[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12851-12854]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           EXECUTIVE SESSION

                                 ______
                                 

                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination, 
which the clerk will report.
  The assistant bill clerk read the nomination of Susan S. Gibson, of 
Virginia, to be Inspector General of the National Reconnaissance 
Office.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 15 
minutes for debate, equally divided in the usual form.
  The Senator from New Jersey.


                                 Russia

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I rise to take a stand against Russia's 
attempts to tamper with the American Presidential electoral process and 
to create chaos in our elections and, at the end of the day, to 
undermine the integrity of the results of our election to serve its own 
purposes.
  I remind my colleagues that in 2012, I was the victim of such 
election tampering attempts. The Washington Post reported that while I 
was running for reelection and preparing to become chairman of the 
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the CIA had credible evidence, 
including Internet protocol addresses, linking Cuban agents to planted 
stories in the United States and in Latin American publications.
  It was reported that those connections were laid out in intelligence 
reports provided to U.S. Government officials and sent by secure cables 
to the FBI's Counterintelligence Division. Despite all of our 
government's capabilities, they supposedly could not find who was 
behind the smear. Maybe our government didn't want to rock the boat as 
they were prepared to establish relations with Cuba, but you would 
think that our government would do everything possible against a 
foreign government that was trying to upset the election of a sitting 
Senator to affect U.S. policy.
  Let's be clear. In this new digital world of open and accessible 
personal information available to anyone who has the technical savvy to 
find it and use it for nefarious purposes, the election of anyone in 
this Chamber is at risk.
  We need to take a stand in this election cycle. We need the 
administration to come forward and tell us what they know about 
Vladimir Putin's efforts to influence our Presidential election. We 
need to know what Putin knows, and we must find out exactly who is 
behind it, what they have, and what their purpose is.
  It is certainly more than my experience and more than the Republican 
nominee's deplorable admiration for dictators and strongmen. It is 
about protecting the American political process from outside 
interference and influence.
  Let's be very clear. I know, from my experience that we cannot 
underestimate the tradecraft of seasoned operatives like Vladimir 
Putin. We certainly cannot be naive enough to praise them for perceived 
strength and conflate it with the ruthless abuse of power. There is a 
difference between thuggery and strength.
  Let's be clear. Neither the Cuban Government, which attempted to 
smear me, nor Putin is in any way a friend of the United States. In 
Putin's case, he is, as my colleague from Arizona--who, like me, was 
sanctioned by Putin--has publicly called him, ``a thug and a butcher.'' 
He is, in fact, a dictator who has been connected to the brutal deaths 
of his enemies and now has shown a willingness to use cyber warfare to 
undermine our democratic process. He clearly is attempting to shake the 
bedrock integrity of our political system, as Cuban intelligence tried 
to undermine the integrity of my last election in an effort to prevent 
me from becoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
  From my perspective, the purpose is not only to undermine credibility 
and faith but to create a result that would benefit Russia. These 
actions are beyond the scope of any acceptable international norm and 
cannot be tolerated. With a laptop, a computer code, and a KGB penchant 
to rebuild the Russian Empire, wage Cold War 2.0, and use every 
technological tool to tip the geopolitical balance in Russia's favor, 
we cannot in any way praise Putin or anyone else who attempts to 
influence our election process for their leadership.
  We have seen the manifestation of Putin's methods in the latest cyber 
attack on the Democratic National Committee and in a long list of 
egregious

[[Page 12852]]

conventional interventions, from the annexation of Crimea to the 
orchestrating of supposed-Russian separatists who shot down Malaysia 
Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, his invasion of eastern Ukraine 
through the use of irregular Russian forces, now his troops amassing 
along the Ukraine border, and his invasion of Georgia not long ago. You 
can see it in his efforts to undermine sovereign Baltic countries 
through broadcasting and cyber efforts against those governments.
  We have seen it in his military and political maneuverings to 
maintain control of his naval base in the port city of Tartus in Syria 
by intervening, with Assad, in the Syrian civil war. In Syria, Putin 
has stepped up his support for his friend and dictator Bashar al-Assad.
  While its own citizens are suffering severe economic hardships, and 
while innocent Syrian civilians continue to suffer under the barrel 
bombs and military campaigns of Assad, Putin continues to provide 
military and tactical support to this murderous regime, attacking 
schools and hospitals with cluster munitions and incendiary attacks. 
Further ignoring the basic rights of all people, as Russia sells 
weapons system to Assad, it refuses to grant asylum or basic 
humanitarian support to Syrian refugees, who are directly suffering 
under Russia's continued involvement in their country.
  I remind my colleagues that Putin is no friend to the United States. 
His brand of leadership is to be condemned in no uncertain terms and 
should be denounced in this Chamber and by all responsible American 
Presidential candidates.
  He is not a strong leader. He is a ruthless dictator who clearly 
knows his tradecraft and has not only hacked into the Democratic 
National Committee's computer files but has capitalized on whatever 
business ties Paul Manafort has or had to Russia to woo--seemingly, in 
effect--an American Presidential candidate who respects strongmen and 
bravado and effectively recruit him.
  There is no room in this Chamber or in the American political 
landscape for the support of Putin's actions or leadership. This former 
KGB agent has a clear purpose in mind. He is engaged in a Soviet Cold 
War style brand of dictatorial actions, including state-sponsored 
surveillance, censorship, and repression.
  Just look at the record. Human rights groups continue to report that 
in 2015, the Kremlin's crackdown on civil society, media, and the 
Internet took a sinister turn as the government further intensified 
harassment and persecution of independent critics. Putin's thugs 
routinely harass anyone and everyone who dares to question Putin's 
authority.
  Earlier this year, a vocal critic was shot dead in front of the 
Kremlin. According to reports from rights groups, last week Russian 
police harassed, beat, and threatened environmental activists, and 
Russian state TV published a smear campaign against these 
environmentalists, calling them American spies. The real spying--the 
dangerous activity--comes from Russia itself.
  It was July when Russian hackers broke into the email servers of the 
Democratic National Committee--a clear and blatant attempt to interfere 
in our domestic political process. We know that Russian actors released 
tens of thousands of emails with the intention of undermining the 
Democratic nominee for President, while, amazingly, the Republican 
nominee seems to encourage it. He encouraged an international 
adversary--someone he clearly admires for his supposed strength--to 
hack into the emails in the account of a former American Secretary of 
State.
  This is not normal political campaign behavior. In my view, it is 
treasonous, and there are no excuses for it. There is no defending it. 
There is no reasonable explanation or defending it. Every one of my 
colleagues in this Chamber should condemn it.
  Encouraging hacking and government surveillance reeks of 
authoritarianism that has no place in our democratic society and 
threatens each and every one of us. It is outrageous that anyone would 
invite a foreign leader of an adversarial country to undermine or 
threaten any American, let alone a former Secretary of State and 
Presidential candidate.
  Putin clearly prefers a candidate who is willing to cozy up to 
dictators, who lavishes praise on the leadership styles of dictators 
like Saddam Hussein. Someone aspiring to be Commander in Chief, who 
praises the behavior of leaders who murder their own citizens, jail 
journalists who dare to question their activities, or consistently take 
actions to isolate themselves from the international community, in my 
view, has no business seeking higher office.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. I ask unanimous consent for one additional minute.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Any praise of Putin for any reason, a Cold War warrior 
who continues to upend international stability and order, seeking to 
expand his rule and control, holds false Duma elections in Crimea, 
stages war games on Crimea's shores--simulating an invasion--clearly 
must raise a red flag to every American voter.
  We must respond to Russia's continued muscle flexing and provocation. 
I call on the administration for forceful and appropriate responses to 
Russia's nefarious and calculated involvement in our elections. It is 
attacking the U.S. political system in a Putin-led cold war 2.0, and it 
is clear this old KGB spy has no boundaries.
  Let's not let ourselves be recruited by him or confuse strength with 
ruthlessness, as some have. It is my hope that every one of my 
colleagues will in no uncertain terms condemn any attempt by any nation 
to influence any American election as well as Russian interventionism 
and Putin's actions around the world.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I wish to support Ms. Susan 
Gibson to serve as the next inspector general of the National 
Reconnaissance Office, NRO, the first to be confirmed by the U.S. 
Senate.
  In 2013, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which I chaired 
at the time, included in its Intelligence Authorization Act a provision 
to require Senate confirmation of the inspectors general for the 
National Reconnaissance Office and the National Security Agency. Ms. 
Gibson represents the first nominee to be considered by the Senate for 
the NRO position.
  I had the pleasure to meet Ms. Gibson earlier this year, prior to the 
Senate Intelligence Committee's open hearing which took place on June 
7, 2016, to consider her nomination. I personally appreciated our frank 
discussion for it demonstrated Ms. Gibson's understanding of the role 
of the inspector general and the need for principled, objective, and 
effective oversight of every aspect of the NRO.
  With this confirmation, it will be Ms. Gibson's job to ensure that 
the NRO remains free of waste, fraud, and mismanagement, while 
supporting efforts to drive the organization toward more efficient and 
effective operations. I believe that Ms. Gibson possesses the extensive 
experience and background necessary to carry out this mission.
  It is also important that Ms. Gibson recognizes her responsibility to 
keep the appropriate Members of Congress fully and currently informed 
about the concerns she may identify at the NRO.
  I do not want to sugarcoat it, but this is big job. It is a big job, 
in part, due to NRO's size and the complexity of its mission. Ms. 
Gibson will be required to dig deep into some very technical and 
complicated programs, including some of the most classified and 
expensive programs.
  But it is also a big job because it comes with the extra 
responsibility of conducting oversight of an organization in which most 
activities are conducted in secret. The duty to the American public 
cannot be overstated.
  The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on which I currently 
serve as vice chairman is charged with ensuring the intelligence 
community operates in a manner that is legal, efficient, and abides by 
the values of the American people. The committee requires effective and 
independent inspectors general to support us in this task. It is my

[[Page 12853]]

expectation that Ms. Gibson will make full use of the authorities 
provided to her as an inspector general.
  So, again, congratulations on Ms. Gibson's well-deserved confirmation 
to this important position, and I want to thank her again on her 
continued service to the country.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, my understanding is that we have 7 
minutes left on the Republican side, and I ask unanimous consent to use 
those 7 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                 heroin and prescription drug epidemic

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about this epidemic 
of heroin, prescription drugs, and now fentanyl and other synthetic 
heroin. It is devastating our communities. My home State of Ohio, 
unfortunately, is one of those States that has seen the tragedy of this 
epidemic unfold. The grip of this addiction has affected every single 
State in this Chamber, though. People are talking about it more and 
more in this Chamber because it is affecting every one of us, every 
community. It knows no ZIP Code. It is in the rural areas, in the 
suburban areas, and the inner city. No community is safe from it.
  Yesterday, I had a coffee--which I do once a week--our Buckeye 
Coffee, and I had a woman come up to me at the coffee whose name is 
Sheila. Sheila told me about her son and her daughter-in-law. They had 
overdosed. They were unconscious. Luckily, she had Narcan--this miracle 
drug. It is a brand name of naloxone. She was able to bring them back 
to life.
  She then started a group that is all over our State now, which is 
called Families of Addicts. They are in five different counties. They 
are focused on the hope of treatment and recovery, but they are also 
focused on--when Narcan is administered--going to people, intervening 
with people, getting them into treatment, longer term recovery, and 
helping them save lives. I so appreciate her and so appreciate these 
other parents like her who are ensuring that, yes, we save people's 
lives with Narcan, which is so important, but we also ensure that we 
are getting people into the treatment they need so they can get back to 
a productive life and back to their families.
  This Chamber passed legislation called the Comprehensive Addiction 
and Recovery Act, or CARA, earlier this summer. That legislation is now 
being implemented by the administration. I hope they accelerate that 
implementation. They must because the epidemic is so urgent, but, 
unfortunately, that legislation, which was written over the last 3\1/2\ 
years, doesn't address one specific issue that I think must be 
addressed now in the context of what is happening in my State of Ohio 
and around the country, because it is not just prescription drugs and 
not just heroin. Increasingly, it is this synthetic heroin called 
fentanyl or carfentanil and sometimes U-4. This is poison and it is 
getting into our communities. It is much more powerful than heroin. 
Ingesting just a few flakes of it can kill a human being.
  We have seen huge spikes in overdoses in Ohio over the last couple of 
months. In my hometown of Cincinnati, we had 174 overdoses in the space 
of 6 days. Miraculously, most people were saved by Narcan but sometimes 
having to be administered four or five or six times. The authorities 
knew it wasn't just heroin, and sure enough, we were able to get a 
sample of carfentanil to them thinking that might be the problem. They 
tested it, and sure enough, many of these overdoses were caused by this 
synthetic heroin which is 100 times stronger than heroin in some cases. 
By the way, it is a large animal tranquilizer used for elephants in 
zoos. Yet these traffickers and pushers are using this drug and not 
just causing overdoses but causing overdose deaths.
  We need new legislation. Last week, we introduced legislation in this 
Chamber to be able to stop this fentanyl, carfentanil, U-4, and these 
other synthetic drugs from coming into our communities.
  What we were told by the authorities is, the drugs come in by way of 
the mail system primarily from China and sometimes India. There are 
chemists in sophisticated laboratories in these countries sending this 
poison into our community. All we are asking for in our legislation is 
let's ensure that packages coming from those countries have the 
information provided so we know where they are coming from, where they 
are going, and what the contents are. Unbelievably, that is not 
required now. FedEx, UPS, and other private carriers require it, but 
our mail system, including our U.S. mail system, does not require it. 
Talking to law enforcement, including Customs and Border Protection, 
DEA folks, and the people who are in the trenches dealing with this 
issue, all agree this legislation makes sense so we can try to stop 
some of this poison from coming into our communities.
  I have been on this floor every single week since our legislation 
came up back on March 10. I have been talking about the importance of 
getting legislation passed, and that has now happened. I have been 
talking about the importance of implementing it quickly, and that is 
now happening. The Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act was supported 
by an amazing 92-to-2 vote in this Chamber because every State is 
affected.
  I believe we need to do even more with regard to the specific issue 
of these synthetic drugs coming into our country through the mail 
system. I ask my colleagues to support it--with 92 of us supporting 
that legislation--and please look at this legislation. Let's support 
it, get it to the floor, get it to a vote, and let's begin saving more 
lives as we have to deal with this new wave of synthetic heroin coming 
into our communities.
  I yield back my time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time has expired.
  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Gibson 
nomination?
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, 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 assistant bill clerk called the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from New Hampshire (Ms. Ayotte), the Senator from Wisconsin 
(Mr. Johnson), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), and the Senator 
from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter).
  Further, if present and voting, the Senator from New Hampshire (Ms. 
Ayotte) would have voted ``yea''.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Boxer), 
the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Kaine), and the Senator from Vermont 
(Mr. Sanders) are necessarily absent.
  I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from 
Virginia (Mr. Kaine) would vote yea.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 93, nays 0, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 142 Ex.]

                                YEAS--93

     Alexander
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Booker
     Boozman
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Capito
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Cassidy
     Coats
     Cochran
     Collins
     Coons
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Cotton
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Ernst
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Flake
     Franken
     Gardner
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     King
     Kirk
     Klobuchar
     Lankford
     Leahy
     Lee
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCain
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Paul
     Perdue
     Peters
     Portman
     Reed
     Reid
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Sasse
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Stabenow
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Toomey
     Udall
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden

[[Page 12854]]



                             NOT VOTING--7

     Ayotte
     Boxer
     Johnson
     Kaine
     Moran
     Sanders
     Vitter
  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.

                          ____________________