John Barrasso

Mr. BARRASSO

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

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, the Committee on Environment and Public Works has adopted rules governing its procedures for the 115th Congress. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 2, of the Standing Rules for the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the committee rules be printed in the Record.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I come to the floor to, one, thank my friend and colleague, the Senator from Georgia, for making his comments about Tom Price, President Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. I have known Tom for over 20 years. We are both orthopedic surgeons. I know his professional ability. I know his passion for patients and health care. I am delighted and confident that he will be confirmed to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. I think he is the right person for the important task that lies ahead.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss a bill I just introduced, the John P. Smith Act. Just a few short weeks ago, I came to the floor to recognize John Smith, a Wyoming resident who was a life-long advocate for transportation safety. For nearly three decades, ``Big John'' Smith led the Department of Transportation for the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation. Wyoming lost one of its great representatives and leaders on December 31, 2016, but John's legacy lives on through the changes he effected on the Wind River Reservation. John's unwavering commitment to improving transportation infrastructure earned him awards and respect the country over. More importantly, Big John inspired others to invest in transportation and road safety on the Wind River Reservation. It is only fitting that a bill, which seeks give additional tools to tribal governments across the country, would be named after such a committed man. The John P. Smith Act will streamline requirements for tribal transportation projects to help make intersections, railroad crossings, and other tribal transportation features safer for the people who depend on this infrastructure. Relatively minor changes can dramatically improve public safety around roads. The John P. Smith Act makes sure that simple things, like installation of rumble strips, improvement of roads for pedestrian or cyclist safety, and even basic signage would not be subject to months or years-long delays due to bureaucratic backlog. When he testified before the Committee of Indian Affairs when I was Chairman, Mr. Smith told the stories outlining the many tragic deaths on dangerous roads in Indian country. He shared that at the time of his testimony, the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming had the highest rate of pedestrian deaths in the United States. The John P. Smith Act would ensure that basic safety measures could be put in place in a timely manner. Big John shared, ``When you have narrow roads, with sharp curves, no medians and no shoulders, you are asking for trouble.'' The projects included in this bill will help to save lives in tribal communities. John Smith has been described as a ``Champion of Change'' by the White House, a skillful diplomat by his peers, and I was proud to call him my friend. It is with great honor and respect that I am pleased today to introduce the John P. Smith Act to build on John's lifetime of transportation safety achievements.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss a bill I just introduced, the John P. Smith Act. Just a few short weeks ago, I came to the floor to recognize John Smith, a Wyoming resident who was a life-long advocate for transportation safety. For nearly three decades, ``Big John'' Smith led the Department of Transportation for the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation. Wyoming lost one of its great representatives and leaders on December 31, 2016, but John's legacy lives on through the changes he effected on the Wind River Reservation. John's unwavering commitment to improving transportation infrastructure earned him awards and respect the country over. More importantly, Big John inspired others to invest in transportation and road safety on the Wind River Reservation. It is only fitting that a bill, which seeks give additional tools to tribal governments across the country, would be named after such a committed man. The John P. Smith Act will streamline requirements for tribal transportation projects to help make intersections, railroad crossings, and other tribal transportation features safer for the people who depend on this infrastructure. Relatively minor changes can dramatically improve public safety around roads. The John P. Smith Act makes sure that simple things, like installation of rumble strips, improvement of roads for pedestrian or cyclist safety, and even basic signage would not be subject to months or years-long delays due to bureaucratic backlog. When he testified before the Committee of Indian Affairs when I was Chairman, Mr. Smith told the stories outlining the many tragic deaths on dangerous roads in Indian country. He shared that at the time of his testimony, the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming had the highest rate of pedestrian deaths in the United States. The John P. Smith Act would ensure that basic safety measures could be put in place in a timely manner. Big John shared, ``When you have narrow roads, with sharp curves, no medians and no shoulders, you are asking for trouble.'' The projects included in this bill will help to save lives in tribal communities. John Smith has been described as a ``Champion of Change'' by the White House, a skillful diplomat by his peers, and I was proud to call him my friend. It is with great honor and respect that I am pleased today to introduce the John P. Smith Act to build on John's lifetime of transportation safety achievements.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I wish to congratulate the current Presiding Officer for his ascension to the chair of the Indian Affairs Committee in the U.S. Senate. It is a committee with a great history of bipartisan efforts working together. It is a committee on which I was privileged to serve and still serve and of which I have been the chairman in the past. I am looking forward to the distinguished Senator from North Dakota taking over the mantle of responsibility, and I know he will continue to work hard, as he has since joining the Senate, in the efforts on behalf of so many Americans. I also come to the floor about what is going on in the Senate with regard to confirming nominations in a Cabinet that I believe is truly an all-star Cabinet--truly an all-star Cabinet. I think it gets better as we keep confirming one nominee after another. Last week I spoke on the floor about what a great job I believe Scott Pruitt is going to do as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Today I wish to talk about two more examples. First, there is the nomination of our friend and colleague, Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama, to be Attorney General. Those of us who have served with Senator Sessions over the years know he is a man of uncommon decency, of fairness, and of integrity. We know his dedication to the law is absolute. In 1999, Senator Sessions came to the floor to speak in support of awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Rosa Parks. In that speech, he said: ``Equal treatment under the law is a fundamental pillar upon which our republic rests.'' We saw Senator Sessions' devotion to this idea again and again and again. He introduced legislation to reduce the differences in the kinds of sentences that could be handed out to people convicted of similar drug crimes. He teamed up with Senator Ted Kennedy to pass legislation protecting prisoners from sexual assault behind bars. The job of Attorney General is to be America's top law enforcement officer and attorney. Jeff Sessions has shown himself to be an outstanding attorney. He worked as a frontline prosecutor. He spent 12 years as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. He was attorney general of the State of Alabama, and he has spent 20 years here as a U.S. Senator. If confirmed as Attorney General, he will be one of the most qualified people ever to hold this job. These qualifications include an exceptional knowledge of how the Justice Department works and the priorities of the people who work there. The Attorney General oversees the work of more than 100,000 people. Most of them are law enforcement, working for agencies like the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. I think these men and women are going to find that Jeff Sessions is their greatest champion, and I think they are going to greet his arrival at the Justice Department with a wonderful ovation. National law enforcement groups have already endorsed his nomination, and so have groups representing Federal and local prosecutors. He is going to enforce the laws passed by Congress in a fair and impartial manner. That is exactly what America needs in its Attorney General. The second person I want to talk about is Congressman Tom Price. Tom has been nominated to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Just as Jeff Sessions has devoted his life to the law, Tom Price has devoted his life to caring for the health of patients and the American people. Dr. Price practiced medicine for 20 years. He was medical director of the orthopedic clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Grady Memorial Hospital is a public safety-net hospital in Atlanta, and many, many of its patients are low income. Dr. Price saw each and every day the challenges that people faced in America's broken health care system, both the patients and the people who are trying to provide the care. That is why he has taken health care reform so seriously as a Member of Congress. He did as well when he was in the Georgia State legislature. He understands and he understood immediately why so many parts of ObamaCare simply would not work when they were passed and signed into law some 6 years ago. Like a lot of us, he warned the health care law would actually make things worse for millions of Americans--and Tom Price has proven right. It is time for the Department of Health and Human Services to have leadership that understands that patients should not become a political tool. Congressman Price is actually the first medical doctor to be nominated to head the Department of Health and Human Services since 1989. That kind of knowledge and the background he has is essential for dealing with the challenges the Department faces today. The wheels are falling off of America's health care system. We need leaders--leaders who are more than just professional bureaucrats, which is what we have had. We need someone who understands health care deeply, and who cares about putting patients first, not politics. Tom Price has shown he can reach across the aisle to get things done. It is what he did in the State legislature in Georgia, and it is what he has done in the House of Representatives here in Washington. Tom worked with Democrats to make sure that Medicare patients could continue to get access to medical equipment like blood sugar monitors and oxygen tanks. He did the same thing when he introduced a bipartisan measure to stop burdensome new regulations affecting patients who need a new hip or a new knee joint. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, he is going to listen--listen to the best arguments of both sides, and then he is going to do what is right for the health of the American people. ObamaCare has to go. It has failed miserably. We all know that. Even Democrats in Congress who wrote the law realize how flawed it really is. It is time for us now to focus on what can be done to replace ObamaCare and make American health care work once again. I have seen media reports that Democrats want to obstruct the nomination of Tom Price as well as that of Jeff Sessions. I expect Democrats will plan to grandstand for political purposes because they have no real objections to either person's qualifications or credentials. Democrats' complaint is that they lost the Presidential election. Well, the President deserves to have his Cabinet in place. That is why Republicans didn't object to President Obama getting seven of his Cabinet members on his very first day in office in 2009. By this point in time, President Obama had a significant number of his Cabinet--over 20 members--confirmed in 2009, and we look at where we are today, with President Trump's Cabinet and the obstruction of the Democrats. It is unfortunate that Democrats have decided not to follow the example of Republicans when Barack Obama came to the White House. Political spite isn't a good enough reason for delay. Democrats need to get over it and get on with it. Attorney General of the United States and Secretary of Health and Human Services are big jobs. They are important jobs, and they are necessary jobs. It is time for the Senate to move as soon as possible to confirm both Jeff Sessions and Tom Price to the Cabinet. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, last week the Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on the nomination of Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. The hearing was really about the future of this Agency and how we can get it back to doing the job it was meant to do from the very beginning. We are blessed in this country with enormous natural resources. Our goal should be to use these resources responsibly in ways that protect our environment and help make our economy strong. Over the past 8 years, the leaders of the Environmental Protection Agency created broad and legally questionable new regulations that undermined the American people's faith in the Agency. The political leaders of this Agency have been reckless, irresponsible, and arrogant. A course of correction is long overdue, and it is exactly what we are going to get. If my colleagues have any doubts that the EPA lost its way, they can just look at two of the biggest environmental scandals we have seen in a long time. In the summer of 2015, there was what became known as the Gold King Mine disaster. The Environmental Protection Agency spilled 3 million gallons of toxic wastewater into a river in Colorado. This was water filled with toxic substances like arsenic and lead. It flowed to New Mexico and Utah, through the land of the Navajo Nation and the Southern Ute Indian tribe. There are 200,000 people who drink water from the river system that the EPA poisoned. Farmers and ranchers couldn't use the water for their crops or their animals. The other disaster the Environmental Protection Agency helped to cause was what happened in Flint, MI. The EPA failed to do the proper oversight. As a result, thousands of children were exposed to high levels of lead in their drinking water. The Agency knew about the dangers to the public health and for months did nothing to warn the people. These are just two scandals where the Environmental Protection Agency actually harmed people's health because the EPA was negligent. There are also many ways the Agency has harmed families and the American economy, not by accident but intentionally. It has issued thousands of pages of regulations trying to shut down the entire coal industry in the United States. Since 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency has come out with nearly 200 new regulations. According to the American Action Forum, the total cost of all of this new redtape is about $340 billion. The Agency has piled enormous new restrictions and costs onto American families and businesses, all to produce miniscule benefits. One of them was the so-called Clean Power Plan. States sued to block this destructive bureaucratic overreach. The courts had to step in and tell Washington not so fast. We should be looking for ways to make American energy as clean as we can, as fast as we can, without raising costs for American families. That is not what the Environmental Protection Agency did with its power regulations. The EPA also put out a new rule that dramatically expanded its own control over what it calls waters of the United States. The Agency declared that it has control over things like irrigation ditches and backyard ponds all across America. Two different courts have blocked this rule from taking effect. Why? Because it goes far beyond the Agency's own authority. For 8 years now, the leaders of the EPA have not had their priorities straight. They have been pursuing a political agenda instead of focusing on what should be the Agency's core mission. The Environmental Protection Agency was created for a reason. It was created because America needed someone to perform this mission. There is a right way to do the job. We can strike the right balance so we protect our environment while allowing our economy to grow. My home State of Wyoming is one of the most pristine States in the country, one of the most beautiful places in the world, as well as one of the most energy-rich States in the country. Wyoming has struck the right balance. We have done it successfully and so have many other States. We can address threats to our environment best through the cooperation of States, towns, Indian tribes, and Washington--a cooperation. The quality of America's air, water, and land are local concerns as much as they are national concerns. The Environmental Protection Agency should not try to dictate regulations from Washington without consulting its partners at all levels. Much of the work of the EPA was intended to give States a chance to take action first. Federal regulators are meant to be a backstop, acting when States or communities fail to act. Restoring this proper order and restoring the partnership of States with the EPA is essential to making sure people see the Agency as legitimate once again. The Agency needs to learn to listen before it acts. We can also restore the Environmental Protection Agency by restating its commitment to the rule of law. That is why the American people elect a Congress--because of the rule of law. The Agency must enforce the laws as they are written by Congress. The Agency cannot write the laws, cannot ignore the parts of the laws it doesn't like, although that is exactly what this EPA has been doing. We all know the EPA used to do very good work. In the past, it protected America's environment while understanding that there need to be reasonable regulations that allow people to use our natural resources. Every American wants clean air, clean water, and commonsense protection for our species. That will not change. We need the EPA to do its job, and we need it to do the job right. Through 6 hours of questioning before our committee last week, Scott Pruitt showed that he understands the need to return the Environmental Protection Agency back to its proper course. He showed he is committed to working as a partner with Americans all across the country to find the best ways to address the threats to our environment. His record as the attorney general of Oklahoma showed that he is committed to restoring and maintaining the rule of law. I am confident that Attorney General Pruitt will be able to right the ship at the EPA. I am confident that he can restore the balance between the benefits the Agency can deliver for Americans with the costs that it imposes. As chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, I am committed to making sure the Senate exercises appropriate oversight to make sure that this happens. Mr. President, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 5 p.m., on Tuesday, January 24, the Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nominations en bloc: Executive Calendar Nos. 6 and 7; I further ask unanimous consent that there be 30 minutes of debate on the nominations en bloc, equally divided in the usual form; and that following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc, with no intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and no further motions be in order; and that any statements related to the nominations be printed in the Record.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, this is a side-by-side amendment to the Manchin amendment. As a doctor, I understand how ObamaCare has been a disaster for patients and for health care providers. Because of this law, Americans have been left with higher premiums and fewer choices. This budget is an important first step in giving Americans better and more affordable health care. I am especially aware of the importance of helping folks in rural America, people who have been especially hard hit by the policies of the Obama administration. Since 2010, more than 70 rural hospitals have closed across the United States and Ezekiel Emanuel, who is the architect of Obamacare, wrote a book, and he said that 1,000 hospitals have to close in the United States. That is what he called for, 1,000. We are talking about rural hospitals all around this country. So for people in small towns all across the Nation, the closures we have already experienced, these 70 closures, have had a devastating impact. My amendment says that Congress is ready to help all Americans but especially those living in rural America who have been hurt by ObamaCare.

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and the waiver provisions of applicable budget resolutions, I move to waive all applicable sections of that act and applicable budget resolutions for the purposes of Barrasso amendment No. 181, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, this is a side-by-side amendment to Casey amendment No. 61, which was just defeated. As many in this body know, my wife Bobbi is a breast cancer survivor. I understand the importance of ensuring that everyone has access to health care. This is especially true for patients with ongoing medical conditions. Also, I spent 25 years practicing medicine, working every single day to ensure all patients received high quality care. That is why I am passionate about enacting health care reform to put patients first, unlike the Obama health care law, which put government ahead of patients and health care providers. As I travel around the State of Wyoming, I hear from many hard- working folks who have lost their insurance coverage that they liked and that worked for them and their families. We are going to help those who have been hurt by ObamaCare. We will also ensure that people with serious medical conditions receive the care they need. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, and the waiver provisions of applicable budget resolutions, I move to waive all applicable sections of that act and applicable budget resolutions for purposes of amendment No. 173, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I would like to congratulate my colleague from South Dakota for his comments. I am hearing the same thing in Wyoming that he has been hearing about the ObamaCare health care law and the impact on people in his State. I am hearing the same thing. I heard it this past weekend in Wyoming talking to people about what impact ObamaCare has had on their lives. It is very interesting because people all around the State of Wyoming are talking about the fact that their costs have gone up and choices have gone down. Many who had insurance that worked for them lost that insurance all related to a law passed in the House and the Senate and signed into law by President Obama. Tonight, in Chicago, President Obama is going to give a farewell address. I am assuming he will talk about ObamaCare, and I am assuming he paints a very different picture than the American people have seen and are living with. The President is using scare tactics about what Republicans plan to do. No matter what President Obama wants, the American people have spoken. They have voted, and 8 out of 10 people say that what this costly and complicated health care law has done to them, they would like to see it either significantly changed or repealed and replaced. They know better than to believe what the Democrats are continuing to tell them because they have been living with it every day. Seven years ago, Democrats made one false claim after another when they were trying to sell this law to the American people. Democrats said: If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. They said: If you liked your health care plan, you could keep your health care plan. That one was labeled the Lie of the Year a few years ago. They said premiums for the average family would go down by $2,500. None of it was true. Now Democrats are out telling more tales about ObamaCare. All of these new stories are going to be just as false as the ones they told us all in the past. For one thing, Democrats have been saying that millions of Americans are going to lose their health insurance if we repeal the ObamaCare health care law. In a letter just last week, Senators Schumer and Sanders said that Republicans are planning to take health care coverage away from more than 30 million Americans. It is not going to happen. The Democrats absolutely know it is not going to happen. It doesn't stop them from saying it. The fact is, this should never have been about health insurance in the first place. As a doctor, I will tell you this should have been about health care and patients. Republicans are going to make sure that is where the focus is from now on. The number of people with good health insurance coverage under ObamaCare actually has been a lot less than what the Democrats are claiming. That is because lots of people who bought ObamaCare coverage only did it because the health care law forced them to give up the insurance they already had and liked and worked for them. I have heard many stories from people in Wyoming who had insurance. It worked for them. They chose it because it was best for them and their family, and they lost it because the President said it wasn't good enough for him. These are people who were hurt by the broken promises and by President Obama's well-earned award of Lie of the Year. With the health care law, most of the people who got insurance for the first time were actually forced into the broken system called Medicaid. Most of those people were actually eligible for Medicaid before the law was even signed, but for people who didn't have insurance before, a lot of them still can't afford care now because they may have insurance, but the deductibles are so high they can't afford to use it. Half of ObamaCare enrollees say they are skipping doctor visits in order to save money. If a family's health insurance doesn't cover the care they need, then the number of people covered is totally meaningless. Democrats are out there saying that if we try to replace ObamaCare with a better solution, that it is just going to, in their words, cause chaos in the health insurance industry. Where have they been? There is chaos everywhere because of ObamaCare. When you look at what Democrats did to America's health care system, what you see is chaos. Premiums are up 25 percent in 1 year. That is chaos. Deductibles are up by an average of $450 in a year. That is chaos. There is no functioning marketplace for ObamaCare in one-third of the country. That is chaos. When Americans look at this, what they see is already chaos, and ObamaCare caused it. I want to mention one of the false claims the Democrats are making, and it has to do with Medicaid. That is because Medicaid was broken long before ObamaCare. All the health care law did was add more people onto this broken program. One reason Medicaid is struggling is the same reason the rest of ObamaCare isn't working-- because Medicaid tries to impose too many rules and regulations from Washington. It tries to make one size fit all. There are different needs in every State. States know what those needs are, and they know much better than Washington about the people who live in those States. There are Republican Governors like Mike Pence of Indiana who understood this very important fact--and I am glad he is soon going to be Vice President. Governors like Mike Pence fought for waivers, waivers to make sure they could do what the people of their States needed. Every Governor should have that kind of freedom to look out for the best interests of the people in their home States. They shouldn't have to ask permission from some unaccountable, unelected Washington bureaucrat before making improvements to their own Medicaid Program. Giving States the freedom to come up with better solutions is just one of the things Republicans are going to do to replace ObamaCare with real health care reform. States need and deserve to have that freedom, and people should be free to buy the health insurance that meets their needs, not what meets the needs of the President of the United States. People shouldn't have to pay more for coverage that isn't a good value for them. That is why so many people aren't even signing up in the first place and would rather pay the penalty--a penalty that, in my mind, is still unconstitutional. Families should have more flexibility to save for their own medical care. That is a way to make sure they are not stuck with empty coverage they can't afford to use. People shouldn't be mandated to buy this overpriced, unusable insurance or face a penalty from the IRS. It is one of the most outrageous parts of the entire health care law. To me, it is the first thing that has to go on the chopping block. Republicans are going to repeal damaging and destructive ideas like ObamaCare's many taxes, mandates, and penalties. Then we are going to walk through better solutions one-by-one, step-by-step. I hope some of the Democrats in Congress will join us. The Democratic Senators must be heading home on weekends and listening to people who have been impacted the way I described the people of Wyoming believe they have been impacted by the health care law. They have to realize there are things we must do better and more freedoms that must be given to the American people. The American people have suffered long enough with the chaos created by ObamaCare. It took years for health insurance markets to get this bad, and it is going to take time to get things fixed. This resolution we have submitted to repeal ObamaCare is the start. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. 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 and remember my good friend John Smith. On Saturday, December 31, 2016, we lost one of Wyoming's best leaders and diplomats on the Wind River Reservation. John Smith was a member of the Northern Arapaho tribe. For 27 years, he served as the director of the department of transportation for the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation. Mr. Smith played a major role passing transportation legislation that will save and improve lives on the Wind River Reservation and across tribal communities. John was a wonderful friend and a wonderful man. I admired him greatly for his big heart, his warmth, and his larger than life personality. John cared deeply about the lives of people who lived and traveled through the Wind River Reservation. John's commitment to improving his community's roads can be seen today all over the Wind River Reservation. He was a hard worker, innovative and creative. He was always doing more with less. His jokes and sense of humor always made that hard work a little easier. Indian country did not have a better advocate or finer person to represent them in Washington, DC. Since John's work ethic and personality were so big, he naturally lived up to his nickname ``Big John'' in every respect. As a former football and basketball player, you could see Big John coming from blocks away. In 2014, John was in Washington, DC, to receive the White House Champions of Change award from the Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx. Big John was being recognized for bringing tribal, State, and local leaders together to complete construction of the notorious 17 Mile Road. When he received the award, Big John took off his cowboy hat and placed it on the head of Secretary Foxx. The unforgettable smile on Big John lit up the room with laughter. This special man left a lasting impression on all those who had the privilege of working with him. Last April, John testified before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. He talked about dangerous roads that were costing lives in tribal communities. His testimony led to important legislation being passed to improve those roads. His efforts not only changed lives, it saved them, and we are all grateful. It has been an honor and privilege to work with Big John on highway bills. It has been a higher honor to be his friend. John leaves big boots to fill, and I am confident the Wind River community will fill those boots and continue his hard work. As we lift up our hearts and celebrate Big John's life, we also thank him for his selfless service on behalf of the people of Wyoming. Big John, thank you, and we will miss you.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. I object.

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

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, in just a few hours, funding for the Federal Government will run out. It is going to run out in just a few hours. It looks like we are going to blow through that deadline right here in the Senate. POLITICO, one of the local newspapers, had an article this morning, and this is what the headline said. They ran an article with this headline: ``Democrats push government toward shutdown.'' Let me repeat that: ``Democrats push government toward shutdown.'' The article says that Democrats are pushing the government to the brink of a shutdown. They are doing it with ``coal country Senate Democrats leading a strategy to oppose a GOP spending bill if their demands are not met for a longer extension of expiring health care benefits for coal miners.'' We are talking about a continuing resolution that passed the House with overwhelming numbers, and it has bipartisan support. The vote was 326 to 96--Republicans and Democrats joining together in the House to keep the government open--but not the Senate Democrats. I have been on this floor time and again with Democrats talking about shutting down the government, and they say that it is the Republicans. The headline today says: ``Democrats push government toward shutdown.'' Now, the continuing resolution that is being asked to be voted upon actually includes money to help these miners well into the new year-- through April--and we are going to be looking at everything in the legislation again when it expires in April. So there is no rush to settle this issue today. But here we are in the Senate, with Democrats preparing to shut down the Government of the United States. Our goal should not be to bail out a union health plan--and it is a fund that does have problems. The solution actually ought to be to let coal miners mine coal again. Let them go back to what they know how to do--mine coal. That way they can take care of themselves and take care of their own. I want to be really clear on this point. The only reason we are in the position we are in today is because the Obama administration and Democrats in Washington have been waging a war on coal for the past 8 years. That is the reason we are in the position we are in today. In 2008, when Barack Obama was running for President, he promised that this was what he was going to do. He said it. He said that under his policies, ``if somebody wants to build a coal-fired powerplant, they can; it's just that it will bankrupt them.'' The President was very clear. So the Democrats should not be surprised with what we see happening today. Once he got into office, he did everything he could to keep that promise and bankrupt as many coal companies as possible. That is actually what happened. His administration has pushed out one unnecessary regulation after another on coal producers, on powerplants, and on customers. The Environmental Protection Agency wrote new regulations on powerplant emissions where the emissions go from one State over to another. The Agency put out extremely stringent rules on emissions from any new powerplants that were built in this country. Then they wrote tough rules on the powerplants that were already in existence--rules, not new laws but rules. The Obama administration hasn't just tried to bankrupt anyone who used coal, but they have been doing all they can to make sure the coal never gets out of the ground. The Bureau of Land Management imposed a moratorium on new mining leases on Federal land. In the Rocky Mountain West, that is a significant amount of the land, and, in many States, it is over half of the land. The Obama administration has been doing all they can to make sure that American coal can't be used not just here in America but can't be used anywhere in the world. The Department of the Interior wrote a new rule on coal valuation to discourage coal exports. Now, the Army Corps of Engineers has even delayed or denied permits for new coal export terminals so we could ship a product that is produced in the United States to people who want to buy our product overseas. So Americans can't sell the product that we have--that coal-- overseas. The Obama administration even worked to get the World Bank--the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund--to stop financing new coal- fired powerplants in developing nations, even though for them, it is the least expensive cost for electricity, for energy, for the people there who don't have energy and desperately need it. It has been one roadblock after another for the last 8 years. Layer after layer of redtape, strangling the coal industry and coal miners--the people who go to work every day. Now, someone wants to say the issue is bailing out one union health plan and pension fund. The Democrats have waged an all-out comprehensive war on coal. That is why we are in this situation. During the Presidential campaign, President Obama has said to Americans: Please elect Hillary Clinton. Vote for her to protect the Obama legacy. Well, candidate Hillary Clinton during the election, during the campaign, said that she would put a lot of coal miners out of business. So as to the actual people who work, she wants to put them all out of business. It has been a war on multiple fronts and a Presidential election all designed in many ways to keep Americans from using coal, from exporting coal, and even from mining coal. The administration has blocked coal production. They have made it more expensive. Then they have tried to use the smaller market for coal--since you can't mine it, you can't sell it, and you can't export it; so there is a smaller market for coal--as an excuse to impose even more burdens. The people who are hurt by these policies are hard-working Americans who just want to go to work, make a living, and support their family. That is what the coal miners have been up against by the Obama administration in the last 8 years. So any attempt by Democrats to blame someone else is just a distraction. They want to hide the simple fact that it is their intentional and intensive campaign against coal that has led us to where we are today--on the brink of a government shutdown tonight. Health and pension funds can pay benefits for retired workers as long as the mines are actually working and they can mine coal and sell coal and make money. If the money coming in goes down, then the money they need to pay out is not there. That is why we have this problem. Companies can't meet their obligations, and it is the Democrat's policies that have caused it. So if the Democrats want to help retired miners, they should let the other miners get back to work. That is the way to help the retired miners, let the other miners get back to work. Well, that is not what they have done. The Obama administration has done all they can to destroy the market for coal, to force mines to cut production and to put miners out of work. Now, I understand there are people in the home States of these Senators who are very worried, and they have a right to be worried, but let's just be honest about the real reason these people are hurting: Miners are struggling because President Obama has been standing on their necks for a straight period of 8 years. When Democrats focus on things like health benefits for retirees, they are missing the point entirely, and they are just trying to dodge the responsibility--the responsibility for their own disastrous policies. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I object.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, Democrats in Washington continue to try to understand the results of the election. I have heard them blame Republicans, I have heard them blame Russian hackers, I have heard them blame the FBI, and I have even heard them blame the press. What I have not heard is a single Washington Democrat admit that one reason Democrats lost on November 8 could be their disastrous health care law. Well, the health care law has definitely been on the minds of the voters. On October 31, just 1 week before election day, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had an article with the headline, ``Rates for Obamacare Plans Jump in Wisconsin.'' This article said that tens of thousands of middle-class people in Wisconsin who don't qualify for Washington subsidies ``will pay the full cost of double-digit premium increases.'' The article quoted one insurance broker, saying: I've talked with people who are exasperated. They are just at wit's end. That is what the insurance broker said. It is not just the price increases. In at least five States, there is only one company selling plans on the ObamaCare exchange. My State of Wyoming is one of those. People are being told their plan will no longer include their doctor or maybe even a hospital near where they live. The average deductible for a silver plan next year is going to be almost $3,600. There is damage that ObamaCare is doing to American families right now. People are seeing it. That article was in a Wisconsin newspaper, a State in which, apparently--according to the polls--Donald Trump was running behind, Ron Johnson was running behind, but both of them carried the State handedly. Here we have an election where people expressed their opinion, and the Democrats seem to want to deny the main reason for it. The American people have placed their faith now in Republicans, and we, in turn, earned that trust. We will do it through both Executive action and legislative action with regard to the health care law. First, President Trump will have a great opportunity to start making things better for the American people by changing some of the regulations that are a huge part of the health care law. Remember, this health care law is 2,700 pages long, and within those 2,700 pages there are more than 1,800 places where the law gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services the power to write different rules and different regulations and different requirements to try to spell out what the 2,700-page law says. The Obama administration absolutely abused that power. The administration added more than 40,000 pages--40,000 pages of regulations and of redtape that were never actually in the law itself. In the Trump administration, there is going to be a new Secretary of Health and Human Services. He is a physician--an orthopedic surgeon. Once confirmed, I believe he will be able to interpret, reinterpret, and then reapply the law in ways that actually help American families instead of so many ways that hurt American families because the interpretation in the past favored Big Government over people. This includes applying the law to make it easier for businesses to provide insurance to people who work for them. It means giving power back to the States to come up with ideas that work for all of the citizens. The nominated Secretary of Health and Human Services is not just a doctor, but he also served in the State legislature, and he knows that at the State level you can make much better decisions for the people of that State than when Washington comes up with a one-size- fits-all decision. Republicans want to make sure the power goes back to where it belongs--with the people, the families, and the States. That is where it belongs. The Executive action can start pretty quickly, and it can be abridged to the important work that the Congress is going to have to do. We are going to work hard in the Senate and in the House to undo some of the damage--significant amounts of the damage--that ObamaCare has caused. It is undoing the damage because people all around this country have suffered under this health care law. It means repealing the health care law and wiping the slate clean. ObamaCare can't be fixed by tinkering with it here and there--not with another attempted bailout of the insurance companies, which the President has continued to promote. This solution isn't to add more government on top of what we already have. The health care law began collapsing a long time ago, and Republicans are now ready to clear away the rubble. Then, we will write a new law with a multiple step-by-step process--a law that reforms America's broken health care insurance system so patients can get the care they need from a doctor they choose at lower costs--one that puts American families in control of their health care and a law that is simpler, fairer, more effective, and more accountable. We have seen the mistakes that the Democrats have made with the health care law. We have seen that every State is different. So we are going to be looking to push as much authority out of Washington and back to the States. We have seen that too many mandates and regulations drive up costs, and they drive up the costs without improving the quality of care. We have seen that when Washington writes bad laws, the unintended consequences are severe. These are all things that Republicans have said since the very beginning. The failure of ObamaCare has proven that the Republicans were right. The election has proven that the American people want a new approach. American families don't want us to tinker with ObamaCare. They just want affordable health care. I want to make a couple of things clear. First of all, nobody is talking about taking people off of insurance without a replacement plan in place. We all understand that there needs to be a transition over time. People have already been hurt too much when they lost their insurance, when their rates went up because of ObamaCare, and with the mandates and the government saying they know better than families across the country. We will be working to make the transition as smooth as possible for everyone. That is why we are including a transition period in a repeal bill that Congress passed last year and sent to the President's desk. The President, of course, vetoed it. Our goal is to do no harm. As we write a new health care law, we will be looking to make it real reform that is actually centered on patients. We can increase the use of health savings accounts. That will give more people the chance to control how they spend their own money on their health care. We can support innovative insurance plans that pay for prescription drugs that work best for patients and not just the ones preferred by insurance companies. We will be talking about ways to protect people with preexisting conditions and letting young people stay on their parents' insurance. These are important parts of the health care law. Republicans are going to consider any ideas--any ideas that can help us to give people what they wanted all along--access to the care they need from a doctor they choose at lower cost. Democrats promised that they would listen to other people's ideas, and then they went behind a closed door in an office back there and they wrote the law, ignoring all of the suggestions by Republicans and without any Republican support at all. We are not going to make that mistake. We will be looking for Democrats' help. We will be looking for Democrats to work with. We will be listening to Democrats' ideas, and we will be working very hard to win Democratic votes for any new law. Reforming health care in this country is not going to be easy. It is not something we are going to do for the purpose of scoring political points or to discredit President Obama. I will tell you, as a doctor, that it is something we must do to protect American families and their health, as well as their health care. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Leann Bentley 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. Leann is a native of Laramie, WY, and a graduate of Laramie High School. She is a junior at the University of Wyoming, studying business marketing with a concentration in sustainability and global markets. 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 Leann for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It is 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 journey.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Aline Schleifer Alves da Costa for her hard work as an intern in my Cheyenne office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming. Aline is a native of Brazil and a graduate of Laramie County Community College. She is a junior at the University of Wyoming, studying international relations. 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 Aline for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It is 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 journey.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Daulton Grube for his hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming. Daulton is a native of Rock Springs, WY, and a graduate of Rock Springs High School. He attended the University of Wyoming, where he studied microbiology. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months. I want to thank Daulton for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his journey.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Tanner Hanson for his hard work as an intern in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming. Tanner is a native of Ferndale, WA. He graduated from Reed College, where he studied history. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months. I want to thank Tanner for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his journey.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Thomas Myler for his hard work as an intern in my Casper office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming. Thomas is a native of Casper, WY, and a graduate of Natrona County High School. He is currently a second year at Casper College, studying communications and multimedia. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months. I want to thank Thomas for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his journey.