[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 18 (Thursday, January 25, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S511-S512]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Foreign Policy

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I come to the floor to reflect on the 
troubling foreign policy 1 year into President Donald Trump's 
administration.
  A recent poll out from Gallup showed a dramatic reduction in global 
public opinion toward the United States. Confidence in the United 
States by the global community has plummeted to 30 percent under 
President Trump. A low public opinion of our great country, among other 
nations, is not a good thing, and it is not something to celebrate. In 
fact, it makes the world less safe for America and Americans. It limits 
our economic opportunities, and it undermines our ability to promote 
our values of portraying President Reagan's vision of a city on a hill. 
In just 1 year, the Trump administration has betrayed America's values, 
abandoned our allies, and appeased our enemies.
  America's alliances, for example, with the United Nations and the 
North Atlantic Treaty Organization keep our country safe and prosperous 
while they also build a more secure world, but President Trump has 
repeatedly questioned the worthiness of both organizations and has 
attacked leading members of each body--almost always key American 
allies.
  These concerns were made much worse when, early in the 
administration, Secretary Tillerson said that America's interests would 
no longer be dictated by our values. It was almost unfathomable to hear 
the Nation's top diplomat speak in such a narrow, myopic way. Also, the 
games the administration has played with the mission statements of the 
State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development have 
been clear attempts to depart from the values that define who we are--
support for democracy, human rights, transparency, and good governance.
  President Trump has praised strongmen leaders in Russia, China, 
Turkey, Egypt, and the Philippines even as they imprison, torture, or 
kill their own citizens. If support for world leaders who lack almost 
all of our values is not bad enough, President Trump's attacks on some 
of America's closest friends have undermined the credibility of 
America's word and America's commitment to its values. Launching verbal 
broadsides against the United Kingdom, Australia, and South Korea--the 
latter during the ongoing standoff with North Korea--are deeply 
regrettable and completely counterproductive.
  Speaking of verbal mistakes, you cannot conduct high stakes diplomacy 
through the use of Twitter. We should never normalize such conduct by a 
President of the United States. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson 
conceded last week that he, essentially, learns about the President's 
foreign policy statements--or even of his positions--because his staff 
at Foggy Bottom prints off the President's tweets for him. That should 
give everyone a moment for pause.
  Besides the nuclear crisis with North Korea, nowhere have the 
President's statements been more damaging than in the tenuous 
relationship between Washington and Moscow. Frankly, the President's 
words and actions send a clear signal to Mr. Putin that he can continue 
to attack democratic institutions and values with impunity. Each time 
Mr. Putin denies to Mr. Trump that the Kremlin was involved in 
attempting to influence the 2016 election--a bald-faced lie--the 
American President races to say that he believes him. Never before in 
history has such a clear threat to our national security been so 
clearly ignored by a President of the United States.
  Last week, I released a report through the Senate Foreign Relations 
Committee that documented Mr. Putin's pattern of 20 years of attacks 
against democratic institutions in Europe. In order to best understand 
what he did here in the United States in 2016--a matter still under 
investigation--as well as to protect ourselves in 2018, 2020, and 
beyond, we need to understand the big picture and respond accordingly. 
We will never be fully protected or have a robust enough response with 
the President's repeated public appeasement of Mr. Putin.
  We have seen again this week how that has been playing out in a 
matter that is being debated in Congress. The Russian Government 
continues to interfere in our political debates here in the United 
States. There are reports that Russian internet bots and trolls are 
working to support Congressman Nunes's efforts to produce and release a 
Republican staff report on the investigation into Russia's interference 
in our 2016 elections. We know that Russian bots and trolls are 
vigorously promoting these attacks and corroding our political 
institutions and norms of behavior, seeking to paralyze our government 
and undermine our democracy. This sort of behavior carries a possible 
grave risk to our democratic system and our very way of life.
  I am not surprised to find that Russian services are attacking us, as 
a recent report that we released made it clear that it was part of 
their strategy, but I do hope that all of us--Democrats and 
Republicans--will stand up for our democratic institutions and speak 
out against Russia's interference in our political system.
  The President refers to his foreign policy strategy as ``America 
first.'' ``America first'' is a risky and chaotic proposition and will, 
certainly, lead to America alone. The Muslim ban, hastily handed down 
not 1 week into his administration, was the early defining moment of 
President Trump's tenure--the clearest sign yet he would actively work 
to denigrate our values and isolate us from the rest of the world.
  President Trump's rhetoric has made a multifaceted conflict with 
China more likely at a time when we need to work with the Chinese on 
stronger diplomatic ties between our nations to improve regional 
stability in East Asia.
  The President's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris 
climate agreement--an accord that every nation on Earth is a member of 
and which the majority of the President's senior advisers recommended 
against--is a gross abdication of American leadership and a narrow-
minded rejection of basic science and fact.
  I and other Members of this body are engaged in an attempt to prevent 
the President from withdrawing without reason from another major 
international agreement--the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, 
otherwise known as the Iran nuclear deal. The President has jeopardized 
the agreement by not certifying Iran's compliance and without his 
producing any evidence that Iran is in violation of the agreement. He 
has now made a number of aggressive demands of Congress and of our 
European allies, once again demonstrating that he is no negotiator.
  America first, supposedly, but as communities in Maryland and across 
the country struggle with a nationwide epidemic of opioids, heroin, and 
fentanyl overdoses, President Trump's budget has proposed a 27-percent 
reduction in America's global counternarcotics efforts, which will 
directly weaken our ability to work with international partners to stem 
the illegal flow of drugs that are entering our country.
  The President sought to slash $1 billion from America's global 
efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa, Asia, and elsewhere. Thanks to 
bipartisan American leadership, we have made enormous strides against 
this disease. We should not turn back from that progress. This kind of 
fear, insecurity, and even xenophobia are damaging our reputation 
abroad and corroding our core identity as Americans here at home.
  The President has doubled down on the disastrous wall rhetoric and 
continues to belittle Mexico, one of our closest friends and partners 
in the world. Even the White House Chief of Staff's attempt to clean up 
the President's wall position ended embarrassingly for him.
  President Trump's campaign to undermine American values resulted in 
slashing refugee resettlement into the United States, while asking 
other countries to do more. His policies damage our moral leadership, 
condone other countries' rejection of refugees on their borders, and 
strengthen the

[[Page S512]]

hand of those who wish to do us harm through recruitment and 
radicalization. U.S. leadership on this issue is key to our 
counterterrorism strategy.
  President Ronald Reagan admitted 140,000 refugees in just 1 year of 
his Presidency. By contrast, at a time of extraordinary international 
need--far greater than when President Reagan was in office--President 
Trump capped refugee resettlement at 45,000 this fiscal year. Since he 
announced that policy, refugee admissions in this country have fallen 
to a level unseen in modern history. At the current rate, the United 
States may grant entry to fewer than 20,000 refugees--the lowest number 
since the program was established in 1980. The President's stealth 
attack on refugee resettlement is a war on a program that has embodied 
America's compassion and global leadership.
  Much attention has been drawn to the despicable uncertainty that 
President Trump has injected into the lives of hundreds of thousands of 
Dreamers, preparing to deport young people who are essentially American 
citizens to countries they have never known. But equally as troubling 
is the President's denial of temporary protected status, or TPS, for 
hundreds of thousands of people from Haiti and El Salvador. Many more 
from Honduras and Syria sit in the President's crosshairs. These people 
have lived in our country, sometimes for decades, contribute to our 
economy, and many have American citizen children. Sending them back to 
their home nations at this time--countries that are already 
destabilized to various degrees--will exacerbate local and regional 
problems.
  I am proud of the legislation I have written with Senators Feinstein 
and Van Hollen that is supported by numerous colleagues to create a 
legal pathway to residency for TPS recipients who only seek a better 
life for themselves and their families, enriching our country and all 
that it stands for in the process.
  The U.S. military is the finest in the world, but increasingly, 
President Trump wants our men and women in uniform to do what should be 
the responsibility of our diplomatic and development corps--our forces 
for peace. And it is not just a slow and steady transfer of 
responsibilities from Foggy Bottom to the Pentagon; President Trump has 
failed to fill critical national security jobs and is gutting our 
development and diplomatic institutions.
  It infuriates me when the President or his team dares to accuse the 
Senate of failing to do its constitutional responsibilities regarding 
nominations. Of 163 Senate-confirmed positions across the State 
Department and USAID, the administration does not have nominees for 72 
of those jobs--just under 50 percent--1 year into office of this 
administration.
  The administration has proposed an illogical and ideological cut of 
over 30 percent to the State Department and USAID budgets, attempting 
to disembowel critical national security tools. Secretary Tillerson has 
maintained an unexplained hiring freeze at the Department and Agency. 
Diplomats are leaving the government in large numbers, and his attempt 
to reorganize the Department many view as a solution in search of a 
problem. The President has little interest in how diplomacy advances 
our interests, promotes our values, and makes us safer and more 
prosperous.
  To make matters worse, the President and his family continue to 
conduct themselves in a manner that promotes their business interests, 
making our foreign policy more difficult. In his dealings with China 
alone, the writing is on the wall. Candidate Trump said that on day one 
of his Presidency, he would declare China a currency manipulator. 
American businesses are still waiting. Did he sacrifice the American 
worker in order to appease the Chinese banker who paid him rent at 
Trump Tower? Or perhaps it was so he could secure those long sought 
after business trademarks with China--38 in all.
  The American people should not lose sight of the fact that the 
President has refused to divest himself from the Trump Organization, 
ignoring decades of ethical norms and precedent. The President of the 
United States is engaged in foreign policy while maintaining 
unprecedented business interests in about 20 countries. Today, the 
President has a financial stake in real estate projects in India, 
Indonesia, the Philippines, and elsewhere--developments that require 
approval and intervention from governments, financing from banks, and 
cooperation from local partners. He continues to earn royalties from 
properties located throughout the world, from Panama to the United Arab 
Emirates.
  Reaping a financial profit while serving as President begs the 
question of whether he is working in his own best interest or the 
Nation's best interest--exactly why the Constitution's emoluments 
clause exists and of which I believe he is in violation. President 
Trump could easily rectify this by cutting his financial ties and 
leaving no doubt that his first and foremost priority is serving the 
Nation's interests.
  In closing, let me say that American foreign policy led by our 
values, support for our allies, and a desire to make the world a better 
place, keeps us safe at home and advances our country's prosperity and 
security. President Trump has not put the strategies in place to deal 
with the complicated national security crises facing our country. 
Instead, he has made international security challenges more difficult 
to solve, including the crisis with Iran, the nuclear weapons dilemma 
with North Korea, and the Kremlin activities sowing discord in our 
country and throughout the world. President Trump has been unwilling to 
engage in the delicate diplomacy and tough national security decisions 
that are required to keep this country safe and maintain our global 
leadership.
  The role of Congress in shaping and advancing U.S. foreign policy has 
never been more important, and I will continue to advance legislation, 
conduct oversight, and speak out about these important issues in the 
name of the American people and the values and norms that define us and 
our place in this complicated world. I am proud that there are many 
Members on both sides of the aisle who share these concerns, and we 
will work together for America's national security interests.
  With that, Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Fischer). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.