[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12589-12591]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      SENATE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE BUILDING AMERICA'S TRUST ACT

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I congratulate the majority leader for 
securing these important confirmations of nominees who have been 
waiting, for no good reason, simply to get an up-or-down vote and get 
confirmed. This is a big day, with roughly 65 nominations confirmed 
just here in the last few minutes--things that should have been handled 
but for the obstruction and foot-dragging of our colleagues across the 
aisle.
  I want to focus for just a minute on things we have been able to do, 
notwithstanding the lack of cooperation of our colleagues across the 
aisle since this new administration came into office.
  I know the focus of the press--and, frankly, some of our own focus--
has been on the unfinished business, like healthcare reform. I can 
assure my colleagues that issue is not going away and gets more 
difficult to address as each day goes by.
  Perhaps one of the most significant things we have done in the last 
few months is confirm Neil Gorsuch as a Justice on the Supreme Court. 
It is undeniable that Judge Gorsuch is a qualified, high-caliber 
nominee, and he is already serving our Nation well on our highest 
Court.
  We have also worked together with the President to deliver 
legislation that is a priority for our veterans and police departments 
around the Nation. The American Law Enforcement Heroes Act, which I was 
proud to sponsor, will help our returning veterans continue to serve 
their country by creating incentives for police departments to hire 
them once they take off their military uniform and put on a new uniform 
as a member of local police departments. This legislation will help 
keep our communities safe while supporting those who have served our 
country. I am proud we were able to work together on a bipartisan basis 
to make it the law of the land.
  On this side of the aisle, we are absolutely committed to helping 
businesses and job creators do what they do best--innovate, create more 
jobs, and employ more people--and not waste time dealing with onerous 
rules and regulations. With a friend in the White House--

[[Page 12590]]

somebody sympathetic to the needs to grow the economy, create more 
opportunities, and let people pursue the American dream--we have been 
able to finally deliver some relief to the American people.
  One of the ways we have done that is through one of the more obscure 
laws, perhaps--but one we have brought to life--the so-called 
Congressional Review Act. Until just this year, I think the 
Congressional Review Act had been used only one time to repeal the 
ergonomics rule years ago.
  The Congressional Review Act was created to give Congress an 
opportunity to do away with or repeal regulations which were put in 
place as the Obama administration was headed out the door. Using these 
Congressional Review Acts, and with an ally in the White House, we 
undid some of the thousands of burdensome rules and regulations created 
by the Obama administration--rules and regulations which added up to a 
hefty pricetag for our country and which have strangled our economic 
recovery since 2008 and the great recession.
  That is not all. We have also passed important bipartisan legislation 
imposing tough sanctions on Iran, Russia, and North Korea.
  In the case of Iran, the overwhelming vote was a strong message that 
the United States will not tolerate Iran's complicity in terror and is 
a clear indicator of just how important this legislation is. Now, most 
people listening to me would be surprised we did this because, frankly, 
there wasn't a whole lot of coverage about it because it was done with 
such broad and overwhelming bipartisan support, but it is important, 
and it is an important signal to our adversaries in other countries 
that we will not sit idly by and leave our Nation undefended and their 
acts undeterred.
  This week, we continue to build on these additional accomplishments 
for our veterans. I commend, in particular, the Senator from Georgia, 
Mr. Isakson, for his great work in getting these bills passed.
  Over the last several years, we have heard about VA facilities across 
the State of Texas and across the country which have been plagued by 
inefficiency, unaccountability, and quality of care issues. The VA has 
been hindered by unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles which have been 
incredibly frustrating and costly for our veterans. The Veterans Choice 
Program was created to fix that by ensuring veterans can receive timely 
appointments close to home. The VA Choice and Quality Employment Act, 
which we passed earlier this week, continues that program and 
guarantees veterans that they will continue to have access to care 
without interruption.
  Of course, we still have additional work to do before leaving for the 
August work period. There are still vacancies in the executive branch 
that need to be filled. In order for President Trump to do the job he 
was elected to do on November 8, he needs his team in place. While I am 
glad that today, just a few moments ago, roughly 65 of his Cabinet 
nominees and sub-Cabinet nominees were confirmed, I hope our colleagues 
across the aisle will stop their stall tactics so we can confirm the 
rest of the nominees of this administration.
  I congratulate the Senator from Tennessee, the chairman of the 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, for the work he did 
to see passage of the Food and Drug Administration User Fee Program. 
This is an incredibly important, although somewhat obscure, law that 
helps establish partnerships between the private and public sector 
which ensure patients have access to safe and effective drugs and 
medical devices, while also maintaining the position of the United 
States as a global leader in medical innovation.
  It is simple. Faster approvals mean treatments and cures reach 
patients sooner, and increased competition leads to lower cost, and 
that, in turn, leads to more lives saved.
  I also congratulate Senator Johnson from Wisconsin. He has been 
trying to get this bill called the Right to Try Act, which passed 
unanimously earlier today. This is designed to give dying individuals 
one last chance to try perhaps sometimes experimental medications to 
see if that will help them extend their quality of life and their 
longevity. I know he feels passionately about it, and I congratulate 
him for his leadership and perseverance.
  With these remaining items, it is clear we have been able to 
accomplish a lot in a short time for the American people. Again, we 
focus on our unfinished work--like the healthcare bill. I assure my 
colleagues, once again, that remains broken, people remain hurting, and 
we should not rest or give up until we are able to give them some 
relief, and we are determined to do that.
  Mr. President, I want to mention one other piece of legislation that 
was introduced today which we have been working on for a long time--
years, literally, but since the Trump administration came into office, 
and particularly with Secretary of Homeland Security General Kelly, who 
has now become the Chief of Staff for the White House.
  We have introduced something called the Building America's Trust Act, 
which is border security legislation that increases resources at our 
borders while boosting trade through ports of entry and strengthens 
enforcement of existing laws.
  Earlier this year, several of my colleagues and I went to my home 
State to tour our southern border, including the Rio Grande Valley, 
Laredo, and Del Rio, TX. The reason I was so glad to welcome my 
colleagues to visit Texas with me and see the borders is because it is 
a unique part, not only of our State but a unique part of our Nation.
  Each mile along the border presents its own challenge in terms of 
what is needed to protect it. On this trip, we spoke most notably with 
Manny Padilla, chief of the Rio Grande Patrol Sector and commander of 
the Joint Task Force of the West and South Texas Corridor. Chief 
Padilla presides over the busiest Border Patrol sector in the United 
States. He said something then which stuck with me. He pointed out that 
any border security plan must include a combination of three things, 
and the way those three things come together may well vary, and will 
vary, depending on the particular location:
  The first is physical infrastructure.
  Here is an example of some of the fencing that exists along the 
border where the Border Patrol believes it is necessary in order to 
control the flow of people across the border in a way they can be 
allowed to do their job.
  The second is technology--things like this aerostat, with its radar 
capability. It is literally eyes in the sky, which can allow the Border 
Patrol to do their job better.
  Here is another example of some of the ground-based radar which is 
available. You can imagine, with a 1,200-mile border between Texas and 
Mexico alone, it is a huge job and a very complex environment.
  Of course, the third thing, in addition to physical infrastructure 
and technology, is things like personnel. Literally, we need to make 
sure we have an adequate number of Border Patrol available to deal with 
people who are coming across the border in violation of our immigration 
laws.
  I believe, until we secure the border and enforce the law, we will 
never be able to regain the public's confidence, which allows us to do 
other things we need to do to fix our broken immigration system.
  That is why we call this bill the Building America's Trust Act. It 
does these things--secures our borders with expanded resources, 
enhances ports of entry to increase trade--because it is important to 
separate the criminal activity from legitimate trade and commerce, 
which creates 5 million jobs in the United States alone. That is just 
by our national trade with Mexico. Of course, it strengthens 
enforcement of our immigration laws. That is why we have gotten support 
from the National Border Patrol Council, the Federal Law Enforcement 
Officers Association, the Southwestern Border Sheriff's Coalition, and 
the Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition as well, and we have had 
supportive statements by the Fraternal Order of Police and others.

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  I firmly believe that until we accomplish this goal--until we regain 
the public's confidence that we are actually serious about it and we 
have a plan to do it--we will not be permitted by our constituents to 
do the other things we know we need to do to fix our broken immigration 
system.
  I know the Presiding Officer was at the White House yesterday with 
the President, talking about his plan to try to make our legal 
immigration system more merit-based. This is something we have been 
trying to do for years now, and I congratulate the Presiding Officer 
for helping restart that discussion because we need to focus not only 
on border security and enforcing our laws, we need to think about and 
talk about what a 21st century immigration system for our country 
should look like. Should it be based strictly on family relationships 
or should it be based on some of the attributes of the immigrant which 
would benefit the United States--people with advanced degrees and 
capability, people who can come here and help make our country better, 
not just come here to become dependent on our country.
  The Building America's Trust Act is a chance for our Democratic 
colleagues who have said they actually believe in border security to 
demonstrate their support. In fact, we supported one of the toughest 
border security packages there is. I believe that is what this 
represents.
  It is clear the President has made obvious from the beginning that 
border security would be a top priority for him. I think it is one of 
the reasons he was elected on November 8 of last year--because the 
American people sensed, even if maybe they didn't know the details, 
that things had gotten out of control, our borders were in chaos, and 
thousands of people were coming across the border who had no legal 
right to be here in disregard of our laws. They sensed, in their core, 
that something was fundamentally wrong--that, yes, we are a nation of 
immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws--and we have lost that. 
This is about regaining trust in government and keeping our commitment 
to the American people.
  Over these last few months, I have been working with colleagues, not 
only in the Senate and the House but with General Kelly in the 
Department of Homeland Security--now Chief of Staff of the White 
House--to come up with a strategic plan which addresses various facets 
of border security and interior enforcement as well. We know about 40 
percent of illegal immigration is people who enter the country legally 
but who overstay their visa and simply melt into the great American 
landscape.
  For too long, those on the frontlines have not had the tools they 
need to get the job done. These are public servants, like our Border 
Patrol, who risk their lives to keep us safe, and we simply haven't 
lived up to our commitment to give them the tools and the political 
will necessary to support them.
  We know the borders are also cause for our local, State, and Federal 
officials to have to work together, and it makes sense for us to do 
more to help them do their job at the State and local level as well.
  Our bill authorizes additional resources for Border Patrol agents, 
Customs and Border Protection officers, for agricultural inspectors, 
and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE officers. We also 
provide for additional immigration judges and Federal prosecutors for 
State and local law enforcement to aggressively fight drug trafficking, 
smuggling, and other crimes that, unfortunately, occur along our 
borders because the organizations--these transnational criminal 
organizations--really don't care about human life.
  We saw that recently when a number of immigrants died in the back of 
a tractor trailer in a parking lot at Walmart in San Antonio, TX. They 
are a commodity, a way to make money in the eyes of these cartels who 
care nothing about human life. Drugs, weapons, and other threats to our 
country are also part of what they move across the border, and that is 
why border security is so important.
  Our bill also focuses on criminals, gangs, and repeat offenders who 
return to the United States in defiance of our laws. We have zero 
tolerance for those criminals in this bill. We end catch-and-release, 
and we include Kate's Law, a bill recently passed by the House that 
increases penalties for those who repeatedly cross our borders 
illegally. The bill is named after Kate Steinle, who was so tragically 
murdered in San Francisco.
  We hold sanctuary cities accountable because no city should be able 
to defy cooperation with Federal law enforcement officials. We are not 
asking them to do the Federal Government's job, but they do have an 
obligation, as we all do as American citizens, to cooperate and work 
with our law enforcement officials.
  We impose tough penalties on Federal funds for jurisdictions that 
fail to comply with lawful Federal immigration enforcement requests. To 
curb the abuse of visas, our bill utilizes a biometric entry-exit 
system at ports of entry to identify visa overstays and cut off 
immigration benefits to those who exploit the system.
  We also make sure to invest in our ports of entry. These are the ways 
that people come into our country legally and engage in commerce and 
trade, which is mutually beneficial. We can't neglect our trading 
partnerships with our neighbors to the south because we depend on that 
trade to create and sustain 5 million jobs in the United States alone.
  The Building America's Trust Act will also help boost the flow of 
commerce through our ports so that legitimate trade can continue to 
flourish. This bill also includes a large investment of resources to 
improve our ports of entry, to help target and isolate illegal 
immigration and drug trafficking at ports while facilitating increased, 
legitimate trade and travel.
  Perhaps most importantly, this bill also requires that the Department 
of Homeland Security and law enforcement officials consult with local 
officials every step of the way. The people who live in our border 
communities know best how to help control illegal traffic and illegal 
activity, but it is the Federal Government's responsibility to step up 
and help them. They understand the benefits of legitimate travel and 
trade and traffic, all of which are important parts of a successful 
border security effort.
  Border security really is not a one-size-fits-all plan. As Chief 
Padilla said, it is always a combination of technology, personnel, and 
tactical infrastructure--wall systems, fences, and the like. We need an 
approach that will work for each unique area with input and stakeholder 
consultation at every step to ensure that the right solution is 
achieved for all involved.
  As I have said, I am happy to have support for this legislation from 
several law enforcement organizations. I look forward to working with 
all of my colleagues in both Chambers, as well as the administration, 
toward our goal of protecting our Nation and securing our borders.
  I firmly believe that border security, ultimately, is a matter of 
political will. This President has the political will, and this 
Congress should have the political will to get the job done. This was 
the commitment that he made and that we need to make to the American 
people and that, I think, informed their vote on November 8, 2016.
  With this legislation as a guide, we aren't just securing our borders 
for tomorrow. We are looking ahead and locking in a framework that will 
exist long after President Trump leaves office.
  With the Building America's Trust Act, I hope we can do just that 
and, again, finally regain the public's confidence by earning that 
confidence and restoring order and lawfulness to our broken immigration 
system.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I agree with the distinguished Senator from 
Texas. I thought his remarks were very much on point and very good.

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