Floor Statements

Madam President, today I wish to pay tribute to James Ritchie, of Somerset, KY, a brave Kentuckian who was honored by his community on Veterans Day. He was the feature of a newspaper story in the Commonwealth Journal, which detailed his life and his honorable career in the military. The article was a community's effort to thank him for his service to our country.

In 1947, James decided to join our Nation's military. Seeking to enlist in the Navy, James walked in the wrong door and was convinced instead to join the marines. After his training, James was deployed to join the 1st Marine Division Air Wing in Pusan, Korea. However, the trip to Korea by way of San Diego proved treacherous when James' transport collided with a steamliner.

Once he made it to Korea, James was responsible for providing protection for

the Marine air base. Against North Korean and Chinese guerillas, he bravely faced the harsh realities of war. After his enlistment and am honorable discharge, he returned home. The same month, however, James felt the call to serve once again, this time in the Air Force. Eventually returning to Korea, he helped in the U.S. effort to transfer responsibilities to the South Koreans.

In 1961, James chose to retire from military and answered another call, this time to serve as a minister. With his wife, Wilma, James raised five children. I would like to take this opportunity to thank James for his military service to our country, and I urge my colleagues to join me.

Earlier this year the Commonwealth Journal published an article detailing Mr. Ritchie's service to our Nation. I ask unanimous consent that the article be printed in the Record.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Con. Res. 31, submitted earlier today.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 11 a.m. on Wednesday, December 20; 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; finally, 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.

Madam 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, to begin with, all of our thoughts this afternoon are with the victims of this morning's tragic train derailment in Washington State and with their families as well. Our gratitude is with the first responders who answered the call and rushed to the scene.

Mr. President, on a different matter entirely, the Senate has a number of important tasks to complete this week for the American people. On Friday we took another significant step toward delivering major tax relief for middle-class families and small businesses when the House and Senate conference committee released the final text of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We are closer than ever to seizing this once-in-a-generation opportunity to update our Tax Code, to make America stronger, and to help middle-class families keep more of their hard-earned money.

The last decade has not been easy for middle-class Americans. Families, like many I represent in Kentucky, were hit hard by the great recession. Many continue to feel its effects. But too often, instead of helping people get back on their feet, Washington has been an obstacle. Our broken and outdated Tax Code lets the government take too much money out of Americans' paychecks. The Obama administration's runaway regulations slowed job growth and destroyed opportunities just when people needed them most.

Help is on the way. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is a major step toward a stronger, more prosperous America with higher wages, higher take-home pay, more jobs, and better opportunities for middle-class Americans. First and foremost, the bill provides immediate relief by letting Americans keep more of their paychecks. A typical family of four earning the median family income will get a tax cut of more than $2,000. We are taking that money out of Washington's pocket and putting it right back into theirs. By modernizing the way we tax businesses, we will make America a better place to invest, start small businesses, and create middle-class jobs.

Our tax bill will make it less attractive for American businesses to send jobs and investments overseas and more attractive to expand and invest here at home. That is why American manufacturers say they are excited about this bill and plan to hire new workers, while Chinese officials say it has them worried.

The conference report will also repeal the punitive individual mandate tax at the heart of ObamaCare. Under ObamaCare, Americans must either buy the kind of health insurance that Washington thinks they should buy or pay a heavy tax penalty. By repealing this unfair penalty, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will give low- and middle-class families even more tax relief, along with the flexibility to make their own healthcare decisions. The bill will also strengthen America's future by enhancing our energy independence.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provides for further responsible development of Alaska's oil and gas potential. Unleashing more of our own natural resources will create good jobs and improve America's energy security. The historic accomplishments in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will bring immediate relief to struggling families and set America on a trajectory toward greater strength and prosperity.

I commend the conferees--especially Chairman Hatch, Chairman Murkowski, and Chairman Enzi--for their work to help finalize the conference report. I look forward to voting for its passage, and I urge all of our colleagues to join me in voting to give the American families the relief they need and richly deserve.

Mr. President, on another matter, before the end of this week, Congress must agree on a continuing resolution to sustain the critical operations of the Federal Government. In this process, it is vital that we ensure that our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to protect Americans and face the challenges of a dangerous world.

During the Obama administration, the readiness of our all-volunteer Armed Forces was hurt by irresponsible cuts to the Department of Defense, which have damaged combat readiness. The military suffered a disproportionate burden under the Budget Control Act. The arbitrary demand that increases in defense spending must be equally matched by increases in nondefense spending should not stand in the way of delivering the resources needed to restore near-term and long-term readiness. Earlier this year, we rightly set aside that misguided standard and took steps to fully meet the needs of our warfighters. This week, we need to do so one more time.

If Congress fails to reach agreement on government funding, our military will suffer intolerable budget cuts that would jeopardize the tools and the training our servicemembers need to fulfill their missions. Our responsibilities run deeper than keeping the government open and ensuring our warfighters have the resources they need.

Before the year ends, we must also deliver results in several additional areas of vital importance to the American people. We must renew funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program so the parents of 9 million children who are covered by CHIP can know that their children's healthcare is secure. We must reauthorize a critical foreign intelligence program that the men and women of American law enforcement need to keep our Nation safe from those who wish to harm us. We must renew the popular Veterans Choice Program, which aims to cut wait times for VA healthcare and to give our veterans flexibility to access care outside of the system. We must approve supplemental disaster funding for States and Territories that are still struggling to rebuild after a year of devastating disasters. We must pass a routine waiver to avoid unacceptable cuts of Medicare funding and other vital programs.

Since the enactment of the pay-go law in 2010, Congress has never allowed a sequester to take effect, especially for tax bills, and we must act again this week to ensure that vulnerable Americans are not harmed.

Of particular importance, faced with the continued failure of ObamaCare to keep health insurance affordable for working Americans, we must take this opportunity to pass bipartisan solutions that will help stabilize collapsing health insurance markets and lower premiums for individuals and families across the country.

Across all these critical areas, Congress must do what is right for the American people and take action this week. I urge each Member of this body to come together and help pass a funding agreement that fulfills our responsibilities to the Nation. I look forward to working with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make sure that happens.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Tuesday, December 19; 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 12 noon; and that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the Newstead nomination, under the previous order; finally, that following the disposition of the Newstead nomination, the Senate recess until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings.

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, today the Senate will continue another historic week confirming more of President Trump's impressive judicial nominees to the Federal bench--Steven Grasz, confirmed; Don Willett, confirmed. And soon we will add James Ho to the list by confirming him to serve on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

He is an exceptionally well-qualified nominee whose career in both public service and the private sector has garnered respect from both sides of the aisle. The former Democratic mayor of Dallas supported his nomination, calling him ``among the most brilliant appellate lawyers in the United States.''

When we vote to confirm Mr. Ho, we will be adding another fair and impartial judge to the Federal bench, and by doing so, the Senate will take another important step to ensure that the Federal judiciary fulfills its proper role in our constitutional system. Each of them will be an asset to our Nation's courts.

Under Chairman Grassley's leadership, the Senate Judiciary Committee has done outstanding work to move these judicial nominees to the floor. I am grateful for his efforts, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting to confirm Mr. Ho soon.

Mr. President, on another matter, our Nation faces a myriad of threats from around the globe, and it is the Senate's responsibility to provide the service chiefs with the resources to train and equip our warfighters and to provide them with the resources they need to keep us safe.

The diverse challenges posed by Iran, China, Russia, North Korea, ISIL, al-Qaida, and its affiliates span the spectrum of warfighting, and our force must be trained and prepared to operate on sea, air, land, and in cyber space. These challenges were only compounded by the Obama administration's focus on reducing the size of our conventional force, withdrawing our forward presence, and placing an unrealistic reliance upon allies and Special Operations forces.

In stark contrast to the previous administration, this Republican-led Congress and the Trump administration have taken the initial steps to rebuild our military. We are working to ensure that the needs of the force are met and our servicemembers have the tools and training necessary to fulfill their missions.

In our ongoing discussions surrounding government funding, we must continue to prioritize our Nation's men and women in uniform. It is illogical for this Senate to repeatedly vote to pass National Defense Authorization Acts at one level of authority and not meet that commitment with the necessary appropriations act; and this funding cannot be held hostage to the Obama-era demand that increases in defense funding be matched by equal increases in nondefense spending. Congress ignored that demand earlier this year, and we must do it again now.

The reason is simple: Under the Budget Control Act, the Department of Defense has received a disproportionate funding cut--and will again if Congress fails to come to an agreement. That type of blow would unacceptably diminish our military's readiness and damage our national security.

I hope that Members can work together to provide the necessary funds

to our military--and to all parts of our government--so that the men and women of our all-volunteer force can continue to keep our country safe.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Democratic leader, the Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination: Executive Calendar No. 430. I ask consent that there be 10 minutes of debate, equally divided in the usual form; 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 ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session for the en bloc consideration of the following nominations: Executive Calendar Nos. 405 and 406.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc with no intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc; 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 nominations be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following nominations: Executive Calendar Nos. 499 and 500.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc with no intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc; 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 nominations be printed in the Record.