Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, every year around this time, House and Senate Republicans get together for a joint conference to share ideas and develop our action plan for the year. Last week, we gathered in Philadelphia for this year's conference, and we had a very productive session. All of us came back energized and ready to achieve big things for the American people.

In November, the American people elected Republican majorities in the House and Senate and a Republican President. That was a tremendous show of trust, and Republicans know it. We are committed to living up to that trust by delivering on the promises we have made.

The last few years have been tough for American workers. Job creation has been sluggish. Wages have been stagnant. Economic growth has lagged far behind the pace of other recoveries, and opportunities for workers have been few and far between. It is no surprise that so many hard- working Americans feel as if they have been left behind. For millions of American workers discouraged over the past 8 years, I want to say this: We hear you. Republicans hear you, and we are going to act.

Republicans have outlined an agenda focused on growing our economy, creating jobs, increasing wages, and lifting the burdens that the Obama administration has placed on the American people.

One big issue that we will tackle this year is repealing and replacing ObamaCare. Seven years ago, ObamaCare was sold to the American people with a lot of promises. The law was going to reduce premiums for families. It was going to fix problems with our health care system without hurting anyone who was happy with their health coverage. If you like your health plan, you will be able to keep it, people were told. If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, people were told. Well, as everyone knows, every one of these promises was broken.

Premiums for families continue to rise. Millions of Americans lost the coverage that they liked. Americans regularly discovered they couldn't keep their doctors, and their choice of replacement was often limited. These broken promises were just the tip of the iceberg. The law hasn't just failed to live up to its promises; it is actively collapsing, and the status quo is unsustainable. Premiums on the exchanges are soaring. Deductibles regularly run into the thousands of dollars. In fact, for 2017, the average deductible for a bronze level ObamaCare plan is rising from $5,731 to $6,092. With deductibles like that, it is no wonder that some Americans can't actually afford to use their ObamaCare insurance.

The problems on the exchanges are not limited to soaring costs. Insurers are pulling out of the exchanges right and left, and health care choices are rapidly dwindling. Narrow provider networks are the order of the day. One-third of American counties have just one choice of health insurer on the exchange. One-third of American counties have one option--one option. Tell me that is not a monopoly. This is not the health care reform that the American people were looking for.

Republicans are committed to replacing ObamaCare with real health care reform that focuses on personalized patient-centered health care. One massive problem with ObamaCare is that it puts Washington in charge of health care decisions that should be made at a much lower level. Any ObamaCare reform that Republicans pass will focus on fixing this. We are going to move control from Washington and give it back to States and individuals. Health care issues don't have one-size-fits-all solutions. It is time to stop acting as if they do. States should have power to innovate and embrace health care solutions that work for the individual employers in their State, and individuals should be able to make health care decisions in consultation with their doctors, not Washington, DC.

Another thing we are going to focus on is breaking down the ObamaCare barriers that have artificially restricted choice. As I said earlier, ObamaCare has defaulted to a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to health care. That means many Americans have found themselves paying for health care that they don't need and don't want. We need much more flexibility in insurance plans. A thriving health care system would offer a wide variety of choices that would allow Americans to pick a plan that is tailored to their specific needs. We also need to give Americans tools to better manage their health care and to control costs. Of course, any reform plan

has to make sure that employers have the tools they need to provide employees with affordable health care coverage.

Mr. President, another priority of the Republican-led Congress will be regulatory reform. While some government regulations are necessary, every administration has to remember that regulations have consequences. The more resources individuals and businesses spend complying with regulations, the less they have available to focus on the growth and innovation that drive our economy and create new opportunities for American workers.

Unfortunately, the Obama administration chose to spend the last 8 years loading employers with burdensome regulations. According to the American Action Forum, the Obama administration was responsible for implementing more than 675 major regulations that cost the American economy more than $800 billion. Given those numbers, it is no surprise that the Obama economy left businesses with fewer resources to dedicate to growing and creating jobs. Repealing burdensome regulations is one of the most important things we can do to get our economy healthy again. That is going to be a Republican priority.

Mr. President, another big thing we can do to make America competitive again is to reform our outdated Tax Code. That will also be a Republican priority this year.

Right now, the Congressional Budget Office is projecting that our economy will grow by an average of just 2 percent over the next 10 years. If we can increase that growth by just 1 percent, we would see average incomes rise by $4,200. Just get the growth rate from an average of 2 percent, which is what the CBO is projecting for the next 10 years, to 3 percent, and incomes go up by $4,200. We would see an additional 1.2 million jobs created in our economy, and we would see much faster increases in the standard of living.

So many younger Americans today are finding that they are not able to enjoy the same standard of living that was enjoyed by their parents because of a sluggish economy that is growing in that 1-percent to 2- percent range. One of the ways to achieve that kind of growth, to get back to a 3- to 4-percent growth in our economy, is to reform our broken Tax Code.

The current Tax Code is costly, complex, and frequently unfair. Some corporations benefit from special rules, deductions, and credits, while others are forced to pay the highest corporate tax rates in the developed world. More and more American companies are focusing their business operations overseas because the tax situation is so much better abroad. That means American jobs are going overseas with them. Instead of pushing employees out of the country, we should bring our Nation's tax rates in line with those of other countries to keep more jobs here in the United States.

We should make our whole Tax Code flatter, fairer, and less complex. Our Tax Code should work for all taxpayers, not just a privileged few. A simpler, flatter, and fairer Tax Code will make U.S. businesses more competitive in the global economy, and it will help businesses create new good-paying jobs for American workers. It will jump-start our economy and ensure long-term economic growth.

Finally, Mr. President, Republicans in the Senate have another important trust to uphold this year, and that is confirming a new Supreme Court Justice. We are committed to confirming a well-qualified nominee with the right temperament to sit on the Court and have the proper understanding of the role of the Court in our country. Supreme Court Justices are umpires. They call balls and strikes; they don't write the rules of the game. The job of a Supreme Court Justice is to interpret the law and the Constitution, not rewrite the law based on his or her personal opinions.

Democrats have spent a lot of time talking about the need for nine Justices on the Supreme Court. Republicans trust that they will follow through on their statements by working with us to confirm the President's nominee.

To every American who voted for change in November, to every American frustrated with the sluggish economy and a lack of opportunity, I want to say again that we hear you. The Republicans hear you. We are not going to let you down. We will spend the 115th Congress fighting for your priorities, and we will not rest until every American has access to a future of security, hope, and opportunity.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, it is hard to believe, but the Internet as we know it is already in its third decade. While it is no longer novel, this essential technology continues to transform the world around us in often very unexpected ways. Just a few short years ago, the idea of the Internet being built into farm equipment would have been unthinkable. Yet, today, wireless Internet in tractors and combines is making agriculture more and more efficient. This is just one small example of how new information technologies have become a fundamental part of our economy. There isn't a job creator in America who doesn't have a story to tell about how or when he or she realized the Internet had become a critical part of his or her business.

But while the digital economy is creating massive opportunities, our Nation's laws are not keeping pace. Over the past several years, Netflix and Amazon have completely disrupted the video world. The iPhone, which redefined personal computing and connectivity, just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Yet most of the government policies dealing with video, wireless, and Internet platforms were written for a world where none of these things existed. It is a testament to the ingenuity of American businesses and entrepreneurs that they have been able to adapt and succeed with laws that are increasingly out of date. While I don't doubt that they will continue to work around these challenges, American companies and consumers deserve better.

It is past time to modernize our communication laws to facilitate the growth of the Internet, and it is high time to update government policies to better reflect the innovations made possible by digital technologies. As the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, I have committed to modernizing government policies for the digital age, and that will be one of our top priorities in the Commerce Committee this year.

One way the government can boost investment in our digital infrastructure is by finding ways to make it cheaper and easier to build broadband networks. At the Commerce Committee, I introduced legislation called the MOBILE NOW Act to ensure that huge swaths of wireless spectrum are made available for use by the year 2020. By then, we hope to see the next generation of ultra-high speed services known as 5G, which will need more spectrum than is available today. The MOBILE NOW Act will also cut through much of the bureaucratic redtape that makes it difficult to build wireless infrastructure on Federal property.

I am happy to report that the Commerce Committee passed the MOBILE NOW Act earlier today, but this legislation is just the start. The Commerce Committee will continue to develop legislative proposals to spur broadband deployment, make more spectrum available for the public, and improve connectivity throughout rural America.

Good Internet infrastructure policies and investments matter very little, however, if government bureaucrats can overregulate the digital world. The Federal Communications Commission has long been the main government regulator for telecommunications. As we have turned away from traditional telecom services and toward new technologies, the FCC has found its role gradually diminishing. This is inevitable and a good byproduct of technological innovation. But instead of accepting this, over the last several years the FCC has aggressively pushed for government interference in the Internet. Speaking about new economic opportunities on the Internet, the last FCC Chairman declared: ``Government

is where we will work this out.'' The government is where we will work this out? Well, I believe consumers and job creators should be the ones deciding about new technologies, not the government. I think most Americans would agree.

Right now, Internet providers are offering innovative service plans that allow you to stream video, music, or other content for free. These innovative offers are a sign of strong competition in the marketplace. Yet, 2 weeks ago, the outgoing FCC issued a report raising what it called ``serious concerns'' that such practices ``likely . . . harm consumers.'' That is right, it seems the FCC thinks that being able to do more online for less money is somehow bad for consumers. Meanwhile, consumers themselves seem to strongly disagree because a lot of these free data offerings are turning out to be quite popular.

One of the most important takeaways from the last election is that people are tired of bureaucrats trying to micromanage their lives. One way we can address this concern is to see how the FCC operates and reform what it is allowed to do. The FCC should be focused on fixing fundamental problems in the marketplace, not dictating the direction of technological progress. The last time Congress passed meaningful laws affecting the FCC was when the Internet was in its infancy. It is clearly time for the FCC's reform once again.

At the Commerce Committee, we have had many conversations about improving this agency, and I believe this year presents a real opportunity to turn those conversations into solutions. I am confident that we can attract the bipartisan support that is needed to move legislation modernizing the FCC across the Senate floor.

Another area where I would like to achieve bipartisan agreement is on legislation to protect the open Internet. We need clear and reasonable rules for the digital road that everyone can understand. Complex and ambiguous regulations that shift with the political winds aren't in anyone's best interests. For Americans to get the maximum benefit from the Internet, they need certainty about what the rules are and, most importantly, what the rules will be in the coming years. The only way to achieve that is for Congress to pass bipartisan legislation. I have been working with my colleagues to find a legislative solution. While we are not there yet, I am committed to getting there.

The Commerce Committee was incredibly productive last year, with 60 measures enacted into law. We made real progress on Internet-focused legislation, including committee approval of the MOBILE NOW Act that I mentioned earlier. We will build on that foundation in this Congress. I look forward to taking advantage of the good ideas of our committee members on both sides of the aisle.

At the end of the day, it is not, as I said, Congress that is going to come up with the best solutions. It will be American innovators and entrepreneurs who will determine what the digital future holds, not us here in Washington, DC. Government should focus on facilitating their success while making sure that we are not accidentally standing in their way.

I am excited to see how the Internet and other emerging technologies will continue to change our world in the coming years, and I am eager to do my small part to ensure that all Americans benefit from these amazing advances.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, at 12 noon on Tuesday, January 30, the Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of Executive Calendar No. 4. I further ask that there be 20 minutes of debate on the nomination, equally divided in the usual form, and that following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate vote on the nomination with no intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; that no further motions be in order; and that any statements relating to the nomination be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has adopted rules governing its procedures for the 115th Congress. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 2, of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the rules for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, today I recognize Dr. Erica Towle, a Knauss Sea Grant fellow on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and other members of the committee over the past year. Dr. Towle received her Ph.D. in coral reef ecology from the University of Miami. In her postgraduate work, she has used her scientific expertise to inform public policy. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Dr. Towle for all of the fine work she has done. I wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate recess from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. for the weekly conference meetings and the time in recess count equally against S. Con. Res. 3; further, that Senator Sanders or his designee control the time from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.; and finally, that there be 2 minutes equally divided in the usual form prior to the vote on the Flake amendment.

Mr. President, clarifying that recent request, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate recess from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. for the weekly conference meetings but that that time not count against S. Con. Res. 3.

Mr. President, last week the Senate began consideration of the ObamaCare repeal resolution, which is the first step in the process of repealing the law. It is time for repeal.

Seven years ago, ObamaCare was sold to the American people with a lot of promises. The law was going to reduce premiums for families. It was going to fix problems with our health care system without hurting anyone who was happy with their health coverage. If you like your health plan, you will be able to keep it, people all across this country were told over and over again. If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor--also a promise and claim that was made over and over again. As everyone knows, every one of these promises was broken. Premiums for families have continued to rise. Millions of Americans lost health care plans that they liked. Americans regularly discovered that they couldn't keep their doctors and that choice of replacement was often limited.

These broken promises were just the tip of the iceberg. The law hasn't just failed to live up to its promises, it is actively collapsing, and the status quo is unsustainable. Premiums on the exchanges are soaring. Deductibles regularly run into the thousands of dollars. For 2017, the average deductible for a bronze-level ObamaCare plan is rising from $5,731 to $6,092. With deductibles like that, it is no wonder that some Americans can't afford to actually use their ObamaCare insurance.

I receive a lot of mail from constituents in my State struggling to pay for their health care. One constituent contacted me to say: ``My ObamaCare premium went up from $1,080 per month to $1,775 per month,'' a 64-percent increase, $21,300 a year for health insurance. Let me just repeat that, a 64-percent increase in premiums, $21,300 a year for health insurance. That is like paying another mortgage. That is a lot more than many people pay for their mortgage, and of course that is before any deductibles or other out-of-pocket costs are considered.

Another constituent wrote to tell me, ``Today I received a new premium notice from my ObamaCare insurance. My policy rate for myself, my wife and my teenage son has increased by 357 percent.''

The problems on the exchanges aren't limited to soaring costs, unfortunately. Insurers are pulling out of the exchanges right and left. Health care choices are rapidly dwindling. Narrow provider networks are the order of the day. One-third of American counties have just one choice of health insurer on their exchange.

This is not the health care reform the American people were looking for.

So it is no surprise that a recent Gallup poll found that 80 percent of Americans want major changes to ObamaCare or want the law entirely repealed and replaced or that 74 percent of American voters ranked health care as a very important voting issue for them in the 2016 elections. ObamaCare has not fixed our Nation's health care problems. It has made them worse. The American people deserve better.

Last week, the Senate started considering the ObamaCare repeal resolution, and we are continuing that process this week. This resolution will provide us with the tools we need to repeal the law, and then committees will get to work on the actual repeal bills. Then we will work step-by-step to replace ObamaCare with real health care reform that focuses on personalized, patient-centered care.

One massive problem with ObamaCare is the fact that it puts Washington in charge of health care decisions that should be made at a much lower level. The ObamaCare reform the Republicans pass will focus on fixing this. We are going to move control from Washington and give it back to States and the individuals. Health care issues don't have one size-fits-all solutions. It is time to stop acting like they do.

States should have the power to innovate and embrace health care solutions that work for the individuals and the employers of their States. Individuals should be able to make health care decisions in consultation with their doctors, not with Washington, DC. Another thing we are going to focus on is breaking down the ObamaCare barriers that have artificially restricted choice.

As I said earlier, ObamaCare has defaulted to a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to health care, and that means that many Americans have found themselves paying for health care they don't need or want. We need much more flexibility in insurance plans. A thriving health care system would offer a wide variety of choices that would allow Americans to pick a plan tailored to their needs, that would be a competitive system that gives people in this country more choices, and inevitably what happens in those circumstances, that pushes the cost down.

We also need to give Americans the tools to better manage their health care and control costs. Of course, any reform plan has to make sure small businesses have the tools they need to provide the employees with affordable health coverage. ObamaCare has placed huge burdens on small businesses that have made it difficult for them to thrive and even to survive. It is time to lift these burdens and free up these businesses to grow and create jobs.

Our health care system wasn't perfect before ObamaCare. We all acknowledge that, but ObamaCare was not the answer. Instead of fixing the problems in our health care system, it just made things worse. Republicans are ready to implement the kind of health care reform the American people are looking for: more affordable, more personal, more flexible health care coverage that meets their needs and is less bureaucratic.

The American people are ready for health care reform that actually works, and that is exactly what Republicans are going to give them starting right now.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I also ask unanimous consent that Matthew Taylor, a congressional fellow in Senator Cochran's office, be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the 115th Congress.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate resumes the motion to proceed to H.R. 240 at 2:15 p.m. today, Senators be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, at a press conference the day after the elections in November, President Obama said: ``I am eager to work with the new Congress to make the next 2 years as productive as possible.''

Well, Republicans couldn't have been happier to hear that. After years of dysfunction in the Democrat-led Senate, Republicans were eager to get Washington working again for Americans and working with the President to get things done for the American people. We are still eager to work with the President, but, unfortunately, despite his words, the President hasn't shown much of an inclination to work with Congress.

Between January 7 and February 10 of this year, President Obama issued a total of 13 veto threats. That is more than two veto threats per week during that period. He has announced his intention to veto everything from a bipartisan jobs bill to national security legislation to bills to protect the unborn. And, of course, he has threatened to veto the Keystone XL Pipeline bill--a threat he is likely to make good on this week.

One would think that if President Obama were at all serious about wanting to work with Congress, Keystone would be the first bill he would sign. The American people support Keystone by a wide margin. Unions support Keystone because they are eager for the jobs that it would create. Substantial numbers of Democrats support Keystone.

Here is what one Democrat had to say about the pipeline: ``We have everything to gain by building this pipeline, especially since it would help create thousands of jobs right here at home and limit our dependence on foreign oil.'' That is from a Democrat here in the Senate.

Approving Keystone is a no-brainer. It would support 42,000 jobs during construction, would contribute billions to our economy, and would bring in substantial revenue to State and local governments which would mean more money for local priorities such as schools and teachers, roads and bridges. It would do all of this without spending a dime--not a single dime of taxpayer money.

The President's refusal to approve this legislation is a signal of just how unserious he is about wanting to work with Congress to get things done. Unfortunately, after a promising start Democrats in the Senate are starting to imitate President Obama's obstruction. Yesterday Democrats again voted to filibuster the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill for the fourth time this month. What is their reason? They are desperate to protect the President's Executive action on immigration.

Before President Obama decided to implement his Executive amnesty, he said 22 times he did not have the authority to take this action. In fact, in March of 2011 he told an audience:

With respect to the notion that I can just suspend

deportation through executive order, that is just not the

case, because there are laws on the books that Congress has

passed. . . . we've got three branches of government.

Congress passes the law. The executive branch's job is to

enforce and implement those laws.

That is from the President of the United States in March of 2011. At least eight Democrats have expressed similar concerns. This is from a Democrat here in the Senate: ``I have to be honest, how this is coming about makes me uncomfortable.''

An independent Senator from Maine stated: ``I also frankly am concerned about the constitutional separation of powers.''

This is an example of the reservations that have been expressed by Democrats right here in the Senate about the President's Executive amnesty.

Last week a Federal judge agreed with the legal concerns the President had raised and ordered the administration to halt amnesty proceedings. Despite this, Democrats continue to try to protect funding for the President's unconstitutional action by preventing consideration of the Homeland Security appropriations bill.

If Democrats object to parts of the bill, they need to vote to get on the bill so they can offer proposals to amend it. That is the way this place works. Republicans have made it very clear that we are ready and willing to vote on Democratic amendments. The leader on our side has said that when we get on the bill we will alternate amendments. It will be a free-flowing process, just as we committed to when we took the majority in the Senate.

The Democrats object to the bill's lack of funding for the President's amnesty. Then they should offer amendments to restore the funding. That is simply how it works in the Senate. All we have to do is get on the bill. That just takes six Democrats to get us onto that legislation to give us an opportunity to actually debate this.

When the Republicans took over the Senate in January, we made it our goal to get Washington working again. That is exactly what we have done. Our Democrat-controlled Senate was run on a strictly partisan line basis. The minority party was shut out of the debate and the amendment process, and the Senate spent much of its time on narrow, partisan legislation.

Under Republican control the Senate floor has become once again an open forum for debate and amendments by Members of both parties. Republicans have allowed almost three times as many amendments in January alone as Democrats allowed in the entire calendar year of 2014.

The Keystone XL Pipeline bill was passed with bipartisan support with amendments from Members of both parties. Republicans are eager to continue this bipartisan process going forward. That is why the obstruction of

the President and the Democrats in this particular circumstance is so disappointing.

Nobody around here expects Democrats and Republicans to always agree. They certainly don't expect the President to never issue a veto threat. But the President's apparent determination to obstruct everything is pretty discouraging.

If the President continues to make veto threats at the same rate he has so far, we will be looking at almost 90 veto threats by the end of 2015. The American people deserve and expect better. Americans sent a clear message in the last election. They were tired of business as usual in Washington. They want Members of Congress and the President to work together to address the challenges facing our Nation. Clearly, the President still hasn't managed to process that message.