[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 123 (Thursday, July 20, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4107-S4108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                Thoughts and Prayers for Senator McCain

  Mr. President, while I am on the floor, I want to mention for just a 
minute our friend, John McCain. I know lots of prayers have been said 
for Senator McCain and his family. Lots of stories today have been told 
and traded, and there are lots of stories to tell.
  When I was in the House for 14 years, I was often in brief meetings 
with Senator McCain. Frankly, I never grew to appreciate him anywhere 
near like I did when I had a chance to begin to work with him every 
day. For me, at least, he was an acquired taste. It took time to really 
see his strength, his tenacity, and to understand that irascibility was 
just part of who he is and part of his determination to make the 
country and the Congress and the Senate better.
  It would be hard to find anyone more determined or less fearful. In 
fact, someone in a recent debate in the last year or so said that 
Senator McCain had--I think a reporter said that Senator McCain had 
done something because he was afraid to do the other thing. When asked 
about it, Senator McCain said: Well, it has been a long time since I 
was afraid.
  He is a man who served his country day after day after day, and still 
does; a believer in what we stand for; someone who has traveled all 
over the world, as I have had a chance to travel to dangerous spots and 
other places. Over and over again, as I would get there, people would 
say: Here is what Senator McCain had to say when he was here. Here is 
what Senator McCain did when he was here. Senator McCain was here last 
week. He was there, always proud of the independence and determination 
and democracy and freedom that he stands for.
  We all know he is in a fight right now, but we all also know he is a 
fighter. He is not a man who surrenders. I know the prayers of not only 
the Senate but so many people all over the country and, frankly, all 
over the world go out to help John McCain as he faces this fight.
  With that, I 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.
  Ms. WARREN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Ms. WARREN. Mr. President, I rise today to oppose the nomination of 
David Bernhardt as the next Deputy Secretary of the Interior.
  Mr. Bernhardt has shown that he is unwilling to fight for the long-
term conservation of our public lands and the responsible use of our 
public resources. By his own admission, he intends to be a big business 
yes-man for the Trump administration's extreme disregard for our 
environment and the human lives that are affected.
  President Trump promised to drain the swamp of DC, but with each day 
of this administration, this Republican-controlled Senate approves yet 
another corporate insider to help out big business. The decision to 
nominate Mr. Bernhardt is no exception. He is another conflict-ridden, 
climate-dismissing Trump appointee who favors profits over people.
  Let's look at his record. Mr. Bernhardt has extensive political 
experience in the Department of the Interior under the Bush 
administration, but in his tenure at the Department, including the 2 
years he oversaw the ethics division, the Department was awash in 
ethical scandals and scientific misconduct.
  And what did he do after he left government service? He scooted off 
to a lucrative lobbying firm to help Big Oil and other extraction 
companies maximize their profits by expanding offshore drilling and 
delaying air pollution limits on coal plants, regardless of the impact 
that would have on our children's future.
  Even Mr. Bernhardt isn't proud of his own record. Prior to his 
nomination, his lobbying firm bio bragged about recently helping 
corporations fight against the Endangered Species Act, supporting 
corporate interests in offshore drilling and exploration for fossil 
fuels, and helping mining companies pursue public lands for 
development. He openly bragged about recently representing ``an entity 
under investigation by a Federal Agency'' and ``entities accused of 
violating the Department of the Interior's regulations.'' He swaggered 
through Washington. That is, he swaggered right up until he was under 
consideration for the No. 2 spot at Interior. Now that he is in the 
public spotlight, he has scrubbed all those pro-industry, pro-pollution 
references from his bio. Now that the public is paying attention, he is 
putting out a clean image of a public servant who just happens to 
advise big corporations from time to time.
  Beyond the ties Mr. Bernhardt still has to industry, I am alarmed by 
his willingness to serve as the corporate rubberstamp that President 
Trump wants. Mr. Bernhardt is a walking conflict of interest who has 
taken one spin through the revolving door, and now he is coming back 
around again for a second pass.
  The Deputy Secretary serves at the pleasure of the President. But a 
Deputy Secretary--the No. 2 at the Department--is, first and foremost, 
bound to serve the American people and the mission of the Department. 
No President is properly served by a corporate yes-man, and Mr. 
Bernhardt's yes-man mentality was on full display during his 
confirmation hearing.
  When my colleague from Minnesota, Senator Al Franken, questioned Mr. 
Bernhardt about climate change at his nomination hearing, he was all 
too willing to dismiss the urgency of climate change, and he pushed 
aside the responsibility of the Department of the Interior to act. In 
defiance of accepted climate science, he stated:

       This President ran, he won on a particular policy 
     perspective. That perspective's not going to change to the 
     extent we have the discretion under the law to follow it.

  In other words, don't bother me with the facts; we will just stick to 
whatever President Trump tells us to do.
  But the rest of us can't ignore the facts. Our planet is getting 
hotter. The last 16 years were all among the hottest 17 years on 
record, and our seas are rising at an alarming rate. Our coasts are 
threatened by furious storm surges that can sweep away homes and 
devastate even our largest cities. Our economically disadvantaged 
communities, too often situated in low-lying floodplains, are one bad 
storm away from destruction. Our naval bases are under attack--not by 
enemy ships but by rising seas. Our food supplies and forests are 
threatened by droughts and wildfires that are becoming so common across 
the country that they barely even make the evening news.
  The effects of manmade climate change are all around us, and things 
will only continue to get worse at an accelerating pace if we don't do 
something about it. We can act, and one important step is saying no to 
corporate raiders who are seeking to exploit public lands and gamble 
with our children's future.
  President Trump thinks leadership is handing over management of our 
public lands to Big Oil and Big Coal executives who are looking to 
stuff their pockets while the getting is good. Mr. Bernhardt, a 
seasoned advocate for corporate interests, seems all too eager to 
please this President and corporate interests, no matter the cost to 
the American people. If President Trump's highest ranking agency 
officials are not brave enough to speak even a little truth to power 
about this President's climate delusions, then, who will?
  The American people deserve leadership at the Department of the 
Interior--leadership that is committed to ensuring that our public 
resources and

[[Page S4108]]

our public lands are preserved for future generations of Americans. The 
American people deserve leadership that fights back when the President 
seeks to cut thousands of jobs at the Department of the Interior or 
offers a budget that critically undermines the Department's mission and 
threatens our public lands.
  The American people deserve leadership at the Department of the 
Interior--leadership that works for the people--and that is not David 
Bernhardt.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Blunt). The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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