Floor Statements

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis).

Mr. President, this morning the majority leader announced that the Senate will soon take up a revised version of the FIRST STEP Act, which will provide a number of long-needed reforms to our criminal justice system.

I have long been a supporter of these reforms after I saw the positive impact in my home State of Texas back in 2007. Then, in response to a steadily growing prison population, Texas began enacting reforms to reduce recidivism through programs like job training and vocational education. This, of course, allows prisoners to spend their time in prison preparing themselves for life outside of prison. The results were pretty significant. We saw a reduction in both incarceration and crime rates by double digits at the same time. Let me say that again. We saw a reduction in both incarceration and crime rates by double digits at the same time. Not only does this lead to massive savings of taxpayer dollars, it is an investment in the men and women who are committed to turning their lives around.

What we like to say is that Texas has long been known for being tough on crime. But in 2007, we finally decided to be smart on crime, too, recognizing that people who went to prison almost entirely got out of prison at some point. The question is, How prepared were those who were willing to work to turn their lives around for life on the outside?

For years, I tried to bring this successful Texas model to Washington, DC, and now we have a piece of this legislation before us that will take these reforms nationwide. More than 75 percent of the bill we will be voting on is my prison reform legislation that I originally introduced with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

The great thing about the laboratories of democracy known as the States is that we can actually test some of our theories at the State level to see whether they work. In the case of prison reform, when they do work, we can then scale it up so it applies to the entire Nation.

Today, there are more than 180,000 inmates in the Federal criminal justice system. The Federal Bureau of Prison's budget has doubled to approximately $7 billion over the last decade. We have an opportunity to save lives by reducing the crime rate for each of those prisoners who does not recidivate when they get out of prison and conserve tax dollars, as well as to create a criminal justice system that works for, not against, the American people.

Let me be clear. This is not about letting people out of prison who shouldn't be let out of prison; this is about people who have served their time and are going to be leaving prison and making sure that they at least have available to them some of the tools they need in order to transform their own lives. I am not so naive as to think that every person will take advantage of that opportunity, but we know from experience at the State level that there is a significant percentage of offenders who will take advantage of the opportunity to turn their lives around. That is why I was proud to work with the White House and my colleagues here in Congress--especially, as I mentioned, Senator Whitehouse and Congressman Doug Collins in the House of Representatives--to advance these reforms.

Earlier this year, we passed the bill out of the House with strong bipartisan support, and I have worked with my colleagues here in the Senate as the bill has changed and developed--and, I believe, for the better. Unfortunately, some members of the law enforcement community have raised concerns about the bill. Out of my respect for our law enforcement organizations, I spoke with many of my Republican colleagues about the bill. Originally, they said they were unable to support it or were undecided because they wanted to make sure we were doing everything we could to address the concerns raised by law enforcement organizations. So we went to work trying to make improvements in the bill, which I believe we succeeded in doing.

I want to express my gratitude to Senator Durbin, who is the principal Democratic sponsor, Senator Lee, Senator Grassley, and others who worked on this and say how much I appreciate their willingness to try to get to yes and come up with something we can pass with strong bipartisan support.

I also wanted to make sure we talked to the stakeholders--the police officers who patrol the streets, the sheriffs who work in each of our States and counties--about their concerns. I believe we have worked hard and successfully to address many of them. I don't necessarily believe all of them will agree with every single piece in this bill, but I think, on the whole, it does balance the interests of our law enforcement personnel with the needs of our society to better prepare people so that when they come out of prison, they will not likely repeat their mistakes, in every case that is possible.

As I say, I think we made some big improvements. The revised legislation will keep dangerous and violent criminals who use guns to commit crimes from being released from prison early. They will not be eligible for any sort of earned time release. It will also limit the amount of time that offenders can spend on supervised release and ensure that the Bureau of Prisons will revoke prerelease custody for offenders who violate the terms of their supervision.

I appreciate all of the work of our colleagues in the Senate who chose to

roll up their sleeves and get to work rather than just complain about what was or was not in the bill. I am proud to announce that I will cosponsor this new and improved version of the bill, and I encourage all of my colleagues to review it and hopefully join me in supporting this legislation. I look forward to working with everybody in this body, as well as our colleagues in the House, to get this bill over the finish line.

I know, when we produce the bill in the House and the Senate, President Trump will sign it. He has encouraged the majority leader, Senator McConnell, to put this bill on the floor even in this short window of time we have during the lameduck session, and the majority leader has accommodated the President's request by saying that we will address this before we go home for Christmas

Funding the Government

Mr. President, on another matter, the clock is ticking, of course, and we are quickly approaching the deadline to fund the Federal Government. My Republican colleagues and I stand ready to advance our remaining appropriations bills, but it really depends on what our Democratic colleagues decide to do.

Seventy-five percent of the government is already funded through bipartisan cooperation on the passage of appropriations bills, and that is something we haven't done for a long time. But there is still critical funding--particularly for the Department of Homeland Security, for the FBI, and for the Department of Justice--that needs to be taken care of before we break for the holidays.

Earlier today, we know that Democratic Leader Senator Schumer and Minority Leader Pelosi met with President Trump to figure out whether there is any room for agreement to resolve the dispute between them. The question is, really, What is the appropriate amount of money in this bill to fund border security? The President said he wants $5 billion. Senator Schumer has said $1.6 billion ought to be enough. Obviously, there is a gap between them.

Some people have said: Well, we ought to just shut down the government over this dispute. I don't see the wisdom in that because when you shut down the government because you are unable to resolve a dispute, when you reopen the government, usually what happens is that same problem is staring you in the face. What we need to do is to work together with the administration to come up with a solution rather than resort to tactics like a government shutdown with all the complications that involves. I don't think shutdowns play well for either Republicans or Democrats, for the White House or the Congress.

The problem, it seems to me, is that our Democratic friends are listening to some of the fringes of their own political party who are now telling them: Don't do anything that President Trump wants. Anything President Trump wants, the answer is no.

Well, that is more about politics than it is about doing our job as legislators trying to solve problems.

It also appears that they seem to think that the continued status quo along our border is good enough, and they are more than willing to gamble with a partial government shutdown than work with the President to ensure that our border is secure.

Somewhere along the way, our friends across the aisle have forgotten that border security should be about protecting the American people from the drugs that come across the border--90-plus percent of the heroin consumed in the United States comes from Mexico--or the children and women who are trafficked for sex or the migrants who come from Central America, up through Mexico, and into the United States, and the cartels charging roughly $8,000 a person. It is a huge moneymaking business, but the people who are getting rich are the transnational criminal organizations and drug cartels.

We have seen before what happens when the government shuts down. It affects millions of people across the country and often yields no different result. We have seen what happens when we fail to secure the border. That is why we need to finish our work funding the government and, by doing that, also recognize the importance of a secure border. This should not be about partisan politics or listening to your political base; this ought to be about doing our job. We had the midterm elections; now is the time to govern.

Just a few weeks ago, our friends across the aisle wanted to magnify the migrant crisis by focusing narrowly on the news coming out of Tijuana, Mexico, across the border from San Diego. Some talked about the crisis as if it were a one-off event, an isolated event.

They wanted us to look at this like we were looking through a soda straw and ignore all of the context and the consequences of failing to secure our border. They wanted to ignore how we find ourselves with this humanitarian crisis in the first place.

The caravans of men, women, and children who left their homes in Central America and made the long, dangerous journey to the United States are sadly symptoms of a far greater problem. Our border has been exploited for years, contributing to this crisis. That is why ensuring additional resources for border security is an essential piece of the puzzle.

My home State of Texas is on the frontline--1,200 miles of common border with Mexico. Texas is home to many vibrant border communities that greatly benefit from having some of the busiest land ports in the country, across which legitimate trade and commerce travels. As I said, we are also on the front row of the many challenges that come along with an unsecured border when it comes to public safety.

Yesterday I talked about some of those challenges: striking a balance between a secure border and a completely closed border. A secure border maintains the flow of legitimate goods and services while deterring cartels from shuttling illegal contraband across our borders. A closed border would cut off trade and commerce that is the lifeblood of our economy, which brings me to another challenge--something that I think in Washington there is simply not enough awareness of; that is, the cartels, gangs, and the transnational criminal organizations that get rich exploiting our porous borders.

Some like to think of these organizations as a ``them, not us'' problem because they have taken control over large parts of Central America and even Mexico, but the business of these groups does not stay there. What happens in Central America, what happens in Mexico does not stay in Central America and Mexico. It comes flooding across our borders.

These gangs and cartels are very shrewd and adapt to changing circumstances. They found, the more our borders and ports of entry are clogged with migrants and migrant families, the easier it is to traffic people, drugs, and contraband into the United States. That has a reciprocal effect, too, causing legitimate trade, travel, and commerce to slow significantly at our ports of entry.

It is not only exploitation of our border that poses a threat, it is the violence and the instability caused by the cartels and gangs. That makes it not just a border security issue but a national security issue as well.

My friend and fellow Texan, Representative Henry Cuellar--a true blue dog Democrat, as he says--has a great saying for how we should think about this. He likes to say that border security starts in Central America and ends at our border. I think that is exactly right. In other words, you don't mount a goal line defense at a football game. You actually start contesting the game farther down the field. In this case, the game needs to be contested in the places where these migrants and the drugs emanate, from where they start.

We are going to have to work more closely in partnership with Mexico and other Central American governments to address the violence these groups spread by restoring public trust in law enforcement and stabilizing the economy and these countries.

I spoke with my friend, the Senator from California, Mrs. Feinstein. She represents a border State. She and I have partnered on a number of national security law enforcement matters. She said she was interested in working together in a bipartisan way to address the challenges presented by Central America and Mexico. I said: Absolutely. Sign me up.

Representing a border State, as you might suspect, I make it a point to talk to those who live and work in our

border communities. It is a unique part of the United States. I like to say, the concept that people in Washington, DC, have about the borders has been learned from movies and novels; it is not from talking to people or visiting with the communities along the border. That is not a criticism. That is just a fact of life.

When I hear from people like Manny Padilla, who is the Border Patrol's sector chief for the Rio Grande Valley, I can better understand how much is required to maintain situational awareness and operational control of the border, not to mention personal safety of the Border Patrol, who more and more are frequently assaulted with rocks and other makeshift weapons that endanger their safety and their lives.

For those who may not be at the border every day, it is hard to grasp the range of topography across the 1,200-mile border that Texas shares with Mexico. It can be hard to imagine how many resources are actually needed. In some places, there are high mountains and cliffs and others, there is thick brush. In the urban areas that surround our ports of entry, there is plenty of opportunity to race across the border and blend in, never to be heard from again.

There will be places where physical infrastructure will make the most sense. In some places, technology or personnel is more effective than a fence. The point is, the border security is complex. Better enforcement of our border will require a combination of infrastructure, technology, and personnel. That begins with ensuring we have the resources we need to implement a border enforcement strategy. That is what this issue is all about--the discussion Ms. Pelosi, Senator Schumer, and President Trump had today.

My question for our Democratic colleagues is, Why will you not help us secure the border? Are you satisfied with the status quo of drugs coming across the border through these transnational criminal organizations? Are you satisfied with the status quo of these caravans--thousands of migrants from Central America trying to storm our ports of entry and literally closing them down so legitimate trade and commerce cannot occur?

Securing our border and protecting our country should not be a partisan issue; it is something we ought to be able to work out and agree on. We know the challenges our friend Senator Schumer has--the Democratic leader on the other side. He has a cadre of people auditioning for the Presidential nomination in 2020, and they are trying to outdo each other in their impending runs for President. I think, in many ways, his hands are tied. Like every leader, he has to decide when to say yes and when to say no to the people in your conference.

Minority Leader Pelosi has a delicate task of trying to cajole her new and emboldened Members of the far-left wing of her caucus. They are both trying to fend off outside groups that think that even talking to President Trump on this issue may mean it will be subject for the next attack or perhaps a primary campaign. I don't envy the spot they are in, but it is a game of political chicken, and they are playing it among themselves.

The reality is, President Trump is in the White House, and our Democratic colleagues need to work with him and us to try to move the country forward, to try solve these problems, as hard as they may be. The American people are the losers when their elected officials decide their political image and their political aspirations matter more than the people they represent in their respective States.

As I said, so far, the Congress has worked together in a bipartisan manner to pass roughly 75 percent of the government funding. We shouldn't let that bipartisan spirit fail us now. Finishing our work and securing our border shouldn't be an occasion to turn the end of the year into a political sideshow. I think the American people do not need any more sideshows and circuses in Washington, DC. They want results, and they want us to own up to our responsibility and do our duty.

Border security is an issue where we should be able to find common ground, and funding the government is, of course, one of our most basic responsibilities. The point should be made that we have already found common ground on many of these issues before. Several of our colleagues on the other side who are still serving in this Chamber, including Senator Schumer, supported passage of the Secure Fence Act in 2006. How that is different from what President Trump is requesting now is lost on me, when they agreed that 700 miles of border should be secured by a fence.

I should also note that the Secure Fence Act was also supported by then-Senators Obama, Biden, and Clinton. This should not be a partisan issue. I hope all of our colleagues will choose to get to work, roll up our sleeves, and do our duty. Not only do we have the chance to fund the government and keep the lights on but we also have a chance to put ourselves that much closer to a secure border and helping end the migrant crisis.

I yield the floor.

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

Madam President, I have spoken on the Senate floor on a number of occasions recently about the migrant crisis on our southern border and tried to shed a little more context and light on what is happening there and why this is so important not only to the United States but to our neighbors to the south, as well as Central America.

I know there is this idea out there that all we need to do is build more infrastructure along the border, and somehow this problem will be resolved. I am here to say that is not the case. The border infrastructure that some people such as the President call a wall, others call a fence, is certainly a critical piece of the puzzle, but it is much more complex than that, and it affects not only public safety in the United States, it affects our economy and jobs in the United States.

While the focus happens to be on what is happening in Tijuana or another flash point across the border, what I would encourage us all to do is not just take a narrow focus but pull back to, let's say, a 30,000-foot perspective and try to understand all this in context. We know, unfortunately, sometimes in the political arguments that are given, the facts get missed or misconstrued, and sometimes political expediency is inconsistent with our need to do the hard work necessary to find a right solution. This, of course, is part of the general debate we have about what should be our immigration policies in the United States.

I, personally, believe legal immigration has been to the benefit of our country. Virtually all of us came from somewhere else at some point in our family history, but the important point is, legal immigration is very different from uncontrolled illegal immigration, which is what we are seeing still flooding across our southern borders, when the public is paying attention and when things like the migrant crisis in Tijuana has occurred. The fact is, this is a daily occurrence. It is not just large caravans of migrants from Central America. We have minicaravans showing up on a daily basis, and these problems certainly aren't going away.

I have the honor of representing about 28 million Texans, 40 percent of whom are Hispanic, but I also represent a large number of Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Chinese Americans, and Korean Americans. In

other words, we are a very diverse State. I know many people are not aware of that, but it is absolutely true. When I tell people the third most commonly spoken language in Texas is Vietnamese, it usually surprises people. Of course, like every Member of the Senate, I consult with my constituents on a regular basis to try to learn from them what they think we ought to be advocating for on their behalf. The border communities I represent have experienced very real consequences-- negative consequences--from the migrant crisis, and they have also seen the humanitarian consequences of people making this treacherous journey across Mexico, up from Central America, traveling up to the United States. Of course, it should be no surprise, in some cases, that journey is simply too strenuous and proves to be too much, and a number of these migrants actually lose their lives. They die trying to make their way to the United States.

In Brooks County, which includes Falfurrias, which is a border checkpoint about 50 or so miles north of the Rio Grande River, these communities don't have the resources to recover all the remains from those migrants who die in their counties, causing the costs to be placed on local government and, in turn, local taxpayers. For example, the burden falls on them to come up with forensic experts and medical examiners who are already overburdened and understaffed. This is a real problem for many of our border communities, and this is why I joined with Senator Cruz and Congressman Hurd and Congressman Gonzalez to pass a bill to help local jurisdictions improve the recording and reporting of missing persons and unidentified remains found along the U.S.- Mexican border.

My hope is, this bill will help our local communities identify those who have gone missing, process those unidentified remains, and invest in forensic expertise to provide closure to the families in the United States and abroad who have lost loved ones.

Texas, I understand, is unique in many respects, given our long common border with Mexico, but both of our nations benefit from the commerce and trade that comes across that 1,200-mile border. As a matter of fact, Mexico is one of our closest trading partners. That shouldn't surprise any of us. That also means, our border communities are on the frontlines with some of the challenges that go with an unsecured border, like drug trafficking and gang violence.

Recently, I talked about the many complex facets of the migrant crisis as well as the way we can combat violence and exploitation by the gangs, cartels, and transnational criminal organizations. I have talked about the fact that the very same organizations that charge migrants $8,000, for example, to transport them from Central America, across Mexico, and into the United States are the very same organizations that transport the heroin that is grown in Mexico, processed there, and brought into the United States--the poison that unfortunately has killed far too many Americans who died from overdoses.

These criminal organizations are commodity-agnostic. They really don't care about the human beings. The only thing they care about is the money. So they will transport the migrants, traffic in children and women for sex--sex slaves in the United States--and they also traffic in illegal drugs that kill thousands upon thousands of Americans every year.

I mention the fact that we need to focus on strengthening our partnerships in Mexico and Central America in order to address this crisis, but I want to focus on one aspect of this relationship in my remaining time and talk about why trade remains such an important piece of the puzzle. The lack of sufficient resources at the border, including outdated ports of entry, including lack of personnel, technology, and equipment, have been a contributing factor to the crisis. In fact, look at how most of the high-value drugs get into the United States. It is through the ports of entry, and we need to upgrade those ports of entry and make sure they are staffed not only to monitor this trade as it comes across the border but also to identify the heroin and other illegal drugs coming into the United States so we can stop them. The only way we are going to be able to do that is by investing in our ports of entry, the antiquated infrastructure and inadequately staffed ports of entry.

Then, again, I have heard people say that what we ought to do is just cut off our border--close it all down. Can you imagine what that would do to the legitimate trade and commerce that comes across our border to support millions of American jobs?

About 5 million American jobs depend on trade with Mexico. About 8 million American jobs depend on trade with Canada. This idea that we can somehow close down the border is unrealistic. Even if it were attempted, it would be economically harmful to many millions of people in the United States.

My State has the second largest State economy in the United States, with Mexico being our top import and export partner. So closing off the border would have a significant negative impact, as I said, not only for Texas but nationwide. We have about 29 air, land, and sea ports of entry into Texas, more than any other State in the Nation. That includes the busiest inland port along the entire U.S.-Mexico border in terms of total volume.

The border communities in Texas know that when our ports are tied up with migrants and migrant families or illegal drugs and contraband, legitimate trade can slowly grind to a halt. Any disruption of legitimate international commerce has a swift impact on the pocketbooks and livelihoods of all of our border residents and, indeed, of many people beyond those people living on the border.

Congress has taken some steps to protect and increase the volume of trade across our ports of entry. That includes my Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act, which is now law, to permanently authorize a public- private pilot program that will ultimately lead to staff efficiencies and allow for infrastructure improvements to our ports of entry.

More than 10 Texas land ports--including the Paso del Norte Bridge in El Paso and the World Trade Bridge in Laredo--have taken advantage of the opportunities this program provides. Many Texas air and sea ports have begun to utilize this valuable program as well.

In addition, last week I joined the junior Senator from Michigan to introduce a bipartisan bill that would require the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a threat and operational analysis at all of our U.S. ports of entry, because the same ports that let in legitimate trade and commerce can also be points of exploitation and access for people who wish to do us harm.

This analysis will then become the basis of an implementation plan to ensure our ports can improve wait times for legitimate trade and prevent illegal contraband from crossing our borders. As I said, we have long thrived on international trade and travel through our many ports, but we need to take a hard look at the vulnerabilities and inefficiencies in the system.

It is important that we find targeted solutions to enhance legitimate trade and travel while ensuring that bad actors have fewer opportunities to thwart our protections. It is a message that says ``first, do no harm''--a Hippocratic oath of sorts. That is the same advice I gave Ambassador Lighthizer as he negotiated a modernized trade deal with Mexico and Canada, which I was glad to see was signed by those three countries in Argentina at the G20 at the end of last month.

I look forward to reviewing the agreement with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure it is a good deal, and I stand ready to work with the administration and my colleagues on implementing this important legislation.

But the new USMCA agreement is not just for the Texas economy. A modernized pact will help to provide long-term stability for the Mexican economy and strengthen our two countries' trade relationship. This is an important point when discussing the ways that Mexico and the United States can work together. This is a partnership that I hope to see continued, especially under Mexico's new President.

I was fortunate to attend President Lopez Obrador's inauguration a little over a week ago, along with Vice President Pence, Secretary Nielsen, Secretary Perry, and other members of the administration, including Ivanka Trump, representing her father.

To me, the future of the U.S.-Mexico relationship is important. It is one that we all ought to care about. I think the opportunities are there for us to engage in strategic partnerships with Mexico in a number of ways--for example, dealing with the asylum problem that Secretary Nielsen has already begun to negotiate.

Through our partnership, we can work together to solve this migrant crisis by improving the economy and the opportunities that people have to live and work in their home country, as well as to protect trade, which supports so many jobs here in the United States.

I yield the floor.

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis).

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

Madam President, over the last few days, since the death of

President George Herbert Walker Bush, we have heard about his life and his legacy. It has been, really, a celebration of a life well lived. It is hard to imagine someone packing more into 94 years than George H. W. Bush packed into his life. We heard about his time in the Navy, when he volunteered after Pearl Harbor, became a naval aviator, was shot down, and was saved by a submarine that popped up and rescued him. We, of course, know about his devotion to public service, but we also learned a lot more about his sense of humanity, his humility, his loyalty, and his optimism.

Sometimes in Washington it seems like the message is all negative, and I think this has been a delightful contrast, reflecting on his life and his contribution.

I have said previously, talking about President Bush, that there is nothing as powerful as a good example. I think his example is one we all ought to contemplate and perhaps strive to emulate in our own way and in the way we conduct our business here.

When people disagree with us, it doesn't mean they are bad people; they are just people with different ideas. We ought to respect one another enough to actually debate those ideas, rather than engage in name-calling and denigrating the level of discourse among us because people watch us too. They watch how we conduct ourselves here, and they take some cues from that in how they conduct themselves online, in PTA meetings, in our communities, and in our States.

This has been a delightful week. It has been kind of an emotional and exhausting week as we have grieved with the Bush family but at the same time, as I said, celebrating an incredible life.

Madam President, perhaps we have about 2 more weeks of work before the end of the year. I am told the House will pass a 2-week continuing resolution, taking us up to December 21. We will have a chance to pass that here. The window of opportunity for us to finish our work in the Senate is closing rapidly, and there is a lot we need to get done. We have an opportunity to build off of accomplishments we have made in these last 2 years and to get our remaining to-do list checked off.

The leader called the Senate fertile ground for productive, bipartisan work. That is because the way we are built, the way our rules are constructed, it basically requires us to do things in a bipartisan way in the main.

Several of our biggest achievements for the Senate in this Congress couldn't have happened without bipartisan support, like the landmark opioids legislation to help those struggling with drug addiction or the historic bill to improve veterans' care, shepherded by Senator Isakson, the Senator from Georgia.

Our work for the rest of the year will also require cooperation in a bipartisan spirit, particularly when it comes to funding what is left of our government. We have already joined together to fund roughly 75 percent of the Federal Government on time and through regular order for the first time in two decades. That is pretty remarkable and welcomed.

While we complete our work on the remaining appropriations bills, I expect a lot of the focus to be on border security. It is no secret, coming from a border State, that this is very serious business to me. I know it is to many of our colleagues. We have been reminded by the caravans of migrants from Central America--sweeping across Mexico and ending up in Tijuana, right across from San Diego--that collectively we have a lot of work to do to address these mass migrations.

I went to Mexico City on Saturday with Vice President Pence; the Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry; the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen; and other officials who were there. We had Members of the House, and Senator Lee from Utah and I were the Members of the Senate representing the U.S. Government at the inauguration of President Lopez Obrador.

What we have read, including today, that the incoming Lopez Obrador administration has already been hard at work, working with our Homeland Security officials to come up with an agreement to deal with these mass migrations--these caravans of people coming from Central America, across Mexico, and seeking asylum in the United States.

I have spoken many times about how these so-called caravans have been preceded by minicaravans; that is, smaller numbers of people coming to our border and seeking entry and, in many instances, seeking to exploit loopholes in our law that only Congress can fix. I am frustrated, like many of us, that we have been unwilling to get our Democratic colleagues to work with us to fix those loopholes.

What I am encouraged by is, the incoming administration of the Mexican President as well as the Trump administration have worked to arrange for these asylum seekers to spend their time in Mexico waiting for their asylum claims to be adjudicated. I think that is a big change in the way Mexico has regarded this issue.

Previously, they have regarded the issue as our problem, not their problem. They have actually issued transit visas for people to transit Mexico. Basically, the message is: As long as you don't stop here, we are not going to do anything about your coming across Mexico. Now they realize this is their problem and our problem, and the only way we are going to be able to solve this problem is working together, along with the governments of Central America, where people are fleeing gang violence.

It is hard to blame people for fleeing when they realize their circumstances are so dire in their home country, but I think there is a lot we can and we should do, working with them, to help them improve circumstances in their home countries so they don't feel they have to come to the United States to seek asylum and turn themselves over to the tender mercies of the drug cartels and the people who view them as just another commodity by which they make money, just like heroin they sell in the United States, just like children and women whom they traffic for sex slavery. These drug cartels are the same organizations, the transnational criminal organizations. I don't think that reality has quite sunk in here in Washington.

These are not nice people. These are dangerous people. All you need to do is look at the trial of El Chapo occurring in Manhattan--the head of one of the largest cartels--and read about some of the evidence that has been introduced. The U.S. Government has extradited him to the United States and is now prosecuting him. The evidence will chill your blood. He is a vicious, dangerous person whose only interest is in making money and enriching himself and his fellow cartel members.

I am encouraged by some of these nascent discussions that will perhaps lead to an agreement between the Government of Mexico and the United States.

In addition to completing our most basic task of funding the government, we have to work hard to get more of the President's team in place. I have never seen an administration more sandbagged with more foot-dragging by the Senate and the Democrats when it comes to confirming noncontroversial nominees to serve in the President's administration. This is just another way to undermine their ability to get their work done there.

This is one of our greatest responsibilities under the Constitution, to provide advice and consent to the President's nominees, whether they are judges, whether they are Ambassadors, or wherever in a Senate- confirmed position in the administration.

We have seen a record number of cloture votes during the last 2 years because, again, our colleagues on the other side have simply wanted to burn the clock, waste time, and then vote overwhelming to confirm noncontroversial nominees. All that does is prevent us from getting our work done on a timely basis and makes it harder to fill these vacancies.

In the first 2 years of the Trump administration, the majority leader, the Senator from Kentucky, has made nominations a top priority, particularly judicial nominations, but we still have a number of nominees with exemplary records waiting for confirmation.

I talked to Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State. He said they have a number of ambassadorships, a number of important positions in our diplomatic corps vacant for no other reason than the foot-dragging and the obstruction we have seen by the other side. It

is just shameful. These are well-qualified and accomplished men and women who have put their lives on hold, and they are languishing on our calendar. We need to get them confirmed.

We will advance two of those nominees today: Bernard McNamee, to serve on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Kathleen Kraninger, to be Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I also hope to add to our historic number of judicial confirmations by ensuring that more well-qualified judges are confirmed in our Federal and district courts.

As you know, Madam President, so far we have confirmed 84 judges nominated by President Trump, and I hope we are able to continue this work and ensure that more highly regarded judges are able to join their ranks in the Federal judiciary, both this year and in the next 2 years--the final 2 years of the first term of President Trump.

Before we adjourn the 115th Congress, we need to pass the farm bill, the conference report. Its importance can't be overstated. I know the Presiding Officer comes from a State where agriculture is important. I know of her personal experience leading the ag sector in Mississippi.

The farm bill safeguards the future of our agriculture community. When we think about that phrase ``our agriculture community,'' our minds often conjure up farmers and ranchers, but the circle of that community is far wider, encompassing rural communities and indeed our entire country. Most of our country is rural, and agriculture is absolutely critical.

We have all heard the saying, ``Thank a farmer three times a day.'' That is true, but, in reality, we should be thanking them a lot more because the ag community does more than just provide the food we eat, and that is important, but they do a lot more.

In small towns and rural communities, like those in Texas, agriculture is the heartbeat of the economy. Farmers and ranchers, of course, send their children to local schools; they shop on Main Street; they buy groceries at the supermarket; they bank at their local bank or credit union; they receive loans for new equipment so they can grow their businesses and fund their operations. They are interwoven with our communities all across the country, and they deserve our support and some predictability and stability.

The farm bill is renewed once every 5 years, supporting the ag community in several ways. It addresses food production by helping ensure Americans continue to enjoy access to the safest, cheapest, and most reliable food supply in the world.

Our farmers and ranchers do this so well that many of us kind of take it for granted and always assume that the food will be there when we want it and need it. Most of the rest of the world doesn't enjoy that sort of abundance or the certainty that it will always be there.

The farm bill also impacts many other areas, like forestry, research, nutrition programs, and humanitarian aid to foreign countries, just to name a few.

In Texas, one out of every seven working Texans work in the agriculture industry. Farmers and ranchers, unfortunately, know all too well that Mother Nature can and has disrupted harvest and devastated crops, which we saw in abundance with Hurricane Harvey just a little over a year ago. That is perhaps why the most important thing the farm bill does is give the ag community the support and predictability it needs and it deserves, so we need to get to work and get that done before we go home for Christmas.

Our to-do list may seem daunting to some, but the reason we are able to keep our heads in the game and continue to build off our momentum is because of the incredible record of achievement we have seen in the 115th Congress; that would be for the first 2 years of the Trump administration, where we have had Republican majorities in the House and in the Senate. It is a historic record of achievement and accomplishment.

That record fundamentally includes the economic gains we have seen, renewed confidence, optimism about the future, more jobs, and low unemployment.

The Hispanic and African-American unemployment rates are at the lowest in recorded history. That is quite an accomplishment. Unemployment is so low around the country that there is a genuine demand and need for more trained workers. That is another challenge for us--to provide people the opportunity to learn the skills they need in order to fill these good, well-paying jobs that are demanding and needing more employees.

The accomplishments we have made I would like to think are the result of, first, listening to what our constituents are telling us and then translating that into legislation that will actually improve their lives. For example, in an effort to ease the regulatory burden on jobseekers, the President signed three bills that I introduced into law. They may not seem like monumental, landmark pieces of legislation, but covering the subject matter they do, I think they help my constituents in real and important ways.

The first bill is an occupational licensing reform bill called the New HOPE Act, which gives States the tools they need to reduce barriers in certain professions. Some licensing requirements in some of the States are so onerous, so expensive and time-consuming, they basically freeze out people who have those skills or talents and want to use those to make a living. But the New HOPE Act helps give States additional tools to reduce some of those barriers.

Two other bills help veterans who are making the transition back to civilian life. The Jobs for Our Heroes Act makes it easier for veterans to get a commercial driver's license. One thing I have heard from my constituents back home is we need more truck drivers, and we need better roads for them to drive those trucks on. We have a lot of veterans who have learned how to drive big, heavy trucks in the course of their military service, and we have now helped expedite their transition to a commercial driver's license and good, well-paying jobs, with huge demand.

We also passed the American Law Enforcement Heroes Act to help local law enforcement agencies hire veterans so that they can continue to protect the American people here at home. If you read the newspaper, you see that law enforcement agencies are really desperate to get well- qualified, well-trained people to join their police forces and law enforcement. This is a way, again, for veterans to make that transition and to take the skills they have learned in the military and make those available for public safety and civilian life.

Veterans' rights issues have been a passion of mine since I was honored to serve as the attorney general of Texas. I have continued to work here in the Senate and, this Congress, introduced three bills focusing on protecting victims, which were signed into law. One called the SAFER Act is aimed at reducing the big backlog of untested rape kits. At one point it was estimated to be 400,000 backlogged rape kits; that is, forensic evidence, DNA collected after a sexual assault, which is absolutely key to solving that crime and identifying the perpetrator. By the way, it also has the ability to exonerate people who may be arrested for it; basically, the DNA test and the rape kit can essentially rule them out as a potential suspect.

We also passed the Justice Served Act, which assists law enforcement in prosecuting cold cases solved by DNA evidence. The sorts of things we can now do as a result of the scientific achievements of being able to test DNA have opened up whole new vistas for law enforcement to use that science in powerful and important ways, such as to reduce the rape kit backlog and to solve violent crimes.

The third bill I will mention is called the PROTECT Our Children Act, which reauthorizes task forces combating child exploitation online. We all know that the internet is an integral part of our lives. Unfortunately, there are people who use the internet to gain access to vulnerable children and recruit them or otherwise exploit them online. So the PROTECT Our Children Act reauthorizes task forces--law enforcement agencies, primarily--to combat child exploitation online. Not every local police department or sheriff's department has the tax base to be able to generate the revenue they need to hire the expertise or to get the technology they need in order to combat this heinous crime. So that is where I think it is appropriate for the Federal Government to step up and say: Let's get the

best practices. Let's figure out what the standard should be, and then help fill those gaps to combat child exploitation.

Perhaps the most significant accomplishment Congress made in terms of my State over the last 2 years was working together to deliver disaster relief to those suffering from Hurricane Harvey. That catastrophic flooding and damage caused by Harvey is something we hope to never see again during our lifetime, but that is a hope I am afraid is in vain. We know there will always be more hurricanes and more floods.

I was proud to join forces with the junior Senator from Texas, Mr. Cruz, to secure nearly $147 billion that was available for disaster relief, including Hurricane Harvey, but not limited to Hurricane Harvey. It is also for the wildfires out West and the hurricanes that hit Florida, Puerto Rico, and other parts of the country.

In addition to the disaster relief, we passed two pieces of legislation that specifically addressed the needs of my constituents in Texas. The first makes houses of worship eligible for certain grants to help them rebuild after disasters. Many houses of worship have essentially public facilities that they make available to the community that are unrelated to proselytizing, and we made sure that these FEMA grants were available to help them rebuild after disasters.

The second was a tax relief provision that allows Texans to deduct property damage costs and access retirement savings without penalties. That is something we did for Hurricane Katrina in the wake of Katrina. We did so after Hurricane Harvey as well. It is just another way we have made people's lives a little bit better after suffering from this natural disaster.

While aid after a disaster helps those affected to be able to rebuild, it does little good if we are not also working to help prevent or mitigate the threat of flooding and future hurricanes. So we passed provisions that will expedite, for example, a coastal study and that authorizes flood mitigation projects along the gulf coast.

Most of the refined product needed for jet fuel and gasoline is refined along the gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana. So it is important from a national perspective--not just from a local perspective--that we do everything we can to anticipate and mitigate against future threats and threats to our Nation's refined energy products supply.

I feel fortunate to be in the U.S. Senate. I am proud of the work we have done in the 115th Congress. But we need to finish our job and get our work completed before Christmas.

As we close out the 115th Congress, the types of accomplishments I have mentioned, frankly, don't necessarily get a lot of attention because most of these are bipartisan bills that we pass without a lot of controversy or a lot of noise. But I hope we can continue to build on these accomplishments for the benefit of my constituents in Texas and Americans across the country.

We have just a short time left, 2 weeks, perhaps, assuming we can pass--and I do expect we will pass--a 2-week continuing resolution, taking us up to the 21st. Honestly, I don't think we need to wait that long. We know what we have to do; we just need to come together and get it done. Then we can all go home and be with our families and loved ones during Christmas.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session for a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 5238 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 1861, which was received from the House.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the bill.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 1417 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 3398 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 6330.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the bill.