Floor Statements

Mr. President, I spoke to Senator McCain this morning and let him know the Senate continues to send its thoughts to him. Our friend from Arizona is a pretty tough guy, as we all know. He will be back with us soon. We will continue to offer him best wishes for a speedy recovery in the meantime, and we will continue to keep Cindy, their family, his staff, and the people of Arizona in our thoughts.

We will also continue to work on items before the Senate. As we all know, the nomination before the Senate today is of particular concern to Senator McCain. Just a few days ago, as chairman of the Armed Services Committee, he came to the floor to underline the importance of confirming the nominee before us. Here is what he said.

``In order to rebuild the military,'' he said, ``the Pentagon needs to ramp up readiness programs and embark on an ambitious plan for modernization to make sure our servicemembers are given the training, resources, and capabilities they need. To do that, the Department of Defense must have senior leadership.''

For instance--this is Senator McCain last week--the nominee before us, Patrick Shanahan, who has been nominated to be Secretary Mattis's Deputy at the Department of Defense.

``The position of Deputy Secretary of [Defense],'' Chairman McCain continued, ``is one of the most critical positions in our government. It is essentially the chief operating officer of the largest, most complex organization in the world--the Department that is entrusted with ensuring our national security.''

Yet, as Senator McCain noted, the position is now vacant. Friday was the last day of work for the previous Deputy Secretary of Defense, and Democrats, who do not oppose Shanahan's confirmation on the merits, are throwing up procedural hurdles that guarantee this critical national security position will remain vacant for a while longer. Why? To change an outcome? No, not to change an outcome. As I said, many Democrats actually support Shanahan's nomination. He commands the bipartisan support of the Armed Services Committee, which reported his nomination out on a voice vote--a voice vote--and he has earned praise from across the aisle. As one Democratic Senator put it, ``[Patrick Shanahan's] entire career has been about solving problems no one else can solve, and these skills would be invaluable at DOD.'' Well, she is certainly right. Then why is her party playing games with the nomination?

These are the same games we have seen before. Take the Ambassador to China. Democrats voted with us to confirm him 82 to 12. Yet they still forced the Senate to waste days on useless procedural votes getting there. Take the Ambassador to Japan we considered last week. Democrats voted with Republicans to confirm him 86 to 12. Yet they still forced unnecessary procedural hurdles all along the way. Perhaps the most egregious example of this was the noncontroversial judicial nominee from Idaho we considered just last week. Like the nominee before us, the committee of jurisdiction reported out his nomination on a voice vote. Yet, also like the nominee before us, Democrats threw up unnecessary procedural hurdles on his nomination. When we took the vote to end debate on the judicial nominee from Idaho, they all joined with us--every single one of them--to say that debate on his nomination was not necessary and then insisted on 2 more days of ``nondebate'' before voting with us to confirm him 100 to 0.

So it doesn't really matter whether the nominee has been nominated to serve in the judiciary or work as an Ambassador or serve in the Treasury Department or head an intelligence agency or sit on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Democrats have

shown time and time again they are willing to force needless procedural votes on nominees they actually support in order to waste the Senate's time--and presumably with the simultaneous goal of impeding the President's ability to make almost any appointments at all. If this trend continues, it will take us more than 11 years to confirm the remaining Presidential appointments. Let me repeat that. More than 11 years. A Presidential term lasts 4 years.

The level of obstruction exhibited by Senate Democrats on these nominees is simply breathtaking. It is often leaving key Departments without the senior leadership needed to guide our country through the various challenges we face. It needs to stop.

The Senate needs to confirm Mr. Shanahan quickly, and we need to do that for the sake of our national security. And our colleagues need to stop this immediately, for the sake of the country.

Mr. President, ObamaCare has been hurting the people we represent for many years now. That is why the Senate has been working hard to move beyond its failures. Costs were supposed to go down under ObamaCare, but they skyrocketed. Premiums have already increased by an average of more than 100 percent on the Federal exchange. Next year, they could rise by as much as 50 percent or more in States as diverse as Georgia, New Mexico, and Maryland.

Look, we need to tackle this problem. The revised discussion draft we released last week contains many different reforms designed to make insurance more affordable and more flexible so it is something Americans actually want to buy. It gives Americans more choices for managing their care. It also takes aim at ObamaCare's taxes that target the middle class and drive up premiums--taxes on everything from health insurance to over-the-counter medication.

Choice was supposed to go up under ObamaCare, but of course it plummeted. Americans living in 70 percent of counties have little to no options for ObamaCare insurance today. Next year, nearly 40 percent fewer insurers have filed to offer plans. Many Americans face the real possibility of having no options at all and could find themselves trapped, forced by law to purchase ObamaCare insurance but left by ObamaCare without any means to do so.

We need to tackle this problem. The revised discussion draft is designed to stabilize the collapsing insurance markets and encourage more insurers to participate. It will transfer many healthcare decisions away from Washington bureaucrats and politicians and put them back with Americans and their doctors. It will also give Americans the freedom to decide their own healthcare, allowing them to purchase the insurance they actually want, rather than just forcing Americans to buy what ObamaCare is selling.

There are other healthcare problems that need to be tackled as well. We need to strengthen Medicaid, for instance, so it can deliver better care at a better cost today and remain available to future generations tomorrow.

Our legislation contains important reforms to move our country forward in all of these areas. These are the kinds of reforms Americans deserve--not the status quo of ObamaCare, not a multibillion-dollar bandaid, not a piling on of even more ObamaCare, but real, patient- centered reforms that can finally move us beyond the pain of this law. The only way we will get there is with continued hard work. That is just what we intend to do.

Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk due for a second reading.

In order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to further proceedings.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 170, John Kenneth Bush.

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

Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 100, David Bernhardt.

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

I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls with respect to the cloture motions be waived.

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 at 12 noon on Tuesday, July 18, there be 15 minutes of postcloture debate, equally divided in the usual form, on the Shanahan nomination; that following the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate vote on the nomination; and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate immediately resume consideration of the Bush nomination.

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 remember David Duff, a well-respected coal operator from Perry County, KY. David passed away on July 3 in Snowmass, CO, at the age of 67. He will be remembered by many for his kindness and generosity, especially toward the elderly, children, and our Nation's veterans.

David owned Pine Branch Coal Company, employing hundreds of miners in eastern Kentucky and serving as a leader in the industry. He was dearly loved by many in his community, as was shown by the many signs posted along the road leading to his home in the days after his passing.

Elaine and I send our condolences to David's wife, Susan, their children Lori and Ryan, their grandchildren, and all of their family and friends. We hope that their memories of David will help them through this time of grief.

Mr. President, today I wish to congratulate my friend Chip Hutcheson, publisher of the Times Leader in Princeton, KY, on his retirement after more than four decades in the newspaper business. Throughout Chip's long career, he was the quintessential community journalist who saw, as one colleague noted, ``the newspaper as both a champion for and a guardian of the community.'' When he retired at the end of June, Chip was named the recipient of the National Newspaper Association's James O. Amos Award. He was only the second Kentuckian to ever win what is known as one of the two ``highest and most distinguished tributes in community journalism.''

Chip's relationship with the Princeton-based paper began at only 10 months old when his parents purchased the then-Princeton Leader and began to instill in him a love of the trade. Beginning at the age of 8, Chip spent time at the paper, watching his parents work. In junior high, Chip joined the team to proofread a section of the paper before it was sent to the printer. Later, he proudly wrote that, ``Newspaper ink runs in my veins.'' During high school and college, Chip honed his skills writing for local and campus papers. After graduation, he entered the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam. When he returned, Chip went back to his trade and began a decades-long career of journalistic excellence.

Chip became the publisher of the Princeton Leader upon his parents' retirement in 1976. As local papers merged, Chip became the publisher of the Times Leader in 1992, continuing his family legacy. Chip admitted that his columns may have been a little ``old school,'' but he proudly followed the tradition set by his father and his other role models of local community journalism. He used his writings to give readers an inside look into the lives of his family and community.

Although his efforts were always dedicated to readers in western Kentucky, Chip was recognized across the Commonwealth and the Nation for his outstanding work. He served on the board of directors of the Kentucky Press Association, including 1 year as its president in 2010. The Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame inducted Chip into its elite ranks in 2012, in recognition of his distinguished career of leadership and service. More recently, Chip served as president of the National Newspaper Association.

Chip has also been a great advocate for families seeking to adopt children internationally. With his wife, Karen, and grandchildren, Lemlem and Kashiku, Chip came to my office several years ago asking for relief from the many regulatory burdens in the

adoption process. I was thankful to know of the Hutcheson family's story. By working with my colleagues in the Senate, we passed the bipartisan Accuracy for Adoptees Act, which was then signed into law. Thanks in large part to the efforts of Chip and Karen, more families across the country are able to more easily navigate the rewarding yet often difficult process of bringing a child into a loving home through adoption.

Chip's unwavering dedication to his work and his community left a mark on the readers of Caldwell County. His writings not only brought the news, but he also served as a voice for people in his community by expressing the beauty and joy of western Kentucky life. After decades of hard work, Chip has earned his retirement. Along with his readers, I will miss his observations about life and current events. I would like to join with the Princeton community and all of the supporters of the Times Leader who congratulate Chip on his retirement and wish his family many relaxing and enjoyable years together. Further, I would like to ask my colleagues in the Senate to join me in commemorating Chip Hutcheson on a distinguished career in community journalism.