[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 173 (Thursday, October 31, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6311-S6323]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND 
  DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, 
  VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 
                   APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020--Resumed

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
resume consideration of H.R. 3055, which the clerk will report.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 3055) making appropriations for the 
     Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related 
     Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, and 
     for other purposes.

  Pending:

       Shelby amendment No. 948, in the nature of a substitute.
       McConnell (for Shelby) amendment No. 950, to make a 
     technical correction.


 Amendment Nos. 953, 1023, 1037, 1088, as modified, 1099, 1121, 1133, 
1143, 1149, 1161, 1163, 1217, 1223, 1224, 951, 1077, 1094, 1129, 1146, 
1150, 1234, 1025, 1079, 1081, 1151, 1159, 1160, 1162, 1182, 1193, 1199, 
1211, 1215, 1220, 1227, 956, 1002, 1005, 1010, 1061, 1062, 1114, 1130, 
              1214, and 1235 en bloc to Amendment No. 948

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to the order of yesterday, the 45 
amendments listed in the order are considered and agreed to en bloc and 
the motions to reconsider are considered made and laid upon the table.
  The amendments (Nos. 953, 1023, 1037, 1088 As Modified, 1099, 1121, 
1133, 1143, 1149, 1161, 1163, 1217, 1223, 1224, 951, 1077, 1094, 1129, 
1146, 1150, 1234, 1025, 1079, 1081, 1151, 1159, 1160, 1162, 1182, 1193, 
1199, 1211, 1215, 1220, 1227, 956, 1002, 1005, 1010, 1061, 1062, 1114, 
1130, 1214, 1235) to Amendment No. 948 were agreed to en bloc as 
follows:


                           amendment no. 953

  (Purpose: To provide for the availability of funds for Agricultural 
     Research Service research facilities to provide public access)

       On page 129, line 4, strike the period at the end and 
     insert ``: Provided further, That amounts made available 
     under this heading may be used to provide public access to a 
     river at a research facility of the Agricultural Research 
     Service.''.


                           amendment no. 1023

(Purpose: To amend provisions relating to the rental assistance program 
                     of the Rural Housing Service)

       On page 155, line 10, insert after ``one-year period:'' the 
     following: ``Provided further, that upon request by an owner 
     of a project financed by an existing loan under section 514 
     or 515 of the Act, the Secretary may renew the rental 
     assistance agreement for a period of 20 years or until the 
     term of such loan has expired, subject to annual 
     appropriations:''.
       On page 156, line 4, strike ``third proviso'' and insert 
     ``fourth proviso''.


                           amendment no. 1037

(Purpose: To require a study on the economic and environmental impacts 
                 of importing orchids in growing media)

        At the appropriate place in title VII of division B, 
     insert the following:
       Sec. 7__. (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after 
     the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
     Agriculture shall submit to Congress a report that describes 
     the economic and environmental impacts of importing orchids 
     in growing media.
       (b) Requirements.--The report under subsection (a) shall 
     include--
       (1) a description of--
       (A) the economic impact of importing orchids in growing 
     media on a State-by-State basis, with data collected from 
     local growers; and
       (B) any incidents of pests detected on orchids imported 
     with growing media; and
       (2) an analysis with respect to the additional resources 
     that are necessary to prevent and mitigate the introduction 
     of pests resulting from importing orchids in growing media.


                    amendment no. 1088, as Modified

 (Purpose: To provide appropriations for centers of excellence at 1890 
                     Institutions, with an offset)

       At the appropriate place in title VII of division B, insert 
     the following:
       Sec. 7__. (a) There is appropriated $3,000,000 to carry out 
     section 1673(d) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and 
     Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5926(d)).
       (b) The amount made available under the heading ``Office of 
     the Secretary'' in title I for necessary expenses of the 
     Office of the Secretary shall be reduced by $3,000,000, which 
     shall be derived by reducing the amount provided under that 
     heading for Departmental Administration by $3,000,000.


                           amendment no. 1099

 (Purpose: To increase the appropriation for the Farm and Ranch Stress 
                  Assistance Network, with an offset)

       At the appropriate place in title VII of division B, insert 
     the following:
       Sec. 7__. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     Act, the amount made available under the heading ``extension 
     activities'' under the heading ``National Institute of Food 
     and Agriculture'' under the heading ``AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS'' 
     in title I shall be increased by $5,000,000, which shall be 
     used by increasing by that amount the amount specified for 
     the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network in the table 
     titled ``National Institute of Food and Agriculture, 
     Extension Activities'' in the report accompanying this Act.
       (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the 
     amount made available for the Office of the Chief Financial 
     Officer under the heading ``Office of the Chief Financial 
     Officer'' under the heading ``AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS'' in 
     title I shall be reduced by $5,000,000.


                           amendment no. 1121

(Purpose: To set aside funding for the ocean agriculture working group)

        On page 122, line 19, insert ``: Provided further, That of 
     the funds made available under this heading, $3,000,000 shall 
     be made available to the Office of the Secretary to carry out 
     the duties of the working group established under section 770 
     of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug 
     Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019 
     (Public Law 116-6; 133 Stat. 89)'' before the period at the 
     end.


                           amendment no. 1133

(Purpose: To provide funding for the new beginning for Tribal students 
                        program, with an offset)

        At the appropriate place in title VII of division B, 
     insert the following:
       Sec. 7__. (a) There is appropriated $5,000,000 to carry out 
     section 1450 of the National Agricultural Research, 
     Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3222e).
       (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the 
     amount provided under the heading ``Agriculture Buildings and 
     Facilities'' under the heading ``AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS'' in 
     title I shall be reduced by $5,000,000.


                           amendment no. 1143

 (Purpose: To increase the appropriation for rural decentralized water 
                                systems)

        On page 164, line 21, strike ``$1,500,000'' and insert 
     ``$3,000,000''.

[[Page S6312]]

                           amendment no. 1149

    (Purpose: To require the Secretary of Agriculture to prioritize 
  maintenance and staff needs relating to assistance provided by the 
                         Rural Housing Service)

       At the appropriate place in title VII of division B, insert 
     the following:
       Sec. 7__.  In providing assistance under title V of the 
     Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1471 et seq.) using amounts 
     made available under title III, the Secretary of Agriculture 
     shall prioritize the maintenance needs for rural housing 
     facilities and staff needs, which shall include 
     prioritizing--
       (1) oversight of aging rental housing program properties 
     with capital repair needs;
       (2) the needs of staff overseeing the Rural Housing Service 
     and field staff conducting housing inspections; and
       (3) enforcement against property owners when those owners 
     fail to make necessary repairs.


                           amendment no. 1161

 (Purpose: To increase the appropriation for the distance learning and 
                 telemedicine program, with an offset)

       At the appropiate place in title VII of division B, insert 
     the following:
       Sec. 7__. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     Act, the amount appropriated under this Act to the Rural 
     Utilities Service under the heading ``distance learning, 
     telemedicine, and broadband program'' for grants for 
     telemedicine and distance learning services in rural areas 
     shall be increased by $1,000,000.
       (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the 
     amount appropriated under this Act to the Department of 
     Agriculture under the heading ``Agriculture Buildings and 
     Facilities'' shall be reduced by $1,000,000.


                           Amendment No. 1163

  (Purpose: To provide funding for the emergency and transitional pet 
     shelter and housing assistance grant program, with an offset)

        At the appropriate place in title VII of division B, 
     insert the following:
       Sec. 7__. (a) There is appropriated $3,000,000 to carry out 
     the emergency and transitional pet shelter and housing 
     assistance grant program established under section 12502(b) 
     of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (34 U.S.C. 20127).
       (b) The amount made available under the heading ``Office of 
     the Secretary'' in title I for necessary expenses of the 
     Office of the Secretary shall be reduced by $3,000,000, which 
     shall be derived by reducing the amount provided under that 
     heading for Departmental Administration by $3,000,000.


                           Amendment No. 1217

  (Purpose: To provide funding for States impacted by Eastern equine 
                     encephalitis, with an offset)

       At the appropriate place in title VII of division B, insert 
     the following:
       Sec. 7__. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     Act, the amount appropriated under the heading ``salaries and 
     expenses'' under the heading ``Animal and Plant Health 
     Inspection Service'' in title I shall be increased by 
     $1,000,000, to remain available until expended, which shall 
     be for surveillance, testing, prevention, and research 
     relating to Eastern equine encephalitis in impacted States.
       (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the 
     amount appropriated under this Act to the Department of 
     Agriculture under the heading ``Office of the Chief Financial 
     Officer'' shall be reduced by $1,000,000.


                           Amendment No. 1223

 (Purpose: To provide funding for the Office of Urban Agriculture and 
                 Innovative Production, with an offset)

       At the appropriate place in title VII of division B, insert 
     the following:
       Sec. 7__. (a) There is appropriated $5,000,000 to carry out 
     section 222 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization 
     Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6923).
       (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the 
     amount provided under the heading ``Agriculture Buildings and 
     Facilities'' under the heading ``AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS'' in 
     title I shall be reduced by $6,000,000.


                           Amendment No. 1224

    (Purpose: To provide funding for pilot projects to address food 
                      insecurity, with an offset)

       On page 223, between lines 13 and 14, insert the following:
       Sec. 7__. (a) There is appropriated $2,000,000 to carry out 
     section 30 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
     2036d).
       (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the 
     amount provided under the heading ``Agriculture Buildings and 
     Facilities'' under the heading ``AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS'' in 
     title I shall be reduced by $2,000,000.


                           Amendment No. 951

(Purpose: To require the Attorney General to report to Congress on, and 
 establish a deadline for, the implementation of the Ashanti Alert Act 
                                of 2018)

       At the appropriate place in division A, insert the 
     following:
       Sec. ___.  Not later than 30 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall submit to 
     Congress a report that--
       (1) details the progress of the implementation of the 
     Ashanti Alert Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-401; 132 Stat. 
     5336) and the amendments made by that Act; and
       (2) establishes a deadline for full implementation of that 
     Act and the amendments made by that Act, which shall be not 
     later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act.


                           Amendment No. 1077

   (Purpose: To make $10,000,000 available for the SelectUSA program)

       On page 5, line 19, insert ``Provided further, That, of the 
     amounts provided under this heading, up to $10,000,000 shall 
     be available for the SelectUSA program:'' after 
     ``activities:''.


                           Amendment No. 1094

  (Purpose: To require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
  Atmospheric Administration submit to Congress a report on existing 
        supercomputing capacity and needs of the Administration)

        On page 17, line 7, before the period, insert the 
     following: ``Provided further, That the Administrator of the 
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration submit to 
     Congress a report on existing supercomputing capacity and 
     needs of the Administration and on the incremental 
     improvement to operational weather forecasts that would 
     result from a significant investment in additional compute 
     capacity''.


                           amendment no. 1129

    (Purpose: To require that the Secretary of Commerce use amounts 
appropriated or otherwise made available for the Bureau of Industry and 
  Security for operations and administration to publish and submit to 
Congress a report on the findings of the investigation into the effect 
  on national security of imports of automobiles and automotive parts)

       At the appropriate place in title I of division A, insert 
     the following:
       Sec. ___.  Not later than one day after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, using amounts appropriated or 
     otherwise made available in this title for the Bureau of 
     Industry and Security for operations and administration, the 
     Secretary of Commerce shall--
       (1) publish in the Federal Register the report on the 
     findings of the investigation into the effect on national 
     security of imports of automobiles and automotive parts that 
     the Secretary initiated on May 23, 2018, under section 232(b) 
     of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. 1862(b)), as 
     required under paragraph (3)(B) of that section; and
       (2) submit to Congress any portion of the report that 
     contains classified information, which may be viewed only by 
     Members of Congress and their staff with appropriate security 
     clearances.


                           amendment no. 1146

(Purpose: To require the Drug Enforcement Administration to continue to 
 establish and utilize data collection and sharing agreements in order 
to properly estimate rates of overdose deaths and overall public health 
  impact related to certain controlled substances, for the purpose of 
determining diversion and establishing annual opioid production quotas)

       On page 38, line 18, strike ``expenses'' and insert the 
     following: ``expenses: Provided, That, using amounts made 
     available under this heading, the Drug Enforcement 
     Administration shall continue to establish and utilize data 
     collection and sharing agreements with other Federal agencies 
     and continue to consider other sources of information to 
     properly assess the estimated rates of overdose deaths and 
     abuse and the overall public health impact regarding covered 
     controlled substances as required under section 306(i) of the 
     Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 826(i)), and shall 
     report to the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate not 
     later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act 
     regarding the establishment and utilization of such data 
     collection and sharing agreements''.


                           amendment no. 1150

(Purpose: To increase funding for the COPS Office Anti-Methamphetamine 
                       Task Forces grant program)

       At the appropriate place in title II of division A, insert 
     the following:
       Sec. __. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     Act, the total amount made available under the heading 
     ``community oriented policing services programs (including 
     transfer of funds)'' under the heading ``Community Oriented 
     Policing Services'' under the heading ``DEPARTMENT OF 
     JUSTICE'' in this title shall be increased by $1,000,000, 
     which shall be used by increasing by that amount the amount 
     specified in paragraph (3) under such headings for 
     competitive grants to State law enforcement agencies in 
     States with high seizures of precursor chemicals, finished 
     methamphetamine, laboratories, and laboratory dump seizures.
       (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the 
     total amount made available for necessary expenses for 
     information sharing technology under the heading ``justice

[[Page S6313]]

     information sharing technology (including transfer of 
     funds)'' under the heading ``General Administration'' under 
     the heading ``DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE'' in this title shall be 
     decreased by $1,000,000.


                           amendment no. 1234

  (Purpose: To require the Attorney General to submit a report on the 
                  enforcement of animal welfare laws)

       At the appropriate place in title II of division A, insert 
     the following:
       Sec. 2__.  Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall submit a 
     report to the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee 
     on the Judiciary of the Senate detailing the efforts of the 
     Department of Justice to combat and enforce animal fighting 
     and animal welfare statutes, which shall include--
       (1) a break down of the number of personnel dedicated to 
     animal welfare crimes on a full-time basis, including their 
     respective departmental component;
       (2) a list of all cases involving animal welfare crimes 
     that the Department of Justice has prosecuted since 2014;
       (3) a list of investigations that were referred to the 
     Department of Justice that have been delayed or declined to 
     be prosecuted by the Department of Justice and the reason for 
     any deferral or declination; and
       (4) a qualitative description of how the Department of 
     Justice coordinates the efforts of the Department with other 
     governmental partners to ensure proper enforcement of animal 
     welfare laws.


                           amendment no. 1025

 (Purpose: To require a Bureau of Indian Affairs report analyzing the 
facilities investments required to improve direct service and tribally 
   operated detention and public safety facilities in Indian country)

        On page 253, line 2, strike ``costs:'' and insert the 
     following: ``costs: Provided further, That not later than 120 
     days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of 
     the Bureau of Indian Affairs shall submit to the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report 
     describing the facilities investments required to improve the 
     direct service and tribally operated detention and public 
     safety facilities in Indian country that are in poor 
     condition, including associated cost estimates:''.


                           amendment no. 1079

       (Purpose: To prohibit bogus bonus payments to contractors)

       In division C, insert after section 429 the following:
       Sec. 430.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, 
     none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by 
     this Act may be used to pay award or incentive fees for 
     contractor performance that has been judged to be below 
     satisfactory performance or for performance that does not 
     meet the basic requirements of a contract, unless the Agency 
     determines that any such deviations are due to unforeseeable 
     events, government-driven scope changes, or are not 
     significant within the overall scope of the project and/or 
     program and unless such awards or incentive fees are 
     consistent with 16.401(e)(2) of the FAR.


                           amendment no. 1081

   (Purpose: To require the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget to submit to Congress a report on projects that are over budget 
                          and behind schedule)

       At the appropriate place in division C, insert the 
     following:
       Sec. __. (a) Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget shall submit to Congress and post on 
     the website of the Office of Management and Budget a report 
     on each project funded by an agency that is appropriated 
     funds under this division--
       (1) that is more than 5 years behind schedule; or
       (2) for which the amount spent on the project is not less 
     than $1,000,000,000 more than the original cost estimate for 
     the project.
       (b) Each report submitted and posted under subsection (a) 
     shall include, for each project included in the report--
       (1) a brief description of the project, including--
       (A) the purpose of the project;
       (B) each location in which the project is carried out;
       (C) the year in which the project was initiated;
       (D) the Federal share of the total cost of the project; and
       (E) each primary contractor, subcontractor, grant 
     recipient, and subgrantee recipient of the project;
       (2) an explanation of any change to the original scope of 
     the project, including by the addition or narrowing of the 
     initial requirements of the project;
       (3) the original expected date for completion of the 
     project;
       (4) the current expected date for completion of the 
     project;
       (5) the original cost estimate for the project, as adjusted 
     to reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index for All 
     Urban Consumers, as published by the Bureau of Labor 
     Statistics;
       (6) the current cost estimate for the project, as adjusted 
     to reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index for All 
     Urban Consumers, as published by the Bureau of Labor 
     Statistics;
       (7) an explanation for a delay in completion or increase in 
     the original cost estimate for the project; and
       (8) the amount of and rationale for any award, incentive 
     fee, or other type of bonus, if any, awarded for the project.


                           amendment no. 1151

  (Purpose: To increase funding for the construction of high priority 
  water and wastewater facilities on the United States-Mexico Border, 
                            with an offset)

        At the appropriate place in title IV of division C, insert 
     the following:


                  united states-mexico border program

       Sec. 4__.  (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     division, funds made available under the heading 
     ``Environmental Programs and Management'' under the heading 
     ``ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'' under title II shall be 
     reduced by $5,489,000, which shall be reduced from amounts 
     for Operations and Administration as described in the report 
     accompanying this Act.
       (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this division, 
     the amount made available under the heading ``State and 
     Tribal Assistance Grants'' under the heading ``ENVIRONMENTAL 
     PROTECTION AGENCY'' under title II shall be increased by 
     $5,489,000.
       (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this division, 
     the amount made available under paragraph (2) under the 
     heading ``State and Tribal Assistance Grants'' under the 
     heading ``ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'' under title II 
     shall be increased by $5,489,000.


                           amendment no. 1159

  (Purpose: To provide for a report on certain programs of the United 
                   States Holocaust Memorial Museum)

        On page 346, line 14, strike the period and insert ``: 
     Provided, That, not later than 120 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director of the United States 
     Holocaust Memorial Museum shall submit to the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report that 
     describes the efforts of the United States Holocaust Memorial 
     Museum to support memory and a range of educational programs 
     relating to the Holocaust, including the collection and usage 
     of historical documentation, such as survivor testimony.''.


                           amendment no. 1160

    (Purpose: To set aside funds for certain Lake Tahoe restoration 
                              activities)

        On page 230, line 18, insert ``, of which $4,088,000 shall 
     be for activities under section 5(d)(2) of the Lake Tahoe 
     Restoration Act (Public Law 106-506; 114 Stat. 2353; 130 
     Stat. 1786)'' after ``2021''.


                           amendment no. 1162

   (Purpose: To require a study of law enforcement staffing needs of 
                             Indian Tribes)

        At the end of title I of division C, add the following:


                       law enforcement reporting

       Sec. 1__. The Bureau of Indian Affairs shall conduct a 
     study to identify the law enforcement staffing needs of 
     Indian Tribes, which shall include--
       (1) a detailed analysis, by Indian Tribe, of law 
     enforcement hiring impediments and challenges;
       (2) a strategy on how to recruit and train law enforcement 
     officers and fill law enforcement vacancies; and
       (3) a proposed strategy that could be used to address the 
     impediments and challenges identified in paragraph (1).


                           amendment no. 1182

(Purpose: To increase money appropriated for Geographic Programs, with 
                               an offset)

        At the appropriate place in title IV of division C, insert 
     the following:


                          geographic programs

       Sec. 4__.  (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     division, the amount made available for Geographic Programs 
     under the heading ``Environmental Programs and Management'' 
     under the heading ``ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'' under 
     title II shall be increased by 3 percent, and the amount made 
     available for each Geographic Program described in the report 
     accompanying this Act shall be increased by 3 percent.
       (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this division, 
     the amount authorized to be transferred under the fourth 
     paragraph under the heading ``Administrative Provisions--
     Environmental Protection Agency'' under the heading 
     ``ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'' under title II shall be 
     increased by the additional amount made available for the 
     Great Lakes Restoration Initiative under subsection (a).
       (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this division, 
     funds made available under the heading ``Environmental 
     Programs and Management'' under the heading ``ENVIRONMENTAL 
     PROTECTION AGENCY'' under title II for operations and 
     administration, as specified in the report accompanying this 
     Act, shall be reduced by an amount equal to the total amount 
     additionally appropriated for Geographic Programs under 
     subsection (a).


                           amendment no. 1193

  (Purpose: To make available funds for the Smithsonian Latino Center)

        On page 338, line 22, after the semicolon insert the 
     following: ``Provided further, That of the funds appropriated 
     herein, not less than $4,292,000 shall be made available for 
     the

[[Page S6314]]

     Smithsonian Latino Center and related initiative.''.


                           amendment no. 1199

(Purpose: To set aside funds for the Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers 
                                program)

        On page 238, line 5, strike the period and insert the 
     following ``: Provided further, That, of the funds made 
     available under this heading, $3,576,000 shall be made 
     available for the Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers program 
     and similarly managed rivers.''.


                           amendment no. 1211

  (Purpose: To set aside funds for the 400 Years of African-American 
                          History Commission)

       On page 238, line 5, strike the period and insert the 
     following: ``: Provided further, That, notwithstanding 
     sections 7(b), 8, and 9 of the 400 Years of African-American 
     History Commission Act (36 U.S.C. note prec. 101; Public Law 
     115-102), of the amount made available under this heading, 
     $500,000 shall be provided to the 400 Years of African-
     American History Commission for expenditure on activities 
     authorized by that Act through July 1, 2021.''.


                           amendment no. 1215

    (Purpose: To require a report on the status of the Four Forest 
                        Restoration Initiative)

        On page 311, line 2, insert ``Provided further, That not 
     later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
     the Chief of the Forest Service shall submit to the 
     Committees on Appropriations and Natural Resources of the 
     House of Representatives and the Committees on Appropriations 
     and Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report 
     detailing the status of efforts to accelerate forest 
     ecosystem restoration under the Four Forest Restoration 
     Initiative:'' after ``7303(f):''.


                           amendment no. 1220

 (Purpose: To make available funds for the Women's History Initiative)

        On page 338, line 22, at the appropriate place insert the 
     following: ``Provided further, That of the funds appropriated 
     herein, not less than $3,700,000 shall be made available for 
     the Women's History Initiative.''.


                           amendment no. 1227

 (Purpose: To provide for a Government Accountability Office study on 
                          outdoor recreation)

        At the appropriate place in title I of division C, insert 
     the following:

     SEC. 1___. GAO STUDY ON OUTDOOR RECREATION.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Covered agency.--The term ``covered agency'' means--
       (A) the Department of Agriculture;
       (B) the Department of the Interior;
       (C) the Corps of Engineers;
       (D) the National Marine Fisheries Service; and
       (E) the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries of the 
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
       (2) Outdoor recreation.--The term ``outdoor recreation'' 
     means all recreational activities undertaken for pleasure 
     that--
       (A) generally involve some level of intentional physical 
     exertion; and
       (B) occur in nature-based environments outdoors.
       (b) Study Required.--The Comptroller General of the United 
     States shall conduct a study that--
       (1) identifies each program carried out by a covered agency 
     that directly impacts the outdoor recreation sector, 
     including each program that affects the management and 
     conservation of, and access to, the land, waters, and natural 
     resources of the Unites States; and
       (2) describes, for each program identified under paragraph 
     (1), the spending level for that program during each of the 
     20 fiscal years preceding the year in which the report is 
     submitted.
       (c) Required Coordination.--In conducting the study under 
     subsection (b), the Comptroller General of the United States 
     shall coordinate with the outdoor recreation industry, 
     nongovernmental organizations, the Bureau of Economic 
     Analysis of the Department of Commerce, and other interested 
     stakeholders.
       (d) Report.--Not later 240 days after the date of enactment 
     of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
     shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
     report that describes the results of the study conducted 
     under subsection (b).


                           amendment no. 956

(Purpose: To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to 
 provide Congress with recommendations and associated costs for future 
                 research on rental payment insurance)

       At the appropriate place in title II of division D, insert 
     the following:
       Sec. 2__.  The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
     shall include in the budget materials submitted to Congress 
     in support of the budget of the President submitted under 
     section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, for fiscal year 
     2021, recommendations and any associated costs for future 
     research on insurance models designed to reduce evictions or 
     expand access to rental opportunities for tenants, such as 
     rental payment insurance.


                           amendment no. 1002

               (Purpose: To make a technical correction)

        On page 489, line 17, strike ``$2,761,00,000'' and insert 
     ``$2,761,000,000''.


                           amendment no. 1005

              (Purpose: To express the sense of Congress)

       At the appropriate place in title I of division D, insert 
     the following:

     SEC. __. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that the Administrator of the 
     Federal Aviation Administration, as part of ongoing efforts 
     to review regulations regarding the emergency medical 
     equipment carried by passenger airlines, should continue to 
     prioritize the demands of our nation's growing opioid 
     epidemic and take timely action to issue additional guidance 
     to air carriers to ensure the expeditious inclusion of opioid 
     antagonists in emergency medical kits.


                           AMENDMENT NO. 1010

  (Purpose: To ensure funding for the FAA remote tower pilot program)

       On page 383, line 10, insert the following after ``Budget'' 
     : ``Provided  further, That of the amounts made available for 
     Enterprise, Concept Development, Human Factors, and 
     Demonstration, not less than $9,500,000 shall be available 
     for the remote tower pilot program as authorized by section 
     161 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (49 U.S.C. 47104 
     note)''.


                           AMENDMENT NO. 1061

   (Purpose: To require a report on engagement with local interests 
 relating to intelligent transportation systems technologies and smart 
                           cities solutions)

        At the appropriate place, insert the following:
       Sec. ___.  Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall 
     submit to the Committees on Appropriations, Commerce, 
     Science, and Transportation, and Environment and Public Works 
     of the Senate and the Committees on Appropriations and 
     Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
     Representatives a report on efforts by the Department of 
     Transportation to engage with local communities, metropolitan 
     planning organizations, and regional transportation 
     commissions on advancing data and intelligent transportation 
     systems technologies and other smart cities solutions.


                           AMENDMENT NO. 1062

  (Purpose: To prohibit the use of funds to terminate the ITS program 
                          advisory committee)

       At the appropriate place in title II of Division D, insert 
     the following:
       Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act shall 
     be used to terminate the Intelligent Transportation System 
     Program Advisory Committee established under section 5305(h) 
     of SAFETEA-LU (23 U.S.C. 512 note; Public Law 109-59).


                           AMENDMENT NO. 1114

                     (Purpose: To improve the bill)

       On page 482, line 10, strike the period and insert ``: 
     Provided further, That of the funds made available under this 
     paragraph, not less than $1,000,000 shall be available to 
     support utilization, outreach, and capacity building with 
     tribes and tribal housing organization for the Tribal HUD-
     VASH program.''.


                           AMENDMENT NO. 1130

    (Purpose: To provide a sense of Congress relating to preserving 
                     manufactured home communities)

       At the appropriate place in title II of division D, insert 
     the following:
       Sec. 2__.  It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) more than 17,000,000 people live in manufactured homes 
     and benefit from high-quality affordable homes which provide 
     stability;
       (2) owners of manufactured homes have disproportionately 
     low-income households, and in 2013, the median annual 
     household income for living in manufactured housing was 
     $28,400;
       (3) approximately 75 percent of manufactured home 
     households earn less than $50,000 per year;
       (4) more than 10 percent of veterans in the United States 
     live in manufactured homes;
       (5) in late 1990, manufactured housing represented \2/3\ of 
     the new affordable housing produced in the United States and 
     remains a significant source of unsubsidized affordable 
     housing in the United States;
       (6) in 2015, the average cost per square foot for a new 
     manufactured home was 48 dollars, less than half of the cost 
     per square foot for a new-site built, structure-only home, 
     which was $101;
       (7) in 2009, 43 percent of all new homes that sold for less 
     than $150,000 were manufactured homes;
       (8) manufactured homes account for 23 percent of new home 
     sales under $200,000;
       (9) more than 50,000 manufactured home communities, also 
     referred to as ``mobile home parks'', exist throughout the 
     United States;
       (10) more than 2,900,000 manufactured homes are placed in 
     manufactured home communities;
       (11) manufactured home communities provide critical 
     affordable housing, but receive very little Federal, State, 
     or local funds to subsidize the cost of manufactured homes;
       (12) manufactured home owners in such communities may own 
     the home, but they do not own the land under the home, which 
     leaves the home owners vulnerable to rent increases, 
     arbitrary rule enforcement, and in the case of a manufactured 
     home community owner converting the land to some other use, 
     community closure;

[[Page S6315]]

       (13) an eviction or closure of a manufactured home 
     community is very disruptive to a resident who may be unable 
     to pay the thousands of dollars it takes to move the 
     manufactured home or find a new location for the manufactured 
     home;
       (14) in an effort to preserve a crucial source of 
     affordable housing within the past two decades, a national 
     network of housing providers has helped residents purchase 
     and own the land under the manufactured home community, and 
     manage the manufactured home community;
       (15) nationwide, there are more than 1,000 stable, 
     permanent ownership cooperatives or nonprofit-owned 
     developments in more than a dozen States;
       (16) members of manufactured home communities continue to 
     own such homes individually, own an equal share of the land 
     beneath the entire manufactured home community, participate 
     in the governing of the community, and elect a board of 
     directors who make major decisions within the manufactured 
     home community by a democratic vote;
       (17) in New Hampshire, more than 30 percent of manufactured 
     home communities are owned by residents;
       (18) resident-owned cooperatives and nonprofit owned 
     communities have also flourished in Vermont, Massachusetts, 
     Rhode Island, Washington, Oregon, and Minnesota;
       (19) nationwide, only 2 percent of all manufactured home 
     communities are resident or nonprofit-owned;
       (20) when the owner of a manufactured home community or his 
     or her heirs sell the community to the highest bidder, it can 
     result in displacement for dozens and sometimes hundreds of 
     families; and
       (21) Congress should endeavor to protect residents of 
     manufactured home communities by encouraging the owners of 
     those properties to sell them to nonprofit organizations or 
     to the residents themselves to own cooperatively.


                           AMENDMENT NO. 1214

 (Purpose: To provide for a veterans pilot training competitive grant 
                                program)

       At the appropriate place under the heading ``operations'' 
     under the heading ``Federal Aviation Administration'' in 
     title I of division D, insert the following: ``Provided  
     further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, 
     not less than $5,000,000 shall be used for a veterans pilot 
     training competitive grant program.''.


                           AMENDMENT NO. 1235

  (Purpose: To provide additional funding for the family unification 
      program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development)

        At the appropriate place in paragraph (2) under the 
     heading ``tenant-based rental assistance'' under the heading 
     ``Public and Indian Housing'' in title II of division D, 
     insert the following: ``the family unification program under 
     section 8(x) of the Act,''.

  Mr. McCONNELL. 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. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The majority whip is recognized.


                               H.R. 3055

  Mr. THUNE. Madam President, last weekend, I had the privilege of 
attending the welcome-home ceremony for 112 members of the South Dakota 
National Guard. These men and women, who serve in the 147th Forward 
Support Company or the Bravo Battery of the 1-147th Field Artillery 
Battalion, were deployed to Europe as part of Atlantic Resolve, a 
partnership with our allies in Eastern and Central Europe developed in 
response to Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014.
  The Atlantic Resolve allows U.S. and allied forces to build strong 
working relationships and to hone their ability to conduct operations. 
Members of Bravo Battery and the 147th Forward Support Company spent 
most of the year in Europe working with partner forces. They 
participated in two multinational exercises and brought artillery to 
Germany and Hungary.
  These soldiers finally got home last weekend, but they didn't leave 
Atlantic Resolve without South Dakota support. Other members of the 
147th Forward Support Company and Alpha Battery of the 1-147th Field 
Artillery Battalion head for Europe in September. Other South Dakota-
based military members--airmen from Ellsworth Air Force Base--also 
deployed abroad recently.
  Four B-1 bombers from the 34th and 37th Bomb Squadrons at Ellsworth 
made a flying trip to Saudi Arabia late this month to support the U.S. 
military presence there. The bombers flew directly from South Dakota to 
Saudi Arabia, refueling six times in midair, once again demonstrating 
the incredible capability of this aircraft and of our Ellsworth airmen.
  Atlantic Resolve, the B-1 mission, the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr 
al-Baghdadi during a raid conducted by U.S. troops--they are all a 
reminder of the vital work that our military members are doing.
  A lot of military missions don't make a big splash in the news. We 
don't hear a lot about everything that our men and women are doing on a 
daily basis. We don't hear details of all the operations: the joint 
exercises with our allies, the countless training evolutions, the 
never-ending aircraft and vehicle maintenance, the hours watching radar 
systems for contacts, the endless logistical work to support troops in 
the field, the painstaking weeks and months of intelligence gathering 
for a single mission.
  Every hour of every day, members of the U.S. military are on duty 
working to keep the peace and to ensure the security of our Nation. As 
Members of Congress, we have no greater obligation than to ensure that 
our troops have the resources they need. We owe it to the men and women 
who get up each day willing to lay down their lives for us, and we owe 
it to every man, woman, and child we represent because the safety of 
our country depends upon the strength of our military.
  Ensuring that our troops have the resources they need obviously means 
ensuring that they have adequate funding, but it also means getting 
that funding to them in a timely fashion. It means passing regular 
order appropriations bills instead of forcing our military to rely on 
temporary funding measures that leave the military in doubt about 
funding levels and unable to start important new projects.
  Getting military funding approved in a timely manner is a priority 
for me and for a lot of my colleagues here in the Senate. Chairman 
Shelby, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked 
hard this year to ensure that we could bring the Defense appropriations 
bill to the floor in a timely fashion, but Senate Democrats have so far 
blocked Senate consideration of this important legislation. Their 
refusal to allow the Senate to move forward on funding has left the 
military in limbo, unable to fully fund 2020 priorities and to move 
ahead on key projects for the future.
  Later today, Democrats will have another chance to move forward with 
the Defense appropriations bill and to get our military the resources 
that it needs. I am hoping that they will have a change of heart and 
decide that funding our military is more important than the partisan 
games they have been playing. Our military members are waiting on that 
funding. Their ability to do their jobs is being jeopardized by 
Democrats' continued blockade of Defense appropriations.
  We live in peace and safety every single day because of the men and 
women of the U.S. military. It is not a new sentiment, but it bears 
repeating because it is too easy to forget that we would not be 
enjoying the freedoms and benefits that we enjoy without the constant 
vigilance of our men and women in uniform. The least--the very least--
that we can do in return is to make sure that they have every resource 
they need to do their jobs and to come home safely.
  I strongly urge my Democratic colleagues to vote yes on moving 
forward with the Defense appropriations bill later today and to send a 
loud and clear message to the American military that we are going to 
ensure here in the Congress that you have the resources, the training, 
the weapons systems, the equipment, and everything that you need to 
keep Americans safe each and every single day.
  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. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                     Amendment No. 1143 Correction

  Mr. THUNE. Madam President, for the information of the Senate, in the 
managers' package of amendments that was just agreed to, amendment No. 
1143 was misidentified as a Capito

[[Page S6316]]

amendment. It is actually an amendment by Senator Jones that Senator 
Capito cosponsored.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Duly noted.
  Mr. THUNE. I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.


                           Amendment No. 1141

  Ms. McSALLY. Madam President, I rise today in strong support of my 
amendment with the Senator from Alabama, Mr. Jones, to this domestic 
spending package.
  Our amendment will permanently block an impending $1.2 billion cut to 
Federal investments and Federal transportation. Without our legislative 
action to block this cut, public transit agencies across the country 
will suffer a 12-percent across-the-board cut. These cuts will be 
devastating to all of our communities.
  Transit funds in my home State in Arizona are critically important to 
our quickly growing communities. Maricopa County was the fastest 
growing county in the United States last year, and cities such as 
Flagstaff and Tucson are also attracting more jobs and more families. 
Our State continues to have to meet the demands of our expanding cities 
and towns, and that is true from Phoenix to Flagstaff and all 
throughout the State.
  Our amendment would block more than $15.4 million in cuts to Arizona 
transit agencies. These cuts could result in drastically reduced 
services, including those for low-income individuals and individuals 
with disabilities, and reduce funds necessary to modernize bus and rail 
fleets, as well as slow construction of news stations and shelters.
  A broad coalition of over 30 associations--including the American 
Public Transportation Association, the Associated General Contractors 
of America, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce--support our efforts and 
this amendment to block these cuts.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the 
Record a copy of a letter from the 32 national associations urging 
Congress to support our amendment.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:
                                                 October 22, 2019.
     Hon. Richard C. Shelby,
     Chairman, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate, 
         Washington, DC.
     Hon. Susan M. Collins,
     Chairman, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on 
         Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and 
         Related Agencies, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Patrick J. Leahy,
     Vice Chairman, Committee on Appropriations U.S. Senate, 
         Washington, DC.
     Hon. Jack Reed,
     Ranking Member, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on 
         Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and 
         Related Agencies, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Shelby, Vice Chairman Leahy, Chairman 
     Collins, and Ranking Member Reed: We greatly appreciate your 
     bipartisan efforts to advance S. 2520, the Transportation, 
     Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) 
     Appropriations Act, 2020. Although S. 2520 includes many 
     critical investments for public transportation, it reduces 
     total funding for public transportation by $457 million 
     compared to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 enacted levels. As you 
     continue working together on the bill, we strongly urge you 
     to increase investment in public transportation and 
     permanently block the impending $1.2 billion across-the-board 
     cut to transit formula funds.
       Infrastructure investment is critical for our nation's 
     economic growth and now is the time to invest more, not less, 
     in public transportation. Increased investment will provide 
     the necessary resources to begin to address the more than $90 
     billion state-of-good-repair backlog in our nation's transit 
     systems and meet the mobility demands of growing communities.
       In addition, we urge you to include a provision in the bill 
     permanently blocking the impending 12 percent across-the-
     board cut to each public transit agency throughout the 
     country. We greatly appreciate your leadership in ensuring 
     that the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-59, 
     Division A) included a provision temporarily preventing this 
     cut, but further and immediate action is needed to ensure 
     that this harmful provision does not take effect in FY 2020.
       Americans ride public transportation 10 billion times a 
     year, and every trip meets a need or provides an opportunity. 
     It gets people to work, their doctors, local businesses, and 
     schools. It is a lifeline that connects communities. We urge 
     you to support increased investment in public transportation 
     for critical projects in small, medium, and large communities 
     across the nation.
       In summary, as you continue working together on the Senate 
     THUD Appropriations bill, we strongly urge you to increase 
     investment in public transportation and permanently block the 
     impending $1.2 billion across-the-board cut to transit 
     formula funds.
       Thank you for your consideration.
           Sincerely,
       American Public Transportation Association, Amalgamated 
     Transit Union; American Association of State Highway and 
     Transportation Officials; American Concrete Pipe Association; 
     American Council of Engineering Companies; American Planning 
     Association; American Road & Transportation Builders 
     Association; American Society of Civil Engineers; Associated 
     General Contractors of America; Association of Equipment 
     Manufacturers; Association of Metropolitan Planning 
     Organizations; The Bus Coalition; Community Transportation 
     Association of America; Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute; 
     The Intelligent Transportation Society of America; 
     International Union of Operating Engineers; National Asphalt 
     Pavement Association.
       National Association of City Transportation Officials; 
     National Association of Counties; National Association of 
     Regional Councils; National League of Cities; National 
     Precast Concrete Association; National Ready Mixed Concrete 
     Association; Natural Resources Defense Council; National 
     Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association; Portland Cement 
     Association; Railway Supply Institute; Transport Workers 
     Union; Transportation for America; Transportation Trades 
     Department, AFL-CIO; United States Chamber of Commerce; The 
     United States Conference of Mayors.
  Ms. McSALLY. Madam President, I urge my colleagues to join Senator 
Jones from Alabama and me in supporting this important bipartisan 
amendment.
  I yield the floor.


                   Recognition of the Minority Leader

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader is recognized.


                             Appropriations

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, today we come to an inflection point in 
the appropriations process this year. Leader McConnell has scheduled a 
vote on the Defense appropriations bill, which comes with a certain 
irony. A bill that is supposed to provide resources for our troops and 
their families actually steals money from them and puts it toward a 
border wall that President Trump promised Mexico would pay for.
  Democrats will not vote to proceed to a bill that steals money from 
our troops and their families. Republicans know it is a nonstarter. Yet 
Leader McConnell has scheduled a show vote this afternoon to 
demonstrate something that everyone already knows: There is nowhere 
close to the necessary votes in the Senate for President Trump's border 
wall and, of course, there is not in the House. So this is just a show 
vote.
  Leader McConnell, a few weeks ago, got on the floor and railed 
against show votes. He said: I only want to put things on the floor 
that are going to pass. But we all know this ain't passing. I 
understand memories in politics can be short, but the exercise we will 
go through today is absurd, even by those low standards.
  Senate Republicans, by pursuing a partisan process, by doing 
President Trump's bidding on the wall--they know he is wrong, most of 
them. They are just so afraid of him they just say ``Yes, sir'' 
whenever he proposes an absurd idea. They repeat the same failed 
strategy that led to the longest shutdown in our Nation's history. I 
warned Leader McConnell and our Republican friends that if they 
continue down this path, they will lead us straight to another 
government shutdown, and their party and President Trump will shoulder 
the responsibility. The last time, they had to retreat from that 
position after the longest shutdown in history with their tails between 
their legs. Isn't history teaching them anything? We know it will not 
teach President Trump much, but we would hope the Republicans in the 
Senate would have more sense.
  Instead of standing up and defending their own position that they 
want the money for the wall--however indefensible in my judgment--
Senate Republicans have resorted to bogus attacks against Democrats. 
Senate Republicans accuse Democrats of delaying a pay raise for our 
troops, even though, first, the pay raise is strongly bipartisan, and, 
more important, the standing law of the land dictates it will go into 
effect regardless of whether we pass the Defense appropriations.
  Our Republican friends are so desperate to divert attention from 
their

[[Page S6317]]

holding up these bills for President Trump's wall that they come up 
with completely false arguments, such as the statement that if we don't 
pass this, the troops will not get a pay raise.
  Yesterday, Leader McConnell and President Trump repeated a slightly 
less specific but even more outrageous charge, claiming that Democrats 
are not supporting the fight against ISIS due to the disagreement on 
appropriations. Hello. Who was it who abandoned our Kurdish friends who 
led the fight against ISIS? Not the Democrats in the Senate, not even 
the Republicans in the Senate--it was President Trump.
  President Trump's reckless decision to greenlight President Erdogan's 
invasion of northern Syria left hundreds of hardened ISIS fighters out 
of jail and, according to most experts, set a course for a likely 
resurgence of ISIS. But instead of blaming President Trump--although 
some of them did early on--they are trying to switch the blame. It is a 
typical tactic that Leader McConnell is using with more and more 
regularity, but like his previous attempts, it fails.
  We were briefed yesterday by senior administration officials, and 
they acknowledged the fallout in the wake of the President's decision 
and the need to pick up the pieces of what was their strategy to defeat 
ISIS.
  The majority leader and I have been working together on legislation 
requiring specific plans and reports from the administration on the 
ISIS threat. I hope it will receive some action on the floor soon. 
Let's cut the nonsense that Democrats don't support the troops or the 
fight against ISIS. It is not true. It is laughable, and it ain't going 
to stick. So instead of this bunk, Leader McConnell and my Republican 
friends, roll up your sleeves and work with us to get something done.
  Democrats and Republicans have been working through a package of 
appropriations bills, as is clear in the bills we are voting on. Where 
there is agreement, we can move forward. This week has shown the Senate 
can efficiently work through these bills, and we have a bipartisan buy-
in. That is how Democrats want to proceed on the remainder of the 
bills.
  Republican friends, work with us as you did on these four bills to 
come up with bipartisan bills, and we can get them done.


                              Impeachment

  Mr. President, on impeachment, at least a dozen witnesses have 
testified in Congress as part of the House's impeachment inquiry. The 
facts that are already in the public record are troubling and require 
further investigation.
  The Founders greatly feared foreign interference in our elections. 
Here, we have a President who allegedly used the powers of his office 
to pressure or coerce a foreign leader to investigate a domestic 
political rival. The matter at hand is serious; both parties must treat 
it as such. But already some of our Republican colleagues have tried to 
kick up as much dust as possible to distract or detract from the facts 
of the case because they know the reality will be damaging to the 
President if these facts prove to be true.
  Last week, roughly 40 Republicans stormed the secure facility in the 
Capitol in a fit of staged protest, even though one-third of them were 
already allowed to participate in the hearings that were taking place.
  In the Senate, my colleague Senator Graham, a veteran of the House 
impeachment process, put together a resolution of trumped-up charges 
that the House process was unfair, all of which have been thoroughly 
debunked as misleading or baseless. Again, it is an attempt by our 
Republican friends to do Donald Trump's bidding no matter how false, 
reckless, or harmful that bidding is.
  Meanwhile, the White House and its allies in the Congress and the 
media have leveled shameful attacks against the witnesses in the House 
inquiry, questioning the loyalties of a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel 
and Purple Heart recipient and calling the whistleblower a treasonous 
spy. That is despicable.
  Worse still, reports suggest that Republicans on the House committee 
and members of their staffs are conducting a vicious campaign to 
deliberately disclose or cause to be disclosed the identity of 
the whistleblower, placing that courageous individual's safety and that 
of his or her family in jeopardy.

  We are supposed to be engaging with the facts of the case on the 
merits. We have a solemn constitutional duty to do so. Even the 
President himself has said he would ``rather go into the details of the 
case rather than the process.''
  My Republican friends in Congress should stick to the facts, quit the 
partisan theatrics, quit the politics of blame, and quit trying to harm 
the very serious patriots whose lives and safety might be in danger. 
This is a time to put country over party and examine the facts--only 
the facts.


                                Pensions

  Madam President, finally, on pensions, this week, Murray Energy, 
which employed over 5,000 people, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, 
putting thousands of hard-working Americans at risk of losing their 
pensions. Forty percent of Murray's employees are represented by either 
the United Mine Workers or the Seafarers International Union. Murray 
faces over $8 billion in pension obligations, of which over $2 billion 
are unfunded and under threat. This is only the latest example of the 
danger facing millions of Americans with pensions from construction, 
mining, truck driving, bakeries, and other industries.
  These workers did nothing wrong. They saved up little by little, week 
by week, expecting to retire with security and dignity, but their 
pension plans are sadly now at risk of becoming insolvent because of 
circumstances totally outside of their control.
  The time has come for Congress to bring relief to these working 
families. Members on both sides of the aisle have been working on 
legislation that would provide relief to these underfunded pensions. 
Just 2 months ago, the House passed the Butch Lewis Act, which I 
proudly support and which would provide immediate relief to critical 
and declining pension plans, but Leader McConnell has inexplicably 
refused to take action on this bipartisan legislation--another 
tombstone in his legislative graveyard.
  Leader McConnell and the Republican majority are turning their backs 
on hard-working middle-class Americans who need their pensions. They 
could be robbed of them through no fault of their own. I hope the news 
this week magnifies the consequences of Republican inaction.
  President Trump has claimed to be a champion for American workers, 
but under his Presidency, working Americans have slipped further and 
further behind. Now, for millions of hard-working Americans, a secure 
retirement is also at risk. If the President were truly a champion for 
working Americans, now is the time for him to show some leadership by 
urging Leader McConnell and his Republicans in the Senate to work with 
Democrats to protect these pension plans.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana.


                         Remembering Kay Hagan

  Mr. TESTER. Madam President, I have a number of things I want to talk 
about today. On Monday of this week, we lost a fine lady in Kay Hagan. 
It is very difficult for me to put into words my admiration for the 
Senator from North Carolina, but the fact is, Kay was the kind of 
person who, the first time you met her, had the ability to calm the 
situation down.
  When she was running in 2008, I went to North Carolina, and she had 
an event at a farm. I think it was a hog operation, if my memory serves 
me correctly. I had a chance to meet her for the first time. She was 
somebody who you knew, if she were able to get into this body, would be 
successful.
  Well, in 2008, she won that election. She came here, and she made a 
difference. She made a difference for working families, small 
businesses, and family farm agriculture.
  I just want to express my condolences to her husband Chip, her kids 
and grandkids, and let them know she was very loved by all in this 
body.


                               Healthcare

  Madam President, I also want to rise today and speak on behalf of the 
thousands of Montanans who have preexisting conditions or struggle with 
the cost of prescription drugs.
  Even with the Affordable Care Act's protections, many of these folks 
struggle to afford their medical bills, their copays at the pharmacy 
counter and

[[Page S6318]]

the local doctors' offices. Instead of working to fix these problems, 
this administration--the Trump administration--has issued a rule that 
brings us back to the dark ages by letting insurance companies 
discriminate against working families across Montana and this country.
  The Affordable Care Act guaranteed health coverage for all Americans. 
It required health insurance companies to issue policies to folks 
regardless of whether they had preexisting conditions. The Trump 
administration is chipping away at these laws, and they are tossing 
these protections out the window so that big insurance can make big 
bucks.
  Health insurance companies across this country are flooding the 
market with junk plans. They are called junk plans because they are 
cheap insurance that are junk. When you think you have health insurance 
and you get sick, it is not there.
  Trust me, I know firsthand how this works. When I was 9 years old, I 
lost three fingers in a meat grinder, and my folks thought they had 
insurance. They didn't because they had bought a junk plan. They ended 
up paying every dime for the surgeries related to my left hand out of 
their pockets--money they didn't have.
  These plans tell folks they have insurance, but, truthfully, they 
don't. They have less coverage, and they don't even cover the most 
essential health benefits.
  Need prescription drugs? You can get them, but it's going to cost 
you. Maternity care? Sorry, the plan doesn't cover that. Mental health? 
You would not get that coverage in your wildest dreams. These insurers 
will tell you that you are getting a great deal, but the truth of the 
matter is your pocketbook is going to pay the price. God forbid if you 
ever get in a situation where you need to use it.
  What we see is insurance companies lining their pockets and selling 
plans that do nothing. And the majority leader is working to make it 
easier for them to do it, all by blocking reasonable, bipartisan bills 
to improve the ACA and make healthcare more affordable to working 
families and small businesses around this country.
  The Senate was established by our Founders as the greatest 
deliberative body in the world to be a check and balance on the Office 
of the Presidency, the executive branch. That simply is not occurring 
right now.
  I mean take a look at the tariff situation. The President puts on 
tariffs in a knee-jerk reaction, doesn't bring any of our allies along. 
We are seeing small businesses and family farm agriculture literally 
being put to the point of being put out of business, and this body lets 
him do it. A couple of weeks ago, the President said: You know what, we 
are pulling our troops out of northern Syria, and to hell with our 
allies.
  The Kurds, who have been fighting with us, fighting as partners for 
the last 15 years, well, too bad. Done nothing. No checks and balances.
  The President asked for other countries to come in and influence our 
elections, and it seems like the Senate is just fine with that. The 
greatest country in the world is going to let other countries determine 
who is elected to our elected offices in this country, whether it be 
the Presidency, the Senate, or any of us.
  Now, we can't even pass a budget. We continue to kick the can down 
the road. We do have a vote on the Defense bill, which by the way, this 
body is going to allow the President, if the majority leader has his 
way, to take any amount of money they want out of that Defense bill and 
put it into a wall--a wall that costs $25 million to $35 million a 
mile--and we are not even talking about expenses down the road for 
upkeep.
  So we just deal with continuing resolutions--more uncertainty, more 
uncertainty for families, more uncertainty for business. So right now, 
we are standing by letting funding for our schools, our roads, our 
hospitals run out, leaving families across this country--especially in 
rural America and States like Montana--without resources to be able to 
do the job.
  And that is exactly the case for community health centers in this 
country. These facilities provide lifesaving care to nearly one-tenth 
of people in Montana, running 65 healthcare clinics across our State. 
They don't even know if they are going to have funding come November 
21st when the continuing resolution we passed expires.
  How can we expect these places to stay open, let alone recruit and 
retain staff, when they don't even know if they are going to be around 
in another month? What do I say to folks when their own community 
health clinics like Hardin, or Libby, or Haver--these communities rely 
on these health clinics to keep their communities healthy. And quite 
frankly, because we can't sit down and negotiate and come up with long-
term funding agreements, they potentially are going to be out of 
business.
  But the uncertainty for families doesn't start there. The number of 
kids who don't have insurance has gone up since this administration 
started its war on healthcare. Kids in Montana are getting the worst of 
it. The number of kids in my State without insurance went up 25 percent 
between 2016 and 2018.
  Let me say that again. The number of kids in the State of Montana 
without insurance went up 25 percent between 2016 and 2018. That is the 
fifth highest percentage jump in the United States. There are places 
worse. The kids being hit hardest are the kids that are in the most 
vulnerable groups. They are in Indian Country, which continues to have 
the highest uninsured rate in this country. These young folks are our 
future leaders. They are our next generation. We are not doing our job. 
We are failing them.
  This coordinated sabotage of our healthcare system by this 
administration and this body is unacceptable, and our children deserve 
better. I am not going to sit here and tell you that the Affordable 
Care Act was perfect. I said from day one that we needed to work 
together to make improvements and build upon the successes that were in 
that bill.
  The ACA allowed States like Montana to pass Medicaid Expansion. That 
insured more than 90,000 Montanans in the process and helped greatly 
toward keeping our small hospitals open.
  It helped millions of Montanans with preexisting conditions rest easy 
at night knowing that they were not going to be kicked off their plans 
because of that preexisting condition or hit an annual cap on care. All 
of that is gone. Americans have spoken clearly. They want more access 
to affordability, not less. When my colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle attempted to repeal the ACA a couple of years ago, folks all 
across this country stood up and said: No.
  But here we are again, watching the majority and the Trump 
administration pushing plans to rip away affordable health insurance 
from hardworking Americans. I would encourage my colleagues to join 
together in working and find a bipartisan solution to improve our 
healthcare system. We need to reduce health insurance premiums and out-
of-pocket costs. We need to crack down on skyrocketing prescription 
drugs, and we need to expand insurance to more Americans. We need to 
make sure that when people put their hard-earned money on the line to 
buy an insurance policy, that it is not junk.


                Congratulating the Washington Nationals

  Mr. President, now, on a lighter subject. Back in my early years on 
the farm, I would come in on Wednesday night and there would be 
baseball night in Canada. I got to watch the Montreal Expos for a 
couple of decades play some pretty darned good baseball. They didn't 
win, but they were very entertaining.
  That franchise moved to Washington, DC, I think in 2006, the same 
year I got elected to the United States Senate. So consequently, I got 
to watch the Nats and be entertained by them again--occasionally, even 
in person.
  Last night, they did the impossible. After being 19 and 31, I believe 
around the 23rd, 24th of May of this year, they ripped off a hundred 
games and won the World Series. I just want to congratulate them on 
that feat and look forward to a repeat next season.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Scott of Florida). The Senator from New 
Hampshire.


                         Remembering Kay Hagan

  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise to honor the life and legacy of 
my friend and former colleague, Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina. 
There have been several eloquent tributes to

[[Page S6319]]

Kay. I am sure we will hear many more in the days to come. They all 
note her profound grace, her fighting spirit, her charm, and of course, 
I agree with all of those remarks.
  I want to especially extend my very sincere condolences to her 
husband, Chip; to her children, Jeanette, Tilden, and Carrie; and to 
her father Joe.
  The news of her death on Monday was deeply felt here in the Senate. 
Kay and I were in the same class of freshmen Senators. We came in, in 
2008, and as the only two women in that class, we became fast friends. 
But of course, it wasn't hard to make friends with Kay Hagan. She never 
met a stranger. She had contagious optimism and joy, and she drew 
everyone in with her smile and kindness.
  Kay was first in the Senate, not as a Senator, but as an intern, 
where she had the job of operating the elevators. Of course, those were 
the days when women Senators were few, and they were often appointed to 
fill temporary vacancies. So I am sure it was a very powerful moment 
when Kay took the elevator here in the Capitol for the first time as a 
United States Senator, only the second woman from her State, North 
Carolina, to do that.
  Kay and I often compared notes about our new roles as Senators. We 
talked about our families and the challenges of commuting to and from 
DC. I remember Kay showing me and the other women in the Senate 
pictures of her daughters' weddings and beaming with excitement. She 
was so tremendously proud of her children and so appreciated the 
support she received from them and from Chip during her campaigns for 
public office.
  Of course, in addition to her character, Kay had boundless energy. 
Growing up, she studied ballet, and she aspired to be a professional 
dancer. And I remember she told me about her ``magic bag'' that she 
took with her everywhere, so she could exercise in the morning. It 
carried a yoga mat and everything else she needed to exercise. She 
recommended that I get one, and of course, I was never quite energetic 
enough to do that.
  In addition to yoga, Kay loved early morning runs, Pilates, and 
swimming. It was that swimming that brought Kay some early 
``notoriety.'' I use that term in quotes because Kay wanted to use the 
Senator's swimming pool in the mornings, but when she first got here, 
there was a sign on the door that said it was for men only. What we 
learned, after Kay did a little bit of investigating, was it was 
because some of the male Senators were not interested in wearing 
appropriate swimming attire when they swam.
  Well, Kay put a quick stop to that, and it wasn't long before all of 
the men were wearing swim trunks, and Kay was swimming laps in the pool 
with them.
  That was Kay. She was incredibly kind, but she was also tough. When 
she was falsely accused of being an atheist during her first Senate 
race, Kay didn't miss a beat. She responded immediately with an ad that 
set the record straight. She demonstrated to her supporters and to her 
detractors alike what she was made of.
  I have fond memories of our calls when we were both up for reelection 
in 2014. Kay would call and buck me up. I remember she called me after 
her last debate to say she was finished. She didn't have to do any more 
debates. Since I was still looking at having to do two of them, she was 
very encouraging to me.
  With Kay, the glass was always half full. When she arrived in the 
Senate, it didn't take long for her to make her mark on the issues of 
greatest importance to North Carolina and the Nation. She applied her 
skills as a pragmatic legislator, which were honed in the North 
Carolina Senate, and she got to work on the pressing issues of the day.
  She fought tirelessly for jobs and the economic well-being of her 
constituents. She was a champion of small businesses, for expanding 
rural broadband, for developing regional infrastructure. She helped 
pass the historic reforms to Wall Street following the financial crisis 
because she served on the Banking Committee.
  We worked together, along with the rest of the members of the class 
of 2008, to try and improve the Affordable Care Act as it was being 
drafted. Kay took a tough vote in favor of the ACA, but she did it 
because she knew it was going to help her constituents get insurance 
coverage and healthcare and that it would provide protections for 
millions of Americans.
  Kay and I served together on the Armed Services Committee in the 
Senate. She fought for our servicemembers, for their families, and for 
improving the defense of our nation. Kay's husband, father, and brother 
all served their country in uniform. The challenges that servicemembers 
and military families face were always top of mind for Kay.
  In my office here in the Capitol, there is a photo of me and Kay. It 
is on our first trip to Afghanistan. We had only been in the Senate 
about 5 months at that point. We were smiling from ear to ear, even 
though it was over 100 degrees, we were wearing body armor, and we were 
in a helicopter with the doors open heading to a Forward Operating 
Base.
  We were smiling because we were so excited and because it was always 
so fun to travel with Kay. There wasn't a better partner than Kay for 
these trips. She was diligent. She was inquisitive. She always held 
herself with grace and kindness and resolve. That was her trademark.
  Serving her country and her beloved home State in the United States 
Senate was a profound honor for Kay, as it is for all of us. I feel 
fortunate to have known and worked alongside her. She will be dearly 
missed, not just by all of us in the Senate, but by so many of her 
constituents whom she represented in North Carolina.
  I want to again extend my deepest condolences to the Hagan family and 
to the State of North Carolina.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.
  Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, I just want to follow on the comments by my 
good friend Senator Shaheen with regard to Kay Hagan. We came to the 
Senate together with Senator Shaheen. We were all in that class of 
2008. It was a big class. We traveled extensively with Kay Hagan. We 
got to know her very well.
  It was really good to hear--I talked to her husband Chip on the 
phone. We call him Chip; he is Charles. He told me that up to the very 
last, she was extremely busy. They were traveling around North 
Carolina. They were doing things. She actually had a very special visit 
with Vice President Biden before she passed away.
  Our heart goes out to the whole family--to the three children. We 
very much miss her and will miss her a lot. We missed her a lot in the 
Senate. We are going to miss her.
  I will put in a more extensive statement about Kay Hagan.


                           Amendment No. 1209

  Mr. President, I rise to oppose the Lee amendment and efforts to 
undermine the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This amendment would 
prohibit the Department of Interior from using land and water 
conservation funds to acquire Federal lands and waters.
  The underlying bill actually increases funding for the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund by $30 million, and it does so with deep bipartisan 
support from a majority of Senators. The crucial point here is that 
this bill passed the Appropriations Committee 31 to 0, so this is a 
broadly supported program and a broadly supported bill. I urge the 
Senate to send another strong message today to support the LWCF.
  There are many bipartisan land-acquisition priorities that are funded 
by this bill. They include things like funds to improve access to the 
Aravaipa Canyon in Arizona; preserve wildlife habitat in the Everglades 
Headwaters and St. Marks Refuges in Florida, I would let the Presiding 
Officer know. There is also money to protect the Palo Alto Battlefield 
in Texas and other historic battlefield sites, as well as funds to 
expand the El Malpais National Monument in my home State of New Mexico. 
These are just a few of the projects that our constituents back home 
are expecting the Department to fund. They would all be stopped in 
their tracks if this amendment were adopted.
  We need LWCF to establish better access for Americans to their own 
public lands. This program works with private landowners and willing 
sellers to continue to protect special places for generations to come. 
I know a bipartisan

[[Page S6320]]

majority of this body understands that, and I ask my colleagues to 
stand with me to defeat this amendment.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.


                           Amendment No. 1141

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise to speak in favor of the Jones 
amendment No. 1141, cosponsored by Senator McSally of Arizona. I want 
to thank the Senator from Alabama for filing this important amendment 
to preserve transit funding at the levels authorized by Congress under 
the FAST Act. Without this amendment, transit agencies across the 
country will face a 12-percent cut. A cut of this magnitude would be 
devastating, particularly for smaller agencies that rely on Federal 
funding to meet their annual operating expenses and to carry out 
necessary maintenance. Without this funding, communities would be 
forced to scale back capital projects and bus acquisitions, and reduce 
services, eliminating a major mobility option for many of our 
constituents, including seniors and persons with disabilities.
  At a time when the transit industry faces a $90 billion state of good 
repair backlog, we should be increasing transit investments in order to 
preserve these critical transportation systems. These cuts would 
reverse the progress we have made over the last 2 years due to the 
budget agreement that allowed for desperately needed investments in 
infrastructure. We must prevent any degradation of funding for our 
transit systems and instead help these agencies modernize their fleets.
  This amendment is supported by over 63 associations, including the 
National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the U.S. 
Chamber of Commerce.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the list of the 
supporting organizations be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       American Public Transportation Association, Amalgamated 
     Transit Union, American Association of State Highway and 
     Transportation Officials, American Concrete Pipe Association, 
     American Council of Engineering Companies, American Planning 
     Association, American Road & Transportation Builders 
     Association, American Society of Civil Engineers, Associated 
     General Contractors of America, Association of Equipment 
     Manufacturers, Association of Metropolitan Planning 
     Organizations, The Bus Coalition, Community Transportation 
     Association of America, Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute, 
     The Intelligent Transportation Society of America, 
     International Union of Operating Engineers, National Asphalt 
     Pavement Association, National Association of City 
     Transportation Officials, National Association of Counties, 
     National Association of Regional Councils, National League of 
     Cities, National Precast Concrete Association, National Ready 
     Mixed Concrete Association, Natural Resources Defense 
     Council, National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association, 
     Portland Cement Association, Railway Supply Institute.
       Transport Workers Union, Transportation for America, 
     Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, United States 
     Chamber of Commerce, The United States Conference of Mayors, 
     American Road & Transportation Builders Association (co-
     chair), Associated General Contractors of America (co-chair), 
     Transport Workers Union, American Coal Ash Association, 
     American Concrete Pavement Association, American Concrete 
     Pipe Association, American Council of Engineering Companies, 
     American Subcontractors Association, American Iron and Steel 
     Institute, American Society of Civil Engineers, American 
     Traffic Safety Services Association, Asphalt Emulsion 
     Manufacturers Association, Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming 
     Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, Association 
     of Equipment Manufacturers.
       Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute, International Slurry 
     Surfacing Association, International Association of Bridge, 
     Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, 
     International Union of Operating Engineers, Laborers-
     Employers Cooperation and Education Trust, Laborers' 
     International Union of North America, National Asphalt 
     Pavement Association, National Association of Surety Bond 
     Producers, National Electrical Contractors Association, 
     National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, National Steel 
     Bridge Alliance, National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, 
     National Utility Contractors Association, Portland Cement 
     Association, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, The Road 
     Information Program, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and 
     Joiners of America.

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I ask that my colleagues join me and Senator 
Collins in supporting this amendment.
  I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the staff members 
who actually made this Transportation, Housing and Urban Development--
T-HUD--bill possible. They did extraordinary work. We all recognize 
that it is their efforts that make these difficult and complicated 
legislative initiatives possible. On the majority staff, I thank Clare 
Doherty, Jason Woolwine, Rajat Mathur, Gus Maples, Courtney Young, and 
LaShawnda Smith. On my staff, I particularly want to thank Dabney Hegg, 
Christina Monroe, Jessi Axe, and Elisabeth Coats.
  I think I speak for all of my colleagues when I salute all the staff 
members who make this legislation possible.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.


                           Amendment No. 1209

  Mr. LEE. Mr. President, there is no doubt that we are blessed with 
beautiful, useful, and productive lands in our Nation. And there is no 
doubt that some of them should be preserved as what they are, which 
happen to be national treasures. But, unfortunately, the Federal 
Government owns far too much land. It owns far more of these Federal 
public lands than it should own and far more of these lands than it can 
possibly take care of.
  Let's take a look at this map, for example. This shows in red the 
land that is owned by the Federal Government in parts of the United 
States. The Federal Government owns most of the land. This is certainly 
the case in my home State of Utah, where the Federal Government owns 
two-thirds of the land. Notice, by the way, that in every State east of 
Colorado, the Federal Government owns less than 15 percent of the 
land--in most States, significantly less. In every State west of 
Colorado, the Federal Government owns more than 15 percent of the land, 
and in many cases, a whole lot more than 15 percent.
  The sheer volume of land that it owns is nothing short of staggering. 
In fact, the Federal Government owns 640 million acres of land. This is 
a total larger than the entireties of France, Spain, Germany, Poland, 
Italy, the United Kingdom, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands 
combined. That is how much land the Federal Government owns just in 
America.
  With such a vast estate, it is no wonder that there is currently a 
$19.38 billion maintenance backlog on those lands. Of that backlog, 
$11.92 billion is on lands owned and managed by just the National Park 
Service. In fact, there are National Park Service backlogs in every 
single State in the country, as this map demonstrates.
  I see here that the question is not whether a particular State has a 
National Park Service backlog within its State; the question is, How 
much? In some States, it is very severe. In some States, it is 
significant but not yet severe. But there is a National Park Service 
maintenance backlog in every single State.
  Many of my colleagues--especially those from the Midwest, as this map 
shows--don't have a whole lot of Federal land in their States. They 
have a whole lot less Federal land to maintain, and therefore they have 
less of a maintenance backlog. They should thank their lucky stars for 
that. That is a position to be envied.
  On one end of the spectrum, there is a $1.3 million backlog on 
National Park Service properties in Delaware. The backlog for the parks 
in Rhode Island is just under $1 million. But at the other end of the 
spectrum, California alone has a whopping $1.8 billion maintenance 
backlog just on its national parks alone. That is in just one State. 
What does that mean? That means the damage from wildfires, ill-kept 
roads and trails, and neglected facilities have actually kept citizens 
from accessing our national treasures--national treasures like Yosemite 
and Yellowstone, our National Mall and the Grand Canyon. Visitors who 
come from far and wide to see them are either unable to see them at 
all, or perhaps they make it, but they don't have a good experience 
when they do. All the while, Washington continues to purchase ever more 
land, so the maintenance backlog continues to grow.
  This must not continue. This staggering, stunning maintenance backlog 
on the Federal land that we own--the Federal land that is more than all 
of the long list of European countries I mentioned just a minute ago--
can't continue. If we continue on this path, we will only do greater 
disservice to

[[Page S6321]]

our citizens and to the lands themselves.
  That is why I have introduced an amendment that would stop the 
Federal Government's use of taxpayer dollars to acquire more lands in 
the next year. Specifically, it would prevent the money currently going 
to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Range Improvement Funds, 
the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service from being 
used to acquire new lands that the Federal Government cannot properly 
care for.
  It is important, when describing a piece of legislation--in this 
case, an amendment to another piece of legislation--to explain both 
what it does and what it does not do. Let me be very clear in telling 
you what this amendment does not do. This amendment would not reduce 
the dollar amount being given to any of these programs--not one of 
them, not by one dollar. It would simply reauthorize the money to 
ensure that it is being used to care for the lands we already own and 
lands that need to be cared for so desperately.
  While some of my colleagues may disagree with me and may believe that 
we should continue growing the Federal estate, I ask that, at least for 
this year, we think of our current lands and our existing national 
parks and that we think of those States where there are a lot of them 
and States where the maintenance backlog is especially staggering. 
These lands won't be national treasures for everyone if we don't, 
can't, or simply won't properly care for them.
  If we continue in this pattern of neglect, there will be treasures 
for no one. If we continue with this pattern of neglect, we will 
continue to inflict significant environmental harm that, in addition to 
being stunning in and of itself, may, in some cases, be difficult or 
impossible to reverse.
  If you support the environment, if you want to protect the 
environment and the natural wonders and beauties with which this land 
has been blessed, if you want to protect our national treasures, then 
you should vote for this amendment.
  Voting against this amendment means you are willing to have the 
gluttonous Federal Government continue to acquire more land, even while 
it refuses to and professes itself to be utterly incapable of 
maintaining the land it has.
  For now, at the very least, we ought to ensure that these lands are 
safe and accessible for generations to come. Our lands, our citizens, 
and our environment deserve nothing less.


                Amendment No. 1209 to Amendment No. 948

  (Purpose: To prohibit the expenditure of certain amounts from the 
Land and Water Conservation Fund for land acquisition.)
  Mr. LEE. Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 1209.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Utah [Mr. Lee] proposes an amendment 
     numbered 1209 to amendment No. 948.

  Mr. LEE. I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be 
dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (The amendment is printed in the Record of October 28, 2019, under 
``Text of Amendments.'')
  Mr. LEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be 2 
minutes of debate between each vote in this series and that all votes 
after the first be 10 minutes in length.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


            Vote on Amendment No. 1209 to Amendment No. 948

  The question is on agreeing to the Lee amendment No. 1209.
  Mr. LEE. 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), 
the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker), the Senator from California 
(Ms. Harris), the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar), the Senator 
from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the Senator from Massachusetts (Ms. 
Warren) are necessarily absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. FISCHER). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 29, nays 64, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 339 Leg.]

                                YEAS--29

     Barrasso
     Braun
     Cassidy
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Enzi
     Ernst
     Fischer
     Grassley
     Hawley
     Inhofe
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Lankford
     Lee
     Moran
     Paul
     Risch
     Romney
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Sasse
     Scott (FL)
     Sullivan
     Thune
     Tillis
     Toomey
     Wicker

                                NAYS--64

     Alexander
     Baldwin
     Blackburn
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Capito
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Collins
     Coons
     Cortez Masto
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Daines
     Duckworth
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Gardner
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Jones
     Kaine
     King
     Leahy
     Manchin
     Markey
     McConnell
     McSally
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Perdue
     Peters
     Portman
     Reed
     Roberts
     Rosen
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott (SC)
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Sinema
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Udall
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Whitehouse
     Wyden
     Young

                             NOT VOTING--7

     Bennet
     Booker
     Harris
     Isakson
     Klobuchar
     Sanders
     Warren
  The amendment (No. 1209) was rejected.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.


         Amendment No. 1141, As Modified, to Amendment No. 948

  Mr. JONES. Madam President, under the previous order, I call up 
amendment No. 1141, as modified.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Alabama [Mr. Jones], for himself and Ms. 
     McSally, proposes an amendment numbered 1141 to amendment No. 
     948.

  Mr. JONES. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading 
of the amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

 (Purpose: To prohibit the implementation of the ``Rostenkowski Test'' 
  with respect to the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund)

       At the appropriate place in title I of division E, insert 
     the following:
       Sec. 1__.  None of the funds made available by this Act or 
     any other Act may be used to adjust apportionments or 
     withhold funds from apportionments pursuant to section 
     9503(e)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
  Mr. JONES. Madam President, I rise in support of the amendment 
offered by myself and my friend from Arizona, Senator McSally.
  This amendment would permanently block an impending $1.2 billion in 
cuts to the Federal public transportation investment. These cuts will 
affect every one of our States--every one--including 7 million in my 
home State of Alabama.
  Without this legislation to block what is known as the ``Rostenkowski 
Test,'' every public transit agency will suffer a 12-percent across-
the-board cut to transit formula grants this year. For many transit 
agencies, particularly these smaller transit agencies that serve rural 
States such as mine, these cuts could be devastating. These cuts would 
reduce services that are so important to the community, for instance, 
services for low-income people and services to those who have 
disabilities.
  These cuts would reduce funds for important bus and rail efforts to 
modernize our transportation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has used 1 minute.
  Mr. JONES. I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.
  Ms. McSALLY. Madam President, I rise in strong support of my 
amendment with Senator Jones from Alabama. As he said, this is a very 
important amendment to block $1.2 billion in cuts to these transit 
agencies that are impacting every single one of our States. Across 
Arizona, this is millions

[[Page S6322]]

of dollars, a 12-percent cut in every State, and we are going to stop 
that from happening here today.
  As Senator Jones mentioned, this is impacting people of low income, 
of disabilities, and in rural communities across the board. A broad 
coalition of over 30 associations--including the American Public 
Transportation Association, Associated General Contractors of America, 
and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce--support our efforts today to block 
these cuts.
  I urge our colleagues to please join us and vote for our amendment.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendment.
  Mr. THUNE. Madam 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 bill 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), 
the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker), the Senator from California 
(Ms. Harris), the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar), 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 82, nays 11, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 340 Leg.]

                                YEAS--82

     Alexander
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Capito
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Cassidy
     Collins
     Coons
     Cornyn
     Cortez Masto
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Crapo
     Daines
     Duckworth
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Ernst
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Gardner
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hassan
     Hawley
     Heinrich
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Inhofe
     Johnson
     Jones
     Kaine
     Kennedy
     King
     Leahy
     Manchin
     Markey
     McConnell
     McSally
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Peters
     Portman
     Reed
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rosen
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott (SC)
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Sinema
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Udall
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden
     Young

                                NAYS--11

     Blackburn
     Braun
     Cruz
     Lankford
     Lee
     Paul
     Perdue
     Romney
     Sasse
     Scott (FL)
     Toomey

                             NOT VOTING--7

     Bennet
     Booker
     Harris
     Isakson
     Klobuchar
     Sanders
     Warren
  The amendment (No. 1141), as modified, was agreed to.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  October 31, 2019, on page H8697 (first column), the following 
appeared: The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the 
resolution.
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: The SPEAKER pro 
tempore. The question is on ordering the previous question.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 



                      Amendment No. 950 Withdrawn

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, amendment No. 950 
was withdrawn.
  Amendment No. 948, as amended, is agreed to.
  The cloture motion on H.R. 3055 is withdrawn.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read 
the third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There will now be 2 minutes of debate equally 
divided.
  The Senator from Vermont.
  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I see my friend, the senior Senator from 
Alabama, on the floor. I want to offer my praise for him because we are 
going to vote on final passage of the fiscal year 2020 Senate Commerce, 
Justice, and Science appropriations bill, the Agriculture 
appropriations bill, the Interior appropriations bill, and the 
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. I 
urge all Members to vote aye.
  These are good, bipartisan bills. They show that despite whatever 
political atmosphere we operate in, the Appropriations Committee can 
put partisan politics aside and do our work on behalf of the American 
people.
  These bills make responsible investments that build on what we were 
able to accomplish in fiscal year 2019 while strongly rejecting the 
shortsighted cuts the Trump administration proposed. They back up our 
commitment to invest in rural communities and farms, law enforcement, 
and the environment.
  We have reached this point because we worked together quietly during 
evenings and weekends to get it done. I want to thank the chairs and 
the ranking members of the subcommittees for their work: Senators 
Hoeven and Merkley, Senators Murkowski and Udall, Senators Collins and 
Reed, and Senators Moran and Shaheen.
  I have often said that Senators are merely constitutional impediments 
to their staff, and Senator Shelby and I are lucky to have such a 
staff. They have worked very long days and nights.
  I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the list of the 
staff, both Republicans and Democrats, who deserve our thanks.
       There being no objection, the material was ordered to be 
     printed in the Record, as follows:

   Vice Chairman Leahy List for H.R. 3055 (Minibus #2) Staff for the 
                                 Record

       Charles Kieffer, Chanda Betourney, Jessica Berry, Jay 
     Tilton, Hannah Chauvin, Olivia Matthews, Dianne Nellor, Jean 
     Toal Eisen, Rachael Taylor, Dabney Hegg, Adrienne 
     Wojciechowski, Bob Ross, Teri Curtin, Jennifer Eskra, Blaise 
     Sheridan, Elisabeth Coats, Ryan Hunt, Melissa Zimmerman, 
     Faisal Amin, Jessi Axe, Christina Monroe, Shannon Hines, 
     Jonathan Graffeo, David Adkins, Margaret Pritchard, Morgan 
     Ulmer, Hamilton Bloom, Emy Lesofski, Clare Doherty, Patrick 
     Carroll, Elizabeth Dent, Anna Lanier Fischer, Amber Beck, 
     Allen Cutler, Matt Womble, Sydney Crawford, Lucas Agnew, Nona 
     McCoy, Gus Maples, Rajat Mathur, LaShawnda Smith, Jason 
     Woolwine, Courtney Young, Valerie Hutton, Elmer Barnes, Penny 
     Myles, Karin Thames, Bob Putnam, Jenny Winkler, Christy 
     Greene, George Castro
  Mr. LEAHY. I yield the floor, and I urge an aye vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill having been read the third time, the 
question is, Shall the bill, as amended, pass?
  Mr. LEAHY. 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 senior assistant 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), 
Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker), Senator from California (Ms. 
Harris), Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar), Senator from Vermont 
(Mr. Sanders) and 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 84, nays 9, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 341 Leg.]

                                YEAS--84

     Alexander
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Capito
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Cassidy
     Collins
     Coons
     Cornyn
     Cortez Masto
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Crapo
     Daines
     Duckworth
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Ernst
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Gardner
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hassan
     Hawley
     Heinrich
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Inhofe
     Jones
     Kaine
     Kennedy
     King
     Lankford
     Leahy
     Manchin
     Markey
     McConnell
     McSally
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Perdue
     Peters
     Portman
     Reed
     Risch
     Roberts
     Romney
     Rosen
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott (SC)
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Sinema
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Udall
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden
     Young

                                NAYS--9

     Blackburn
     Braun
     Cruz
     Johnson
     Lee
     Paul
     Sasse
     Scott (FL)
     Toomey

                             NOT VOTING--7

     Bennet
     Booker
     Harris
     Isakson
     Klobuchar
     Sanders
     Warren
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 84, the nays are 9.
  The 60-vote threshold having been achieved, the bill, as amended, is 
passed.
  The bill (H.R. 3055), as amended, was passed, as follows:
  (The bill will be printed in a future edition of the Record.)

[[Page S6323]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.

                          ____________________