Make it easier for the department of Veterans Affairs to fire, demote or suspend employees. Final passage scheduled for 6 1. Later in the week the senator heitkamp legislation to expand sanctions on iran, targeting people who work on irans illicit missile program. The presiding officer the senate will come to order. Under the previous order, the question occurs on the elwood nomination. Mr. Alexander i ask for the yeas and nays. The presiding officer is there a sufficient second . There appears to be. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote vote the presiding officer any senator in the chamber wishing to change their vote . If not, the yeas are 67. And the nays are 33. The nomination is confirmed. Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the president will be immediately notified of the senates action. Under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration legislative now and proceed to the consideration of s. 10994, which the clerk will report. The clerk calendar number 103, s. 1094, a bill to amend title 38, United States code to improve the accountability of employees of the department of Veterans Affairs and for other purposes. The presiding officer under the previous order, the committee reported substitute amendment to s. 1094 is agreed to. And under the previous order, there will now be three hours of debate equally divided in the usual form. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from georgia. Mr. Isakson im pleased to rise on the 73rd anniversary of the invasion of normandy and omaha beach for 156,000 brave americans who saved our freedom and liberty for the American People as well as all of europe, who put to an end the reign of adolf hitler and remind me every day as chairman of the Veterans Committee why im here in the United States senate and thats to see to it that we take care of those who have taken care of us. Somebody asked me this morning, was it coincidence that dday was 73 years ago today . I said its Divine Providence that were on the floor today paying back those 156,000 who invaded those beaches to make the Veterans Administration a more favorable agency than it is today and im proud to lead part of the debate today along with senator tester, my Ranking Member on the committee and a dear friend on a bill i think is of great significance. Of its the veterans accountability act and whistleblower protection act. The best quote was not one that i could come up with or i doubt jon could come up with. The best quote came up with by iraq and afghanistan veterans of america, the iava. They said this is the strongest accountability measure that can be signed into law. I want to reiterate that. The strongest accountability measure of the v. A. That can be signed into law, which means were reaching into every corner of the problems at the v. A. That exists over the last years, were making sure we make the corrections necessary to make the v. A. An accountable organization. And were doing it in a bipartisan fashion together, democrats and republicans alike. As ive said very often, there arent republican casualties and democratic casualties on the battlefields of war. They are american citizens who fought and died for this country. Theres no room for partisanship when it comes to providing them with the benefits that are necessary to see to it they get what they deserve. I want to thank all the members of the committee, in particular Ranking Member tester for his work; senator moran, who did such great work for us on the accountability measure. Senator rubio is not a member of the committee but did a great job and will speak later on the floor. We had a Great Committee working for a long period of time. We passed a bill almost last year and then failed at the last few moments of the session to get it done, so were back ago second time. But were back with a bill that has come to you unanimously from the committee on Veterans Affairs, and i hope will leave this senate floor unanimously. So we send a clear signal to all our veterans, were going to hold ourselves accountable for you. What specifically does the legislation thats important . One, it makes what President Trump referred to in the executive order about three weeks ago, the department of whistleblower protection a reality and codifies it into law. Second, it removes many of the bureaucratic hurdles that currently are in place making it easier for the v. A. Secretary to remove employees of all departments in the v. A. Who are found guilty of wrongdoing or misconduct and found guilty of wrongdoing or misconduct. The bill shortens the removal process for all employees in the v. A. And ensures an individual appealing removal from the v. A. Is not kept on the v. A. s payroll indefinitely while they appeal it. The department of Veterans Affairs prohibits the v. A. From awarding bonuses to employees found guilty of misconduct. The bill would remove bureaucratic protection board from appeals by the Senior Management and top management of the Veterans Administration. The department of Veterans Affairs accountability and whistleblower protection act establishes the office of whistleblower protection and accountability to make it permanent in the United States of america. In essence and very simply, this bill ensures and codifies into law the accountability of this agency and its operation to the American People and to the veterans of the United States of america for all that they have done for each and every one of us. Its very important to appreciate that this does not come to us by some senator or some representative coming up with a bunch of crazy ideas at the last minute. This is a response to what weve seen happen over and over again over the past few years. Most, if not all of the employees in the Veterans Administration are hardworking, dedicated, committed individuals. But there have been from time to time questions arisen about the handling of certain situations, a situation that took place in phoenix, arizona, in terms of of appointments. In iraq the number of mishandling of pharmaceuticals near where i am in atlanta, georgia. The situation that took place in transfers in philadelphia, pennsylvania, where people were transferred rather than disciplined and were paid their moving expenses and cost of living adjusts upward all to get rid of somebody in one office and moving them to another instead of handling them the way they should have been. We took those instances where people had instances themselves breaking the law and violating the law and were now holding them accountable because what is written into the v. A. Accountability and whistleblower act. Quite simply put weve taken the worst performance in isolated cases in the past few years and done whats right. Weve corrected where it needs to be corrected. We eliminated where it needs to be eliminated and given the authority of the secretary of Veterans Affairs and employees under the Veterans Affairs in holding them accountable and encouraging them to do the right thing. I reiterate, though, that were not singling out an agency that has a large number of people that are not performing. Were singling out an agency that has had some situation where a few glees employees did things that need to be addressed, which will be able to be addressed under the status of the new law and held accountable for their actions. Nothing happens when one person does it. Everything happens when people come together as a team. Its been a pleasure for me to have a great teammate in this effort and thats jon tester from montana. Ive been on the committee 12 years. I think jon has been on the committee for eight or nine; right . Youre on the Veterans Affairs committee because you want to go. Its what we refer to as the b committee which means its the second tier. A lot of times its a fill in committee but for me and jon its our primary responsibility. We know to whom we owe everything and that is our veterans that we owe everything. Jon tester has been a great teammate. Hes been great to work with. Hes helped us get through some difficult times of difficulty and through some good times of common understanding and settlement and i appreciate that very much. I want to ask jon a question and i want to ask jon to tell me what the people of montana are telling him about our Veterans Administration and the need for a stronger accountability in the v. A. Of montana. Tell us what theyre saying in montana, jon. Mr. Tester thank you, chairman isakson. First i want to thank you very much for your leadership on this committee. It has been great to work with you. You have a reputation of being a man of honesty and integrity and fair dealing, and youve once again lived up to that reputation. I could not ask for a better chairman of the senate Veterans Affairs committee than you and very much appreciate the work youve done on this bill. I too want to thank rubio, moran, shaheen, blumenthal, angus king, donnelly, baldwin, duckworth. Theres a number of folks on both sides of the aisle that have stepped up, some on the committee, some off the committee, who have done such a great job making sure we ended up here today. You know, chairman isakson knows this. We got a bill over from the house, and we sat down together and we negotiated. We gave and took and massaged the bill. We ended up with a bill that probably johnny would not have written and probably i would not have written but its a bill thats going to work, and its going to give the v. A. What they need to hold people accountable. And i also want to echo what johnny said that, you know, the veterans across this country are very, very happy here at the v. A. And its because of the great people that are on the ground within the v. A. But every once in a while we get a bad apple, and the v. A. Needs to be able to remove that bad apple because that bad apple reflects poorly on everybody within the v. A. And so this bill is about making sure the v. A. Has the tool it needs to hold itself accountable and hold itself accountable to the veterans. And i will tell you what i hear from the folks in montana is how come it took so long. Weve been at this for awhile. And i will tell you, its i hope its worth the wait because i think weve got a good bill here. I think weve got a bill that really holds folks accountable while protecting workers rights moving forward. And the v. A. Is a different kind of animal than any other agency. We owe it to the people who put it on the line for this country. And when things dont go just right, weve got a problem. And weve got a problem that needs to be fixed and not fixed yesterday. Fixed today. And because these folks have given their all to this country and theyve earned these benefits, these health care benefits. So we need to make sure that when they need them theyve got them and there isnt any mistakes made. Look, what i hear from the veterans in montana also, is how can we rebuild the v. A. To make it all it can be . And i think this bill is going to help with that too. By making sure that we have the best of the best there, by making sure that we have some training for our hospital administrators and be able to hire hospital administrators. Thats part of this bill too. While holding the v. A. Accountable and folks screw up in the areas of misconduct. So theres a bunch in this bill. This is a bill that i think is going to fit the needs of not only veterans in a rural or frontier state like montana, but in more Populated Areas like atlanta, georgia. I think it gives the secretary of the v. A. The tools at his disposal to be able to make the v. A. As strong as it can possibly be. And i will tell you that this bill would not have happened without the good work of johnny and his staff and my staff coming together and getting stuff done. So i think that this is, this is one of the days in the senate where we can look back and say folks came together as democrats and republicans and did the right thing for the veterans of this country. Johnny, im curious to know from you what kind of stuff youre hearing in georgia about this bill and bringing accountability to the v. A. Mr. Isakson senator tester, like you, i get my best information at the legion, the iava and posts around my state. Im a member of the American Legion post in loganville, georgia, and go every once in a while to the bar to get a drink to find out whats going on. I find out more than in an hour than reading every newspaper in america. Let me tell you what the lead organizations are saying because these veterans organizations are the voice of the American People who served in our military and they are the people that communicate to us in the committee. The v. F. W. Wants the secretary to weed out misperformers especially the criminals. The v. F. Duty wants a bill passed because maintaining the status quo does not work for those that have borne the battle and fight. They want to make sure the v. A. Holds employees to the standard the veterans of america feel they committed themselves as veterans serving in the military. The American Legion applauds the bipartisan effort to provide the secretary the additional tools to increase accountability and address poor performance within the department of Veterans Affairs. And i want to underscore there because in the bill jon and i assured that we motivated the management to understand it was their job to seek out nonperformance and correct it before it ran amock. This bill incentivizes the management of the Veterans Administration to find those employees who are not performing well and turn them around and reward those employees who are turned around to be the comeam comeam example for the rest of the employees. It will give secretary shulkin the authority he needs to hold the Department Employees responsible for their actions. We strongly agree with the senate to take up the bill immediately and pass it said dan caldwell, concerned American Veterans of america. Once and for all all around our state our organizations are getting the response they asked of us and that is what this bill does. Jon, there is some misinformation out there, rumors flying around in montana and georgia. Can you clear the air . Mr. Tester there this bill does not trample on the workers rights. This maintains the bargaining rights of Union Workers at the v. A. One of the problems we had with the house passed bill was it did away with the bargaining. This toes not. This does not. It does not have due process protections. It keeps all the existing due process protections under current law. Unlike the house bill, it doesnt shorten or eliminate the appeals process for employees who are fired. Moreover, we provide a judicial review to employees who are directed to repay a bonus and other protection. This bill does not allow v. A. Supervisors to fire anyone who challenges them. That evidence must go through general counsel. So this is all critically important as we go forth to gave account ability, to be accountability, to be able to protect the rights of the workers doing the job. I think we found the sweet spot there. More importantly than anything else in this bill, and it does a lot of things, its really about a culture of accountability in the v. A. Johnny, can you tell us here in the senate about what else this bill does for veterans . Mr. Isakson i want to talk about the culture that you just mentioned. I think you are right. The main thing that people will see from the Veterans Administration is a culture throughout that organization of excellence to serve the veterans the way sthid be served and the way they should be served. And that anything that is not right is corrected. Our veterans deserve the highest quality care and the secretary has asked to hold those accountable not meeting standards. And to eliminate those who have exceeded standards as well. The this will expedite the removal of a bad employee, but it doesnt motivate them to get rid of people. It shortens the process to remove an employee to 15 days. It means that you act expeditiously to see to it that if you have a problem, it is addressed quickly for the benefit of all the agencies. It removes the merit system protection board for appeal process for Senior Executives. There is some bad talk about removing the merit system protection board for all employees, but it doesnt do it. The most senior need to be held accountable without lots of hoops to go through. By taking the merit system protection board away from Senior Executives, you are holding them accountable for their own actions without some hoop to go through for the agency to try to remove them. Prohibits bonuses and relocation expenses for employees guilty of wrongdoing. I mentioned in my earlier remarks and i will reiterate. It deals with things like what happened in pennsylvania where two employees were reassigned for a discipline but given bonuses and cost of living and pay upward for doing something wrong. That sends the wrong signal. For anyone who is doing a good job, it pats them on the back and lets them know they can do a better job. And it is critical we have far too many people in the v. A. System today that are acting director or acting assistant. We dont need anymore acting in the v. A. This is about the performance of the delivery of health care to veterans, encourages those who are not doing a good job, to do a better job and that all veterans get the services they deserve. The need for this bill does not come out of thin air. Senator tester, can you tell me why the veterans need this legislation to strengthen their accountability at the v. A. . Mr. Tester yes. It has been a while. Its been three years and we talked about this accountability issue a lot in the Veterans Affairs committee and a lot here on the floor. And i think the context is important for folks who do make the claim that theres no need for this particular bill. Were simply playing politics hsm that could not be further from the truth. Back in august of 2014, in response to systemic failures in the Veterans Health administration, the Senate Passed the veterans access choice. We were both members of the committee and helped to draft the bill and it passed by 913. And the bill held Senior Executives at the v. A. More accountable. That was after reports from the Obama Administration and an independent v. A. , i. G. Hospital administrators and others, there are employees across the system who need to be effectively held accountable for misconduct and inappropriate behavior. Last year the Veterans Affairs committee would give the v. A. Greater Authority Toll improve accountability for all employees. We never got floor time for that bill. This congress, the Congress Passed a v. A. Bill that needed some fixing. And my republican colleagues worked closely with us on these changes and we got to the point today. Make no point about it, veterans in montana and all of the major veterans organizations give the ability to fire bad employees. I will say that again. Every major Veterans Services Organization Support giving the v. A. The authority to expedite disciplining or firing bad employees. And the president and v. A. Secretarys both mcdonald and shulkin asked for this authority. It was previously asked that they need the tools to hold employees accountable. Secretary shulkin has it on the same. I want to and end where i started, and that is to thank chairman isakson for his leadership, his willingness to Work Together in a bipartisan way, to reach a compromise and and get make collaboration a good word again, to get to a point where we can get a bill, as the iava said, can pass and pass the senate and hopefully pass the senate within the next few hours. Thank you, senator isakson. Mr. Isakson thank you, senator tester. I started my remarks by referring to the 70th anniversary of dday. Nobody who climbed the normandy and because of that they won. Today our veterans are win winning. Our senate will pass a in a nearly unanimous fashion and make sure that we correct the problems of the past and the secretary of the v. A. To do it in the future. If he or she doesnt do it, we have the ability to hold them accountable. It is a privilege to would, you and for our veterans on a day to honor those by celebrating those who started the beginning of the end, and thank you to the people of the United States of america. I go to a quorum call, i guess. No, i dont. We have a speaker ready to speak in a second. I want ton end by noting we have 32 sponsors of this legislation which is almost exactly onethird of the senate, republican and democrat alike. That sends the proper signal this is the right bill at the right time for the right people, veterans afternoon the United States of america. I yield back. The presiding officer the senator from ohio. Port bort i want to mr. Portman i want to commend my colleagues for their care for veterans and specifically are for their continued effort to ensure that we have accountability at the v. A. They worked hard and i hope the senate moves expeditiously to vote for it and allow our veterans to have the responsibility and accountability they deserve. I will focus on world war ii veterans. Last monday was memorial day. I was in mason, ohio, and Warren County, ohio, my family grew up there. I with a there for the veterans memorial. One of the most beautiful memorials in the state of ohio. I was there 15 years ago when it was first begun and it was great to be back. I got to see a world war ii buddy of mine. His name is les spaid. It was great to see him and i was able to speak about him during my remarks. Two days later, a few days ago, we got word that les had died. Les was a marine corps ral during world war ii. He signed up after graduating from Mason High School. He served in the pacific including the occupation of japan after the war helping the country make a difficult transition to democracy thanks in large part to american soldiers like him. And now japan someone of our greatest allies. Les came back to ohio and started a business called space brothers cleaners. He had the optimism so many then had. He had the courage to take a risk and to help build up jobs and help the economy in his hometown. My dad did the same thing after world war ii. Les was a business man and a public servant. He served six terms as Warren County auditor. He served on the board of elections for 25 years. Chaired the Warren County Republican Party for 17 years. Very active in the community. He was one of the first volunteer firefighters in mason ohio in 1948. He was an elder at his church. For 70 years he was a free mason and member of the American Legion. He set up the American Legions buckeye boys where they teach about government values and leadership. His life was centered around his community. Through the family business, through volunteerism. In 2009, Mason High School started having a distinguished alumni graduation speaker every year. And for all the reasons i just talked about a moment ago, a few years ago in 2013, i wrote a letter and recommended the honor to honor les. They agreed with me. Last spring in 2013 when it was time to receive the award, he gave a beautiful speech about counting our blessings as americans. He received a standing ovation from the graduation class. That meant a lot to him. That showed how much respect we all have for him. On behalf of ohio i want to express my condolences of the family of less les. He was a dedicated servant. The people of Warren County, an American Hero for his military service, and a good friend to so many. As was noted, as we talk about world war ii, today is also the 73rd anniversary of dday. As chairman isakson said, it was the beginning of the end of that war. 73 years ago this morning, les was in the theater in the pacific risking his life for all of us. But in europe on that same morning the largest amphibian invasion took place. They were crossing the english channel. More than 160,000 allied sold yes mostly americans soldiers, mostly americans and backed by more than 10,000 aircraft were fighting to liberate europe from hitler. The outcome was far from certain. The nazis spent two years to prepare for this moment. The beautiful Northern Area of france was covered by bunkers. The allies conducted a trial run. They practiced on beaches in western england. The practice run was a disaster. In fact the germans attacked the allied ships and hundreds of americans died. Colonel George Taylor told his troops, he said, only two kinds of men will be on the beach. The dead and those about to die. So get moving. End quote. This was tough stuff. They had an enormous task and the stakes could not have been higher. When nomal said that the fate of germany depends on this invasion. Douglas brinkley said that dday was the single most important moment in the 20th century. It was the beginning of the end of the most difficult war in Human History and the lives of millions of people depended on the outcomet. They depended outcome. They depended on the success of brave young americans. Eugene was a medic who swam ashore as german planes shot at him. The napier brothers of Warren County, five brothers all served during world war ii. Two of them were there on the beaches that day. One died. Peewe martin served in the para chute regiment. He received the purple heart and bronze star for his service. Sigman was wounded that day. He later said, in my heart i didnt think i would ever come back. More than 10,000 allied troops did not come back. While these brave men and hundreds of thousands of others were fighting, president franklin d. Roosevelt took to the airwaves as you would expect the president to do. As you know, he was known for what were called fire side chat, informal speeches he would give to the nation during difficult times. But on that day he did something very different. Instead of giving a speech, he was called to lead the nation in prayer. And this prayer brought our country together. It strengthened our resolve. It comforted those at a difficult time and frightening time for our country and it briefly encapsulated what our purpose was, not just in world war ii but what our purpose is as americans. It made an indelible mark on our history. Three years ago after the 70th anniversary of dday, then president obama signed into law legislation i had authored to add the words of this famous prayer to the world war ii memorial in washington, d. C. Since then the site for the plaque has been approved. The agrument ticket has continued to work with the National Park service on the design. Ive been told the park service intends to present the Design Options to the commission of fine arts and National Capital planning commissions during their meetings this summer. Construction then could begin as soon as december and be completed by next june. Frankly, im discouraged this has taken so long. Because this prayer belongs on the world war tr memorial and congress has ii memorial and congress has said so. I urge them to move as expeditiously as possible to complete the project and bring the words to those who visit that beautiful memorial. As has been my tradition since the time we were trying to get that legislation passed, i just would like to read those words that president roosevelt spoke on dday 73 years ago. He started by saying my fellow Americans Last night when i spoke with you, i knew at that moment the troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the channel in another greater operation. Its come to pass with Great Success thus far and so in this poignant hour, i ask you to join me in prayer. And this was his prayer. Almighty god, our sons, pride of our nation, this day is set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion and our civilization and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true. Give strength to their arms, stoutness to their heart, steadfastness to their faith. They will need thy blessings. The road will be long and hard for the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed but we shall return again and again and we know by thy grace and by the righteousness of our cause our sons will triumph. They will be sore tired. By night and by day without rest until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame, mens souls will be shaken with the violences of war. For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise and tolerance and goodwill among all thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle for their return to the haven of home. Some will never return. Embrace these, father, and receive them thy heroic servants into thai kingdom. For those of us at home, fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters and brothers of brave men overseas whose thoughts are ever with them help us, almighty god, to rehe dedicate ourselves in renewed faith in thee, in this hour of great sacrifice. Many have urged that i call this nation into a single day of special prayer but this road is long and the desire is great. I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day and again when each new day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips invoking thy help in our efforts. Give us strength, too, strength in our daily task to redouble the contributions we make and the physical and Material Support of our armed forces and let our hearts be stout to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage on to our sons wherever they may be. And, o lord, give us faith. Give us faith in thee, faith in thy sons, faith in each other, faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dolled. Let not the impact the of temporal events, of temporal matters be a fleeting moment. Let not these deter us in our un conquerable purpose. With thy blessing we shall prevail on the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us conquer the apostles of greed. Lead us to the saving of our country and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace, a peace and vulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men and a peace that will let all men live in freedom reaping the just rewards of their honest toil. Thy will be done, almighty god. Amen. Those were the words he spoke and the words that will soon be inscribed on the world war ii monument. With that, mr. President , i yield back. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from illinois. Mr. Durbin mr. President , i come to the floor today to speak of the administrations decision to withdraw from the paris climate agreement. In 1992 under president george h. W. Bush the Senate Unanimously approved a treaty to allow the United States to join the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Since then weve been engaged in global conversation with nations around the world to tackle the challenges of Climate Change and ensure we leave future generations a planet that is not plagued by catastrophic drought, famine, floods, wildfire, and a rise in the sea levels. After years of intense negotiation, the world finally reached an International Agreement that resulted in a global commitment. 195 countries from around the world except for two came together. Nicaragua abstained n. He wanted a stronger agreement. And syria was another country that stepped aside and didnt take part for obvious reasons. Representing more than 09 of 90 of global Greenhouse Gas emissions, these 195 countries committed to reducing their Carbon Emissions to prevent the average global temperature from rising by more than 2 degrees. I cannot fathom why any president of either Political Party would want to isolate the United States from the rest of the world, from our allies and trading partners by leaving this agreement. President trump justified this decision with concern for american jobs and American Business. And yet since the election, American Business leaders have called him on the phone, sent a barrage of public letters, paid for fullpage ads in newspapers trying to get the message through to him in any way possible that American Business strongly supports the Paris Agreement which President Trump has walked away from. From Tech Companies to retailers, Insurance Companies and even energy companies, like exxonmobil and b. P. Support Global Engagement on climate. In fact the World Economic forum estimated that the Paris Agreement represents a 23 trillion investment potential due to the growing demand in every corner of the word for clean energy. World for clean energy. Between consumers who Want Clean Energy and local regulations that require it, the demand for clean energy will continue to grow here in the United States and around the world. While pulling out of the Paris Agreement might seem like a way to protect jobs, for example, in the coal industry, the truth is that when these jobs do go away, its mostly due to other things. Market forces and automation. Ive been down in the coal mines of southern illinois, central illinois. And ive seen the way they mine coal today. For those who have not been there, pay close attention. It may come as a surprise. It is largely automated. Massive machinery known as continuous miners literally chew away at the walls of coal transporting it back up to the surface for transport. Back in the day when hundreds if not thousands of coal miners would head for their jobs with little more than a pick or an ax or a shovel or some drill, today its an automated industry. And fewer jobs are creating more and more coal opportunities because automation is a big part. In addition, theres a change in the Global Energy market. Because of fracking in states like north dakota, south dakota, weve seen an increase in the availability of natural gas at lower prices. And last year for the first time in modern history, we had more electricity generated in one month in america from natural gas sources than from coal sources. Weve turned a corner when it comes to the availability of alternatives in energy. Between consumers who want access to clean energy and local regulations that require it, clean energy is going to continue to grow in demand. Meanwhile, even in my own home state of illinois which is the fourth largest coalproducing state in the nation, we already have thousands more workers in the Solar Industry than in the coal industry. Clean energy jobs are growing. Remaining engaged on Climate Change spurs new investment and strengthens american competitiveness for jobs in the future. These jobs include designing more efficient solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, and manufacturing the components for export all over the world. Why should other nations get to leave this growing industry of clean energy, and the United States step away . We can create those jobs right here in america. American jobs for American Workers in clean energy opportunities. We should lead the world in the creation of Clean Energy Jobs. This decision by the Trump Administration to turn its back on this revolution in energy is going to cost us dearly. When the coal jobs do decline, we have responsibilities to retrain the workers for Clean Energy Jobs and other opportunities in the future. The Paris Agreement ensured that we have credibility as leaders, access to global markets, and reduced financial risk for our citizens and businesses associated with change in climate. By walking away from the agreement, america is not just giving up an environmental commitment, but its giving up economic opportunity. Weve given away our leadership, isolated ourselves from the rest of the world. Theyre not going to wait for us. Theyre going to move forward and look for other leaders than the United States. Mr. Presiden this presidend about making America First. His decision to walk away from the Paris Agreement puts america dead last when it comes to energy in the 21st century. Climate change is a dire threat to the Global Economy and global stability. It will cause catastrophic consequences for global health, food security, and habitat on land and in the ocean. My constituents in illinois are already experiencing the adverse effects of changing climate. In recent years our state, and i might add many others, have seen historic storms, floods, and droughts causing millions of dollars in damage. Climate models suggest that if current Global Warming trends continue, illinois will have a climate similar to the texas gulf coast by the end of this century. For illinois farmers these changes to the environment have a direct effect on their livelihood and for all of us a direct impact on our food supply. Mr. President , Climate Change also has Significant National security implications that affect our shores, the ones we simply cant ignore. The crisis in syria, the flow of refugees from unstable parts of the world is an Early Warning of the link to Climate Change and how a humanitarian crises, particularly from less stable parts of our shared planet are going to get worse if we continue to let Climate Change go unaddressed. Back in 2011 when prodemocracy protests began in syria, many of those joining were displaced farmers whod suffered four years of drought made worse by the effects of Climate Change. The National Academy of science published findings earlier this year showing that extreme drought in syria between 2006 and 2009 was more likely due to Climate Change and that the drought was a factor in the uprisings in 2011. Last year Pulitzer Prize winner New York Times columnist tom friedman wrote about massive migration out of parts of west africa through the saharan desert to syria where people are hoping to cross the dangerous trek across the Mediterranean Sea to europe. He wrote and i quote him. Just as seer yas revolution was syrias revolution was set off by the worst fouryear drought in the countrys modern history and overpopulation, climate stress and the internet, the same is true of this african migration wave. Former acting c. I. A. Director mike morale recently called President Trumps decision to pull the United States from the paris climate agreement the worst decision made by this president so far. Mr. Morrell pointed out that pull being out not only seeds americas leadership in the world, it also ignores the impact of Climate Change on frail and fragile states that are home to instability and violence. He further noted that we face three possible threats to our existence nuclear war, a natural or manmade biological threat, or Climate Change. President trumps dangerous decision, if not reversed, will contribute to that threat. Mr. President , anyone in this chamber claiming to be serious about National Security simply cannot be credible without addressing the longterm threats posed by weak states and Climate Change in the decades to come. Its amazing to me that people around the world have come together to recognize the danger and the urgent need to act on Climate Change everywhere in the world except right here in the United States of america. I dont understand the other Political Party. I can remember a time when we would have a debate on Climate Change on the floor. Wed be talking about the Environmental Protection agency, created by a republican president richard nixon, and we would have senators from both sides of the aisle actively debating Climate Change, realizing that its a throat our few of threat to a future. Those days have changed. Any debate now about environment is strictly onesided. Has the science changed when it comes to global and Climate Change . Not at all. 98 of scientists agree that we have global and the reasons for it relate directly to Greenhouse Gas emissions. So what has changed . Why isnt this a bipartisan debate anymore . The politics have changed. They are theyve changed dramatically. But the way we finance political campaigns in this country groups have emerged, one in particular the koch brothers, have made their fortune in carbon industries, who have promised any republican who steps out of line on Climate Change, youre in for a fight. Youre going to face a primary. Dont you dare stand up and talk about Climate Change here on the floor of the United States senate. And thats where we are today. Weve come to a standstill and new we have a president who has decided to walk away from this issue. This president has chosen politics over science and greed over responsibility. His decision is a fateful decision for our children, our grandchildren, and generations to come. There may be some momentary applause in some places because President Trump has walked away from this agreement to deal with this global challenge, but i can tell you the cheers are shortlived. When we see the price that were going to pay and our credits pay for this gross irresponsibility, there wont be a lot of cheering. The United States ive said this on the floor today, and ill say again because im waiting foresworn the other side to come and challenge it. For someone on the other side to come and challenge t the United States of america is the only major Political Party in the world today that refuses to take Climate Change seriously. Ive said that over understand over. And i expect senators from the republican side to come to the floor and say, thats not true. We take it true seriously. But they dont. Or to come to the floor and say, no, there is another major Political Party that also denies Climate Change. One republican senator after i said this obligation the floor repeatedly pulled me owe to the side in the corridor, looked around, whispered. Theres a party in australia that also doesnt believe in Climate Change. And you think to yourself, so its come to that. We have isolated ourselves in the eyes of the world when it comes to protecting this world for generations to come. Were going to pay a heavy prestore that. But the big of the price is going to be paid by future generations. Can we make a little sacrifice today, drive more energyefficient cars and trucks, think about ways to heat our homes, to light up our rooms that dont consume so much energy . Well, of course we can. Weve already done it, and we can do so much more. Walking away from the Paris Agreement is not the path that should lead america in the 21st century. Mr. President , i ask consent to speak on a different topic and it be placed in a separate part in the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin thank you, mr. President. Mr. President , earlier today majority leader mcconnell came to the senate floor to once again be critical of the Affordable Care act, a law that has resulted in more than 20 million americans gaining Health Insurance. The law has lowered the uninsured rate to the lowest 234 american history. This law has put an end to insurance discrimination based on preexisting conditions or gender, a law that has made sure that americans suffering from Mental Health or substance abuse, addiction can get treatment, law that extended the solvency of medicare by a decade and decreased Prescription Drug costs for americans by more than 1,000 for each senior in america. It cut in half the number of bankruptcy filed in america because so many were the holt of medical bills that were the result of medical bills that people couldnt pay. Is this bill perfect . Of course not. Can it be improved and strengthened . Yes, it should be. Improvements can issue made the same way weve made improvements in medicare, Social Security, and so many other programs over the years not by repealing Social Security, not by repealing makers but sitting down on a bipartisan basis to try find way to make sure that we dont deny Health Insurance coverage to 23 Million People in america because of the repeal of the Affordable Care act. To find a way not to raise costs on Older Americans which the bill that passed the house of representatives would do and to find a way to make this law better for People Living in Rural America. My hometown . Downstate illinois. I as a congressman and senator have represented a lot of small towns in sparsely populated counties. They value many things. They sure value their schools and their basketball teams and football teams, but ill tell you what they value as much if not more than anything else their local hospital. The local hospital makes such a difference in smalltown america. It is not only a lifesaver, saves you from driving another 50 or 150 miles for quality care, its also a source of great employment, probably the bestpaying jobs in town are at the local hospital. If you want to attract a job, a local shoot good selling point. Do you know what the bill that passed the house of representatives will do to the rural and smalltown hospitals in illinois . Dont take my word for t ask the illinois hospital association. They anticipate losing 60,000 jobs in illinois because of the bill Health Care Repeal bill that passed the house of representatives. And they know that many hospitals downstate and many in the inner city are going to be forced to cut back on services, if not close, as a result of it. What can we do it 0 make this a better bill, to make the Affordable Care act work more effectively . Let me give you a couple ideas. First, we dont have anything in the law today which deals with Prescription Drug prices. We are at the mercy of people pharmaceutical companies, Investment Bankers and others, who come in control of these pharmaceutical patents. They can literally raise the cost of these drawings beyond the reach of many families. I had a young man come see committee. Necessary high school, been fighting diabetes since a little boy. And his mother talked about the dramatic increase in the cost of insulin that he has faced over the last several years. Insulin has been around a long time. This is into the new wonder drug. It is critical, lifesaving drug. But the prices and costs p insulin are going through the roof and theres no way under current law for us to deal with it. Should we take that up . Of course we dont. Blue cross blue shield in illinois told me recently they spent more money last year on pharmaceutical costs than they did on inpatient hospital care. And the costs continue to go up. We need good lifesaving drugs. We need to reward the companies that find them with a profit. But those who want to gouge prices and take advantage of people of modest income or folks that dont have insurance, theres got to be way to answer that and deal with it honestically. Yesterday i went with eight other senators out to the National Institutes of health. It is out in bethesda, maryland. It is the premier Medical Research Facility in the world. Were lucky t. Have it right here in the United States. Time and again they told us about breakthrough drugs that were making a big difference, that started with research at the National Institutes of health. I asked at one point, is it too much to ask the pharmaceutical companies that take your basic Research Idea and turn into a profitable product, give some of those profits back to the n. I. H. To continue their research . They said, weve tried to do it but the pharmaceutical companies walk away. Ie want to give us they dont want to give us a penny for our future Research Much thats wrong. We ought to be investing in that research, rewarding the pharmaceutical companies but making sure we continue this leadership in the world when it comes to medical research and pharmaceuticals. The individual market on Health Insurance is one that troubles us because its the area where people who dont have Health Insurance through their place of employment or dont qualify for a government Health Insurance plan like medicare, medicaid, veterans care and the like, this is where they go to buy insurance on the insurance exchange, and this is where their premiums have gone up. Now, why have the premiums gone up in that one sector . Because when it comes to individuals, those older and sicker are the first to sign up. But the health yes, younger ones are but the healthier, younger ones are the last. We can sit down on a bipartisan basis and find ways to create an incentive so we can bring down increase the participation in this insurance pool and bring down the premium costs for those who are paying. The third thing we need to do is make sure no matter where you live in the United States, an option to choose when it comes to buying our Health Insurance. One of the things we can do is take one of the most popular medical care programs in history the Medicare Program itself and duplicate it in an option, a public option available to people across the United States. Do you want to buy a Health Insurance program that looks like medicare and, a notforprofit program . This would be your chance. So those are three idea i think we can bring forward in an effort to make the Affordable Care act even more responsive. Senator mcconnell, the republican leader, comes to the floor frequently to talk about the choice to expand the Medicaid Program as allowed under law in many states. I would welcome the opportunity to expand that program. Most people do not understand the Medicaid Program. Oh, thats Health Insurance for poor people. Well, in a way it is. But its so much more. For example, one out of every two births in illinois is paid for by the Medicaid Program. To keep mom healthy so she delivers a healthy baby and to keep that baby healthy as soon as its born, made for by medicaid in 50 of the cases of neuwirth but thats not the most expensive thing. The most expensive thing under medicaid is for your mom and grandmother who is in a nursing home, living on Social Security and medicare and they need help. So they qualify for medicaid to pay for the medical care they need so they can continue to live whole 13 wholesome lives. The third area is medical care for the disabled. Those three areas make up medicaid. When the republican proposal that came out of the house wanted to cut 600 billion or 700 billion, give tax cuts to wealthy people, they took it out of medicaid. So which of the groups that i just described to you would you take Health Insurance away from . Mothers with new babies . He wouldering he recall folks in Nursing Homes with no resources . I would think it is a sneap the wrong direction to hit any of these groups. Thats why we should continue to find twice expand it in a reasonable fashion. Mr. President , asgy back home and talk to people about this republican alternative that passed the house of representatives, it is very clear they oppose it. I have challenged those congressmen who voted for the republican repeal bill to find one one medical Advocacy Group in my state that supports their effort. There are none. The only the illinois hospital association, illinois medical society, the illinois nurses association, the illinois pediatricians all oppose it. And aarp, aarp aarp, opposes it because the bill removed the protection for elderly people when it came to the cost of premiums. Aarp believes and i am afraid the facts bear it out that what passed the house of representatives will dramatically increase Health Insurance premiums for people before between the ages of 50 and 64. We can do better. But we need to do it on a bipartisan basis. Mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. Merkley mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from oregon. Mr. Merkley mr. President , just a little less than two weeksing a President Trump released his weeks ago President Trump released his budget for fiscal year 2018 which would beginning october 1. He named his plan a foundation for american greatness. And while unveiling this budget, director mulvaney, the o. M. B. Director, declared that, quote, were no longer going to measure compassion by the number of programs or the number of people on those programs but by the number of people we help get off those programs. And when i read this and then looked at the budget, i was reminded of the story of the two hikers who get to the top of the mountain just near a big cliff, and its a beautiful vista. And one says im so exhausted from getting up here, hiking all the way up, i wish i could get down quickly. The other says let me help you with that, and shoves him off the cliff. Because thats what this budget does. It doesnt help people get off programs through education or training. It shuts down the programs. It shoves people off the cliff. And this budget millions of struggling, rural, middleclass, lowincome and working americans are thrown off the cliff. They are thrown out of these programs as these programs are just struck down not because the programs have served their purpose and are no longer needed, but because the president wants to do two things. He wants to build a lot more in terms of the military, and he wants to give a tax giveaway of some 6 trillion in the budget with most of it going to the very richest americans. This is not an America First budget. This is billionaires first and rural and working Americans Last. We see this vision implemented through dramatic cuts to food stamps and Childrens Health and job training and afterSchool Programs and scientific research, other antipoverty programs. One program after another designed to help American Families devastated or eliminated all in the name of building a wall, building more missiles, more bombs, and giving this massive, massive giveaway of the treasury to the privileged and powerful. Now theres good news, and the good news is that i think were going to have a Bipartisan Coalition, and we can build such a coalition to defeat this budget. Even some of our colleagues in the House Freedom caucus who often talk about slashing Government Spending and eliminating programs say this proposal and its impact on working americans in Rural America is draconian and unacceptable. Its not often you hear folks throughout the entire political spectrum coming together to say the same thing, that this budget is shortsighted, this budget is ill illconceived. But thats where we are now. But this budget tells us a lot because a budget is an expression of values. And so when President Trump places this budget before us, we gain insight to his values. And what we quickly learn is that President Trump doesnt place value on struggling and working American Families and helping them climb a ladder to a better point. What this budget does tell us is our president is all about raiding the National Treasury for the privileged and the powerful. Quite the opposite of what we heard when he was campaigning. Franklin roosevelt once said that as a nation the test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, but whether we provide enough for those who have little. And by enough, he meant do we provide a ladder of opportunity for families to get their economic footing to be able to buy a house, to be able to find a job, to be able to educate their children. But in this budget, President Trump puts out a different test. He is saying with this budget that the test of our progress is whether we destroy programs for working americans to fund a 6 trillion giveaway to the privileged and powerful. Thats Donald Trumps test of progress, and i think we find very few in the country who might agree with that vision, that vision of making economic and educational progress for working americans much more difficult. So its not an american first budget. Its not a foundation for american greatness. Its more similar to a great train robbery, a great raid on the National Treasury to benefit those who are already at the very top. Its a budget that hurts children. Its a budget that hurts struggling, hardworking americans. It cuts 20 from the childrens Health Insurance program, critical for the health of our children. Shouldnt every child in america have access to Affordable Health care . Thats a value i can get behind. But slashing health care for children, making it harder for them to succeed in life, i cant agree with that. Or lets make children hungryer by cutting the basic Food Stamp Program or School Program that 44 million americans rely on, cutting it by 193 billion. Making children hungryer doesnt help them learn. Helping children learn, thats a value i can get behind. Making it harder for them to succeed in school, that may be a trump value but its not mine, and i dont think its shared by many members of this chamber. Or we find that he proposes to get rid of the subsidization of interest on Student Loans, making the cost of college even more unaffordable for lowincome and working graduates. He freezes the pell grants that have already not kept pace with inflation. He proceeds to wipe out the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program that erases Student Loans after a decade of service to the public, public capacities. All of this about making college more expensive. Now i can get behind the value of making education, Higher Education affordable, whether its apprenticeship training, peer Technical Education, Fouryear College more affordable, Community College more affordable. Because some form of education, whether its in the career Technical Education world or Community College world or the fouryear program, some aspect of that is important to virtually every job in america. Making it more affordable is what virtually every other developed country has done. In germany, its free to go to a Public University in terms of tuition. Not so here in the United States of america. Our students are burdened by massive, massive debt. Its growing and growing and growing. I can get behind the value of saying we shouldnt make college a financial gauntlet because if so, to the success of our children. But trump has a different value. His value is lets make it harder, more difficult. Lets put students further into debt. That is not a value that i can support. Again, i think very few in this chamber would share that. And the list goes on and on p. But this isnt just an attack on the ladder of opportunity for working americans. This is an attack on Rural America. During the last couple of years ive served as the Ranking Member of the appropriations subcommittee on agriculture and rural development, and in that time ive seen the tremendous impact many of these programs have on opportunity and the strength of the economy in Rural America. I value making Rural America stronger, but thats not the value trump put into his budget. He put into this lets undercut, lets undermine, lets make it more difficult for Rural America. Truly a Rural America last budget. Eliminates essential air service. Essential air service is essential to key small towns across our nation, including one in my home state. Its wiped out the economy of that town, it would be dramatically impacted by wiping out essential air service. Slashes the Contract Tower Program that supports even more airports, six of them in my state. Rural airports that need that contract power support to be able to be open. And there, again, these small towns from aurora to Klamath Falls would be dramatically impacted. How about Rural Infrastructure . He takes out the rural water and wastewater disposal program. You know, as i hold town halls around my state and i go to every county every year, all 36, and before i hold a public town hall where people can ask any question they want, i meet with the local county commissioners, city commissioners, all the local electives. And in virtually every county every year i hear about the challenge of Water Infrastructure s. Expanding a clean water supply or a wastewater treatment. These two challenges are enormous. And yet here is President Trump wiping out the rural water and wastewater program. Or how about critical housing programs. Well, heres the thing. In our Rural Communities, often the economy is hindered by the lack of availability of Affordable Housing. Ive been in town after town after town that say we had interest by a company to move here because of some of the key assets that we have, and then they decided not to and decided not to because we dont have Affordable Housing here in the community for them to be able to hire the staff they need. So we have this program at the federal level. Direct singleFamily Housing loans, direct multiFamily Housing loans, lowincome Family Housing repair loans, selfhelp housing grants. But here again the trump budget wipes them out. The Community Development Block Program that provides flexible strength for Rural Communities to address local problems, we talk a lot about flexibility here in the senate, enabling a local area to decide how best to use funds. The cdbg, Community Development block grant, does exactly that. And yet, not valued by our president who probably doesnt even know what the program is, but he wiped it out. Or how about Rural Business and cooperative service that offers programs that support Business Development and job training. Its gone too. And his budget slashes Usdas Rural Development program by about 1 billion, a little less than 1 billion. This is a part of the l agency whose programs focus on supporting Economic Development and housing and health care and infrastructure in Rural Communities. And then we have the impact on Rural Health Care. Now this budget impacts Rural Health Care in several different ways. It cuts the rural hospital Outreach Grant Program that helps small rural hospitals get resources to create collaboratives with longterm care facilities or with ambulance services. And eliminates the state offices of rural health. In addition, this budget destroys health care for 23 million americans and many of those live in Rural America. In fact, in oregon, about one out of three individuals, almost one out of three in our small towns find health care through the Oregon Health plan, the Oregon Health plan funded by medicaid. So rolling back medicaid would throw some 400,000 people off of health care in oregon just by itself, and that would make a huge impact in rural oregon. Ive been holding a lot of town halls in rural oregon. This year ive had over 12 on what you would recall on a map as pretty red counties, and people are coming out to my town halls and saying that they are scared to death about this budgets impact on health care. They are not just scared, theyre terrified. And theyre not just terrified, theyre angry because they finally have the peace of mind that if a loved one gets sick, that loved one will get the care they need. That loved one wont end up bankrupt. Thats a huge improvement in quality of life. But this budget from the president , that destroys that peace of mind. Its not just impacting those who directly benefit from the Oregon Health plan. It also impacts everybody else in the Rural Communities because the health plan has enabled our rural clinics and hospitals to do much better financially. Out in the Northeast Corner of my state, its a very remote and beautiful place, a person told me that their local clinic has gone from 20some employees to about 50 employees, roughly doubling the health care provided. And why were they able to do that . Because theyd had so much uncompensated care before before people had access to Health Insurance. And now that has dropped dramatically, and so their finances are much better. So theyre able to hire a lot more people and provide a lot more health care to this rural part of the state. But that changes with this trump budget. Let me give a few more details about some of these areas, starting with Usdas Rural Development water program. Last year 14 projects in my state received 10. 7 million in loans and 6. 5 million in grants in order to provide reliable, clean Drinking Water and Waste Disposal affecting 12,000 folks in rural oregon. Furnonia relied on these programs to improve the towns waste water program, a project almost 20 years in the making. I visited vernonia a number of times. In 1996 it suffered a terrible flood and then again in 200 7 another major flood. The floods overwhelmed vernonias waste water systems, caused overflows on public and private properties, overflows in the nearby mahela river. But thanks to the grants, the town was able to purchase new equipment and upgrade its system and protect the water for its residents. Thats just one community that has benefited. Or lets tuck a little bit oleates talk about little bit or lets talk a little bit more about budgeting. The budget singles out cuts for many housing programs. Direct housing loan programs and most of the housing loan programs and Community Facilities programs, programs like the rural single Family Housing direct loans, the rural multifamily direct loans, the selfhelp housing programs, the farm labor housing program. With so many states, so many communities across our country suffering from a shortage of affordable and available housing, how can we consider it a positive thing to slice and dice these programs . Last year 6,000 rural oregonian families were living in 211 Affordable Apartment complexes thanks to usda financing. But strengthening our Housing Initiatives isnt just good for our nations families. It is also critical for the development of rural towns and communities. As i mentioned, so often ive heard from the town leaders that they have a potential deal within their grasp, and it falls out of their grip because of the shortage of housing. Well, we need to do better in this area, not worse. Lets talk about another program, the Forest Service collaborative try that again. Forest Service Collaborative Forest Service restoration program. Now, this program is an allends approach 10 collaboratively encourage Ecosystem Restoration of priority profit landscapes. Let me put it more simply. Often in terms of Forest Health we have a challenge. The work in the woods can be quite expensive to improve Forest Health. And often you have disputes between the Environmental Community and the Timber Community on just how this should be done. A collaborative brings together these elements, the elemental side and the timber side, with the goal of both making the Forest Healthier and providing a steady supply of saw logs to the mill. This is something that happened in the fremont wynema forest. They are on the took a healthier ekohl cosystem. At the same time, the work helps ensure there is a balance between the Timber Industry and Environmental Protection, which means that timber is still coming and will keep coming to the local mill helping to create local jobs, like the collins mill in Klamath Falls. That mill is able to continue employing more than 80 workers because of the steady supply of logs that make its way from free fremont wymena. Mr. President , this billionaires first and Rural America and workers last budget is going to die here in the u. S. Senate because theres going to be a Bipartisan Coalition of democrats and republicans that say that undermining the success of our families in order to provide a massive giveaway, a raid if you will, on the treasury and a handout to the privileged and powerful is simply the wrong way to go. This is really robin hood in reverse. This is a situation in which the working families are undermined to provide a 6 trillion raid on the treasury with most of it being given away to our richest American Families. I dont know that there is anyone in this chamber that isnt already aware that we have massive income inequality here in the United States of america. I dont think theres any member among the 100 senators of the u. S. Senate who are unaware that we have a massive wealth gap in america. Its gotten larger and larger and larger until its equal to that level or near that level that it was before the great depression. Thats not a way for america to thrive; to raid working families to provide even more giveaways to those who have the most. I must say that this budget doesnt surprise me. It doesnt surprise me that the president submitted this. The president himself is a billionaire. The president lives in that world of billionaires, and he became persuaded that helping the billionaires have even millions more would somehow be good for america. Id like to take the president to real working america, see the real impact on the ground of destroying rural health clinics, see the real impact on the ground of destroying rural water systems, see the real impact on the ground of destroying real housing programs because we need to get the president outside of his billionaire bubble and see the impact so that somehow he gets a grip on what it means to guide this country in education policy and economic policy, so that we strengthen that ladder of opportunity rather than destroy it. Thank you, mr. President. Quoru mr. Thune mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from south dakota is recognized. Mr. Thune mr. President , is the senate in a quorum call . The presiding officer no, it is not. Than you thune mr. Thune mr. President , everyone remembers president obamas infamous promise that he would sign a Health Care Bill that would cut the costs for a typical family for up to 2,500. Between 2009 and 2016, the average family with employersponsored Health Insurance saw its premiums rise by 4,767. Thats just the beginning. Two weeks ago the department of health and hiewp Services Human services released a report comparing the average premium in 2013, the year when most of obamacares mandates were implemented, with the average individual Market Exchange premium in 2017 in the 39 states that use healthcare. Gov so 2013 to 2017 individual market premiums. Heres what they found, mr. President. Between 2013 and 2017, the average individual market monthly premium in the healthcare. Gov states increased by 105 . In other words, on average, individual market premiums more than doubled in just five years. In my home state of south dakota premiums increased by 124 or 3,588 over five years. And that, according to, mr. President , as i said, to h. H. S. Reporting on the premiums in the individual Market Exchanges over the course of the past five years. Well, 3,588 in south dakota is money that south dakota families had to take from other priorities like saving for retirement or investing in their childrens education. Three states saw their premiums triple over those five years. Average monthly premium in alaska went from 3,44 to 344 to 1,040. That is an increase of 697 per month or more than 8,300 a year. Think about that. Over the past five years the average vild market yearly premium has increased by 800 in arizona. By 3,600 in louisiana, by 5, 064 in north carolina, by 5,048 in tennessee, by 5,228 in west virginia. Mr. President , those kinds of premium increases are not sustainable. Some people, of course, received tax credits to offset the premium payments. But many are faced with the massive premium hikes and pay for it by themselves. Most people do not have the money to easily absorb a 105 premium increase, or more in many states as i pointed out, over five years. Premium increases show no signs of slowing down. Numbers for 2018 are emerging and they are not looking good. Insurers on the new York Exchange are requesting doubledigit rate hikes. A connecticut insurer asked for an increase of 188 , a virginia insurer requested a rate hike. Companies offering plans on the exchange here in washington, d. C. , are requesting average rate hikes ranging from 13 to nearly 40 . In maryland, average increases range from 18 to almost 59 . One insurer, maryland, has requested up to 150 rate increase 150 , mr. President for just one year. And as if the premium hikes arent bad enough, Many Americans dont have a cheaper option to choose. In 2017 roughly onethird of u. S. Counties have just one choice of insurer on their obamacare exchange. Onethird of all u. S. Counties in america. You will pretty much have to take whatever they quote you. Talk about a lack of competition. Several states including alabama, oklahoma, alaska, and wyoming have one choice of insurers for the entire state the entire state in those states that i just and those states that i just mentioned have one choice of insurer. In 2018 a number of counties may lack any obamacare insurer at all. On friday the omaha world herald announced that 1,000 nebraskans could have zero coverage. Iowa is facing a similar situation. Well marc Bluecross Blueshield will with draw. Aetna announced it would pull out of the iowa exchange. In the wake of these announcements, medica announced that it will likely leave the state in 2018. That would leave 94 of the 99 iowa counties with no obamacare insurer next year. Well, mr. President , republicans in the steant are currently working on in the senate are currently working on legislation to repeal and replace obamacare. Why . Because, as i just pointed out, obamacare is broken. This law is not working. This law has never worked and it shows absolutely no sign that it is going to work in the future, particularly if these premium increases are any indication. From first to last this law has been a disaster. High premium costs, high deductibles, customers losing health plans, customers losing doctors, fewer choices, failed coops, unraveling exchanges. And, mr. President , i could go on and on because the list goes on and on of the failures. Well, given all of this, its hard to believe that democrats are still defending this disastrous law. I sometimes wonder just what it will take for my democrat colleagues near the senate to accept the Staggering Amount of evidence that says this law has failed. Do premiums have to triple . Do they have to quadruple . Does every american on the exchanges have to be reduced to just one choice of insurer or be without an insurer at all . Well, mr. President , obamacare was going to reduce premiums. It didnt. People were going to be able to keep their health care plans. They regularly found out that they couldnt. Buying insurance was going to be like shopping for a tv on amazon. Well, maybe if amazon only had one brand of television. Mr. President , the responsible thing to do when a Government Program turned out to be a disaster was to repeal. Republicans are looking to repeal and replace it with Real Health Care reform had my colleagues in the house made a good start and were working on the bill. Chairman alexander, enzi, and hatch have been leading the charge on that and im grateful to them and their staffs for their hard work. Republicans are committed to restoring the millions of americans trapped on the Obamacare Exchanges and lifting the burdens that this law has foisted on to taxpayers. Were committed to addressing obamacare skyrocketing premium increases, were committed to preserving access to care for americans with preexisting conditions, and were committed to making medicaid more sustainable by giving states greater flexibility while ensuring that those who rely on this program dont have the rug pulled out from under them. We need to make sure we need to make health care, mr. President , more affordable, more personal, more flexible, and less bureaucratic. It would be wonderful if at least some democrats would join us in this effort and stop prioritizing partisanship over the needs of the American People. Mr. President , republicans know that the American People are suffering under obamacare and we are committed to bringing them relief. They are ready for Health Care Reform that actually works and thats what republicans, mr. President , intend to deliver. Mr. President , i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum or not. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorm call mr. Nelson mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from florida. Mr. Nelson mr. President , i ask consent that the quorm call be lifted. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Nelson mr. President , i ask consent that Lieutenant Commander michael chestnut, United States navy defense legislative fellow in my office be granted floor privileges for the duration of his fellowship. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Nelson mr. President , its fitting today, june 6, the anniversaries of dday in europe and the battle of midway in the pacific that we are talking about our countrys veterans in the debate thats going on in the senate. The brave men and women who have served our country deserve the very best care our nation can give them. Thats why i rise today in support of the v. A. Accountability and whistleblower protection act which i am given to believe later this afternoon will pass by a voice vote here in the senate. This bipartisan bill will help improve the quality of care our veterans receive by reforming the department of Veterans Affairs and making it easier for the secretary of the v. A. To fire poorly performing employees. The legislation will allow the v. A. To hold its employees more accountable. It also creates new protections for whistleblowers, those who report wrongdoing, and it would ensure that any employee who is terminated has an adequate opportunity to appeal their dismissal. For years the v. A. Has been plagued by reports of inefficiency and long wait times. And i might say that those reports, often we find are true, but that is completely separate from the quality of medical care that is given through the v. A. Health care system. You talk to almost any veteran and they are very pleased at the quality of that medical care. Its the administrative stuff getting in the way, and thats what theres been such an outrage about. Well, this v. A. Bill is going to help the v. A. Get rid of the bad actors while protecting the gad ones. I want to make it clear that the vast majority of v. A. Employees perform their work admirably in and often thankless environment. These dedicated Public Servants work hard to provide the daytoday care that our veterans deserve and they should be protected. And thats why i while i believe that its important to hold poorly performing employees accountable, i also believe that its important to protect the rights of the employees who may have been wrongly terminated, especially at the lower levels, by giving them the opportunity to appeal a supervisors decision to fire them. And this bill that were going to pass does that. It is supported by dozens of veteran Service Organizations. The office of special counsel and the secretary himself. And so i urge our colleagues to join me and join so many of us in voting in favor of the people. And i would also say that on this very famous day, this anniversary, june 6, where i have been to the beaches of normandy, ive been to omaha beach. As a matter of fact, while there its impossible to walk into that cemetery on the cliff overlooking the beach. Its impossible to walk into that beautiful, beautiful American Cemetery and not become very, very emotional realizing what happened in 1944. I felt so strongly about this that at one point i wanted to get on my jogging shoes and run the four miles of that omaha beach. It was something that i just wanted to reach back into time having been there where so many sacrificed so much. And then, of course, the battle midway, the time at which it turned the battle in the pacific where a young admiral showed his courage and his superiority in planning, and as a result of that battle, turned around the course of the war in the pacific with japan. So what a day to remember, june 6. Mr. President , thank you, and i yield the floor. Mr. President , i subject the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call a senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from georgia. Mr. Perdue mr. President , i rise tonight to remind the presiding officer senator mr. Perdue i apologize. I would ask that the quorum call be vitiated. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Perdue thank you. Mr. President , we have 50 work days in the United States senate before the end of this fiscal year, 50 days. That does not include the five weeks that we will be gone during the august state work weeks. And i rise tonight to talk about what happens september 30. September 230 is the end of september 30 is the end of the fiscal year. That means we have to have the federal government funded for fiscal year 2018 which starts october 1 of this year. Like most years, as a matter of fact like every year since 1980, the federal government will probably not be funded by the end of this fiscal year in the manner that it was supposed to be according to the law that was done in 1974, the budget act of 1974. In the last 43 years, the federal government has only been funded four times according to that bill. Weve used 178 continuing resolutions and, therefore, ongoing omnibuses and so forth where six people get in a room basically and decide how were going to spend a trillion dollars. Mr. President , this is the only enterprise i can find anywhere in the world that funds its operations this way. The problem is that we have a system that is absolutely totally broken. Its a fraud thats being perpetrated on the American People. Weve been asked now between now and september 30, this is the way the budget process works. And by the way, we should have started this back in january but we couldnt do it because we were working on the f. Y. 2017 budget and now health care. When that gets done well for 2018 well do a reconciliation and hopefully a tax package behind that. Wrapped in all of that, here comes september 30 in 50 work days from today to fund the federal government. Between now and then in 50 days, were asked to do a budget for f. Y. 2018, to do full authorizations for 16 different entities, committees, and then do appropriations for 12 committees. And by the way, over the last 43 years you have to fund 12 appropriation bills, mr. President , to fund the federal government. It was 13 appropriation bills up to around 2000. Of the 12. The average number of appropriation bills that this body has appropriated each year is two and a half. Now, by any measure thats unacceptable. But were now asked between now and september 30 in a very truncated manner to do the budget, do all 16 authorizations, and all 12 appropriations. Now, im not a betting man, mr. President , but ill go to vegas and short that idea right now. There is no way that were going to fund this government according to that policy, no way. It wont happen. It cant happen. It hasnt happened in 43 years that way except for four times. Every single year this process breaks down. And like i said, weve used 178 continuing resolutions. What does a c. R. Do is it ties the hands of our military leaders where they cant move money from one bucket to the other to help accommodate it. So what we have right now is a process that just hasnt worked. Because of that the federal government has exploded in size. In 2000, the federal government spent 2. 4 trillion running the federal government. Last year we spent 3 my 9 3. 9 trillion. Those are constant dollars. Over the next ten years were going to spend 53 trillion running the federal government. Were going to borrow a significant part of that, another 10 trillion. And the irony, mr. President , is that the debate that were having between now and september 30 is to fund the government not on the full 4 trillion well spend next year running the federal government. Were going to have this debate only about 1. 1 trillion, the discretionary side of the budget. Well, if you do the math in the last eight years oh, by the way in the next ten years according to the current c. B. O. Baseline budget, we borrowed over 30 of what we spent as a federal government. Discretionary spending over the next ten years is going to be less than that. What that means is over the last eight years and over the next ten years, every dime that weve spent on Discretionary Spending has by definition been borrowed. There is no other way to look at it. That means that every dime that weve spent for our military which is about 600 billion today, every dime we spend on our v. A. Which is a little less than 200 billion and every dime we spend on all other domestic expenditures including health care by the way, comes to 1. 1 trillion. Every dime of that today is borrowed money. That means we have to go to china and the rest of the world to fund all of our Discretionary Spending. By anybodys estimate that is not acceptable. Heres why it is not acceptable. It cannot be sustained for a long period of time. Yet were sitting here with a budget that goes for the next 10 years that says we will continue to operate business as usual and add another 10 billion to this already burdensome debt of 20 trillion. The debt crisis and budget problem are interlinked. There is no way to solve the debt crisis until we solve the budget process. The difficulty comes in trying to align the prospects within the process itself of getting to a determination. Right now, the budget process doesnt work for this very reason. The budget itself is not a law. Its a resolution, which means the Majority Party can cram down the throat of the minority its version of a political budget. Thats all it is. Then you go to an authorization process and the authorization process today, we have over 310 of federal expenditures that are not authorized, including the state department. Last year we didnt even do an authorization for our military. Even then, after passing the appropriation bill in the Armed Services committee 300, we could not get that bill on the floor of the senate. We tried six times. It was not authorized or appropriated last year but got wrapped up in an omnibus. That same thing more than likely will happen this year. This can be fixed, mr. President. Its not that difficult. Several of us have been working behindthescenes looking at best practices around the world. Other countries, companies, and even states and looked at best practices. What we found is nobody else tries to fund their government the way we try to fund the government. This goes back to article 1 and article 2 of our constitution. Article 1 said that funding the federal government was the responsibility of congress yet we have object sconded with that. The 21 act went well beyond what i think is called for in the original constitution. So what were looking at today is a legislative underreach and executive overreach relative to funding the government out of necessity because of the dysfunction right here in the United States senate relative to how we fund our government. Theres no question that we will not fund this government without a continuing resolution and or an omnibus come september 30. The fix is not that unreasonable, mr. President. All we need is a politically neutral platform that brings all expenses into the budget process, all 4 trillion today. That would include discretionary and mandatory and that the budget becomes a law. Which means that we have to get bipartisan support for the budget. And then lastly, if we dont get the budget done by a certain date and we dont fund the government by the end of the fiscal year, then severe consequences are borne by the people who have the responsibility to fund the government. Thats the United States senate and the United States house of representatives and the and the people in the administration who are responsible for their part of it. Its not that complicated. Many other countries do it. Most other countries do it. In fact, in some countries if they dont fund the government by the end of their fiscal year, their constitutions say that the government gets disbanded and they have an election. Thats not what were calling for here. I dont think we have to do anything that severely. There are colleagues of mine right here in this body on both sides who contributed, who are weighing in on this. Governors who have executive experience running large Financial Enterprises at the state level have come into this body and brought an enormous wealth of experience about how to get this done. My argument, mr. President , is right now during this period of dysfunctionality when we see firsthand the reality of not being able to take care of domestic needs, military needs, or any other discretionary enterprises that we want to fund because of our own budgeting intransdent, i can find no other time better than now to raise the question on both sides of the aisle this is not a partisan conversation, both size are guilty. Lets come up with a politically neutral platform that would allow both sides to talk about about tax increases, spending cuts, and all the responsibility we have in the congress of funding the federal government. Why not . We have one suggestion that sayses, pick a time in the future. Decide what percentage of your Gross Domestic Product should be covered by debt and pick a road map back from that point name with guard rails around that. That suggestion comes from the other side of the aisle. I applaud that suggestion. I think its very, very workable the i think we can find ways to make this work. This should not be a partisan conversation, mr. President. I sit on the Armed Services committee. I sat on Foreign Relations the last two years, and both of those committees are strong bipartisan efforts by every member. Thats whats needed here. Yet, the budget committee, ironically, is one of the most partisan committees and the reason is because of the law itself. The budget is not a law, it is a resolution. My contention is that is the root of this problem. Its one of the factors that cause this debt to be under controllable and the cause of dysfunction in this body to even be able to attempt to bring that under control. The solution is not just taxing more, it is not just spending more, it is not just growing more. The problem is bigger than that. The debt problem will never be solved unless an in until we and until we solve the budgeting process. Mr. President , as we check off every single day over the next 50 days, i want my colleagues to be reminded of what we will have to do to fund the government come october 1. Please lets not get up to september 30 with a gun up to our head that says, spend the money this way or not fund the government tomorrow. That is total irresponsibility just like i think this is a fraud perpetrated on the people of america and it is not honest relative to what we have to face up to in terms of our responsibilities. We cannot afford to do all we are doing, than is just pure fact. The world is no longer going to be able to loan us the money we need over the next ten years another 10 trillion. There is some 2 trillion total debt. Only 60 trillion of the 2 trillion is sovereign debt. We are one of the ones to and to continue to borrow this money. We could potentially have over half of the worlds sovereign debt in the next ten years. Mr. President , that cannot happen. The world risk a bond risk and the bond markets will not potentially allow that to happen. Todays the day as we go through the next 50 days, i believe we need to look for opportunities on both sides of the aisle in a bipartisan way to stop this nonsense to get to where we can fund the government in a responsible way each year and get past the past 40 years of total failure in terms of funding the government. Such that when we get to september 30, we have approved the budget and got the appropriations lined up and funded for the needs that we all agree here in congress that need to be met. Mr. President , i can think of no other call in this body higher than this right now because it it risks it puts us at risk of doing the very things that we need to do, and that is take care of our domestic needs, take care of the people who need the safety net, to take care of the legacy programs of Social Security and medicare and yet defend our country. Because of this debt, we are limiting the opportunities we have and we will not solve that until we address this budget process. Mr. President , thank you, and i yield the floor. Mrs. Murray mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from washington. Mrs. Murray thank you, mr. President. I want to take a few minutes this afternoon to talk about trumpcare, specifically what families back in my home state of washington are saying about the harm this bill will do and why, despite how often republicans say they are struggling to find a way to jam trumpcare through this senate, now is the time to keep the pressure on. Ive had to say this far too o, but right now people across the country are scared and they have a right to be. The policies in trumpcare would turn our Health Care System into a minefield of higher costs and worse care for our families. If youre a young person who needs Mental Health, you could pay more. If youre a senior, your premiums could increase by as much as 850 . If you need maternity care, independent analysis by the Congressional Budget Office shows you could pay as much as 1,000 a month 1,000 more a month. Under trumpcare 23 Million People across the country would lose coverage. Because Insurance Companies would have far more power to lower their standards and offer skimpy snake oil plarns, we would go back to the days that a trip to the emergency room could turn into a devastating financial hit. I described some of the biggest impacts trumpcare would have. None of them help families. Instead they do serious harm. Do know who would benefit from trumpcare . Special interests. They would get a massive tax break. For these reasons and many more, people across our country are rejecting trumpcare. They dont want the dramatically Higher Health care costs. They dont want this bill to create even more chaos in our Health Care System than republicans already have, and they certainly dont think they should have to pay more all to appease President Trump and those at the top. Mr. President , Senate Republican leaders have said they expect their final product will look a whole lot like the version of trumpcare that passed in the house. In fact, some of them said they expect to keep as much as 80 of the house passed version of trumpcare. It is no wonder they are having trouble cobbling together enough votes to jam this bill through the senate. If that is the case, i would encourage them to drop this reckless repeal effort. Stop creating chaos in our Health Care System that is driving up our premiums and work with democrats on real solutions. We are ready, like we have always been, to find ways to bring down Families Health care costs while making sure they get the same quality of care and finding ways to get families more affordable coverage. But, unfortunately, we have not heard from any republicans who are willing to reverse course and thats why, despite how much trouble republicans may be having with their disastrous policies, im here today urging anyone who rejects trumpcare and what it means for our Families Health and Financial Security to fight as hard as they can against this bill. Keep making those calls. Keep rallying. Keep sharing your stories. Mr. President , since the election, ive heard from family after family in Washington State about what the future holds for their health care. One of those is a constituent of mine named marcy jefferson. Her husband is a Small Business owner and they purchase individual insurance. Well, in 2014, marcy was diagnosed with cancer. Shes had to have not one but two stemcell transplants since then and her chemotherapy costs are over 3,000 each month. Before the Affordable Care act, marcys Health Insurance had no outofpocket limit. And without limits on how much Insurance Companies can charge patients, a protection that trumpcare would take away, marcy says that she and her husband would most definitely face bankruptcy. Marcy also says that the a. C. A. , quote, literally saved my life and we could not afford the type of care i am receiving without it. Unquote. Mr. President , there are stories like marcys in literally every community in our country. In red states, in blue states, in purple states. It is appalling that instead of working with us to make health care more affordable and higher quality, and expanding coverage, instead of listening to people like marcy and join us at the table, republicans are planning to jam through the senate a plan that would do the opposite. One that would devastate families financially. I will do everything i can to fight back. I will work hard to fight against the trumpcare plan republicans are determined to get signed into law. Families like marcys are bravely speaking up and making clear just how damaging trumpcare would be. That is exactly what democrats here in the senate are going to do as well. Now, mr. President , before i close this afternoon, i also want to take a couple of minutes to talk about trumps latest budget proposal. Because even after last weeks stunning move by President Trump to obstruct our fight against Climate Change and seeing another confirmation a week before that 23 million americans would lose their Health Care Coverage under trumpcare, we cannot lose sight of the grand scope of President Trumps cruel attacks against working families and nowhere has the president s broken promises to working families been more evident than in his recent budget proposal. President trump spent his campaign promising workers he would stand with them, promising seniors he would protect their care, promising the middle class he would make the economy work for them. And then he came to washington, d. C. And crafted a budget that is a perfect summary of all the way those promises are broken. In fact, the president s budget director came up to capitol hill just two weeks ago to try and defend the budget, to try to explain how it didnt break the promises, but, mr. President , he couldnt do it because it cant be done. From his promises not to cut medicaid or Social Security to his promise to provide, quote, insurance for everybody that was better and lower cost, promise after promise, not just broken but shattered. So, mr. President , i urge my colleagues, democrats and republicans, to reject President Trumps antiworker, antistudent, antiwoman, antisenior agenda and thankfully we are seeing signs that is happening. Democrats, republicans, independents have been criticizing this budget here in d. C. And across the country. One senior republican senator called it, quote, dead on arrival. And, mr. President , he is exactly right. The families we represent want us to Work Together to invest in our workers and in our middleclass families to protect patients, to stand with women, to grow our economy from the middle out and not simply give more tax cuts to the wealthy or well connected. Now, we were able to do this before. Just recently democrats and republicans came together to pass a spending bill that rejected President Trumps extreme agenda and worked for families and the middle class. And we were able to come together on bipartisan budget deals that increased investments before. So im hopeful that republicans will stand with us on the side of the people they represent, push aside this awful budget from the president , and work with us to do this again. I stand ready to do that. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from north dakota. A senator mr. President , i rise today to speak in support of the v. A. Accountability and whistleblower protection act, Bipartisan Legislation that will help ensure that our veterans receive the care they deserve. Mr. Hoeven we owe veterans more than we could ever repay for their dedicated service. Part of this debt is providing our veterans with timely, high Quality Health care. In my home state of north dakota, our v. A. Medical center is located in fargo. It not only serves the veterans in north dakota but also serves the western half of minnesota as well. And if theres one thing that our veterans have made very clear about the Health Center in fargo from north dakota and minnesota, our veterans have made very clear that it is an Outstanding Health care center that provides high quality service. Our veterans love the fargo v. A. They do a great job. And its important to note that the vast majority of v. A. Employees are dedicated to serving our veterans and are working diligently to provide services to veterans in their communities. However, as recent events have shown, there are a number of instances where poor performance or misconduct by a v. A. Employee has had tragic consequences. In cases like these, the v. A. Needs to have the ability to address these situations and to do it in a fair but expeditious manner. This Bipartisan Legislation local provide the v. A. Secretary with that with the necessary tools to do just that and ensure that v. A. Employees are putting our veterans first. Specifically, this legislation establishes in law the office of accountability and whistleblower protection within the v. A. , a post that was created earlier this year through executive order. It authorizes the secretary of v. A. To reprimand, suspend, demote, or remove v. A. Employees at any level and hastens the appeal and review process. Additionally, it establishes protections for whistleblowers. These are important reforms. These are reforms that are important for our veterans. And thats why the legislation has garnered the support of many veterans organizations. Its garnered the support of our north dakota v. A. Commissioner as well as the ve veterans serve organizations including the American Legion, the amvets, the veterans of foreign wars, iraq and afghanistan, veterans of america, the military Officers Association of america, and others. And also its garnered the support of cosponsors on both sides of the aisle here in this chamber. 73 years ago over 160,000 brave allied troops landed on the beaches of normandy. I can think of no more appropriate day to pass legislation that honors our commitment to our veterans and helps ensure they receive the care that they have earned. I want to thank the committee chairs, senator isakson of georgia, also senator tester of montana, for their outstanding bipartisan leadership on this important language. And i particularly also want to thank senator marco rubio of florida who is the prime sponsor of this legislation and has been a champion for veterans issues. I know this accountability issue is one he has spoken out on consistently, often, and passionately on behalf of our veterans. So i want to thank him for his leadership on this very important legislation and at this point yield to the prime sponsor of this bill, senator marco rubio. The presiding officer the senator from florida. Mr. Rubio i want to thank the senator for his kind comments. This issue is one that i think matters to all 100 members of this chamber and millions of americans. I, too, find it timely that here we are on 73 years to the day of the incredible sacrifices that were made on that beach in normandy and that we have the opportunity to honor the men and women who have served us before then and since then, in particularly those who are now in need of services with the passage of what is truly landmark legislation. And ill talk about that in a moment. And i it is our hope, i think, of all of us who are supporting this that it will help bring accountability for generations of those who have served and will serve to protect our great nation. We live in a time of an outrage culture where in order to make the news every evening, youve got to be involved in some cfers or controversy or Say Something over the top. Thats just the way things are these days. So when something positive happens, it doesnt get a lot of coverage. And its my sense that while were not doing this for purposes of getting coverage, Many Americans tonight as they watch the news or go on the internet will have no idea that the senate took this up. And i think its unfofort nat unfortunate because in addition to the importance of this piece of legislation, it is a testament that despite all of the important issues and the noise and the arguments that you hear every day on television, our republic still works and that men and women of good faith can come together across political ideology and partisan lines on an issue that wasnt easy to work through for a couple of years. And i hope that theres an opportunity to point to this and say that on something that was important, this is not a symbolic resolution. This is a change in the laws of our country that will bring accountability to one of the most important functions that our government provides the men and women who serve us in uniform and thats the Veterans Administration. And thats why i preface my comments on all this and on the fact that this is not going to get a lot of attention because its not controversial. There was a big fight going on on the floor about this right now and people bickering and arguing, it would get more coverage. But the fact we were able to come together across party lines on a difficult issue and get it done should not be a reason to not recognize its importance. And so again thats not why were doing it. Were doing it to make a change. I do think its important to preface everything im about to say by saying what an honor and a pleasure it has been to work with the chairman, senator isakson, and with the Ranking Member, senator tester and all of the members of the senate Veterans Affairs committee on what is truly now Bipartisan Legislation that is before the senate. I remain grateful to the committee for their efforts which will help bring needed accountability reforms to the department. This is an issue as i said that weve been working on for several years, and im pleased that we are now in a path to enact real change. This marks three years since light was shed on the veterans who died, died while they were stuck on secret waiting lists at the department of Veterans Affairs. After it was revealed that the phoenix, arizona v. A. Facility had widespread misagent and misconduct by its employees, congress came together and acted promptly. In the wake of that deplorable situation, this chamber responded in a bipartisan way by passing the veterans access choice and accountability act of 2014. And while many of those reforms have begun to make a difference, we knew even then that it would not be enough. As reflected in the legislation thats now before us, this law, we are seeking to address those shortcomings. And doing so in deference to what the courts have decided is consistent with the constitution of the United States. Like virtually every member of this chamber, not every one, over the years i have met with veterans throughout my home state of florida, and i have found that many share a common frustration and disappointment and often express resignation that meaningful accountability has yet to come or occur at the v. A. It is my hope that that begins to change with this vote here today. These men and women are veterans have sacrificed much for our country and it is our duty to take care of them when they come home after taking care of us. Sadly for many, this solemn obligation and promise has not been kept, plain and simple, ineffective governance is unfair to our veterans and to the american taxpayer. The v. A. Must be properly managed so that it can provide timely quality care to veterans and be held accountable to all americans. Now, let me preface what let me followup what i just said by making it abundantly clear the overwhelming majority of the people who work at the v. A. Are good, hardworking employees who serve our veterans well. Many of them are veterans themselves. This is not a punitive measure, nor is it meant to degrade the work that they are doing under very difficult circumstances, but it has become clear that under the current law, the v. A. Often is unwilling or unable to hold individuals appropriately accountable for their actions and or misdeeds. Usually not because they dont want to but because under the law they just cant. Even in instances in which disciplinary action against an employee was attempted, the complexity, the lengthiness of the process often prevented meaningful consequences, and the unfortunate reality is that as a result those few but significant number of negligent employees often went unpunished. And to shield employees from consequences brings down the entire department. It demoralizes the work force. It undermines the core mission of the v. A. , and that comes not from political talking points but from many of the men and women who work at the v. A. Themselves. We cannot, we must not allow bureaucratic red tape to get in the way of ensuring our v. A. Is staffed by those who belong there. And are willing to perform the important task of serving our heroes. And so it is our hope and my belief that this law will change the v. A. And it will change it for the better. Simply put, the law gives the v. A. Secretary the authority to reprimand, to suspend, to demote, or to remove any employee if their behavior or their performance warrants such an action. Importantly, these reforms establish a period of adequate notice and response and final decision on disciplinary action initiated by the secretary and its under an enforceable and capped time frame. So while the employee is getting due notice and the opportunity to defend themselves, it doesnt drag on forever. It also provides a new avenue for whistleblowers so they can come forward without fear of retaliation through the establish mants of establishment of an office of accountability and whistleblower protection. This is critical because as we have seen in order to uncover many of these abuses at the department, we oftentimes need or rely on information directly from those who have seen it happen and are involved. So in summary, this bill will protect our veterans while also serving as a means to protect the countless well performing dedicated v. A. Employees and whistleblowers at the department who are frustrated, that just a handful of bad apples are standing in the way of providing the service they signed up to provide. This bill will also ensure that v. A. Employees Due Process Rights are respected and not infringed upon. This is not an antiv. A. Employee law. It is designed to reward those who work hard and perform and to identify and remove those who do not. Im proud to say this bill would not have been possible without the support of our current v. A. Secretary. We work closely with him and his office to ensure that the provisions would provide the tools that they needed. For them and for future secretaries so they can carry out their important mission. In addition to the secretary, the bill has been endorsed by the office of special counsel, project on government oversight, and several veteran Service Organizations including the paralyzed veterans of america, the American Legion, the veterans of foreign wars, concerned veterans for america, reserve Officers Association, the iraq and afghanistan veterans of america, American Veterans, and military Officers Association of america. These organizations serve our veterans admirably. They have valuable firsthand knowledge of veterans needs and they agree that this legislation provides overdue reforms to the v. A. s current broken Civil Service system. And we are all grateful for their help, their support, and forehelping and informing us in tweaking this law so it actually solves problem. Two more points i want to make, mr. President. Im proud that we were able to come together as 00 unified as a unified body to show the nation that the republic can still work, that we can Work Together to solve problems and hopefully that spirit will carry over into other issues that confront our nation. With todays vote, i think we move one step further to achieving a worthy goal of bringing accountability and as a result improvement in the v. A. I want to thank my colleagues for joining in this fight to better serve our nations veterans. I close by thanking the people who worked day in and day out on this the staffs of chairman isakson and the klink Ranking Member tester and those in the house to worked tirelessly on the bill. I want to thank tom hawkins, laura dove, chris tuck and Tony Hannigan for your work in getting the bill usa today and j. R. Sanchos has worked on this for two and a half, three years. I dont know what he is is going to do with his time now. He knows many of these veterans personally. Im just this is a good day. I look forward to this get being eventually over to the senate and to the president s office so accountability and improvement and performance can finally come to the v. A. And the men and women who have taken care of us will finally be taken care of the way they deserve. With that, mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. Isakson mr. President . The presiding officer the senator georgia. Mr. Isakson let me thank senator rubio, who has been a steadfast leaderren this for years. People have heard the term years mentioned. It is plural. Weve worked on this for a long time. Thanks to his work and the work of the committee and the staff on both committees and the leadership on the democratic side, mr. Tester, and myself, we found way to do as i said earlier three hoursing a is a work of divine province. None of us planned this would come to the floor on the anniversary of the invasion of normandy, when the evil empire of the german empire and adolf hitler was destroyed by the allied forces and the United States of america. It is only appropriate that on the anniversary of that date, 73 years later, we say to those who have worn the uniform, who fight for us and ask nothing in return that we will see to it that you get what you were promised in terms of health care and benefits and make sure you have an accountability mechanism to give you the time the type of service that you gave us. I wasp to repeat what was said by the oftentimes i want to thank the Staff Members who have worked so hard. Has not been an easy battle. All the arguments are over. The veterans won. Doing the right thing won. It all wouldnt have happened without the staffer. I want to thank jon test and his staff. I want to particularly thank my republican staff thats worked countless tireless hours to make this take place. My staff director tom bowman, adam reis, kristin hines, maureen okneel. David sherman, jillian wortman, thomas coleman, john ashley, hedger vashon. We could is not have done what we does nor would we be here today without their help. We would not as a country be here today, nor would we ever have exist had it not been for the brave men and women who bore the battle, fought the battle, defended our country, made sure we had the opportunity to become what has now been acknowledged around the world as the greatest government on the face of this earth. So on the anniversary of the invasion of dday invasion of normandy on dday, on this day were guaranteeing our veterans the type of service they fought for and serve. God bless the veteran whose proudly serve america day in and day out in every uniform around the world. In the absence of another speaker, i would yield back the balance of our time. The presiding officer all time is yielded back. Clerk will read the title for the third time. The clerk s. 1094, a bill to amend title 38 United States code to improve the accountability of employees of the department of the Veterans Affairs and for other purposes. The presiding officer question occurs on s. 1094, as amended. All those in favor say aye. All those opposed say no. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. The bill as amended is passed. The senator from georgia. Mr. Isakson i ask unanimous consent that the senate be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes on each side. The presiding officer without objection. A senator madam president. The presiding officer the senator from rhode island. Mr. Whitehouse may i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Whitehouse thank you. Madam president , i come to the senate floor every year around this time to discuss an important incident in the history of rhode island largely overlooked in the history books, certainly overlooked in consequence to its importance. You have to understand that we Rhode Islanders have always had a pretty fierce independent streak. The colony of rhode island of providence plantations was founded by Roger Williams and others fleeing the harsh ideological conformity of the massachusetts theocracy. Our 1663 charter described the colony as a Lively Experiment and as the first and is the first formal document in all of history granting to a political entity the separation of church and state, along with unprecedented freedoms of speech. Rhode island was the first colony to declare its independence from britain on may 4, 1776, two months before the rest of you did on the fourth of july, and we were the last colony to join the union, waiting for an independent bill of rights. Like i said, independent streak. Colonial Rhode Islanders chafed at the inequities of british rule, especially the disruption of our liberty at sea. Were the ocean state. Living and working on the water has always been a rhode island way of life. As tensions with the american colonies grew, however, king george iii stationed revenue cutters, armed customs patrol vessels, in the waters of narragansett bay to prevent smuggling, enforce the payment of taxes and impose british sovereignty. In 1764, after a british ship called the h. M. S. St. Johns stole goods from newport merchants, a group of Rhode Islanders seized control of fort george on goat island in Newport Harbor and fired cannons on the vessel. In 1769, the h. M. S. Liberty, a sloop confiscated by the british from none other than john hancock and repurpd as their customs vessel, was boarded, scuttled and burned by a mob of angry Rhode Islanders. And in 1772, on the dark night, a band of Rhode Islanders destroyed the h. M. S. Gaspee, one of the most hated imperial ships, drawing what was called the first blood in the revolution. The gaspee and its captain, lieutenant william dunningston, were known for destroying Rhode Islanders vessels, seizing their cargo and flagging down ships to harass, humiliate and interrogate the colonials. As historian steven park describes in his new book, the burning of his majestys schooner, the gaspee, an attack on crown rule before the american revolution, the gaspee was an unwelcome, even hated presence in narragansett bay. Rhode island Deputy Governor sessions complained to governor Joseph Wanton in march, 1772, that lieutenant dudingston had, quote, no Legal Authority to justify his conduct and his commission was more of a fiction than anything else. When british authorities assured governor wanton that dunningston was there to protect the rhode island colony from pirates, the governor replied that he didnt know whether dunningston was protecting them from pirates or with the right himself. On june 9, 1772, all this tension came to a head. On this day, rhode island captain Benjamin Lindsey was en route to providence from newport in his ship, the hannah. He was ordered by the hated gatsby to halt for inspection. Well, captain lindsey refused, and he raced up narragansett bay, despite warning shots fired at his hannah. The gatsby gave chase to the hannah, and captain lindsey, who knew the waters of narragansett bay far better than dunningston did, steered his ship north toward Patuxent Cove in warwick, right over thetial owes off of namquip point, known today as gatsby point. The lighter hannah was able to shoot over thosetial owes, but the heavier gatsby ran aground and stuck firm in a sand bar and a falling tide. The british ship and her crew were stranded and would need to wait many hours before a rising tide could free them. Wasting no time, captain lindsey sailed up to providence and with the help of the respected merchant and statesman john brown rallied a group of rhode island patriots at sabans tavern on what is now the east side of providence. Together, after suitable refreshment, the group resolved to end the gaspees menace in rhode island waters. So that night 80 or so men shoved off the wharf under a moonless sky with their faces blackened and their orlocks muffled, paddling eight longboats down narragansett bay toward the stranded gaspee. The longboat silently surrounded the gaspee, and the Rhode Islanders shouted for lieutenant dudingston to surrender his ship. As Daniel Harrington recounted in the providence journal, captain New Hampshire whiffal spoke first for the Rhode Islanders, summoning dudingston thus. I am shaver of kent county, expletive. I have a warrant to apprehend you, expletive. So surrender, expletive. It was a classic rhode island greeting. Surprised and enraged, dudingston refused and ordered his men to fire upon anyone who attempted to board the gaspee. Gunshots struck out in the night and musket balls hit lieutenant dudingston in his groin and his arm. The Rhode Islanders outnumbering the british swarmed onto the deck and commandeered the ship. Brown ordered one of his Rhode Islanders, a physician named john maunee, to tend to his wounds. The patriots removed the british crew to land and returned to torch the gaspee. Ultimately, the flames the powder magazine of the gaspee, and the resulting blast echoed across the bay as the dreaded gaspee blew to smithereens. When word got back to the king, he was furious, and he offered huge royal rewards for the capture of the rebels who had done this deed. But strangely enough, no rhode islander would step forward to finger the perpetrators. Youve got to admire under that kind of pressure that with 80 people who had gone down in those longboats, not one rhode islander would spill the beans. Word spread throughout the colonies of this incident and of the crowns brand of justice. Samuel adams wrote a letter in the providence gazette on september 26, 1772, that read in part, a court of inquisition more horrid than that of spain or portugal is established within this colony. To inquire into the circumstances of destroying the gaspee schooner. And the persons who are the commissioners of this newfangled court are vested with most exorbitant and unconstitutional power. They are directed to summon witnesses, after hend persons not only apprehend persons not only impeeched but even suspected and deliver them to admiral month argue who is ordered to have a ship in readiness to carry them to england where they are to be tried. The reverend john allen delivered at the Second Baptist Church in boston a thanksgiving sermon on the gaspee affair that was distributed in pamphlet form throughout the colonies. His words helped rouse the spirit of independence of this fledgling nation. He said supposing that the Rhode Islanders, for the sake of the bloodbought liberties of their forefathers, for the sake of the birthrights of their children, should show a spirit of resentment against a tyrannical, arbitrary power that attempts to destroy their lives, liberties and property, would it not be insufferably cruel for this which the law of nature and nations teaches them to do to be butchered, assassinated and slaughtered in their own streets by their own king. Well, madam president , School Childrens history books tell a tale of bostonians who dressed up in funny outfits and slimed onto a british boat and pushed bales of tea into the harbor. But not enough schoolchildren know of the bravery of the Rhode Islanders who more than a year earlier fired the first shots and drew the first blood in the quest for american independence. Its a fine thing, im sure, to push tea bales off a boat. We blew the boat up, and we did it more than a year earlier. Rhode islanders are justifiably proud of our role in our rebellion. We have made a tradition of celebrating the gaspee incident with the annual gaspee Day Celebration and parade through warwick, an independent study group at Brown University is adapting the tale of the gaspee into a Virtual Reality education experience. So you can put on the goggles and reenact the experience of the gaspee. Marrying rhode Island History with cuttingedge technology to engage middle and High School Students in this history. Someday soon children across the country may be able to join captain wipple and john brown and step into a virtual longboat, coast down a virtual narrangansett bay and watch the sky over a virtual rhode island with the fires of revolution. I thank the presiding officer, and i yield the floor. I note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorm call mr. Mcconnell madam president. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask that s. Res. 184 be star print. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business if adjourn until 9 00 a. M. , wednesday, june 7, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved until later in the day, finally that following leader remarks the senate proceed to calendar no. 110, s. 722. The presiding officer is there objection . The presiding officer without objection, so ordered. Mr. Mcconnell i ask that the senate stand adjourned under the previous order. The presiding officer the the presiding officer the we will carry his small testimony and the Intelligence Committee and the entirety life thursday 9 30 a. M. Eastern on cspan three. And online at cspan. Org. You can listen to the hearing line on your phone or tablet with the cspan radio app. Downloaded from the Apple App Store or on google play former fox news anchor and Department Spokesperson Heather Knauer briefed reporters. Lets watch the afternoon, everyone. What a crowded room we have today. Thank you so much for coming in and welcome to the state department
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