[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 109 (Thursday, July 7, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4840-S4841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION, OPIOID CRISIS, AND ZIKA VIRUS FUNDING
Mr. REID. Mr. President, my friend the Republican leader talks about
playing politics. There is no better example of that than what has
taken place this week.
Everyone knows the innate problems with what was tried on sanctuary
cities and on the so-called Kate's Law. Everyone knows they are just a
political message that means nothing for comprehensive immigration
reform or immigration reform of any kind. So that is why those matters
were brought up.
It is obvious we have a Senator in Pennsylvania, a Republican
incumbent, who is in deep trouble politically, and that is why they
tried to jam us with that. There is no better example than what is
going on with this opioid matter that is sweeping the country.
I came to the floor 15 minutes ago. In another half hour there will
be another two people who die from opioids in America, all over the
country. To show how disingenuous and political the majority is on
opioids, one need only look to Tennessee. In Tennessee, Knoxville chief
of police David Rausch knocks Congress over opioid funding.
My friend talks about the authorization that shot through here. Of
course it came through the Senate pretty easily--because it was an
authorization. There is no money there. That is why you have the chief
of police from a place such as Knoxville, TN, who is saying: Shame on
you for not giving us money. We can't do anything. All you are doing is
authorizing more programs that cost more resources. In the police
department we can't do it all. Rausch said:
It's absolutely disappointing that Congress didn't move
today on funding. Unfortunately, today Congress did not do
their job.
He is right. He said:
That's the message it sends to our communities. If they're
not getting treated, they die.
That is the way it is.
We are having a conference report come to us that gives no resources.
That is why you have people all over the country, and Rausch went to
the White House with 20 other law enforcement leaders from across the
country to talk about this. They came for one reason and one reason
only--to get money so they can do something to stop this terrible thing
that is going on in America today.
But, again, just like Zika, it is all for show--no money.
The threat of Zika continues to rise. Republicans are intent on
wasting time with their partisan and deeply unserious conference
report. They will force yet another failed vote on this cynical
legislation and then pack their bags for the longest Senate vacation
since 1954. The Senate will not pass this Republican conference report.
President Obama will not sign it. This reckless exercise will leave the
public health experts and officials no closer to getting the funding
they need to help combat this horrible epidemic.
As we speak, there are more than 2,900 people in the United States
and our territories with Zika. Nearly 500 pregnant women are showing
evidence of infection by the Zika virus. At least seven babies have
been born in the United States with Zika-related birth defects. We all
know what they are--little heads, skulls caved in, brains that are
small. And it is only going to get worse unless we act.
There is a path forward toward a bipartisan solution combating this
terrible virus if Republicans are willing to do something. In May, the
Senate passed a bipartisan compromise to address the Zika crisis. It
had money in it--real money. It got 89 votes, which is an unimaginable
margin for many pieces of legislation. Only the most conservative,
conservative rightwing Members of this body voted against it. So maybe
that is not a plus for my Republican friends. Maybe they want to be a
part of that. You don't receive anything from the Koch brothers if you
are not way over there.
The bill we approved with 89 votes wasn't perfect. I didn't like it
because I thought there should be more money. We asked for $1.9
billion, but with 89 votes, we got $1.1 billion in funding, which is
short of what we feel is needed. It is not sufficient, but at least it
is a step in the right direction.
When our country is faced with an emergency, the American people
should be able to turn to us--Congress--to act. They expect us to put
politics aside. We have already done that in the Senate--we Democrats.
The Senate bill, while imperfect, was not riddled with toxic, partisan
provisions. We need to get the compromise to the President's desk.
Today I call upon Speaker Ryan to bring the Senate-passed Zika bill
to us
[[Page S4841]]
for a vote. It would pass. The $1.1 billion is not to my liking, but I
would accept it in a heartbeat. This legislation would save lives, and
it would pass the House of Representatives if they would let the
Democrats vote. But Speaker Ryan has this deal that he is following,
which is a deal into oblivion. It didn't work for my friend, whom I
care so much about, former Speaker Boehner. It didn't work for him, and
it is not going to work for Speaker Ryan. He cannot do this. He cannot
try to do everything in his power to appease the far-right crazies in
his caucus. They are even adhering to the Hastert rule, named after the
disgraced former Speaker Dennis Hastert, who is now in prison.
Speaker Ryan should listen to the American people. They desperately
want Congress to act. Americans have had enough of Republicans putting
party over country this year--and any year, frankly. They want us to
responsibly solve problems like the Zika virus and opioids and not
waste time appealing to the most extreme elements in our political
system.
The Hastert rule is that the Speaker will not allow a vote unless it
can pass with the majority of the majority. To get a majority of the
majority over there is worse than trying to get a majority of the
majority over here. We have some dandies over here, but they take the
cake in their efforts. It is not going to work for us, Speaker Ryan. We
are willing to work with you to get this done.
We shouldn't just leave here for this 7-week-long vacation with
nothing done on Zika, this terrible scourge we have. It is time for
Speaker Ryan and his fellow Republicans to put politics aside and let
the whole House vote on this. Our country is facing an emergency with
Zika, and it is time for Republicans to start treating it as such.
Mr. President, I heard a Republican Senator come to the floor
yesterday and she said: I don't know what they are talking about. The
words ``Planned Parenthood'' are not in the legislation we have.
Of course it doesn't say ``Planned Parenthood,'' but if you read the
English language, it stops people from going to these Planned
Parenthood clinics to get their advice on birth control, where millions
of American women go.
My Republican friends have an obsession with Planned Parenthood. They
want to do everything they can to stop them. In fact, as you know,
there were Republicans who went and got phony pictures that were proven
false. And, oh, that gave the Republicans such--oh, they loved that.
Oh, what terrible stuff is going on; they are selling body parts. That
was totally wrong. It was a scam by some rightwing character who has
been shown to be just that--a scam artist.
The provision we are asked to vote for exempts pesticide spraying
from the Clean Water Act provisions. It cuts veteran funding by $500
million below the Senate bill. What was that money for? It was to
process veterans' claims. They whack it out. It cuts Ebola funding by
$107 million. It cuts ObamaCare by $543 million.
I am sure my Republican friends are happy voting for this one. What
we sent over there said you can't have the Confederate flag flying over
military cemeteries. They took that out. That must be a real joy, that
we can now start flying Confederate flags in cemeteries.
This legislation sets a terrible precedent of offsetting emergencies.
It is wrong.
Mr. President, I ask the Chair to announce the business of the day.
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