[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 129 (Tuesday, July 30, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5156-S5157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Senate Accomplishments

  Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I always find that the end of the July 
work period in Washington, DC, is a good time to take stock of the year 
so far.
  I am looking forward to getting out of DC in the next few days and 
heading home to South Dakota. I am lucky enough to get to meet with 
South Dakotans on most weekends, but congressional recesses provide me 
with unbroken blocks of time to spend in the State and hear about South 
Dakotans' needs and priorities.

  It has been a busy year here in Washington, DC, so far. In the last 7 
months, the Senate has worked to confirm nearly 50 well-qualified 
judges, has provided funding to address the humanitarian and security 
crisis at our southern border, has given our military the resources it 
needs to defend the country, and much more.
  I am proud that in May, by an overwhelming bipartisan margin, the 
Senate passed my bill to address illegal and abusive robocalls. My 
legislation would increase the financial penalties for making illegal 
robocalls, and it would give law enforcement more tools to go after 
these scammers who prey on vulnerable populations. The TRACED Act, 
which is my bill to address illegal robocalls, is one of more than 80 
pieces of legislation I have introduced or cosponsored this year. My

[[Page S5157]]

robocall bill grew out of the work that I did on the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which I have served on now for 
11 years, including having served four of those years as chairman.
  My serving on the Commerce Committee has given me an up-close look at 
the issue of consumer privacy. Last year, as chairman of that 
committee, I convened hearings into consumer data privacy and the 
accessing of millions of Facebook users' personal data by the political 
intelligence firm Cambridge Analytica. I also led a hearing to discuss 
the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation and 
California's new privacy-related law.
  This year, as chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on 
Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, I have 
continued to focus on consumer privacy. I recently convened a hearing 
to look at the use of persuasive technology on internet platforms like 
Facebook and YouTube and on how these technologies can be and have been 
abused. I believe that developing bipartisan consumer privacy 
legislation needs to be a priority, and it is an issue I will continue 
to focus on here in Congress.
  Another thing on which I have focused on the Commerce Committee is 
paving the way for 5G technology, which is the next phase of the 
wireless revolution, and of ensuring that Americans in rural 
communities have access to the same broadband technology that residents 
of more urban areas enjoy.
  Last year, the President signed my bipartisan MOBILE NOW Act into 
law, which I introduced to help secure an adequate spectrum for 5G 
technology. In June, I reintroduced my STREAMLINE Small Cell Deployment 
Act in order to address the other part of the 5G equation, and that is 
infrastructure. Among other things, the STREAMLINE Small Cell 
Deployment Act will make it more affordable to bring 5G to rural areas 
by addressing the cost of small cell deployment.
  I am privileged to represent South Dakota's farmers and ranchers here 
in the U.S. Senate, and year after year, one of my major priorities has 
been to make sure that the needs of our Nation's farmers and ranchers 
have been addressed. One of my priorities right now is to push for the 
passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement here in 
Congress. Farmers and ranchers have been through a few tough years, and 
one of the things they tell me they need the most is market access for 
their products around the globe. The United States-Mexico-Canada 
Agreement will preserve farmers' access to two of our Nation's most 
significant agricultural export markets--Canada and Mexico--and will 
substantially expand market access for U.S. dairy products in Canada. 
It will expand market access for U.S. poultry and egg producers, and it 
will make it easier for U.S. producers to export wheat to Canada.
  Senate Republicans are ready to pass this agreement as soon as the 
President formally submits it to Congress. We are just waiting for the 
Democrats in the House, who--despite the significant steps that have 
been taken to address their priorities--have still not indicated they 
are ready to take up the agreement. I will continue to urge them to 
take up this agreement so that our Nation's farmers and ranchers can 
experience the benefits. I will also continue to push for swift 
conclusions to the other trade agreements the administration is 
negotiating.
  Being a Member of Congress doesn't just allow you to push for 
legislation. It also gives you an important platform on which to 
advocate on your constituents' behalf with the President and his 
administration. This year I was able to help persuade the Department of 
Agriculture to move the hay and grazing date to September 1 of this 
year for cover crops on prevent plant acres. This will allow farmers 
and ranchers in Northern States like South Dakota to sow cover crops 
without worrying that they will not be able to harvest or graze them 
before the winter weather sets in.
  Both here in Congress and with multiple Presidential administrations, 
I have been advocating for higher blends of ethanol for more than a 
decade, and I was very pleased this year to know the Trump 
administration moved to lift the ban on the year-round sale of E15, 
which is a 15-percent ethanol blended fuel. This is a big win for 
American consumers, for our growing energy independence, and especially 
for U.S. corn producers, including those back home in South Dakota. 
Corn producers are thankful that the President delivered on his 
commitment to the year-round sales of E15.
  Yet it is still a tough environment for agriculture. That is why we 
need to update the EPA's emissions modeling to reflect ethanol's 40-
percent reduction in life cycle greenhouse gasses, which will boost its 
export potential. Most pressing, the administration needs to curb the 
issuance of small refinery waivers, which are, in part, forcing ethanol 
plants to slow down, idle, or shutter across America's heartland. This 
is critical to our seeing through the President's commitment to 
farmers.
  Throughout my time in the Senate, I have been proud to advocate for 
Ellsworth Air Force Base, which is near Rapid City, SD. I have spent 
years working with the other members of the South Dakota delegation in 
Ellsworth and with community leaders to build up Ellsworth. Among other 
things, our efforts have resulted in the expansion of the Powder River 
Training Complex into the largest training airspace in the continental 
United States. Undoubtedly, it is partly thanks to this airspace that, 
this May, Ellsworth was chosen as the first home for the future B-21 
bomber, and it will host both training and operational squadrons. I am 
very proud of Ellsworth for receiving these exciting new missions, and 
I look forward to there being more great developments for Ellsworth in 
the future.

  I have worked on a lot of other bills this year to make life better 
for South Dakotans and for the American people. I have introduced tax 
reform bills to help small businesses, to update the Tax Code for the 
21st century economy, to encourage charitable giving, and to 
permanently protect family farms from the death tax. I have introduced 
legislation to strengthen the agricultural economy, to support the 
Second Amendment, to help States like South Dakota--those that have low 
unemployment rates--to address workforce shortages, and much more. 
There is a lot more to come.
  This fall, I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue 
building on the economic progress that we have made, to tackle our 
Nation's infrastructure needs, and, among other things, to lower 
healthcare costs.
  I am proud to represent the people of South Dakota here in the U.S. 
Senate, and I will continue to do everything I can to address South 
Dakota's priorities and to expand opportunities for South Dakotans and 
all Americans.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Scott of Florida). The Senator from Maine.