[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 57 (Thursday, April 14, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2067-S2068]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT,
2016--MOTION TO PROCEED
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 96,
H.R. 2028.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the motion.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 96, H.R. 2028, a bill
making appropriations for energy and water development and
related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30,
2016, and for other purposes.
Cloture Motion
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The cloture motion having been presented under
rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
Cloture Motion
We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the
provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate,
do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the motion to
proceed to Calendar No. 96, H.R. 2028, an act making
appropriations for energy and water development and related
agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016, and
for other purposes.
Thad Cochran, Bill Cassidy, Roy Blunt, Mark Kirk, Thom
Tillis, James Lankford, Cory Gardner, Orrin G. Hatch,
John Thune, Johnny Isakson, Lisa Murkowski, James M.
Inhofe, Susan M. Collins, Lamar Alexander, Shelley
Moore Capito, Mitch McConnell.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
mandatory quorum call be waived.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
FAA Reauthorization Bill
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, today the Senate is closer to passing
the most comprehensive aviation security reforms in years, and I hope
we will do so today. This important legislation will bolster security
for travelers and look out for consumers' interests.
Here is how it will help improve security: by improving vetting and
inspections of airport employees to deter terrorist attacks; by
expanding security measures and prescreening zones, which are often
vulnerable; by shoring up security for international flights coming
into our airports; and by improving preparation for everything from
cyber security attacks to active shooter scenarios to outbreaks of
communicable diseases.
This legislation will also benefit consumers by requiring airlines to
offer refunds for lost or delayed bags, by providing more information
on things like seat availability, and by improving travel for
passengers with disabilities. It accomplishes this without increasing
taxes or fees on passengers and without imposing heavyhanded
regulations that diminish choice for travelers.
This important FAA reauthorization and airport security legislation
is the result of strong leadership by Senator Thune, the chair of the
Commerce Committee, and Senator Ayotte, the chair of the Aviation
Subcommittee, as well as their Democratic counterparts, Senators Nelson
and Cantwell. They worked diligently across party lines, listened to
their colleagues' ideas, and never stopped working for legislation both
sides could support.
In the Commerce Committee, nearly 60 amendments were accepted from
both sides, and the bill passed by voice vote. On the floor, more than
a dozen amendments were accepted from both sides, and I am optimistic
that we will soon pass it here on a bipartisan basis. I appreciate the
efforts of the bill managers to work through amendments and move the
bill forward.
This important FAA reauthorization and airport security legislation
was bipartisan from the start. It shows why returning to regular order
is so important. It is another example of what can be achieved in this
Republican-led Senate--a Senate we put back to work for the American
people.
Energy Policy Modernization Bill
Mr. President, thanks to an agreement reached last night, the Senate
is now poised to pass broad, bipartisan energy legislation too. We have
an agreement to take the Energy Policy
[[Page S2068]]
Modernization Act back up, consider even more amendments, and then take
a final vote on it.
I was encouraged to see the Democratic leader yesterday agreeing that
this is important legislation. It will support more American jobs, more
American growth, and more American energy independence, and we will
finish our work soon.
Passage of this bill will represent the culmination of more than a
year's worth of hard work, countless listening sessions and oversight
hearings, numerous amendment votes and debate hours, and impressive
reserves of determination from both the chair, Senator Murkowski, and
the ranking member, Senator Cantwell.
Senator Murkowski and Senator Cantwell never gave up. Even when
passage of this bill seemed impossible, they never stopped pushing for
it. I have been impressed by their efforts just as I have been
impressed with what this broad bipartisan energy bill can achieve for
our country.
Recognition of The Minority Leader
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader is recognized.
Energy and FAA Bills
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I agree with the Republican leader that the
energy bill is a good bill. As I said yesterday, it is just 3 years
behind time. We have tried many times to move forward on it, but
filibusters took place by the Republicans, and we were unable to get it
done.
He is right that Senator Cantwell and Senator Murkowski never gave up
and they worked through lots of problems. I wish we could have taken
care of Flint in the process. That held things up for a little while
but not long, and we are still looking at ways to take care of the
people of Flint who have been really damaged by bad government.
So we are glad that Flint will come up in the near future, and we
think we have ways of getting that done. Maybe we will see it in the
appropriations bills that we are doing.
Energy is good, and I am glad we got it done. Now, we have allowed
this to move forward. We have not been blocking the bill. We agreed,
even though the bill is long overdue, and we are not going to treat
people the way we were treated. So we are glad that is done.
On the FAA bill, I am glad we are going to get something done. As we
know, we missed an opportunity to take care of a lot of people who are
desperate for help. People in the State of Nevada--geothermal--they
need help. Fuel cells, biomass, and other energy initiatives were left
out. By inadvertence in the drafting of the bill, they were left out.
The Republican leader said he will take care of that, and I am
confident that he will. It is a longer wait for people, and it makes it
difficult for people to hang on to their businesses. I know that his
job is hard. He has told me and he has told Leader Pelosi that he will
get this done this year. So we are looking forward to that.
Passing a Budget Resolution and Filling the Supreme Court Vacancy
Mr. President, tomorrow is April 15. Under the Congressional Budget
Act, that is the day by which Congress is supposed to have completed a
budget resolution.
This Republican Congress will not meet tomorrow's deadline. We have
known that for some time. By all indications, they have no intention of
doing anything to pass a budget resolution any time soon.
As the Republican leader told reporters earlier this week, in the
absence of a budget resolution, Republicans will simply use the top-
line spending numbers that we agreed upon last year. Here is what he
said:
We're waiting to see if the House is able to do a budget.
In the meantime I've already announced, and I'll announce
again today that we're going to move to appropriations next
week, probably starting with energy and water, and we'll mark
these bills to the top line that we agreed to in the
agreement last year.
As we know, just a minute ago, he filed cloture on the energy and
water bill.
If this statement he made sounds familiar, it should, because that is
what we did when we were in the majority. We used the top line numbers
in the Murray-Ryan budget agreement as a basis for spending bills.
Republicans will begin that same process today as the appropriations
process gets under way with the first full committee markup of the
year.
But how did Republicans react when we did the same thing? They were
falling all over themselves--speech after speech--to criticize us. They
had charts and graphs and anything to focus on there being no budget.
They came out endlessly to taunt us with over-the-top rhetoric. They
shed crocodile tears by the bucket. They even threatened to withhold
Members' pay as punishment. There was legislation produced to that
effect, but it was all for show.
Republicans promised voters that, once in power, they would pass a
budget each and every year. That is what the Republican leader promised
in 2012, saying:
I don't think the law says, ``Pass a budget unless it's
hard,'' so I think there's no question that we would take up
our responsibility. . . . We will be passing a budget. . . .
Every year.
That was the Republican pledge: Give us the majority, and we will
pass a budget every year.
Well, it is pretty clear that they are going to break that promise.
This is just the latest example of the Republicans refusing to meet
their commitments--refusing to do their jobs--even according to their
own terms.
It is just like the refusal to consider Supreme Court nominee Merrick
Garland. We have years and years' worth of statements from the
Republican leader and the chairman of the Judiciary Committee in which
they said unequivocally that it is the Senate's duty to consider the
President's Supreme Court nominees. I have read their quotes on this
floor endlessly.
These statements go back decades. The Republican leader wrote papers
in law school demanding the Senate give Supreme Court nominees all due
consideration. Well, all due consideration is not refusing to meet with
a man, not holding hearings, and not allowing a vote.
But now that he, the Republican leader, is in a position to do
something about that article he wrote in law school and the other
statements that have been made by the chairman of the Judiciary
Committee, he won't give Merrick Garland a hearing or a vote. He won't
even meet with him, even though the chairman of the Judiciary Committee
met with him in secret, not in his office but in the private dining
room downstairs, and then went out the back door, described as
stumbling over chairs to vacate the premises.
So, basically, what I ask is this: Where are all the Republican
Senators who came to the floor to bash Democrats for the lack of a
budget resolution? They have gone silent. I am just asking: When are
the Republicans going to do their job?
Mr. President, I see no one on the floor wishing to speak, so I ask
the Chair to announce the business of the day.
Reservation Of Leader Time
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the leadership time
is reserved.
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