Floor Statements

Mr. President, every week, I try to come down to the floor and talk a little bit about my State and do a little bit of bragging in what we call our ``Alaskan of the Week'' series. Now, there is a lot to talk about with regard to Alaska. We would love for the people in the Gallery and the people who are watching to come out and visit our great State. It will be the trip of a lifetime. The scenery, of course, is gorgeous, and the mountains are rugged, but it is really the people who make my State so special--rugged, self-sufficient, kind, and very generous people all across an area that is over two and one- half times the size of Texas.

I apologize to my Texas colleagues, as they get a little upset when I talk about that, but it is true.

Every week, we have been recognizing a group or a person who has worked to make Alaska a stronger place, a stronger community--a State that, I think, is the best State in our great Nation. I call these individuals our Alaskans of the Week.

Today, I take all who are watching to Alaska's interior, to a town called Fairbanks, AK, where about 32,000 of my fellow Alaskans live. It is a beautiful, wonderful place. Fairbanks is hot in the summer. My wife and I were married there many years ago. It was over 90 degrees when we got married in August, but it is really cold in the winter. We spent January 1, 2000--the millennium celebration--in Fairbanks with our kids and our family. It was 50 below zero without the windchill-- cold. It is a place I love, where my wife was born and raised, where we lived, where my in-laws still live, and the place Jeff Cook, our Alaskan of the Week, calls home.

Jeff has been in Fairbanks his whole life. His parents moved to Fairbanks in 1938. He went to college in Oregon, and his wife Sue was there, but the couple moved back to Alaska, to Fairbanks, and started a family. He is now 74 years young. He and Sue have four children, two of whom have settled in Fairbanks, and they have five grandchildren. He is the patriarch of not only a great family but of many community organizations throughout Fairbanks and, really, Alaska.

Throughout the years, Jeff has had a career in real estate, in business. He has sat on numerous boards--community boards--and been in community groups. Let me just give a couple of examples of his community work, of his sitting on the board of the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce, the University of Alaska Board of Regents, the Rotary Club of Fairbanks, the Greater Fairbanks Community Hospital Foundation board, the board for the State of Alaska Chamber of Commerce, the Rasmuson Foundation board, and the boards for Alaska Airlines and Wells Fargo Bank. This is an individual--a leader--who has been involved in his community for decades. He is a perfect example of the community-minded individual whom we call our Alaskan of the Week.

We could be done right here. It is a pretty amazing career--a great example of someone who is dedicated to his State, to his country, to his community. Yet Jeff has done a lot more. He recently used all of his energy, all of his experience, all of his community involvement to embark on what really has become an extraordinary fundraising campaign to raise money for cancer research--so important for our Nation, so important for Alaska. This became a personal issue for Jeff. Let me tell you this story.

Last March, he and Sue received, really, a devastating phone call from their youngest daughter Chrissy, who is 34 and lives in Las Vegas with her husband and 2-year-old daughter. She called to tell them the bad news--really, the horrible news that millions of American families hear every year--that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and that she had a positive match for the BRCA2 gene, which increases one's risk of developing breast cancer or ovarian cancer.

Jeff and Sue felt powerless against this disease when they heard this. He said: ``When you're a parent, it doesn't matter how old your children are; you're supposed to slay the dragons and conquer the monsters'' and protect your kids.

If that were not devastating enough, weeks later, he and his wife made sure that everyone in the Cook family got tested. Unfortunately, five other members of the family tested positive for this gene. They are all being monitored now.

Here is what Jeff said: ``We couldn't conquer the cancer, but we just had to do something.'' He said he had heard about the American Cancer Society's ``Real Men Wear Pink'' campaign--a fundraising program that is held in October. October, as everybody knows, is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. About 3,000 men from across the country participated in the program this year, the ``Real Men Wear Pink'' campaign.

So Jeff started. He started with the pretty impressive goal of raising $5,000 for cancer research and an email list of about 70 people, most of whom were in Fairbanks. Within 90 seconds after sending his first email, he had raised $1,000. Pretty good. Then what happened? The community of Fairbanks, of Alaska--really of the whole country-- started opening up to his plea. Donations kept coming in. The more donations he received, the more Jeff worked at raising funds. Many of the people he knew were donating, but what happened? Strangers from across Alaska and from across the country started to send money for this very worthy cause of breast cancer research--often with heartfelt stories of their loved ones, of their own struggles with cancer, or of those of their kids. Someone from a small town in New York State sent him $250.

As the weeks passed, he began to pay attention to how he was stacking up against others across the country. Jeff is a competitive guy. He is very successful. When he reached No. 10 in the country in terms of fundraising for this very important matter, he told one of his friends there was no way he could beat the No. 1 person ahead of him who had raised $30,000--no way. That was a high number. Now, Fairbanks is not a very big city, and the other people on the list above him were from much bigger cities from across the country and had what he thought were larger connections and larger networks. Yet his friend told him: ``Don't underestimate yourself, Jeff.'' After he read that, he said: ``Okay. I'm going for broke.'' This is what he did.

He was all in. He started fundraising everywhere. When it was all said and done, on this campaign, Jeff Cook, from Fairbanks, AK--a town of a little over 30,000 people in Alaska's interior--was the No. 1 fundraiser in America for breast cancer research this year--No. 1. In terms of the American Cancer Society's ``Real Men Wear Pink'' campaign, Jeff Cook raised over $120,000.

If my colleagues were down here, I would ask them for a round of applause.

That was for the entire country. Think about that. We come down to this floor a lot and debate cancer research, medical research--very important. Here is one individual in America who raised over $120,000 through his own energy and passion and for the love of his daughter. This is a testament to Jeff's perseverance, but it is also about the good people in Fairbanks, throughout Alaska, and really throughout the country.

As Jeff said, ``It says so much about our community. There was such an outpouring of love, goodness and generosity. That was the most touching part of [this entire experience].''

What else did Jeff learn? He learned that his daughter Chrissy, who underwent chemotherapy and a double mastectomy, is stronger than he ever imagined. She is recovering well, but she is still in recovery.

I am going to humbly ask my colleagues and those who are watching here and those who are watching on TV to put a prayer in for Chrissy and other cancer victims like Senator Hirono, who was just on the floor. Put them on your prayer lists as they are in recovery--all of them.

I want to end with a big thanks to everybody in Alaska and across the country who are part of the ``Real Men Wear Pink'' campaign who are literally raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for breast cancer research.

I thank Jeff, of course, for not underestimating himself but for another--another--mission well done as a community leader in Fairbanks and throughout Alaska.

Congratulations for being our Alaskan of the Week.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, for the past year or so, I have been coming to the floor nearly every week, and I know the Presiding Officer looks at this as possibly his favorite time of the week because he gets to hear a lot of these ``Alaskan of the Week'' speeches. I know the pages love them. I come to the floor to talk about my State, really brag about my State, and recognize an Alaskan who has made a difference--made a difference in their community, whether it is a small community or a big community in the State, in the country.

I have repeatedly stated--I am sure not all my colleagues agree, but maybe some of them do--that Alaskans live in the greatest State in the greatest country in the world. We certainly have the most beautiful landscapes and all the seasons. I was in Fairbanks and Anchorage over the holidays. It was wonderful. Winter is such a great time in the great State of Alaska. For those who love snow, Alaska is the place to be, so we want everyone to come visit. But it is truly the people and strong communities throughout Alaska that make our State so great--such a welcoming place.

For those of us who live in Alaska, sustainable community is everything. Living in one of the most magnificent places on Earth, also, certainly has its challenges. We depend on each other. Our traditional knowledge, our ingenuity, our warm-hearted nature, and our determination to overcome these challenges is what makes our State great and is often the theme of our ``Alaskan of the Week'' speeches.

Today I wish to transport you to the village of Tuntutuliak--a village of about 400 people, southwest of Bethel, AK, on the 700-mile long, mighty Kuskokwim River--and introduce you to a truly amazing elder who, for 77 years, has worked tirelessly for his community and for our State. This is James Charles, who is our Alaskan of the Week.

Over the past decades, when there has been a meeting on the Kuskokwim concerning fish or wildlife or subsistence, James has been there helping to create and shape a fishing and hunting community and regulations, not only for the region but for the entire State of Alaska.

James was born in 1940 in a fish camp below Helmick Point on the Kuskokwim River. During that time, Alaska was being devastated by a tuberculosis epidemic. In fact, in the mid-20th century, Alaska Native people experienced the highest incidence of tuberculosis of any population ever. This is one of the many challenges we talk about.

Sadly, the epidemic took James's father, his uncle, and both grandparents, leaving his mother and the community

to care for her three children. The community--like many still, unfortunately, in Alaska--didn't have hospitals or clinics. They didn't have medicine. The Federal Government basically turned a blind eye to the havoc that this disease was wreaking over all of Alaska, particularly in our small villages.

What the community did have was each other. They had food, and they had the bounty of the land. They had elders to help teach the young people in the village the true meaning of subsistence living.

James's mother, Emma, hunted and fished to feed the family, and she and James's uncle taught James how to be a conservationist, only taking enough fish and wild game to survive and ensuring enough was left for other villagers--lessons he has passed on to the younger generations of Alaskans, year after year.

James met his wife Nancy 50 years ago. She lived in another village. He met her when he was out trapping for food. He said:

I walked 52 miles and found my wife at the end of my

trapline. It was my best catch [ever].

James's accomplishments are legion. He spent 22 years in the Alaska National Guard, like so many Alaskan Natives who serve at higher rates in the U.S. military than any other ethnic group in the country. He has served on the Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Council, the Fish and Game Advisory Council, and the Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Working Group.

James travels all around our great State, attending different meetings and testifying at the Board of Fish and Game. He has dedicated his life to fish and wildlife conservation so he can set an example for Alaskans today and future generations, including his own family.

He has 5 children, 15 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. He is so committed to keeping the culture and tradition alive that none of his kids or great grandkids are allowed into his house unless they are able to speak Yupik, the traditional language of his people.

For all his work to help continue a vital tradition of subsistence and conservation in Alaska, James was awarded the conservationist of the year award by the Fish and Wildlife Service this past summer, which he accepted at this year's Alaska Federation of Natives Convention.

For his work, James is our Alaskan of the Week.

Thank you, James, for all you have done for the great State of Alaska.

Mr. President, as we all know, more and more brave women are speaking out about the abuse that has been reported in the papers--abuse by the powerful, in many cases. I want to say at the outset that the country applauds these women for their courage and for setting an example for others.

Some of the stories we have heard about involve sexual harassment, but some of the other stories also appear to involve even more serious crimes, including domestic violence and sexual assault, which is an incredibly important issue that often gets underreported all across the country. As a result of these news stories, I am certainly hopeful these kinds of problems--the domestic violence problems we have in America--are going to start to receive the attention they need and deserve.

Just as we are seeing more men fired from jobs because of sexual harassment and assault, we also need to see more get the punishment they deserve, in a court of law, for violent abuse. We also need to make sure victims are protected and that they have an advocate--a lawyer--who is on their side in these cases.

Unfortunately, many who are suffering from domestic abuse and sexual assault can't afford attorneys to file charges or, importantly, to even protect themselves and their families, their kids. Here is the big irony: When someone is charged with a crime--say a sexual assault crime, say an accused rapist--that person gets a Sixth Amendment right to counsel under the U.S. Constitution. So the perpetrator gets the right to a lawyer. What does the victim get? The victim gets nothing-- no attorney, no right to an attorney.

Think about that. An accused rapist gets a lawyer under the Constitution and the victim gets nothing. In fact, what they often get, in terms of crimes, are prosecutors, if it is a criminal case. Prosecutors do a good job, but they are often looking to score a win rather than looking out for the victim and the survivor. If it is a civil case, survivors usually go without attorneys.

I believe this is wrong. Fortunately, we have been working on this in this body. We have a bill to change that. Senator Heitkamp and I introduced a bill in the Senate that was passed unanimously by this body several months ago--and actually passed it last Congress as well-- called the Pro bono Work to Empower and Represent Act, known as the POWER Act. Congressman Joe Kennedy in the House has introduced a companion bill where it likewise has enjoyed broad bipartisan support. Some of the most conservative Republicans and some of the most liberal Democrats are showing a broad array of support in the House just as it has enjoyed in the Senate.

When it passes through both Chambers, the bill will be a robust first step in making more lawyers available, working on a pro bono basis for victims and survivors who can't afford representation. There are thousands--tens of thousands--who fall into that category, unfortunately.

So what is the problem we are trying to solve? Domestic violence and sexual assault happens every hour, every day, in every part of our country. According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control, roughly 25 percent of American women will be victims of domestic assault in their lifetimes--one in four--25 percent. That is a horrendous statistic. Every day in the United States, on average, three women are killed by a current or former intimate partner, according to the National Network to End Domestic Violence. That is also a shocking, horrendous statistic.

No place is immune. This kind of violence happens in small towns, in big cities, on college campuses, and in suburban homes. This violence transcends political affiliation, race, and socioeconomic status. I know a number of my colleagues have watched as I like to come to the Senate floor and talk about my State--the great State of Alaska--and I like to talk about how many things are so wonderful about Alaska. One thing that isn't wonderful about Alaska is, we have the highest rates of domestic violence and sexual assault in the country. So this is certainly happening in my State, and it is one of the reasons I care so much about this issue. It is happening in every State--every State represented in the U.S. Senate.

There are no simple solutions to combat this issue of nationwide domestic violence, but experts do agree that securing a lawyer for victims is one of the best ways, if not the best way, to get victims and survivors out of their difficult situation--out of what often is a cycle of violence--to get them shelter, housing, and medical care, and protective orders.

Studies have shown that when an abused victim is represented by an attorney, their ability to break out of the cycle of violence increases dramatically. One study found that 83 percent of victims represented by a lawyer were able to obtain a protective order compared to just 32 percent in domestic violence situations when they weren't represented by an attorney.

Not only would more legal representation help victims and survivors of abuse, but it would also help protect children. In these situations, children

are often abused as well. Paige Hodson from Anchorage is a survivor herself. She has been working for years with thousands of women as an advocate for women who are trying to get out of abusive relationships and women who are also trying to protect their children. These are complicated and often difficult issues and cases, but Paige has said it is critical for both the safety of the mom and the kids to make sure they are represented by an attorney.

So what does the POWER Act do? Every area of our country--every part of America--is represented by a judicial district that is represented by a U.S. attorney. Under the authority of the Justice Department, some States have several U.S. attorney districts. Alaska has only one.

Utilizing this national framework of all of our different U.S. attorneys throughout America, the POWER Act sets out a way to increase connections between lawyers and victims, between advocates and survivors. The bill, which has already passed the Senate, directs each U.S. attorney to hold at least one annual event, inviting lawyers and legal service representatives who want to provide their legal services and pro bono time to empower victims by representing them.

It also requires U.S. attorneys to plan and hold events with a focus on addressing these kinds of crimes--domestic violence and sexual assault--in Indian Country and among Alaska Native populations, where some of the abuse in the lower 40 and in my State is very, very high.

Another important point about the POWER Act is that it would not add a dime--not one penny--to the Federal debt. But here is what it would do: It would create an army of lawyers--thousands of lawyers--to defend survivors of abuse. Think about that positive vision. Think about that positive vision and goal. What a great way for Americans, especially attorneys, to rise up in a positive and constructive way in response to all the bad news we are reading almost daily about these issues and show the better angles, the better side of our country.

The model for this bill came from my State of Alaska. As I mentioned, we have the highest rates of domestic violence and sexual assault in the country--something that no Alaskan is proud of. When I was attorney general, working closely with our legislature, our Governor, and many of the victims advocacy groups, we launched a strategy called the Choose Respect Campaign. The Choose Respect Campaign highlighted this problem in our great State.

We did public service announcements about how real Alaskan men choose respect; we changed the laws to make the penalties for perpetrators much harder; and we provided increased services for victims. One way we did that was to hold what were called pro bono legal summits. I hosted those summits. We brought together lawyers and victims advocacy groups, legal services groups, and this actually worked. It worked. By 2014, over 100 cases in our State were handled by volunteer attorneys providing thousands and thousands of hours of volunteer legal assistance to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Think about that. Alaska has a little over 700,000 people, and we had over 100 attorneys come out--thousands of hours, just in our State, with a small population. If we could take this model to 300 million Americans, we literally would have an army of lawyers helping survivors with volunteer time and helping meet this significant unmet need throughout our country.

As I mentioned, the POWER Act passed unanimously in the Senate, but, unfortunately, it is being held up in the House. Ironically, it is stuck in the Judiciary Committee--the committee focused on bringing justice to Americans. It is stuck there. Remember, this is not going to cost a dime, yet it has been stuck for months in the Judiciary Committee. It is kind of ironic. These victims need help, and this bill will do that.

It is not only my bill to help victims and survivors of sexual assault that is stuck in the Judiciary Committee. My colleague, the majority whip from Texas, Senator Cornyn, has a very important bill that he came to the floor of the Senate just last week to talk about. It is called the SAFER Act and will help States ease the nationwide backlog of thousands of untested rape kits that currently sit untested in labs and on police storage shelves across the country. There are thousands. Ending this backlog could take perpetrators off the streets and provide victims and survivors the justice they deserve. We know this would work. We know that would help.

The SAFER Act passed the Senate under the leadership of Senator Cornyn. Let me talk about how important that bill is to the country. In my State, there are 3,484 untested rape kits, more per capita than any State in the country. Anchorage, my hometown, has one untested kit for every 164 residents. In Juneau, AK, it is one for every 160 residents. The backlogs are all across the country. As Senator Cornyn pointed out in his speech, there are 2,000 kits that remain untested in his State, the State of Texas. In Virginia, where the State legislature has made this kind of testing a priority, there are also more than 2,000 kits sitting on police shelves.

The Detroit Free Press recently reported on how, in 2009, officials stumbled onto more than 11,000 untested rape kits. After they raised enough money to test them, 817 serial rapists were identified. That is why this is so important. Once these kits are processed, they often give us the evidence to go after the abusers, the criminals.

It is remarkable to me that both of these bills--the SAFER Act that Senator Cornyn has championed and the POWER Act that Senator Heitkamp and I have championed--are sitting in the House Judiciary Committee. Victims are not getting justice right now with these bills sitting there.

Why on Earth would such bipartisan legislation, which would literally end up helping thousands of survivors and probably bring to justice hundreds of criminals who commit these heinous crimes of sexual assault and domestic violence--why on Earth would we have bills, which have bipartisan support and little to no impact on the Federal Treasury, stuck in the House Judiciary Committee? It is beyond comprehension.

To my colleagues in the House, let's move this. Let's move these bills before the holidays. Let's start focusing on bringing justice to people who really need it.

Helping victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault is not a Republican issue, it is not a Democratic issue, it is not a women's issue, and it is not a men's issue. It is an issue that affects all of us. Working together--as Senators, as Members of the House, as Americans--we should clearly unite in this cause, which transcends politics or ideologies, because we can start changing the culture of abuse. That is what we have been trying to do in Alaska. It is going to take a long time. It is going to take a long time, but we need to act.

I am hopeful that my colleagues in the House--my colleagues particularly in the Judiciary Committee--recognize the urgency of these kinds of situations and will move the SAFER Act and the POWER Act out of committee and get it on the floor for a vote as soon as possible.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I want to say a few words about someone in Alaska who has been very important in my State. Joseph Darnell, who we know as Joe, is the Alaska Regional Solicitor for the Department of the Interior, in Anchorage, AL. He has been in that office since 1992, was made acting regional solicitor in 2010, and was appointed to his current position in 2013. He will be retiring from his job at the end of this year.

The Department of the Interior is Alaska's largest landlord, managing 61 percent of Alaska's lands. The way the Department of the Interior manages its lands and resources is critical for Alaska's economy and for the well-being of our citizens.

I know that I often talk about Federal overreach, and while it is true that, under certain administrations, Alaska has bared the brunt of much of that overreach, but it was people like Joe who made sure that rules and regulations were followed, that the people had a voice, and worked to see that good policy prevailed. A former staff member for the late great Senator Ted Stevens, Joe learned from the best.

During his tenure, Joe worked on numerous land management and land conveyance issues for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Refuge System, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service. Among the more notable was the land exchange between the United States and the Aleut Corporation, which resulted in the Aleut Corporation acquiring ownership of the closed Adak Naval Air Facility on Adak Island in the Aleutian Islands.

Joe was born in Seward and raised in Juneau, Kenai, and Fairbanks. According to his wife, Joan, they enjoy cross-country skiing, riding bicycles together, and spending time in their cabin outside of McCarthy. One of his great passions is small airplanes. After the first of the year, they will both be spending a lot of time in their Cessna 175, flying across the great State of Alaska, and watching their daughter Anna ski for the ski for the Nanooks at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Through his decades of dedication, Joe acquired and maintained a peerless understanding of how both national and Alaska-specific laws operate on our Federal public lands in Alaska. He has advised on and navigated a great many challenges for our State during his time in public service, and his knowledge and contribution will be dearly missed.

Best of luck to him and to his family and thanks for all he has done for all of us.

Mr. President, I would like to spend a few moments talking about why my colleagues and why the American people should be supportive of this very important legislation, historic legislation, that we are debating on the Senate floor. It is particularly historic for my State, the great State of Alaska. There has been a lot of misinformation on this bill, and we are seeing a robust debate, which is fine.

I don't need to repeat all the arguments on both sides, but I will say that my colleagues on the other side have seemed to focus on one particular point. They are coming here and making this point again and again; that is, the point that this bill will supposedly raise taxes on the middle class. We are hearing it, and everyone is saying it. The problem with that argument is, it is fundamentally untrue. The truth will be in the paychecks of the American people, which they will see in a few months.

Let me talk about some of the provisions that are in the bill. The bill will be a middle-class tax cut for the vast majority of Americans.

Here are some of the provisions. These are in the bill. These are the facts. The bill doubles the standard deduction. For an individual, the standard deduction goes from $6,300 to $12,000. For married couples, it goes from $12,700 to $24,000. That is in the bill. That is important for middle-class families. It doubles the child tax credit. The child tax credit is doubled from the current $1,000 to $2,000, so more parents can claim it. It is in the bill. That is a fact. And it lowers rates. In fact, it not only lowers rates for middle-income Americans, it lowers rates on every single income bracket in the IRS code. That is a fact.

Bottom line, an average family of four making $75,000 a year will have about 200 more dollars per month in take-home pay under this bill--$2,400 a year. A single parent making $41,000 a year will see their tax bill decrease by $1,300. That is a 73-percent decrease. That is a fact. It is in the bill.

Let me mention one other critical way in which this tax bill will bring middle-class and working-class tax relief. It will get rid of the very regressive and unfair individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act. About 20,000 hard-working Alaskans and over 6 million Americans have to pay a tax, a penalty to the IRS for not buying something-- health insurance--that they cannot afford. Let me repeat that. They are penalized for not buying something that they can't afford. Think about the absurdity of that.

Here is why this is such an important middle-class tax cut. When we get rid of that penalty, close to 80 percent of the 6 million Americans who pay the ObamaCare individual mandate tax--close to 80 percent of them--make $50,000 or less. Think about that. Tonight, we are getting rid of that tax, that unfair penalty, and that will undoubtedly bring tax relief for the middle class.

This bill also decreases taxes on small businesses and companies so that they can reinvest at home in our great Nation, hire American workers, give pay raises, and help grow our economy.

Many of these ideas, doing these kinds of things, have been bipartisan policy ideas for years when we have talked about tax reform. Let me give you one. In 2012, President Obama said that our current business tax structure hurt American business and inhibited growth. He said that the tax system ``provides tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas and hits companies that choose to stay in America with one of the highest tax rates in the world.''

That is from President Obama. It was true then, and it is true today.

Something has to be done, and we are doing it tonight. The bill will also give small businesses and large companies a chance to help grow our economy. You have heard Senator after Senator come to the Senate floor. My colleague from South Carolina has talked about this eloquently for years. It is an issue I care deeply about. But here is the issue. We have had a lost decade of economic growth. For over 10 years, we have not hit 3 percent GDP growth once in a year.

It is an issue I care deeply about. As a matter of fact, I come to the floor and I talk about it a lot. One thing I have noticed in my 3 short years in the Senate is that I am not sure I have seen my colleagues from the other side ever come here and talk about the need

to rev up the economy or about the fact that 1\1/2\, 2 percent growth, which is what we have had for almost the last 13 years, is not good for the country. I think, unfortunately, a lot of them believe in this idea of the new normal--that America hitting at 1\1/2\, 2-percent GDP growth is America hitting on all cylinders. Don't believe it.

We talk about GDP growth. What is that? It is really a proxy for the health of the U.S. economy. It is a proxy for the American dream. In the last 10 years, that economy has been sick. For millions of Americans, the American dream, which is based on a strong American economy, has been a mirage. We have to change this. This should be a bipartisan issue. Getting back to traditional levels of 3 percent or higher GDP growth should be something 100 Senators agree on. This bill is going to help us do that.

Finally, I would like to talk about something in the tax bill that will greatly benefit my State and our country; that is, opening the 1002 section of the nonwilderness Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for American energy development. A lot of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have talked about this, but I am going to tell you this. I can't begin to describe the elation that will be felt by many--so many--in my State when this passes. The vast majority of Alaskans support this provision and have supported it for decades. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Alaskans have worked tirelessly to get it passed since the 1002 area was set aside by this body in 1980 for possible energy development.

Don't believe all the rhetoric about ``Oh, that area is off-limits.'' That area is actually on-limits. In 1980, the Congress said: We know there is a lot of energy there, and we should look at the opportunity to explore it. Congress, come back and make the call someday.

Hundreds, thousands of my constituents, my fellow Alaskans--and I know some are in the Gallery right now, right above me--have been working on this for decades, and I want to thank all of them. But we have been stopped. We have been repeatedly stopped. You are seeing some of the arguments, many of which are truth-challenged. So I am being polite to all of my colleagues.

Year after year, we have tried. The last time that we made a big effort in this, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle killed this provision in 2005. It was a crushing evening in 2005 when this provision did not pass. It was a crushing evening for the late, great Senator Ted Stevens, particularly when then-Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said that killing the ANWR provision and beating Ted Stevens was ``one of the joys of my life.'' That is from the former Senate minority and majority leader.

Voting for the provision to unlock ANWR tonight will be one of the joys of my life, and I am certain that Ted Stevens will be joyfully watching from above, smiling.

Last month, a group of Alaskans came to DC to testify before Senator Murkowski's Energy and Natural Resources Committee about the importance to America, to Alaska, and to our communities of the energy provision in this bill.

Matthew Rexford, who lives in Kaktovik, AK, which is a village that is actually in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, provided riveting testimony. Let me quote from that testimony:

My fellow Inupiat and I firmly believe that attempts to

permanently block development in the 100--an area

intentionally NOT designated as wilderness because of its oil

and gas potential--is a slap in the face to our region and

its people. It's exactly the same thing as saying ``It's okay

for everyone else in this country to have a THRIVING economy,

but you can't have one at all.''

To you people living on the North Slope and you people living in Kaktovik: Sorry, you can't do it.

Matthew went on to talk about how responsible oil and gas development supports local communities by providing jobs, business opportunities, and infrastructure investments, like schools and hospitals and clinics--things that most communities in America have in abundance. We don't have those in abundance in my great State.

He said that the industry ``has moved our people away from third- world living conditions--we refuse to go backward in time. It has provided other basic services most Americans may take for granted'' that communities like his don't have.

Increasing domestic energy production will not only be good for my State and for communities like Kaktovik, but it will also boost our country's economy, and--this is a very important point--it will strengthen America's national security.

My colleague from Maryland, for whom I have a lot of respect, just talked about how this is going to hurt our national security. I couldn't disagree with him more. Producing more energy responsibly-- oil, natural gas, renewables--and making the United States the world's energy superpower once again will dramatically increase our Nation's national security. This is something that we should all agree on.

I have served in the Marines for over two decades, and I have served as a U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, whose portfolio included global energy issues. I have seen how energy can be used as a tool for good, productive diplomacy and for troublesome power grabs by our Nation's foes. When we don't have to import energy from countries that don't like us or when we have the opportunity to actually export energy-- American energy--to our allies, this dramatically strengthens our Nation's national security.

The Presiding Officer and I both sit on the Armed Services Committee. We have heard for years from the Department of Defense's military and civilian leaders. Whether he be Secretary Carter, a Democrat, or Secretary Mattis, a great Marine general, they have all consistently emphasized this point: Making America the world's energy superpower will help with jobs, will help with our economy, and it will dramatically help our Nation's national security.

Let me conclude by telling a story that really emphasizes this point.

Last year, I attended the Halifax International Security Forum. National security leaders throughout the world attended. I was in a meeting with a great national security leader of this body, Senator John McCain, and we were meeting with a senior-level Russian dissident.

We asked him at the end of the meeting: What more can we do in our country to help push back against the Putin regime and the activities that it is undertaking to undermine U.S. interests around the world and in our own country? What more can we do?

He looked at us and said: The No. 1 thing that you can do is to produce more American energy.

Let me repeat that. In terms of national security, the No. 1 thing that we can do is to produce more American energy. We do it more responsibly and with the highest environmental standards of any place in the world. Opening the 1002 area in using those high standards--the world's highest standards--with the most advanced technology, will produce more American energy for the betterment of my State, my constituents, and for the whole country. We are on the cusp of passing a bill that will put more money in the hands of the middle class, grow our economy, and fulfill a 40-year-long dream for Alaska.

The might of America has always been and will always be in the ingenuity of our people--the ability of Americans to make decisions for themselves, to live their lives as they see fit, to build, to grow, and to make a better tomorrow for the next generation.

The American dream does not have a price tag, but it can be stymied. It can be stymied and stunted by an overbearing Federal Government that wants to hinder the freedom of the individual and an overbearing Federal Government that crushes economic hope and opportunity through overtaxation or overregulation. It does this by telling someone like Matthew Rexford, who is from a small village more than 5,000 miles from here, that he and his people cannot make better lives for themselves and for their children by developing resources on their own land.

That is going to end tonight. At long last, that is going to change, and the vast majority of Alaskans--Democrats and Republicans, Native and non-Native--are going to celebrate. I believe, when the American people realize and experience the positive benefits of this bill through stronger economic growth, better jobs, and more take-home pay, that they are going to celebrate too. I

urge my colleagues to vote for this historic legislation.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, once a week when we are in session, I come to the floor to recognize a person or group of people in my great State of Alaska who make it very special. We call them our Alaskan of the Week.

Alaska is beautiful, it is big, and it is special. Right now, much of the State is gearing up for the skiing season. Snow is out, and there is nothing more beautiful and invigorating than taking to the slopes of Alaska. It is also a great time to see the Northern Lights dancing in the sky. So I urge everybody to come out to Alaska. Winter or summer, it will be the trip of a lifetime.

Of course, it is much more than snow and beautiful dancing lights; our people are what make us so special--rugged, independent, generous, and giving to their families, their communities, our State, and our country.

Alaska is a patriotic State--I would argue, the most patriotic State in our great Nation. For one, we have the most veterans per capita of any State in America. We have the very best military forces, and we have a lot of them. Let me name just a few.

We have the Army's 1st Stryker Brigade, based at Fort Wainwright. Chike Springer, one of my staffers helping me out here, served there in the 1st Stryker Brigade's Aviation Task Force. We have the Northern Warfare Training Center; the 59th Signal Battalion; the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion; the Air Force's Third Wing, 11th Air Force; the 176th Wing; the 673rd Air Base Wing; the Air Force reservists of the 477th Fighter Group; the 354th at Eielson; and the 213th Space Warning Squadron at Clear Air Force Station. You get the picture--some of the best military forces. The 49th Missile Defense Battalion, the cornerstone of America's missile defense, protecting the entire Nation, is right there at Fort Greely. These are the thousands of men and women in the Reserves and on Active Duty who are stationed in our great State. We are proud of them, and we owe them and their families a huge debt of gratitude for their service, especially now that we are approaching the holiday season.

Today, I want to particularly recognize the men and women who make up the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division--the only airborne brigade combat team in the Pacific theater and in the Arctic. As my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee know, they are referred to in Alaska and throughout the Army as the 4-25. This unit, over 3,000 men and women strong, is our Alaskans of the Week.

I want to talk a little bit about the 4-25. It has a very strong lineage and heritage. Although it was created relatively recently--in 2004--and was the first new U.S. airborne unit created since the end of World War II, its heritage springs from the 25th Infantry Division, which was first activated in 1941 and played a seminal role in World War II and all of our country's conflicts since.

Just like the 25th Infantry Division, the 4-25 has played a major role in our country's conflicts since its inception. Members of the 4- 25 have deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and just last September, a couple months ago, they were again deployed to Afghanistan to train and advise Afghan security forces.

As part of a larger drawdown of our military and the Army--a misguided drawdown by the previous administration, announced in 2015-- the 4-25 was part of 40,000 Active-Duty Army soldiers to be cut, just gotten rid of. This would have been an enormous strategic mistake for the Army and for America's national security, especially as it related to the 4-25, the only mountain, cold weather, airborne BCT in the entire Arctic and Asia Pacific. They are also a critical reserve force for any contingency on the Korean Peninsula given how close we in Alaska are to Korea.

So what happened? Alaskans circled the wagons. Rallies with hundreds, if not thousands, of my fellow Alaskans came out in our great State, urging the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army: Don't make this mistake. Don't cut this unit. Keep it intact.

Here in Washington, we did our work. I had a heart-to-heart with a number of senior Army and DOD officials with one simple goal in mind: to get them to personally visit this unit, to come see them train, to see how capable they were, and to understand their strategic value to America's national security. And that happened. Many senior Army officials--the Army Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Army--went to Alaska, went to JRTC, and watched the 4-25 in action.

I remember standing on the second floor of a building in a mock Middle Eastern town watching members of the 4-25 jump into an LZ at JRTC in the middle of the night for a nighttime airfield seizure operation. There is something awe-inspiring about watching 1,000 airborne paratroopers silently fall out of the night sky to seize terrain--something that probably sends chills up the spine of our Nation's enemies.

Fast-forward to today. Of the 40,000 soldiers slated to be cut from the U.S. Army, only one unit was spared--one--and it was the 4-25. Why did this happen? It happened because they made it happen. This great unit saved themselves. When the Army's top brass went to Alaska, went to Fort Polk and watched them train at JRTC, they saw what a great unit this was and realized they were making a big mistake. When General Milley, Chief of Staff of the Army, made the final decision to reverse the previous decision of the Army and retain the 4-25, he said it was ``one of the most trained and ready units in the entire United States Army.'' That was the Chief of Staff of the Army.

The 4-25 didn't rest. They are deployed, back in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, while deployed, just a few days ago, on December 11, Alaska lost a son and the 4-25 lost one of its own as part

of this mission. It is heartbreaking for the families and for the unit. These brave young men and women are willing to sacrifice and have already sacrificed, and our prayers are with them during these holidays.

They are our Alaskans of the Week.

I plan on visiting them overseas during the holidays. My wife Julie will also be attending an event this weekend in Anchorage for the families of those who are deployed, showing our support and our respect for the men and women in this unit and their families, because, as many know, when a family is deployed, it is not just the young man and woman in the unit who sacrifice, it is the entire family.

To the families, we say thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your service and sacrifice. To the men and women who make up the 4-25, we also say thank you for all you are doing for us--for serving us, for keeping us safe, for protecting this country, when Americans are enjoying the holidays.

I look forward to seeing you in theater. Please be assured that all Members of this body--Senators, Democrats, Republicans--know your record of service and wish all of you Godspeed this holiday season. Thank you for being our Alaskans of the Week.

Army Strong. Arctic Tough. Sparta Lives.

Mr. President, I rise today to commend this body. My colleagues, every single Senator, voted in unanimous consent to move forward on the National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law just this week by President Trump. In particular, I want to thank the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, John McCain, who did so much to shepherd this important piece of legislation through this body and to the President's desk. I thank Senator McCain for all his service and sacrifice to America for decades.

The NDAA, as we all know, is an important, critical piece of legislation, boosting our national security, rebuilding our military readiness, and protecting the men and women in uniform who serve our Nation. It has been a piece of legislation that for 56 consecutive years on a bipartisan basis has moved through the Senate and the House to be signed by the President. Many times you hear there is not a lot of bipartisanship that is going on in Washington. On issues like this, there is. This bill, which authorizes almost $700 billion for our troops who need it, passed the Senate unanimously.

Not all the members of the military had their bill, which authorized spending and funding for what they are doing, moved through the Congress. Unfortunately, our men and women in the U.S. Coast Guard--our Nation's fifth branch of service--have been, once again, left behind. The NDAA covers the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines.

The Coast Guard Authorization Act focuses on the heroic men and women in the Coast Guard. This year, we worked hard on that bill, S. 1129, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2017. I sponsored this bill with Chairman John Thune, the chairman of the Commerce Committee; Ranking Member Bill Nelson; and Senator Lisa Murkowski. This bipartisan bill-- and it is very bipartisan--will give the Coast Guard the resources it needs to protect our waterways and coastlines, block illegal traffickers and smugglers of drugs, and more efficiently procure future Coast Guard cutters, which our country, and my State, desperately need. It is a very, very important bill.

In constructing this legislation, we worked in a bipartisan manner for months. However, despite broad support from both Republicans and Democrats, it appears the Coast Guard Authorization Act--a critical bill for homeland security, for the safety of our mariners and fishermen, and for showing support to the thousands of men and women who serve in the Coast Guard--has become stuck.

As chairman of the committee responsible for the U.S. Coast Guard, I must speak up for the men and women of this important service and the critical services they provide. This bill should have been moving months ago. Not only does this bill contain critical needs and authorizations and funding authorizations for the Coast Guard, it also contains provisions of vital importance to our maritime and fishing communities. Included in this legislation is important language to permanently fix an issue that has been around for years--one that pertains to incidental discharges for those in our fishing fleets. It is also known as the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act, or VIDA, as part of the Coast Guard bill.

Currently, vessel owners and operators are forced to comply with a patchwork of burdensome Federal and State regulations for vessel ballast water and incidental discharges. This creates inefficiency, adds costs, and inhibits economic prosperity for my State and for the country, while not providing a uniform standard to protect the environment, which is also critical. This fix that is in the Coast Guard bill would provide the maritime industry, the fishing industry, with a consistent, uniform regulatory structure, restoring cost- effective commerce while also ensuring environmental protection of our Nation's ports, waterways, and fisheries. Notably, for a large number of my constituents, this provision--the VIDA provision in the Coast Guard bill--provides a permanent exemption on incidental vessel discharge for all fishing vessels and small commercial boats.

It is very important because previous legislation required even small fishing vessels to get a discharge permit from the EPA to simply hose down their decks. These fishing vessels and small vessels are facing potential noncompliance if we fail to pass the Coast Guard bill soon. They should not be penalized for the refusal of some of my colleagues-- very few of my colleagues--who are opponents of this important fix to allow for what we think is a bipartisan, negotiated solution to move forward.

The fix in this bill on VIDA is supported by all segments of the maritime industry, with U.S. and international vessel owners and operators, fishing vessels--both large and small--passenger vessels, charter boat operators, labor unions, the Navy League of the United States, marine terminals, and port authorities throughout the country, just to name a few, all in support.

There is broad bipartisan support and agreement by Democrats and Republicans that this bill--with the VIDA provision in the Coast Guard Authorization Act--should move forward. I was going to come here this evening and ask unanimous consent that we pass the bill now. Out of respect for some of my colleagues who are still working in good faith on this issue, I have decided to refrain from that, but we are losing patience.

There have been numerous suggested compromises to help get a few Senators to yes on this. We have accepted almost every single one of them. We are negotiating in good faith. We even held a big meeting this afternoon with many staff on another suggestion, which the EPA said was an unworkable idea.

I believe we are now down to one single issue on this important piece of legislation. Out of respect for my colleagues--one of whom I just got off the phone with, the Senator from Michigan, whom I have a very close working relationship on the committee that oversees the Coast Guard because he is my ranking member--we are going to try to work through the weekend and resolve this. I hope that the remaining Senators act in good faith. What we don't want to see, as we accept every single compromise put forward, is the goalpost continuously being moved.

The deadline is fast approaching for our fishermen and maritime fleet. We must get this done. The deadline has long past to show that we respect, care for, and want to do all we can to support the men and women in the Coast Guard the way we support the other military services, as we saw this week when President Trump passed a very bipartisan NDAA.

I call on all of my colleagues to work through the weekend so that we can get to yes on this very important bill--the Coast Guard bill--and so that we can support them the way we are supporting the other men and women in our military.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that following the disposition of the Balash nomination, the Senate proceed to the consideration of Executive Calendar No. 167, as under the previous order.

Madam President, today I am gratified to be finally debating and voting on the nomination of Joe Balash to be the U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Lands and Minerals.

I have been coming to the floor, as have a lot of my colleagues, making the case about how it has taken too long to get good people into the Federal Government. I am sure I will have to give that speech maybe a few more times--I hope not--to finally get people who want to serve, who have been nominated by the President, to be confirmed by the Senate, to move them. It doesn't help the American people that we just delay well-qualified Americans who want to serve their country just for the sake of delay. It is happening, but I am not going to focus on that today.

I actually want to thank the Democratic Whip, Senator Durbin, who was actually very helpful in trying to move this nomination, which has been stalled on the Senate floor for many weeks now. Joe Balash was nominated by the President in July. I appreciate the cooperative spirit from my colleague from Illinois, and I thank him again for that.

This is a very important position in the U.S. Government. The Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management entails supervision and overseeing the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. It is very important for the entire country. It is particularly important for my State, the great State of Alaska, and for so many others where Federal lands make up an enormous part of the State.

Yesterday, my colleague and friend, Senator Lee from Utah, talked to a number of us about how much Federal lands constitute different States in terms of the overall percentage. A lot of Americans don't know this. Usually, if you live on the east coast, you don't have Federal land as a big part of your State, but in Alaska, it is 61 percent; Idaho, 61 percent; Utah, 63 percent; Nevada, almost 80 percent. These positions in the Department of the Interior are enormously important.

This is a very important job, and I am glad to see we are finally getting to vote on it because it is important to help manage resources that we have in abundance but also protect the environment. We all love our environment. Alaska has the most pristine, beautiful environment in the world, and we know how to protect it. We also have enormous opportunities for jobs in energy on public land. What is in all the Federal statutes that Joe is going to be in charge of implementing is that you can do both. You can do both. You can protect the environment of this great Nation, and you can also utilize these incredible resources that we have on public lands. In essence, that is what his job is going to be all about.

I encourage my colleagues to look at Joe Balash's confirmation hearing and his background because he is probably one of the most qualified people to hold this job in the entire country--in the entire country. Joe Balash comes from a long, distinguished career of public service in Alaska. He was the commissioner of natural resources in Alaska, and he was the deputy commissioner of natural resources in Alaska, which manages one of the largest portfolios of land, water, minerals, oil, gas, and timber of anyplace in the world--not just in the country, in the world. Very few countries have more resources than we do in Alaska, and for years, Joe Balash was in charge of managing those. That makes him super well qualified for this job.

As DNR commissioner, he oversaw 100 million acres of uplands, State land in Alaska--this is obviously bigger than most States in America; 40 to 60 million acres of submerged lands and tidelands; and resources that included managing over half a million barrels of oil production a day. Joe oversaw a workforce of over 1,100 people as the commissioner of natural resources and a budget of $170 million a year.

Joe understands how to build consensus, how to navigate State and Federal lands issues and interests, and, importantly, how to work to responsibly develop our resources and grow our economy, while always understanding that our lands sustain us and that stringent environmental safeguards are absolutely necessary for all Americans.

Let me say one other thing about Joe Balash. You can look at the bio, you can look at the experience, but you

also need to know the man. When I was the commissioner of the department of natural resources, Joe Balash worked for me as my deputy, and for the past almost 3 years, he has worked as my chief of staff here in the Senate.

Perhaps more than any other issue--experience, a super hard worker-- he is a man of integrity, a man of character, and a man who cares deeply about his country and wants the best for Americans and for Alaskans.

I can't think of anyone more qualified--experience, character, integrity, knows the issues, cares about the environment--so I am strongly encouraging my colleagues to vote for Joe. He was voted out of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee in September with the support of every Senator in that committee, with the exception of one. When the committee looked at his experience and background and they heard about his integrity and character, there was enormous bipartisan support for Joe. I am hoping we will see that here in a few minutes when we come to vote.

I understand that one of my colleagues, unfortunately, is going to come down to the floor soon and encourage a vote against Joe. I am still not sure why. Maybe it is something related to a recusal issue between State and Federal lands in Alaska. I will be interested to hear what the recusal issue is.

Most recusal issues, by the way, as we look at confirmations in the Senate, relate to people who have interests in the private sector, and perhaps those private sector interests impact policy decisions. But when you have someone who has worked on lands issues in a State, the idea of being recused because you have expertise in policy from your State job when you go into a Federal job, to me, seems, well, outrageous. We will see what that argument is.

I do know that Joe Balash will follow the rules and regulations as they relate to ethics and conflicts in a steadfast way because I know who he is. So I again encourage all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this extremely well-qualified nominee who has the character, knowledge, expertise, and experience for a very important job for the country and someone who is going to do a great job for Secretary Zinke and President Trump.

Madam President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, every week I have been coming down to the floor to talk a little bit about my great State, about the wonders of its natural landscape--a land that everybody should see for themselves--and we talk about special people. I know the Presiding Officer looks at this as one of the favorite times in his long week. We talk about the people who have made a difference in Alaska, our Alaskan of the Week. It is one of the best things I get to do here as Alaska's Senator because I get to talk about Alaska's beauty; the people who make my State so special; the kind, generous people full of rugged determination, full of patriotism, full of drive, full of life.

Living in the North in some of the most difficult terrain and extreme conditions of the world breeds competition in the best ways possible. It also sparks creativity all across the State. When creativity meets competition, great things can happen.

You saw great things happen on the basketball court late last month when University of Alaska Anchorage's women's basketball team, who are our Alaskans of the Week, won the championship at the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, the seminal sports event of the year that for four decades has corresponded with Thanksgiving weekend.

Let me talk for a few minutes about the Great Alaska Shootout. In the late 1970s, a coach from the University of Alaska Anchorage's basketball team had a vision to put the fledgeling UAA basketball program on the map. How

would he do that? He would create a preseason college basketball tournament, and he would make sure that participation in any tournament outside the contiguous lower 48 States didn't count against the limits for how many games a team was allowed to play. And so was born the Great Alaska Shootout.

For the past 40 years, tens of thousands of Alaskans from all over the State--and I would say Americans from all over the country--many who had never been to a professional game or even a college game, traveled to Anchorage to watch some of the best basketball in the country. In Anchorage, people opened their homes to the teams from the lower 48 to enjoy a home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner.

The teams and the players who came to Alaska over the last 40 years are legion--Patrick Ewing, Glenn Robinson, Sam Perkins, Ray Allen, Dwayne Wade, and Alaska's own Trajan Langdon, just to name a few. All the great college basketball coaches at one time or another came to our State--Coach K, Jim Valvano, Bobby Knight, Denny Crum, Roy Williams, Tom Izzo, Pat Summitt, and so many others. As one reporter put it, ``It was an annual Thanksgiving week staple for ESPN and it made Anchorage the center of the college basketball world for one bright, shining week.''

Time and again, the UAA Seawolves--both the men and women's teams-- Division 2 programs, who were up against some of the biggest Division 1 powerhouses in the country, showed the world what basketball in Alaska looked like, and it looked strong.

The Great Alaska Shootout was a gift to the world, to America, and to all of Alaska. Times have changed, and so have college basketball tournaments. More choices are available. Other States have begun to compete with Alaska. So this past Thanksgiving, sadly, was the Shootout's last tournament. But, again, UAA's basketball teams made us proud. All told, the men's teams won 39 games in 40 Shootouts. This past Thanksgiving Day, the UAA women, which has become a Division 2 powerhouse under the leadership of Coach Ryan McCarthy, claimed the women's championship in the final Shootout, beating the Division 1 University of Tulsa Golden Hurricanes 59 to 52 in a thriller. It was their seventh title in tournament history.

Everyone involved--the businesses that sponsored the Shootout over the years, the many avid fans who haven't missed a game, and all those who played in the Great Alaska Shootout over four decades--is deserving of recognition. But at this year's final Great Alaska Shootout, the UAA women's team showed us all the true meaning of grit and determination.

So here is to the Seawolves, our Alaskans of the Week. Here is to the history of the Great Alaska Shootout. It is a great day to be a Seawolf. Thanks for all the great games, the great memories, and a truly great Alaskan and American basketball tournament.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I have 8 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders.

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

Committee on Armed Services

The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, December 7, 2017, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Finance

The Committee on Finance is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, December 7, 2017, at 2 p.m. in SD-215 to conduct a hearing on the nomination of Kevin K. McAleenan, of Hawaii, to be Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security.

Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pension

The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, December 7, 2017, at 10 a.m. in room SD-430 to conduct a hearing entitled ``Implementation of the 21'' Century Cures Act: Progress and the Path Forward for Medical Innovation''.

Committee on Judiciary

The Committee on Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, December 7, 2017, at 10 a.m. in room SD-226 to conduct a hearing on the following nominations: Leonard Steven Grasz, of Nebraska, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit, James C. Ho, of Texas, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit, Don R. Willett, of Texas, to be a Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Terry A. Doughty, to be

United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana, Terry Fitzgerald Moorer, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Alabama, Mark Saalfield Norris, Sr., to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee, Claria Horn Boom, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky, John W. Broomes, to be United States District Judge for the District of Kansas, Rebecca Grady Jennings, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Kentucky, and Robert Earl Wier, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Select Committee on Intelligence

The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, December 7, 2017, at 2 p.m. in room SH-219 to conduct a closed hearing.

Mr. President, I wish to first compliment my colleague from Ohio, Senator Portman, on his leadership on so many different fronts in the U.S. Senate. His leadership is nowhere more important than what he has been doing on the opioid epidemic that is raging through Ohio, Alaska, and almost every State in the country. The STOP Act he just talked about is legislation I have cosponsored, and he is leading on it. It is one of the many things we need to do to really get a handle on this.

This should be a bipartisan issue. The opioid epidemic is ravaging through States, families, and communities. There has been no better leader in the Senate than Senator Portman on these issues so I just want to thank him for that.

Mr. President, I also want to express appreciation to a number of my colleagues and, again, Senator Portman is certainly one of them. We had an important night the other night with regard to the critical passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. I think it is going to be very important legislation to help grow our economy and, finally, get money in the hands of middle-class families and small businesses so we can finally start growing this economy nationally and, back home in Alaska, get my State out of a deep recession that it is in.

There are a lot of Senators who played critical roles. Senators Hatch, Portman, Toomey, Scott, and so many others, but, in particular, I want to thank the majority leader. There is a provision in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which I think is going to be critical for America and certainly critical for my State, which is to help unlock more of the vast energy resources we have in Alaska, particularly on the coastal plain of the North Slope--what we call the 1002 area of Alaska. That pass is part of this bill. It is something in Alaska we have been working through in a bipartisan manner. Over 70 percent of Alaskans want to get this done. We have been working on it in Alaska for over 40 years to get this done.

I really want to commend and thank the majority leader, Mitch McConnell. Over a year ago, he and I sat down to talk about doing this. Every step of the way, his commitment to me and to the people of Alaska to make this happen for my State as well as for our great country--he was there for us.

So I want to thank the majority leader for that firm commitment to helping on an issue that has been critical to Alaskans for decades. We have never realized it. We have a lot more work to do before we get there, both on the tax bill and the 1002 area provision in it, but we are closer. We are closer, in large measure, because of the leadership of the majority leader, and I thank him.

Mr. President, I have been coming to the floor--many of us have been, actually--for the last several weeks to talk about a really important issue for the country; that is, getting administration officials in the Trump administration confirmed by this body. There has been a resistance, a desire to not want to move very qualified people, unfortunately, by my colleagues on the other side. It is just not helping the country.

With each new administration, our great Nation sees a peaceful transition of power. It is a remarkable pillar of American democracy. This doesn't include just the transition with regard to the President and Vice President but also the team of officials in the Federal Government at senior levels who are required to run this country. Good people, whether it is a Democratic or a Republican administration-- Republican administration is not always easy to serve--and what we have been trying to do is help this administration find, get nominated by the President, and confirm high-quality American people in these jobs to serve their country.

As a Senator from Alaska, I have had particular focus on Alaskans to serve in positions of the Federal Government, and I will say that the Trump administration has been very receptive to a number of these highly qualified Alaskans who want to serve their country, but, unfortunately, what we are seeing on the other side is just obstruction. They don't want to move people. They never explain it.

I have come to the floor and given this speech several times, and I have asked for the minority leader to come to the floor to explain why they are delaying all of these very well-qualified Americans who want to serve their government. Come to the floor and explain it. Tell the American people why Assistant Secretaries across Federal agencies who have been waiting months to be confirmed by this body, who have been voted out of committee, with big bipartisan numbers, sit and wait and wait and wait. What good is that doing for the country? Come to the floor and explain it. I have been asking them to come to the floor and explain it, and they never take me up on the offer.

So, unfortunately, we know the numbers. At this point, 8 years ago in the Obama Presidency, almost 70 percent--almost 70 percent--of the nominees by President Obama, who won his election, were confirmed by the Senate.

Now, I wasn't in the Senate then, but I know my colleagues on this side of the aisle, if they didn't like someone, they could vote against them; they could put a hold on them for a while and get their questions answered. So that is the way it worked. That is normal. Those numbers are about normal. At the same time now, under the Trump administration's Presidency, the Senate has only confirmed 40 percent-- 40 percent. Now, is that helping the country? No. It is not helping the country. Do they ever come to the floor and explain why they are resisting? No. So it is a frustration, and it is not helping the country. We need good people in government.

If this trend continues, with the number of people we need to confirm for the remaining Presidential-appointed positions, it will take us more than 11 years. Let me repeat that--more than 11 years. We all know a Presidential term lasts 4 years.

This is unprecedented. It is unprecedented; go take a look. Yet the other side doesn't want to explain why they are so focused on obstruction. It is certainly not helping the people. The vast majority of these nominees are really well qualified.

Mr. President, I came to the floor a half hour ago talking about a very well-qualified candidate for the Assistant Secretary of Interior for Lands and Minerals, Joe Balash, whom I happen to know very well. He was my former chief of staff, and he is the former Commissioner of Natural Resources in Alaska. He is very well qualified. His nomination came out of our committee with only one vote against him.

This nomination has been waiting on the floor for several weeks now, but I just had a constructive conversation with Members on the other side of the aisle. What we intend to do is revisit Mr. Balash's nomination in the next 24 hours, and, hopefully, we will free Joe Balash to go serve the people of America and the people of Alaska. I know he will do a very good job.

I yield the floor.

Will the Senator from Ohio yield for a question?

As to the issue on economic growth, I have been coming down to the floor in my relatively short time here and talking about growth, growth, growth, growth. I have not in 3 years--3 years--heard my colleagues on the other side of the aisle say that economic growth of 1.5 percent for almost 10 years is good for the country, good for workers in Ohio.

Mr. BROWN addressed the Chair.

Here is my question.

Here is my question. Will the Senator yield for a question?

Here is the question.

Do you believe that the new normal is 1.5 percent, like CBO, like the Obama administration said--GDP growth of 1.5 percent for the entire future? Is that what you believe?

If you don't, how do we get that faster growth?

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order for Senator Nelson and Senator Baldwin or their designee to each offer a motion to commit, which are at the desk, and that no amendments to the

instructions be in order. I further ask consent that following leader remarks on Friday, December 1, there be up to 20 minutes of debate on each motion, equally divided in the usual form, and that following the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate vote on the motions with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I want to compliment my good friend from South Carolina who came down here and talked about what this is all about. I couldn't agree with him more. This is about families. This is about American families. He has these poster boards up there showing the American people what this is about. I want to reiterate a couple of points he mentioned.

First, the most important thing we are doing here, the bulk of the relief we are providing in this tax bill is to provide middle-class families with more take-home pay, more money in the pockets of American citizens. That is what Senator Scott just talked about, and I couldn't agree more.

So, on average, right now, our bill would bring the average American middle-class family about a $200 additional amount of money in their pocket per month--per month. Now, some people watching that might think it may not seem like a lot, but it is over $2,000 per year. Every tax bracket that we have right now in the Senate bill would get a reduction.

So I want to echo the words of my good friend from South Carolina. It is confounding to me that our friends and colleagues on the other side of the aisle would deny hard-working Americans that extra money in their pockets. You don't hear them say that, but that is what they are doing, and they would spin and twist the facts to make the public believe the middle class is actually getting a tax increase. The public is getting spun by them.

This would be a tax cut for these families, a significant amount. That is a plain fact.

What is so puzzling about this debate is that those who oppose this bill is trying to deny the Americans who need it--we need it--extra money in their pockets, particularly right now.

I want to talk a little bit about an article I read last year in the Atlantic magazine. It still haunts me. The article was titled ``The Secret Shame of the Middle Class.'' Here is a copy of it, ``The Secret Shame of the Middle Class.'' It says: ``Nearly half of all Americans would have trouble finding $400 in a crisis.''

You often talk about families. Forty-seven percent of American families, according to one Federal study, wouldn't be able to come up with $400 in case of

an emergency. This is truly the definition of living paycheck to paycheck. The bill that we are debating helps to address this significantly--more money in the pockets of American middle-class families.

Let me quote from this article. The author says:

It was happening to the soon-to-retire as well as the soon-

to-begin. It was happening to college grads as well as high

school dropouts. It was happening all across the country,

including places where you might least expect to see such

problems. I knew that I wouldn't have $400 in an emergency.

That is the author.

What I hadn't known, couldn't have conceived, was that so

many other Americans wouldn't have that kind of money

available to them, either. My friend and local butcher,

Brian, who is one of the only men I know who talks openly

about his financial struggles, once told me, ``if anyone says

he's sailing through, he's lying.''

That is from this article.

These are our constituents he is writing about. These are the people whom we see when we go home. These are American citizens who need this kind of relief. They tell us they are struggling. They tell us they felt left out of the system and that nobody is listening.

This bill is listening. It is about listening to them. It is about giving them a voice through more economic security.

The other thing this bill does--the other thing that is so important to do in this Congress and the other thing that we should have no issues with bipartisan support for what this bill does--is finally getting our economy back to traditional levels of economic growth-- growing our economy, which has been stagnant for well over a decade.

The next chart I have is one that I have come to the floor and spoken about many times. It is an important chart. It shows the levels of economic growth that have occurred year after year in the United States since the Eisenhower administration. It shows GDP growth. Let me explain it a little bit.

It starts with Eisenhower, and then goes to Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush 43, and President Obama. These are the numbers. The green is growth. We have a couple of years of 8, 6, 7 percent growth. But the line I want people to take a look at is this 3 percent GDP growth line--3 percent. Now, that is not a great growth rate. It is not a bad growth rate. The average since World War II is closer to 4 percent, but 3 percent is pretty good.

When we look at this chart, and we think about what we are trying to do on the floor here today, it tells a really important story. It is 3 percent every year. Reagan, Bush, Clinton are 4, 5, and 6, and then we get to the Obama years. Actually, we get to the last 10 years we have had, and we never hit it. We had the Bush great recession, and in the entire 8 years of President Obama, we never hit it.

Now, GDP sounds like some kind of technical economic term, but it is really a proxy for the health of our economy. It is a proxy for the American dream. It is a proxy for hope. We have had a sick economy. For over a decade, we have had a sick economy.

One thing that surprises me is how few of our colleagues talk about this. As we have debated the tax bill, a lot of my colleagues on this side of the aisle have been talking about growth--growth, growth, growth--and how we ought to get back to traditional levels of GDP growth--3 percent or higher. It is a bit of a surprise to me that in my little under 3 years in the Senate, I don't know if I have heard any of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle come to the floor to talk about this--that this number, below 3 percent is not good for the country. To the contrary, some of them, unfortunately, have bought into what the Obama administration used to tell us: Listen, we can't hit 3 percent. So guess what, America, this is the new normal. We can't expect 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 percent growth. We had years of 7 percent GDP growth during the Reagan era and strong growth during the Clinton era. Don't expect that anymore. The new normal is about 1.5, maybe 2 percent, if we are lucky.

I asked one of my Democratic colleagues this morning: Do you believe in the new normal? Do you? Because that is a surrender. That is a surrender of the American dream.

There has been a lot of talk over the last year about what makes America great. This is what makes America great--strong economic growth. We haven't had it in over a decade.

This tax bill, we believe, is going to spur economic growth. That is another reason why it is so important--families' take-home pay and finally getting back to traditional levels of strong, robust economic growth that has enjoyed bipartisan support from every President since the end of World War II. Yet, somehow, on the other side of the aisle, they don't want to talk about it. Well, to me, it is the most important thing we are doing here.

So how do we do it? There is tax reform, certainly, and also energy policies that unleash our opportunities, infrastructure, and regulatory reform. But we have to get out of this lost decade.

I want to go back to that ``Atlantic'' article I mentioned. The author talks about the fact that people don't have the money they once did because of this--because we are not growing; because the strongest economy in the world, for the last 10 years, is sick.

The author says: ``In the 1950s and '60s, American economic growth democratized prosperity.''

Everybody had opportunity with strong economic growth. That is what he is talking about right here. Then he says: ``But, in the 2010s, we have managed to democratize financial insecurity.''

We went from democratizing prosperity for families to democratizing financial insecurity, where almost half of the American people don't believe they have $400 in an emergency. Yet my colleagues don't want to provide a tax cut for middle-class families who are struggling.

What we need to do is to end this democratization of financial insecurity and get back to prosperity and get back to traditional levels of GDP growth through tax reform, through energy, through infrastructure, and through permanent reform. We can do it.

Any American watching: Please don't believe this idea of the new normal, that we will never get back to these strong rates, that somehow our future is destined to be below this 3 percent line. Don't believe it. What we need are policies that can get us there.

That is why I am hopeful still that some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are going to join us in promoting this tax reform that will do one of the most important things we can do--get the U.S. economy growing again. Families will benefit, middle-class families will benefit, hard-working Americans will benefit, our economy will benefit, and our national security will benefit, but we need to act. We can't accept this.

I yield the floor for my colleague from Connecticut.