Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 518.

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

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 Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 2142, which was received from the House and is at the desk.

Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read three times and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2228 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed and the motion 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 immediate consideration of H.R. 2331, 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 H.R. 4661, 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 understand there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

I now ask for a second reading and, in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn, to then reconvene for pro forma sessions only, with no business being conducted, on the following dates and times, and that following each pro forma session, the Senate adjourn until the next pro forma session: Saturday, December 23, at 11 a.m.; Wednesday, December 27, at 10 a.m.; Friday, December 29, at 11:30 a.m.; and Tuesday, January 2, at 4 p.m. For the information of all Senators, when the Senate adjourns on Tuesday, January 2, 2018, it will next convene at 12 noon on January 3, pursuant to the Constitution. Further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, until 5 p.m.; finally, that following morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the Rood nomination, under the previous order.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order with respect to S. 1447 be vitiated.

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, last night, the United States accomplished something really remarkable. After years of work, dozens of hearings, and an open process, we passed a historic overhaul of the Nation's Tax Code. It will deliver real relief to families and small businesses all across our country. We passed tax reform to spur the American economy, to encourage job creation and grow economic opportunity, to bring jobs and investment home, and to put more money into the pockets of hard-working men and women whom we represent. We voted to repeal ObamaCare's individual mandate tax so that low- and middle-income families are not forced to purchase something they either don't want or can't afford. We voted to responsibly develop more of Alaska's oil and gas potential, strengthening our economy and our national security in the process.

I would like to commend my colleagues in the Senate for their work to pass these historic reforms and bring our Tax Code into the 21st century.

I want to extend special thanks to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, a skilled legislator whose expertise was essential to shepherding this legislation through a challenging process while faced with complete and total obstruction.

I thank Chairman Mike Enzi for his assistance and Chairman Lisa Murkowski and Senator Dan Sullivan, who worked tirelessly to bring the people of Alaska a victory on energy exploration for which they have been waiting for almost 40 years.

I am grateful to the other Senate conferees--Senators Cornyn, Thune, Portman, Scott, and Toomey--who worked day and night to get this legislation across the finish line.

And of course, in addition to Senator Hatch, his colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee deserve our gratitude as well: Senators Burr, Cassidy, Crapo, Grassley, Heller, Isakson, and Roberts. This could not have happened without all of them.

Of course, a great deal of credit goes to President Trump, Vice President Pence, and their dedicated White House team. Their efforts were absolutely essential to this process, and we are proud to have worked together to deliver on a key part of the President's agenda.

It goes without saying that tax reform would have been impossible without Speaker Ryan, Chairman Brady, and the Members of the House who share our commitment to make taxes lower, simpler, and fairer. I am proud to call them my colleagues.

When the final version of this historic law passes the House later today, it will await the President's signature. Then, families and small businesses--like so many in my home State of Kentucky--can begin to enjoy the benefits. Our constituents called out for relief from the Obama economy, and Congress delivered

Mr. President, on a different matter, the Senate's work this week is not finished. Before Friday, Congress must agree on funding to sustain the necessary operations of the Federal Government. I know that all our colleagues on both sides of the aisle want to keep the government funded and attend to a number of other urgent priorities. I am confident we can work together to do just that. Americans are counting on us, after all.

To begin with, our men and women in uniform are counting on us to provide the resources they require to fulfill their missions and keep the country safe. The burden of the Budget Control Act has fallen disproportionately on our All-Volunteer military. Under that law, defense cuts have outpaced nondefense cuts by $85 billion since fiscal 2013. At the same time, the previous administration insisted that new defense spending be matched equally by

new nondefense spending, notwithstanding the actual needs of our military.

This week, let's dispense with the arbitrary standard--as we did earlier this year--and provide our warfighters with the funding they need to accomplish the tasks put before them.

Americans whose premiums are soaring or whose coverage is in jeopardy because of the failures of ObamaCare are counting on us to take bipartisan steps toward stabilizing health insurance markets.

The parents of 9 million children enrolled in the Children's Health Insurance Program are counting on us to renew the program's funding.

Our country's law enforcement professionals are counting on us to renew an important foreign intelligence program that helps them defend the homeland from those who wish us harm.

Veterans are counting on us to renew the popular Veterans Choice Program and preserve their flexibility to access care outside of the VA system.

Just as we have done in the past, we need to pass a routine pay-go waiver to avoid a draconian sequester that none of my colleagues want to see take effect. Americans are counting on us not to inflict harmful cuts on Medicare and other essential operations.

I look forward to working together in the coming days to fund our government in a manner that does right by the American people.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 277, S. Res. 150.

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 Committee on Armed Services be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 326 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

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 Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of and the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 345.

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 consideration of S. Res. 362, 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 suggest the absence of a quorum.