Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to my personal friend, Mr. Jim Host. Jim is a native of Ashland, KY, and has spent his life dedicated to business and public service within our home State. The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame recently announced that he will receive their award for Outstanding Contributor to Amateur Football--an honor that he is unquestionably deserving of and will add to his already extensive list of awards and accolades.

A standout high school baseball player, Mr. Host passed on a $25,000 offer to play professionally and instead accepted a scholarship to play at the University of Kentucky. Host would eventually play professional baseball, though only after he received his degree. As his career progressed, his time as a student athlete would never be too far from his thoughts.

In 1969, Host entered the world of politics, becoming the youngest member of Governor Louie B. Nunn's cabinet at the age of 29. Two years later, he was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor, though he lost in the general election. Never one to be deterred by defeat, he focused his attention squarely on a new venture--starting his own business.

Mr. Host had only $107 to his name when, in 1972, he started Jim Host and Associates in a small office above a barber shop in downtown Lexington. What he lacked in monetary assets, however, he made up for with an impressive arsenal of smarts and determination. With these tools he built Host Communications, and forever altered the landscape of college athletics.

The foundation of Host Communications was the right to broadcast Kentucky basketball games over the radio. In its early years, Jim Host's company was one of several entities that had this right. However, Host soon obtained the exclusive rights and expanded his broadcast to 117 radio stations in the State. In addition to his radio broadcast, Host bought a publishing company and printed programs for Kentucky basketball and football games.

He continued to grow his business around Kentucky athletics, and over time he created the first model of the consolidated multimedia rights companies we see today. By the time he sold Host Communications to IMG in 2007, Host provided the University of Kentucky, and over 20 other college athletic programs, with what he called the ``full-meal-deal''-- that is to say that TV deals, radio broadcasts, coaches' shows and their endorsements, publishing, signage, and sponsorship were all controlled by Host, and enabled the university to generate more revenue than was ever thought to be possible. Today, nearly every university with an athletics program follows this blueprint prepared by Jim Host.

Host also developed a close partnership with the NCAA and is credited with creating the organization's first corporate sponsorship program.

Now, at age 76, Jim hasn't slowed down at all. He still gets up at 4 a.m. every morning and is always quick to state that he ``can't sleep fast enough.''

As chairman of the Louisville Arena Authority, he was instrumental in the construction of the KFC Yum! Center as well as the subsequent surge of new business activity in the downtown area. Additionally, he currently serves as chairman of Volar Video.

By way of his grit, determination, and sheer smarts, Jim Host has seen immense success in his business and has effected an immeasurable impact on the Commonwealth of Kentucky and college athletics. I ask that my U.S. Senate colleagues join me in recognizing Jim Host and congratulating him for his latest award from the National Football Foundation.

The Lexington Herald-Leader recently published an article detailing Jim Host's latest award. I ask unanimous consent that the full article be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, last summer I said it felt as though the White House had hung a ``Gone Campaignin' '' sign outside the Oval Office. President Obama didn't seem the least bit interested in passing serious, bipartisan solutions for the middle class. It was all campaigning, all the time.

On the rarest of occasions when he did come to Congress, it was for internal campaign rallies with his party. Well, it has actually only gotten worse.

Since last summer he has barely picked up the phone and his bill- signing pen is literally starting to rust. Here is the reason: This summer the Democratic-controlled Senate seems to have put out a ``Gone Campaignin''' sign of its own. That is why the Democratic Senate has become a veritable graveyard of good ideas.

Most people assume the purpose of the Senate is to pass legislation to help the American people, but these days the Democrats who run the Senate seem to think their role is actually to just bury good legislation. They are more interested in pleasing their far left political patrons--patrons who appear to oppose everything that could actually help the American middle class.

Case in point: The Republican-led House of Representatives has already passed hundreds of pieces of legislation this Congress-- legislation introduced by Members of both parties, including dozens of jobs bills, that remain stuck here in the Senate. That means President Obama has not had to sign or veto them, and the Senate majority leader has been all too happy to protect him from choosing between helping the far-left fringe and the vast American middle. In other words, Senate Democrats are on a mission this summer to obstruct solutions for the middle class at every turn and to prevent almost any serious legislating from occurring at all--at all.

Over in the House the minority party has been offered more than 160 votes on their amendments since last July. Here in the Senate the Democratic leadership has blocked all but nine Republican rollcall votes.

And it is not just Republican amendments getting squashed either. The Democrats who run the Senate are so scared of legislating these days they are blocking virtually every amendment on both sides. It has gotten to the point where one House Democrat, a Congresswoman from Texas, has now had twice as many rollcall votes on amendments since last July--15--as the entire Senate Democratic caucus combined. One Member of the House in the minority party has had more votes than all of the Democratic Senators combined over the last year. Between the 55 Senate Democrats, they have had seven amendments in a year.

In other words, the majority leader is treating his one caucus even worse than he is treating us.

Even committee work can no longer escape the Democratic majority's political obsession. The majority shut down the committee process on important legislation that should have been and would have been bipartisan--bills about patents and appropriations.

This is the kind of stuff that makes Americans so very mad at Washington. I mean, how do we justify stifling the voices of so many Senators and the tens of millions of Americans they were sent here to represent? It is indefensible. It has gotten worse and worse under current Democratic leaders.

Of course, every now and then, when we push hard enough, we are able to force our Democratic friends to allow a few--a few--bipartisan ideas to go through, such as the job training and workforce development bill we expect to pass tomorrow. But, boy, that is the rare exception around here--a very rare exception. Instead, we usually just see the game playing on important issues.

On energy, Democratic leadership blocked every attempt to provide relief to blue collar families who have been bulldozed by the administration's elitist war on coal jobs. They will not help the millions of Americans who struggle every single day with high utility bills, and they will not allow a serious vote on shovel-ready projects such as the Keystone Pipeline, either. Senate Democrats have blocked just about every effort to move forward on these issues. In so doing the Democratic leadership actually embarrasses the handful of Democratic Senators who still call for action on energy and Keystone-- even veteran Members who chair committees. It just shows what little influence those Members actually have under the current Democratic leadership.

It all lays bare a very simple truth about today's Democratic Senate: If the far left hates it, it ain't happening.

That is true with health care too. The middle class is being plummeted by ObamaCare. A recent study showed that an average 27-year- old Kentuckian from Taylor County saw his premiums skyrocket by almost 60 percent this year. Constituents such as he are looking to Washington for leadership and for solutions, but Senate Democrats will not even allow sensible bipartisan health care solutions to come to a vote.

Instead, we just get more politics, such as the legislation we hear may be coming up later this week--a tactic designed by the Democratic campaign committee to make Americans forget--forget--that Democrats voted to raid Medicare--voted to raid Medicare--by $700 billion to fund new ObamaCare spending. Every Democrat in the Senate, on Christmas Eve, 2009, without exception, voted to take $700 billion out of Medicare to help fund ObamaCare.

Senate Democrats are actually trying to distract from their votes to raid Medicare by making it even harder to

save and strengthen Medicare. But Americans will not forget that the sponsors of the proposal were the very same people who voted to raid Medicare in the first place, through ObamaCare.

And they will not forget what happened last week either when Republicans advanced a series of bills aimed at increasing flexibility in the workplace and boosting upward mobility. We thought Democrats might want to work with us in a bipartisan manner to move these bills forward, but apparently the far left will not let them. Democratic leadership will not even consider legislation I have introduced that would help more moms and dads work from home while caring for young children. My bill aims to bring tax policy in line with what life is really like for working parents, and it would help young families save on child care costs too. But as I said, Senate Democrats have just gone campaigning.

For the Democratic leadership, helping the middle class seems to be far from priority one. But the middle class needs help right now, and the only way to offer working moms and struggling college graduates real solutions is to break through the Senate Democratic logjam.

There are two ways to accomplish that. Either our friends on the other side can get serious about working for the people who elected them or the people who elected them can make the decision for them.

Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Emergency Interstate Bridge Safety Fund Act, cosponsored by my friend and colleague from Kentucky, Senator Paul. This bill seeks to authorize additional funding for our Nation's critical transportation infrastructure through spending offsets provided by the repeal of the antiquated Davis-Bacon Act. Last year, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that over 10 years, repealing the Davis-Bacon Act would save the Federal Government some $13 billion.

Kentucky is home to a number of critical interstate bridges that are in need of replacement, including the Brent Spence Bridge in Northern Kentucky, the I-65 bridge in Louisville, and an I-69 bridge in Henderson. This bill seeks to create a fund to help advance these very types of interstate bridge projects without raising taxes, adding to the deficit, or by authorizing tolling. Federal funding saved through the repeal of the Davis-Bacon Act could be much better spent building a number of interstate bridges that are sorely needed in Kentucky and communities across America. I call on my Senate colleagues to support this measure to invest in our Nation's critical transportation infrastructure, on which American commerce depends.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Emergency Interstate Bridge Safety Fund Act, cosponsored by my friend and colleague from Kentucky, Senator Paul. This bill seeks to authorize additional funding for our Nation's critical transportation infrastructure through spending offsets provided by the repeal of the antiquated Davis-Bacon Act. Last year, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that over 10 years, repealing the Davis-Bacon Act would save the Federal Government some $13 billion.

Kentucky is home to a number of critical interstate bridges that are in need of replacement, including the Brent Spence Bridge in Northern Kentucky, the I-65 bridge in Louisville, and an I-69 bridge in Henderson. This bill seeks to create a fund to help advance these very types of interstate bridge projects without raising taxes, adding to the deficit, or by authorizing tolling. Federal funding saved through the repeal of the Davis-Bacon Act could be much better spent building a number of interstate bridges that are sorely needed in Kentucky and communities across America. I call on my Senate colleagues to support this measure to invest in our Nation's critical transportation infrastructure, on which American commerce depends.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, last night the Senate Deomocratic leadership pulled the Energy and Water bill from consideration for one reason: to protect the administration's new job-killing coal regulations. So once again Senate Democrats are preventing my commonsense procoal measure from moving forward. They have done the bidding of the administration instead of listening to constituents back home. Kentucky families, especially our coal families, continue to struggle under the Obama economy.

The Senate Democratic leadership's latest action is yet another example of the lengths they are willing to go to defend the Obama administration's regulatory agenda--an agenda Washington Democrats seem willing to protect at all costs, even when supposedly pro-energy Senate Democrats try to make us think otherwise.

Reserving the right to object, what I think I hear the majority leader saying is that any amendment offered by any Republican is controversial and thus must require 60 votes.

It was my hope we could get forward on this appropriations bill with a full and open amendment process and a reasonable number of amendments from both sides.

The only restrictions on amendments to this bill are those in the Standing Rules of the Senate, which create a requirement that the amendments deal with an appropriations matter or, if legislative in nature, have a defense of germaneness to one of the underlying House appropriations bills.

Chairman Mikulski has been determined to try to get us back to regular order in considering appropriations bills.

In 2011, just a couple of years ago, we considered this same appropriations package--the very one we are considering now under the regular order--and all Senators, Democrat and Republican, were treated fairly--just 3 years ago.

Today's Senate is a totally different place. The majority leader has blocked all but nine rollcall votes on Republican amendments since July of last year. That is about a year ago.

By contrast, during that same period, House Democrats got 153 amendments, rollcall votes, over that same period of time. That is in the House where you would think it would be hard for the minority to get amendments.

In fact, one Member of Congress, Sheila Jackson Lee from Houston, has had 15 amendments herself. Sheila Jackson Lee has had more votes over the past year than Senate Republicans. In fact, the House seems to have turned into the Senate and the Senate seems to have turned into the House.

The gag rule, as was pointed out by Senator Alexander and others this morning in an appropriations meeting, seems to now apply to committee meetings as well. So not only do we not get votes on the floor, we don't get votes in committee either.

They cancelled the scheduled markup on the Energy and Water bill, I assume out of concern that some Republican amendment might, my goodness, actually pass with Democratic support. So we are being shut out of amendments in committee as well as on the floor.

When do we start legislating again? What has happened to the Senate?

Therefore, I would ask unanimous consent that the proposed agreement by the majority leader be modified so that all amendments be considered under the regular order, Chairman Mikulski and Ranking Member Shelby, and move this bill across the floor in a bipartisan manner exactly as we did it on the very same bill back in 2011.

I object.

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

My friend the majority leader always reminds me he gets the last word, and I am sure he will have something to say further, but let me briefly say that during this same period, going back to last July, Senate Democrats have only had seven rollcall votes. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, in the minority in the House, has had 15 rollcall votes over the last year.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I know my friend from Tennessee is on the floor and would like to make a few observations. I would just very briefly make the following point ahead of him.

Another way of looking at the way the Senate is being run that affects Democratic Senators:

Democratic House Members from Oregon have had 12 rollcall votes on their amendments, but Oregon's Democratic Senator does not have any-- none. Democratic House Members from Virginia have gotten 11 rollcall votes on their amendments, but Virginia's two Democratic Senators have gotten none--zero. Democratic House Members from Colorado have gotten seven rollcall votes on their amendments, but the Democratic Senators from Colorado have gotten none--zero. Democratic House Members from California have gotten 37 rollcall votes on their amendments, but California's Democratic Senators have gotten none--zero.

So that is the condition of the Senate today. It is not just affecting the Republican minority, but the Democratic majority as well.

I see Senator Alexander is on the floor. I yield the floor.

For 5\1/2\ years the Obama administration and its allies in Congress have sought cover for their disastrous economic agenda with routine broadsides against an endless procession of straw men. It is hard to recall a single speech from a Democratic leader in Washington that didn't involve some spirited defense of a principle nobody ever challenged or some attack on a villain that doesn't exist. Instead of working with us on ideas that would actually do something to alleviate the concerns and anxieties of the middle class, these Democratic leaders have been blissfully content to play politics year after year after year.

Instead of delivering relief, they have delivered a steady diet of bad political theater day in and day out with the same ridiculous and predictable moral every single time: Democrats care. So vote for them and all will be well.

If you haven't noticed, all is not well for working families in this country. Four years after administration officials trumpeted ``recovery summer'' in June 2010, working men and women in this country are more anxious about work and family and the high cost of living--and that is to say nothing of the millions who can't find work at all.

The White House knows all of this, and that is why they are planning to hold a summit on the topic next week. They want everyone to think they are on the case, that they have a plan, but what they don't seem to realize is nobody believes them anymore and that folks have moved on.

The sad truth is most of the folks I have talked to are convinced government is working against them, not for them. I don't blame them. Whether it is frustration over an absurdly complicated Tax Code that drains people of their time and energy or just a general sense that government programs are rigged to help the well-off and well-connected, an increasing number of our constituents don't even think government is capable--let alone interested--in making their lives any easier these days. It is a shame because while the Obama administration has been playing politics, Republicans have been quietly assembling a lot of good ideas to help Americans deal with the stresses of a modern economy.

All of these ideas are consistent with our party's longstanding commitment to the principles of upward mobility, shared responsibility for the weak, and a strong but limited central government. Every single one of them deserves a vote.

For my part, I have pressed for legislation that addresses a variety of concerns of the people in my State. The Family Friendly and Workplace Flexibility Act, which I introduced with Senator Ayotte, would enable working mothers to enter into a voluntary agreement with their employers whereby they could bank overtime compensation in the form of time off with their families. It would give families the choice, not just the employer.

Another bill I will introduce today will fix a flaw in the Tax Code so men or women who work at home are not prevented from claiming a deduction for a home office if that office includes a baby crib so they can take care of their child while working. The Working Parents Home Office Act would not only help parents save on childcare costs, it would help increase their earning potential by incentivizing them to create new income streams from home.

For parents worried about failing schools for their children, Senator Kirk introduced the Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act--a bill that would provide more and better educational choices and some much needed compensation for teachers unions that too often put their own interests above those of our children.

Then there is the National Right to Work Act, a bill I cosponsored with Senator Paul, which will eliminate a Federal rule that requires employees of certain companies to join a union or pay union dues whether they want to or not. Lifting this rule would vastly increase job opportunities in my State for women and men who want to work but can't find it, especially in the area of manufacturing.

The senior Senator from Maine has a proposal that would repeal a senseless provision in ObamaCare that is incentivizing employers all across the country to limit their employees to 30 hours a week.

The junior Senator from Nebraska has a bill--the Workplace Advancement Act--that would further equip women in the workplace with the knowledge and tools they need to fight employer discrimination.

The junior Senator from Florida has a bill--the RAISE Act--that would amend the National Labor Relations Act to allow employers to give merit-based pay increases to employees who are currently prohibited from receiving them because of outdated labor rules, and the junior Senator from Utah has a number of good proposals in a variety of areas.

These are just a few of the very good ideas that Members of my conference have put together to address the concerns and anxieties of working men and women whose wages have remained stubbornly flat during the Obama years, even as the cost of everything from college tuition to health care continues to soar. There are many others, including bills passed by the House that the Democratic majority in the Senate continues to block.

I am very proud of the work so many of my colleagues have done in putting all this legislation together. This morning some of us will present a number of these ideas at a press conference to draw attention to the urgent needs of our constituents and the short-sightedness of the majority leader in blocking our ideas to address them. Every one of these Republican ideas is meant to address some common concern of working families in our country, but none of them ever get a vote because it would not fit the story line Washington Democrats are peddling.

Apparently Senate Democrats would rather people didn't know Republicans have been working overtime behind the scenes to make their lives easier or paychecks bigger for working moms and recent college graduates. They would rather people didn't even know about these or dozens of other ideas we have that are aimed at making life a little easier for middle-class Americans, because if they did, they might realize there is an entirely different approach to the problems that have been plaguing this economy for years now and choose it over theirs.

What Republicans have been saying is that there are a number of things we can do right now to help folks deal with the pressures they face every day in this economy. We have been talking about these ideas for years, and we will be talking about them later today because 5\1/2\ years into the Obama economy Americans are eager for some fresh thinking. They are tired of the same old big government solutions that only make life harder and more complicated. They are tired of a Democratically controlled Senate that will not allow a debate or a vote on any of our better proposals.

Most of our constituents are thinking about long commutes, shrinking budgets, obscenely high tuition and health care bills. They think about how nice it would be to have some more flexibility at work. They are frustrated with a Tax Code that seems to punish their efforts to make a little bit more money for their family, and they are not getting anything from the White House but empty rhetoric and more of the same.

Today Republicans are reminding people there is another way. While Democrats have been plotting ways to hold on to their majority, we have been listening to the concerns and anxieties of our constituents and figuring out new, creative ways to address them.

It is long past time we had a real debate in this country, instead of the false choice Democrats constantly present to the public between their own failed ideas and some political villain that doesn't exist. It is time Americans saw the real choice before them, and once they do, I think the choice will be an easy one.

Mr. President, this morning I wish to commemorate the life and service of a brave U.S. marine from Paducah, KY, MSgt Aaron C. Torian. This highly accomplished marine was tragically killed on February 15, 2014, from injuries sustained during combat training operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He was 36 years old.

For his service in uniform, Master Sergeant Torian received many medals, awards, and decorations--including the Purple Heart, the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon with Gold Star, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with three stars, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal.

When he was 28, Master Sergeant Torian was named the Second Marine Division's Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. It is a high honor. This distinction recognizes marines who excel in physical fitness, leadership skills, and tactical and technical proficiency. Receiving it made Aaron a role model for hundreds of NCOs in the Second Marine Division.

At the time he won the award, he simply said:

I had to step up. I just figured that this is what I'd

joined the Marine Corps to do, and so I always did it 100

percent.

``His work ethic was remarkable,'' says Aaron's mother Esta Smith. She said:

He was a warrior as a marine. . . . He ultimately gave

everything for his country and he never put himself anything

but last. He gave everything because he loved his country.

Born in 1977, Aaron was a native of Paducah and grew up in the region before his family moved to Maryland. Aaron graduated from Thomas Stone High School in Waldorf, MD, where he was a star athlete in baseball and football. He was awarded a football scholarship to the University of Tennessee at Martin, where he graduated in 2001. Aaron then went on to earn a master's degree in instructional leadership at Tennessee Tech in 2003.

Aaron's time at Tennessee Tech was notable for a few other reasons besides his degree. He worked as a graduate assistant football coach, and he also met the woman who would become his wife, Jurley Pomeroy. Together the couple had three children.

``He was a great dad and always everything his children needed him to be,'' says his wife Jurley. ``When he got off the plane, being the best dad and best husband was his number-one priority.''

Aaron joined the Marine Corps in 2003 and promoted to Master Sergeant in September of 2013. In addition to being a wonderful father and husband and an exemplary marine, he was a faithful member of College Acres Baptist Church in Wilmington, NC. He was a community volunteer for his local college baseball grounds crew and also at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church annual Greek festival.

Aaron's mother said:

Aaron held on to the thing he believed in: faith, love, and

freedom. . . . The conversation was always about how blessed

he felt and how he thanked God for his beautiful family.

Humility was the definition of Aaron.

Aaron's final deployment was his sixth in total. He served two tours in Iraq and four in Afghanistan. At the time of his final deployment, he was assigned to the Second Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Special Operations Regiment, U.S. Marine

Corps Forces Special Operations Command based out of Camp Lejeune, NC.

In late February of this year, Master Sergeant Torian was laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Just last month at the Memorial Day ceremonies in Aaron's native McCracken County, KY, county officials unveiled a commemorative street sign for MSgt Aaron C. Torian. For 1 year it will be displayed in front of the county courthouse and then placed permanently at a location of his family members' choosing.

``Thank God for the blessing and honor of allowing me to be your mom,'' says Aaron's mother Esta. ``Semper Fi--always faithful. My son, you are a true American hero.''

We are thinking of Aaron's family today as I share his story with my Senate colleagues, including his wife Jurley, his children Elijah, Laura Bella, and Avery, his mother and stepfather Esta and Jim Smith, his father Joe Torian, and many other beloved family members and friends.

I want the family of MSgt Aaron C. Torian to know that just as his life of dedication and service is recognized at the McCracken County Courthouse and in the hallowed shrine of Arlington, so too it is recognized in the Senate.

I know all of my colleagues join me in solemn reverence and gratitude for this brave young man's willingness to pledge everything for our country. We honor his supreme sacrifice on behalf of all Americans.

Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Maryland for her additional comments about this wonderful young man.

Mr. President, it is with great grief and a heavy heart that I report to my fellow Senators the passing of Mrs. Nelda Barton-Collings. A native of my home State, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Nelda was an accomplished businesswoman, a dedicated public servant, and a joy to all of those who have had the pleasure of knowing her. She died in her home last Friday at the age of 85.

Nelda was born and raised in Providence, KY, and she graduated from college just a few counties over at Western Kentucky University. After graduation she began what was to be a successful career in business. Among her many achievements, she expanded her family's nursing home business by opening new homes across the State and founded several community banks that were eventually consolidated into the Lexington- based Forcht Bank.

Nelda's pursuits were not limited to business ventures, however. She exhibited a passion for public service and was heavily involved in the Republican Party throughout her life. She was the first woman to chair the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, and she served for 28 years as Kentucky's Republican National Committeewoman. She worked tirelessly to better the lives of her fellow Kentuckians--a quality that elevated her to the national stage. In 1980, she spoke at the Republican National Convention, and in 1996, she called to order that year's convention.

Word of Nelda's dedication to public service reached all the way to the Oval Office, and she was appointed to the Federal Council on Aging and the Council for International Affairs during President Ronald Reagan's administration, as well as President George H.W. Bush's Council on Rural America.

At this time, I ask that my U.S. Senate colleagues join me in paying tribute to the wonderful life of Nelda Barton-Collings. She will be deeply missed.

The Lexington Herald-Leader recently published an obituary for Mrs. Barton-Collings. I ask unanimous consent that the full article be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, the world is learning of the profound challenge facing our Nation as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant sweeps across Iraq. We hear the names of former battlefields in Iraq and remember the hard-fought gains in places such as Fallujah and Al Qaim and Ramadi.

Just as many Members had not heard of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula before a terrorist attempted to detonate an explosive device on an airliner over Detroit in 2009, they are now learning of ISIL, a vicious terrorist organization that operates across portions of Syria and Iraq. Like AQAP, ISIL consists of an insurgency that threatens stability in the region where it trains and fights, and that presents a terrorist threat to the United States.

The Iraqi security forces that were cowed in the face of ISIL advances are now less capable than when the President withdrew the entirety of our force without successfully negotiating a capable remaining U.S. presence. Such a force would have preserved the gains made on the ground by mentoring our partners and assisting with command and control and intelligence sharing. Now we must grapple with how best to help Iraq meet this threat.

ISIL is a lethal, violent terrorist force, and its activities in Syria and Iraq represent a grave threat to U.S. interests. The administration must act

quickly to provide assistance to the Maliki government before every gain made by the U.S. and allied troops is lost and before ISIL expands its sanctuary from which it can eventually threaten the United States.

Several weeks ago the President spoke at West Point, and in that speech he vaguely described a new counterterrorism strategy that he said ``matches this diffuse threat'' by ``expand[ing] our reach without sending forces that stretch our military too thin, or [that] stir up local resentments.'' He said that ``we need partners to fight terrorists alongside of us.''

The President must quickly provide us with a strategy and plan that address the threat posed by the insurgency and the terrorist capabilities of ISIL, and he must explain that new strategy.

Mr. President, when the IRS targeting of conservative groups came to light after the last Presidential election, just about everyone denounced the agency's Nixonian tactics. Members of both parties--from the President on down--called it outrageous and inexcusable and just about everyone agreed no stone should be left unturned in figuring out how it happened in the first place.

Well, that was more than a year ago, and despite the President's assurances that he was as mad as everybody else, his administration has been anything but cooperative in the time that has elapsed since then. Instead of working with Congress to get to the bottom of what happened, the President's allies actually went in the opposite direction. They tried to slip a regulation by the American people that would have effectively enshrined the IRS's speech suppression tactics--the kind of tactics at the center of the IRS scandal--as permanent agency practice. It was a brazen move on the administration's part, and administration officials only backed down after Americans rose up and demanded that the IRS get out of the speech suppression business for good. Even some of our friends on the pro-First Amendment left--a dwindling constituency in recent years--joined us in condemning it. But I doubt we have seen the last of the administration's antifree speech efforts.

We have seen a revival in recent weeks of a truly radical proposal to change the First Amendment. When it comes to the IRS scandal, it is now quite obvious we have not seen the last of the administration's stalling either. The latest claim by the IRS is that it somehow lost a full 2 years' worth of emails from the woman in charge of the IRS department at the center of the scandal. They lost 2 years' worth of emails. But Congress submitted a request for these emails over a year ago, and they are suddenly telling us now? The committees investigating the scandal need those emails in order to figure out who knew what and when and to determine whether any coordination was going on between the IRS and anyone outside the agency.

I will be interested to see what the IRS Commissioner has to say about all of this when he testifies next week. But please, let's get past the ``dog ate my homework'' excuses buried in a late Friday news dump. The President promised to work ``hand in hand'' with Congress on this matter so his administration needs to live up to that promise immediately.