Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise this afternoon to urge my colleagues to oppose the confirmation of Matthew Kacsmaryk to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas.

I believe that every individual we consider for a lifetime appointment to serve on the Federal bench should have the demonstrated legal acumen and experience but also a commitment to ensuring fair treatment for anyone who might come before their court. With a troubling record of professional work and personal statements attacking lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, Mr. Kacsmaryk fails this test,

and the Senate must reject his nomination.

Mr. Kacsmaryk currently serves as deputy general counsel of First Liberty Institute, and in that role he has challenged the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, argued against marriage equality, supported schools in barring transgender students from using restrooms consistent with their gender identities, and opposed a State law requiring that pharmacies stock emergency contraception.

My colleagues may recall another nominee associated with this organization, Jeff Mateer, who was First Liberty's general counsel until 2016 and was nominated by President Trump for a judgeship in the Eastern District of Texas. Mateer's nomination was ultimately withdrawn in light of his public statements hostile to LGBTQ people, including that same-sex marriage is ``disgusting'' and transgender children are a part of ``Satan's plan.''

Mr. Kacsmaryk's statement and writings evince a similar hostility to LGBTQ people and to equality. He has repeatedly made claims that dismiss the reality of LGBTQ people's lives and experiences. For example, he wrote a 2015 piece entitled ``The Inequality Act: Weaponizing Same-Sex Marriage,'' in which he suggested that the movements for LGBTQ and reproductive rights are grounded in ``the lie that the human person is an autonomous blob of Silly Putty unconstrained by nature or biology, and that marriage, sexuality, gender identity, and even the unborn child must yield to the erotic desires of liberated adults.''

In a September 2015 radio interview, he argued that the movement for LGBTQ equality is part of a sexual revolution that ``has been typified by lawlessness and just a complete refusal to obey basic rule of law principles.''

He has also been particularly disparaging of transgender individuals. For example, in August of 2016, he signed on to a comment to the proposed rule implementing the Affordable Care Act's nondiscrimination provisions. Arguing against the proposal's protections for people based on gender identity, the commenters wrote that transgender people are suffering from a ``psychological condition in need of care'' and are ``not a category of persons in need of special legal protections.'' They further cite one psychiatrist's opinion--just one psychiatrist-- that a transgender person's understanding of who they are is ``appropriately described as a delusion.'' Furthermore, in an interview discussing that same rulemaking, Mr. Kacsmaryk characterized healthcare protections for transgender people as being ``on the Obama Administration's `bucket list' of aggressive sexual revolution items.''

Finally, Mr. Kacsmaryk has criticized efforts to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination, even those that have been supported by both faith groups and progressive organizations. In a September 2015 article about the adoption of Utah's nondiscrimination law, he called that effort ``a bad idea . . . primarily for the problem of the protected class. Once a protected class is defined to be equivalent to race, it takes on a much heavier atomic weight.''

These are not words and actions of an individual whom we can trust to serve as a neutral arbiter who will recognize the humanity and dignity of everyone who comes before him. We have heard from hundreds of diverse organizations that oppose his confirmation to a lifetime appointment to the Federal bench, but perhaps most importantly we have heard from dozens of parents of transgender children from all over the country. They write:

Hundreds of thousands of children and adolescents

throughout this country are transgender, like our kids. So

are well over a million adults. They deserve to be treated

with respect and dignity--and to trust that when they walk

into a courtroom they will be treated fairly. Confirming [Mr.

Kacsmaryk] as [a federal judge] would send a damaging and

dangerous message that the dignity of children like ours does

not count in the courts, or in the U.S. Senate.

I note that this is June. This is the month where we mark LGBTQ pride, celebrating the contributions of LGBTQ people and recognizing the work that remains to be done to ensure full and equal treatment for all people.

This Pride Month, I urge my colleagues to send a message to those children, their parents, the broader LGBTQ community, and the country that they do count--that they count, they matter, and we hear their voices. And please reject this nominee.

Thank you.

I yield back.

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

I rise today to once again speak about the ongoing threat in the Trump administration to the healthcare and guaranteed protections that millions of American families depend upon. President Trump has tried to pass through the Congress repeal plans that would take people's healthcare away and allow insurance companies to discriminate against people with preexisting health conditions or refuse to serve them at all.

When that legislative repeal effort failed in 2017, instead of working in a bipartisan way to lower healthcare costs and improve access to care for all Americans, President Trump turned to another tactic--sabotaging our healthcare system--and there are more Americans uninsured today than there were when he took office.

The Trump administration has even gone to court. They have gone to court to support a lawsuit that would overturn the Affordable Care Act, including its provisions that protect people with preexisting health conditions from discrimination. Just think about that. He is asking a court to strike down healthcare protections for Americans. If he succeeds, insurance companies will once again be able to deny coverage or charge much higher premiums

for the more than 130 million Americans who have some sort of preexisting health condition, including more than 2 million who live in the State of Wisconsin.

What is the President's plan to protect people with preexisting conditions? He doesn't have one. He never has. And I have to say that I doubt he ever will. In fact, this administration has expanded what I call junk insurance plans. These are insurance plans that can deny coverage to people with preexisting health conditions, and they don't have to cover basic and essential health services, like prescription drugs or emergency room visits or maternity care. Most of these junk plans don't cover those things.

When I spoke about this expansion of what I call junk insurance on the Senate floor 2 weeks ago, one of my Republican colleagues responded and claimed that these plans preserve preexisting conditions protections and essential health benefits. So today I wanted to clarify the record, and let's look at the fine print together.

One of the junk plans currently available in my home State of Wisconsin reads, ``This plan has a preexisting limitation provision that may prevent coverage from applying to medical conditions that existed prior to this plan's effective date.''

Another junk plan that is sold in Wisconsin states that the plan does not comply with the guaranteed essential benefits provided by the Affordable Care Act. To quote directly, the description reads: ``This coverage is not required to comply with certain federal market requirements for health insurance, principally those contained in the Affordable Care Act.'' The tiny fine print on this particular junk plan instructs individuals to check their coverage carefully to make sure they are ``aware of any exclusions or limitation regarding coverage of pre-existing conditions or health benefits (such as hospitalization, emergency services, maternity care, preventive care, prescription drugs, and mental health and substance use disorder services). Your certificate might also have lifetime and/or annual dollar limits on health benefits.''

The Affordable Care Act protects people against these insurance company abuses. Yet the expansion of these junk plans puts the power back in the hands of big insurance companies.

Let me be clear. American families do not want to go back to the days when health insurers could discriminate against people with preexisting health conditions, women, and seniors by denying them coverage or charging them higher premiums simply because they get sick.

As I have said in this Chamber many times, the people of Wisconsin want both parties in Congress to work together to make things better by making healthcare more affordable.

I have heard from several Wisconsinites who want to know why the President is working to repeal the Affordable Care Act and take away their protections by expanding these junk plans. They are frightened that if this sabotage of our health system continues, insurance companies will again be able to deny coverage or charge higher premiums for the more than 130 million Americans who have preexisting health conditions, again, including more than 2 million in my home State of Wisconsin.

I heard from Keri from Baraboo. Keri is a three-time cancer survivor--two breast cancer diagnoses and one melanoma. She experienced her first diagnosis at age 29. Now at age 61, Keri is able to get the healthcare she needs without being punished financially for having a preexisting condition. Keri is worried that if the Affordable Care Act is repealed, she could lose her health coverage or could be charged more because of her preexisting condition.

Another Wisconsinite, Keith in Brookfield, recently wrote in to my office about what healthcare means to him and his family. Keith and his son both have type 1 diabetes. Both of them have health insurance through the Affordable Care marketplace that allows them to afford the insulin, glucose test strips, and other medications they need. If the Affordable Care Act is repealed, Keith and his son likely would not even be eligible to purchase one of these junk insurance plans. They could be denied coverage entirely due to their preexisting condition.

We really need to act to stop this sabotage now. I want to protect the guaranteed healthcare protections that millions of Americans depend on. That is why I have introduced legislation, with my colleague, Senator Doug Jones of Alabama, to overturn the Trump administration's expansion of junk insurance plans, because we should be increasing access to affordable, high-quality healthcare options.

The entire Senate Democratic caucus supports this legislation, along with the two Independents who caucus with us. The Nation's top healthcare organizations, representing tens of thousands of the Nation's physicians, patients, medical students, and other health experts, support this legislation.

Anyone who says they support healthcare coverage for people with preexisting conditions should support this bill.

Mr. President, as in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the HELP Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 1556; that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; that the bill be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I am disappointed that my Republican colleagues have once again chosen to object to protecting people with preexisting conditions.

Senator, I would be happy to yield.

I would concur and say that the reason they have earned the nickname ``junk plans'' is because, frankly, some of them are hardly worth the paper they are written on.

First of all, they do not have to comply with some of the very important protections we included as part of the Affordable Care Act-- otherwise known as ObamaCare--especially to protect people who have been ill once before or have been injured once before, people who have a preexisting health condition, maybe a chronic condition that will require medical care throughout their lives.

In the old days, which apparently the Republican Senator wants to return to, there were all sorts of abuses, I would argue, that insurance companies could employ in order to limit their exposure, if you will. They had annual limits. They had lifetime limits. They had the capacity to drop somebody from coverage after an illness developed. They had the capacity to say: No, we are not going to offer you insurance. They certainly had the capacity to charge discriminatory premiums based on the preexisting condition. That causes great concern.

I just recently saw a report about how much a typical--put it this way: a woman with a breast cancer diagnosis who requires chemotherapy and radiation treatment and medication--how much she would be anticipated to spend out-of-pocket if she had a junk plan at the time that diagnosis was made. It was, on average, $40,000.

We also need to talk about another impact these junk plans have, and that is, if you think you have a really good chance of being healthy for the next year, and you decide ``This is a risk I can take,'' you are then fundamentally changing the structure of the marketplace for everyone else. You can anticipate that this is a choice healthier, maybe younger people will make, and it has a distorting impact on premiums in the marketplace. In fact, that is why these plans were curtailed under the previous administration. Now, this administration is greatly expanding these. They are no longer short term. They are long term, and a lot of harm will come.

I want to conclude and say that when we have an administration that first fought legislatively to repeal the Affordable Care Act and then acted administratively to undermine and sabotage the Affordable Care Act through all sorts of administrative Executive actions, including defunding the State navigators who helped people make wise selections for their insurance and also limiting the open enrollment period, and when we have an administration that has decided to go to court and asked the court to strike down a U.S. law in its entirety, we know there is sabotage going on.

I think the choice for the American people couldn't be clearer. We want to make things better, and the administration--enabled by some of my Senate Republican colleagues--is walking down a path that has led to 2 million people losing their health insurance and others at grave risk of losing it in the future.

With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I am proud to rise today to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the day my home State of Wisconsin became the first State in the Nation to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote.

Although the outcome was a historic victory, women did not gain the right to vote without a struggle. The road to Wisconsin's ratification of the 19th Amendment was paved with more than 70 years of advocacy and speeches, marches and rallies, legislation and lawsuits by strong Wisconsin suffragists. Many of the battles were lost before they were won.

When Wisconsin became a State in 1848, only White male landowners over 21 years of age could vote. In 1869, women won the right to run for local school boards in Wisconsin but ironically could not vote for themselves. In 1886, Wisconsin voters approved a statewide referendum allowing women to vote in school elections. When women tried to exercise their new rights for the first time in 1887, however, many women's ballots were discarded because there was no way to verify that women voted only in school elections. Racine suffragist Olympia Brown sued to have her ballot accepted, but the State supreme court said the law was vague and needed to be rewritten. Fourteen years later, the Wisconsin Legislature approved the creation of separate ballots for women that only included school elections.

In 1911, Wisconsin suffragists persuaded the legislature to authorize a statewide referendum on voting rights for women, but it was soundly defeated by an electorate that didn't include women. Two years later, the legislature again called for a referendum on women's suffrage, but it was vetoed by the Governor. In 1915, another attempt at a referendum was rejected by lawmakers.

Women's suffrage fared much better when the debate over voting rights shifted from individual States to the national stage. Congress passed the 19th Amendment on June 4, 1919. Less than a week later, on June 10th, the Wisconsin Legislature ratified the amendment, narrowly beating out its neighbor to the south. Illinois had actually ratified the amendment an hour before Wisconsin, but a paperwork error delayed the filing of the Illinois documents. By August 26, 1920, the necessary 36 States had ratified the 19th Amendment, and women were granted full voting rights.

As we celebrate the centennial of this historic moment, it is important to acknowledge that ratification of the 19th Amendment did not extend voting rights to all women. Advocacy for suffrage for Black women was often abandoned in an attempt to gain support for ratification in the South. African-American women faced disenfranchisement tactics that ranged from separate long lines and civics tests to poll taxes and even beatings. Many of these tactics continued until passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Wisconsin owes its unique position in history to the voices of powerful Wisconsin women who not only spoke truth to power but who also shattered the glass ceiling in their professional lives. Belle Case LaFollette, originally from Summit, was the first woman to graduate from law school in Wisconsin. Laura Ross Wolcott from Milwaukee was Wisconsin's first woman physician. Olympia Brown of Racine was the first woman to be ordained a minister in the entire country. Nationally renowned suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt from Ripon was indispensable to passage of the amendment. As the first woman to represent Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives and now the U.S. Senate, I am humbled to walk the path these strong women helped forge for their successors.

One hundred years ago, after decades of struggle by brave women and men, our Nation finally extended to women the most fundamental right in our democracy--the right to vote. As we celebrate this historic milestone in our Nation's history, let us vow to continue to fight for full equality for women, including access to health care, in workplace salaries, and in representation the Halls of Congress.

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Senator Collins.

I rise today proudly wearing a yellow rose in solidarity with 24 other women who serve in the U.S. Senate to recognize what is a very historic milestone in our Nation's history. Almost 100 years ago, after decades and decades of struggle by brave women and men, our Nation finally extended to women the most fundamental right of our democracy-- the right to vote. The struggle for women's suffrage was fought in every corner of our country, and communities all over the Nation are planning to recognize their contributions over the next year.

Today marks precisely 100 years to the day that the Senate passed the 19th Amendment. I am proud to state that a week later, on June 10, 1919, Wisconsin became the first State in our Union to ratify the 19th Amendment. I am always proud to say that my home State was the very first to ratify women's right to vote, narrowly beating our neighbor to the south, the State of Illinois, because of a paperwork error. You know, we are still first. I am especially happy that I will forever have bragging rights over my friend from Illinois, the co-chair of the Senate caucus, Senator Tammy Duckworth, because Illinois wasn't quite quick enough and Wisconsin did it first.

I am also proud today to wear a purple ribbon. This ribbon is in recognition of the women of color who fought and marched alongside their White colleagues in the suffrage movement but whose contributions went largely unsung and many of whom were still denied the right to vote after the 19th Amendment was ratified.

As we observe and celebrate this historic moment, we must be careful not to mistake progress for victory. With just 131 women currently serving in Congress, we are well short of equal representation in government. Government works best when legislatures reflect the people they work for--when they look like America. That is why it is important to increase the number of women who serve in public office. Women are half the population. We should be half of our Nation's government, too.

When I first entered public service, I had the opportunity to sit on the Madison City Council. I remember well a meeting when I had one of those light bulb moments of the difference that women make when we serve.

The city council that day was debating whether to extend service and add an additional bus route that went directly to the Madison Area Technical College's new campus. I remember listening to my male colleagues and their participation in the debate. There was a lot of focus on funding and logistics and finger pointing at which body in government should bear this responsibility. At first, they didn't seem to think that the city council should take action to add another bus route.

Then I began hearing the voices of my female colleagues. They began speaking of and describing their experience traveling to campus. They spoke about evening classes and having to walk a long distance down a poorly lit road to get to the nearest bus stop. They spoke about the dangers of walking home alone at night. Most women can identify with the fear of walking or commuting home late at night. It seemed that the men in the debate hadn't thought about it in the same way before that moment. The whole debate changed as soon as women's voices were heard, and the city council ultimately voted to fund a new route that went right to the campus door.

Women bring their life experiences to the job. It helps inform our debate, our votes, and the policies that we deliver. My experience with the women of the U.S. Senate, past and present, is that they ran for office and came to Washington to solve problems. I feel like we are guided by the idea that our job is to work together and to get things done. That is what we do, both Democrats and Republicans, as we work together to deliver solutions.

I worked with my colleague Senator Susan Collins to pass legislation to better support the more than 40 million family caregivers in this country who contribute millions of dollars each year in uncompensated care for their loved ones. I worked with my colleague Senator Joni Ernst to pass legislation to provide our Nation's farmers and agricultural workers with the mental health resources they need to deal with the extreme economic stress that our farmers have faced in recent years. I worked with my colleague Senator Lisa Murkowski to pass legislation that will bring more obstetricians to rural areas and expand access to maternity care to women so they no longer have to drive hours to get the healthcare they need or to deliver their babies.

I appreciate these partnerships and the many others that I have been able to experience, and I look forward to continuing to work together on a bipartisan basis to deliver results for the American people. With more women in public office, you will see more solutions to the challenges and problems we face. Women get stuff done.

In 2017, I was proud to lead bipartisan legislation to establish the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission and ensure that we give this important anniversary the recognition and celebration it deserves. I am thrilled to say that the Commission is now hard at work in developing, supporting, and

lifting up commemorative efforts across this country. It is working with private organizations and government at every level to encourage and help facilitate their events.

I give a particularly heartfelt thank-you to my friend and former Senator Barbara Mikulski, who helped to get the Commission started and is now actually serving as a Commissioner.

I look forward to seeing the great work of the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission as we get closer to the formal anniversary celebration of when the 19th Amendment finally became part of our Nation's charter.

I am grateful today for the brave women who came before us and fought for the right of all American women to have a say in their own government. Thanks to their struggle, their persistence, and their determination to bring women the right to vote, I stand here today as one of 25 women who serves in the U.S. Senate and represents the great State of Wisconsin.

We have more work to do, but in 2018, more women ran for office and won than ever before in our Nation's history. As a result, we have a new Congress that is starting to look just a little bit more like the people it aims to represent. Let's keep building on that progress, and let's keep working together on solutions to the challenges we face today.

Mr. President, today I rise to recognize the Milwaukee Urban League on its 100th anniversary. It gives me great pleasure to honor this remarkable organization and to commemorate this historic milestone.

The Milwaukee Urban League was established in 1919 as an affiliate of the National Urban League, which grew out of the national quest for freedom and opportunity. During the emergence of the Milwaukee Urban League, millions of African Americans were migrating from the South to Northern States like Wisconsin in search of greater opportunity and a better quality of life. The newcomers soon learned that they had not escaped racial discrimination in jobs, education, and housing. By teaching useful skills and offering an array of resources, the Milwaukee Urban League sought to help African Americans through this difficult transition to urban life and employment in a manufacturing economy.

Throughout its early years, the Milwaukee Urban League was instrumental in fighting for social justice and equal opportunity for African Americans. The league became a strong and dedicated voice for the poor and underserved by helping them obtain decent housing, acquire workforce training and leadership skills, find health care, and ensure their children had access to education and opportunity.

Over the past century, the Milwaukee Urban League has made tremendous gains helping African Americans achieve their greatest potential. The league has continued to promote self-sufficiency through a variety of programs that teach professional skills. The Milwaukee Urban League has also demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to education and youth engagement. By supporting initiatives to improve the lives of those who are often left behind, the Milwaukee Urban League has brought about meaningful change in Wisconsin's largest city.

With the great challenges still facing the African-American community today, Milwaukee continues to need the league's leadership, strength, and resilience. Despite the organization's unflagging efforts, rising tides have not raised all boats equally, and unacceptable disparities continue to exist. Wages, educational outcomes, economic conditions, neighborhood safety, and the opportunity to achieve the American dream still depend to a large degree on a person's ZIP Code or the color of his or her skin.

By working together, we can ensure that African Americans and all community members are educated, employed, and empowered to succeed. The league's persistent commitment to improving opportunities for those trapped in poverty fosters hope for the next generation of leaders in Milwaukee's communities of color.

As the Milwaukee Urban League both celebrates its accomplishments and reflects on its future challenges, I will be forever grateful for the league's achievements over the past century, and I look forward to its continued success in the years to come.

Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the remarkable career and legacy of Justice Shirley Abrahamson as she retires from the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Justice Abrahamson has a long and distinguished career upholding the law on Wisconsin's highest court. Her unparalleled commitment to justice has promoted a fair and impartial judicial system while greatly contributing to the promotion of equal rights in Wisconsin.

Justice Abraham's exceptional career had modest beginnings in New York City. Her parents were Polish immigrants who started a grocery store in Manhattan. Her passion for the law started at the tender age of 6, when she decided she wanted to become a lawyer. She was a dedicated student, earning honors in high school and college.

Justice Abrahamson graduated magna cum laude with bachelor's degree from New York University in 1953. She earned a law degree with high distinction from Indiana University in 1956 and a doctor of law in American legal history from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1962. Before her appointment to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Justice Abrahamson practiced law in the private sector for 14 years and was a distinguished professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

In 1976, Shirley Abrahamson broke the glass ceiling in Wisconsin's judicial system by becoming the first female justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She again made history in 1996 when she became the first woman to serve as chief justice. After winning four elections and serving a total of 42 years, Justice Abrahamson is now the longest serving supreme court justice in State history.

Though her career is punctuated by countless achievements and distinctions, Justice Abrahamson's path to success was anything but easy. Despite a multitude of academic distinctions and an unprecedented affinity for the law, Justice Abrahamson was met with a demoralizing wave of sexism when she entered the legal profession in the 1950s. The dean of the Indiana University Law School traditionally placed the top student from each graduating class at the largest law firm in Indianapolis; yet after graduating first in her class from the university in 1956, the dean told Justice Abrahamson he could

not place her at the firm because they just were not going to hire a woman. Rather than feeling disheartened, Justice Abrahamson informed the dean that she didn't want to go to Indianapolis, so the slight was fine with her.

This type of discrimination was not an anomaly. Justice Abrahamson was denied jobs, clients, and even social club memberships on the basis of her gender. Undaunted by this prejudice, Justice Abrahamson took a stand against gender inequality and refused to back down from those who stood in the way of a woman's path to success in the legal field. Her greatest legacy is the trail she blazed for countless young women, who can see themselves in a courtroom or on a judicial bench because of the barriers she fearlessly broke through. She will go down in history as one of Wisconsin's most influential and powerful women, and she used every bit of that influence and power in the pursuit of justice for all Wisconsinites.

Justice Abrahamson is a true American hero. From her incomparable tenure on the Wisconsin Supreme Court to her efforts as a pioneer for gender equality, Justice Abrahamson has lived a life devoted to service and justice for all.

Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the exceptional career and legacy of Madison, WI's longest serving Mayor, Paul Soglin. Mayor Soglin spent his many years in office as driving force behind Madison's extraordinary economic success and high quality of life.

Paul Soglin was raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, where he excelled academically at Highland Park High School. He graduated with honors from University of Wisconsin--Madison in 1966 and from the UW-Madison Law School in 1972.

Soglin gained national notoriety on campus as an activist for social and political change. He frequently protested American military involvement in the Vietnam war and demonstrated against Dow Chemical Company for its role in manufacturing napalm and Agent Orange for use in Vietnam. Beaten by police during the protests, Soglin became a respected voice on campus. During this trying time in our Nation's past, Soglin demonstrated his enduring commitment to peace and civil rights.

Soglin won election to the Madison City Council in 1968, representing the city's student wards. Four years later, he accomplished one of the biggest upsets in Madison history by defeating two-term incumbent William Dyke, becoming the youngest mayor in the city's history. During his first term as mayor, he established Madison's Civic Center to showcase the city's growing arts scene. He made tremendous improvements to the city's public transit system and transformed State Street into an iconic pedestrian mall, one of Madison's defining landmarks.

After leaving public office to teach at Harvard in 1979, Soglin returned to Madison to practice law and was twice reelected to lead Wisconsin's capital city. In all, he served as Madison's 51st, 54th, and 57th mayor. During his second stint as mayor, Soglin accomplished one of his crowning achievements, breaking through a 70-year debate to build the Monona Terrace Convention Center that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for Madison's Lake Monona's shoreline. He is also credited with invigorating Madison's economy and rebuilding its declining downtown.

Through his more than two decades of investment in infrastructure, the arts, and recreation, Paul Soglin has helped build a welcoming and flourishing city that appears often on lists of the Nation's most livable cities. Throughout this growth, he has also fought to ensure that Madison's resources and assets are available to all city residents, regardless of their economic standing.

In addition to Paul Soglin's remarkable public service, I feel fortunate to know him as a lifelong family friend. From my earliest memories of Paul teaching me how to throw a Frisbee to his generous moving reflections at my mother's memorial service, Paul Soglin has provided me with encouragement and inspiration.

As he begins his next chapter after 22 years of service, he leaves with the knowledge that he has left an indelible mark on the city he loves and that his legacy will endure.

Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 102nd anniversary of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Beloit, WI. Emmanuel Baptist Church was established on April 15, 1917, and has been a pillar of the community for the last 102 years.

The church was founded during the peak of the Great Northward Migration, when more than 6 million African Americans migrated from the rural South to the industrial cities of the North and Midwest. Many northern manufacturing plants sought African-American migrants from the South to help replace white workers fighting in World War I. Beloit became a favored destination for many migrants thanks in part to a young African-American named John McCord from Pontotoc, MS, who helped the Fairbanks Morse manufacturing company in Beloit recruit Black labor from the southern town.

African Americans were eager to escape the Jim Crow laws of the South and seek an improved quality of life for their families. As they settled in an unfamiliar part of the country, they sought solace in their faith and established the Second Emmanuel Baptist Church, now Emmanuel Baptist Church. The church held its first service at Kent Hall on State Street on April 15, 1917, for a small group of African Americans, all of whom worked at Fairbanks Morse. As their families grew and the Great Migration continued, the once small church quickly grew to a congregation of 100 by 1920. On June 3, 1927, formal incorporation papers were filed with the Rock County Registrar.

The first church at the current location was built in 1924 for $5,500. The edifice of the present church was built in 1960 after the first building was destroyed by fire in 1958. Today, Emmanuel Baptist church proudly offers worship and educational programs for its members and provides community outreach programs through its Family Life Center. Two of its most successful endeavors, a food pantry and a free hot lunch program, began under the leadership of the late Rev. Dr. Floyd Prude, Jr., who served as senior pastor for 36 years, the longest in the church's history.

Now, 102 years after its founding, Emmanuel Baptist Church provides a spiritual refuge for its 350 members under the steady hand of Minister Rodney Hayes. It stands as a beacon of hope that has withstood the devastating impacts of racism and persecution. Under the devoted guidance of its spiritual leaders, may it continue to be a shining asset to the community for the next 102 years.

Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the ongoing threat from the Trump administration to healthcare and the guaranteed protections that millions of American families depend upon.

President Trump has tried to pass repeal plans that would take people's healthcare away and allow insurance companies to charge more for people with preexisting health conditions or those insurance companies could deny them coverage altogether.

When that repeal plan failed to pass in the Senate in the summer of 2017, instead of working in a bipartisan way to lower healthcare costs, President Trump turned to truly sabotaging our healthcare system.

What do I mean by that?

The Trump administration made it harder for people to sign up for the Affordable Care Act coverage. They have done so by limiting the window of time when people can enroll. They have truly created instability in the healthcare market, and their sabotage has contributed to premium spikes that we have seen across the country, including in my home State of Wisconsin.

The Trump administration has even gone to court to support a lawsuit in order to overturn the Affordable Care Act completely, and that, of course, would include protections for people with preexisting health conditions. They have essentially gone into court to ask the court to strike down the Affordable Care Act. Now, if they were to succeed, insurance companies will again be able to deny coverage or charge much higher premiums for the more than 130 million Americans who have some sort of preexisting health condition. The number with preexisting health conditions includes some 2 million Wisconsinites.

What is the President's plan to protect people with preexisting health conditions? He doesn't have one, and I don't believe he ever will.

In fact, he has acted in just the opposite vein. This administration has expanded junk insurance plans that can deny coverage to people with preexisting conditions, and they don't have to cover essential services like prescription drugs or emergency room care or maternity care.

I ask my friends on the other side of the aisle to think about this for a moment. President Trump supports overturning the law that provides protections for people with preexisting health conditions at the same time he is expanding these junk plans that don't provide those very protections. If this isn't straight-up sabotage, I really don't know what is.

When I was 9 years old, I got sick. I was really sick. I was in the hospital for 3 months. Now, I recovered, but my family still struggled because I had been branded with the words ``preexisting health condition'' and I was denied insurance coverage.

That family and personal experience has driven my fight to make sure that every American has affordable and quality healthcare coverage.

Today, because of the Affordable Care Act, those with preexisting health conditions cannot be discriminated against. They can't be denied healthcare coverage, and they can't be charged discriminatory premiums.

I want to protect the guaranteed healthcare protections that so many millions of Americans now depend upon. I have introduced legislation along with my colleague Senator Doug Jones of Alabama to overturn the Trump administration's expansion of junk insurance plans.

The entire Senate Democratic caucus, including the two Independents who caucus with us, have supported this legislation. They have signed on to this bill. The Nation's top healthcare organizations, representing tens of thousands of doctors and physicians, and patients and medical students, and other health experts have supported this legislation and endorsed it. Anyone who says they support healthcare coverage for people with preexisting conditions should support my legislation.

Mr. President, I am certainly disappointed that my Republican colleagues have chosen to object to protecting people with preexisting conditions.

It is my contention that some of the very opposite impacts, because of these junk plans, are occurring than what my colleague has recited. In fact, I hardly consider them insurance plans. Many have argued that they are not worth the paper that they are written on. They don't cover many essential benefits. They are not required to cover people with preexisting health conditions. They can drop people. They can charge outrageous prices. What we found--and the reason that the Obama administration went from yearlong plans to 3-month plans--is that they saw the distortion in the markets. They saw that people who had believed that they might not get sick--healthy, often younger people-- were availing themselves of these plans, making the Affordable Care----

I would yield to one question, and then I want to wrap up my comments.

Mr. President, these short-term plans do not have to cover preexisting conditions. I can tell you, as I have inquired--

I yielded already for a question. But I want to say----

It may not be to the Senator's liking, but I was going to tell you about the plans that I read the fine print on from the State of Wisconsin. Now that these short-term plans are renewable for up to 3 years, in these junk plans, you can see the fine print. Many times they start with this: We will not cover a preexisting condition. Every single one of them refuses to cover maternity care. That means none of these junk plans cover that essential benefit. Most of them don't cover

emergency room care. Most of them don't cover prescription drugs. So regardless of how the law impacts people who have other types of insurance, I feel strongly that these junk plans are very distorting of the market and not worth the paper they are written on for those who have chosen to take that route.

Last fall, we heard all my colleagues across the aisle say, often repeatedly, that they support protections for people with preexisting health conditions. Today I just offered an opportunity for Democrats and Republicans to come together to protect people's access to quality, affordable healthcare when they need it the most, but there was an objection.

I say to the American people that we must not lose sight of the fight right in front of us. We have a President who time after time has sabotaged our healthcare system, raised healthcare costs, and pushed these junk insurance plans that don't have to cover people with preexisting conditions. We have an administration that is asking a court to strike down the Affordable Care Act and its protections for people with preexisting conditions in their entirety.

The choice for the American people could not be more clear. We want to make things better, and my Republican colleagues refuse to join us in this effort, which would be to prevent this administration from making things worse.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, on May 20, 2019, the Senate voted on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar No. 201, Daniel P. Collins, of California, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit. Due to travel delays, I missed this vote. However, I oppose confirming this nominee, and I would have voted against cloture if I were present.

I rise today to talk about an issue that is top of mind for women in Wisconsin and across this country, and that is healthcare.

Let's take a look at what we have seen from this President and congressional Republicans over the past 2\1/2\ years. There have been repeated attempts to repeal healthcare legislatively, which would result in the loss of healthcare for millions of Americans. The administration itself has acted in a way that undermines the Affordable Care Act, which frankly sabotages the guaranteed healthcare protections that millions of women and their families rely on. An ongoing lawsuit is making its way through the courts that would, if the administration had its way, result in overturning or striking down the Affordable Care Act.

Last Saturday was May 4. It was actually the 2-year anniversary of House Republicans passing legislation that would repeal the Affordable Care Act. I remember that day, and, in particular, I remember watching the ensuing celebration, which was conducted at the Rose Garden at a press conference, among President Trump and Speaker Ryan and others. There was literally backslapping and high-fiving going on because they had taken the first step toward taking people's healthcare away. It was hard to believe.

Just a few months later, we saw three courageous Republican colleagues in this Chamber--Senators McCain, Murkowski, and Collins-- join every Democrat in this Chamber in voting against repealing the Affordable Care Act. They listened to their constituents. They listened to the families in their States.

I, too, voted to defeat that legislation that would have repealed the Affordable Care Act, and I have done likewise on a number of other particularly partisan efforts by President Trump or congressional Republicans that would have taken away some of the protections that the people of the United States and Wisconsin enjoy. I did so. I voted no on those efforts because the people of my State didn't send me here to take their healthcare away. They actually sent me here to work across party lines and make things better.

Throughout that summer--that was the summer of 2017--individuals across this country stood up, and they called their elected representatives with one simple message: Protect our care. When congressional Republicans failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Trump administration kind of doubled down and went to work, really undermining and sabotaging our healthcare system, rewriting some of the rules on guaranteed healthcare protections that millions of people rely on.

For example, the administration ended something that we called the cost-sharing reduction payments. These were payments that helped lower out-of-pocket expenses for people participating in the Affordable Care Act exchanges, and this was a critical component. So when that was done, it meant that there were higher out-of-pocket costs for almost 90,000 Wisconsinites.

The Trump administration also slashed funding for outreach efforts to help people know about the open enrollment periods and to know that they needed to sign up for the healthcare that is offered on the Affordable Care Act exchanges.

Trusted navigator programs, like those in my State, have had their funding cut by nearly 90 percent in the past 3 years. These navigators programs are so helpful to people--particularly people in rural areas-- because they help to guide people through the process of obtaining affordable, comprehensive, healthcare protection and coverage. It means that when these programs are sabotaged, fewer people each year will be able to get the help they need to find and enroll in health insurance on the exchanges.

The administration is also promoting something that I call junk plans. These are junk insurance plans. Why do I call them that? Because they are relieved of really having to do what you buy insurance to do. They do not have to cover people with preexisting conditions. They can say no, or they can charge a rate so high that no one could possibly afford it. They could have an annual limit or a lifetime limit, or they could simply carve out the preexisting condition and not offer coverage for it.

These junk plans also have no obligation to cover any of the essential health benefits as identified in the Affordable Care Act. In Wisconsin, none of these junk plans are required to cover maternity care--none of them. This takes us back to the days before the Affordable Care Act, when no plans in Wisconsin's individual marketplace covered maternity care. Beyond just encouraging individuals to sign up for these bad and very limited policies, the administration supports allowing taxpayer dollars to subsidize these plans. So American taxpayers are potentially footing the bill for junk health insurance--some of which isn't really worth the paper it is written on.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office just announced that, as a result of these activities--the sabotage--2 million more people will be without health insurance by the year 2020. That is just around the corner. After the Affordable Care Act went into effect, we saw more Americans than ever before gain access to health insurance. But according to the Congressional Budget Office, during President Trump's tenure in the White House, 1 million more people each year will have lost health insurance.

The Trump administration is literally taking us backward on this matter, and American families are paying the price. I wish I could say it stops here, but there is more.

President Trump and Attorney General Barr are now taking sides in a case that is pending in the Federal courts. They are taking the position that the court should strike down the entire Affordable Care Act. This lawsuit threatens to take away guaranteed health protections and raise costs for Wisconsinites and, frankly, for all Americans who have preexisting health conditions.

In Wisconsin, there are more than 2 million people in our State with some sort of preexisting health condition, and they would stand to lose their guaranteed protections. It would once again give insurance companies the power to charge women higher premiums than men or to deny health coverage for women who get pregnant because it is considered, by the way, a preexisting condition.

Over the past few weeks, I have been meeting with Wisconsinites who, frankly, want to know why the President is working so hard to repeal or strike down or overturn their care, raise costs, and take away their protections. They are really frightened. They are frightened that if this lawsuit succeeds, insurance companies will again be able to deny coverage or charge higher premiums for the more than 133 million Americans who have some sort of preexisting health condition.

I got to hear from Lindsey in Milwaukee, WI. Lindsey is a breast cancer survivor. She will be on hormonal therapy for another 2 years, and she will continue to need MRIs, mammograms, and blood work each year to be sure

that her cancer has not returned. Lindsey is worried that if the Affordable Care Act is repealed or overturned in court, she could lose her healthcare coverage because of a lifetime maximum, or she could be charged more because she has a preexisting condition.

Just recently, I met with Grace in Green Bay. Grace is 15 years old, and she has been living with type 1 diabetes since she was just 2 years old. In order to manage her disease, she needs insulin and various other medical supplies that cost $1,500 per month. Right now those supplies are covered by her family's insurance, but Grace understands that, without the Affordable Care Act, her insurance company would again have the power to charge her more or deny her coverage because her diabetes is a preexisting condition, and she could also be at risk of reaching her lifetime limit.

Grace and her mom are worried about the Trump administration's lawsuit to ask the court to strike down the Affordable Care Act. She is worried--they are worried--about Republican attempts to eliminate protections for people with preexisting conditions, and they know that President Trump has no plan to protect people with preexisting conditions. He never has, and I suspect he never will.

The House recently passed a resolution that calls on the Trump administration to reverse its position on repealing the entire Affordable Care Act. Last year I heard several Senate Republicans promise to protect people with preexisting health conditions. More than one of my new Republican colleagues campaigned on it in 2018. Here is their chance to prove it. Let's vote on this resolution in the Senate so every Senator in this body can be on record protecting healthcare for people with preexisting conditions. It is time. It is time for Senate Republicans to take a stand against President Trump's sabotage so we can start working in a bipartisan way to expand coverage and lower healthcare costs.

As I have said in this Chamber many times before, the people of Wisconsin want both parties in Congress to work together and to make things better by making healthcare more affordable and taking on rising prescription drug costs. I heard from countless Wisconsinites who are struggling to afford the prescription medication that they need to live, and prices keep going up year after year.

Jackie from Muskego was diagnosed with an incurable blood cancer in August of 2015. She takes a drug called REVLIMID for her cancer, and her medication costs her up to $21,000 per year just to stay alive.

Since the beginning of 2017, Celgene has increased the price of REVLIMID by nearly 25 percent.

President Trump campaigned on lowering the cost of prescription drugs, but so far we are not seeing any results. It has been all talk. Instead, with his tax bill, President Trump gave drug companies a huge corporate tax break as they continued to increase the cost of prescription drugs.

Pfizer, for example, got an estimated 11 billion dollars in tax breaks. Then, they announced that they were raising the list price of 41 of their prescription drugs that they manufacture. You know, it is time to take action, to hold these drug companies accountable, and it is why this week I am introducing a bipartisan plan with Senator Braun of Indiana to require basic transparency and accountability for drug companies that increase their list prices.

Drug corporations are making prescription drugs more and more expensive with no systematic transparency for taxpayers. Meanwhile, American families, taxpayers, and our healthcare system are footing the bill for these price increases, and then are forced to pay more still at the pharmacy for the medications they need.

We need greater transparency. We need greater accountability for drug corporations that are jacking up the costs for families in need of affordable, lifesaving treatments.

I wanted to thank Senator Braun for working with me on this effort, as well as Senator Murkowski for joining this effort, because both Democrats and Republicans agree that prescription drug costs are too high in this country. So let's work together to bring relief to American families.

I strongly believe that if both parties look past the partisan debate in Washington, we can find common ground on solutions that work for the American people, and I stand ready to work with any of my colleagues in the Senate on solutions that help to lower costs and expand healthcare coverage for our constituents.

I yield back.

Mr. President, today I rise to recognize the career and legacy of former U.S. Representative Jim Moody, who passed away on March 22, 2019. Born James Powers Moody, he was an influential leader in Democratic politics in Wisconsin in the 1970s and 1980s.

Born in 1935 in Virginia, Jim spent much of his childhood abroad. His father was an official with the American Red Cross, and his mother worked in relief efforts for refugees. Jim was heavily influenced by his parents' international focus, and he developed a passion for foreign cultures and global affairs at an early age. He attended school in Shanghai before graduating from an English-language high school in Athens, Greece.

After graduating from Haverford College in Pennsylvania in 1957, Jim worked in the former Yugoslavia and Iran with CARE, an international humanitarian organization. He joined the Peace Corps in the organization's early days and established the first Peace Corps programs in Pakistan and Bangladesh. He spoke many languages, including Greek, Farsi, Croatian, Spanish and French.

Jim received a master's degree it public administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy's School of Government in 1967 and a doctorate in economics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1973. Eugene McCarthy's 1968 Presidential campaign inspired Jim's exploration of politics. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1976 and to the State Senate in 1978. With his mother at his side as his campaign manager, he ran for and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982 from Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District in southeastern Wisconsin, where he served five terms.

Moody was a progressive voice in Congress in the spirit of Wisconsin's greatest progressive, Robert M. ``Fighting Bob'' La Follette. He was an early advocate of gay rights and wilderness preservation. In 1991, he authored a federally funded universal health care bill to cover the 37 million Americans who lacked insurance at the time, including 550,000 Wisconsinites. He proposed paying for the coverage with higher taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals.

After an unsuccessful U.S. Senate race in 1992, he returned to his passion for international affairs. In 1995, he became the chief financial officer of the United Nation's International Fund for Agricultural Development, which focuses on improving the living standards in the agricultural sectors of developing countries. He served on the board of the National Iranian American Council and as an elections observer in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Ukraine. His post congressional career also included work as professor, an economist and a financial adviser

Jim Moody took his role as a public servant very seriously. It was a responsibility and an honor that he carried proudly. He cared deeply about the economic stability and well-being of his constituents and of people around the globe. He will be fondly remembered as one of Wisconsin's great progressive leaders.

Mr. President, today I rise to recognize the Old Glory Honor Flight organization, as it makes its maiden flight to Vietnam to bring 53 veterans back to the place where they risked their lives for our Nation. I am honored to pay tribute to this important first flight and to honor their sacrifices.

The all-volunteer organization, Old Glory Honor Flight, was founded in 2009 by individuals who had a dream of creating an honor flight experience for military veterans in northeast Wisconsin. A dedicated board of volunteers launched the first official flight on October 27, 2009, when they hosted 95 World War II veterans on a trip to our Nation's Capital to experience firsthand the national memorials honoring American military servicemembers.

The honor flight's mission is to create a safe and memorable experience for veterans who call Wisconsin home. Until now, each honor flight has taken place within a single day, sending veterans to Washington, DC, to thank them for all they sacrificed to keep our Nation safe and free. Since its inception, Old Glory Honor Flight has flown more than 3,500 veterans on more than 40 missions.

Through the generous support of individuals and businesses, Old Glory Honor Flight has grown tremendously in the past decade. This month, for the first time in its 10-year existence, the organization is sending 53 veterans who served in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand back to Vietnam for 2 weeks.

Wisconsinites owe a debt of gratitude to these servicemembers who answered our country's call to serve and defend the United States. These veterans served with honor and endured the horrors of war. When they returned home,

they were shunned and denied their rightful hero's welcome. We must vow to never let this happen again and to always honor those who serve in our Armed Forces. Let this flight be a reminder that we can all do our part to keep the sacred trust we have with our veterans. Let it be a reminder that there is still more work to do to honor their service, and let us be inspired by their selfless and heroic service to a grateful nation.

I am honored to recognize the very first Wisconsin Honor Flight to Vietnam and I commend Old Glory Honor Flight on this extraordinary mission to honor our Wisconsin military veterans. It is my sincere hope that this momentous trip will bring some peace to these brave men traveling back to Vietnam.