John Barrasso

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I come to the floor as we, as Americans, continue to see the regular reminders that the world is a very dangerous place. The horrendous reports out of Syria over the weekend show us there are leaders in the world who will test the rules that define civilized nations. They will exploit any crack that they see in our resolve. President Trump has consistently responded to these kinds of challenges by showing that he is resolute and that he is unshakable. He has a foreign policy that always puts America first. To continue to do this, the President needs to have a full national security team on the job and working for America. The Secretary of State is a very important part of that team. Tomorrow, the Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to have a hearing on Mike Pompeo's nomination to do this very important job. Mike Pompeo understands that if we want safety and security at home, we need a world that is peaceful and stable. I expect he is going to talk about all of these things at the confirmation hearing, and I look forward to his testimony. We have all heard about Mike Pompeo's impressive qualifications for the job to which he has been nominated--first in his class at West Point; Harvard Law School; a Member of Congress; and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He has the integrity, and he has the experience to serve as America's Secretary of State. As a former Member of Congress, he certainly understands how policy decisions get made and the key importance of congressional oversight. As head of the CIA, he clearly understands the crucial role that the intelligence community plays in preserving America's national security. As a soldier, he understands the consequences of decisions that get made in Washington, DC. I have traveled with Mike Pompeo to meet with world leaders and to attend national security conferences. He knows the issues, and he knows the people. He is the right person for this job. I met with him just last month after he was nominated. We talked about some of the specific issues going on around the world and how they affect our Nation's national security. It was a very good conversation, and I am extremely confident that he is the right person for this job. I expect many more people will come away from these hearings tomorrow with great confidence in Mike Pompeo. He will be an excellent representative for our Nation, and he will be a strong hand to implement President Trump's foreign policy. So I look forward to voting on this nomination as soon as possible after the hearings. It was just a little over a year ago that he was confirmed by a very large, bipartisan majority for his current job as the CIA Director. It was right here on this Senate floor where that confirmation occurred. Fifteen Senators from the other side of the aisle agreed that Mike Pompeo was the right choice for that position. As the nominee for the job he now holds, he drew bipartisan praise for his qualifications. Two Democratic Senators actually came to the floor and spoke in favor of his nomination--Senators Feinstein and Warner. They are the current vice chair of the Intelligence Committee and the former chair of the Intelligence Committee. Since that time, Mike Pompeo has done an excellent job at the CIA. Even Hillary Clinton has come out and praised his time in heading that Agency. I expect that this can be a short process to confirm him in the new job for which he has been nominated, that of Secretary of State. There is certainly no good reason for Democrats to slow things down or to attempt to slow things down. We need to restore America to a position we once held as the most powerful and respected Nation on the face of the Earth. For 8 years, the previous administration had us going in the wrong direction. The Obama administration followed a policy that it called strategic patience. That meant watching while the Assad regime in Syria crossed one redline after another. Then the redline became a green light. The result is that Syria continues to use chemical weapons today in attacking its own people. Strategic patience did not work. The Obama administration's policy also meant that North Korea was allowed to get away with too much for far too long. North Korea continued to test nuclear weapons, continued to test missiles, and continued to use hostages as a way of getting what it wanted from other countries. Strategic patience did not work with North Korea. The Trump administration has said very clearly that the era of strategic patience is over. The leaders of these countries need to understand that their belligerence will not succeed. They need to get the clear message that America has a new foreign policy. It is a policy to secure America's national interests and demonstrate America's leadership around the world. Part of this leadership is to stand up to show that there is a limit to the patience of the civilized countries of the world. The previous administration too often placed international opinion ahead of what was actually best for America. That only made the world a more dangerous place. The Trump administration has begun to get us back on the right track, and Mike Pompeo will ensure that we stay on the right track. When it comes to issues like the upcoming discussions with North Korea, Mike Pompeo understands the risks of dealing with these kinds of aggressive adversaries. He also understands the opportunities that we now have because of President Trump's forceful stand for American interests. Democrats should commit to allowing this nomination to move as quickly as possible. We will have a hearing tomorrow. We need to have a thorough discussion about what is happening around the world, and then we need to vote. Let's not have any more of the deliberate delays that we have been seeing by the Democrats in this body--no more pointless and partisan obstruction. America's adversaries around the world are watching closely--in Russia, in Syria, in North Korea, in Iran, and in other places. It is time for us to show that we are serious about maintaining a strong foreign policy that puts America first. President Trump is doing his part. Mike Pompeo is ready to do his part in his job. It is now time for the Senate to do our job. Thank you. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, earlier this week, the Senate voted to confirm Kevin McAleenan to be the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This is a national security job. It is the person in charge of making sure America has secure borders. He was approved unanimously by the Senate Finance Committee that voted on it before it came to the floor. In spite of that unanimous vote, the Democrats in this body still delayed this nominee from taking office for as long as they could. They forced the majority to file cloture on it. We had the vote last week, then we had to wait to do it, spend the time, and in the end, 30 Democrats--the Democrats who demanded we hold a cloture vote, delay the vote--voted in favor of his confirmation. This had nothing to do with his qualifications for the office. They just wanted to delay and obstruct. That is what we are dealing with here. Forcing a cloture vote on a noncontroversial executive nominee used to be extremely rare--hardly ever happened. There were 15 people confirmed after a cloture vote at this point for the previous four Presidents combined. So if you take a look at the previous four Presidents--Obama, Clinton, both Bushes--a total of 15 votes were taken, requiring cloture in each of those Presidencies, total. What about President Trump? Fifty people--50, 5-0--have been confirmed only after deliberate delay by the Democrats, forcing us to waste time on cloture votes. That doesn't even count people who were nominated to be judges. We are just talking about Presidential appointments in the executive branch. This delay is unproductive, and it is unprecedented. Democrats are insisting on cloture votes because there is a Senate rule that allows for up to 30 hours of debate on Presidential nominees after we have had that vote. In reality, very little of this time is actually spent on debating the nominees or their credentials to serve in the office for which they have been nominated. It is a pattern of ongoing obstruction the Democrats have been following since the very first day of the Trump administration. That is right. Since the very first day, Inauguration Day last year, Republicans wanted to vote on Mike Pompeo's nomination to be head of the Central Intelligence Agency, an important key position in any President's Cabinet, but we already had the debate in the Foreign Relations Committee. We could have had a debate on the floor that evening, but no. A small number of Democrats blocked it and forced us to have first a cloture vote and delay moving forward, delaying the process from day one--Inauguration Day--of the administration. How much of the 30 hours did the Democrats actually spend debating this person's qualifications to be head of the CIA? Less than 2 hours. They wasted 30 hours of the whole time; only 2 hours was used in debate. That is how long the Democrats spent on this floor giving their reasons why they wanted to vote against the nominee. It had nothing to do with Mr. Pompeo; it was just so Democrats could waste 3 more days, allowing nothing else to happen, blocking other activities in the Senate. The rules allow the Democrats to stall, and they took full advantage of the rules. It is time, in my opinion, to end this partisan spectacle. We have 78 more nominees for various jobs who have made it through their committee hearings and are waiting for a vote on this floor. Most of these people have bipartisan support. They can be and will be confirmed easily. The administration has to waste time to get their team in place. Democrats aren't using the rules for debate. They are not using the rules for deliberation. It is only for delay. It wasn't and hasn't always been this way, and there is no reason it should continue this way. The Senate had a different standard for executive branch nominations a few years ago. In 2013 and 2014, the rules said that we would have a full 30 hours of debate only for Cabinet Secretaries; for all other executive branch Presidential appointees, only 8 hours of debate. But today we allow 30 hours on every nomination, and Democrats have shown that, in most cases, it is far too much time. We need a fair debate on every nomination. The procedure from 2013 and 2014 was fair. The way Democrats are wasting time today to keep us from doing work is not fair. It is time to return to the rules for debating nominations that the Senate used 4 years ago. The rules that we used in 2013 and 2014 were the result of a compromise. Democrats controlled the Senate at the time, and a Democrat was making the nominations; that was President Obama. Republicans agreed to a fair time limit on the amount of debate. There was a bipartisan group who worked on this compromise--four Republicans, four Democrats--and I was one of the four Republicans who were part of that group. Senator Schumer, who is now the Democratic leader, was part of that group as well. There was overwhelming support for these changes on both sides of the aisle. It is time to change the Senate rules and go back to that process that Senator Schumer supported in 2013 and in 2014 when Democrats were in the majority. Today, Democrats deliberately delay in ways that limit us to a couple of nominations in a typical week. If we go back to the 2014 standard, we could clear multiple nominations in a single day. We should have this process back in place by the time we take up Mike Pompeo's nomination to be Secretary of State when we get back in April. The world is a dangerous place. We have serious concerns about Russia, Iran, China, and important trade issues that we need to be working on. The President will be meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. America needs to have a full slate of people helping the President on these issues, and we need them to be the correct, very talented people that a President needs. We are fortunate to have Mike Pompeo as the likely nominee to be Secretary of State. He is the right person for the job. He knows the issues. He knows the people. He has the intelligence. He has the integrity. He has the experience for the job. We will be having confirmation hearings in the Foreign Relations Committee in April. Let's have a hearing, a fair debate, and then let's vote. Let's not have any of these continued stalling tactics and this pointless obstruction that Democrats have engaged in ever since the first day President Trump took office. Mike Pompeo's nomination to be Secretary of State will still get 30 hours of debate, and after that, we will need to confirm a new CIA Director. Last year, we allowed 30 hours of debate on that nomination, and Democrats used only 2 of the 30. Under the compromise rules that I think we should return to, we would allow up to 8 hours of debate. It is clearly enough--more than most people would think would be needed. We have more than 100 other qualified people who have been voted on and approved by the appropriate Senate committee, and they are waiting to do important jobs. With all of the threats that our country is facing around the world, it is time for Democrats in the Senate to stop wasting time and stop abusing the rules. It is time for Democrats to join Republicans and the President to do all we can to keep America prosperous, safe, and secure. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Tori for her hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming. Tori is a native of Yellowstone National Park. She is a graduate of the University of Wyoming, where she studied international studies and criminal justice. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last several months. I want to thank Tori for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her next journey.

Mr. BARRASSO

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

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, this week we are debating an important piece of legislation that is going to streamline and simplify government regulations. We are going to make it easier and cheaper for families to get access to loans from their local banks. This legislation is good for communities, and it is good for the American economy. This is just the latest action we have taken in Congress over the past year to help give the American economy a boost. The economy is responding, and the American people are doing better because of it. Here is a headline from the New York Times on Friday: ``The Economy is Looking Awfully Strong.'' That is the headline in the New York Times--``The Economy is Looking Awfully Strong.'' This article was about the jobs report that came out last week. It said that the report ``can be summed up in four words: The economy is humming.'' The U.S. economy has already created over 552,000 new jobs in just the first 2 months of this year--over half a million new jobs in the first 2 months of this year. There are half a million more people working today compared to when Republicans passed this tax relief law. If we want to go back a little, there are more than 3 million new jobs since President Trump was elected in November of 2016. That is a real number to look at. That is the moment when people said they had enough of slow-growth policies from the Democrats in Washington and elected Donald Trump President. That is the moment when businesses realized things were going to be different with Republicans in charge. More people are working now. And do you know what else? They are being paid more. According to the Commerce Department, the take-home pay of working people in America increased by $40 billion in January. They say it is directly because of the tax relief law that Republicans passed last December. More than 4 million workers are also getting a bonus or a pay increase. Four hundred companies have said that is because taxes went down. They are sharing the savings with their workers. These are people who work at Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, Starbucks, and other businesses that have familiar names all across America. They are also people who work in smaller businesses, like the Jonah Bank in Wyoming, at branches in Casper and in Cheyenne. It is not a nationally known bank, but it is very important in our State and in our communities. Some people who are getting bonuses work at places like Taco John's. That is another business that is important to the people of Wyoming. When I was in the State senate, Taco John's was a place I went regularly to eat lunch. It is one of many Taco John's facilities around the State of Wyoming and around the West. Republicans cut taxes, and working Americans are seeing more money in their paychecks as a result. This is what we see in terms of confidence. This new survey came out recently where they talked with the heads of midsized companies all around America, and this is what they say: 89 percent of the business leaders are confident in the U.S. economy and the economy's prospects for the year. U.S. economic confidence soars--in 2016, 39 percent; in 2017, 80 percent; and in 2018, now 89 percent. The American people realize we have now beaten back 8 years of bad policies from Democrats in Washington. As soon as President Trump took office, we saw confidence soar, and I don't know that it has ever been higher. Americans are feeling better about the U.S. economy. They are also feeling better about their own personal situations. That is the key-- people's own personal situations. That is certainly the case in my home State of Wyoming. The polling company Gallup looked at overall economic confidence State by State. They found that Wyoming is the most confident State in the country when it comes to America's economy. Attitudes about the economy turned positive immediately after Donald Trump was elected President in 2016. You could feel it. You could feel the confidence. You could feel the optimism. You could feel the positiveness in the people of Wyoming. People living in 43 out of the 50 States now have a positive view of the economy, and Wyoming, of course, is No. 1. People I talk to at home--I was in Cody, WY, this past weekend, as well as in Sheridan and Riverton and Casper and around the State talking to people in various communities. The people I talked to about the economy will tell you it is because businesses are hiring again. People are doing better. They see their take-home pay going up. They see their taxes going down. They see that Republican policies are making their lives better. They see that Republican policies are also making the economy stronger. They see that Republican policies are making it easier for people to achieve their dreams and to enjoy their lives. It comes from tax relief. It comes from cutting regulations, as we are doing this week. What are the Democrats offering? Well, last week, the Democratic leader came to the floor and said he wants to raise taxes by $1 trillion. That is what the leader of the Democratic Party said on the floor of the Senate last week. He wants to raise taxes by $1 trillion. Is he serious? A trillion dollars? Raising taxes? Taking away from people the tax cuts they have just started to enjoy? More people have jobs. The economy is humming. The New York Times says the economy is humming. Ninety percent of working Americans have increases in their take-home pay. That is because of the tax cuts this body passed. Democrats want to reverse it all. That is what we hear on the floor of the Senate. They want to take back the money. They want to roll back the progress we have made. That is their plan--raise taxes. That is what we hear from the Democrats. Senator Schumer came to the floor of the Senate, and he said: ``There are much better uses for the money.'' That is what he said on the floor of the Senate. That is what the Washington Democrats always say. They have better uses for the money than the American people do. They have a better idea, they always say, about how to use somebody else's money. They want higher taxes. They want more Washington spending because they think they know best. They don't think the money should go to pay increases or bonuses for working Americans. Really? They think it should go to Washington? I think American families know how to spend their paychecks better than any Washington Democrat ever will. Democrats say they want to use this $1 trillion in new taxes to pay for infrastructure. We all know that America's infrastructure--our roads, our bridges, our dams, our waterways--are in desperate need of attention, but as chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, I can tell you that I am committed to improving this situation by working with the President and working on both sides of the aisle. If Democrats want to talk about a robust and fiscally responsible infrastructure plan that is going to help the American economy, then I am ready to have that conversation, but if all they want to do is talk about raising taxes on American families, they are wasting their breath. There is a very big difference between Republicans and Democrats in Congress: Republicans want the American people to keep more of their hard-earned money. Democrats want Washington to take more of people's money. Republicans want new policies that grow the economy, create jobs, and inspire confidence in a brighter future. Democrats want the same old tax-and-spend policies that have failed for years. Their policies have led to slow growth, stagnant wages, and a terrible lack of confidence in our economy. Republicans promised that our ideas will do better, and the results from the tax cuts and the tax relief speak for themselves. The economy is strong. Confidence is off the charts. The American people deserve this chance to have a brighter future. That is what Republicans are offering, and that is also what Republicans are delivering. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. BARRASSO

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

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

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, over the next couple of weeks, Congress is going to need to finalize government appropriations for the remainder of this year. Among the things that some people are talking about is including money for a couple of ObamaCare programs. One of them is money for the so-called cost-sharing reduction payments. Funding for these payments was never appropriated by Congress. The Obama administration paid the insurance companies anyway. President Trump stopped these illegal payments last October. Now, some people in Congress are talking about funding them again. We all know that ObamaCare has been a disaster for millions and millions of families all across the country. We know that for the people who live in States that use the Federal healthcare.gov exchange, average premiums have doubled since the law took effect. Certainly Wyoming is one of those States that experienced it; I heard about it in Clark County just last week. We know it. We hear about it in letters from the people who write to us. No matter where they are from in the State of Wyoming, we continue to hear about the costs going up. I am sure there is a similar situation in the State of Arkansas, the Presiding Officer's State, as well. According to Gallup, the number of uninsured people actually increased last year by 3 million. Many people are finding that they just can't afford to have ObamaCare insurance. It is especially hard for hard-working families who don't qualify for subsidies under the healthcare law. So we know there is a problem, and we know we have to do something to help people who are struggling in ObamaCare markets. If people are going to discuss using this government spending law to spend more money on the collapsing ObamaCare markets, there are other things we should be discussing as well. We should discuss finding a real solution to rising healthcare costs--one that doesn't just continue the unworkable, unaffordable, and, frankly, unfair system that ObamaCare created. We should discuss actually giving people more freedom and more flexibility to choose a healthcare plan that is right for them. I am introducing a bill today to do just that. My legislation will build on a step that President Trump and the Trump administration took last month. The administration reversed a last-minute Obama-era policy that had all but killed short-term health plans. These are less expensive health plans that are free from the expensive and intrusive and burdensome regulations that ObamaCare placed on other insurers, so they are a much more affordable option for many Americans who have been priced out of ObamaCare. President Trump is on the right path with this new rule. It is absolutely the right decision. He is giving people back an option so they can decide for themselves if it is a right choice for them. I think we should go a step further, and that is why I am introducing this legislation. We should go a step further in the omnibus spending bill. We should make this more affordable choice permanent. Making it permanent protects people. It protects people so a future administration doesn't do what President Obama did and try to wipe out choices for Americans. This legislation I am introducing today gives people a choice to have these plans for not just 90 days--which was allowed at the end of the Obama administration--but for a full 364 days. So it is up to a year. It also makes sure people can then renew these plans, if they want to, so it can become their permanent insurance, free from the mandates of the Obama healthcare law. It protects them from being dropped if they are sick. Remember, that was one of the biggest promises of ObamaCare that was broken. President Obama said: If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. Almost immediately, people found out it wasn't true at all. In fact, it was called by some of the press the ``Lie of the Year.'' In 2013 alone, there were 4.7 million Americans who got letters from their insurance companies telling them that their insurance plan had been canceled. Under my proposal, people with these short-term plans wouldn't have to worry about getting a cancellation letter. They would be protected from their insurance company, and they would be protected from Washington, DC. States are much better suited than Washington to regulate their insurance markets in ways that work best for the citizens of their State. These simple changes in my legislation will help give people back--help give to them--the freedom ObamaCare took away. That is what we are looking at, the need for freedom for the American people. We can essentially give people an escape hatch to get out of the ObamaCare plan entirely. We can give them the freedom to choose the coverage that works for them and works best for their families. That is the right way to bring down healthcare costs for Americans: Give them options, give them choices, give them freedom, not make them buy a one-size-fits-all government plan. People living in more than half of America's counties have only one choice of insurance in the ObamaCare exchange--only one--half of the counties in the country. It is not a choice. They don't have options. It is a monopoly. The left-leaning Urban Institute estimates that 4.2 million Americans would enroll in short-term plans next year if we just let them keep their plan as long as a year. That is the kind of pent-up demand that is out there for these more affordable, more flexible plans with much more freedom. Just the one change could make a difference in the lives of 4 million Americans. My legislation does just that, and it has other benefits as well. I think it would be an attractive option for many more Americans, but a lot of Democrats in Washington don't want to talk about options. No. They know ObamaCare markets are collapsing; they don't seem to care. They know costs are soaring out of control; it doesn't seem to concern as many as it should. They know middle-class families are being squeezed the hardest by these rising ObamaCare premiums. Their answer? We have heard it. We have heard it on the floor of the Senate: Try to push everyone--everyone in America, want it or not, everyone in America--into a single, government-run insurance plan that looks a lot like Medicaid. That is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing and what I am proposing today. What the Democrats are proposing is more of the same failed idea that caused Americans so many problems under ObamaCare: government control. If there is going to be talk of propping up the ObamaCare markets during the omnibus spending bill, then we should also be talking about helping people get out of the ObamaCare markets. Give them the freedom, give them the escape hatch. We should protect people who want health insurance but who don't want ObamaCare health insurance. They know what works best for them and their families, and we should trust the American people to know what is best for them and their families. We should give people the freedom and the flexibility to make those decisions for themselves, and we should give them more opportunities to escape from the disastrous, destructive, and extremely expensive ObamaCare markets.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, over the next couple of weeks, Congress is going to need to finalize government appropriations for the remainder of this year. Among the things that some people are talking about is including money for a couple of ObamaCare programs. One of them is money for the so-called cost-sharing reduction payments. Funding for these payments was never appropriated by Congress. The Obama administration paid the insurance companies anyway. President Trump stopped these illegal payments last October. Now, some people in Congress are talking about funding them again. We all know that ObamaCare has been a disaster for millions and millions of families all across the country. We know that for the people who live in States that use the Federal healthcare.gov exchange, average premiums have doubled since the law took effect. Certainly Wyoming is one of those States that experienced it; I heard about it in Clark County just last week. We know it. We hear about it in letters from the people who write to us. No matter where they are from in the State of Wyoming, we continue to hear about the costs going up. I am sure there is a similar situation in the State of Arkansas, the Presiding Officer's State, as well. According to Gallup, the number of uninsured people actually increased last year by 3 million. Many people are finding that they just can't afford to have ObamaCare insurance. It is especially hard for hard-working families who don't qualify for subsidies under the healthcare law. So we know there is a problem, and we know we have to do something to help people who are struggling in ObamaCare markets. If people are going to discuss using this government spending law to spend more money on the collapsing ObamaCare markets, there are other things we should be discussing as well. We should discuss finding a real solution to rising healthcare costs--one that doesn't just continue the unworkable, unaffordable, and, frankly, unfair system that ObamaCare created. We should discuss actually giving people more freedom and more flexibility to choose a healthcare plan that is right for them. I am introducing a bill today to do just that. My legislation will build on a step that President Trump and the Trump administration took last month. The administration reversed a last-minute Obama-era policy that had all but killed short-term health plans. These are less expensive health plans that are free from the expensive and intrusive and burdensome regulations that ObamaCare placed on other insurers, so they are a much more affordable option for many Americans who have been priced out of ObamaCare. President Trump is on the right path with this new rule. It is absolutely the right decision. He is giving people back an option so they can decide for themselves if it is a right choice for them. I think we should go a step further, and that is why I am introducing this legislation. We should go a step further in the omnibus spending bill. We should make this more affordable choice permanent. Making it permanent protects people. It protects people so a future administration doesn't do what President Obama did and try to wipe out choices for Americans. This legislation I am introducing today gives people a choice to have these plans for not just 90 days--which was allowed at the end of the Obama administration--but for a full 364 days. So it is up to a year. It also makes sure people can then renew these plans, if they want to, so it can become their permanent insurance, free from the mandates of the Obama healthcare law. It protects them from being dropped if they are sick. Remember, that was one of the biggest promises of ObamaCare that was broken. President Obama said: If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. Almost immediately, people found out it wasn't true at all. In fact, it was called by some of the press the ``Lie of the Year.'' In 2013 alone, there were 4.7 million Americans who got letters from their insurance companies telling them that their insurance plan had been canceled. Under my proposal, people with these short-term plans wouldn't have to worry about getting a cancellation letter. They would be protected from their insurance company, and they would be protected from Washington, DC. States are much better suited than Washington to regulate their insurance markets in ways that work best for the citizens of their State. These simple changes in my legislation will help give people back--help give to them--the freedom ObamaCare took away. That is what we are looking at, the need for freedom for the American people. We can essentially give people an escape hatch to get out of the ObamaCare plan entirely. We can give them the freedom to choose the coverage that works for them and works best for their families. That is the right way to bring down healthcare costs for Americans: Give them options, give them choices, give them freedom, not make them buy a one-size-fits-all government plan. People living in more than half of America's counties have only one choice of insurance in the ObamaCare exchange--only one--half of the counties in the country. It is not a choice. They don't have options. It is a monopoly. The left-leaning Urban Institute estimates that 4.2 million Americans would enroll in short-term plans next year if we just let them keep their plan as long as a year. That is the kind of pent-up demand that is out there for these more affordable, more flexible plans with much more freedom. Just the one change could make a difference in the lives of 4 million Americans. My legislation does just that, and it has other benefits as well. I think it would be an attractive option for many more Americans, but a lot of Democrats in Washington don't want to talk about options. No. They know ObamaCare markets are collapsing; they don't seem to care. They know costs are soaring out of control; it doesn't seem to concern as many as it should. They know middle-class families are being squeezed the hardest by these rising ObamaCare premiums. Their answer? We have heard it. We have heard it on the floor of the Senate: Try to push everyone--everyone in America, want it or not, everyone in America--into a single, government-run insurance plan that looks a lot like Medicaid. That is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing and what I am proposing today. What the Democrats are proposing is more of the same failed idea that caused Americans so many problems under ObamaCare: government control. If there is going to be talk of propping up the ObamaCare markets during the omnibus spending bill, then we should also be talking about helping people get out of the ObamaCare markets. Give them the freedom, give them the escape hatch. We should protect people who want health insurance but who don't want ObamaCare health insurance. They know what works best for them and their families, and we should trust the American people to know what is best for them and their families. We should give people the freedom and the flexibility to make those decisions for themselves, and we should give them more opportunities to escape from the disastrous, destructive, and extremely expensive ObamaCare markets.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. BARRASSO

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

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I have been coming to the floor to talk about the many ways the tax relief law has helped people all across America. Last week, there were even more examples. One thing we saw was the ``Economic Report of the President'' that came out last Wednesday. This is a report from the top economists at the White House. According to the report, the tax relief law that we have passed and signed into law is going to raise the average wages for working families across this country by over $4,000 in the long run. That is a huge raise. This report said that more than 4 million workers are also getting one-time cash bonuses and other benefits. These one-time cash bonuses mean a great deal to American families. It says that so far, over $2 billion in cash bonuses have been given. Today in Wyoming, we heard another great report that Taco John's--an establishment at which I frequently ate lunch when I was in the Wyoming Legislature, as did so many members of the Wyoming Legislature. They are providing bonuses for employees. That is another case in point. The reason they say they are doing it is the tax relief tax cut benefits that people all across the country are receiving as a result of the tax law we passed. If you remember, a lot of Democrats predicted gloom and doom if we were to pass this piece of legislation. Nancy Pelosi actually said it was Armageddon. She said it was the end of the world. Well, with all of these workers getting bigger paychecks and more take-home pay, Democrats have now started to panic. Nancy Pelosi said all the benefits people are getting under the tax law are ``crumbs.'' That is what she called them, but that is not what people across the State of Wyoming are calling them. I received a note the other day from a man who said he heard all the rhetoric from Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats. He said: ``Here is what the crumbs mean to a fellow working in Casper, Wyoming.'' He said that the first thing he noticed was that his take-home pay was higher in his latest paycheck. He figures that the tax cut works out to about a 2- percent raise for him. He and his wife decided to put that money straight into his retirement savings plan and invest it. He figures that over time, as those investments grow, it could add up to an extra $97,000 by the time he is ready to retire. He said: ``A few crumbs over time really do matter.'' There was a second part of his story about what the Republican tax relief means for him and his family, and that is the bonus. Because of the tax cuts, his employer gave him a bonus of $1,500. He said: ``I plan to enjoy the summer just a little bit more with this surprise income.'' He said he is investing the tax cut in his retirement, and he is investing the bonus in creating additional memories with his family today. He said that it means they are going to take an extra camping trip to Yellowstone this summer. They will enjoy ``a few more cookouts with families and friends this summer to savor the memories that this tax reform is providing.'' That is what it means for people across the country--memories, family activities, vacation, and a better retirement--all of those things because of the tax law and tax relief passed for the American people. They are going to do things they like doing, everything from going on vacation to going out for ice cream. Tax reform has been very good for people in Casper, WY. It is good for his family. He wrote to tell me about it. It is good for the local businesses that he will be supporting, where he will be spending his money, traveling around the State, going on vacation, camping trips, cookouts, and making memories. They are not crumbs. I don't know why Democrats who voted against the tax cuts even came to Washington in the first place. I do know that Republicans came here with a purpose--a purpose to give families more opportunities to invest in their futures like this man is doing. There was another new survey that came out last week. They talked with heads of companies across America, and they talked about the confidence index that we are seeing nationwide. That is because of the tax relief law. The survey found that 89 percent of these business leaders are confident in the U.S. economy's prospects this year. It is at an alltime high. Look at 2016--the last year of the Obama administration--and 2017 and 2018. That is an enormous jump from the 39 percent that business leaders were feeling in terms of confidence back in 2016. It is even bigger than last year, when 80 percent said they were confident. The reason for the jump is simple. When we look at what has changed since 2016, there were a couple of very big things. First is the way that Republicans have been cutting back on Washington's burdensome, punishing, and destructive regulations. It is going to save Americans a lot of money and a lot of time. The second thing that happened is that Republicans in Congress passed the tax relief law. That is why millions of Americans are getting a pay raise. That is why Americans are more confident about our economy. The business leaders are right. They should be confident about the state of America's economy because Republicans are just getting started. Our economy should have been growing much more quickly ever since the recession ended almost 9 years ago, but it didn't during the last administration because the politics and the policies of the Democrats in Washington held our economy back. Now we have Republican policies, and the economy is much stronger. America's economy grew by just 1.8 percent in 2016. That is tepid growth compared to what we expect and what we are used to. Last year, it grew by 2.5 percent. We added 2.2 million jobs in 2017. Confidence is soaring. Democrats don't want to hear about it. They don't want to talk about it. They don't want to hear from their constituents who are getting a raise and getting more money in their paychecks. They consider it crumbs. They almost appear to be rooting for the economy to stall. Some may want the economy to look more like it did when they were in charge. The American people are going to look at what the Democrats did and realize that what the Republicans did made a huge difference in their lives. People are going to look at the fact that every Democrat in the Senate voted against the tax cuts. Then people are going to look at what Republicans have done and what it means for people's take-home pay. That is why Republicans are here. It is what we promised to do. That is what we are going to continue to do.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, it seems as though just about every day we get more good news about the tax relief law that Republicans passed. This week, the news is getting even better for a lot of people all across the country. By the end of this month, 90 percent of workers across the country will see more money in their take-home paychecks. It doesn't matter where they are. They can be in Meeteetse, WY, and they will see an increase in their paychecks this week. That is because this Thursday, February 15, is the deadline for employers to start using the new IRS tax withholding tables. The IRS tells employers how much money to withhold from people's paychecks so that their taxes work out pretty close at the end of the year. That is the way it is set up. Well, the IRS looked at the new tax law and saw that people are going to be paying lower taxes at the end of the year, so they put out the new tax tables. They told businesses to adjust how much money to withhold from a person's paycheck and to do it by February 15, tomorrow. For 90 percent of Americans, this tax amount is going to be lower, which means their paychecks are going to be larger. A tax cut is the same as a raise. That is what we are seeing all across the country--people getting a raise in their pay. Some people have already gotten a paycheck with the new, higher wages. Others are going to get it very soon. The website Yahoo Finance crunched the numbers. They found that a typical worker making $60,000 a year will get an extra $112 in their paychecks every month because of the tax law. That is over $1,300 for the year. To me, that is very good news for American workers. I was at home in Wyoming this past weekend, traveling around the State, and I am hearing about it in all the different communities I go to. People are saying: This has been better for me and my family personally. On top of this, a lot of workers are getting special bonuses and raises because of the tax law. So not only are they getting more money because of the fact that the tax rates have been lowered, additionally, they are getting more money because they have gotten a raise or a bonus. It seems there are about 4 million hard-working Americans who are getting bonuses of hundreds or even thousands of dollars as a result of the new tax reform law. They are also getting extra money in their retirement plans. They are getting higher starting wages. We are seeing many places increasing the starting wages, some up to $15 an hour. More than 300 companies have said they are increasing all of these kinds of compensations as a direct result of the tax law. In my home State of Wyoming, people across the State are getting bonuses--bonuses. These are people who work at Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, Starbucks, Wells Fargo, and other businesses that have familiar names to people across the country. They are also people who are working in smaller businesses, like the Jonah Bank in Wyoming. It has branches in Casper and in Cheyenne. It is not a nationally known bank, but it is very important in our State and in our communities. Every employee of this bank is getting a $1,000 bonus. The bank is also increasing its giving in the communities in which it has branches. Workers benefit, and the community benefits. That is what happens when we change the tax law so Washington gets less and taxpayers get to keep more. That is why I voted for this tax law--to give the kind of tax relief that made these bonuses and these pay raises possible. It is good for Wyoming, and it is good for people all across the country. It is interesting--it is even good for people in States whose Senators voted against the tax law. Ninety percent of people across the country are seeing the benefits no matter which State they are from. There is a business in Grand Rapids, MI, called the Mill Steel Company. They said last week that they are giving an extra $1,000 to their workers because of the tax law that every Republican voted for and every Democrat voted against. Now, 400 people at that company are getting a bonus. Michigan has two Democratic Senators. They both voted against the tax relief law. It still led to $1,000 bonuses for these 400 workers. What do the Senators have to say about it now? Are they proud that they voted against the tax law? Are they glad they said no to these sorts of raises that made it possible for people in their home States to get the bonuses? We know what Nancy Pelosi thinks. She went out and first she talked about how the tax law was Armageddon, and then she said it was the end of the world. Most recently, she said all the benefits people are getting under the tax law, in her words, are just ``crumbs.'' ``Crumbs,'' she said. For her, it may be different, but for a lot of Americans, a $1,000 bonus--certainly for the people in my home State of Wyoming--is much more than crumbs. An extra $1,300--I talked about the worker earlier--in that paycheck is much more than crumbs. For a person with a starting wage of $15 an hour, that is more than crumbs. It is bad enough Democrats tried to keep people from getting the extra money--Democrats voted against it because they didn't want people to get the extra money, it seems to me. It is hard to believe they would continue this way and take pride in voting against it, but they did. Now it seems like Democrats want to insult people by saying what they are seeing and what their benefits are, are resulting in crumbs. It is completely unfair, and I think it is disrespectful to the American people. These are just some of the cash benefits workers are getting from the tax law. Republicans predicted, during the debate over this law, there would be other benefits as well. We said businesses would pay less in taxes, and some of them would be able to additionally cut prices for consumers--let people buy things more cheaply. Americans are starting to see this prediction come true as well. One of the first places they are seeing it is in their utility bills. Gas, electric, and water utilities are cutting their rates because their taxes are going down under the law. In Vermont, the State's only natural gas utility company is cutting rates by more than 5 percent because of the tax law. Both of the Senators from Vermont voted against the law, but it is the law Republicans passed that caused these rates to go down. In fact, people living in at least 23 States and the District of Columbia are going to be paying lower utility bills because of the tax relief law. Another 26 States are looking into cutting rates. Rates are going down in California, Maryland, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut--States where every Democratic Senator voted against the tax law. What do these Democratic Senators have to say now? Are they proud of the fact they voted against the tax cuts that made it possible for people to have lower utility bills in their States? When people's monthly bills get cut, it is like a pay hike--more money in their own pockets. They have more money to either save or to spend on other things or to invest. The owner of a gym in Cincinnati, OH, spoke with his local television station about what tax relief means for him. He said: When people have that extra money to spend, they spend it. Some save it. They go out to eat. They buy gym memberships. And they enjoy themselves. People have that extra money to spend now, today, because of the tax law Republicans passed. They have the extra money despite every Democrat in this body voting against tax relief. Every one of them said no. They all voted no. Democrats who voted no to tax relief for American families essentially voted yes to keep the extra money in Washington so they can decide how to spend it. I have much more faith in people at home in Wyoming deciding how to spend their money than any faith I have in Washington, DC. For so many Americans, every dollar helps, and they are not crumbs. Democrats may not know the difference, but the American families do. People in every State of this country know the difference. The American people understand what Republicans did with this tax law. They are seeing more money in their paychecks, more take-home pay, more money to decide what to spend and what to invest and what to save. They know Republicans promised to cut people's taxes. People know Republicans delivered on the promise. They know the benefits they have gotten already, and they are confident the economy will continue to grow stronger day by day. People across the country also know the fact that every Democrat voted against this law, voted against giving them a tax break, voted against allowing them to keep more of their hard-earned money. The American people know who took their side, who voted for the American public versus who said no. Hard-working Americans asked us to do a job for them. Republicans are doing the job; Democrats in Washington certainly are not. Republicans are going to keep doing that job for the American people--a job we have promised and a job which we have delivered. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Jerry Blann and recognize his extraordinary contributions to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and the State of Wyoming. Under Jerry's leadership and vision, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has flourished to become the foremost ski resort of North America and one of the premier destinations in the world. After 22 years as President of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Jerry is moving on to new challenges and to enjoy the mountain and the community he has spent decades to help build. Through his passion and knowledge of the industry, Jerry is one of the most recognized and respected leaders in the ski industry today. His vision helped revolutionized Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and turn it into a year-round destination attracting skiers worldwide to Wyoming. From his childhood, Jerry has been involved in skiing. His father served as the general manager of Mt. Bachelor in Bend, OR. Jerry received a ski scholarship to the University of Denver, where he was an All-American athlete and captain of the team. The team won the NCAA championship three of his four seasons. After graduation, Jerry moved to Aspen to work in the ski industry and eventually became the president of Aspen Skiing Company. In 1995, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort named Jerry president and board member. For more than two decades, Jerry's guidance and vision transformed the resort, strengthening businesses and tourism in Jackson and the rest of Wyoming. During his tenure, Jerry increased the number of annual skier visits from the 200,000s to almost 600,000. He spearheaded over $200 million in capital improvements. He oversaw the replacement of the famous iconic aerial tram, the longest continual vertical rise at a ski resort in North America. He collaborated with community members to create the JH-AIR nonprofit to expand service from major airlines and bring more nonstop flights to Jackson Hole Airport. This partnership has proved incredibly successful, allowing the resort to flourish and help introduce our beautiful State to thousands of new visitors every year. In addition to these achievements, Jerry focused always on employees. He recognizes people are fundamental to success. He considers the quality of his staff one of his proudest accomplishments. That focus resulted in one of the highest rates of returning employees in the industry. It is no wonder Ski Magazine and Forbes recognize the resort as the No. 1 top destination ski resort. Jerry's impact is not limited to skiing. Jerry serves his community and state as vice president of the Jackson Hole airport board and serves on the Board of Directors for the Wyoming Business Council. He oversaw the Teton Village Master Plan and became the treasurer of the Teton Village Association, Improvement Service District. Jerry also made the wild lands he worked in and around a priority. He served on the Board of the National Ski Area Association, NSAAA, and chaired the environmental committee for a decade. His commitment to preserving the environment and beauty of Jackson has earned the resort multiple environmentally focused awards. The resort was twice the recipient of the Golden Eagle Award, the highest industry environmental honor. Jerry's leadership and the success of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort was felt statewide. Governor Matt Mead awarded him the BIG WYO Award in 2016, given to individuals who achieved great strides in tourism and business to advance Wyoming. Governor Mead said Jerry's ``leadership at the Village, in the community and across the state is as awe-inspiring as the mountain itself.'' I spoke to Jerry on the day his retirement was announced. What he told me would not surprise those who know him well. He said he was looking forward to the next challenge and next opportunity to serve the community he lives in and to many more days skiing the mountain he loves. In the years ahead, Bobbi and I wish Jerry, his wife, Rebecca, and his kids Brooke and Katie many more days serving and experiencing again the special place he helped reimagine.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, last week, President Trump gave his State of the Union Address. It was full of that same spirit of optimism and confidence that I have heard over the past year from the people at home in Wyoming. I imagine the Presiding Officer has heard the same things from people in her State of Iowa as well. As the President said, ``This is our new American moment.'' ``This is our new American moment,'' and I agree. The American economy is back on the right track. It is going to take a lot of hard work for us to stay on the right track. Some of that work involves building our country's infrastructure. America's roads, bridges, dams, highways, and ports are critical to our Nation's success. Republicans know it. Democrats know it. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives America's infrastructure a poor grade. One out of every five miles of highway pavement is in bad condition. As chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, I am committed to improving this situation by working with the President and with Members of both parties. We need to fix a lot of our aging infrastructure. To do that, we need a robust, fiscally responsible infrastructure plan that makes it easier to start and to finish these projects more quickly. I was chairman of the Transportation Committee in the Wyoming State Senate. I saw how we could make projects less costly and more efficient if we could just speed up and streamline the permitting process and the approval process for projects to get done. We have a project back home to rebuild a highway interchange in the northern part of Sheridan County in Sheridan, WY. It took 14 years to develop and get the approval of the planning and permitting for this interchange that needed to be built for safety purposes. The actual construction took less than 2 years. This is a safety project. It is important for trucks and cars that go through this part of our State to do it in the safest way possible. Anything we can do as members of the EPW Committee and Members of the Senate to make sure we can finish projects like this one faster is going to be better for our communities and is going to be better for people's safety. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, there are 59 different reviews and permits that an infrastructure project may need to get. There are a dozen different agencies that can slow down projects along the way, and that is just at the Federal level. One of the steps that takes the longest amount of time is what they call an environmental impact statement. We all agree we need to make sure that big construction projects don't damage the environment. The problem is, these reviews have taken on a life of their own. They now take an average of 5 years to complete. That is just one type of review that the construction projects have to go through before workers can put a shovel in the ground. The regulations and redtape have become unreasonable, and they have become excessive. There was a study recently that looked at all of these regulatory delays and the cost of them. It found that the cost of delaying the start of all these public infrastructure projects in this country by 6 years is over $3.7 trillion--not millions, not billions-- $3.7 trillion. Think of how much we could accomplish and how much we could save if we could cut out these delays just a little bit. We know that is possible. In 2011, the Obama administration picked 14 infrastructure projects for expedited review. One of the projects was a new bridge in New York. New York managed to do the environmental impact statement in just 11 months. Why should it take 5 years in Wyoming? It is 5 years normally and less than 1 year with this expedited plan. This proves Washington can do these reviews and can do this permitting faster when it wants to. The problem is, Washington usually doesn't care if these projects get done any faster. President Trump understands this completely. He has shown that he intends to change the mindset in Washington. It is interesting, when we remember that George Washington was a surveyor long before he was our first President. I don't think we have had a President since then who has President Trump's experience in building things and dealing with all of the challenges that come with what we have seen from the times of Washington and Jefferson. President Trump understands that the shorter we can make the permit process, the better. These are projects that can save lives. They can provide economic opportunities in towns and communities all across the country. It is what we are hearing in townhalls when we talk to people. When we cut the Washington regulations and redtape, we allow for more economic growth. That is what Republicans have been doing for the past year because as soon as President Trump took office, Republicans in Congress began striking down unnecessary, burdensome, and costly regulations from the Obama administration. Republicans wiped 15 of these major rules off the books. A major rule is one where the time and money it takes to comply with the rule adds up to $100 million or more. This is going to save Americans as much as $36 billion. The total saved so far, $36 billion. The Trump administration has been very active in cutting needless regulations as well. The President froze action on over 2,000 Obama administration rules that hadn't taken effect yet. This is one of the first things President Trump did and what he is committed to do. He said that for every significant new regulation Washington writes, his administration would offset it by getting rid of two other rules. New regulation, get rid of two. That is how to make a real difference in Washington, and we are seeing it with the Trump administration. That is how to free the American people so they can get back to work. The economy has responded all across the country. New employment numbers came out last Friday. The American economy has created more than 2 million jobs since President Trump took office. The unemployment rate is down to 4.1 percent. Wages are up by almost 3 percent over the past year. The Associated Press had a headline on Friday that said: ``US added strong 200K jobs in January; pay up most in 8 years.'' The Los Angeles Times headline was: ``U.S. economy creates 200,000 jobs in January; wages take off.'' According to a Gallup poll last week, Americans' satisfaction with the state of the economy improved by 12 percentage points over the past year. That is a huge leap. President Trump is absolutely right, this is our new American moment. We must keep providing relief from Washington redtape for it to continue. We have done that with other regulations. We need to do it with the things that slow down infrastructure projects as well. That is how we make sure our economy continues to grow. Fixing and improving America's aging infrastructure needs to be a bipartisan goal. We need to be able to do it faster, better, cheaper, and smarter. So today I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do all we can to make this happen. These are not Democratic projects or Republican projects, they are the projects we need to continue to make our country stronger, safer, better, and more prosperous. I yield the floor.

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

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Wyoming Supreme Court Justice William U. Hill. After serving over 19 years on the judicial bench, Justice Hill is retiring from the Wyoming Supreme Court on February 16, 2018. As an outstanding jurist and public servant, he dedicated his life to serving the people of Wyoming. Justice Hill's wisdom and unwavering dedication to the law has had a tremendous impact on our State. Justice Hill has deep roots in Wyoming. He was raised in Riverton, WY. In 1970, he earned his B.A. in English from the University of Wyoming. Justice Hill graduated from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1974. Throughout his successful career, he held several important positions in the government. He was an Assistant U.S. Attorney, an assistant attorney general for Wyoming, and attorney general for Wyoming. In addition, he worked as the chief of staff and chief counsel in Washington, DC, for U.S. Senator Malcolm Wallop. Justice Hill also worked in private practice in Cheyenne, WY; Riverton, WY; and Seattle, WA. On November 3, 1998, Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer appointed Justice Hill to the Wyoming Supreme Court. He was elected as the 44th chief justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court in 2002. During his 4 years as chief justice, he oversaw the administrative responsibilities of the Wyoming court system, as well as ran the scheduling, case assignments, and court proceedings. Justice Hill also served as chairman of the judicial nominating commission and chairman of the board of judicial policy and administration. He demonstrated great leadership and distinction in each of these significant roles. Supreme Court Justices can have a lasting impact on a State and its future. Justice Hill leaves a legacy of consistency and fidelity to the law. He always strived to uphold justice and ensure a fair judgment in every case. His decisions and opinions show respect for due process and strict adherence to the law. Justice Hill is a mentor and inspiration to Wyoming's legal community. He enjoys sharing his experiences and his passion for the legal profession with students and individuals just entering the legal field. Justice Hill earned a reputation for being a hard worker and a thorough decisionmaker. Anyone fortunate enough to work with him speaks highly of his character and his drive. He respects the rule of law and our foundational legal principles. Justice Hill has consistently shown his commitment to justice and upholding the Constitution. He has also been a recipient of several prestigious honors throughout his successful career. In 2017, he received the Larry L. Lehman Award for Judicial Excellence presented by the Wyoming State Bar. The award is named in honor of Justice Lehman for his efforts to improve the operation of the Wyoming court system and to provide greater access to justice for all Wyoming citizens. Justice Hill was also inducted as an honorary member of the University of Wyoming's Order of the Coif in 2011. Justice Hill is married to Mary Kay Hill, and they have two children: Brian and Erin. Their son Brian Hill is married to Molly Hill. Their daughter Erin is married to Chase Rutherford. Mary Kay Hill worked for U.S. Senator Al Simpson in Washington, DC, for 10 years before returning to Wyoming as a policy adviser for former Governor Geringer and current Governor Mead. The law plays such a major role in Justice Hill's life that he even plays guitar in a band called The Law North of Crow Creek. He is a man of many talents and can captivate a room with his stories. He leaves a lasting mark on everyone he meets. Retirement opens the door to a new world of adventure and happiness. Justice Hill will continue to inspire and touch the lives of the people of Wyoming for years to come. It is a great honor to recognize this exceptional member of our Wyoming community. My wife, Bobbi, joins me in extending our gratitude and well wishes to Justice Hill on his retirement.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, we have finally ended this government shutdown that was produced and directed by the Democrats in the Senate. The reason Democrats decided to take this extreme step and shut down the government was because of the narrow issue of illegal immigration. They shut down services for citizens of the United States to provide services for people who are not citizens of the United States, and the Democrats have admitted it was all about this issue of illegal immigration. There may have been another reason, as well, that Democrats wanted to shut down the government, and that was so they could change the subject being debated by people, talked about by friends, noticed by Americans, and making the headlines. That subject, of course, is the competence and optimism in the American economy--by workers, by people who are paying taxes, by people who realize how the Republican tax relief legislation is going to help improve their lives personally. I think the success of the Republican tax relief bill scares a lot of Democrats. It scares them because every one of them voted against it. They didn't think it was a good idea to let people keep more of their hard-earned money. The Democrats thought it was a better idea for possibly the government to keep that money and use it and spend it in ways many people--certainly in Wyoming--feel is not a good use of that money. Families know how to get more value out of their dollars than the government ever will. Democrats voted against it--the tax cuts that would actually create jobs all across the country, and we have seen that job creation occurring. They voted against the tax relief that is going to allow money to be brought back to America so investments are made in America. It was so interesting to listen to Nancy Pelosi--the former Speaker of the House and now the minority leader in the House--refer to what we were doing in the Senate and in the House as Armageddon. She said it was the end of the world. That is what she said. The American people, hard-working people, don't believe that at all. They believe it is good for them personally. It turns out that people who work at more than 200 companies in this country have already gotten a raise or some kind of a cash benefit or additional contribution to their retirement because of the tax law. That is why all those companies said they did it. Over 2 million people have obtained this benefit of the tax relief law, and more are going to benefit in the years ahead. Millions of Americans are going to start seeing more take- home pay in their paychecks next month. That is because of this tax relief law the Democrats--every one of them--opposed. We are seeing it not just with American families; we are seeing it with investments coming in from abroad. This law has totally changed how we tax the money companies earn that sell things to people overseas. This chart goes through it. It used to be that when U.S. companies made money somewhere else; they paid taxes there. If they wanted to bring it back home, they had to pay taxes again, a double taxation. Very few countries do that, but the United States was one of them--double taxation. Businesses then had to make a decision, had to make a choice. It could bring money back home, pay taxes a second time, or keep the money overseas, invest it there, and not have to pay that second tax. A lot of companies, looking at the tax laws the United States had on the books previously, decided it was too much of a penalty to bring that money back home and invest it in the American economy. There was something like $2.8 trillion in American business that American businesses had been holding in other countries. We actually had a tax code that worked to the advantage of foreign countries, not to the advantage of the United States. It was locking money out, keeping it overseas, keeping it from helping American workers at home. That is a very backward way to look at how the Tax Code should work. We changed the law when Republicans voted to change the tax law, give taxpayers relief. Now the money gets taxed once, not twice. It changed the system in America the way most countries around the world do it. That means businesses no longer have this warped incentive to keep their money out of the United States. It makes it much easier for that money to come back from overseas to the United States. It is good for America. It is what an America first economy looks like. It gets rid of this crazy Tax Code that we had, giving other countries an advantage--not anymore. The second thing this tax relief law has done is actually cut taxes. When American businesses had to pay this second tax, the rates were very high--one of the highest in the world. It was adding insult to injury. Other countries have actually been cutting taxes for years--not the United States, not on our own companies in the United States. Here at home, we had one of the highest and most punitive taxes in the world. There wasn't a major country in the world where businesses paid as high a tax as we did in the United States. Washington was taxing companies about 35 percent if they tried to bring home some of the profits from overseas. Because of the tax law we passed and President Trump has signed, this rate has now dropped to 21 percent--from 35 percent to 21 percent. Now our tax rates are actually below the average of other countries around the world. That puts American businesses at a significantly stronger position to compete around the world. It puts us at a competitive advantage. We got rid of the double taxation system-- Republicans did--when we passed this law, and we cut tax rates significantly as well. When you put these two things together--cutting the rates, making it easier to bring money back to the United States, eliminating this double taxation--it is a big help to American workers, to the men and women who work in America, as well as the businesses that employ those people. Businesses are much more likely now to invest in America, put their money back home, in American workers, in the American economy. We are seeing it already. The tech company Apple recently announced it is increasing investments in U.S. operations. They said their total contribution to the American economy over the next 5 years will be $350 billion. They are planning to bring home as much as $250 billion in money that right now is parked overseas. They are talking about employing 20,000 more workers, hiring 20,000 more people. They have been letting that money sit overseas because of this system that locked the money out. Now, with the new tax law, it is going to be much easier to bring this money home and invest it in America. It is not just Apple. We are seeing it with Fiat Chrysler, with Boeing, with AT&T, and with others. They are increasing investment in the United States and in the workers at home, and it is all because of the tax law the Republicans voted for, and every one of the Democrats voted against. It is no surprise that Democrats may have wanted to shut down the government to knock off the front page of the paper the headlines of the success of the tax law and instead see reports about the Democrats shutting down the government. It is interesting. There has been so much economic activity after this changed that other countries are beginning to become nervous. Other countries used to know they had the upper hand over the United States when it came to investments in the economy, and they figured the United States would never get its act together enough to change the tax laws to make us the competitive, thriving economy we know we can be. These countries knew the U.S. tax law was working in their favor--not anymore. Countries like China, the United Kingdom, and Japan are considering changing their own taxes in response to what we have done. We are leading the way. They are trying to play catchup with their economy. In Australia, as a matter of fact, they expect the loss of significant amounts of economic activity and growth to the United States because of the new tax law. Other countries are running scared because President Trump and Republicans in Congress are doing exactly what we promised the American people we would do. We are keeping our promises. We are putting American workers first. Tax relief is working. It is helping hard-working American families. It is creating economic growth. It is giving America the competitive edge we deserve because of the work we do, and we haven't had it in a long period of time. Democrats said it would never happen, during the debate, on the tax law. First, they did everything they could to make sure we wouldn't get it passed--slowed it down, voted against it, talked against it. They were wrong, and now they know they were wrong. They have seen the money come back. They have seen the growth in the economy. They have seen the number of jobs created. They have seen the growth in wages. They are seeing people keeping more of their hard-earned dollars. They see people happier. They see a level of confidence and optimism that wasn't there in a previous administration. The Democrats seem to be trying to change the subject by putting up a smokescreen--shutting down the government to avoid and try to deflect from the success the Republicans have allowed the American people to recognize in themselves because the tax laws have changed, and the American people will benefit from it for years to come. It is time for the Democrats to give up the games, come to the table, join Republicans, and do what we know we need to do, which is put the American workers first. It is time for the Democrats to join the Republicans and work on behalf of all the American people who have sent all of us here in the first place, and we are seeing it now with the tax law and the tax relief and the tax cuts that are benefiting people all across this country. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise in support of the nomination of R.D. James to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. The Assistant Secretary establishes policy direction and provides leadership for the Civil Works programs at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In this position, Mr. James will play a central role ensuring the navigability of America's ports and inland waterways. He will oversee the Army Corps' flood and storm risk management and responses to emergencies like the hurricanes we saw in Florida and Texas this past fall. Mr. James will also play a central role in modernizing America's aging water infrastructure. This month, the Committee on Environment and Public Works, which I chair, has held two hearings on the needs and challenges facing America's water infrastructure. These hearings are important steps as the committee works toward a new Water Resources Development Act, which will be reauthorized this year. It is critical to have Mr. James confirmed so he can partner with us in this important process. I look forward to working with Mr. James on projects and issues that are important to my home State of Wyoming. He has already committed to me that he will work to find a permanent solution to preventing ice-jam floods, like those that caused the Big Horn River to flood the city of Worland, WY. There is no reason this confirmation should be delayed any further. His nomination was unanimously approved by voice vote in both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee. Mr. James is well qualified for this position. He has served as a civil engineer member of the Mississippi River Commission since 1981. That is 37 years. He was appointed to that position by both Democratic and Republican Presidents. Mr. James is also an accomplished farmer and businessman. He is experienced, qualified, and ready to start. It is time for the Senate to confirm his nomination. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, as I come to the floor today, we are facing the prospect of a government shutdown. At midnight tonight, funding runs out, the lights will go dark, and when that happens, everyone suffers. No one wins; everyone suffers. I know that, and you know that. Republicans know that, and we have offered a solution that keeps the government open and extends the Children's Health Insurance Program. As a doctor, I will tell you how valuable that program is for children all across the country. The House has already passed this legislation. Democrats in the Senate have promised to block it, to stand in the way. Some have actually been bragging that they can shut down the government and that they want to shut down the government. Why would someone want to do that? Well, here is what the New York Times said on its front page this morning: ``Senate Shutdown Looms As Spending Bill Advances. House approves a stopgap measure while Democrats dig in on immigration.'' That is the reason the Democrats want to shut down the government of this entire country--over the issue of immigration. That is the New York Times. Here is the Washington Post this morning: ``Shutdown looms despite House action. Democrats tie `dreamers' to passage of budget deal.'' There it is--the New York Times and the Washington Post. The minority leader is forcing a shutdown over the issue of illegal immigration. Democrats are ready to set aside all other issues, all other deadlines, all other priorities. Republicans have written and passed legislation that funds the government. That means funding for our military, funding for our veterans. It means funding for opioid treatment. It means funding for everything that our Federal Government does now, and it funds the Children's Health Insurance Program--not just for a week or a month, it funds it for the next 6 years. This is a program that helped provide medical care for almost 9 million children and needy families across this country. There are more than 7,300 people in my home State of Wyoming who benefit from this program. The money for this program is going to start running out in some places very soon. The funding has been in limbo since last fall. Some States are getting ready to send letters to families--letters that tell those families their coverage is going to be discontinued because this Senate didn't act. States have been asking for certainty, and that is what we are doing with this legislation. We are providing that certainty. We are taking care of this program, which is so vital to families across every State in this country, for the next 6 years. Democrats are blocking it. It does seem to be that what they really want to do is make a political point at the expense of everything else and everyone else. They are willing to hold 9 million children and their families hostage to do it. They are willing to hold hostage more than 300 million Americans who could be harmed by a prolonged government shutdown. And it is all over the immigration issue, as they talk about in the Washington Post and the New York Times, an issue known as DACA, which stands for ``deferred action for childhood arrivals.'' It was intended as a temporary program to deal with the problem of people who were brought to this country illegally when they were just young children. The program was set up by an Executive action by President Obama. It wasn't done by law. It wasn't a bipartisan program. It was a Democratic President acting on his own to kick the can down the road on this issue. These issues related to immigration--and specifically illegal immigration--are very tough, and we need to keep working toward a solution. There are discussions going on every day within the Senate-- Republican and Democrat--between the House and the Senate. Why do people want to risk blowing up these discussions? Well, it seems that whatever we agree to needs to include important matters of border security because, to me, border security is national security, and that has to be included in that discussion and deliberation. Any solution is going to have to include real fixes to our broken immigration system so that we are not just having the same argument again in a couple of years. I think coming up with a solution like this does continue to take time. Certainly, it is not something we can do by midnight tonight. There is not even a good reason we need to rush to solve this problem in a few hours. The fact is, no current DACA recipients are going to lose their benefits under the program for 6 months. Democrats are setting an arbitrary deadline of midnight tonight, and they are threatening to shut down the government if their deadline is not met. The legislation Republicans have offered takes care of one emergency, and it gives negotiators time to reach consensus on this separate and unrelated subject. The continuing resolution already passed by the House provides certainty to the Children's Health Insurance Program, and it allows us the chance to work out some certainty on the DACA issue. Some Democrats are saying that they refuse to do that. Well, it is interesting because in 2013, the minority leader, Senator Schumer, thought that a government shutdown at that time was a terrible idea. He said: No matter how strongly one feels about an issue, you shouldn't hold millions of people hostage. . . . That's wrong, and we can't give in to that. He even spelled out the exact situation we are facing today. He did it not just on the Senate floor; he did it on television in 2013. On ABC's ``This Week,'' October 6, 2013, he said: We believe strongly in immigration reform. We could say, ``we're shutting down the government, we're not gonna raise the debt ceiling, until you pass immigration reform.'' It would be governmental chaos. He is right. It would be governmental chaos. That is what Senator Schumer said in 2013. Now he is trying to create exactly that same governmental chaos that he described back then. It is for the exact same reason that he talked about in 2013--the exact same reason that the Washington Post cites as the reason on today's front page: ``Democrats tie `dreamers' to passage of budget deal.'' In the New York Times: ``Democrats dig in on immigration.'' What is different now is that Democrats have decided to stake all of their political hopes on this one issue. They are holding America hostage to do it. Nobody benefits from the Democrats shutting down the government. Nobody benefits from the game the Democrats are playing with the security and the safety of American families. To me, it is irresponsible for them to seek this shutdown over their agenda on this issue of immigration. We should pass the resolution that we have before us today. It is time for Democrats to step back from the damage this shutdown will cause to children, to our military, to our veterans, to our economy, and return to the table to discuss the issues in which they are focused. I would recommend to my colleagues across the aisle that they follow the advice from Senator Schumer in 2013: Don't play politics with people's lives and create ``governmental chaos.'' Thank you. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I wish to speak today about legislation I am introducing to spur American energy development on Federal land. This is the Opportunities for the Nation and States to Harness Onshore Resources for Energy Act. It is also known as the ONSHORE Act. It is a commonsense approach that streamlines the permitting process for oil and gas development. Oil and gas production has increased dramatically on non-Federal land in recent years. Production on Federal land has fallen behind. That is because energy producers face costly delays when they have to deal with outdated and inefficient regulations from Washington, DC. The legislation we are introducing reduces these unnecessary delays by giving authority to States that have established regulatory programs. Let's let the States make those decisions. These are States that have a proven track record of managing oil and gas development efficiently and effectively. At the same time, they protect the public health and the environment. That is the balance we all want--and these States are doing it--without Washington adding another unnecessary layer of redtape. In 2016, it took an average of more than 250 days for the Federal Bureau of Land Management to issue permits to drill for oil on public land. It took State agencies an average of 30 days. Look at the difference--States, 30 days; Federal, 250 days. That is the difference in what happens when Washington gets involved. The delays cost jobs, they slow down economic growth, and communities lose important tax revenue. My home State of Wyoming is America's largest producer of natural gas, and we are the second largest producer of oil on Federal lands. Wyoming has a long history of managing oil and gas development on Federal lands. We know how to do it. We do it safely. We do it responsibly. Wyoming continues to be the place people from all over the world want to see because of how beautiful the scenery and the environment are. This legislation strips away that needless layer of Washington regulation, and it lets States like Wyoming manage oil and gas development the way we know how to do it. Our legislation also eliminates the administrative fee that gets taken out of States' share of revenues from oil and gas production. Washington takes money that has been created locally, and it sends the money out of the community and back to Washington. This is millions of dollars that States and local communities need to fund vital public services. Our bill ends this unfair redistribution. The ONSHORE Act also stops Washington from imposing extra permitting burdens and environmental reviews on energy development that takes place on non-Federal lands. These requirements are a classic example of Washington overreach. They don't help the environment; they just keep oil and gas in the ground and keep hard-working Americans out of work. This legislation will create jobs and expand our economy by creating an environment where American energy can dominate. I want to thank the cosponsors of this legislation for their support--Senators Hoeven, Enzi, Lee, and Hatch. I also want to thank my colleagues in the House for starting this conversation with their bill, which is called the SECURE American Energy Act. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation as quickly as possible.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I wish to speak today about legislation I am introducing to spur American energy development on Federal land. This is the Opportunities for the Nation and States to Harness Onshore Resources for Energy Act. It is also known as the ONSHORE Act. It is a commonsense approach that streamlines the permitting process for oil and gas development. Oil and gas production has increased dramatically on non-Federal land in recent years. Production on Federal land has fallen behind. That is because energy producers face costly delays when they have to deal with outdated and inefficient regulations from Washington, DC. The legislation we are introducing reduces these unnecessary delays by giving authority to States that have established regulatory programs. Let's let the States make those decisions. These are States that have a proven track record of managing oil and gas development efficiently and effectively. At the same time, they protect the public health and the environment. That is the balance we all want--and these States are doing it--without Washington adding another unnecessary layer of redtape. In 2016, it took an average of more than 250 days for the Federal Bureau of Land Management to issue permits to drill for oil on public land. It took State agencies an average of 30 days. Look at the difference--States, 30 days; Federal, 250 days. That is the difference in what happens when Washington gets involved. The delays cost jobs, they slow down economic growth, and communities lose important tax revenue. My home State of Wyoming is America's largest producer of natural gas, and we are the second largest producer of oil on Federal lands. Wyoming has a long history of managing oil and gas development on Federal lands. We know how to do it. We do it safely. We do it responsibly. Wyoming continues to be the place people from all over the world want to see because of how beautiful the scenery and the environment are. This legislation strips away that needless layer of Washington regulation, and it lets States like Wyoming manage oil and gas development the way we know how to do it. Our legislation also eliminates the administrative fee that gets taken out of States' share of revenues from oil and gas production. Washington takes money that has been created locally, and it sends the money out of the community and back to Washington. This is millions of dollars that States and local communities need to fund vital public services. Our bill ends this unfair redistribution. The ONSHORE Act also stops Washington from imposing extra permitting burdens and environmental reviews on energy development that takes place on non-Federal lands. These requirements are a classic example of Washington overreach. They don't help the environment; they just keep oil and gas in the ground and keep hard-working Americans out of work. This legislation will create jobs and expand our economy by creating an environment where American energy can dominate. I want to thank the cosponsors of this legislation for their support--Senators Hoeven, Enzi, Lee, and Hatch. I also want to thank my colleagues in the House for starting this conversation with their bill, which is called the SECURE American Energy Act. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation as quickly as possible.

Mr. BARRASSO

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

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, later this week, we are going to reach 1 year since President Trump was sworn into office as President of the United States. From what I have seen and from what I have heard, visiting with people at home, all around the State of Wyoming, his first year has been a huge success. People are telling me, telling their friends, and telling their neighbors that America is finally headed in the right direction again. People tell me that they feel optimistic--optimistic because of the policies that Republicans have put in place over this past year. The polling company Gallup says it is not just happening in Wyoming; it is happening all across the country. They had a report the other day that said Americans' confidence in our economy was positive in 2017, and they say that this was the first positive annual average since they started tracking these numbers back in 2008--the first time ever. As soon as Donald Trump was elected President, economic confidence began to soar. It has stayed positive every single month since election day of 2016. Gallup has said that this is the exact opposite of what they had seen for the previous 8 years. In another poll last week, Gallup said that people are also more optimistic about the job market. They found that Americans' confidence about finding a job--a quality job--was the highest it has been in the 17 years since they have been asking that question as well. They said that there was a ``sharp increase'' over the year before-- in 2016, when President Obama was in charge--in people's feelings about being able to find a quality job. People are confident, and they are much more optimistic about the future. We see the signs of it everywhere we turn. Stores had their biggest holiday sales since 2008. When people are feeling confident, they feel it is OK to go shopping. They feel there is going to be the income to cover the things they are interested in having for Christmas and the gifts they can give. They can relax. That is the kind of optimism we are seeing now. It is because they see that President Trump and Republicans in Congress are serious about improving America's economy. They see that we are serious about giving relief to Americans who have been getting buried under an avalanche of redtape. The President has cut through massive amounts of regulations. Congress has rolled back 15 different major regulations from the Obama administration. That is going to save Americans as much as $36 billion over time because of the regulatory burden that has been relieved. These are regulations that harmed Americans and wiped out American jobs. Now those regulations are gone. When people see that Washington is finally taking the right approach to regulation, it gives them confidence. It makes them more optimistic about the future. A lot of the regulations that Democrats wrote had to do with their war on American energy. Democrats shut down a lot of energy exploration and energy development in America. They shut down attempts to export American energy. They even wrote rules to put the United States at a competitive disadvantage when we tried to develop energy resources overseas. Republicans have stopped Washington's war on American energy. We are opening up more areas to responsible energy production off of our coasts and in part of Alaska. Our goal should be to make American energy as clean as we can, as fast as we can, without raising costs on American families. Republicans have put policies in place to restore that balance to America's energy policy. Now people are talking about not just energy security, energy independence, but American energy dominance. When people see that Washington is finally taking the right approach to energy, it gives them confidence. People see that Republicans are delivering on other promises as well, such as giving American families serious tax relief. This tax law that passed at the end of last year is giving back more than $1 trillion to Americans over time. It is letting people keep more of their hard- earned money. It is spurring economic growth. It is going to make it simpler for a lot of families to fill out their taxes. When people see that Washington is finally taking the right approach to taxes, it gives them more confidence, more optimism. They are confident because they are already seeing the direct result in their paychecks. At least 166 companies have said that they are going to give raises, give out bonuses, and invest more in their workers because of the tax law. More than 2,236,000 workers across this country are getting more money in their pockets as a result of these raises and bonuses. Some of the folks who are getting bonuses are people who work at Walmart. That is one of the biggest employers in my State of Wyoming. People who work there are getting bonuses, they are getting higher wages, and they are getting expanded maternity leave benefits--one advantage after another--as a result of the tax law that was passed by a Republican House, a Republican Senate, and signed by President Trump. These workers are noticing the extra money. It is going to make a difference to them and to their families. It is not just a one-time bump for people; economists say that this tax relief legislation is going to boost the economy for years to come. There was a story on CNBC Monday that quoted an official from one European bank. He said that President Trump has ``changed the perception of what's possible in Washington.'' The American economy has roared back to life. We are finally-- finally--having the economic recovery that we should have had 8 years ago. That is because we finally got the policies that allow our economy to grow the way it should. We had a big recession in this country. Democrats used that as an excuse to pile a bunch of regulations on the American people. That had a lot to do with keeping the economy from recovering at the pace it should have. During the Obama administration, there was talk about the ``new normal.'' People said that maybe it was just the way things were going to be in America from now on--slow, tepid economic growth, weak recovery, wages that didn't grow, people out of work for years at a time. That is what we saw in that administration. Now we know that it was never normal, it was never acceptable, and it was never the way things had to be. Things could be different, and the American people voted to make things different. In 2016, they said it was time for a change. Republicans are showing that the economy can grow faster once we get the right policies in place. America can be a greater place for all of us. We head into President Trump's second year with an economy much stronger than it was the day he took office. We have more Americans at work. We have businesses and families confident that the economy will be even better this year. I think that is the kind of thing that people mean when they tell me they feel confident and optimistic in the direction of our country again. I see that confidence in Wyoming. We see it on Wall Street, and we see it all across the United States. Democrats might miss the Obama economy of higher taxes and more regulation. Republicans are fighting to continue the policies that are giving Americans confidence, optimism, and hope. Republicans know this is just the beginning. (The remarks of Mr. Barrasso pertaining to the introduction of S. 2319 are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')