[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9070-9072]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




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

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 722, which the 
clerk will report.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 110, S. 722, a bill to 
     impose sanctions with respect to Iran in relation to Iran's 
     ballistic missile program, support for acts of international 
     terrorism, and violations of human rights, and for other 
     purposes.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority whip is recognized.


                         Healthcare Legislation

  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, before he leaves the floor, I want to 
say to my friend, the Democratic leader, among his other attributes, he 
now claims omniscience. He knows everything--even about things that 
haven't even been written yet, and I, for one, appreciate as a 
Republican his concern about the Republican Party.
  I would challenge his memory because I was here in 2010, when 60 
Democrats in the Senate jammed through ObamaCare, a bill that we 
frankly need to save the American people from as it begins to melt 
down.
  As the distinguished Presiding Officer from Iowa knows, there is not 
a single carrier in Iowa that is willing to sell ObamaCare insurance on 
the exchanges because they are simply bleeding money.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Will my good friend and gym mate from Texas yield for a 
question?
  Mr. CORNYN. I will yield for a question.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Is omniscience a comment of all-knowing, and if I don't 
know what the bill is all about, then I couldn't be omniscient; isn't 
that true?
  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I would say to my friend from New York 
that he is omniscient if he claims to know the content of a bill that 
has not yet been voted on or agreed upon by Republicans in the Senate. 
I would just put that in the same category as his other advice to folks 
on this side of the aisle and again challenge his memory to how we got 
here in the first place.
  I was here on Christmas Eve when we voted. I ended up voting against, 
but Democrats voted to jam ObamaCare through this body and on a 
strictly party-line vote. The fact is, ObamaCare is failing millions of 
people because if they have access to coverage at all, many of them 
have seen their premiums go up an average of 105 percent since 2013. 
That is the average in the 30-plus States that carry ObamaCare 
insurance on the healthcare exchanges--a 105-percent increase. Many of 
them have also seen their deductibles get so big that they cannot even 
really use the insurance they have because basically they are 
effectively self-insured.
  So I take with a grain of salt the comments from my friend from New 
York that somehow we are doing something that is so horrible when we 
are trying to rescue the American people and clean up the mess our 
Democratic friends created when they jammed ObamaCare through on a 
party-line vote. If they were serious about it, what they would do is 
accept our invitation to work with us to improve healthcare for all 
Americans. It would be much better if we could do this on a bipartisan 
basis. It would certainly be more durable and be sustained for much 
longer than things done strictly on party-line votes. Yet, in the 
absence of any real help from our Democratic friends, who just seem to 
be standing idly by and not lifting a finger to help the people being 
hurt by ObamaCare today, we are going to have to do the best we can 
with the hand we have been dealt on behalf of the people whom we 
represent.
  Madam President, on another matter, as a global leader of state-
sponsored terrorism, Iran continues to threaten the very existence of 
the nation of Israel and destabilize the Middle East by creating a 
breeding ground for violence and hatred.
  For the past several years, the United States and our allies have 
attempted to contain Iran, often to no avail. For one, President 
Obama's lopsided nuclear deal left a zero imprint on Iran's terrorist 
activities. So last week the senior Senator from Tennessee, the 
chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced 
legislation to apply impactful and powerful sanctions on the nation of 
Iran. This bill will give the President the ability to block any trade 
that could benefit Iran's ballistic missile programs or support its 
military buildup.
  I plan to introduce a bipartisan amendment to this bill that would 
target Mahan Air. This is Iran's largest commercial airline that 
doubles as the preferred mode of transportation for terrorists and 
their weapons. That is right. It is a civilian airline, but it is 
actually used to facilitate terrorism and to transport weapons. Mahan 
Air not only supports the efforts of the Quds Force, which is a special 
unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but it supports 
Hezbollah as well. This terrorist airline is a conduit for personnel, 
weapons, and a violent ideology throughout the region.
  Unfortunately, despite its proven transgressions, Mahan Air continues 
to expand international operations by adding more international 
airports to its flight patterns, including several in Europe. This is 
an obvious threat to the safety and security of the people where these 
planes are allowed to land. Not only are the goods they transport a 
cause for concern, but their very presence is a security risk to 
Americans who fly in and out of airports at which a Mahan aircraft may 
land.
  Through all of this, of course, Iran continues to support their 
terrorist activities, indeed carrying on under the guise of commercial 
civilian aircraft flights.
  My amendment would require the Department of Homeland Security to 
compile and make public a list of airports at which Mahan Air has 
recently landed and then require the Department of Homeland Security to 
assess what security measures should be added.
  We have a duty to protect American citizens, and I am thankful that 
Chairman Corker will bring this legislation to the floor. The fight 
against terrorism is multifaceted, and it is not

[[Page 9071]]

easy, but we can start by targeting state sponsors of terrorism like 
Iran with economic sanctions while we strengthen our military and 
continue the great tradition of American leadership around the world.


                         Healthcare Legislation

  Finally, Madam President, let me return to where I began--to the 
issue of ObamaCare.
  There is a lot of work to be done here at home as well. I know it is 
easy for us to get mired in the ``how,'' but it is also important for 
us to remember why we are repealing ObamaCare and why we are replacing 
it with something far better for American families.
  I want to continue to highlight one of the many stories I am hearing 
from my constituents. I wonder whether the Senator from New York is 
hearing some of these same stories from his constituents.
  This gentleman is a small business owner in the Fort Worth area who 
told me that since ObamaCare was implemented, this small business owner 
has been forced to change his insurance every year. Can you imagine 
going through that headache and hassle when President Obama said: If 
you like your health coverage, you can keep it. He was also the one who 
said: If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. He also 
promised that premiums would go down an average of $2,500 for a family 
of four--none of which has proved to be true. In this particular 
gentleman's case, as is the case for many Americans, his rates have 
gone through the roof, rising from roughly $350 a month to $800 a 
month. Despite the higher cost, he now receives less coverage because 
his out-of-pocket maximum has risen from $3,500 to $14,000. That is 
simply outrageous. Throughout the entire process, he has been fighting 
a losing battle.
  As is the case with many States, including Iowa, provider after 
provider has pulled out of my State as well, as they are unable to 
afford ObamaCare at all.
  This small business owner is not only forced to literally find new 
insurance every year, but he has to change providers each year and has 
fewer options available. Along the way--this is the other promise 
President Obama made that has been broken--this gentleman has lost 
access to his doctor of 20 years. He refers to the hope he had when 
President Obama looked into the camera and said: Now listen to me. You 
can keep your insurance, and you can keep your doctor, and you will pay 
less. That is what President Obama said when he was selling ObamaCare. 
Instead, this gentleman, this small business owner from Fort Worth, did 
not get to keep his insurance. He lost his doctor of 20 years, and he 
now pays nearly three times more for less coverage and higher 
deductibles.
  He closed his letter to me with a question. He asked: Can I count on 
you?
  I look around the Chamber, and I ask all of us: Can the American 
people count on us?
  I know they can because it is our responsibility to provide something 
far better than what they have had under ObamaCare. They can count on 
us if we work together to find solutions that actually provide the 
high-quality healthcare American families deserve at prices they can 
afford. In many instances, this means getting government out of the way 
and allowing the marketplace to lower costs and increase quality, which 
is what markets do much better than government regulation.
  Right now, every Senator on this side of the aisle is discussing with 
our colleagues how best to accomplish that, and we are also discussing 
this with the people whom we represent--the physicians, the healthcare 
providers, and others--to try to determine the best way forward. I hope 
our Democratic colleagues will join us rather than give us lectures 
from the Senate floor about the way we are conducting our business, 
particularly when their hands are unclean, to say the least, when it 
comes to the way they jammed ObamaCare down the throats of the American 
people to such bad effect. I would encourage them, rather than to just 
obstruct, to actually work with us in a bipartisan fashion. We would 
come up with a better product, a more durable product, if our 
Democratic friends would work with us rather than just sit on their 
hands or actively obstruct our efforts to get the job done.
  I urge our colleagues from both sides to work together to find a 
solution that repeals what is broken in ObamaCare and replace it with 
patient-centered, accessible, and affordable healthcare. I hope that 
eventually others will come around to join us if for no other reason 
than their constituents are hurting from the status quo.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin.


      Anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub Mass Shooting in Orlando

  Ms. BALDWIN. Madam President, I rise to recognize the first 
anniversary of a horrific tragedy that shook this Nation. One year ago, 
in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016, we all witnessed an 
unthinkable act of hatred and terror at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, 
FL. It was Pride Month and Latin night, and dozens of gay, lesbian, 
bisexual, and transgender people, along with friends and family, were 
gathered simply to have fun in what should have been a place of 
acceptance, affirmation, and safety. In a matter of moments, what 
should have been a celebration turned into one of the worst mass 
shootings in American history--a targeted act of terror and hate, an 
attack on the freedoms we all hold dear. These 49 innocent people lost 
their lives in this attack, and 53 others were wounded. Many, many 
others bear the emotional scars.
  This was not only a deadly act of domestic terrorism; it was a hate 
crime--a crime that targeted victims because of who they were and was 
designed not just to harm its victims but to terrorize everyone in the 
community.
  Last year, I came to the floor to read the names and tell the stories 
of the victims of this massacre in Orlando, because we cannot and we 
must not forget these men and women. Their stories need a voice. Today, 
I rise again to remember the victims.
  As I did 1 year ago, I come to the floor to ask my colleagues to find 
the courage to stand up, speak out, and act to confront the rising tide 
of hate crimes and discrimination in America. We must never forget the 
victims of this hate crime, and we must honor them with action.
  While the Pulse shooting was an unimaginable horror, it is, sadly, 
far from the only act of violence that has been perpetrated out of 
hatred. Even before June 12 of last year, we had seen an alarming 
increase in reports of hate crimes against LGBTQ people but also 
against racial and religious minorities and immigrants. In the 
aftermath of a divisive election, we saw hundreds of documented 
instances of discrimination, harassment, and even violence against 
members of minority communities as well as increased hostility within 
our Nation's schools. In this year alone, at least 11 transgender 
people have been murdered, most of them women of color.
  The fact is that many members of racial, ethnic, disability, and 
religious minority communities, as well as LGBT people, live in very 
real fear for their safety. They are scared, and it is incumbent upon 
President Trump as our Nation's leader to demonstrate to them and to 
all Americans that discrimination and violence against any individual 
because of who he is, whom he loves, and how he worships will not be 
tolerated in this country.
  When I stood here last year, I called for a greater investment in the 
Federal Government's effort to both try to prevent hate crimes and 
fully investigate and prosecute them whenever they happen. After 
President Trump took office, I was joined by a number of my Senate 
colleagues in urging him and the Attorney General to support robust 
funding for the Department of Justice's programs that combat bias-
motivated crimes. I believe a documented increase in hate crimes 
demands an increase in the resources that are committed to fighting 
this problem. Yet the budget put forward by President Trump and 
Attorney General Sessions seeks no increases. In fact, it proposes

[[Page 9072]]

cutting more than 100 staff from the Department of Justice's Civil 
Rights Division.
  This administration has failed to step up and speak out against this 
disturbing trend across our country or to commit the resources 
necessary to fight it.
  Instead of showing the moral leadership our Nation needs in the face 
of increasing hatred and division, President Trump and his 
administration have taken steps to roll back our Nation's progress in 
many areas, including progress for the LGBT community.
  Rather than issue a proclamation recognizing Pride Month and 
committing to address the many challenges still facing LGBT Americans, 
President Trump recently issued an Executive order that could open the 
door to discrimination with Federal taxpayer dollars.
  Rather than stand up for transgender students facing bullying, 
harassment, and discrimination, this administration rescinded guidance 
to schools about the rights of those vulnerable young people under 
Federal law.
  Rather than building on the steps taken to better understand the 
needs of LGBT people by simply counting us, the Trump administration 
has walked back efforts to ask about LGBT Americans in Federal surveys 
at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Census Bureau.
  Simply put, President Trump has not lived up to his vow to be a 
President for all Americans.
  But where I come from, in Wisconsin, our State motto consists of one 
word: ``Forward.'' I believe that no matter who is in the Oval Office, 
our country must move in only one direction--forward.
  Remember, while Pride Month is, of course, about celebration--of who 
we are and of how far we have come--it is just as much about bravely 
standing up and speaking out so that others will not feel compelled to 
live in silence.
  To the survivors of the Pulse shooting and the families and friends 
of those who were murdered and who feel the wounds of this tragedy most 
deeply, we hear your voices and we are inspired by your strength.
  As a community, we have never been deterred by tragedy and will not 
be now. One of the early leaders in our fight for equality was Harvey 
Milk, and he was also struck down by violent hatred. Harvey Milk 
famously said: ``Hope will never be silent.''
  So today I rise to remind us of the power of hope in the face of 
tragedy. We must continue to work to pass on to the next generation a 
country that is more equal, not less. We must remain strong in fighting 
any rollback of progress, large or small.
  There is more work to be done to ensure that all Americans are 
protected from hatred and discrimination, and the work toward full 
equality for LGBTQ people and their families remains far from complete.
  For myself and those who stand united this Pride Month, we are guided 
by our uniquely American values. It is about freedom--the freedom to 
realize our founding belief that all Americans are created equal under 
the law. It is about fairness--whether gay, lesbian, bisexual, and 
transgender Americans deserve to be treated just like their family 
members, their friends, their neighbors, their fellow workers. It is 
about opportunity--about whether every American gets to dream the same 
dreams, chase the same ambitions, and have the same shot at success.
  This is the promise of America, and we must fight to make sure we 
keep it.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________