[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
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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.