[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 47 (Thursday, March 19, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S1637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HUMAN TRAFFICKING LEGISLATION

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, throughout the Democratic filibuster of 
the antislavery legislation, this is basically what they have been 
telling us: We don't read legislation we vote on. Even so, it was 
always a stretch to believe that not a single one--not one--of the 13 
original Democratic cosponsors of this bill, nor the many Democrats who 
voted for this bill in committee, nor their well-educated staffs could 
not have been bothered to make it to page 4 before deciding to support 
it--well, support it at least until far-left lobbyists told them they 
could not support it anymore.
  So yesterday's revelation that the Democratic side was indeed aware 
of the language in question could hardly have surprised anyone. It also 
makes clear that Democrats decided to yank their support for an 
antislavery bill for one simple reason: Because far-left lobbyists said 
they needed to--not because the American people said so.
  Nearly 70 percent of Americans support the kind of bipartisan 
provisions Democrats now claim they object to, and many Democrats have 
voted for similar bipartisan Hyde language many times before in both 
appropriations and authorizing legislation. They voted for it many 
times before in other bills, most recently just this past December.
  So our Democratic colleagues obviously lack a rationale for this 
continued filibustering of the antislavery legislation. If Democrats 
are truly sincere about wanting to move to an Attorney General vote as 
soon as possible, then they should consider some of the recent advice 
from the Chicago Tribune.
  Here is what the Tribune said. ``Democrats on the Judiciary Committee 
have endorsed'' the same bill they are now filibustering, the Tribune 
noted. So ``all they have to do is allow a vote'' on the same bill to 
move to another vote they claim to want to have.
  Yet, as the Tribune also noted, Democrats do not ``want to go on the 
record against a bill aimed at combating the evils of human 
trafficking. So they are blocking a vote--yes, blocking a law to combat 
human trafficking--in hopes that they can get their way.''
  Here is how the editorial concluded--and this is the part our 
Democratic friends should listen to: ``Democrats,. . . . vote to move 
forward with the human trafficking bill. Then the Senate can get on 
with approving a new attorney general. And Democrats can resolve never 
again to vote for a bill they haven't read.''
  Just resolve to never again vote for a bill you haven't read. It 
seems pretty simple. Ignore the lobbyists and vote to give hope to the 
victims of slavery instead. That is the right thing to do, and today we 
will give our friends another chance to show where they stand in this 
debate over modern slavery.
  (The remarks of Mr. McConnell pertaining to the introduction of S. 
799 are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced 
Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')

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