The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“EXECUTIVE SESSION” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Senate section on pages S1164-S1173 on Feb. 27, 2020.
The Department provides billions in unemployment insurance, which peaked around 2011 though spending had declined before the pandemic. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, claimed the Department funds "ineffective and duplicative services" and overregulates the workplace.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
EXECUTIVE SESSION
______
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read the nomination of Travis Greaves, of the District of Columbia, to be a Judge of the United States Tax Court for a term of fifteen years.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.
Healthcare
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I come to the floor today as the Democrats continue to scare the American public when it comes to their healthcare.
This week's Democratic Presidential debate the other night in South Carolina was a free-for-all. Their frontrunner, a man I believe to be a dangerous democratic Socialist, Bernie Sanders, is in the spotlight, and he seems to be in the lead. Socialist tax-and-spend policies remain on full display.
The top policy priority of the Democrats would destroy healthcare freedom in America. They are proposing a complete government takeover of our Nation's healthcare system--a complete government takeover. They call it Medicare for All, but let's take a look at what that actually means. It means that 180 million Americans who get their health insurance through work would lose that insurance. They would lose that health insurance. Washington bureaucrats would be in control of healthcare.
The Sanders proposal has a price tag of $34 trillion--$34 trillion with a ``t.'' It would bankrupt the country and everyone in it. The only way to even try to pay for it is with massive, across-the-board tax hikes, and Bernie Sanders said he is willing to do it.
Do not be deceived when they first talk about targeting the rich because the tax increases would hit working families and even people making $29,000 a year. That is according to Bernie Sanders' own math. And taxes are likely to double. Medicare for All would deliver a crushing blow not only to family budgets but I believe to the entire economy. It would end America's success story.
Thanks to Republican tax and regulatory relief, we have a record-
setting economy, record low unemployment, record job growth--7 million new jobs. Wages are rising. Middle-class wages and blue-collar wages are going up. It is a worker windfall, a blue-collar boom. A record 61 percent of Americans say they are better off financially than when President Trump took office. People are confident about the future, and the President's job approval is at an alltime high.
Still, the 2020 Democrats don't seem to get it. You don't hear a positive word about the economy. Instead, Democrats seem to attack one another and try to move further and further to the Left. During the debate last week, the crowd actually booed a defense of free markets.
Some Democratic candidates are proposing a scaled-back version of Medicare for All that they call a ``public option,'' but this proposal would create a government health plan to compete with work-sponsored health insurance. Don't be fooled--that public option would hurt patients across the country, especially people living in rural areas. It would disrupt insurance coverage, slash funding for doctors and hospitals, and would force local hospitals and clinics to close. Simply put, a public option is a pit stop on the road to 100 percent government-run healthcare in America.
Clearly, Democrats are ignoring their own voters. Union workers across the country are telling Democrats: Don't touch our hard-earned healthcare benefits. People don't want radical healthcare schemes, which is what the Democrats are proposing. People care more about their pocketbooks. They want their own healthcare, but they want it at a lower cost. That is what I hear every weekend at home in Wyoming.
Americans are struggling to pay for insurance premiums for doctors, for hospitals, and for prescription drugs. According to a new POLITICO-
Harvard poll, 8 in 10 Americans--89 percent of Democrats and 76 percent of Republicans--want us to lower their healthcare costs. Seventy-five percent say we must lower the costs of prescription drugs. I agree. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that nearly one in four people is having trouble paying for their prescriptions. But Socialist policies are the wrong medicine. They will only worsen the problems.
Republicans are listening to people's concerns. We have commonsense solutions to lower out-of-pocket costs without lowering standards. I am a doctor, the husband of a breast cancer survivor, and the son of a 97-
year-old mother. Let me assure you, Republicans will always protect vulnerable Americans, especially people with preexisting conditions. The Republican healthcare agenda is about giving patients more choices and better healthcare. It is about improving healthcare access and affordability.
Working with President Trump, we are already providing much needed relief from costly ObamaCare taxes. These unfair taxes hurt working families, they hurt small businesses, they hurt seniors, and we have ended them.
Now we are working to drive down drug costs. As part of this effort, in December, I joined six Republican Senators to introduce the Lower Costs, More Cures Act. This legislation would limit out-of-pocket drug costs for people with Medicare Part D plans. We also ended the drug price gag rule to help patients find more affordable drugs. We are working to end surprise medical billings. These unexpected, unreasonable, and unaffordable bills undermine families' finances. It is an intolerable practice, and it must stop.
Republicans are delivering better healthcare. Still, to make more progress, we need Democrats to work with us. It is time to come together. It is time to cooperate. It is time to find common ground. I will tell you, taking away health insurance from 180 million Americans who get it through work is not common ground. There is no common ground. That is the direction of the Democratic Party. We need to find common ground. Taking insurance away from 180 million Americans who get it from work and then giving free health insurance to illegal immigrants and raising taxes from Americans to pay for it is not common ground.
Let's work together to give patients the high-quality care they need from a doctor they choose at lower costs.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call roll.
Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. 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 Petty Officer Evan Grills
Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, as expected, it is time for our
``Alaskan of the Week'' speech. One of the most fulfilling things I get to do as Alaska's U.S. Senator is to come down to the floor of the Senate and talk about the people in my State who are making a difference in their communities, in the State, and in the country. It is a great opportunity in which to do that.
I always encourage people who are watching and listening to come to the great State of Alaska for a visit. You will love it. It will be the best trip you ever take. I guarantee it.
I know the pages enjoy this speech each week because it is a story of what real people are doing and, in many cases, of humble heroes. Usually, these are happy stories that I get to talk about, but sometimes they aren't happy. The story I am going to tell today is, in fact, a very, very tragic one, but it contains the kind of heroism and selflessness that can spring from a tragedy and literally inspire a State or a nation.
If you are listening, I think you are going to be inspired.
I have said on the floor before that we are a State--an enormous State, a big State in the country, by far--but that we are also a family and that, when something happens to members of our families, we all grieve. This is particularly true of the town of Kodiak, AK, and of the fishing community, both of which suffered a tremendous loss on New Year's Eve in the Gulf of Alaska when a crabbing boat, the Scandies Rose, sank into the freezing waters, taking with it five fishermen.
Of the five fishermen--including Seth Rousseau-Gano, Brock Rainey, and Arthur Ganacias--Captain Gary Cobban, Jr., and David, his son, were both from Kodiak and perished with the crew. Blessedly and remarkably, there were two survivors--John Lawler, of Anchorage, and Dean Gribble, of Washington State. I mention that almost as a miracle. They were saved because of the bravery and the heroism of our Coast Guard rescuers, who flew through gale force winds and 30-foot-high swells to rescue these survivors. Credit goes to all of the Coast Guard members throughout the country but particularly to those in Kodiak and specifically to those who were on the flight--the pilot, LT Christopher Clark, the copilot, LT Jonathan Ardan, and the mechanic, Jacob Dillon.
As I said, they are all heroes in this story, but I want to specifically highlight the role of the rescue swimmer that evening of New Year's Eve--25-year-old PO Evan Grills. Now, Evan is a relative newcomer to the great State of Alaska, but his heroism in saving two lives more than qualifies him to be our Alaskan of the Week.
Before I get into the story of this perilous mission, let me tell you a little bit about the fishing community in Alaska and why our Coast Guard is so very valuable.
Alaska's seas are the most productive in the world and, by the way, the most sustainably managed in the world. More than 60 percent of all seafood harvested in the United States of America comes from Alaska's waters--6-0. I like to refer to our State as the superpower of seafood, which we clearly are, and our fishermen are probably the hardest working small business men and women around the world. They work hard. They take huge risks. And they produce a product that is second to none anywhere on the planet. They face brutal conditions at sea and sometimes very tough conditions in the market, but they love their work. They love the vital role they play in supplying the best tasting, most sustainable wild fish products to America and the globe--
literally, the best.
The industry used to be incredibly dangerous, and it is still the Nation's second-most dangerous profession. I am sure a lot of the viewers have seen the show the ``Deadliest Catch,'' but unlike in previous decades, the culture has trended more toward safety. Most Alaskan fishermen you will meet, though, will have a harrowing story of a time at sea, and, of course, they will have harrowing stories of rescues.
Kodiak, AK, where the Scandies Rose is home-ported, is at the center of our fishing community. Kodiak is one of the largest fishing ports in the entire United States, both in terms of value and in terms of quantity. For those who have never been there, they have to go to Kodiak, AK. It is a magical, beautiful place. It is an island--one of the biggest islands in America. It is about the size of New Jersey--
with beautiful, wonderful people, with tough people. By the way, the biggest brown bears on the planet all reside in Kodiak. The heart of Kodiak beats fish, and when one of its own perishes at sea, the whole community mourns, as it is still doing for Gary, Jr., and David Cobban--two hard-working, fine fishermen from a great family.
Kodiak is also home to the largest Coast Guard base in the United States--the 17th District. By the way, we are making that base bigger, with more assets and more aircraft coming to Alaska, because we need it. As the chairman of the subcommittee in charge of the Coast Guard, I am going to continue to make that happen, for sure. In an average month in Alaska--get this--the Coast Guard saves 22 lives, performs 53 assists, and conducts 13 security boardings and 22 security patrols. This is in 1 month. Think about that. That is daily heroism for Alaska and for America. They do this all in the largest geographic area of any Coast Guard district in the country--nearly 4 million square miles--in some of the most challenging weather environments on the planet. That is what the men and women of the Coast Guard do in my great State every single day.
Now, being a rescue swimmer in the Coast Guard is an elite assignment. Being a rescuer in the Coast Guard station in Alaska is, according to our Alaskan of the Week, PO Evan Grills, the ``tip of the spear'' of this elite assignment. So let me tell you a little bit about Evan.
Raised in Stuart, FL--the home of our Presiding Officer, Florida--the military had always appealed to Evan. His grandparents and uncles were marines. As a Marine colonel myself, I say ``Semper Fi'' to them. Some of his older friends and mentors went on to the academies, but going overseas didn't really appeal to Evan. Serving in the United States and saving American citizens at home did, as did the tough training required to be a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. ``It's the most elite
[assignment],'' he said, ``and that's what appealed to me, [so I joined].''
Evan had been in Alaska for less than a year when, on New Year's Eve--just 2 months ago--the call came in that a boat that was about 170 miles southwest of Kodiak was in trouble.
Having trained mostly in swimming pools, this rescue--the one he was being called upon--was going to be his first. Think about that. Your first rescue--and I am going to describe conditions that would terrify anyone. Nothing prepared him for what he would soon be undertaking.
Mr. President, let me transport you now to this crabbing boat, the Scandies Rose, in the Gulf of Alaska on New Year's Eve. The winds are 40 knots. The seas are 30 feet. The boast is listing to the starboard side. It is 10 degrees out. Everything is freezing. It is nighttime. It is very dark.
It was clear the boat was going down, but the captain, heroically, with minutes to spare, was able to get off a mayday call and in doing so let the Coast Guard know exactly where to find them and, as a result of the captain's heroic actions, save two lives.
The two survivors, Dean Gribble, Jr., and John Lawler, managed to get into their survival suits and a life raft and waited to be rescued in these heavy, rough seas. It was a 4-hour wait. It was very, very cold. They were covered in ice. The seas were pitching their raft. They were hypothermic, it was pitch black, and they had no idea if anyone was coming.
Gribble told a reporter that during the wait, he talked to John.
We're not going to die today, John. This isn't our time. We're not dying today.
Even though, in his head, he knew they would die if a rescue didn't come soon. Then they saw the lights from the helicopter, with Evan Grills aboard, hovering above like an angel coming to save them. But it wasn't a given that in those conditions, they could even conduct a rescue; that it would be safe for the rescuer to jump in 30-foot swells to save them. To even try in these huge waves, in 40-knot winds, in icy conditions, was a danger to the crew and the pilots. The flight from Kodiak in those conditions had taken 2 hours, and the helicopter was short on fuel. They only had minutes left to make the decision whether to try to rescue them or turn around and go back to Kodiak. That, combined with the extreme winds and seas and freezing temperatures, made any attempt at deploying a rescue swimmer very, very risky.
The pilots conferred with our Alaskan of the week, Evan. They were nervous for his safety. They were hovering. They had to hover high because they didn't want to be hit by waves.
``Are you good with the plan?'' they asked.
``I guess so,'' Evan said.
This was the first rescue of his career. I don't think there was much of an option not to do it. A thousand different thoughts went through Evan's head when he leapt into the frigid waters in a gale-force storm in pitch darkness, risking his life to save others.
When he reached the first survivor, he said:
I knew exactly what to do and how to do it. It was almost second nature.
His training kicked in. His great Coast Guard training kicked in. He explained the hoist he had come down with--that came down from the helicopter to the first survivor and how it worked to be hoisted up into the helicopter. And then to the second survivor, he said, ``We're going to go up in this hoist together. Relax. I've got you covered.'' Calm. Courage. Heroic. And he did. He had them covered.
These are the actions of a hero, a true American hero, a true Alaskan hero. These are actions that need to be celebrated and known in our country. How many Americans or Alaskans, even, read about what this young man did to save lives on New Year's Eve when the rest of America was celebrating and having fun? Well, now they know.
But there are five, as I mentioned, who tragically couldn't be saved. We know their memories live on. And in Kodiak, the community, the family, and the loved ones of the Cobbans are beginning the long, slow process of healing.
As for Evan, our Alaskan of the week, he thinks a lot about those who were lost, wishing he could have done more, but he is grateful he was able to save two lives. He is also grateful for his training and what the Coast Guard does and how what he had trained for as a rescue swimmer worked. So he knows and now has the confidence that he can save others when they are in trouble.
``That's the core of it,'' Evan said. ``Obviously, we don't ever want anybody to get in trouble on the seas''--particularly the rough seas of Alaska--``but they do. And I'm happy I have the skills and training to save them.'' Spoken like a true, humble hero, which this young man is.
We are also glad you have the skills and training to save others, Evan, and we want to thank you.
Petty Officer Grills. Semper Paratus. Thanks for all you are doing. Thanks for your courage, your example, your inspiration, and thank you for being our Alaskan of the week.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
Tribute to Laura Dove
Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I would like to start this morning by talking about a friend of ours who has chosen to move on and leave the Senate and spend more time with her wonderful family. I certainly understand that because the job she has, which is Secretary for the Majority, is more than a full-time job; it is living, breathing, sleeping this place, and she does a great job at it.
Her name is Laura Dove. She has been doing this particular job for 7 years. Prior to that, she actually was here on three different occasions, as I understand it, working for the Senate. She grew up with it. Her dad was the Parliamentarian here for 36 years.
Laura is a consummate professional. I work with her a lot on legislation. She helps me to get things through the process here, which is not always easy, but as significant, she works very closely with her counterpart on the Democratic side of the aisle and figures out how to get stuff done, how to keep this place operating so that the world's greatest deliberative body, as they call the U.S. Senate, can meet its great potential and expectation.
So, to Laura Dove, we are going to miss you. As much as we understand why you need some time with your family right now and your great, great kids, we are going to miss you a lot.
Workforce Development
Mr. President, I am here on the floor today to talk about how this strong American economy has led to historic workforce needs and how, if we do the right things to respond to that problem, it can become an opportunity--an opportunity to bring Americans off the sidelines, who for too long have not been in the workforce or have been underemployed, to bring them back in to work.
It gives us the potential to do two things. One is to strengthen the economy. It is already strong, but it would be even stronger if we could fill this gap. By the way, if we don't fill this gap, if we don't provide the workforce, the economy will weaken. Second, it is to help millions of Americans who are not working, on the sidelines, or who are underemployed to find meaningful employment with good pay and good benefits.
Pro-growth Federal tax policies, regulatory policies, and other policies over the past few years have worked. Some of us have talked about the need to reform the Tax Code and make it work better. A trillion dollars has been invested in the U.S. economy since tax reform. As an example, we have seen unemployment at low levels--3.6 percent unemployment today, which is just about a 50-year low in terms of unemployment.
The Congressional Budget Office has told us through recent data that we have grown at a steady 2.3 percent rate in the past year. That is good. This unemployment number is important, but also important is that we are seeing wage growth. In fact, we have now had 18 straight months of wage growth of over 3 percent. It is the first time we have had this in at least a decade. That is very important because you think about really, for the past decade, what we have had is flat wages or even declining wages relative to inflation. That is certainly true in my home State of Ohio. It has been about a decade and a half since we have seen any real wage growth. Now we have this steady wage growth.
In fact, among blue-collar workers--what the Labor Department says--
nonsupervisory employees have seen the highest percentage increase in wage growth. For blue-collar workers, there has been a 6.6-percent wage growth over the past 2 years. By the way, that is about $1.50 an hour on average.
It is a big deal, and it is very important because that was one of the great objectives we had in tax reform and tax cuts, was to ensure that we get the economy moving and give people the chance to earn more, to be able to have a feeling that if they worked hard and played by the rules, they could get ahead. We are seeing that. That is great news for the American people and great news for the folks I represent in Ohio who are finally benefiting from higher wages.
At the same time, I am hearing from small business owners all over the State of Ohio--in fact, businesses at every level--that although they are able to move forward and add jobs, they are looking for workers, and that workforce is their biggest single challenge.
We have now had 22 straight months of more jobs being offered than there are workers looking for work--22 months, almost 2 years of that. So there are a lot of openings out there.
One thing that is interesting is that even though the economy is strong and we have unemployment at about 50-year lows, there still are people on the sidelines who aren't coming in to work, as they would normally. Economists call this a low labor force participation rate. What that means is, even though we have a strong economy and lots of jobs out there, there are still millions of Americans who are on the sidelines. It is estimated that there are about 8 million working-age men--this would be between the ages of 25 and 55--who are not looking for work today.
This means the unemployment number which I mentioned earlier, at 3.6 percent, which is a very low number--almost a 50-year low--is not the real number. The real number is actually higher than that if you assume a normal labor force participation rate. In other words, if you had some of these people who are out of work--I mentioned the 8 million men--coming into the workforce, the unemployment rate would be higher. In fact, if you go back to what the normal labor force participation rate would be just before the last great recession, the unemployment rate today would be about 7.6 percent, so about double what it actually is. That is an opportunity. That is an opportunity.
Now, why aren't these folks working? Well, there are a number of reasons for that. Let's be honest. We don't really know. We have done a lot of analysis of it in our own office trying to figure it out, and part of it is the opioid crisis, I am convinced.
I have come to the floor 60 times in the last few years to talk about the opioid crisis. We are making progress on that now. That is good. But when surveys are done by the Department of Labor or by the Brookings Institute, they show that a substantial number, as many as 45 to 50 percent of people they survey, say they are taking pain medication on a daily basis who are out of work altogether. So those, roughly, 8 million men, for example, in one study, 47 percent say they are taking pain medication on a daily basis. Two-thirds have acknowledged it is prescription pain medication. This goes to the issue of opioids--opioid prescription drugs, heroin, fentanyl, and so on. When people are addicted, often it is impossible for them to get their act together to be engaged in work on a regular basis. So the opioid crisis definitely affects this.
Another one, of course, is a lot of people are in our jails and prisons. We have a record number of people in prison. A lot of people are now getting out. The idea of the First Step Act and the Second Chance Act, which is legislation that is actually helping to get people back to work, is important, but, frankly, if you have a felony record, it is tough to get a job. That is why we often see these people are on the sidelines.
Another issue that I think needs to be looked at is this skills gap. This is a big part of what is going on right now. There are jobs out there, but they require a certain level of skill. So it is great that we have low unemployment. It is great we have all these openings right now, but we just don't have enough skilled workers to fill those jobs that keep growing.
I visited dozens of factories and businesses over the past year, and I keep hearing: We have this job for a welder, and we can't find any welders. There are plenty of people looking for work out there, on the sidelines looking for work, but there are no welders. There is one company in Ohio that told me they can hire up to 100 welders. It is a big manufacturing company. In Ohio and across the country, there are lots of these job openings for machinists, medical technicians in hospitals, and there are a lot of techs who are wanted right now--
computer programmers, people who know how to code. Coding is really important right now, particularly as you go into medical electronic records, as an example.
If you look on ohiomeansjobs.com this morning--and that is a website that is up there showing what jobs are available in Ohio--there are 187,000 jobs this morning being offered in Ohio. When you look at what those jobs are, you will see a lot of them require these skills we are talking about. They don't require necessarily a college degree, by the way. I am talking about technical skills. I mentioned techs and welders. I didn't mention truckdrivers, but that is one area where we need workers in Ohio. We are desperate for people who have the skills to be able to drive a truck. That requires getting a commercial truck driver's license, a CDL. These jobs are there, but they do require some level of skills training after high school.
I think that skills gap, if it can be closed, would make a huge difference right now for our economy. Obviously, we need these jobs, and if the workforce isn't there, these businesses are going to move. They are going to move from Ohio, not just to Indiana but to India because that is where the jobs are going to be if we don't provide this level of skills training.
Secondly, it is just a great opportunity for these individuals. Some are young people coming up, some are people midcareer. Getting skills training is so critical. Post-high school certificates are what we really need.
Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute have highlighted this with a survey they do regularly. They say there are roughly 360,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs across the United States right now. They say it is going to get worse. They say the skills gap may lead to an additional 2.4 million manufacturing jobs unfilled over the next 10 years with a negative economic impact of $2.5 trillion. This is a big deal for our economy.
The basic training for the kind of jobs I am talking about is called career and technical education, CTE. For those who are a little older, you might think of a vocational school. CTE is so impressive today. It is not your old vocational school, it is high-tech, using much better equipment. The schools that are taking it seriously are bringing in excellent teachers from the outside, from industry, to understand what is needed in the real world. CTE is a great opportunity for so many young people.
A few months ago, I toured the Vantage Career Center in Van Wert, OH. I go to a lot of career centers. I love to go. I am very inspired when I go. In Van Wert, they have juniors and seniors from more than a dozen school districts coming into one CTE center. They are studying things such as automotive technology, welding, nursing assistant training, carpentry, and truckdriving. They are finding when these students get out, they can typically get a job. Some are going on to further skills training. Some are going on to community college, some are going on to 4-year institutions, but for young people in high school, look at CTE. It makes so much sense.
I cofounded and co-chair what is called the Senate CTE Caucus. When I first got here in 2011, I started this with Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. We started off having 3 of us in the caucus, and now there are 29 people in the caucus. Why? My colleagues go home, and they are hearing the same thing I am hearing, which is that we need to close the skills gap. Companies are looking for people, and it is a great opportunity for people who are on the outside to get into the inside to get a job with good pay and benefits.
Our job is to increase awareness of these skills programs as an education option. Our job is to get students who are more interested in skills training into these jobs. This month of February is Career and Technical Education Month. We are putting together a resolution. We have 57 Senators who signed on to the resolution so far, and if you haven't signed on, let us know. It is an opportunity to just raise visibility about what is working well in so many of our States and the amazing opportunities out there for our young people.
We passed some good legislation to help. In 2018, we passed the Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act, which is working to improve the quality of CTE education programs, making sure we are using equipment and the standards of today's industry to make these programs even more effective.
But skills training goes well beyond just these great high school programs. Industry-recognized, certificate-granting technical workforce training programs post-high school are another key to close the skills gap. Think of some of the workforce training programs you have probably heard about in your community that are being offered by your community college or may be offered by a local technical school. They give people a certificate they can then take to get a job that is industry recognized. For these kinds of post-high school training programs, I think the big opportunity comes in improving access because programs are expensive and a lot of young people can't afford them. A lot of midcareer people can't afford them.
One thing we can do immediately is say: Let's expand Pell grants to include these kinds of programs. You can get a Pell grant if you want to go to a community college or go to a 4-year college or university. For some people, that is the right track, but, frankly, for a lot of people, they are looking to get these technical skills and get a certificate and get a job. There is no reason they shouldn't get the same help that the government is providing someone who wants to go to a 4-year college or university for these programs to provide the skills that are so desperately needed. In fact, I would say we ought to focus on that more. We ought to change our mindset and say: Let's not just focus on college, as important as it is--and it is the right track for some students--but let's put an equal emphasis on skills training.
We have legislation that is very simple. It says that for low-income families, where the students are eligible for Pell for college or university, let's make them eligible for one of these skills training programs that are less than 15 weeks. It has to be a high-quality program and provide this industry-recognized certificate.
Our legislation is called the JOBS Act. It makes so much sense. It is bipartisan and bicameral and we should get it done. By the way, for those students who go through a technical training program and get that certificate and end up getting a job, a lot of them do go to college, but guess who pays for it? Typically, it is the company who pays for it. So they don't end up having this big debt or burden that so many students have.
Student debt in Ohio is about $27,000 per student; whereas, if you go to one of these programs and end up getting an associate's degree or bachelor's degree or master's degree, typically you aren't paying anything because your employer is going to pay for you to get that additional training.
My hope is that we can move this legislation forward quickly. It is something I hear from everyone back in Ohio. Over the past few weeks, we held roundtables on workforce at manufacturing businesses such as Stanley Electric in Madison County and Fecon, Inc., in Warren County, and we talked about this issue with businessowners, with community colleges, with workers who are actually on the job, and all these groups agree the JOBS Act is needed and needed badly.
What is more, we know that a lot of businessowners who are getting engaged in this are willing to help these skills training programs to be more effective and to provide the skills training that actually works for them.
The JOBS Act has now been endorsed by the National Skills Coalition, the Association for Career and Technical Education, the Business Roundtable, and other groups. It is the No. 1 priority, we are told, of the Association of Community Colleges and the American Association of Community Colleges. We heard the same thing from the Ohio Association of Community Colleges when I met with them earlier this month.
I must state that I am also very pleased that the JOBS Act is included in the President's budget this year, as it was last year. I applaud President Trump and his administration for promoting this and on the work they are doing in training, internships, apprenticeships, and the JOBS Act, to provide this funding to encourage more Americans to get the skills training needed for them to have a better future. It is the best proposal out there, I believe, to help fill the skills gap right away.
There are some alternative proposals out there that limit the kind of programs that would be eligible for this by requiring them to be a certain number of hours. Our community colleges in Ohio tell me that none of their short-term training programs would qualify for some of these alternatives that people are talking about. For programs like welding, precision machining, and electrical trades, we need to get the funding into the short-term training programs now.
As I said earlier, this is CTE Month, Career Technical Education Month, so it is a good time to talk about all forms of technical education. If we make expanding these technical skills programs a priority, if we enact the JOBS Act that I have been talking about today, we are going to address the No. 1 issue we hear from our employers, and we are going to help millions of Americans have a better opportunity.
There is momentum in Ohio right now. Businesses are expanding and seeking skilled workers, but, again, the skills gap is still an impediment. We need to seize this opportunity, keep our economy moving in a positive direction, and help Ohioans develop the skills to grow in the career of their choice and fulfill their potential in life.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, first, let me comment that the Senator from Ohio is right on target. I know that when we did the authorization bills--we actually have language now that we put in to try to encourage people while they are still in high school to find out what they want to do with their lives.
One of the problems we have right now is, we have a great economy--
the best economy we have had in my lifetime--but the bad side of that is, there is a lot of competition out there, and we want to make sure that people are directed into areas where they really can enjoy life and where the market will work in their favor. We are very much concerned about that with the two bills we have done so far that has new language in there to encourage people to use pilot programs in high school to know what direction they want to go with their lives.
Abortion
Mr. President, this week, we voted on two very important bills--the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Unfortunately, my colleagues on the Democratic side voted to block these bills, but I would like to thank my colleagues, Senators Graham and Sasse, for their leadership on these bills. I would like to thank Senator McConnell for his efforts to bring these bills to the floor.
Now this short comment period I have here does have a happy ending, and I am actually anxious to share some things with people. When you look at these two bills--first, Senator Sasse's bill, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act--a bill I cosponsored in the past--it would ensure that a baby who survives an abortion would receive the same treatment as any other child who was naturally born at the same age. Now that is interesting. How many people out there realize that if someone goes to an abortion and they were not successful in killing the unborn baby, when they survive and they are out and they are breathing, they don't get the same treatment any other baby would get? People are not aware of that.
So that is what this bill is all about. That is just morally right, and I don't see why there would be any disagreement about it. The bill is not even about abortion. It is about infanticide.
It was 28 years ago that I came down here in this very Chamber to tell the story of Ana Rosa Rodriguez. This is what I said. Keep in mind this was 28 years ago. I said:
Mr. Chairman, there is a big misconception regarding abortion and the issue of women and their right to protect their bodies. It is not that right that I object to but the right that is given them to kill an unborn fetus--an unborn child.
I want to share with you a story that my colleague Chris Smith told me some time ago on this very floor.
Ana Rosa Rodriguez is an abortion survivor. . . . At birth she was a healthy 3 pound baby girl, except for her injury; she was missing an arm. Ana survived a botched abortion.
Her mother attempted to get an abortion in her 32nd week of pregnancy when she was perfectly healthy--8 weeks past what New York State [at that time would] legally [allow]. In the unsuccessful abortion attempt, the baby's right arm was ripped off. However they failed to kill Ana Rosa. She lived. Pro-life supporters agree that nightmare situations like the Rodriguez case are probably not common, but abortion-related deaths and serious injuries occur more frequently than most people are aware.
It is amazing that we [and I am still quoting from 28 years ago] can pay so much attention to issues such as human rights abroad and can allow the violent destruction of over 26 million children here at home. We are fortunate that Ana was not one of those children. She survived.
That was 1992. And today, we still don't have explicit Federal protections for babies who survive the brutal abortion process. As I said, this issue is not about abortion but about caring for a baby outside the womb. This baby is alive. It is a baby who is living in the real world.
The need for these protections has become even clearer as we see States like New York and Illinois allowing abortion for virtually any reason up to the point of birth and supporting infanticide by removing protections for an infant born alive after a failed abortion.
Just a few years ago, after that speech--and that would have been in 1997--I was on the floor with my good friend Rick Santorum to try to pass a partial-birth abortion ban and end the practice of late-term abortions. Fortunately, we won--won the battle against partial-birth abortions and finally ended that practice in 2003. That ban was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2007.
We have yet to pass legislation banning late-term abortion. Only seven countries allow abortion after 20 weeks, including the United States and North Korea. Now, that is horrific. The United States is supposed to be an example in regard to global human rights, yet we are on par with North Korea when it comes to protecting the unborn.
Senator Graham's Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act would help roll back the practice by prohibiting abortion after 20 weeks post-
fertilization. The reason he is using this 20 weeks is there is one agreement that no one takes issue with, and that is, babies feel pain after that time. Most people say that babies feel pain greater than adults do. That is why that 20 weeks was used in the legislation.
This is another commonsense bill that should not divide us along partisan lines. A baby is a baby whether in or outside the womb, and each baby deserves a chance to live as an individual created in the image of God.
There is still much more we need to do to end the abortion-on-demand culture, but, thankfully, we have the most pro-life President we have had in history. This January, President Trump became the first sitting President to attend the annual March for Life. It is a rally in Washington. Hundreds of pro-life Oklahomans joined the President and tens of thousands of Americans in the march. I had a chance to meet many of these Oklahomans, many of them extremely young--as young as in high school. They were here marching. They asked me how to respond when the radical left attacks their views, and I told them to be kind but not to be afraid to voice their opinions. After all, they are right.
Under President Trump's leadership, we protected the Hyde amendment. We reinstated and expanded the Mexico City policy and stripped abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from using title X funding for abortions. And not just that, but under this President, we have also confirmed 193 new judges. That is the largest number of judges in this particular timeframe of a new President. There are 193 new judges, the second highest total in history at this point in a Presidency.
These judges actually understand and uphold the Constitution. I haven't polled them myself, but I suspect the vast majority or maybe all of them are very sensitive to the sanctity of human life.
The need to stand up for our babies is as important today as it was when I made this speech in 1992 and in 1997. I am looking forward to building on the successes under this President.
We have something happening that is unusual now. We have a President who is very pro-life, and we also have a lot of new judges whom we suspect will be conservative, constitutional judges. We will overcome evil with good by upholding and affirming the dignity and inherent worth of every human life, and we will seize the opportunity that we have today.
With that, I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Fischer). The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. BLUNT. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Black History Month
Mr. BLUNT. Madam President, I want to talk today about Black History Month and, specifically, about Black History Month and baseball. This month marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first successful, organized league for professional African-American baseball players.
On February 13, 1920, a group of eight midwestern team owners got together at the Paseo YMCA in Kansas City, MO, to form the Negro National League. Before then, these African-American teams had a lot of great players. They barnstormed around the country. They played sort of whomever they could and whenever they could. But in 1920, these eight owners got together and decided that everybody would benefit with more structure in the league, and they established a league to see that we got that structure.
In the first 10 years of the league, the Kansas City Monarchs won the pennant four times. As the league thrived, other leagues were formed for African-American players in the South and in the East. Over the years, some of the greatest players in baseball played in the Negro leagues. Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, and Kansas City's own Buck O'Neil played there. There were many others we would recognize who then became part of the major leagues following Jackie Robinson.
There are lots of players you will learn a lot about at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City tells this story and tells it well. They don't just tell the story of African-American organized baseball, but they really tell the story of a thriving community beyond that, which is an important part of our legacy.
Obviously, a more important part of our legacy is to bring everybody together, but in those years, around the time the Negro leagues were formed, African-American communities in arts and entertainment and in businesses were significant. Part of that story is told there as well.
The 100th anniversary of the founding of the Negro leagues is an opportunity for us to talk about that. These leagues had great talent. In fact, the Pittsburgh Grays would play here in Washington half of the time. Half of their games--their so-called home games--they played in Washington at Griffith Stadium, where the Washington Senators played. I don't think there is any argument that when the Grays played here--the African-American team, the Negro leagues team played here--there was a greater crowd than there was when the Senators played, and there was better baseball. These were great and exciting times in baseball. I think that is well told at the museum.
Tim Kaine, a Kansas Citian who now represents Virginia in Congress, and I are working together to commemorate the centennial of the Negro Leagues with the minting of a new coin by the Treasury. We are joined over in the House by Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, from Kansas City in my State of Missouri, and Congressman Steve Stivers from Ohio.
The way the minting of this coin works, of course, is that there is no cost to the taxpayers. You print a coin. Congress decides that this is an issue worthy of recognizing, and you mint the coin. I think I said print. Mint is more accurate. Once all of the costs of minting those coins have been met--and there is no taxpayer cost--then the money goes to the recipient organization from that point on. There would be a gold coin and a silver coin and a bronze coin at different levels available for people to buy.
Now, 75 of our Senate colleagues, including the Presiding Officer and me, have cosponsored this legislation. I think we will get it passed very soon. With any luck, we might even pass it right here in the next day or so during Black History Month.
I want to recognize Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, for his support in encouraging us to see if we could make this coin a reality and all that he and his board have done to preserve the history of Negro leagues baseball.
I have been certainly glad to take my son Charlie to the museum. I go there with some frequency. A few years ago, I encouraged Major League Baseball to have an event there when they were having the All-Star Game in Kansas City. I don't think there was a player who went to that event at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum who wasn't both impressed and touched by what they saw there. It is an important part of our history.
Another part of our history that very closely relates to this is something I will be a part of later this afternoon. Congressman David Trone of Maryland, over on the House side, and I, along with Senator Durbin and Congressman Clay from St. Louis and Congresswoman Wagner from St. Louis, are sending a letter to the Baseball Hall of Fame telling them that they need to include Curt Flood in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Curt Flood was a great player and should be part of the Baseball Hall of Fame just on his playing skills alone. He played with the Cardinals most of his entire career--7 consecutive years. That included two World Series pennants in 1964 and 1967. He won seven Gold Gloves in those 7 years and was designated the best center fielder in the National League.
I remember that team well. We were Cardinals fans in my house. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, you didn't have many sports on TV. We listened to virtually every Cardinals game we could hear on the radio. My mom and dad were dairy farmers. I remember being out hauling hay at night, and whoever was driving the truck should have been almost deaf because if there was a Cardinals game going on, the radio would be as loud as it possibly could be so those of us out tossing the bales on the hay truck could hear the Cardinals game.
I also remember--and I checked myself yesterday to be sure I was accurate--but on that Curt Flood team, that 1964 team, it was Bill White at first base; Julian Javier at second base, Dick Groat, short stop; Ken Boyer, third base, and Tim McCarver catching. Most of the time, and always if available, Bob Gibson was pitching. In the outfield was Lou Brock--the great Lou Brock. Curt Flood was in center field, and Mike Shannon in right field. By the way, Mike Shannon still announces the Cardinals games on the radio and occasionally on television.
It was a great team, and Curt Flood was an important part of that team. Frankly, he should be in the Hall of Fame just because of that--
the two World Series, Most Valuable Player, the best center fielder in baseball, at least in the National League, for 7 years straight.
In late 1969, the Cardinals decided they were going to trade Curt Flood to the Phillies. I don't think Curt Flood necessarily had anything against the Phillies, but he didn't want to be traded against his will. So he wrote a letter to the commissioner of baseball. In that letter he said: ``After 12 years in the Major Leagues, I do not feel that I am a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes.'' That began the challenge of the reserve clause in baseball. Maybe it is particularly significant here in Black History Month that an African-American player was the one who challenged the reserve clause.
With the reserve clause in baseball, you would play for your team's owner as long as you wanted to play unless your team's owner decided you would play for someone else. Then you would play for that person as long as they wanted you to play, unless you decided you didn't want to play baseball anymore.
It was Curt Flood who challenged that. He lost his Supreme Court case. It was a 5-to-4 loss in the Supreme Court. But it didn't take too many years before not only was the reserve clause reversed but Curt Flood was recognized in Federal legislation.
There is a copy of that single-page letter filed as part of the 1970 case at the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. If there is a copy of Curt Flood's letter in the Hall of Fame, then, Curt Flood should be in the Hall of Fame.
I hope those looking back at what is called the golden years of baseball look at players who didn't get into the Hall of Fame, take our advice, look at Curt Flood, look at the difference he has made for players playing the game today, and put him in the Hall of Fame.
I yield back.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
Immigration
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, I come to the floor today to say that we have gotten some good news this week from our Southern border. We are making progress on the wall that President Trump has fought so hard for, and that progress will be further supported by billions of dollars in new appropriations funding to reach the President's goal of 450 miles by 2021. Think about it--450 miles that have been secured.
What we do know is that as a result of all of these ramped-up security efforts, border apprehensions are down 78 percent from last May's high of over 130,000. We have had falling--falling--numbers every single month for the last 8 months. This is a very good thing. It shows the word is getting out that we are serious about our sovereignty, about securing our border, about ending the access that traffickers--
human traffickers, drug traffickers--have had on that border. That is a good thing.
This good news is clouded a little bit by the reality that all is still not well. Border Patrol officials estimate that nearly 1 million migrants--I want you to think about that number: nearly 1 million migrants--crossed our border illegally and evaded apprehension in fiscal 2019. That is the severity of this problem. Think about it--1 million people, additional people. Think about the size of a population of 1 million people. That is the number that moved into our country. We do not know who they are. We do not know where they have come from. We do not know if they are traffickers. We do not know if they wish us well or their intent for coming into our country.
While things are trending in the right direction, I think it is fair to say we are not out of the woods yet on this issue of illegal immigration. Until we get this influx of illegal aliens under control and manage the fallout of allowing so many people to come into this country and live illegally, this is what we have.
Every town is a border town and every State will remain a border State because of the problems they have to face every single day.
Let me give an example. On December 29, 2018, Knoxville, TN, fire chief D. J. Corcoran and his wife Wendy's lives were changed forever, and their happy, healthy family was brutally transformed into a grieving Angel Family. On that day, an illegal alien in Tennessee struck and killed their 22-year-old son, Pierce Corcoran. It was a head-on car crash. Pierce died that day. A few months later, that illegal alien was deported to Mexico.
I have to tell you, for me, as I have worked with the Corcorans since this time and shared their grief, this is an unsatisfying end to a tragic series of events that never should have happened because the man responsible for Pierce's death never should have been in Tennessee in the first place.
That story is heartbreaking. Unfortunately, it is not unique. In 2019, another Tennessean, named Debbie Burgess, was killed in a hit-
and-run accident caused by an illegal alien with a lengthy criminal record.
Just last week in Sevier County, TN--and this is something that has shaken the entire community--two elementary school children walking to school were hit by an illegal alien who fled the scene. Tragic.
Every Member of this body is well aware that our country's permissive attitude toward illegal immigration has real-life consequences. Our constant debate over policy and funding does not exist solely in the abstraction of politics. Starting right now, we must look internally and ask ourselves what changes we can make to disincentivize illegal entry into the United States. What can we do?
It seems so easy to people: Come across the border illegally. You might be able to get benefits. You can have access to education. You can work. There is a way to do this and live in the shadows.
How do we disincentivize this?
While Tennessee, along with a majority of States, prohibits driver's licenses for illegal aliens, a growing number of States are moving in the opposite direction and allowing dangerous, open-border-style policies.
This month, I introduced the Stop Greenlighting Driver Licenses for Illegal Immigrants Act, and its purpose is precisely what the title of this bill says it will do. You can see from the poster, there are some States in red. If you live in one of those States, your State--your State--has agreed to give driver's licenses to illegal aliens.
Let me tell you a little bit more about this. Once it is signed into law, the bill will halt certain Department of Justice grant funding to States that defy Federal immigration law, noncomplying States--that means those States that say: We are not going to comply with Federal law. Oh, no, not us. We are going to be a sanctuary for those who are illegally in the country and are choosing to break the law.
They decided they are going to be a sanctuary for illegal aliens. That is what you call a noncomplying State. Those States will no longer enjoy access to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. This is a program that was created to fund local law enforcement and criminal justice initiatives.
In 2019, States that issued driver's licenses to illegal immigrants received over $50 million from this program, so their choice to defy the law will result in no small sacrifice. It is their choice. They can choose, if they want to, to say: We refuse to comply with Federal law. They can make that choice, but they are not going to get taxpayer money through law enforcement grants. This is common sense.
I want to encourage my colleagues to think back to the fear and confusion that we all experienced in the weeks after 9/11. I am sure you remember that time. I remember that time. I remember that feeling of, what can we do? Not only had we known tremendous loss, we had discovered that we were not nearly as secure as we thought we were in this country.
One of the loopholes we discovered came about because people said: How in the world could these terrorists, hijackers, have so easily obtained a State-issued driver's license that allowed them to board those planes and carry out those deadly attacks? People said: How could this have happened? How could they have done this?
We found a loophole. What did we do? We closed that loophole. We passed the REAL ID Act. This isn't done as a form of repression; it is a practical way of managing a vulnerability that was found in State agency paperwork. The REAL ID Act is something we are all complying with now. You have to take a Social Security number. You have to take proof of residence. You have to take other documentation that shows you are who you claim to be.
Less than 20 years later, look at where we are. Thirteen States and the District of Columbia have regressed into more lax policies--pre-9/
11 policies. Often, they only require a passport or a consular card as proof of identity.
Here is the kicker: If you do not have the right documents--meaning you don't have a passport, you don't have a birth certificate, you don't have a Social Security number, you don't have proof of residency, you don't have proof of employment--these States are saying: Never mind; doesn't matter. We are going to let you sign an affidavit--an affidavit--to say you are not able to secure a Social Security number.
What are these States doing? They are creating, again, a vulnerability in the system. There are people who will go sign an affidavit. Guess what. All of a sudden, they have a REAL ID. These States say: Oh, we are going to stamp it for State-use only. I think they say that with a wink-wink, nod-nod because they know they are putting a vulnerability in that system. They are letting people that--
we do not know who they are, we do not know their intent for being in this country, but they are going to allow this reckless policy to go into effect. And it is reckless. It goes hand in hand with other broad sanctuary rules that increase crime and that frustrate the efforts of our local law enforcement officials.
Here is another bit of good news: The courts are coming down on the side of security. Yesterday, a Federal appeals court--the Second Circuit Court in New York--upheld President Trump's authority to enact anti-illegal immigration, anti-sanctuary policies similar to what would be codified in my legislation. It would allow for those funds to be restricted for those entities that are making a choice, taking a vote, and deciding they don't want to comply with Federal law.
I will tell you, I should not have to stand on the floor of the Senate and beg our colleagues to support policies that stand with the rule of law and prevent tragedies like the deaths of Pierce Corcoran and Debbie Burgess.
I ask my colleagues to join me in this effort, join me in standing with the rule of law. Join me in standing with these Angel Families who know grief that I wish no one had to know and experience. Join me in supporting the Stop Greenlighting Driver Licenses for Illegal Immigrants Act.
I yield the floor.
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. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Young). Without objection, it is so ordered.
(The remarks of Mr. GARDNER pertaining to the introduction of S. Res. 514 are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')
Mr. GARDNER. I yield the floor.
Recognition of the Minority Leader
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader is recognized.
Coronavirus
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, last night in California, an American was diagnosed with the first reported case of coronavirus unrelated to any travel to an infected area--a sign that coronavirus is here on our shores and we must act swiftly and strongly to contain its spread.
Despite months of public warnings about the danger of this disease, the President was caught completely flat-footed by the coronavirus. And now, instead of quickly marshaling the resources of the Federal Government to respond to this health crisis, President Trump is intent on blaming everyone and everything instead of solving the problem. Instead of stepping up to the plate, he is belittling the urgency of this problem and telling people: Oh, it's not very much. The experts say the opposite.
As for blame, the President is blaming the press for stoking concern about the virus; the President is blaming social media for magnifying those legitimate concerns; and the President, typically, is blaming Democrats too.
But who fired the global health security team at the National Security Council and Department of Homeland Security and decided not to replace them? It wasn't the press. It wasn't the Democrats. It was President Trump.
Who cut $35 million from the infectious disease rapid response fund? President Trump.
Who cut $85 million from the emerging infectious disease account? President Trump.
Who cut $120 million from public health preparedness and response programs? President Trump.
And who just proposed cutting 16 percent of CDC's budget--the agency in charge of fighting these kinds of viruses? Not the Democrats, not the press--President Trump did that.
Of course Democrats want to work quickly with the President to get a handle on this problem. Lives are at stake, but the President cannot belittle the danger. It is real; it is looming; it is serious.
To hear the President last night, when most of his speech was not a sober speech calling America to unite and fight this virus--it was mainly name-calling, politics, blaming, and, in fact, belittling the problem and the danger.
The President must stop trying to minimize the nature of the coronavirus threat. His attempts at spinning the facts are just not credible, and they are harmful to the Federal response.
In order to prevent overreaction by the public, it is essential that the Federal officials--especially the President and Vice President--
level with the American people. Telling the American people the truth and then coming up with solutions to solve it is the way to calm people down--not simply saying ``Oh, don't worry about it'' and then spending time blaming others. That is not going to calm people down; that is going to make them more worried.
So let's let the science and the facts guide us. The American people do not need or want uninformed opinions or spin from its leaders. They want the truth.
Now, the first step the Congress must take is to ensure that the government has the resources to combat this deadly virus and keep Americans safe. I have made a request for $8.5 billion for this purpose--far more than the administration's request of $2.5 billion, only half of which is new funding. The rest of the President's proposed funding is stolen from other accounts.
Any emergency funding supplemental the Congress approves must be entirely new funding, not stolen from other accounts, and include, at minimum, strong provisions that ensure, one, that the President cannot transfer these new funds to anything other than coronavirus and American and global preparedness to combat epidemics and infectious diseases; two, vaccines that are affordable and available to all who need them, not just to those who have a good deal of money; three, interest-free loans be made available for small businesses impacted by the outbreak; and four, State and local governments be reimbursed for costs incurred while assisting the Federal response to the corona outbreak.
Democrats in both Chambers will work closely with Republicans to pass a supplemental appropriations package with these criteria in mind. But in the meantime, President Trump must get his act together: Stop blaming, stop belittling, roll up your sleeves, unite America, and start proposing real solutions.
After months of dithering, after towering and dangerous incompetence, it is time for President Trump to roll up his sleeves and do the right thing.
India
Mr. President, on another matter, the President yesterday returned to Washington from India. The United States and India are natural allies. If the United States and India are close friends and partners, the world will be a safer, more prosperous place. India has an amazing culture and great people. So unifying America and India is a very good thing.
But did the President do anything on his trip that substantively advanced that objective? No, he did not. Sadly, the President's trip to India was typical of foreign policy in the Trump era--a big spectacle with handshakes and photo-ops but without meaningful progress or accomplishment for the United States.
There were real things for the President to accomplish in India. We are now India's largest trading partner--one of the largest markets for our agricultural products, medical devices, even motorbikes. Did the President make any progress on a trade deal to reduce the significant market access barriers that American companies face? No.
India is in the midst of fierce protests over a law that restricts religious freedom. Did the President stand up for religious freedom and democratic values? No. He didn't even bring up the issue with the Prime Minister.
There are 4 million Indian Americans. I am proud to say many are in the New York area. They have done and continued to do so much for this great country. Their history, music, culture, literature are woven into the very fabric of American life. Indian-American families form the backbone of so many strong communities in New York City, in Long Island and the suburbs, and all over the country. They deserve more than Presidential photo-ops in their native land. They deserve a President who takes the friendship between the United States and India seriously and works to build a strategic alliance.
But this President cannot seem to manage anything beyond reality-show diplomacy, and that is why President Trump will likely end his first term bereft of any significant foreign policy achievement.
Tribute to Laura Dove
Mr. President, finally, on a different note and a very happy note, I want to conclude my remarks by noting the departure of a staffer who, although she works for Leader McConnell, is truly a resource for and a credit to the Senate as a whole--Laura Dove.
It is a happy note for her. She is moving on to even bigger and better things. But it is a sad note for all of us, Democrats and Republicans, in the Senate because she has done such a good job.
Laura is the Secretary for the Majority. As with many job titles in Washington, Laura's title does not come close to capturing what she actually does, nor does it remotely reflect her importance to this Chamber.
The two caucus Secretaries--Gary Myrick for the Senate minority and Laura Dove for the majority--literally make the Senate function. Their negotiations determine when we come in and out of session, which amendments will be considered, and their parliamentary expertise guides Senators of both parties. Laura's attention to detail is such that even the dress code of the Senate does not escape her.
Laura has certainly been around this Chamber for as long as many of the Senators she advises. The Senate is in her blood. Her father, Bob Dove, was the Senate Parliamentarian. Dinner table conversations in the Dove household must have included the arcana of Senate procedure, particularly because some of those family dinners occurred here in the Senate itself, as Mr. Dove worked the sometimes late hours of the Senate.
Both of Mr. Dove's daughters served as pages, and now both of Laura's children have served as pages as well--a family tradition unique among family traditions. Few have done as much to support the page program as Laura. She not only keeps a watchful and supportive eye over their time on the floor, but she has invited them into her home, welcoming any page wishing to celebrate a Jewish holiday with her family. I want to thank her especially for how much she has done for Senate pages, and from the vantage point of the lens of the C-SPAN camera, the Senate floor looks like a forum for disagreement and sometimes for vociferous debate. Few beyond this Chamber appreciate how important it is for our two parties to cooperate every day amidst those disagreements to make the work of the Senate come to life. Though our parties have vastly different opinions on everything, ranging from policy to procedure, Laura has always represented the position of her caucus honestly and treated our staff with civility and respect.
She even takes a bit of that work home with her. Her husband, Dan Solomon, worked for someone--Senator Wofford--who was a good, strong, liberal Democrat, if there ever was one.
The Republican leader this morning gave a very personal and emotional tribute to Laura's service. You could see how much she means to him and the entire Republican caucus. I echo those sentiments, and I would extend them to the Senate as a whole. Few care more about this institution, its traditions, its history, and its future than Laura Dove, and few have worked harder to support the Senate in their careers.
Robert Duncan, Laura's assistant, will be taking her place today. He has big shoes to fill but is a really talented guy who knows how this place works. All I can tell you, Robert, is if you listen to Gary Myrick, you can't go wrong.
Laura, we wish you nothing but the best for the next chapter of your life, and we thank you profoundly for your service to the Senate.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Greaves nomination?
Mr. PAUL. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Perdue).
Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) would have voted ``yea'' and the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran) would have voted ``yea.''
Mr. SCHUMER. I announce that the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Cardin), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), the Senator from New Mexico
(Mr. Heinrich), the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar), the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Schatz), and the Senator from Massachusetts (Ms. Warren) are necessarily absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote or to change their vote?
The result was announced--yeas 85, nays 3, as follows:
YEAS--85
BaldwinBarrassoBennetBlackburnBlumenthalBluntBoozmanBraunBrownBurrCantwellCapitoCarperCaseyCassidyCollinsCoonsCornynCortez MastoCottonCramerCrapoDainesDuckworthEnziErnstFeinsteinFischerGardnerGrahamGrassleyHassanHawleyHironoHoevenHyde-SmithInhofeJohnsonJonesKaineKennedyKingLankfordLeahyLeeLoefflerManchinMcConnellMcSallyMenendezMerkleyMurkowskiMurphyMurrayPaulPetersPortmanReedRischRobertsRomneyRosenRoundsRubioSasseSchumerScott (FL)Scott (SC)ShaheenShelbySinemaSmithStabenowSullivanTesterThuneTillisToomeyUdallVan HollenWarnerWhitehouseWickerWydenYoung
NAYS--3
BookerGillibrandHarris
NOT VOTING--12
AlexanderCardinCruzDurbinHeinrichKlobucharMarkeyMoranPerdueSandersSchatzWarren
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
The majority leader.
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