Remembers in a photo of mirror lake in mt. Hood, part of the mt. Hood wilderness within the mt. Hood National Forest in my home state of oregon. And mt. Hood, madam president , is an oregon icon. Ahave a and William Wyden are twins, pictures vaibl pictures y iphone after this discussion. They ski this and theyve already recognized at a very young age that mt. Hood is an icon. And wilderness, there and across america, has been called the Gold Standard of conservation. Keeping areas under the strongest level of protection the law provides ensures that they remain wild for future generations to appreciate and enjoy. And by identifying what places deserve wilderness protection in an open, inclusive fashion, the country ensures full public debate, opportunities to bring people together, to build a consensus, sensitivity to rural traditions and local economic needs, with an end product being wilderness areas that all americans can be proud of. Creating wilderness, madam president and perhaps now madam president creating wilderness is not just important for preservationists, it is also crucial for conservationists, outdoor enthusiasts everywhere, and for all those who make a recreation economy hum the outfitters and the guides and the lodges and the mom and pop diners, and the fact is that that recreation economy supports hundreds of thousands of jobs hundreds of thousands of jobs in Rural America and generates billions of dollars of Economic Activity across our country. Thats also where the land and Water Conservation fund comes in because it helps to secure and maintain Public Access to the countrys public lands and wilderness areas for recreation and enjoyment. Now, also celebrating its 50th anniversary this month is the land and Water Conservation fund. This exceptionally Important Program is responsible for protecting areas in all 50 states and our territories. And this includes such special places, iconic places as the grand Canyon National park, many of our storied Civil War Battlefields and Numerous National wildness refuges. In hig my home state of oregon,e fund has placed the Columbia River gorge, carte Lake National park, the Pacific Crest trail, and the oregon dunes. Equally important, the land and Water Conservation fund feeds state critical funds that help create and maintain the local parks, the trails, and the recreational facilities. Now, every year the treasury collects billions of dollars of revenue from offshore oil drilling and other sources of energy production. Out of that total, the land and Water Conservation fund is authorized to receive up to 900 million a year. Its, in my view, a balanced approach, its a simple approach, its a constructive approach to managing public lands with some of the money the country makes from extracting resources, taking that money and turning it around and reinvesting it in the countrys unique open spaces. Now, there are tremendous economic benefits to the investment the fund makes. Nationwide, 98 of our counties contain land protected by the fund, and in these places, americas Outdoor Recreation economy generates 646 billion in Consumer Spending and supports more than six million jobs. Few states, mr. President few states enjoy the outdoors more than oregonians. Its almost as if, mr. President , the outdoors is a part of our gene pool. We see ourselves as outdoors people, and Outdoor Recreation accounts for nearly 13 billion in Consumer Spending in our state, and it supports 141,000 oregon jobs. As i mentioned before, in addition to its federal role, the land and Water Conservation fund helps the states. It provides matching grants so that state and local governments can use those funds to build new parks that are going to help struggling cities or towns develop. In the alternative, they can maintain natural spaces that are critical to the quality of life in those local communities. But the bottom line is, those investments, mr. President federal, state, and local investments they lead to job creation. We know that recreation opportunities drive tourism, especially in our counties where theres a significant amount of protected land. Those who are recreating, they go to the local restaurants, they go to the local shops, they stay in the hotels, often they look for outfitters and guides. Economists note that job growth in rural western counties where there is a significant amount of protected land is four times faster than in areas where you do not have that measure of federal protection. Now, these are just some of the many reasons why failing to give the land and Water Conservation fund the resources it needs, in my view, would be nothing short of legislative malpravmen malp. Unfortunately, despite the fact that 80 of americans approve of the programs mission, it has been underutilized, underfunded fnlt as a result, job growth and protection needed, needed protection for these treasures is left behind. So, mr. President , i plan to introduce two bills this week that would help to secure the future of the land and Water Conservation fund. The first bill would provide a oneyear extension of the land and Water Conservation fund and the second bill, mr. President , that i hope to be able to introduce here very shortly would make it permanent, because i believe that dedicated, Stable Funding will ensure our public lands continue to be preserved and accessible to support those recreationists of the future, the conservationists of the future, and the local economic leaders of the future that will prosper as a result of those investments. In closing, mr. President , i simply want to note that we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the wilderness act and the land and Water Conservation fund as millions of families across the country return from summer vacations to the parks and wilderness areas that these great laws have helped to preserve and enrich. And children everywhere are sharing stories in their schools about how they went fishing and hiking and camping in their nations backyards. If realized to their greatest potential, the wilderness act and the land and Water Conservation fund are surefire ways to help guarantee that the next generation of americans will continue to have access to beautiful recreation areas, captivating historic sites, and pristine wilderness, and strong, robust funding for the land and Water Conservation fund will help grow economies and create jobs in every state nationwide. Now, mr. President , finally, let me note that until recently i had the honor of chairing the energy and Natural Resources committee, and as chair, i had the opportunity to work particularly with two colleagues that are on the floor now, the distinguished senator from colorado, senator udall, the distinguished senator from new mexico, senator heinrich, and it makes me feel very good that they are here because, as westerners, they see day in and day out that what were talking about here with respect to the importance of this program and this extraordinary contribution its made to the country, these two Great Western leaders with respect to Natural Resources understand its not just about the past. Its not just about the wonderful halfcentury that ive taken the time to note. These are two leaders senator udall from colorado and senator heinrich from new mexico who i think are going to be part of the leadership, the leadership that works to protect these two great programs for years to come. So is im very grateful to have the opportunity to be on the floor with them. I had a chance particularly to see some of the treasures in colorado recently. I can see why senator udall feels so strongly about that. New mexico is one of the few states i have not been, so i hope ill be able to wangle an invitation to join senator heinrich. But i want to leave the floor knowing that, as we make this commitment to doing all we can to make the protection of our extraordinary outdoor spaces part of the legacy we leave for our children and grandchildren, the case for these two programs and advocating for them is in very good hands with senator udall and senator heinrich. And with that, mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. Udall mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from colorado is recognized. Mr. Udall thank you, mr. President. Let me just start by thanking the senator from oregon. Hes been a true leader here in the senate for many years, and i know the senator from new mexico joins me in thanking you for your leadership and for your partnership. And i rise today, as senator wyden has, to celebrate the public lands in oregon he rose to celebrate the public lands in his state, and i rise to celebrate the public lands in colorado. And i want to make the point, right out of the gate, that our public lands support thousands of jobs across colorado, and they strengthen our special way of life. And this month marks the 50th anniversary of the land and Water Conservation fund and the wilderness act. Both of these incredibly successful laws have been instrumental in protecting our public lands for future generations, growing our Outdoor Recreation economy, and ensuring access to public lands in colorado and all across our country. In sum, what im saying, these landmark laws have touched every corner of colorado over the past 50 years. So im very pleased in that spirit to join senator wyden and senator sessions today in introducing a resolution honoring the 50th anniversary of the wilderness act. From the snowcapped peaks of the eagle wilderness to james peak, which i worked hard to establish, the wilderness act has protected more than 3. 6 million acres in colorado alone. These places have inspired generations of coloradans and remind us that we dont inherit the earth from our parents. We borrow it from our children. Mr. President , let me turn to the land and Water Conservation fund. In 1964, some 50 years ago, president Lyndon Johnson worked with the congress to establish lwcf the acronym for the land and Water Conservation fund. As we develop our oil and gas resources, we will also conserve other special places throughout our country for the next generations. As we mark 50 years of the program, we can tangibly see and feel and breathe its success. In the 3 million acres lwcf has helped us preserve is a part of 40,000 park and Recreation Development projects across all 50 states as well as over four million acres of public lands managed by the federal government. And in colorado, weve seen firsthand how lwcf dollars have helped protect access to the public lands to define us as a state. Mr. President , from my position as chairman of the National Parks subcommittee, ive seen how these funds have been particularly useful to our parks. After all, there is no better example than the creation of Great Sand Dunes National park in colorado. This magnificent place was protected by lwcf appropriations that were obtained with very strong local support. Great Sand Dunes National Park protects one of our nations great landmarks. Its also a critical source of tourist dollars for the surrounding Rural Communities. And this economic boost is something weve seen all across our state and our nation. Its noteworthy that for every dollar coming out of the lwcf fund, we see created four times that much in economic value. 1 equals 4 in economic value. And this investment through the lwcf program is part of the reason weve seen strong growth in americas Outdoor Recreation industry. When i say Outdoor Recreation industry, thats activities like hunting, fishing, camping, skiing, biking, you name it. And those activities have generated over 13 billion that support over 14,000 jobs 124,000 jobs in california alone. In another vein, mr. President , lwcf resources have helped states like ours become more resilient when it comes to national disasters. I was last weekend in lyons, colorado, one of the towns hardest hit by colorados historic 2013 floods. This picture is an exeasm of what we example of what we faced a year ago. Trout unlimited shared a story of how lwcf funds were used to help recover from a similar flood in the Big Thompson Canyon 30 years ago. Back in 1976, local officials had the foresight to make an lwcf purchase of 80 flooded properties and to replace the damaged homes with new parkland which then provided fishing access to the community in critical floodplain protection. Why do i bray bring that up now . That development in 1976 helped families who lost their homes then and avoided an estimated 16 million in property damages in 2013 that would have happened without those preservation efforts. The Big Thompson Canyon flooded in a similar fashion last year as it did in 1976, but because of the lwcf phones and the fact that lwcf moneys and the fact 80,000 properties were purchased, we saw the result. It was a way to rebuild smarter and better in 1976. And were going to do that Going Forward from 2013s flood. As a part of that, i was really excited and plead to hear the Town Alliance received lwcf funding to repair and rebuild the spectacular saint grain river corridor trail. Before that trail was destroyed last fall in the flood, it had been used as a regional connecter for anglers, mountain bikers and many others. And this project will now help restore a vital economic asset for that community, and it will ensure access to the river and the river corridor for many generations to come. Thats a success story, pure and simple. Mr. President , lwcf has helped in many other less obvious ways. As we fight to get our kids and ourselves to spend less time in front of the television, Outdoor Recreation is still the best way to stay physically fit and active and emotionally healthy. This past july i rafted the Browns Canyon wilderness study area of the arkansas river. As you can see here, what a spectacular place. What a unique place Browns Canyon is. I proposed to preserve it permanently as the browns Canyon National monument and wilderness. Along that rafght trip we had a group of veterans and several are suffering from post Traumatic Stress disorder or ptsd and told me how they use their Time Outdoors as a part of their healing. Again a success story. How do we keep lwcf strong . Even though lwcf has been successful by any measure while enjoying strong bipartisan support, the programs only been fully funded two times since its enacting law in 1964 promised 900 million in annual funding. Thats right, only two times out of the last 50 years. Lwcf is a victim of the uncertainty of the annual appropriations cycle which leaves a huge unmet need in colorado and across our country. And thats why ive been fighting, joined by many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for full permanent funding of the land and Water Conservation fund. And im very pleased to be working with senator wyden, senator heinrich and others on a fix that will fulfill the lwcf promise. This is a promise to our kids, our grandkids and all generations down the line. And we have an obligation to keep it. The good news is, mr. President , this potential fix would also reauthorize and fund two other programs that are critical to our Rural Communities. The payment in lieu of taxes program, which is also known as pilt, and secure rural schools. Let me talk briefly about both of those programs. For decades the pilt program has provided critical funding to nearly 1,900 Rural Counties to make up for diminished tax revenues stemming from federal landownership within those county boundaries. Pilt helps ensure Rural Communities have access to basic services such as Law Enforcement, education, and health services. Let me share an example. Ureek county in southwest iran iran Southwestern Colorado is still recovering. The county has already cut staff time significantly by reducing county operations to only four days a week. Without pilt, that would drop to just three days a week. Pilt also ensures that the county can hire a sheriff and students can get to school. Unfortunately permanent funding for this program expired and pilt now experiences the uncertainty of shortterm fixes, creating significant planning challenges for colorado and Rural Americans. I was proud to lead the effort last year to extend pilt funding through the farm bill which delivered 34. 5 million to colorado communities. But here in the congress, weve got to do more. Weve got to confront this annual uncertainty over the future of the pilt program. Thats why ive championed a separate bill that will permanently fund pilt. This is also a bipartisan effort. And thats why ive worked with senator wyden to include such certainty in this comprehensive bill today. I mentioned the secure Rural Schools Program, and the same could be said of it. Rural colorado communities rely on the secure Rural Schools Program to hire teachers and strengthen our education system. In 2013 alone, colorado communities were one teacher could make or break a School Received 9. 5 million through this vital program. So this important bill for our secure rural schools would ensure that the federal government keeps its commitment to our Rural Counties to help offset the cost of public education, roads, and other essential services. So we have a dynamic trio of very Important Programs. Lwcf, pilt, and secure rural schools. They help support colorados Rural Communities and our special way of life. Mr. President , let me conclude with this theme. We are a nation of risk takers and explorers. Weve already been searching for the next challenge to overcome or the next mountain to climb. And our public lands are a reminder of that heritage. And finding the right balance for how to use our public lands is the next challenge to overcome. As we tackle problems like growing our economy, Disaster Response and taking care of our wounded warriors, lets not forget the Important Role of our public lands and the opportunities they provide for Outdoor Recreation, our economy and our health. This year lets reflect on what president kennedy called intelligent use of Natural Resources. Lets celebrate 50 years of the land and Water Conservation fund with bipartisan action for full and permanent funding for lwcf, pilt and secure rural schools. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from new mexico is recognized. Mr. Heinrich let me start out by righting a wrong. I hadnt realized chairman wyden, our colleague from oregon, had not had a chance to visit the great state of new mexico. And i will fix that right now and make sure that he is not only invited but that we might seek to show him some of the incredible places that the two programs that were talking about today have helped preserve and protect and make as assets to our local economy in the state of new mexico. As you heard from my colleague, senator udall, and our colleague, chairman wyden of oregon as well, this month we celebrate two really incredible milestones in our countrys conservation history. We celebrate the 50th anniversary of the wilderness act and the 50th anniversary of the land and Water Conservation fund. And both of these programs have been etched into the history of my home state by new mexico conservationists, with names like aldo leopold, senator clinton p. Anderson and secretary of interior stuart udall. When senator anderson steered the passage of the wilderness act here on the floor of the u. S. Senate, he said on august 20 of 1964, he said quote in no area has this congress more decisively served the future wellbeing of the nation than in passing legislation to conserve Natural Resources and to provide the means by which our people could enjoy them. While we stretch out the highways, he said, to carry ever expanding traffic, while we build whole new communities to house a growing population, and while we consume more acreage for a burgeoning industry, we have set aside part of our land as it was when human eye first saw it, unscarred by man, primeval, a memorial to the creator who molded it. Unquote. Senator anderson was also unquestionably one of the principal architects of the land and Water Conservation fund. And that 88th congress where so much of this work was done was coined as the conservation congress. Lwcf is the primary tool our nation uses to fund the protection of our natural and cultural heritage, and i have worked diligently with my colleagues, including senator udall, his cousin, senator udall of new mexico, senator wyden of oregon and others to secure full and permanent funding for this program. But even 40 years before the enactment of the wilderness act or lwcf, conservationist aldo leopold had the vision to help protect half a million acres of mountains, rivers and mesas in new mexico. In order to ensure roadless and backcountry experience free of what leopold called floor dust for those hearty enough to hike into this wild country. With the passage of the wilderness act, it became the National Forest systems very first designated wilderness area. New mexico is also where the idea of tribally administered wilderness became a reality when the blue lake was returned to at taos pueblo. Jeff bingamans leadership was invaluable for conserving public lands in new mexico such as the rio grande delnorto, designated National Monuments within the last two years. With the 50th anniversary of the wilderness act and the land and Water Conservation fund is not just about the past as we heard from my colleagues. The future of public Lands Conservation will depend on continued collaborative efforts of our elected officials, our business owners, tribal leaders, sportsmen, conservation organizations, outdoor retailers and others who worked together to protect americas most treasured natural landscapes. In our effort to continue our proud bipartisan history, after all, it was representative john sailor, a republican from pennsylvania, who was the lead sponsor and champion in the house of representatives for the wilderness act. And it was former republican senator Pete Domenici of my home state who championed legislation to designate the sandia wilderness, a place i look at every time i go home to albuquerque who said at the time that the area quote forms a beautiful natural backdrop for the city which all the residents can enjoy. In new mexico, hunters and campers, chili farmers and urban dwellers all have a deep connection to the outdoors and benefit from the recreation, wildlife and the water that wilderness provides. Many of my own most formative moments, decisions, memories and turning points have occurred in these public wildlands. I remember a trip with my wife julie to the Irish Wilderness in missouri, a trip that we made as we were leaving our college days behind there in the midwest and heading back west to new mexico to start our new life together. And in 2001, shortly after 9 11, i backpacked through 53 miles of the hilo wilderness and decided on that trip to run for a seat on the albuquerque city council. I have many Cherished Memories from the trips my wife and i have made over the years, from the trips along the rockies, the titans, in places with names like Jedediah Smith and names like dark canyon, desolation canyon, gray, grand gulch, the goose necks, the san juan and of course the chalmer river canyon near my home. Wilderness is in my blood, and i make no apologies for believing that some places are so very special, mr. President , that we will never improve upon them. These are the places worth fighting for. I am committed to carry on my states rich conservation history, and in fact senator tom udall and i have introduced legislation to designate special places like the columbine honda in taos county, the San Antonio River and ute mountain in del norte National Monument as new wilderness areas. And its clear that conservation and growing our economy are inextricably linked. Protected wild places contribute to the new mexico economy in a robust and sustainable Outdoor Recreation community which generate 6. 1 billion in Consumer Spending every year in the state, gives us 68,000 new mexico jobs and 1. 7 billion in wages and salaries, according to the Outdoor Industry association. The new Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument in northern new mexico has already yielded economic benefits since its designation. After less than one year since it was designated a National Monument, the local community saw a 40 increase in visitors. As we look back on the last 50 years of the wilderness act and the land and Water Conservation fund both became law, let us also look to the future. My children love wild places as much as i do. My son carter will be backpack hunting for elk with me later this fall. My son micah will join me on b. L. M. Land to chase mule deer. They have fished in the wilderness. Its up to all of us to ensure that their children have the same opportunities that we had and that we have shared with their generation. Ill close, mr. President , with a quote from Aldo Leopolds book. He said when we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. Thank you, mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from maryland is recognized. Mr. Cardin i ask unanimous consent the floor privileges be granted to major david james wilson, a u. S. Air force officer who is currently serving as a legislative defense fellow in my office for the duration of todays session of the senate. The presiding officer without objection, so ordered. Mr. Cardin mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that i be recognized for up to seven minutes followed by senator cornyn for up to ten minutes and senator blumenthal for up to 15 minutes. The presiding officer is there objection . So ordered. Mr. Cardin mr. President , i take this time to talk about the president s strategy on combating the threat of isil or isis. I applaud the president s recognition that isil is a barbaric terrorist group. It beheaded americans. It murders, kidnaps, tortures civilian populations. It sells women into slavery. It has a stated purpose of attacking america and its allies. It poses a threat and it is the president is right to say that it calls on appropriate action by the International Community. I support and congratulate the president on the selected military strikes that have been done with the request of the Iraqi Government against isils advancements which has held them back and enabled them to regain territory that was held by isil, protecting civilian populations. I strongly support the president s commitment that there will be no combat Ground Troops interjected into this combat. And i think the president has done a good job in engaging the International Community to work with us so that this is truly an international effort. But let me just comment for a moment if i might about military action and that it needs to be restricted. I oppose authorizing military use of force that is openended that could result in the use of Ground Troops or where we could be asked to have our military do what the countries where these terrorists groups are located should be doing with their own military. In iraq, it should be the Iraqi Security forces that take on the ground responsibilities. And let me just remind my colleagues when we went into iraq and it was done without my support, i voted against the authorization to go into iraq, we were told that that was going to be a short campaign, that the might of the military of the United States would make that a very quick operation. As we see years later, it took a long time and was still in iraq. It must be done with the help of the International Community, particularly the countries that are in the region. I think we have a strong responsibility as members of the senate and members of congress to revisit the 2001 authorization that was passed by congress shortly after the attack on our country on september 11 and the 2002 authorization that was used for americans going into iraq. I dont think either one of those resolutions are relevant for additional military action today in either syria or iraq. And let me, mr. President , just read into the record the appropriate language that was included in the 2001 authorization. That the president is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed or aided the terrorist attack that occurred on september 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons. Its a real stretch to say that that authority applies to actions against isil today. Therefore, i think its incumbent, i think we have a constitutional responsibility to act, and i think we must act and make it very clear that there will be no Ground Combat troops authorized in any action taken by congress. In regards to iraq, the Iraq Resolution was passed at a time where the information supply to congress was just not accurate. Its certainly not relevant to a fact that now there is an independent Iraqi Government. That authorization also needs to be revisited. And let me just remind you if thiS Administration can use the authority of 2001 and 2002 for using aircraft and military operations by air, what is to say that the next administration because we know this is going to take a long time couldnt use that authorization for introducing Ground Troops in these countries . So i think its important that we revisit these authorizations, eliminate the previous authorizations and make it relevant to the current need. In iraq, its got to be limited to Strategic Air missions requested by the Iraqi Government, targeted at protecting civilian populations. In regards to syria, i have serious doubt about authorizing military operation. I think we need to have further clarification from the administration as to the clear objectives that they are accomplishing in syria and we have to be very careful about the authorization of the use of our military in a country where we are not invited. Now, let me just talk one minute about timing. The president has article 2 powers. I dont deny that. If something were to happen, he has the right to defend our country and use our military to defend our country. As you know, he can do that for a period of 60 days. It so happens that 60 days from now, we will be soon to be returning for a lame duck session of congress. So i dont think there is any immediate rush for us to try to get an authorization bill done, but i think we should be working on an authorization bill so that we can take it up when congress reconvenes. If something happens in the interim, we are certainly available and should come back in and be ready to act. America is always stronger when congress and the Administration Work together on these issues, and i would hope that we could come together with the appropriate authorization that makes it clear that we will not allow authorization for combat Ground Troops and that we are very restricted on the use of our air power. Let me lastly comment about the continuing resolution that we will be voting on tomorrow, as i understand it, that gives article ten power for the arming and equipping the Syrian Opposition. There is clear in that authorization that there is no authorization for use of u. S. Military force. It is consistent with the action taken by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that i serve on and the resolution that i supported that talked about arming and training the vetted Syrian Opposition. We did that over a year ago. It was for a different mission. It was for dealing with assad. This in a way is comparable to dealing with isil but it also deals with the capacities against assad. Its limited to expire on december 11, and i think it is consistent with our mission to deal with our policies in syria. As i said earlier, i voted against the iraq authorization in 2002. I see that you have got to be very careful that we do not allow authorization to exist that could be used for a long and costly involvement of the United States. Its also clear to me that we cannot win the campaign against isil by military action alone. We have to have diplomatic support. We have to deal with cutting off their financial aid. We have to deal with cutting off their political support. In iraq, we have a representative government, the seeds have been planted. Thats what we need to do. That cuts off the type of support that isil will need for longterm survival. The International Community needs to stay resolved and the United States needs to stay in the leadership. With that, mr. President , i would yield the floor. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senior senator from texas is recognized. Mr. Cornyn mr. President , more than a decade since i first came to this chamber, the United States senate, it has become unrecognizable. What had traditionally been a forum for thoughtful debate, amendments and discussion based frequently on different perspectives that we come to based on our experience or the parts of the country we represent. Unfortunately, this chamber has devolved into one where not much gets done and when there are folks, they are frequently showboats with the election clearly in mind. So they are frequently show votes with the election clearly in mind. So look closely at our september agenda. Amid high unemployment, stagnant wages, widespread frustration over the consequences of obamacare and genuine humanitarian and security crises abroad and here at home, our colleagues who control the agenda in the chamber decided the most urgent order of business was to amend the bill of rights to the United States constitution and gut the First Amendment. Well, as i have said at the time, when i went home during the august he recess to talk to my august recess to talk to my constituents, not a one of them said i want you to go back to congress and i want you to gut the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech. This is clearly not at the top of the American Peoples agenda. So despite all the challenges facing our country, the majority leader who controls the agenda on the senate floor continues to prioritize Election Year votes, show boats, overseers legislating. Back in march when our democratic friends decided to promote their socalled fair shot agenda, the New York Times noted that the exercise was completely political in nature. As the New York Times hardly hostile to our democratic friends and their policy agenda, but as the times put it quote democrats concede that making new laws is really not the point. Rather, they are trying to force republicans to vote against them. Close quote. So meanwhile, the majority leader has prevented millions and millions of americans from having a real voice in this chamber. Since he became the majority leader, hes blocked legislation more than twice as often as the majority majority leader bill frist, tom daschle, trent lott, bob dole and George Mitchell did or i should add robert byrd, more than all of them did combined. But he hasnt just blocked republican amendments, not just those in the minority. Hes blocked amendments from the majority party, his own party. Since july of last year, we have had roll call votes on only 14 republican amendments and only eight democrat amendments. I have to tell you, if my party was in the majority and we ended up getting less votes than the party in the minority, id be pretty hot about it and id have some explaining to do to my constituents. Indeed, the majority leader has allowed so few amendments that one of his fellow senate democrats, the junior senator from connecticut, recently told politico he said, i got more substance on the floor of the house of representatives in the minority than i have as a member of the senate majority. Our colleagues in the house have sent over scores and scores of bills relating to job creation, taxes, health care, immigration and other issues only to have senator reid declare them dead on arrival. No wonder congress has a 14 approval rating. When people see the dysfunction here primarily in the United States senate since the house is passing legislation but it dies here because the majority leader refuses to take it up, its understandable what they are frustrated that they are frustrated as we are frustrated. And i know its not just those of us in the minority. Many of our democratic colleagues privately express their own frustration at the Senate Becoming so dysfunctional. But if the majority leader was serious about solving the problems that confront our country, they wouldnt need to look far beyond positive progrowth ideas to address our nations most pressing challenges. They would see that Senate Republicans have joined our house colleagues in offering a bevy of thoughtful proposals. First and foremost, weve long stressed the need to pass progrowth, fiscally responsible budget. You know, the United States senate under democratic control hasnt passed a budget since 2009. Thats malpractice. We should leave the next generation more economic opportunity, not more debt. And somebodys going to have to pay that money back. Maybe these young folks sitting in the row upfront row here, the pages, unfortunately they and their children are going to have to end up paying the money back. Americans and Small Businesses across the country budget responsibly every month and so should their government. In addition, we pushed since i believe progrowth Energy Policies that are responsible for that enjoy bipartisan support, like approving the keystone x. L. Pipeline and boosting u. S. Exports of liquified natural gas. We need Energy Policies that enhance our energy security, reduce prices and encourage investment and jobs right here at home. We also need a regulatory system that fosters Economic Growth and prosperity not one that furthers washingtons overreach. Republicans believe we must continue aggressive oversight of the Obama Administrations outofcontrol regulatory agenda which is hurting hardworking americans and their wages while empowering federal bureaucrats. Senate republicans also believe that the president S Health Care law was absolutely the wrong way to extend affordable, accessible, Quality Health care to more americans. We believe that families and patients should be free to purchase whatever kind of insurance they prefer without having to worry about the government meddling. We believe that future reforms should guarantee that Health Care Decisions will be made by patients and their doctors, not by washington. We believe that those reforms should make Quality Health insurance and quality care more accessible for more people. Here is the greatest irony of obamacare, is that instead of making health care more affordable, it made it more expensive; thus, limiting access to care. On tax reform, we believe that our overriding goal should be to lower lower tax rates for all taxpayers, broaden the base and simplify the entire system in order to restore americas global competitiveness. We also favor ending to toobigtofail, thereby ending the explicit government backstop and subsidy currently enjoyed by some of the americas largest banks. There are a number of ways to achieve that goal but we all agree that dodd frank did not solve that doddfrank did not solve that problem. Immigration continues to be among the most pressing issues we face, especially given this years record surge of children unaccompanied coming from Central America pouring across our southwest border. We understand that one of americas Top Priorities is to make sure that our laws are being enforced and our border is secure. We share that priority and we will keep advocating the necessary reforms along with other reforms to fix our broken immigration system. So as you can see, mr. Preside mr. President , we believe that there are a lot of good ideas and they are not the purview of either political party. In fact, weve been sent here by our constituents to work in a bipartisan way to try to solve some of americas most pressing challenges. And we view our intellectual diversity as a sign of strength. But we remain united on the Core Principles and ideas that define our party. Weve had an experiment in Big Government over the last six years, and you know what . It hasnt worked it very well. Unemployment rates remain high. The Labor Participation rates at a 30year low. And people have simply given up. The economy should be bounding back rather than knocking along the bottom. So we remain committed to sack ling our nations biggest tackling our nations biggest problems and promoting prosperity for all americans. And we do that with growing the economy and creating jobs and letting people work hard, as they always have in america, and pursue their dreams. But proposals like the ones ive mentioned, many of which enjoy bipartisan support certainly they have in the house of representatives have never seen the light of day here as long as the majority leader continues to operate this chamber like an incumbent protection program. The American People sent us here to take tough votes and solve problems. Indeed, i dont know why anyone would want to be a United States senator if were not allowed to vote and to solve problems. And the American People certainly deserve a senate that operates that way. Mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. Blumenthal mr. President . The presiding officer the senior senator from connecticut is recognized. Mr. Blumenthal thank you, mr. President. In these past weeks, the nation has been shocked and horrified by a video showing ray rice, a professional football player, punching and knocking out his thenfiancee, now wife, jamay rice, and then dragging her like a sack of potatoes out of an elevator as it almost closed on her. The nation was shocked by the callous indifference and disregard for the issue of Domestic Violence not only by ray rice but by the nfl itself which has fumbled and failed in its reaction from the very beginning. And, indeed, i wrote to the nfl asking for stronger measures after it suspended ray rice for a mere two games. It now received the now infamous and notorious video and he was suspended indefinitely. But ray rice is only one of 85 players since the year 2000 who have been charged or cited for Domestic Violence and many, many more were arrested for sexual assault, drunk violence and other crimes. This poster shows how an entire lineup with active nfl players who have been arrested for Domestic Violence could be fielded. Some of them may have retired but most are active. And there are others not shown here. Ray rice is on the field even though he may be suspended indefinitely and has appealed it. These incidents and literally thousands of others are the ugly, brutal, bloody face of Domestic Violence in this nation. It is not only bigger and broader, more painful and serious than ray and janay rice but it affects our entire society. Its victims are throughout the country and what they need most desperately is more services to bolster their courage and strength to come forward and break the cycle. I know about Domestic Violence as an issue in connecticut because i worked to fight child abuse and neglect and related kinds of Domestic Violence when i served as attorney general. I worked in courts but also in schools to speak to young men and women. And i worked with shelters like interval house, the largest shelter in connecticut, helping to form and found an Organization Called men against Domestic Violence, men make a difference, composed of men as role models. Coaches, former athletes, successful business people, Law Enforcement types, broadcasters who would provide role models and take a stand and speak out against this scourge. I know the brutal and terrible toll taken by Domestic Violence in connecticut and in this country. The economic consequences run into the billions. And the seering pain, savage emotional harm and physical wounds are incalculable. Tentacles of Domestic Violence reach into every aspect of American Life homes, work places, hospitals and athletic fields. In connecticut, the demand for Victims Services has steadily increased over the years, and in connecticut and around the country, the need for services has spiked as a result of that ray rice video because more women and men have gained the courage and strength to come forward as a result of the National Conversation that that video has spurred. As ive continued my work in congress as a member of the senate, ive been deeply troubled, in fact outraged on occasion, that weve authorized what is merely a pittance that is necessary to deal with this problem and support those services that are so vital to providing counseling, support, advocacy. Just in the past couple of days, ive learned that 30 of calls to the national Domestic Violence hotline go unanswered. Congress bears a share, a major part of the responsibility. There are heroes in this fight against Domestic Violence. Some of the advocates and service providers. People like karen jarma, who is c. E. O. Of the Connecticut Coalition against Domestic Violence, and kim gandy, whos president and c. E. O. Of the National Network to end Domestic Violence. And most important, the survivors and victims who have come forward who are telling their stories, who are speaking truth to the power and brutality that they faced and confronted and conquered. In fact, one of the challenges in this issue has always been the secrecy that surrounds it. The video of ray rice assaulting and knocking out his wife is an exception, the exception that proves the rule. Its the exception because most instances of Domestic Violence occur behind closed doors, in secrecy, often at night and they go unreported. Because in most instances of Domestic Violence, women are disbelieved, embarrassed, shamed and stigmatized when they come forward. And so the ray rice video is the exception that proves the rule. Its the exception of this brutality being shown. But it is the rule that the response almost always is slow and inadequate for months and even after ray rice was indict indicted, thirddegree assault, janay virtually apologized for her role in a stagemanaged press conference orchestrated by the team, the ravens, for whom ray rice played. Only after the second video was circulated did the league even approach real action and the prosecutor in this instance said that he would not treat ray rice more leniently or harshly simply because of his celebrity. Which is understandable. The routine in most courts in America Today is failure to treat Domestic Violence as seriously and severely as the crime it is and provide the punishment it deserves. The ray rice case was routine, and it was done routinely, but that doesnt make it right. And so the courts bear a measure of responsibility, along with the congress. The nfl is not alone here. But the nfl has a special position of trust. It is one of the most massively influential organizations in america, it employs players who have massive impact on the attitudes and feelings of young men and women, in fact, americans of all ages. It is a culture creator, a former of our attitudes and our view. So the nfl has a position of public trust because of its prominence and power, but it also has a position of public trust because of the special benefits that it is accorded under the law and it is like the nba, the mlb, the nhl, all which receive tremendous assistance in putting their brands and messages before the American People and so it is our responsibility to call on these ligues to en leagues to ensure that their messages, that they can spread so widely because of the benefits they are according accorded under our law, and require them to keep faith with their public trust and public obligation. The public assistance these leagues receive takes a number of very exceptional forms. Tax benefits, public subsidies and local assistance, but chief among them is the antitrust exemption enjoyed by the four major sports leagues. Although large corporations and similar organizations that have the potential to come nature a particular marketplace are generally prevented from coordinating their activities under our antitrust laws, Congress Permits this kind of coordination by professional sports teams, particularly in the area of pooling their broadcast rights and television contracts, the very means that enable them to spread their message and create that public image. Teams in smaller market smaller media markets are able to remain competitive with their larger counterparts because of those benefits, and the fact that the governing can evenly distribute resources, again through combinations that would violate practices that are sanctioned under the law for any other corporation. This exemption was the product of significant debate and analysis in congress, around the country when it was granted. It was first established in 1961, and the Judiciary Committee noted even then that it was not intended to be absolute, and that it was not to be used for unfair competition, and that there was a public trust and obligation. In 1976, the house of representatives convened what it called quote a select committee on professional sports which prepared detailed reports on quote the large number of offthefield problems that affected all four of the professional sports, including both violence that involves participants in the sports as well as violence involving spectators in the sports. We know that the problems no these leagues include not only Domestic Violence but also the failure to address injuries like concussions, drug abuse, other problems that have been reported. If anything, in the more than 50 years since the exception was first granted, the prominence of the four professional sporting leagues in the American Media landscape has only increased. The leagues have a tremendous effect. Again, reaching into every aspect of American Life on programming, pricing, advertising and more. A lot has changed over the past 50 years, not least our understanding the harms Domestic Violence can occur, the importance of workplace policies that protect women, minorities, and other vulnerable members of society, and yet the nfls response to the ray rice incident came right out of the 1950s. Out of an episode of madmen. Our laws and our practices and our culture must change. Most leagues and most athletes and most managers and most teams play by the rules on and off the field, but, unfortunately, news of these deepseated problems is not new. This special status can no longer be a blank check. It can no longer be granted permanently. It must be reviewable, and the teams and the league held accountable. The era of the blank check for sports teams must end, the special benefits must be dependent on the leagues fulfilling their positions of trust and special responsibility. I have proposed legislation to sunset the leagues special treatment, ending the antitrust exemption and making it renewable every five years. The exemption should depend on the leagues acting consistently with their public trust and complying with ethical and legal standards that protect and oversee players and keep the teams accountable to their fans. Their fans deserve better. To ensure that congress has accurate information, hijacks will my legislation will establish a Commission Like many that have existed in the past to monitor the leagues record of corporate citizenship, it would include representatives with special knowledge of issues that have been proven to be a problem for the leagues such as the heads of the department of Justice Office of violence against women, the federal Communication Commission and the surgeon general. And the commission would be responsible for submitting a report to congress in advance of the vote to reauthorize and renew the antitrust exemption rather than making it blanket and permanent. And other groups would have an opportunity to be heard and to submit their views, and there would be hearings, meetings, and other exchanges that would give all an opportunity to be heard on this vital topic and i hope that the congress will have hearings right away or as soon as possible on this issue. I believe thats that the professional ports lesion and in particular the nfl have an responsibility to train people, more than check the box orientation sessions and most important to punish acts of abuse and promote awareness of this terrible crime and to act in accordance with due process, establish rules that treat more stringently and strictly this crime of Domestic Violence, even though it may be prosecuted in the courts and they can act administratively with due process in accordance with standards that give the players the right and opportunity to be heard. But maybe more than important than all, these leagues should be accountable to help the survivors and victims, to are provide funds out of the tens of billions in their profits to support these services that are more necessary than ever. They should support the survivors, most of them women, who come forward, and have the incredible courage and bravery and strength to break with a situation of Domestic Violence. It is at that point of maximum danger, and turmoil in their lives, that they most need to reach someone and have someone reach them to provide the counseling and advocacy that they need and deserve at that moment of turmoil and pain. Congress, the courts, all of us have a responsibility to do more and to do better and to demand of profession a sports leagues that they do more and do better. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. Mr. Lee mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from utah. Mr. Lee mr. President , at some point today or tomorrow the senate will hastily consider and likely pass a massive hodgepodge spending bill to fund every last department and Program Within our federal government. Even those programs and those departments that we know dont work. Even those programs and those departments where we know that theres a lot of abuse and misuse of sacred federal funds. The alternative, if you can call it even an alternative at all, and the only alternative, is to deny funding for every last department and every last Program Within the federal government, even those programs and those departments that we know are absolutely essential. All or nothing. Those are our only options, the only options were given. We have no other choice made available to us. This is government on autopilot or alternatively, government without an engine. The problem, mr. President , is that by funding the federal government through a massive patchwork spending bill, we force the American People to choose between two equally bad, two equally unacceptable options. Pay for everything in government or pay for nothing at all. Either fund the entire federal government tomorrow at exactly the same level that were funding it today, or fund nothing within the federal government, not even to pay our soldiers, our sailors, our airmen, our marines, our judges or not even to provide care for our veterans or support for the most vulnerable among us. This kind of allornothing proposition is dysfunctional. Its antidemocratic. And it prevents congress from doing its job, which i remind my colleagues, is to represent the American People and to be faithful stewards of their money, of the taxpayer money with which they have entrusted their congress. During the move august i held a long series of town meetings across the great state of utah. Whether i was in cash county in the north end of the state or in Washington County in the opposite direction or somewhere in between, the people of utah, democrats and republicans alike, were clear about what they wanted. They were clear about the fact that they were demanding action. They wanted action in washington. Their concerns werent always the same, some worried most about public lands, others were anxious about the economy and many, of course, were troubled by the growing crisis along our southern border. But they were all looking for answers. They were all looking for solutions from someone. Everywhere i went they asked me what are you going to do . What are you going to do to get our economy back on track . What are you going to do to deal with many of the problems within our federal government that seem to go unaddressed for far too long . And i would tell them as a matter of law, and by operation of our constitution, members of congress have certain tools to address all of these concerns, but none of these powers is greater than the power of the purse. This is the power to allocate money, to fund the government, to fund its operations. Its what enables congress and only congress to reform dysfunctional government. Impassioned within encompassed within the power to give money is the power necessarily to withhold money. In this case the power of the purse is the most potent and the most effective instrument congress can use to hold the executive branch accountable. So when the administration fails to follow the law, as our Current Administration has done so freely and so frequently, congress can demand answers and accountability by using the power of the purse as leverage. As several of these town hall conversations continued, in the course of those town hall conversations i began to notice at this point in my answer, many people began to look hopeful, hoping that perhaps something could actually get done in washington, hoping that perhaps some of the problems within our federal government could be corrected, could be reined in, could be turned around and set on a better course. But then id have to break the bad news and heres the bad news id have to tell them that all those things that their representatives should be able to do and have an obligation to do, like, for example, fixing broken government programs, ensuring the solvency of social security, medicare and medicaid, and impeding lawless actions by the executive branch, simply cannot get done because the democratic leadership in the Senate Insists that our federal government operate on autopilot. This is the pr problem with the tipping resolution whvment congress has only one opportunity to exercise its powers of the purse by voting for or against an allornothing spending package an allinclusive, allornothing Spending Bill Congress has essentially no opportunity to exercise its power of the purse, at least not in a meaningful way, at least not in a way that enables congress to dough manned accountability from demand accountability from government. In the continuing resolution well consider tomorrow, there are several provisions that zev their own consideration and debate, such as reauthorizing the import export bank, extending the internet tax freedom act, and authorizing military action in syria. None of these measures and certainly not something that could put american lives at risk, should be hurried through on an allornothing vote. This is why the c. R. Matters for everyone in this country. It is the principle reason our government is so dysfunctional and so unaccountable. A government on autopilot leaves congress effectively perillized, powerless to implement meaningful government reforms and powerless to hold the president and the president S Administration accountable for their actions. This, mr. President , is not it is not how government is supposed to operate. This, mr. President , is not how this government is ever supposed to be allowed to operate. It doesnt have to be this way. There is a better way. Indeed, as you can see in this chart, until just a few years ago, the better way was the only way. The house, as you can see here, has done this and is still doing it today. So let me explain what this demonstrates right here. Freestanding Appropriations Bills that were passed by the congress for fiscal year 2006, we had 11 11 separate individualized freestanding Appropriations Bills. We had 11. Now to put that in context, thats more freestanding, independent Appropriations Bills than congress has enacted in all of the fiscal years ever since then, just in one year. That, of course, used to be the norm. It no longer is. In fact, lately were not doing any of these things. Now, it is important to point out that the house of representatives still routinely passes freestanding appropriations measures. For fiscal year 2015, the upcoming fiscal year, fiscal year 2015, the house of representatives has passed seven such bills. The senate has passed zero. Not only has the Senate Passed none of its own freestanding Appropriations Bills, it has refused to pass in fact, it has refused even to vote on any of the seven Appropriations Bills passed by the house of representatives. The fact is, mr. President , that before the democratic leadership took control of the senate, congress would spend most of its time during the spring and summer of each year discussing, debating, amending, and eventually figuring out how much taxpayer money to spend and on what. Congress would consider separate spending bills, one by one, individually. Each of these bills would allocate a certain amount of money to fund the departments, the agencies, and the programs within a certain area of government organized by government function, like defense or transportation or Homeland Security or health care. And each spending bill ornl nateed in one of the correspon corresponding subcommittees in the house and in the senate. This, mr. President , is what we call the appropriations process. It made sense that it would take up most of our time because, as members of congress, we have a solemn obligation to represent the people and to be faithful stewards of taxpayer money, of the money that Many Americans spend many months of their lives each year just to earn so that they can send it to washington, d. C. The american taxpayer deserves better. The american taxpayer should be able to expect more out of congress. Instead, theyve come to expect so much less. But thats how congress used to operate, according to its own rules, according to historical precedent. And more to the point, according to basic principles of common sense. But, alas, times have changed. What congress used to deliberate on for months we now rush through in a single afternoon without opportunity for amendment, without opportunity for a full debate. What used to be the subject of open and robust debate is now trivialized and treated as a mere foremalt, as a as a mere formatitlity. Mr. President , the American People deserve better. Indeed, as i discovered while visiting frovisit with people fe corner of utah to another, the American People demand that we do better. I think we can do better. In fact, i know that we can. We have in the past, and we will in the future. But we have got to get the regularorder appropriations process back on track. We need to dispense once and for all with this mindset that says were going to fund the government with one bill. Youre going to have one opportunity to vote on any and all matters relating to the funding of the federal government. Its a biary choice. You Fund Everything at current levels or you fund nothing. You keep it running just the way it is with no opportunity for mooningful reform ork you for meaningful reform or you dont Fund Anything at all and you accept all the difficulty that goes along with this. This is wrong. This violates our laws, procedures, and common sense. We have asked the American People to expect less. Im here to tell each of my colleagues that its time for the American People not to expect less. Its time for the American People to expect more. They are expecting more. They are expecting freedom. They are expecting for us to honor them by debating and discussing and voting on how were going to spend their money. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from montana. Mr. Walsh i was born during the baby boom time in butte, montana. Things werent always easy, especially in a tough, bluecollar town like butte. But it was still easier in those days to believe that the American Dream was within your grasp. Put in your time and you can earn a good living. Work hard, and you can play hard. Unfortunately, im less confident in the American Dream for todays young people. Unless politicians can put their partisanship aside and put the interests of this country ahead of their own. I am hopeful that this congress can once again behave like statesmen from half a century ago when the boom times of the 1960s also produced some restraint. I grew up in the morning shadow of the continental divide. Butte was surrounded by some of the most flyfishing in north america and huge areas of land known at the time as primitive areas. Some of those blueribbon streams were separated by the smallest of divides from the most polluted waters in america. Some of those primitive areas shared borders with the most valuable hardrock mines and timber clear cuts in the industry. Those same resources to insupport thousands of jobs in montana, but the boom times of the 1960s approved how wasteful and damaging unlimited production can be. Today i applaud the lessons of restraint. This month is the 50th anniversary of the passage of the wilderness act. Senators on this same floor in 1964 turned the primitive areas and administrative wilderness areas of montana and 12 other states into permanent protected areas. That same year, they also passed the visionary land and Water Conservation fund. Several of the original wilderness areas are in montana, including one of the largest, the bob marshal wilderness. In montana, we just call it the bob. Imagine, a congress with the foresight to create a whole category of restraint. Anyone who says the American Dream is gone for good has never visited the bob. Last month i had the opportunity to hike with a local group of montanans up 2,000 feet to headquarters pass on the Rocky Mountain front. We met a herd of mountain goats. When we got to the pass, we stood under the rocky shoulder of Rocky Mountain peak and looked into the bob. Today i am the proud sponsor of an important madeinmontana bill that would keep this land the way it is and add to the legacy of 1964. The Rocky Mountain front heritage act, first introduced three years ago, would protect almost 300,000 acres of public land. Today i urge my colleagues to move a public lands package forward this year in order to reward the collective efforts of so Many Americans who worked so hard on bills like the Rocky Mountain front heritage act. The American Dream today has a new chapter because of the wilderness act. A small portion of our public lands has been set aside, available forever for all americans to enjoy. In montana, we call this our outdoor heritage. Despite news stories about the perennial idea of giving away this idea, support for public lands in montana remains deep and wide. The reason goes to the heart of what it means to be american. The American Dream isnt just about having a job, its about where we live and how we live. In montana, our public lands that support trout or elk or whatever adventure montanans seek are part of that dream, whether their boilermaker, a teacher, or an outfitter. It doesnt hurt that tourism has become a huge part of our economy in montana. Today Outdoor Recreation supports 64,000 jobs in our state and almost 6 billion in revenue each and every year. Like many montanans, im frustrated with how long it takes to conduct a timber sale or complete an environmental analysis on potential projects. We need to get our forests healthy and working again, creating good jobs and making our forests more resilient to file towildfires. This frustration shouldnt blind to us our incredible heritage of untrampled public land owned by you and me and every american. Rather than government shutdowns and public land selloffs, i urge this congress to find the same wisdom to look ahead 50 years from today. We need to support local collaboration and fully fund the land and Water Conservation fund. Bills like the Rocky Mountain front heritage act, the north fork watershed protection act, the east rosebud wild and Scenic Rivers act deserve every senators support. Mr. President , thank you for the time. I yield the floor. Senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from tennessee. Mr. Wicker it is my mr. Corker it is my understanding that the majority leader son his way down. I have a unanimous consent that id like to offerrage i know that he wants to say a word or two. So ill make some preliminary comments. When he gets here, out of respect for his time, ill ask for that unanimous consent. But let me just move on by saying that the president gave a speech a week ago. We have a hearing today in Foreign Relations. Secretary kerry and others to assess our strategy in iraq and syria related to isil. And, mr. President , i just want to say that these obviously are very important decisions. One of the pieces of this strategy instead of the president coming and asking for an authorization for the use of military force, which, in my opinion, is the sound judgment that is the use of sound judgment to come and ask us for that support, so the American People are behind his effort by virtue of the house and Senate Taking that up. Instead they are not going to do that, and instead theyre asking for the authority to do a very, very small piece of that, which is to train and equip some members of the modern vetted Syrian Opposition and to do so in the country of saudi arabia. So theyre asking for an authorization to do that overtly, and its something that many people have questions about. Its something that for many years, for some time i have supported and actually been very disappointed that the administration has left hanging the people in syria we encourage now to take on assad. That is a very important vote, mr. President , a vote that all of us should take as a Free Standing vote, but instead what is getting ready to happen is coming over from the house is a continuing resolution which funds government. So instead of voting on the continuing resolution, which is a totally separate matter and voting on arch the vetted arming the voted opposition, number one, we have the opportunity to weigh in on these two measures separately as the house is doing right now. Instead what is going to be happening, as i understand from the majority leader, were going to take up that vote in a combined way. And i just think thats a poor way to run the senate. Its a poor way for the people of the United States to understand where we are on important issues. And just to give you an example, i dont support the funding levels in the c. R. I voted against the murrayryan budget. I couldnt believe that in such a short amount of time we were willing to do away with the budget caps that we thought so important to the fiscal wellbeing of this nation. So i dont support the funding levels for the continuing resolution and had planned to vote against it. And now theres a piece in it thats an important Foreign Policy piece and i think needs further debate where were authorizing the arming and training of the moderate opposition through december 11 as a part of this bill. That, to me, is an inappropriate way for us to do business. I think every member of this body ought to have the opportunity to vote on each of those. So the request that im going to make when the senator gets here is not to change any of the wordage. I realize that time is of the essence. We have two bodies that sometimes dont act in concert in appropriate ways. But my unanimous consent is to ask that properly these be separated. The language be identically the same. And so what ive done is i have at the desk a bill that lays out the authorization for arming and training the vetted moderate opposition in saudi arabia and other places. I have that exact language thats coming over to the house so that the presiding officer, myself and others can weigh in on that issue. And once that issue is dealt with, again, it would take 15 or 20 or 30 minutes for that to occur, we could then move over to the continuing resolution, which, again, has a different set of supporters, generally speaking. So, again, i do wish this body would debate the issues of great importance to our nation. I know that in this hearing with secretary kerry on both sides of the aisle there are numerous questions about how this strategy is going to work in syria and how, with no ground force on the ground and us planning to train people in a very short amount of time, a very small amount of people, were not going to give them very sophisticated equipment, how that ground game, that ground effort is going to be effective, i wish this body would take that up and debate it. To me, its an important issue. Its an issue that i have supported for some time. At the same time the efficacy of it has changed. One of the things thats fascinating to me, general demsey yesterday all of a sudden were going to train them by the way they have been organized because they want assad out. They have been fighting against assad and syria. But were going to train them to fight isis, or isil, which has not been the rallying entity for the Free Syrian Army to organize. So look, i plan to support publicly, as i am right now, this first phase of arming and training them because ive been pushing for it for so long; i worry about its efficacy. It seems like the goals of it until now are very different. But im okay authorizing that until december 11, and we can hear more about it. But, again, i dont support the funding levels in the c. R. So this is not an appropriate way for us to do business, mr. President , and im going to ask for unanimous consent i hope the majority leader is going to be here in a minute. I would like to get back to the hearing on syria were having in Foreign Relations. I understand he may well be on the way. And with that, as a matter of fact, i may just pause for a minute. While im pausing, let me make the point i made earlier with secretary kerry at the hearing. I dont want to debate whether the president has the Legal Authority to conduct a war, a multiyear war a year that many people say may take up to a decade in another country against another enemy. I dont want to debate whether he legally can do that or not. I know that hes tying himself to the 2001 authorization, which i assure you, nobody was contemplating this. But i dont want to debate that. I know theres all kinds of article 2 people, all kinds of people that believe the president can do almost anything he wishes relative to military engagement. I just want to talk about how lacking in judgment it is for three senators, the president , the Vice President and the secretary of state to attempt to do this over a multiyear period in a different country with a different enemy, and not calm that lax in judgment. That lax in judgment because bad things are going to happen. Mistakes are going to be made. 5345 monday morning quarterback 535 monday morning quarterbacks makes no sense. Selling that plan, selling how this is going to work is an important part of the process they are skipping. I see the majority leader is here. I know hes busy. I thank him for coming to the floor. I would like to ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the two leaders prior to the consideration of h. J. Res. 124, the c. R. , that the senate proceed to consideration of my bill. It is the exact same language coming over from the house, which is at the desk. That is the same language as included in the c. R. Regarding syria. That there be up to four hours of debate followed by a vote on passage of my bill. Is there objection . Mr. Reid mr. President . The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Reid reserving the right to object. My friend from tennessee is a fine senator, and he has the interest of the state of tennessee every step of the way, and of course our country. So my statement here has nothing to do with the kind of man he is, the kind of senator he is. But, mr. President , i just left my office where i watched the second of three votes in the house. The house just voted on the continuing resolution. It passed by an overwhelming margin over there. And the purpose of that is to stop another government shutdown. The continuing resolution includes the language on training and equipping the Syrian Opposition. That bill will come over here in a matter of an hour or two. The house has chosen how it wishes to address these two matters. That is the c. R. And arming and training the syrian rebels. As my colleagues know, in order to make a law, you need the senate to pass something and the house to pass something or vice versa. And then of course its signed by the president. They have to be identical. If we wish to prevent a government shutdown, we have to pass this continuing resolution that the house will send us. Ive had conversations with the speaker, and hes been very strong in stating what theyre going to do over there. The Senate Committees are in the process, one of whom is one of the committees is the Ranking Member of that committee is the distinguished senator from tennessee, in the process of Holding Hearings to examine whether an authorization to use force is necessary, and if so, how much of an authorization, how it should be crafted. So i look forward to the Foreign Relations committee deciding what legislative action to take on this matter. But in the meantime, mr. President , we should pass the housepassed continuing resolution which includes the language on training and equipping Syrian Opposition and present to them, the people here an upordown vote on what we get from the house of representatives. We cannot have another government shutdown, so i object. Mr. Corker mr. President . I want to thank the leader for coming down and thank him for agreeing to a time when we both can be here. I do want to say that we could deal with it exactly in the way that i laid out and keep the government from shutting down because wed be passing exactly the same language. But i understand. I talked privately with the majority leader about this. I understand that i understand people dont want to do that over in this body. They dont want to separate the two. And i know that the majority leader, thats his right to object to dealing with these issues exactly the same language in the way that i just laid out. I do appreciate him coming down. I disagree very strongly with his approach. And with that, i yield the floor. Mr. Inhofe mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from oklahoma. Mr. Inhofe mr. President , i believe under the regular order that ill be recognized for up to 30 minutes. And if not, i ask unanimous consent that i be recognized. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Inhofe mr. President , with all the things that are going on right now, and im particularly interested in the hearing that we had yesterday on isis, it was a big deal. And i applaud general dempsey for his honesty in talking about how serious this war is that were embarking on right now, the fact that we have just imagine the isis has grown, has tripled in the last three months, up to now well over 30,000 troops, with tanks, with heavy artillery. I mean, this is not i know the president has tried to use, make people believe this is just another rag tag terrorist operation over there, like al qaeda or taliban. Its not. This is war. This is a real serious thing that were in the middle of, and i do applaud general dempsey and also secretary hagel for their honesty in the committee hearing. It is a difficult thing for them. But when the president has talked about, you know, no troops on the ground, no troops on the ground, we know we already have troops on the ground. You know, it just i think the American People have had a wakeup call, and they believe, they understand now how serious this is. In fact, there are two polls out last week. One of them was a poll that 77 of the American People know that, how serious this is and that the isis could affect and would affect and is affecting our homeland. And that was a big thing, that 70 of the people in america understand that. Just yesterday the wall street journal poll came out along with abc, and they said the same thing. 70 of the people know that this is something that affects our homeland. When they talk about troops on the ground, i remember asking the question during that hearing yesterday, i said to the, to the chairman of the joint chief of staffs, martin dempsey, i said if the president says no troops on the ground, what if one of our airstrikes, something happens to one of those planes and we have the problem of one of the pilots bailing out . Are you saying that we dont have troops on the ground to ensure his or her safety . And he said absolutely we will. So the point is that has been a question that people have to understand. This is war, weve got to win it. We cant take another chance. Thats not why im down here. I think because of the distractions of isis and all these other things, a lot of people have forgotten about one of the most Serious Problems thats hampering our our economy, and that is what this president has done through his the overregulation that takes place since he first took office and failed to achieve his signature capandtrade legislation, he has been working tirelessly to try to do what he couldnt do through legislation with with regulation. And the regulations received most of the attention because they are the most expensive. It first started in 2003. I remember so much down here. In 2003 at that time the republicans were in the majority. I chaired the committee. They started off in 2003 with the first capandtrade legislation. And we defeated it. We defeated it ever since that time. And one reason we defeated it is because i was able to find out and i didnt know this in the beginning. People said Global Warming is real. Its all these bad things. Were all going to die. And yet, from the costs, we determined and this was came from not just me or others that were disinterested, but universities like m. I. T. Came out with a study, the Wharton School of economics came out with one, charles rivers. They all had the cost of this capandtrade somewhere between 300. 000000000 and 400. 000000000 a year. Every time i hear a large figure, i go out and get the look at our population in my state of oklahoma and see what that cost means to a family. In my state of oklahoma, 300. 000000000 to 400. 000000000 a year would be a permanent tax increase for an oklahoma that files a federal income tax of three hundred dollars a year. We realize this would be very expensive. No one wants anything to do with Greenhouse Gas regulations when the cost is so high. I will show later on it wouldnt accomplish anything anyway. Thats probably why the recent polls like gallup poll on Global Warming, its the bottom of the National Priority list. In their last poll, there is a poll of the 15 most things to be concerned about, and thats and Global Warming and Climate Change registered number 14 out of 15. And so this the people have understood, its kind of like the they have understood now whats going on with isis. They know what the truth is. The Pew Research Center show that 53 of americans either dont believe that Global Warming and Climate Change is occurring or they say if it is, its natural causes. And this has been going on. This is something that has bothered me. You know, i can remember im going from memory now, but i used to use the example back when we first started looking at this as to how this is a cycle thats been going on for recorded history. In 1895, we got into a a cooling period. They were referring to it as the little ice age i think at that time. I could be wrong on that. Anyway, that endured until 1918. Then in 1918, that turned into a a warming time, and that went all the way up through 1945. Now, this is whats significant. In 1945, then we started another cooling period. It happens that 1945 was the year that was recorded as the year when it had the highest amount of co2 emissions, and that precipitated not a warming period but a cooling period. Of course that went on to about 1975, we went the other cycle, and now were actually entering into a cooling period. God is still up there, we have always had these seasons, and people they would like to think somehow its man that is doing it. They dont want any progress. They dont want people to be able to generate electricity and energy to take care of our needs. While my friends on the other side of the aisle act as though the public debate has been settled on the issue, obviously its just the opposite of that. It probably explains why it has been difficult for tom steyer to raise the full 100 million that he promised to help democrats win elections this fall. You will remember in february that it was he announced that he would put up 50 million of his own money, and he did, and then he would raise another 50 million and there would be 100 million that he would put in campaigns for members for incumbents who would agree to try to resurrect the Global Warming issue because it has died in the eyes of the American People and try to stop the pipeline. Well, he did this and the trouble is hes not able to raise the other 50 million. The last count was its only 1. 7 million that he has been able to raise from outside donors. Nonetheless, of course he has his own his own 50 million. Regardless, we dont know that he that he is spending the money we know he is spending the money hes got even though he hasnt raised other money. You can see on this chart a quote where he said and this is a quote. Yeah, thats a picture of him right now, thats tom steyer. Not a bad guy. Hes got a lot of money. He said it is true that we expect to be heavily involved in the midterm elections. We are looking at a bunch of races. My guess is that well end up being involved in eight or more races. So tom steyers goal is to resurrect the Global Warming issue and tie try try to stop the keystone pipeline. I think its time to talk about hypocrisy on the left over political spending. We spent all last week debating a constitutional amendment to limit political speech that is currently protected under the affirmative. Democrats under the First Amendment. Democrats are talking about the Koch Brothers and all that. People are not aware that this type of activity with a man named tom steyer by his own admission. Someone asked me the other day, i think we were down on the floor. I was the only republican to come down. It was kind of fun. They were having their allnight session. I made the statement down there. I said in case there is anyone with insomnia at home who is not asleep yet, this is a good way to do it, but i made the comment that this is something that we know is going on. I i stated that with all these races that are out there, they are trying to do something to in order to elect people to try to go back to what they have failed to be able to get through. And i think its an appropriate time to talk about that hypocrisy. Recent news reports have surfaced and described the Democracy Alliance. Thats a an organization that aims to organize the policy objectives and funding streams of the leftwing liberal establishment. According to an internal memo that was leaked to the press a few weeks ago, the Democracy Alliance for the past nine years and im quoting now has aligned donors, leaders in the Progressive Movement thats liberal and political infrastructure in order to achieve victories at the ballot box and in policy fights, including those for comprehensive Health Care Reform and Supreme Court confirmations, and this influence is estimated to be between 600 million and 700 million. The Washington Post just recently had this chart. This chart right here. Its kind of hard to read, but in the post it was obvious because each one of those dots is a liberal political organization, and they all join together and thats called the Democracy Alliance. Again, this was in the i think 161 plus 21, 182 organizations are a part of this alliance. It details all of their agendas and what their that are being coordinated for the Democratic Political agenda by the Democracy Alliance. Now, you will recognize most of the names on the list. It includes the center for american progress, media matters, America Votes and even organizing for action, which incidentally, mr. President , is is president obamas political arm, his campaign arm. In april, this group convened a secret meeting in chicago to huddle with its deeppocketed donors to craft a strategy and messaging for this coming years elections. It was shrouded in secrecy and the memo prepared for attendees. These are all these people that you see on this that were to come in and meet in chicago. Warned them of interacting with political reporters. In fact, it included a pageslong list of reporters who were expected to try to crash the conference along with the photos so folks could be on the watch for these people. The names of the people attending and involved were not given not going to be disclosed to the public, nor would any details be released about the discussions that are taking place. Tom steyer and the Democracy Alliance are acting kind of like a cult. Even as the Democratic Left pushes for the institution of a new constitutional amendment, we now know that initiative was nothing more than a political sham. At the end of the day, the liberal left wants an aggressive, secretive political machine operating on its behalf, and it looks like they have what they need in the Democracy Alliance. The key selling point for the Democracy Alliance pitch is to its to its contributors is the inseparable link to the deep and connections with the Obama White House administration. The Democracy Alliance firmly believes it is the drivers it is in the drivers seat when it comes to setting policy for liberals in washington, and it wants its donors to know that. You know, there is nothing wrong with this. We have had a difference of opinion in philosophy. Thats why we have political parties. This is more extreme than anything i have seen and more organized. One of the key goals of the Democracy Alliance is to promote quote an environment that keeps kids safe, unquote. This explains why the administration continues to push an extremist agenda of environmental mandates that will crush our economy. This is where tom steyer has really succeeded in being a part of the Democracy Alliance. He has managed to convince democrats in the senate to hold more than one allnight vigil on Global Warming, and these have come as the United States has been enduring one of its coldest years yet. Just this month so far, noaaa at the Commerce Department has reported 246 record cold temperatures. Wyoming already has 20 inches of snow in some places. It is unseasonably cold here in washington. One of these colder areas, my city of tulsa, oklahoma, where on saturday we set a record cool high temperature, only got up to 62 degrees, has never happened before. So thats not cooperating very well with people trying to convince people that the world is coming to an end because of Global Warming. It also explains why the president is continuing to aggressively implement Greenhouse Gas regulations after failing to accomplish this goal legislatively. These regulations will effectively prevent any new coalfired power plant from being constructed and force our nation to rely substantially on expensive renewable sources. Regulations like these would take us into in the direction of europe, which in many places has experienced electricity prices three times as high as they are here in the United States. You see there, they have been ahead of us in trying to stop fossil fuels, in trying to stop nuclear energy, and their rates that their people are paying are now three times higher than ours. But this is a good one here. If anyone doubts that these rules will have a negative impact on our economy, just look at australia. Australia imposed a carbon tax on their economy a few years ago and it caused horrendous damage. It caused 9 billion in lost Economic Activity a year and destroyed tens of thousands of jobs. This is in australia. This just happened. It was so bad that the government in australia recently voted to repeal the carbon tax. Do you remember all the talk about the fact that australia is leading the way and they are going to have a carbon tax, we should be following them . Now they have just repealed that by an overwhelming vote and their economy is now better for it. In fact, it was Just Announced last week that australia experienced record job growth last month of 121,000 jobs. Now, they said this is because they have repealed this this carbon tax that they had already that had passed. Now, the they credit the repeal to this success to the repeal of carbon tax. In addition to these Greenhouse Gas regulations, i think its important for us to recall the many other regulations thiS Administration, the Obama Administration has already imposed on the American People and discuss all of the new regulations that have not yet come out. But theyre working on it. Some of these regulations they are holding off until after the elections so the people would not know the cost of the regulations, how many jobs are going to to be lost. First thing we need to remember the utility mact. Mact means maximum achievable control technology. In other words, what technology has told us we can do to try to control these these releases. And so utility mact was was the first one that they successfully passed. In this case, the e. P. A. Established a standard that was impossible for utilities to actually meet. This regulation is inappropriate under the Clean Air Act and its having a 100 billion annual impact on the economy and destroying 1. 65 million jobs. Theyve already done it. They were able to pass that right down party
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