[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 23 (Thursday, February 9, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1001-S1004]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Senator Luther Strange
Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I would like to take a few minutes this
afternoon to talk about some of the events that happened here in the
past 24 hours.
Less than 24 hours ago, we confirmed my colleague--former colleague
now--Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General of the United States. After
he was confirmed, he resigned as Senator and has been sworn in as
Attorney General of the United States this morning.
The Governor of Alabama, Gov. Robert Bentley, subsequently appointed
Luther Strange, who is our newest Senator. He was our attorney general
until a few hours ago--a second term as attorney general. I want to
tell you a little bit about our newest Senator from Alabama here in the
U.S. Senate.
He is someone I have known for about 35 years and someone I have
spent a lot of time with, off and on. I know his wife Melissa. I know
his sons. We have traveled together. As the Presiding Officer would
appreciate coming from Georgia, we have had time to be in Georgia and
other places hunting quail, ducks, geese, and doves together. You get
to know somebody pretty well, as the Presiding Officer knows.
I believe this was a great appointment by our Governor. This is
someone who will hit the ground running. He is going to be involved in
the issues. He is a team player. He is going to work with us in the
Republican caucus and work for what is in the best interests of the
State of Alabama and the Nation, which we all need to do.
He is a graduate of Tulane University, undergraduate and law school,
and you might be able to tell he may have been a basketball player in
his youth and probably still would be.
I look forward to working with him. I am going to miss Senator
Sessions, who is now our Attorney General, someone I worked together
with for 20 years. I have been here 30 years, so together, as I said
yesterday, we have 50 years.
Luther Strange is going to hit the ground running. He brings a lot of
knowledge, a lot of integrity to this job, and I look forward to
working with him for the people of Alabama and for our great Nation.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, I thank the Chair for allowing me to retake
the floor to speak about the nomination of Congressman Price to be HHS
Secretary, and to read stories from Virginians who are afraid about
repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
Mark Priest, Alexandria, VA:
I am a self-employed entrepreneur and consultant. Since I
work for myself I do not have access to a special pool from
an employer that would make health insurance more affordable.
Starting in 2014 I was insured through the ACA and I was able
to find an affordable policy to cover myself. I think that
there is a mistaken notion that if you are employed, you
automatically have access to affordable health insurance. The
ACA isn't just for the unemployed. I work hard and I am a
small business owner. The ACA makes it possible for me to
afford health care.
Constance Burch, Fort Valley, VA:
I am a 53 year old single female who is self employed as a
Voice and Piano teacher. I have always prided myself on being
able to care for myself and provide the basic necessities.
Before the ACA I had to pay over $450 a month for health care
on a net income of $19,000. This meant some months having to
use credit cards for other necessities such as food and
gasoline to get to my lessons. Thanks to President Obama,
that all changed and based on my income, my fee was reduced
to $33 a month. I literally cried for joy that someone
finally did something to help those of us who work hard and
deserve the same quality health care that the more fortunate
are able to have. It is fair and quite honestly it was the
first time in my life that I truly felt that the government
actually did something to help me personally and those in the
same position.
Deb Fuller, Alexandria, VA:
I rely on the ACA for my health insurance because
otherwise, I would not be able to get it. My job, writing K12
textbooks and other educational material, has largely been
outsourced, and full-time permanent positions with benefits
are nearly nonexistent these days. The majority of the work
is as a ``flexible workforce'', which is the fancy term for a
freelancer or contract employee. Having the ACA means I can
continue working these contracts instead of trying to figure
out how to completely change professions because I need a job
that provides health insurance. Before the ACA, my saint of a
doctor went back and forth with health insurance companies
trying to convince them that I wouldn't cost them too much
money in the long run. They literally looked for anything to
deny me coverage. One rejection letter mentioned cold sores
in the litany of reasons why I was completely uninsurable.
Ninety percent of the population has cold sores. Now,
insurance companies make back their money on me because I pay
them vastly more than they cover because I don't get sick
that often or visit the doctor that often outside of routine
checkups. I also have peace of mind that if I am out on
horseback riding or hiking on a trail, I won't be put in the
poor house because I landed in a heap and had to go to the
ER.
Lauren Carter, Lovingston, VA:
My 39 year old son has cerebral palsy and a blood clotting
disorder. His ``preexisting conditions'' started at
conception. Three years ago, he lost his full-time job with
health insurance benefits. The ACA allows him to continue
receiving medical care and purchase his lifesaving
medications. He supports himself through multiple part-time
jobs, but employer-based insurance is just not an option for
him at this time.
Shannon Linford, Leesburg:
My name is Shannon Linford, I'm 24, and from the age of 10,
my life has been a series of doctors office visits. I suffer
from over a half dozen chronic illnesses, physical and
mental, and require frequent checkups and take up to 15
prescriptions a day. I have spent the last 14 years balancing
illness with my attempts to build a life. That would not have
been possible were it not for the provisions of the ACA that
prevent insurance companies from denying me service for my
illnesses or allowing me to stay on my parents' insurance
until I am 26. I've had to take a detour from pursuing higher
education due to these illnesses, as well as getting a job,
and instead spend the days I'm well enough volunteering with
nonprofits that advocate for others with illnesses like mine.
My team of doctors and I work together personally to create a
plan that is best for me. We are exemplifying health care at
its best. They know me by name, they know each other by
name--across disciplines, they work and collaborate together.
I would not have this luxury were it not for the ACA. If
insurance companies could deny me coverage due to my
preexisting conditions I was born with, my family and I would
go into bankruptcy trying to give me basic care. My health is
finally under good management. I'm going into remission with
my depression thanks to new experimental treatment with my
psychiatrist. Things are looking up, thanks to the provisions
in this remarkable legislation. Revoking this law would be
criminal and would destroy lives, destroy futures. Thank you
so much for your hard work.
Anna M., Vienna, asked that I not use her last name:
Without the ACA, I would likely be dead. I live with
bipolar disorder, an incurable mental illness that causes my
moods to swing uncontrollably from intense anxiety to
crushing depression. I began seeking help five years ago and
once spent two weeks in an intensive outpatient hospital
program because I was suicidal. I got help, but later lost my
job and my insurance, making my disorder a preexisting
condition. Thankfully, the ACA prevents my new insurance from
refusing coverage, and I was able to continue treatment. I
will need to control my bipolar disorder with medications and
therapy for the rest of my life. Without treatment, I am at a
higher risk for long-term unemployment, becoming homeless,
incarceration, and dying by suicide. With treatment, I work
full-time, pay my taxes, volunteer for local charities, and I
am a loving daughter, sister, and friend.
Katie Rugg in Henrico:
I was paying half of the cost of my rent and health
insurance every month and still having to pay for services
every time I went to be seen. I never knew how much things
would cost when I needed to be seen, either! So I was paying
an outrageous amount for health insurance and also afraid to
go see a doctor if I had any issues because it was going to
cost me more money than I had on top of everything else. I
was already living paycheck to paycheck, with a full-time
professional job in my field and a masters degree, and
seriously considering going without any insurance at all.
When the ACA was passed, my employer offered a discounted
option through the affordable care exchanges. I
[[Page S1002]]
decided it was worth trying. It cut my monthly costs by more
than half and it pays for services at 100 percent of the
Medicare fee schedule. The cost is deducted directly from my
paycheck, and every provider that I have seen has been happy
with the prompt and predictable payment, even if it requires
some explanation at first. The way it works is that I would
pay the difference if there was any between the cost of
service and the Medicare fee payment. So far, any additional
cost to me, besides occasional lab work, which has been very
minimal. And my regular chiropractic care has been completely
covered. It has been phenomenal, like the difference between
day and night for me. Not only did this option allow me to
feel comfortable going in to see a doctor when I had an issue
instead of when I had to and was already sick, it also helped
me put some money away into a modest savings. Most
importantly, with housing costs continuing to rise and my
paycheck staying absolutely static for 3\1/2\ years, I was
finally able to buy my own house through a first-time
homeowners Assistance loan. It took a year of looking and
saving aggressively, but I have done it. I have done it!
Losing my ACA insurance would be devastating. I have come too
close to homelessness with the financial pressures I face in
this economy. I don't want to lose now what I have worked so
hard to gain. Thank you, Sen. Kaine, for what you are able to
do to help people like me.
JoAnne Loiselet, Clifton:
Clifton, VA.
My story is I'm sure like many other women. I was a stay-
at-home mom and in 2009 my husband, who owned his own
business, and I separated and ended up divorced 3 years
later. He is not required to keep my children insured and he
cancelled their health insurance without me knowing it. The
company I started working for doesn't offer health insurance,
and we went without, until the ACA went into effect. Our
pediatrician didn't charge me for office visits and only for
vaccines. When needed, we borrowed money to help pay the
bills. If the ACA gets repealed, what would we do? What would
happen if my son breaks his arm or my daughter breaks her
leg? How could I pay for that? I make $50,000 and live in
Fairfax County and I could end up in bankruptcy. We have a
right to have insurance and live with peace of mind.
Laura Kreynus, Mechanicsville:
My daughter was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in April of
2013. That September, my husband was diagnosed with
Parkinson's Disease. We are farmers, we raise food for
America. As such, we are independently insured. Prior to
finding a plan through the ACA in January of 2015, our
monthly insurance premiums were increased to nearly $3,000 a
month--yes, a month. On top of that, our health care
insurance had an annual cap on prescription coverage of
$5,000. The Humira that my daughter takes to combat Crohn's
retails for $3,800 a month, and that is not the only
medication she needs. So basically, after one month, we reach
the prescription coverage cap, meaning we would have to pay
$3,800 a month for her medication on top of $3,000 a month in
premiums. Who has an extra $6,800 a month to pay for this?
This is way more than we earn every month. With the health
insurance plan we got through the ACA, our premiums for 2015
were $1,500 a month, less than half of what we would have
been paying. But the real saving grace was no prescription
cap, so my daughter's medications are covered with a copay
after we reach the deductible. This is still a lot of money,
but at least we can treat our daughter's disease and
hopefully keep her healthy. And even though our premiums have
gone up $2,000 a month under the ACA, at least we still have
insurance. Under the Republican Senate's repeal of the
preexisting condition provision, we will not be able to get,
much less afford, any insurance in the future. This will have
devastating consequences to my daughter's health. She is only
15 years old. She deserves a chance in life. I have not even
touched on how no our insurance will affect my husband's
Parkinson's Disease. We are upper middle class income
Americans. I am not asking for a handout. We are paying more
that 25 percent of our income for health care related
expenses. And I can't imagine the affect this has on people
with less resources than we have. Do you know what happens if
you get sick or a disease and you don't have or can't have
health insurance or medical treatment? You die. Seriously,
health care costs are out of control in America and health
care is a basic right, and people are dying.
Cynthia Elliott, Hillsboro:
Gov. Kaine, Without the ACA, I and many other younger
seniors whose jobs do not provide health care would simply be
without until Medicare kicks in. I was paying $1,000 a month
for HMO care. Until I couldn't. But with the ACA, I was able
to get coverage for a reasonable $300 a month. And this one
includes dental care! It is simply a lifesaver for me.
Mary Lloyd Parks, Richmond:
We have excellent insurance coverage (though expensive)
through my husband's partnership in a large law firm, and
we've been grateful. We have two daughters, now 21 and 23.
Our oldest has cystic fibrosis. The Affordable Care Act has
allowed her to stay on her health insurance policy through
college, and now in her first year as an Urban Teachers
fellow in Washington, DC where she is teaching first grade
and studying at night to get her master's degree in
elementary and special education. While her health is
currently good, the medicines she requires to maintain her
health are extremely expensive and without our insurance, she
would not be able to afford them. The prescriptions cost
thousands of dollars every month. We are quite fearful that
when she turns 26, her preexisting condition--a very
expensive and lifelong disease that requires routine
hospitalizations and even lung transplants--would make her
virtually uninsurable. We are counting on the ACA to be in
place when she can no longer be insured as a member of our
family. She has chosen a profession that may not allow her to
afford the care she needs, and she was born with a chronic
serious illness that would be a pre-existing condition that a
future insurer could use to deny her coverage or to charge
her prohibitively high premiums.
Just four more.
Carry Hawes from Midlothian:
Sometimes people forget how much is encompassed in the ACA.
If not for the ACA, my husband would be dead. Diagnosed with
a fatal liver disease in 2007, he needed a liver transplant
and he ended up getting two. On July 19, 2012, he received a
new liver at UNC hospital. He regained his life and we were
able to move home to Richmond to take new jobs and begin a
family, knowing that his preexisting condition would be
covered under the ACA. We were able to live without fear that
an employer would deny us coverage because he was high risk.
Sammye Newman, Richmond:
Before the ACA became law, I was paying more than $1,200 a
month for health insurance. Quitting altogether was one
alternative, but it would have meant paying possibly double
for health care, procedures and lab tests because I would no
longer be eligible for the negotiated prices contracted by
the health insurance company. Still, I was almost out of
money. Then the ACA was passed. My rates fell to between
$50 and $60 per month for better policies than I had
before making the switch. At 62 years of age, I am faced
with health care needs that continue to increase. As a
cancer survivor (21 years and counting!), it is imperative
that I be proactive regarding health care. In fact, having
a good doctor under an affordable employer-sponsored
health care plan is what saved my life 21 years ago.
Please, don't allow this lifeline to be abolished!
Heidi S., of Richmond, asked me not to use her last name:
Thanks to the passage of the ACA, I was able to stay on my
parents' health insurance plan until I turned 26 years old.
This policy change allowed me to go back to school at 24
years old to pursue a Masters degree, during which time I was
diagnosed with a malignant melanoma. The mole was not of
concern to me at all and was found during a routine check-up.
If I did not have access to my parents' health insurance
during that time, I surely would not have had access to the
pathologists and surgeons who diagnosed and removed the
cancer before it had the chance to spread. While no one knows
what would have happened if this tumor not been removed, I
truly feel that I owe my life to the ACA.
Finally, Christopher Woodroof from Bedford, VA:
Dear Senator Kaine, In September of 2011 I began receiving
Social Security Disability Benefits, not from an injury, but
from an illness I was diagnosed with 12 years ago, a rare
blood disorder caused by a mutated gene in my bone marrow. I
worked as many years as I could, but eventually I became
unable to. The company I worked for insurance plan had a
$10,000 deductible, so for me having to go to the hospital
twice a month for most of the twelve years, it has taken all
of my savings and retirement I had accumulated to cover my
medical bills. Seven years ago we had to cancel my wife's
health insurance due to the high cost. Due to the high cost
of medical care, my wife would not see her doctor at times
she really needed to. The amount of disability I receive
barely covers our basic needs, so she felt we could not
afford a doctor bill. Under the Affordable Care Act, she
qualifies for a decent policy that cost us $30 a month. This
has enabled her to start seeing her doctors again and made
her prescriptions for asthma affordable and obtainable again.
This coverage is a lifesaver for us and I'm not sure how [we]
could handle losing it. Please convince your colleagues in
the Senate to show some compassion for those who worked hard
all their life, only to lose everything because they became
ill. Thank you for your service and all you have done for
Virginia and the American people. God bless you. With kindest
personal regard, Chris Woodroof.
This is not a game. This is not politics. This is not a debate. These
are the lives of dozens of Virginians sampled out of 1,600 stories that
have been sent to me in the last 3 weeks, all saying to this body one
thing: Do not repeal the Affordable Care Act. Do not jeopardize the
health care of 30 million people. Do not jeopardize the peace of minds
of parents going to bed at night and making them wonder what will
happen if their child gets sick tomorrow or if they lose their job.
[[Page S1003]]
We can improve, and many of these letters point out things we need to
do to improve the Affordable Care Act. But we shouldn't even be
contemplating a repeal of a law that provides so much good to so many.
This is one of the main reasons, when we vote later today, I am going
to be opposing someone who wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act--
Congressman Tom Price, as he has been nominated for HHS Secretary.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania.
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise this afternoon to speak about the
nomination of Tom Price to be the next Secretary of Health and Human
Services.
I wish to start this afternoon with a couple of names--just five, and
I will use just first names--five Pennsylvanians whom I will refer to
in my remarks. I am certain I will get to the first two, and I hope to
get to all five. First is Anthony; second is Rowan; third is Rebecca;
and fourth and fifth are Hannah and Madeline, two sisters whose story
inspired me and continues to inspire me today. I will start with
Anthony because I think his circumstance and that of his family are
good reminders of how important the Medicaid program is to families
across the country.
Anthony's mom wrote us a letter. I will read pertinent parts of it to
summarize his circumstance. His mom writes in the opening part of the
letter:
My son, Anthony, was born at 25 weeks and he weighed one
tiny pound. We were overcome with medical bills which
Medicaid thankfully paid for us. Since his birth he has had
multiple health crisis, seizures, sleep disorders just to
name a few.
Most recently, Anthony was diagnosed with Autism spectrum
disorder, Tourette's syndrome, severe obsessive compulsive
disorder, and Dyspraxia.
All of those in the life of one young boy--
She says:
Last spring, we were faced with the decision of putting him
in a residential treatment program. If not for his Medical
Assistance--
The name of the program for Medicaid in Pennsylvania--
this would have never been an option for us.
In other words, they wouldn't be able to get him into a residential
treatment program. Ultimately, Anthony's family chose to get him
intensive outpatient treatment, which Medical Assistance also covered.
Anthony's mom Corey ultimately decided to stay home and care for
Anthony, so she had to leave the job at which she had worked for 20
years. She said:
If we lost coverage, we would not be able to provide the
support he needs. We are sure of that.
Toward the end of the letter, she says:
My son Anthony is currently attending school almost
regularly and functioning the best he has for a very long
time thanks to the services he received from his medical
assistance. It gives me hope and encouragement that he will
someday grow up to be a contributing member of our next
generation.
That is Anthony's story of all of the benefits he and his family have
derived from Medicaid or, as we call it in Pennsylvania, the Medical
Assistance program.
The second Pennsylvanian I will talk about is Rowan. I spoke about
Rowan on the floor just a number of days ago. I am quoting from Rowan's
mom's letter. Pamela wrote:
Rowan was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in March
of 2015.
He was extremely hyperactive and since he refused to nap,
he was a severe distraction. I cannot stress enough that we
had zero other options for our family. For months, I would
receive calls about Rowan being aggressive to other children.
This broke my heart. No parent wants to hear that their child
is hurting other children.
Late January 2016, I applied for Medicaid [Medical
Assistance]. After Rowan was awarded MA, we were able to
obtain wrap-around services.
Then she talks about a behavioral specialist consultant, a
therapeutic staff support worker, and all the help that came with those
individuals.
Specifically she helped to alleviate his aggression and
combat his over-stimulation. The wrap-around services have
been a Godsend.
Ultimately, Rowan benefited from a social skills program.
This program is a social skills program specifically for
Autistic children ages 3-21. I enrolled Rowan in November.
Rowan has benefited immensely from [this program]. Thankfully
it is covered in full by MA.
Then she concludes, in part:
Our family would be bankrupt or my son would go without
therapies he sincerely needs.
Overall, we are desperately in need of Rowan's Medical
Assistance and would be devastated if we lost these benefits.
So we have two young boys in Pennsylvania. Their stories are told by
their moms, and they are telling us: Don't cut Medicaid. Don't destroy
Medicaid, as some proposals have been not just debated here in
Washington, not just theorized about; these are policies that Members
of Congress have voted in favor of.
But now it is a little different. Now it is not just voting in favor
of so-called block-granting--a very benign term, ``block-granting.'' I
would rather use the word ``destroy,'' but we can debate that. This is
a live issue now because we have people who are still proposing block-
granting, and we have a President who--at least one member of his
administration said he would sign such legislation or at least support
it. That gets to the point of my basic disagreement with what
Representative Price has not only supported but led the fight on in the
House of Representatives.
I disagree totally with his budget proposals to block-grant Medicaid
for the reasons that I just outlined--because of Rowan and Anthony and
lots of children in Pennsylvania like them, children with disabilities,
children who happen to come from low-income families, seniors who want
to get into nursing homes. All of those concerns are uppermost when I
consider his nomination.
What I was hoping he would say to me in our meeting in my office--a
very cordial meeting where we debated a little bit--and then after my
questions to him both in the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee, and the Finance Committee, the committee from which his
nomination originated--I was hoping he would say: I was for block-
granting Medicaid and changing Medicare and making all those proposals
as a House Member, as a leader in the debate about the budget. But I am
going to be in different place now, and I am not going to push those
ideas. I am going to have a different position, and we are not going to
go in the direction of doing that any longer, so I want to separate
from what I was proposing as a Member of the House. I have no
assurances that his advocacy or position on these issues will be any
different.
Now we have the administration embracing the very issues that in the
campaign the candidate said he was against. The Presidential candidate
said that he wouldn't touch Medicare; he wouldn't touch Medicaid. You
know the statements I am referring to.
When we talk about Medicaid and why it is such an important issue in
this confirmation process, what are we talking about? In addition to
Rowan and Anthony and children like that, we are also talking about the
fact that 45 percent of all the births in the United States of America
are paid for by Medicaid. A lot of people don't know that, but that is
the truth. One in five seniors receives Medicare assistance through
Medicaid. That is one of the reasons so many seniors are concerned
about not just what happens to Medicare, but what happens to Medicaid.
Another reason for seniors to be concerned: Two-thirds of nursing
home residents are covered by Medicaid. So when we talk about block-
granting, which leads to massive cuts to Medicaid, we had better be
concerned about it because it means nursing home residents are
adversely affected.
Medicaid covers 40 percent of all the children in the country with
health care--40 percent. For poor children, 75 percent get their health
care through Medicaid, and 60 percent of all children with disabilities
are covered by Medicaid--60 percent.
How about if you live in a rural area? Let me give a sense of what
the circumstance is for Pennsylvania. We have 67 counties, 48 of them
are rural, and a lot of people in those communities are covered by
Medicaid. By one recent estimate, more than 278,000 rural
Pennsylvanians are covered by Medicaid. We know that hospitals in rural
areas depend upon Medicaid. In 15 rural Pennsylvania counties,
hospitals were the top employer. Guess what program supports those
programs, keeps the doors open: Medicaid.
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On and on, we could talk about job loss that results from cutting
Medicaid. So if we are serious about helping children with disabilities
and protecting seniors, we should think long and hard before voting for
the block-granting of Medicaid.
One final point just with regard to Pennsylvania Medicaid.
If Medicaid were to be block-granted, as many legislators have
supported and voted for, if that happens and if the Affordable Care Act
were repealed without a replacement, Pennsylvania alone--one State--
would lose $80 billion over 10 years. This is a 38-percent reduction in
funding for Pennsylvania. I am going to fight anyone who tries to take
$80 billion away from Pennsylvania for health care.
I would hope that if Representative Price were confirmed, he would
abandon those reckless, extreme ideas to block-grant Medicaid because
of the consequences for seniors, for children, and for individuals with
disabilities.
I don't have a chance to get too far into Medicare today. If I can, I
will a little later. I will try to come back to some of the stories
people have written to us about the impact of the Affordable Care Act
on their lives.
Let me quickly go through some points about Medicare. We know that in
a State like ours, one of the oldest States in the country, about 2\1/
2\ million Pennsylvanians rely on Medicare to help them pay for health
care costs. Thank goodness we have Medicare in place. What we would not
want to have happen in Pennsylvania is the enactment--and as I said
before with regard to Medicaid, now this is a live issue. You have
Senators and House Members in both Chambers who have already voted for
budgets that would do the following: change Medicare into a premium
support program or a voucher program, which means basically you give
seniors a fixed amount of money to buy their insurance and then say:
Good luck buying your own insurance, buying your Medicare insurance.
I don't think there are very many people in my home State who think
that is a good idea.
Of course, none of this has been on the table because these budget
votes go by and people vote for the budget, and then it doesn't go any
further, so no one feels the urgency to oppose it. Now we have,
apparently, people in both Houses in agreement with President Trump to
have him sign legislation which would change both Medicare and
Medicaid.
I think these are among the many reasons why I would vote against
Representative Price in his confirmation vote. After a lot of review of
his record, after a lot of review on what his proposals would mean if
they were to become law--and now we are at a point in our history where
these issues are no longer theoretical; they are live issues. These are
matters that could be the subject not just of debate but the subject of
enactment into law.
I will try to return later to go through some other issues with
regard to the nomination.
At this time, I will yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, before I recommence my remarks, I see the
senior Senator from Oklahoma, Mr. Inhofe. I want to make sure that if
he is prepared to take the floor, I will yield.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Pennsylvania, and
the answer is, yes, I am prepared.