Congressional Record, Volume 163 Issue 209 (Thursday, December 21, 2017)

[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 209 (Thursday, December 21, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8235-S8236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BLUE CAMPAIGN AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2017

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask that the Chair lay before the
Senate the message to accompany H.R. 1370.
The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message
from the House of Representatives:

Resolved, That the House agree to the amendment of the
Senate to the bill (H.R. 1370) entitled ``An Act to amend the
Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of
Homeland Security to issue Department of Homeland Security-
wide guidance and develop training programs as part of the
Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, and for other
purposes.'', with an amendment.

Motion to Concur

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to concur in the House amendment
to the Senate amendment to H.R. 1370.
I ask unanimous consent that Senator Paul be recognized for up to 2
minutes to make a budget point of order; that Senator Collins or her
designee be recognized for up to 2 minutes to make a motion to waive
the point of order; that Senator Leahy be recognized for up to 5
minutes; that following the use or yielding back of that time, the
Senate vote on the motion to waive; and that following the disposition
of the motion to waive, the Senate vote on the motion to concur, with a
60 affirmative vote threshold, all without any other intervening action
or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The Senator from Kentucky.
Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, the question is, Do deficits matter? We have
had a lot of debate over deficits and people complaining that tax cuts
add to deficits. Well, tonight we will have a vote on whether we should
honor what are called pay-go budget caps. We have had these in place
for about 6 years. Congress has disobeyed their own rules 30 times as
of tonight. These budget caps would keep spending in order. Yet we are
going to have them waived tonight.
My budget point of order would actually say that we should not waive
these budget caps. We should honor them because deficits do matter.
We borrow $1 million a minute. The deficit this year will be over
$700 billion. The overall debt is $20 trillion. We have a spending
problem. We have rules to keep spending in check, and we disobey our
own rules.
With that, I make a point of order on the statutory pay-go scorecard
that says we should spend within certain limits. This budget point of
order is pursuant to section 306 of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, we simply cannot allow these harmful,
indiscriminate budget cuts to be triggered. It is so disturbing to see
our seniors worried about the possibility of a $25 billion cut in the
Medicare Program. That is a 4-percent reduction. That would affect
healthcare providers and healthcare services. There is no need for this
indiscriminate cut to occur.
It is critical that Congress act tonight, act immediately, so that
seniors and our disabled citizens do not have the anxiety of wondering
whether the tax bill will somehow negatively affect their healthcare.
By voting to waive the point of order, we can remove that anxiety and
prevent the indiscriminate cuts in Medicare and other essential
programs from occurring.
Pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and
the waiver provisions of applicable budget resolutions, I move to waive
all applicable sections of that act and applicable budget resolutions
for purposes of the House message to accompany H.R. 1370, and I ask for
the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
Mr. DURBIN. 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. LEAHY. 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. LEAHY. Mr. President, I yield back the time on this side.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question now occurs on agreeing to the
motion to waive.
The yeas and nays were previously ordered.
The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Arizona (Mr. McCain).
The result was announced--yeas 91, nays 8, as follows:

[Rollcall Vote No. 324 Leg.]

YEAS--91

Alexander
Baldwin
Barrasso
Bennet
Blumenthal
Blunt
Booker
Boozman
Brown
Burr
Cantwell
Capito
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Cassidy
Cochran
Collins
Coons
Corker
Cornyn
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Daines
Donnelly
Duckworth
Durbin
Enzi
Ernst
Feinstein
Fischer
Franken
Gardner
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Harris
Hassan
Hatch
Heinrich
Heitkamp
Heller
Hirono
Hoeven
Inhofe
Isakson
Johnson
Kaine
King
Klobuchar
Lankford
Leahy
Manchin
Markey
McCaskill
McConnell
Menendez
Merkley
Moran
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Nelson
Perdue
Peters
Portman
Reed
Roberts
Rounds
Rubio
Sanders
Schatz
Schumer
Scott
Shaheen
Shelby
Stabenow
Strange
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Tillis
Toomey
Udall
Van Hollen
Warner
Warren
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
Young

NAYS--8

Crapo
Cruz
Flake
Kennedy
Lee
Paul
Risch
Sasse

NOT VOTING--1

McCain

The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 91, the nays are 8.
Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn having voted in
the affirmative, the motion is agreed to and the point of order falls.

Vote on Motion to Concur

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion to
concur.
Mr. ROUNDS. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.

[[Page S8236]]

The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the
Senator from Georgia (Mr. Isakson) and the Senator from Arizona (Mr.
McCain).
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber
desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 66, nays 32, as follows:

[Rollcall Vote No. 325 Leg.]

YEAS--66

Alexander
Barrasso
Blunt
Boozman
Burr
Capito
Carper
Cassidy
Cochran
Collins
Coons
Corker
Cornyn
Cotton
Crapo
Cruz
Daines
Donnelly
Enzi
Ernst
Fischer
Flake
Gardner
Graham
Grassley
Hassan
Hatch
Heinrich
Heitkamp
Heller
Hoeven
Inhofe
Johnson
Kaine
Kennedy
King
Lankford
Leahy
Manchin
McCaskill
McConnell
Moran
Murkowski
Nelson
Perdue
Peters
Portman
Risch
Roberts
Rounds
Rubio
Sasse
Scott
Shaheen
Shelby
Stabenow
Strange
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Tillis
Toomey
Udall
Warner
Wicker
Young

NAYS--32

Baldwin
Bennet
Blumenthal
Booker
Brown
Cantwell
Cardin
Casey
Cortez Masto
Duckworth
Durbin
Feinstein
Franken
Gillibrand
Harris
Hirono
Klobuchar
Lee
Markey
Menendez
Merkley
Murphy
Murray
Paul
Reed
Sanders
Schatz
Schumer
Van Hollen
Warren
Whitehouse
Wyden

NOT VOTING--2

Isakson
McCain

The motion was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.

____________________