[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4989]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HUMAN TRAFFICKING LEGISLATION

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, just hours ago, 100 percent of Senate 
Democrats followed the lead of Republicans and Democrats in the House, 
including Nancy Pelosi and the pro-choice caucus, in voting to endorse 
the bipartisan principle that Federal funds leaving the government 
should be subject to bipartisan Hyde language. Given that Americans 
overwhelmingly support what Hyde does, it is no wonder this principle 
has been applied by both parties--both parties--to appropriations and 
authorizing legislation for as long as anyone could remember.
  We hope the Democrats' statement of support for Hyde in last night's 
Medicare vote will finally clear the way for passage of antislavery 
legislation they have been filibustering over the very same Hyde 
principle. It was never a morally tenable position. Never. Considering 
what we saw just 12 hours ago, it is no longer politically tenable 
either. Democrats couldn't possibly justify voting for Hyde language in 
order to keep doctors--as they did just hours ago--but then look an 
abused victim in the eye and tell her she is not worth it. OK to vote 
for Hyde to help doctors, but then not OK when it comes to victims of 
sexual trafficking.
  Human trafficking is a serious problem in our country. It is hard for 
a lot of people to believe, but it occurs in every single State. I 
recently saw a news report about a local nonprofit that is worried 
about trafficking at big events such as the Kentucky Derby. ``They'll 
take a girl to one city for one to two weeks,'' an official with that 
group said, ``then they'll go to another city, and they just follow 
these circuits . . . it's really hard to get them out of it . . .''
  Look, it is unconscionable for anyone to continue filibustering this 
human rights bill over a principle that has been a fixture--a fixture--
in Federal law for decades, that was in the bill when Democrats 
endorsed it, cosponsored it, and voted unanimously to support it in 
committee, and that was endorsed again by Democrats just last night.
  But just to ensure there are no possible excuses left to continue 
this filibuster, Senator Cornyn offered another compromise last night 
to eliminate any remaining pretext. His compromise ensures that, by 
supporting this bill, Senate Democrats would only be endorsing the same 
Hyde language that 100 percent of them just voted to support last 
night, less than 24 hours ago. Remember, this is essentially language 
endorsed by Nancy Pelosi and the pro-choice caucus.
  It is actually the third compromise we have offered on the Senate 
floor to our friends across the aisle. First, we offered our colleagues 
a simple up-or-down vote last month to strike the language that they 
once were for before they decided to be against it. Then, before the 
recess, Senator Cornyn offered to make the monies in the fund subject 
to the appropriations process, something our Democratic colleagues had 
said was important to them.
  So this is now the third compromise we have offered on the floor. It 
is time for our Democratic friends to show a little courage to finally 
bring their party's filibuster of antislavery legislation to an end. A 
large bipartisan majority of the Senate has already demonstrated its 
commitment to doing so, and all that is needed now are a couple more 
Democrats to join us. That is all that is needed now, a couple more 
Democrats willing to show the same level of compassion to enslaved 
victims they offered to doctors--to doctors--just a few hours ago.
  As an official with the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women put 
it: ``Our Democratic colleagues should stop choosing a phantom problem 
. . .''--a phantom problem--``. . . over real victims.''
  Because as the Los Angeles Times said:

       The Hyde Amendment has been the law for many years. A fight 
     over whether a fraction of the projected millions of dollars 
     in aid to victims of trafficking and hunters of traffickers 
     can be used on abortion services seems fruitless, and the 
     bill should not be derailed by such a fight.

  This has gone on long enough. It is time for Senators of conscience 
to stand up and end this filibuster now.

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