[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 109 (Thursday, June 27, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4599-S4604]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CLOTURE MOTION
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before
the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.
The bill clerk read as follows:
Cloture Motion
We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the
provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate,
do hereby move to bring to a close debate on amendment No.
764, as modified, to S. 1790, a bill to authorize
appropriations for fiscal year 2020 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and
for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to
prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year,
and for other purposes.
James M. Inhofe, Roger F. Wicker, Johnny Isakson, Steve
Daines, Roy Blunt, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Kevin Cramer, Deb
Fischer, Mitch McConnell, Pat Roberts, John Cornyn,
Mike Crapo, Mike Rounds, John Thune, John Hoeven, Thom
Tillis, John Boozman.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum
call has been waived.
The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on
amendment No. 764, offered by the Senator from Kentucky, as modified,
to S. 1790, an original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal
year 2020 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for
military construction, for defense activities of the Department of
Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year,
and for other purposes, shall be brought to a close?
The yeas and nays are mandatory.
The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds).
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet),
the Senator from New York (Mrs. Gillibrand), the Senator from
California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and
the Senator from Massachusetts (Ms. Warren) are necessarily absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sasse). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber desiring to vote?
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 87, nays 7, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 186 Leg.]
YEAS--87
Alexander
Baldwin
Barrasso
Blackburn
Blumenthal
Blunt
Boozman
Braun
Brown
Burr
Cantwell
Capito
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Cassidy
Collins
Coons
Cornyn
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Cruz
Daines
Duckworth
Durbin
Enzi
Ernst
Feinstein
Fischer
Gardner
Graham
Grassley
Hassan
Hawley
Heinrich
Hirono
Hoeven
Hyde-Smith
Inhofe
Isakson
Johnson
Jones
Kaine
Kennedy
King
Lankford
Leahy
Manchin
McConnell
McSally
Menendez
Moran
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Perdue
Peters
Portman
Reed
Risch
Roberts
Romney
Rosen
Rubio
Sasse
Schatz
Schumer
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Shaheen
Shelby
Sinema
Smith
Stabenow
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Tillis
Toomey
Udall
Van Hollen
Warner
Whitehouse
Wicker
Young
NAYS--7
Booker
Klobuchar
Lee
Markey
Merkley
Paul
Wyden
NOT VOTING--6
Bennet
Gillibrand
Harris
Rounds
Sanders
Warren
The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 87, the nays are 7.
Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn having voted in
the affirmative, the motion is agreed to.
Amendment Nos. 864, 863, and 862 Withdrawn
Under the previous order, amendment Nos. 864, 863, and 862 are
withdrawn.
The Democratic leader.
Amendment No. 861
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for 2 minutes,
equally divided.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I am voting in favor of the Romney
amendment, No. 861, because it does nothing more than restate the
longstanding principle that the Armed Forces of the United States have
the ability to defend themselves and citizens of the United States from
foreign attack. The
[[Page S4600]]
amendment does not constitute an authorization to use military force,
nor is there anything in the amendment that confers any new authority
on the President.
As Senator Romney, the author of the amendment, stated on the floor a
half-hour ago, ``[t]his [amendment] is not an authorization to use
military force against Iran or anyone else. . . . Under the
Constitution, only Congress may declare war.''
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.
Mr. ROMNEY. Mr. President, I will reassert the same thing I just
heard from the minority leader. I appreciate his words.
This amendment would reaffirm a basic principle. The United States
has the right to defend itself and our citizens when attacked. It
asserts what has always been a bedrock constitutional principle. This
is not an AUMF. It is not an authorization for the use of military
force.
Passing my amendment today would send a strong signal to our
adversaries that we will defend ourselves if our interests, our people,
our military, our allies are threatened and attacked.
My amendment is something that I believe everyone in this body can
and should support.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Cloture having been invoked, the motion to
recommit and the amendments pending thereto fall.
All postcloture time is expired.
The question is on agreeing to amendment (No. 861), offered by the
Senator from Kentucky, Mr. McConnell, on behalf of the Senator from
Utah, Mr. Romney.
The yeas and nays were previously ordered.
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds).
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet),
the Senator from New York (Mrs. Gillibrand), the Senator from
California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and
the Senator from Massachusetts (Ms. Warren) are necessarily absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Young). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 90, nays 4, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 187 Leg.]
YEAS--90
Alexander
Baldwin
Barrasso
Blackburn
Blumenthal
Blunt
Boozman
Braun
Brown
Burr
Cantwell
Capito
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Cassidy
Collins
Coons
Cornyn
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Cruz
Daines
Durbin
Enzi
Ernst
Feinstein
Fischer
Gardner
Graham
Grassley
Hassan
Hawley
Heinrich
Hoeven
Hyde-Smith
Inhofe
Isakson
Johnson
Jones
Kaine
Kennedy
King
Klobuchar
Lankford
Lee
Manchin
Markey
McConnell
McSally
Menendez
Merkley
Moran
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Paul
Perdue
Peters
Portman
Reed
Risch
Roberts
Romney
Rosen
Rubio
Sasse
Schatz
Schumer
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Shaheen
Shelby
Sinema
Smith
Stabenow
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Tillis
Toomey
Udall
Van Hollen
Warner
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
Young
NAYS--4
Booker
Duckworth
Hirono
Leahy
NOT VOTING--6
Bennet
Gillibrand
Harris
Rounds
Sanders
Warren
The amendment (No. 861) was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 5
minutes on the NDAA.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
S. 1790
Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, I rise to speak on the importance of the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 legislation
that authorizes $750 billion for defense, consistent with the
administration's budget request and the National Defense Strategy
Commission report.
The NDAA is a critical piece of legislation. It supports our Armed
Forces, our men and women in uniform, and provides for the defense of
our Nation. Among its notable provisions, the bill supports a 3.1-
percent pay increase for the members of our armed services, the largest
in nearly a decade and very much deserved by the men and women in
uniform who protect us.
It establishes a Space Force and ensures that America retains its
leadership in this critical domain. It opens the way for significant
investments in new weapons systems, such as hypersonic missiles and
directed energy weapons along with missile defense and cyber security
capabilities. It also responds to concerns about family housing across
the Department of Defense.
Importantly, the bill continues to provide for the modernization of
our nuclear forces. This legislation fully authorizes fiscal year 2020
spending on our nuclear deterrent, including support for all three legs
of the Nation's nuclear triad. It also fully authorizes the warhead
life extension programs at the Department of Energy.
I want to highlight a couple of amendments I worked on and are
included in the legislation relative to modernizing our nuclear triad.
One of the amendments that has been included requires that the Air
Force and the National Nuclear Security Administration report to
Congress on the development of the next intercontinental ballistic
missile and the W87-1, which is a modified warhead that will be placed
on the new ICBM for decades to come.
It is vital that the Air Force's missile development program, known
as the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, GBSD, be synchronized with the
W87-1 warhead so that a decade from now, we have a complete new weapons
system that is ready for deployment. My amendment will help ensure that
the deployment will happen on schedule and avoid unnecessary delays in
that development.
The other amendment highlights the importance of our Nation's ICBM
force and demonstrates how ICBMs enhance deterrence as a part of the
triad. ICBMs provide the most prompt and most dispersed segment of our
nuclear forces, and they magnify the deterrent power of our nuclear
triad.
I commend my colleagues for their support of these amendments, which
is a strong statement of the continuing importance of the ICBM and the
need to ensure that it is modernized along with the rest of our nuclear
forces in order to keep us safe.
The bill is also critically important for military activities in my
home State of North Dakota. Specifically, we worked to secure a number
of provisions to support the missions at the Minot Air Force Base,
which is home to two of the three legs of the nuclear triad.
Importantly, the NDAA authorizes funding for B-52s, including the
procurement of new engines. As a member of the Senate Defense
Appropriations Committee, I have worked to authorize and appropriate
money for new engines which will help modernize the B-52 and extend its
life for years to come.
The NDAA also advances replacement of the Vietnam-era Huey
helicopters that provide security for the missile fields, and it
supports the construction of a new helicopter facility at Minot to
house the Huey replacement. It also makes a strong commitment to the
Long-Range Stand Off, LRSO, Program that will provide a new nuclear
cruise missile for the B-52, as well as continuing to advance the
investments in GBSD.
The bill also supports priorities at Grand Forks Air Force Base,
which is home to the Global Hawk, which provides important
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities for the Air
Force. In fact, it was the Navy version of the Global Hawk which was
recently shot down in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran.
The bill authorizes more than $240 million for the Global Hawk
Program and more than $115 million for the Battlefield Airborne
Communications Node that is carried on the Global Hawk Block 20
aircraft. These investments in the Global Hawk have been a priority
because the Global Hawk BACN system is urgently needed to provide
communications support for operations around the world.
[[Page S4601]]
Finally, I would like to emphasize support for items that some of my
colleagues put forward that I think are critically important both for
my State and for the Nation as a whole.
I am pleased to cosponsor an amendment from Senator Graham that
commits us over the next decade to building our capacity to produce
plutonium pits. We must build up this capacity so we can extend the
life of our nuclear stockpile and preserve our nuclear deterrent in the
future.
I also cosponsored an amendment from Senator Murkowski that requires
the Defense Department to report on Russian and Chinese activities in
the Arctic, which is an area of the world where we need to build up our
capabilities in the coming years.
I would similarly express my support for Senator Hawley's amendment
that requires a report from our military commanders on their ability to
deter aggressive actions from Russia and China. I hope that can be
included on this legislation as well.
The bill also includes an important provision from Senator Klobuchar
that I cosponsored to help ensure that the children of National Guard
and Reserve servicemembers have access to additional support services
in schools.
I cosponsored a provision from Senator Baldwin, who joins me on the
floor today, that will protect veterans' benefits if and when they have
to file for bankruptcy. I am pleased to cosponsor her amendment.
All of these items demonstrate just what a large undertaking the
National Defense Authorization Act really is. It includes thousands of
provisions and represents a lot of work from many Members in support of
our military servicemembers and their families.
I look forward to passing the legislation today and moving it to
conference and getting it enacted into law for our men and women in
uniform.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
Fourth of July
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I am so grateful we had the
opportunity to be on the floor this week and to have a discussion about
our Nation's security and how we protect and preserve freedom. I have
just a couple of thoughts that I wanted to bring forward as we begin to
think about July 4th and Independence Day and how we commemorate that
day and do honor to the heritage and the tradition of that day and of
the freedoms that we enjoy.
I came across something this week that I think is just so pertinent
to our discussions of this week as we focus on freedom. In 1826, a very
feeble and old John Adams received a group of Quincy, MA, town leaders.
They were seeking his help in planning an anniversary celebration of
the Declaration of Independence. They wanted the former President to
pen a toast that would be read at the event. Imagine their surprise
when what they got from John Adams was two words. The toast that he
penned for them was simply this: ``Independence forever.'' It is what
we had fought for, what had been won, what people had desired, and
their passion--independence.
Keeping that independence is indeed the task. I am certain they
wanted something much more ambitious and eloquent, but they simply got
the nugget of what centered him and what should center us.
In the Declaration, our Founding Fathers recognized that
``Governments long established should not be changed for light and
transient causes,'' but that true liberty could not thrive in the grasp
of tyranny.
Today, freedom reveals itself in the lives and actions of every
American, and it is our responsibility to preserve it on the
battlefield and through our actions each and every single day.
With every confirmation of a district or a circuit court judge, we
preserve an essential right guaranteed by the First Amendment--the
right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Earlier this month, I introduced a resolution supporting free speech
on college campuses because it is beyond distressing to hear students
and their professors argue that encouraging the open exchange of ideas
amounts to an act of violence. Our Founding Fathers probably never
dreamed they would hear of such a thing. This proud hostility toward
diversity of thought should serve as a reminder that questions of
freedom rarely remain settled.
Last week, famed economist Dr. Art Laffer, who is a beloved
Tennessean, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The ``father
of supply-side economics'' only became so because he was free to learn
and apply the knowledge that he gained to his own groundbreaking work
that led to the Laffer curve.
Looking beyond Washington, it is easy to see many more examples of
freedom in action each and every day.
Every Tuesday, my friend and fellow Senator, Lamar Alexander, hosts
``Tennessee Tuesday.'' This gives us an opportunity to meet with
Tennesseans who have come to Washington. They are students, small
businessmen, writers, and teachers. They have a host of talents that
they share, and they have been allowed to invest in those talents.
Back home in Nashville, we enjoy the artistry of some of the world's
most talented songwriters, singers, and producers. Guess what. In the
United States of America, they do not have to go seek permission from
any government official to write a song about a broken heart or any
other act of injustice that they want to write that song about, sing
that song about, or write that screenplay about.
The connections we form with each other--whether it be through art,
song, or a conversation at a cash register--all run deep. The thoughts
and emotions we experience when confronted with provocative ideas are
just as much a celebration of freedom as is a flag-raising ceremony or
a fireworks display. This is why the very idea of censorship or a
global standard of speech and association rouses immediate dissent.
We know that these collective understandings regarding a particular
type of speech or behavior inevitably lead to collective insistence
that the problems of the world could be resolved if only we could agree
to compromise on the finer points of freedom. Those understandings
assume that the intellectual comfort of the many simply must, just this
once, override the ideas of the vocal minority.
As we prepare to leave Washington in anticipation of Independence
Day, I would encourage my friends in Congress to challenge their own
ideas of what freedom looks like. How do they exercise it and enjoy it
every day? While John Adams probably never imagined a world of cable
news and the comments sections, he provided us with the only context we
need when confronted with the choice of preserving freedom or allowing
it to slip away--his admonition: ``Independence forever.''
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin.
Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising
Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, I rise today to mark the 50th anniversary
of a critical milestone in our Nation's march toward equality--the
Stonewall uprising of June 28, 1969.
The Stonewall Inn, which opened in 1967 on Christopher Street in
Greenwich Village in New York City, was one of many establishments in
cities across this country that served as sanctuaries for members of
the LGBTQ community from persecution by police and by society at large.
In the late 1960s, every State in America, save one, criminalized
same-sex relationships. Many State and local governments also had harsh
laws that restricted the ability of transgender people to express their
identities, and LGBTQ people were prohibited from gathering socially.
As a result, LGBTQ individuals in places like Stonewall Inn, where they
gathered, were targeted frequently by law enforcement, including the
New York City Police Department. However, by the late 1960s, LGBTQ
individuals had already begun to stand up to police harassment,
including at places like Cooper Do-nuts in Los Angeles in 1959,
Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco in 1966, and the Black Cat Tavern
in Los Angeles in 1967.
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the NYPD raided the
Stonewall Inn and arrested several people, just as it had done
repeatedly over the days, weeks, and months prior. But this night was
different. A few brave individuals--particularly transgender women of
color, like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Riviera--stood up and
[[Page S4602]]
fought back against this injustice. That night, they sparked an
uprising against the NYPD with confrontations and protests at the
Stonewall Inn and the surrounding area that lasted over the course of 6
days, until July 3, 1969.
The Stonewall uprising empowered thousands of LGBTQ individuals to
emerge from shadows and to come out publicly as they stood up for their
community the night of June 28, 1969, and beyond, putting their lives
and their safety at risk.
Along with public protests in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York,
Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and elsewhere, the
Stonewall uprising became a catalyst for the LGBTQ civil rights
movement to secure social and political equality and inspired the
formation of many advocacy organizations.
A year later, members of the LGBTQ community commemorated the first
anniversary of Stonewall and reaffirmed the solidarity of the community
by organizing the first Pride marches and events in New York City, San
Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Now, we remember and celebrate the Stonewall uprising every year in
June as Pride Month.
Three years ago, President Obama declared the Stonewall Inn and its
surrounding area a national monument, becoming the first national
monument to commemorate the LGBTQ civil rights movement.
Last month, New York City announced that it would dedicate a monument
honoring pioneering transgender activists and key leaders in the
Stonewall uprising, including Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Riviera. It
would be the first public monument in the world honoring transgender
women.
Just a few weeks ago, the NYPD Commissioner issued an official
apology on behalf of the department stating: ``The actions taken by the
NYPD were wrong--plain and simple.''
I was just a kid when the Stonewall uprising happened. I didn't hear
about Stonewall on the news or even learn about it later in my history
class. It wasn't until I was in college when, as a part of my own
coming out process, I began to research the history of the gay rights
movement and I learned more about the events at Stonewall, the people
involved, and the movement that it created.
Five years after Stonewall, in 1974, Kathy Kozachenko became the
first openly gay person elected to political office in the United
States, winning a seat on the Ann Arbor City Council in Michigan. Three
years later, in 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco City
Council.
In 1986, I had the honor of winning election to the Dane County Board
of Supervisors in Madison, WI. It was my first role in elected office,
but I wasn't the first. In fact, I was the third openly gay person to
serve on the Dane County Board. I was really fortunate to have role
models who had come before me.
In 1998, I became the first openly gay person elected to the U.S.
House of Representatives as a nonincumbent, and, in 2012, I became the
first out member of the LGBT community to be elected to the U.S. Senate
in its history.
I remember my early years in public office when there were only about
two dozen or so elected officials who were out across the country. We
would meet on an annual basis to discuss how we could work together to
exchange ideas about legislation that would advance equality, and we
talked about how we would help to expand our numbers at the local,
State, and national levels. I am proud to say that, today, there are
more than 700 out LGBT people who are serving in elected office across
the United States.
All of these public servants bring their unique life experiences to
the job, and they give the LGBT community a seat at the table of our
local, State, and Federal Governmental bodies. Perhaps just as
importantly, each of these public servants is a role model for the next
generation. This is important progress, but we are not there yet. We
have more work to do, and we must keep fighting to move our country
forward.
Members of the LGBT community continue to experience bias in policing
and are still at significant risk of violence and discrimination.
According to the annual hate crimes report, which is published by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, LGBT individuals and, particularly,
LGBT individuals of color continue to be the target of bias-motivated
violence, but efforts to address this violence may be hindered by a
continued lack of trust in law enforcement. At least 100 transgender
people, primarily women of color, have been murdered in the United
States since the beginning of 2015.
No LGBT person in the United States should have to live in fear of
being the target of violence. In a majority of States in this country,
LGBT Americans can still be fired, evicted from their homes, or denied
services because of who they are or whom they love. Because there is no
explicit, uniform Federal law protecting LGBT people from
discrimination in education, employment, housing, credit, and more, too
many Americans are at the mercy of an inadequate patchwork of State and
local laws.
The House took a historic step forward last month when it passed the
Equality Act. It is time for the Senate to do the same so that all LGBT
Americans, no matter where they live, can finally have the freedom of
full equality.
This week, I introduced a Senate resolution to honor the 50th
anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. It is the first resolution in
the U.S. Senate to recognize the story of Stonewall. This resolution
commends the bravery, solidarity, and resiliency of the LGBT community
in the face of violence and discrimination, both past and present. It
also condemns violence and discrimination against members of the LGBT
community and recommits to securing justice, equality, and well-being
for LGBT people in our country. Stonewall is the story of those who
came before us and let their voices be heard--of those who bravely
stood up and spoke out so that others would not feel compelled to live
in silence or invisibly or in secrecy.
When we look back at the Stonewall uprising and the activism that
grew out of that moment, even the most basic progress seemed as if it
would take a revolution to achieve--so we had one. We should be proud
of the enormous progress that we have made over the last 50 years. Let
us remain inspired by the courage of this story, the story of
Stonewall.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Colorado.
S. 1790
Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, Congress has no greater responsibility
than providing for a strong national defense and keeping American
citizens safe.
The National Defense Authorization Act is one of the most important
pieces of legislation to be considered by the U.S. Senate. It
authorizes the weapons systems, programs, and resources that support
the men and women who serve our country in the Armed Forces. For
decades, it has been approved with strong, bipartisan support.
In my home State of Colorado, our military installations, including
Fort Carson, the Air Force Academy, and Buckley, Peterson, and
Schriever Air Force Bases, are on the cutting edge of readiness in
protecting our national security. This legislation is foundational to
their mission, their work, and our show of support for the military.
I thank Chairman Inhofe and Ranking Member Reed for their bipartisan
leadership on the Senate Armed Services Committee and on the floor. The
tremendous responsibility of providing for national defense cannot be
overstated, and they have handled the process with respect and the
seriousness that it deserves. The security of the United States should
always be more important than any partisan politics, and I appreciate
their commitment that they have placed on national defense above all
else.
I also thank my colleagues for their bipartisan work on the National
Defense Authorization Act. In working with them, I was able to achieve
a number of great victories in amendments for Colorado and the Nation
as well.
Senator Schatz and I have a bipartisan amendment that will improve
the public alert system and allow military communities access to clean
and safe drinking water, which was another
[[Page S4603]]
amendment that we were able to work on.
I was able to work with Senator Toomey and Senator Van Hollen--
Senators from both sides of the aisle--to impose sanctions on the
murderous North Korean regime.
We will also vote today to support a bipartisan effort that I
authored that will encourage the U.S. Congress to stand with the people
of Hong Kong and their democratic values while we urge Hong Kong's
authorities to permanently withdraw their flawed extradition bill and
support human rights in Hong Kong.
When one family member serves our country in uniform, the entire
family serves. This legislation supports military families in Colorado
and all over the world. It provides the largest pay increase in a
decade for troops, and it continues to support military spouses. The
NDAA addresses the challenges that servicemembers and their families
face when they live in privatized housing, and it expands resources to
address the PFAS water contamination in many of our military
communities. This is an issue of life and health, and it matters
greatly to the people of Colorado. I was pleased to work with my
colleagues to continue addressing PFAS contamination.
Of course, in Colorado, we are proud to play a very key role in
defending the United States. These installations that I talked about
are critical to national security and supporting our operations in
space. I am thrilled that this year's NDAA authorizes the U.S. Space
Force so that the United States can remain a global leader in space and
not fall behind China or any other foreign competitor.
Almost everything in today's age relies on space technology--
telecommunications, GPS, transportation logistics, precision
agriculture, and, of course, the U.S. military. Establishing the U.S.
Space Force will better organize the military to handle space
operations and will put all military members who work in the space
domain under the same organizational umbrella. Colorado is home to the
North American Aerospace Defense Command and the U.S. Northern Command,
and it is the legacy home of the Air Force Space Command. As we
establish the U.S. Space Force, Colorado is uniquely positioned to
continue its support of our Nation's military operations in space and
the mission set that space involves.
We cannot risk falling behind our foreign competitors in the second
space age. In order to guarantee the safety and security of American
citizens, we must maintain our leadership in space operations and
defense. I urge my colleagues to support the National Defense
Authorization Act, which supports defense operations across the globe
and the brave women and men who serve in the U.S. military. I will
always fight to protect and grow the presence of the U.S. military in
Colorado and work to ensure that these bases, which are essential to
both national security and Colorado communities, remain strong.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to vitiate the
yeas and nays on the substitute amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I and Senator
Jack Reed be given such time as we shall consume prior to the vote that
will take place.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, in just a few minutes, the Senate will
vote on the final passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for
fiscal year 2020.
Throughout the last week and a half, we have debated the legislation
here on the Senate floor in a fair process. I thank my colleagues who
have supported this bill and have helped to make a better bill through
the amendment process. While I would have liked to have had more open
amendments--and Senator Reed and I both wanted to have more amendments
on the floor--we knew that there was a problem and that we could not do
that.
We are pleased that we will at least be able to clear the 93
amendments that we added on yesterday as part of the bipartisan
substitute amendment in the manager's package. These include the annual
Intelligence Authorization Act, the Maritime Administration
Authorization and Enhancement Act, and the Fentanyl Sanctions Act.
Ultimately, the job of the NDAA is to make tough choices about where
we want to invest our resources. We put our resources where they
matter--in taking care of our people, in implementing the national
defense strategy, and in applying recommendations from the NDS Strategy
Commission Report. This is something we have used as a blueprint, and
it has been very successful in taking us through this process.
Everyone agrees there are things that are going to have to happen in
order to rebuild our military. That is why our top line is $750
billion. Without that, we can't achieve the goals that we all know are
necessary. It also must happen as soon as possible. We can't delay on
this bill.
We still have more work to be done on the NDAA. We need to conference
it. The Conference Committee can sometimes take a little bit of time.
We know that is going to be done for us. We know that we want to get
this thing done by our deadline, which would be October 1.
In the month of July, we have to do a lot of other things. We have to
do annual appropriations bills. We have to do the budget deal. So these
are some of our most important responsibilities. We have to get them
done, and here is why: Things are happening right now.
Two days ago, MSG Michael B. Riley of Heilbronn, Germany, and SGT
James G. Johnston of Trumansburg, NY, lost their lives in Afghanistan
while engaged in combat operations. It was tragic.
Their service and sacrifice is a reminder of why this bill is so
important. We have to make sure our troops have the very best of
everything, and we are in the process of getting there with this bill.
Our prayers are with Master Sergeant Riley's and Sergeant Johnston's
families and loved ones. We will never forget their service or their
sacrifice that they made, reminding us that freedom is not free.
There is no doubt in my mind that the NDAA we are about to pass will
give our troops what they need, make American families safer, and
enable to us stand up for democratic values around the world.
Let me single out and thank publicly the next speaker, the ranking
member, Senator Reed, for being a great partner in this. We stayed
together on this. We had areas where we disagreed, but we got around
those, we got things done, and the end result is a very good one.
I know Senator Reed is going to want to recognize, as I do, the
significance of the staff we worked with and why that is so important.
Of course, we want to make sure people know--you know, Senator Reed and
I get a lot of credit for doing a lot of stuff that other people do. We
truly appreciate these people.
Let me list some of them. First of all, John Bonsell and Liz King
from my staff and from Senator Reed's staff. They are the ones who
really got involved in this, and we feel, without them, it would have
been almost impossible--along with other people.
We had John Wason, Tom Goffus, Stephanie Barna, Diem Salmon, Greg
Lilly, Marta Hernandez, Jennie Wright, Adam Barker, Augusta Binns-
Berkey, Al Edwards, Jackie Kerber, Sean O'Keefe, Tony Pankuch, Brad
Patout, Jason Potter, J.R. Riordan, Katie Sutton, Eric Trager, Dustin
Walker, Otis Winkler, Gwyneth Woolwine, Katie Magnus, Arthur Tellis,
Leah Brewer, Debbie Chiarello, Gary Howard, Tyler Wilkinson, John
Bryant, Patty-Jane Geller, Baher Iskander, Keri-Lyn Michalke,
Jacqueline Modesett, and Soleil Sykes.
I have a few more so just relax for a minute.
I think the others are actually from the minority side, and I am sure
Senator Reed is going to be recognizing them.
From my personal staff, Luke Holland, Andrew Forbes, Leacy Burke, Don
Archer, Kyle Stewart, and Bryan Brody.
Lastly, from the floor staff, that is Laura Dove, Robert Duncan,
Chris Tuck, Tony Hanagan, Katherine Kilroy, Brian Canfield, Abigail
Baker, and Megan Mercer.
[[Page S4604]]
All these people worked hard. They are all a part of this team, and
it certainly goes far beyond just Senator Reed and myself.
I yield the floor to Senator Reed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise to join Chairman Inhofe in support of
the fiscal year 2020 Defense authorization bill. I thank the chairman
for his great bipartisan leadership, thoughtful, sensible, and
delivering what I think is an excellent piece of legislation.
It was based on thorough hearings, discussions, and debate on both
sides of the aisle, and it came out of the committee with strong
bipartisan support. I hope it enjoys that support on final passage.
As the chairman indicated, the bill provides for many different
aspects that are necessary to our national defense. It provides a pay
raise for the men and women of our Armed Forces who do so much for us.
It includes over 30 provisions to address the privatized military
housing crisis. It authorizes military construction in almost every
State in this country. It provides funding and authorities for our
military personnel on the frontlines and for those who are back in the
United States building the ships and the tanks and advancing the
technologies we need for the future fight.
This bill also contains numerous amendments from many of my
colleagues, again, on both sides of the aisle, on other issues of great
importance, such as the Intelligence Authorization Act, the
authorization of the Maritime Administration, and provisions addressing
the fentanyl crisis and the dangers of PFOS-PFAS in our water.
There are numerous provisions here that go beyond the narrow
definition of the defense establishment. They are bipartisan, and they
are strongly supported by both sides of the aisle.
Again, let me thank Senator Inhofe for his leadership. It made a
great difference in terms of his approach to this important
legislation.
Finally, I would like to thank the committee staff. Particularly, I
would like to thank the majority staff and their staff director, John
Bonsell. He did a superb job--they did. ``Diligence,''
``professionalism,'' and ``bipartisanship'' were the watchwords of
their efforts. I thank them for that.
Let me thank my staff. In particular, Jody Bennett, Carolyn Chuhta,
Jon Clark, Jonathan Epstein, Jorie Feldman, Creighton Greene, Ozge
Guzelsu, Gary Leeling, Kirk McConnell, Maggie McNamara, Bill Monahan,
Mike Noblet, John Quirk, Arun Seraphin, Fiona Tomlin, and my staff
director, Elizabeth King, who, with John Bonsell, did a superb job.
Let me thank the floor staff who have helped us over the last few
days immensely.
I urge all of my colleagues to join the chairman and me in supporting
this excellent legislation.
I yield the floor.
Vote on Amendment No. 764
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the question is on
agreeing to amendment No. 764, as modified and amended.
The amendment (No. 764), as modified, as amended, was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title for
the third time.
The bill (S. 1790), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a
third reading and was read the third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the cloture motion
is withdrawn.
The bill having been read the third time, the question is, Shall the
bill pass?
Mr. RISCH. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds).
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet),
the Senator from New York (Mrs. Gillibrand), the Senator from
California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and
the Senator from Massachusetts (Ms. Warren) are necessarily absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber
desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 86, nays 8, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 188 Leg.]
YEAS--86
Alexander
Baldwin
Barrasso
Blackburn
Blumenthal
Blunt
Boozman
Brown
Burr
Cantwell
Capito
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Cassidy
Collins
Coons
Cornyn
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Cruz
Daines
Duckworth
Durbin
Enzi
Ernst
Feinstein
Fischer
Gardner
Graham
Grassley
Hassan
Hawley
Heinrich
Hirono
Hoeven
Hyde-Smith
Inhofe
Isakson
Johnson
Jones
Kaine
Kennedy
King
Lankford
Leahy
Manchin
McConnell
McSally
Menendez
Moran
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Perdue
Peters
Portman
Reed
Risch
Roberts
Romney
Rosen
Rubio
Sasse
Schatz
Schumer
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Shaheen
Shelby
Sinema
Smith
Stabenow
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Tillis
Toomey
Udall
Van Hollen
Warner
Whitehouse
Wicker
Young
NAYS--8
Booker
Braun
Klobuchar
Lee
Markey
Merkley
Paul
Wyden
NOT VOTING--6
Bennet
Gillibrand
Harris
Rounds
Sanders
Warren
The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 86, the nays are 8.
The 60-vote threshold having been achieved, the bill, as amended, is
passed.
The bill (S. 1790), as amended, was passed.
(The bill, as modified, as amended, will be printed in a future
edition of the Record.)
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
____________________