Floor Statements

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session on the motion to proceed to S. 1790. I further ask that notwithstanding rule XXII, the postcloture time on S. 1790 expire at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 24.

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, today I wish to congratulate this year's winners of the Congressional Award. Established by Congress in 1979, the award recognizes the achievements of young Americans between the ages of 14 and 23 years old and celebrates their accomplishment in four program areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration.

The award challenges participants to set goals in an area that interests them, encouraging them to pursue new interests and grow along the way. If they successfully achieve their goals, they earn bronze, silver, and gold certificates and medals. Through the program, these young Americans gain new skills, earn greater confidence, and position themselves to be productive citizens.

Today, recipients of the gold medal will be presented with their Congressional Award at a ceremony here in our Nation's Capital. On behalf of the U.S. Senate, I would like to congratulate all of the winners for their accomplishments and for the example they set for others. Among this impressive group, my State of Kentucky is home to eight gold medalists. Through their efforts, the recipients of the 2019 Congressional Awards are strengthening their communities and our Nation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a list of this year's recipients of the Congressional Award Gold Medal be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 257, submitted earlier today.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 258, submitted earlier today.

I know of no further debate on the resolution.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 242.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions 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. 559.

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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m., Monday, June 24; further, that following the prayer and

pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 1790 under the previous order.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

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

Madam President, first this morning, I want to express my gratitude for Acting Secretary Pat Shanahan, whom we learned yesterday will soon be leaving the Department of Defense. The Acting Secretary has served in a crucial post during challenging times and difficult circumstances. His deliberate leadership and steady focus on implementing the national defense strategy served the Nation, the Pentagon, and the men and women of the Armed Forces very well.

I respect his decision to withdraw his candidacy, and I hope it will bring to an end the media's scrutiny of his family.

It is unfortunate that this news means we are no closer to having a Senate-confirmed Secretary of Defense. As the Senate considers the NDAA this week, the many challenges facing our Nation are top of mind.

We need to modernize our military to meet the challenges posed by Russia and China. We need to stay assertive against local terrorism organizations like ISIS and al-Qaida until they are decisively defeated. We need to continue to reform and enhance critical partnerships from NATO to the Middle East, to the Indo-Pacific. Of course, we face an urgent need to deter and defend against Iranian aggression.

These challenges and opportunities demand strong leadership. While the Senate still looks forward to considering a nominee to formally serve as the Secretary of Defense, we should take heart in President Trump's choice for the next Acting Secretary, Mark Esper, our current Secretary of the Army.

Mark Esper is no stranger to the Senate. Among the many impressive stops on his resume, he served with the Foreign Relations Committee and later as national security advisor to then-Majority Leader Bill Frist. Many of us remember his calming demeanor and his professionalism.

He served in several capacities at the Pentagon as well, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense. Immediately prior to becoming Secretary of the Army, he had also built a successful career in the private sector. All of

this came after Mr. Esper's own decorated military service. His graduation from West Point was followed by Army Ranger training, which then led to serving in the Gulf war with the storied 101st Airborne.

Given the precarious international situation and challenges facing our Nation, I am encouraged that an experienced, tested, and capable leader such as Secretary Esper will be at the helm in the Pentagon. I look forward to working closely with him to defend America and advance our interests.

Madam President, later today, the Senate will officially turn to this year's National Defense Authorization Act. Every year, this legislation focuses this Chamber on one of our most fundamental constitutional duties--providing for the common defense. Every year, the Senate approves authorizing legislation to address the needs of America's men and women in uniform.

Over the past 2 years, our working closely with the Trump administration on the NDAA has yielded big results. We have authorized major investments in everything from new, cutting-edge systems, to improved services for military families, to massive strides toward restoring the readiness of our all-volunteer force. Yet, as the headlines are reminding us every day, this is no time to let up. In fact, it is just the opposite.

Russia's designs on Eastern Europe and the Middle East have certainly not abated nor has Putin's investment in long-range strike capabilities, from advanced hypersonic weapons to new missiles to stealthy submarines, nor has China's increasingly aggressive Pacific strategy nor has Iran's hell-bent commitment to underwriting terrorism and proxy conflicts throughout the Middle East.

So this year's NDAA is built with a heavy emphasis on strengthening our partnerships in the most troubled regions around the world. Of course, it also ensures that the U.S. military will sustain its place as the most-prepared, best-equipped, and most lethal fighting force in the world.

The legislation authorizes tens of billions of dollars for new battle force ships and an expansion of the Joint Strike Fighter Program. It lays the groundwork for expanding missile defense batteries, and it delivers a $1.4 billion increase in funding for cutting-edge research and development.

From bases across America to posts overseas, the NDAA accounts for the needs of servicemembers and their families. It also prioritizes military construction and addresses problems with military family housing. It streamlines the delivery of benefits through the defense health program, and it unlocks a 3.1-percent pay raise for uniformed personnel.

Of course, our work on the floor in the coming days is just the last chapter. Our colleagues on the Armed Services Committee and their staffs have been working overtime on this impressive legislation for many weeks. So, as we take the next step today, we should thank Chairman Inhofe and our colleagues for their leadership thus far.

Madam President, on another matter, the previous administration left a sprawling mess of regulation tangled throughout the Federal Government and the U.S. economy.

Sweeping leftwing visions were dreamt up here in Washington and forced on farm families, domestic manufacturers, and small businesses throughout the country with there being very little regard for the consequences. The reach of regulators grew longer and longer, and the burden on American prosperity became heavier and heavier. So, naturally, rolling back much of this mess and putting Washington back in its place has been a major priority for the Republicans in Congress as well as for the Trump administration.

Yet some actions were so egregious and so likely illegal that the courts put a halt to them before we could even reform or repeal them. As my colleagues recall, the implementation of the so-called Clean Power Plan was frozen by a Supreme Court stay more than 3 years ago, back in 2016.

The Obama administration's War on Coal has already done plenty of damage in places like my home State of Kentucky, but at least this additional hammer blow on so many Americans' livelihoods was held off. It would have weaponized a Federal agency to bury energy producers and all of those who depend on them under one-size-fits-all regulations with duplicative mandates and unrealistic timelines. Also, as the production of the most affordable and reliable energy available to American families would have dried up, it would have left higher electricity costs in its wake.

Higher domestic power prices would have meant fewer American jobs here at home with there having been no meaningful effect on global emissions. Any rational observer would have concluded that this regulation would have been all pain for no gain--just good American jobs having been shipped overseas.

This was a bad idea that many of us here in the Senate fought tooth and nail. Back in 2013 and 2014, after President Obama's EPA Administrator refused my request to come meet with Kentuckians, I held hearings in Kentucky about the negative impacts the plan would have actually had. I worked with Governors to hold off on its implementation. I helped to spearhead an amicus brief in the legal proceedings and led on legislation to overturn the rule.

So unwinding this proposed economic self-sabotage and sticking up for working families has been a top priority of mine and of many of my colleagues for years. Fortunately, it has also been a major priority for the Trump administration. Last year, it announced a proposed rule to do away with it, and, later today, the EPA will be finalizing it and making it official. I look forward to the administration's rolling out a new policy that upholds the rule of law, keeps the EPA within its statutory role, and encourages American energy reliability and affordability.

This is just one more win for all Americans who live and work in communities where affordable, homegrown American energy sources like coal still matter a great deal. It is another win for States like Kentucky. It is nice to have an administration that isn't narrowly focused on just big, blue, urban areas but that looks out for all of our country.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged of the following resolutions: S.J. Res. Nos. 27 through 48 and the Senate proceed to their en bloc consideration; further, that the Senate debate the resolutions concurrently, and that at 11:30 on Thursday, June 20, the Senate vote on passage of the resolutions in the following order: S.J. Res. 36, S.J. Res. 38, and then vote on the remaining resolutions en bloc with no intervening action or debate. Finally, if the Senate receives a veto message with respect to any or all of the enumerated joint resolutions of disapproval, then, not withstanding rule XXII, consideration of the veto message be limited to 30 hours of concurrent debate for all messages and the Senate vote on passage of the joint resolutions, the objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding, in the following order if a veto message is received: S.J. Res. 36, S.J. Res. 38, all remaining joint resolutions en bloc. I further ask that the en bloc votes on passage and with respect to the override vote be shown separately for each resolution when printed in the Record.

Madam President, for years American administrations of both parties have properly labeled Iran as the world's most active state sponsor of terrorism. This assessment is based on the cold hard facts of Tehran's behavior.

Iran's support for terrorism knows few bounds, sectarian or geographic. Iran has provided support to Sunni, Shia, and secular terrorists. It has conducted or sponsored attacks around the world, including a plot right here in Washington, during the Obama administration, to blow up a local restaurant and kill the Saudi Ambassador to the United States.

We know that Tehran is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan--Americans murdered by Iran's proxies. So while it should be shocking that Iran is now conducting more attacks against civilian shipping vessels in international waters, unfortunately, it really isn't all that shocking. This is the kind of behavior we have witnessed over the years.

Until recently, the United States spent years failing to hold Iran sufficiently accountable for its terrorism, proxies, and ``gray zone'' tactics. Tehran was emboldened to tread all over international law.

Now things are different, and Iran's corrupt, moribund economy is feeling the pressure of U.S. sanctions. So it is not surprising that the mullahs now resort to their favorite tool--violence.

The President has said he does not seek conflict with Iran, and neither does the Senate. Nevertheless, the risks of a conflict are real. But make no mistake. They are being driven by Tehran's decision to resort to violence, and that includes what the Secretary of State has described as a ``blatant assault'' on international shipping, threatening the freedom of navigation in international waters.

Tehran must not be rewarded for terror and intimidation. The United States and our partners need to stand firm and apply concerted, coordinated diplomatic and economic pressure until Tehran changes its behavior.

Acting Secretary Shanahan, at the request of his military commanders, has ordered additional forces to the Middle East for purposes of defense and deterrence. As he made clear when announcing this deployment, the United States does not seek conflict with Iran.

I support these prudent efforts to respond to Iranian intimidation. Defensive military deployments will help us to protect American interests in the region and deter Iranian aggression. I encourage the administration to continue working closely with our partners across the globe to encourage Iran's leaders to cease their aggression.

I hope Iran's leaders will listen to the demands of their people, who continue to protest against the stifling authoritarianism of the Islamic Republic for a better, more prosperous, more peaceful life.

I also appreciate the administration's efforts to keep Congress apprised of the latest intelligence, deployments, and

diplomatic efforts. I understand committee staff received a classified briefing just yesterday. I look forward to hearing from the State Department's top career diplomat at the Republican lunch today. I hope my colleagues across the aisle rethink their decision to turn down his offer to brief them. I understand the administration will be sending up interagency teams this week to brief the oversight committees in a classified setting, as well.

For our part, the Senate will consider several measures in the coming days that will directly impact our presence and influence in this troubled region, including arms sales to key regional partners, as well as the NDAA. I urge every one of my colleagues to keep these deadly serious developments at the top of our minds as we attend to our business in the days ahead.