[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13837]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         THE DEMOCRATIC LEADER

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I very much appreciate the leadership on 
the other side of the aisle in letting this survivors' bill of rights 
pass. I do have some comments on the procedures that have held this 
bill and other bills up for too long a time. I usually don't feel the 
need to address the Democratic leader's remarks on the floor, but he 
has decided to put partisan politics above rape survivors for the last 
week at least, so I cannot stand on the sidelines and let those remarks 
go unrebutted.
  The Democratic leader recently said right here on the floor of the 
Senate that ``Congress is floundering because of Republican inaction.'' 
This could not be further from the truth. If you want to know what is 
really going on, it is that the Democratic leader is using political 
gamesmanship to hold up noncontroversial as well as bipartisan 
legislation, mostly by Republican Members who are up for reelection 
this year.
  Why isn't the so-called objective media reporting on this? One need 
look no further than earlier today when Senator Johnson offered a 
noncontroversial bill to fight ALS, a tragic disease, and the 
Democratic leader blocked it. Look no further than what happened last 
week to Senator Toomey's bill, a noncontroversial bill to prevent 
animals from cruelty and torture. The Democratic leader blocked it. 
Look no further than what happened earlier this week to Senator Thune's 
bill, the noncontroversial MOBILE NOW Act. The Democratic leader 
blocked it. Look no further than what happened earlier this summer to 
another noncontroversial bill backed by Senator Johnson that would 
improve whistleblower protections. The Democratic leader blocked it. 
Look no further than what happened a few months ago to Senator Ayotte's 
bill, a noncontroversial bill to make anthrax vaccines available to 
first responders. The Democratic leader blocked it. That same day, just 
a week after five police officers were killed in Dallas, I tried to 
pass my noncontroversial bill to assist families of fallen police 
officers. The Democratic leader blocked that bill as well.
  Each time Republicans tried to pass noncontroversial, bipartisan 
legislation, the Democratic leader blocked it. He is the common 
denominator. I wish I could say that I am surprised by the obstruction 
that is being pushed by the Democratic leader. But how can I be? This 
is how the Senate operated under his control. Under his tenure, even 
Members of his own party weren't allowed to offer amendments to his 
legislation unless he allowed it. In fact, there was at least one 
Member on the other side who went a full 6-year term without ever being 
allowed to offer a single amendment on the Senate floor for a vote.
  The Democratic leader's actions in recent weeks--blocking these other 
bipartisan and, let me emphasize, noncontroversial bills--is pure, 
unfiltered partisanship. It is election-year politics at its very 
worst. It is the same failed strategy American voters rejected in 2014 
when they gave Republicans control of the Senate. Perhaps the Las Vegas 
Tribune had it right a few months ago when they wrote that for the 
Democratic leader, ``[it's] politics first, last and always.''
  Today I had an opportunity to champion for Amanda Nguyen and all 
survivors of sexual assault across the country. I am delighted the 
Democratic leader relented on this very important piece of legislation 
and let this bill pass. I urge the Democratic leader to allow these 
other bipartisan initiatives to pass as well.

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