[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for the quorum call be rescinded.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.

                          ____________________