[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 180 (Wednesday, November 14, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6949-S6950]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Coast Guard Reauthorization Bill

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I know the perception out there is often 
that bipartisanship is dead, but the bill we passed this afternoon, the 
Coast Guard Authorization Act, is a good reminder that we can still 
come together and get things done for the American people.
  The bill we just passed overwhelmingly, which is headed to the 
President's desk, has been negotiated for almost 2 years. Portions of 
this bill have been discussed for over a decade. It is good to see 
Senators and Representatives of both parties come together in 
compromise on such an important piece of legislation.
  We celebrated Veterans Day earlier this week. As always, it was a 
powerful reminder of everything we owe to the men and women who keep us 
safe, like the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard. This key branch 
of the military is responsible for defending our Nation's waters. The 
men and women of the Coast Guard stand on the frontlines preventing 
dangerous drugs, weapons, and individuals from entering our country by 
sea. When disaster strikes in the form of storms and hurricanes, the 
Coast Guard is on the scene conducting search and rescue and carrying 
people to safety. We owe the men and women of the Coast Guard a 
tremendous debt of gratitude. We owe it to the American people to 
ensure that our Nation's coastguardsmen have the tools and resources 
they need to carry out their mission.
  This bill will improve maritime safety, security, and stewardship. It 
gives the Coast Guard the authority it needs to conduct its military 
and law enforcement missions and authorizes the equipment it needs to 
react to national emergencies.
  The bill also creates uniform national ballast water and discharge 
standards for commercial vehicles that give industry certainty while 
ensuring the protection of our environment. It also reauthorizes the 
Federal Maritime Commission and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration's hydrographic services.
  As chairman of the Commerce Committee, I have been honored to work 
with dedicated committee members of both parties. I would like to 
personally thank the members of our committee for all their hard work 
this Congress.
  Special thanks on this bill go to Senator Nelson, the committee's 
ranking member; Senators Sullivan and Baldwin, the chairman and ranking 
member of our Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard 
Subcommittee; and to Senators Fischer and Peters, chairman and ranking 
member of our Surface Transportation Subcommittee.
  I would also like to thank Chairman Barrasso and Ranking Member 
Carper from the Environment and Public Works Committee and Chairman 
Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio of the House Transportation and 
Infrastructure Committee. They have been great partners. I appreciate 
everything they have done to help get this bill across the finish line.
  Finally, I would like to thank all the staff from both Chambers who 
worked tirelessly--including many late nights and weekends--on this 
bill. Without their efforts, the final product would not have been such 
a success. While everyone on the team worked hard on the bill, on my 
staff, I would like to especially thank Nick Rossi, Adrian Arnakis, 
Fern Gibbons, Jason Smith, Patrick Fuchs, Andrew Neely, Chance 
Costello, Alison Graab, Frederick Hill, and Brianna Manzelli.
  On Senator Nelson's staff, thanks go to Kim Lipsky, Jeff Lewis, Devon 
Barnhart, Sarah Gonzales-Rothi, and Catherine Carabine.
  From the Environment and Public Works Committee, I want to thank 
Richard Russell, Elizabeth Horner, Mary Frances Repko, Andrew Rogers, 
Christophe Tulou, and Zach Pilchen.
  I also would like to place in the Record the names of the staffers 
from our partner committees in the House who played key roles in this 
important legislation. On Chairman Shuster's staff, the individuals who 
should be thanked include Chris Vieson, Geoff Gosselin, John Rayfield, 
Bonnie Bruce, Luke Preston, and Cameron Humphrey. From Ranking Member 
DeFazio's staff, thanks goes to Kathy Dedrick and Dave Jansen.
  I am sure I have left someone off this list, and for that, I 
apologize. It underscores the amount of collective effort that went 
into our work here.
  I could also easily expand the list to include those at the Coast 
Guard and at the Environmental Protection Agency who provided valuable 
assistance and technical expertise. We look forward to working with 
them on the implementation of this bill.
  As I said earlier, the Coast Guard reauthorization that we just 
passed is a reminder that we can work together and get things done for 
the American people. It is a timely reminder given the election. Last 
week, the American people elected a Democratic majority to the House of 
Representatives and reelected a Republican majority to the Senate. If 
we are going to get things done in the new Congress, we are going to 
need to work together.
  Here in the Senate, we have spent the past 2 years working on an 
agenda to expand opportunities for working families and to put more 
money in Americans' pockets. We have also worked hard to ensure that 
those who keep our Nation safe have all the tools and resources they 
need. We are going to continue that agenda in the lameduck session and 
in the new Congress. I really hope Democrats will join us. We can work 
together to grow our economy, lift up working families, and protect our 
Nation, but it is going to require Democrats to make a choice.
  Democrats have spent most of the past 2 years attempting to 
relitigate the 2016 election. Losing elections is a fact of life in a 
democracy, but Democrats just haven't seemed to be able to let this one 
go. Over the past 2 years, they have focused most of their energy on 
knee-jerk opposition to anything Republicans or the President propose, 
even when they have agreed with us. They routinely delayed confirmation 
of the President's nominees--not just the ones they didn't like but the 
ones they ended up supporting. They refused to work with Republicans on 
an overhaul of our Nation's burdensome, outdated Tax Code even though 
Democrats supported many of the measures that ended up in the final 
bill. Obviously, there are going to be times when the right thing to do 
as a Member of Congress is to oppose. We have a responsibility to say 
no when we think a bill or nominee would profoundly damage the country. 
But that is not what Democrats have done. Too many of them have made 
opposition not a tool to be deployed when needed but their standard 
operating procedure.
  I say again, Democrats have a choice. They can continue down the path 
of partisanship and opposition, or they can decide to start afresh and 
to work with Republicans. I hope they choose the latter.
  I look forward to working with my Democratic colleagues in this new 
Congress on the priorities that the American people sent us here to 
work on--to make our economy stronger, to grow at a faster rate, to 
create better paying jobs, to raise wages in this country, and to give 
future generations of Americans more opportunities at a higher standard 
of living and a better quality of life.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.

[[Page S6950]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. 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. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 
up to 20 minutes as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.