Floor Statements

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, I have eight 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 commerce, science, and transportation

The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to hold a meeting during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at 10 a.m. in room 106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, entitled ``Connecting America: Improving Access to Infrastructure for Communities Across the Country.''

committee on environment and public works

The Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at 10:30 a.m., in room 406 of the Dirksen Senate office building, to conduct a hearing entitled, ``Flood Control Infrastructure: Safety Questions Raised by Current Events.''

committee on finance

The Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at 10:30 a.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to consider nomination.

committee on the judiciary

The Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 1, 2017, following the first vote on the Senate Floor, in the Capitol, to conduct an executive business meeting.

committee on homeland security

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Effects of Border Insecurity and Lax Immigration Enforcement on American Communities.''

committee on veterans' affairs

The Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at 10 a.m., in room SD-G50 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a legislative presentation of The American Legion.

committee on veterans' affairs

The Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at 2 p.m., in room SD-G50 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a legislative presentation of Veterans of Foreign Wars.

subcommittee on emerging threats and capabilities

The Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at 10:15 a.m., in closed session, to receive testimony on Global Counterterrorism.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 77, 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 ask unanimous consent that following leader remarks on Thursday, March 2, there be 20 minutes of debate, equally divided, prior to the confirmation vote on Executive Calendar No. 5, the nomination of Ben Carson to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, followed by up to 10 minutes of debate, equally divided, prior to the cloture vote on Executive Calendar No. 9, the nomination of Rick Perry to be Secretary of Energy, and if cloture is invoked, time be counted as if invoked at 7 a.m. that day.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m., Thursday, March 2; 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, and morning business be closed; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Carson nomination as under the previous order.

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, the past 8 years have not been easy for America's middle class. Americans labored under an economy that failed to deliver. They have fought against redtape that threatened their jobs and small businesses. When they looked at Washington, they saw an administration that repeatedly put its leftwing ideology ahead of middle-class interests.

Kentuckians understand this better than most. They watched as the last administration launched a war on vulnerable families in coal country. They watched as the last administration launched a direct attack on the middle class in the form of ObamaCare.

Kentuckians were promised that health insurance premiums would go down, but they soared by as much as 47 percent just this year. Kentuckians were promised that health choices would increase, but they plummeted down to just one exchange provider in nearly half of our counties. Kentuckians were also promised they could keep their health plans, but many continued to find themselves forced into insurance so expensive, insurance that so few of their doctors will accept, it is basically useless.

ObamaCare has pushed Kentucky's insurance market to the brink of collapse, and now Democrats want to throw a victory party. I am not sure how else to interpret their choice to respond to the President's address tonight.

The absolute ObamaCare disaster that Governor Beshear presided over continues to harm Kentucky today, even after he has left office. Kentuckians have since repudiated that legacy in election after election. They replaced him with an anti-ObamaCare Governor and legislature. They voted for a President who listened to them and promised to repeal and replace ObamaCare. They sent Republicans back to the Senate and House who listened to them and promised to repeal and replace this partisan law as well.

Former Kentucky Governor Beshear was correct to note that ``the American people by their votes don't agree with [Democrats].'' So maybe he will agree it is time to finally listen to Kentuckians and families around the country and move on from this disastrous law.

What I am talking about here is, he is doing the response tonight. The former Governor of Kentucky is the poster child for ObamaCare and doing the response to the President tonight. We are going to move forward. I hope that is the message Governor Beshear can find within himself to deliver tonight, but I will not hold my breath. I am sure it is a message President Trump will deliver, however.

In November, the American people elected a new President who offered a new direction. He will now have an opportunity to talk about how we can make that change. We already know what needs to be done. We need to leave ObamaCare in the past and replace it with commonsense reform so we can bring relief to the middle class.

We need to make regulations smarter so we can get the economy moving. We need to make taxes simpler so we can create more jobs. I look forward to hearing what the President has to say on all of these matters.

I also hope he will provide more thoughts on how we can help our veterans and strengthen our military. Getting even one of these items achieved would be a win for our country. Getting all of them done would be a significant undertaking.

Congress may hold the key to getting many things done, but the executive branch has important authority as well. The President and his Cabinet Secretaries have already taken critical action to move us forward on many of these issues. It is another reason the rest of his Cabinet needs to be confirmed as soon as possible. The Senate is working hard to get that done.

The Senate is also working hard to confirm another of his nominees, an outstanding jurist named Neil Gorsuch. He is going to make an exceptional Supreme Court Justice. It is a sentiment

you hear expressed right across the political spectrum. The President made a brilliant choice with Judge Gorsuch.

We are all looking forward to what the President has to say tonight. It is a big moment for him. More importantly, it is a big moment for our country. Americans are ready to move forward. They are ready to get our economy moving. They are ready to leave the failures of the status quo behind, such as ObamaCare, and move toward a more hopeful future. After 8 long years, believe me, it is something we can all use.

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 Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that S. 90, the Red River Gradient Boundary Survey Act, be discharged from the Committee on the Judiciary and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 8, S. Res. 62.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of and the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 35.

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.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 73, submitted earlier today.

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 following leader remarks on Wednesday, March 1, there be 20 minutes of debate, equally divided, prior to the confirmation vote on Executive Calendar No. 8, Ryan Zinke to be Secretary of the Interior, followed by up to 10 minutes of debate, equally divided, prior to the cloture vote on Executive Calendar No. 5, the nomination of Ben Carson to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and if cloture is invoked, time be counted as if invoked at 1 a.m. that day.