Floor Statements

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, Senate committees have been working for many weeks to process President-Elect Trump's Cabinet nominations. I commend the committees and their staffs for their very hard work. Now we begin the next phase of this process with committee hearings. In fact, it just began this morning in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

I would like to say a word about our colleague from Alabama. Each of us knows Senator Sessions. We have worked with him. We know he cares about his country and the Department he will be tasked to lead. We know he is a forthright colleague, an experienced lawyer, and someone who believes strongly in the rule of law. We know that he will reach across the aisle as well.

He supported President Obama's first Attorney General nominee, Eric Holder. He worked with our late colleague Ted Kennedy on prison reform. He worked with our current colleague Senator Durbin on sentencing reform.

Senator Durbin, in fact, noted that Senator Sessions is ``a man of his word.'' Senator Leahy called him ``wonderful to work with.'' Senator Schumer, the Democratic leader, said he is ``straightforward and fair.''

Let me quote from a former Democratic Senate colleague who knows Senator Sessions after having served with him for 16 years:

I always found Jeff to be an honorable and trustworthy

person, a smart and good lawyer, and a thoughtful and open-

minded listener.

He then continued with this:

I believe that he will be a principled, fair, and capable

Attorney General. If I was in the Senate today, I would vote

``aye'' on his nomination.

That is the former Democratic candidate for Vice President of the United States, Senator Joe Lieberman.

But it is not just our Democratic colleagues who have praise for Senator Sessions. Let me read another letter from one of Senator Sessions' constituents in Alabama, Albert F. Turner, Jr. Here is what he had to say:

My family and I have literally been on the front line of

the fight for civil rights my whole life. I believe that

[Senator Sessions] is someone with whom I, and others in the

civil rights community, can work with if given the

opportunity. I believe that he will listen, as he has in the

past, to the concerns of my community. More than most I am

very familiar with him. I believe he will be fair in his

application of the law and the Constitution; as such I

support his nomination to be the next Attorney General of the

United States.

Now, a lot of unfair things have been said about our colleague from Alabama in recent weeks. I am glad he is finally getting the chance to show Americans and the committee the Senator Sessions we all know and serve with. I look forward to the Senate's fair treatment of our colleague's forthcoming nomination, just as it fairly processed an incoming President Obama's pick for Attorney General--a nominee, whom, as I noted, Senator Sessions supported.

So let me turn to a larger point. The nominations process for an incoming President is important. As President Obama recently said when he met with President-Elect Trump, the Presidency ``is bigger than any one person, and that's why ensuring a smooth transition is so important.''

I certainly agree. When President Obama was elected, Republicans worked across the aisle to confirm seven--seven--of his nominees on inauguration day and five more by the end of his first week. These nominees were hardly centrists. We had reservations about many of them. But Democrats had won the Presidency and the Senate, and we hadn't. I ask our friends across the aisle to now demonstrate the same courtesy and seriousness for President-Elect Trump's nominees, especially his national security team.

The Senate has a longstanding tradition of confirming the Cabinet nominees of a newly elected administration in a timely fashion, and the Senate and its committees are now following the same standard for President-Elect Trump and his nominees as we have for past Presidents.

I know some are urging Democrats to play partisan games and needless delay. I hope they will not. The American people will see through it, anyway.

Here is a perfect example. The Democratic leader has been quoting a letter I sent to then-Senator Harry Reid in 2009. He apparently missed the fact that the letter he has been quoting was not only sent after every one of President Obama's eligible nominees had hearings but after all but one had been confirmed. So it is actually an important reminder of how Republicans fairly treated incoming President Obama's Cabinet nominees and how Democrats should now do the same.

This is time for serious consideration and cooperation. Americans aren't looking for partisan games. We are a nation at war. We are a nation grappling with a slow economy. Americans want the incoming President to have his national and economic security teams in place to get to work. They want us to work together across the aisle to get this done.

That is what Republicans did in 2009, it is what we are doing now, and it is what we invite our Democratic friends to join us in getting accomplished.

Mr. President, families across the country have been hurt by ObamaCare's rising costs and limited choices, and we continue to hear the stories from constituents back home.

My own home State of Kentucky was once championed as a success story by ObamaCare supporters. That is hardly the case today. Too many Kentuckians are watching their insurance premiums grow higher and higher. They are struggling to meet deductibles so high that their insurance is almost useless. They are watching their friends and neighbors lose their plans or access to family doctors. They sit around the kitchen table and try to budget for their family's future. They know one thing for sure: The promises of ObamaCare have failed them.

ObamaCare promised lower costs, but premiums have skyrocketed. It promised families could keep their plans or doctors, but many have seen their options, in fact, limited. Kentuckians want to see lower costs, more choices, and better care. But after 7 long years of rising costs and diminishing options, ObamaCare has not delivered, and the people of Kentucky are demanding change. They have been loud and clear in their distaste for ObamaCare.

Like other Members here, I have received letters, emails, and phone calls. I have met with constituents directly who are feeling the pain of higher costs and fewer choices.

Consider this mom in Kentucky. She is facing a higher cost of health insurance, and she literally doesn't know what to do. Here is what she said:

My family is being pushed out of the middle class by the

ObamaCare law. How can we pay almost $1,200 a month on health

insurance?

Listen to this veteran and father from Louisville. After his plan was discontinued, he tried to buy insurance through ObamaCare, only to find that his children's pediatrician wouldn't accept it. This dad worries that unless something is done, he will be ``one of thousands of Kentuckians that will find that they do not have insurance options.''

I have heard from many constituents expressing similar frustration, disappointment, and anger about the outcomes of ObamaCare. They expected the law to deliver on its promises, but, instead, they paid more and received less.

This year the cost of insurance premiums in Kentucky spiked up to 47 percent. These price increases are a direct result of instability injected into the market by ObamaCare. Families across Kentucky are scrambling to find ways to fit the extra expenses into their budgets.

To make matters worse, the choices that families once had for health insurance continue to disappear. Nearly half of the counties in Kentucky only have one option for a health insurance provider on the exchange, and, when there is only one choice, there is really no choice at all.

For the people of Kentucky and for people across the country, repeal means relief. The time to act is now.

However, our friends on the other side of the aisle are doing everything they can to stop us from fulfilling our promise to help the American people. Instead of continuing to push their political agenda, I urge them to help us. I ask them to listen to the American people, who are demanding change. A recent Gallup poll showed that 8 out of 10 Americans wanted to see ObamaCare significantly changed--significantly changed--or completely replaced.

It is time to admit it. ObamaCare has failed. This partisan experiment is hurting more than it is helping. It is time to finally move past it and replace it with something that works. The repeal resolution is the first step to bring relief to hardworking Americans and to prevent health insurance markets from imploding. Next, we need to work together to replace ObamaCare with health care policies that actually work for families. Once we repeal ObamaCare, we can use the stable transition period to deliver on another promise.

I would encourage colleagues on both sides to offer their input as we work to lower costs, increase choices, and promote better care. But one thing is certain. Republicans will continue to follow through on our promises and act on behalf of our constituents to bring relief from ObamaCare.

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

Mr. President, earlier today I had a good conversation up in New York with President-Elect Trump about a number of pressing issues. We talked about the upcoming Senate agenda, the President- elect's nominees, and the way forward on repealing and replacing ObamaCare. As I told him, the Senate's focus this week will remain on the process to repeal ObamaCare and keep our commitment to the American people.

ObamaCare has been a flawed system from the start, and things have gotten progressively worse over the last 7 years. From skyrocketing premiums to dwindling insurers in the exchanges, ObamaCare has corroded insurance markets across the country to a point that is simply unsustainable. That is why we are taking action to bring relief to countless American families who have been hurt by ObamaCare. Unfortunately, there are some who will never accept the realities of this failed partisan law. They seem more interested in messaging exercises than replacing ObamaCare with real solutions to improve health care. Catchy slogans, expensive campaigns, or messaging amendments are not going to undo the damage ObamaCare has caused.

Our Nation cannot continue on this trajectory as ObamaCare continues to

unravel at every level, leaving Americans to pick up the pieces.

We may not be responsible for the damage of this law, but we are committed to bring relief nonetheless. We will continue working this week to pass the legislative tools necessary to begin clearing the way for repeal and then a different way forward that will lower costs and increase choices from where they are now.

There is no quick fix to undoing the damage created by this broken and complex law, and repeal is just the first step in that process, but the sooner we act, the sooner we can begin bringing relief to those who need it. Let us continue working to keep our promise to the American people by passing legislation that will help us finally move beyond ObamaCare's broken promises.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 7, submitted earlier today.

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 with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, these committee resolutions reflect the fact that Senator Blunt will remain chair and Senator Schumer will remain ranking member of the Rules Committee until the inaugural ceremonies have been completed.

It is my understanding that following the inauguration, Senator Shelby will become chair and Senator Klobuchar will become ranking member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to engage in a colloquy with the Democratic leader.

Mr. President, in the 112th Congress the Senate adopted a new funding allocation for Senate committees. This approach has served the Senate well for the past three Congresses. I believe this approach will continue to serve the interests of the Senate and the public, regardless of which party is in the majority, by helping to retain core committee staff with institutional knowledge. This funding allocation is based on the party division of the Senate, with 10 percent of the total majority and minority salary baseline going to the majority for administrative expenses. However, regardless of the party division of the Senate, the minority share of the majority and minority salary baseline will never be less than 40 percent, and the majority share will not exceed 60 percent. It is my intent that this approach will continue to serve the Senate for this Congress and future Congresses.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a joint leadership letter be printed in the Record.

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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 12:45 p.m., Friday, January 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; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the Senate stand in recess, to then proceed as a body to the Hall of the House of Representatives under the provisions of S. Con. Res. 2, for the counting of the electoral ballots; further, that upon dissolution of the joint session, the Senate stand adjourned until 2 p.m., Monday, January 9; 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 resume consideration of S. Con. Res. 3.

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, ObamaCare was sold to the American people with a lot of promises and a lot of fanfare--speech after speech, promise after promise, splashy PR campaigns, quirky YouTube videos.

But the American people never bought it, and the law never worked out the way it was promised. It opened up big problems and crashed computers on day one. Millions lost their health care plans and the doctors they were promised they could keep. Things only got worse from there. We have all gotten the calls and the letters. We have all seen the pain in our constituents' eyes. We all know how harmful this failed partisan experiment has been for those we represent.

We also understand our united mandate to do something about it.

The American people have hardly been subtle--hardly subtle--in their negative view of ObamaCare. That is borne out in the polling we have seen since the passage of this law 7 years ago. This past November, they again called out to Washington. Please help us, they said. Please get rid of this law that is hurting my family.

About eight in 10 favor changing ObamaCare significantly or replacing it altogether.

My message to the American people is this: We hear you. We hear you. We will act.

It is my sincere hope that Democrats will include themselves in that ``we.''

I hope they will help us bring relief to the American people today and better health care solutions going forward. We want their ideas. We want their input. We value their contributions in the construction of durable, lasting, and effective reforms.

While I am not the kind of guy who believes history takes sides, I know some of our Democratic friends are, and by now, they must surely have concluded that the ObamaCare-or-nothing crowd cannot be anywhere but on the wrong side of history. There is no future with that crowd.

These are the guys who say ObamaCare's innumerable, well documented, clearly apparent problems are just a case of bad PR. They tried to laugh them off, literally. They tried to blame Republicans, blame the media, blame the American people themselves. They have even taken to denying reality altogether.

They say that ObamaCare has been ``wonderful for America.'' They call its implementation ``fabulous.'' Just before the election, President Obama actually said this: ``The parade of horribles the Republicans have talked about haven't happened.'' He really said that. He went further: ``None of what they've said has happened.''

Really? So costs haven't gone up, then? Premiums just skyrocketed by double-digit increases--as high as 50 percent in some places. Deductibles have risen 10 times faster than inflation and nearly 6 times faster than paychecks.

So choice hasn't gone down then? Insurers are fleeing the exchanges, with more than half the country poised to soon have no more than one or two insurers to pick from. Americans are continuing to lose access to doctors and hospitals and health plans they like and were promised. Oh, they were promised they could keep those health care plans.

ObamaCare supporters may not like it, but these are simply the realities of this partisan law.

Now, you will notice they hardly talk about ObamaCare lowering costs or expanding choice anymore. They are down to just one or two talking points now, and even those are slipping away pretty fast. That is because, as Americans have unfortunately learned firsthand, having health insurance under ObamaCare is hardly the same thing as having health care. That is especially true for many who have been forced into Medicaid.

Let's just look at my home State as an example. Kentucky was once held up as a shining jewel of ObamaCare--well, no longer. ObamaCare predictably

has become a mess in Kentucky, just as it has across the Nation. That has proved a bit confounding to some of our friends over on the left.

The technical rate of the insured ticked up, they say. So why are so many Kentuckians upset? Why are they upset? Well, when you force Kentuckians into ObamaCare plans that many of their doctors won't accept, what did you think would happen? When you shoehorn folks with modest incomes into a plan with ever-growing premiums and deductibles so high they are afraid to get sick, what do you expect?

In fact, across the Nation, about 4 in 10 adults in ObamaCare aren't even sure they will be able to afford care if they really need it.

ObamaCare isn't truly solving problems or making our country healthier. It is a box-checking regime devoid of true compassion or empathy, a green-eyeshade exercise that misses something important--the lives of real people.

So ObamaCare is making things worse, and we now have a moral imperative to repeal and replace it--to bring relief to families now.

I hope every Member of this body will consider their role in that process because the pain Americans are experiencing is deeply personal. The betrayal middle-class families are feeling is clearly palpable, and, unless we do something soon, Americans will continue to lose their health plans. They will continue to get stuck with insurance that costs more and offers less. Costs will continue to rise unsustainably. Choices will continue to shrink uncontrollably. No amount of ObamaCare happy talk--no amount of it--or reality denial is going to change that.

Some will just never accept the facts, though. They will say we need only to tinker around the edges of ObamaCare. Everything will be fine. Others will try to claim that the failure of ObamaCare is a mandate for even more ObamaCare. They will claim that the solution is actually to move to the kind of fully government-run single-payer system that already collapsed in one of the most leftwing States in the Nation--the same system that 80 percent of voters just rejected in Colorado. Others will say we need only to install a massive new ObamaCare 2.0 system-- ObamaCare 2.0--one that is mostly government-run.

We heard a lot of this so-called ``public option'' talk when Democrats thought they were on track to take the Senate and the White House. It was never a serious solution--just another admission of ObamaCare's failure. In the words of one of our Democratic colleagues, it was a distraction as well. Of course, you can't fix ObamaCare by piling on more ObamaCare.

Now, I am sure that won't stop some from trying to convince us otherwise, but even amid the din, traces of reality continue to break through.

Consider what the Clintons said during the election. Former President Clinton called ObamaCare ``the craziest thing in the world.'' That is Bill Clinton.

Secretary Clinton said ``lots of Americans'' have insurance ``too expensive for them to actually use.'' That was the Democratic candidate for President of the United States.

The Democratic Governor of Minnesota said that ``the Affordable Care Act is no longer affordable for increasing numbers of people.''

So reality is beginning to break through. Despite his ObamaCare pep rally yesterday, even the law's namesake hasn't been immune to sporadic admissions of the obvious. President Obama recently admitted that ObamaCare has ``real problems,'' he has bemoaned the human impact of his law as ``premium increases'' and ``lack of competition and choice,'' and admitted that, 7 years after ObamaCare's passage--this is President Barack Obama of ObamaCare--``too many Americans still strain to pay for their physician visits and prescriptions, cover their deductibles, or pay their monthly insurance bills; struggle to navigate a complex, sometimes bewildering system, and remain uninsured.''

That pretty well sums it up. It is an indictment as damning as anything any Republican has said. It is something to keep in mind when you hear the predictable attacks from the far left.

Now, look, we already know their central contention is that Republicans somehow want to go back to the way things were before ObamaCare, which everyone, of course, knows is not true. It is an argument that conveniently leaves out the fact that things are now worse for many than they were before ObamaCare. That is not all we can expect to hear either. We will hear that repeal will cause insurers to flee the exchanges, which, by the way, news flash, is already happening. We will hear that repeal will plunge ObamaCare into a death spiral, which, they might have missed, is here already and fast approaching terminal velocity--the death spiral--right now.

We long warned that ObamaCare would eventually collapse under its own weight. That is exactly what is happening. Democrats chose to rip apart our health care system 7 years ago and give us the chaos we are seeing, and things will only continue to get worse unless we act now.

It is time to finally bring relief. The status quo is simply unsustainable. The reality is, that by any measure, ObamaCare has failed. It didn't deliver on its core promises. It hurt more than it helped. Many are finding they can't even use the insurance they now have.

History will record ObamaCare as a failed partisan experiment, an attack on the American middle class, a lesson to future generations about how not to legislate. Let's be clear. ObamaCare's failure is the fault of ObamaCare and those who forced it on our country, not the American people, not the Republicans. We didn't cause this problem, but we are now determined to provide relief. We are determined to live up to our promise to the American people and repeal this failed law.

Starting today, we will begin repairing the damage by passing the legislative tools necessary to repeal ObamaCare and begin to transition to more sensible health care solutions. We just laid down the ObamaCare repeal budget resolution this week. We will take it up soon, but repeal is only the first step. It clears the path for a replacement that costs less and works better than what we have now. Once repeal is enacted, there will be a stable transition period to a patient-centered health care system that gives Americans access to quality, affordable care.

We plan to take on this challenge in manageable pieces, not with another 2,700-page bill. That was one of ObamaCare's initial mistakes and one we do not intend to repeat. Some of our friends across the aisle have mused publicly about their role in this process. I hope they will work with us. We hardly need another tired slogan from Democratic colleagues--after all, how does that move us ahead--but we do want their ideas, and we do want to work together to improve our health care system. That is the best way forward. That is certainly the way I prefer.

I hope our Democratic colleagues will join us in taking an important step forward soon by confirming Tom Price as HHS Secretary and Seema Verma as CMS Administrator. Some of you may remember the ``redtape tower'' we used to wheel around here. It represented the fact that while the ObamaCare bill may have run about 2,700 pages, its regulations run to tens of thousands of pages. That is what Price and Verma can get to work on once confirmed, stabilizing the health care market and bringing relief.

It isn't going to be easy. It is going to take time. There will be bumps along the way, but we are going to do everything we can to heal the wounds of ObamaCare and move forward toward real care. We are going to move step-by-step. We want the widest possible coalition working to achieve real solutions for the people who are hurting and calling for our help.

Let's give them that help. Let's give them some hope. Let's leave ObamaCare in the past and work together instead on reforms and outcomes we can all be proud of.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, January 9, the Senate vote in relation to the Paul amendment No. 1; further, that the Senate vote in relation to the Sanders amendment No. 19 at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 10.

Mr. President, it is my understanding that we will have a side-by-side amendment to the Sanders amendment, and we will circulate that amendment as soon as possible.

Mr. President, 2 years ago the American people sent a new majority to the Senate. They called for a change in direction. They called for the Senate to get to work. So we got committees functioning again, we gave Members of both parties a say again, and we put the Senate back to work again and back on the side of the American people.

Because we did, we were able to get important things done with a President of a different party. We put an end to the number of Washington artificial cliffs and punts. We helped make our infrastructure stronger. We helped make our communities healthier and our country safer. We gave our children more opportunities to succeed in school, and we helped ensure that those who suffer exploitation and abuse--whether veterans or the victims of human trafficking--can know more of the justice, hope, and care they deserve.

I am proud of what we were able to achieve in a time of divided government, just as I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.

We now stand on the horizon of a new era. We seated a new Congress yesterday. We will inaugurate a new President later this month. The challenges ahead are great, and the work to come will be hard, but just as we heard the voices of the American people in 2014, we heard their message this last election as well. Americans called for change from the last 8 years and for hope, at long last. Each of us, regardless of party, has a mandate to help and to play a role.

The first way to begin realizing that hope, in my view, is to remove the things that are hurting families right now. The President-elect will have an important role to play there, especially in addressing overbearing, ideologically driven regulations.

Congress will have its role too. In terms of what we can do here most immediately, ObamaCare is at the top of the list. It is the very first item we will consider this session. We will continue to devote significant time to it as well.

I know some of our Democratic friends would prefer we didn't act-- that we just sit on our hands as premiums jump higher, as more Americans lose plans, and as others continue to struggle with insurance too costly to actually use. That is essentially the message the outgoing President came this morning to deliver. The incoming Vice President came this morning, too, and delivered an entirely different message.

But repeal is just the first step. We know it will take time to undo the damage of this partisan law. We want--and we will need--the contributions of all colleagues as we turn to the development of a lasting, durable reform.

The same is true of our economy. We know the economy over the last 8 years hasn't lived up to its potential--not for working people, not for small businesses, and certainly not for the next generation. We will have disagreements about the best way forward. That is entirely natural. But, if we look, we will continue to find areas of agreement too. There are important contributions for each of us to make. That is the lesson of the 114th Congress.

A more open Senate is a more empowering Senate, but it is also a more demanding Senate. It gives each of us more of a say in the development of legislation, just as it requires more of a responsibility in cooperating. In short, it gives the minority party a stake in governing and thus the obligations that come along with that.

I welcome our colleague from New York in his new role as Democratic leader. The role of leading a party is never easy. He has a tough job ahead of him. I respect him for that. While I know we will often disagree, I am also reminded of his words just before the election. ``We have a moral obligation,'' the Democratic leader said just before the election, ``even beyond the economy and politics, to avoid gridlock and get the country to work again.''

``We have to get things done,'' he said.

If that is our guiding principle, then I know we can make this session a success. It is what will allow us to get the appropriations process moving, for example. We can set the pace now by working toward a smooth nomination process.

I ask our Democratic friends to remember the consideration we showed President-Elect Obama's nominees in 2009. We approved seven--seven-- members of his Cabinet unanimously within hours of his inauguration. Seven nominees for President Obama's Cabinet were approved unanimously within hours of his inauguration.

Now, some nominations will be more contentious. I am sure that will be true, of course, of the Supreme Court. It has been clear throughout that the next President would name the next Supreme Court Justice. I maintained that position even when many thought a President of a different party would be taking the oath this month. Now the President who won the election will make the nomination, and the Senate that the American people just reelected will consider that nomination.

But not everything need become so contentious. We will have many opportunities to cooperate. I have mentioned several already. We will see many more in committee. Shortly, we hope to see an example of that in the Intelligence Committee, where Chairman Burr will lead Members of both parties in a serious, comprehensive, and responsible review of any Russian involvement in our elections. Leader Schumer will join the committee as an ex-officio member and will be able to review the reports of the intelligence community. The Armed Services Committee will review how best to tie our cyber capabilities to our warfighting doctrine.

It is just this type of issue--something both parties say is too important to become a partisan football--where we often see the hard work of legislating and oversight transcend party. We saw it last Congress when, for instance, Members of both parties came together--and held together--on highways, on efforts to cure incurable diseases, and on providing TPA authority to both the current President and the next one. I hope we will see similar cooperation on many issues to come.

The American people are watching us. They are hurting. They are calling for a change in direction. It is now our united responsibility to move forward with their needs and their priorities as our guide.

Let me again welcome every new Member of the Senate. I want again to congratulate the Democratic leader, and let me again acknowledge President-Elect Trump for an impressive victory. He heard the voices of Americans in every part of the country in ways others have not. He now carries a heavy burden.

We will work with him to help the American people feel confident again--confident in themselves and confident in their futures.

We look forward to the inauguration in just over 2 weeks. There is now much serious work to be done. I look forward to working with each of you to achieve it.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote on the motion to proceed to S. Con. Res. 3 occur following the remarks of Senator Schumer.