[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 193 (Wednesday, December 4, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6837-S6841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     SUPPORT FOR VETERANS IN EFFECTIVE APPRENTICESHIPS ACT OF 2019

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, when I travel across Michigan, one issue 
comes up regularly in my conversations with business owners, workers, 
and families, and that issue is the need to close the skills gap.
  There are good-paying jobs available all across my State but not 
enough workers who have the specific skills needed to fill them. That 
is why one of my top priorities in the Senate is to expand access to 
quality skills training programs, like registered apprenticeships, that 
are connected to today's in-demand jobs.
  Effective apprenticeships are good for business. They are good for 
workers in both urban and rural areas in Michigan, as well as all 
across our country.
  I have also heard from veterans, like Rick Donovan in Oakland County, 
about how there is a lack of apprenticeships available for veterans who 
qualify for them to use their GI benefits.
  The GI bill offers veterans an approved apprenticeship, additional 
financial support for housing, and other training materials as they 
progress through the program. Unfortunately, only a small portion of 
apprenticeship programs registered by the Department of Labor are also 
approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  In Michigan, for example, there are over 1,000 registered 
apprenticeship programs but only a couple hundred in which veterans can 
use their VA educational assistance in connection with that 
program. This is simply unacceptable. Veterans should have access to as

[[Page S6838]]

many opportunities as there are available.

  That is why Senator Capito and I introduced a bipartisan bill to 
ensure veterans' interests are not falling through the cracks between 
Federal agencies as they pursue apprenticeships to launch their career. 
Our Support for Veterans in Effective Apprenticeships Act takes three 
commonsense steps to expand opportunities for veterans to use their 
financial assistance for quality training programs that lead to good-
paying jobs.
  First, the bill will ensure that every program applying to become a 
registered apprenticeship is proactively thinking about ways to support 
veterans. Programs would need to provide written assurance to the 
Department of Labor that they are aware of GI bill assistance and are 
committed to taking the steps necessary to enable benefits to use these 
benefits as apprentices.
  Second, the bill will clarify that skills and training that veterans 
gain during their military service would be a factor into how they are 
placed in the program. Many veterans may qualify for advanced placement 
with higher apprenticeship wages due to their unique experiences while 
bravely serving our country, and our bill will recognize those skill 
sets.
  Third, the bill will improve coordination between Federal agencies. 
It would direct the Department of Labor to notify the VA of newly 
registered apprenticeship programs. It is a simple, straightforward 
action to actively update new apprenticeship opportunities.
  Our Nation's returning heroes deserve every opportunity to pursue 
their professional dreams after their service. By expanding qualified 
apprenticeships, this bill will make a real difference in the lives of 
our veterans.
  Rick, a veteran advocate from Michigan, said he would never have 
known that he could use his GI bill benefits for on-the-job training 
had he not crossed paths with a more senior veteran who told him about 
it. It was a conversation that literally changed his life. With the 
support of the GI bill, Rick was now able to pursue an apprenticeship 
following his military service. He then used that training toward a 
college degree and has built a successful career as a union sheet metal 
worker in Michigan.
  We need to listen to and partner with veterans like Rick who are 
tirelessly advocating to open doors to help fellow veterans, 
Michiganders, and Americans so they can achieve economic success in the 
21st century.
  As in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further 
consideration of S. 760 and the Senate proceed to its immediate 
consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 760) to enable registered apprenticeship 
     programs to better serve veterans, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the committee was discharged and the Senate 
proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Peters 
amendment at the desk be agreed to and that the bill, as amended, be 
considered read a third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 1254), in the nature of a substitute, was agreed 
to, as follows:

                (Purpose: In the nature of a substitute)

       Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Support for Veterans in 
     Effective Apprenticeships Act of 2019''.

     SEC. 2. IMPROVED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM COORDINATION BETWEEN 
                   THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND THE DEPARTMENT OF 
                   VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) Definitions.--In this Act:
       (1) Registered apprenticeship program.--The term 
     ``registered apprenticeship program'' means an apprenticeship 
     program registered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (50 Stat. 
     664; commonly referred to as the ``National Apprenticeship 
     Act'').
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Labor.
       (b) Additional Registered Apprenticeship Program 
     Requirements.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
     for any program applying to become a registered 
     apprenticeship program on or after the date that is 180 days 
     after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
     shall--
       (1) acquire from the program sponsor a written assurance 
     that the sponsor--
       (A) is aware of the availability of educational assistance 
     for a veteran or other individual eligible under chapters 30 
     through 36 of title 38, United States Code, for use in 
     connection with a registered apprenticeship program;
       (B) will make a good faith effort to obtain approval for 
     educational assistance described in subparagraph (A) for, at 
     a minimum, each program location that employs or recruits a 
     veteran or other individual eligible for educational 
     assistance under chapters 30 through 36 of title 38, United 
     States Code; and
       (C) will not deny the application of a qualified candidate 
     who is a veteran or other individual eligible for educational 
     assistance described in subparagraph (A) for the purpose of 
     avoiding making a good faith effort to obtain approval as 
     described in subparagraph (B);
       (2) in accordance with paragraphs (5) and (12) of section 
     29.5(b) of title 29, Code of Federal Regulations (as in 
     effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act), 
     require the program sponsor, to the extent practicable, to 
     provide standards that contain provisions to grant advanced 
     standing or credit, and provide increased wages commensurate 
     to such standing or credit, for any veteran or other 
     individual eligible for educational assistance under chapters 
     30 through 36 of title 38, United States Code, who--
       (A) is enrolled in the registered apprenticeship program; 
     and
       (B)(i) has a demonstrated competence applicable to the 
     apprenticeship occupation; or
       (ii) has acquired experience, training, or skills through 
     military service that is applicable to the apprenticeship 
     occupation; and
       (3) when the Secretary approves the registered 
     apprenticeship program, provide a copy of the program's 
     certificate of registration to the State approving agency 
     designated under chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, 
     in the State where the program is located.

  The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read 
the third time.
  Mr. PETERS. I know of no further debate on this bill, as amended.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate, the bill having 
been read the third time, the question is, Shall the bill pass?
  The bill (S. 760), as amended, was passed, as follows:

                                 S. 760

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Support for Veterans in 
     Effective Apprenticeships Act of 2019''.

     SEC. 2. IMPROVED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM COORDINATION BETWEEN 
                   THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND THE DEPARTMENT OF 
                   VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) Definitions.--In this Act:
       (1) Registered apprenticeship program.--The term 
     ``registered apprenticeship program'' means an apprenticeship 
     program registered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (50 Stat. 
     664; commonly referred to as the ``National Apprenticeship 
     Act'').
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Labor.
       (b) Additional Registered Apprenticeship Program 
     Requirements.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
     for any program applying to become a registered 
     apprenticeship program on or after the date that is 180 days 
     after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
     shall--
       (1) acquire from the program sponsor a written assurance 
     that the sponsor--
       (A) is aware of the availability of educational assistance 
     for a veteran or other individual eligible under chapters 30 
     through 36 of title 38, United States Code, for use in 
     connection with a registered apprenticeship program;
       (B) will make a good faith effort to obtain approval for 
     educational assistance described in subparagraph (A) for, at 
     a minimum, each program location that employs or recruits a 
     veteran or other individual eligible for educational 
     assistance under chapters 30 through 36 of title 38, United 
     States Code; and
       (C) will not deny the application of a qualified candidate 
     who is a veteran or other individual eligible for educational 
     assistance described in subparagraph (A) for the purpose of 
     avoiding making a good faith effort to obtain approval as 
     described in subparagraph (B);
       (2) in accordance with paragraphs (5) and (12) of section 
     29.5(b) of title 29, Code of Federal Regulations (as in 
     effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act), 
     require the program sponsor, to the extent practicable, to 
     provide standards that contain provisions to grant advanced 
     standing or credit, and provide increased wages commensurate 
     to such standing or credit, for any veteran or other 
     individual eligible for educational assistance under chapters 
     30 through 36 of title 38, United States Code, who--
       (A) is enrolled in the registered apprenticeship program; 
     and
       (B)(i) has a demonstrated competence applicable to the 
     apprenticeship occupation; or

[[Page S6839]]

       (ii) has acquired experience, training, or skills through 
     military service that is applicable to the apprenticeship 
     occupation; and
       (3) when the Secretary approves the registered 
     apprenticeship program, provide a copy of the program's 
     certificate of registration to the State approving agency 
     designated under chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, 
     in the State where the program is located.

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.


              United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement

  Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, there is something we can do in Congress 
today, right now, right this very minute, that would lift a burden and 
provide peace of mind for millions of people across this great country.
  As we all busy ourselves making holiday plans, Iowa's farmers and 
manufacturers are struggling to confidently look to the future. Many of 
the tools they need to feel confident and secure in the months ahead 
are laid out in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The USMCA 
trade agreement was signed by President Trump 369 days ago--369 days 
ago. That is over 1 year ago.

  Speaker Pelosi and her House colleagues have had more than enough 
time to pass this important agreement. Yet they have failed to do so. 
Instead, House Democrats are fixated on impeaching the President. Let's 
not forget, though, when the House Democrats decided to go down this 
impeachment path, the American people were guaranteed that the House 
Democrats would be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. They 
promised that they could process this impeachment inquiry while 
continuing to do the work of the people. Well, folks, there is not much 
walking and chewing gum going on. Instead, that gum seems to be stuck 
under some park bench somewhere. That is where we are today, while 
millions of Americans whose livelihoods are tied to trade wait for the 
Democrats to get serious.
  It is really unthinkable that USMCA is not already ratified by the 
United States. Folks, the USMCA is written. It is signed. It is agreed 
to by our partners. All we have to do is vote to pass it. It really is 
that simple. As I mentioned, it has been over 1 year since the trade 
agreement was signed. That means Iowa farmers have now gone through an 
entire cycle of planting, harvesting, and selling their crops without a 
finalized trade agreement with our two biggest trade partners. Yes, 
they are our two biggest trade partners--Mexico and Canada.
  I spent all year crisscrossing Iowa to visit all of my 99 counties. I 
do that every year, just as Senator Grassley does, and not once did I 
hear someone say: Hey, Senator Ernst, let's wait on the USMCA.
  It was quite the opposite. Whether I was at one of my 35 townhalls 
that I held just last year or during a farmer roundtable or a visit to 
a small manufacturer, I heard consistently and across the board that 
Iowans want USMCA right now. They want it now. These hard-working folks 
know the impact the USMCA will have on our Iowa economy and the U.S. 
economy as a whole. There is no reason Iowans should have to wait any 
longer. There is no reason the American workers shouldn't have the 
certainty that they need.
  My House colleagues have not been able to offer any reasonable 
explanation for their inaction. I beg to say, though, folks, that it is 
because of who sits in the White House, and it would be a sad reality 
that, once again, Democrats would choose to put their own politics 
ahead of what is best for the American people. The USMCA is not 
partisan. It is not about President Trump. It is about what is best for 
hard-working Iowans. It is what is best for the American people.
  The work has been done for Congress. The trade agreement has been 
written. All we have to do is say yes for the American people. That is 
it. It is so simple. Let's get serious. Let's do the simple task that 
folks back home are asking us to do, and that is to pass the USMCA.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska.
  Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I rise today alongside my Republican 
colleagues to once again voice my strong support for the U.S.-Mexico-
Canada Trade Agreement. This agreement has been on the minds of 
Nebraskans for well over a year now.
  Nebraska and rural America as a whole were dealt a tough hand in 
2019. However, every time that I meet with Nebraska's farm families, 
ranchers, ag producers, and manufacturers, they reassure me that they 
can endure these challenges. They will sacrifice short-term anxiety for 
long-term certainty and predictability, but they need to know that 
there is going to be a light at the end of this tunnel. One important 
thing Congress can do to meet their needs is simple--pass the USMCA. 
This agreement is a victory for Nebraska and for America.
  I will give you a glimpse into what this means for my State. 
Currently, Canada and Mexico receive 44 percent of Nebraska's total 
exports. In 2017 alone, our State sent nearly $900 million of ag 
products to Mexico and nearly $450 million of ag products to Canada. 
These exports include our world-class corn, soybeans, ethanol, and 
beef. As I have said before, America's heart beats in the same rhythm 
as agriculture. When our ag producers succeed, entire communities reap 
the benefits.
  The Nebraska Department of Agriculture reports that our State's $6.4 
billion in agricultural exports in 2017 led to nearly $8.2 billion in 
additional economic activity in our State. That is why it is so 
important that Nebraska's top two markets, Mexico and Canada, are 
protected. We all know that the USMCA is the product of bipartisan 
good-faith work. Both sides agree that this deal not only updates but 
strengthens our environmental responsibilities, and it places 
enforceable labor obligations at the core of the agreement.
  All former Secretaries of Agriculture since the Reagan 
administration, both Republicans and Democrats, have voiced their 
strong support. Even the Washington Post editorial board conceded that 
the deal is ``a real improvement over the status quo.''
  Last July, a group of 14 House Democrats sent a letter to Speaker 
Pelosi urging her to move forward with USMCA immediately. The President 
of Mexico made his own plea to the Speaker in a letter last week. 
Canada is still waiting for us to act. The senior Senator from Iowa 
noted that a deal between House Democrats and the Trump administration 
must be struck this week if ratification of the USMCA is to take effect 
this year. Time is running out. Meanwhile, House Democrats are 
distracted by impeachment proceedings when they should be focused on 
passing this very meaningful agreement.
  In the final weeks of 2019, we will see if the needs of hard-working 
men and women in the heartland take priority over political theater. I 
urge my colleagues to follow through on our Nation's priorities and end 
the months of needless stalling. We must act now. The passage of USMCA 
would be an incredible win for Nebraska, and it would be an undeniable 
victory for America.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.
  Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I come to the Chamber today to rise with 
my colleagues to talk about the USMCA, or the United States-Mexico-
Canada Trade Agreement.
  But before I talk about the vote that I hope is in this Chamber on 
fairly short order, I would like to go back to December of 1993. In 
December of 1993, President Clinton signed NAFTA. A month later, it was 
ratified, and, to be honest with you, it started a period of time in 
North Carolina where we suffered. We had a challenge to actually 
determine how we were going to react to a very different North 
Carolina, where there are textiles and a number of other industries 
that suffered initially under the NAFTA implementation. But today, 
North Carolina is one of the greatest benefactors of NAFTA. As a matter 
of fact, we are one of the top States in the country for job creation 
and commerce, and Canada and Mexico are our two most important export 
markets.

[[Page S6840]]

  The problem is, NAFTA was implemented in 1994. I think that was back 
when the Backstreet Boys were topping the charts and MC Hammer was 
popular. It was a long, long time ago. It is time to modernize it. It 
was before the internet was even invented.
  We have so many opportunities to modernize our trade relationship 
with our two most important trade partners, and the USMCA is the 
opportunity to do that. While it only took about a month to ratify the 
NAFTA agreement--knowing that there was a lot of work to be done before 
we completely benefited from it--we waited a year to ratify an 
agreement that will be immediately beneficial to the American economy. 
It will create more than 170,000 new jobs and $70 billion a year in 
additional economic activity, putting us on a level playing field.
  Our automotive industry, which has grown over the last 20 years, with 
several automotive manufacturing facilities in the South, and many 
businesses in my State support it.
  It will open up the markets for our farmers. North Carolina is the 
ninth largest agriculture economy in the United States, with nearly $90 
billion a year in agriculture products. We want those markets open in 
Canada and Mexico so that we can grow our farm economy in North 
Carolina.
  We also want to recognize that the USMCA agreement is a very, very 
important step in getting China to come to terms with fair trade with 
the United States. When we settle an agreement with two of our most 
important trade partners, then, China will take notice and they will 
follow the President's lead and understand that we no longer are going 
to allow them to compete unfairly.
  There are provisions in the USMCA that I hear Speaker Pelosi talking 
about that, frankly, give me some concern. The House is entitled to 
make changes to the baseline agreement that both the Mexican Government 
and the Canadian Government have ratified, as proposed and as signed by 
the President. They give me concern, and we hope that Speaker Pelosi 
will keep to the baseline agreement.
  But now we have to get to work to get this agreement ratified so 
these kinds of things continue to be positive stories that come out of 
North Carolina and positive stories that come out of Nebraska and Iowa 
and across this Nation. There is no downside to this agreement. As a 
matter of fact, one of the reasons I know there is no downside is that 
there are dozens of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in the 
House who are prepared to vote for it in the form in which the 
President will sign.

  This is a very, very important agreement. I do have to agree with my 
colleagues in that the only reason I can imagine we didn't have this 
agreement ratified last year was due to the focus on all things 
impeachment. This is a good deal. I have no doubt that if President 
Clinton had signed this agreement in 1993, it would have been ratified 
a month later. Yet we have waited a year for this agreement to get any 
airtime in the House Chamber.
  We need the USMCA signed today. We need the USMCA put into place so 
that we can realize the immediate economic advantage for hard-working 
farmers, for small businesses, and for the 170,000 new jobs that will 
be created so that we continue this economic recovery that started with 
tax reform and regulatory reform.
  This is another step in the right direction, and no reasonable Member 
of Congress should be holding off on what is a great decision on the 
President's part. It is a great decision, and it is a great policy for 
the American people. It is going to help my farmers in North Carolina, 
and it is going to help my small businesses. It is going to continue to 
make the U.S. economy the envy of the world.
  I ask Speaker Pelosi and my colleagues in the House to get to work. 
You can walk and chew gum. Go ahead and focus on impeachment if you 
want to, but from time to time, why don't you take some Chamber time 
and some of your resources to do right by the American people. That is 
what the USMCA does, and that is what we need the House to do. I 
guarantee you, when it comes to the Senate, we will quickly send it to 
the President's desk.
  I thank the Presiding Officer.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
  Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, once again, I rise to voice support for 
the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
  The time to pass the USMCA is now. This agreement will increase 
exports, expand consumer choice, raise wages, and boost innovation 
throughout North America and especially here in the United States.
  It is clear that the USMCA is good for the country and good for our 
economy. The U.S. International Trade Commission estimates that the 
USMCA will raise the GDP by nearly $63 billion and create more than 
175,000 jobs in the United States.
  No one knows agriculture better than American farmers and ranchers, 
and technology has made them more efficient than ever. They have 
maintained an ag trade surplus for the last 50 years by exporting the 
best products around the world. American agriculture needs access to 
foreign markets to reach its full potential.
  The same is true for my State of North Dakota, which is a powerhouse 
in terms of ag product. We shipped $4.5 billion worth of ag products 
around the globe in 2017, which made us the country's ninth largest 
exporter of ag goods. Our farmers and ranchers depend on free and fair 
trade in order to sell the highest quality, lowest cost food supply to 
the world.
  We lead the Nation in the production of a variety of crops, including 
that of hard red spring wheat. Every summer, about 7.5 million acres--
one-fifth of North Dakota's farmable acres--are carpeted with rows of 
wheat.
  Currently, Canada automatically downgrades imports of U.S. wheat to 
the lowest designation--for animals only--regardless of the quality of 
the wheat. We grow the highest quality wheat in the world, and this 
unfair trade practice puts growers at a disadvantage when sending wheat 
to Canada.
  Having access to Canadian markets is a big win for growers, for a 
quarter of our State's wheat is grown within 50 miles of a Canadian 
grain handling facility. By eliminating the automatic downgrade of U.S. 
wheat, growers have access to an additional market where they will 
receive a premium price for their high-quality products. The USMCA 
ensures that North Dakota wheat growers will be compensated fairly when 
selling their products in Canada.
  These are the types of provisions that are provided for in the 
agreement--making it very clear that we need to get it passed.
  In addition to wheat, U.S. dairy products will see increased access 
in the Canadian market, which is estimated to be worth more than a 
quarter of a billion dollars. The agreement also provides for increased 
access to the Canadian market for other ag products, like poultry 
exports--chicken, eggs, and turkey--as well as others.
  These examples are just some of the many benefits for American 
agriculture in the USMCA. By maintaining all zero-tariff provisions on 
ag products, the USMCA will secure critical market access for U.S. 
farmers and ranchers. Canada and Mexico are critical markets for U.S. 
agriculture, and passing the USMCA will give our producers certainty 
that these markets will remain open for business.
  Our farmers and ranchers are facing real challenges right now. Severe 
weather has destroyed crops or has made it impossible to harvest, and 
unjustified retaliatory tariffs have disrupted markets and driven 
prices lower. That is why Congress needs to approve the USMCA.
  Now more than ever, farmers and ranchers depend on stability in our 
trading relationships with Canada and Mexico--our Nation's two largest 
trading partners. The failure to ratify this agreement would be 
detrimental to agriculture producers across the country, including in 
the Presiding Officer's home State.
  I believe the USMCA has strong, bipartisan support in the Senate, but 
the implementing legislation must originate in the House. That is why I 
urge my colleagues in the House to do what is best for the American 
people: take up and pass the USMCA as soon as possible. That means 
agreeing to the provisions in the USMCA and putting it on the floor for 
a vote in the House to get this process started. We need the leadership 
in the House to agree to take

[[Page S6841]]

the implementing legislation and put it to a vote on the floor of the 
House. I think it would pass with a large bipartisan majority. Then and 
only then can we take up that legislation here in the Senate, which, I 
believe, would pass with a large bipartisan majority. We are ready to 
go.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska.
  Mr. SASSE. Mr. President, farmers and ranchers are in a tough spot. 
There are a lot of families who are on the edge of bankruptcy in my 
State and in ag country more broadly. As we get closer to Christmas and 
to the new year without having a trade deal with Canada and Mexico, the 
situation is getting bleaker.
  Let's be blunt about this. By needlessly stonewalling the USMCA trade 
agreement, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats are taking 
Nebraska's agriculture hostage. This is petty, stupid politics at its 
worst.
  The USMCA trade deal is a free-trade win for our farmers and 
ranchers, and they desperately need this win right now. With hard work 
and grit, Nebraskans have cultivated one of the most powerful 
agricultural economies in the history of the world. We literally feed 
the world, and we do it with free trade because we grow so much more 
food than we could ever consume. We need export markets, and lots of 
people around the world want to be consuming our ag products.
  It is pretty simple: Trade with Canada and Mexico is a win-win-win. 
In 2018, Mexico and Canada bought more than $40 billion worth of 
American agricultural products. The U.S. International Trade Commission 
expects the USMCA to increase that trade by more than $33 billion. The 
USMCA trade deal is designed to reinforce those partnerships in ways 
that make sense for an economy that has changed a lot since NAFTA was 
passed in the 1990s.
  In the 1990s, ``Seinfeld'' was still on TV; we still watched movies 
on VHS tape; and we took our pictures with these things of which the 
pages probably don't know--cameras that had film. I will be honest. At 
my house, we still watch ``Seinfeld,'' but we have happily moved on 
from VHS tapes. My teenage daughters set us up on Hulu streaming, but I 
can't make the remote work.
  Over the last 20 years, we have seen a massive digital revolutionary 
change in nearly every sector of our economy. Farmers are using new 
tech to increase our productivity and to get more out of the most 
fertile land on God's green Earth than people have ever assumed 
possible. The USMCA trade deal makes that kind of basic improvement in 
our trading relationships with our neighbors, and we need that in this 
rapidly changing, evolving, and developing economy. For example, it 
scraps the old rules about importing cars that still have cassette tape 
players. Chuck Grassley, apparently, still has a car that has a 
cassette tape player, but he is proud of it, so we won't make fun of 
him here.
  Passing the USMCA would secure long-term stability in our trade 
agreements with our partners across North America, and it would also 
send a signal to other potential partners around the world that the 
United States is open for business. We need to bring Japan, the 
European Union, and others to the negotiating table, and passing the 
USMCA would strengthen our position significantly in setting up those 
trade agreements. Time is running out.
  If we don't pass the USMCA this year, we are going to send a very 
different signal to our potential partners. If Speaker Pelosi and the 
House Democrats can't get their act together on the USMCA, they will be 
telling the whole world that we may or may not be open for business--it 
all depends on short-term political posturing. That is the message they 
are sending now, and that is the message that might be cemented if this 
calendar year ends without our passing the USMCA. Try running a 
convenience store like that, and you will be out of business in a 
month.

  A lot of folks in San Francisco and New York City may not think much 
about beans and corn prices, but every farmer and rancher in Nebraska 
is beyond baffled that this no-brainer trade deal hasn't been passed 
yet. It is simply in the best long-term interests of everyone involved 
in this conversation. This is not something that should be slipping 
beyond this year; this is something that should pass now. We should 
call the vote on Christmas morning if that is what it takes. The 
Congress should not be leaving DC without passing the USMCA.
  Time is running out, and we don't want to let our farmers and 
ranchers face 2020 with the uncertainty and the confusion they now 
feel. These Nebraskans want to do business; they want to trade; and we 
want to win.
  Congress is the place where Americans deliberate about the long-term 
challenges we need to face for the future of our country, but instead 
of deliberation, right now what they see when they turn on their TVs or 
pick up their newspapers is just vicious partisanship and short-term 
posturing. The American people deserve better than this.
  The clown show in the House of Representatives shouldn't bring 
everything to a grinding halt. It shouldn't stop us from doing right 
for farmers and ranchers. The USMCA trade agreement would pass by large 
majorities if introduced on the House floor, and I speculate that it 
would get between 85 and 90 votes on this floor. Obviously, we can't 
take it up until the House votes. The House would pass it with a big 
majority. That means only Nancy Pelosi stands in the way of USMCA's 
certainty for the world's greatest producers. Everyone knows this, and 
Speaker Pelosi should be scheduling the vote.
  We have only 28 days left in 2019, but that is plenty of time to vote 
on the USMCA. That is plenty of time to get a win for our farmers and 
ranchers.
  Speaker Pelosi, please schedule the vote.

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