[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 8863-8872]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE SESSION

                                 ______
                                 

   COUNTERING IRAN'S DESTABILIZING ACTIVITIES ACT OF 2017--MOTION TO 
                           PROCEED--Continued

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.


                           Planned Parenthood

  Mr. LEE. Mr. President, last year the Nation was shocked by 
undercover videos produced by investigative journalists with the Center 
for Medical Progress exposing Planned Parenthood's sale of fetal body 
parts and the callousness with which Planned Parenthood officials 
described their grisly work.
  As we know, as Planned Parenthood and its allies in the mainstream 
media hoped, outrage fades with time, and attention turns--but not for 
long, for the abortion industry and its profiteers are never really 
beset by scandal. They are a scandal.
  Just last month we got another reminder about the reality behind the 
talking points. Once again, it was the undercover journalists of the 
Center for Medical Progress doing the investigative journalism the 
mainstream media refuses to do. Once again, the video has been ignored 
by the pro-abortion media elite, whose principal interest is the story 
of the prosecution of the journalists for daring to speak this truth to 
their power.
  The American people and their representatives in the U.S. Senate 
deserve to know what the new video shows. It shows the founder of 
Planned Parenthood's Consortium of Abortion Providers on a conference 
panel. She recounts a harrowing experience while performing an 
abortion: ``An eyeball just fell down into my lap, and that is gross.'' 
Her remarks were greeted with laughter from the audience.
  It shows another Planned Parenthood doctor stating: ``The fetus is a 
tough little object, so taking it apart in the womb is very 
difficult.''
  This comment echoes a previous undercover video in which a Planned 
Parenthood doctor says that the bones of a 20-week old fetus were so 
strong that ``I have to hit the gym for this.''
  The video shows the director of abortion services for Planned 
Parenthood Gulf Coast saying that she sometimes uses forceps to ``pull 
off a leg or two'' to ensure an unborn child dies before being born--in 
other words, to avoid the moment when our Nation's laws might protect 
that child.
  The video shows the medical director of Planned Parenthood in 
Michigan talking about surprising common ground between abortion 
doctors and pro-life activists.

       We might actually both agree that there is violence in 
     here. Let's just give them all the violence, it's a person, 
     it's killing. Let's just give them all that.


[[Page 8864]]


  That is not what they say in public. It certainly isn't what they 
tell their patients, the women who come into their clinics--just in 
private, at industry conferences, between networking opportunities and 
drinks at the open bar. Because they know--deep down, everyone knows 
the Center for Medical Progress videos shock, but they do not surprise. 
They don't teach us anything we don't already know. All they do is 
remind us of an inconvenient truth that demands our attention and our 
action.
  It is certainly stirring the pro-abortion political machine into 
action. As expected, the Center for Medical Progress is once again the 
target of criminal and civil investigations designed to intimidate 
further questions about the abortion industry's methods and money. But 
the truth is out. It is there.
  As we know, threats and intimidation are tactics of guilt and 
desperation of the losing side in every battle that has ever been 
fought. If Planned Parenthood were what they have publicly declared 
themselves to be, they would welcome transparency. We all know why they 
hide because we know what they hide.
  The question, as always, is not what they will do, but what we will 
do. And the answer is always ``as much as we can.'' We can start by 
enforcing existing abortion laws and by reforming others, for example, 
making the Mexico City policy permanent so taxpayer money is not used 
to promote abortions to disadvantaged people overseas or ending 
abortion after 20 weeks when unborn children begin to feel pain. We can 
confirm Federal judges who follow the Constitution rather than reverse 
engineer their preferred policy outcomes.
  The truth about abortion is spreading because of advances in medical 
imaging, because of brave journalists, tireless activists, 
compassionate doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. 
Statehouses are passing laws to protect American women and their 
children. The rising generation of young Americans is the most pro-life 
in decades because they know too.
  Little by little, the truth is fighting free, like green shoots 
through the frost. One day soon, we will reaffirm our Nation's 
principles in their dignified fullness and avow, once again, that all 
men are created equal. All are entitled to life.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Perdue). The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Capito). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.


          Remembering Sam R. Brice and Howard A. ``Buzz'' Otis

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, over the Memorial Day weekend, Alaska 
lost two really great men. These men were doers and they were builders 
in every sense of the word--both literally and figuratively. They were 
family people, and they were the best of friends to one another and to 
so many of us.
  Today I wish to pay tribute to Sam R. Brice and Howard A. Otis--
although, nobody called him Howard. We all knew him as ``Buzz'' Otis. I 
wish to take just a few moments this afternoon and tell Members of the 
Senate a little bit about these two very wonderful and great men.
  You really couldn't find two more genuine Alaskans than Sam or Buzz. 
Yet neither was born in the State. They came to Alaska.
  Sam grew up in Florida. He was educated at Columbia University in New 
York City. So he was a long way from New York City when he came to 
Fairbanks, AK. He served in the Marine Corps, and then he moved to 
Alaska to help his parents, Luther and helenka, establish a family 
construction business there in the Interior.
  The story is pretty legendary about his mother helenka. His mother 
spelled her name always with a lower case ``h''. She didn't want the 
capital, and always made sure that you put the emphasis on the ``len'' 
in helenka. She was really the epitome of an independent, self-reliant, 
really strong Alaskan woman, and she wouldn't let anyone forget that. 
She was very outgoing, vivacious, and had a heart of gold. I think it 
all wore off on her children. We certainly saw that in Sam.
  It was said that Sam Brice never met a stranger. He was known for 
remembering every good deed that others did for him--no matter how many 
years in the past it may have been, decades after the event. He always 
generously returned the favor and always remembered to just say: 
``Thank you for that''--``thank you for that.''
  Sam was one who just did good. He did good throughout the State. 
Those in rural Alaska have fond memories and affection for a man who 
helped build their communities and who was a leader. He was a leader of 
the Associated General Contractors, and in his later years was well 
known for roasting his fellow contractors at the AGC dinners. He had a 
great sense of humor, and that humor was really contagious.
  The lines from Sam's obituary really say everything one needs to know 
about the man. They are:

       In lieu of flowers, the family would wish all to remember 
     Sam who lived by example, whether a handshake, a smile, or a 
     contribution; he was always willing to lend a helping hand. 
     Please remember all the different ways Sam has touched 
     people's lives and consciously think how you can make the 
     world a better place, as Sam demonstrated throughout his 
     life. We ask you honor Sam's memory by emulating his 
     compassion to others and be a friend to man.

  Sam's memorial services were this past Saturday. I was unable to 
attend. I know the church was packed to overflowing. But as I was in 
another part of the State that day, I couldn't help but think of those 
words from the obituary about how we can individually and collectively 
think about how we can make the world a better place by being 
compassionate to others, being a friend to others, and living that in 
our daily lives, as Sam did--truly, truly a great man.
  His friend Buzz Otis was also a transplant to Alaska. He grew up in 
Michigan. He was educated at Michigan State and came to Alaska in 1975, 
thinking he was just going to explore the State for a few months, like 
so many who come to our State. They think they are just going to come, 
take a peek, and then leave, but as with many Alaskans, that didn't 
happen with Buzz. In 1976, he founded a landscaping business in 
Fairbanks called Great Northwest, and this was really his ticket to 
business success and to a lifetime commitment to Alaska.
  I have so many good friends throughout the State who are givers and 
doers. I just think we Alaskans have a tendency to want to give back to 
our communities. We help our neighbors. Buzz Otis did that in spades. 
He was involved in a lot of different levels politically. He was a 
strong supporter of mine and other members of the Alaska delegation. He 
served on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly and was elected as 
its presiding officer. He chaired the Fairbanks Economic Development 
Corporation and managed the North Pole Economic Development 
Corporation.
  He was just involved in so many different aspects of his community. 
He was an outdoorsman and loved sports. He was a rugby player and had a 
rugby pitch. He loved the sport of dog mushing and encouraged young 
people to take it up. He was just always doing, always engaged.
  He was blessed in life to have a great family and a wonderful, 
beautiful wife, Renee. That family standing together was a beautiful 
thing to watch in terms of the support they all gave one another, and 
it was truly so for Buzz, as a father and as a family man. I just can't 
think of anything better. Family really does come first.
  That is ultimately what claimed the lives of these two wonderful men 
who had so much life left in them. Buzz's son was out on the river, and 
Sam and Buzz went out to check on him in Sam's plane. It wasn't out of 
the ordinary to do this. It was good weather, good visibility, and a 
pretty fair day for the Interior. It turns out that Buzz's son was OK, 
but the flight ended in tragedy. Sam's plane went down

[[Page 8865]]

near the Salcha River on the morning of Saturday, May 27.
  If only this story had a happy ending. Instead, it had somewhat of an 
Alaskan ending. Sam and Buzz gave their lives doing what so many 
Alaskans do; that is, looking out for one another, looking out for 
their families.
  But we know we don't remember people for how they lost their lives. 
We remember people for how they lived their lives. Sam and Buzz were 
truly ``salt of the earth'' Alaskans. They were honest, hardworking, 
caring, and adventurous. They hired local people, they treated them 
well, and they were always welcomed back by the communities they served 
so faithfully. They really dedicated their lives to the betterment of 
the last frontier, and they never forgot family. Family was always 
first.
  Everyone says that you can't say enough about these people, and it is 
true. So I will conclude my remarks and just simply express the 
Senate's condolences to the Brice and Otis families: to Joan Brice, to 
Renee Otis, to their children, and to their families--great families--
destined to carry on the legacies of Sam Brice and Buzz Otis.


               75th Anniversary of the Aleutian Campaign

  We just recognized Memorial Day last week in our respective States. I 
was pleased to be with many Alaskans as we observed Memorial Day. We 
clearly revere those who serve in our military. In Alaska, we are home 
to more veterans per capita than any other State in the Union.
  This year, I was privileged to host a most distinguished veteran at 
Alaska's official State veterans' memorial. This is located in a place 
called Byers Lake, which is midway on the Parks Highway between 
Fairbanks and Anchorage. It is extraordinarily picturesque. It is very 
tranquil. It is almost a spiritual place in many, many ways, as we look 
out to Denali in the background, being surrounded by the memorials for 
honoring those veterans who have served us.
  But I was able to bring to that gathering a very distinguished 
veteran, our Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, a former Navy SEAL.
  This following week, just on Sunday, I was able to do yet another 
Memorial Day. Our focus was not on those who gave their lives on 
foreign soil but in a battle for American soil. Our focus this past 
Sunday was on what is known as the ``forgotten battle'' of World War 
II. It was the bombing and subsequent occupation of the Aleutian 
Islands of Alaska by Japan. It was a yearlong campaign, and for those 
of us in Alaska, it is a campaign that we often speak about and we 
share the stories. There are veterans of that campaign who are still 
around today, sharing stories with us. They are living legends, if you 
will.
  I recognize that for many, if you were to ask them whether the United 
States has ever been occupied--occupied in World War II--they wouldn't 
know. I think, unfortunately, the name the ``forgotten battle'' may be 
just exactly that. Most Americans don't recognize that the Aleutians 
were occupied by the Japanese, that Americans were killed in defending 
our homeland, and that some of the indigenous people were either 
transported to Japan as prisoners of war or evacuated to the 
southeastern coast of our State, a thousand miles away.
  Making sure this ``forgotten war'' is not forgotten is a mission for 
me. It is an important part of our Nation's history. Again, that 
Aleutian Campaign was a yearlong campaign--fighting weather and terrain 
with equipment that was clearly not up to the challenge--to reclaim 
U.S. territory from a determined Japanese force.
  A little bit of the history: On June 3, 1942, Japanese forces bombed 
Dutch Harbor and, over the succeeding days, occupied the islands of 
Attu and Kiska. These islands were occupied by Native people who had 
been there over a thousand years.
  It was not until May of 1943 that Attu was retaken, and 549 U.S. and 
Allied troops were killed in combat. But there is evidence that the 
U.S. and Allied losses in the Battle of Attu were much higher as a 
result of exposure, disease, Japanese booby-traps, friendly fire, and 
frostbite. Let me just tell you, the elements out there in the 
Aleutians are particularly harsh. When you don't have the equipment, it 
makes it even more so.
  The war in the Aleutians came at a great price for our Native people 
who had lived on those lands for thousands of years before the war. The 
homes were burned, churches were burned, and 881 of the Aleut residents 
of 9 separate villages were relocated to abandoned mining and fishing 
camps in Southeastern Alaska, where they were forced to live under some 
pretty tough conditions.
  At the remembrance event that I attended in Alaska on Sunday, some of 
the evacuees were at the ceremony. They were there. They shared their 
stories about what it meant to literally be ripped from their village--
without having any idea what was really going on--and then sent to an 
area that may have been a foreign country to them. On the Aleutian 
Islands, the environment is entirely different from that of a cannery 
in in Southeast Alaska. But what was extraordinary about these evacuees 
was, despite the very harsh, difficult, and, in many cases, horrible 
conditions, they never gave up. They didn't give up hope, and they 
certainly didn't give up their patriotism. Twenty-five men from the 
evacuated villages chose to join the fight. Three men joined the retake 
of Attu. All were awarded the Bronze Star for their valor.
  I think it is important to remember that the many lessons to be 
learned from the Aleutian Campaign. America once perceived itself as a 
nation oceans away from foreign threats. Today, I think it is 
unthinkable for us to think that any of our territory could be occupied 
by a foreign power. But we must never forget that during World War II, 
a portion of the United States was occupied, and it was occupied in 
those days, as today, because Alaska is a strategic location. These 
lessons cannot and should not be lost to history.
  We all know the saying that those who forget history are condemned to 
repeat it. The Japanese incursion occurred less than a decade after GEN 
Billy Mitchell testified that Alaska is indeed the most strategic place 
in the world. The incursion taught our Nation a vital lesson--that the 
defense of America begins in Alaska. Fortunately, the lessons of the 
Aleutian Campaign and Alaska's strategic location are not lost on 
today's military planners.
  Let me walk you through what we see in the State of Alaska right now, 
recognizing the proximity of Alaska to some of the hot spots around the 
world, whether it is North Korea, Russia, or China. Alaska is seeing a 
renaissance when it comes to our military presence. We see it at Joint 
Base Elmendorf-Richardson, where Air Force F-22s and AWACS launch to 
acknowledge their Russian counterparts that are flying in the Air 
Defense Identification Zone. We see it at Eielson Air Force Base, which 
is preparing to receive two squadrons of F-35s beginning in 2020. We 
see it in the soldiers of the 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team in 
Anchorage, who are now waiting deployment to Afghanistan. We see it in 
the soldiers of the 1st Stryker Brigade, who will soon begin their 
rotation of pre-deployment training at the National Training Center. We 
see it in the crews who are staffing ballistic missile radars in the 
State, looking very carefully at North Korea. We also see it in the 
patriotic construction workers who will begin building the new long-
range missile discrimination radar at Clear Air Force Station this 
summer and on the missile fields of Fort Greely, ready to intercept an 
ICBM aimed at the North American continent from wherever. We see it in 
the Navy SEALs who train in Kodiak and in the coastguardsmen who 
protect our coastline from Metlakatla in the south, all the way north 
to the Arctic.
  I think it is very clear that never again will the United States 
leave Alaska undefended, which brings me back to the characterization 
of the Aleutian Campaign as the forgotten battle. Seventy-five years 
ago, U.S. and Allied troops were called upon to repel an invader who 
occupied U.S. soil. We

[[Page 8866]]

in Alaska, particularly, will never forget that fact, but neither 
should America.
  Ignoring the fact that war has been, in fact, waged on U.S. soil in 
this last century is a dangerous and a tragic thing. Let's resolve on 
this 75th anniversary of the start of the Aleutian Campaign that the 
forgotten battle is be forgotten no longer.
  As I prepare to leave the floor, I would be remiss if I didn't add 
that at the remembrance event in Unalaska this weekend, it was not only 
an opportunity for many of the remaining evacuees to come together in 
Alaska--for some it was their former community; others were from the 
Pribilof, Kiska, and Attu. It was a coming together. It was a 
homecoming for some, but there was also an effort to bring together 
many of our veterans who had served in the Aleutian Campaign and whose 
only exposure to the Aleutians was when they came in to defend that 
territory. To have the exchange between those who had been forced from 
their homeland and those Americans, those veterans who had come to 
help--to have them united in a conversation for the first time ever was 
an exceptional American story.
  Over the course of 3 days, the sharing of stories was a remarkable 
opportunity for us. I had a chance to speak with one of our World War 
II veterans who said: I always knew what our part of the fight was 
about, but I had no idea how what we were doing from the war effort had 
impacted these displaced people--the original people of the Aleutian 
Islands. To have that sharing, again, was a remarkable part of the 
story.
  Then, to complete that picture, there were several individuals who 
were part of a Japanese film production company and were there to do 
the filming of this 75th remembrance because, as they said: This is an 
exceptional part of our history coming together too.
  Recognizing, sharing that, and allowing the stories, again, to ensure 
that this is not forgotten was a very significant and, I think, healing 
opportunity for so many.
  Madam President, I thank you for the opportunity to share this 
important part of our history, ensuring that the forgotten battle is 
not forgotten.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii.


                   Deportation of Andres Magana-Ortiz

  Ms. HIRONO. Madam President, today the Secretary of Homeland Security 
has the opportunity to prevent an injustice and keep a family together. 
At 9 a.m. Hawaii time, Andres Magana-Ortiz was scheduled to report to 
the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Honolulu to be 
deported from his home of nearly 30 years.
  Andres was brought to America when he was only 15 years old. In the 
years since, he has raised three children who are U.S. citizens, is 
married to a U.S. citizen, has built a business, and has distinguished 
himself as a hard worker and a pillar of the South Kona community in 
Hawaii.
  Andres' immigrant story is one familiar to so many American families. 
After working for more than a decade as a laborer on coffee farms 
across the Big Island, Andres saved enough money to buy his own farm. 
In the years since, Andres has taken on management of 15 other area 
coffee farms.
  Suzanne Shriner, president of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association, 
put it best in her letter of support for him when she said:

       Mr. Ortiz is a true example of the American Dream. Rising 
     from a farm worker to a farm owner, he has created a 
     successful business through hard work.
       He has sent his children to college. And he has given back 
     to his community, by working with other farms and farmers to 
     control an invasive pest. His story is why we need to find a 
     path to citizenship for these vital members of our farming 
     community.

  Andres has three children. Victoria, age 20, is a junior at the 
University of Hawaii. Paola, age 14, and Hector, age 12, are still in 
middle school. Their lives will be shattered without their father.
  Andres remains on very good terms with his first wife, Veronica 
Ledesma Magana. In a letter she wrote to me, Veronica shared how much 
Andres cares for his children and how devastated they would be if he is 
forced to leave. She said:

       Andres is a wonderful father to our children. They depend 
     on him for so much and need him during these years that are 
     so important to their development as human beings and 
     citizens of the United States. Paola and Hector are children 
     with special education needs.
       This has been very hard for us as parents, but together we 
     have worked to help her through school and life.
       I am not able to support this family by myself.
       Andres is an amazing role model to my children. He is a 
     patient, loving, and supportive father to them in whatever 
     they need. Victoria, Paola, and Hector love Andres very much 
     and would go through extreme emotional hardship if he is 
     deported.

  She continues:

       My oldest daughter will need to halt her college career to 
     help me support Paola and Hector, especially because this 
     deportation would bar him from returning to the [United 
     States] for 10 years.
       My children deserve a father to care for them, they deserve 
     the educational opportunities he can offer them, and the love 
     he shares with them every day.

  I couldn't agree more.
  In September 2014, Andres received a stay of removal in order to 
pursue various paths to achieving legal status. In fact, he has a 
pending application to receive such legal status.
  Last November, he applied for an additional stay. Without warning or 
explanation, the government changed its position in March 2017 and 
ordered that he be removed.
  At that point, Andres filed for relief in Federal court. His case 
ultimately reached the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where his 
request for an emergency stay was denied. Although the Ninth Circuit 
found it could not stay his removal, the chief judge of that court, 
Judge Reinhardt, issued a powerful, concurring opinion that clarifies 
the injustice in this case and made a powerful moral argument against 
President Trump's immigration policy.
  Judge Reinhardt wrote:

       It was fully within the government's power to once more 
     grant his reasonable request. Instead, it has ordered him 
     deported immediately. In doing so, the government forces us 
     to participate in ripping apart a family. Three United States 
     citizen children will now have to choose between their father 
     and their country. If they leave their homeland with their 
     father, the children would be forced to move to a nation with 
     which they have no connection. All three children were born 
     in the United States. None has ever lived in Mexico or 
     learned Spanish. Moving with their father would uproot their 
     lives, interrupt their education, and deprive them of the 
     opportunities afforded by growing up in this country. If they 
     remain in the United States, however, the children would not 
     only lose a parent, but might also be deprived of their home, 
     their opportunity for higher education, and their financial 
     support.
       Subjecting vulnerable children to a choice between 
     expulsion to a foreign land or losing the care and support of 
     their father is not how this nation should treat its 
     citizens.
       President Trump has claimed that his immigration policies 
     would target the ``bad hombres.'' The government's decision 
     to remove Magana Ortiz shows that even the good hombres are 
     not safe.

  Mr. Ortiz is by all accounts a pillar of his community and a devoted 
father and husband.
  The court went on to say:

       It is difficult to see how the government's decision to 
     expel him is consistent with the President's promise of an 
     immigration system with ``a lot of heart.'' I find no such 
     compassion in the government's choice to deport Magana Ortiz.
       We are unable to prevent Magana Ortiz's removal, yet it is 
     contrary to the values of this Nation and its legal system. 
     Indeed, the government's decision to remove Magana Ortiz 
     diminishes not only our country but our courts, which are 
     supposedly dedicated to the pursuit of justice.
       Magana Ortiz and his family are in truth not the only 
     victims. Among others are judges who, forced to participate 
     in such inhumane acts, suffer a loss of dignity and humanity 
     as well. I concur as a judge, but as a citizen I do not.

  Judge Reinhardt made an important point, and I agree. The government 
has the power to prevent this family from being torn apart. Even now, 
Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly can issue an administrative 
stay to let Andres stay in this country while the government processes 
his application to receive legal status.
  Earlier this week, I spoke to Secretary Kelly on the phone to discuss 
Andres' case and to urge him to issue a

[[Page 8867]]

stay that would allow him to stay in this country. Hawaii's 
congressional delegation has also written him a letter and provided a 
variety of other letters of support that Andres' friends, family, and 
neighbors have written on his behalf.
  Secretary Kelly, I renew our call once more: Let Andres stay in our 
country. Let his children have a father present and active in their 
lives. It is not too late to keep this family together.
  This entire ordeal speaks to the fear and anxiety spreading through 
immigrant communities across our country. Even the good hombres, as 
Judge Reinhardt called them, are at risk of being torn away from their 
families.
  In an email, a spokesperson for ICE said: ``While criminal aliens and 
those who pose a threat to public safety will continue to be a focus, 
DHS will NOT''--and the word ``not'' is in all caps--``exempt classes 
of removable aliens from potential enforcement.'' This is chilling. It 
means that 11 million people in our country will live in fear that they 
could be deported at a moment's notice.
  We must pass comprehensive immigration reform that provides a pathway 
to citizenship and which prioritizes the unity of families. Andres' 
case is a tragedy, if not averted. There will be more cases like his in 
Hawaii and across the country. We must continue to fight on behalf of 
the good hombres and not stop until we succeed.
  I would like to conclude by reading part of a letter I received from 
Gerald Personius, one of Andres' friends and a fellow coffee farmer 
from Captain Cook. He said:

       Andres is a courageous, honest, caring, and dedicated 
     person. So I ask you as a citizen of our beloved country to 
     do the best you can to help this man continue to pursue his 
     citizenship. He will not let America down.

  We cannot let Mr. Ortiz down.
  I yield the floor.
  Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Democratic leader.


                          Russia Investigation

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I would like to address the hearings 
that concluded just a few hours ago.
  After hearing Mr. Comey's testimony today, America is stunned. The 
cloud hanging over this administration has just gotten a whole lot 
darker.
  I commend both the chairman, Senator Burr, and the vice chairman, 
Senator Warner, for the way they ran this hearing. The Senate and the 
American people are better informed as a result of their work. Few 
committee hearings in the history of the Senate have produced the kind 
of eye-opening testimony we heard today. In its wake, I would like to 
make a few points.
  First, for weeks, media reports indicated that the President had 
directly and indirectly pressured the FBI Director to end the FBI's 
investigation into General Flynn. Innuendos and intimations swirled 
around. But we now know much more of the truth. There is now no doubt 
that Mr. Comey understood the President's request that he let go of the 
investigation into General Flynn--in a meeting during which it was 
discussed whether Mr. Comey would keep his job as FBI Director--as a 
direct effort to prevent that investigation from going further that 
looks a lot like a quid pro quo.
  During questioning from a Republican Senator, Mr. Risch, Mr. Comey 
told us that he took the President's conversation with him about the 
FBI investigation into General Flynn as a directive to scuttle that 
investigation.
  It is clear that President Trump's legal defense is to refute Mr. 
Comey's account. Well, the President threatened Mr. Comey with the 
release of tapes of their conversations. Presumably that includes the 
conversation in which President Trump asked Director Comey to ``let 
go'' of the Flynn investigation. It is awfully curious that no one from 
the President's team will either confirm or deny the existence of the 
tapes when the tapes are the only way to prove that Mr. Comey's 
testimony, which came under oath, is false or misleading. If President 
Trump disagrees with anything the Director has said today, he should 
play the tapes for all of America to hear or admit that there were no 
tapes.
  Second, Director Comey's contrasting view of the Clinton email case 
and the Russia case is telling. Mr. Comey did not wish to see a special 
counsel in the Clinton case because he looked at the facts and 
determined there wasn't a case for one. With respect to the Russia 
probe, the Director examined the facts and felt there was enough 
potential evidence that a special counsel was warranted. Again, the 
contrast is telling.
  Democrats and Republicans alike and the American people as well 
should be pleased that the investigation is in the hands of former 
Director Mueller.
  Third, the hearing raised serious questions about Attorney General 
Sessions that he and the Justice Department must answer immediately. 
Senators Wyden and Harris repeatedly asked Director Comey about 
Attorney General Sessions' involvement in the investigation before he 
recused himself. Director Comey didn't have direct knowledge of his 
involvement but made clear that he suspected that the Attorney General 
needed to recuse himself weeks before he actually did so and that he 
could not share the reasons for that in an unclassified briefing.
  So we need to know the answers to a number of questions regarding the 
Attorney General. The Senate Intelligence Committee investigation and 
Special Counsel Mueller ought to get to the bottom of this matter.
  In conclusion, Mr. Comey's testimony has been very enlightening, but 
there is much work ahead for investigators in Congress and those under 
the direction of Mr. Mueller.
  Thank you.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


            Unanimous Consent Agreement--Executive Calendar

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that at 5 
p.m. on Monday, June 12, the Senate proceed to executive session for 
consideration of Executive Calendar No. 65. I further ask that there be 
30 minutes of debate on the nomination, equally divided in the usual 
form, and that following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate 
vote on confirmation of the nomination with no intervening action or 
debate, and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered 
made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified 
of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                           Order of Procedure

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I further ask unanimous consent that 
following disposition of Executive Calendar No. 65, the Senate resume 
legislative session and consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 
722, with all postcloture time considered expired.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                        Tribute to Marty Shoryer

  Mr. SULLIVAN. Madam President, every week for some months now, I have 
been coming to the Senate floor and I have been using the opportunity 
to talk about someone in my State, the great State of Alaska, who has 
made a difference. We call that person the

[[Page 8868]]

Alaskan of the Week. These are individuals who are unsung in many ways 
and who are doing something for their community, for their State, and 
in many ways are inspiring everybody.
  I am a little biased, but I believe I live in the most beautiful 
State in the country, probably the most beautiful place in the world, 
full of wonderful people and beautiful landscapes, and we certainly 
encourage everybody here in the Senate or those who are watching on TV 
to come to Alaska and experience it themselves, and they will have the 
trip of a lifetime, guaranteed. We are also blessed to live in a land 
that provides so much for our physical and spiritual needs. It is a 
very spiritual place.
  Alaskans are hardy people; however, like anyplace in the country, 
people have tough times. Some people are more fortunate than others. 
But thankfully we have people all across our State--like we have people 
all across America--who give of themselves so that those in difficult 
situations can receive the care they need.
  Today I want to take you to Kotzebue, AK, or what we often just refer 
to as Kotz. Kotz is about 550 miles northwest of Anchorage, 26 miles 
north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska's Northwest Arctic Borough. About 
3,000 people live in Kotzebue. It is one of our bigger villages, and it 
is a hub for dozens of smaller villages that dot this enormous, 
beautiful region. Like most of Alaska, it is cold in the winter, and it 
is beautiful now under a never-setting Sun. The midnight Sun in Kotz is 
high in the sky. There are wonderful people there.
  Like most places in Alaska, particularly in smaller villages in rural 
Alaska, community is everything. People take care of each other. People 
band together to help each other overcome challenges that can exist in 
the extreme environments we have in Alaska.
  Let me tell my colleagues today about Marty Shoryer, who is one of 
the very generous residents of Kotzebue and who is our Alaskan of the 
Week. Born in Kotzebue, Marty is the general manager of Kotzebue 
Electric Association, where he has worked for more than 24 years. He 
has been married to his wife Lucy since 1977. They have six children 
and seven grandchildren. In his free time, he fishes--very common--
plays hoops, and loves to cook for his family. He is also involved in 
the Boys and Girls Club and his Tribal government.
  But here is why I want to talk about Marty and why he has been such 
an inspiration not only in Kotzebue but throughout the State. On 
Thanksgiving 2015, Marty got sick, and over the next several weeks, he 
had to go to the hospital repeatedly. While he was there, he noticed a 
group of people who would gather around the free coffee that was served 
at the hospital. He approached one of them, a woman named Jo-Ann, and 
asked a very simple question: ``Why do you guys hang around here? What 
are you doing?''
  She told him: ``Well, we don't really have another place to go right 
now.''
  This disturbed Marty greatly. At that time of year in Kotzebue, it 
can get down to 20 and 30 below zero--a difficult place.
  ``You guys must be hungry,'' he said to Jo-Ann, and she said that 
they were. So the next day and the day after that--5 days a week--Marty 
and Lucy together used their own money and their own lunch hour during 
the workweek to make sandwiches--a simple act--30 to 40 sandwiches for 
that group at the hospital. Every day, every person who needs one gets 
a sandwich, sometimes turkey and cheese, sometimes caribou or sheefish 
spread. Marty is anxious for the salmon season to start so he can make 
salmon spread sandwiches. They also get a juice box and dessert. Simple 
but generous.
  Recently, another generous Kotzebue resident, Sophie Foster, began 
making sandwiches as well, and before you know it, we have a whole 
community that is doing this, taking this simple example and getting 
involved. So now some people drop off cinnamon roles or fruit. Others 
bring back bulk items when they travel to Anchorage. Dozens of people 
in Kotzebue, AK, are now helping in this effort because of Marty's 
simple act.
  People like Marty and his wife Lucy make my State truly unique and a 
wonderful place. His generosity--doing something seemingly so simple: 
making a sandwich for someone who is hungry--has now had a big impact 
not only in Kotzebue but in Alaska. Marty didn't know the impact he 
would have when he began making sandwiches. ``I was just trying to help 
a few people that day, make them happier.''
  Marty's actions have initiated a growing conversation in Kotzebue 
about how best to take care of people who need help. It has drawn 
attention to homelessness and hunger--very important issues not only in 
Alaska but throughout the country. Marty spurred this important 
conversation in Kotzebue and in our State through his simple actions, 
and that has inspired all of us.
  Congratulations, Marty, for what you are doing, for your simple acts 
of inspiration, and for being our Alaskan of the Week.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.


                           Travel and Tourism

  Mr. BLUNT. Madam President, I come to the floor today to highlight 
the importance of travel and tourism in our economy and also to make 
the point that we are welcoming of people from other countries--and we 
are welcoming of people in our country, as well--who want to be part, 
for a short time or a long time, of America. The travel and tourism 
business is an incredibly important part of the tourism economy.
  Last month, I, along with my fellow cochairs of the Senate Travel and 
Tourism Caucus--Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senator Dean Heller, and Senator 
Brian Schatz--led the Senate in the passage of a resolution recognizing 
the week of May 7 as National Travel and Tourism Week.
  There are really good statistics--whether it is Missouri or West 
Virginia or the country at-large--on this topic. One out of every nine 
jobs in the United States depends on travel and tourism. It accounts 
for over 15 million jobs nationwide. International travel to the United 
States is our single largest export industry. The single largest thing 
where people bring money into our country is tourism to the United 
States. It generates a trade surplus of roughly $87 billion. As to that 
trade surplus with foreign travelers, foreign travelers stay longer, 
they spend more, and they like us better when they leave--virtually 100 
percent of the time--than they did when they got here. Even if they 
thought they were going to like us a lot, they wind up liking us more. 
If they questioned whether they were going to like us at all, they 
almost always wind up on the very positive side of that question.
  So it is not only a huge economic benefit of $87 billion, but it is 
also a huge foreign policy benefit--a huge diplomatic benefit. It is 
just like when students come here and go to school. They have a 
connection to the United States that is almost always positive. It is 
so positive that many of them would like to stay, with that bachelor's 
degree or that engineering certificate and degree, because they have 
liked what they found when they were here. So $87 billion is the 
surplus from just international travelers to the United States. But all 
told, travel and tourism generates nearly $2.3 trillion in annual 
economic input for our country.
  In Missouri, it has been estimated that the tourism industry, which 
is usually right behind agriculture in the list of our top industries, 
provides more than $15 billion in annual economic impact and directly 
supports almost 300,000 Missouri jobs. When international tourists come 
here and spend their money at hotels, restaurants, and shops, they are 
not only supporting U.S. businesses, but they are contributing to 
local, State, and Federal tax revenue.
  We have a great deal to offer when it comes to attracting these 
international visitors. We also have a lot of things we can do as a 
Congress to make a difference in how people travel and where they 
travel. We have a role to play in promoting the United States as a 
travel destination and in helping our

[[Page 8869]]

State and local tourism economies be a part of that travel.
  The Visa Waiver Program is sometimes questioned by some of our 
colleagues who say anybody can get on a plane in any of these visa 
waiver countries, and we particularly hear that when something bad has 
just happened in 1 of those 38 countries--Great Britain, France, or 
Germany. We hear: Anybody could come here because they don't have to go 
to the U.S. Embassy and get a visa. Except that is not how it works. 
That is not how the Visa Waiver Program works at all now. It does 
enable citizens of the 38 countries that we include to travel here for 
tourism and business for 90 days or less without the need to obtain a 
specific visa. By the way, in return, Americans go to those 38 
countries without having to go to the Embassy of that country and get a 
visa and have an interview that allows them to travel there. So that is 
both ways.
  Most importantly from our perspective, as to people who are coming 
here, the program has a lot of security built into it. For all the 
travelers who come, the Visa Waiver Program is administered by the 
Department of Homeland Security. It works in consultation with the 
State Department. Visa waivers use a risk-based, multilayered approach 
to detect and prevent terrorists, criminals, and other bad actors from 
traveling here. If you have been in some country lately that we don't 
think you should have been in, if you have a history of travel back and 
forth to countries and we have had bad experiences with people who have 
been in those countries, not only do you not get a waiver but you are 
in for a much more extensive interview than if we were trying to 
interview everybody from all of those 38 visa waiver countries who 
wants to come to the United States.
  The President announced about 4 months ago that we were going to have 
a more extensive visa process in countries that need a visa, but that 
also can be a more extensive visa process in countries that have visa 
waivers, if someone requires more vetting. If someone does not want to 
submit to additional vetting, then they don't have to come to the 
United States of America. Those kinds of questions are easily answered
  There are comprehensive vetting programs for individuals prior to the 
time they can get here--as well as when they get here--if they are in 
that visa waiver structure. So visa waiver works.
  I think the visa program is working now with more extensive vetting 
than we have had in the past.
  The program requires participants to have an electronic passport that 
has a chip in that passport that makes it virtually impossible to 
suggest that you are somebody or to try to pretend that you are 
somebody who you are not. The passport is much more secure than it used 
to be--both our passports and passports from those countries.
  In 2015, I worked with a bipartisan group of our colleagues to reform 
and improve this program and to secure that its robust security 
protocols would work as intended. We were also able to remove visa 
waiver eligibility for nationals of participating countries who have 
visited a country with a terrorism nexus, and for foreigners who 
participate who are originally from countries that may pose a terrorist 
threat. There are ways to screen that process that Americans should 
feel secure about. Frankly, it is a process that is getting better all 
the time. It is still not absolutely without risk. Travel has some 
risk. But thousands of people are bringing billions of dollars in 
tourism revenue to our economy, to see our country, and to pay our 
taxes. We ought to be sure we are minimizing the risk and maximizing 
the welcome for people we want to travel here.
  I also worked with my colleagues twice now to offer a public-private 
partnership called Brand USA. The United States of America, just a few 
years ago, was one of the few countries in the world that made no real 
effort to encourage people in other countries to visit our country. In 
2014, Senator Klobuchar and I worked to reauthorize Brand USA through 
2020. In a combination of visa waiver fees and private dollars, efforts 
have been successfully made to encourage people who want to be part of 
our economy--even for a short period of time, as a tourist. It is 
estimated that across all markets, each dollar of Brand USA marketing 
generated more than $30 in visitor spending. Let me repeat: everywhere 
we spent a dollar of Brand USA--and that is a public-private dollar--
more than $30 came to the United States, it is estimated, because of 
that.
  It is important for the Senate to support programs that work. Brand 
USA is one of those programs. The Visa Waiver Program and many others 
have significant, positive economic impacts on our country, on 
individual States, on local communities, and, by the way, on people 
whose business and travel necessarily take them to other countries.
  Travel and tourism is one area where we have successfully worked 
together in a bipartisan manner. I hope we can continue that progress 
in this Congress. I will keep working with my colleagues to ensure that 
we have the right policies in place to keep Americans safe, while 
allowing our travel and tourism industries to continue growing and 
creating jobs.
  Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Blunt). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, when I came onto the floor, you were not 
presiding; you were on the floor talking about the Visa Waiver Program. 
It is an agreement we have with almost 40 other nations that allows for 
the free flow of visitors from those countries to our country. It is 
viewed, in part, as a way to promote tourism and help grow that part of 
our economy and the economies of the other 38 or 39 nations with which 
we already have this agreement. Some people believe it is a gaping hole 
for fomenting terrorism and giving terrorists the ability to infiltrate 
our countries and do mischief here and other places around the world.
  I applaud the Presiding Officer, the Senator from Missouri, for 
actually explaining how the system works. It is actually not just a way 
to enhance and promote tourism, which is important to all of our 
economies, it actually enhances our security if done well, done right, 
and done correctly. I say to the Presiding Officer, the former chairman 
of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, I appreciate very much 
your making those comments today.


             Resolution Condemning Recent Terrorist Attacks

  I am going to do something today, Mr. President, that I have never 
done before. I have never come to the floor and actually read a 
resolution or a piece of legislation that we are going to be voting on 
later today. This is a resolution that came out of discussions 
yesterday as we were contemplating voting on additional sanctions with 
respect to Iran--sanctions not related to violations of the joint 
agreement on nuclear weapons. They appear to be in full compliance with 
what they professed to do, promised to do a year or two ago. There 
doesn't seem to be a question that they are doing what they promised to 
do, and that is good.
  There is what we believe is an obvious violation of U.N. requirements 
that say the United Nations doesn't believe that Iran should be testing 
ballistic missile systems. Even though they have no nuclear weapons--we 
don't believe they are going to have them anytime soon; hopefully not, 
because that would help spark a nuclear arms race in that part of that 
world--we still have, along with the U.N., this prohibition against 
them developing and testing ballistic missiles. They have violated that 
a number of times, and a lot of other nations, including us, are 
concerned about that. We have before us this week and again next week 
legislation dealing with that.
  My hope is that next week we will consider that legislation and have 
a chance to offer amendments to it. My

[[Page 8870]]

strong hope is that we will not only be talking about our desire to see 
Iran fully comply with the U.N. guidelines but that we will also couple 
with that legislation sanctions dealing with Russia. This is a country 
that continues to make mischief in this country and countries around 
the world.
  Today, a lot of attention was riveted on the testimony by former FBI 
Director Jim Comey on whether there was an attempt by the Russians to 
influence our Presidential election last year. All 17 intelligence 
agencies in this country have decided unanimously that the question is 
not only did they attempt or want to influence the outcome of the 
Presidential election--they all say yes. The answer is yes. All those 
intelligence agencies say yes. The second thing they said is that they 
feel the Russians succeeded in what they wanted to accomplish because 
the person they wanted to see defeated--Secretary Clinton--lost, and 
the person they wanted to see win--Donald Trump--won and now serves as 
President of the United States.
  The issue that is going on right now in the hearings before the 
Intelligence Committee involve whether there was collusion between the 
Trump organization and the Russians during or prior to the time of the 
election. Ultimately, we will find out the truth, and we will let the 
chips fall where they may.
  I think we make a mistake in simply going forward and admonishing the 
Iranians for testing ballistic missile weapons while at the same time 
this effort by the Russians to really make a mockery of our election 
system and change the governance of this country is a far greater 
threat.
  My hope is that when we come back and take up these issues next week, 
that we will not address only the one involving Iran but that we will 
address in a thoughtful way the actions the Russians have taken and not 
let them get away with this. That is the debate for next week.
  In Iran, actually 2 or 3 weeks ago, they had elections. I have spoken 
about this before on the Senate floor. The elections they had were 
Presidential elections. Here in this country, we have Presidential 
elections every 4 years. As it turns out, in Iran they have them every 
4 years as well. In this country, most people age 18 and older are 
eligible to vote. The percentage of people among the electorate who 
actually vote is not great. Actually, for the longest living democracy 
in the history of the world, it is sometimes a bit disappointing. But 
the percentage of people who turned out to vote in the Presidential 
election in Iran a few weeks ago approached 75 percent, which is a good 
deal higher, I believe, than what we have accomplished in recent years. 
They have a lot of young people in that country, and the average age of 
the 80 million people who work there is under the age of 25. It turns 
out that the young people--not like the young people in Vietnam and a 
bunch of other countries--they like our country. They want a better 
relationship with our country, and the voting that occurred in Iran 2 
or 3 weeks ago actually reflected that.
  President Ruhani ran on a campaign that included better relations 
with, among others, the United States. And I think the election of a 
lot of mayors in places like Tehran, the capital of Iran, which has 
changed from a hardliner who didn't agree with President Ruhani's views 
on this matter--they were turned out of office. That is all a very 
encouraging development.
  There are still people in that country who don't like us, and they 
wish us harm, wish us ill, and they support terrorism. This is a source 
of concern. But, particularly with the younger people there, it is a 
new day there, and I think that is encouraging. We shouldn't be blind 
to the mischief that some in their country would create, but we also 
shouldn't be blind to the encouraging things happening among the young 
people, especially reflected in the voting. We congratulate them on 
actually having an election where that many people voted.
  In some other countries around the world where Muslim is the 
principal faith, they don't allow women to vote. They don't allow women 
to participate in the elections, and they don't allow them to get 
elected. In Iran, the elections in I think Tehran, in the city council 
alone--women do vote in Iran. They get to run for office. I think in 
the city council in Tehran alone, six women were elected to serve on 
the city council. So that is a positive.
  We commend them for having elections, and it is their job to figure 
out whom they are going to elect. I am personally encouraged by the 
turnout and the participation, especially of women, the election of 
women, and the President and a lot of young leaders in that country who 
have different view of us and their willingness to work with us and 
other like-minded nations in the future.
  On the heels of the election, roughly 2 weeks later, there were 
terrorist attacks in London, in Britain, I think in Australia in the 
last couple of weeks, and, in the last few days, in Iran. Their 
Parliament was attacked. You can imagine terrorists coming in and 
attacking those of us who work in this building, whether they happen to 
be the pages or Senators or staff. That is what happened in Tehran a 
couple of days ago at 10 o'clock in the morning, with folks breaking 
into Parliament and trying to kill folks. They also attacked a sacred 
site--I think a mausoleum--in another part of the country. Close to 15 
people were killed, and many times that number were wounded, some very 
seriously.
  On the heels of that attack and on the heels of the election, on the 
heels of the attack by ISIS--in both of the attacks on Iran, the 
attacks were masterminded apparently by ISIS. We don't know for sure 
given that ISIS tries to take credit for attacks they had nothing to do 
with or little to do with. But there are people in Great Britain who 
have lost loved ones, family members, friends. They are suffering, they 
are hurting, and they are mourning today, and the same is true of Iran.
  Great Britain is one of our two or three closest allies in the world. 
They are like brothers and sisters to us, and we feel a special kinship 
and extend our condolences to those whose lives have been ended, whose 
lives have been shattered, and whose lives will be forever changed.
  While we do that with our friends and allies in Britain who suffered 
from these attacks by ISIS, on the heels of a different kind of 
election in Iran--an encouraging election in Iran--and similar attacks 
by ISIS on Iran--some suggest it is because they have a willingness to 
actually have a better relationship with us, and maybe that is what 
drew the attacks by ISIS. In any event, we certainly express our 
condolences to the good people in Iran who lost their brothers, 
sisters, parents, aunts, uncles, and sons, and we remember them today.
  The resolution has been drafted by Senator Corker, the chair of the 
Foreign Relations Committee, and by Senator Cardin. It is a resolution 
that is not very long. I am going to read it. It is a resolution that 
dates to these attacks and mentions both countries I just mentioned--
Great Britain, our ally, and Iran, with which we have had difficulty 
for the last 30, 40 years but which is now interested in a new day with 
us. To the extent that we can find a way to work together, especially 
in commerce, the Iranians want to buy aircraft from us. They want to 
buy Boeing aircraft. They don't want military aircraft. They have an 
airline which is just awful. It is decrepit, old, aged, and they want 
to buy $10 to $12 billion worth of Boeing aircrafts, passenger 
airlines. I would say let's sell to them. The idea is, if we would do 
that, we would not just put 5 or 10,000 people to work, we would 
provide job employment opportunities for even more people than that in 
this country. Why wouldn't we be interested in that? I hope we will 
allow that to go forward. It would be good for us and also it would be 
good for them, and maybe it would provide a foundation for working more 
closely together. I don't know if we would have the kind of 
relationship that we have with Britain, but as a veteran of the Vietnam 
war, I can state that when I go for a run some mornings--when I stay 
down here and go for a run early in the morning, I run down

[[Page 8871]]

to the Lincoln Memorial. I always run by the Vietnam Memorial. I take 
my fingers, and as I go along the wall, I let my fingers brush over the 
names of the people with whom I served, and there are 55,000 who died 
in that war. They were our friends, our colleagues, our family members, 
people we literally served with at that time, and they are gone. Yet 
somehow we have been able to let bygones be bygones and develop a 
close, august friendship with the Vietnamese. We are their strongest 
trading partner. They are buying a lot of aircraft from us these days, 
and we are now going to sell weaponry to them.
  We are not going to do anything like that with Iran, certainly with 
respect to weaponry, but if we can get over finally our difficulties of 
war and hostilities and so forth with the Vietnamese, maybe we can 
someday, with a change in leadership with Iran, begin to look more 
toward a constructive relationship in the future.
  The other thing I want to do is, I just want to take this resolution 
and actually read that which Senators Corker and Cardin and their 
staffs have worked on and thank them for their good work.
  There will probably be a vote later this evening in wrapup, where 
there will be a unanimous consent request that this bipartisan 
resolution be approved. I think it is a good thing, it is the right 
thing, it is a fair thing. How would we want to be treated by other 
countries if ISIS attacks us and kills our people? We want them to be 
sympathetic and have some feeling for us and not be quiet about it. 
That is essentially what we want to do here.
  The resolution goes something like this:

       Condemning the recent terrorist attacks in the United 
     Kingdom, the Philippines, Indonesia, Egypt, Iraq, Australia, 
     and Iran.

  It offers ``thoughts and prayers and sincere condolences to all of 
the victims, their families, and the people of their countries.''

       Whereas since May 22, 2017, the Islamic State of Iraq and 
     Syria (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for multiple 
     terrorist attacks against civilians that have left more than 
     180 dead and many more wounded.
       Whereas ISIS frequently claims attacks perpetrated by 
     individual actors or other groups for propaganda purposes.
       Whereas the people of the United Kingdom are grieving 
     following two terrorist attacks claimed by ISIS in London on 
     June 4 and Manchester on May 22 that targeted and killed 
     innocent men, women, and children.
       Whereas government forces in the Philippines are currently 
     fighting ISIS militants in Mindanao, including ISIS-
     affiliated fighters from the Philippines, Indonesia, 
     Malaysia, Chechnya, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, who launched an 
     assault in Marawi City on May 23 in an apparent effort to 
     establish a caliphate in Southeast Asia.
       Whereas ISIS has claimed responsibility for two explosions 
     in Jakarta, Indonesia, killing three policemen.
       Whereas ISIS targeted Coptic Christians in Egypt during an 
     attack on a bus on May 26, killing 29 people.
       Whereas 22 people were killed when ISIS detonated a car 
     bomb at a Baghdad ice cream parlor, killing Iraqi families 
     gathering with their children to break the Ramadan fast, and 
     then detonated a second bomb killing elderly Iraqis 
     collecting their pensions.
       Whereas a terrorist attack claimed by ISIS killed one 
     person in Melbourne, Australia, and wounded three police 
     officers.
       Whereas on June 7, in an attack claimed by ISIS, at least 
     12 people were killed when gunmen and suicide bombers 
     targeted Iran's parliament and a shrine--

  I believe it was a mausoleum or where one of their earlier leaders 
was entombed, enshrined--

     in two coordinated attacks across Tehran.
       Whereas these reprehensible attacks have no place in a 
     peaceful world: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) condemns ISIS' horrific terrorist attacks in the United 
     Kingdom, Philippines, Indonesia, Egypt, Iraq, Australia, and 
     Iran;
       (2) expresses its deepest condolences to the victims of 
     these attacks and their families;
       (3) expresses solidarity with the people of the United 
     Kingdom, the Philippines, Indonesia, Egypt, Iraq, Australia, 
     and Iran;
       (4) recognizes the threat posed by ISIS and recommits to 
     U.S. leadership in the Global Coalition working to defeat 
     ISIS.

  My father served in World War II. He was a chief petty officer. Most 
of my uncles served in World War II and/or Korea. One of my uncles I 
never met. My mom's youngest brother served in the U.S. Navy. He was 
stationed on a ship called the USS Suwannee. It was an aircraft 
carrier.
  They were on duty in the Western Pacific in 1944, and their group of 
ships came under attack by Japanese kamikaze pilots, dive-bombing and 
crashing their aircraft into several ships, including the USS Suwannee, 
the ship on which my uncle Bob was stationed. He was 19 years old. I 
think he was on the ship and they were trying to launch aircraft to 
take on the kamikaze pilots before they could do much damage and 
several of the aircraft apparently crashed into the aircraft carrier on 
which my Uncle Bob was doing duty up on the deck of the aircraft 
carrier.
  His body, along with the bodies of a number of people who were on the 
deck, were never recovered. They were killed, missing in action for an 
extended period of time, and their bodies were never recovered.
  I told folks back in Delaware about my grandmother during one of the 
Memorial Day observances. I don't know if the Presiding Officer has 
this in Missouri, but in Delaware, during some of our observances, we 
have a place of honor where some of our Gold Star families sit. I told 
the Gold Star families at a bridge ceremony in Wilmington near the 
Delaware Memorial Bridge--I pointed out where the Gold Star families 
were sitting, and I said: My grandmother, if she were still alive, 
would be 110 today, and she would be sitting right over there with all 
the Gold Star families and mothers.
  She never saw her son again after he went off to serve in the war. 
There was a lot of sorrow in that family for years and years and years. 
They had pictures for as long as I can remember. There was a picture of 
my Uncle Bob, age 19, posing, at the time, in his dress blue uniform.
  I was a dead ringer for him. My sister and I, after we were born in 
West Virginia, grew up in Danville, VA. I went off to high school and 
then became a Navy midshipman and then went off to Southeast Asia. I 
would go home to visit my relatives in West Virginia, including my 
grandparents. I would go back to that house. I would go back to the 
picture and look at him because as I grew older, the resemblance was 
pretty remarkable. My grandmother, from the time I was a little boy 
until I grew up, would always call me Bobby. That was his name, not 
mine. I was Tommy, but she would call me Bobby. It was kind of eerie. 
She would never try to correct it. She would just call me Bobby.
  Sometimes people would have nicknames for us as kids, and my 
grandfather always called me Joe. So we would go spend time, a week or 
two, with them in the summer, and my grandmother called me Bobby and my 
grandfather called me Joe. I wasn't sure who I was when I would go back 
to their home in Danville or Roanoke, VA, but I know my grandmother 
loved her son Bobby, and the folks who took his life were Japanese. 
They were Japanese.
  In the Navy, I flew missions with Japanese forces during the Vietnam 
war and the Cold War when I was a naval flight officer. Japan is among 
our best friends today, one of our closest allies, despite the hundreds 
of thousands of lives which were lost in the attack on Pearl Harbor and 
the war that ensued.
  Germany, at the other side of the world, was a bitter enemy during 
World War II and is among our closest allies and has been for years the 
bulwark in that part of the world.
  I just mention them to say that the folks that might be our 
adversaries today--Vietnam, where I served, was a great adversary for a 
number of years, and today, as I said earlier, is one of our closest 
trading partners, and they are one of our partners. We had, I thought, 
a wonderful trade agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership should have 
been approved by us and never was. It was negotiated in the last 
administration. I think in history they will say that it was a huge 
mistake we made not to approve it after negotiating it over a period of 
several years with 11 other countries, including the Vietnamese.
  The Vietnamese are amazingly close. They love Americans. God, they 
love Americans. They love us more than we love us, and you can feel it. 
Every time I go over there, I am reminded of that.

[[Page 8872]]

  Things have a way of changing. Leadership changes, people change, the 
attitudes of people toward the rest of the world, including us, will 
change. The results of the Iranian election give me some encouragement. 
I hope they give the rest of us encouragement. I hope someday some of 
those young Iranian people who admire this country and love this 
country will have a chance to come here and visit.
  Ironically, today is the last day we have a lot of young people here 
in this Chamber who are leaving us. We call them pages. Some are 
sitting down here. I walked up to them earlier today. We have doors--
seven doors--and when we are having votes, people and Senators come in 
and out, and we have two pages stationed at every door. We have pages 
down here at the foot of the Presiding Officer on either side. What I 
tried to do was just go around to the pages and shake their hands, say 
goodbye, and thank them for their service during what has been really, 
as the Presiding Officer knows, a challenging time for all of us. I 
would say I had to have a chance to address these pages as well as the 
rest of our colleagues here, but I want to say to the pages, thanks a 
lot for your service, and we hope you have been inspired not by our 
shortcoming but by the potential you see here for us continuing to send 
this ship of state into the future.
  A lot of people are concerned about the direction our country has 
taken. I would like to remind them, especially these pages, that 150 
years ago we fought a civil war in this country. I grew up in Danville, 
VA, the last capital of the Confederacy. I think some people were still 
fighting the Civil War when I got there. I was 9 years old and my 
sister was 10. So 150 years ago, the Civil War was fought, where 
hundreds of thousands of people were killed, many more were crippled, 
wounded, and maimed.
  After that, we saw our President assassinated. President Lincoln was 
assassinated. After that, our President who succeeded him, Andrew 
Johnson, was impeached, and somehow we got through all of that in the 
19th century.
  When we finally made it to the 20th century, what happened? World War 
I--we fought it, won it, and led our allies to victory. Then World War 
II, we fought it, won it, and led the allies to victory in World War 
II. The Cold War--won it, led our allies to victory in the Cold War. 
The Great Depression--we fought our way out of it and led the world to 
a much stronger economy.
  When the 21st century dawned on January 1, 2001, here is where we 
were as a nation: the strongest economy on Earth, the most productive 
workforce on Earth, a nation of peace, four balanced budgets in a row. 
We hadn't balanced our budget since 1968, but the last 4 years of the 
Clinton administration we were 4 and 0 in terms of a balanced budget.
  Since the century began, we were the world's mightiest Nation--the 
mightiest force for justice--and we were the most admired Nation on the 
planet. I would just keep in mind the words of Harry Truman: The only 
thing new in the world is the history we have forgotten and never 
learned. He was a guy from Missouri, as I recall, like our Presiding 
Officer.
  We are going through a tough time now, and we will get through it. My 
hope is that our pages, who have provided a great service here in the 
recent months of their service, will someday come back as interns, 
maybe someday as staff members, maybe someday as Senators and 
Representatives and chiefs of staff, and will play other roles in 
guiding our country.
  We thank all of you.
  My hope is that, as time goes by, the tensions around the world, the 
hatred, the vitriol, and the murder and the mayhem will have 
dissipated. Countries just like Japan in World War II, like Germany in 
World War II, and like Vietnam in the Vietnam war were our bitter 
enemies at one time but are now our friends. Maybe we can turn the page 
with Iran, and they can turn the page with us. They will be better for 
it, and in the end, we will too.
  Your generation, especially, will be better for that.
  I thank Senator Corker and, again, Senator Cardin and their staffs. I 
thank our leadership--Senator McConnell and Senator Chuck Schumer--for 
making sure that this resolution was taken up and written. It worked 
out, and we will have a chance to vote on it. I just do not want 
somebody sometime later--this evening or tonight--when asking for 
unanimous consent to adopt a Senate resolution with a certain number on 
it, to ask: What was that all about? I want people to know that this is 
about something that is important, and I am grateful to all who had a 
hand in it.
  Thank you very much.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                          Nomination Referral

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, as in executive session, I ask 
unanimous consent that upon the reporting of the nomination of David P. 
Pekoske, of Maryland, to be Assistant Secretary of the Department of 
Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, by the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the nomination be 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
for a period not to exceed 30 calendar days, except that if the 30 days 
lapse while the Senate is in recess, the Committee on Homeland Security 
and Governmental Affairs shall have an additional 5 session days after 
the Senate reconvenes to report the nomination, after which the 
nomination, if still in committee, be discharged and placed on the 
Executive Calendar.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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