[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 179 (Tuesday, November 13, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6904-S6908]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMENDING THE WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHE TRIBE WATER RIGHTS QUANTIFICATION
ACT OF 2010
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
resume consideration of the House message to accompany S. 140, which
the clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
House message to accompany S. 140, a bill to amend the
White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act
of 2010 to clarify the use of amounts in the WMAT Settlement
Fund.
Pending:
McConnell motion to concur in the amendment of the House to
the bill, with McConnell (for Thune) Modified Amendment No.
4054, in the nature of a substitute.
Mr. McCONNELL. 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. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Recognition of the Minority Leader
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader is recognized.
Midterms
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, first, let me say that all of our hearts
go out to everyone affected by the terrible wildfires in California
and, once again, express how grateful we are to the first responders
and firefighters, those brave people on the scene. We continue to
monitor the situation, and the Senate will do everything it can to
help.
Now, let me welcome everybody back after the midterm elections.
Last week, Americans voted in record numbers to deliver an
unambiguous message: They wanted a change. People across the country
were disappointed in what 2 years of one-party Republican rule had
delivered: rising healthcare costs and declining quality, a massive
giveaway of public resources to multinational corporations and to the
wealthiest few, and a Congress that failed to provide a check and
balance on the President. So the American people voted for a change.
They voted for a check on President Trump and a Congress that would
stop trying to take away their healthcare.
After 2 long years, that is what they will get. Republican plans to
rip healthcare away from Americans has been stymied.
Democrats won the House of Representatives decisively. Democrats
flipped several Governors and State legislatures. Here in the Senate,
Democratic candidates did extraordinarily well with a very difficult
map. Overall, last Tuesday night was a very good night for Democrats.
But more importantly, it was a very good night for America and for
beginning to restore some normalcy to our Nation's governance.
This afternoon, let me welcome the new Republican Senators and the
two new Democratic Senators, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and Kyrsten Sinema
of Arizona--the women of the West--with whom I met this morning. Both
are highly accomplished. Both are tough and incredibly bright and
principled but also pragmatic. I assure you that they will both make
excellent, effective Senators. I could not be more pleased to welcome
them to this Chamber.
But now that the hard-fought midterm campaign is over, we must turn
the page and see what Democrats and Republicans can accomplish together
for the American people. In the lameduck session, we will consider
legislation dealing with the Coast Guard and wrap up the appropriations
process. Then, in January, the House and Senate will come back with new
legislators and new priorities.
One item can't wait, though, until January. Last week, President
Trump asked for the resignation of his once best friend, Attorney
General Jeff Sessions, and announced that Matthew Whitaker, the Chief
of Staff to the Attorney General, would become the Acting Attorney
General. Even though Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, already
confirmed by the Senate, was next in line for the title of Acting
Attorney General under the Department of Justice's succession statute,
President Trump took the highly unusual step of naming another person
to the job, Mr. Whitaker, who has not been confirmed by the Senate for
any job in the Justice Department.
First and foremost, there are serious questions about whether or not
Mr. Whitaker's appointment is even constitutional, considering the
requirement for Senate confirmation in article II of the Constitution.
But in addition to very serious questions about the appointment itself,
Americans should be very concerned about the appointee, Mr. Whitaker,
and what he might mean for the special counsel's investigation.
It is amazing. Mr. Whitaker claims that Russia didn't interfere with
our elections, contrary to the conclusion of 17 intelligence agencies.
When someone ignores the facts and just says these things, you know
they are an ideologue. They are not trying to dispense justice or
anything else down the middle. They are an ideologue. Seventeen
intelligence agencies say Russia interfered in our elections. This is
not about collusion--just whether they interfered, and Whitaker says
no. He has called for ``pulling the reins back'' on the Russia
investigation. That is hardly a neutral arbiter who is going to call
the shots as they should be called, down the middle. He referred to
Special Counsel Mueller and his staff as a ``lynch mob.''
When I saw General Flynn in the 2016 campaign, a three-star general,
screaming: ``Lock her up,'' I thought: Something is wrong. A general
shouldn't do that no matter what their political views are. When the
Acting Attorney General refers to Special Counsel Mueller and his staff
as a ``lynch mob,'' that is way over the top in a similar way, and
Whitaker has openly mused about how to grind the investigation to a
halt.
There is simply no question that Mr. Whitaker enters his role as
Acting Attorney General with a clear bias against the Russia
investigation. Essentially, Mr. Whitaker has prejudged the outcome of
an investigation he now oversees. That is awful. That is not America.
That is so highly political in a bad way.
In light of this, two things must happen. First, we are demanding
that Mr. Whitaker recuse himself from the Russia investigation. On
Sunday, I sent a letter, along with Leader Pelosi and top Democrats
from both Houses in the relevant committees, to the Department of
Justice's chief ethics officer explaining why Mr. Whitaker should be
recused and requesting that the chief ethics officer notify Congress of
what ethics guidance Mr. Whitaker has given.
We have heard that Mr. Whitaker is meeting with the ethics officials
this week, and we expect that Congress will be notified about the
results of those discussions.
Second, if Whitaker does not recuse himself, we Democrats are going
to attempt to add legislation to the must-pass spending bill in the
lameduck session that would prevent Acting Attorney General Whitaker
from interfering with the Mueller investigation in any way. Judiciary
Committee Democrats have also requested that Chairman Grassley schedule
a hearing with Mr. Whitaker and former Attorney General Sessions. I
support that request wholeheartedly.
Now, even if you don't believe that Mr. Whitaker poses a threat to
the Mueller investigation, there are serious questions about whether
his appointment is lawful or whether Mr. Whitaker has the experience,
temperament, independence, fidelity, and rule of law required for such
a vitally important position. Given that the Senate never confirmed him
for his current role in the Justice Department, now is
[[Page S6905]]
the time to consider whether Mr. Whitaker is qualified for his new role
as our Nation's chief law enforcement officer.
Let's remember one thing: Democrats and Republicans alike have said
that if President Trump interferes with the Russia investigation, we
would be on the brink of a constitutional crisis the likes of which we
haven't seen in decades. Altering the chain of command in the Justice
Department to put a partisan loyalist in charge of the investigation
certainly feels like we may be heading down that road. Why not head the
whole thing off at the pass? Mr. Whitaker can and should recuse himself
and, regardless, the Senate should pass legislation to protect the
integrity of the Russia investigation.
In conclusion, it is a far better thing to be safe than sorry when it
comes to something as paramount as the rule of law and fidelity to the
great Constitution of the United States of America.
I yield the floor.
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. FLAKE assumed the Chair.)
Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Johnson). Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I will just start out by saying it is good
to see you. It is good to be back. I hope you had a good break.
We have business to do--serious business to do. Before we took our
recess around election time, we closed off by passing, I think, a 99-
to-1 vote here and a unanimous vote over in the House. It is a major
water infrastructure bill that Senator Barrasso and I and our staffs
have worked on with a number of our colleagues. We are back here today
to do some more good work. I am grateful to everyone who has had a part
in that.
I rise in support of the Coast Guard reauthorizing bill and to urge
our colleagues to vote yes on the pending cloture motion and on final
passage of this legislation tomorrow. Ensuring that our Coast Guard,
comprised of nearly 90,000 men and women across our country, has the
resources to do its important work is incredibly important.
The Coast Guard was established at the behest of Treasury Secretary
Alexander Hamilton, who is known more recently for the musical, but he
was actually behind the establishment of the Coast Guard all those
years ago. This is one of his greatest hits, if you will. He played a
crucial role in our country, and so has the Coast Guard--including in
my State of Delaware--from the very birth of our Nation, and my guess
is also in Wisconsin, where our Presiding Officer is from.
Today, we ask this branch of our military to track pollution at sea,
to combat illicit trafficking and smuggling, and to protect maritime
operations that are expanding throughout our Arctic waters, while still
keeping our waters safe for recreational and cargo vessels sailing in
places like the Delaware Bay.
The bill before us today will increase resources for the Coast Guard
by about 10 percent so they are equipped to continue this important and
oftentimes lifesaving work. This legislation also allows for multiyear
funding in order to procure future national security cutters, which
will reduce costs, increase predictability, and stabilize workforces.
It is like a win-win-win.
For a State like mine, which is serious about its recreational
boating, the bill would increase safety by implementing engine cut-off
switches and alternate signaling devices.
For the Coast Guard contingent based at the Indian River Inlet in
Delaware, about halfway between Rehoboth Beach and the Maryland line in
Ocean City, this bill means an increase in operational and maintenance
funding for personnel and boats, easier access to healthcare for crews
and their families, better quality of the life through updated leave
policies, extra funding for shoreside infrastructure improvements, and
clarity on inspections and enforcement procedures for vessel boardings.
The impacts of this reauthorization bill are real. They will be felt
in the Coast Guard contingents across our country. This bill also
includes a major win with regard to our shared environment.
Many of our Senate colleagues have invested far more than I have in
time and effort to bring greater efficiency and effectiveness to our
Nation's management of potentially harmful ballast water discharges
from vessels plying our waters. That effort has culminated in the
Vessel Incidental Discharge Act--better known as VIDA, as in Vida
Blue--which is contained in title IX of the amendment before us.
Specifically, the bill will go a long way toward preventing polluted
ballast water discharges from entering our waterways, will minimize the
risk of introduction of invasive species in the Great Lakes and other
sensitive ecosystems, and will maintain important environmental
protections for our waters that are enshrined in the Clean Water Act.
This past April, the Senate failed to invoke cloture on a prior
version of this reauthorization bill. Many of our colleagues and I were
concerned that the earlier legislation failed to maintain the
appropriate roles for the Coast Guard and for EPA.
This new version makes sure that the EPA is responsible for setting
vessel discharge standards while the Coast Guard is responsible for
approving the technologies that can meet those standards and, thus,
allow vessels to operate safely. This is the key. I want to say it
again. This new version makes sure that the EPA is responsible for
setting vessel discharge standards while the Coast Guard is responsible
for approving the technologies that can meet those standards and, thus,
allow vessels to operate safely and ultimately to operate efficiently.
As ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee, I am grateful for the excellent work done by the Senator
from South Dakota, the chairman of the Commerce Committee, Senator
Thune, and the Senator from Florida, Mr. Nelson, the ranking member,
and by their able staffs, working with us on this important, bipartisan
bill.
My speech here does not mention the Senator from Alaska, Dan
Sullivan. It is his birthday today. So I am going to give him a shout-
out and say that he and his staff worked on this as well, and we are
grateful to them for being our partners.
With the support of our Commerce Committee colleagues and the active
participation of many Senators--including our Pacific coast, Great
Lakes, and east coast partners--we have strengthened VIDA in
substantial ways since our last vote on this legislation in April.
Let me take a minute now and explain how. First of all, we have
clarified that the Clean Water Act should govern this important
endeavor to keep our waters clean, healthy, and productive, and that
the Environmental Protection Agency should take the lead in
establishing standards for the discharge of waters polluted by invasive
species and other substances from vessels.
This legislation also recognizes the expertise, if you will, and the
experience of the Coast Guard and their crews by ensuring that it
retains responsibility for determining the best available technology
necessary to meet the EPA's discharge standards, while also maintaining
maritime safety. In addition, the Coast Guard would assume the primary
Federal role in monitoring and enforcing these standards. So there you
have it.
As a former Governor--some of my colleagues call me a recovering
Governor, which is true--it was critically important to me that we
ensure a robust role for States, especially given that the waters in
their jurisdictions are the most at risk for invasive species and
pollution coming from ships. With that in mind, we have ensured that
States maintain a coenforcement responsibility to ensure that these
Federal standards are met. The Coast Guard, in close coordination with
the States, will establish a set of inspection and enforcement
procedures that will ensure a common approach to the States'
enforcement of Federal vessel discharge standards and requirements.
We have also required that Governors are consulted in the
establishment of discharge standards and that they can act to drive the
Federal agencies to issue emergency measures should invasive species
appear off their shores.
[[Page S6906]]
Governors will also be able to directly petition the EPA and the
Coast Guard for stronger national standard and requirements if the
science says that they are necessary or the technology has evolved. The
EPA and the Coast Guard will be required to respond to a Governor's
petition quickly and on the merits, not sidestepping concerns that
might be raised.
Should a State find that its waters are threatened despite the
protection offered by the national standard, that State can petition
the EPA to establish no-discharge zones to protect those vulnerable
waters from any vessel discharges or force the EPA to issue emergency
orders.
Under this legislation, Great Lakes Governors for the first time have
a defined process to adopt stronger requirements and more protective
equipment on vessels entering or traveling within the Great Lakes. In
addition, a new Aquatic Nuisance Species Program is established that
would address the waters of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. The
bill also creates special ballast water exchange requirements to help
ensure the protection of critical Pacific region environments.
Under all circumstances, no future discharge standards, regional
requirements, or technology mandates can ever be weaker than the
Federal requirements that are in place today. Let me say that again.
Under all circumstances, no future discharge standards, regional
requirements, or technology mandates can ever be weaker than the
Federal requirements that are in place today. Furthermore, no State
laws or regulations will be preempted unless and until the new, more
proactive, more protective Federal standards and requirements are in
place--meaning they are both final and enforceable by the Coast Guard
and the States.
This bill contains equal measures of environmental urgency and common
sense. It sets clear roles and responsibilities for the Federal
agencies involved in implementing it, and it provides certainty and
predictability to all who rely on our coastal waters and the Great
Lakes to recreate, fish, and carry our cargos.
Many of our colleagues realize that getting to this point has been a
multiyear endeavor. In the end, that is what has brought us together--a
common appreciation of how important our waters are to our country. No
matter how far away from the coast we may live, none of us are
untouched in some way by the environment and resources extending from
our shores.
Again, let me commend everyone who has helped in ways both large and
small to craft the important compromise that is before us today. With
its inclusion, we will have a clear path to enacting a much needed
Coast Guard reauthorization bill with its strong VIDA provisions. I
urge my colleagues to join us in supporting it and by doing so,
demonstrating that even on the heels of last week's election, the
Senate is still committed to hammering out principled compromises on
difficult but important issues like these.
I will close by hearkening back to my days in the U.S. House of
Representatives. After I was Treasurer, I served in the House for a
while. After that, I served as Governor of my State and then came here
to join our colleagues in the Senate. For 10 years I served on the
Coast Guard Subcommittee, which was in the Merchant Marine and
Fisheries Committee, and I had the opportunity to visit Coast Guard
facilities not just on the east coast but as far away as Alaska, on
Kodiak Island.
I am a retired Navy captain. I spent a lot of time on airplanes and
sometimes on ships to understand fairly well the important role that
the Coast Guard does. We certainly see that every day on the east
coast. We have a huge tourist business on the shores and the beaches of
Delaware, and the Coast Guard plays a hugely important role in that
endeavor.
Today, we thank and salute--the Navy salutes--the Coast Guard and all
of the men and women who are out there doing their job for all of us.
Again, I want to salute especially the three Senators I mentioned
earlier: Senator Thune, Senator Nelson, and Senator Sullivan, our
birthday boy today, and for a job well done.
Particularly, I want to thank the folks on my staff. I will just
mention a couple of names: Christophe Tulou, Andrew Rogers, and MF
Repko, who is a leader and the head of our staff on the Environment and
Public Works Committee, and our colleagues on the other side on EPW. It
is a good team effort.
People say to me all the time back home, and I am sure they say this
to our Presiding Officer back in Wisconsin: When are you guys going to
get something done?
Senator John Barrasso was just on the floor and spoke briefly to the
Presiding Officer. He and I, working with our colleagues, Democrats and
Republicans alike, got something big done--the Water Resources
Development Act, a big water infrastructure bill that we passed by a
big margin, as I said earlier.
As for today's vote--I don't care if you live on the coast or live in
the Great Lakes or some other place around the country--we all have a
dog in this fight, not just by talking about it or pointing fingers at
one another. We are doing something about it, and we are doing it by
working together. I am proud of what we have done. I am grateful to
everyone who has had a part in that.
With that, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
Thank you so much.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Tribute to Will Ruder
Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I rise this evening to pay tribute to a
longtime member of my staff. Will Ruder has served Kansans for 11 years
and counting, including the last 2 years as legislative director in our
office here in Washington. It is always difficult to say goodbye to our
staff, but for many reasons, it will be uniquely difficult to replace
Will.
Will grew up in a small, Western Kansas town called Plainville. If
that sounds familiar to any of the folks back home, it is because
Plainville is my home town as well.
Eleven years ago, I weighed two strong applicants for an internship
opening in my office. As I recall, the first candidate had attended an
east coast private school and was recommended by multiple individuals.
The second was a young man from Plainville, whose parents ran a gas
station and who was immediately approachable, down-to-earth, and eager
to serve Kansans. Perhaps it goes without saying that in choosing Will
11 years ago, I made a right decision.
Will's Plainville roots and the values instilled by his family,
hometown neighbors, and friends kept him grounded during his service in
our Nation's Capital.
My ability to work on behalf of Kansans is greatly enhanced when
dedicated individuals who care about our home State are there by my
side.
I have often told my staff that I am an enabler. I enable them to do
more for our State. I can think of no staffer who better epitomizes and
articulates the reason I am here today as a U.S. Senator, working to
preserve the rural way of life and the American dream for the next
generation, than Will Ruder.
Just last week, this resonated with me in a powerful way. A short bus
ride north from Hays is Plainville. My staff and I were in Hays on our
staff retreat, and we made a surprise pit stop to Ruder Oil Company to
visit Will's parents, John and Karla. It was a special moment for our
staff to pay tribute to the Ruder family and to Will, the oldest of six
Ruder children.
As a light rain fell, Will shared what it meant to come full circle
back to his roots and why the work that we do in our Nation's Capital
is so important to ensuring that rural America remains alive and well,
particularly at a time when the American dream is seemingly becoming
harder and harder to achieve.
As a policy adviser and legislative director, Will has accomplished a
great deal on behalf of Kansans. A few weeks after I was sworn in as a
Senator, it was Will who drafted the resolution honoring Kansas's 150th
birthday.
In response to a devastating gas explosion in Hutchinson, KS, which
took the lives of two Kansans and destroyed half a block of downtown
businesses,
[[Page S6907]]
Will spent years working to pass legislation to allow Kansans to
restore safety inspections of underground gas storage facilities.
Will was intimately involved in numerous banking, energy and water
infrastructure victories for Kansans and almost always on a bipartisan
basis.
I always say that if I have to lose good staffers, I hope it is
because they are returning to Kansas. For Will, perhaps that was
inevitable, but for the past several months, Will has had the
unfortunate existence of working States away from his wife and kids,
who made the preemptive move to Overland Park, KS, when his wife Liz
received an exciting job opportunity.
I am happy for Will, and I know he is ecstatic to have a chance to
move home, spend time with Liz, and watch his two children, Miriam and
Leo, grow up.
Today I want to thank Will Ruder of Plainville, KS. Thank you, Will,
for spending 11 years of your life in our Nation's Capital, trying to
make things better, and for the way you have always conducted yourself
on my behalf and on behalf of Kansans back home.
Whether you believe it or not, you have left a significant mark on
this place, on our office, and on me, and your presence will be sorely
missed.
Nomination of Michelle Bowman
Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, tomorrow the Senate will consider Kansan
Michelle Bowman to serve on the Federal Board of Governors for the seat
reserved for a community banker or a community bank regulator. To
understand her qualifications, we should first look at the position for
which she has been nominated.
The original Federal Reserve Act requires appointments to the Board
to include a representative of the agriculture community. When Congress
further defined the Fed's representation, it created a specific seat
for someone with a community bank background, having either worked in
or supervised a community bank. Miki Bowman has done both.
Miki's experience as both Kansas State bank commissioner and her time
at Farmers and Drovers Bank in Council Grove, KS, satisfies both of
those statutory requirements, and she is even more qualified with her
impressive background in public service and the private sector. In
total, Miki Bowman has served as bank supervisor and regulator for
nearly 2 years and has been a community banker for 7 years.
Miki was nominated April 16, 2018, as a member of the Federal Reserve
Board of Governors as the Community Bank Representative for the
remainder of a 14-year term expiring January 31, 2020. If confirmed,
she will represent Region 8, the St. Louis region of Missouri, for the
Federal Reserve.
Miki will also be the first person nominated and confirmed by the
Senate to hold the seat specifically reserved for one member with
demonstrated primary experience working in or supervising community
banks. She would be one of seven members of the Board.
Miki's early years echo that of many Kansans. She attended the
University of Kansas to earn a bachelor's degree and then went on to
earn a law degree from Washburn University.
After graduation, Miki was called to public service where she served
in a variety of capacities, including as a staff member for Senator
Dole and counsel for several House committees, Director of
Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs for FEMA, and a Deputy
Assistant Secretary and Policy Adviser at the Department of Homeland
Security Under Secretary Tom Ridge.
Following that, she and her husband moved to London, where Miki
consulted on government and public affairs.
Like many Kansans who love and appreciate our State, Miki made her
way back home. She returned to Council Grove to take the helm of the
family bank for the next 7 years. Far from London and Washington, DC,
Miki felt the need to return to her community to make a good life for
her children and to serve her community.
Once again called to public service, Miki was nominated by Kansas
Gov. Sam Brownback to serve as the Kansas bank commissioner, a position
she has held since February 2017 and still holds to this day.
Miki's experience as both Kansas State bank commissioner and her time
at Farmers and Drovers Bank in Council Grove satisfies both statutory
requirements with her impressive background in public service and the
private sector.
Community banks are an important part of communities and small cities
across the country. They extend credit for homes, small businesses, and
farm equipment, while also sponsoring Little League Baseball teams and
the school band.
In addition, Miki understands the role that relationships play in the
approach to business. In rural Kansas and across America, community
banks act as economic engines, leveraging relationships with local
community members that rely on trust and honesty.
Miki could tell story after story about the friendships and high
level of trust she has built with her customers. It is a different kind
of banking and one that will help make certain that rural America can
thrive well into the future.
I urge my colleagues to vote tomorrow in favor of Miki Bowman to
serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors so we can bring her
experience and unique perspectives to the Federal Reserve Board.
I yield the floor, and 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. NELSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
S. 140
Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, we finally have the Coast Guard bill here.
I want to urge our colleagues to support the passage of the Coast Guard
Authorization Act of 2018. We have worked on it and passed it through
committee. We have been in intensive discussions with the House, and
finally, the final product is here.
Coast Guard personnel live by the motto ``Always Ready.'' Just last
month, I saw firsthand how Coast Guard efforts in protecting life and
property followed Hurricane Michael up in the Panhandle of Florida.
Coast Guard ships, planes, and helicopters came from across the country
to help hundreds of people on the Florida coastline and inland, and the
Coast Guard, as always, was there to assist--``Always Ready,'' their
motto. In Panama City, the shallow-water response teams provided food,
water, and oxygen and ensured the relocation of over 130 nursing home
residents, 35 of whom were bedridden, and they saw them to safety and
medical care as far away as Pensacola. The Coast Guard also conducted
damage assessments to facilitate the reopening of the Florida waterways
and ports. This isn't something new; the Coast Guard provided similar
efforts to Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico following
Hurricanes Irma and Maria last fall.
If there is a disaster, aside from the Federal Agency tasked--FEMA--
you can bet your boots that the Coast Guard is going to be there.
During just 5 weeks of the 2017 hurricane season a year ago, the Coast
Guard saved over 11,000 people and more than 1,000 pets and mobilized
nearly 3,000 personnel. For Hurricane Maria alone, a year ago, the
Coast Guard deployed over 500 personnel, 7 helicopters, 17 planes, and
14 cutters. And you know the devastation that Hurricane Maria did on
the island of Puerto Rico.
On behalf of Floridians, I thank the Coast Guard for their hurricane
response and invaluable assistance provided to storm victims. We owe
the Coast Guard our gratitude for their readiness and service to the
Nation. When mariners are out in their fishing boats and get stranded
out in the ocean, who are they so happily contacting but the Coast
Guard for rescue?
The Coast Guard does much more than just save lives; they also serve
as a first line of defense against cartels and smugglers who seek to
flood the United States with illegal drugs. Last year, for instance,
was a banner year for Coast Guard drug enforcement. They prevented over
200 metric tons of cocaine, valued at over $6 billion, from entering
the United States. In Florida, the Coast Guard cutter Mohawk, which is
homeported in Key West, confiscated over 7 tons of cocaine in August. A
[[Page S6908]]
month later, the Coast Guard cutter Tahoma offloaded 6 tons of cocaine
in Port Everglades. And just last month, the Miami-based Coast Guard
cutter Bernard C. Webber confiscated over 3,500 pounds of cocaine and
50 pounds of marijuana.
The bottom line is that the Coast Guard is an adaptable, responsive
military force that maintains a persistent and comforting presence
along our rivers, in our ports, on our coastal waters, and on the high
seas.
I have had the privilege of spending a great deal of time with the
Coast Guard. I have been in their helicopters chasing down go-fasts,
showing me in a simulated chase how they would shoot out the engines
from the open door of a Coast Guard helicopter. I have also done that
chase in high-speed, the Coast Guard getting off the cutters into the
go-fast--go-fasts that can turn on a dime. At the end of the day, the
Coast Guard is going to catch even the speediest boats, and if they
can't catch them with the go-fast small boats, they will catch them
from the air.
I have been with the Coast Guard up in Alaska, where the Navy has
pretty well ceded protection of the seas off of Alaska and up into the
Arctic to the Coast Guard. We have a substantial fishing fleet up
there. Of course, who do they rely on when they get into trouble? That
is why we have a substantial Coast Guard presence in Alaska.
The bottom line is that the Coast Guard is an incredible force. They
are especially present in the State of Florida since we have so much
coastline. Nearly 40 percent of all Coast Guard personnel are in and
around the State of Florida.
Down in Key West is the joint task force center--maintained by all
agencies of the Federal Government--which is tracking the movements of
the drug smugglers. If we had more assets in the Caribbean and the
Pacific, we would be able to pick up a lot more of the drugs trying to
enter and poison our children in the United States. We should do
everything we can to support the Coast Guard's work. That is why we are
here today.
The bipartisan bill before us will reauthorize the Coast Guard for
fiscal years 2018 and 2019. It authorizes a $2 billion funding increase
for the Coast Guard through fiscal year 2019. This includes new money
to help the Coast Guard continue modernizing its aging fleet of cutters
and aircraft. A good part of the Coast Guard's modernization of their
fleet--the new offshore patrol cutters are being built by a shipbuilder
in Florida.
This legislation will also better enable the Coast Guard to execute
their missions, provide adequate resources and training to meet
operational demands, and support servicemembers and their dependents.
You should see these Coast Guard bases around the country, even on the
Great Lakes. Just think--there are mariners on the Great Lakes. There
is a great deal of commercial shipping on the Great Lakes. As a result,
we have a substantial Coast Guard presence and Coast Guard bases on the
Great Lakes.
This is a good bill, and we can be proud of it. Passing it will
ensure that the Coast Guard has the tools they need to continue to
carry out their many important missions, including the lifesaving and
disaster response roles on which so many Americans have come to rely.
When they call, they know they can depend on the Coast Guard.
I urge our colleagues to support this motion for cloture and then
tomorrow to support the final passage of the bill.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.
Unanimous Consent Agreement--Amendment No. 4054
Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, amendment No. 4054 be
modified with the changes that are at the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
(The amendment, as further modified, is printed in the November 15,
2018, Record on page S6973.)
=========================== NOTE ===========================
On page S6908, November 13, 2018, in the second column, the
following appears:UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT--AMENDMENT
NO. 4054 Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, amendment No. 4054 be
modified with the changes that are at the desk. The PRESIDING
OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered.
UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT--S.J. RES. 65
The online Record has been corrected to read: UNANIMOUS CONSENT
AGREEMENT--AMENDMENT NO. 4054 Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I ask
unanimous consent that notwithstanding the provisions of rule
XXII, amendment No. 4054 be modified with the changes that are at
the desk. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without
objection, it is so ordered. (The amendment, as further modified,
is printed in the November 15, 2018, Record on page S6973.)
UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT--S.J. RES. 65
========================= END NOTE =========================
Unanimous Consent Agreement--S.J. Res. 65
Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to
be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the
Democratic leader, but no later than November 16, Senator Paul or his
designee be recognized to make a motion to discharge S.J. Res. 65; that
there be up to an hour of debate on the motion equally divided between
the proponents and the opponents; and that following the use or
yielding back of that time, the Senate vote in relation to the motion
to discharge; further, that if the motion to discharge is agreed to,
the joint resolution be eligible for the expedited procedures under the
act.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I yield the floor.
____________________