Congressional Record, Volume 162 Issue 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)

[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5119-S5126]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2017--MOTION TO PROCEED--
Continued

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin.

Unanimous Consent Request--S. 2127

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I rise today to ask my colleagues to
honor the life of Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick by passing a bill to strengthen
whistleblower protections.
Last year the Center for Investigative Reporting published an article
that revealed allegations of opioid overprescription, whistleblower
retaliation, and a culture of fear at the Tomah VA Medical Center in
Tomah, WI. It also detailed the tragic story of Jason Simcakoski, who
passed away at the Tomah VA in 2014 from mixed drug toxicity. Jason had
over one dozen different drugs in his system when he died.
Jason's life is honored by a bipartisan bill introduced by my
colleague from Wisconsin that I am pleased to cosponsor: the Jason
Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act. The bill aims to improve VA
opioid prescribing guidelines and ensure greater coordination and
oversight for patient treatments.
When I learned of the problems at the Tomah VA, I immediately
directed my Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee staff
to investigate. They reviewed thousands of pages of documents and
conducted 22 interviews. We held two hearings in Tomah and two in
Washington, DC, to examine what happened at the facility and hear from
whistleblowers across the country. On May 31 of this year, we released
a 359-page report detailing the findings of our bipartisan
investigation. The unfortunate conclusion of our investigation is that
with proper disclosure, the tragedies of the Tomah VA could have been
prevented.
One of the individuals who blew the whistle on these problems was a
psychologist at the Tomah VA named Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick. His portrait
stands beside me.
Chris came to Tomah in 2008. He treated veterans, the finest among
us, for PTSD, substance abuse, and chronic pain. It didn't take long
for him to realize that something was not right. Chris told his family
and the union that he thought doctors were overprescribing,
overmedicating patients.
The chief of staff of the facility was a doctor who had been known as
the Candy Man as far back as 2004 because of the amount of opioids he
prescribed for veterans. When the Candy Man found out that Chris was
questioning his prescription practices, Chris was warned to stop. But
rather than address Chris's concerns, the VA fired him. Tragically,
late on the day that he was terminated, Chris committed suicide.
Chris's managers later said they felt coerced into firing him. Yet no
one ever investigated Chris's suicide, and the agency was never held
accountable.
Inspectors general are supposed to be the government's watchdogs.
Instead of promptly investigating, preparing, and making a report of
its investigation public, the VA Office of Inspector General took
almost 3 years to prepare a short, extremely flawed report,
administratively closed the investigation, and then buried the report.
Then last year, under pressure from news reports and my committee's
investigation, the office issued an unsolicited white paper that
defended its flawed work and attacked Chris. It even accused him of
being a drug dealer. They were retaliating against a dead man.
Sean Kirkpatrick, Chris's brother, summed up the office's actions
best. He told our committee: ``The haphazard attempt to discredit and
slander Chris was absolutely outrageous to us when our brother was
merely questioning opioid abuse and concerns that the veterans were not
being cared for properly.''
Sean Kirkpatrick offered invaluable testimony to our committee and
asked us to make commonsense changes to help ensure that what happened
to Chris will not happen to someone else.
To address these recommendations and the problems our investigation
uncovered, I introduced the Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower
Protection Act. Among other things, the bill requires agencies to
discipline supervisors who retaliate against whistleblowers and
mandates training so employees know their rights and supervisors know
how to handle complaints. The bill requires the VA to inform its
employees about mental health services available to them and review
their protocols to address threats from patients. The bill also
prohibits VA employees from accessing the private medical records of
coworkers when they blow the whistle as a means to retaliate against
them.
I ask the full Senate to honor Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick and protect
veterans and future whistleblowers by passing these commonsense
reforms. It would be particularly special for the Senate to pass the
bill today as, sadly, it is the 7-year anniversary of Chris's passing.
This bill received unanimous support of Democrats and Republicans on
my committee in December by a vote of 16 to 0. It has the support of
every Republican in the Senate. Yet, unfortunately, one or more
Democrat Members have been blocking it. I haven't been told who they
are, so I have come to the floor to ask that if a Senator objects to
this bill, he or she explain why.
Protecting whistleblowers and putting our veterans first shouldn't be
a partisan issue. I know it sure hasn't been one for me.
In fact, just yesterday the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety
Act was approved as part of CARA. I was pleased to cosponsor the bill
that the junior Senator from my State, a Democrat, introduced. I am not
aware of any Republican Member who tried to block its inclusion in
CARA, and I was pleased to do whatever I could in the Senate to ensure
its passage because it is just good policy and it is just good for our
veterans.
I ask my colleagues to give this bill the same respect by judging it
based on policy, not politics. Put our veterans first.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the
immediate consideration of Calendar No. 499, S. 2127. I further ask
that the committee-reported substitute amendment be withdrawn, the
Johnson substitute amendment be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be
read a third time and passed, the title amendment be agreed to, and the
motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
The Democratic leader.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, reserving the right to object. We, as the
Republicans, want to work to improve veterans' benefits. It is so very
important. They give a lot, and we don't take good enough care of them.
I understand Senator Johnson's legislation. I appreciate that, but
there are a number of bipartisan bills to help our veterans that
Democrats want to pass as well. We have our bills; he has his bill. So
I hope we can work together in the next little bit to come up with a
package of bills that would give the Republicans a few of the things
they want and give us some of the things we want because the issue
before us, as valid as it could be and might be, addresses a very
narrow issue the Senator from Wisconsin seeks to address, but a variety
of matters are left undone.
I hope we will be in a position to pass the legislation by the
Senator from Wisconsin, but we are not there yet. So I object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
The Senator from Wisconsin.
Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, might I ask the majority leader: Are you
objecting for yourself or on behalf of others? Further, is there a
reason for the objection?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. It is not in order to ask questions of someone
who does not have the floor.
The Senator from Wisconsin.
Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, it is extremely disappointing that the
minority leader has objected to a commonsense piece of legislation that
was passed--again, let me repeat--unanimously out of my committee. Not
one

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Democratic member of our committee objected to this. It was a good
piece of legislation. It is so important.
I am shocked, coming from the private sector, how much retaliation
actually occurs within government even though we passed numerous bills
protecting whistleblowers. The fact is, had these tragedies been known,
had the whistleblowers been protected, had the Office of Inspector
General made its investigation reports public, tragedies would have
been prevented.
One of the veterans who died at the Tomah VA was Thomas Baer. I was
talking to his daughter a week or so after he passed from neglect, as
he suffered a couple strokes waiting to be cared for.
She said: Senator, had I only known of the problems at the Tomah VA,
I never would have taken my father there. He would be alive today.
All I am asking for is a commonsense bill that again was passed
unanimously by my committee. Unfortunately, it is being objected to and
will not pass today.
At a moment in time in our history when there are so many divisions
in this country, this is one thing we all agree on in this body, to
honor the promises to the finest among us, our veterans. This bill
honors those promises. This bill would protect the whistleblowers who
have the courage to come forward and report problems at the VA health
care centers. This bill would help protect veterans in the future.
One of the things I am most proud of as chairman of the committee is
I have worked in a very bipartisan fashion. I have forged agreements. I
have looked for areas of agreement that unify us. By using that
approach, a businessperson's approach, we have reported out of my
committee 83 pieces of legislation--this is one of them--and 26 of
those have been signed into law, again by finding areas of agreement
that unify us as a committee, as a Senate, as a Congress, and as a
Nation. This should have been one of those bills.
I sincerely hope we can overcome whatever objection, which was not
stated on the floor, and pass this very important piece of
whistleblower protection as soon as possible.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The assistant majority leader.

Zika Virus Funding

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I share the regret of my colleague from
Wisconsin that our friends across the aisle--the dysfunction that
characterized the last Congress, when they were in charge, is
unfortunately creeping into this Congress as well, in spite of roughly
a year and a half of relatively good productivity by the Congress on a
bipartisan basis. To come in and make objections against commonsense
ways to protect whistleblowers determined to try to make sure we keep
our commitments to our veterans is just--well, it is shameful, and I
share the disappointment of my colleagues.
Moments ago, our Democratic colleagues failed another test, a test of
whether they care more about American families or about special
interest groups. This is what I am talking about.
The test our Democratic colleagues failed is one to see whether they
care more about averting these sort of devastating birth defects caused
by the Zika virus or whether they care more about the special interest
groups that raise money off of legislation designed to solve problems
and prevent public health disasters like this. Unfortunately, they made
the wrong choice. They failed the test.
This is what the Zika virus can do. This is an example of
microcephaly or, basically, shrunken skull. We can imagine what this
does to the baby's brain, what this means in terms of trying to provide
medical care by a loving mother and father, trying to make sure this
baby, no matter how long it may live, has at least as comfortable a
life as it can have until it passes away. Of course, the prognosis--the
life expectancy of a baby with microcephaly is not good, and that is an
understatement.
We know Zika is a preventable disease. We know, with mosquito
eradication, we know with proper precautions people can take--not
leaving standing water in places where mosquitoes can propagate--if we
do our job by providing the adequate funding needed to avert this
public health crisis, someday--and, hopefully, not too long, not too
far away--we can actually develop a vaccine so pregnant women and women
of child-bearing age don't have to worry or live in fear that this
might happen to their baby.
Just yesterday, the Harris County Public Health Office in Houston--as
the Presiding Officer knows--confirmed that the first baby in Texas was
born with Zika-related microcephaly. This tragedy depicted by this
photograph is real and it is at our doorstep. This particular case
involves a pregnant woman who had traveled to South America, where we
know Zika virus is present, but all of our public health officials are
telling us it is slowly working its way up from Central and South
America and it is literally at our doorstep.
This is not a time to refuse to do our duty and simply coast through
the rest of the summer. We are talking about lifelong irreversible
problems that take lives and affect families for years to come. Experts
across the country that I have visited with, in Galveston at the
National Lab, at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, say we need to
act, and we need to act now.
They are not alone. It was just last May when our Democratic
colleagues asked us to act and to act with urgency, but today they
turned down the very money they argued for last May, when they decided
to gamble with the lives of children like this instead of protecting
them. As I said, they ignored their own calls to get this done quickly,
and they have refused to pass urgent measures that would protect our
country from a public health crisis.
As I said when I started, this was a test today to see whether our
Democratic colleagues cared more about babies like this or special
interest groups, and they failed the test. It is as simple as that.
I want to make sure everyone understands how we got here.
Two months ago, a bipartisan agreement was introduced to handle the
Zika threat. That was 2 months ago. Senator Blunt of Missouri and
Senator Murray of Washington worked together, as we are supposed to do,
to come up with a bipartisan compromise, in this case, to an
appropriations bill. About a week after it was introduced in this
Chamber, it passed overwhelmingly. Not one Democrat opposed the $1.1
billion appropriations amendment that was attached to the VA-Military
Construction appropriations bill. Not one Democrat opposed it because,
until recently, they seemed to agree with us that this is a major
public health crisis in the making--particularly, as I said, because we
expect the mosquito-borne virus to hit the mainland in places like
Texas, Florida, Louisiana, and other warm parts of the country. We
expect it to hit the U.S. mainland in full force as temperatures
continue to rise this summer.
The legislation we passed in the Senate was reconciled, as it is
supposed to be, in a conference committee with different legislation
passed by the House. That bicameral, bipartisan compromise is what we
considered earlier today--after Senate Democrats decided to block it
for the first time a few weeks ago. It seems that after they called
upon us to pass the bill in May, they have decided in the interim it is
not as urgent as they once said.
For months now, Senate Democrats have talked about the need to get
this legislation passed to prepare us for the Zika virus, and it was
the Democratic leader who said this on May 23, 2016--May 23. It is now
July 14. He said:

Instead of gambling with the health and safety of millions
of Americans, Republicans should give our nation the money it
needs to fight Zika, and they should do it now. Not next
month, not in the fall--now.

This is the Democratic leader. When we delivered on his request that
he made on May 23, he voted no--even though he and every Senate
Democrat voted yes to pass the Senate bill at exactly the same level
that this conference report provided.
Then, in an amazing reversal, Senator Murray of Washington--who, as I
said a moment ago, quite responsibly worked with Senator Blunt from
Missouri to come up with the original amendment funding this Zika
prevention effort at $1.1 billion--she then in effect voted against her
own amendment. Back in May, she was singing a different tune. She said:

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Families and communities are expecting us to act. Parents
are wondering if their babies will be born safe and healthy.
In Congress, we should do everything we can to tackle this
virus without any further delay.

That was on May 26, 2016. But today, again, this same Senator who
said these words on May 26 voted no.
We have to ask ourselves why. What do they consider is more important
than stopping this? What could it possibly be? What could be more
important, more demanding? What could be a higher priority for these
Senate colleagues than voting to fund the research on prevention that
would stop this from happening to one more baby in America?
Unfortunately, the hypocrisy we have heard doesn't end there.
On June 20, the senior Senator from New York, the next Democratic
leader in waiting, said: ``Every day we wait, every day is increasing
the risk that we will have problems with Zika.'' That is not exactly a
profound statement, but it is a true statement.
My point is that people are pretty disgusted with what they see here
in Washington these days, where rather than trying to find consensus,
people really find ways to say no and to block important legislation
like this. This is the very definition of dysfunction.
I have to tell you that I am beyond disappointed at the hypocrisy
demonstrated by all of our Senate Democrats voting for the funding at
the $1.1 billion level, only now for the second time to vote against
this rescue appropriation to prevent this sort of thing from happening.
It really is beyond frustrating. It is disgusting.
If there is anything good, any good news in all of this, I would say
that, fortunately, months ago the Obama administration finally agreed
with Senate Republicans to set aside more than half a billion dollars
of unspent funds for the Ebola crisis. There was roughly $589 million
that was set aside and reprogrammed for that purpose, but that is no
excuse for failing to act comprehensively as our Senate Democrats have
urged us to do time and again.
This is nothing to play around with. This is not a trivial matter.
This is a life-altering, life-shortening, devastating birth defect that
is preventable. What could be more important? It is our job to send
this bill to the President's desk. As long as our Senate Democratic
colleagues refuse to do so, as long as they refuse to defend the health
and well-being of Americans across this country, as long as they refuse
another chance to protect our children from devastating birth defects,
there is not much we can do about it.
There is something the American people can do about it, and they can
call and they can write to their Senator. They can say: I don't care
what your objection is; it better be pretty darned important if you are
going to block funding that would prevent this from happening to my
baby or to babies in my family or in my neighborhood.
Health experts across our country need resources to study the virus,
to contain the virus, to keep it from spreading, and, hopefully,
eventually to develop a vaccine. For our Democratic colleagues to block
this legislation again months after saying it was so urgent amounts to
tying the hands of our doctors, our local public health officials, and
researchers from city to city. Clearly, the responsibility rests with
them.
When we see locally transmitted cases of the Zika virus in the United
States caused by mosquitoes carrying that virus, the responsibility
will be with them for refusing to act in light of the clarion call by
public health officials that this is a real public health emergency.
To take this bill hostage is not only hypocritical; it is profoundly
irresponsible. I don't know how some of our colleagues can sleep at
night knowing that they are putting these babies and their families at
risk. There is simply no excuse for blocking this critical funding. As
I said, there is a test that was taken today, and our Democratic
colleagues once again failed the test.

Condemning the Attack in Dallas

Mr. President, on a separate and equally somber note, today Senator
Cruz and I submitted a simple resolution that would condemn the
horrific attack in Dallas of last week that took the lives of five
police officers and wounded several more. It is a small way but an
important way that we can honor those whom we have lost, express
sympathy to their families, and take a stand against violence and
hatred targeting police officers. I hope this Chamber adopts this
resolution without delay.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Toomey). The Senator from Delaware.

Tribute to Federal Employees

Lieutenant Commander Tiana Garrett and Ingrid Hope

Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, for more than a year now, I have come
again and again to the Senate floor to highlight some of the remarkable
work that is being done by the men and women who work at the Department
of Homeland Security for our country. The Department of Homeland
Security--created in the wake of the attack on 9/11--today has over
200,000 employees. It was created by combining some 22 Federal
agencies, including the Coast Guard, FEMA, and others.
The Department's employees are stationed all over this country. In
fact, you can find them all over the world. From keeping drugs from
crossing our borders to screening passengers at airports, to
safeguarding critical cyber security networks, the men and women at the
Department of Homeland Security take on some of the most diverse and
challenging jobs of any Federal employee.
Last month I spoke on this floor to highlight the work being done by
a small group of folks who work at the Department of Homeland Security
and an agency called the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. With just
125 employees, this office tracks and detects radiological and nuclear
materials. They protect Americans from some of the most dangerous
materials that are known to humankind.
Another office within the Department of Homeland Security, charged
with tracking dangerous yet nearly invisible threats, is the Office of
Health Affairs. The Office of Health Affairs leads the Department of
Homeland Security's efforts to track and to coordinate the response to
potential biological threats from infectious diseases.
In 2014, with the outbreak of Ebola in Africa, the Office of Health
Affairs was charged with tracking this deadly virus and studying the
potential threat it posed to Americans here at home. This office has
had to disseminate that threat information to other Federal agencies
and to State and local health officials, as well, as part of our
efforts to coordinate and be ready if this disease does make it to our
shores.
The Office of Health Affairs also worked with Customs and Border
Protection to establish a screening protocol for passengers arriving
here from Ebola-impacted countries. The Office of Health Affairs
continues to monitor and to keep us prepared for any remaining threats
we might face from Ebola. This summer, as we heard, we have yet another
challenge on their plates. As we discussed in this Chamber as recently
as a few minutes ago, over the past couple of months, the Zika virus
has spread explosively throughout Central and South America and the
Caribbean. Here at home, we have confirmed more than 1,100 travel-
related cases, including more than 320 affected women.
Given the potentially devastating effects that Zika can have,
Americans are understandably concerned about how best to protect
themselves, their families, or their future families from this
previously little-known virus. That is why we are lucky to have the
hard-working men and women at the Office of Health Affairs of the
Department of Homeland Security. As we speak, the Office of Health
Affairs, through its National Biosurveillance Integration Center, is
coordinating closely with the Department of Health and Human Services
and the Centers for Disease Control to track the spread of the disease
of the Zika virus.
They are also communicating prevention and detection information to
help officials across our country and our partners overseas. Already,
the office has produced several Zika-related safety advisories on
everything from Zika transmission and prevention to mosquito abatement,
to Zika screening procedures. As we reach the height of mosquito season
here in the United States, the Office of Health Affairs is actively
coordinating response activities with agencies across the Federal

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Government and with State and local partners.
Two exceptional employees within the Department and the Office of
Health Affairs who are helping to coordinate the Department's Zika
preparedness and response activities are LCDR Tiana Garrett and Ingrid
Hope. Here she is to my left, LCDR Tiana Garrett.
I am an old Navy guy. People look at this, and in the Navy or in the
Coast Guard, this indicates that you are a lieutenant commander, and
this indicates what her rank is. She is a lieutenant commander. We call
lieutenant commanders in the Navy ``commanders,'' just to give them a
compliment. So if I call her Commander Garrett, then I am not messing
up. It is the way we do things in the Navy and the way we do things
here.
Commander Garrett is an officer in the U.S. Public Health Service--
not in the Navy, not in the Coast Guard. She serves in a vitally
important agency called the U.S. Public Health Service. As a
biosurveillance operations analyst, Commander Garrett is responsible
for tracking and providing updates to Federal, State, and local
partners on the spread of the Zika virus and other disease outbreaks.
Through her work at the National Biosurveillance Integration Center,
Commander Garrett provides regular updates to thousands of government
officials, representing the Office of Health Affairs in interagency
calls and presentations and ensuring that others know that the
Department of Homeland Security and its Office of Health Affairs is
there to help.
Commander Garrett also uses her master's degree in epidemiology and
her Ph.D. in cell biology to help develop health advisories to inform
the Department of Homeland Security's workforce about Zika virus
exposure and how to prevent it. Commander Garrett's colleagues describe
her as a true public servant who has dedicated her career and much of
her life to ensuring the health and well-being of others.
Another Office of Health Affairs employee within the Department of
Homeland Security who is focusing on the Zika virus is this lady right
here, and her name is Ingrid Hope. Ingrid is the Acting Deputy Division
Director for the Workforce Health and Medical Support Division. Miss
Hope is charged with making sure that the Department of Homeland
Security's policies protect its own employees from the threats posed by
the Zika virus and other infectious diseases. Given the potential for
frontline DHS employees to come into contact with this virus and other
viruses, it is vitally important that they have the guidance they need
to reduce their own risk of exposure.
Just like families in Delaware and around the country, Department of
Homeland Security employees have been hearing about the Zika virus on
the news. We have heard about it here on the floor today. While you and
I can make changes to our schedule or change our travel plans to limit
our exposure, the Department of Homeland Security employees at our
ports of entry and along our boarders cannot do that. Their jobs put
them in harm's way to protect us against any number of threats to our
homeland. The Zika virus is no different.
Miss Hope does invaluable work by informing the Department of
Homeland Security employees on how to limit their exposure while on the
job. She also makes sure that the workforce knows how to detect the
virus and how to keep themselves and their families as safe as
possible. Without her important work, our officers on the frontlines
will be far less prepared to deal with the potential public health
crisis.
As we continue to debate supplemental funding to combat the Zika
virus, we cannot forget the hard work needed to turn this funding into
results. It is my hope that Congress can reach a bipartisan agreement
to provide the Zika funding that is needed. Once that funding is
approved, we must all keep in mind that the Zika virus will not simply
disappear. Countless man-hours and woman-hours are put into collecting
information, analyzing this relatively unknown virus, developing tests,
treatments, vaccines, and protecting the most vulnerable among us.
So we say thank you. We say thank you to the men and today especially
to the women at the Office of Health Affairs of the Department of
Homeland Security. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to think about
how much work is done each day--every day--in an effort to make it
safer for the rest of us on this planet and also to enable us to stay
several steps ahead of this virus and eventually to overcome it.
We cannot let our differences here hinder the work of our dedicated
public servants. So to Miss Hope, to Lieutenant Commander Garrett, and
to all the men and women at the Office of Health Affairs and the
Department of Homeland Security, we say thank you today and every
day. Thank you for your selfless and tireless efforts to keep Americans
safe and secure from the many threats we face. While you continue to
track and keep us informed about these threats and viruses and other
organisms that would otherwise go unnoticed, know that your efforts
behind-the-scenes have not gone unnoticed. We have noticed. They know
they have not gone unappreciated. We appreciate them. I am not the only
Senator who appreciates your hard work. I know I speak for all of my
colleagues as well.

Thank you and God bless you.

Zika Virus Funding

Mr. President, I wish to take a moment before I say a word about the
battle against ISIS in other parts of the world. I want to talk about
Zika funding for a moment. The administration has asked for $1.9
billion to combat this disease. I think there has been a disagreement
as to whether it should be that amount, $1.9 billion or something less.
We held a roundtable several weeks ago on the Zika virus, and we had
folks with medical backgrounds and other backgrounds to talk about some
of the smartest things we can do to reduce the threat and spread of the
Zika virus in this country. I believe there was unanimous agreement
that one of the best things we can do is improve access to
contraception.
They told us about the cost of providing care for an infant who is
born with this dreaded disease. We have heard a lot stories about
babies being born with distorted heads and damaged brains. One witness
told us the cost of raising that child from birth to the end of their
life can be as high as $10 million per child. If we, through our
efforts, can reduce a total of 190 births, the likelihood that some
child will be born with this terrible deformity and condition--190
times $10 million is $1.9 billion. I think we can avoid even more
pregnancies if we find a way to narrow and eliminate our differences
and provide the funding that has been requested by the President.
Again, what I think Democrats object to, in terms of paying for the
funding for the Zika virus, is this pay-for actually reduces funding
for family planning and reduces funding for contraception. What we
heard at our roundtable a week or two ago was that is where we should
be putting our emphasis and our dollars. I wanted to leave that
thought, if I may.

ISIS

Mr. President, I came to the floor a week or two ago, and I brought
this map with me. This map is familiar to some and not familiar to
others. This is Iraq down here. Iran is over here to the east, and to
the west of Iraq, we find Syria. This is Damascus, and Turkey is up
here. This is a place I have been to a number of times, and I suspect
the Presiding Officer has been here as well. This is the capital of
Iraq, which is Baghdad.
What the ISIS folks started about 2 years ago was a very effective
drive from this part of the world and heading for Baghdad. They almost
reached Baghdad. They were within 20 miles or so of Baghdad. Anbar
Province, which is represented here, has three cities, or three towns,
that we consider the Sunni Triangle--Fallujah, Ramadi, and a place up
here called Tikrit. If you actually connect the lines between those
cities, it is called the Sunni Triangle. There are a lot of Sunnis who
live in that area.
The area almost due north of Baghdad is one of the largest cities in
Iraq called Mosul, and today it is held by ISIS forces. This salmon-
colored area here represents areas that are still held by ISIS forces.
The area in green, generally to the northeast and southeast, are the
areas that have been liberated from ISIS.
When this started 2 years ago, the amount of land controlled by ISIS
used

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to be the salmon and green colors combined. The amount of land they now
control has been reduced by half. In addition to that, the number of
people from around the world signing up to fight on behalf of ISIS 2
years ago was 2,000 per month. Last month, there were 200. Two years
ago, when ISIS was on a roll and going through Syria and Iraq, they had
10 fighters per month from the United States sign up to fight with
ISIS. Last month, there was one.
During the battle for this part of the country against the ISIS
forces that were trying to establish their caliphate--their own
country--we not only reduced the land mass they held in Iraq by half,
we significantly reduced the land they controlled in Syria. We have
seen this coalition that we have been a part of actually begin to gel
into an effective fighting force.
I spent 5 years of my life as a naval flight officer in the Vietnam
war in Southeast Asia, and 18 years after that, as a P-3 aircraft
mission commander flying a lot of missions out of the naval air station
in an area that is just north of Philadelphia called Willow Grove. I
flew on missions all over the world tracking Soviet nuclear submarines.
I have some experience with being involved in missions where we had
naval aviation assets, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, working and
communicating with naval ships, naval submarines, and not just in the
United States but with our NATO allies. I will tell you, it is hard to
do. We have different procedures and sometimes different languages, and
it is difficult to coordinate our operations and our exercises. I think
when you put together a coalition with 60 different nations and try to
figure out how to work and coordinate what everybody is doing--some are
providing air power, which is what we do. We have two carrier groups in
this part of the world. One is over here in the Mediterranean Sea and
the other is down here in the Persian Gulf. We are launching F-18s and
F-16s off of those carriers, and we are still using B-52s, which are
literally older than the P-3s I used to fly on in the Navy all those
years ago. They are operating out of a variety of bases, including
Qatar and other places, to do high-precision bombing against the ISIS
forces. We are using drones and A-10 warthogs. We have a lot of air and
naval assets, as well as others in the Air Force, and we have
helicopters as well.
It is not just us. While we are doing work in the air and providing
ground support from the air, we are also providing a lot of help with
intelligence, and our allies in this part of the world are helping us
with that.
We also have boots on the ground. A lot of the boots on the ground in
this part of world for this fight are from Iraq, and there are boots on
the ground who frankly fled from ISIS 2 years ago and are now taking
the fight to ISIS today.
When Ramadi was retaken, the Iraqi troops led the way. When Fallujah
was taken a couple of weeks ago, the Iraqi troops led the way. When
Tikrit was taken several months ago, the Iraqi troops led the way. They
were supported by us and other elements of the coalition, but they led
the way.
This is Mosul, which is a big city, and right below it is a smaller
city called Qayyarah. I think a bunch of our military folks call it Key
West. Qayyarah has been taken by the Iraqi forces. It in the salmon-
colored area, but is now in the hands of the Iraqi troops and
government. There is a large airbase in Qayyarah. It is about 40 miles
from Mosul, and this large airbase will be used to help stage the
effort coming up this summer and fall to retake Mosul.
While this is going on in this part of the country, this part of the
country al-Raqqa, which is really the spiritual capital, if you will,
of the ISIS caliphate. Over here we have a combination of U.S. alliance
forces coming in from the northeast and approaching al-Raqqa, and we
have Syrian troops, supported by Russian air, going this way, and that
is the movement that is underway today.
When people ask how things are going with this fight, I think most
people really don't know about the progress being made. A lot of people
may think it is like it was 2 years ago, but it is not. A great deal
has been accomplished, and during that period of time, not only have we
recaptured a lot of land, a lot of folks around the world, including
from this country, who wanted to sign up for ISIS, those numbers have
dropped dramatically.
In the last 2 years, we also know the FBI has arrested close to 100
individuals here on ISIS-related charges. In cyber space, over 125,000
pro-ISIS Twitter handles have been taken offline, and today for every
pro-ISIS Twitter handle, there are 6 anti-ISIS handles that are
tweeting to criticize ISIS's actions and challenge its twisted
ideology, which has nothing to do with the Muslim faith.
I think even ISIS may now suspect it is losing. Two days ago, a
Washington Post story had the headline: ``ISIS quietly preparing for
the loss of the `caliphate.' '' This area right here. ``ISIS quietly
preparing for the loss of the `caliphate.' '' The article detailed how
ISIS is trying to compensate for losing this battle and territory that
was so important 2 years ago. They are trying to compensate for that in
ways that undermine their claims of legitimacy and relevance.
As ISIS suffers these defeats, it is important to show them, and us,
that despite the horrific terrorist attacks in Orlando, Brussels,
Istanbul, and other places, ISIS is losing this war. When ISIS loses on
the battlefield, it can no longer credibly use its winner's message
that they are a winning team to attract recruits or inspire attacks.
I will close with this. I am a baseball fan. I was in Cleveland less
than a month ago for the funeral of one of our former colleagues,
former Gov. George Voinovich. Former Senator and Governor, George
Voinovich passed away. He was a wonderful human being.
I went to the funeral. It was literally at the time of the NBA
finals, and everywhere I went in Cleveland, I saw people wearing
Cleveland Cavalier hats and shirts or paraphernalia to make it clear
they were supporting the team.
The Cleveland Indians have a pretty good baseball team. The all-star
game was this week, and a number of the Indians played in the game. If
you go to Ohio these days, you will see a lot of people wearing
Cleveland Indian hats, shirts, and so forth. When a team is winning, it
is kind of natural for people to want to be a part of a winning team.
When 2,000 people a month were coming from all over the world to
fight with ISIS, ISIS was perceived as a winning team. Two years ago,
when 10 Americans per month were going to this part of the world to
fight with ISIS, they were depicted and seen as a winning team. They
are not a winning team. They are becoming a losing team. To the extent
we can continue to make sure they are seen as a losing team and can
successfully convey that, at least in this country, I think we reduce
the likelihood of people in this country being radicalized,
particularly young people, and convinced to do horrific things against
Americans in this Nation.
I will close by quoting a fellow named Peter Bergen, who is one of
the most knowledgeable people on terrorism and threats we face with
these kinds of attacks. I was reminded of his testimony from last month
in the Senate. He said that since 9/11, every American who has died in
a terrorist attack in this country has died at the hands of an American
citizen or someone who is here legally. I will say that again. Peter
Bergen reminded us that since 9/11, everybody in this country who has
died at the hands of a terrorist attack has been killed by an American
citizen or by someone who is here legally in this country. People in
this country will be far less inclined to do those kinds of horrific
things if we can successfully convey what is going on on this
battlefield on the other side of the world. That is why I come to this
floor every week or two to remind us of that truth.

With that, I yield the floor to my friend Senator Scott, who is
yearning to speak, and I wish him well.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina.

Our American Family

Mr. SCOTT. Mr. President, I rise today for the final time this week.
This has been a very emotional time for all of us and I believe a
pivotal time for our Nation. For me personally, I believe our brightest
days are still ahead of us, and I will tell you why.
I am a kid who grew up in a single-parent household, mired in
poverty, disillusioned at times, who nearly flunked out of high school,
whose life

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was changed by a strong, powerful African-American mama and an
optimistic, visionary Chick-fil-A operator named John Moniz, who
happened to be White.
I think it is incredibly important that while our problems appear in
black and white, our solutions are black and white.
My life is a testament to God's love--a mother's love and the love of
my mentor. I don't deny that our Nation must have tough, painful
conversations--family conversations--but I have experienced what is
possible when the family talks, and it is really a cool thing. My life
story is a story of second chances--a love story of sorts. It is a dark
hour in race relations for America, but I bring you hope--real hope.
In the Deep South, with a provocative racial history, the voters of
the First Congressional District of South Carolina--a heavily White
district that is the home of the birthplace of the Civil War--elected
the grandson of a man who picked cotton. I want to say that one more
time. In the heart of the South, the home of the Civil War, a majority
White district--these voters elected the grandson of a man who picked
cotton over the children of the former U.S. Senator and Presidential
candidate Strom Thurmond, and a very popular Governor, Governor Carol
Campbell.
I am hopeful because I have experienced the power of a State that has
been transformed, the great State of South Carolina. So to my American
family, please remain optimistic.
On Monday, I discussed the importance of supporting our law
enforcement community. I followed on yesterday by asking all of us to
also realize that although the vast majority of our law enforcement
officers only seek to protect and to serve, there is still work to be
done. There is a lack of trust between the Black community and law
enforcement--one that we as an American family must come together and
solve. I believe an old saying is a vital part of finding solutions:
The only way to know where you are going is to know where you have
been.
As I mentioned earlier, part of the rich and sometimes provocative
history of America is to point in one of two directions. One is to
realize that over the past 240 years we have had our challenges. Our
Nation has nearly been pulled apart. But out of the crisis of our past
has come the hope for our future. In a relatively short amount of time,
we have made, in my estimation, remarkable progress as a nation. And
while I will talk about a few of the policies I believe will help us
move forward, as well as some things that are more about simply getting
us to interact together--to sit down and break bread--the one thing our
collective history has taught us is that we must not lose hope.
Yes, there is unresolved pain, suffering, and misery, but this is the
greatest Nation on Earth, and we are the greatest Nation on Earth for a
reason. Flawed men at our foundation opted to sacrifice themselves on
behalf of other flawed men, and together we have done something unique
in the history of our planet; that is, simply to create a country that
is based on the premise that all men are created equal and that our
path forward will be blazed together.
As the Book of Joshua says, we have to recognize our memorial stones
so that we have a chance to move forward.
So there is obviously no single solution here. I hope to share a few
today, some of which I have talked about before, some of which have
broad support in Congress, and some that have nothing to do with the
Federal Government. Believe it or not, the government is not the answer
to what ails us. The Federal Government can help in places, but the
good news is that 300 million Americans, we as a nation, as a family,
we are the solution.
The first section of solutions sits in the realm of law enforcement
and the Justice Department. Over the past few years, I have talked to a
wide variety of officials from across the law enforcement arena, as
well as groups like the Urban League and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund
and many other groups. One solution that seems to be acceptable and
almost exciting to so many folks is the notion of body cameras. So I
have introduced my Safer Officers and Safer Citizens Act, which
provides more resources for police departments to obtain body cameras,
as well as to help pay for some of the startup costs for storage units
and other requirements.
While we know body cameras cannot be the panacea, we also know this:
If an officer is wearing one, we have a much better chance of
understanding the situation from all sides. This is why so many law
enforcement officers and agencies support using them. It is why we are
seeing cities from Los Angeles to New York outfitting their officers
with more and more body cameras.
I have also introduced the Walter Scott Notification Act, along with
my good friend Senator Grassley. Our system for tracking police
shootings is not working for our Nation. It is a patchwork system not
built for the 21st century. So, long story short, this bill changes
that. Hopefully it fixes the problems. We must know where we are to
know where we must go.
I am also glad to see my colleagues in the House, including my very
good friend Congressman Trey Gowdy, starting a bipartisan working group
to take a hard look at the relationship between the Black community and
the law enforcement community. I am very hopeful that a similar group
will start in the Senate.
My final point on the Federal level is that I have had the pleasure
of working with a group of colleagues--with John Cornyn and many
others--working on this notion of criminal justice reform. I am very
hopeful that work will continue to move forward and produce real fruit.
Much of this work that needs to be done won't be done on the Federal
level if it is done by the government; it will done by the local
government and the State government.
I have talked to so many in the law enforcement community who talk
about the need for more training--specifically, deescalation training,
diversity training--and more efforts to get police officers out of
their cars and into communities so that they form positive, healthy
relationships so that when they are walking down the street, the folks
know them. I spoke earlier with Senator Lankford, who talked about this
notion of getting officers embedded in communities so that the officers
know the very people they are talking to. This seems like common sense,
and it seems like the right direction. It is a two-way street.
I think the Dallas police chief said it very well. He made the point
better than I ever could. He said: If you have issues with policing in
your neighborhood, well, we are hiring. That is very important. The
Dallas Police Department, along with police departments all across this
country, are hiring. He said: We will train you up, and we will put you
back into your community.
These are the sorts of real-world solutions and actions that build
trust in communities.
The second set of issues we have to tackle--and this is no surprise
to anyone who has heard me over the last couple of years--focuses on
one specific word. The word is ``opportunity.'' Too many communities in
our Nation feel like they have been left behind, like no one cares, so
why should they care? As someone, as I said earlier, who grew up in a
single-parent household, I can tell you how strong that sensation to
quit becomes, how quickly it grows. When you feel the way I felt in the
past, frustration rises and you start seeing the world differently. You
don't trust people who aren't from your neighborhood. That is a
dangerous recipe.
How do we tackle this problem? The answer, from my estimation, is
kind of simple: education, jobs, and investment--the cornerstones of my
opportunity agenda.
On the jobs front, I have worked across the aisle with Senators like
Cory Booker to introduce the LEAP Act, which allows for a very
successful South Carolina apprenticeship program to become a national
model so that kids can earn and learn at the exact same time. We know
not everyone wants to or can afford to go to college, but that doesn't
mean they should not be able to find opportunities to provide for their
families. By incentivizing apprenticeship programs, we can help folks
see their potential, experience their potential, and live fulfilling
and profitable lives.
I have also introduced the Investing in Opportunity Act, which seeks
to create a path for private sector dollars--

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not government dollars but private sector dollars--to be invested in
distressed communities. We have 50 million Americans living in
distressed communities and over $2 trillion of unrealized capital gains
just sitting there. We should incent those dollars to be invested in
those communities.
Finally, education. My good friend Trey Gowdy said that education is
the closest thing to magic in America. I think he is right. You can
look at our incarceration rates, our unemployment rates, our high
school dropout rates, our lifetime average incomes, and they all point
to one specific area: educational achievement. Trust me, I am the guy
who just told you I almost failed out of high school. I know this
firsthand. For me, the answer is very clear: Give parents a chance to
find the best school for their children, and they will--period.
Finally, solutions on a personal level. Again I turn to Dallas. As I
was watching one of the surgeons at Parkland Hospital, he was talking
about his feelings toward law enforcement. He was saying that he was
struggling the night after the shooting. He had worked all night trying
to save the lives of these officers, and he was tossing and turning,
torn up on the inside that he could not save their lives. I can't
imagine how he felt. I can't--Dr. Barrasso, a surgeon--I can't imagine
how he felt, trying to save the lives of men and women who were willing
to give their lives for others. I can't imagine it. He is an African-
American man. As he woke up and prepared for the next day, he
struggled. He struggled with his personal relationship and his personal
concerns with law enforcement.

What is he doing? I think this is instructive for all of us. He said
he is making sure his daughter sees him buying lunch for officers and
sees them interacting in a friendly way because he doesn't want to pass
on to his daughter any sense of fear of law enforcement, but respect,
appreciation, and affection for the men and women who wear the uniform.
I have seen it in my hometown of North Charleston, SC. It is an
amazing experience. On Christmas morning, dozens of officers with
dozens of volunteers show up at city hall, and at 6 o'clock in the
morning, these guys and gals go door-to-door in the poorest
neighborhoods in North Charleston. I have been there with them once or
twice. They knock at the door, and they look into the eyes of a little
girl or a little boy who is expecting nothing for Christmas, and they
hand that child a toy.
There are simple ways to bridge the divide between the African-
American community and other poor communities and law enforcement.
There are powerful ways, simple ways, to make a difference. As I have
said a couple of times, the government cannot make us get along. We
have seen it tried before. It simply cannot force you and me to take
the leap of faith to try to trust again.
The notion of America is really built on the foundation of faith--
faith in each other, faith in a higher calling. If we are to mend the
relationships in our family, we will have to do so by looking into each
other's eyes, walking in each other's shoes, and listening--not waiting
to talk, but listening--listening, not only with your head, but
listening with your heart so that you hear and feel the pain and the
challenges of others.
This is a simple commandment from God's Word, Matthew 22:39, to love
your neighbor as yourself. This is not simply a commandment, however.
This requires action. You have to do something.
Trey Gowdy, a Congressman from South Carolina, and I are going to
bring pastors and law enforcement officials together in South Carolina
so that we can have an honest, sometimes painful conversation about how
to move forward together.
In Charleston County I had a chance to speak with Sheriff Al Cannon,
a longtime sheriff of Charleston. He simply said that both sides have
to come together because this is not a one-sided issue.
Senator Lankford and I are discussing a new idea called Solution
Sunday, a wonderful idea that Senator Lankford shared with me earlier
this week, and we will talk about that more in the coming weeks, but
the premise of the idea is you have to do more than just go to church
together. We as a nation aren't even doing that very well. But we have
to eat together and do projects together. So we will hear more about
the exciting idea of Solution Sunday in the upcoming weeks.
I will continue to reach out to my colleagues and my friends who may
not look like me, who may have a different philosophy than I do, so I
can understand their hopes, their dreams, and their frustrations
because listening is so important. As we look around our Nation, it
appears to me that we haven't done nearly enough listening to each
other.
In closing, I hope we all remember that we have survived turbulent
times before: the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War II, 1968,
and in South Carolina, 2015. I still marvel at how our State responded
to the shootings at Mother Emanuel--the power of forgiveness, the power
of love conquering hate.
Earlier this year, I lost my grandfather. I haven't really talked
about it publicly. He was 94 years old and meant so much to me. This
was a man born in Salley, SC, in 1921. I can only imagine what he had
seen in South Carolina. I can only imagine the life, the challenges,
the struggles of an African-American male in the Deep South in 1921,
1931, and the 1940s. He didn't finish elementary school. He had to pick
cotton. He never learned to read. He eventually got a job at the Port
of Charleston--a job that, while it didn't give us much in the way of
tangible resources, provided an immeasurable lifeline for our family.
This is a story that has been repeated generation after generation in
this country. I have heard the story from a very different frame from
my good friend Marco Rubio. It is a story of success. It is a story of
significance. It is a story of America.
My grandfather's grandson, yours truly, is a U.S. Senator. My
brother, another grandson, rose to the rank of command sergeant major
in the U.S. Army. My nephew, his great grandson, has graduated from
Georgia Tech, Duke University, and now is on his way to Emory for
medical school. That is the beauty of America--from cotton to Congress
in one lifetime.
We are a beautiful Nation. We are an amazing family. Families fight
sometimes. That is OK. We must remember that we are one single family.
We can all get to where we are going, we must get to where we are
going, and we will get there together.
I want one more time to slow down, pause, and remember the sacrifices
made by five Dallas police officers, the tragedies in Baton Rouge and
Minnesota.
We have been through so much, but a bright future is still there for
our taking. Let's make sure we grab it together.
Let me just say thank you to my staff, who worked very hard all week
long to make sure we were prepared for these presentations, and I want
to specifically thank my communications director Sean Smith, who helped
put most of these words together, helped us work through the emotions,
the challenges, and how to frame the conversation that we believe
America must have. As my communications director, who happens to be a
White guy, and my chief of staff who happens to be an African-American
female--as we worked together, it reminded me that in the midst of our
struggles, our challenges, and our difficulties, I depend on a rainbow
coalition, a patchwork quilt, to present my thoughts, my heart to
America.
We are America. We are Americans. God has blessed the United States
of America.
Thank you.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I haven't watched the last three speeches in
detail of my esteemed colleague from South Carolina, but I have watched
good parts of them. I am tremendously impressed by his personal
experiences, his empathy for what is going on in America today, and his
positive attitude, which I admire very much.

Condemning the Violent Attack in Dallas and Recognizing the Peaceful
Protesters

Today, before we adjourn, the Senate will unanimously adopt a
resolution condemning last week's violent attack in Dallas. This attack
was on the police officers in the Dallas community, and other law
enforcement agencies

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were also targeted. The people killed were Dallas police officers.
We were all devastated by this murderous rampage that claimed the
lives of five officers and wounded nine other police officers. Every
Member of the Senate stands with the Dallas Police Department, and we
have been so impressed with the chief of police. We stand with the
Dallas Police Department, the victims, their families, and the brave
men and women who serve the people of Dallas.
I support this resolution because the least we can do in the Senate
is honor these heroes. I support this resolution because the least we
can do in the Senate is to recognize the sacrifices made, much of it on
national television.
I think it is important that we also acknowledge the peaceful
protesters who were marching that day for justice and an end to
violence. They were calling for--and doing it in a peaceful manner--the
end to the brutality and hostility that has taken the lives of
Americans of all backgrounds but disproportionally people of color.
In the days leading up to the rally in Dallas, as we heard from my
friend from South Carolina, two men were killed: Alton Sterling of
Baton Rouge, LA, and Philando Castile of St. Paul, MN.
The young man in Louisiana was held down by two police officers and
then killed. Just the next day, a man was killed in his car with his
fiance and her 4-year-old daughter there, listening and watching. Our
friends in the African-American community demand recognition that their
lives are valued and respected, as everyone's life should be. It should
be done equally.
It was my suggestion that we add just a word or two to the resolution
to at least recognize the purpose of the peaceful demonstrators in this
resolution. There was a decision made that that not be a part of the
resolution, and I accept that, but I wanted to make sure we recognize
these peaceful protesters and why they were there.
There are many victims here, be they law enforcement officers,
innocent people, innocent people of color. They all deserve to be
acknowledged. As has been said by a number of people here over the last
few days, you can't sweep these problems that we have under the rug.
I thought it was tremendous that the Senator from South Carolina
talked about three things we should all agree on: body cameras, data
collection--which is a code word for profiling--and of course something
with the criminal justice system that we are so close to having on this
floor that we could vote on. It is bipartisan. It should be done. So I
appreciate very much the Senator from South Carolina mentioning these
three things, and I think they are certainly worth mentioning again.
We can support the police officers of America, the men and women, and
mourn those who have fallen and honor their bravery while also
acknowledging that we must do better in preventing the senseless
killings of people of color.
I echo President Obama's words from the memorial service in Dallas.
He must be recognized for these great words when he said: ``Find the
character, as Americans, to open our hearts to each other.''
We need to do that. If we do, we can find empathy for each other, the
empathy to understand the challenges law enforcement faces every day,
and the empathy to understand the frustration and anger within the
communities of color across our Nation.
I look forward to the resolution being adopted. It is something the
Senate should be proud of.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana.

____________________