Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 92, S. 831.

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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, June 14; 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 resume consideration of S. 722 as under the previous order.

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.

Madam President, last week, the Senate voted on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis to advance the Iran sanctions bill currently before us, and we will take another vote today to proceed to that bill. I want to thank the chairs and ranking members of the Foreign Relations and Banking Committees--Chairman Corker, Chairman Crapo--for their efforts to craft additional, much-needed sanctions on Russia as well. I would encourage Members of both parties to keep working together so we can pass the critical Iran sanctions legislation very soon.

Madam President, 7 years ago, Senate Democrats and the Obama administration forced ObamaCare on the American people, but ObamaCare never actually lived up to what Democrats had promised. From rising costs to shrinking choices and collapsing markets, the problems associated with ObamaCare grew across the country as the years passed, leaving the American people to literally pick up the pieces.

ObamaCare's years-long legacy of failure will only get worse unless we act. Consider the latest examples of how it is threatening to hurt more Americans. In Washington State, people in two counties just learned they could have zero insurance options under ObamaCare plans next year. Thousands of Ohioans across 18 counties just found out they could also be left with absolutely zero choices under ObamaCare. Iowans could be left without a single major insurance option to choose from statewide as well. And in Nebraska, nearly 100,000 residents learned they could be left with just one insurance option on the ObamaCare exchanges next year or potentially none at all.

At the rate things are going, Americans living in nearly half of all counties could be left with just one or even zero insurance options under ObamaCare next year. Think about that. Millions of people in nearly half of all the counties across America are at risk of having no options or a single option of insurance plans because of ObamaCare.

Worse still, as choices continue to drop, premiums keep rising, often by double digits, meaning those lucky enough to have a choice under ObamaCare may not even be able to afford the plan they select. It is a fact underlined by reports released just this afternoon by the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services, or CMS. These reports show that hundreds of thousands of Americans who selected an ObamaCare plan ended up canceling their coverage after just a few weeks, and the most common reason they cited for doing so was because it was too expensive. Is it any wonder? As another groundbreaking report revealed last month, premiums have on average doubled--and in some cases even tripled--in the vast majority of States on the Federal exchange since ObamaCare's full enactment in 2013.

You would think the Democrats would want to work with us now to clean up the years-long mess they created. Instead, they are defending the status quo or trying to shift the blame for the failures of their own law--a law Democrats designed, a law Democrats forced on our country, a law Democrats defended year after year as it hurt Americans over and over. There is just no serious way to try to spin these years of ObamaCare failures at this late date.

It is also clear that the status quo is simply unsustainable and demands action. That is why Republican Senators have been working hard on solutions that could help rescue American families who have been hurt by this law's failures. Members will keep working this week because bringing relief from ObamaCare may not be easy, but it is necessary. We are going to keep working hard to get this done.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that morning business be closed.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 232.

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

I ask for the yeas and nays on the amendment.

Mr. President, I have a cloture motion at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call be waived.

Mr. President, I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that the nomination of Elizabeth Erin Walsh, of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service, sent to the Senate by the President, be referred jointly to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that following leader remarks on Tuesday, June 13, Senator Paul or his designee be recognized to make a motion to discharge S.J. Res. 42; that debate on the motion be equally divided between the proponents and opponents until 12:30 p.m.; that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. for the weekly conference meetings, and at 2:15 p.m. there be 10 minutes of debate remaining on the motion to discharge the resolution, equally divided between Senator Paul or his designee and the opponents; and that following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate vote in relation to the motion to discharge.

Mr. President, today I wish to remember Pamela Todd May, a dedicated attorney, a compassionate servant, and a respected community member. With her passing on May 14 of this year, Kentucky has lost an extraordinary woman.

Pam employed her talents to serve others. As the legal counsel for Pikeville Medical Center, PMC, for over 30 years, she strived to improve the quality of life for many in her community. Through her service as a trustee for the University of Kentucky, Pam guided an institution to prepare thousands of students for a lifetime of success. Her career also included service as an assistant Pike County attorney.

To her loyal staff and colleagues, Pam will be remembered not only for her skills, but also for her warmth. Although her family and community have lost an incredible woman, I hope their memories of her love will help to ease their grief. Elaine and I join with so many in eastern Kentucky and around the Commonwealth in expressing our heartfelt condolences to her husband, Walter, her children, Andrea and Philip, and all of her family and friends.

(At the request of Mr. Schumer, the following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record,)

Mr. President, I have two requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

committee on homeland security and governmental affairs

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Monday, June 12, 2017, at 5:30 p.m., for a business meeting.

committee in intelligence

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the 115th Congress of the U.S. Senate on Monday, June 12, 2017 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., in room SH-219 of the Hart Senate Office Building to hold a closed briefing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 190, submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, 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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Tuesday, June 13; 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, Senator Paul or his designee be recognized, as under the previous order.

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 understand there is a bill at the desk due for a second reading.

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

Mr. President, yesterday, Senators voted on an overwhelming bipartisan basis--91 to 8--to advance critical legislation granting the administration more of the policy tools it needs to hold Iran accountable for its actions. We must now keep working toward final passage. The bill makes clear that Congress recognizes that Iran's aggressive behavior and efforts to expand its revolution across the broader Middle East must be stopped.

Unfortunately, the Obama administration's desire to draw down our conventional military presence from the Persian Gulf and Iraq created the self-defeating imperative to avoid nation-state conflict at any cost, and they were reluctant to take any action that might upset the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action--in other words, the so-called Iran deal. They kept this hands-off approach even when Iran supported terrorism and Shia militias and even as they harassed U.S. ships at sea--actions that were not part of the nuclear program or the Iran deal.

Advancing this bill makes the logical point that our Nation needs a comprehensive strategy to deal with all areas of Iran's aggression. It will give the current administration more of the tools it needs to take a stronger approach than the previous administration. It includes new mandatory ballistic missile sanctions, new terrorism sanctions, and a mechanism to ensure better enforcement of the arms embargo. These sanctions represent another key measure we can take now to keep American families safer and to support our allies over in that region.

I want to again note the broad bipartisan support this legislation has already received and encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to continue working together so we can pass it.

On another matter, Mr. President, just this week, Ohioans learned that a major insurer will exit their State's ObamaCare exchanges next year, leaving thousands in at least 18 counties without a single option--not one; not a single option--

in the marketplace. The State's insurance department cites ObamaCare as the reason behind this troubling news, saying:

Before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Ohio had a very

competitive health insurance market. [But] new regulations

from [the] ACA have driven some companies out of Ohio and

made it harder for them to do business, both of which have

driven up the cost of health insurance in Ohio.

Forcing insurance options out of the marketplace, making it harder for people to find coverage, driving up costs of health insurance-- these are the results of ObamaCare in Ohio and across the country, and the pain is all too real for thousands of Americans like those the President visited with just yesterday.

As he addressed a crowd in Cincinnati, the President shared the story of a small business owner from Louisville--my hometown--who, as the President said, is just one of the ``many victims of the ObamaCare catastrophe'' forced on the American people. Before ObamaCare, this Kentuckian's employees had access to multiple options for high-quality, affordable healthcare. Now, under the failed healthcare law, these workers face premiums that are 150 percent higher, while having fewer choices. To make matters worse, health insurance under ObamaCare has become so unaffordable that he now has difficulty creating new jobs that would employ even more Kentuckians.

This Louisville man is not alone either. Just a couple of days ago, Dr. Tom Price, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, met with small business owners who have faced similar challenges because of ObamaCare, people like one Kentuckian from Richmond. Here is what this Kentuckian and founder of a CPA firm said of her experience with the failed healthcare law:

Of all the clients that we see, there's not one good story

about ObamaCare. And it's mostly without exception, horror

stories of what has happened to themselves and their own

employees.

She, like so many others, knows that the so-called Affordable Care Act has really been anything but affordable for too many small business owners and their employees.

These Kentuckians' stories provide just a glimpse into the disastrous impacts ObamaCare has had on Americans across the country. Although some may try to paint a different picture now, ObamaCare is responsible for the failures and the hurt it has created--not the American people, not those of us trying to help rescue families from this ill-advised law.

Since ObamaCare was fully enacted in 2013, premiums have increased by an average of 105 percent and millions of Americans have lost their plans. This year, people in just under three-quarters of counties nationally have only one or two choices on the ObamaCare exchanges, and the situation is likely to only get worse next year. That is why Senate Republicans believe we must act. That is why we are working to keep our commitment to the American people and finally provide relief from ObamaCare. This law has failed the American people, and the status quo is clearly unsustainable.

As Senate Republicans continue our conversations on a path forward, I hope our Democratic colleagues will finally put aside their last-ditch efforts to salvage this failing law that is hurting so many people in the States they represent. It is time to face reality, no matter how inconvenient it may be, and help those who are counting on relief from ObamaCare.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.