year in maine, nearly 1,000 babies were born drug affected. Thats about 8 of all births in our state. I have seen the videos of these babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. They are inconsolable. It is so tragic to watch them. Fortunately, the physicians and other Health Care Providers in maine have become very good at treating these babies, but i wonder what happens to them when they go back to their addicted mothers or fathers. The comprehensive addiction and recovery act takes the kind of multifaceted approach needed to address this epidemic. I have said that we need a threepronged approach. First, we need to focus on education and prevention. Thats education of the public at large, particularly our school children, but it is also education of Health Care Providers and of Law Enforcement as well. I remember vividly when i was a young student sitting through a presentation by a recovered heroin addict. I dont know if that is done any more in our schools, but i can tell you it had a marked impact on all of us who listened to him. None of us ever would have wanted to be in the position in which he found himself as he struggled to recover from his addiction. I dont understand how heroin has lost its stigma, but it clearly has, and it is creating tragic results for our country. So education and prevention are critical. Second is Law Enforcement. We need to do a better job of helping Law Enforcement. I have had so many sheriffs tell me we cannot arrest our way out of this epidemic. We need to connect people who voluntarily come into our jails, and we need to connect them to treatment. And unfortunately, there arent enough Treatment Facilities or Guidance Counselors or Substance Abuse experts or physicians, nurses and others with this expertise in many rural areas of our country, particularly in states like maine. And i suspect in urban areas like chicago that the Service Providers are overwhelmed with the number of people who need help. There has been a tripling of people in maine who need help. But Law Enforcement has another critical role, and that is to work to interdict the heroin that is coming into the state of maine, whether it originates in other states and there are ties to cities in connecticut and massachusetts where inner city gangs are bringing heroin into maine and swapping it for guns. There is this trafficking that is going on where addicts with no records are being used as straw buyers and buying guns for the drug members for the gang members who then exchange the heroin for these weapons. We need to have a greater effort to keep heroin out of our country when it is coming from those International Cartels in mexico as documented by the Portland Press heralds excellent investigation into this matter. And of course the third prong is treatment. We need more Treatment Facilities. We need the ability of not just paramedics but Law Enforcement to administer the drug narcan which can reverse the effects of overdoses if it is administered in time. The bill before us takes that kind of multifaceted approach. It includes strengthening Treatment Programs, supporting Law Enforcement and increasing education and prevention efforts. It would encourage states and communities to expand these efforts and to increase evidencebased treatments for Substance Abuse disorders. It would authorize heroin and Methamphetamine Task forces to support state Law Enforcement agencies, and it provides grants for communities facing drug crises. And this crisis is by no means confined to the cities in our states. Its in the most rural areas imaginable in my state. It affects suburbia. It affects neighborhoods throughout our country. Part of the solution to this crisis includes examining Pain Management and prescribing practices. Ive heard from maine families, from physicians, from Law Enforcement about a disturbing pattern of a significant percentage of individuals using heroin after abusing legal opioid medications. According to a recent report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health services administration, prescription opioid abuse does indeed put individuals at a much higher risk of heroin use. In fact, nearly 80 of individuals using heroin reported that they began on the road to addiction by abusing prescription pain medications. Cara would create a task force to review, modify and update best practices for Pain Management and prescribing pain medication. It would also expand the disposal sites for unwanted prescriptions through drug takeback programs, which is an important way for individuals to safely and scurrile dispose of their unused Prescription Drugs. I have long been a supporter of drug takeback programs which have prevented tons of unused, unneeded or expired drugs from falling into the hands of children or drug dealers. At maines most recent drug takeback day, authorities safely disposed of nearly ten tons of unused drugs. Think of that. In a state of just 1. 3 Million People, in just one of these drug takeback days, ten tons of unused drugs were collected and safely disposed of. The bill would also authorize grants for strengthening state Prescription Drug monitoring programs to help prevent doctor shopping. Mr. President , i really have great sympathy for our county sheriffs who have talked to me about this problem. They tell me their jails are overwhelmed by those who are struggling with addiction. Jails are not designed to take the place of Treatment Centers, and yet sheriffs and Police Chiefs must train their officers to look for signs of withdrawal and to monitor Mental Health status. Cara would establish a Demonstration Program to help identify addicted individuals who may benefit more from treatment than incarceration. Funding would also be authorized to purchase and train First Responders in the use of narcan, a drug that, as i mentioned, can reverse the effects of an overdose if administered in time. And a portion of this funding is designated to support rural areas in our country. Mr. President , there have been many discussions in this chamber, in our committees, in our caucuses about the heroin crisis. Last december, the health, education, labor and Pensions Committee on which i serve held a hearing to examine prescribing practices, expanding access to Addiction Treatment, reducing overdoses and partnering with Law Enforcement. Just last week, the special committee on aging which i have the privilege to chair examined opioid use among seniors and other medicare participants. The potential for diversion of powerful pain killers and medicare Reimbursement Policies that may penalize physicians who in their best medical judgment decide not to prescribe powerful opiate pain killers and instead provide other kinds of pain relief for their patients. And yet, because of the way the surveys are worded under the medicare Patient Satisfaction program, their hospitals can actually lose reimbursement if if its found that a patient was not satisfied enough with control of their pain. Now, clearly pain does need to be managed, but these questions are so biased in the way that they are asked that they invite overprescription and the prescription of powerful pain killers when they may not be needed. Im not talking about individuals with cancer or end of Life Conditions for whom opiate pain killers may be exactly what is needed to relieve their pain. But we know that there are better alternatives for many people who do not need that kind of pain relief. And i am working with senator lankford, with senator donnelly, senator casey and others to see if we can come up with an amendment to this bill on this issue. It is clear, mr. President , that we need to take a comprehensive approach to this epidemic, and the bill before us is a vital step forward. It recognizes opioid and heroin abuse for the Public Health crisis that it has become, and it offers meaningful and effective ways to support communities seeking to expand treatment prevention, Law Enforcement and recovery efforts. Again, i salute the sponsors of this legislation. Im pleased to be a cosponsor, and i urge all of our colleagues to come together to support this muchneeded bill. Thank you, mr. President , and my thanks to my colleague from illinois for deferring to me. Thank you. Mr. Durbin mr. President . The presiding officer the assistant democratic leader. Mr. Durbin mr. President , before i speak on a separate issue, id like to address the issue raised by the senator from maine. Your experience in maine is exactly the same as my experience in illinois. There is no town too small, no suburb too wealthy not to have been touched by heroin overdoses and deaths. Its interesting, yu may be encouraged to know that in one small town in down state illinois when they were desperate, when two or three teenagers died in one speek in a small town in one week in a small town they heard about a program in gloucester, massachusetts, where the chief of police realized we cant keep arresting addicts. Its not working. He announced if someone was addicted and came into the Sheriffs Office or the Police Department and reported their addiction, they wouldnt arrest them. They would take them to a Treatment Center immediately. 27 27 teenagers showed up in the next few days in this small town in down state illinois. Then of course the challenge was where to take them. Like you said, in rural areas its a long drive and some of them were not in good shape for a drive. But they went into treatment. What they told me as i went into the town was something happened immediately. The jail was empty because the jails had been filled by petty criminals stealing, burglarizing, trying to feed their habits. Now they were in rehab, so it made a Safer Community and at least gave them a chance to straighten out their lives. One of the amendments im offering with your colleague from maine is about treatment. We decided a number of years ago for fear that we would be warehousing patients, to limit Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities under medicaid to no more than 16 beds. 16 beds may work in a rural area. It certainly doesnt work in the city of chicago. So we are not expanding it dramatic economy but we allow Treatment Facilities to have up to 40 beds to treat, residential treatment for Substance Abuse. We dont want to go back into the bad old days of warehousing but we want to expand treatment because the problem youve seen and ive seep is growing. And if we dont move quickly, as youve noted, on treatment, we cant expect to turn us around. The bill before us truly is a bipartisan bill, and it should be. Mr. President , i ask consent to speak in morning business. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin mr. President , one week ago the republican majority leader made an announcement that stunned a lot of observers on capitol hill. Mcconnell said that Senate Republicans would basically turn their back on what i consider to be a constitutional responsibility and that they refuse to consider the nomination to fill the vacancy of Justice Scalia who recently passed away. The Founding Fathers in the constitution established a very clear process for appointing Supreme Court. In article 2, section 2, of the constitution, under the constitution the president quote shall nominate and by and with the advice and consent of the senate, shall appoint judges of the Supreme Court. Thats the language of the constitution. Its explicit. The president has a constitutional obligation to send a Supreme Court nominee to the senate, and the senate has a constitutional obligation to consider the nominee. But the majority leader for the republicans said last week that he would not give any consideration to a nominee sent by president obama. Not a hearing, not a vote. And then he went so far as to say i wont even meet with that nominee. This is a stunning abdication of the senates constitutional responsibility. Each of us as senators walk down this aisle, stand over to the side, raise our right hands, and swear to uphold and defend the constitution of the United States, to bear truth, faith and allegiance to it. It is an oath each of us takes very seriously. The majority leader has tried to justify his decision by noting that this is a different year. This is in another year. Its an Election Year, he says. Well, it turns out it doesnt take much constitutional study to realize the constitution applies to Election Years as well as every other year. Theres nothing in the constitution that directs the president or the senate to ignore the responsibility when there is a political president ial campaign underway. Ive searched the constitution. There is no reference whatsoever to a president ial Campaign Year absolving either the president or the senate from their constitutional obligation. One of the great iranys of the ironies of the decision by the Republican Leadership was the way they reached it. Shortly after Justice Scalia passed away, majority leader mcconnell issued a statement saying quote the American People should have a voice in the selection of the next Supreme Court justice. Then last tuesday he summoned the republican members of the Senate Judiciary committee to his office, and there he decided with them that they would deprive the American People of a chance to have a hearing on president obamas nominee to fill the scalia vacancy. This is an unprecedented obstruction of a Supreme Court nominee. And this decision to obstruct certainly wasnt made by the American People. It was a unilateral partisan decision made by a handful of senators behind closed doors. The republican senators didnt bring their decision out into the open, not to a hearing of the Judiciary Committee, which they chair. They did it quietly behind closed doors. But the American People heard what happened. Last friday a letter was sent to the republican members of the Judiciary Committee by the Leadership Conference on civil rights and human rights and 81 other national organizations. I ask unanimous consent that the letter be included in the record at this moment. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin thanks, mr. President. The letter described the republicans obstruction as quote a clear perversion of your constitutional duties as understood by almost every Scholarly Authority on the topic and by most americans. The letter said that the constitution, quote, does not give a select few senators veto power over a president s role in selecting and nominating a candidate. The the senates duty is to evaluate a nominees fitness and qualifications, not to pick the president making the nomination. End of quote. I agree with that statement. By unilaterally refusing to give any consideration to any nominee made by this president , Senate Republicans are trying to stop this president from fulfilling his constitutional responsibility to nominate and appoint Supreme Court justices under article 2, section 2. And they did it in secret in a back room, behind closed doors. Why are they so afraid to give president obamas nominee a fair hearing . Are they concerned that if the nominee is well qualified and they turn that person down that it will reflect poorly on the Senate Republicans . The Senate Republican process of secrecy and obstruction is inconsistent with the constitution. It does a disservice to the Supreme Court, to the president , and to the American People. And let me say that i raised a point last week which is worth returning to. The argument is made that the next president should pick the nominee to fill this vacancy the argument is made that the American People when they select the next president in november of this year will be saying to the American People, you make a choice. You select the president. Then youll know the Supreme Court nominee. While there may be some logic to that but for one thing. We have a president. He was elected in 2012 with a five million vote majority. This is the fourth year of his presidency. When you listen to the republicans argue, you would think, wait a minute, barack obama was not elected for four years. Only for three years and two months. They argue at this point in time this president does not have the Constitutional Authority and responsibility to fill the vacancy of Justice Scalia. The American People spoke. It wasnt all that close. By a margin of five million votes, they chose this president for four years. Not for three years or three years and two months. He is the president , and he has the authority of the presidency. And he has that authority not given to him by god, but by the American People. And its authority which should not be taken away by the republican majority of the senate. Their argument, wait for the next election, you know what that means, mr. President . It means if they have their way, if they fail to do their job, if they dont even have a hearing for president obamas nominee, dont even bring it to a vote and the vacancy continues on the Supreme Court, it will be historic. The last time that we will have had a vacancy of this duration on the Supreme Court dates back to the civil war. A nation at war with itself left a vacancy for more than a year on the Supreme Court. And now the Senate Republicans of 2016 want to leave a vacancy on the Supreme Court for over a year. Theres no need for it, and the constitution certainly makes it clear how this vacancy should be filled. Theres no secret that there is a political motive. The Senate Republicans hope that Justice Scalias seat will be filled by a person that they choose. This is a political calculation theyre willing to make, to take the heat for not following thairl their constitutional responsibility in the hopes that a President Trump will fill this vacancy or some other republican president in the future. Thats what theyre counting on. Thats political. Politics shouldnt trump the constitution. Nothing should trump the constitution when it comes to governing the United States. Because its Election Year doesnt mean senators can take a yearlong break and ignore their own oath of office. It is time for the Senate Republicans to do their job. The president and the senate must fulfill their constitutional responsibility in times of war, economic depression, yes, even in an Election Year. Last week majority leader mcconnell reportedly told a group of House Republicans there isnt quote a snowballs chance in hell that he would back down from his plan of obstruction. Nevertheless, today president obama has invited majority leader mcconnell to meet with him in the white house to discuss the Supreme Court vacancy. They have also invited the chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee, senator grassley; the ranking democrat, senator leahy; and of course the minority leader of the senate, senator reid. Why did the president offer this meeting . Because thats what always happens. When a president is about to consider filling such an historic vacancy, he brings together the leaders of the senate to discuss his thought process and perhaps to solicit names from them of potential nominees. Even when we disagreed in the past and had president s and senators from different political parties, they still extended that courtesy to one another. President obama something extending the majority leader that courtesy, even if the majority leader has made clear that publicly statemented repeatedly that he will not even meet with, let alone consider, the president s nominee. I hope the president is setting a good example of what should be done in this circumstance, where the president follows tradition and the constitution. Im glad the president is taking this seriously. I know hes in the midst of a careful deliberative process to choose a nominee. The president should select an outstanding person that has the qualifications, a commitment to justice, a deep respect for the role of the judiciary and Life Experience that point toward integrity and good judgment. The president s doing his job as the constitution requires. My republican colleagues in the senate should do their job as well. They should honor the process established in the constitution and give the president s nominee fair consideration, a hearing, and a vote. 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 republican whip. Mr. Cornyn mr. President , i would ask consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Cornyn mr. President , yesterday the Senate Unanimously voted to advance consideration of the comprehensive addiction and recovery act, commonly known as cara. Thats because this legislation gives it a big problem. The abuse of heroin and prescription pain killers is devastating families and communities across the country, including texas. The truth is the problem is getting worse and not better. Deaths due to heroin overdoses and Prescription Drug overdoses have even surpassed Car Accidents as the number one cause of injuryrelated deaths nationwide. So its time for congress to do something significant to begin to address this disturbing trend. This bill is a good example of how republicans and democrats working on a bipartisan basis can zero in on a problem thats harming our nation and Work Together to address it, and im proud to cosponsor this legislation. So i look forward to continuing to work on this bill and to vote on amendments that will actually improve it. Speaking of amendments, while this bill touches on how to battle drug addiction in this country, we need to do more to cut the source of drugs off and to keep them from getting into our country in the first place. The Senate Armed Services committee recently heard about the supplyside of this equatios to the heroin coming from mexico. They heard testimony from the director of national intelligence, director james clapper. In his testimony, director clapper talked about how mexico has ramped up the production of heroin in response to growing demand in the United States. Coming from a border state like the presiding officer, frequently in my conversations with our mexican counterparts when we complain about the supply, they usually turn it on me and say well, what about the demand in the United States . And the truth is we have to get at both components, both the supply and demand. In 2014 alone, drug cartels smuggled more than a quarter of a Million Pounds of heroin across our borders. This was done by the same Transnational Criminal Organizations that traffic in human beings for sex or forced labor and who man the immigration illegal immigration pipelines in our country. This is no longer a mom and pop operation. These are major criminal networks and organizations that will do anything for money, and of course theyre happy to make money off of the heroin that comes across our borders. So if were going to make significant strides in this fight against addiction and drug abuse, we need to take a critical look at where the drugs are coming from and consider strategies that we can employ to keep them from even coming onto our soil. Unfortunately, even while the production and demand of these Illegal Drugs has been growing, we have simply not done enough to combat it. I mentioned earlier that the u. S. Southern command thats the area of combatant command for the United States military that is south of mexico in Central America and interk, that Southern Command has been given zero navy ships to conduct countertrafficking missions. Thats because our navy fleet is simply too small, and these resources have been diverted elsewhere to counter growing threats around the world. But it is irresponsible to ignore the transnational criminal threats in our own back yard. We need a strategy to interdict drug shipments and cut them off before they reach our shores. So i have introduced several amendments that would help focus our resources to interdict these shipments and to help stem the growing tide of illicit drugs entering the u. S. Market. One would simply require the defense department, when it allocates funding to the states for the National Guard counterdrug program, to prioritize drug interdiction. More effectively using the National Guards military capabilities to help interdict drug flows would provide a needed boost to Law Enforcement and counter narcotics efforts, especially on our southern border. Too often Law Enforcement agencies have been left with scant resources to handle this growing problem. So this amendment would allow the National Guard to play a bigger role in drug interdiction another amendment ive offered would require the president to create a plan, a strategy really to increase interdiction of Illegal Drugs that enter across the southwest border. It would require the interdiction goal of 90 of those drugs which would be a great leap forward from the current levels. Last year general kelly, then the commander of Southern Command, estimated that only 15 to 20 of drugs bound for the United States were interdicted. Just 15 to 20 . General kelly said due to lack of resources in the Southern Command, basically many times that they were just relegated to being observers as Illegal Drugs would transit across their area of operation. So given our shortfall here, its Pretty Amazing that a comprehensive plan across all relevant agencies doesnt already exist. Its shocking really. This amendment would make sure that one is created to boost the amount of drugs that we successfully interdict. It would also require the president to submit his plan to congress so we can have a conversation between the executive branch and the legislative branch and so the American People could review it, could hold us accountable, and to make sure that we are making progress on this front. Finally iech introduced an amendment to strengthen the high intensity Drug Trafficking program. This would help federal, state and local Law Enforcement officials use Task Force Funding to implement a multidisciplinary heroin response strategy. This has been tested in several highintensity Drug Trafficking areas with great success. This amendment would help implement this strategy nationwide. Giving Law Enforcement additional tools to combat the growing threat of heroin from both the supply and the demand side. So, mr. President , im glad that we are making some progress on this legislation. Im optimistic that we will be able to complete it this week in a bipartisan fashion, which is the only way you get things done around here. We desperately need to target the Opioid Epidemic happening across the nation, and we also need to cut off as much of the supply of the cheap heroin, which when people cant get access to Prescription Drugs, too often they turn to the cheap heroin, and thats why the supply issue is so important. But we need both pieces in order to make Real Progress and to restore our communities currently plagued by addiction and drug abuse. Mr. President , i yield the floor. Ms. Ayotte mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from New Hampshire. Ms. Ayotte mr. President , i rise today to urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the comprehensive addiction and recovery act. This is a bill that we have been working on for three years. Both senator portman, senator whitehouse, senator klobuchar, i want to thank them for their partnership and leadership on this bill. This is something that the four of us got together on because we saw in our own states the Public Health epidemic that was happening with our constituents, individuals struggling with addiction, people who were addicted to Prescription Drugs and overusing and misusing Prescription Drugs, and then the price of heroin on our streets so low and people going to heroin and also a combination of heroin and a deadly drug called fentanyl. So i very much want to thank senators portman, whitehouse and klobuchar for the work that weve been doing together over the last several years on this bill and to see this bill come to the senate floor. This is a very important piece of legislation that will help us address the Public Health epidemic facing my home state of New Hampshire and this country. This is something ive come to the floor on on several occasions before. And traveling around my state, i cant tell you the number of stories that ive heard from people in New Hampshire and what were facing, and the number of lives that are lost, the number of lives that are devastated by heroin and fentanyl and the misuse of Prescription Drugs. This is a lifeordeath issue in my state. The number of drug Overdose Deaths has been staggering. And before i came to the senate, i served as attorney general of our state, and so i worked with Law Enforcement on these issues, whether it was methamphetamine, cocaine or other Illegal Drugs. But ive never seen anything like this. As of last week, the chief medical Examiners Office reported, had recorded that there were 420 420 drug deaths in 2015. And that was a dramatic increase in New Hampshire from the year before. The year before we had about 320 drug deaths. So this is over a person dying a day in my state. Many more than die in traffic accidents are dying from the drug overdose. And its a combination, again, of the driver of this heroin and fentanyl. Fentanyl is 40 , 50 more powerful than heroin. And when the drug dealers mix it up with the heroin, its a killer. As Eric Spofford told me, who is an incredible guy in recovery, opened Treatment Facilities in our state, he got it right when he said fentanyl is a serial killer because thats what it is. In the month of february alone, there were 14, 14 suspected opioid Overdose Deaths just in the city of manchester. 14 just in one city in my state. That is a record high in manchester, New Hampshire. These are not just numbers that were talking about here. Behind every statistic is a life , a life that is taken from us far too soon and has been tragically lost. A mother, a daughter, a son, a brother, a neighbor, a friend, a coworker. This hits all of us, and these are people who are being lost from this horrible, horrible epidemic. Behind the statistics and behind the headlines we see every day in the news, there are family members, friends, and communities who have been deeply impacted by this Public Health crisis. Like the mother from greenville, New Hampshire, who wrote to me. She spends her days actually doing incredibly important work. Helping people who are struggling with addiction. She helps them, and yet she came home and has been coming home to see her own son struggling with heroin. She told me, as i tried to comfort those who have been affected by this tragedy, i think that my son will be next. In la cone i cant, a in laconia, a man helps those struggling to get treatment, but he feels helpless when theyre faced with a fivemonth waiting period for a rehabilitation facility, he wrote in five months these individuals may be dead. A parent from salem, New Hampshire, contacted me and told me her son is struggling with heroin addiction, and she needed help finding a Treatment Program for him since she couldnt afford to pay for treatment herself. And parents dont know where to go. I met many parents who want to get help for their kids, and theyre having a hard time finding a place and knowing where to go. Another mother of three children had to revive her son from an overdose before the paramedics could arrive. Or like the Griffin Family from newton, who i got to know well, who lost their beautiful 20yearold daughter courtney to an overdose. Now, courtneys father, doug, and courtneys mother pam, they made it their mission to bring awareness to this issue and to make sure that others dont suffer from the same tragedy that they have suffered and the life lost in a beautiful young woman named courtney who had so, so much of life before her and so much potential. Doug and so many doug and pam and so many other dedicated people in New Hampshire are working tirelessly to turn the tide against this epidemic. Over the past two years, ive made it a priority to travel the state and hear from our Public Safety community, treatment providers, addiction experts, families, individuals in recovery about finding effective strategies to address this problem. On ridealongs with the police and fire, ive been to overdoses. Ive seen them bring people back to life, administering narcan, only to say that they face this every single day. And if we dont focus on prevention and we dont focus on treatment, then the important work that our First Responders are doing, then were not going to get at this problem and make sure people get out of this cycle of addiction that are struggling. Treatment facilities in New Hampshire are certainly working tirelessly, and individuals stepping up to expand our capacity in New Hampshire to support individuals who need help, and they need more support. And i want to take a moment to recognize some of their hard work. Amongst so many others that im grateful and there are so many working hard together in New Hampshire hope for New Hampshire recovery, families in transition, willows programs, the farnum center, west Bridge Community services in manchester, hope on haven hill in rochester, bonfire recovery in dover, granite house in dairy; ive gotten to meet so many incredible people who are dedicating their lives to this. New Freedom Academy in canterbury. Visiting these facilities and hearing directly from these dedicated professionals who work there and the work that theyre doing, you know, youve got average people coming together, whether to organize a 5k race, to gain resources and support for people who are on the front lines, and this is what theyre saying, those who are on the front lines, tackling this epidemic and reversing the tide of addiction will take a comprehensive, thoughtful approach and includes strategy for treatment, education, support for recovery and interdiction. Thats why we have to pass cara. Cara is important because it embodies the comprehensive approach that so many in my state told me they need. Heres what it p looks like. Gives more support to First Responders and Law Enforcement, expanding the availability of lifesaving drugs like narcan that our First Responders are using every day. Because cara will help make this happen, its been endorsed by the National Fraternal order of police, the National Association of attorneys general, including our own attorney general, joe foster. It strengthens Prescription Drug drug monitoring programs to help prevent doctor shopping. This is something ive been advocating for since i was attorney general of our state, so that our Public Health officials can have the tools. Because we know from sam is a research from samsa research started with misusing or overusing Prescription Drugs and transferring to heroin. So this is critical. And it increases access to treatment including evidencebased medication assisted treatment. It helps people have more access. We need to turn the tide. Over 130 stakeholder groups have gotten behind this legislation, groups that are on the front line of this issue. Just to name some of them, endorsed by the National Council for behavioral health, American Psychological association, American Society of addiction, medicine community, the antidrug coalitions of america, faces and voices of recovery, Mental Health america, young people in recovery, the National Association of state and alcohol and Substance Abuse directors, among many others. And i thank these groups for their feedback. It would support Additional Resources to identify and treat incarcerated individuals suffering from Substance Use disorders. It would expand prevention; so important that we address prevention. And it would also establish a campaign to bring greater awareness to the association between the overuse and misuse of Prescription Drugs and what happens as people misuse Prescription Drugs and then go to heroin and deadly drugs like fentanyl. This bill has overwhelming bipartisan support. 39 bipartisan is cosponsors. And i see my colleague from New Hampshire on the floor. I want to thank her for her sponsorship of this legislation. This crisis does not discriminate. It doesnt care. Heroin, fentanyl, this devastating impact of this drug does not care whether youre a republican, a democrat, an independent; whatever your background, this is something that affects all of us. And like the High School Student from manchester who wrote to me sharing how concerned he is about the negative impact this epidemic is having on his city, when he walks home from school, he sometimes sees discarded needles on the sidewalk and tragically he lost his best friend to a fentanyl overdose. Or abbey, who leaves in the sea coast region, who struggled with an opioid use disorder through her pregnancy until she was finally able to receive help and treatment and enter into recovery. I met abbey, and im so inspired by her because she shows us that we can make a difference and we can turn this around. Or a woman in londonderry who spoke with me at a community forum, terrified her brother would suffer a recurrence because he wasnt getting the treatment and she was worried about his path to a successful life with his still suffering from a Substance Abuse disorder. Or angela from nashua who has turned her story into a rallying cry for others. Angela lost her mother to a heroin overdose 17 years ago, has adopted the children of several of her aunts and uncles who have lost their battles with addiction. After all this, angelas son and his girlfriend have become addicted to opioids and his girlfriend overdosed in angelas home. Her son is still battling with heroin addiction. There are so many groups that are working to support these individuals, and we need to give them our support, but they cannot and should not have to do this alone. I really appreciate i see my colleague, senator shaheen, here from New Hampshire, her leadership on this. Im a cosponsor of senator shaheens standalone legislation which would provide emergency appropriations in order to combat the heroin and prescription Opioid Crisis facing our state of New Hampshire, and in fact she and i have both written to health and Human Services and asked them to designate this as a Public Health emergency because weve seen the impact in our state and weve seen the lives that are being lost and impacted by this. So im cosponsoring senator im going to be cosponsoring senator shaheens amendment tocare to cara and supporting this on the floor and i very much support her getting a vote on this, and i hope that that happens. In addition, i do appreciate that the president has put in Additional Resources in his budget to address this issue, and this is an issue that as i look at we all have to Work Together on. At the end of the year, there was also important funding that was passed that cara would provide a very important framework for. Last year during the appropriations process, Congress Worked to increase by 284 funding for programs at c. D. C. And samsa related to combating opioid abuse. These dollars actually havent been distributed yet, and so its important that we cast cara to make sure that as we go forward with the dollars that have already been appropriated and as we go forward in the appropriations process this year, that we have the framework to properly redirect this funding to prevention, treatment, First Responders, to make sure that we have the feedback of 130 stakeholder groups of Law Enforcement throughout the country to ensure that these dollars are appropriately spent to address the epidemic that were facing. I was honored and i have been honored to work over the last several years again with senators portman, whitehouse and klobuchar in introducing this bill. In fact, i also want to thank the head of drug policy in the administration, director boticelli, and he really summed it up well when we asked him what he thought about cara. He said in a hearing before the Judiciary Committee in january there is clear evidence that a comprehensive response looking at multidimensional aspects of this that are embedded in the cara act are tremendously important. We know we need to do more, and i think that all of those components put forward in this bill are critically important to making headway in terms of this epidemic. The comprehensive addiction and recovery act would be a significant step forward in a federal response to this Public Health epidemic that is facing New Hampshire and so many other states in the country. I urge my colleagues to support this critical legislation, to listen to the people of New Hampshire and to the people of this country who are asking us to act. This is what theyre saying in New Hampshire. In manchester, i wake up every morning with a fear that i will find my son dead and i am crying out for help. In spafford, i want my voice to be heard so that no one else falls through the cracks. In londonderry, addiction can happen to anyone. In tilton, we need action and we need it right now. We have an opportunity on this floor right now in this debate in very thoughtful legislation, very bipartisan legislation, the comprehensive addiction and recovery act, to take act now. We owe it to all those who have lost their lives, their families who have been impacted and those who are struggling with addiction, the First Responders in our community, the people who are working hard to turn this around in New Hampshire and across this country. To all i thank them for the incredible work theyre doing. We need to pass this legislation. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting passage of the comprehensive addiction and recovery act. This bill will make a difference, and i believe it will help save lives in New Hampshire and across the country, and no doubt that passing this bill will make a difference. We will all need to continue to do more. We will all need to continue to fight for more and more support through the appropriations process in any way that we can, and i intend to keep up this fight because i know that lives are on the line. I know that this issue is impacting my state. I know that this issue as i talked to the mothers, the daughters, the fathers, the sons, the friends that are telling me the stories of the people that they have lost, that we can turn this around but it is so important that we pass this legislation. And, mr. President , i want to again thank my colleague from the state of New Hampshire for her work on this, and with that i yield the floor. Mrs. Shaheen mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from New Hampshire. Mr. Shaheen mr. President , i ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 30 minutes. I wonder if the chair would advise me when its about 30 minutes from my time being up . The presiding officer the chair will so notify. Mrs. Shaheen im pleased to join my colleague from New Hampshire on the floor and the others who have spoken so eloquently about the heroin and Opioid Epidemic that is ravaging families and communities in every one of our states. As senator ayotte said so well we have seen in New Hampshire that we are at ground zero for this epidemic. It is in terms of the percentage of people affected in New Hampshire, were losing a higher percentage than almost every state in the nation, and this is something that we need to Work Together to address and weve got to respond much more robustly i think than we have done at the federal level because this epidemic has become a pandemic. Its affecting young and old, urban and rural, rich and poor, white and minorities. As others have spoken, the senate is now considering the comprehensive addiction and recovery act or cara. I want to congratulate the sponsors of the legislation because this is a good bipartisan bill. Its important as we look at what we need to do to address the epidemic that we face. But in addition to the authorizations and the good work thats in the cara legislation, we also need to provide the resources that Law Enforcement and Health Professionals who are on the front lines of dealing with this crisis are going to need because despite heroic efforts, Law Enforcement and Treatment Professionals are increasingly overwhelmed by the sheer scope and scale of the opioid and heroin crisis. Everywhere i go in New Hampshire, the lack of resources is abundantly clear. Our communities need additional funding and they need it urgently, so thats why i have introduced an amendment cosponsored by the author of cara, senator whitehouse, and im pleased that my colleague from New Hampshire has also joined in sponsoring cosponsoring this amendment. What it would do is provide 600 million in emergency funding for critical programs that we know will help address this crisis. Im on the floor today to urge the majority leader and the leadership of this senate to allow a vote on this legislation, because this is a nationwide emergency of the first order, and its time for us in congress to treat it like a nationwide emergency. In 2014, more than 47,000 americans died from lethal drug overdoses, more fatalities than from Car Accidents. So each day 120 americans die of drug overdoses, two deaths every hour. In our state of New Hampshire where we have 1. 3 Million People, were losing more than a person a day to drug overdoses. Here we have a map of america that shows the increases in deaths from drug overdoses. We can see in 2003 the majority of the map is lighter colored, so it means it doesnt have the same number of deaths. In 2008, we can see this dark red color which shows the drug overdoses, the deaths from drug overdoses increasing. And here in 2014, we see the impact of those 47,000 people lost. The presiding officer, like in New Hampshire, is at ground zero in the state of arizona. In west virginia, in tennessee and kentucky, theyre seeing the same dramatic increase in the number of deaths from drug overdoses. This chart represents Overdose Deaths per 100,000 people, and again it demonstrates how truly national in scope the crisis has become. No state is immune from the scourge. Across the country, our communities are asking why this is happening. Theyre asking why so many of our family members and neighbors are overdosing on these drugs. And sadly, as people have spoken on the floor, one of the primary reasons is because so many people are becoming addicted to prescription opioid drugs, better known as pain killers. So in 2012, 259 million prescriptions were written for these drugs. Almost one for every american. Thats more than enough to give every american adult their own bottle of pills. During a threemonth stretch in 2015 in New Hampshire, 13 million doses of schedule two pain killers were dispensed at New Hampshire pharmacies in just one threemonth period. 13 million pills in three months for a state with a population of 1. 3 million, and nearly 80 of these prescriptions were for heavy pain killers like oxycodone, morphine and fentanyl. If we look, we can see how this graph dramatically tracks the increase in drug prescribing and the number of deaths that result. The number of drug Overdose Deaths has risen as opioid prescriptions have increased. So lets go back to this chart for a minute. Because this orange line is the number of deaths, the green line is the number of prescriptions that are being written. Were missing the data for the year 2012, but there is no doubt that those deaths track the number of prescriptions for pain killers that are being written. The National Institutes of health have found that people who are addicted to opioid pain killers are 40 times more likely to be addicted to heroin. So when someone gets addicted to pain pills and can no longer get prescriptions, they turn to drugs like heroin and fentanyl. What i heard from Law Enforcement in New Hampshire and from the medical community is that people turn to heroin because its cheaper and easier to get than Prescription Drugs after they become addicted, and of course weve seen that drug traffickers are taking advantage, theyre flooding our streets with these drugs, and in many of our communities, that bag of heroin is cheaper than a sixpack of beer. And of course the end result is a staggering increase in Overdose Deaths, which we can see on this chart. Again, in 2014, nearly 21,000 people died from opioid abuse. There were more than 10,000 deaths from heroin. Thats a 222 increase from 2009 levels. And so we can see these are opioid deaths, these are deaths from cocaine and these are deaths from heroin, and we can see the red line and the green line have gone up dramatically. A professor at Johns Hopkins school of Public Health, brendan saliner, describes the opioid addiction as, i quote, a chronic relapsing illness, just like diabetes. We know that treatment is the only effective answer. Again, what i have heard from Law Enforcement in New Hampshire is that they know they cant put drug users in jail, but thats not the answer to deal with this challenge. We need to put the bad guys in jail, but we need to provide treatment to the people who need it because thats the only effective answer, and unfortunately it is a tragic reality that nationwide nearly nine out of ten people with Substance Use disorders dont receive treatment. They are being turned away and denied treatment due to a chronic lack of resources. My colleague from New Hampshire spoke very eloquently about some of the people she has heard from. Weve heard from people in the same way in New Hampshire. Of the 1. 3 Million People in our state, its estimated that 100,000 people, almost 10 , are currently seeking treatment for Substance Use disorders. And were able to offer services to only a small fraction of that total. Over the last decade, the number of people admitted to state Treatment Programs increased 90 for heroin use and 500 500 for Prescription Drug use. With the largest increases occurring in the past several years. And so as we can see from this chart, lack of treatment is a national problem. The darker the green, the more people in that state who are not receiving treatment for addiction. So sadly, New Hampshire is a very dark green. So is arizona, the presiding officers state. And we can see this dark green pattern coming down the east coast and going up the west coast. In 2014 in kentucky, 82,000 people needed Addiction Treatment but failed to get it. In tennessee, 116,000 people. In arizona, 157,000. In nevada, 55,000. In north carolina, 200,000 people. These are all people who needed treatment who didnt get it. And when people dont get treatment, they are overdosing in overwhelming numbers. And, sadly, this map of the United States shows where the overdose death rates are the highest. The darkest the color, those death rates are greater than 19 per 100,000 population. And again, we can see many of the same states, like New Hampshire, that have the most difficulty in people finding treatment are the states where were seeing the highest death rates. In 2014 in kentucky, 1,100 people died from a drug overdo overdose. In tennessee, 1,200 people. In arizona, 1,200 Overdose Deaths. In nevada, 500. In north carolina, 1,300. In recent days, ive had a chance to visit three Treatment Centers in my home state head rest in lebanon, Serenity Place in manchester and sea Coast Youth Services in seabrook. These Treatment Centers are staffed by skilled, dedicated professionals. Theyre saving lives every day. But they tell me that for every life they save, many more are being lost for lack of treatment capacity, lack of facilities and lack of funding. And, you know, i had a chance on some of those visits to meet with some of the people in recovery, and i can remember one young man up in lebanon at head rest who had been in and out of prison because of crimes committed when he was using. And one of the things he said to me was, you know, it costs thousands of dollars to keep someone in prison, the figure he used was 35,000. He said, dont dont you all know that its cheaper to give somebody treatment . It is absolutely more costeffective for us to provide treatment to people who are in recovery. People who need help. I heard from a young woman in manchester who said that she had been arrested for drug use. And she said, you know, im not a criminal. She said, my problem is i need treatment to deal with these drugs. Another young woman who was in her early 20s, who had been in and out of the manchester jail, the Valley Street jeal, and she said street jail, and she said, you know, they dont provide treatment in the Valley Street jail. So ive learned when i get picked up, i dont tell them that i have a drug problem or that i have Mental Health issues, she said, because if i do, they put me in the bubble where i get observed 24 hours a day, regardless of what im doing. And what i need is treatment. I dont need to be in the bubb bubble. Well, thats why this supplemental amendment would increase resources for treatment and recovery, because the answer is treatment. Our amendment includes 300 million for the Substance Abuse prevention and treatment block grant program. This program is the premier federal initiative to boost state and local resources for prevention, treatment and recovery support. And in 21 states, this block grant represents at least 75 of the state agencies Substance Abuse prevent budget. And in some states, sadly, it is the only funding for Substance Abuse prevention. So if were going to get a handle on this problem, weve got to provide some Additional Resources for the treatment that these programs need. This funding will result in an immediate increase in the number of addicted individuals who will receive lifesaving treatment, and it will also save taxpayer dollars in the future, just like i heard from that young man at head rest, who said its cheaper to provide treatment than to build prisons. Hes absolutely right. The National Institute on drug abuse estimates that for every dollar spent on Substance Use disorder Treatment Programs, there is a 4 to 7 reduction in the cost of drugrelated crimes. And outpatient Treatment Programs can result in savings that exceed costs by a factor of 121. I live in Strafford County in New Hampshire. It is used it has used the modest funding from this block grant program, the Substance Abuse and treatment block grant, to accomplish important things, including expanding its peerbased Addiction Recovery efforts and working in schools to engage atrisk students in the middle school years. Because if we can prevent addiction, thats obviously the best thing we can do. But unfortunately many prevention and treatment efforts in Strafford County remain chronically underfunded. I recently learned about one local woman, a mother and waitress, who overdosed in front of her twoyearold child. Fortunately she received inpatient treatment and now shes doing well. But others have not been so lucky. Like cities and counties all across america, strafford has a months long waiting list for those needing treatment. And when people with Substance Use disorders are turned away, they remain on the streets, desperate, often committing crimes to support their addiction, always at constant risk of a lethal overdose. Vice news in New Hampshire recently profiled the Opioid Epidemic. The reporter interviewed one desperate user who said this and i quote i tried to get help and stop but at the Treatment Center they said id have to wait three months. I had to go to the hospital and tell them i was going to kill myself just to get admitted. That should not happen in america. Another critical tool in the effort to stem the tide of this crisis are Prescription Drug monitoring programs. These staterun programs collect, monitor and analyze electronically transmitted prescribing and dispensing data submitted by pharmacies and dispensing practitioners. Now, we know monitoring works. Weve seen weve got the data to show that it works. But only half of the 50 states are receiving federal support. So what this amendment would do, the emergency supplemental amendment, it would include 50 million for the c. D. C. To expand and bolster state drug monitoring programs. Our amendment also allocates 10 million to improve access in highrisk communities to medicationassisted Treatment Services for heroin and prescription opioids. Because numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of including medication in the treatment of some individuals with Substance Use disorders. So medications like methadone, norphrino and natural trex on naltrexon have been shown to reduce abuse. Our supplemental spending amendment would also speed emergency resources to Law Enforcement agencies. Because while, as i said ive heard from police in New Hampshire that they cant solve this problem by putting people in jail, they can help to solve it by putting traffickers in jail and by breaking up those networks that are supplying drugs. In recent years, the Opioid Epidemic has spread to small towns and rural areas in every part of the country. And if we went back to that first map of the United States, we could see just how much the spread has been to rural parts of this country. Heroin traffickers in new york expressly target New Hampshire, vermont and maine, all states with a large rural population. We dont have any real urban areas in our states. But we can see the spread of those drugs in northern new england. This amendment will provide 230 million in emergency funding for edward byrne memorial justice assistance grants and 10 million for cops antiheroin task force grants. The byrne j. A. G. Grant program is the nations cornerstone crimefighting program and its proved its effectiveness in each of our states, which is why it enjoys such strong bipartisan support. But the program has suffered cuts. In New Hampshire, we received 1. 7 million in byrne funding in 2007. Last year we received less than 1 million, almost a 50 reduction. You know, i had the chance to travel with senator hoeven down to our southern border of texas last spring because we both are on the department of Homeland Security appropriations subcommittee and we talked to some of our customs and Border Patrol employees who were down on the border in loredo who were interdicting drugs down on our southern border. And one of the things they talked about is that drugs are coming across our southern border and theyre going up the interstate highway system. So theyre going up interstate 95 to northern New Hampshire. Theyre going up interstate 35 up through the middle of the country. And weve got to provide Law Enforcement with the funds they need to interdict those traffickers. We need an infusion of new funding to mobilize so that the programs are more aggressive for stopping opioid traffickers and dealers. Our amendment requires that byrne j. A. G. Funds be used directly to combat the Opioid Crisis for this emergency funding, and that will allow for programs that emphasize treatment over incarceration, like drug courts. In New Hampshire, weve seen what a difference it can make to have wellresourced, ambitious Law Enforcement initiatives. From may to december of last year, a highintensity Drug Trafficking area task force, so the hida task force, based in bedford, New Hampshire, carried out operation trident. They drew on federal, state and local Law Enforcement resources in New Hampshire and massachusetts, which makes sense. The more we cooperate, the better we can respond. Operation trident resulted in 240 arrests. They took down four major hero heroin fentanyl trafficking organizations. They dismantled three processing mills and they seized more than 1. 2 million in assets. But what weve got to do is to continue to recreate these successes all across the country by moving aggressively to take down the gangs and other trafficking organizations that are feeding the Opioid Epidemic. And to do that, weve got to provide resources. This emergency funding amendment doesnt create any new programs. Instead, we fund proven and effective initiatives like byrne j. A. G. And the Substance Abuse prevention and treatment block grants. These initiatives have earned broad bipartisan support because all of us senators have seen the good work that they do in each of our states. And by allocating emergency resources to these proven programs, this amendment will provide Law Enforcement and Treatment Professionals with the resources they need to go on the offensive, to mobilize a real war on opioid trafficking and addiction. And perhaps most important, our emergency supplemental funding amendment funds the programs that are included in the cara bill. And i want to thank senator whitehouse and the other drafters of cara who have made important statutory and Program Programmatic changes to improve programs that help treat addiction. But cara, as important as it is, is an authorization bill and it doesnt provide any funding. If we support making the changes in the law that are included in the cara bill, then we should also support the funding needed to make these programs work. And this is a quote from the National Governors association. Recently they came together and they endorsed emergency appropriations to address this crisis. They wrote and i quote governors applaud the introduction of legislation that would provide Emergency Assistance to states working on the front lines of the Opioid Crisis. Investment is needed to help states mount an Effective Response to opioid addiction, from increasing prevention and education regarding the dangers of illicit drugs, to strengthening state Prescription Drug monitoring programs, expanding access to Addiction Treatment, and enhancing support for Law Enforcement. The fraternal order of police has endorsed this amendment. Theyve written this bill will help our state and local Law Enforcement officers by giving them the necessary funding and tools to battle their communitys heroin and opioid problems. Something needs to be done. End quote. I ask unanimous consent to place the take tenial order of police fraternal order of police order into the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mrs. Shaheen thank you. Weve also gotten support from groups like the manner academy of Pain Management, the american Public Health association, the American Society of addiction medicine, association of womens health, ob streetic and neonatal nurses for the partnership of drug free kids, from the American College ever physicians, the National Association of state alcohol and drug abuse directors and again i wont read this whole list, mr. President , but i would ask unanimous consent to enter the list into the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mrs. Shaheen now, the question is, why do we need emergency funding. Well, some of my colleagues have argued that additional funds are not needed because there was enough money for the Opioid Crisis in last years omnibus. And, yes, its true there is additional funding for these programs in the omnibus. I sit on the appropriations committee. I was one of many on that committee who worked very hard to fight for those dollars. But with spending caps in place, these increases our modest at best. And the majority of my supplemental amendment appropriates resources to two programs. The Substance Abuse prevention and treatment block grant and the burn jag program. These programs have been critically underfunded in recent years. For example, the Substance Abuse prevention and treatment block grant received a small increase in the omnibus. That was good. But the reality is that over the last ten years, funding for this program has not kept up with health care inflation. So weve got a 26 decrease in the real value of funding despite the small increase we got in the appropriations process. In order to restore the block grant to its purchasing power from ten years ago, ten years ago now before we had the explosion of the opioid and heroin crisis, but just to get back to that level, congress would need to allocate an additional 483 million for fiscal year 2017. My amendment provides 300 million for this program. Its a downpayment, only a downpayment on where we need to be. And the burn jag program has been flat funded for the last three years. 15 years ago again before the explosion of the heroin Opioid Crisis, congress provided more than 1 billion in support to state and local Law Enforcement through burn, jag and block grant funding. By 2015 that number was reduced to 376 million. So right now despite the explosion in this heroin and Opioid Crisis, were providing only about onethird of the support that we provided 15 years ago. The reality is that criminal justice prevention and treatment have been chronically underfunded and as a result deaths have continued to rise. The presiding officer the senator has consumed 27 minutes. Mrs. Shaheen thank you, mr. President. I should be finished shortly. Now, weve talked to the department of justice and to health and Human Services, and they are both ready to get this funding at the door immediately because there is no time to wait. Law enforcement and Health Care Providers on the front lines need this money and they need this money now. Now, in the past congress has risen to the challenge of epidemics. In 2009, congress appropriated nearly 2 billion in emergency funding to fight swine flu which claimed the lives of about 12,000 americans. And that emergency appropriations bill passed the senate 863. 51 senators who voted for that bill are still serving in this chamber including 23 republican senators and every member of the Republican Leadership. And last Year Congress approved 5. 4 billion funding to combat the Ebola Outbreak in west africa, an outbreak that killed only one american. Surely we can come together now, this year in this session to fight a raging epidemic right here at home. We cant avert our eyes from 47,000 americans who are being killed by lethal overdoses each year. We cant accept that nine out of ten americans with Substance Use disorders go without treatment. We cant ignore the fact that Law Enforcement officers and the communities across this country are overwhelmed by aggressive drug traffickers and a rising tide of opioidrelated crimes. Cara will help fight the heroin and Opioid Epidemic in the longer term, but i urge my colleagues to also support this emergency supplemental funding amendment because it will provide urgent emergency funding to ramp up this fight in the months immediately ahead. This is a nationwide crisis. It is time we mobilize a nationwide response that is equal to the challenge. So i urge my colleagues, i urge the majority leader to allow a vote on my amendment, to pass this out so we can give our local communities and our states the resources they need. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. Mr. President , 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 oklahoma. A senator i ask the quorum call be vitiated. The presiding officer without objection. A senator i ask that the senate go into a period of recess as under the previous order. The presiding officer under the previous order the senate the previous order the senate romania was a corrupt country, extremely corrupt because it intimately had weak institutions without, everything was based on broad and doubledealing. What this shows is this is nothing new. Whats happening is that when the romanian population had grown up and become far more sophisticated, and its demanding in government, it is its number one demand. Sunday night at eight eastern on cspans q a. And former law clerks and Supreme Court justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Clarence Thomas take part in a Memorial Service for Justice Antonin Scalia who died february 13. Live coverage at 1 15 p. M. Eastern. Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell and democratic leader harry reid had this to say about the nomination proce majori mr. President . The majority leader. The chairman of the Judiciary Committee senator grassley and i will meet with president obama later this morning. We will reiterate that the American People will have a voice in the vacancy on the Supreme Court as they choose the next president who in turn will nominate the next Supreme Court justice. In other words, we will observe the biden rule. Americans have by now become will a pointed without advice from the vice president. Americans also know that both the current and future Senate Democratic leaders had to say about judicial nominees with a Different Party was in the white house. Papered the senator from nevada admonishment that no in the constitution does it say that the senate has a duty to give the president ial nominees a vote. They know the senator from new york didnt even wait until the final year of president george e w. Bushs term to declare that the senate should not confirm a Supreme Court nominee except in extraordinary circumstances. So look, lets use this mean to discuss ways we can Work Together to make progress for our country by tackling a drug crisis that is tearing communities apart in all 50 states. I was pleased to see colleagues join together to advance the bipartisan comprehensive addiction and recovery act just yesterday. I hope we will see that kind of cooperation continue. Its important for our country. I look for to discuss it with the president how his administration can be helpful. Mr. President . The democratic leader. The republicans in an effort to try to cloud the issue regarding selection of Supreme Court replacement usually dont make a fool quote. For example, they keep talking about senator biden but they should not take the statements. Compromise is responsible for both the white house and for the senate. If the president consults and cooperates with the senate, then his nominees and my support mr. President , yesterday the Washington Post published an editorial from a professor at the university of virginia, an expert on the Supreme Court. One of the finest law schools in all the world is university of virginia. In her opinion piece she pushed back against republicans claims that president sadat historically nominated nominate Supreme Court justices during an Election Year. According to her quote 14 president s have been appointed 21 justices during president ial Election Years. 14 out of 44 president s have appointed Supreme Court justice in an Election Year. Thats about a third of all u. S. President s have appointed nominees during an Election Year. An expert and editor of something called scotus, Supreme Court of the United States blog agrees the past president s of since have selected nominees. She writes historical record does not reveal any instances sense 1900 of the president ial to nominate or the senate failed to confirm the nominate in a president ial Election Year because the impending election. They are using one inappropriate statement or excuse after another to explain why they shouldnt have to do their jobs. Taxpayers sent them here to washington to do that instead of making excuses wouldnt it be easier to do the right thing . The right thing would be to give president obama Supreme Court nominee a hearing, a meeting before that. Simply we are saying they should be doing their jobs. Some republicans already starting to see the light. Last week the republican senator from mae