[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
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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
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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.
____________________