[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 2 (Monday, January 6, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15-S17]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                  Iran

  Madam President, on another matter, last Friday, Americans woke up to 
the news that one of the most brutal terrorist leaders in the world had 
been killed. Qasem Soleimani was killed in an airstrike by America's 
military, finally bringing an end to his decades-long reign of terror.
  You could legitimately call General Soleimani a master of disaster 
because that defined his entire professional life as the leader of 
Iran's military. Actually, he was the head of the Islamic Revolutionary 
Guard Corps Quds Force, which is a U.S.-designated terrorist 
organization. General Soleimani was the most consequential military 
leader in Iran, which has been designated by the U.S. State Department

[[Page S16]]

as a state sponsor of international terrorism since 1984. General 
Soleimani orchestrated Iran's efforts to squash democracy movements 
both at home and abroad by any means necessary. He and his army of 
terrorists exported violence around the region and engaged in gross 
human rights violations against the Iranian people.
  If you are curious how the Iranian Government treats its own 
citizens, just look at the recent protests that started as complaints 
over increased gas prices. When the Iranian citizens took to the 
streets in peaceful protest, the Ayatollah, the Supreme Leader, called 
them enemy agents and thugs, and the government attacked. As many as 
450 Iranians were killed in those peaceful protests, with some 2,000 
injured and 7,000 detained. This is not a government that is protecting 
its people; it is a network of criminals that masquerades as a 
government. One of the Ayatollah's most loyal henchmen was Soleimani.
  In addition to leading attacks on the Iranian people and fueling 
terrorist operations throughout the Middle East, he also played a 
crucial role in fomenting Syria's civil war. Soleimani helped to 
finance and aid the butcher, known as Bashar al-Assad, in the slaughter 
of the Syrian people. The death toll of the Syrian civil war is 
estimated to be as high as a half a million Syrians, and the number of 
refugees and internally displaced persons goes into the millions.
  While the greatest death and destruction orchestrated by Soleimani 
was concentrated in the Middle East, the United States was one of his 
and Iran's biggest targets. From the Iranian hostage crisis back in 
1979, to the Khobar Towers bombing, to the recent shooting down of a 
U.S. drone, to the death of an American contractor in Iraq, Iran's 
actions at every turn have demonstrated a desire to make the chant 
``Death to America'' a reality.
  Soleimani was known to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of 
American soldiers. He and the Iranian regime supplied explosively 
formed penetrators that cut through American armor like a hot knife 
through butter and left hundreds of American soldiers--indeed, maybe 
1,000 or more--disabled as a result of this deadly instrument of war. 
Since 2003, at least 600 U.S. soldiers have been killed by Iranian 
proxies in Iraq, and as I have said, many more have been injured.
  I and others in this Chamber have seen their activities firsthand at 
Brooke Army Medical Center, the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, 
and at other places where they have received treatment, like at Walter 
Reed Army Medical Center here in Washington, DC. It is where the 
victims of these Iranian improvised explosive devices were treated for 
amputation, for burns, or functional limb loss if they survived those 
injuries in the first place. These soldiers are a reminder of the 
selfless commitment our men and women in uniform make each day as well 
as the perilous threat posed by Iran under Soleimani's leadership.
  For decades, since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Tehran has waged 
war against the United States and our allies, and recent reports 
indicate that Soleimani was in the process of plotting even more acts 
of aggression against the United States and U.S. interests, which is 
hardly surprising, though, since he had been doing that for many years. 
That is precisely why he was targeted.
  Just as quickly as the news of this attack spread, so did anti-Trump 
rhetoric. Instead of celebrating the fact that Iran's chief terrorist 
was dead and could kill no more, a number of our Democratic colleagues 
chose to bash the President instead. They claimed his action was 
unauthorized, even illegal, or that he should have sought congressional 
approval beforehand. None of that is true. The President not only has 
the authority under the Constitution but the responsibility to defend 
the United States from terrorist organizations like the Iranian 
Revolutionary Guard Corps and its leaders like General Soleimani.
  This was neither an assassination--a particularly loathsome 
allegation that has been made on social media--nor an unprovoked 
attack. This was the President of the United States exercising his 
lawful authority to protect the United States, our allies, and our 
national interests just as Presidents before have done. Perhaps the 
most stark comparison is when Barack Obama directed the killing of 
Osama bin Laden. Where were the people who now claim that Soleimani's 
death is an abuse of power? I don't recall anyone calling the killing 
of Osama bin Laden an assassination. When he was killed, they were not 
on cable TV, criticizing the move; we were all celebrating.
  Some of our Democratic friends will simply never pass on an 
opportunity to criticize the President--no matter how unfair. Thank 
goodness there are Democrats like former Department of Homeland 
Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman.
  Senator Joe Lieberman said:

       President Trump's order to take out Qasem Soleimani was 
     morally, constitutionally and strategically correct. It 
     deserves more bipartisan support than the begrudging or 
     negative reactions it has received thus far from my fellow 
     Democrats.

  I am also grateful for the informed comments by luminaries like 
former CENTCOM Commander and former CIA Director General Petraeus as 
well as Ambassador Ryan Crocker, who have both rightly said that this 
action was authorized and necessary.
  It is unquestionable that the death of Soleimani was a major blow to 
the Iranian regime and a strong message of deterrence to all state 
sponsors of terrorism. The blood of hundreds of American soldiers and 
countless civilians is on Soleimani's hands, and because of the 
decisive action taken by President Trump, he is gone.
  I fully support this move by the President, and I commend the 
President's willingness to send a strong message of deterrence to the 
terrorist threat in the Middle East, particularly against the United 
States, our citizens, and our interests.
  Finally, I join my fellow Senators in thanking the brave men and 
women in uniform who fought and continue to fight terrorist acts 
brought about by people like General Soleimani and the Quds Force as 
part of the IRGC. I especially thank those who are fighting and who are 
prepared to defend our interests in the Middle East today.
  America must never back down in the face of this evil. Our world is 
safer today because Qasem Soleimani is dead. It would not have been 
possible without the actions that President Trump has undertaken or 
without the resolve of our military leaders and our courageous 
servicemembers who put their lives on the line each day.


                             116th Congress

  Madam President, on another matter, briefly, we have now crossed the 
halfway point of the 116th Congress, and it is safe to say that 2019 
was an unconventional and a somewhat bumpy year.
  After 2 years with Republicans controlling both Chambers of Congress 
and the White House, we were all prepared for the challenges that would 
come with a Democratically controlled House. Despite the unnecessary 
foot-dragging and political gaming and obsession with foiling the 
President, we were still able to accomplish a lot of good for the 
country and the people of my State of Texas.
  Last month alone, we made major moves to strengthen our military and 
support our troops. We passed a funding bill that increased the funding 
by nearly $20 billion--necessary to restore our readiness--and gave our 
troops the largest pay raise they had received in a decade.
  This complemented the National Defense Authorization Act, which 
authorized $400 million for military construction projects in Texas and 
90 new F-35 Joint Strike Fighters that will be built in Fort Worth.
  It also included a number of provisions that I introduced to support 
our servicemembers and veterans. In 2016, only 46 percent of Active-
Duty military voted by absentee ballot, and one-third of those who 
didn't vote said that the absentee voting process was simply too 
complicated.
  To make that better, I introduced the Military Voter Protection Act, 
which became law last month. It makes the absentee voter registration 
process easier for servicemembers stationed overseas so that a 
complicated trail of paperwork doesn't prevent them from casting their 
well-deserved ballots.
  I have also heard from my Texas constituents who are veterans, who 
have

[[Page S17]]

fallen on hard times and had to fight for their VA and Department of 
Defense disability benefits in bankruptcy proceedings. That should 
never be the case. Another bill I introduced called the HAVEN Act, 
which is now law, shields those benefits in the same way that Social 
Security disability is exempted. No veteran should be penalized for 
receiving the disability compensation that they are rightly due.
  Of course, perhaps the biggest headline news is our continued work on 
judicial nominations. Under this administration, we have confirmed more 
than 180 Federal judges, including 20 in Texas, plus 2 Supreme Court 
Justices. Although we are still 1 year shy of the end of President 
Trump's first term, we have already confirmed more circuit court judges 
than in any other President's first term in the past four decades. 
Having these impressive judges on the Federal bench will be a 
tremendous benefit to the entire country for generations to come, and 
we will keep working to confirm even more.
  Over the last year, we have also built on our work to support victims 
of Hurricane Harvey, including the release of $4.6 billion in 
additional funding from a bill to support communities across the 
country, including those in Texas, recovering from natural disasters.
  More than 2 years after the storm, many Texans are still rebuilding 
and, sadly, have had the added struggle of fighting to get their hands 
on Federal funds already approved by Congress. In February 2018, 
Congress passed a funding package that included more than $4 billion in 
disaster mitigation for Texas, but more than a year later, folks at 
home still hadn't seen a dime of that money.
  This summer, I introduced a bill that would require the Office of 
Management and Budget to send those and any future funds approved by 
Congress within 90 days of their appropriation by Congress. Government 
bureaucrats should not be allowed to stand in the way between 
communities in need and funds already approved by Congress, and I am 
happy that those funds are finally going out the door to these Texas 
communities.
  Another challenge we have faced over the last year is the ongoing 
crisis at the border, which hit its peak in May. Local communities in 
Texas helped carry the weight of this humanitarian crisis, which has 
placed serious strain on their ability to deliver basic services at the 
municipal and State levels. They diverted taxpayer dollars from things 
like public safety, power, and clean drinking water to do a job that 
should have been done by the Federal Government in the first place to 
secure our border.
  To right this wrong, we passed a funding agreement, at my request, 
which provided $30 million in reimbursements for local governments, 
States, and charitable organizations that have spent millions of 
dollars in response to this crisis, which seems to be ignored too often 
here in Washington, DC. Nearly 40 percent of this initial funding went 
to Texas to meet immediate needs, and I expect another round to come 
soon to cover additional expenses.
  Another big victory came in the form of international trade. Through 
my role as chairman of the Senate Finance Trade Subcommittee, I worked 
with the administration on three trade agreements with Japan, the 
USMCA--the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement--and China, all of which, I 
think, will inure to the benefit of all Americans, including Texans. I 
commend President Trump and Ambassador Lighthizer for their courage in 
confronting unfair trade practices, opening new markets, and providing 
economic certainty as we move into this election year.
  On top of all of this, we passed the bipartisan Taxpayer First Act, 
which includes some of the most significant reforms to the Internal 
Revenue Service in two decades. We stood with victims of domestic 
violence and sexual assault by finally passing the Debbie Smith 
Reauthorization Act, which strengthens our fight to end the rape kit 
backlog. We helped provide additional resources to secure America's 
elections against foreign interference, and the list goes on and on and 
on.
  It is safe to say, though, that there are a number of items that 
could have been added to this list of accomplishments, had they not 
been pulled into the political fray and this obsessive impeachment 
mania by the House of Representatives. Two things we could have done 
that were not accomplished as a result of this obsession were bills to 
reduce prescription drug pricing and to reauthorize the Violence 
Against Women Act, for which the Presiding Officer has played such an 
important leadership role.
  In both cases, there is broad bipartisan support for action, and in 
both cases, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle decided that 
political point scoring was more important than actually getting the 
job done; thus, we found ourselves at an impasse. As we gear up for a 
new year, those will be two of the top items on my priority list, and I 
hope our Democratic colleagues will work with us this time around to 
get them done.
  We are kicking off 2020 with a big, looming question mark hanging 
over this Chamber in the form of this impeachment trial, which was an 
urgent constitutional imperative until it wasn't. We are anxious to see 
what Speaker Pelosi will finally decide, and we are waiting for the 
House to transmit the Articles of Impeachment, but we are not going to 
let the grass grow under our feet in the interim. We are going to keep 
working to notch more wins for the American people, confirm more 
Federal judges, and pass the USMCA trade agreement, hopefully, before 
further delay.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.
  (The remarks of Mr. Hawley pertaining to the introduction of S. Res. 
463 are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced 
Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. HAWLEY. I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.