[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 199 (Thursday, December 12, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7010-S7015]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT IT IS THE POLICY OF THE UNITED 
              STATES TO COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam President, as in legislative session, I ask 
unanimous consent the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations be 
discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 150 and the Senate 
proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 150) expressing the sense of the 
     Senate that it is the policy of the United States to 
     commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official 
     recognition and remembrance.

  There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the 
Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam President, I further ask that the resolution be 
agreed to; the preamble be agreed to; and the motions to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or 
debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 150) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  (The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in the Record of April 
9, 2019, under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam President, we have just passed the Armenian 
genocide resolution recognition. It is fitting and appropriate that the 
Senate stands on the right side of history in doing so. It commemorates 
the truth of the Armenian genocide.
  On Monday, we commemorated the International Day of Commemoration and 
Dignity of the victims of the crime of genocide and of the prevention 
of this crime. The UN General Assembly established this day of 
remembrance to commemorate and honor the victims of genocide and 
highlight efforts to combat and prevent genocide. Passing this 
resolution is a fitting tribute to this day of remembrance.
  I have come to the floor on various occasions to talk about the 
history of the Armenian genocide. An Armenian priest, Krikoris 
Balakian, recorded some of the massacres against the Armenians. He 
said:

       In Ankara and its surroundings, only a couple hundred miles 
     east of Constantinople, the killing was done with ``axes, 
     cleavers, shovels, and pitchforks.'' It was like a 
     slaughterhouse; Armenians were hacked to pieces . . . infants 
     were dashed on rocks before the eyes of their mothers.

  It was indescribable horror. Even when Armenians were supposedly 
deported, the conditions they were forced to live in made clear that 
Turkey's ultimate goal was to eliminate the Armenian people.
  A visitor to one Turkish city in October of 1915 wrote: ``The 16,000 
deported Armenians who were living in the tents have been sent to Konia 
in cattle trucks. At night, while thousands of these unfortunate 
people, without food or shelter, shiver with cold, those brutes who are 
supposed to be their guardians attack them with clubs. And push them 
towards the station. Women, children, and old men are packed together 
in the trucks. The men have to climb on to the top of the trucks, in 
spite of the dreadful cold. Their cries are heart-breaking, but all is 
in vain. Hunger, cold, and fatigue, together with the Government's 
deeds of violence, will soon achieve the extermination of the last 
remnant of the Armenian people.''
  Henry Morgenthau, the U.S. Ambassador for Turkey, from 1913 to 1916, 
understood full well what was transpiring. He left his post in early 
1916 because, as he later recalled, ``My failure to stop the 
destruction of the Armenians had made Turkey for me a place of 
horror.''
  American diplomats like Henry Morgenthau were on the ground in 
Turkey, and they made heroic efforts to help the Armenian people, but 
here in Washington at the time, no one did anything in the face of this 
heinous crime.
  As former UN Ambassador Samantha Power wrote in her Pulitzer Prize-
winning book, ``A Problem from Hell,'' ``America's nonresponse to the 
Turkish horrors established patterns that would be repeated.''
  As my colleague from Texas, my cosponsor who has been such a stalwart 
advocate with me, has very often noted, this is the first genocide to 
be recorded in this century. We know all too well the horrors in the 
20th century with the Holocaust and other genocides around the world. 
So here in the Senate today, we break those patterns. We join the House 
and voted to do so by passing a resolution affirming the facts of the 
genocide, 405 to 11. Today, the Senate shows the same resolve.
  I am deeply grateful to Senator Cruz for his stalwart leadership on 
this issue and to the 27 other Senators from both parties who have 
cosponsored the resolution and demonstrated their commitment to the 
truth, and the truth finally will set us free.
  I am thankful that this resolution has passed in a time in which 
there are still survivors of the genocide. We will be able to see that 
the Senate acknowledges what they left.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
  Mr. CRUZ. Madam President, I thank my colleague and friend, the 
Senator from New Jersey, for his powerful remarks, and I rise today and 
celebrate a bipartisan achievement--an achievement of the Senate; an 
achievement for truth; an achievement for speaking the truth to 
darkness, for speaking the truth to evil, for speaking the truth to 
murder, for speaking the truth to genocide.
  This journey has been a long journey. Senator Menendez has been 
fighting this fight a long time. I have been proud to stand by his 
side. This is the third week in a row we have come to the Senate floor 
seeking to pass this resolution. I am grateful that today we have 
succeeded.
  The Menendez-Cruz resolution affirms U.S. recognition of the Armenian 
genocide. It has been far too long in coming. From 1915 to 1923, the 
Ottoman Empire carried out a forced deportation of nearly 2 million 
Armenians, of whom 1.5 million were killed. It was an atrocious 
genocide. That it happened is a fact and undeniable reality.
  In fact, the very word ``genocide'' literally means the killing of an 
entire people, and it was coined by Raphael Lemkin to describe the 
horrific nature of the Ottoman Empire's calculated extermination of the 
Armenians. It is why we have the horrid word ``genocide'' in our 
English language.
  Over 100 years ago, the world remained silent as the Armenian people

[[Page S7011]]

suffered and were murdered. Even today, many people are unaware of what 
happened. But we must never be silent in response to atrocity. We have 
a responsibility to stand up and speak the truth. With this resolution, 
the United States is now saying it is the policy of the United States 
of America to commemorate the Armenian genocide through official 
recognition and remembrance.
  We have a moral duty to acknowledge what happened to the 1.5 million 
innocent souls who were murdered. It is the right thing to do. I am 
grateful that, today, we have seen every Republican and every Democrat 
come together in support of the bipartisan Menendez-Cruz resolution. 
This is a moment of truth that was far too long coming.


                   National Defense Authorization Act

  Mr. CRUZ. Madam President, I rise today to celebrate yet another 
major bipartisan victory that is included as part of the National 
Defense Authorization Act that the House has passed and the Senate is 
preparing to pass.
  As it so happens, today is the 1-year anniversary--1 year to the very 
day that the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to condemn the 
construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Russia and Germany. 
By a vote of 433 to 105, the Members of the European Parliament called 
for the project to be cancelled because ``It is a political project 
that poses a threat to European energy security and the efforts to 
diversify energy supply.''
  In the coming days, the U.S. Congress will answer the call to stop 
this profoundly dangerous project. The House has acted, and the Senate 
will act very soon.
  As part of the National Defense Authorization Act, sanctions on the 
Nord Stream 2 pipeline are included. The Cruz-Shaheen legislation--
legislation I introduced, bipartisan legislation--Senator Shaheen and I 
and the Foreign Relations Committee brought our legislation to a vote. 
We won an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote--a vote of 20 to 2--out of the 
Foreign Relations Committee.
  In the past weeks and months, there have been extended negotiations 
to include this legislation, these sanctions, in the National Defense 
Authorization Act. We have negotiated with Republicans and Democrats--
Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Armed Forces, on the Foreign 
Relations Committee, on the Banking Committee, in leadership, and also 
Republicans and Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee, 
Foreign Relations Committee, Banking Committee, and leadership--and we 
have achieved a remarkable consensus.
  Part of the reason we were able to achieve this bipartisan victory is 
that the sanctions are narrowly targeted, precisely targeted. The Nord 
Stream 2 pipeline is a pipeline from Russia to Germany to carry natural 
gas that, if completed, would generate billions of dollars for Putin 
and billions of dollars that would fund Russian military aggression.
  Not only that, if completed, this pipeline would make Europe even 
more dependent on Russian energy and even more vulnerable to Russian 
blackmail. Putin has demonstrated that he is more than willing to cut 
off the gas in the dead of winter as economic blackmail against his 
neighbors.
  This pipeline is being built this very moment. It is near completion. 
The legislation we are passing is designed to operate like a scalpel, 
specifically directed to the ships that lay in the deep sea pipeline 
needed to complete Nord Stream 2.
  There are only five companies on the face of the Earth with the 
technological capability to delay the deep sea pipeline. Russia does 
not have one of those companies.
  The Russian Government lacks the expertise to lay this pipeline. As a 
result, Russia has contracted with the Swiss company, Allseas. Right 
now, as we speak, Allseas has a ship called the Pioneering Spirit that 
is laying this pipeline.
  The legislation that has passed the House and that is about to pass 
the Senate imposes crippling sanctions on any company laying this 
pipeline. It is designed to operate like a scalpel so it doesn't impact 
anyone else, but if this legislation operates as Congress intends, as 
both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate and House intend, then it 
will halt construction of this pipeline overnight.
  The best estimates we have are that, if uninterrupted, the Nord 
Stream 2 pipeline would be completed by the end of January. That means 
the window to stop the pipeline is vanishingly small.
  When the Senate passes the National Defense Authorization Act, which 
will be any day now, and the President signs it, which will be shortly 
thereafter, two things need to happen immediately.
  No. 1, the Treasury Department and the administration need to 
immediately begin working on implementing these sanctions. I am 
confident the administration will follow the directives of President 
Trump. He has said that Nord Stream 2 is harmful to the national 
security interests of the United States of America, and it is harmful 
to Europe.
  No. 2, there will be a decision made by the CEO and corporate 
leadership of Allseas. The instant this bill is signed into law--and we 
are only days away from that--if Allseas continues with construction of 
the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, even for a single day after this law is 
signed, then Allseas risks crippling sanctions that could devastate the 
company.
  The purpose of this legislation is not to see those sanctions 
implemented on Allseas; the purpose of this legislation is to stop 
construction. The only responsible and rational decision for the 
corporate leadership of Allseas to make is to stop construction.
  My understanding is their contract with the Russians has an explicit 
escape path in case sanctions were passed. So the day this is signed, 
Allseas shareholders are at profound risk if Allseas corporate 
leadership does anything other than cease construction and stop the 
pipeline.
  If and when that happens, that will be an incredible victory. It will 
be an incredible victory for Europe, an incredible victory for Ukraine, 
an incredible victory for energy security, and an incredible victory 
for jobs in the United States of America.
  It is far better for Europe to be relying on energy from the United 
States than to be fueling Putin and Russia and dependent on Russia and 
subject to economic blackmail. That is why, as I noted, the European 
Parliament voted by a vote of 433 to 105 to condemn Nord Stream 2.
  Passing these Nord Stream 2 sanctions are an incredible victory for 
the United States and national security, but it is also an incredible 
loss for Vladimir Putin and Russia.
  I commend my Democratic cosponsor Senator Shaheen. I commend the 
cosponsors that this legislation has had, both Republicans and 
Democrats in a bipartisan way, and I commend the U.S. Senate and the 
U.S. House for coming together. At a time when so many other issues 
divide us, we have united in defense of America, in defense of Europe, 
and in opposition to Russia's military aggression. Passing Nord Stream 
2 sanctions is a big, big deal, and I commend the U.S. Congress for 
acting swiftly in the rapidly closing window we have to stop this 
project.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Young). The Senator from Rhode Island.


                               Healthcare

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I am here to speak about the success 
of the Affordable Care Act in Rhode Island. It has been very well 
managed in Rhode Island, and it has made a very big difference in many, 
many lives.
  The marketplace plan that the Affordable Care Act set up in Rhode 
Island is called Health Source Rhode Island. It has been well run, and 
it has been successful. For 2019, it has 34,533 people getting health 
insurance through the plan.
  We also expanded Medicaid, as the Affordable Care Act allowed. Under 
the Medicaid expansion, 72,000 Rhode Islanders got coverage that they 
didn't have before. So if you put those two together, that is 106,000-
plus Rhode Islanders who got the benefit, the comfort, and the 
confidence of coverage for healthcare as a result of this bill. It is 
10 percent of our population, and it has driven our uninsured numbers 
way, way down, into low single digits, which has been a very big win 
for us.
  I will also say that we have taken very good advantage of the 
accountable care organization provisions of the Affordable Care Act, 
with two of the best

[[Page S7012]]

performing ACOs in the country as two of our lead primary care provider 
groups: Coastal Medical and Primary Care Partners. They are showing 
just terrific results, as they are changing the way they deliver care. 
They can do so because we have changed the way they can be reimbursed 
for care.
  That Rhode Island snapshot is part of a larger story of success.
  Eleven and a half million Americans around the country have enrolled 
in ACA marketplace insurance in 2019. There are 11.8 million Medicare 
beneficiaries who have saved a total of $26.8 billion on prescription 
drug costs. That is over $2,200 per senior. That is something to 
celebrate. Unfortunately, it is still at risk in the courts.
  President Trump and this Republican administration are still trying 
to knock it down. If they succeed, 133 million Americans with 
preexisting conditions will be at risk of losing healthcare coverage 
protections.
  One hundred and fifty-six million Americans with private or employer-
sponsored insurance will lose the consumer protections in the ACA for 
preventive care, disallowing lifetime or annual limits and closing 
waiting periods to enroll--things that have really made a difference in 
people's lives.
  These are big numbers, and they add to a tremendous story of success, 
but behind the numbers are faces. Every one of those 34,533 Rhode 
Islanders who signed up and got health coverage through Health Source 
Rhode Island has their own story.
  Today it is my privilege to come to the floor of the U.S. Senate to 
tell the story of Bridget from Tiverton, RI. I can't tell it better 
than she does, so I will simply read her story. She says:

       For the majority of my life, I have suffered from chronic 
     pain. Though I am only in my 20's, I have suffered from acute 
     arthritis in my left hip due to multiple surgeries to correct 
     complications from a hip displasia surgery for almost 15+ 
     years. I was told for years that I was not a candidate for 
     hip replacement as I was still growing, so when I was finally 
     developed enough and found a surgeon willing to perform the 
     hip replacement surgery, my life felt like it was actually 
     mine again. Last year, I finally was approved for a hip 
     replacement. It has been a year since that day, and I thank 
     God every day that I was able to receive the help I need. 
     Without the hip replacement, I would still be living in bed 
     and confined to a wheelchair or crutches.
       Without my coverage, the preventive care that ensured my 
     health would not backpedal would have been gone. I cannot 
     stress enough how terrifying the thought of losing the 
     opportunity of living my life was. I would not wish this 
     endeavor on anyone, especially a child without coverage, as I 
     have been in their situation.
       Since my surgery, I have been able to hold my first full 
     time job, I have been able to consider going back to college, 
     I have lived pain free for the first time in practically my 
     whole life.

       No one should have to struggle with chronic issues or be 
     discriminated against because of pre-existing conditions. 
     Every day I grow stronger, and my voice, for those who are 
     not as strong as I am now, grows louder. I will fight for my 
     right to health care and for others who deserve the treatment 
     they need for the rest of my life.

  Bridget, congratulations. Thank you. God bless you.
  Let us make sure we do not let this administration tear down the 
millions of stories like Bridget's that they seek to undo with this 
reckless litigation.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


               Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I rise today to reflect on the 
accomplishments that Chairman Murkowski, my colleague and friend on the 
Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and I have been able to make 
this year. Today, I will focus on my remarks on the energy agenda we 
have put in place to address climate change, as well as a path forward 
for a bipartisan energy bill.
  The year began with my appointment to ranking member of the 
committee. There were some expressions of uncertainty about where 
Chairman Murkowski and I might lead that committee, and there was a 
great deal of skepticism about my ability and interest in addressing 
climate change, but I can assure you it is strong.
  On March 5, 2019, we held the first hearing on climate in the 
committee in 7 years. Just this morning, we passed an additional five 
Energy bills, making the total count for this year 52 Energy bills 
reported out of committee.
  We have endlessly examined our Nation's work on innovation in the 
energy and manufacturing sectors, and we have been reminded that the 
United States must lead in this space in order to ensure we can address 
climate change effectively.
  As discussions about large climate bills move forward, it is 
important that Congress is doing the work to ensure we have the 
technology necessary to meet the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas 
emissions in a comprehensive and timely way.
  In the midst of all the political noise, our committee has been 
quietly leading this effort over the last year. The strong bipartisan 
nature of our committee has enabled us to move dozens of pieces of 
legislation that will push the Department of Energy and the private 
sector into their next phase of research and development as we seek 
technological emissions-reducing solutions.
  In reflecting on this year's progress, I want to highlight that 
bipartisanship because I believe it is absolutely the reason we are 
delivering solutions worthy of the people of West Virginia, Alaska, and 
the entire country. It is simple--the chairman and I talk to each 
other, we talk to one another's colleagues on either side of the aisle, 
and sometimes we disagree, but we never disrespectfully disagree 
because we are friends.
  We must come together in this Chamber to solve this crisis and also 
ensure that no community is left behind.
  From even before the founding of our country, my home State of West 
Virginia has poured its natural resources and its human resources into 
every one of our Nation's ambitions. It is well known that West 
Virginia has produced the coal that has powered our grid and built our 
steel skyscrapers for decades. We have literally done the heavy 
lifting. What you may not know is that our salt deposits were used to 
make gun powder in the French and Indian and Revolutionary Wars. Our 
deeply ingrained culture of hard work and entrepreneurship led to James 
Rumsey's steamboat innovation in 1787, just as it is leading to the 
National Energy Technology Laboratory's inventions today.
  West Virginians have applied all of our resources--coal, hydropower, 
natural gas, geothermal, wind, solar, and human ingenuity--to achieve 
our common goals. But these natural and human resources have been 
tested significantly in the past decade. The decline in coal production 
and use has gone beyond rising unemployment to unravel the tax revenues 
needed for our schools and communities. These economic and workforce 
downturns have occurred alongside the opioid crisis, the doubling of 
energy costs in our State, and historic flooding due to climate change 
in West Virginia--flooding that resulted in the tragic death of 23 of 
our friends, families, and neighbors.
  None of these obstacles have or will get the best of West Virginia. 
Nothing ever has. Just as the innovators of my home State have sought 
to use all the resources at their disposal to seize opportunities and 
overcome challenges, we must reflect that resolve here in the Halls of 
Congress.
  We cannot turn the American energy system on its head because the 
costs will fall too heavily on people in rural areas and energy-
producing regions like West Virginia. At the same time, we cannot 
disregard what the science tells us about the reality and severity of 
climate change.
  Across the country, we can clearly see that the costs of climate 
change are mounting, but we need to refocus our attention on the 
incredible opportunities presented by the solutions to it. Whether that 
is the upstart solar company hiring former coal miners in Jefferson and 
Cabell Counties; the collaboration between oil, gas, and geothermal on 
new ways to access hot rocks in Monongalia County; or the insulation 
installer who retrofits our homes, the opportunities and the needs 
exist in each and every community, not just on the coasts.

[[Page S7013]]

  I have said time and again that the miners who built our country are 
the best workers we can employ to build our future economy. It is our 
responsibility as their representatives to include them and their 
communities in the economy of the future by passing the laws and making 
the investments needed to shape that future, creating those jobs and 
guiding the private sector and others toward new, ambitious climate 
solutions. That is why I have pursued bills that will build new energy 
and natural resource jobs in rural communities.
  The Advanced Geothermal Innovation Leadership Act would significantly 
invest in new geothermal projects to unlock new and potentially vast 
resources in the Eastern United States--bringing proven renewable 
technologies to fossil fuel-producing regions.
  The Enhancing Fossil Fuel Energy Carbon Technology Act would make the 
first Federal investments in direct air capture and firm up our 
commitment to carbon capture, utilization, and storage--necessary 
climate solutions and ones that can be built in the valleys of West 
Virginia.
  The Clean Industrial Technology Act would incentivize new 
technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in industrial and heavy 
transport fuel sectors--solutions that reenergize the manufacturing 
heartland of the United States.
  These bills and the many others we have reported out will lay the 
foundation for meeting our climate goals while creating the innovation 
jobs needed in our rural communities, all while leading the world.
  That brings me back to the bipartisan nature of the Energy and 
Natural Resources Committee. The legislation we have passed in our 
committee reflects the diversity of our Members and our constituents 
who have sent us here on their behalf. These bills invest in the 
programs necessary to bring climate solutions to bear, and they will 
create jobs and opportunities.
  Our bipartisan work on energy innovation is evidence of the good work 
that can be done in Congress and stands in contrast to the skeptical 
and cynical narrative that dominates our politics today. Our work is 
far from done. We will continue to work in a bipartisan fashion with 
our colleagues in this Chamber and in the House to take those 52 bills 
and turn them into an impactful energy package, one that can easily and 
readily move the needle on reducing emissions and one that can be 
signed into law.
  I congratulate my dear friend and colleague Chairman Murkowski and 
the members of the committee for their work, and I look forward to this 
Chamber taking up our energy innovation package in the new year.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I thank my colleague, the ranking 
member on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He is really a 
friend on not only energy matters but on so many of the other 
initiatives we have worked on.
  As he mentioned, every now and again, our two States might see things 
differently, but we have come to understand where we come from, what we 
bring to the table, and figure out how we can work together 
collaboratively and then set that collaborative tone for the full 
committee as a whole. I appreciate the opportunity to highlight a few 
of the accomplishments we as a committee have achieved over this past 
year.
  We had a holiday lunch at the first of this week with both of our 
staffs assembled--had some good food--and I was able to share with all 
of the staffs that I felt like we were the committee that was kind of 
like ``The Little Engine that Could''--the children's storybook wherein 
the tiny little engine is kind of plugging along. We are not typically 
the headline-grabbing committee in this Senate, but just like the 
little engine, we kind of put our heads down and get to work, and we 
achieve a lot.
  In our case, even in a divided time, we are seeing good, strong 
bipartisan legislation that is helping just about every Member of our 
Senate in all areas of the country.
  Think about where we started off this year. You will recall that it 
was unfortunately in the midst of a government shutdown. But what we 
were able to do even at that time was to move through a significant 
victory, and that was the passage of our sweeping lands package 
containing more than 120 individual measures that reflected the 
priorities of dozens of Members in the Senate and the House. We passed 
that out of the Senate 92 to 8, the House passed it out 363 to 62, and 
the President signed it shortly thereafter. It was sweeping. We 
recognized that it provided for economic development for so many small 
communities, protected treasured landscapes, addressed a range of 
sportsmen's priorities, and permanently reauthorized the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund.
  It took a long time. There were many initiatives we had been working 
through for a considerable period of time. But our ability to be able 
to pass it shortly after this government shutdown underscored that even 
at a time when we are known for our divisions, we can still achieve 
bipartisan success.
  The committee really took the momentum, and we ran with it--as 
Senator Manchin has pointed out, some 51 bills, 52 bills here. Today, 
we just moved 19 bills out of the Energy and Natural Resources 
Committee markup. We have moved out measures that are focused on energy 
efficiency, renewables, energy storage, advanced nuclear energy, carbon 
capture, utilization, and storage. We focused on mineral security, 
cyber security, and a range of additional technologies that really work 
to ensure that energy becomes more affordable as it becomes cleaner.
  We have been working very hard on the public lands side of our 
jurisdiction as well. One bill you are sure to hear more about in the 
first of the year is the Restore Our Parks Act, which will address the 
multibillion-dollar deferred maintenance backlog at our national 
parks--the crown jewels of our Nation. That bill provides $6.5 billion 
over the next 5 years to fix dilapidated trails, buildings, roads, 
bridges, monuments, and historic markers.

  Working on the parks and the land side, we reported 13 nominees for 
key leadership positions at the Department of Energy, Department of the 
Interior, and the FERC. Nearly all of them were confirmed, ensuring the 
President has a good team to carry out our Nation's energy and resource 
policies.
  We have also held hearings--about two a week while we have been in 
session--to highlight the opportunities and the challenges we face 
within our jurisdiction. These range from everything from the need for 
new and innovative technologies--as Senator Manchin pointed out--to the 
future of our Strategic Petroleum Reserve. As he mentioned, we have 
held hearings--many hearings now--on climate change, making that a 
priority among priorities.
  I think it is fair to say we have been very productive as a 
committee. We know the work isn't done. It is one thing to report the 
measures out of committee; it is another thing to get them enacted into 
law. Our eyes are directed right now on these next steps.
  Early next year, we hope to bring much of the work we have processed 
through the committee, bring it to the Senate floor. We are counting on 
our colleagues to join us and to help move these bills to the House and 
to the President for his signature. Whether you are interested in 
energy innovation, resource security, or access to public lands, this 
work should appeal to just about every Member and provide a great 
opportunity to advance the security, prosperity, and competitiveness of 
our Nation.
  I want to share the deep appreciation I have for my ranking member, 
Senator Manchin, and his partnership. We have navigated some 
complicated stretches, but we have done so by working together to 
ensure a good outcome for the committee, for the Senate, and for the 
American people. I think you have seen some of that.


                       Tribute to Johnny Isakson

  Mr. President, we saw some of the good work reflected of a gentleman 
we have lauded on the floor now throughout this week and will continue 
to laud because he is a most laudable and wonderful human being, and 
that is our friend, the Senator from Georgia, Mr. Isakson, who will 
soon be stepping down after a very good and honorable career in the 
U.S. Senate and before that.

[[Page S7014]]

  It was a pleasure to know we were able to move out of the Energy 
Committee this morning. One of the priorities he has been working on is 
the Preserving America's Battlefields Act. He is a great historian and 
has put a great deal of himself into advancing that important 
legislation.
  Another markup I was part of this morning was in Health, Education, 
Labor and Pensions, where we moved out two significant bills that had 
Johnny Isakson's fingerprints all over it. His care, his compassion for 
the most vulnerable children who have been abused--he has been a leader 
in the CAPTA legislation that moved out of that committee by voice vote 
this morning.
  He was also instrumental in another measure that moved through the 
committee, the Adoption Opportunities Act. It gives you a glimpse of 
the range and the breadth of this extraordinary legislator, whether it 
is his great effort working for our veterans and his leadership on the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, his leadership on those matters that he 
cares so personally and passionately about in the HELP Committee, or 
what we see in the other committees as we have seen in Energy with his 
focus on America's history.
  Johnny Isakson is not only a great legislator, a laudable man, but he 
is also a true friend. He is one who has reminded us all that 
relationships matter; that how we speak to one another matters; that 
how we treat one another as human beings and friends matters.
  I know that as we say our goodbyes to Senator Isakson from this 
Chamber, we will long remember not only the contributions he has 
provided from a legislative perspective and a policy perspective but as 
a person and as a lovely and decent human being.
  With that, I yield floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.


               Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

  Mr. KING. Mr. President, I rise for a few moments to compliment my 
colleague, the chair of the Energy and Natural Resources committee, 
along with her ranking member, Joe Manchin, who spoke a few minutes 
ago, the Senator from West Virginia.
  I have done a lot of thinking about leadership. One of the 
observations I have made is that the character and personality and 
thoughtfulness of the leader infect the entire organization. In this 
case, the chair and the ranking member of our committee have produced 
one of the most remarkable records of achievement in a committee that I 
have seen since I have been here over the past year. It has been 
because of their willingness to listen, their willingness to work with 
all of the members of the committee--and it is quite a diverse 
committee in terms of geography and in terms of ideology and in terms 
of representation of various interests at the table of the important 
questions of energy that face us.
  This has been an amazingly productive year. I attribute that to the 
skill and leadership and character of Senator Murkowski of Alaska and 
of Senator Manchin of West Virginia.
  It has been a wonderful experience for me to see what can be done in 
this institution. The next step, of course, is to get to the floor of 
the U.S. Senate and move these bills forward, as I think they can and 
should, through the House of Representatives and to the President.
  Again, I rise not only to congratulate but also to thank the 
leadership of this committee for the great work they have done this 
year. I look forward to even better and greater things in the years to 
come.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.


                               Healthcare

  Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, I am on the floor briefly today to remind 
my colleagues to remind their constituents that December 15 is the open 
enrollment deadline for healthcare at healthcare.gov. This is 
incredibly important because if you are uninsured or you are currently 
on an Affordable Care Act plan, if you don't renew or sign up by the 
15th, you will be frozen out of the marketplace unless you have what is 
called a qualifying event.
  As we head back for the weekend, I want to ensure we do everything we 
can to make sure there are aren't more people who go into the New Year 
without insurance than absolutely necessary. This is especially 
important because we have seen a big decline in the number of people 
who have insurance in this country since President Trump took office.
  Obviously, we made enormous progress after the passage of the 
Affordable Care Act. We were able to get the percentage of Americans 
without insurance down to around 5 percent. That is really 
extraordinary. Yet we have seen that progress reverse. We have seen 
more and more people go without insurance since this administration 
started to wage what is a pretty consistent, remarkable war on the 
Affordable Care Act.
  As we speak today, the Trump administration is in court trying to get 
the court system--the Federal court system--to strike down the entirety 
of the Affordable Care Act. If they are successful in that endeavor, 
then next year's deadline will not matter because the Affordable Care 
Act will be gone; 20 million people will lose their health insurance; 
insurers will once again be able to charge you more because you have a 
preexisting condition or your kid has cancer or you are a woman.
  As we fight that court case, we need to remember that the Affordable 
Care Act is still out there and is still very affordable for millions 
and millions of Americans. Seventy percent of enrollees who go on to 
healthcare.gov find they qualify for financial help, meaning the 
sticker price is not actually what you pay. The tax credits in 
ObamaCare will help you get that premium lower.
  In fact, on average, folks are getting pretty sizable premiums--in 
the neighborhood of $500. That could make healthcare incredibly 
affordable, even if the sticker price looks out of your range.
  A woman in Hartford, named Deborah, visited a local enrollment fair 
after receiving a letter saying her premiums actually might be going 
up. She said this:

       That scared me a little bit so I wanted to come in and have 
     someone explain it to me whether it was going to go up, 
     decrease, you know, what were my options. What ended up 
     happening is that actually my premium went down for the same 
     plan but I also learned that just because they renew you that 
     I had the opportunity to go in and say no, I don't want that 
     plan, I want to choose this plan. I am ecstatic with my new 
     plan. . . . I got educated on the insurance process and I 
     like that.

  You can still get that help. You can still get somebody on the phone 
to walk you through your choices. I really encourage people to do that 
by this Sunday.
  For folks who do find an affordable plan, I hope you will also step 
up and try to help us maintain the protections and the coverages we 
have. We have been fighting a battle with the Trump administration. It 
doesn't like the Affordable Care Act simply because the President's 
name is on it, despite the fact that Americans don't want the 
Affordable Care Act repealed. But the administration has been doing 
everything within its power to try to make it harder for people to sign 
up. The administration has rolled back the advertising for the 
Affordable Care Act.
  This is what qualifies for advertising today--charts on the floor of 
the U.S. Senate. The administration has rolled back the money for the 
navigators--the people who help you pick which plan is right for you. 
The administration, for a period of time, threatened to stop paying 
insurance companies, which chilled the interest of insurers to actually 
offer plans on these exchanges. As I mentioned, the administration is 
going to court to try to unroll and unwind the entirety of the act 
through a court case.
  Lastly, though, what you will find, if you go and enroll in some 
States, are plans that look like an Affordable Care Act plan on these 
websites but actually aren't. They are what we call junk plans, short-
term plans--plans that don't really cover anything. They might not 
cover maternity care or addiction care or mental health or prescription 
drugs. Some of these junk plans don't cover you if you get admitted 
into the hospital on a Friday or Saturday.
  Be careful of those plans because the sticker price is going to look 
really low, but that is for a reason. It is because they don't cover 
anything.
  The President has allowed for those junk plans to be shown right next 
to

[[Page S7015]]

the Affordable Care Act plan. Make sure you are signing up for a 
regulated, Affordable Care Act plan. That is a plan that is bronze or 
silver or gold, not one of these junk short-term plans that is not 
going to be right for the vast majority of Americans.
  It is not too late. Sunday is the deadline. If you are in 
Connecticut, make sure to go to Access Health CT or your State 
exchange, if your State runs an exchange. If not, you can get 
healthcare through www.healthcare.gov.
 I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. LANKFORD. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote 
scheduled at 1:45 p.m. begin right now.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                        Vote on Hahn Nomination

  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Hahn 
nomination?
  Mr. LANKFORD. 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 Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator 
from North Carolina (Mr. Burr), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Isakson), 
the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. 
Paul).
  Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran) 
would have voted ``yea.''
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker), 
the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth), 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 72, nays 18, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 397 Ex.]

                                YEAS--72

     Alexander
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Bennet
     Blackburn
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Braun
     Brown
     Capito
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Cassidy
     Collins
     Coons
     Cornyn
     Cortez Masto
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Ernst
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Gardner
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hawley
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Inhofe
     Johnson
     Jones
     Kaine
     Kennedy
     Lankford
     Lee
     Manchin
     McConnell
     McSally
     Menendez
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Perdue
     Peters
     Portman
     Risch
     Roberts
     Romney
     Rosen
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Sasse
     Scott (FL)
     Scott (SC)
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Sinema
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Toomey
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Young

                                NAYS--18

     Blumenthal
     Cantwell
     Gillibrand
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Hirono
     King
     Leahy
     Markey
     Merkley
     Murray
     Reed
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Udall
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--10

     Booker
     Burr
     Duckworth
     Harris
     Isakson
     Klobuchar
     Moran
     Paul
     Sanders
     Warren
  The nomination was confirmed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to 
reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the 
President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The Senator from South Dakota.

                          ____________________