[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 10, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S2862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



       Unanimous Consent Request--Authority for Committee to Meet

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, this afternoon, the Senate Special 
Committee on Aging is scheduled to hold the second part of a two-part 
series of hearings that we are holding to explore the impact of 
isolation and loneliness on the health and well-being of our seniors. 
The name of our hearing for this afternoon is Aging With Community: 
Building Connections that Last a Lifetime.
  In other words, under the first hearing that we had 2 weeks ago, we 
learned that isolation of our seniors is associated with a greater 
incidence of depression, diabetes, and heart disease. We also learned 
that the health risks of prolonged isolation are comparable to smoking 
15 cigarettes today.
  Well, this afternoon is the second part of our investigation of this 
issue, and we had planned to hear from four experts who were going to 
tell us how you can build a better sense of community for our seniors, 
how you can make sure that our seniors are connected to community. I 
want to indicate that we have four witnesses who, at their own expense, 
have flown in to participate in this hearing this afternoon. One of 
them, Lindsay Goldman, is the director of healthy aging from the Center 
for Health Policy and Programs from Rye Brook, NY. Another is from 
Dover-Foxcroft, ME. A third is from Spring Grove, PA. The fourth is 
from Miami, FL.
  Each of these witnesses was chosen in connection with my staff's 
consultation with the Democratic staff of the committee. As you can 
see, they represent the States of New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, and 
Florida, and they incurred great expense in order to come here.
  I am very disappointed to learn that, due to issues that are totally 
outside the purview of the Aging Committee--completely disconnected 
with this nonpartisan, bipartisan look at an issue that ought to 
concern all of us--we are going to be prohibited from holding this 
official hearing this afternoon. I am baffled by this. This has nothing 
to do with the firing of Jim Comey. It has nothing to do with the 
Intelligence Committee's ongoing and successful investigation of 
Russian influence on our investigations. It has nothing to do with the 
healthcare debate that is roiling this Congress.
  This is a hearing that has to do with the health and well-being of 
America's seniors. It is not political in any way, and to ask these 
four witnesses, who have come from four different States, including the 
State of the Democratic leader, to go back home and waste all this 
travel money and not help us better understand how we can deal with an 
issue that affects the health and well-being of our seniors is just 
plain wrong.
  Therefore, Mr. President, I make a request that the Aging Committee 
be permitted to meet at 2:30 p.m. today for its hearing, Aging With 
Community: Building Connections that Last a Lifetime. I ask unanimous 
consent that the committee be allowed to meet.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Democratic leader.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Given that we have no path forward on the horrible and 
momentous events of last night from the majority, I am constrained to 
object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I see the Democratic leader is rapidly 
leaving the floor, so he obviously does not want to hear anything more 
about our hearing, but this makes no sense whatsoever.
  This is an example of the dysfunction of the Senate. How does it make 
sense that the Aging Committee, which operates in a completely 
bipartisan manner, is being prohibited from holding a hearing that is 
important to our seniors and that has nothing to do with the issues 
that are in the news today?
  I just don't understand why we are being prohibited from proceeding 
to do our work, to do our important jobs on an issue where we have four 
experts from four different States, including the State of the 
Democratic leader, including a witness chosen by the ranking member of 
the committee, and none of that matters. We are being prohibited from 
holding this hearing.
  Mr. President, it is a great disappointment to me--and I am sure it 
is going to be a great disappointment to our witnesses and our 
committee members--that we are going to have to cancel this hearing for 
reasons that are totally unrelated to the subject of this hearing.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Seeing no one seeking recognition, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.