Floor Statements

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 ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 486, H.R. 4528.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and 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. 5729, which was received from the House.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and 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 S. Res. 595, submitted earlier today.

I further 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 Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 4318 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the Hatch amendment at the desk be agreed to and the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, the filing deadline for first-degree amendments be at 4 p.m. on Monday, July 30, for the measures upon which cloture was filed during today's session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m., Monday, July 30; 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 their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Grant nomination; finally, that notwithstanding rule XXII, the cloture motions filed during today's session ripen at 5:30 p.m.

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

Mr. President, I spoke yesterday about the bipartisan cooperation that has made it possible for us to return to a regular appropriations process. Collaboration got the four measures we are now considering through the subcommittee and full committee process, thanks to the efforts of Chairman Shelby, Senator Leahy, and the subcommittee leaders, Senators Murkowski, Collins, Hoeven, and Lankford.

On the floor, bipartisanship let us turn to legislation by consent and kick off the amendment process with several votes yesterday. If we can keep it up, we will soon take four more big steps toward our goal of funding the Federal Government the right way and avoiding another omnibus.

Yesterday, I mentioned that the legislation before us addresses two pressing national needs: rebuilding America's infrastructure and bolstering the fight against opioids. But that is far from the whole story. These measures cover about one-eighth of the total discretionary spending for next year. They fund a long list of key services that Americans depend on every day--everything from food safety inspections to child nutrition programs, to the Forest Service and national parks. Communities in all 50 States are connected to this legislation.

Here are a few of the provisions that will be particular cause for celebration in my home State of Kentucky: $37 billion toward rural development, including support for rural businesses, and loans and grants to improve rural infrastructure for electricity, telephone, and broadband internet in communities in Kentucky and all across the country; another $1 billion in grants to help communities invest in highways, bridges, and other infrastructure projects, with a guarantee that 30 percent of this funding would go into rural areas; more funding for the Abandoned Mine Land Pilot Program, which helps communities reclaim abandoned coal mines and put that land to better use; more funding and a sharper Federal focus on controlling the evasive Asian carp that threaten local prosperity and water safety in Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley in Western Kentucky; and more help for the Kentuckians who battle the scourge of opioids every day.

The legislation funds the FDA's efforts to intercept illegal drugs, the DEA's program for high-intensity trafficking areas, and increased training for first responders.

It also contains a provision I secured directing the Department of Housing and Urban Development to encourage more access to transitional housing opportunities for individuals recovering from substance abuse disorder.

I could go on. The ways the bill before us would assist families and communities across Kentucky are practically countless, and the same is true for every State in our country.

That is why every Member understands the importance of appropriations. Funding the Federal Government--matching resources with urgent challenges--is one of Congress's most important responsibilities. I am proud of the appropriations process that is underway, and I am especially proud of all of the ways the resulting legislation will deliver for the American people.

Mr. President, on another matter, we are discussing the difference between rhetoric and results when it comes to our economy. Yesterday, I described how my Democratic friends spent the Obama years talking about the importance of rebuilding American manufacturing. They talked about it, but it is the actions of this united Republican government that have made it easier for manufacturers to expand and hire.

It is on our watch that optimism among U.S. manufacturers has hit the highest level that one survey has ever recorded. Well, it turns out that there are quite a few areas where this Republican government is helping to deliver victories that our Democratic friends spent 8 years talking about.

In his 2010 State of the Union Address, President Obama proclaimed that job growth would be the No. 1 focus of the coming year. He said that ``the true engine of job creation in this country will always be America's businesses'' and that government's role was to ``create the conditions necessary for businesses to expand and to hire more workers.''

Recognizing American job creators as the true engines of prosperity and giving them room to succeed sounds good to me. It sounded good to almost everyone, in fact.

But once again, the policies didn't match the rhetoric. Instead, the Obama administration twice set all-time records for the number of pages in the Federal Register, and those pages had consequences. By constantly moving the regulatory goalposts, government eroded the certainty businesses need to invest and to hire.

Washington, DC, restricted farmers' and ranchers' control over water on their own property. Bureaucrats overwhelmed small banks and credit unions with a rule book designed for Wall Street, and an outdated Federal Tax Code held back job creation and made America much less competitive.

On Democrats' watch, Americans had to wait out an economic ``recovery'' that was insufficient, slow, and left whole parts of the country way behind.

Remember the rhetoric and then remember the facts. Republicans have always agreed that job creation must be a top priority, but we have a better idea about how to actually help make it happen. The Republican Congress has used the Congressional Review Act to slash 17 burdensome regulations. That is on top of the administration's own Executive actions. We have passed, and the President has signed, major changes to Obamacare and to Dodd-Frank, and we passed generational tax reform that puts more hard-earned money in the pockets of working families and gives job creators more flexibility.

So what is happening on our watch? Just a few days ago, the number of Americans newly filing for unemployment benefits hit the lowest level in more than 48 years. Let me say that again. Newly filing for unemployment benefits hit its lowest level in more than 48 years. Here is how CNN characterized the Labor Department's most recent jobs report:

The U.S. economy keeps adding jobs at a blistering pace. .

. . The job market is so good, many people who had previously

given up looking are starting to look again.

According to Gallup, the percentage of Americans saying now is a good time to find a quality job hit its highest level in 17 years. That is not just rhetoric but actual results, due to the hard work of American workers and job creators, with an assist from this Republican government.

Unfortunately, this pro-growth agenda hasn't gotten much support from across the aisle. Not a single Democrat--not one--voted for the tax reform that helped to turn rhetoric about jobs into actual jobs.

There was hardly any Democratic support for the regulatory housecleaning that has given job creators more confidence to stay on American soil, grow their businesses, and add jobs.

So all of us agree with the rhetoric, but not everyone supported the policy agenda that has helped to deliver these results for the American people.

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

Madam President, I begin this morning by remembering two heroes and the events that claimed their lives 20 years ago today, right here in the Capitol.

On July 24, 1998, U.S. Capitol Police Officer Jacob Chestnut and Detective John Gibson made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of American democracy. By doing their duty, these heroes helped cut short an act of brutal violence that could have claimed many more lives. That same week, Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson lay in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, and an entire Nation paid its respects.

I imagine 20 years have not made this senseless violence any easier to bear for the families these men left behind or for their brothers and sisters in the Capitol Police. Yet, as we remember their bravery, a triumphant example endures of selfless service and fearless heroism--of two men who embodied the values that keep this building and our Nation standing safe and sound.

Today, we honor Detective Gibson and Officer Chestnut. We renew our condolences to their families. We recognize the depth of our gratitude for them and for everyone who puts on the uniform and steps into harm's way every single day.

Madam President, now, on an entirely different matter, yesterday, the Senate began considering our next set of appropriations measures for fiscal year 2019.

Chairman Shelby and Ranking Member Leahy have led an exemplary bipartisan process through subcommittee and full committee work. Yesterday, that same bipartisan spirit was here on the floor when we were able to proceed to these measures by consent. Let's keep up that productive and cooperative spirit so we can achieve the goal we all share--completing a regular appropriations process and avoiding another omnibus.

The measures before us encompass agriculture, interior and the environment, transportation and housing, and financial services and general government. They would deliver real resources to help American communities face real challenges--challenges like clearing the backlog of infrastructure needs that are holding back rural America and challenges like fighting the opioid epidemic that threatens families and communities.

Among the many, many things this legislation would accomplish, it meets these two challenges head on. It delivers nearly one-half billion dollars in loans and grant funding for rural broadband. It supplies $400 million to accelerate the delivery of water and waste infrastructure projects across rural America. It would also deliver more assistance to all of the areas of our country that are living under the long shadow of the opioid crisis--tens of millions to help the FDA crack down on the spread of illicit drugs and to improve care in rural communities through distance learning and telemedicine.

These are just a few of the important provisions in these bills. I look forward to considering them this week. I hope we will have a robust amendment process, and then, with bipartisan cooperation, we can take these next steps together.