Barbara Boxer

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, before Senator Collins leaves the floor, I want to thank Senator Collins for her beautiful remarks about Barbara Mikulski. As I leave here, I have said publicly--the press has asked: What is your hope? I often say: My hope is with the Senator from Maine, Senator Collins, to bridge some of the partisan divides. It has been an honor to serve with you. I know you have a lot on your shoulders as we move forward. Senator Mikulski, I want to take a few minutes to talk about you. Some Senators have focus and drive. Some have compassion. Some have empathy. Some have sharp negotiating skills. Some have a quick wit. Some are great students of history. Some are champions for the least among us. Senator Barbara Mikulski, you are all of these things. You are everything a Senator should be and more. As my mentor, as my treasured friend, you have been a major influence in my career. Honestly, I can say I would not be here as a United States Senator without your guidance. One of my favorite things about Barbara is her wonderful sense of humor. It is legendary. She is hilarious when she wants to be. When I was in the House of Representatives, I was fighting to integrate the all-male House gym. The room to which they had assigned the women was about 6 by 6, and it had showers and hair dryers. You know the big hair dryers that come over your head like that? It had no exercise equipment. It had no space. It was the size of a shoebox. We women decided we needed some exercise, so we packed into the tiny room. There was then-Congresswoman Mikulski, Congresswoman Ferraro, Congresswoman Schroeder, Barbara Kennelly, Olympia Snowe, who looked like she had just stepped out of Vogue magazine. I was in my sweat suit, and so was Barb. The teacher was leading us in an aerobics class, and she said: Put your hands above your head. We did it. She said: Put your hands out on the side. We did it. Then she said: Put your hands on your hips and bend at the waist. And with that, Barbara yelled: ``Look, if I had a waist, I wouldn't be here.'' That is my Barb. She can use laughter to defuse any situation. I will always love her for it. When I started thinking about my own long shot bid for the Senate-- and it was worse than a long shot--the first person I went to after my family was Barb. It was a few years after she had made history by becoming the first Democratic woman ever elected in her own right to the U.S. Senate. She got right to the point: ``How old are you, Babs?''--using the nickname she calls me to this day. I told her I was almost 50. God, that sounds so young, Barbara. I told her I was almost 50. I explained it was going to be a tough fight. I was up against two powerful male opponents in the Democratic primary, and I was an asterisk in the polls. What was her response? She looked at me and she said: ``Go for it. It's worth the fight you'll have to wage to get here. And it will be a fight.'' And it was. In 1992, four new women came to the Senate, and who was waiting for us with open arms? Senator Mikulski. And this is what she said: ``Some women stare out the window waiting for Prince Charming. I stared out the window waiting for more women Senators--and it is finally happening!'' That is who Barbara is. She never set out to make a name for herself. She wanted to blaze a trail that was wide enough for all of us to follow. Just days after I won that first Senate race, she sent all the new women Senators a guidebook she herself had written about how to get started in the Senate, how to get on committees. She invited us to her office for lessons on Senate procedure and how to set up our offices. She had covered everything. In the years since, as you have heard, she has hosted regular dinners for all the women in the Senate--Democratic and Republican alike. We reach across party lines and come together because of her. We talk about our work, our families. We share our struggles and our triumphs. What is said there stays there. Senator Mikulski has led us by example, showing us how to build coalitions, how to bridge the partisan divide, which includes strong partnership with our male colleagues, whom she calls ``Sir Galahads.'' She has also shown us how to stand up and make our voices heard. As she says, go ``earring to earring'' with our opponents and ``put on our lipstick, square our shoulders, suit up and fight.'' Legendary Mikulski words. To me, Senator Mikulski is the whole package--a skilled, intelligent negotiator, a Senator who fights for the people, and a woman who helps other women. She is our cherished leader, and that is why she will always be known as the dean of the Senate women. When Barbara announced she would be leaving the Senate, I wrote her a rhyme. I love to write rhymes and lyrics. I wrote her the following rhyme: Before Mikulski won the day, A guy would have to pass away, And then his wife would take his place. Finally, a woman in a Senate space. But Barb she got there in her own right. First Democratic gal to win that fight. She won the race and joined the misters. But finally NOW she has nineteen sisters! Barbara, next year, because of what you started, because of the people you encouraged, there will be 21 women in the Senate--a record. Sitting here in my chair, my seat, will be an incredible woman. Senator Mikulski, Barb, my treasured mentor, my dear friend, thank you for everything. We have been through battles together. I am forever grateful to you, and I will always treasure our friendship. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, the relationship we felt was based on trust and honesty. We never ever misled each other. I just love the Senator's staff. I really do. Our staff developed the same type of relationship that we developed--disagreeing on many things but understanding that we can work together and find common ground. I just hope, as I step out the door--Lord knows when that will be, given this place--that others will form this type of bond across party lines because without it, things just don't work right. I want my friend to know it has been a great pleasure to work with him in every way, shape, and form. One of us is from Venus and one of us is from Mars, and that is just the way it is. We just see the world differently, but it hasn't stopped us from putting aside those disagreements. We were never bitter with each other. We had a pretty big divide. One person said climate change is a hoax and the other said it is the biggest threat we have to deal with, but we knew there was no way we could come together so we kind of put it aside and didn't let it spoil our friendship or our ability to work together in any way. So I think it is a very important message to many chairmen and ranking members that if there is honesty--set it aside if you can't work together, but where you can find those sweet spots, do it because everyone wants--they are cheering us on from the outside. I can't tell you how many people at home tell me: We don't know how you do it, but it is great what you and Inhofe get done. Fortunately, we never lost an election over our friendship, which could have happened, you know. They could have said: I am not going to vote for him; he talks to her. But we were able to prove that we can do it. So, Jim, I am honored that you came down to the floor. I am honored that Senator McConnell said such nice things. I am so honored that so many came to the floor to hear my farewell remarks. Again, I yield the floor.

Mrs. BOXER. I thank the Senator from Oklahoma so much.

Mrs. BOXER. You do.

Mrs. BOXER. That is right.

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, this is a moment for me that, I think it is fair to say, I will never ever forget. I am so honored. I am so honored to have members of my family here, staff from past and present from both my personal office and committee, extraordinary colleagues whom I adore and love, whom I worked with, fought with and debated. I am so honored that Senator McConnell and Senator Reid have said really nice things about me. I think, in Senator Reid's case, we go back so long, and I will talk a little bit more about that. In Senator McConnell's case, we didn't talk for a long time, and then we did get together and we did some great work together. But I think he was here just to make sure I am leaving. My leader over in the House is here--Nancy Pelosi. I will talk about her more. My colleagues from the House came over in the midst of all their work. I love them. I have enjoyed working with them. I look around this Chamber, and I realize the reason I am able to actually leave is because I know each of you and your passion to make life better for people, and that is what it is all about. When I decided not to run for reelection, you know how the press always follows you around. They said: ``Is this bittersweet for you?'' My answer was forthcoming: ``No way is it bitter. In every way it is sweet.'' Why do I feel that way? It is because this has been a dream, to be in a profession that I think is noble, no matter how beaten up it gets, for 40 years--for more than half my life--and I was able to do every day what I always wanted to do, which is simply to make life better for people. I didn't always succeed. Were there frustrations? Yes. Were there disappointments? Yes. Were there defeats? Yes, many, but every morning when I woke up, I knew I had a chance to do something good. As a first generation American on my mother's side, and, most particularly, as a woman, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I could be in the U.S. Senate. It was an uphill battle, and I know I speak for a lot of people sitting right here who know what I am talking about. When I first ran for the Marin County Board of Supervisors in 1972, it was a Republican landslide year. It was more than tough. I will never forget one woman I spoke with after knocking on her door. I introduced myself and said, ``Hi, I am Barbara Boxer. I am running for county supervisor.'' She greeted me by saying, ``I never thought you would be so short.'' Then, she said she wasn't supporting me because, quote, ``You have four kids, and you are going to neglect them if you are elected.'' Well, never mind that this was a part-time job just a few minutes from the house. Never mind that the man I was running against had a family and a full-time job. Never mind that I actually had two kids, but she insisted. She said, ``I know you have four kids because I read it in the newspaper.'' I said, ``Lady, when you give birth, you never forget it, and I did it twice.'' Well, I lost that seat, but two things helped get me through it. The first was an article by Gloria Steinem, who essentially said women tend to take losses too personally. We have to understand that we could be just a little bit ahead of our time, and we can't give up. Second, my son Doug, only seven at the time, ignored any attempts to cheer him up by saying, ``Mom, can you make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch?'' The point is that life goes on no matter how deep the disappointments. You pick yourself up, and you keep fighting because this is your country. It is our country, and it is worth fighting for. I ran again four years later and won. I was eager to get to work on issues such as: Afterschool for kids. Protecting the natural beauty of my county. Ensuring that a child walking to school would be safe. I put up so many stop signs to protect kids that I soon became known as the ``Stop Sign Queen.'' It was local government, and the world was changing. The Vietnam War was raging. The women's movement was ramping up. The oil companies wanted to drill off the pristine coast of California. Even from my position as a local county supervisor representing only 40,000 people, I was exposed to these national issues that would soon require all of my attention. Tip O'Neill, one of Nancy Pelosi's great predecessors, was known for his saying that ``All politics is local,'' but the global became local when Marin County got a Federal grant saying the threat of nuclear attack is real, and you have to have a plan to evacuate the county in case there is a bomb dropped in San Francisco. This was in the 1980's. The Reagan administration, I think, missed the obvious. Getting in a car on a narrow road to evacuate to Napa or going under your desk was not going to protect you, so all five supervisors--three Republicans and two Democrats--rejected the grant. Instead, we mailed an informational booklet to every household, telling them there was no way to evacuate from a nuclear bomb; you have to prevent it in the first place. During that same period, James Watt wanted to drill off the coast of California. We put together business people, environmentalists, farmers, and we said no. The tourist industry joined us, and we stopped it. That was my first attempt at very broad coalition building. As national issues unfolded before my eyes, I had to do more if I really wanted to stay true to making life better for people. When John Burton's seat for Congress opened up in 1982, I jumped in. It was a long shot. And I will always be grateful to the people who brought me to that dance: working people, environmentalists, children's advocates. They put me over the top. After I won this election, I began hearing about the mysterious disease that was stealing the lives of so many in my congressional district. I remember feeling so helpless because we didn't know what it was and what caused it. One thing was clear: AIDS was devastating, and too many in Washington were not taking action. When we found out it could be transmitted sexually, I had to go up against the far rightwing who didn't want to provide any information about the disease. Yet here I was, a middle-aged mother of two from the suburbs, talking about condoms. It was uncomfortable, but this would become my way. In the face of a crisis, never look away, never back down, and never be afraid. In the case of AIDS, I got to work with the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, a southern gentleman. He had never heard of AIDS. He said to me: ``If people are sick, then we must help.'' We got the first double-digit Federal AIDS funding, and we established an AIDS Task Force and brought in people such as Elizabeth Taylor and Elizabeth Glaser, and we fought back. We took it under our wing to solve this crisis--both adult AIDS and pediatric AIDS. By that time, I had an extraordinary new partner in the House, Nancy Pelosi. We immediately bonded. I was so impressed with her passion and her energy. We remain the dearest of friends to this day. I am so proud of her. Nancy has changed the face of politics in America, and she will go down in history as one of the most influential leaders of our time. Recently--on a recent issue--I was expressing deep disappointment, and Nancy told me: ``Don't agonize. Organize!'' This was two nights ago. She is right. When things get tough, that is what you do. Over the years, the issues kept coming my way and came the way of a lot of people in this room: the Violence Against Women Act, LGBT equality, protecting a woman's right to choose, workers' rights, protecting the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act. Those are all examples. These fights continue, and they keep coming whether you are in elected office or not. They come to you if you are a single parent trying to raise a child and struggling to make ends meet on a minimum wage that is not fair. They come to you if your kid gets asthma. They come to you if your job has been outsourced and you have nowhere to turn. They come to you when college tuition gets out of reach. Whether it is happening to you or someone else, the great thing about our participatory democracy is each of us has a chance to make a difference. You can make a difference by holding an elected office or working for someone who does. You can make a difference by working for a campaign. You can make a difference by starting a business and employing good people to help you build it. You can make a difference by becoming a teacher, a nurse, a firefighter or a police officer. There are so many noble ways to make a difference in America. The one thing you cannot do, even when it is tempting: You cannot turn away-- never. The forces and the people who shape you cannot be ignored. I say to everybody within the sound of my voice that you have it within you to step out and make your mark. A lot of young people come up to me and say, ``I would love to do what you do. How do I become a U.S. Senator?'' I am sure a lot of us get that question. I always say, ``It is not important to be something; it is important to do something.'' If you choose my path and the path of many in this room, I want to be clear: You will need mentors and you will need friends like two of mine--John Burton and Barbara Mikulski. John encouraged me to run for the House, where he had always been a fighter for those without a voice. Barbara had been my friend in the House and encouraged me to run for the Senate. When I went to see her, she said, very simply: ``Go for it.'' That and $40 million--that was good advice. And I did. Senator Mikulski is everything a Senator should be. She is intelligent, caring, always focused, and as an added bonus, she can have you in stitches. I am so grateful for her guidance and, most important, her friendship. I launched my campaign for the Senate. It was very difficult. No one predicted I would win. I was less than an asterisk in the polls. I was filled with doubt. Coming to my aid was my senior Senator, Dianne Feinstein. She stood by my side, even though it could have cost her votes. I will never, ever forget that. Thank you, Dianne. I also need to pay tribute to Anita Hill because without her, I never would have been elected to the Senate. Anita Hill courageously told her story to the all-male U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, breaking the silence on this painful issue. In addition, people saw there were only two women in the Senate. Anita Hill, you showed us all that we must never be afraid to take on the powerful. It certainly isn't easy, but if you learn to be tough in the right way, you can find the sweet spot, even in this atmosphere where the parties have grown so far apart. This is one of my biggest regrets--how far the parties have grown apart, especially when it comes to the environment. Remember, Richard Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency. He signed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. George H.W. Bush signed the extension of the Clean Air Act. Many Republicans led the charge for environmental protection. Now, unfortunately, protecting the environment has become a divide where we truly duke it out. As I leave here, I intend to do everything in my power to work to bridge that divide because we all live on one planet. It doesn't matter what party we are. We all breathe the same air. We all want our families to be healthy and live on a planet that can sustain us and all of God's creations. In this time of deep division, we have to find areas to work together. I think I found a proven formula in my relationship with my friend and chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Jim Inhofe. We never surprise each other, even where we disagree--ever. Our word is our bond to each other. We found that we could work as a winning team to build and strengthen our Nation's infrastructure, and we have made incredible progress for the American people on those issues--long-term highway bills, long-term water bills and the first update on the Toxic Control Act. That was a doozy for us. I will never forget that battle. Transportation turned out to be a sweet spot between Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and me. We hadn't talked seriously for 20 years because of the Packwood case. It was: Hello, hello. That was it. But we did come together to save the Highway Trust Fund at an urgent time. Our work together surprised so many of our colleagues, but I think it surprised the two of us more than anything else. But it worked because we set aside all of our past legitimate divisions in order to rescue America's transportation system. We took a risk, and the risk paid off. And, of course, all of my colleagues helped make that possible. Also, I want to mention my Republican counterpart on the Ethics Committee, Senator Johnny Isakson, because when it comes to ethics, we have proven there is no room for partisanship. All we want to do is make sure the Senate is a respected institution. Friendship and trust with Members on both sides and in the House of Representatives--I am so proud so many of you are here--that is the only way to get things done. Having a leader who has your back is essential. A good leader knows and understands each member of his caucus and where they draw the line. Harry is so humble. Whenever you talk about him, he puts his head down. Harry, could you just look at me for a second? A good leader knows when to speak up and when to listen. A good leader knows when to pick up the gloves and fight like hell. That is what Harry Reid has done. He is not a show horse; he is a workhorse. He is a soft-spoken man. How many of us have to say: Harry, could you speak up? He is a soft-spoken man of a few words, but he chooses his words wisely, and he chooses his fights wisely. He doesn't seek the spotlight. When it comes to standing up for what is right, he is right there when others try to slip out of the room. Harry has not only been an extraordinary leader and colleague, he and his wife, Landra, have been close and treasured friends of me and my husband, Stewart. I call him the brother I never had, and he calls me the sister he never had. He treats me like a sister; he always hangs up on me when I call him. And he never calls on me when I madly wave my hand at caucus. You know, I am like a sister. You don't have to worry, the love will be there. I am forever grateful for his leadership and his friendship. Another quality of Harry Reid is that he encouraged women to run for the Senate. Once we got here, he made sure we had major responsibilities. Harry, you will go down in history for that. I am, of course, ecstatic that my successor is Kamala Harris, who served as attorney general for my State with great distinction and who will continue the tradition of having a strong, progressive woman in this seat. Kamala, you heard it here--a strong, progressive woman in this seat is what we need. As I wind down my remarks, I must be completely honest about my broken heart. I worked hard, along with so many millions of Americans, so that we would have our first female President. It was not to be this time, but we made history with Hillary Clinton, the first female nominee of a major party, who, I might add, won the popular vote by millions and still counting. She truly shattered the glass ceiling and showed that women had the ability to take it on the chin again and again. My message to everyone who supported Hillary is, the work goes on. Yes, you build on success and you learn from failure, but you never stop working for human rights, civil rights, women's rights, voting rights, children's rights and the environment. I certainly don't plan to stop. I am not only fortunate to have had this extraordinary career, but I am also so fortunate to be going home to a State that stands for everything I believe in. I wish to thank every one of my staffers--those who worked for me in Washington, either on my personal staff, committee staff, those who worked for me in the State, and those who helped me get elected. A lot of them are here today. Without them, I never ever could have done my job, and I never could have accomplished the things I have accomplished that I am proud of. I also wish to thank the floor staff. The floor staff never gets thanked enough because they deal with us when we are very nervous. They have to deal with us when we are about to have an amendment come up or about to vote on something and need to understand the rules and our rights. To Gary and his team, Trish, Tim, and all of you--thank you. When I look back on everything I fought for, there are more than a thousand accomplishments, and I am certainly not going to talk about all of those, but I am going to, briefly, very fast, go through 10 of my favorites. The first afterschool programs that were funded by the Federal Government, covering more than 1.6 million kids every day; 1 million acres of California wilderness preserved; the first-ever comprehensive combat casualty care center in California for our most wounded warriors; ensuring that our transportation programs remain in place for years to come with millions of jobs protected; upholding our landmark environmental laws, and I hope that continues, but I will not go off on that; setting clean drinking water standards to protect pregnant women, children, and other vulnerable people; the dolphin-safe tuna label; protecting victims of rape in the military from irrelevant, harassing questions that have already been barred in civilian courts; establishing the first-ever subcommittee to oversee global women's issues, which Jeanne is going to carry on; recommending a diverse group of supremely qualified judicial nominees who are carrying out our laws in California's Federal courts. There are many more I could talk about, and we all know this because each one of them is like a child to us and we remember how hard it was to get it done, but let me be clear, you don't get anything done here unless your colleagues help you from both sides of the aisle. My biggest regret is that I couldn't end the war in Iraq. It hurt my soul. I came down to the floor every day and read the names of fallen soldiers. I was accused of being too emotional. I asked probing questions in committee to expose the fact that we were in the middle of a civil war. Day after day I made my case, but the war went on and on. It took President Obama to finally end that war, and I will always be grateful to him. Of course, there is unfinished business, and I know my colleagues are going to carry on. We must restore the Voting Rights Act. We need to restore trust between our communities and law enforcement. We have to continue to protect and provide affordable health care. We must take action on climate change or we are in deep trouble as humankind. We must protect the DREAMers and immigrants who contribute to our communities every day. We must raise the minimum wage and ensure equal pay for equal work. We must protect reproductive freedom and work across party lines for a safe world. I have often joked about some of the things that have been said to me over the years that are too colorful, in a negative way, to repeat here, but I want everyone to know, whether friend or foe, whether critic or admirer, I do appreciate the fact that you let me know how you felt about my work one way or the other. To close, I will read a handwritten letter I received in October from one of the greatest jazz musicians in our country, Sonny Rollins, into the Record. He was recently honored at the Kennedy Center. He wrote in longhand the following: Greetings--so so sorry that we are not going to have you for us anymore. I've always been interested in politics, marching as a 6 year old with my activist grandmother for civil rights. It has been such a joy and inspiration knowing that Barbara Boxer was there for us. God bless you, your family, and loved ones--And thank you. You will be missed and we all love you. Have a beautiful life, just like you have made life beautiful for so many citizens. I wish to thank Sonny Rollins. I don't know him personally. I met him once, but what he said is all I wanted to do--make life beautiful for people. I didn't always succeed. I didn't always prevail. I felt the pain of losing many times, but I can honestly say I never stopped trying. I was able to do it because of the love, understanding and support of my husband of 55 years, Stewart, who is here today. He gave me so much, including the best political name ever. I did it because of my son Doug, my daughter Nicole, my daughter-in-law Amy, my son-in-law Kevin, and four incredible grandchildren, Zach, Zain, Sawyer, and Reyna, and because of the people of California who sent me here time and time again--10 years in the House and 24 years in the Senate. I had the opportunity to never stop trying. I had the opportunity to speak out, and no matter how many times I had to try, I did. Here is the thing. I have this platform, which is an extraordinary honor. This is a sacred position, and I say to my colleagues that no matter who says what about it, it is a sacred position. Hold your head high. So many here have fought the good fight and will continue to fight the good fight, and I will always treasure my time serving the people. They gave me a purpose in my life that I will always cherish. They made me a better person. They made my life more beautiful than I ever could have imagined, and for that I am forever grateful. I thank the Presiding Officer and yield the floor. (Applause, Senators rising.)

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Senator Reid, my leader, I can't tell you how humble I feel to hear you talk about my career and to put it, in many ways, in a historic place. I am going to have a lot to say about your career, what you have meant to me. Today I won't get into it, but you are a man--you just don't throw words around. I know how humble you are because every time I try to praise you, even in a situation with just a few people around you, you look down like you are doing now. It makes you uncomfortable. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. So here is what I am going to say today. I am going to make you uncomfortable in the near future when I talk about your career and what it has meant to me. But today, hearing you talk about what you just said, weaving our friendship, our work together, and our family friendship has meant a lot to me. Obviously, I am going to miss you, but I will say this. As we enter into uncharted territories in terms of politics, I know you and I are not going to lose our voices. We will have a platform. We are not leaving because we are tired of the fight. We are not leaving because we have nothing more to say, we are leaving because we think it is time for the next generation. I look forward to working with you in the future--and I mean that sincerely--just fighting for the things we care about, whether it is Lake Tahoe or whether it is clean air, whether it is fighting against the ravages of climate change, whether it is fighting for the right of the American people, from children to seniors, to have affordable health care. We are not going into the wilderness. That I was able to protect more than a million acres--I am so proud you mentioned that. Today you have humbled me with your words. I will always be your sister. Thank you very much. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss legislation I introduced to eliminate the Electoral College and ensure that the candidate who wins the most votes will be elected President. Clearly, this has nothing to do with this past election. There are recounts going on, and we will see where that goes, but the bottom line is that this looks to the future. The Presidency is the only office in America where the candidate who wins the most votes can still lose the election. There isn't any elected office in the Nation, be it county, city, State, or national level, where this is true. The person who gets more votes--one person, one vote--wins, but that is not true in the Presidential election. I realized how little sense this made many years ago, but when I tried to explain it to my grandkids after this election, they said: Grandma, who won? Well, I told them, Donald Trump. Well, wait a minute, didn't Mrs. Clinton get more votes? Yes. What if we did that in sports? I am a major basketball fan. What if the team that got the most points didn't win? What if that happened? What would people think? Well, why not? Well, because not everybody on the team touched the ball, therefore--even though they won by 40 points--they don't win. This doesn't make sense. This is an outdated system that does not reflect democracy, and it violates the principle of one person, one vote. Every single American, regardless of what State they live in, should be guaranteed that their individual vote matters. Throughout our great history, we have had--this is the 45th President--five elections where the winner of the general election did not win the popular vote, but in our lifetime it has happened twice. We have had two in the last 16 years, and so it really needs to be addressed. This is more than an anomaly. It looks like it could happen one way or the other. We don't know if a Republican or a Democrat gets seated. Right now, Hillary Clinton's lead in the popular vote is 2.3 million votes. It is expected that she will win by probably more than 2.7 million votes. That would be more than the votes cast in Alaska, Delaware, Washington, DC, Hawaii, Vermont, and the Dakotas combined. We are not talking about a few votes; we are talking about 2.7 million votes--more than the votes cast in Alaska, Delaware, Washington, DC, Hawaii, Vermont, and the Dakotas combined. Clinton would have won the popular vote by a wider margin than not only Al Gore in 2000, but Richard Nixon in 1968 and John Kennedy in 1960. In 2012 Donald Trump said, ``The electoral college is a disaster for democracy.'' I couldn't agree more. I don't agree with too much of what Donald Trump says, but I sure agree with that. He said, ``The electoral college is a disaster for democracy.'' After the election, his views did not change: ``You know, I'm not going to change my mind just because I won. But I would rather see it where you went with simple votes.'' These are all quotes of his. ``You know, you get 100 million votes and somebody else gets 90 million votes and you win.'' After he said that, I think his advisers went a little nuts because by the next morning, he tweeted that the electoral college system was ``actually genius.'' Then he also tweeted this, which was very interesting: ``If the election were based on the total popular vote, I would have campaigned in New York, Florida, and California and won even bigger and more easily.'' OK. Maybe that is true. Maybe that is true. His point is well-taken. Presidential candidates should campaign in every single State. Actually, if we got rid of the electoral college, candidates would have to campaign in every State because the vote of every American would matter regardless of where they live. If you get all the popular vote in one State, you will add to your popular vote at the end. According to nationalpopularvote.com, 94 percent of campaigning by the Presidential candidates in 2016 took place in 12 States--12 States. That was it. Two-thirds of these general election campaign events took place in six States. In 2015 Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin said: ``The nation as a whole is not going to elect the next president. Twelve states are.'' Just think about that. ``The nation as a whole is not going to elect the next president.'' He was right when he said that in 2015. He was right. So what message does that send to the people who live in the populous States, like my State, where 39 million Americans live? What message does that send to the 27 million Americans who live in Texas? What message does that send to the smaller States, like North Dakota and Rhode Island, where the candidates don't even bother to campaign for the votes because they are either blue or red? They are not purple, so they don't matter. No wonder voter turnout was just 58 percent in this election. Too many Americans don't believe their vote matters because they are told: Oh, you live in a red State. It is going to Trump. Even if you are for Trump, just stay home. It is ridiculous. Maybe that person really wanted to vote, but they are convinced that if they live in a bright red State like Alabama, they don't have to vote because it is going for Trump, and if they are for Hillary Clinton and they live in a reliably blue State, they may think: Well, you know what, I am not interested. Why should I bother? My State is blue. What is the difference? So we have a 58-percent voter turnout. It is altogether ridiculous. Political science experts agree that too many Americans feel their vote doesn't count. It just doesn't count. Listen to Doug McAdam, professor of sociology at Stanford University, who asked, ``What about all those citizens who live in noncompetitive states?'' He makes my point: ``Consider the loyal Republican who lives in California or the stalwart Mississippi Democrat? Every four years, voting for them is an exercise in political powerlessness, at least when it comes to the presidential race.'' What is the difference? Hillary is going to win by so much. Don't worry about it. But if we were using the popular vote, believe me, every Republican would get out and every Democrat would get out and every Independent would get out because their vote would count. Every 4 years, a lot of people in different States feel their vote doesn't matter. They feel powerless when it comes to the Presidential race--the only race in the country where the winner doesn't win, maybe. The winner doesn't win. It is crazy. I looked all over to find another example where this is true; it is not true. William Crotty, professor emeritus of political science at Northeastern University, said that the electoral college ``has never worked well. The fact is that it is a terrible system that has no place in an age where democracy is ascendant. It continues to exist from sheer inertia and the protection of entrenched power. It has little to do with democracy.'' Well, everybody knows I didn't run again for the Senate. I have a fabulous replacement coming. But I did drop this bill to do away with the electoral college because I am still a Senator, I am still here, and I will be darned if I am going to let this thing pass. Listen to a professor of law at Fordham University, John Feerick: ``Not only have reasons for the Electoral College long since vanished but the institution has not fulfilled the design of the framers. Today it represents little more than an archaic and undemocratic counting device. There is no good reason for retaining such a formula of electing the president of the United States.'' Well, I also saw a poll which shows that 62 percent of the people in this country, regardless of party, think we should do away with it and go to a system where the winner wins. How unique--the winner wins and the loser loses. That is the way it should be in the greatest democracy in the country. Try explaining this to your kids and grandkids. I am telling you, if they are about 11 or 12, explain what happened. I know changing the system won't be easy. I have been around a long time. I have spent more than half of my life in politics in elected office. So we understand that the legislation would need to be enacted by Congress and would only take effect after being ratified by three- quarters of the States within 7 years after its passage. This is very difficult. This is a constitutional amendment. So I am not naive, and I understand what we are talking about. But there is another way to address this; it is called the National Popular Vote plan. It would guarantee that the Presidential candidate who wins the most votes would win the election and be the President, whether it is Donald Trump getting the most votes or Hillary Clinton getting the most votes, et cetera. All it requires is for enough States to act. It is an interstate compact where the States would agree to award their electoral votes to the Presidential candidate who wins the popular vote. So in California, where we have a number of electoral votes, if Donald Trump wins, they go to Donald Trump regardless of how our State voted. In other words, the votes are counted and then the States give their electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote--pretty simple. So you still have the electoral college, but the result is that the votes are given to the person who wins the national popular vote. The agreement takes effect only once the participating States together hold a majority of electoral votes; that is, 270 out of 538 electoral votes. So far, the National Popular Vote bill has been enacted into law by 10 States and the District of Columbia, adding up to 165 electoral votes. The legislation has been introduced in every State in the country, and it has support on both sides of the aisle because electing the person who wins is the democratic way. Trump supporter Newt Gingrich wrote a letter in 2014 endorsing the idea. He wrote: ``No one should become president of the United States without speaking to the needs and hopes of Americans in all 50 States. . . . America would be better served with a presidential election process that treated citizens across the country equally.'' Former Republican Congressman Bob Barr said: ``Only when the election process is given back to all of the people of all the states will we be able to choose a President based on what is best for all 50 states and not just a select few.'' I will make a point that I don't agree with Newt Gingrich on pretty much anything except this. This is rare. Newt Gingrich said Medicare should wither on the vine. He called Democrats traitors. Believe me, I served with him, I know. And his ethical standards don't meet what I think the standards should be. But setting that aside, here we are on the same side. ``No one should become president of the United States without speaking to the needs and hopes of Americans in all 50 States. . . . America would be better served with a presidential election process that treats citizens across the country equally.'' I urge my colleagues to take a close look at the legislation I have introduced, and I urge State legislators and Governors around the country to take a close look at the National Popular Vote bill. Again, I am going to be honest, it is really hard to pass a constitutional amendment. I am not naive about it. But to pass a law in various States isn't that hard. That should be done. The American people can help. I ask them to call their Senators and Members of Congress about our bill. There is a bill in the House being introduced by Charlie Rangel to do away with the electoral college--very simple-- and just let the popular vote stand. Ask them to sign on to this bill, but don't stop there. Write and call your representatives in the State house and push for your State to sign on to the interstate compact. A lot of people have come up to me after this election and said: You know, I don't feel my voice is heard, period. This is one of the reasons. Well, make your voice heard on either getting rid of the electoral college or the State compact where the State would give its votes to the winner of the national popular vote. Voting is the cornerstone of democracy. We have had men and women through the decades die for the right to vote. Many generations of Americans of every gender, race, religion, and ideology have marched and struggled and died to secure this fundamental freedom. Yet we have a system where the winner can lose. We owe it to the American people who have given so much for the right to vote to make sure that every vote matters and every vote counts. We owe it to them to ensure that the vote of a citizen in my State is worth the same as a vote of someone in a swing State. We owe it to every Republican voter and every Democratic voter and every Independent voter, every Green Party voter--whatever the party--to have that vote count. One person, one vote is the cornerstone of democracy. By making this critical change where the winner of the popular vote wins and every citizen's vote counts regardless of who they are, where they live, whether they are a Republican, Democrat, or a decline-to- state or Green or whatever party they choose, we would then be engaging voters in every single State. We will lift voter turnouts. We will ensure that every Presidential candidate speaks to the needs of Americans in every State and every region. We will ensure equal representation for all. You know, sometimes I come down here and I talk about issues that are very controversial. I must tell you, if you ask anyone on the street ``Do you think the winner of the popular vote should win the Presidency?'' I would say a very strong majority would say ``Of course.'' If you ask them ``Do you know of any office in the land, whether it is Governor, mayor, supervisor, city council, sewer board, sanitation district, you name it, where the winner doesn't win?'' they will say ``No, I can't think of any.'' You know what, there are none. So why not do the simple thing and the right thing and the just thing and make sure that the winner of the popular vote is sworn in as our President. I think this will be a huge boon for every single voter in this greatest of all countries. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I wish to thank my leader very much. Yesterday, Senator Inhofe and I were on the floor and I stated that if I felt there was an ironclad commitment to take care of the Flint, MI, problem and the lead in water across this Nation, I would support the CR. I interpret the strong language from my leader, Harry Reid, and the Republican majority leader, Senator McConnell, as an ironclad commitment. They spoke to the powers that be in the House. I know that Senator Inhofe and I are bound and determined to fix this, and believe me, I want to send a message to the people of Flint and to their Senators, who have worked their hearts out: This will happen. If it doesn't happen, I have some ideas of how I am going to protest it, but it will happen. I take it as an ironclad commitment. I yield the floor back to my colleague, Senator Reid.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. I agree with my colleague. If we can get an ironclad commitment to fix the Flint issue in WRDA and not just a vague conversation that somebody had--that Nancy Pelosi had with Paul Ryan, but I have to look at the public statements. The public statements are that a big leader in the House said this is an earmark. It is not. The Speaker over there, who is supposed to care about poor people and kids, said it is a local issue, which it is not. They voted down a chance to have a vote. It is not very encouraging. I am always encouraged when my colleague from Oklahoma speaks because he is the most positive person I have ever met. He says we are going to get it done. And if it is up to us, it gets done. But there are other people who don't view this issue the way he and I view this issue. All I am saying is, as I wind down my days here, I have had a lot of experience in expecting that I get things done. People have said to me: Oh my God, you are right. You are so right. You are on target. Don't worry. Well, that is all good, but show me the money. Show me the path. Show me the ironclad path for Flint, and I will step out of the way in a heartbeat, believe me. I encourage my friend to keep working with the Republicans, and I will work with the Democrats. Let's get an ironclad way that assures the people of Michigan that, finally, they are going to have some light at the end of the tunnel. In closing, I would say the simplest way to do it is just to add the package to the CR. It is easy. Just do it. It doesn't have a cost, it has all been thought out, and 95 of us have voted for it. Get it done. For the life of me, I don't know how the majority leader can't do this thing. Just do it. As they say in the Nike ad: Just do it. Every religious organization in the country from the Catholics to the Jews, to the Muslims, to everybody else has said: Yes, this is a moral issue. Take care of these people. I had the list today. It is in the Record. We are all supposed to be people who care about moral issues and care about our children. When my friend said he has a pregnant niece in Florida, my heart skipped a beat. It is a scary time. That is why we have to take care of the Zika issue. At the same time, if his niece was in Flint and bathing in water that still has lead in it, he would be just as upset. I know he cares deeply. My friend cares deeply. If everybody cared as deeply as he does, we would be in good shape. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I trust my colleague totally. My chairman--I trust him totally but as far as the House is concerned, no. Trust but verify. My friend says we have the wrong-headed strategy on objecting to the CR. He has the right to his opinion, but we don't agree. This is the only way we can make the case because right now the House has the WRDA bill. All they have to do is allow a vote to cover Flint. Yesterday the Rules Committee said no. Yesterday, Chairman Sessions of the Committee on Rules in the House said it is an earmark, which it is not because it does not just affect Flint. In fact, it is a program to help all cities that have lead in the water that is poisoning the families. So, trust? I have been around here a long time. I think Ronald Reagan was right when he said trust but verify. Show me the language. Show me the commitment. I see my friend here from Louisiana. He wasn't in the Senate at the time I was here with his predecessor, but I will say this: Senator Inhofe and I--when there was a tragic problem in Louisiana with Hurricane Katrina, we stepped up and we put aside any issues in our own States to go where the suffering was. I fought so hard for Louisiana. I fought my heart out for them to get the money they needed after Katrina. And, actually, with the help of my colleague, we made sure that all the Gulf States got the money from BP to rebuild. My heart is open to every person in this country--every child in this country, no matter where they are, whether in Louisiana, West Virginia, California, Oklahoma, or Michigan. We are one Nation under God, indivisible. And when we have an issue and a crisis, we need to move. Here is where I see it a little differently than my friend. I think it is absolutely the right strategy to keep fighting to get the help to Flint in the CR. That is called leverage. That is called smart politics. That is called fairness. That is called justice. At the same time, I support my friend and colleague in trying to get an ironclad commitment from the House leaders. It wasn't a good day yesterday for Flint. They turned down Congressman Kildee's request to have a simple vote. Speaker Ryan said this is a local issue, and so did Bill Shuster. They called it a local issue. They do not even understand it if they call it a local issue because there was no elected local government in Flint, MI. There were leaders appointed by the Republican there. My friend is so sincere, and I trust him 100 percent. I don't have to verify a thing he says because he is a man of his word. That is it. He knows how we feel about each other. We have never, ever, ever walked away from each other. But the fact that he and I may be in agreement doesn't necessarily bring along the people in the House. My colleague says he has heard it on good authority. That is great. Show me in writing. Show me where it is going to happen. Show me the guarantees. Show me they are not going to load up WRDA poison pills that my friend and I know we can't--either side--accept poison pills. I don't see it. So right now, I think what we are doing is right. I want to make a point. Many Republicans voted against the CR. It could be for other reasons. But even if many more Democrats had voted for the CR today, it would have gone down with the number of Republicans being so large voting against it. So we have a lot of work to do. I would say, through the Chair, to our majority leader, Mitch McConnell: You can add this thing in 2 minutes. You can talk about jurisdiction. We add all kinds of things to CRs. This would be something where we could keep in Louisiana, we could keep in everything else, and we could add in a totally paid-for bill. None of the other emergencies are paid for, by the by. They just go on the debt, on the credit card, pretty much. But we have paid for every penny of this, thanks to my friend's leadership and thanks to my friend from Michigan, who stepped up and did away with a program in the auto industry that was very important to her because she wanted to do the right thing. Here is the path forward. Our leader can look at the vote. It was pretty sad for his clean CR, as he calls it. It is not clean. That went down in flames. He can simply add Flint to it, and we would pass it in a heartbeat. Or the House can take up and pass the Senate WRDA bill or send us a completely ironclad statement as to time, place, venue, and when they are going to fix the Flint issue. I know my friend from Michigan would like to be heard, but this is not rocket science. We have a bill fully paid for that takes care of the whole country and is not an earmark. It passed here with 95 votes. Let's get it done. Disentangle it from WRDA. Disentangle it from WRDA and pass it on the CR. Disentangle it. Take care of the people. Whether they are in Louisiana, West Virginia, Maryland, Michigan, let's take care of the people. That is our job. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, through the Chair, I would just like 1 minute to respond.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. I thank the Senator.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I want to associate myself with those remarks that were made. It is a tragedy to lose such a fighter, talent, and hero like that. Speaking of heroism, we need a little bit of it on the floor here. We need to have a leadership here that understands when children are being poisoned by lead in their water, we need to do something about it. We need leadership that understands that, just as the people of Louisiana deserve every bit of help, so do the families of Flint. We need a leadership that understands our responsibility to children. What good are we? Now, I have to say, I stand here as the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and we are responsible for the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act. My partnership with Senator Inhofe, which has been noted by a few around here, has extended to taking care of the people of Flint. We took care of the people of Flint and all of the kids who were exposed to lead in the water in the Water Resources Development Act that passed here with over 90 votes. That is good. That says there is goodness in the U.S. Senate, but unless we can deliver this bill and put it on the President's desk, it is a meaningless goodness. It is for-show goodness. I have to say, it is so simple. The continuing resolution has in it help for Louisiana, and those people deserve that help but so do the people of Flint. How easy is it? It is already paid for. We figured it out. It doesn't cost a penny. Unlike helping the people of Flint where we put that into the emergency spending, we have paid for the way to help the people of Flint and the children all over this country who have suffered from the impact of lead. I want to show you some charts that demonstrate what it is like. This is what corrosive water has done to leach the lead out of these pipes. These are the drinking water pipes. Why did it happen? Because unelected people in Flint, appointed by the Governor there, decided they wanted to save a few bucks and they changed the source of the drinking water. They switched to a very corrosive drinking water. It leached all this lead out, and the lead poisoned the children. That is a simple fact in evidence. We need to fix it. We need to replace it. I want to show you something else. This is what it looks like. If you saw this color water coming out of your tap, you would get out of the house with your family. I would get out of the house with my family. We are lucky. We have more resources than a lot of folks. I want to show you some more pictures and some more charts. This headline: ``Pregnant women, kids cautioned over Jackson water, lead.'' This is Newsweek: ``WITH LEAD IN THE WATER, COULD SEBRING, OHIO BECOME THE NEXT FLINT?'' The next Flint? These are other cities in our country where the lead is leaching into the drinking water. This is not a Democratic or Republican issue. We fixed it over here, all of us together. Now we are being told by the Republican leader that he can't possibly take care of it in the continuing resolution while he takes care of other places. Since when do we play God and decide which people are deserving of our help? When they are suffering, you help people. When there has been terrible mistakes made with the drinking water supply, you help people, and we did it in a way that is financially and fiscally responsible. We figured out a way to pay for this new program that will not only help Flint pay for their pipes but will help cities like this all over the country. Here is another headline: ``Elevated Lead Levels Found in Newark Schools' Drinking Water.'' ``Lead in water not confined to Flint.'' Our provision that we put in helps people all over this great Nation of ours. What else do we have to show? I want to tell you the list of organizations who are calling to add aid to Flint and these other cities into the continuing resolution: The AFL-CIO, Catholic Charities, First Focus Campaign for Children, the Congressional Black Caucus, Human Rights--represents more than 200 national organizations--A. Philip Randolph Institute, the ACLU, African American Ministers, American University Women, American Family Voices, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, American Federation of Teachers, American Islamic Congress, American Rivers, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Americans for Democratic Action, Andrew Goodman Foundation, Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Asian Pacific American Alliance, Bend the Arc Jewish Action, Campaign for America's Future, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, Center for Community Change Action. We can see all the interfaith groups. Every religion is asking the majority leader to take care of these children. For God's sake, where is your heart? Where is your heart? We have paid for it. We have taken care of it. We are helping Flint. We are helping all the communities. Let's continue to see these groups: Center for Law and Social Policy, Children's Defense Fund, Children's Health Fund, Common Cause, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Environment America, Every Child Matters, International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies, National Association of Social Workers, National Black Justice Coalition, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation Black Women's Roundtable, Jobs With Justice, the League of Conservation Voters, the League of United Latin American Citizens, MomsRising, the NAACP, the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Where are your values? Where are your religious values, I say to the majority leader. You can take care of this, and it doesn't cost a penny, and you will shut down the government rather than do this? You have to be kidding. Here are some more organizations: National Council of La Raza, National Disability Rights Network, National Education Association, National Employment Law Project, National Fair Housing Alliance, National Jobs for All Coalition, National Urban League, National Women's Law Center, the National WIC Association. Do you know what WIC stands for? Women, Infants and Children. They make sure our babies are healthy, and they know there is no safe exposure of lead in a child, and they know lead builds up. Here are more organizations: Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, Service Employees International Union, the Sierra Club, the United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries, the United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society, Voices for Progress, People for the American Way. We don't want to listen to Democrats? Listen to the churches. Listen to the great religions. Listen to the people who fight for children. Put Flint in the continuing resolution. It doesn't cost a penny. I want to go back to the photo of what it looks like when lead comes out of the water. I want to show you that picture. That is what it looks like. The majority leader, when asked about this, says: Oh, I don't have to put this in the continuing resolution. I just know, I know that we are going to get this in the Water Resources Development Act. As I started out saying, this Senate voted by more than 90 votes to fix Flint and to fix this problem with lead in the drinking water by setting up a paid-for program in the WRDA bill. I thank Senator Inhofe, my chairman. What a joy to work with him and his staff office. He is committed to this. I am committed to this. What about the House? Because I don't have to tell you or explain to you how a bill becomes a law. It has to go to the Senate. It has to go to the House. It has to go through a conference committee to debate the differences, then it has to go to the President to either sign or veto. OK. The House passed a WRDA bill. Guess what is not in their bill? Flint. Guess what is not in their bill? Any provision to deal with lead in drinking water. They think: Trust us. We don't need it in the CR. Let's take care of these other people, but we don't need a continuing resolution. Don't shut down the government. Come on. We will take care of it in WRDA. Really? Well, they had a chance yesterday to allow an amendment to add Flint's provisions to the WRDA bill. Guess what they did. They said no. They said no. They will not even allow a vote. Chairman Sessions--not Senator Sessions, this is Chairman Sessions over there in the Rules Committee. He said: You know, Flint can be an earmark. Well, No. 1, it is not an earmark because we take care of all areas where there is lead in the drinking water. No. 2, what did Paul Ryan say? The Speaker over there, the one who said he is so compassionate for poor people, said: This is a local matter. A local matter? How is it a local matter, when the people of Flint were being governed by people appointed by the Governor and they decided to save money and they didn't care what happened? They went to a cheaper water supply and they poisoned the people. A local matter, really? Is it a local matter to not have safe drinking water? Really? Ask the people who served when Richard Nixon was the President, and he started all the environmental landmark laws. People have a right to clean air. People have a right to clean water. People have a right to safe drinking water. People have a right to these things, and we have a responsibility to ensure that they have that right because the consequences are dire. A local matter? That is Speaker Ryan, the Republican Speaker, who said he is so compassionate. Why isn't he making this happen? Why isn't he helping us? We cannot trust the House to address Flint. They proved it yesterday. They will not even allow an amendment. All they have to do is allow an amendment and the amendment passes, same as the Senate, send it to the President. It is in the bill. We are done. We are happy. Then you don't have to put it in the continuing resolution. All you have to do is take up and pass the Senate bill, the Senate WRDA bill, which passed here with over 95 votes. Do you think they would take it and pass it in a time when we can't even agree on a resolution commending Mother's Day? We can't even agree on something simple. We agreed with 95 votes on a WRDA bill. Take it up and pass it, get it off the plate, and then we can get this issue behind us. They will not do it. The suffering in Flint has gone on for far too long. The crisis began in 2014, when that unelected Flint leadership appointed by the Republican Governor of Michigan cut costs by switching the water supply to the corrosive Flint River. The city managers failed to use corrosion control measures, and that was a disaster because lead began leaching into the water from the aging drinking water pipes. We will show those pipes again. Look at that picture. That is frightening. It wasn't until January of 2016 when the government declared a state of emergency. Meanwhile, a local doctor began warning of the high levels of lead in children's blood, but State officials assured those parents their water was safe to drink. One hundred thousand working- class Americans in Flint--African Americans, White Americans, Hispanic Americans--41 percent living below the poverty line, used contaminated water for drinking, for cooking, for bathing for months without knowing about it because these so-called local officials appointed by the Republican Governor refused to tell them there was a problem, and the Republican leadership here has the temerity to say those people don't deserve relief or say that we will take care of it in the Water Resources Development Act, when yesterday the House refused to do it. There are 12,000 Flint children who were exposed to lead-tainted water, according to NBC. Those children will be dealing with the harmful consequences of lead contamination for the rest of their lives. No safe level of lead is known. There is no safe level, and the exposures are generally irreversible. What does lead do? It harms the developing brains and nervous systems of children and fetuses. This is a tragedy. Yet the Republican leader comes to the floor and says: Oh, we will take care of it after the election. Don't worry about it. No, that is wrong. That is not right. In my position as the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and before that, as chairman, I swear I could stand here and tell you I gave my heart and soul for the people of Louisiana and the gulf coast when they were hit by strife. I went to Louisiana. I stood with the people of Louisiana. I stand with them now. They deserve our help. So do the people of Flint, and so do the people of all the communities that are suffering from lead in drinking water. It has been over 9 months since Flint was granted an emergency declaration, and the citizens continue to deal with the horrible water crisis. They do not have access to safe drinking water. This started in 2014, and in 2016 the Republican leader doesn't understand that is wrong, that we haven't helped those people. Come on. Don't hide behind the Water Resources Development Act because in the House they have not agreed to fix it. Why are Republicans picking and choosing communities that deserve our help? We are going to have a vote today, and that vote is important. We need to be strong. We need to say we are for helping the people of Louisiana, we are for helping people, but we are not for leaving out these poisoned children and this community that has been suffering when we can fix it without a penny of taxpayer cost. I hope we are going to vote no on that, and maybe then the leader will decide to put Flint into this continuing resolution. We cannot play games with this. This can be fixed. Ninety-five Senators know how to fix it. This can be fixed. We are very worried about this issue of lead in drinking water because millions of homes across America receive water from pipes that date to an era before scientists fully understood the harm of lead exposure, so there are lead pipes. If you put the wrong type of water into those pipes, it will leach the lead out. So families are unknowingly bathing in lead, they are drinking lead, and they are cooking with lead. This is wrong. The Presiding Officer has to hear this. This is very important to hear. We don't just fix the problem in Flint, we set up a new program to help communities all over the country. The American Water Works Association estimates that as many as 22 million Americans have lead service lines. So what are we going to say? We won't take care of this in the continuing resolution; we will just throw it over into the water bill. Yet the House Republicans are very disinterested in this. I have read the organizations--and this is the first time I have actually looked at all those organizations. I just wish to make this last plea to the Republican leader and to all of you who run this place here, for now, and that is this: If we are here for any reason--and we thank God we are here. What an honor it is to be here. As I look at my days dwindling down in the Senate, I am filled with an emotion that I have been able to help so many people. Why are we here? Not to hurt people, not to turn a blind eye to the suffering of people, but to step up to the plate and say: You know what, we understand, and we are going to help. We have a chance to do that. I was so proud of my partnership with my Republican friends on the Environment and Public Works Committee. We took care of this in the WRDA bill. We solved the problem in a fiscally responsible way and a judicious way. We have it solved. It is done. The work is done, and 95 Senators stood behind that work. What we want to say to the House is this: Take up and pass the Senate bill. Take care of this matter. If you can't do that, give us an ironclad commitment that you will absolutely get it done. Short of that, it has to go into the continuing resolution. Until then, what we are doing in the continuing resolution is saying yes to the suffering and pain of some of our beloved citizens and no to the suffering and pain of another set of our beloved citizens. This is the United States of America, not the Divided States of America. We care for all our children, for all our families. We look at safe drinking water as a right. That is why we have the Safe Drinking Water Act. That is why we have the Clean Water Act. These were signed by Republicans and Democrats, signed into law by Republican and Democratic Presidents. I hope that the leader, with whom I have had some excellent relations of late, will rethink this and that we can leave here in an election year knowing we helped all the people. Thank you very much.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, as the Legal Aid Society-- Employment Law Center, LAS-ELC, celebrates its 100th anniversary, I want to congratulate the staff, volunteers, and supporters of this extraordinary organization for all they have done for decades to support low-income workers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Established in 1916 by the State Commission of Immigration and Housing, LAS-ELC has a long history of successfully advocating on behalf of working families. Beginning with its early efforts to assist struggling workers during the Great Depression and WWII veterans as they integrated back into life at home, LAS-ELC has provided critical support for men and women in need of help. Their groundbreaking work includes securing the first-ever Federal grant to provide free legal services to indigent criminal defendants, leading the settlement of a major class action on behalf of women and minorities who were denied jobs and promotions by the San Francisco Fire Department and winning a court ruling establishing AIDS and HIV status as a disability protected by State and Federal employment laws. Over the years, the organization has won hundreds of individual rulings and settlements for workers discriminated against on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, disability, or religious beliefs. Today, LAS-ELC serves thousands of clients annually, provides free information about workers' legal rights, and advocates for policy changes that better support workers and help strengthen families and communities. A hundred years after its founding, LAS-ELC continues to lead the fight against discrimination, harassment, wage theft, and other workplace injustices. I am pleased to join in honoring this special anniversary and wish LAS-ELC continued success in the years to come.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, Annette's contributions go far beyond the committee itself. Through her work on the committee's education and training programs, reporting requirements, and compliance functions, Annette has reached the entire Senate community and, indeed, the Nation. Her contributions, drawn from a reserve of institutional knowledge and experience, have been immeasurable. The committee commends Annette's unwavering commitment to its work and is honored to have been the beneficiary of her loyal service. Despite the impact of her retirement, we, the committee members and staff, are pleased to see Annette receive the recognition she deserves for her decades of faithful service to the U.S. Senate and the American people. We ask our colleagues to join us in thanking Annette for her invaluable service to the Select Committee on Ethics, the Senate community, and our Nation. We thank you, Annette, for your 36 years of dedicated service.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. I thank the Senator. Order of Procedure

Mrs. BOXER. I am very pleased my colleague has stated unequivocally that the Flint provision--which again helps the whole country--is going to be strongly supported by him and by me and by others in the conference. I would simply say to my friends in the House, through the Chair, if I can: There is a simple way to go--take up and pass the Senate bill. We have had 93 votes for cloture. I see the majority leader. I thank him so much for his work. He promised me this would happen, and he kept that promise. And Senator Reid--who had a lot of other fish to fry around here, but he said: You know what, let's get this done. That is very good for the country and for the way this place functions. When I am not here, I just hope to leave behind a few of these bipartisan crumbs that I have been able to work on in my time here. In conclusion, I don't want to get into what the House does. I hope they take up and pass our bill. If they don't, we will have to work with them, but let me just say, it is heartening to hear my colleague say he will stand for this lead provision. I also thank Senators Stabenow and Peters for bringing this unbelievable crisis to our attention and staying on this day after day. I can't say how many phone calls I have had. She would call me and I would call Senator Inhofe. Then he would call her and they would call Senator Peters. We have been standing together on this. I hope we have a resounding vote. I thought 93 was great, but as my father used to say to me when I brought a 90-percent grade home: Hey, what happened to the other 10 percent? So I am looking for a 93, at a minimum, today. That is a heck of a message to send. I don't know if we could get that for any other issue. I am thrilled to be part of this team. Again, I thank my friend and colleague for his devotion to getting work done around here. I am going to miss him, but I will be cheering from outside the Chamber. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, once again, I think Senator Inhofe and I have proven we can get things done around here. I have been asked--and I know he has been asked--by many in the press: How do you do it? You are one of the most liberal and one of the most conservative, one of the most progressive----

Mrs. BOXER. I agree with Senator Inhofe.

Mrs. BOXER. I agree with the chairman.

Mrs. BOXER. I will.

Mrs. BOXER. I think people know that, clearly. I know they know that in my State and in your State, but people wonder how can we possibly bridge the divide. It is a fact that on certain issues we can't, and I think there is a lesson there. On certain issues, we can't bridge the divide. We recognize that, but we never ever have taken those differences and made them personal. We always respected one another, we tried to understand one another, and we don't waste a lot of time arguing with each other about things where one is Venus and one is Mars, let's be clear, but we do come together as we work for this great country in our total belief that a sound infrastructure is essential for our Nation. You can't compete in a global economy if your infrastructure is failing. If we look at the grade that is given to our infrastructure, our highways, our bridges, our roadways, our sewer systems, unfortunately, the independent engineers of our country--some of whom are Republican, some of whom are Democrats, some of whom are Independents, some of whom could care less about politics--they tell us a lot of our infrastructure is graded at C-minus, D-plus, D. It is sad when we look at the grades and think: Oh, my God. Thank goodness we got a C. That is not the way I raised my kids. We need to do better. So we found this amazing area where we could work together. Even within that, we had different priorities, and that is OK. I know what his are and he knows what mine are. I just want to say, in this bill, where we do so much to respond to the infrastructure needs--we fund so many Chief's reports, 30 of them in 19 States, addressing critical needs, flood risk management, coastal storm damage reduction, ecosystem restoration, navigation, all the things we have to do to literally keep our country moving--we also did something else. We knew that passing a water bill in this time without addressing lead in drinking water, which came to us in the most tragic story from Flint, MI--I am not going to get into why, how, and where. That is for others to talk about today. We knew we needed to address it in a way that not only helps the Flint people but helps people all over this country who are facing aging water supplies and have lead in the drinking water. We agree the science is clear on the impact of lead in drinking water. Now, we disagree on a lot of other science, but on that one we agree. I am so grateful to my friend Jim Inhofe, for he brings to the table his experiences as not only a Senator, beloved in his State, but also as a dad and as a granddad, and if we have any obligation to our children--and we do--we need to fix this problem.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I say through the chair, I see the leadership team is here. I will represent the rank and file, to tell you what Tim means to us. There is a lot of stress around here, not that I have ever experienced nor have I been worried, nervous, or annoying to people, but through it all, Tim is with the team--and they know who they are--giving us advice, protecting us, telling us what are our rights, what we can do and what we can't do. People outside the Chamber don't understand what it means to have people like Tim. Tim loves baseball. I grew up six blocks from Ebbets Field and saw the civil rights movement unfold with Jackie Robinson on the bases so we have something in common. If we were voting today, Tim Mitchell would be the most valuable player. We do love you, Tim. Congratulations, and we look forward to working with you for a long time. I yield the floor.