Floor Statements

Mr. President, when you think about fast-growing startup companies, you might think about Silicon Valley, Boston, or Boulder. Though all these cities certainly have very vibrant ecosystems, innovative startups and small businesses are launching and growing across the United States, including in my home State of Michigan.

In every State, there are hard-working entrepreneurs who have established job-creating startups. These dynamic companies act as business leaders, innovators, and job creators within our communities.

This is why I am working with Senators Warren, Tillis, and Scott to commemorate Startup Week Across America and celebrate the ingenuity and entrepreneurship in our States and across the country. I kicked off this annual event in 2013 while serving in the House of Representatives. In the years since, I have had the privilege of visiting startups in Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Traverse City.

I have met with business founders who code apps for Fortune 500 companies, design and produce high-end jeans and other denim products, and grow and deliver farm-fresh products.

This Monday I visited Ferris Wheel, a new coworking space in Flint, MI, a community of hard-working Michiganders who are focused on their future.

The people of Flint are committed to building a stronger, healthier, more prosperous community, and they are

committed to doing it together. You can see this in their schools and their churches and nonprofits, and you can see this in their startups and small businesses.

One of the best parts about starting a business in Flint is 100K Ideas, a nonprofit staffed by university students committed to helping entrepreneurs start their companies. This group is named in honor of the 100,000 residents of Flint and inspired by the thought that if they could pull one idea from every local resident, they could change the world.

This week, I had the chance to learn about a few of these new ideas. I met Kiara Tyler, the founder of Kalm Clothing. She moved the furniture out of her apartment to make room for inventory and stocked boxes of overalls and track suits where her couch used to be, while using her car as the company's headquarters. Now Kiara has done over $100,000 worth of business. She is selling her clothing online, and she has space for her office and inventory at Ferris Wheel. Flint is her home, and she is excited to stay and to build her business in Michigan.

I learned about Article One Eyewear, a company that has taken on office space next door to her. They sell handcrafted eyeglasses and donate a portion of their proceeds to combat vitamin A deficiency and to fight blindness in developing nations.

I also met with SkyPoint Ventures, a true homegrown Michigan story. While they are a for-profit investment fund, they have also committed to social benefit projects and making Flint a better place to live and to do business. In addition to investing in companies like Article One, SkyPoint renovated the Ferris Building to create the Ferris Wheel coworking space and commit to the growing community of startups in the city of Flint.

Successful business growth comes down to matching talent to capital, and the United States does this better than any other country in the world. I am proud to say that I had a chance to see this happening firsthand in Flint and across the State of Michigan.

Michigan, in fact, has one of the fastest growing venture capital communities in the entire Nation, a critical asset that will help us become the startup capital of the Midwest. We have world-class colleges and universities, more engineers per capita than any other part of the country, and the infrastructure to export not just nationally but global as well.

I know that if we keep pulling together as a community and harness 100,000 ideas and beyond, Flint's future is bright. I know that Michigan's small businesses and startups will help to lead the way to new innovations that will revolutionize our economy.

I am committed to ensuring that our growing startup communities will be a fixture of creativity, innovation, and job creation for decades to come.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I was unable to attend yesterday's vote on the nomination of Scott Stump, of Colorado, to be Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education, Department of Education. Had I been able to attend, I would have supported the nomination.

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

Mr. President, today I would like to recognize a very special Michigander. It is my pleasure to welcome Tom Stephenson of Greenville, MI, and his family to Washington, DC, and to have them in the Senate Gallery right now. Tom is joined by his parents Hollie and Mark, as well as his younger sister Sarah.

Today Tom is fulfilling his wish to be a U.S. Senator for a day with the assistance of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It is truly an honor to partner with Make-A-Wish to grant Tom's wish.

This wonderful organization creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, giving them and their families meaningful experiences while bringing communities together.

Tom discovered his passion for government and politics at 8 years old when he joined his grandmother on a trip to Washington, DC. During that trip, Tom met with legislators to advocate for heart defect research. Today he is getting a firsthand look at a day in the life of a U.S. Senator.

From my weekly constituent coffee to meetings with my fellow Senators, briefings, interviews, and even a conference call with the Michigan media, U.S. Senator-for-a-Day Stephenson is getting the full experience.

I am always inspired when I meet young people interested in public service, and I am impressed that Tom chose serving as a U.S. Senator for a day as his wish.

One issue that Tom is particularly concerned about is college affordability and how his generation will prepare for the future. This is a concern I share with Tom and that I know many of my fellow Michiganders share with us. Here in the Senate, I am working to ensure everyone has access to the skills and education that are vital to joining the modern workforce and competing in today's global economy.

I introduced legislation that will reduce the pricetag for higher education by allowing students to complete college-level courses while they are still in high school. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find commonsense solutions that will help make higher education more affordable.

I would like to thank my colleague from West Virginia, Senator Capito, for taking time out of her day to meet with me and Tom this morning. We wanted to show him that there is real bipartisanship in the Senate. We discussed how we worked together to enact legislation that will help recent graduates who have defaulted on their loans repair their credit and get back on track.

All of us in the Senate should draw inspiration from Tom. At a time when our country is increasingly polarized and politics can feel toxic, we need smart, hard-working young people to recommit to public service and to making our country a better place.

At 18, Tom is still 12 years away from being eligible to serve as a U.S. Senator, but his passion for our government gives me faith in the future and that our future is bright.

I would like to thank Tom for taking the trip to Washington and spending a long day with me, my colleagues, and my staff. I hope Tom leaves the Senate today with an even deeper interest in our government and a better idea about how we can work together to improve the lives of Michiganders and all Americans.

Although Tom's term as ``Senator for a Day'' winds down tonight, I am committed to serving as his advocate and voice here. As he prepares to start his freshman year at Michigan State University, I am proud to welcome Tom both as a fellow Senator and as a fellow Spartan. I look forward to everything he will accomplish in the coming years and decades.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that my intern, Thomas Stephenson, be granted floor privileges while the Senate is in session on Tuesday, July 10, 2018.

Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 350th anniversary of the city of Sault Sainte Marie, MI. As one of the oldest cities in the State of Michigan, as well as the United States, Sault Ste. Marie is endowed with a rich history, dynamic present, and bright future.

As early as 800 A.D., the Chippewa Indians, originally referred to as Ojibway, inhabited the area now known as Sault Ste. Marie. The Chippewa Indians called the region ``Bahweting,'' or ``the Gathering Place,'' due to the wealth of fish and fur found along the St. Marys River, the only water connection between Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes.

In the early 1600s, British, French, and Jesuit missionaries ventured to the territory, including Fr. Jaques Marquette. In 1668, Fr. Jaques Marquette renamed the settlement Sault Ste. Marie in honor of the Virgin Mary, establishing the first permanent settlement in the Great Lakes region. Due to the abundant natural resources and strategic location of the St. Marys River, the French and British repeatedly fought over the area, as well as the right to trade with the Chippewa and Ottawa Tribes. Although Fr. Jaques Marquette built the first permanent structure, John Johnson is considered to be the first permanent settler in Sault Ste. Marie. In the late 1790s, Johnson and his family moved to the region to open a fur trade operation along the St. Marys River. In 1797, the Northwest Fur Company constructed a navigation lock approximately 38-feet long on the Canadian side of the St. Marys River. Unfortunately, the lock was destroyed in the War of 1812.

In 1820, the Chippewa Indians signed the Treaty of the Sault that turned control of Sault Ste. Marie to the United States. In 1852, almost three decades later, the State of Michigan contracted Fairbanks Scale Company to build a lock designed to permit waterborne commerce between Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes. The Fairbanks Scale Company constructed a system of two locks, each 350 feet long, called the State Lock. The State of Michigan operated and maintained the locks for more than a decade, but as the shipping traffic and vessel sizes increased, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assumed ownership of the facility and constructed a larger lock, more than 515 feet long, named the Weitzel Lock. Since then, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversaw the construction and replacement of five locks, later known as the Soo Locks, in order to meet the growing demand for larger vessels: First Poe Lock, Davis Lock, Sabin Lock, MacArthur Lock, and Second Poe Lock. Over the past 350 years, Sault Ste. Marie transformed from a base for fisherman and fur traders to an international gateway for community development and economic growth.

Today, Sault Ste. Marie is home to more than 13,000 residents who enjoy the beautiful parks, historic downtown, and safe neighborhoods. Situated in Chippewa County, the city provides a number of recreational activities designed to enhance the quality of life for residents, ranging from the Sault Seal Recreation Area and Voyageur Island, to the River of History Museum and Sherman Park. Sault Ste. Marie is also active in the preservation and promotion of historic landmarks, including the Historic Locks Park Walkway, the John Johnston House, and the Kemp Coal Dock Office. Recognized as ``the place where Michigan was born,'' Sault Ste. Maris captivates the attention of residents and visitors from around the globe.

I am honored to ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the rich history, significant contributions, and outstanding achievements of the city of Sault Sainte Marie. I wish the city continued growth and prosperity in the years ahead.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 50th anniversary of the city of Sterling Heights, MI. Sterling Heights is a community built on industry and entrepreneurship, and this celebration is a historic benchmark for the community.

While it was the Clinton River that initially brought settlers to the area, it was a boom in manufacturing during the 1950s that brought a large amount of growth to what is now the city of Sterling Heights. Manufacturers like Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Corporation, along with their plant workers, began moving north and settled in what was then known as Sterling Township and their new state-of-the-art subdivisions.

This sudden surge of new residents did not come without problems though. There was flooding due to lack of sufficient drainage systems and residents threatening to declare their neighborhoods their own separate community. In 1960, a portion of Sterling Township, Clinton Township, and Harrison Township all came together with a proposal to incorporate the three communities into the city of Moravian Hills. The proposal would be soundly defeated.

In 1966, a charter commission was formed to draft a city charter to present to voters in 2 years. The commission faced many issues and tasks early on, one of which was what to name their newly proposed city. Due to the already existing village of Sterling in northern Michigan, the commission would eventually settle on Sterling Heights. In December of 1967, the proposed charter of a strong mayor government was voted down. The people of Sterling Township made their voices heard and installed a new commission chair, one who shared their vision of a city management form of government.

On May 25, 1968, voters overwhelmingly passed a new city management charter and simultaneously elected seven new councilmennbers, defeating all previous township officials. The city's first council consisted of an elementary school teacher, four employed in the automotive industry, an education representative for school supplies, and an attorney. They faced incredibly challenging tasks and high expectations in their first days. Whether it was zoning restrictions, infrastructure, new projects, or public safety, the council came together and worked toward a common goal: a stronger future for their new city and her citizens. The council would hire Leonard Hendricks as city manager and Paul O'Reilly as city attorney, and together, they would help the council create a city that has continued to grow and prosper to this day.

Upon that vote of approval in 1968, Sterling Heights became the second largest city in size in Michigan. Since then, it has only continued to grow and develop. Today, it is a prospering community covering over 36 square miles and has a population of over 130,000 residents. The automotive and manufacturing industries have been and continue to be the cornerstone of Sterling Heights' local economy. The city is home to four OEM vehicle production plants, and the top employers are all automotive and manufacturing companies.

The city of Sterling Heights has become an important and prosperous city in its relatively short time since being incorporated. The first mayor pro tem of Sterling Heights, F. James Dunlop, said it best, ``Her only heights will be how high we set our goals and how much, we, her citizens, are willing to give of ourselves to achieve them.''

I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the citizens, elected officials, and businesses of the city of Sterling Heights as they celebrate this milestone. I wish the city continued growth and prosperity in the years ahead.

Madam President, the Constitution charges Congress with the authority and the responsibility to raise and support armies and provide and maintain a navy. It is a responsibility this body takes very seriously. That is why for over 50 years the National Defense Authorization Act has been signed into law each and every year. It is the only piece of legislation with this long history of consistently being passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. This history is a reflection of the importance of the policies and funding authorizations within the bill.

I am particularly proud of what this bill includes to support Michigan's important contributions to our national defense. For example, the 127th Wing at Selfridge Air National Guard Base flies the A-10 and in 2015 deployed in the fight against ISIS. As a result of their outstanding performance, the 127th Wing won the Spaatz Trophy as the top flying unit in the Air National Guard,

as well as the Meritorious Unit Award following their deployment.

The A-10 is without question a great airplane, but it is also getting old. The A-10 fleet will require wing replacements in order to continue to fly those important missions. That is why I worked to include an authorization for an additional $65 million for A-10 wing replacement, bringing the bill's total investment in new A-10 wings to over $144 million. These funds will help pay for new wings for a full squadron's worth of A-10 aircraft, which are vital for close air support and combat search and rescue missions. Our troops on the ground know that when they hear the iconic roar of an A-10, help is on the way. A-10 pilots and maintainers are proud of their mission, as they should be. This bill works to ensure that these aircraft will keep flying.

The legislation also includes an additional $70 million for the next- generation combat vehicle prototype. The Detroit Arsenal in Warren will be the home of the Army's cross-functional team for the next-generation combat vehicle, reporting to the Army Futures Command.

This important work on developing the future of the Army's ground vehicles will continue to occur in Southeast Michigan, taking advantage of many of the automotive manufacturers and suppliers that are shaping the future of mobility.

Just as the commercial automotive industry is developing connected and autonomous vehicles that will change the future of transportation forever, the next-generation combat vehicle and other concepts developed by the Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineer Center, TARDEC, will change the future of warfare.

All self-driving vehicles, whether they are developed for the military or for the auto industry, rely on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Artificial intelligence powers autonomous systems but can also reform the business practices of the Pentagon. AI can help with personnel management and purchasing practices and find insights and efficiencies that are difficult to find unless you can manipulate and analyze the Department's massive amounts of data.

Artificial intelligence will have an enormous impact on our economy, and that is why it is essential that the United States make significant investments in AI development and that we lead the world in developing this capability. We know that our competitors are taking AI very seriously. China has developed a national strategy to develop its AI capabilities, and Vladimir Putin has said that whoever leads in AI will rule the world. The United States must lead the way on artificial intelligence to best shape the future economy and our country, to strengthen our national security, and to address the moral and ethical questions that arise with any new technology.

Without question, the United States needs our own coordinated strategy on AI. That is why I wrote a provision in the bill that designates a senior official for artificial intelligence at the Department of Defense and cuts redtape, letting that person utilize all of the flexibilities Congress has provided to the Pentagon.

It is also important that we take steps to protect American ingenuity and innovation generally. That is why I also authored a provision in the bill that will allow the Department of Defense to require that companies and researchers receiving defense contracts not share new technologies and capabilities developed with any foreign entity, and if they do, they will lose the rights to that intellectual property. This will help ensure that investments made by DARPA and the DOD labs are not shared with our competitors.

Additionally, this bill also includes reform to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS. CFIUS works to ensure that investments in U.S. companies made by foreign investors do not threaten national security by providing other countries with access to the crown jewels of U.S. technology.

In closing, Madam President, I wish to point out that this bill is named for Chairman John McCain. We all know his presence is missed on the Armed Services Committee, as well as throughout the entire Senate. I wish him a speedy recovery. I am keeping him and his family in my prayers.

Madam President, I yield the floor.

amendment no. 2276

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, the history of the United Auto Workers is at the heart of what has made the United States a global economic powerhouse. It is tied to the growth of the thriving manufacturing sector and the birth of the American middle class.

Dennis Williams, UAW president since 2014, is a strong contributor to this history. His leadership reflects a deep commitment to American workers and a clear eye toward the future. Since the union's formation in 1935, UAW members have stood together to ensure that their hard work is met with fair wages, safe workplaces, and reasonable hours. For over 80 years, the voice of the UAW has amplified the voice of the American worker. Dennis Williams is a champion of keeping this voice strong in the 21st century.

Williams joined UAW Local 806 as a salvage welder in 1977, following his service in the U.S. Marine Corps. There, he started his long path of elected union leadership and served as chairman of the Bargaining Committee. In the coming years, Williams would rise to the positions of international representative, Region 4 assistant director, and Region 4 director. In 2010, UAW members elected him as secretary-treasurer, followed by the presidency in 2014.

No matter what position Williams undertook during his decades of UAW leadership, he always stayed true to his roots. After becoming UAW president, he prioritized visiting union plants and locals to engage with members directly. He stated: ``I love the smell of black coffee and the smoke of the factory and walking up to UAW members and saying, `brother' or `sister'.''

His passion for everything the UAW stands for, along with his businesslike approach to tough decisions, enabled Williams to take on some difficult challenges during his presidency.

Just as Williams started in his role, Michigan--home to around one- third of UAW members--had recently become a so-called right-to-work State. Michigan is now one of 28 States with policies designed to undermine union participation and workers' rights to collective bargaining. Despite tides of State and Federal anti-worker efforts, Williams remained practical and optimistic about overcoming any challenges that came the UAW's way. He emphasized the importance of sitting down and talking through issues rather than resorting to confrontation.

Williams was steadfast about not giving up on organizing, and he has actively pursued new approaches to organizing that would keep the UAW strong in the future. His strategy has definitely paid off. During Williams' tenure, he successfully fought for the establishment of local unions at Volkswagen and Mercedes locations in the United States and for casino workers in Las Vegas. Under Williams' leadership, UAW membership has increased by almost 7 percent--over 27,000 new members-- between 2014 and 2017. The growth rate and membership over this past year has been the highest in a 1-year period since 2010.

I am deeply honored by Dennis Williams' representation of over 430,000 UAW members, including tens of thousands of workers in my State of Michigan. I wish him well in his retirement, along with his wife, Donna, of 43 years, his sons, Ryan and Matthew, and his grandchildren, Kendahl and Kai.

I know I speak on behalf of many Michigan workers when I sincerely thank Dennis Williams for his admirable service as the UAW's 11th president.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I thank Senator Donnelly for bringing this issue to the floor. I also thank him for his leadership on this issue. He has fought for Indiana families day in and day out on the Senate floor. They are facing a crisis now as the people of Michigan are facing a crisis. As the Senator spoke about a fair deal, I can say, with a great deal of certainty, that the people of Michigan, just like the people of Indiana, believe a deal is a deal. This is a saying we have all heard, but it is also something on which we should all agree throughout the country.

The American commitment to honoring contracts is part of why our economy is the greatest in the world. Businesses know that if their partners in duly executed deals back out, they have access to the full power of our courts and our legal system to make them whole. This is basic fairness. A deal is a deal. Workers deserve the same fairness. Workers who have banded together to negotiate for pensions during their retirements in exchange for lower upfront pay deserve the pensions they have earned.

Generations of Americans have built their lives around the idea that if you work hard and play by the rules, you will have a fair shot at success. The certainty that hard work will be rewarded empowers Americans to achieve economic security, provide for loved ones, and retire with dignity, but for many Americans who have spent decades working hard, their retirements are now at risk.

Tens of thousands of Michiganders will be denied their hard-earned retirements if Congress does not act to protect the pension benefits they have earned. More than 400,000 Americans, including over 47,000 in Michigan, will face massive cuts to their pensions if the Central States Pension Fund is allowed to fail. Central States is not the only multiemployer pension plan that is on a rapid path to insolvency. As many as 200 financially troubled plans are at risk of being closed while the retirements of 1.5 million Americans hang in the balance.

When Michiganders contact me about this issue, they are frustrated and angry, but more than anything else, they are afraid. They are afraid they will lose their homes. They are afraid they will be unable to afford the healthcare they need. They are afraid they could, one day, become burdens on their adult children.

I appreciate that it is not very easy to share very personal fears, but I would like to share some of the stories I have heard from Michigan retirees and from folks who are hoping to retire soon.

Carl from Menominee would have to sell his house and find a new job he and his aching joints would, hopefully, be able to handle at the age of 72, after 30 years of hard physical labor.

Jan and his wife Thelma, from Deerfield, would lose the home Jan built over 50 years ago with his own two hands. Although Thelma still works and pays into a pension plan, she will not receive the benefits she has earned over the last decade--ever since the troubled plan froze the funds for active workers. For people like Thelma, the uncertainty of pension cuts is quickly becoming a harsh reality.

William from Erie is enduring an 80-percent cut to his pension. He describes it as the worst thing that could have possibly ever happened to him and his wife in their golden years. William is a Navy veteran who drove 120 miles to and from work every day to keep his pension and the promise of a comfortable retirement. The extreme cuts he is facing have forced him to go back to work. He had to overcome multiple barriers to senior employment in order to land a minimum-wage job. The job pays for basic necessities, like electricity, food, and heat, but he still cannot afford health insurance for his wife, who is still more than a year away from qualifying for Medicare.

These Americans made deals with their employers--decades of hard work in exchange for fair earnings and decent retirements. A deal is a deal. We have the FDIC to make sure Americans don't lose their life savings if banks go under. We have federally backed crop insurance to help protect farmers who face unpredictable growing seasons. We even have federally backed mortgage insurance to protect banks if homeowners can't pay their mortgages.

Workers like Carl, Thelma, and William are not asking for handouts. They are asking for the pension benefits they earned, that they bargained for, and that they worked their entire lives to secure. A deal is a deal. We must make this right.

I urge my colleagues to stand up for American workers and support the Butch Lewis Act. We must address pension insolvency without sacrificing workers' hard-earned benefits.

I thank Senator Donnelly for bringing this issue to the floor. I am with him, and we need to bring our colleagues with us as well.

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

Mr. President, competition is the lifeblood of the American economy. Competition is what makes capitalism work. It is competition that has established the United States as the world's dominant economic force for over a century.

American competition is driven by innovation. We created the light bulb, the automobile, and the internet.

We all know that the internet has revolutionized the way we communicate, learn, and do business. A free and open internet allows students in Houghton, Lancing, and Mount Pleasant to access research and to collaborate internationally. A free and open internet allows startups in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Flint to reach customers across the globe. A free and open internet allows a small bed and breakfast in Traverse City or Muskegon to reach millions of potential guests that they couldn't otherwise reach.

While the internet has been a potent force for innovation and economic growth in recent decades, our economy has been facing some serious headwinds. I am deeply concerned that we are seeing increased business consolidation--big firms are getting bigger--and we are seeing fewer new small businesses and startups. A recent study found that across 900 different industries, over two-thirds have become more concentrated in the past decade. The formation of new companies is falling. The number of jobs created by new businesses has fallen, even as our workforce has grown.

We have seen a large national internet service provider acquire a similarly large media company. We have recently seen the largest online retailer acquire one of our Nation's most successful grocery chains. Now we are seeing two of the four largest wireless carriers making preparations to merge.

Certainly, consolidations and mergers are a part of our economy, but we need rules of the road to level the playing field, to help small businesses and startups to compete, and to drive innovation. This is exactly why we need net neutrality.

Net neutrality protections prevented internet service providers from blocking, slowing, or prioritizing web traffic for their own financial gain. Without net neutrality, we could be subject to a two-tiered internet. Without net neutrality, large corporations, which keep getting larger and larger, can pay for a fast lane and buy the power to slow down or to block content. Without net neutrality, consumers, small businesses, and startups can be forced into the slow lane. Simply put, net neutrality keeps America competitive.

Unfortunately, net neutrality is under attack by the Trump administration. In December, the FCC voted to repeal crucial net neutrality protections, despite the fact that 86 percent of Americans wanted the rules to stay in place. The decision to scrap these net neutrality protections is anti-consumer, anti-innovation, and anti- competitive. It disadvantages small businesses, startups, and families all across our country.

While the FCC vote to repeal net neutrality rules is over, we are still here in the Senate fighting. In fact, we are closer than ever to reinstating the rules of the road that will keep the internet free, open, and competitive.

Fifty Senators, including the entire Democratic caucus, have signed a petition that would force a vote on legislation that would reinstate these crucial protections. With 51 votes, we could overturn the FCC's original repeal and move one step closer to restoring fairness.

Students, artists, advocates, entrepreneurs, and other visionaries who could be inventing the future and creating the next big thing could once again be on an equal playing field with multinational corporations when it comes to using the internet.

We need net neutrality to keep our economy dynamic, growing, and innovative. We need net neutrality to keep our startups and small businesses competitive.

Five months ago, I stood here in this Chamber urging the FCC to abandon their dangerous vote. Now I stand here urging my colleagues to reverse this dangerous and disastrous decision.

We have the power to do it, and we must. We need one more vote.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor a lifelong champion of the American labor movement, Mr. Charles Hall, director of the United Auto Workers Region 1, on the occasion of his retirement from the UAW. As a member of the U.S. Senate, it is both my privilege and honor to recognize Mr. Hall for his lifetime of service and contributions that have strengthened our community and State.

Chuck Hall has been a tireless advocate for his UAW brothers and sisters throughout his career. He joined the UAW as a member of Local 3 when he began working at Chrysler's Winfield Foundry in Detroit, MI, in 1972. There, he worked in the inspections and heat-treat departments. In 1977, Chuck accepted a job in timekeeping at Huber Foundry in amalgamated UAW Local 889. He continued to work both there and at Chrysler's Dodge main plant until it closed in 1980. He then returned to work at the Winfield Foundry, where he worked until 1983 and was also recalled to the timekeeping position.

In 1987, Chuck accepted a position at Chrysler corporate payroll and in 1991 was elected as chief steward of his unit. Seven years later, he was voted unit financial secretary and appointed civil rights chairperson for his local. Shortly thereafter in 2001, Chuck was elected as financial secretary for Local 889. He was voted to serve as a delegate to the UAW constitutional convention in 2002 and served on the credentials committee.

In February 2005, Chuck was appointed to the UAW international staff and assigned to Region 1. In the beginning of 2010, he was named the Region 1 assistant director on the recommendation of then--Region 1 director Joseph Peters. Chuck was elected director of UAW Region 1 at the UAW's 35th constitutional convention on June 16, 2010, in Detroit, MI. During his term, Chuck has served Region 1 and all of organized labor with honor, integrity, and selflessness.

Chuck has spent his career and life in support of his community, organized labor, and civil rights. He currently serves on the boards of the Economic Alliance of Michigan, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Community

Caring, Delta Dental of Michigan, Care House, and is a member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and a lifelong member of the NAACP.

Chuck has spent his career in service to others, his UAW brothers and sisters, his community, and his always growing family. I ask my colleagues to join me today in honoring Mr. Charles Hall for his many contributions to Michigan, the organized labor movement, and his leadership at the United Auto Workers Union. I wish Chuck and his family health and happiness in the years ahead.

Madam President, I rise to oppose the nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo to be the Secretary of State.

I voted against confirming Mike Pompeo to be the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency because he lacked the experience and the qualifications for the position. His time at the CIA has done nothing to ensure me that he now has the capabilities to lead the State Department.

As a Member of the House of Representatives, Mike Pompeo made repeated discriminatory remarks about Muslim Americans. He has argued that the Muslim American leaders have a ``special obligation'' to denounce terrorist attacks, and he has falsely claimed that they have failed to do that. I am proud to represent dynamic Muslim and Arab- American communities in Michigan. I have seen that these patriotic communities are often the first to denounce senseless acts of violence that pervert the Islamic faith.

Mike Pompeo also has close ties to a group that is a Southern Poverty Law Center ``designated hate group'' because of its anti-Muslim rhetoric and conspiracy theories. I seriously question the judgment of an elected official who would work with such a group, and I do not believe it shows the type of character required in an individual who is nominated to be our country's top diplomat. How can someone with this attitude work effectively with our allies and partners in the Middle East? I don't think he can.

Mr. Pompeo has also supported bringing back waterboarding and other torture measures that do nothing to keep America safe and go against our Nation's core values. We now have a President who has said that he believes that torture ``absolutely'' works.

We can do better than this. America is better than this. I voted to ban the use of waterboarding and other so-called enhanced interrogation measures because they do not work, and in fact, they violate basic human rights, undermine our Nation's counterterrorism missions, and place our own servicemembers at risk.

Confirming a Secretary of State that has condoned torture is just another step in our Nation's current retreat from being what President Ronald Reagan called ``a shining city on the hill.''

I am concerned that Mike Pompeo will also continue the United States' retreat from a leadership role in addressing climate change--an existential moral and economic issue that will impact our planet for generations to come. Director Pompeo has criticized the Paris climate agreement and has

made statements that contradict the overwhelming scientific events on climate change.

Our Nation faces serious global challenges: Russian aggression, North Korea's nuclear weapons program, instability in the Middle East, and China's ongoing efforts to expand their power and influence. The world is looking to the United States for leadership. This is a time when skill and experienced diplomacy is essential to advance our interests and our values on the world stage. I do not believe that Director Pompeo has the necessary experience, diplomatic skills, and values required to be the Secretary of State. I will oppose his nomination this afternoon.

Madam President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today the Senate is considering a divisive nominee to sit on the Fifth Circuit Court. It completely baffles me that this administration continues to put forth nominees who are either clearly unqualified or intensely partisan and controversial. This body has historically worked together to confirm consensus nominees to serve on the appellate bench. Unfortunately, that has not been the case over this past year. We have seen contentious nominee after contentious nominee. Unfortunately, the Republican majority has abdicated its responsibility to instead choose a judicial person of integrity who is willing to find common ground.

This afternoon's vote to confirm Stuart Kyle Duncan to the Fifth Circuit Court is a perfect example of a divisive candidate. Mr. Duncan is an extreme nominee. His nomination is a senseless attack on access to healthcare for women, especially women in rural and underserved areas. His nomination is an attack on LGBT civil rights and an attack on free and open access to the ballot for all Americans.

One only needs to look at his record. Mr. Duncan served as lead counsel in Hobby Lobby v. Burwell, in which the Supreme Court ruled that a for-profit corporation can have religious beliefs and, therefore, can deny contraceptive coverage as part of their employer- sponsored health insurance plans.

I have said this before, and I will say it again, I have never sat next to a corporation in church. Corporations do not have religious beliefs, and a woman should have access to reproductive health services and the freedom to make her own decisions about her own healthcare.

In addition to his record of hostility to the self-determination of women, Mr. Duncan has an abysmal civil rights record. Mr. Duncan coauthored an amicus brief in opposition to marriage equality when this important issue was before the Supreme Court. In that same vein of discrimination, Mr. Duncan has repeatedly engaged in efforts to suppress the votes of minority voters. He has defended North Carolina voter suppression measures that were ultimately struck down by the Fourth Circuit. The court determined the discriminatory measures ``targeted African-Americans with almost surgical precision.''

Mr. Duncan's nomination is, frankly, unconscionable. Our court system should be a level playing field, where no matter who you are or where you live, you will receive fair and equal treatment. In contrast to that spirit, this nominee has spent a significant part of the past decade advocating for the denial of rights for women, minorities, and the LGBT community.

I have absolutely no confidence that this nominee will stay true not only to the letter of the law but to the spirit of the law as well. Our constituents sent us to Washington to look out for the best interests of all Americans. That is why we need to move away from divisive nominees and instead focus on the confirmation of qualified consensus nominees. It is clear Mr. Duncan is out of step with mainstream American values, and I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing his nomination.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.