[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 17, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S4875]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Climate Change

  Mr. President, as I mentioned, healthcare is far from the only 
subject Leader McConnell has prevented the Senate from debating. Later 
today, my friend from Hawaii Senator Schatz will host the first hearing 
of the Senate Democrats' special committee on the climate crisis, 
bringing mayors from across the country to talk about how their cities 
are combating climate change.
  This Senate, because of Senator McConnell's graveyard, will sit on 
its hands and do nothing, but our cities and States have no choice but 
to do something. They are closer to the people. They are doing stuff. 
We will hear about it today.
  Climate change is the greatest threat to our planet, and Leader 
McConnell will not even let the Senate debate the issue. This will go 
down in history poorly for all of our Republican friends who back that 
up, which is just about everyone.
  We had to form our own committee because Republicans wouldn't join a 
bipartisan committee to discuss this. In his time as majority leader, 
Senator McConnell has brought forward exactly one bill to address 
climate change, and it was so his party and he could vote against it--a 
sham, a ruse, a trick, which flopped.
  Many Republicans don't support every Democratic idea to address 
climate change. I understand that, but Leader McConnell has provided no 
way for the Senate to even debate the matter. How are we supposed to 
compromise or make progress if the Senate leader refuses to allow us to 
debate any legislation? How can America make progress, even when the 
House moves forward, when the Senate has become a legislative graveyard 
for so many issues?
  On climate change, healthcare, and so many other issues, Leader 
McConnell's legislative graveyard is standing in the way of progress 
for average American families.
  I yield the floor.
  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. 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for the quorum call be rescinded.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.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask that the 11 o'clock vote series 
start now.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the amendments to 
the treaty are withdrawn.
  The amendments (No. 912 and No. 913) were withdrawn.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution of 
ratification.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read the resolution of 
ratification as follows:

       Resolution of Advice and Consent of the Protocol Amending 
     the Convention between the United States of America and the 
     Swiss Confederation for the Avoidance of Double Taxation with 
     Respect to Taxes on Income, signed at Washington on October 
     2, 1996, signed on September 23, 2009, at Washington, as 
     corrected by an exchange of notes effected November 16, 2010 
     (the proposed Protocol) (Treaty Doc. 112-1), and a related 
     agreement effected by an exchange of notes on September 23, 
     2009 (the related Agreement).

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the resolution 
of ratification.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, 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 legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Georgia (Mr. Isakson).
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet) 
and the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) are necessarily absent.
  The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 95 and nays 2, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 210 Ex.]

                                YEAS--95

     Alexander
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Blackburn
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Booker
     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
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hassan
     Hawley
     Heinrich
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Inhofe
     Johnson
     Jones
     Kaine
     Kennedy
     King
     Klobuchar
     Lankford
     Leahy
     Manchin
     Markey
     McConnell
     McSally
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Perdue
     Peters
     Portman
     Reed
     Risch
     Roberts
     Romney
     Rosen
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Sanders
     Sasse
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott (FL)
     Scott (SC)
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Sinema
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Toomey
     Udall
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden
     Young

                                NAYS--2

     Lee
     Paul
       

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Bennet
     Harris
     Isakson
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sasse). On this vote, the yeas are 95, the 
nays are 2.
  Two-thirds of the Senators having voted in the affirmative, the 
resolution of ratification is agreed to.
  The resolution of ratification was agreed to, as follows:

                          ____________________