Floor Statements

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

Mr. President, I understand that there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

Mr. President, I now ask for a second reading and, in order to place the bill on the calendar under 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 until 10 a.m., Wednesday, December 6; 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.

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, following the remarks of our Democratic colleagues.

Madam President, today the Senate will continue to fulfill its important responsibility to confirm critical nominees for President Trump's administration. We will do that by voting to advance the nomination of Kirstjen Nielsen, the President's choice to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security.

As my colleagues know, this is an incredibly important position within our government. With responsibilities ranging from cybersecurity, to protecting our borders, to the continued recovery efforts of the recent natural disasters, the Department of Homeland Security requires strong leadership to get the job done. Ms. Nielsen is a qualified candidate with the talent and experience to succeed. As Chief of Staff to the previous DHS Secretary, Gen. John Kelly, she understands the daily operations of the Department and shares our goals for its future.

In addition, her previous tenure with the Department makes her an ideal candidate to be ready to lead the agency on day one.

Ms. Nielsen is an experienced professional who will help lead the Department as it faces constantly evolving threats. I look forward to advancing her nomination later today, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Ms. Nielsen for this critical national security post.

Madam President, on another matter, this week Congress will consider short-term funding legislation to provide resources to address many important issues facing our country. The House recently released its legislative text to fund the government through December 22. I look forward to our colleagues' consideration of that measure.

This bill--one without any controversial policy riders--will continue government funding and give the House and Senate time to complete their work on a long-term solution. It will keep the government open and functional, and it includes critical resources for our national defense and to give States certainty to continue the Children's Health Insurance Program while the bipartisan work on CHIP reauthorization continues.

Congressional leaders continue to work with the administration on a long-term funding proposal to help agencies accomplish their goals and to plan for the future.

As we wait for the House to take the next steps, I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to review the legislation. We will pass it before the end of the week.

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

Mr. President, I ask that the Chair lay before the Senate the message to accompany S. 371.

The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message from the House of Representatives:

Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 371) entitled

``An Act to make technical changes and other improvements to

the Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017.'',

do pass with an amendment.

I move to concur in the House amendment, and I ask unanimous consent that the motion be agreed to and 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 10 a.m., Tuesday, December 5; 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; finally, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Nielsen nomination; further, that at 12:30 p.m., the Senate stand in recess subject to the call of the Chair; finally, that all time during recess, adjournment, morning business, and leader remarks count postcloture on the Nielsen nomination.

For the information of all Senators, the official Senate photograph will be taken tomorrow immediately following the conference lunches.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned, following the remarks of Senator Brown.

From its inception, I have opposed the individual mandate because it is simply wrong for the Federal Government to require someone to purchase a particular product, particularly one they do not want and cannot afford. I agree that Alexander-Murray can help provide certainty and flexibility for State insurance markets in the absence of the mandate and will support passage of the Bipartisan Health Care Stabilization Act, ideally prior to the adoption of any final tax reform conference agreement and certainly before the end of this year.

I believe that State high-risk pools are a much better alternative to Federal mandates. I will also support passage of your bill and this funding to create high-risk pools, ideally prior to the adoption of any final tax reform conference agreement and certainly before the end of this year.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be 30 minutes for debate only, with no amendments or motions in order, with the majority leader being recognized at the conclusion of that time.

Mr. President, I would say to my friend from Oregon that there will be plenty of time for him to read it.

Mr. President, I say to my good friend from Oregon, there were 4 days of hearings on the bill in committee with the committee report sent out at least 2 weeks ago. I am totally confident our friends on the other side are fully familiar with almost all aspects of this. He will certainly have an opportunity to read the final version, but he is very familiar with the various parts of this. There was plenty of time to look at it in committee, and, as I said, there will be plenty of time to read the final version of it before we vote.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be 30 minutes equally divided for debate only, with no amendments or motions in order and with the majority leader being recognized at the conclusion of that time.

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 the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to call up amendment No. 1855; that the amendment be agreed to; that Senate amendment No. 1618, as amended, be considered original text for the purpose of further amendment; and that all points of order be preserved. I further ask that all time be yielded back.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the following amendments be called up en bloc and reported by number: Sanders No. 1720, Brown. No 1854, and Rubio No. 1850. I further ask consent that the Senate now vote in relation to the Sanders amendment and that following disposition of the amendment, the Senate vote in relation to the above amendments in the order listed; finally, that there be 2 minutes equally divided between the managers or their designees prior to all further votes tonight and that they be 10 minutes in length.

Madam President, the next three votes will be in relation to Sanders amendment No. 1720, Brown amendment No. 1854, and Rubio amendment No. 1850.

Amendment No. 1720

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Menendez be recognized to offer a motion to commit and that there be 2 minutes of debate, equally divided, prior to a vote on the motion.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that following the disposition of the motion to commit, the Cantwell amendment No. 1717 be called up and reported by number.

Colleagues, we are moving now to final passage.

I know of no further amendments to the bill.

Amendment No. 1618, as Amended

Mr. President, I yield back our time.

Mr. President, I yield back the time on this side.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 495, Kirstjen Nielsen.

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call for the cloture motion be waived.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, the Senate vote on this cloture motion at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 4.

Mr. President, from across my home State of Kentucky, I have heard the calls for tax reform. For too long, hard-working men and women have been held back by an economy that has failed to live up to its potential. They are ready for us to get the economy going again.

For example, the East Kentucky Power Cooperative, which serves more than half a million families and businesses in my State, recently wrote to my office in support of tax reform. The cooperative encouraged us ``to put more disposal income into the hands of hard-working citizens and encourage investment and long-term economic growth.''

In addition, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, which represents thousands of businesses across the Commonwealth, recently wrote a letter encouraging us to consider relieving ``the tax burden of small businesses by simplifying the code and reducing costs.'' It concluded the letter by asking the Senate to ``support federal tax reform to achieve the economic growth that has been Kentucky's potential for so long.''

This morning, a group of small business men and women from Kentucky joined Senators here on the Hill with Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon to discuss the urgent need for tax reform. I would like to thank Senator Blunt for hosting this event to hear from these job creators and to reiterate that they are at the forefront of our tax reform efforts.

The people of Kentucky have struggled under our outdated and complex Federal Tax Code. It is time to overhaul it and deliver real relief to middle-class families and small businesses.

For a number of years, our friends across the aisle, including the ranking member of the Finance Committee and the Democratic leader, have vocally called for tax reform. They claimed they supported efforts to close loopholes and help American businesses become more competitive here at home. They claimed they supported policies to help prevent more jobs from moving overseas. The good news is that is exactly what our tax reform legislation does. So passing this bill to help keep jobs and investment in the United States would be something upon which we can all agree.

A group of economists from around the country recently penned a letter expressing the need for tax reform. After examining the proposal put forward, these economists agree that the House and Senate plans have the ability to grow the economy and increase the income of American families. In particular, they wrote that tax reform can reduce the incentives for companies to move investment overseas. That means the bill we are considering would discourage corporations from moving jobs and investments abroad. For working families who have endured a decade of lost jobs and opportunities, this is welcome relief indeed.

So why would our Democratic friends support this idea in theory but then oppose legislation once they finally have the chance to put the plan into action? What changed? Not the ideas. Not the need for tax reform. The only change has been the person in the Oval Office.

This is our once-in-a-generation opportunity to take more money out of Washington's pocket and put more money into the pockets of hard- working families. We shouldn't let partisanship distract us from delivering real relief to the middle class. Believe me, we will not.

Under Chairman Hatch's leadership, the Senate Finance Committee passed this legislation that is the product of years of hard work, dozens of hearings, and an open amendment process. I would like to once again thank Chairman Hatch for his efforts to get us to this pivotal point where we can consider a proposal that could truly help our constituents.

First and foremost, the tax reform proposal before us today is good for families. To a middle-class family of four in Kentucky who earns a median income, a nearly $2,200-a-year tax cut could make a real difference.

Second, the plan is good for small businesses and job creators. It has earned the support of the NFIB--the National Federation of Independent

Business--because it will help small businesses grow, invest, and hire right here in the United States. As I said before, it will also make it easier for other businesses to bring jobs and investments home.

Third, this legislation helps low- and middle-income families by repealing ObamaCare's burdensome individual mandate tax.

This is a good bill. By overhauling our Tax Code, we can provide much needed support to the men and women who sent us here.

Yesterday, the Senate took a crucial step toward relief. Every Senator who voted to proceed to this important debate has already begun to answer those calling out for tax reform. Now the Senate will work through an open amendment process here on the floor where Members from both parties will have the opportunity to offer their ideas. Tonight, I expect that Senators will have the opportunity to vote on many of these amendments.

This is our chance to deliver relief to hard-working American families and to help the middle class get ahead. It is our opportunity to overhaul our complex Tax Code and shift our economy into high gear. We can pass many of the ideas we have discussed and supported for years, and I urge all of my colleagues to work together to get this done.