mesut/congress_speeches · Datasets at Hugging Face

199

1,036,763

H001072

1,086

J.

Hill

J. French Hill

20,170,110

M

1956-12-05

60

0

Republican

rep

AR

NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION DAY

I rise today to pay tribute to our Nation's law enforcement men and women. prgtoken I respect and appreciate the important work of our police throughout the Nation who are charged with the critical work of protecting the people in our States and our local communities. The heartbreaking violent targeting of our Nation's police officers, recently, demonstrates the dangers these men and women face every day. prgtoken Every American is so proud as our many neighbors and fellow citizens get up every morning, put on their local law enforcement uniform and badge, kiss their families good-bye, and go out and serve us, keeping our cities and towns safe, trying to build trust and faith among all of our citizens. prgtoken Monday was National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, and our law enforcement men and women in Arkansas and throughout the country deserve our gratitude and respect. I proudly displayed a blue light in my office window to honor our law enforcement men and women, and I thank them for their selfless service.

2,017

1

10

1,047

566,712

191

1,036,867

B001243

636

Marsha

Blackburn

Marsha Blackburn

20,170,110

F

1952-06-06

64

0

Republican

rep

TN

SMALL BUSINESS BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT ACT

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise today in support of H.R. 288, the Small Business Broadband Deployment Act. I am glad that the House is taking swift action on this bill, which would protect small Internet service providers from the enhanced disclosure requirements laid out in the 2015 Open Internet Order. prgtoken After adopting the Open Internet Order, the FCC recognized the importance of exempting small ISPs from these enhanced transparency rules and subsequently granted a temporary exemption to broadband providers with fewer than 100,000 subscribers. However, the Commission failed to reach an agreement to grant another exemption before the deadline last December and, as a result, has left hundreds of our Nation's small providers vulnerable to cumbersome rules. prgtoken FCC Commissioners Pai and O'Rielly have taken action, since the exemption expired, to reassure our small broadband providers that the rules will not be enforced until the situation has been addressed by the Commission, but Congress should go a step further and provide certainty to our Nation's small businesses and pass this bill. prgtoken Rather than a 1-year exemption to the enhanced disclosure requirements, this bill would exempt for 5 years broadband providers with fewer than 250,000 subscribers from the enhanced reporting obligations, providing them with the regulatory certainty to invest in their business. prgtoken At our hearing last January, we heard from multiple witnesses just how cumbersome and burdensome these rules are. One witness described the difference to be as significant as the need to hire regulatory counsel versus the ability to build another tower to provide service. For a small business in a capital-intensive industry, that could be the difference between getting more people connected to the Internet and going out of business. prgtoken We cannot let our small businesses and hardworking taxpayers be saddled prgtoken with more onerous rules and the costs that they bring. In addition to regulatory relief for small ISPs, the bill adds certainty for our Nation's small ISPs by extending the exemption for 5 years. prgtoken It was disappointing to see the Commission fail to reach an agreement at the end of last year to extend the exemption, and it is why we are here today. Despite overwhelming bipartisan support from Congress and President 's Small Business Administration, negotiations fell short, and our Nation's smallest and most competitive Internet service providers were left to bear the burden. prgtoken In today's 21st century economy, we need to do more to encourage connectivity, and this bill embodies that spirit. Congress is poised to provide the regulatory certainty small businesses are seeking in order to invest in stronger networks and foster a better consumer experience. prgtoken I want to thank Chairman Walden and Mr. Loebsack for acting quickly to reintroduce this legislation, and I

2,017

1

10

3,000

566,762

242

1,037,384

H001041

769

Dean

Heller

Dean Heller

20,170,111

M

1960-05-10

56

0

1

Republican

sen

NV

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

amendment No. 167 is a side-by-side. This amendment makes good on two promises to the American people. One is to prgtoken repeal Care, which has increased costs, limited health care choices, and has raised $1.1 trillion in taxes on the American people in the middle class. prgtoken It also makes good on a second promise; that is, Congress will replace Care with health care reforms that provide access to quality, affordable health care coverage, not just to dependents under the age of 26 but to all Americans--women, children, seniors, and disabled. We shouldn't be choosing winners and losers. prgtoken A vote against this amendment is a vote against affordable, quality health care for all, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

2,017

1

11

770

567,056

239

1,037,202

Y000066

1,117

David

Young

David Young

20,170,111

M

1968-05-11

48

0

Republican

rep

IA

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

. I thank the gentleman from Virginia for his help and leadership on this issue. prgtoken , this amendment is designed to make an already very good bill even better. Regulators regulate. That is what they do. Regulators regulate businesses, large and small, State and local governments, nonprofits, individuals, et cetera. These regulated entities often rely on guidance from agencies to become compliant with a new rule or regulation; but, occasionally, this guidance is offered far too late in the process, leaving entities with the decision to either move forward without guidance and face possible penalties, litigation, losses, or to wait until guidance is offered and then scramble to implement changes before the deadline, increasing the likelihood for mistakes and failure. prgtoken My amendment seeks to ensure guidance is offered and available in a timely manner by instructing agencies to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs to issue guidance at least 90 days before a rule or a regulation goes into effect so that affected entities have time to comply. prgtoken As an example, companies recently experienced the hardships of late guidance from HHS through CMS. There is a company in Iowa and similar companies from around America that produce forms, using post acute healthcare reimbursements, including skilled nursing and home care, both of which receive funding through Medicare. prgtoken CMS is responsible for setting rules for the reimbursement forms. Okay. Fine. CMS specified a new set of rules for forms going into effect at the beginning of the year. Okay. Great. This company and other companies waited for CMS guidance before printing and sending reimbursement forms to its customers, and this company waited and waited and waited; but 3 weeks before the effective date, this company and others like it hadn't heard anything from CMS on guidance or directions--crickets. prgtoken So at this point, they had to make a business decision. That is the reality. Either wait for CMS and fail to have the required forms to its customers in time for the new year or send the forms to print, cross your fingers, say a prayer, roll the dice, and hope they will later be found in compliance. prgtoken They sent the forms to print knowing full well they would eat the cost if the forms did not comply. Losses, penalties, litigation, a soiled reputation--those are the real things the lack of guidance and notice causes. Thankfully, everything worked out in this situation, but in other situations, things haven't worked out. A few days after they sent the forms to print, CMS finally approved. prgtoken However, this situation illustrates a broader problem that occurs too often transcending in other instances through the economy and needs to be addressed. We need to make sure that when we give agencies the power to effectively write law, we ensure compliance guidelines are clear- cut, timely, and enforcement is fair. <|p|

2,017

1

11

3,000

566,965

238

1,037,398

F000444

590

Jeff

Flake

Jeff Flake

20,170,111

M

1962-12-31

54

0

1

Republican

sen

AZ

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

I rise in favor of Flake amendment No. 176. prgtoken We have had problems, obviously, with the VA. Phoenix, AZ, has been kind of ground zero for that. Part of the problem is that the VA has no strong prohibition against hiring felons, and we have had example after example around the country of their continuing to hire felons or those who have been disciplined by the profession. So this would simply require that they fire felons who are on their rolls. prgtoken I urge support and yield the floor.

2,017

1

11

523

567,060

249

1,037,171

C000266

352

Steve

Chabot

Steve Chabot

20,170,111

M

1953-01-22

63

0

Republican

rep

OH

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

such time as I may consume. I will be brief, and then I will invite my colleague from Virginia to respond. prgtoken Just a couple of quick points. First of all, relative to this significant economic impact language that my distinguished colleague from Georgia is talking about, that is already in the existing law, so we are not changing anything there. We are not saying it ought to say a significant economic impact. It already says that in the existing law. Both the bureaucrats and the courts are used to determining what the terminology like ``significant'' means under the rule or regulation or the law, just as what a reasonable man is. ``Reasonable'' is quite common throughout the legal structure. prgtoken We are also not giving discretion to Ms. McMahon, the soon-to-be head of the SBA. It is to the Chief Counsel, and he is independent. prgtoken from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), our chairman.

2,017

1

11

969

566,946

227

1,037,332

C001095

1,033

Tom

Cotton

Tom Cotton

20,170,111

M

1977-05-13

39

0

1

Republican

sen

AR

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

my home State of Arkansas lost one of its great statesmen last week with the passing of former State Senator Stanley Russ. prgtoken Stanley was a man of the soil. Born in Conway, he grew up on a dairy farm just outside the city. He went through the public school system and earned a degree in agriculture from the University of Arkansas. Although he spent the bulk of his career in the life insurance business, over the years he continued to raise cattle. Even when he was an old man, you could find him clearing brush on the road to his house. That is how we thought of him--always keeping busy, always working, and always in touch with the needs of the land and its people. prgtoken As a veteran, I have to say that one of the things I most admired about Stanley Russ was his military service. He served in the Army for 2 years, completed Officer Candidate School, and became an instructor in artillery. After being discharged, he served as a company commander in the Arkansas National Guard for several years. In 1995, Stanley was inducted into the U.S. Field Artillery OCS Hall of Fame at Ft. Sill, OK. prgtoken His true calling in life was public service. Stanley represented Conway for 26 years in the Arkansas State Senate. More impressive than his lengthy tenure was his unimpeachable integrity. Stanley Russ was universally known as good, sturdy stock. The story is often told that during his first campaign, one of his opponents had some of his poll watchers thrown in jail. But Stanley won the race anyway and went on to pass legislation protecting the rights of all poll watchers. He served in the senate with distinction, championing quality education for all of Arkansas' students and eventually rising to the office of president pro tempore. prgtoken Stanley Russ was a model for all of us in public service. I got to know Stanley well in my first campaign. He remained a friend and trusted source of advice and support until he passed away. prgtoken I have heard Stanley died peacefully, surrounded by his loving family as his granddaughter sang the hymn, ``Great is Thy Faithfulness.'' In his words, he considered himself ``greatly blessed, highly favored, imperfect, but a forgiven child of the King.'' prgtoken But perhaps the best summing up was given by the man who now holds his seat, State Senator Jason Rapert. As Senator Rapert put it, Stanley Russ was ``the kind of man that God made only one time.'' prgtoken As I stand on the Senate floor, I wish to say on behalf of our grateful State: Stanley Russ, rest in peace. prgtoken , .

2,017

1

11

2,632

567,037

235

1,037,343

D000618

1,008

Steve

Daines

Steve Daines

20,170,111

M

1962-08-20

54

0

1

Republican

sen

MT

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

today is the day when we will begin to repeal and replace Care. Repealing and replacing this disastrous law is one of the top jobs that citizens elected us to get done. In many ways, it is why Donald J. will be sworn in next week as the 45th President of the United States. prgtoken I think what is most helpful is to recap why repealing Care is so important to so many American families. Montanans were promised that with this bill you could keep the health plans that you liked. That was wrong and millions of Americans lost their plans. prgtoken Montanans were assured that coverage under Care would be affordable. For millions of Americans, for thousands of Montanans, nothing could be further from the truth. Montanans were guaranteed that Care would lower health care prgtoken costs. We witnessed premiums skyrocket since Care's implementation. prgtoken Finally, Montanans were assured that Care would create more competition in the marketplace, but now Americans in one-third--one- third--of the counties across our entire country have but one plan to choose from. Let's not forget, supporters of Care paid for these failed programs by raiding Medicare of over $700 billion. Seniors and people with disabilities in Montana and across our country deserve much better. prgtoken Over the past several years, I have heard from countless Montanans about how Care has failed them. Take, for example, Terry from Choteau, MT, who wrote: We just got a letter from Pacific Source that our premium is going up $260 per month and our deductible is going up to $1000. This is $1025 per month and a $7500 deductible for 2 healthy adults [with] (no preexisting conditions). For a ranch family this is a huge hit, especially in these times with low commodity prices. Something needs to change. prgtoken Jeff from Kalispell, MT, said this: I am married with 5 children. I live in Kalispell. I bought Blue Cross Blue Shield of MT PPO Gold insurance plan #104 for the 2016 year. My premium was $1,477.28 per month. In early November 2016 [2 months ago] I received notice that my same plan would increase to $2,820.00 per month. That is a 91% increase. . . . If keeping the same rate hikes, my insurance will be $5,500 in 2018, then $10,000 per month in 2019. prgtoken That was from Jeff in Kalispell, MT. prgtoken I have Anthony from Bozeman. That is my hometown. I went to college in Bozeman. A fellow Bozemanite writes this to me. He says: I have never been able to afford care insurance. With quotes of over $400 a month for a single healthy male I found it easier to pay the penalty. So now not only can I not afford to have medical insurance but I am getting fined for not making enough money to pay all of my bills and give a 20% tithe to the medical insurance industry. prgtoken Here is another Bozema

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,044

260

1,037,368

B001261

773

John

Barrasso

John Barrasso

20,170,111

M

1952-07-21

64

0

1

Republican

sen

WY

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

this is a side-by-side amendment to the Manchin amendment. As a doctor, I understand how Care has been a disaster for patients and for health care providers. Because of this law, Americans have been left with higher premiums and fewer choices. This budget is an important first step in giving Americans better and more affordable health care. prgtoken I am especially aware of the importance of helping folks in rural America, people who have been especially hard hit by the policies of the administration. Since 2010, more than 70 rural hospitals have closed across the United States and Ezekiel Emanuel, who is the architect of care, wrote a book, and he said that 1,000 hospitals have to close in the United States. That is what he called for, 1,000. We are talking about rural hospitals all around this country. prgtoken So for people in small towns all across the Nation, the closures we have already experienced, these 70 closures, have had a devastating impact. My amendment says that Congress is ready to help all Americans but especially those living in rural America who have been hurt by Care.

2,017

1

11

1,158

567,051

250

1,037,297

L000578

1,014

Doug

LaMalfa

Doug LaMalfa

20,170,111

M

1960-07-02

56

0

Republican

rep

CA

THE PEOPLE'S NIGHT: OBAMACARE

. I really want to thank Chairman Walker of the RSC, the Study Committee. I greatly appreciate the gentleman's leadership on this event here tonight as well as the great job the gentleman is doing on the Committee. prgtoken , we have had alternatives to the Affordable Care Act ever since I have been here. The American Health Care Reform Act, as put forward by the Study Committee, has many of the elements we have all been talking about for several years: with the Affordable Care Act being forced upon Americans not in a bipartisan effort but strictly by the votes of one party when they had the majority--the ability--to force it prgtoken through. We are suffering the effects of that now. prgtoken One of my colleagues earlier was talking about: Why isn't this being reported? Why isn't this being talked about in the broad sense of how it is really affecting the Americans who are paying for it? prgtoken People in my district, ever since I have been a Member of this House, have been pleading with us to do something about these high premiums, about the high deductibles, about the lack of access they have, especially in rural areas. Why are the proponents continuing to prop this up? It is clear that it doesn't work: higher costs, fewer options, unworkable plans. The exchanges--we have watched in several States-- most of them, after billions in investment, are shuttering; they are closing up shop. Where do those billions go that we have invested as a country into these exchanges? prgtoken But on a patient level, it is putting even more of our most vulnerable patients on a system already known to be unsustainable without even ensuring access to quality care. In some cases, no care at all. prgtoken How are people defining that as a success? prgtoken We know that the main reason why so many people are uninsured is the high cost of coverage. But instead of investing vast amounts of money to bring more people into a broken system, let's take this opportunity to start fixing the root of the problem. prgtoken One, this is done by increasing competition, giving patients more options, choices give them a menu of options they can pick themselves, tailor the plan to what they need. A 20-year-old young man has a completely different need than a 30-year-old mom and her family. Let them have the choices. prgtoken Also, let's get rid of the costly mandates, the taxes. There are taxes on everything, it seems, to help prop up Care, the Affordable Care Act, including the cost for students for college. They are paying for some of that. prgtoken Then let's build off successes that we have seen in the past and that are part of the proposal of the Study Committee and the American Healthcare Reform Act. That could help fill our gaps in the healthcare delivery system. prgtoken Community health centers, for example, is a model that is both cost effective and efficient in expanding access to care services in u

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,016

262

1,037,160

C001076

790

Jason

Chaffetz

Jason Chaffetz

20,170,111

M

1967-03-26

49

0

Republican

rep

UT

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

such time as I may consume. prgtoken H.R. 5 requires the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, often called OIRA, to provide guidelines for agencies on how to effectively conduct regulatory activities. prgtoken This is a great bill. I wholeheartedly support the bill. We simply want to add a timeline to this bill so that we give the proper incentive, notification, and time to properly institute what this new law would do. prgtoken The regulatory activities engaged in this bill that OIRA, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, deals with need to include cost and benefit assessments and their economic or risk assessments; coordination, simplification, and harmonization of the agency rules; conforming rulemaking to the notice and comment requirements and formal rulemaking requirements in the Administrative Procedure Act; as well as the application of the Information Quality Act to rulemaking proceedings under what is called the APA. prgtoken These guidelines required by the underlying bill are moving the country in the right direction and will ensure that agencies produce thoughtful, comprehensive, and well-vetted regulations. prgtoken The simple amendment that I offer today, , to H.R. 5 simply requires OIRA to issue guidance within 270 days. I think this is the right balance of encouragement to have them get going on it right away, but at the same time not allowing this to linger in perpetuity with no end in sight. prgtoken This amendment provides OIRA, I think, the proper balance. That is why I have offered this amendment. prgtoken , .

2,017

1

11

1,681

566,938

229

1,037,330

I000055

130

John

Isakson

Johnny Isakson

20,170,111

M

1944-12-28

72

0

1

Republican

sen

GA

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

first of all, I want to acknowledge the great intellect that the Senator from Louisiana brings to the debate, the experience he has in the health care field, how much I personally have learned from him on the committee in the work we do, and I thank him for the contribution he makes to the Senate. prgtoken I rise to talk a little bit about how we got to where we are today, what we are about to do, and where we need to end up. It will be short, and it will be sweet, but it will be to the point. prgtoken I was here in 2009 when we passed Care. In fact, as the Presiding Officer will remember, it was at 9 o'clock in the morning on Christmas Eve in 2009. I opposed it at that time for a particular reason. The reason was that I saw it driving us toward a single-payer health care system, which I personally opposed. But the votes were there. It passed, and it passed on the promise that if you liked your doctor, you could keep him; if you liked your insurance, you could keep it. And because everybody is going to be insured, rates will go down and everything is going to be wonderful. prgtoken What has happened over the last 8 years has been pretty incredible. Rates have gone up tremendously. People have not been able to keep their insurance. We find ourselves on the cusp of being forced to a government single-payer health care system because the private markets are collapsing. prgtoken In my State of Georgia, where we have 159 counties, up until this year every county had at least two or more providers providing health insurance. Today in 2017, 96 of our 159 counties have one carrier. Next year half of them will be down to no carrier, and we will be forced into a system that we don't know what it will look like. Prices have gone up not just by a little bit, but they have gone up by an awful lot. The end-user market in Georgia is approaching the breaking point. prgtoken I will give you a couple of examples. Two parents in Georgia picked the least expensive plan available this year to their family of four. It comes out to be a $6,500 deductible and $2,400 a month for premium-- unsustainable. prgtoken A couple in their sixties had a similar plan but were just outside the subsidy limit of $96,000 for their family. So they are paying over 50 percent of their income for health insurance. prgtoken Hard-working families deserve better. Although President promised this law would reduce premiums and make health care more available, it has done the opposite. Care is unsustainable. Now, that is the practical answer, and that is exactly what got us to where we are today. prgtoken We are in the process of attempting to get the budget reconciliation act before us so that we can repeal Care, but we must also talk about what we replace it with because repealing it without a replacement is not an acceptable solution. It is not a solution. It is a conundrum. prgtoken We must prioritize returning the oversi

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,035

248

1,037,348

E000285

142

Michael

Enzi

Michael B. Enzi

20,170,111

M

1944-02-01

72

0

1

Republican

sen

WY

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

while we are waiting for the unanimous consent agreement that will kick off the evening, I feel compelled to make a couple of comments. prgtoken I don't want people to be confused as the evening goes on. This is not the bill that repeals Care. This is the bill that sets up the process that will repeal Care. This is a preliminary step that is necessary in order to do what everybody is claiming will be done tonight, and that is not accurate. prgtoken So we will hear a bunch of things that people are concerned about, but this bill in it has budget numbers. The budget numbers reflect where we are--not where we would like to be and not where we have been. They are just the numbers of where we are. Then, in the resolution, there is a requirement that the Finance Committee save $1 billion, and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee save $1 billion, and they get to do that with some privileged legislation, as long as we keep it privileged. There will be a number of attempts tonight to see if they can get rid of the privilege by using corrosive or nongermane amendments. Consequently, we will have to vote down some of those amendments. It might sound logical, and it is because they are not in the bill. prgtoken I guess we are still waiting for the unanimous consent agreement so at this point I will yield the floor.

2,017

1

11

1,386

567,046

232

1,037,422

P000449

127

Robert

Portman

Rob Portman

20,170,111

M

1955-12-19

61

0

1

Republican

sen

OH

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

our amendment was about ensuring that the second step in improving the health care system for our constituents was done in a thoughtful way. We now have assurances from leadership that certainly is their intent and that this date is not a date that is set in stone. In fact, it is the earliest we could do it, but it could take longer. We believe that it might. prgtoken With that, we would like to withdraw the amendment, with assurances that we will have this time to be able to put together something that will, in fact, ensure that our constituents can better deal with the broken health care system.

2,017

1

11

631

567,068

236

1,037,051

P000599

787

Bill

Posey

Bill Posey

20,170,111

M

1947-12-18

69

0

Republican

rep

FL

HONORING JUDGE ALLI B. MAJEED

on a brighter, more positive, and nonpartisan side this morning, it is an honor and a pleasure to recognize the lifetime achievements of my longtime friend and a true patriotic citizen, Judge Alli B. Majeed, who has just retired after 24 years of service on the bench. prgtoken He was the longest serving county judge in the 18th Judicial Circuit. That includes Florida's Brevard and Seminole Counties. Judge Majeed, or A.B. as many of us know him, was born in the former British colony of Guyana, South America, to parents who were descendants of indentured servants from India. prgtoken Having grown up in a small village, his family didn't have much, and they worked hard for what little they did have. A.B. cherished the opportunity to attend and graduate from high school. prgtoken In 1969, he came to the United States on a student visa. He was Phi Beta Kappa and graduated magna cum laude from Howard University here in Washington, D.C. In 1975, A.B. graduated from the Catholic University of America's Columbus Law School. prgtoken Alli became a U.S. citizen on November 16, 1979, and began his legal career working as an attorney and supervisor at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, where he served the needy and indigent clients. He went on to work as a criminal attorney, assistant public defender, and assistant State attorney. prgtoken I knew A.B. before he was appointed as a county judge in 1993 by then-Governor Lawton Chiles to fill a vacancy and was subsequently reelected to new terms unopposed all but one time. Once on the bench, Judge Majeed became known as a competent and respected judge. prgtoken He also became well known for his motivational and educational talks about the importance of jury duty to groups of new jurors, many of whom show up disenchanted about being selected to serve. As someone who has been a juror and has heard his talk firsthand more than once, I can promise you that it is extraordinary. No one in my pool of jurors looked forward to being called for jury duty, but after Judge Majeed's patriotic, uplifting, and inspiring lesson, everyone became enthusiastic about the opportunity to serve. ``We take an oath to obey, preserve, and protect the Constitution of the United States of America,'' said Judge Majeed. prgtoken To the Majeed family, this oath is serious business. He has three nephews who have served in our Nation's Armed Forces: Steve Majeed, U.S. Navy; Rick Majeed, United States Air Force; and Omar Majeed, United States Marines. ``I love this country,'' he said. ``We believe deeply in it.'' prgtoken In his letter of resignation to the chief justice of the State of Florida, Judge Majeed penned these words: ``I am beholden to the United States of America who opened her doors to me as a twenty two year old, on a student visa. She allowed me to dream the impossible dream, then showed me the way to make those dreams come true. ``Serving the public, interacting with the Bar, and my

2,017

1

11

3,000

566,871

254

1,037,432

H000338

104

Orrin

Hatch

Orrin G. Hatch

20,170,111

M

1934-03-22

82

0

1

Republican

sen

UT

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

Care exacerbated financial pressures on the Medicaid Program at a time when many States were already facing difficult choices. Even before Care, Medicaid was plagued by quality issues and the law did nothing to address these problems. Instead, under Care, able-bodied adults not previously eligible, including some prisoners, are now covered by Medicaid which has strained already limited resources at the State level. prgtoken s are committed to working with States, stakeholders, and the American public to improve the quality of the Medicaid Program, ensuring its long-term sustainability. That is reflected in my amendment. My amendment would create a reserve fund to allow for reforms to Medicaid and ensure the program has the right priorities. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to vote for my amendment and against the Menendez amendment, which is simply designed to prevent the repeal of Care and enshrine its flawed approach to Medicaid in a budget point of order.

2,017

1

11

1,032

567,072

257

1,037,471

F000463

1,054

Deb

Fischer

Deb Fischer

20,170,111

F

1951-03-01

65

0

1

Republican

sen

NE

amendment no. 83

this amendment would strengthen community health centers across this country. In Nebraska we have 7 federally qualified health centers and 40 clinic sites that have served over 75,000 people. These centers provide quality personalized health care that women need and deserve. prgtoken Last year I had the opportunity to visit one of these in Omaha, the Charles Drew Medical Clinic. I saw firsthand the comprehensive, compassionate care that they provide to Nebraskans. Many times, women are the ones who make health care decisions for their families, but with higher costs and fewer choices, Care has hurt, not helped, women in this country. prgtoken They have seen their premiums go up, they have had a hard time finding the doctors that they trust, and they have had to sign up for plans that they don't like. With this amendment, we can alleviate this frustration. We can help ensure that they receive quality care in their communities surrounded by a support system. It would strengthen women's health. It would help take care of our families, our neighbors, and our friends.

2,017

1

11

1,117

567,082

231

1,037,074

D000533

249

John

Duncan

John J. Duncan, Jr.

20,170,111

M

1947-07-21

69

0

Republican

rep

TN

TRADE IS A TWO-WAY STREET

some people have expressed concern that President-elect will start a trade war if he gets tough on trade. But what they are not admitting, or perhaps it has never occurred to them, is that we have been in a trade war for many years, and we have been losing. prgtoken China has followed a China-first policy for years to their great benefit, while we have sent millions of good jobs to other countries and several million of our young people now can find jobs only in restaurants. prgtoken With only 4 percent of the world's population, we buy 21.7 percent of the world's goods. We used to buy about 25 percent, but we have more competition around the world now as most countries are trying to move away from socialism while we seemingly move toward it. But we still have tremendous leverage on trade that we have not used because every country wants desperately into our markets. prgtoken We need to negotiate trade deals that will create more jobs in this country. We need, , to tell foreign leaders that we want to buy things from them, but they need to start buying from us, too. Friendship is a two-way street.

2,017

1

11

1,142

566,893

240

1,037,443

A000360

648

Lamar

Alexander

Lamar Alexander

20,170,111

M

1940-07-03

76

0

1

Republican

sen

TN

amendment no. 83

this amendment is an amendment I believe almost every Senator will want to vote for because this is an amendment that guarantees that when you walk into the local drugstore, your medicine is safe because you know that it has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. prgtoken This amendment clarifies the current law, which says that if you sell a prescription drug in the United States, it has to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It may be made overseas--and many are, and they are sold here--but they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. prgtoken I have the privilege of being the chairman of the HELP Committee, and I can't tell you the number of impassioned speeches I have heard from my ic friends about the importance of drug safety and the gold standard for the Food and Drug Administration. So if you are for the gold standard of the Food and Drug Administration, if you are for making prescription drugs approved by the FDA, vote yes. If you are against it, vote no.

2,017

1

11

1,055

567,077

247

1,037,148

K000387

1,124

Steve

Knight

Stephen Knight

20,170,111

M

1966-12-17

50

0

Republican

rep

CA

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

I rise in strong support of H.R. 5, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017. prgtoken Over the last 8 years, we have seen the administration authorize hundreds of executive orders directing Federal agencies to issue, finalize, and implement an unprecedented number of regulations. Most of these impose one-size-fits-all standards on small businesses with little to no consideration for their impact on small businesses. prgtoken As a member of the Small Business Committee, it is kind of my job to go out and find out what small businesses have to offer, what is impeding their ability to create and make more jobs for our industry and for our economy. What we have found is that overregulation is stifling them. This is the problem. prgtoken This is not something that we have made up. That is the problem in this economy. That is why I am proud to support H.R. 5, and particularly title III, which addresses one vital area that protects small businesses--the Regulatory Flexibility Act, or RFA. prgtoken The RFA requires agencies to assess the economic impacts of new regulations on small businesses. However, Federal agencies regularly exploit loopholes in the RFA requirements that allow them to produce inadequate or inaccurate analysis of impact. prgtoken We know this can have devastating outcomes, as witnessed in the Department of Labor's overtime rule issued prgtoken last year, which was one of the top concerns for many of the small businesses and nonprofits that operate in my district and across this country. prgtoken Title III of H.R. 5 would eliminate loopholes to ensure compliance and would also require agencies to provide more detailed information in each analysis. prgtoken I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation.

2,017

1

11

1,811

566,931

223

1,037,089

N000189

1,081

Dan

Newhouse

Dan Newhouse

20,170,111

M

1955-07-10

61

0

Republican

rep

WA

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 78, SEC REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 238, COMMODITY END-USER RELIEF ACT; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

such time as I may consume. prgtoken First of all, in fact, if I could read from a letter I received this morning from over two dozen agricultural groups. In one sentence, it says: ``Thank you in advance for your support of this bill that is so important to U.S. farmers, ranchers, hedgers and futures customers.'' It is signed, like I said, by over two dozen organizations. prgtoken I include in the Record the letter I received this morning, I think, as did my colleague, Representative Polis, from over two dozen agricultural groups and associations located throughout the country in unanimous support of H.R. 238. January 11, 2017. Dear Member of the House of Representatives: The undersigned organizations represent a very broad cross- section of U.S. production agriculture and agribusiness. We urge you to cast an affirmative vote on H.R. 238, the ``Commodity End-User Relief Act,'' when it moves to the floor for consideration. This legislation contains a number of important provisions for agricultural and agribusiness hedgers who use futures and swaps to manage their business and production risks. Some, but certainly not all, of the bill's important provisions include: Sections 101-103--Codify important customer protections to help prevent another MF Global situation. Section 104--Provides a permanent solution to the residual interest problem that would have put more customer funds at risk--and potentially driven farmers, ranchers and small hedgers out of futures markets--by forcing pre-margining of their hedge accounts. Section 306--Relief from burdensome and technologically infeasible recordkeeping requirements in commodity markets. Section 308--Requires the CFTC to conduct a study and issue a rule before reducing the de minimis threshold for swap dealer registration in order to make sure that doing so would not harm market liquidity and end-user access to markets. Section 311--Confirms the intent of Dodd-Frank that anticipatory hedging is considered bona fide hedging activity. Thank you in advance for your support of this bill that is so important to U.S. farmers, ranchers, hedgers and futures customers. Sincerely, American Cotton Shippers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Feed Industry Association, American Soybean Association, Grain and Feed Association of Illinois, Kansas Grain and Feed Association, Michigan Agri-Business Association, Michigan Bean Shippers, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Cotton Council. National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, National Grain and Feed Association, National Milk Producers Feder

2,017

1

11

3,000

566,905

256

1,037,322

G000562

879

Cory

Gardner

Cory Gardner

20,170,111

M

1974-08-22

42

0

1

Republican

sen

CO

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

I come to the floor today to discuss the continued broken promises of Care--the Affordable Care Act--that passed in the most partisan of fashions several years ago, and to discuss the process by which we are putting together a repeal-and- replace package and the pieces we will be voting on tonight and over the next several weeks and months. prgtoken Care's failures are simple. The promises that have been broken are clear. While partisan supporters of the administration's plan continue to promote the success of this poorly conceived law, Coloradans know far better. prgtoken Time and again, hundreds of thousands of Coloradans have felt the consequences of the Affordable Care Act in their pocketbooks, in their workplaces, in their doctor's offices, and in the choices they have for health care. The past 6 years have been marred by higher costs, fewer choices, and less competition in Colorado and across the Nation. prgtoken It is now time that we stand up for the American people to restore reliable and stable health care, as well as health care markets and insurance markets, and to undo the damage done to our health care by the failed law known as Care. prgtoken Let's just review the broken promises we have seen--not just a broken promise that the President himself made to the American people but broken promises echoed by the partisan supporters of Care. President assured the American people over 35 times: Don't worry about Care because if you like your plan, then you can keep it, period. It is on video. It is on YouTube, and you can probably find it on Snapchat. It is available to find, this first broken promise. prgtoken As Coloradans began to receive cancellation notices, they quickly learned that this promise was far from the truth. In late 2013, nearly 335,000 small group and individual policies in Colorado were canceled due to requirements in the Affordable Care Act. These cancellations also included my family's cancellation, because we had chosen to stay in the private market in Colorado. But in August of 2013, we received the letter that 335,000 others received in Colorado saying that our policy had been canceled thanks to Care. prgtoken But, unfortunately, those cancellations--those 330,000-plus cancellations in August of 2013--were just the beginning, because in January of 2014, the Colorado Division of Insurance canceled an additional nearly 250,000 plans for the same reason. prgtoken Again in 2015, Coloradans were made abruptly aware of the failures of Care when another 190,000 more plans on the individual and small group market were canceled. In total, according to the Congressional Research Service, over 750,000 health insurance plans were canceled in Colorado between 2013 and 2015. prgtoken The promise that if you like your health care plan, you can keep it was so bad--that promise was so broken--that the fact-checking organization PolitiFact named

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,030

228

1,037,284

W000819

1,110

Mark

Walker

Mark Walker

20,170,111

M

1969-05-20

47

0

Republican

rep

NC

THE PEOPLE'S NIGHT: OBAMACARE

tonight is our third time that we have hosted People's Night. This is a time for our Members to bypass outside forces and influences and talk directly to the American people. prgtoken Tonight we are presenting something that has been very important, not just a topic, but something that nearly 6 years ago--or a little over 6 years ago--right here where we stand tonight was passed in an overly bipartisan manner and has burdened the American people in what is now known as Care, the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken This is a piece of legislation that has burdened small businesses and individuals alike. Now we have been asked to fix it, to repeal and to replace. Well, it takes Members to be able to have experience in this particular field to understand the heart of community. One of the people who does that most, specifically in the area of poverty initiatives, who reaches across community lines, reaches across party lines is the gentleman from Kentucky, my good friend, Representative Andy Barr from Kentucky. from Kentucky (Mr. Barr).

2,017

1

11

1,092

567,003

234

1,037,291

S001189

958

Austin

Scott

Austin Scott

20,170,111

M

1969-12-10

47

0

Republican

rep

GA

THE PEOPLE'S NIGHT: OBAMACARE

there is something I very much want to speak on. I rise today on behalf of my many constituents back in Georgia's Eighth Congressional District who have been negatively impacted by Care. prgtoken It is pretty clear to the vast majority of us that the attempt to fix our Nation's healthcare problems by inserting more Federal control into the system has simply failed. There are some counties in the district that I represent in middle and south Georgia that are down to just one--maybe two--insurance providers that people can choose from. That is not competition, and that is not affordable. It is not even a choice really, and it is certainly not ``if you like your plan you can keep it.'' prgtoken My colleagues and I on the Study Committee have worked for a couple of years, and we have offered a plan to repeal Care and replace it with patient-centered reforms and free-market solutions for American citizens. prgtoken The American Healthcare Reform Act is not just about repealing Care. It is about fixing problems that existed in the healthcare system before Care and problems that, quite honestly, were made worse by Care. There is a lot of talk about what is in the bill that is a problem. I would like to talk just a second today about what is not in the bill that is a problem. prgtoken , the President, by leaving the health insurance industry exempt from the antitrust laws of the country, created a bigger problem than we had prior to the healthcare bill going in place. That's right. I want you to hear what I said. Under Care, health insurance providers are exempt from the antitrust laws. These are the very laws that are designed to promote competition for the benefit of the consumer. prgtoken How is it that Care can mandate that Americans purchase a product from an industry that that very bill left exempt from playing by the rules? Why did the President and the ic leaders leave the health insurance industry exempt from the antitrust laws in the bill? I have asked these questions over and over. It is baffling to me. It means the big boys can play and the little man has to pay. prgtoken I wish somebody from the press would ask that question. I don't understand why the press doesn't ask the ic Party: Why did you leave the health insurance industry exempt from the antitrust laws of the country? It is a question the President should answer. prgtoken The American Healthcare Reform Act reverses that. Our legislation injects much-needed competition into the health insurance marketplace by eliminating the antitrust exemptions for the insurance providers. By applying the antitrust laws to the insurance industry, we are making the market more competitive which, in turn, will drive down premium cost, increase choice, and does so without adding any new taxes. prgtoken I hope the American Healthcare Reform Act will serve as the baseline for discussions on how to repeal

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,010

224

1,037,339

S001184

907

Tim

Scott

Tim Scott

20,170,111

M

1965-09-19

51

0

1

Republican

sen

SC

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

I think it is important for us to realize and note that while Senator Graham did in fact grow up just a few miles from Clemson--which means his affinity for the university is natural-- it is consistent with his upbringing. For me, it is very different. When you are born in South Carolina, and you are born on the coast near the Atlantic Ocean, the likelihood of your being a Gamecocks fan and wearing garnet and black is about 75 percent. So I must concede that I still pull for the Gamecocks. That is a controversial position to be in when you are talking about the new national champions. prgtoken I would also like to say to Senator Shelby--a man of integrity, character, and long service--thank you for making the bet. I am so glad you lost. prgtoken I would also say to the Clemson Tigers--the ``Tigers Nation''--we are so incredibly proud of what you have accomplished. It is amazing, not only the successful season that you have had on the field but the character that has been the focus of so much of the conversation off the field. prgtoken We have talked specifically about No. 4, Deshaun Watson, and the amazing story about his relationship with his mother. I have a special relationship with my mom. So I appreciate his focus and determination to honor her when he is on the field and to continue to honor her when he is off the field. That story is a remarkable story that deserves more attention. It really does. prgtoken As to Coach Dabo Swinney, is an amazing coach, without any question, but he is also an Alabama alum. Having won the national championship as a part of the Alabama football team--I believe it was 1992--you have a champion come into Clemson University and making champions by loving compassionately, by challenging on the field, and by embracing these men and the entire apparatus around the university and college athletics. He has done a fabulous job. prgtoken I think of the walk-on receiver that Senator Graham mentioned. In every facet of the team--whether you are the so-called water boy, whether you are the athletic trainer, whether you are a physical therapist--people win because of the team that they are on. There are no self-made success stories. prgtoken We should remember that as we focus on these young athletes. I know their lives will be meaningful because of the team they played on and not simply the victories they celebrated. prgtoken I do want to take a few seconds and mention the president, Jim Clements, who is a fantastic guy and one of my dearest friends. Jim and I were having a conversation through text before the game, and I decided, since we can't use our phones on the floor of Senate--I know they frown on that kind of stuff, technology; it is an interesting concept here--I decided to print the text. This was a Wednesday evening around 10 p.m. I had just predicted that Clemson would win, 27 to 24. Jim Clements said: Seriously if we play like we did last week then

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,042

252

1,037,043

H001073

1,101

Will

Hurd

Will Hurd

20,170,111

M

1977-08-19

39

0

Republican

rep

TX

RECOGNITION OF PROJECT VIDA

I rise today in recognition of the 25 year anniversary of Project Vida in El Paso, Texas. prgtoken Project Vida was founded in 1991 with the support of residents of El Paso's Chamizal neighborhood and the Presbyterian Church. The institution's first goal was to support the community's self-determined needs to help improve lives. Over the years, Project Vida has expanded its services to provide dental and behavioral health care; early childhood education and child care; affordable housing as well as gang and homelessness prevention. prgtoken The contributions of Project Vida have been invaluable to the residents of El Paso's Chamizal neighborhood over the past 25 years. There is no question that the program will continue to set the precedent for community care. I am proud to represent such a dedicated program and to congratulate its dedicated staff and supporters on 25 years of service to others.

2,017

1

11

929

566,863

244

1,037,341

L000577

956

Mike

Lee

Mike Lee

20,170,111

M

1971-06-04

45

0

1

Republican

sen

UT

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

I rise today to give voice to some of my fellow Utahns, including a few of my fellow Utahns who are suffering because of the health care law passed by this body nearly 7 years ago. These are not stories from wealthy Utahns who have simply had to pay higher taxes, nor are these stories from low-income Utahns who already have insurance through Medicaid. prgtoken These are letters are from the too often invisible victims of Care--those middle-class families who used to be able to afford health care when they needed it but are now forced to pay for it and to pay for what amounts to, in some cases, one of their largest payments or even their largest payment they make each month for a so-called insurance plan that never seems to pay out because of high deductibles. prgtoken Jenica from Davis County, UT, writes as follows: I am an ordinary mother raising my kids and striving to live within my means. For the first time, my family is facing a year with no health insurance. Our gross income falls a few hundred dollars per month too high for us to receive help through CHIP or UPP programs, but we cannot afford to purchase health insurance through my husband's work or through the Marketplace. After this year's premium increases, the most inexpensive plan offered to us on the Marketplace is a full quarter of our gross income per month (before taxes), and if we put that into our budget we will not be able to save any money to pay deductibles as healthcare needs arise. We face the same problem with my husband's work insurance; it would be even more expensive, and we cannot wisely budget a quarter or more of our income toward health insurance premiums. I know this problem is not limited to my family, and I want you to be aware of those of us who are falling in the gap this year. We earn barely too much to receive any assistance, but not enough to actually pay for insurance premiums. It seems the wisest course for us is to withdraw from insurance and save our money to pay for medical expenses in cash, as well as saving to pay the fine on our taxes next year. It is a decision I do not make lightly, as I know that the insurance companies need more people, not less, to participate to make the system work. However, my family cannot afford to participate this year. I know you will represent us well and take our needs into consideration as you work with the other members of Congress to make our country's healthcare system work for all of us. Thank you for serving our state and our country. May God bless you in your efforts. prgtoken May God bless you, Jenica. May God bless you for having the courage to write these things down and to share them with your fellow Utahns and your fellow Americans. prgtoken I promised Jenica that I will do everythi

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,043

225

1,037,229

M001179

923

Tom

Marino

Tom Marino

20,170,111

M

1952-08-15

64

0

Republican

rep

PA

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

. Mr. Chair, I simply would add that I ask my colleagues to oppose this amendment. prgtoken As far as the jobs increase, or lack thereof, that my colleague speaks of, we have had the slowest growth rate in jobs in the history of this country. There are millions of people that are unemployed that are not seeking unemployment benefits, and they are not taken into consideration in the unemployment rate because it is much higher than it is; and the mean family income is at a low as far back as 14 years ago.

2,017

1

11

517

566,978

253

1,037,329

C001075

828

Bill

Cassidy

Bill Cassidy

20,170,111

M

1957-09-28

59

0

1

Republican

sen

LA

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

as we continue to debate health care, there are some things that are kind of being debated that I call monkey dust. When two gorillas fight, they try to confuse each other by throwing dust up in the air. It has nothing to do with the substance of the fight but rather is only meant to distract the other side. That is part of what this kerfuffle, if you will--people raise per-beneficiary payments as if that is something pernicious, something that should be avoided, something which is bad. prgtoken First, we are setting this kind of in the perspective of Medicaid. prgtoken Let me speak about per-beneficiary payments. For those who are in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan, the Federal Government makes a per-beneficiary payment to the insurance company to cover that Federal employee. For those States which have a Medicaid managed care company contract, the State makes a per-beneficiary payment to the Medicaid managed care company. That is a per-beneficiary payment. The reason I like this is because, inherently, the dollar follows the patient. prgtoken Now we are speaking about this in the context of a Medicaid reform program. Why should Medicaid be reformed? That is the question. Let's speak about our current Medicaid system. It is bankrupting States and the Federal Government. prgtoken In 2009, for the first time, the amount of money spent by States on Medicaid exceeded what they spent on education. Ever since then, Medicaid's expenditures are going up, and education expenditures are going down. Despite all this money, we get poor outcomes. Medicaid typically pays physicians below their cost of seeing a patient. prgtoken I pointed out in my speech yesterday that the week Care passed the House of Representatives, Robert Pear, the New York Times journalist, wrote an article in the New York Times following cancer patients on Medicaid in Michigan. What Mr. Pear found was an oncologist who had so many Medicaid patients she was going bankrupt. Indeed, she had to begin to discharge those patients from her practice because she could not pay her bills. We tracked down one of those patients who was featured, and she died 2 weeks after being discharged from the practice. prgtoken Medicaid pays so poorly that physicians cannot afford to see large numbers. prgtoken That said, it isn't just an anecdote from this New York Times article. There is a study out of MIT for the National Bureau of Economic Research, I believe it is, that found that with all the money spent on Medicaid, the beneficiary only receives 20 to 40 percent. The rest goes to institutions. prgtoken If we speak about a per-beneficiary payment, substantially all of that money goes to the patient. Under the current scenario, out of an MIT study, only 20 to 40 percent does. prgtoken Go back to the oncologist who couldn't afford to see the patients because her reimbursements were so low. What if the rest of that money, which was not being a

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,034

259

1,037,026

O000168

833

Pete

Olson

Pete Olson

20,170,111

M

1962-12-09

54

0

Republican

rep

TX

DR. GILDARDO ANDRES CEBALLOS NAMED PHYSICIAN OF THE YEAR

I rise today to congratulate Dr. Gildardo Andres Ceballos of Richmond, TX, for being named OakBend Medical Center's 2016 Physician of the Year. prgtoken Dr. Ceballos, board-certified in internal medicine, was awarded this honor thanks to his experience and reputation for kindness and sincerity appreciated by patients and staff alike. The Physician of the Year award is OakBend's highest recognition, which honors the physician who demonstrates significant skill, along with genuine compassion. Colleagues of Dr. Ceballos have described him as a positive professional and a role model both professionally and personally. prgtoken On behalf of the Twenty-Second Congressional District of Texas, congratulations again to Dr. Ceballos for being named OakBend Medical Center's 2016 Physician of the Year. We all benefit from his commitment to quality healthcare and we thank him for his dedication to keep Houstonians healthy.

2,017

1

11

942

566,852

226

1,037,082

M001197

1,079

Martha

McSally

Martha McSally

20,170,111

F

1966-03-22

50

0

Republican

rep

AZ

RECOGNIZING MACY MAINE AND HANNAH MASON, INSPIRATIONAL ROLE MODELS

I rise to recognize two southern Arizona young women for their achievements and for serving as role models in their communities. Macy Maine, a senior at Buena High School, and Hannah Mason, a senior at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, were recently given the 2016 Brilliant, Beautiful and Bold Role Model Award from the Girls Rule Foundation. The award recognizes only a handful of young women across the State who are making a difference. prgtoken Macy was given the award for her active engagement in the community. She represented her high school as an American Legion Auxiliary Arizona Girls State delegate, is an All-American cheerleader, and represented her city at the Power Up Teen Leadership Conference. She is a frequent volunteer and hopes to enter public service. prgtoken Hannah has been a selfless leader for her family and community. After a car accident took the life of her father and severely injured her older sister, Hannah stepped up to care for her family. She helped her sister through multiple surgeries while continuing to excel at school and remain active in the community. She hopes to enter medical school one day. prgtoken , I congratulate both Macy and Hannah for being inspirational role models to their peers and wish them the best of luck as they continue to pursue their dreams.

2,017

1

11

1,334

566,901

258

1,037,313

T000461

300

Patrick

Toomey

Patrick J. Toomey

20,170,111

M

1961-11-17

55

0

1

Republican

sen

PA

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

I rise this afternoon to bid a very fond farewell to a man whom I have come to like very much and respect enormously. He is Christopher Gahan. He has been my chief of staff for 6 years. After 6 years of extraordinary service, he has decided that he is going to move on to the private sector. I want to say a few words about Christopher's background and his contribution to my office, to our country, and the people of Pennsylvania. prgtoken Christopher is actually from New Hampshire. He is a native of Rye Beach. After growing up in New Hampshire, he earned his degree in biology at Brown University and then went on to get a law degree from Harvard. I can assure everyone he has recovered from his educational experience to a very extensive degree. prgtoken He went into law and practiced at the law firm of Latham & Watkins in Los Angeles and Washington. He had a very successful time there, but he decided he wanted to come to Washington and work in government and, specifically, work on the Hill. He went to work for Judd Gregg, Senator Gregg from New Hampshire, and Christopher Gahan, I understand, had almost every job that a Senate office has. He started at the very beginning, but because of his enormous talents and his ability and hard work, he relatively quickly rose and became chief of staff for Senator Gregg. prgtoken When I was elected to the Senate in 2010, I got a call within a matter of weeks from Christopher, and he said he wanted to come and meet with me and discuss the fact that I needed a chief of staff. He drove up to Allentown. We had lunch, and I decided almost immediately that this guy would probably do a great job. He clearly had the attributes that I was looking for. prgtoken I should also point out some of the things that are perhaps not as widely known about Christopher outside of my office. One is that he is a tremendous athlete. He has been for a long time. When he was in college, he was on the varsity men's water polo team. He was cocaptain at Brown, he was All-Ivy League, and to this day, he gets up at 4 or 5 o'clock every morning and usually goes for a run. He occasionally bangs out a marathon and thinks nothing of it. He has quite a diverse range of talents. prgtoken He also has a very peculiar taste in certain things. He loves all things related to cats, except the animals themselves. I don't understand that. Maybe it is an allergy; I am not sure exactly what it is. If you look at his desk area, he has funny photos of cats, little porcelain cats, little masks of cats, and a calendar of cats. He loves all things cats, except the animals themselves. It is quite remarkable. prgtoken Having said all of that about his background, what I really want to say is how fortunate Pennsylvania and I have been to have Christopher Gahan serving in this capacity. As I said, from the day that I had lunch with Christopher, I knew he could do a great job. I knew he had that ability. I had very h

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,024

246

1,037,059

D000621

993

Ron

DeSantis

Ron DeSantis

20,170,111

M

1978-09-14

38

0

Republican

rep

FL

U.N. RESOLUTION 2334

U.N. Resolution 2334 was an anti-Israel resolution that sought to erase the history of the Jewish people and their connection to their historic homeland. prgtoken Under U.N. Resolution 2334, the Western Wall, which is the holiest site in Judaism and the last remnant of the Second Temple, is considered occupied territory. You can't even make this up. I think it is important to point out that the territory at issue, which we are talking about, including the West Bank, which is historic Judea and Samaria--some of the oldest Jewish lands dating back thousands of years--is disputed. It is not occupied territory. prgtoken When you use that term for things like the Western Wall, you show that all you are trying to do is to harm and attack the State of Israel but not do this in an intellectually honest way. If you look at the Balfour Declaration, that entire mandate was originally for a Jewish state, including what is now Jordan. prgtoken As we got into the 1920s, Britain thought that giving what was called Transjordan--what is considered to be the eastern part of Palestine-- would be a reward for the help of some of the Arabs during the First World War. That had been under Turkish control for hundreds of years before World War I. It was then under British control. You have this British mandate, and they eventually give Jordan everything east of the river; but then Jewish Palestine--this is a Jewish state, which is all of Israel proper: Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, you name it--was what Britain wanted to do. The League of Nations in 1922, which is the last legally binding document, recognized that as well. prgtoken Fast-forward past World War II and we get into the late forties. The Arabs always rejected having a state shared with Israel in that respect. Then we get to 1948 and the U.N. Partition Plan. How much measly less territory for Israel? It is really an indefensible country. There is a massive Arab state there; yet Israel accepted even these little crumbs of territory. What did the Arabs do? They rejected having a state. You had invasions against Israel from all sides, and the goal was the annihilation of the Jewish state in 1948. prgtoken Between '48 and '67--we always heard about these 1967 lines. Those are not political lines. Those are armistice lines. Israel won the war for their independence. They beat back the Arab armies. You had Egypt controlling the Gaza Strip and you had Jordan controlling Judea and Samaria, what we know as the West Bank. prgtoken So those were armistice lines, never internationally recognized. Jordan's occupation of the West Bank was not recognized internationally. prgtoken When Arafat founded the PLO, it was in 1964, '65, when you still had these armistice lines. So the Palestine Liberation Organization, what are they trying to liberate Palestine from? He is not talking about the West Bank. He is talking about Israel proper. He wanted to push the Jews to the sea. prgtoken So why

2,017

1

11

3,000

566,879

255

1,037,136

R000598

1,022

Keith

Rothfus

Keith J. Rothfus

20,170,111

M

1962-04-25

54

0

Republican

rep

PA

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5, the Regulatory Accountability Act. prgtoken Many speaking today in support of this legislation are right to point out the crushing impact that Washington's overregulation has had on our economy. We know all too well how overregulation has driven up the cost of health care, financial services, and energy; and it is long past time for reform. prgtoken I would like to highlight a provision of this legislation that I offered 3 years ago that requires agencies to identify when new rules will have a negative impact on jobs and wages. prgtoken Too often, regulators and agency heads are well aware of the negative impact a regulation will have on Americans' jobs and wages even before it is imposed, but they impose it anyway. Specifically, my provision defines when rules have a negative impact on jobs and wages and requires agency heads approving such a rule to submit a statement that they approve the rule knowing its negative impact. prgtoken When people in this far-off Capitol take away the jobs and livelihood of working families, as they have done with miners and power plant workers and laborers in my district, they need to own up to it. The Regulatory Accountability Act will help us to provide American workers with substantial relief from what is often Washington overreach, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation.

2,017

1

11

1,440

566,925

233

1,037,307

M000355

188

Mitch

McConnell

Mitch McConnell

20,170,111

M

1942-02-20

74

0

1

Republican

sen

KY

OBAMACARE

when Care's supporters forced their partisan law on our country, they promised an easy-to-use system--one that would lower premiums and out-of-pocket health care costs, one that would foster choice and allow families to keep the plans and doctors they liked. prgtoken But it didn't take long for the American people to discover the truth about Care. Too many have been personally hurt by this law. Too many feel they are worse off than they were before Care. Listening to their stories helps to explain why they might feel this way. prgtoken For instance, too many Americans say their Care plans are too expensive to actually use. Too many say their Care premiums have gone up and up, although their options have diminished. Too many say their choices on Care have deteriorated to just one or two insurers. prgtoken These are some of the realities of Care for too many families in Kentucky and across the country. These are some inconvenient realities that those who continue to defend this failed law must finally face up to. Remember, even former President Clinton called Care ``the craziest thing in the world.'' This was Bill Clinton on Care. prgtoken So it is little wonder that 8 in 10 favor changing Care significantly or replacing it altogether. We must act quickly to bring relief to the American people. I hope will work with us as we take the next steps toward repealing and replacing this failing law. prgtoken Tonight, Senators from both parties will have an important opportunity to take a vote on the legislative tools necessary to repeal Care. Then we can send it to the House and begin taking the next steps to finally move away from Care, while we move ahead with smarter health care policies. This is what the American people have called for us to do. It is the best way forward for our country and the people we represent. prgtoken .

2,017

1

11

1,996

567,022

245

1,037,156

G000289

39

Bob

Goodlatte

Bob Goodlatte

20,170,111

M

1952-09-22

64

0

Republican

rep

VA

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

I include in the record a list of organizations supporting H.R. 5. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this important amendment. Agricultural Retailers Association, Washington, DC, January 11, 2017. To All Members of the U.S. House of Representatives: On behalf of the Agricultural Retailers Association (ABA), I am writing to urge a vote in support of H.R. 5, the ``Regulatory Accountability Act'' sponsored by Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). This legislation includes a number of important provisions designed to reform the Federal rulemaking process. All stakeholders have a right to fair, open, and transparent rulemaking that respects the proper role of the states and the intent of Congress. For decades, there have been Executive Orders issued from both and Administrations highlighting the importance of an open, transparent, and fair regulatory process. H.R. 5 is an important step forward in codifying the principles that Presidents of both parties have issued in Executive Order 12004 (Issued in Match 1978), Executive Order 12291 (Issued in February 1981), Executive Order 12866 (Issued in September 1993), Executive Order 13132 (Issued in August 1999), and Executive Order 13563 (Issued in January 2011). Some of the reforms in H.R. 5 include provisions such as requiring federal agencies to use less costly regulations, rather than more costly proposals, to obtain a stated objective; requiring federal agencies to explain how their proposed regulations would impact small business owners, their employees, and customers; prohibiting any new rules with a significant economic impact from taking effect until litigation against such proposal has been fully settled without impacting existing regulations; and requiring Federal agencies to publish mandatory transparency reports. Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) plans to offer an amendment on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to prohibit agencies from using social media to sway public opinion in favor of a pending agency proposal. This common-sense amendment is necessary to prevent actions taken by federal agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the General Accountability Office (GAO) found took unlawful actions during its `Waters of the United States'' (WOTUS) proposed rulemaking. ARA urges all House members to vote in favor of the Peterson amendment and to vote ``Yes'' on final passage of H.R, 5. Sincerely, Richard D. Gupton, Senior Vice President, Public Policy & Counsel.

2,017

1

11

2,952

566,937

241

1,037,337

G000359

292

Lindsey

Graham

Lindsey Graham

20,170,111

M

1955-07-09

61

0

1

Republican

sen

SC

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

there are a lot of pressing issues going on in the country and in the world. These are tough, turbulent times. But Senator Scott and I are going to take a moment or two to talk about a topic that I think millions of Americans appreciate: college football. prgtoken In the South, where Tim and I come from, it is as close to being a religion as you can get, and we are here to celebrate Clemson University becoming the national champion in college football, beating Alabama in the best college football playoff game I have ever witnessed in my life. prgtoken To the people of Alabama: You had one heck of a ride, a 26-game winning streak, something you should be proud of. prgtoken To the Tigers: You beat the best team in the country, and, to me, the way you won is as important as the outcome. prgtoken DeShaun Watson is probably going to go in the very top of the draft to the NFL. I would say he is the best college football player in America. What DeShaun has won for Clemson is unbelievable. The way he has done it is even more unbelievable. He graduated in 3 years. He is one of the nicest young men I have ever met in my life. His faith means a lot to him. prgtoken He threw the ball to Hunter Renfrow, who was a walk-on--a young man from a small town in South Carolina who walked on to the Clemson University team. Because of Coach Dabo Swinney, he had a shot at making the team and wound up catching the winning pass to win the national title. prgtoken How is this possible? It is possible because of leadership at the top. President Clements, our new president, has a vision of Clemson University as aggressive and bold off the field as Dabo has had on the field. I think Dabo Swinney represents the best in college sports. The Clemson team is truly a family. If I had a son, I would want him to play for Dabo. prgtoken If you are looking for a place to go to school where you would be academically challenged, go to Clemson. If you are looking for a place to go to school or to be a part of a community, something bigger than yourself, go to Clemson. If you are looking for a place to watch sports at the highest level possible, go to Clemson. prgtoken So I congratulate the Tigers. Who you beat was impressive, but more impressive is how you have conducted yourself over the last couple of years. prgtoken The Clemson program is a model for college athletics. Dabo has an uncanny ability to take people from different backgrounds and mold them into a team. He loves his players and they love him. prgtoken I live 5 miles from Clemson University and went to the University of South Carolina, and most of you don't know what that means: the biggest rivalry. prgtoken I am proud of Clemson. I grew up in the shadow of the university, 5 miles from the stadium. I have been around the Clemson Tiger family all my life. They conferred an honorary degree upon me a couple of years ago. Given the academic standards at Clemson, that is the only way

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,041

289

1,037,611

M001169

745

Christopher

Murphy

Christopher Murphy

20,170,111

M

1973-08-03

43

1

Democrat

sen

CT

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

I would like to congratulate my good friend Joseph Crisco, Jr on his outstanding 24 years of service representing the 17th district in the Connecticut State Senate. Joe has shown an incredible commitment to working for the people of Connecticut over his long career, and I thank him for all that he has done for our State and, in particular, the towns of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Hamden, Naugatuck, and his hometown of Woodbridge. prgtoken Joe is a graduate of Wilbur Cross High School and the University of Connecticut, where he credits many of his early lessons to his time spent as an athlete on the football field. His outstanding career as a player at both institutions earned him a place in the Wilbur Cross Athletic Hall of Fame, and his experience as a standout guard on the UConn football team in 1956 and 1957 helped forge a lasting commitment to his alma mater and shaped the ethic of teamwork and dedication that would follow him to the Connecticut State Senate. prgtoken First elected to the senate in 1992, Joe's commitment to his constituents and his community has never wavered. It is no exaggeration to say that his district would not be what it is today if not for the many grants and public projects he has been responsible for bringing home, from recreational centers and trails, to libraries, animal shelters, and affordable housing. The 17th district's most important institutions--like Griffin Hospital, Quinnipiac University, the Sterling Opera House, the Troop I Barracks of the Connecticut State Police, the former Bethany Airport, and the Metro-North Waterbury branch line--have always had a dedicated friend and advocate in Joe. And the annual senior fair in Ansonia's Warsaw Park, which Joe ran throughout his service in the senate, has provided assistance to thousands of senior citizens over the years and become an iconic event in the Naugatuck Valley. prgtoken But more than simply serving the people in his district, Joe distinguished himself in the Connecticut General Assembly as one of its most effective and hard-working legislators. He served as chair of the Appropriations Committee and the Insurance & Real Estate Committee and had a hand in some of the most important legislation in a generation to support Connecticut's economy and the welfare of its citizens. He led the creation of the Biomedical Research Fund, which has devoted millions of dollars towards research efforts in the State to fight heart disease, cancer, smoking-related illnesses, Alzheimer's, stroke, and diabetes. He championed investment tax credits for economic development and public safety, secured a cost-of-living adjustment for beneficiaries of the ConnPACE Program for seniors, and fought passionately to expand the reach of health insurance coverage. After only 6 years in the senate, Joe pioneered the founding of Family Day; an initiative close to his heart as a father of 6 and grandfather of 18. And t

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,091

276

1,037,067

B000574

409

Earl

Blumenauer

Earl Blumenauer

20,170,111

M

1948-08-16

68

1

0

Democrat

rep

OR

YOUR VOICE DOES MATTER

there is lots of incredible news out there. The press conference just makes your head spin, but we have seen that the public's voice does matter. prgtoken Because of public outcry, within minutes after the late-night closed meetings, the plan to gut the independent Office of Congressional Ethics was reversed. In response to outrage about jeopardizing health care for millions of Americans, some s now admit that repealing the Affordable Care Act is not quite so simple and maybe they should come up with a replacement, even if they don't yet know how to do it. Senate s even delayed some of the Cabinet confirmation hearings to allow a more orderly review and scrutiny. prgtoken Your voice does matter. prgtoken The President said last night that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it. Obviously, these fights are just beginning, but the last 10 days shows that together we can and will protect the values and programs so vital to America.

2,017

1

11

1,059

566,887

287

1,037,399

T000464

742

Jon

Tester

Jon Tester

20,170,111

M

1956-08-21

60

1

Democrat

sen

MT

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

the Flake amendment is going to really result in less access for veterans across this country. prgtoken The VA already has some hiring challenges due to a severe national shortage of medical personnel. This amendment is going to set the VA back even further. prgtoken I will tell you why. It is going to prohibit the VA from hiring any medical professional who has ever had their license or credentials suspended. That means if it was done by administrative error, with that suspension, they wouldn't be able to be hired. If it got lost in the mail, they wouldn't be able to be hired. If they moved States and forgot to fill out the paperwork, those medical professionals wouldn't be able to be hired. prgtoken It is really going to undermine the VA's ability to attract some of the most topnotch medical professionals and take care of our veterans. prgtoken We have a medical workforce shortage in Montana. I am sure they do in Arizona. Why would we make the VA a less attractive place to work? Why would we want to do this? I would encourage a ``no'' vote.

2,017

1

11

1,086

567,061

284

1,037,472

G000555

720

Kirsten

Gillibrand

Kirsten E. Gillibrand

20,170,111

F

1966-12-09

50

1

Democrat

sen

NY

amendment no. 83

I rise to oppose the amendment of the Senator from Nebraska. While we all support community health centers, and they are very useful in the State of New York as well, this is just another attempt to end the protections the Affordable Care Act provides for women. prgtoken Nothing in this amendment will say that you cannot charge women more for health care just because they are women. Nothing in this amendment will say that you cannot charge women for health care or drop their coverage when they become pregnant. Nothing in this amendment provides for any restrictions on discrimination. prgtoken It does not provide the mammograms, the preventive care services, the contraception care, and other affordable cancer screenings that women need. This amendment does not protect women's health care. They will still be discriminated against, charged more, and drop coverage as soon as they become pregnant. It is not acceptable. prgtoken I raise a point of order that the pending amendment is not germane to the underlying resolution and therefore violates section 305(b)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

2,017

1

11

1,145

567,083

278

1,037,489

B000944

504

Sherrod

Brown

Sherrod Brown

20,170,111

M

1952-11-09

64

1

Democrat

sen

OH

amendment no. 83

thanks to Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, CHIP--two programs made stronger by the Affordable Care Act--95 percent of children in America now have affordable, comprehensive health insurance that covers annual physicals, dental care, and hospital stays. Why would we want to move backward instead of building on that 95 percent? prgtoken Amendment No. 86 creates a budget point of order against any legislation that would decrease coverage, reduce benefits, or raise costs when it comes to children's health insurance. Rather than ripping away coverage from children, we should be building on that 95 percent number; we should build on that progress; we should work to get 100 percent of our Nation's children covered. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

2,017

1

11

823

567,088

292

1,037,414

C001070

763

Robert

Casey

Robert P. Casey, Jr.

20,170,111

M

1960-04-13

56

1

Democrat

sen

PA

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

this amendment deals with three basic issues. The first is the issue of preexisting conditions, the second is the issue with regard to discrimination as it relates to health status, and the third issue is with regard to caps on coverage. prgtoken The first issue is we want to make sure no action is taken in the Senate that would have the effect of limiting access to care for those individuals with preexisting conditions. That is No. 1. prgtoken No. 2, we want to make sure we don't place any lifetime caps on health insurance coverage for individuals with a disability or with a chronic condition. prgtoken No. 3, we want to make sure health plans will not discriminate on the basis of either the individual's physical health, their mental health, or their disability status. prgtoken This is the right thing to do for health care, and I urge an affirmative vote on this amendment.

2,017

1

11

911

567,065

282

1,037,258

G000551

659

Raúl

Grijalva

Raúl M. Grijalva

20,170,111

M

1948-02-19

68

1

0

Democrat

rep

AZ

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

I appreciate the comments of my esteemed colleague. We have to get past the point where we are just talking about repeal. As the President so eloquently said last night, if there is something that is going to improve the health and well-being of the American people relative to the Affordable Care Act, then bring it forward. We all have been waiting patiently for the majority to bring something forward that not only repeals but replaces. We are still waiting. prgtoken In terms of this amendment, the resource management plans are the backbone for every action and approved use on BLM land. It is about scoping. It is about public input, collaborative with State, local, tribal, and user groups across the spectrum, and that is the process that is in place now, a process that deserves to be continued, ratified, and protected. prgtoken As far as the issue of climate change, the President eloquently said last night that we should go forward on the issue of climate change, putting science and reason as a priority on how we have that discussion. Once the majority is prepared to deal with science and reason, I think our side of the aisle is willing to do so as well. prgtoken , .

2,017

1

11

1,275

566,991

275

1,037,031

S001145

388

Janice

Schakowsky

Janice D. Schakowsky

20,170,111

F

1944-05-26

72

1

0

Democrat

rep

IL

PERSONAL EXPLANATION

I missed Roll Call vote numbers 26 through 31 because I was attending the President's farewell address. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows: 26, H. Res 33, Previous Question, No; 27, H. Res. 33, Agreeing to the Resolution, No; 28, Journal, Approving the Journal, No; 29, H.R. 79, Velazquez of New York Amendment No. 1, Yes; 30, H.R. 79, Clay of Missouri Amendment No. 2, Yes; 31, H.R. 79, Passage, No.

2,017

1

11

430

566,856

271

1,037,243

S000185

173

Robert

Scott

Robert C. "Bobby" Scott

20,170,111

M

1947-04-30

69

1

0

Democrat

rep

VA

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

this amendment to the Regulatory Accountability Act, H.R. 5, if adopted, would exempt regulations proposed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, MSHA and OSHA, which are needed to prevent or reduce the incidence of traumatic injury, cancer, or irreversible lung disease. prgtoken I am deeply concerned that this legislation would impose layers of unnecessary procedures to the rulemaking process and provide incentives for frivolous litigation, while hindering workplace safety agencies trying to help keep workers safe. prgtoken Current procedures that govern OSHA's rulemaking already involve an extensive review process and stakeholder engagement from small business review panels, risk assessments, economic feasibility determinations, public hearings, and multiple opportunities for public comment. prgtoken According to the GAO, to meet these requirements, it takes OSHA 7 years to issue a new safety standard. In fact, it required 18 years for OSHA to update a rule that reduces exposure to beryllium, a metal that causes irreversible lung disease, even though there was broad agreement between employers and unions on the new standard. prgtoken H.R. 5 imposes 60 additional procedural steps in order to issue a new rule, on top of extensive layers of review already required by the Administrative Procedure Act, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, Data Quality Act, and numerous executive orders. The goal of adding these layers is obvious: to tie agencies such as OSHA and MSHA in red tape so they can't do their jobs protecting workers and improving workplace safety. prgtoken One especially troubling part of the bill would require a super- mandate that requires agencies to use the least cost alternative instead of the most protective rule. Nobody favors excessive cost, but this requirement overrides the carefully balanced requirements in OSHA that require life and limb must be fully protected, provided that the safety requirements are technically and economically feasible. That is the present law. prgtoken The question that needs to be asked is: The least cost to whom and at what cost to others? What is the least cost mandate protection of workers? Is the least cost mandate secondary to worker safety in order to limit cost to corporations? And then again, who decides? prgtoken Under the bill, some regulations could be delayed until the end of any litigation, the final determination in a lawsuit which, with trials and appeals, could take years. The bill prohibits the rules from going into effect until the end of the litigation. Now, normally, you can get an injunction, but that would require the court to consider the likelihood of success of the lawsuit and the potential harm done if the injunction is issued or not issued. prgtoken Under H.R. 5, rules could exceed the least cost alternative, but only if the agency demonstrates that the additional benefits outwe

2,017

1

11

3,000

566,984

279

1,037,326

C000174

543

Thomas

Carper

Thomas R. Carper

20,170,111

M

1947-01-23

69

1

Democrat

sen

DE

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

I come to the floor with a lot of other folks to talk about the health care in this country. I think one of the goals we all share--and maybe we are not sure how to get there--is how to make sure that everybody who needs access to health care has it, that it is affordable, and that they get reasonably good quality, whoever they are and wherever they come from. prgtoken When I was a naval flight officer, we used to fly a lot of missions out of Japan during the Cold War. I have a special interest in Japan, and I like the folks there. They are pretty remarkable in what they have achieved over the years. One of the things they have achieved over the years is providing pretty good health care for a fairly modest amount of money. prgtoken We started working on the Affordable Care Act 7 or 8 years ago. One of the things I learned about Japan was that they were spending 8 percent of their gross domestic product for health care in their country. We were spending 18 percent. As it turns out, they were getting better results. They had lower rates of infant mortality and higher rates of longevity. People lived longer. Newborns died less frequently than we did. On top of all that, in Japan they covered everybody. Everybody was covered for health care. We had about 40 million people--over 40 million people at the time--whose health care coverage was to get into an emergency room of a hospital, try to get in line, and get someone's attention. prgtoken I know how smart the Japanese are, but I don't think they can be that smart and we can be that dumb. That is sort of where we were 6, 7 years ago. So we said: What are we going to do about it? prgtoken I think almost every President--maybe since Truman--had a goal of making sure everybody in this country had access to health care. A lot of folks talked about it and maybe tried to do something. The first time we had a serious effort to do that was during the Clinton administration, not led by President Bill Clinton but led by First Lady Hillary Clinton. What she came up with and worked on was something called HillaryCare. prgtoken The s came up with an alternative to HillaryCare introduced by the Senator from Rhode Island, John Chafee--a really good guy, a very able guy. I actually served with his son Lincoln in the Senate. But in 1993, 1994, when most people focused on HillaryCare, John Chafee introduced legislation with 20 or so cosponsors. A couple of them are still here, I think. Senator Orrin Hatch was one of them, and Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa was one of them--maybe a couple of , as well. But 20 to 25 Senators, mostly , cosponsored the Chafee legislation. prgtoken This chart mentions the Chafee bill and what was included in the Chafee legislation. One of the things included was the individual mandate--basically, that everybody had to get coverage. prgtoken Second was the employer mandate, which basically

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,033

272

1,037,457

W000779

333

Ron

Wyden

Ron Wyden

20,170,111

M

1949-05-03

67

1

Democrat

sen

OR

amendment no. 83

. and colleagues, this amendment is supported by a number of Senators because, as the Senate majority plows ahead with a scheme that I call repeal and run, it is putting tens of millions of Americans in danger of losing their health insurance, and Americans are waiting for Congress to step up and adopt smart policies that will drive down the cost of prescription medicine. prgtoken We understand this is an era of miracle cures and treatments. There are drugs on the market today that were science fiction not very long ago. With drug prices rising, the question is whether Americans are going to be able to afford them. This is a growing source of inequality, and it cannot go unchecked. prgtoken Here is my bottom line.

2,017

1

11

747

567,080

296

1,037,279

B001296

1,120

Brendan

Boyle

Brendan F. Boyle

20,170,111

M

1977-02-06

39

1

0

Democrat

rep

PA

MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS

today, we have more questions than answers about profoundly disturbing ties between the President-elect and shadowy Russian influences. prgtoken The American people deserve full disclosure about any financial or personal interests held over this incoming administration by foreign entities and potential collusion to undermine our democracy. prgtoken Why has Mr. failed to oppose Russia's forceful annexation of Crimea? prgtoken Why did he pressure his party to officially withdraw a plank calling for assistance to Ukraine? prgtoken Why did Mr. reflexively attack our own intelligence officials when they warned of Russian interference in the election? prgtoken Why is he avoiding regular intelligence briefings? prgtoken Now that our intelligence community has concretely confirmed that Russia meddled in our democracy, we must demand to know if there has been any undue influence on Mr. since he began his campaign. These new allegations finally shed light on his potential motives. prgtoken , Congress, as a coequal branch of government, must conduct a bipartisan investigation and do it immediately.

2,017

1

11

1,136

566,998

263

1,037,052

M000312

19

James

McGovern

James P. McGovern

20,170,111

M

1959-11-20

57

1

0

Democrat

rep

MA

HONORING FNS UNDERSECRETARY KEVIN CONCANNON

I rise today to pay tribute to the incredible work of Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services at the United States Department of Agriculture. prgtoken Kevin's dedication to public service is admirable. Throughout his distinguished career, Kevin has not only served in Federal Government, but he also led Health and Human Services departments in his home State of Maine and in Oregon and in Iowa. Kevin also helped to advance our knowledge of social policy as a graduate professor at several universities across our country. prgtoken Since 2009, Kevin has capably led FNS, the division of USDA responsible for administering and overseeing SNAP, the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs, the Summer Food Service Program, WIC, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, and several other nutrition programs. prgtoken Under Kevin's leadership, we have made significant progress in ensuring our most vulnerable neighbors have prgtoken healthy options to feed their families. He helped to spur a dramatic increase in the number of farmers markets accepting EBT cards, thereby allowing SNAP recipients greater access to fruits and vegetables while also supporting local farmers. He also oversaw the creation of USDA's Farm to School Program, an effort focused on incorporating local foods in our school meal programs. prgtoken During his tenure, we enacted the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, legislation that, for the first time in over 30 years, made much-needed improvements and increased access to our school meal programs. prgtoken Kevin oversaw our Nation's premier antihunger program, SNAP, as it provided millions of our neighbors with food assistance during the height of the Great Recession and the recovery that followed, and he has been a fearless advocate for the food and nutrition programs he oversees. When it comes to the nuances of SNAP or WIC or school meals, Kevin's knowledge and expertise is simply unmatched. He knows the issues impacting vulnerable families, and he is passionate about addressing hunger in this country. prgtoken , during the past several years, I have had the privilege to collaborate with and learn from Kevin as we worked to address hunger and food insecurity in the United States. I am particularly appreciative of the time he took away from his office in Washington to join me on two summer meal tours in my home State of Massachusetts. Together, we visited a number of schools, parks, camps, and community centers supported by USDA's Summer Food Service Program that ensures children and teens in low-income areas have access to healthy meals during the summer months. prgtoken I was always impressed by how he connected with my constituents and his passion for the work he does. He is, truly, a remarkable public servant, and he has made a real difference in the lives of millions and millions of people in this country. prgtoken , I am grateful for Under Secretary Concannon's effor

2,017

1

11

3,000

566,872

267

1,037,138

J000032

79

Sheila

Jackson Lee

Sheila Jackson Lee

20,170,111

F

1950-01-12

66

1

0

Democrat

rep

TX

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

I thank the distinguished chairman and the distinguished ranking member for convening us. It reenforces my commitment to the importance of the House Judiciary Committee for important, innovative, and groundbreaking, in some instances, work that we have done. prgtoken In this instance, I find fault because this legislation does not meet that criteria. Just a few days ago, we read the prgtoken Constitution, and some might make the argument that H.R. 5 fits very comfortably into the Bill of Rights, Amendment V and Amendment XIV. Both frame themselves around the question of due process. I make the argument that this legislation is sorely lacking. prgtoken I want to take up, first of all, a point made by my colleague, a member of the Rules Committee. This legislation, to my recalling, has been circulated for many years. It seems that I have been in the House when a bill like H.R. 5 has passed over and over again. prgtoken This bill appeared in the 114th Congress. Many Members left since that time. New Members are here. New Members, s and , will be added to the House Judiciary Committee and to the Senate Judiciary Committee. None of them will have had the opportunity for regular order, to be able to ensure hearings and to be able to engage in input with amendments that I would agree or disagree with, but to have a vigorous debate in our Judiciary Committee as well as in the Senate. It did not happen. We are now on the floor of the House. So that is one fracture of what we are doing, one Achilles' heel to this legislation. prgtoken In the last 24 hours, I heard a news account of a little boy who swallowed magnets that were produced by a particular company. It went through the process. It was designated dangerous; and then, unfortunately, that dangerous status was pulled back, and the company is excited about producing those magnets again. prgtoken The little boy who swallowed the magnets, I think, was about 2 years old. A happy little boy, of course, that is how children are. He had major intestinal surgery, and most of his intestines were removed. He is now 6 years old, and he must now be fed intravenously. prgtoken His devastation is our failure. That is what we are facing with H.R. 5. prgtoken I don't know if my colleagues agree, as boring as the Administrative Procedure Act was in law school, I liked the course. I had a great professor who made me understand the life of the APA and its value. This legislation attempts to rewrite the Administrative Procedure Act to the detriment of the American people. prgtoken Consider this, hardworking agencies should have oversight; that is what our committees are all about. They should have oversight. They will now have to jump through hoops of 70 new criteria. I didn't say 10; I didn't say a quarter of 100, 25; I didn't say a half of 100, 50; but 70 when issuing rules, including alternatives to any rule proposal, the scope of the problems the ru

2,017

1

11

3,000

566,926

280

1,037,358

N000032

555

Bill

Nelson

Bill Nelson

20,170,111

M

1942-09-29

74

1

Democrat

sen

FL

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, if you really want to rile up the senior citizens of this country, then you start taking away their prescription drugs. If that is what you want to do, then you better vote against my amendment. If you take away the ACA, they are going to end up paying $1,000 per year, out of pocket per senior citizen, on their prescription drug benefits. So if you want to support the seniors, you better support this amendment.

2,017

1

11

461

567,048

290

1,037,320

W000802

754

Sheldon

Whitehouse

Sheldon Whitehouse

20,170,111

M

1955-10-20

61

1

Democrat

sen

RI

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

I have crossed through and beyond 150 ``Time to Wake Up'' speeches. People sometimes ask me how I come up with the material. It is actually easy, even week after week after week, because it only takes reading the news. If we look back at the headlines and dubious milestones of 2016, we find plenty to talk about. prgtoken Last year was hot. NASA and NOAA are expected to certify later this month that 2016 was the hottest year in recorded history, exceeding the previous record set by 2015 and the previous record set by 2014. What this means is, 2014, 2015, and 2016 have each succeeded the last as the three hottest years on record. prgtoken The United Nations World Meteorological Organization found that the world was 1.2 degrees Celsius or over 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer in 2016 than it was before the Industrial Revolution and the dawn of wide- scale fossil fuel use. prgtoken We are careening closer and closer to the 2-degree Celsius mark which scientists say brings, to quote in 2009, ``catastrophic'' and ``irreversible'' climate effects. prgtoken In 2016, climate change continued to make some places almost unrecognizable. Up north in the Arctic things got bizarre. Thermometers spiked in mid-November to almost 35 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal, with a 37-year low in the nearby sea ice. The peaks were about 50 degrees above normal, and around Christmas it actually rose above freezing at the North Pole. Imagine, the snow was actually beginning to melt at the North Pole just as Santa was loading his sleigh with Christmas gifts. prgtoken In the tropics, undersea forests of once colorful coral stood bone white as the Great Barrier Reef experienced the greatest bleaching and coral die-off on record. What happens is that the superwarm water stressed the corals. That forces them to expel the tiny algae that lives symbiotically with the coral, providing them their food, and that is what gives coral reefs their beautiful color and their life. When the algae go, the coral structures turn ghostly white. They often do not recover. prgtoken It is not just the Great Barrier Reef. My clips today included a story from Japan, whose biggest coral reef has just been determined to be 70 percent dead. prgtoken The researchers in Australia found severe bleaching throughout the Great Barrier Reef. The Guardian reported in March that ``93 percent of the 3,000 individual reefs [had] been touched by bleaching, and almost a quarter . . . [had] been killed by this bleaching event.'' prgtoken By November, around two-thirds of the northern portion of the Great Barrier Reef had died, with some atolls suffering complete devastation. Warming is at the heart of that catastrophe. prgtoken We also know from the physical laws of thermal expansion that as ocean water warms, it does something else. It expands. The oceans also are taking in melting water from our shrinking glaciers. Together, those factors are causing sea l

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,029

268

1,037,336

D000563

100

Richard

Durbin

Richard J. Durbin

20,170,111

M

1944-11-21

72

1

Democrat

sen

IL

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

NBC News compiled a document of activity by Russia and Vladimir Putin. It starts in April of 2007 in Estonia, where the Russians were disabling their Internet; in June 2008, in Lithuania, where the Russian hackers were defacing government Web pages; in August 2008, in Georgia, where the Russian hackers shut down the country's internal communications system; in January 2009, in Kyrgyzstan, as part of an effort to persuade the President there to evict a U.S. military base, the Russian hackers shut down two of the country's four Internet service providers. prgtoken April of 2009 in Kazakhstan. After Kazakh media published a statement by the country's president that criticized Russia, Russian-attributed attacks shut down the publication's Web site. prgtoken August 2009 in Georgia, there was similar activity; May 2014 in Ukraine; March 2014 in Ukraine; May 2015 in Germany; December 2015 in Ukraine; October 2015 in the Netherlands; January 2016 in Finland; December 2016 in Germany. prgtoken Of course, there was also the Russian military seizure of sovereign territory in the nation of Georgia in 2008 and their invasion of Ukraine in 2014. In fact, Russian forces and their proxies still hold captured land in Georgia and Ukraine, and from that spot in Ukraine separatists shot down a civilian airliner 2 years ago, murdering 283 innocent passengers, including 8 children. prgtoken This is our adversary. This is the man who is trying to undermine the American electoral system. We cannot take it lightly. prgtoken Twenty years ago, when I was elected to the Senate, I was a member of the Government Affairs Committee. The first hearing we had was a lengthy investigative hearing. What was the basis of it? We had just concluded a Presidential campaign, and allegations were made that the Chinese Government 20 years ago was trying to insert itself into the Presidential campaign of the United States, specifically in support of the Clinton-Gore ticket. prgtoken Fred Thompson was chairman of that committee, a pretty well-known man who has since passed, but he was a pretty outstanding lawyer in addition to being a pretty famous actor. He was my chairman. He spent months in public hearings investigating whether the Chinese tried to insert themselves in any way, shape, or form in the election of Clinton-Gore. They found virtually no evidence, other than a handful of Buddhist nuns writing checks to the campaign, which nobody ever really explained. But there was no evidence that the Chinese Government was involved in this in any specific way. We spent months on that theory in open hearings, and then published reports--conflicting reports on conclusions from that committee. We took it that seriously 20 years ago. prgtoken What are we doing about this? Well, Senator McConnell, the leader, said that we will do the regular order; we will let the regular committees go about their business and figure out what might

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,040

274

1,037,331

S000770

366

Debbie

Stabenow

Debbie Stabenow

20,170,111

F

1950-04-29

66

1

Democrat

sen

MI

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

I want to talk specifically for a few minutes about mental health care and about an amendment that I will be offering this evening. But I do want to start off by stepping back for a moment and indicating that, from my perspective, I know those of us on the ic side of the aisle understand that we have work to do together to continue to bring down costs for health care and, in some areas where there is not enough competition, in fact, to create that competition. Affordable health care is the goal for all of us. I have concerns in looking at my small business community that we continue to do things that support them. That is different than what we are being asked to vote on here. prgtoken What we are being asked to vote on is a repeal of health reform that touches every American and all of the patient protections that we put in place that have moved total control from insurance companies to people with insurance so that we can't quit a job if we get sick. If you have a preexisting condition, are a diabetic, or have heart disease or you had some other challenge or your child has, you know that you will have confidence that you will continue to be able to find insurance and see your doctor. There are all of the provisions that are here--young people up to age 26, all of the efforts that we put in place to make sure that you have the confidence and the ability to know that you have insurance. We need to ensure that if someone has cancer, they are not going to be capped with the amount of care they can get. prgtoken Yesterday in the capitol in Lansing, MI, there were physicians and pediatricians working with cancer patients, with children and their families, who were talking about the fact that, because of the Affordable Care Act and taking off the caps on the amount and kinds of treatment that children with cancer can get, literally, lives have been saved. Parents are now looking at this body and the Congress as a whole and the new President and are saying: Why in the world would we want to go back to a situation where people can't get the level of care, the quality of care, or, in some cases, the care at all for themselves or their families? prgtoken So we are proposing that, rather than repealing health reform, which unravels the entire health care system because part of it is Medicare, part of it is prescription drugs going back up--it weakens the Medicare system, and it weakens the Medicaid system, where most of the dollars are going to seniors in nursing homes. It creates a situation where someone who is working very hard at a minimum-wage job and hasn't been able to have insurance because their employer didn't provide it can now have the assurance that they can care for themselves and their families and see a doctor without using the emergency room for regular treatment, which, of course, is the most expensive way to get health care and drives the costs up. What is being proposed is

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,036

264

1,037,386

B001230

22

Tammy

Baldwin

Tammy Baldwin

20,170,111

F

1962-02-11

54

1

Democrat

sen

WI

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

if Members of this body care about insurance coverage for young people, young adults up to age 26, then they should vote no on the Heller side-by-side and take the opportunity to support my amendment that we will vote on immediately following the disposal of this amendment. prgtoken In this Nation, we had an uninsurance crisis among young people before the Affordable Care Act was passed--one of the most uninsured demographics in America, and we have an opportunity to protect those young people through my amendment later this evening, but I urge a ``no'' vote on an amendment that would do nothing to protect these young people.

2,017

1

11

661

567,057

265

1,037,433

M000639

46

Robert

Menendez

Robert Menendez

20,170,111

M

1954-01-01

63

1

Democrat

sen

NJ

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

this is not an amendment to protect the elderly and disabled. It guts Medicaid's opportunity by going into a block grant or per capita cut that would sharply cut Federal funding over time and eliminate the States' flexibility to innovate. prgtoken Instead, this proposal only gives States flexibility to make draconian cuts, leaving millions of seniors and individuals with disabilities who rely on Medicaid without the access to needed health care. Instead of the State-Federal partnership that gives States broad flexibility to run their programs but do so with Federal minimum standards that are important consumer protections like mental health parity, early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and testing for children, and network adequacy protection will go to block grants. prgtoken Do you know what happens when there is no more entitlement and you go to a block grant? You cut the block grant, and before you know it, you have no Medicaid. prgtoken This is not protecting seniors, children, and the disabled. I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment. prgtoken I raise a point of order that the pending amendment is not germane to the underlying resolution and therefore violates Section 305(b)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

2,017

1

11

1,276

567,073

295

1,037,377

M001183

955

Joe

Manchin

Joe Manchin, III

20,170,111

M

1947-08-24

69

1

Democrat

sen

WV

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017

basically, if you are concerned about your rural hospital or health care system centers, this is the amendment that will save them. This is the amendment that will protect them. You can go home and say, basically, that we have made sure that no matter what happens with the Affordable Care Act, we are going to make sure we protect our rural hospitals and rural clinics. That being said, all of us have rural areas in our States. I urge the adoption of this amendment and the support of this amendment. It has the teeth of the budget point of order. prgtoken So I urge everybody: If you care about your health care providers-- the economic engine, the protection of your people in your areas that have very poor health care coverage right now--make sure you vote in support of this amendment.

2,017

1

11

821

567,054

266

1,037,075

G000410

77

Gene

Green

Gene Green

20,170,111

M

1947-10-17

69

1

0

Democrat

rep

TX

DON'T MAKE AMERICA SICK AGAIN

the Congressional Budget Office estimated that 22 million Americans would lose their health insurance if the bill from last Congress becomes law. Let's don't make America sick again. prgtoken There should be no repeal of health reform without an immediate, adequate replacement that achieves the same historic goals in coverage, ensures people with preexisting conditions aren't blocked or priced out of the market, and that plans cover a basic set of benefits and consumer protections. prgtoken Repealing the Affordable Care Act without a replacement in place will cause chaos. Millions will lose coverage; the individual insurance market will be in shambles; doctors, hospitals, and States will lose billions; and the economy will be hurt. Without health insurance, people with chronic diseases will lose care and become sicker. prgtoken Every major law that Congress has passed needs oversight and revision to make sure it is as effective as intended. Congress can amend any law, but doing so in a way that will cause 22 million of the newly insured people to be without health insurance is just wrong. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to stop working against the health of American people. We should not be making America sick again.

2,017

1

11

1,267

566,894

293

1,037,088

P000598

796

Jared

Polis

Jared Polis

20,170,111

M

1975-05-12

41

1

0

Democrat

rep

CO

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 78, SEC REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 238, COMMODITY END-USER RELIEF ACT; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I thank the gentleman for the customary 30 minutes. prgtoken , I rise in opposition to the rule and the underlying bills. prgtoken I start by, again, mentioning the fact that we have before us, under this rule, H.R. 238, the Commodity End-User Relief Act, and H.R. 78, the SEC Regulatory Accountability Act. I will talk about them in a minute. prgtoken There are 56 Members of this body who are new Members and who had no chance to participate in marking up prgtoken these bills in their committees of jurisdiction. Sure, I am back and Mr. Newhouse is back, but 56 people who were in that Congress in December are not here now, and there are 56 new people. prgtoken Again, a regular order process would allow these bills to go through committee and have ideas and the participation from and s, who represent, collectively, tens of millions of people in this country, in improving these bills. We did not allow it. These bills just appeared fait accompli in the Rules Committee yesterday. Here we are on the floor. None of the new Members had a chance in their committees to offer them. prgtoken In fact, I am not sure where the s are in their process, but are still finalizing our committee assignments. We have some of them, and the rest will be completed shortly. prgtoken For Congress to work well, we need to have regular order. And for regular order to work, we need to make sure that the 56 new Members who represent tens of millions of people are not disenfranchised in this process. prgtoken Now, getting to the bills. H.R. 238, the Commodities End-User Relief Act, has been brought to the floor even before the Agriculture Committee convened or held its organizing meeting. It reauthorizes the Commodities Futures Trading Commission through 2021. It makes a lot of changes to internal changes and modifies a number of provisions that were designed to prevent financial meltdowns. prgtoken Additionally, H.R. 238 includes language on issues that the Commodities Futures Trading Commission has already addressed through its own efforts. For example, the Commodities Future Trading Commission has acted on 16 of 22 provisions in titles I and III. Particularly, many of us are concerned by the cross-border language in the bill, which would undercut efforts already underway by the Commission to negotiate an international system of safe and robust derivative rules. prgtoken H.R. 238 would actually require the Commodities Futures Trading Commission to create a rule that would automatically allow U.S. banks and foreign banks conducting business in the U.S. to do so under the rules imposed by foreign jurisdictions, which can be substantially different than those of our own, removing the confidence in the marketplace that is needed for a commodity market to work. prgtoken Finally, as you know, Congress passed a number of reforms to enable regulators to respond q

2,017

1

11

3,000

566,904

286

1,037,121

C001068

726

Steve

Cohen

Steve Cohen

20,170,111

M

1949-05-24

67

1

0

Democrat

rep

TN

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

. I thank the gentleman. prgtoken , these bills are a group of bills that have been considered for many years and have passed on partisan votes in the House. What you do when you repeal regulations or make it harder to have regulations is you make it better for business, better for the Chamber crowd, better for the manufacturing folk. prgtoken But there is always a cost for everything. I think it was Isaac Newton who said: ``For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.'' You take these regulations off, increase business, and make it easier; but there is an equal and opposite effect in that Newtonian law as the consumer of the products. prgtoken Whether it is food and food safety, whether it is water safety and purity, whether it is air safety, whether it is toys and manufacturers' defects or automobiles and safety in transportation--it could be airplane transportation--there is always a side that loses; and the side that loses is that of the consumers and the folks who will be injured and/or killed because of lack of regulations. prgtoken I don't know how much one life is worth. If it is mine or one of my loved ones or one of my constituents--I am getting a little political here--it is worth a lot, but it is worth a lot no matter who it is, and there are going to be lots of people who will not survive some of these regulations. There are going to be injuries in the workplace because regulations for safety aren't there. There will be food products that are defective because regulations aren't in place, and people will eat food that is not appropriate, not pure. prgtoken I had an amendment I proposed here on civil rights, and I think civil rights is one of our most precious rights--one that has been neglected on many occasions. That amendment would have said that this would not affect any civil rights rules, but it was not put in order; but it includes people with disabilities. Those are areas in which we should have exempted and not had anything stop our steadfastness toward securing civil rights and securing opportunities for people with disabilities. prgtoken I am against the bills. I am for the consumer. I think there might be a measured way to do this, but this is a heavy-handed way to do it, and the consumer loses.

2,017

1

11

2,310

566,920

294

1,037,264

T000469

814

Paul

Tonko

Paul Tonko

20,170,111

M

1949-06-18

67

1

0

Democrat

rep

NY

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

I oppose this amendment which requires that an agency publish a list of scientific information relating to a rule or expected to relate to the rule for each rule that an agency expects to propose for the following year. I am concerned that this amendment would create unintended consequences and operate as a one-way ratchet to slow down and stop the rulemaking process by requiring burdensome disclosures and creating options for procedural gridlock. prgtoken Agencies are already required to publish relevant data in support of a rule during these rulemaking processes. Rules that do not appear to be based on a reasoned analysis of relevant data may be vacated by reviewing courts as arbitrary or capricious. Moreover, data acquired through federally funded research is already accessible to researchers who have a legitimate purpose. prgtoken I am also concerned that because this amendment does not define scientific information or clarify the scope of this publication requirement, peer reviewed materials may be taken out of context or otherwise misused for political purposes. In so doing, this requirement may chill feedback in the scientific community, undermine agencies' ability to adopt the best rules possible, or otherwise manufacture delays in the rulemaking process. prgtoken Any additional requirements in this area should strengthen, rather than weaken, the process of science-based prgtoken rulemaking. Given these concerns, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. prgtoken , .

2,017

1

11

1,584

566,993

273

1,037,048

G000535

361

Luis

Gutiérrez

Luis V. Gutiérrez

20,170,111

M

1953-12-10

63

1

0

Democrat

rep

IL

IMMIGRATION

as I have said before, we hope for the best from the new President, but we must prepare for the worst. prgtoken Everyone who has looked at the record of the key advisers to President-elect on the issue of immigration has reason for very deep concern that the new President is going to follow the advice of some of the most extreme voices in the immigration debate. prgtoken As for the new President himself, he is a bit of an unknown because he changes his mind on key issues just as quickly as his Twitter feed refreshes. He says he has a plan for this and a plan for that, but they are secret plans, and, as far as we know, they are even secrets to him. prgtoken He knows more about computers and the Internet, ISIS and terrorists, Russia and NATO than all of the policy experts put together, and he thinks of himself as kind of the ultimate Presidential adviser to the new President. prgtoken But it is 's lieutenants who worry most of us. They are the most clearly ideological and dangerous set of leaders ever assembled in American Government on immigration and any number of issues we care about. prgtoken They are vindictive when it comes to our immigrant community. The truth is that among the new President key advisers are some of the staunchest opponents of legal immigration. They are against legal immigration. That is right. prgtoken While we all oppose illegal immigration, and some of us have been working for years to upgrade the American system so that immigrants come with visas instead of smugglers, the people with access to the Presidency disagree, and they don't want immigrants to come here at all from anywhere. prgtoken Look, we have made legal immigration extremely difficult for everyone and simply impossible for most people. And then we have been relying on deportation, walls, enforcement, and curtailing due process rights for immigrants, and that constitutes their immigration control strategy for the past 25 years. And it hasn't worked for 25 years. prgtoken But the American people want a humane, sustainable, secure, and effective legal immigration system and a way for people who already live and work here peacefully in America to be able to do so within the law. prgtoken So, , this is why I will join a few thousand allies here in Washington this Saturday at the historic Metropolitan AME Church on M Street to send a clear message that immigrants and their allies are standing up for immigrant communities. prgtoken And check out the Web site. The D.C. rally will be one of more than 50 public actions and marches across America on or about this Saturday the 14th, where leaders of the immigrant rights' movement will stand alongside elected officials, faith, labor, education, and LGBTQ leaders to say: we will not allow mass deportation or immigrant roundups on our watch. prgtoken That we do not want endless delays that keep families waiting 10, 15, 20 years for a visa. That we don't want people to have

2,017

1

11

3,000

566,868

285

1,037,071

S001165

724

Albio

Sires

Albio Sires

20,170,111

M

1951-01-26

65

1

0

Democrat

rep

NJ

UNION CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

I rise today to recognize the Union City Public Schools for their outstanding achievements. prgtoken Having come to the United States from Cuba as a child, I experienced the challenges of assimilating into a new community firsthand. As the representative of one of our Nation's most diverse districts, many of my constituents experience these challenges every day. Giving immigrants the tools they need to succeed is not only beneficial to our country, it is sound policy. prgtoken According to The Wall Street Journal, Union City Public Schools ``have become a model for ushering low-income English-language learners into the mainstream.'' prgtoken With a student body that is 95 percent Hispanic, one of the keys to Union City Public Schools' success is their English as a second language program and their early childhood programming. The programming has become a model for educators in the U.S. and as far away as Europe. Graduation rates have also increased by nearly 10 percent, in just 2 years, in the district. prgtoken , I am proud to represent a school district that has made tremendous strides in easing the transition of immigrant youth into our society and become the foundation of success for thousands of children and young adults.

2,017

1

11

1,268

566,891

281

1,037,069

L000559

584

James

Langevin

James R. Langevin

20,170,111

M

1964-04-22

52

1

0

Democrat

rep

RI

RECOGNIZING KRISTIN NICHOLSON

it is always difficult saying good-bye to a Member of our Hill family. When I was first elected to Congress, I sought a chief of staff who could work with me to help lead my team and shape my policy portfolio: someone who knew the Hill as well as the legislative process in Congress; someone who was smart, strong, and compassionate; someone with sharp instincts; and, most importantly, someone I could trust. I found all of those qualities and so much more in Kristin Nicholson. prgtoken As my chief of staff, Kristin has been a trusted confidant, adviser, and a true friend. So it is with both sadness and pride that after 16 years in my office I say good-bye to Kristin as she leaves the Hill to become director of the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University. prgtoken Kristin's leadership has been essential to me and my entire staff; and although we will miss her tremendously, she leaves behind a team that has benefited from her professionalism, passion, humor, and grace under fire. prgtoken Kristin, I cannot thank you enough for your service to me and the people of Rhode Island. Congratulations and best wishes.

2,017

1

11

1,159

566,889

288

1,037,184

J000288

744

Henry

Johnson

Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.

20,170,111

M

1954-10-02

62

1

0

Democrat

rep

GA

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

I oppose this amendment which would prohibit Federal agencies from making any public communications that would promote a pending regulatory action. prgtoken We can all agree that the rulemaking process should be transparent, flexible, and accountable to the public. But rather than achieve this goal, my colleagues' amendment would decrease transparency in the rulemaking process and burden agency rulemaking with little corresponding benefits to the public. prgtoken A variety of statutes, including the Administrative Procedure Act and agency specific statutes, already prescribe the method that agencies may communicate to the public with regard to proposed rules. Agencies should, and indeed are required by law to, communicate why rules are beneficial to the public. For example, in 2014, the Department of Defense proposed a rule to protect servicemembers and their families from predatory lending schemes. In a press release discussing the rule, the Defense Department highlighted the benefits of the rule such as ``this proposed rule would better protect Active Duty servicemembers and their families from excessive debt.'' prgtoken This plain language explanation of the proposed rule would be flatly prohibited by this amendment. Indeed, there is little that an agency could discuss about a pending rule that would not be considered to be promoting the rule within the meaning of this amendment. prgtoken In the context of the proposed deregulation actions, in 2003, administration officials posed with chainsaws and scissors next to a stack of papers to promote efforts to cut red tape. It is doubtful that this form of public communication would be permissible under this amendment. By the way, to see the administration officials with a chainsaw and scissors going at regulations reminds me of what we are doing here today. prgtoken In the context of a veto threat of a similar antiregulatory proposal last Congress, the administration stated that similar requirements would prevent agencies from efficiently performing their statutory responsibilities and potentially lead to a less informed public. prgtoken , I oppose this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to do so as well. prgtoken .

2,017

1

11

2,304

566,954

269

1,037,309

S000148

108

Charles

Schumer

Charles E. Schumer

20,170,111

M

1950-11-23

66

1

Democrat

sen

NY

RUSSIA

I rise today to speak on a matter of great importance to the foreign policy of this country: our relationship with Russia and the efficacy of international sanctions to achieve our international security goals. prgtoken The reports of the past 24 hours are extremely troubling. But one thing we now all agree on is that Russia is behind the hacking of our election, as even the President-elect has now just said. This makes it even more important that we not only keep the existing sanctions in place but that we institute a new, tough sanctions regime in response so Russia can't get away with what they did and other countries will know as well that they will suffer penalty if they try to interfere with our elections. prgtoken Unfortunately, this morning's Cabinet hearing on Mr. Tillerson's nomination is a very troubling sign of things to come. In one breath, Mr. Tillerson said that the invasion of Crimea is a violation of international law, and in the next, amazingly enough, he declined to commit to maintaining the existing sanctions regime against Russia. He said he wants to get classified briefings first and then consult with the President-elect. But I remind the prgtoken country, as my friend the Senator from Florida, Mr. Rubio, from across the aisle, did, that these sanctions are a result of past crimes. prgtoken We don't need a classified briefing to know what Russia has done in the past. To duck the question and to refuse to commit to continuing these sanctions is tantamount to sweeping Russia's flouting of international laws under the rug. It sort of says: Go ahead, interfere in our elections again; nothing will happen to you. It says the same to China and Iran or to any other country that might try to hack. prgtoken Secretary Nominee Tillerson has also not committed to new sanctions. Just yesterday, a bipartisan group of Senators, including the Senators from South Carolina, Maryland, Florida, California, Nebraska, introduced a tough, new sanctions-on-Russia bill for their interference in our elections. I support this effort. I believe the Senate should act soon upon it. I am very concerned that thus far the President- elect, Mr. Tillerson, and Senator Sessions have not endorsed these tough new sanctions. prgtoken The Senator from Florida--not from my party--also pressed Mr. Tillerson on a series of war crimes committed by the Assad regime and the Russian military in Syria. These crimes have been reported in the press and detailed extensively by people on the ground and discussed at length by my friend, the Senator from Arizona, Mr. McCain. Mr. Tillerson will not even acknowledge these violations of human rights and war crimes. prgtoken Finally, I am very concerned that despite the fact that we have registered lobbying disclosures from ExxonMobil itself, documenting their involvement in lobbying against Iran sanctions, Mr. Tillerson said this morning that Exxon did not lobby on sanc

2,017

1

11

3,000

567,023

283

1,037,213

C001066

713

Kathy

Castor

Kathy Castor

20,170,111

F

1966-08-20

50

1

0

Democrat

rep

FL

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Castor amendment to protect children's health, to protect the health of our older neighbors. We value the air that we breathe. prgtoken H.R. 5 would inject unnecessary barriers into the ability of our environmental agencies--heck, all of the agencies of government--to protect us. prgtoken When it comes to the final bill itself, if you believe in checks and balances as a foundation of our constitutionally-based government, I urge my colleagues to oppose the bill. prgtoken .

2,017

1

11

581

566,970

297

1,037,064

K000389

1,170

Ro

Khanna

Ro Khanna

20,170,111

M

1976-09-13

40

1

0

Democrat

rep

CA

CREATING TECHNOLOGY JOBS

I have the great privilege and honor of representing Silicon Valley in the United States Congress. We are living through revolutionary times. If 100 years ago we had the industrial revolution, today we have the software revolution, and the forces of automation and globalization are fundamentally changing our economy. prgtoken We first must thank the hardworking Americans who helped build this economy--the steelworkers and the coal miners and those who were machinists who built the economy that made us an exceptional Nation-- that were the foundation of everything that Silicon Valley does today. We need to thank them for the extraordinary hard work and grit that they showed. prgtoken We also need to recognize that our economy is changing, and not everyone has participated in the technology revolution. Some folks have benefited, and they are creating jobs and wealth, and others have been left behind. We have an obligation to make sure that every American and their daughters and their sons get to participate in this technology revolution and have technology jobs. prgtoken Enrico Moretti, an economist at Berkeley, has shown for every one technology job, it creates four to five other jobs in communities, from the barista to a lawyer, to a construction worker. Tech jobs have a larger multiplier today than manufacturing jobs had in previous eras. prgtoken My commitment, my vision is to see how Silicon Valley can help create technology jobs not just in my district, but across America. There is no reason that Des Moines, Iowa, and Wichita, Kansas, and Dayton, Ohio, cannot become centers for technology innovation and have extraordinary technology jobs. prgtoken I look forward to working across the aisle with my colleagues and ic colleagues to figure out how we create tech jobs across this Nation.

2,017

1

11

1,863

566,884

270

1,037,027

N000002

163

Jerrold

Nadler

Jerrold Nadler

20,170,111

M

1947-06-13

69

1

0

Democrat

rep

NY

HONORING THE LIFE OF GINA QUATTROCHI

I rise today to honor the life of Gina Quattrochi, a champion for HIV/AIDS healthcare and housing, who passed away in December. prgtoken In 1986, at the height of the AIDS crisis, Ms. Quattrochi was named to the board of the AIDS Resource Center and led negotiations to acquire a former hotel on Christopher St in my district, which was renamed Bailey House. This hotel became the first group residence for people with AIDS in the country. At a time when HIV/AIDS was shrouded in fear and paranoia, Gina was fearless. She later served as CEO of Bailey House for 25 years. It was under Ms. Quattrochi's leadership that Bailey House grew from a small housing agency to a multimillion- dollar organization that provides a wide range of health and housing services to over 1,800 clients. prgtoken In addition to Bailey House, Ms. Quattrochi was a board member of several HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations, including the National AIDS Housing Coalition, where she also served as president; the Harlem Hospital Community Advisory Board; the Ryan White Integration of Care committee; and iHealth NYS. In 2014, she was appointed to Governor Andrew Cuomo's task force to reduce new statewide HIV infections to just 750 per year by 2020. prgtoken Ms. Quattrochi also fulfilled her longtime goal of extending the city's HIV/AIDS Services Administration, or HASA, services beyond just AIDS diagnoses to qualified people with HIV. Her lifetime of work transformed the conversation about how to help house, provide health care to, and feed people with HIV/AIDS. prgtoken As a longtime supporter and advocate for the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS, or HOPWA, I am proud to have represented Gina and Bailey House for many years, but I am more proud to have called her a friend. She leaves behind an indelible legacy, she will be profoundly missed by the city of New York, the country, and the HIV/AIDS advocacy community. I can think of no greater tribute than the words of Emmy and Tony Award-winning author and AIDS activist Larry Kramer: ``She was the most noble of heroines. She fought not only for us, but for all of mankind.''

2,017

1

11

2,164

566,853

277

1,037,130

P000258

492

Collin

Peterson

Collin C. Peterson

20,170,111

M

1944-06-29

72

1

0

Democrat

rep

MN

REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017

I strongly support H.R. 5 and urge my colleagues to do so as well. This bill will reform our regulatory system and reduce burdens on our farmers, ranchers, and businesses. prgtoken H.R. 5 will create a more streamlined, transparent, and accountable regulatory process and give the American people a stronger voice in agency decisionmaking. prgtoken Requiring agencies to choose the lowest cost rulemaking option and providing additional opportunities for judicial review will ensure that regulations are narrowly tailored, addressing the issues at hand; and this will reduce the burden on farmers, ranchers, businesses, and everyday citizens. prgtoken This is a good bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

2,017

1

11

736

566,923

291

1,037,450

K000367

761

Amy

Klobuchar

Amy Klobuchar

20,170,111

F

1960-05-25

56

1

Democrat

sen

MN

amendment no. 83

I come to the floor to ask that my colleagues support this very important amendment with Senator Sanders. I will match his passion with numbers. prgtoken The price of insulin, as our colleagues know, has tripled in the last decade. The antibiotic doxycycline went from $20 a bottle to nearly $2,000 a bottle in 6 months. Naloxone, the drug used to help with overdose, went from $690 to $4,500 to date. We cannot sit here and do nothing. We have an opportunity, for those who believe in the free market, to allow in competition--competition from the safe country of Canada, our neighbors to the north. In Minnesota, we can see Canada from our porch, and we want to see that competition come in and save our constituents' lives.

2,017

1

11

755

567,078

325

1,037,621

T000460

162

Mike

Thompson

Mike Thompson

20,170,112

M

1951-01-24

65

1

0

Democrat

rep

CA

HONORING MR. RICHARD THOMAS

I, along with Congressman Huffman, rise today to honor Richard Thomas, the recipient of the 2017 Nick Frey Community Contribution Award. This award was established by the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission in 2013 to recognize members of our community who have made important contributions to grape growing. prgtoken A Sonoma County native, Mr. Thomas graduated from Santa Rosa High School, where he was an award-winning member of the Future Farmers of America. He studied agriculture at the University of California, Davis, before going on to work as a vocational agriculture instructor at Healdsburg High School and livestock manager of the Sonoma County Fair. prgtoken Mr. Thomas saw Sonoma County's potential for viticulture and became an instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College, where he taught thousands of vineyard owners and workers throughout his 28 year career. He enjoys sharing that ``God put Sonoma County on earth for one reason: to produce great wines.'' His past students are now at the helm of many of the great viticulture operations in our Sonoma County wine community today. prgtoken Mr. Thomas is a life-long learner and educator. After taking a sabbatical to study wine trellising in New Zealand and Australia, he brought the skills he acquired back to winegrowers in California, helping to shape the look of Sonoma County Vineyards. He has lectured in the United States and around the world, sharing his mastery of grape growing. prgtoken He is the founder of the Sonoma County Grape Growers Association and the Sonoma County Vineyard Technical Group, which support our community by discussing and implementing the best practices in grape production. prgtoken , Richard Thomas has been a leader in the transformation of Sonoma County into some of the best of Wine Country. He is respected as a world-class educator and our Sonoma community considers him the Dean of Sonoma County grape production. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor him here today and congratulate him on this well- deserved award.

2,017

1

12

2,066

567,095

333

1,037,950

G000555

720

Kirsten

Gillibrand

Kirsten E. Gillibrand

20,170,112

F

1966-12-09

50

1

Democrat

sen

NY

PROVIDING FOR AN EXCEPTION TO A LIMITATION AGAINST APPOINTMENT OF PERSONS AS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WITHIN SEVEN YEARS OF RELIEF FROM ACTIVE DUTY AS A REGULAR COMMISSIONED OFFICER OF THE ARMED FORCES

I rise to strongly oppose this legislation concerning a waiver for General Mattis. prgtoken I know that all of my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee who just left the hearing on this very topic with General Mattis and this entire body take the oversight role of our committee very seriously. We take civilian control of the military as a fundamental constitutional principle of the Founding Fathers. Even George Washington put aside his commission 5 years before he became our Commander in Chief and became the President of the United States. When Congress in 1947 debated the National Security Act to create the Department of Defense and create the Secretary of Defense, they decided to imbue this idea of civilian control into the Secretary of Defense by law, by mandating that he had to be separated from the military at least 10 years before taking on the role of Secretary of Defense, enshrining again this notion that civilian control is so important to our democracy and our American values. prgtoken On Tuesday, the Armed Services Committee had a very compelling hearing. We had two experts testify about the reasons for civilian control and why they are still so important today. The importance of having a Secretary of Defense who brings a civilian perspective to this position and brings with him or her a breadth of views and experience-- those views coming from a civilian are very important. prgtoken Second, they said it is very important not to politicize our officer ranks, meaning our senior, top military advisers jockeying for the next job as a political appointee. That undermines the functioning of the military, and they testified about countries where it has had such deleterious effects. prgtoken The third reason is concern about bias toward one service or another. Arguably, if one comes from a particular service, one may have preferences innately for that branch of service, which could undermine the strength of our military. prgtoken The fourth reason, which is really important in today's world, is the desire to model civilian control for other countries around the world that are struggling to become more democratic, less autocratic, and less militarily run. prgtoken Those are the four reasons given as to why civilian control of the military is so important. Dr. Cohen and Dr. Hicks both agreed--despite those four reasons--that from their perspective, it should be abrogated. Dr. Cohen said it was because the characteristics of the incoming administration gave him such concern that he needed to have someone like General Mattis and thought the qualities of General Mattis were important. Even Dr. Hicks said it was the qualities of General Mattis that were so unique and important, but she very importantly said: Never, though, should we say that it is time for a general to be the Secretary of Defense. In her perspective, it should never be that you need a general. So for her it was not the exigen

2,017

1

12

3,000

567,288

317

1,037,635

B000287

44

Xavier

Becerra

Xavier Becerra

20,170,112

M

1958-01-26

58

1

0

Democrat

rep

CA

PERSONAL EXPLANATION

I was unable to cast my floor votes on January 4 and 5, 2017. Had I been present for the votes, I would have voted ``yes'' on roll call vote number 7, ``no'' on roll call vote number 8, ``no'' on roll call vote number 9, ``no'' on roll call vote number 10, ``no'' on roll call vote number 11, ``no'' on roll call vote number 12, ``yes'' on roll call vote number 13, ``yes'' on roll call vote number 14, ``yes'' on roll call vote number 15, ``yes'' on roll call vote number 16, ``yes'' on roll call vote number 17, ``yes'' on roll call vote number 18, ``yes'' on roll call vote number 19, ``yes'' on roll call vote number 20, ``no'' on roll call vote number 21, ``yes'' on roll call vote number 22, and ``no'' on roll call vote number 23.

2,017

1

12

758

567,105

340

1,037,851

D000623

1,113

Mark

DeSaulnier

Mark DeSaulnier

20,170,112

M

1952-03-31

64

1

0

Democrat

rep

CA

SEC REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise in support of this amendment to the SEC Regulatory Accountability Act in a spirit of cooperation. It is most important for the integrity of the SEC, for the investor community, for the entire U.S. population, and indeed for the economic benefit of the United States that integrity and transparency are paramount. So this amendment strengthens the bill, I believe, on behalf of the American investor as well as industry by reaffirming transparency as a core principle of efficient markets and places public service ahead of personal gain. prgtoken By requiring the head of the SEC and his immediate family members to divest themselves of all securities connected to the financial institutions regulated by the agency, we reinforce investor confidence that agency decisions are driven by market forces, not the portfolio of the Chair. prgtoken , the power and stability of U.S. markets rely on the fundamental belief that the system is transparent and fair. Anything that causes investors to question the integrity of the U.S. markets, including lack of information or opaqueness of information, will necessarily hurt our markets and make capital formation more difficult. prgtoken The SEC plays a critical role in promoting adequate transparency. Requiring the SEC Chairperson to cut financial ties with institutions that the SEC oversees is a commonsense protection of the agency's credibility and improvement to the underlying bill in my belief. prgtoken I hope my colleagues agree and will support this amendment that puts public service ahead of potential personal gain. prgtoken , .

2,017

1

12

1,760

567,223

328

1,037,957

R000122

326

John

Reed

Jack Reed

20,170,112

M

1949-11-12

67

1

Democrat

sen

RI

PROVIDING FOR AN EXCEPTION TO A LIMITATION AGAINST APPOINTMENT OF PERSONS AS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WITHIN SEVEN YEARS OF RELIEF FROM ACTIVE DUTY AS A REGULAR COMMISSIONED OFFICER OF THE ARMED FORCES

I rise today to discuss S. 84, a bill that would provide a one-time exception from the longstanding law that requires a member of the military to be retired from the armed services for at least 7 years before being appointed as Secretary of Defense. We are considering this legislation today because the President-elect's nominee for Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis, has only been retired from the U.S. Marine Corps for 3 years. prgtoken In considering the unique situation presented by this nomination, this week the Armed Services Committee held two hearings. The first hearing, on Tuesday, had a panel of two excellent outside witnesses who discussed the history of the retirement restriction law and the benefits and challenges of legislating an exception to that law. Then, this morning, the committee held a nomination hearing with General Mattis and examined his views on a wide range of defense challenges facing our country and the Defense Department. prgtoken General Mattis has a long and distinguished military career, and he is recognized by his peers as a thoughtful and strategic thinker. However, since its passage in 1947, the statutory requirement designed to protect civilian control of the Armed Forces has only been waived one other time. Therefore, I believe it is extremely important that we carefully consider the consequences of setting aside the law and the implications such a decision may have on the future of civilian and military relations. prgtoken Civilian control of the military is enshrined in our Constitution and dates back to George Washington and the Revolutionary War. This principle has distinguished our Nation from many other countries around the world, and it has helped ensure that our democracy remains in the hands of the people. prgtoken The National Security Act of 1947, which established the Department of Defense, included a provision prohibiting any individual ``within ten years'' of ``active duty as a commissioned officer in a regular component of the armed services'' from being appointed as the Secretary of Defense. However, in 1950, President Harry Truman nominated former Secretary of State and former Chief of Staff of the United States Army General George Marshall to serve as the Secretary of Defense, thus causing Congress to pass an exception to the statute. prgtoken While Congress ultimately waived the restriction for General Marshall, the law included a nonbinding section that stated: ``It is hereby expressed as the intent of the Congress that the authority granted by this Act is not to be construed as approval by the Congress of the continuing appointments of military men to the office of Secretary of Defense in the future. It is hereby expressed as the sense of the Congress that after General Marshall leaves the office of the Secretary of Defense, no additional appointments of military men to that office shall be approved.'' prgtoken Nearly 70 years la

2,017

1

12

3,000

567,293

326

1,037,933

N000002

163

Jerrold

Nadler

Jerrold Nadler

20,170,112

M

1947-06-13

69

1

0

Democrat

rep

NY

CONGRESSIONAL PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS: THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NOMINEES

. I thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey for yielding, for hosting this Special Order, and for granting me this opportunity to speak. prgtoken Since the first nomination was announced by President-elect 's transition team, phones in my office have been ringing off the hook; and not a day goes by when I do not hear from my neighbors, friends, and constituents of their angst, frustration, and discontent. I share their anger and dread--that feeling of being punched in the gut--as name after name has been released. Each nomination from President-elect has put the fox in charge of the henhouse. prgtoken We are not talking about simple differences in partisan ideology. We are talking about nominees who have devoted much of their professional lives to undermining the small-d democratic institutions that are the foundation of our country. This new administration is so extreme that we cannot, in any good faith, give this President-elect the traditional deference to name a cabinet that represents his governing philosophy because the appointments show it to be a philosophy that seeks to corrupt, if not fully destroy, our institutions, traditions, and values. prgtoken Senator Jeff Sessions, the nominee for Attorney General, was considered too racist to serve on the Federal bench by a Senate, much less to head the Justice Department, and is someone who has so little respect for women's rights he voted against the Violence Against Women Act and called Roe v. Wade a colossal mistake. prgtoken Ben Carson, the nominee for HUD Secretary, said today in his confirmation hearing that he was against protecting LGBT Americans from housing discrimination because protecting them from housing discrimination would be granting them extra rights, refusing to recognize that LGBT Americans deserve equal rights. prgtoken Tom Price, the nominee for HHS Secretary, wants to eliminate Medicare and Medicaid as we know them, repeal the Affordable Care Act without a second thought for the millions of Americans who would lose coverage or would be subject to limits on preexisting conditions and would be subject to lifetime and annual limits, and has so little understanding of women's health that he insisted that not a single woman would lose access to contraception if contraception coverage were eliminated. prgtoken Betsy DeVos, the nominee for Education Secretary, advocated for years to move taxpayer dollars away from public schools and towards for- profit, private schools that would leave behind low-income students, minority students, and children with disabilities. prgtoken Scott Pruitt, the nominee for EPA administrator, does not believe in climate change and is so linked to the fossil fuel industry that he has sued the EPA a dozen times to block environmental regulations designed to protect us from the effects of climate change. prgtoken The list goes on and on, each more horrifying than the one before. These are not the value

2,017

1

12

3,000

567,277

330

1,038,005

N000032

555

Bill

Nelson

Bill Nelson

20,170,112

M

1942-09-29

74

1

Democrat

sen

FL

Introductory Statement on S. 134

fraudulent and abusive phone scams plague thousands of Americans each year. These deceitful practices cause serious financial harm to victims, and have even led to tragedy in a few cases. Both the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where I serve as Ranking Member, and the Special Committee on Aging, where I previously served as Chairman, have explored the continuing severe impact of these scams. Consumers continue to lose millions of dollars each year to fraudulent phone scams, many of which originate from other countries. And the impacts of these scams are very real to the consumers who suffer. According to an October 2015 press report from CNN, one poor soul took his life earlier that year after being tricked into spending thousands of dollars in a vain attempt to collect on his winnings in the Jamaican lottery--winnings that were non- existent because it was all a scam perpetrated by phone-based fraudsters. prgtoken Nearly all of us have trained ourselves to ignore phone calls and text messages from numbers that are not familiar to us. But these sophisticated scammers know that--and have changed their tactics. Scammers today impersonate government institutions, promote fraudulent lottery schemes, and tailor their calls to individuals in order to coerce victims into paying large sums of money. Many scammers use spoofing technology to manipulate caller ID information and trick consumers into believing that these calls are local or come from trusted institutions. prgtoken In 2009, I introduced the Truth in Caller ID Act to prohibit caller ID spoofing when it is used to defraud or harm consumers. That law provided important tools for law enforcement and the Federal Communications Commission, FCC, to go after fraudsters and crack down on these phone scams. I was pleased when my Congressional colleagues joined with me to pass that legislation and the President signed it into law. This was a huge win for consumers and the first step toward ending these abusive practices. prgtoken Recognizing the pace at which phone scam technologies evolve, the law directed the FCC to prepare a report to Congress outlining what additional tools were needed to curb other forms of spoofing. In 2011, the agency provided its recommendations to Congress on how to update the law to keep pace with new spoofing practices, such as text messaging scams. prgtoken The bill Senators Fischer, Klobuchar, Blunt and I have introduced today responds to the FCC's recommendations and builds on the 2010 Act to ensure the law keeps up with these spoofing scams. As these scams become increasingly sophisticated, we need to make sure that consumer protections and tools for law enforcement prgtoken keep up. That is why this legislation is so important. prgtoken The Spoofing Prevention Act of 2017 would extend the current prohibition on caller ID spoofing to text messages, calls coming from outside the United States, and cal

2,017

1

12

3,000

567,309

318

1,037,931

L000551

70

Barbara

Lee

Barbara Lee

20,170,112

F

1946-07-16

70

1

0

Democrat

rep

CA

CONGRESSIONAL PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS: THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NOMINEES

I want to thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey for yielding, but also for her tremendous leadership on so many issues, including as a champion for women and women's health and reproductive health care, and also for this important discussion tonight. prgtoken I just want to mention that I serve on the Budget Committee, and you mentioned a nominee, Congressman Tom Price of Georgia, for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Once again, we see President-elect making recommendations of those individuals who want to dismantle the safety net and dismantle health care within the agencies that they are going to run. This is a very, very troubling development in terms of these cabinet appointee nominees. prgtoken I note that--and many know--President-elect ran one of the most divisive and prejudiced campaigns that we have witnessed in modern history. Since winning the Presidency, he has nominated billionaires to serve in his cabinet, proving that he will govern just as he campaigned. Also, he has nominated individuals who want to dismantle, for the most part, the agencies that they will have jurisdiction over. prgtoken Another example is his choice for Secretary of State, which Congresswoman Watson Coleman mentioned, and that is Rex Tillerson. I serve on the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee and understand the importance of our diplomatic initiatives, our USAID initiatives, and our efforts to really bring education and health care to the poorest of the poor around the world. Our Secretary of State serves as the Nation's chief diplomat and represents America's interests around the world. I have the opportunity and the privilege to serve on the committee that funds the majority of these efforts. prgtoken So the nomination of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson really troubles me. His extensive ties to the Kremlin raises the question: Whose interest will he represent? prgtoken Our country cannot afford a Secretary of State who will place private corporate interests over the needs of the American people and our national security interests. His recent confirmation hearing revealed what we have known all along in -controlled Washington, that cabinet officials will cater to special interests, not to American families, based on the nominees that we have seen come forward. prgtoken It is not just the Secretary of State we should be concerned about. Here at home, President-elect has nominated cabinet officials that would turn back the clock on progress. His nomination for Secretary of Labor, Andrew Puzder, is another millionaire CEO who benefits from an economy rigged against families struggling to make ends meet. He earns more than $1 million a year, but opposes a raise for low-wage workers earning just $15,000 a year. He says that food assistance programs keep low-wage workers like those he employs at, I believe, Carl's Jr. and Ha

2,017

1

12

3,000

567,275

339

1,037,659

S001190

1,028

Bradley

Schneider

Bradley Scott Schneider

20,170,112

M

1961-08-20

55

1

0

Democrat

rep

IL

LET'S WORK TO IMPROVE OUR HEALTHCARE PLAN

in his farewell speech, President said that if anyone can put together an alternative healthcare plan that is demonstrably better and covers as many people at less cost, he would publicly support it. I feel the same way. prgtoken The ACA is not perfect, and anyone who is serious about working to improve our healthcare system should count me as a willing partner. But that is not what we have heard from President-elect and my colleagues. Their irresponsible plan is to repeal Care and then figure out what comes next. That is like jumping ship without a life raft or a plan. prgtoken Repealing Care will leave 1.2 million people in my State without health insurance, allowing insurers to again deny coverage based on preexisting conditions or put annual and lifetime caps on coverage, and deny young people the option of staying on their parents' plan. This will hurt real people who depend on the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to join me in finding ways to improve our Nation's healthcare system rather than burning it down.

2,017

1

12

1,102

567,129

322

1,037,943

D000563

100

Richard

Durbin

Richard J. Durbin

20,170,112

M

1944-11-21

72

1

Democrat

sen

IL

DACA AND BRIDGE ACT

in 8 days, just a short distance from this Senate Chamber, will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. On that date, January 20, 2017, the fate of more than 750,000 young American immigrants will hang in the balance. They will be waiting to learn if they have a place in America's future or whether they will lose their legal status to stay in the United States. For many of them, it is a period of the highest anxiety, wondering what is going to happen next. prgtoken It was 7 years ago that I sent a letter to President . I had introduced the DREAM Act, which said that if you were brought to America as a child, an infant, or an adolescent, lived here all your life, went to school and did well, and had no criminal record of any consequences, we would give you a chance to stay. Over a period of time, you would be able to become legal in America--a citizen in America. Sixteen years ago, I introduced it, and we passed it once in the Senate, once in the House, and never, ever made it the law of the land. prgtoken I wrote to President , with Senator Dick Lugar, of Indiana, and said: Find some way, if you can, as President, to protect these young DREAMers, as we call them. And he did. It is called DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. prgtoken What it basically said is that if you qualify under the DREAM Act, you could pay a filing fee of almost $500, go through a criminal background check and interview, and, then, if you qualify, you will be given a 2-year temporary protection from deportation and the ability to work. So far, over 750,000 young people have come forward. They have made such a difference in their own lives, in the lives of their families, and even in our country. prgtoken I have come over 100 times to tell their stories, and I will tell another one today. But I want to also announce that today we have a significant bipartisan breakthrough for this Congress: Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and I have introduced the BRIDGE Act. The BRIDGE Act, which has bipartisan sponsorship, would say that even if we eliminated President 's Executive order, we would protect these young people from deportation and allow them to continue to work and study. prgtoken I want to thank Senator Graham. He has been a terrific partner. prgtoken This is an issue which weighs heavily on my mind and conscience. We believe this is a reasonable way to extend this protection and to say to Congress in the meantime: Get to work. Roll up your sleeves. Pass a comprehensive immigration bill. Work with the new President, work with both sides, and s, and come up with an approach. prgtoken I thank Senator Graham for joining me in the introduction of this BRIDGE Act. prgtoken For the young people across America, I can tell you, I understand your fears. I understand your anxiety. There are many of us who are dedicated to making cert

2,017

1

12

3,000

567,286

319

1,037,660

H000874

75

Steny

Hoyer

Steny H. Hoyer

20,170,112

M

1939-06-14

77

1

0

Democrat

rep

MD

REPEAL WILL AFFECT EVERY AMERICAN

I rise out of a deep concern, not just for the 30 million Americans who will lose access to health coverage and the tens of millions of others who will see their costs rise if s repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement, but as well for every American because the repeal will affect every American, including every American who has health insurance through their employer. prgtoken Let there be no mistake. Every American will be adversely affected by the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The repeal and delay plan ought to be called repeal and deny, deny health coverage to tens of millions, deny tax credits to small businesses to help them cover their employees, deny those with preexisting conditions protection from high premiums and coverage denials, and deny parents from covering their children under age 26 through their own insurance plans. Every American will be adversely affected if we repeal the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken I heard recently through social media from a woman in my district whose family was able to save more than $1,200 a month because of the ACA marketplace. Another wrote to tell me that the ACA made it possible for her to sign up for coverage for the first time in years since she lost her job and her employer-based insurance. When she needed to be hospitalized this spring, having coverage saved her life. prgtoken Repeal and deny would be a disaster for our people and our economy. I urge my friends to instead work with the to improve the Affordable Care Act.

2,017

1

12

1,570

567,130

329

1,037,709

P000258

492

Collin

Peterson

Collin C. Peterson

20,170,112

M

1944-06-29

72

1

0

Democrat

rep

MN

COMMODITY END-USER RELIEF ACT

such time as I may consume. prgtoken In closing, I just wish that I could support a reauthorization bill, a clean bill for the CFTC that came through the Committee on Agriculture in regular order, but that is not what has happened. prgtoken I want to thank Chairman Conaway for his work in the last Congress, trying to find common ground, and I hope that we can get back to regular order in the future in the committee. prgtoken So again, , I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 238, and .

2,017

1

12

571

567,162

332

1,037,819

G000553

676

Al

Green

Al Green

20,170,112

M

1947-09-01

69

1

0

Democrat

rep

TX

SEC REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

I think it appropriate to point out what the style of this bill is, what the words on the actual bill say. There seems to be some confusion with my colleagues on the other side as to whether or not this is a mom-and-pop bill. prgtoken The bill itself says, ``A bill to improve the consideration by the Securities and Exchange Commission of the cost and benefits of its regulations and orders.'' prgtoken The Securities and Exchange Commission deals with Wall Street, deals with megabusinesses. This is not about a mom-and-pop store. This is not about the small business in the neighborhood. This is about megabusinesses desiring to have access to markets without the regulations necessary to protect investors. prgtoken This bill, if it passes, will place the SEC in a mission impossible position because it will be impossible for the SEC to do what it needs to do to promote regulations that will prevent fraud. Either litigation will stop them or they won't be able to define and quantify the benefits associated with regulation that can prevent fraud. prgtoken A good example has been presented, but some things bear repeating. If we had produced regulations that would have prevented Bernie Madoff from robbing the country of $64 billion, we wouldn't have known it, we couldn't quantify it, because it wasn't knowable. prgtoken This bill puts the SEC in a position of having to do that which is not knowable because it would prevent fraud. prgtoken Now, having said this, the Waters amendment will at least allow us to curtail some of the conflicts of interest that can take place by persons who will come from some entity that works with persons on Wall Street or when they leave, go to an entity that works with Wall Street. Our regulators ought not be able to take their rules and regulations to companies and businesses that will impact Wall Street after they leave or impact their businesses once they are on Wall Street. prgtoken This amendment that the Honorable Maxine Waters has presented would cause the SEC to identify, analyze, and address potential conflicts of interest in its proposed rules, and it would go on to make sure that persons who work for the SEC do not create conflicts of interest. prgtoken We live in a world where it is not enough for things to be right; they must also look right. It doesn't look right for these Wall Street types, the persons from Goldman Sachs and related industries who will come to Wall Street, take jobs, and promote rules that benefit their former employers, nor does it look right for them to produce rules that will benefit employers that they will go to when they leave Wall Street. prgtoken That is what this amendment will prevent. It is simple. It is not complicated, and it deals with conflicts of interest. I think this amendment ought to be supported. prgtoken , .

2,017

1

12

2,920

567,211

320

1,037,624

J000032

79

Sheila

Jackson Lee

Sheila Jackson Lee

20,170,112

F

1950-01-12

67

1

0

Democrat

rep

TX

IN CELEBRATION OF THE LIVES IMPROVED BY THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT IN TEXAS

as a senior member of both the Judiciary Committee and the Homeland Security Committee, I rise in celebration of the over 1 million Texans who have gained healthcare coverage under the Affordable Health Care Act, and the millions of Americans more whose lives have been exponentially improved by access to substantial increases in life-saving coverage. prgtoken The data show that the uninsured rate in Texas has fallen by 28 percent since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted in 2010, translating into 1,781,000 Texans gaining coverage. prgtoken In addition to residents who would otherwise be uninsured, millions more Texans with employer, Medicaid, individual market, or Medicare coverage have also benefited from new protections as a result of the law. prgtoken With respect to employer coverage, 13,709,000 people in Texas are covered through employer-sponsored health plans. prgtoken Since the ACA was enacted in 2010, this group has seen: (1) An end to annual and lifetime limits: prgtoken Before the ACA, 7,536,000 Texans with employer or individual market coverage had a lifetime limit on their insurance policy. prgtoken That meant their coverage could end exactly when they needed it most. prgtoken The ACA prohibits annual and lifetime limits on policies, so all Texans with employer plans now have coverage that's there when they need it. (2) Young adults covered until age 26: prgtoken An estimated 205,000 young adults in Texas have benefited from the ACA provision that allows kids to stay on their parents' health insurance up to age 26. (3) Free preventive care: prgtoken Under the ACA, health plans must cover preventive services--like flu shots, cancer screenings, contraception, and mammograms--at no extra cost to consumers. prgtoken This provision benefits 10,278,005 people in Texas, most of whom have employer coverage. (4) Slower premium growth: prgtoken The average premium for Texas families with employer coverage grew 3.5 percent per year from 2010-2015, compared with 8.1 percent over the previous decade. prgtoken Assuming Texas premiums grew in line with the national average in 2016, family premiums in Texas are $5,400 lower today than if growth had matched the pre-ACA decade. (5) Better value through the 80/20 rule: prgtoken Because of the ACA, health insurance companies must spend at least 80 cents of each premium dollar on health care or care improvements, rather than administrative costs like salaries or marketing, or else give consumers a refund;. prgtoken Texans with employer coverage have received $20,082,448 in insurance refunds since 2012. prgtoken With respect to Medicaid, 4,770,229 people in Texas are covered by Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program, including 3,512,929 children and 374,617 seniors and people with disabilities covered by both Medicaid and Medicare. prgtoken The ACA expanded Medicaid eligibility and strengthened the program for those already eligible. prgtoken An estimated

2,017

1

12

3,000

567,098

321

1,037,787

W000187

80

Maxine

Waters

Maxine Waters

20,170,112

F

1938-08-15

78

1

0

Democrat

rep

CA

SEC REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

such time as I may consume. prgtoken Let me point out how H.R. 78 tilts their decisionmaking process toward Wall Street. First, let's go back and review everything the President-elect said about Wall Street, and then we can understand exactly what is being done here. prgtoken In August 2015, President-elect told CBS: ``The hedge fund guys didn't build this country. These are guys that shift paper around and they get lucky. They make a fortune. They pay no tax. It's ridiculous, okay?'' prgtoken In January 2016, told Iowans: ``I'm not going to let Wall Street get away with murder. Wall Street has caused tremendous problems for us.'' prgtoken I repeat, he said: ``Wall Street has caused tremendous problems for us.'' prgtoken In February of 2016, said: ``I know the guys at Goldman Sachs, they have total control over Hillary Clinton.'' prgtoken In July of 2016, tweeted: ``Hillary will never reform Wall Street. She is owned by Wall Street.'' prgtoken He also told Iowans: ``I don't care about the Wall Street guys. I'm not taking any of their money.'' prgtoken Now, has totally betrayed his promise to drain the swamp. He has appointed Goldman Sachs bankers to the Treasury and the National Economic Council, and his pick to head the Securities and Exchange Commission is a lawyer whose career has been based upon defending Wall Street, including Goldman Sachs. This legislation today is part and parcel to that betrayal. prgtoken This is how you do it: cost-benefit analysis, you can attach this to any and all monetary and financial services legislation. You can attach it wherever you would like and, thus, cause the delays, cause the undermining of legislation, put the SEC in the position where it has to defend in court, costing them more money that they don't have because they have denied them adequate funding. prgtoken This is what this is all about. How do we get our Wall Street friends and cronies back into the business, because Dodd-Frank began to deal with them and to reverse some of what had been happening for far too long. Now they come with this attack and they talk about cost-benefit analysis this is what they are going to use to ride their way back into making prgtoken sure that they give the protection and the advantages to all of their friends on Wall Street. prgtoken Mr. was not about draining the swamp. He is about making sure that there is a swamp, digging it deeper and wider. prgtoken .

2,017

1

12

2,565

567,193

337

1,037,948

B001277

963

Richard

Blumenthal

Richard Blumenthal

20,170,112

M

1946-02-13

70

1

Democrat

sen

CT

PROVIDING FOR AN EXCEPTION TO A LIMITATION AGAINST APPOINTMENT OF PERSONS AS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WITHIN SEVEN YEARS OF RELIEF FROM ACTIVE DUTY AS A REGULAR COMMISSIONED OFFICER OF THE ARMED FORCES

the Senate is holding hearings on each of President-Elect 's nominees to his Cabinet. Traditionally, Presidents are accorded a very high level of deference on assembling their own team, in part because these nominees are directly accountable to the President. But they are accountable to the American people too. prgtoken No Cabinet member is more powerful or has more impact on the day-to- day lives of Americans than the Attorney General of the United States. prgtoken The Attorney General is, indeed, a general, in command of an army of thousands of lawyers whose words carry enormous weight and power. It is the weight and power of the people of the United States. He speaks for us. He charges defendants in our name. He has sweeping authority to bring criminal charges in all Federal offenses, enormous unreviewable discretion in cases ranging from minor misdemeanors to the most serious felonies. In every sense, as capital penalties can be sought for some of these crimes, he wields the power of life and death. prgtoken The Attorney General's authority is not only sweeping, it is uniquely independent of the President's Cabinet. His decisions must supersede partisan politics. In most cases, there is no recourse to overrule his decisions unless there is political interference. He is not just another government lawyer or even just another member of the President's Cabinet. He is the Nation's lawyer, and he must be the Nation's legal counsel and conscience. prgtoken The job of U.S. Attorney General at stake here is one that I know pretty well. Like some of my colleagues in this body, I served as U.S. attorney, the chief Federal prosecutor in Connecticut. prgtoken I reported to the U.S. Attorney General. For years afterward as a private litigator and then as attorney general of the State of Connecticut for 20 years, I fought alongside and sometimes against the U.S. Attorney General and the legal forces at his disposal. I have seen his power, or hers, firsthand. The power of this Attorney General is awesome, as is that of any Attorney General. prgtoken In the best of cases, they are inspiring too. Even as he protects the public from vicious and violent criminal offenders, his role is also to protect the innocent from unfounded charges that could shatter their lives even if they are acquitted. As Justice Robert Jackson, a former Attorney General himself, once said: His job is not to convict, but to assure justice is done. prgtoken So this job requires a singular level of intellect and integrity and nonpartisan but passionate devotion to the rule of law and an extraordinary sense of conscience. That is because he is responsible for so much more than prosecuting and preventing crime and ensuring public safety. He is responsible for aggressively upholding our Nation's sacred constitutional commitment to protecting individual rights and liberties and preventing infringement on them, even by the government itself

2,017

1

12

3,000

567,287

334

1,037,739

C001069

728

Joe

Courtney

Joe Courtney

20,170,112

M

1953-04-06

63

1

0

Democrat

rep

CT

COMMODITY END-USER RELIEF ACT

I thank Mr. Peterson and Mr. Conaway, with whom I did serve on the Agriculture Committee with for a number of years, and I recall well some of the discussion and debate as Chairman Gensler appeared before the committee on article 7 of the Dodd-Frank Act. prgtoken Although, I didn't author that position, former-Senator Dodd is a constituent of mine. So I guess that is close enough to the work that was done creating this section. prgtoken Again, let's be very clear about what this amendment does. It is not about clarifying anything. It is about stripping from the law article 7 of Dodd-Frank, which was a congressional mandate to establish position limits for speculative trading. prgtoken Again, this was not done in a vacuum. It was done because there has been an explosion of speculative trading that is taking place in commodities markets. We had testimony in the Congress back in 2010 that it had grown from 22 percent to 67 percent speculation on Wall Street. Goldman Sachs--when, again, we were dealing with close to $4 a gallon for gas--had a report which said that 27 percent of that price was due to speculation. So, Congress appropriately instructed CFTC to come back with a regulatory plan to limit speculative positions in a reasonable way. prgtoken Again, no one quarrels with the fact that end users, whether it is farms, ranchers, airlines, or businesses of all sorts, should be able to exercise options in market swaps. prgtoken In those instances, these are firms and businesses which actually take physical possession and control of the commodity. Again, what Goldman Sachs and other analysts had demonstrated is that what has been a burgeoning trend is that firms were beginning to take dominant position in markets that, again, were not even close or remotely involved in the actual production, processing, or use of the commodities that were in question. prgtoken So again, CFTC has begun an arduous, painful process of trying to craft a rule. In fact, just a few weeks ago, on December 5, the CFTC voted unanimously to again move that process along and come up with a draft of a balanced, reasonable rule, so it is not a dead-end situation. prgtoken As has been reported, what they basically were looking at was a fundamental or a basic limit of roughly about 25 percent of a commodity could not be controlled by one firm. The end users that I spoke to, as this rule has been making its way, actually think that the CFTC is being too generous in terms of allowing an individual firm to control up to 25 percent of a market. I think a lot of Americans would understand that that kind of position really would provide for an opportunity to manipulate market prices. prgtoken In fact, there are some end users who think the rule should be very simple, that you have to take actual physical possession of the commodity in order to be able to hedge a position or engage in a future option. Again, the CFTC did not go to that r

2,017

1

12

3,000

567,173

338

1,037,929

T000472

997

Mark

Takano

Mark Takano

20,170,112

M

1960-12-10

56

1

0

Democrat

rep

CA

CONGRESSIONAL PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS: THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NOMINEES

. If I might join in a little more, I became a teacher-- more than, wow, gosh, it must be 30 years ago now--having experienced the disparity in the public schools in the Boston, Massachusetts, area; some days being a substitute teacher in Brookline, Massachusetts, and other days being a substitute teacher in inner city Boston. The contrast between the wealthy Brookline School District and then the inner city Boston where you walk through a metal detector woke me up. And I really believed that if we did not address the achievement gap in our country, that if the American Dream of social economic mobility was only available to some and not all of our students, that our very democracy would be in jeopardy. prgtoken It pains me to see from the incoming administration such a superficial, extreme profit-driven notion of improving our schools. I wish that both President-elect and Betsy DeVos could see some of the great work that is being done at my schools in my congressional district where we have a teacher--I am blanking on his name, but he is responsible for one-fourth of all the Latinos in the State of California that score 4s and 5s on the physics AP test. Remarkable work being done in a regular school that does not cherry-pick its students. It is a public school in the Val Verde Unified School District that is making remarkable strides. This work is not being looked at carefully, is being overlooked, and it is a shame that we have a nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, who has such a terrible history, who is committed to actually tearing down our public school system.

2,017

1

12

1,634

567,273

335

1,037,911

S001180

824

Kurt

Schrader

Kurt Schrader

20,170,112

M

1951-10-19

65

1

0

Democrat

rep

OR

REJECT ATTEMPTS TO REPEAL THE ACA

in a bizarre rant yesterday, President- elect said he would be ``the greatest jobs producer that God ever created.'' Mr. might need to rethink that statement, given his top priority is to repeal the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken Make no mistake, , while the s haven't given us any details about an ACA replacement policy at all, we know exactly what will happen if they repeal it: millions of jobs will be lost. prgtoken Since the ACA was passed in March 2010, the U.S. economy has added more than 15 million private sector jobs and the unemployment rate has been cut in half. In fact, the longest streak in private sector job growth began the month the ACA was passed. Now, folks on the other side of the aisle want to risk all of that going away by repealing the law. prgtoken A recent study has found that repealing the ACA would kill 2.6 million jobs in just 1 year, including 45,000 in my home State of Oregon. Thirty million Americans will lose access to health care, and $350 billion gets added to our budget deficit. prgtoken , we can't afford the reckless ACA repeal policy. I urge my colleagues to reject attempts to repeal the law and focus on ways we can fix and improve our healthcare system while creating jobs.

2,017

1

12

1,274

567,256

298

1,037,711

G000289

39

Bob

Goodlatte

Bob Goodlatte

20,170,112

M

1952-09-22

64

0

Republican

rep

VA

COMMODITY END-USER RELIEF ACT

. Mr. Chair, I rise today to first express my great appreciation to Chairman Michael Conaway and Subcommittee Chairman Austin Scott for their hard work in crafting H.R. 238, the Commodity End-User Relief Act, legislation to reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Chairman Conaway and Subcommittee Chairman Austin Scott held four hearings throughout the 114th Congress regarding the CFTC and its future, during which time they invited input from a wide variety of interested stakeholders. I believe that they have struck the right balance in providing the CFTC with the authorizations necessary for the agency to do its job, while increasing oversight, instituting reforms to protect end-users from regulatory overreach, and improving consumer protection against fraud or mismanagement. prgtoken I am also pleased to see that since the House of Representatives last acted to reauthorize the CFTC, in light of many years of concern about aluminum markets and warehousing practices, the London Metal Exchange has implemented additional reforms to their aluminum warehousing practices and prgtoken contracts. Now that the London Metal Exchange has been recognized by the CFTC as a Foreign Board of Trade, I look forward to continuing my review of these reforms and their impact on aluminum markets and end users, while remaining hopeful that these changes will accomplish their intended goal. prgtoken Once again, I would like to thank all those involved in bringing this bill to the floor, Chairman Michael Conaway, Subcommittee Chairman Austin Scott, and Ranking Member David Scott. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

2,017

1

12

1,687

567,164

303

1,037,789

K000210

161

Peter

King

Peter T. King

20,170,112

M

1944-04-05

72

0

Republican

rep

NY

SEC REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

I rise in support of H.R. 78, the SEC Regulatory Accountability Act. If passed, the SEC would be required to follow President 's executive order that requires a thorough cost-benefit analysis of new rules and a comprehensive review of existing regulations. Under current law, the SEC must consider the effect of its rules on ``efficiency, competition, and capital formation,'' and weighing costs and benefits is necessary to meet this requirement. prgtoken Cost-benefit analysis is not a new idea. Agencies have done this kind of analysis for over 30 years. In fact, it is a bipartisan idea. In 1981, President Reagan issued an executive order requiring Cabinet- level agencies to engage in cost-benefit analysis, which President Clinton expanded with another executive order in 1993. prgtoken Unfortunately, independent agencies are not subject to executive orders and those regulated by the SEC have suffered as a result. From 2005 to 2012, SEC regulations were overturned consistently by the courts for inadequate economic analysis and unjustified costs. While the SEC has taken steps to improve its rulemaking process, H.R. 78 will ensure that future rules maximize economic benefit and companies do not face unnecessary hurdles when they access our capital markets. and s often do not agree on policy, but I hope we can agree on the need for a fair, transparent, and informed process. prgtoken I thank my distinguished colleague for introducing this vital legislation.

2,017

1

12

1,533

567,194

309

1,037,773

H001053

903

Vicky

Hartzler

Vicky Hartzler

20,170,112

F

1960-10-13

56

0

Republican

rep

MO

COMMODITY END-USER RELIEF ACT

the remainder of my time. prgtoken , I would remind our colleagues that this rule is right now under a no-action relief letter because it isn't working, and that is what this amendment does is to fix this problem. So I believe this amendment is very important. It makes a few commonsense changes to the OCR rule that will provide regulatory relief to farmers, agricultural cooperatives, and grain elevators while allowing the CFTC to adequately regulate the futures industry. prgtoken So, , I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. prgtoken .

2,017

1

12

645

567,185

299

1,038,001

G000386

103

Charles

Grassley

Chuck Grassley

20,170,112

M

1933-09-17

83

0

1

Republican

sen

IA

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

for too long, American families, farmers, and job creators have suffered under President 's regulatory onslaught. His administration threw caution to wind, pumping out regulation after regulation and further entangling the government into Americans' daily lives. prgtoken In November, the American people issued a strong rebuke to President 's overreach and his administration's way of doing business. prgtoken They want a new direction. They want more accountability. They want more transparency. They want the government off their backs so that they can get back to making this country great again. prgtoken President-elect has committed to working with Congress to roll back the regulatory overreach of the administration, and to making the government more answerable to the people. prgtoken So, I rise today to introduce an important piece of legislation that will help achieve these goals and ensure a more accountable and transparent government going forward. prgtoken By some estimates, Federal Government regulations impose over $2 trillion in compliance costs--on the American economy. The cost of complying with all these regulations falls particularly heavy on small businesses. prgtoken It is no wonder why many American businesses have shut down or moved overseas. How many innovators dreamed of starting a small business but decided against it when faced with the burden and uncertainty of our regulatory state? prgtoken We have to do better. prgtoken The Federal Government should do everything possible to promote job creation. To accomplish that, common sense would tell us that the government needs to remove bureaucratic barriers rather than put up new ones. prgtoken But as we all know, the administration showed time and again that it would rather push forward with its regulatory agenda than ease the burden on our economy and job creators. prgtoken Adding insult to injury, the administration often kept folks in the dark about new regulatory initiatives. prgtoken Through secretive litigation tactics, the administration took end- runs around our nation's transparency and accountability laws. It is a strategy known as sue-and-settle, and regulators have been using it to speed up rulemaking and keep the public away from the table when key policy decisions are made. prgtoken Sue-and-settle typically follows a similar pattern. prgtoken First, an interest group files a lawsuit against a federal agency, claiming that the agency has failed to take a certain regulatory action by a statutory deadline. The interest group seeks to compel the agency to take action by a new, often-rushed deadline. All too often, the plaintiff-interest group will be one that shares a common regulatory agenda with the agency that it sues, such as when an environmental group sues the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA. prgtoken Next, the agency and interest group enter into negotiations behind closed doors to produc

2,017

1

12

3,000

567,305

306

1,037,996

M001153

616

Lisa

Murkowski

Lisa Murkowski

20,170,112

F

1957-05-22

59

0

1

Republican

sen

AK

REMEMBERING BYRON BIRDSALL

Alaskans tend to view our State as a big family, a family whose members come from many places but are united in our love and loyalty for our great land. And like any family, Alaska has been blessed with outstanding sons and daughters, distinguished in their own unique ways. prgtoken Today I wish to pay tribute to the memory of one such Alaskan, acclaimed watercolorist Byron Birdsall. Byron's passing on December 4, 2016, just 2 weeks shy of his 79th birthday, leaves a hole not just in the hearts of Alaskans, but in the art world itself. Given the indelible impact that Byron's prolific volume of work has had on Alaskans over the last 41 years, it is all the more impressive, considering that he lived the first half of his life outside the State. prgtoken Born in Buckeye, Arizona on December 18, 1937, Byron was raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in history from Seattle Pacific College in 1959, Byron attended Stanford University. Following his 1960 marriage to his beloved Lynn, who succumbed to breast cancer in 1998, the couple set out to travel the world. The couple traveled to Africa to teach English and explored the Pacific, living in American Samoa for a few years. They then returned for a job in Seattle before arriving in Anchorage for a job at an advertising agency, which he soon quit to paint full time. prgtoken He recalled that it was 1975, during the pipeline boom that he was painting pictures. ``People started buying them so I quit work and started painting.'' Byron painted Alaska. He later explained to the Anchorage Daily News, ``Alaskans love Alaska. That's what they want to buy.'' prgtoken Despite his talent in multiple mediums, including portraiture and oils, Byron will likely be best remembered for his prolific work in watercolor and landscapes, and, perhaps rightly so, as many of the pieces and prints so familiar to most Alaskans were in that format. His work is so highly regarded that one of his prints, ``McKinley Moonlight,'' was selected to serve as a background for Alaska's heirloom marriage certificates. As his wife Billie said, Byron was ``inspired by both the scenic beauty of Alaska and its people.'' prgtoken Alaska Dispatch News writer David James described Byron's landscapes for a recent book Byron completed this year as ``rich with color and detail. His summer scenes explode with flowers, animals and sunlight, while his images of winter, where snow covers the ground and twilight darkens the sky, are alive with elaborate hues and stellar lighting that belie the notion of Alaska as a desolate wasteland for half the year.'' prgtoken But I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to highlight for the record that Byron's work was not just the beautiful landscapes that Alaskans love so much. Rather, he helped catalog the history of the 49th State. Among the many honors we have as Senators is adorning our offices with artwork that repr

2,017

1

12

3,000

567,302

314

1,037,795

H001072

1,086

J.

Hill

J. French Hill

20,170,112

M

1956-12-05

60

0

Republican

rep

AR

SEC REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

. This bill will focus attention where attention is needed to benefit investors, our capital markets, and the economy the most. H.R. 78, along with the HALOS Act that we passed in the House on Tuesday, will help ensure that the SEC regulations do not unnecessarily impede consumer and business access to capital. prgtoken I thank the chairman for the time. I appreciate Mrs. Wagner for her work on this bill.

2,017

1

12

415

567,197

301

1,037,958

M000303

113

John

McCain

John McCain

20,170,112

M

1936-08-29

80

0

1

Republican

sen

AZ

PROVIDING FOR AN EXCEPTION TO A LIMITATION AGAINST APPOINTMENT OF PERSONS AS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WITHIN SEVEN YEARS OF RELIEF FROM ACTIVE DUTY AS A REGULAR COMMISSIONED OFFICER OF THE ARMED FORCES

I would say that I also agree. I want to thank the Senator from Rhode Island for his leadership, and I want to thank him for setting the tenor and the environment that surrounds the Armed Services Committee, which resulted in the 24-to-3 vote today in the Armed Services Committee. Because of the relationship that we have, but also because of his leadership, we have a very bipartisan committee, which is vital to maintain, considering the awesome responsibilities we hold. prgtoken The Senator from Rhode Island has displayed time after time a willingness to work together for the good of the country. I think this is the latest example, even though he had significant reservations-- which are valid--concerning the short period of transition from wearing the uniform to holding down the highest civilian position as far as defense of the Nation is concerned. I know he didn't reach this conclusion without a lot of thought, a lot of study, a lot of--as he has displayed--references to history; reasons for the origination of this legislation, which requires 7 years before an individual is eligible to be Secretary of Defense after leaving the military. prgtoken So I just wanted to thank the Senator from Rhode Island, and I look forward to an overwhelming vote. prgtoken , could I ask the parliamentary situation as it is right now.

2,017

1

12

1,384

567,294

311

1,037,916

C001093

980

Doug

Collins

Doug Collins

20,170,112

M

1966-08-16

50

0

Republican

rep

GA

INTRODUCING REPUBLICAN FRESHMEN

I thank the gentleman. prgtoken Again, we see the quality and we see who the American people have sent here, people like Andy Biggs. We got started with the REINS Act, a bill that I sponsored that talked about reining in regulations. Andy jumped in with a couple of amendments. He wanted to be a part of the solution to start with. prgtoken Next up is a gentleman from Kentucky, the First District of Kentucky, Mr. Comer. He comes to us from a farm background. He wore the blue jacket and the green jacket, 4-H and FFA. He was the Commissioner of Agriculture for the State of Kentucky. He has been a legislator. He also is a good friend of my Commissioner of Agriculture, Gary Black. Gary called me up and said there is a good one in Kentucky. I said when Gary says that, we know something good is going on. prgtoken It is my pleasure, , to yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer).

2,017

1

12

908

567,261

313

1,037,636

B001291

1,078

Brian

Babin

Brian Babin

20,170,112

M

1948-03-23

68

0

Republican

rep

TX

HONORING THE LIFE OF SARAH JEFFERSON SIMON

I rise today to honor the life of Sarah Jefferson Simon. Born and raised in Orange, Texas on November 26, 1961, Sarah was a lifelong Texan. prgtoken In 1989, Sarah joined the Orange Police Department and quickly rose through the ranks as she put her life on the line to protect those of us who call East Texas home. After only one year as a Patrol Officer, she was promoted to the Detective Division and given the rank of Detective-Sergeant. Sarah was the first African-American woman to attain this esteemed role within the City of Orange Police Department. Sarah had a God-given gift for her craft, and was often called upon by other law enforcement agencies to break cold cases and execute some of the region's most challenging criminal investigations. prgtoken It is no surprise that, with such a heart for the community, Sarah was also deeply involved with the local school district as a tutor, and served as a Trustee of the West Orange-Cove school district. Her children, Diztorsha and Herman, have continued her legacy of public service as educators. prgtoken Sarah was a woman of God, a pillar of faith for those in her community and to those in her care. For over 30 years, she attended Starlight Church of God in Christ and richly gave of her time and talent in service of the Church and its parishioners. Her son, Herman, pastors the faithful in Bon Weir. prgtoken Sarah went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Friday, January 6, 2017. She will be deeply missed by those whose lives she touched. My prayers and condolences go out to Sarah's loving family, and her children, Diztorsha, and Herman. Sarah will be sorely missed, but her legacy will certainly live on.

2,017

1

12

1,707

567,106