Stand prepared to negotiate its various provisions, our military men and women stand at the ready. They stand at the ready every single day. Its a 24 7 business for them for a much more serious task, and that is the defense of this great nation. As we consider this years ndaa, we must do so with the understanding that our nation is faced with new sophisticated threats to our way of life and to the world order. Two emerging warfighting domains cyber and space are capturing much of the attention of this body and our allies, and i will also add capturing the attention of our enemies, of those that do not wish us well. And it is these two domains cyber and space that pose increased threats to our National Infrastructure and our way of engaging with both those allies and our adversaries. Debating defense spending means thinking beyond helicopters and submarines or equipment and artillery and viewing this authorization in the larger context of multi and unseen domain warfare. Thats why my colleagues and i on the Senate Armed Services committee have come to the table with a bill that shores up funding for these legacy programs and devotes new funding to address these emerging threats. First and foremost, this bill authorizes a 3. 1 pay increase for the members of our armed forces. That is so vitally important for the men and women at Fort Campbell which is located right there on the tennessee and kentucky border. That is a post that ive spent much of my legislative career involved with those men and women and with the command team. This is a justified and wellearned race that recognizes their commitment to defending against unfamiliar threats that rise above and beyond the Everyday Service members scope of duty. We have found ourselves once more in the midst of great power competition. America will always have rivals on the world stage, and over the past decade weve seen countries like china and russia pursue increasingly sophisticated and Lethal Weapon systems. We have no choice but to recognize this emerging reality and give our military men and women the tools they need to combat developing threats and preserve u. S. Preeminence across all warfighting domains. With this funding well prioritize more sophisticated cybersecurity and spacebased strategies, artificial intel and other emerging technologies. We will take steps to protect the integrity of our supply chain so that we can be confident the microelectronics we depend on have not been corrupted by foreign spy ware. A good defense is only as strong as its weakest link, and this bill will allow us to shore up our relationship with the Defense Industrial base and ensure that contractors are not under the undue influence of foreign actors. This is all in addition to readiness projects here at home. Our mark includes full funding for the National NuclearSecurity Administration which is critical, critical to our Nuclear Modernization program. I think it is worth noting that our friends in the house cut over 70 million from infrastructure and facility operations which goes toward rebuilding crumbling buildings as the nasas plants and labs. That is funding that should be restored. Modern Nuclear Infrastructure is an essential part of credible deterrence, which is a critical concern in great power competition. Funding for these projects must not end up as a casualty of budget negotiations. Now it is true that this is a massive authorization and that much of the funding we authorize wont manifest itself in visible hardware, but i encourage my friends in this body dont let this deter you from seeing the big picture. National defense is no longer limited to the tools and infrastructure we can see. It includes an enormous covering that is needed by our nation and our allies in this virtual space. We must focus our Defense Budget on future threats, not those of the past, in order to not repeat the mistakes of the past. And i believe that this years ndaa accomplishes just that. I yield the floor. The presiding officer the assistant democratic leader. Mr. Durbin mr. President , if you study the recent course of American History you can note theres been the emergence of opportunity and debates on freedom many times during the last 50 years. I think back to my time, my early years of education in high school and college when america was in the midst of a debate about the rights of african americans, the socalled civil rights movements of the 1960s. Weve had debates as well on the question of liberty and freedom and freedom from discrimination for women in america, for those who are disabled. It really is a hallmark of this democracy that we continue to expand opportunity and continue to question our own beliefs when it comes to the freedom which each of us cherishes. Were now in the midst of an interesting transformation in this country on the issue of the rights of people with different sexual orientation. We have seen some dramatic changes in just the last few years as we find more and more people speaking out against discrimination, against those of a different sexual orientation. And of course the landmark decision in obergefell where the u. S. Supreme court recognized the right for samegender, samesex marriage. This is not without controversy and not without dissenters. But the mainstream of america, the vast majority of americans believe that we are moving along the same path that we did when we talked about the rights of those who are minorities, women, and the disabled, when we say that people should be free of discrimination because of their own sexual orientation. Thats why it strikes me as unusual, more than coincidental that in june the lgbtq pride month, our republican colleagues would decide to bring to the floor the nomination of a Texas District Court nominee, matthew j. Kacsmaryk, who has repeatedly written in his personal capacity about his opposition to lgbtq rights and the obergefell decision. Mr. Kacsmaryks nomination was reported out of the Senate Judiciary committee on a Party Line Vote in february, but for some reason the Republican Leadership decided to wait and force a vote on the floor of the senate during pride month. Now theyre calling for a vote this week. Mr. Kacsmaryk has not been shy about his hostility to Marriage Equality and transgender americans. On june 24, 2015, he wrote an article in which he noted the Supreme Court would decide the obergefell case in the next few weeks and speculated whether five justices would, quote, in his words invent a constitutional right to samesex marriage. Atmosphere decision mr. Kacsmaryk after his decision mr. Kacsmaryk wrote a disparaging summary which i wont quote for the record but shows his opposition to the premise about that decision. He did it again in the Liberty Institute blog of october 24014. October 2014. Last december the parents of 300 transgender children, including 39 from my state of illinois, wrote the senate in opposition to mr. Kacsmaryks nomination and said, quote, our children are not a delusion and neither is our love and support for them, end of quote. Even though mr. Kacsmaryk has expressed strident personal views opposing lgbtq rights and even though hes lited frequent litigated frequently in cases involving these matters, he would not commit to recuse himself from cases involving this issue were he to be confirmed by the senate. I oppose the kacsmaryk nomination. This is yet another extreme nominee outside the mainstream of american thinking who does not deserve to be rubber stamped for a lifetime appointment by the United States senate. Mr. President , i ask consent that the second statement be placed in a separate part of the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin thank you, mr. President. Just two weeks ago i had a meeting in chicago with my colleague, congresswoman chikowsky. We were at the overland center. This center is remarkable and a reflection of americas long history of welcoming those fleeing political violence. The center is home to one of our nations oldest and most respected facilities. Helping those roaferg from the complex recovering from the complex consequences of politically sanctioned torture. This is its 32nd year in operation. More than 3,000 tortured survivors from 80 Different Countries have received assistance and counsel at the h center in chicago. The problem of torture is significant. The presiding officer the senators time has expired. Mr. Durbin i ask unanimous consent to speak for an additional two minutes. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin it is significant with an estimated 44 of refugees in the u. S. Having been victims of such horrors, those from bosnia and other areas receive treatment at the center to recover from their trauma. I had the privilege of meeting refugees from those in cameroon, they are dealing with complicated colonial. They appointed france and Great Britain for what was previous a german colony. Not surprising, the two colonial powers imposed their cultures on the new cameroon and following the countrys independence in the 1960s, the strongman, the president there, now almost 40 years in office, further favored the french speaking. There was mounting resentment and calls for greater autonomy within the population with ensuing suppression by the regime. There were harrowing stories of this crackdown in violence. I was pleased to join senator van hollen urging secretary pompeo to focus u. S. Attention on the unrest in cameroon. Equally pleased when the u. S. Scaled back military assistance in cameroon due to this countrys violent oppression. A as a member of the appropriations committee, i will watch carefully the violence in cameroon when the day comes we consider any Financial Aid to this country. If were going to stand up for human rights, we must be willing to be vigilant at all times even for small countries far away like cameroon. Mr. President , i yield the floor. The presiding officer under the previous order, the senate will proceed to comif session executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. The clerk nomination, millennial challenge association, a senator i ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning session. The presiding officer without objection. Ms. Smith i rise to pay tribute to express my gratitude to Alan Peterson from minnesotas congressional delegation. Alana is retiring after serving the minnesota delegation since 1993. She has worked for congressman dave minke, congressman jim oberstar, senator al franken, and now for me. And in all of those roles, she served the people of minnesota first, especially those who most need an ally and voice in the halls of power here in washington. Farmers and rural families, new immigrants, minnesotas tribl communities and tribal communities. For those who dont know her, let me tell you about her. Alana was born in minnesota and, like me, spent part of her childhood in new mexico. In fact, she and i went to the same elementary school, though alana is a little younger than me and had the benefit of a new building. She headed al frankens office in 2009. Before working for al franken, she worked for jim oberstar and worked for congressman dave mingy. She served as executive director of target market, an organization that promoted an antitobacco message for teens and held a position at grassroots solution, a Political Consulting firm where she worked with National Labor unions, prochoice organizations. Alana has been a goto volunteer for her community where she served as chair of the east Central Regional arts council and a Bipartisan Group to electing more women to public office. She is married to tom peterson, the minnesota commissioner of agriculture for governor tim w ahls. She lives on a working farm in minnesota, an hour north of the twin cities. They raise and show miniature horses at county fairs all across mrn, earning minnesota, earning blue ribbons, not only raising amazing minis, but also because of the amazing costumes. To your family, thank you for sharing your mom and wife with us all these years. I cant tell you when i first met alana, but we have been good friends for decades. As with all great friendshippings, we are connected by a shared purpose, sense of humor and when in doubt, we can call each other. We have each had a shoulder to lean on, a gut check and good excuse for a good laugh when either of us needs it. This has been true for years, but never more than before when i became an accidental senator and called on my friend to help me to win a senate seat in ten months. Alana helped me to see i could do this job and win an election in such a short time. It is no exaggeration to say i couldnt have done any of this without her. Alana has the heart of an organizer. She tells a story that she first canvassed her neighborhood as a fifth grader, knocking on doors for a friend of hers who was running for office. She has been engaging people in the democratic process since. As an organizer, she knows the best ideas come from the ground up, not the top down. She understands the best work happens when you build relationships with people at the grassroots. She has taught campaign and Congressional Office staffers, that teamwork based on mutual respect, High Expectations and clear goals make progress for people possible and it can be joyful work. For years alana has been the goto person for young candidates just starting out and a lot of us seasoned politicians, the nonprofits of minnesota are powered by the people alana has taught and mentored. As an organizer, she is rooted in the value that Paul Wellstone best expressed when he said that politics shouldnt be about money and power, it should be about improving peoples lives. It means more to me than i can express that minnesota elected me to serve in the seat once held by hubert humphrey, walter mondale, and Paul Wellstone. On october 25, 2002, we lost paul in a terrible plane crash, along with pauls wife sheila, daughter marsha, and staffers, will, tom, and mary mack, alanas mentor. In the fall of 2002, alana quit her job and joined the campaign for pauls election. The plane crash and the loss of our friend was heartbreaking to all of us. Last year, on october 25th, alana shared a letter her father wrote to the wellstone Campaign Team in the days after the crash. It is particularly touching because her father, Thomas Christianson passed away on october 25, 2009, seven years after we lost paul. Here is part of what alanas father said. For some, Public Service is the dedication of ones life to the community i have come to realize that my daughter alana is one of those elite few. Alana, you are, indeed, one of those elite few. Thank you for your service to minnesota and thank you for what you will continue to do for many years ahead to move forward the hard, but precious work of improving peoples lives. Mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. Schumer mr. President . I ask unanimous consent that i speak in leader time. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer thank you, mr. President. Now, last night the Defense Department announced that a thousand additional troops would be deployed to the middle east. This is the second deployment of a thousand or more troops in the past 30 days ostensibly to deal with irans increased activity in the region. Despite these two announcements, the president has yet to address the nation about these developments. The president has yet to articulate a strategy about american involvement in the region. He has yet to send a single military commander to testify before the Armed Services committee. And he has yet to explain what his policy of, quote, maximum pressure on iran is supposed to achieve. All weve heard is the secretary of state, our chief diplomat, rattling the sabers of war. As u. S. Troops again prepare to deploy to the middle east, this administration has an obligation to explain to the American People exactly what is happening and why. If they have a case, they must make it public. Americans are rightly skeptical and tired of endless wars in the middle east. A reticence that many on the republican side dont seem to share. Americans know that smaller actions have a tendency to escalate into larger actions even when there is no Congressional Authority and no check. The administration has offered to send various officials to give classified the administration has offered to send various officials to give classified briefings but, frankly, that is not nearly good enough. We have learned the hard truth from our experience in iraq that the drums of war start beating behind closed doors. The president must make his pitch to the nation instead of another closed door meeting with senators. As the commander in chief, he owes that to every american but especially to the american Service Members and their families that hes sending into the middle east. On the border, now leader mcconnell has indicated that the he plans to have the Senate Consider Legislation next week on the administrations request for supplemental appropriations to handle migration at our southern border. As i have said many times, democrats want to provide the necessary resources to secure our borders and ensure that everyone who arrives there is treated humanely. However, the sheer chaos of this administrations policy, the sheer mismanagement, the erratic nature where