[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 197 (Thursday, December 13, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7531-S7532]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       BUSINESS BEFORE THE SENATE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the Senate began this week with a long 
list of important unfinished business. And make no mistake--that list 
remains lengthy. It will require the continued good-faith efforts of 
Members on both sides of the aisle to keep up the progress.
  We need to confirm more of the well-qualified nominees who remain 
waiting on the Senate's calendar. We need to deliver the targeted 
resources that are necessary for securing our border and fund the 
remaining parts of the Federal Government.
  Today, of course, debate will continue on the Sanders-Lee resolution 
with respect to U.S. involvement in Yemen. As I stated yesterday, their 
resolution is not sufficiently prudent nor sufficiently precise for the 
job at hand. Yes, the Senate wants Saudi Arabia to act responsibly. We 
want to see a more stable Yemen for the sake of the Yemeni people. We 
also want to preserve this 70-year partnership, which serves our 
interests and helps stabilize a crucial region.
  The resolution before us is a blunt and imprecise measure that would 
not advance these delicate goals. To the contrary, it would jeopardize 
U.S. support that has actually limited civilian casualties. And I 
maintain that since genuine hostilities are not involved, the 
resolution should not even be privileged under the War Powers Act.
  I urge my colleagues to vote against their resolution and to support 
Chairman Corker's more responsible alternative in its place.
  Even considering the work still before us, Members should take pride 
in the significant milestones we have checked off this week.
  On Tuesday, the Senate completed the 30th Federal circuit judge 
confirmation of this Congress.
  Yesterday evening, the Senate and the House reached a landmark 
agreement to reform the process by which Capitol Hill itself handles 
claims of sexual harassment, discrimination, and other workplace 
violations. It is a bicameral and bipartisan agreement. It strengthens 
protections for victims. It ensures that Members of Congress shall be 
held responsible for their own misconduct, not taxpayers. It contains a 
number of other important reforms to

[[Page S7532]]

create more transparency and accountability in the process. I am very 
glad Congress will be taking this important step. I want to thank 
Chairman Blunt and Ranking Member Klobuchar and their counterparts in 
the House for working hard to get this across the finish line.
  That wasn't the only milestone we cleared yesterday. Yesterday 
afternoon, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing 
the farm bill conference report. Now it is on its way to the 
President's desk.
  The boost this bill delivers couldn't come soon enough. It is no 
secret that these are tough times in farm country. Falling prices and 
volatile markets make it harder to make ends meet. Net farm income 
continues to decline. The threat of natural disasters is a constant 
fear for even the most skilled and prepared farmers.
  Families in my home State of Kentucky are all too familiar with these 
challenges. Months of heavy rain and severe weather this year have 
damaged crop yields and increased the burden on producers. We are home 
to more than 75,000 farms. They produce everything from soybeans and 
poultry to horses and corn. These families are looking to us for help 
and stability, and when President Trump signs our farm bill into law, 
more stability is just what they will get.
  I would like to share some of the bill's highlights that will support 
farm families in the Blue Grass State, by way of example.
  In need of certainty and predictability, this farm bill extends a 
strong commodity safety net and protects crop insurance.
  It contains policies to encourage future generations of farmers to 
plant their own roots--particularly important in States like mine with 
aging agricultural populations.
  To preserve our land for the future, the legislation promotes 
conservation programs, outdoor recreation, and upgraded watershed and 
drinking water infrastructure.
  For our rural communities, it expands broadband deployment and 
dedicates further resources to combat the opioid epidemic.
  For hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians faced with food insecurity, 
the farm bill increases funding for emergency programs at food banks.
  The legislation provides continued funding for groundbreaking 
agricultural research at universities and research institutions.
  For producers looking for markets abroad, it strengthens our trade 
programs to develop new opportunities for Kentucky around the globe.
  Of course, each of these important victories for Kentucky farmers 
comes in addition to the new opportunities available with the full 
legalization of industrial hemp, as I have discussed extensively here 
on the floor.
  All in all, this legislation is a big win for farmers in Kentucky and 
across our country. I am proud to have played a part in delivering that 
victory.
  It has been my privilege to represent Kentucky farmers on the 
Agriculture Committee every day I have served in the Senate. The 
multiyear bill we produced is a credit to the leadership of Chairman 
Roberts and Ranking Member Stabenow, and now the fruits of their labor 
are finally on the way to the White House.
  I would like to express my gratitude to my follow conferees, 
especially my colleague from Kentucky, Congressman Jamie Comer.
  I would also like to thank the Kentucky Farm Bureau, which has been 
my partner every step of the way. Earlier this month, the farm bureau 
announced the beginning of its centennial year. I would be hard-pressed 
to think of a better way to celebrate that 100th birthday than with a 
new farm bill.
  There is a reason this bill passed both Houses with overwhelming 
bipartisan majorities. There is a reason this has been a big priority 
for Congress and the administration. Farming families deserve more 
stability. Once the President signs this farm bill into law, that is 
precisely what they will have.

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