[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 202 (Thursday, December 7, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5831-S5834]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE SESSION

                                 ______
                                 

  REMOVING EXTRANEOUS LOOPHOLES INSURING EVERY VETERAN EMERGENCY ACT--
                           Motion to Proceed

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the 
Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 815, 
which the clerk will report the motion.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 30, H.R. 815, a bill to 
     amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain 
     improvements relating to the eligibility of veterans to 
     receive reimbursement for emergency treatment furnished 
     through the Veterans Community Care program, and for other 
     purposes.


                   Recognition of the Majority Leader

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader is recognized.


                          assault weapons ban

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, yesterday morning, Democrats came to the 
floor of the Senate to try and pass the assault weapons ban and other 
lifesaving gun safety legislation. Sadly, Republicans stood in the way 
of the Senate passing lifesaving legislation to get rid of the scourge 
of gun violence in America.
  Just hours later, we learned of yet another shooting on the campus of 
the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Our prayers are with the victims 
of the shooting at UNLV and their families, our prayers are with the 
students and staff of the university reeling from this horror, and 
thanks to the brave law enforcement officers who responded to the 
shooting and prevented even more deaths. The pain from these shootings 
in these communities never truly fades.


         30th anniversary of the long island rail road massacre

  Mr. President, I still remember the pain I felt when I first heard 
about the Long Island Rail Road massacre which happened in my own 
backyard.
  Today, December 7, marks 30 years since the Long Island Rail Road 
massacre. It is heartbreaking that the horrors of a tragedy 30 years 
old still feel like it happened yesterday.
  I remember the reports well: the 5:33 p.m. rush hour train from Penn 
Station, filled with commuters, average working Americans going home 
after a hard day's work to see their families. Moments later, a gunman 
unleashed carnage--6 dead, 19 injured. Many more lives were shattered, 
changed forever.
  Among those killed and injured were the husband and son of Carolyn 
McCarthy, a nurse from Mineola. Following the shooting, Carolyn began 
to advocate for tougher gun laws. Carolyn understood that something had 
to change.
  So after Carolyn's Congressman at the time announced he would be 
voting to repeal the assault weapons ban that I had championed--I 
carried the law in the House--she took matters into her own hands and 
ran for a seat in the House and won on that issue. She served in 
Congress for 18 years with me

[[Page S5832]]

and many of my colleagues in this building and remained a vocal 
advocate for stronger gun safety laws.
  So now, in memory of those lost and those injured 30 years ago today 
on the 5:33 p.m. Long Island Rail Road train, I ask for this Chamber to 
observe a brief moment of silence.
  (Moment of silence.)


                          Supplemental Funding

  Now, Mr. President, last night was a sad moment for the Senate, for 
the country, and for our friends in Ukraine and Israel and around the 
world. With our values and democracy on the line, Senate Republicans 
killed a much needed bill with funding for Ukraine, for Israel, and 
humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza, and for the Indo-Pacific.
  If there is a word for what we need now most, it is to be serious. 
Republicans need to be serious and stop game-playing. It is absurd that 
we are even in this situation to begin with.
  Let me retrace the steps that got us here and then how we can get out 
and get something done.
  First, we all know how important Ukraine aid is. Both sides have long 
claimed to support it. To quote a recent speech from my friend the 
Republican leader, Leader McConnell, ``helping a democratic partner . . 
. against an unprovoked attack from a common enemy is obviously in 
America's interest.''
  In another speech here on the floor, Leader McConnell added that 
``now . . . is not the time to ease up'' on helping Ukraine defending 
their sovereignty. Interestingly, he didn't mention anything about the 
southern border that day.
  Second, it was Republicans who threw an unnecessary wrench into 
Ukraine funding by tying it to the extraneous issue of border. We all 
agree that border security is important. President Biden included 
strong border provisions in the proposal he sent us. But we also know 
it is a complicated issue--very complex--that has escaped bipartisan 
solution for years.
  I am certainly willing to have that difficult conversation. I was a 
leader of the Gang of 8 that produced the last real border compromise a 
decade ago. But it is not realistic for Republicans to suddenly hold up 
Ukraine aid, which they claim to support, and then suddenly demand that 
we take up border, which has been a problem for years, and then solve 
it in a matter of days. Nevertheless, we Democrats were willing to give 
it a try.
  And that is my third point. For 3 weeks, Democrats have sat down at 
the negotiating table with our Republican counterparts to see if 
something on the border was possible. We talked for 3 weeks, and, 
actually, negotiations ended up moving backward after Speaker Johnson 
said the only thing his Republican caucus would accept was Donald 
Trump's extreme border policies as embodied in H.R. 2. So Democrats 
tried to negotiate in good faith, but after the Speaker pushed H.R. 2, 
talks remained at an impasse.
  Fourth, to work our way out of this morass, we Democrats offered our 
Republican colleagues a golden opportunity: an offer for a vote on an 
amendment on any border policy of their choosing. And all they would 
have needed to pass it were 11 Democratic votes. They rejected our 
offer.
  I must say, it defies credulity for Republicans to demand border, 
hold up Ukraine because of the border, and then reject an offer to vote 
on a border amendment of their own crafting here on the floor.
  It may well be that Republicans can't even agree among themselves on 
a proposal. Either way, they rejected our offer and voted down the 
bill.
  So where are we now that that has happened yesterday? Well, we are 
left with only two paths forward to break the logjam: Either 
Republicans can take us up on an amendment offer or we can restart 
negotiations.
  Now, if we are to negotiate, it has to be in good faith. Republicans 
need to show they are serious about reaching a compromise--not just 
throwing on the floor basically Donald Trump's border policies.
  Again, Republicans need to be serious and stop the game-playing. They 
have been game-playing when they pushed Donald Trump's radical border 
policies, when they said border is the ransom they want, and when they 
moved the goalposts during negotiations.
  We need to stop playing around and get serious about the immense 
challenge in front of us. Both sides must accept that we have to 
compromise on things important to each side if we have any hope of 
passing the supplemental.
  Let me state: We Democrats very much--very much--want an agreement. 
We are willing to make compromises and concessions to meet our 
Republican colleagues, as long as they are willing to do the same.
  Let me conclude, again, with how important this is and with the 
warning that the Republican leader issued in recent months that if we 
aren't willing to invest in the defense of democracy right now, we are 
going to be forced to pay a much higher price down the line. It is 
better to defend democracy with American resources today, instead of 
American lives tomorrow. That is the danger of allowing brutes like 
Vladimir Putin to win the day. So the time is now for us to show the 
world we are willing to defend democracy in its hour of need.

  Democrats are serious about reaching a reasonable, bipartisan 
compromise to pass this security package. The question is if 
Republicans are now willing to do the same.


                                Hanukkah

  Mr. President, finally, on Hanukkah, Jewish people around the country 
and around the world will celebrate tonight the first night of 
Hanukkah. This year, more than most years, Hanukkah comes at a moment 
of grief, of trial, and of fear for many Jewish Americans. And, 
perhaps, for that, it is all the more meaningful. The story of Hanukkah 
is a story of perseverance--perseverance in the face of unspeakable 
hatred.
  We have been taught about how the Jews of a different age--forced 
from their land, forbidden to practice their religion, their temple 
destroyed and desecrated--gathered to pray in secret, banded together 
in the hills and fields, and fought off their attackers. And once they 
endured, they set about the hard and slow and painful work of 
rededicating the temple and lighting once again the eternal flame of 
hope.
  I believe that America should do the same thing right now: rededicate 
ourselves to that noble promise of being a land of tolerance for all 
people--all people. Anti-Semitism, frighteningly, is on the rise. 
Islamophobia is on the rise. Hatred and discrimination remain a 
festering wound in the soul of our country. We must rededicate 
ourselves to stand against anti-Semitism and all forms of 
discrimination. We must rededicate ourselves to rebuilding a more 
perfect Union, one that preserves tolerance and equality for every 
single American.
  I have faith that the forces of intolerance will lose in the end, 
just as they did in the days of Hanukkah, when Judah Maccabee led the 
Jewish people against an oppressive majority.
  I yield the floor.


                   Recognition of the Minority Leader

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Republican leader is 
recognized.


                          Supplemental Funding

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday, every single Republican 
rejected the Democratic leader's attempt to separate border security 
from national security. As we have said for weeks, that was a futile 
effort that was doomed to fail from the very beginning. Hopefully, the 
Senate can now seize a new opportunity to make real progress on 
legislation that addresses urgent national security priorities both at 
home and abroad.
  So let's establish a few things going forward: It is profoundly 
unserious to pretend that national security priorities don't include 
securing our Nation's borders, to warn about borders in jeopardy and 
not start with the one that is being overrun here at home, to invoke 
threats facing sovereign nations without a clear plan to uphold 
America's own sovereignty.
  Mr. President, I am not in need of any lectures about the gravity of 
the challenges facing national security. I don't need any admonishments 
about what is at stake for America and our allies in Ukraine's fight 
against Russian aggression. I am well aware that the world's largest 
state sponsor of terrorism remains undeterred from trying to kill 
Americans in the Middle East. And I certainly have not forgotten that 
China, our top strategic adversary, is watching what we do very 
closely.

[[Page S5833]]

  Instead, unfortunately, it has been the Biden administration--
including our Commander in Chief--who has all too often needed 
reminders about the responsibilities of a global superpower. From 
Europe to the Middle East, the administration has reached new heights 
of self-deterrence.
  With Putin's forces massing on the borders of Ukraine, the 
administration slow-walked lethal assistance. As the Russian offensive 
unfolded, they held back the most decisive capabilities Ukraine needed 
out of an unfounded fear of escalation.
  And even with further security assistance hanging in the balance, the 
Biden administration has been slow--very slow--to sell this urgent 
measure and its massive domestic benefits to our people here at home.
  From the outset, the Biden administration resumed the Obama-era 
efforts to reset relations with Tehran and removed the Iran-backed 
Houthis from the terrorism list. Also, it is no surprise that Iran has 
snubbed its nose at these displays of weakness. It is no surprise that 
U.S. personnel are facing a spike in terrorist attacks from Iraq and 
Syria to the Red Sea. But the administration continues to pull its 
punches.
  And meanwhile, Republicans have spent years urging the administration 
to start performing even the bare minimum of its fundamental 
responsibility to secure our southern border and enforce our Nation's 
laws.
  Right now, the crisis created by the Biden administration's neglect 
is bringing illegal aliens to the United States at the rate of 300,000 
a month. That is roughly the population of Lexington, KY, arriving 
every month. And thanks to an asylum and parole system that desperately 
needs fixing, many of them are just brought straight in.
  I know many of our Democratic colleagues recognize the urgency of 
this crisis. I know many of them are ready to help restore sanity at 
our southern border.
  Well, Senator Lankford, Senator Graham, and other Republican 
colleagues are still working hard to do exactly that. There is no time 
like the present to join them in those efforts.


                                 Syria

  Mr. President, now, on a different matter, this morning the Senate 
will vote on a resolution calling for the withdrawal of American 
military forces from Syria. Passage of such a resolution would be a 
gift to Iran and its terrorist network. Driving American troops from 
the Middle East is exactly what they would like to see.
  Adopting this short-sighted measure would wreck America's credibility 
in the region. It would encourage Iran's proxies to open a northern 
front in the territorial war against Israel. It would invite America's 
adversaries to challenge our military presence throughout the world.
  Back in 2019, as our colleagues may recall, the Senate went on record 
about the wisdom of withdrawing prematurely from Syria and Afghanistan. 
At that time, the vast majority of us rejected such a retreat. And 
those who didn't have since watched President Biden's disastrous 
withdrawal from Afghanistan, Putin's escalation against Ukraine, 
China's growing challenge to international peace and stability, and 
Iran's glaring threat to America and to Israel.
  Today is the 82nd anniversary of Pearl Harbor. It is a day to 
remember the cost of being caught on our heels. A vote in favor of this 
resolution is a vote for retreat in the face of terror.


                               Bidenomics

  Mr. President, now, on one final matter, working Americans can't seem 
to catch a break from Bidenomics. Washington Democrats' spending sprees 
on President Biden's watch have driven inflation up 17.6 percent. And 
the effects are becoming inescapable.
  In my home State, many small business owners have been forced to 
raise their prices to keep up with the rising costs. One shop owner in 
Lexington, put it:

       I make food and chocolates and all the ingredients have 
     gone up.
       I've been battling with increasing my prices which I don't 
     want to do.

  Just like in cities and towns across the country, small businesses in 
Lexington are facing declining foot traffic, which might have something 
to do with the consumers' shrinking paychecks. Inflation is eating away 
at people's savings.
  By one estimate, the average American family would need an extra 
$11,400 a year just to maintain the standard of living they had when 
President Biden took office. And, needless to say, folks on fixed 
incomes are among the hardest hit.
  One 68-year-old retiree in western Massachusetts summed up his 
struggle to make ends meet in the Biden economy. Here is what he said:

       You get your check and then you have to sit down there . . 
     . like `What am I going to pay [out]? Am I going to get food 
     or lose my electricity?' . . . I can't spend nothing anymore. 
     I have to pay rent, utilities, food, medicine.

  This is what the American people are up against. This is everyday 
life under Bidenomics. Bizarrely, the Biden administration still seems 
to hold its favorite phrase in high esteem. The White House Press 
Secretary called Bidenomics ``the word of the year.''
  Well, working Americans feel quite differently. And the President's 
hometown is no exception. As one resident from Scranton, PA, reported 
recently:

       [E]verything is going up, except for paychecks.

  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.


                          Supplemental Funding

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, if Democrats were unsure about Republicans' 
seriousness about including meaningful border security provisions in 
the national security supplemental, yesterday's vote made it crystal 
clear. Every single Senate Republican rejected Democrats' collective 
attempt to bury their heads in the sand and pretend that what is 
happening at our southern border isn't a threat to our security.
  Border security is national security, which is why any national 
security supplemental that moves through this Chamber must tackle this 
crisis head-on.
  On Tuesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the Senate 
Judiciary Committee and told Members:

       I've never seen a time where all the threats or so many of 
     the threats are all elevated all at exactly the same time.

  Senator Graham then asked Wray to comment on the threat environment 
using the blinking red lights analogy often used about warnings before 
the September 11 attacks. And Director Wray responded:

       I see blinking lights everywhere I turn.

  ``I see blinking lights everywhere I turn.''
  It is against the background of this threat environment that 
Republicans are asking Democrats to finally--and I say finally--help 
secure our border.
  We have endured 3, now, recordbreaking years of illegal immigration 
at our southern border under President Biden, and the situation is only 
getting worse.
  Tuesday saw a staggering 12,000 migrant encounters at our southern 
border--12,000 in just 1 day. That is 8 people per minute, and that 
follows 2 days of 10,000-plus encounters. I am not sure how anyone can 
look at these numbers and not think this is a crisis.
  Plus, those numbers don't count any ``got-aways''--those are 
individuals the Border Patrol saw but was unable to apprehend--who may 
have made their way across the border during that same period. The 
month of October saw an average of roughly 1,000 ``got-aways'' per day. 
That is roughly 30,000 unknown individuals who made their way into our 
country--30,000 in just 1 month. All told, there have been more than 
1.7 million known ``got-aways'' on President Biden's watch, not to 
mention an unknown number of unknown ``got-aways.''
  These ``got-aways'' are not the migrants who are showing up, hoping 
to be apprehended because they know they can game the asylum or parole 
system. No--these are individuals bent on avoiding detection, which 
should concern us deeply.
  Anyone who doesn't think bad actors are attempting to exploit the 
situation at our southern border needs to think

[[Page S5834]]

again. During fiscal year 2023, the Border Patrol apprehended 169 
individuals on the Terrorist Watchlist attempting to make their way 
across our southern border into our country. That number, by the way, 
is more than the total of the previous 6 fiscal years combined.
  FBI Director Wray noted at that same Judiciary Committee hearing that 
since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, the threat level has 
gone to ``a whole other level.'' Abroad, American troops have been 
attacked nearly 80 times since October 7. It is naive to think that 
there aren't terrorists out there currently trying to make their way 
into the United States to attack our country. Why wouldn't any 
terrorist trying to enter our country take advantage of the chaos at 
our southern border?
  You don't have to take my word for it. The Department of Homeland 
Security, in its threat assessment released in September, noted the 
risk that ``terrorists and criminal actors may exploit the elevated 
flow [of migration] and increasingly complex security environment to 
enter the United States.'' That assessment was written before--before--
the October 7 attack or the many attacks on U.S. troops abroad that 
followed it.
  If there was a risk before, I think it is safe to say that there is 
an even greater risk now.
  This situation cannot continue. The massive flood of illegal 
immigration at our southern border has to stop, and that is why the 
national security supplemental must contain real measures to secure the 
border--not cosmetic fixes, not superficial tweaks, real border 
security measures.
  I believe it is in our national security interests to support allies 
like Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine, but we cannot support American 
interests abroad while continuing to sacrifice the security of the 
American people here at home.
  For 3 years, the Biden administration has put out a de facto welcome 
mat at our southern border. If we want to protect our country, that has 
to stop, and it has to stop now.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Maryland.


                                 Syria

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I understand that shortly we will be 
considering a motion to discharge S.J. Res. 51 from the Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee, and I take this time to urge my colleagues to vote 
against that motion to discharge.
  I understand the concerns of my colleague from Kentucky about 
ensuring that Congress exercises the appropriate role in authorizing 
the use of military force. I appreciate the Senator's longstanding 
interest in these important matters.
  I value having what I believe are critically important debates about 
when and under what authorities U.S. troops serve abroad. Decisions 
about authorizing the use of military force are among the most solemn 
duties we have in this body. But here, the decision is not so simple as 
the Senator from Kentucky presents it.
  The Middle East is unstable right now. I don't have to remind my 
colleagues about that. ISIS's territorial caliphate might have been 
defeated, but it remains a threat to Syrians, Iraqis, and to U.S. 
interests. Now is not the time to withdraw from the region, but that is 
what this joint resolution would do without weighing the consequences, 
without a plan.
  Think about what impact it would have. Think about what it would do 
to the resolve of our NATO allies and Kurdish partners fighting ISIS 
alongside the United States. We are not there alone; we are part of a 
coalition. Will they stick it out if we don't?
  Think about how this would hurt the Syrian people. Without U.S. 
presence, civilians would be caught between ISIS and the Assad regime. 
Think about the ISIS terrorist cells that would have free reign to 
expand their operations in Syria. They will use it as a base to attack 
Iraq, where just last week they killed 11 innocent people.
  Think about what a gift this would be to the Assad regime, who has 
committed atrocities, aided and abetted by Russia and Iran. The regime 
would strengthen its control of Syria, putting at risk the very people 
who fought side by side with the United States, people who would be 
subjected to the Assad regime's industrial-scale system of torture and 
murder.
  Then there are the Assad backers--Russia and Iran. Putin wants the 
Middle East to descend into chaos and distract the world from his war 
in Ukraine. Iran's longstanding strategic objective has been to push 
the United States out of the region. We see it in proxy attacks on U.S. 
facilities and on global shipping.
  Not only would pulling U.S. troops out of Syria be a propaganda win 
for Iran, it would be a strategic victory. It would make it easier for 
Iran to move weapons through Syria to Hezbollah. Do we want Hezbollah 
to have more weapons aimed at our ally Israel right now? We don't want 
to see an escalation of the conflict.
  At a time when the administration is working to prevent the Gaza 
conflict from spilling over, this would be the wrong thing for us to 
do. The last thing we want is the conflict in Israel and Gaza to expand 
across the region.
  For all of those reasons, I would urge my colleagues to vote against 
the motion to discharge S.J. Res. 51 if that motion is made by my 
colleague from Kentucky.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Lujan). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.



                          ____________________