Floor Statements

Mr. President, over the past couple of weeks Congress and the Senate had its State work period, and during that time we go back to our State and travel, listening to our constituents. I had the incredible opportunity to go to Colorado and spend time on the Front Range, on the I-25 Corridor, where the vast majority of the population of Colorado lives, and also spent some time in Western Colorado, which most people identify as being where they travel to Colorado, with the ski resorts, mountains, Rocky Mountain National Park, and the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

I also had a chance to visit some of the smaller communities in Southern Colorado, including an area known as the San Luis Valley, where some of the longest living Colorado families have farms. There are families and businesses.

The focus of this visit was about how we grow the economy in the San Luis Valley, the Eastern Plains, and the Western Slope--areas that haven't seen as much economic growth as, perhaps, Denver, Fort Collins, or Colorado Springs.

I also wanted to spend some time getting into the community and talking about a couple of the issues they face when it comes to the opioid crisis that this country faces. Over the past several years, a great deal of attention has been paid to prescription drug addiction and to prescription drug overdoses.

My home State of Colorado actually has an average that exceeds the national average when it comes to prescription addiction and overdose. We are losing a person in Colorado to drug overdose every 36 hours--far too many people. In our rural communities, it is not just the wealthy who are immune or the poor who are immune or the poor who are affected or the wealthy who are affected. It is everyone--wealthy, poor, low- and high-income. The opioid crisis and prescription drug addiction have affected every nook and cranny of our communities.

The attention that has been paid to the addiction crisis in this country has resulted in some of the greatest bipartisan achievements Congress has had over the past several years. The passage of the 21st Century Cures Act will expedite new treatment methods through the FDA and provide research treatment dollars for the opioid crisis and the prescription drug crisis and addiction.

It also led to passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, legislation that had great bipartisan support. People on both sides of the aisle worked on this legislation together to pass a bill to address what is happening to our communities.

Every single one of us has a story about somebody close to us, near to us, perhaps a friend or relative--probably both--who has fallen victim to prescription drug addiction and opioid addiction. Of course if you end up with a prescription drug addiction, that one pill might be $60 or $80, but you can go out on the streets and find heroin for $10 to $15. Now we see the rise of heroin replacing prescription drugs and you see the cycle. The drug dealers have figured out a way to lace cocaine with fentanyl so that it becomes a little bit more addictive and so people are hooked on cocaine more than they already are.

You know the dangers of fentanyl, a synthetic drug so powerful that you can't have a dog sniff for it at the Post Office because it would kill the animal.

During these roundtables that were held in the San Luis Valley about opioids, I learned a couple of things. In Alamosa, CO, I learned that about 90 percent of the jail population in Alamosa is addicted to drugs. At the same roundtable, we talked about the challenges that rural communities have in treatment. We know that if a police officer or law enforcement officer or paramedic finds somebody who is overdosed and they are revived with Narcan, yes, you saved their life. You brought them back, but what happens after that? They are left to their own devices. Do they return to that abuse? Do they return to that cycle of overdose? Without treatment, yes, they will.

We learned in Swedish Medical Center Englewood, CO, the Front Range

suburb of Denver, that 1 out of every 10 visitors to the emergency room of people who are revived by Narcan or some other treatment after an overdose will be dead within a year. So 1 out of 10 who come into an emergency room will be dead within a year.

We know that there has been great success in finding alternatives to opioid medication. In fact, Colorado emergency rooms and the Colorado Hospital Association, working together with a number of hospitals, developed a program called Alternatives to Opioids, or ALTO, which is a program that we actually introduced legislation on--Senator Booker, myself, Senator Bennet, and others--to try to make sure that emergency rooms don't just turn to opioid medication but find other alternatives because there are other alternatives. You don't just have to prescribe an opioid-based medication.

As a result, opioid prescriptions out of the emergency room have decreased by 36 percent over the 6-month course of this pilot program in Colorado. Those are remarkable results. We introduced legislation to mimic the same thing and to learn best practices at the Federal level so that hospitals around the country can work together, share those best practices, identify what works, and use them.

We have to reform the Medicaid Program so there is no incentive for doctors to overprescribe addictive medication. In Alamosa, physicians we talked to are entering into contracts with their patients. At San Luis Valley Health Regional Medical Center, they are entering into contracts with patients about the responsibility that goes with taking these powerful, powerful drugs.

We found new ways to make sure that the pill mills are being discovered and abandoned. We try to make sure that people can communicate with each other on how these treatments work.

While I was in Colorado, we talked about the devastation that drugs are having on their small communities. We learned about a group of high schoolers who are talking to other high schools about the dangers of addiction and prescription and drug overdose. They are trying to work with each other to stop the cycle and to make sure that people who need help find help and hopefully will avoid it in the first place.

Perhaps, one of the most frightening things that I heard during this roundtable--being a parent with three children of my own, I often worry about what happens to them when they go to school and what pressures they face. Two of them are young now. Our daughter is 14, and she will be entering high school. I worry about the pressures they will face from their peers. I worry about them, and I worry about what happens to our community and to their friends with what is around them. But I never thought that I would hear what I heard in the San Luis Valley.

We were talking about prescriptions and reimbursement from Medicaid. One of the providers brought up a challenge that they had with getting reimbursement. I later learned from a pharmacist that it may simply be a coding problem, and if it were coded correctly, the reimbursement would occur.

This is what this provider said. They were trying to make sure Medicaid could reimburse for the nasal spray of Narcan so that children could administer it to their parents when they overdosed, because it is easier for a young child or a little child to administer a nasal spray than to give an injection.

Kids are given nasal spray so they can revive their parents. If that parent goes to the emergency room at Swedish hospital in Denver, CO, revived by that child, 1 in 10 of those parents revived will not come back again because they will be dead.

We have done a lot of work in this country, and we have a lot more work to do when it comes to opiate addiction and crisis. We have a lot of work to do in this Congress to come together and find ways to stop this--to break the cycle, to make sure it is easier to prescribe the drugs that will help instead of create addictions.

We have talked to people who said they have to have 8 hours of training and certification, which makes it impossible for certain drugs to be administered by a physician in the emergency room because they don't have time to comply with the paperwork. They actually would rather prescribe this drug than the opiate-based drug because the opiate-based drug, they know, would create the possibility of addiction. Yet this other drug wouldn't. There are more barriers to prescribe the drug that wouldn't cause the harm than the drug that would cause the harm. So we have a lot of work to do. These aren't Republican issues or Democratic issues. They are our families' issues. They are our friends' issues. They are our communities' issues.

I will end it with this story. One of the healthcare professionals we talked to told a story of their son who was a golfer--an athlete, loved to golf. He was injured golfing, so they wanted to make sure their son was cared for so he could recover and go on to a golf career or whatever career he had in front of him. They took their son to the doctor. Their son was given Vicodin to address the pain from the injury. At this point in the story, the mother started to cry because she feels guilty and responsible for the very first treatment that led down a path of addiction and the eventual death of their son. All this mom wanted to do was help, and she now feels the blame of the powerful drug that led to the addiction and death of their son. It is not a unique story. That story has been shared far too many times around the country, and yet here we are once again talking about it.

So I encourage my colleagues, let's continue the great work we have already done. Let's do more. Let's work together, and let's make sure we can find solutions this country will be proud of. We will know this when our communities recover and people stop dying.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I wish today to recognize the veterans of Honor Flight Northern Colorado who have made their 20th trip to Washington, DC, to visit memorials that stand in their honor. This group consists of veterans from various wars and generations, but all are linked by their service to our country.

Founded in 2005, the Honor Flight program was originally formed to honor veterans that had served in World War II. The program has expanded and now welcomes veterans from across the country to fly to Washington, DC, free of charge, so that they can visit the national memorials dedicated to their service. These veterans have preserved our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Few words sufficiently express the gratitude and respect we all have for these brave men and women. Of the 123 veterans on the most recent Honor Flight, 9 served in World War II, 25 served in Korea, and 89 served in Vietnam.

Please join me in honoring Carl Curtis, Eugene Doty, Ben Gutfelder, Fred Heinze, James Ingram, Elwood Johnsen, George Kunz, Stuart Mundt, Merwin Waterman, John Anderson, Ralph Ashton, William Bohn, Gerald Briggs, Joseph Carney, Dale Doty, Ernest Garcia, Charles Gustafson, Fred Hagen, Richard Hornung, Phillip Kaspar, Dixon King, George Lanes, John Lark, Don Moritz, August Roemer, Melvin Salter, Paul Salvador, Arlen Sarian, Walter Slocum Jr, Arthur Smith, Willard Unrein, Robert Wallen, William Webster, Reginald Willcox, Edward Aitken, Charles Ashbaugh, Harry Ashbaugh, Frank Atwood, Thomas Barker, Lanny Benninger, Eldredge Blain, William Bjorlin, Leslie Burns, Joel Champion, James Chopp, Willis Corcoran, William Damewood, Anson Derby, Clarence Dye, Clifford Echols, Roy Echols, David Fanning, Wesley Feeney Jr, Budd Finch Jr, Errol Ford, Michael Gail, Alonzo Garza, Dennis Gordon, Eldon Harrell, Larry Hartman, Allan Havens, John Hendrickson, Nicholas Herrera, Donald Hull, Raymond Johnson, John Kask, Paul Kornmueller, Charles Klutsch, Joseph Long, Michael Long, Edward Longhini, Joseph Maes, Loren Maes, Gary Malara, David Mathis, Michael McClure, Jerry McDaniel, Mark McKinley, Oscar Metzgar, Steven Moskowitz, Allan Nelson, Robert Nelson, Russell Ness, Paul Nobles, Sven Nylander, Max Oesterle, Dale Olson, David Painter, Thomas Parker, Raymond Patch, Rudolf Peralez, Robert Perlenfien, John Perrine, Wayne Peterson, Louis Price, Jerry Purdy, Ernie Pyle, Ronald Ramirez, Richard Reininger, Frank Ross, Joe Roybal, John Ryan, Genaro Salazar, Raymond Sautter, Robert Schawo, Rudy Schenk, Larry Schwindt, Robert Shaeffer, Dan Shaffer, Roger Smith, Daniel Sorensen, Andrew Stephenson, Marjorie Stephenson, Walter Stolpa Jr, Dwight Strandberg, Barton Thompson, Norman Toman, Richard Tompkins, Samuel Trujillo, Terrence Urista, Myron Wagner, James Wetzler, and Charles Winkleman.

Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Wyoming for his remarks on American energy and American energy independence, particularly the work we have done in Wyoming and Colorado. When you think about the opportunities we have to free up markets for Colorado and Wyoming produced oil or gas, it is truly remarkable.

The Senator and I also share the great work that takes place at F.E. Warren Air Force Base. F.E. Warren Air Force Base has a significant role to play in the nuclear triad, with facilities in both Colorado and Wyoming. That is obviously something very important to our national security.

One of the other things I think is important to bring to this conversation that the Senator from Wyoming talked about is the national security component that energy can play and the important role that it has. We can export our energy not just to the Midwest or to the eastern parts of this country, but we can take that gas produced in Wyoming and Colorado and export it to Asia and Europe, to countries that want American energy, that desire American energy resources, not energy resources from tyrants and dictators like Russia and other places we see around the globe.

This is an opportunity for us to really show, and I commend my colleague for his leadership on energy.

Mr. President, yesterday America witnessed another great tragedy in the State of Florida, and of course our souls ache with what must be unimaginable grief. As we turn to comfort those who lost so much in Florida, I come to the floor of the Senate again, for the third time in a little more than a month, to share the grief of Colorado, as well as to honor the life and legacy of a fallen Colorado sheriff's deputy.

El Paso County Sheriff's Deputy Micah Flick was shot and killed last week while investigating a stolen car when he threw himself in front of his fellow officers to shield them from gunfire. Sheriff's Deputy Scott Stone, Sheriff's Sergeant Jacob Abendschan, and Colorado Springs Police Officer Marcus Yanez, along with a bystander, were also wounded in the attack.

A total of 10 law enforcement officers in Colorado have been wounded or killed since December 31. On January 24, Adams County Sheriff's Deputy Gumm was fatally wounded. Another assault on law enforcement officers on New Year's Eve in Douglas County resulted in the death of Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy Parrish and wounded four other law enforcement officers.

These three attacks left four children without fathers and countless loved ones with a loss they will never forget.

Micah Flick was killed on his 11th anniversary with the El Paso County Sheriff's Department and leaves behind a wife and 7-year-old twins.

Micah was a hero who, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette, was remembered by his brother-in-law as someone who ``never wanted to do anything else but protect this community.'' His fellow sheriff's deputies would always tease him that he was ``the poster boy of the sheriff's office.''

Micah's wife Rachel captured her husband's heroism perfectly when she explained how she would always tell him to just do his job and not be a hero but understands that was not in his DNA. ``Micah was a hero, and he couldn't help it,'' she said. Micah's fellow deputy who was wounded in the attack confirmed Micah's heroism. Deputy Stone told Sheriff Bill Elder: ``Micah saved my life, and I will be forever grateful.'' Micah was a hero that day, and no one will ever forget that.

Unfortunately, I have come to this Chamber far too many times just this year to honor a fallen Colorado law enforcement officer and repeat the words

for the third time of LTC Dave Grossman, who wrote that American law enforcement is the loyal and brave sheep dog, always standing watch for the wolf that lurks in the dark.

We owe so much to Micah and his brothers and sisters in blue who protect our communities each and every day. I know that all of our families together sleep better at night knowing these heroes are out protecting every single one of us.

Thank you, Micah, for answering the call. You protected your community. You saved your fellow officers. You are a hero. And I, along with Coloradans across the State, am forever grateful. Like your fellow officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, we will remember your heroism for eternity and honor you and your family for your sacrifice.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call be waived.

Mr. President, I rise to speak about a horrible tragedy that occurred in Adams County, CO, on January 24, just last week. Adams County sheriff's deputy Heath Gumm was pursuing a suspect when he was shot and killed in the line of duty.

Heath was 31 years old and is survived by his wife and other loving family members. He had served with the Adams County Sheriff's Office since 2012, which was not a surprise to those who knew him best, because of his upbringing.

He grew up in a family of first responders. His father is a retired West Metro Fire Protection District engineer. So his teachers and classmates who knew Heath as a student at Mullen High School, in Denver, were not shocked to learn that he had decided to become a law enforcement officer.

As reported by the Denver Post, Heath's ninth grade English teacher, Sean Keefe, said:

By all accounts, he lived his life as a grown man as he did

as a kid. He was a good guy. That didn't change. That only

got more accentuated as he grew up. He lifted his friends. He

made his friends the best version of themselves, and they did

that to him as well.

Heath's cousin remembers him as the ``kind of man you wanted out there protecting our streets. He was kind, fair, funny and friendly to everyone.''

Keefe went on to remember Heath as ``someone people gravitated towards, and he was someone who people could count on.''

It is these qualities that made Heath such an incredible sheriff's deputy.

At a press conference last Thursday, Adams County sheriff Michael McIntosh read parts of a letter he had received from a stranded motorist whom Heath had recently helped when he was out on patrol.

The resident wrote: ``Heath made the interaction enjoyable and easy to get through instead of acting like I was in trouble or a nuisance.''

Heath showed what it means to be a law enforcement officer who selflessly serves and protects a community. He went to work each and every day--ready to walk that thin blue line.

When we lose an officer in Colorado, I come to this Chamber to honor his sacrifice and recite the words of LTC Dave Grossman, who wrote that American law enforcement is the loyal and brave sheepdog who is always standing watch for the wolf that lurks in the dark.

Unfortunately, many in this Chamber have heard me read that quote far too often in the last weeks.

Across Colorado and across the country, we owe so much to Heath and law enforcement officers for their service. Instead of fleeing to safety, they run toward danger to save lives. They provide hope and safety to our families in the worst of times.

I thank Heath for answering the call. He protected his community. I, along with Coloradans across the State, are forever grateful. We will never forget his sacrifice, and we will always honor his memory.

We also lost a sheriff's deputy on New Year's Eve in Colorado, just a few weeks before. In a tribute to him, I read something that former State Representative Joe Rice had written during his service in the Army. I think it is appropriate to share it now because, each and every day they wake up, I know the thoughts of many in law enforcement are reflected in the words of Representative Joe Rice:

In a few hours, it will be Christmas in Afghanistan. I

spent 3 Christmas Days in Iraq. Only on one of them did I

have to go out on Christmas Day, itself. I found myself

praying that I didn't want to die this day and ruin every

future Christmas for my family. I realize that most of the

other soldiers I was with were quietly or openly saying the

same thing.

So, for all of those around the world who are in harm's

way, we pray with you: Please God, just not today.

To our men and women in law enforcement, please know that I pray with you each and every day: Please God, just not this day.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I realized a long time ago something unique and unfortunate about the way Congress can work. It seems sometimes that in Washington, and only in Washington, the more people agree on something, the less likely it is to get done. In the real world, back in Colorado and in Alaska, where the Presiding Officer is from, the more people agree on something, the more likely it is to get done and the more likely you will see progress on an important issue to the people of Colorado and to the people of Alaska. But here in Washington, the more you agree, the more people seem to want to push back to fight and to divide.

So here we are approaching the zero hour of a government shutdown, and I hear from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle--where is the good faith, they say. It has been 111 days, and these programs haven't been permanently reauthorized? Where is the good faith, they say. They say that we just make it worse by passing a 4-week continuing resolution. Where is the good faith?

Let me just talk a little bit about where we are right now. I have been a part of a bipartisan working group--very proud of the work we are doing--trying to find a solution on a very important issue dealing with many thousands of children around our country and around our State. In Colorado, this issue of DACA, of Dreamers, is incredibly important, not just to part of the State, not just to Denver or the Front Range. Two kids of mine go to school with people who were brought here at a very young age through no fault of their own, and we all agree there needs to be a solution for those kids.

We agree we should address the opiate crisis that is gripping this Nation, that is tearing families apart, and that is resulting in the deaths of far too many people. When you have a crisis that is resulting in the age and life expectancy of Americans declining, like the opiate crisis has, we should address that.

We have men and women in uniform around the country defending this Nation. There are hundreds of thousands in Korea facing down a threat from North Korea. An article in the Wall Street Journal today talked about the special operators who are now in the Philippines directly intervening in the War on Terror in the Philippines, fighting radical Islamic terrorists. Of course we all know about the work that is taking place in the Middle East, the conflict in Syria, the conflict in Iraq, the conflict in Afghanistan, and the progress we have made fighting back on ISIS, fighting back on terrorists, the fact that we have shrunk the ground they have taken. It is one of the great victories people haven't really talked about yet because they would rather talk about divisive issues. And to think that we are hours away from a government shutdown, and somehow people think it is going to make it better. They are going to shut down the government, and somehow that makes it better for the military.

They are willing to shut down the government because they object to a 4-week CR so they can get a 5-day CR or a 3-day continuing resolution. Only in Washington can a bad solution be fixed by a worse solution, but that is exactly what people want to do.

It seems to me that this place ought to get to work, and it doesn't get to work by shutting things down, by going to your partisan corners, picking up your sticks, and going home. Yet that is what some in this body would like to do.

We have a continuing resolution that represents policies that people support. There is not a thing in there that people disagree with that they would vote against--at least that is what we have been told.

In fact, let's look at the CHIP reauthorization. I heard my colleague from

Montana say that this is a garbage bill. A garbage bill that reauthorizes CHIP for 6 years? A garbage bill that will provide healthcare for 8.9 million women and children on SCHIP coverage? This is a garbage bill that provides the longest extension of women and children's healthcare since it was created?

I hear from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: Well, they didn't talk about it. They didn't care.

I have been a cosponsor of that bill for months because I believe it is important. It is important to the people of my State.

The fact is, people across this country are tired of the finger- pointing, they are tired of the blame game, and they are tired of the shutdown politics that we are just hours away from seeing played out because people would take this country, this government hostage to the politics of their choice.

I am old enough to remember back in 2013 when President Obama thought a government shutdown was a bad idea, when the Democratic leader believed that a government shutdown could result in governmental chaos, when you shut the government down over the politics of your choice. Yet here we are hours away from people wishing to do just that.

We can find solutions to our Nation's biggest challenges. I am part of a bipartisan working group to work on these solutions, but it makes it more difficult, not less difficult, to find solutions when people shut down the government, and not only that--collateral damage occurs as a result.

There is collateral damage on the men and women across this country who are hurt because of what this government cannot do to help them. We are in one of the most severe flu seasons this country has seen. The CDC has a lot of work to do. If you shut down the government, the CDC can no longer get information from the States about where that flu epidemic is heading, and that makes a difference on where they send vaccines. If you don't vote for this bill to keep the government open, 8.9 million women and children could be affected because of the risk it puts to SCHIP.

Let me talk about a story from my hometown. There are five military bases in the city of Colorado Springs. Here is the headline from a local newspaper: ``Potential shutdown would hit hardest at Colorado Springs military bases.'' There are men and women at Fort Carson, CO, and across Colorado Springs, overseas, deployed on our War on Terror, protecting us at home so we can come to work each and every day so we can have debates on the Senate floor. Some 6,000 civilians are going to be furloughed if this government shutdown occurs. These are civilians who support the War on Terror, who support our men and women in uniform around the globe. Yet, somehow, shutting down the government and furloughing 6,000 civilians is deemed to be better than a 4-week CR? Only in Washington can people claim that a bad bill should be replaced by a worse bill. Only in Washington can people decide that bad policy shouldn't be preferred over something that is worse, and that is exactly what the argument seems to be. They don't like it, so make it worse. That is not fair to the American people. It is not fair that collateral damage hurts men, women, and children across this country when we can do the right thing and we can bring a solution to our immigration crisis, we can bring a solution to the challenge our military faces, and we can bring a solution to the opiate crisis.

Let me tell you about a business in Fort Collins called Indivior. They have made a breakthrough in the way that treatment is delivered for people who are addicted to opiates. It is a liquid medication, and when it is injected, it solidifies. It is time-released over a month, so it doesn't rely on day-to-day injections. It doesn't rely on a person faithfully taking their medication because if they have a relapse, it can disrupt their medication and what they are doing in their treatment. This takes away that concern and gives them that treatment for a month. That was approved through an FDA emergency expedited review process, but there is legislation that this body needs to pass in order to make sure it is available in a way that will help the American people. Shut down the government, and we can't get that done.

Committees can't meet and the work can't proceed. But I guess that is the solution that people want. I guess shutting down the government seems to be the cure-all for them. Take a hostage, push it off, and somehow that makes it better.

The American people just want us to find an answer. They want us to have good-faith solutions to our problems, and men and women of good faith in this body and the House of Representatives are trying each and every day to do that. But don't prove to the American people their worse suspicions that Washington doesn't care. Pass the continuing resolution. Continue negotiations. We have time to talk. We have time to communicate. We have time to work. Stop the temper tantrums. The American people deserve better.

Madam President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, when we were kids, we learned a song that I think Herman's Hermits made very famous around 1965. It was the ``I'm Henry VIII, I Am'' song, and it went on for a while about Henry VIII, and then it had a little phrase in there that as kids we would repeat. We would say: ``Henry VIII, I am. I'm Henry VIII, I am. Second verse, same as the first,'' and then they would repeat themselves: ``Second verse, same as the first,'' and they would keep going. Well, today, we find ourselves kind of stuck in that ``Second verse, same as the first'' when it comes to the Veterans Affairs Department and how they have treated veterans in Colorado.

I rise, once again, to address troubling reports coming out of the Veterans' Administration. It has now been over 3 years since the Phoenix VA catastrophe--we all remember the Phoenix VA catastrophe, where secret wait lists led to the deaths of veterans. At that time, the VA pledged this problem would be fixed, but here we are ``Second verse, same as the first.'' They said it would never happen again. Well, it saddens me today that in Denver, CO, that promise has been broken.

Following the Phoenix disaster, this body passed the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, also known as the VA Choice Act, to expand access for veterans to community medical providers. No doubt, it has been successful in different parts of the country, but the Denver VA system continues to post inexcusable wait times, experience a shortage of doctors and nurses, and use secret wait lists. This is simply unacceptable.

The average wait time for a new patient at the Denver VA for a primary care appointment has topped 42 days. This leads the Nation in an unfortunate category, and it is twice the national average. Our veterans deserve better, and to many who have been affected by this travesty, they demand better.

Last week, NBC Nightly News told the story of one Colorado veteran, Alison Bush. Alison served in the Army for 7 years and suffers from a nerve disorder. With such a disorder, she cannot afford delayed appointments. Yet Alison was forced to wait over 3 months for a primary care appointment and another 60 days for an MRI. There is absolutely no excuse for this, particularly given the work we have done and the promises the VA has made. Alison, like so many others, answered the call of duty, only to be let down after retiring the uniform.

I recognize that Colorado was witnessing an increase in demand with more than 11,000 veterans seeking care in the last 2 years, but this is no excuse. The VA must adapt in the face of adversity. We must change this repeat after repeat of the same verse, and we must never forget that this Nation's No. 1 priority is upholding the promises we have made to our veterans.

Because of stories like Alison's, I recently introduced S. 2168, the Veterans Improved Access and Care Act of 2017. My legislation would address three issues: hiring shortages, delayed wait times, and malpractice reporting.

A large driver of delayed wait times for veterans is the shortage of doctors and nurses. The current system for hiring these medical professionals is too long and too burdensome. According to a McKinsey & Company study in 2015, it took 4 to 8 months to hire VA employees. The onboarding process alone can take 3 months. According to the

same study, private medical facilities took less than 2 months to hire an applicant. Just think about that for a moment. Just like in the VA, a private applicant has to go through an interview process, a certification process, credentials process, background check. Yet the VA's onboarding process is longer than the private sector's entire hiring process. It makes absolutely no sense.

My legislation would take steps to fix this problem. It would authorize the VA to establish a pilot program to expedite the hiring of doctors at facilities where there are shortages of available specialists, such as nurses or anesthesiologists. Furthermore, it would require the Secretary of the VA to submit a report to Congress detailing a strategy to reduce the length of the VA's hiring process by half.

My bill would also look to expand access to our veterans. The VA Choice Program, while well-intentioned, still contains arbitrary rules, such as a 30-day waiting period before a veteran can seek access to community providers. Well, 29 days is also unacceptable. My legislation would work to improve the Choice Act by eliminating the 30-day/40-mile eligibility rule, giving veterans full access to medical care regardless of his or her situation.

Finally, my legislation will work to ensure that secret wait lists are forever extinguished. No more ``second verse same as the first.''

Last November, a Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General report substantiated the claim that the Eastern Colorado Health Care System used unofficial wait lists for veterans, estimating that at least 3,775 veterans were affected. This is extremely disheartening. There needs to be accountability for this malpractice. My legislation would do just that. It would codify the VA's policy to expand the requirements of reporting malpractice to include all medical providers.

Our veterans have served our country. They have missed holidays with their families to protect our Nation. They have suffered battlefield injuries. They have laid it all on the line for you and for me. The Presiding Officer is a veteran of this great country. The least we can do is ensure that our veterans are treated with the dignity, respect, and honor they have rightfully earned.

It is my hope that the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee will soon take up my bill so that we can work to ensure accountability and greater access to care for all veterans. But whether it is my legislation or any piece of legislation, one thing is for sure: Something has to be done--not tomorrow, not next week, but now. The current system is not working, and it continues to let our veterans down. Nevertheless, we must remain optimistic and deliver on the promises we gave our men and women in uniform. I am optimistic that we can make this right on their behalf. We can't wait. Time is a luxury our veterans do not have.

I ask that everyone in this body--and especially the VA--always remember the stories of veterans like Alison Bush. May we never forget those who set aside their own dreams to make sure they save the dreams of their fellow Americans. Our veterans honorably served this great Nation. Now is the time that we step up and honorably serve them.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, up until about 8:58 this morning, we believed in Colorado that States rights would be protected. Up until about 8:58, maybe 8:55--until Twitter told us otherwise--we believed the will of Colorado voters would be respected. Why did we believe that? Because of conversations I had with then-Senator Jeff Sessions prior to his confirmation as Attorney General about what would happen with Colorado's marijuana policy.

At the time, prior to his confirmation, then-Senator Sessions told me there were no plans to reverse the Cole memorandum. Then-Senator Sessions told me marijuana simply wasn't going to be on President Trump's agenda; that it was something they weren't going to deal with; it was something President Trump simply wasn't going to focus on.

That was back in the spring of 2016, and up until 8:58 this morning, that was the policy. One tweet later, one policy later--a complete reversal of what many of us on the Hill were told before the confirmation and what we had continued to believe the last year. Then, without any notification, conversation, or dialogue with Congress, completely reversed.

Now, perhaps the Department of Justice didn't think this would be a big deal. I understand Attorney General Jeff Sessions' opposition to the legalization of marijuana. I opposed the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, but this is about a decision by the State of Colorado. We were told that States rights would be protected and not just by the Attorney General, then the nominee to be Attorney General, we were told that by then-Candidate Donald Trump.

In Colorado, in July of 2016, then-Candidate Trump was asked if he would use Federal authority to shut down sales of recreational marijuana in States like Colorado. Then-Candidate Donald Trump said: ``I wouldn't do that.''

When then-Candidate Trump was asked if he thought Colorado should be allowed to do what it is doing, he said: ``It's up to the States. Absolutely.''

That was then-Candidate Trump's position. I would like to know from the Attorney General what has changed. What has changed President Trump's mind that the Cole memorandum would be reversed and rescinded? What has changed the President's mind? Why is Donald Trump thinking differently today about what he promised the people of Colorado in 2016 to reverse course today? What changed? I would like to know that. I think the people of Colorado deserve to have that answer.

Without the Cole memorandum, legal businesses, operating in accordance with States rights and laws, are now operating under a cloud of uncertainty. Thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue are at risk, and certainly the question of constitutional States rights is very much at the core of this discussion. I believe what happened today was a trampling of Colorado's rights and its voters. Sure, this was a heavily debated issue, something I have already said I opposed, but the people of Colorado spoke, and they spoke loudly, and I believe that if the same question were asked today, they would even have more support for the decision they made several years ago.

I agree with President Trump that this decision should be left up to the people of Colorado and other States, and I call on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to explain to me why President Trump was wrong in 2016, what changed their minds, and that they reverse their decision to withdraw and rescind the Cole memorandum and that they reimplement and reinstate the Cole memorandum. Until that happens, I think I am obligated to the people of Colorado to take all steps necessary to protect the State of Colorado and their rights.

That is why today I will be putting a hold on every single nomination from the Department of Justice until Attorney General Jeff Sessions lives up to the commitment he made to me in my preconfirmation meeting with him--the conversation we had that was specifically about this issue of States rights in Colorado. Until he lives up to that commitment, I will be holding all nominations to the Department of Justice.

The people of Colorado deserve answers. The people of Colorado deserve their will to be respected.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I rise today to note this Congress's historic achievement in reforming the Nation's tax system for the first time in 30 years. I congratulate the hard-working teams, the staffers, and others from the Budget, Finance, and Energy Committees and their colleagues in the House for the work they have done.

It is not easy to modernize a Tax Code that has languished for over 30 years. Many groups have worked for a long time to solidify their special benefits, and they don't want to see those perks or special benefits go away. Many others just don't know how to work things under the status quo and think that must be the only way to do things, is to find a new status quo that represents the old status quo.

Reforming the Tax Code is not easy, but it is important. It is important to America's economy. It is important to America's working families. It is important to Colorado. It is important for a lot of reasons. For instance, right now, we waste 6 billion hours and $263 billion just to file our taxes every year. After this reform, 92 percent of taxpayers will take the standard deduction. That simplifies the code, cuts those hours, and eliminates wasted dollars.

Perhaps most importantly, it will shake our economy out of its slow- walking recovery. While there are booming areas in our country--and undoubtedly Colorado's Front Range represents some of the best examples of booming areas in our Nation--there are many areas of the country that haven't seen the growth and have, quite frankly, been left behind. They haven't seen their wages go up for a long time. In fact, yesterday the Denver Post published two stories about wages. Those stories point out that median wages in Colorado in 2016 were still below the levels of 2007 and even 2000. While I appreciate these reports, the fact is, we knew it wasn't anything unheard of. It certainly isn't new to those Coloradans who live outside of the Front Range and who they haven't seen their wages grow. It is a reality they have been dealing with for far too long.

Over the years, wages have become detached from corporate profits, and this chart is a good example of what has occurred. Prior to 1990, a 1 percent increase in corporate profits led to a greater than 1 percent increase in worker wages. But from 2008 to 2016, a 1 percent increase in corporate profits led to only a 0.3 percent increase in wages.

What you can see right here is the corporate rate over time. You can see that in 1990, 1986, the U.S. rate remained at 35 percent, what is today, for at least a little bit longer, the highest statutory tax rate in the world when it comes to business rates. You can see OECD nations have dramatically dropped theirs beginning in 1990 and going down through today. That is what has happened. Over that same period, our once-competitive corporate tax system has gotten more and more out of date. Our corporate rate today, as I said, is about the same as it was 30 years ago--35 percent. Meanwhile, foreign countries, such as Germany, France, Italy, and even Socialist Greece, have lowered their tax rates. Now America has the highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world, and Europe has an average statutory rate of around 18.5 percent. So American businesses have shifted their work overseas. New factories were built in Poland, not Pueblo. New offices opened in Dublin, not Delta. With fewer opportunities, American wages stagnated.

The empirical data on this is clear. We have another chart to talk about this. High-tax countries see anemic wage growth--well under 1 percent a year--but low-tax countries see much stronger growth--between 1 and 4 percent.

You can see right here on the red line--this line represents the highest statutory corporate rates in the world, the 10 countries with the highest statutory corporate rates. They have less than 1 percent wage growth. You can see the lowest statutory corporate rates--the countries that represent the bottom 10 statutory rates in the world have wage growth at 4 percent a year. That is clear data--growth between 1 and 4 percent in low-tax countries.

Make no mistake, America is on the red line because we have an out- of-date corporate Tax Code--an out-of-date Tax Code that we have begun to address.

Lowering the corporate tax rate has historically had support on both sides of the aisle, including something President Obama said back in 2011 in his State of the Union Address at a joint session of Congress. But suddenly, over the last couple of months, that is not the case anymore, and sadly I suspect that opposition to tax cuts has more to do with partisan politics than the merits of the proposal.

Whatever the reason, instead of reaching out and working together, we have heard a parade of horrors: It will run up deficits. It only benefits the wealthy. Instead of investing in workers to make more profits, businesses will just hoard their money. We have even heard that provision after provision will literally kill people.

As we heard objections get more and more outlandish, including the Biblical end of time, we heard the critiques get even more petty. We even heard the other side use procedural rules to complain about the title of the bill. What we haven't heard is how those opposed to this bill would solve the wage problem. They don't have a theory about why wages have stagnated or a vision for how to get them moving again, but we do. We passed it last night, and this reform will start to move wages again. This reform makes our corporate tax rates competitive again. It removes the incentive to invest abroad rather than right here at home.

It is no surprise that the Business Roundtable, the Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business--the organization that represents small businesses across this country--the National Retail Federation, the National Association of Home Builders, and the American Farm Bureau Federation support this bill.

In fact, you can see this small portion of a stack of letters I received from hundreds of farmers from across the State of Colorado who wrote to my office and said: I would like to join Colorado Farm Bureau to support tax reform that works for Colorado's farmers and ranchers. There are hundreds of people saying: Please help reform our Tax Code; cut our taxes. These letters came from real Coloradans, people from all four corners of the State who know how important real reform is to them. These groups know that this reform--these individuals know that this reform translates into more growth for the American economy, higher wages for American workers.

The Tax Foundation has estimated that this reform will bring 339,000 new, full-time equivalent jobs, increase GDP, and raise workers' wages. I have heard a lot of doubt about that part. I have heard a lot of people say that no wage growth is going to occur, that no money will come from these greedy corporations. But look at the news today, because today companies across America have already started to respond to this pro-growth tax reform.

Just hours ago, AT&T announced that it will invest an additional $1 billion in the United States in 2018 and that it will give more than 200,000 of its U.S. employees a bonus of $1,000--all because of the tax relief bill that we have been working on that we passed today. Similarly, today Boeing announced that it will make a $300 million investment in charitable giving, worker training and education, and infrastructure and facility enhancements. Both of these companies made it very clear that these investments--over $1 billion of investment and $1,000 to 200,000 employees in the United States--are because of the tax bill that the House passed today and that we passed early this morning.

There is more on the way, but the business side isn't the only way it brings relief to American families and it is certainly not the most important. The reforms we have made on the personal side will deliver relief to Americans across the Nation.

A family of four earning the median American income of $73,000 will see their tax bill go down by $2,000, and that is nearly 60 percent next year from what it was this year. A single parent with two children and an income of $52,000 will see a tax cut of nearly $1,900. In a nation where too many people can't pull together $100 in 24 hours, these tax reductions alone are an enormous benefit. These are real benefits to the American people.

Although there may be some naysayers in Washington who apparently have plenty of money, to people in Colorado, people in the West, people across this country, that is a big deal. These are benefits to real people, and I am glad to be a part and honored to be a part of delivering this real relief.

I am also proud to have done this in a way that creates many provisions that are especially important to Colorado. We have made it easier to take advantage of the medical expense deduction. We have expanded the child tax credit and the 529 programs. We have protected other education provisions, such as the student loan interest deduction and tax breaks for America's teachers. We have made sure our farming co-ops are treated fairly, and we have made sure our growing brewing and distilling industry is treated fairly as well. We have made a dent in the unfair death tax, and that is a big deal for the hundreds of farmers and ranchers who have contacted my office. We have ended the ObamaCare individual mandate, so no longer will the people in Colorado who earn less than $50,000 be subjected to a tax fine, a penalty by the IRS, simply because they can't afford an unaffordable ObamaCare policy. We have helped ensure America's energy security by opening up new resource opportunities in a responsible manner, making sure that we simultaneously ensure that Colorado's renewable energy industry continues to flourish by making sure that today's credits for wind, solar, and refined coal are still available. That is what we did in this legislation.

Mr. President, this is historic reform. I am proud to be a part of it. I am proud to have voted for it. We can already see today that as a result of the work we have done, Americans are seeing the benefit.

Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I have a request for one committee to meet during today's session of the Senate. It has the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committee is authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure

The Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, December 20, 2017, at 10:30 a.m. in room SD-406 to conduct a hearing entitled ``Freight Movement: Assessing Where We Are Now and Where We Need to Go''.

Mr. President, I rise to honor the heroism of Boatswain's Mate Second Class Joseph Leon George.

On December 7, 1941, 26-year-old Joe George served as a crew member aboard the USS Vestal, a repair ship that was moored next to the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a history- defining event for our Nation, one we humbly observe each year to remember and honor the 2,403 Americans who perished.

On that day, Joe George, along with so many other courageous heroes, would take swift and decisive action, putting his own life on the line to save sailors whom he had never met and would never know.

When the USS Arizona was attacked, the forward ammunition magazine of the ship exploded--we have all seen that very famous photograph of the Arizona--and engulfed countless sailors in the inferno. Joe George, from his post on the nearby repair boat, recognized six badly burned sailors who were trapped in the control tower on the Arizona's main mast, with no escape options available.

Despite the fact that he was ordered to cut the line--to cut the rope--between the Vestal and the sinking Arizona, Joe relentlessly heaved a line, over and over, which spanned a distance of almost 80 feet between the two ships, until Joe was finally able to reach the sailors with his rope.

Joe's selfless actions saved six sailors who would have otherwise perished in the flames on the USS Arizona that day. While two of those six would succumb to their injuries shortly thereafter, the remaining four survivors have Joe to thank for their lives.

Amidst all the chaos that day, Joe George was never identified as the sailor who threw that lifeline. In fact, the four survivors diligently sought for information to recognize the man whom they were never able to thank--Joe George, the person who saved their lives.

It wasn't until 36 years later that the unknown sailor would be acknowledged when Joe George conducted an interview with the University of North Texas on August 5, 1978. Joe George contributed his experiences while serving during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor as part of the university's oral history for the ``Day of Infamy.''

This was the first time Joe would speak of the event, confirmed by his ship log records, commanding officer's remarks, and, most importantly, the two living survivors that have Joe to thank for their lives.

Joe's actions that day, which we find hard to match words that do it justice, are nothing short of what an American hero is in servitude, dedication, and sacrifice.

While the years of searching for Joe and establishing the basis for proper recognition do not go unappreciated, it is with great respect and admiration that we take a moment to honor this distinguished sailor's actions so long ago.

The specific events of December 7, 1941, 76 years ago today, continue to age with each passing year, but the memories and stories of heroes like Joe thrive as our Nation reflects in humility and gratitude.

It is with great respect that I recognize this time today to honor Joe George. Some 76 years ago today, Joe's actions saved six sailors.

Today Joe's family will receive the Navy Bronze Star for Valor at the remembrance ceremony at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This is the first time a medal has been presented on the Memorial of the USS Arizona.

I was honored to work with Colorado Springs resident Donald Stratton to solidify this honor for Joe George. Don is one of the sailors who was saved, and he has been fighting for decades to make sure this day of recognition would take place. So 76 years later, we culminate the work of Don Stratton's mission to commemorate the man who the Stratton family has everything to be thankful for.

I am beyond words with excitement to be part of this momentous occasion

with so many others who worked tirelessly over the years to make this happen. My hope is that Joe's valiant story joins the permanent foundation of our Nation's history for future generations to recognize, understand, and appreciate the sacrifice of the countless heroes who have come before them.

I had the incredible privilege of spending Veterans Day just a few weeks ago with Donald Stratton and his family in Colorado Springs. I was in his living room as he and his wife shared their experiences together.

Donald Stratton talked about what it was like to be on fire with five of his shipmates shimmying across that rope to the vessel and to their freedom, to their safety.

I was in that living room on Veterans Day when the family received a phone call from the Colorado Springs City Council, naming a bridge in honor of Donald Stratton. I saw the exuberance and joy that the family shared at that recognition.

Donald Stratton's service didn't end at Pearl Harbor. After a year in the hospital, he would return to the Pacific to fight in mission after mission.

Now, 76 years later, Donald Stratton's last mission is complete with the recognition of the man who saved his life.

I want to read a letter that will be presented at the memorial service at Pearl Harbor where Joe George, the hero who saved so many lives, will be awarded the Bronze Star.

Dear Mr. Stratton and the George family,

Dawn broke seven decades ago on this day to a world at war.

The peaceful waters of this harbor churned in violent

reaction to a vicious attack that changed forever the course

of our nation. You know, you were here. All of you here today

are united as families, soldiers, sailors and airmen through

blood and sacrifice of so many who gave so much.

The recognition of Joe George is an exclamation point to

the thousands of servicemembers on the U.S.S. Arizona and the

men he saved, and the families that exist today--

Who are celebrating in Pearl Harbor today--

because of his heroic actions. This has been a long time

coming, a last mission for rightful recognition. As the days

march forward so too have far too many of our World War II

veterans--please know that your work to achieve this one last

salute to courage proves that you will never be forgotten.

These still waters will ripple for eternity in awe of your

tireless and unyielding dedication to this great country.

On August 15, 1945 my grandfather stationed in France wrote

a letter to his family that started with these words, ``Aha,

that day, 14 August, is indeed a history making day, and last

night at twelve o'clock when at last all the rumors were

confirmed that the world was at peace I said a silent prayer

and know that it won't be long until we are all together

again.'' To all who are present today in spirit and in

person--you are making history, bringing our nation together

once again, as this final mission is accomplished giving due

recognition for valor in combat, for heroic and meritorious

service. In the words of Donald Stratton, on December 7,

1941, ``Everybody had to be somewhere.'' Today's ceremony

reminds our nation of how truly blessed we are because you

were here.

Mr. President, this is very well likely the last memorial service at Pearl Harbor that will have survivors of the USS Arizona in attendance, and I hope that Americans across the country will take the time to reflect on the greatness of so many who have left us behind now but who left us a country that we can be so proud of. We have enjoyed 76 years of freedom thanks to them.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that privileges of the floor be granted to the following member of my staff, Matt Matis, for the remainder of the day.