John Cornyn

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, let me just say briefly, I couldn't be happier that my friend, the former Governor of the State of Texas, Rick Perry, will be confirmed here shortly as the next Energy Secretary. I know, personally, as do 28 million Texans, that Rick Perry has dedicated his life to public service. He is best known perhaps for serving our State as Governor for a record 14 years. Before that, he served in the Air Force. He served as a State representative in the Texas Legislature. He was elected as our Agriculture commissioner, then served as Lieutenant Governor. As you can tell, the man was born to lead. During his governorship, Texas became known throughout the country as the economic engine that could pull the train of the U.S. economy and could weather even the toughest national economic downturn. Under Governor Perry's leadership, the State promoted cutting-edge innovation and sensible regulation in order to foster an ``all of the above'' energy strategy that revolutionized the Texas energy landscape and the Texas economy. The State became not just an oil and gas powerhouse but the top wind-producing State in the country. We really do believe in an ``all of the above'' strategy when it comes to energy. In short, Rick Perry created an environment where all energy producers could not just succeed but really prosper, and that continues to serve the people of our State well. Texans still benefit from policies that continue to create more energy options for families across our State. Put it another way, Governor Perry has a very strong track record when it comes to promoting energy in a way that makes everybody better off. I have no doubt Governor Perry will take to the rest of the country these same principles that led to the Texas success story, opening America to a new energy renaissance. I look forward to voting to confirm him in just a few minutes. I yield the floor.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Isakson).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: The Senator from Georgia (Mr. Isakson).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, the Chamber is too slowly moving forward on the President's Cabinet nominees. So far, this Chamber has confirmed 16 Cabinet nominees since January 20. I would note that the most recent nominee, Secretary Zinke, was confirmed by a vote of 68 to 31 and that Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce, was confirmed by a vote of 72 to 27. Why have we burned 5 weeks of this new administration and denied the President the staff and the help and the team he needs in order to lead the country? It makes no sense whatsoever. I, once again, implore our friends on the other side of the aisle to stop the foot-dragging and the delay for delay's sake and to let the President have his Cabinet.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, tonight, President Trump will address a joint session of Congress for the very first time. This, of course, will be his first opportunity as President to talk about his agenda and his vision for the Nation with the American people, who will be listening. I look forward to hearing what he has to say. He will, undoubtedly, talk about the promises he made during the campaign and how he is working to deliver on them for the American people. I know the cornerstone of that vision for America is that of reviving our economy and boosting job growth. Fortunately, he has already taken a few steps--through Executive action--in that direction, for which I am grateful. He has also nominated top-notch financial and economic advisers to look at our archaic Tax Code and to review our trade agreements so as to get our country back on track. He has begun to trim the fat of our bureaucracy, and he continues to push for measures that keep the government from interfering unnecessarily in the lives of American families. Congress has also played an important role. Earlier this month, we passed the first of several resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act--one, to roll back the erosion of Second Amendment rights and another to repeal a job-killing rule that targeted our energy providers. There were others as well. These rules have one characteristic in common, which is that all of these rules that we are rolling back through congressional resolutions of disapproval were put in place under the Obama administration. They frequently represent overreach in executive authority or in, certainly, what is prudent when it comes to regulation. There is such a thing as prudent regulation and overregulation, and I think what we saw is regulatory overreach under the Obama administration. We finally have a President in the White House who will sign these bills into law that we pass here. I am glad the President is delivering on his promise to protect American jobs and to grow our economy, and he is willing to work with Congress to do just that. Another area in which Congress and the administration are working together is in repealing and replacing ObamaCare. ObamaCare is, perhaps, President Obama's signature legacy. His healthcare law, by all accounts, is completely unsustainable and is, essentially, creating a real crisis for the people who happen to be on those exchanges. Texas families cannot afford these high monthly premiums or the sky- high deductibles that so often go along with them. In fact, here is an interesting statistic. In Texas, if you have a gross income of $24,000 a year, you could well end up spending 30 percent of your gross income on healthcare costs. That certainly doesn't sound affordable, which was the promise of ObamaCare. I look forward to working with our colleagues to deliver on the promise we made to the American people to repeal ObamaCare and put in its place a healthcare law that actually works for people, not against them--one that provides them with more choices and fewer mandates; if they like their doctors, they can keep their doctors; if they like their plans, they can keep their plans; and, yes, they can even save money. All of this was promised under ObamaCare, but none of it has proven to be true. We do know some of the basic principles of that replacement for ObamaCare--that of moving healthcare decisions, for example, away from Washington to where they belong--with patients, their families, and their doctors. Actually, I think this is sort of the healthcare counterpart of what we did with the Every Student Succeeds Act, which was the follow-on to No Child Left Behind in moving more of the decision-making out of Washington and back to the States--back to the people most intimately affected and the people most interested in the results. We also believe in giving patients the right tools they can use, like health savings accounts, to make their healthcare more portable and more affordable; in breaking down barriers that restrict choice and prevent Americans from picking the insurance plans that are best for them and their families; and, finally, in empowering small businesses to provide employees with the same kind of affordable health coverage that meets their needs. Association health plans is, perhaps, one of the most commonly recognized means of doing that. I am glad that we finally have a President in office who will work with us and not against us when it comes to repealing and replacing ObamaCare and in giving the American people more choices at a price they can afford when it comes to their health care. For our economy to grow, we have to have a stable and safe country, though, where our people can flourish. That brings me to President Trump's latest promise to restore national security as the number one priority in our budgeting process. He has already nominated and we have confirmed two incredibly strong leaders to key posts in his national security Cabinet. That would be Defense Secretary Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary Kelly. I am confident that these men will do a stand-up job. America is lucky to have them continuing to serve our Nation in these new positions, and I am grateful to them for their service. The safety of our communities and the safety of our country and world peace is our chief job. As Ronald Reagan demonstrated, the best way to keep the world peaceful is for America to remain strong because when America retreats from the world stage, when America no longer leads or when we underfund our national security requirements, all it does is encourages the bullies and the tyrants and the thugs around the world to fill the gap. That is what we have seen time and time again, ranging from Vladimir Putin in Russia--the best message we can send to Vladimir Putin is not necessarily additional Russian sanctions, which I would vote in favor of, but to quit the reversing of our spending on national security priorities. That is something he understands--strength. That is something he will respect. He does not respect weakness. In fact, it is an enticement to him to dangerous activities, as we have seen not only in Crimea and Ukraine but also now in Syria and the Greater Middle East. I have to say that the truth is, since the Budget Control Act of 2011 and the sequestration process that came along with that, we haven't made national security our No. 1 priority--the priority it should be. I hope, working together with our colleagues and the administration, we can fix that because there are a lot of things the Federal Government funds that are simply things that we would like to do but are not absolutely essential to our existence, our prosperity, and our welfare, such as national security. I think President Trump has demonstrated that he understands what the priorities should be, and I know he will keep the goal of national security at the forefront. We ought to do everything we can, working together with this administration, to make that a success. I look forward to hearing the President talk about some of his accomplishments in the 5 short weeks since he has been in office. You look at the stock market, for example, at historic highs. I think there is a lot of anticipation, a growing confidence not only in our economy but that America is now back in a leadership role and that the whole world will end up benefiting--most importantly, the American people. I am eager to learn about how Congress can continue to partner with our new President to make his administration a success, so that America can remain a success, and to make the rest of his campaign promises a reality.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, it has been since January 20 when President Trump was inaugurated that we have been trying to get his Cabinet choices confirmed here in the Senate. Unfortunately, it has been slow-walked to the point now that tonight we are going to be voting on the President's nominee to lead the Commerce Department, Mr. Wilbur Ross. I am grateful to Mr. Ross for wanting to serve the country in this way. I think President Trump has chosen wisely as to the Commerce Secretary. One of the things President Trump said Mr. Ross will do is enter into the negotiation process on NAFTA, the North American Free-Trade Agreement. In my part of the world, in Texas, NAFTA is viewed positively; it is not a dirty word. Some people have suggested that trade somehow has a negative impact on our economy, but I believe the evidence is to the contrary. As a matter of fact, just between Mexico and the United States--5 million jobs depend on binational trade between Mexico and the United States. I know from time to time we have differences of views with Mexico. I saw that Secretary Kelly and Secretary Tillerson were in Mexico City on Wednesday talking about some of those differences but reassuring our Mexican counterparts of our sincerity and good will in trying to work through those. But the fact is, we share a common border with Mexico. What happens in Mexico has an impact on the economy and public safety in the United States and vice versa. So I am actually grateful for the conversation I have had with the Secretary of Commerce nominee, Wilbur Ross and that he is interested in updating NAFTA, the North American Free-Trade Agreement, rather than throwing the baby out with the bath water. I think that is a positive approach and one that I certainly support. We have a lot more Cabinet posts that remain vacant in the executive branch because our friends across the aisle have decided that somehow serves their political interests. But it does not serve the public's interests and it does not serve the country's interests to have a brandnew administration without the ability of the President to pick and choose the people he wants to help him govern the country. It creates more problems, and it also prevents us from getting on with the other important business of the Congress and working together with this President to try to move the country forward in so many important ways. I am glad we will actually consider Congressman Zinke's nomination for the Department of Interior later this evening, but we are going to have to go through this arduous process, this procedural process of cloture and postcloture time-burning before we can actually vote on this qualified nominee. I have said before that by holding up these qualified nominees, they are not only preventing the executive branch from working for the benefit of the American people, but they are also keeping us from our other job. After we get out of the personnel business, we need to get about the business of legislating and producing results for the American people. So I hope that at some point and at some point soon, our Democratic friends will let us move on from the confirmation process and get down to work where we can make that progress.

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

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Isakson).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Isakson).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, Robert Ivanauskas is a congressional detailee to the Energy Committee. I ask unanimous consent that he be granted floor privileges through December 31, 2017.

Mr. CORNYN

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

Mr. CORNYN

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

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 66, submitted earlier today.

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 65, submitted earlier today.

Mr. CORNYN. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn, to then convene for pro forma sessions only, with no business being conducted, on the following dates and times, and that following each pro forma session, the Senate adjourn until the next pro forma session: Monday, February 20, at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, February 23, at 9 a.m.; I further ask that when the Senate adjourns on Thursday, February 23, it next convene at 12 noon, Monday, February 27; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and Morning Business be closed; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session, as under the previous order; finally, that at 3 p.m., Senator Sasse be recognized to deliver Washington's Farewell Address, as under the previous order.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, there will be two votes at approximately 7 p.m. on Monday, February 27-- confirmation of Wilbur Ross to be Secretary of Commerce, followed by cloture on the nomination of Ryan Zinke to be Secretary of the Interior.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to; the Murkowski amendment to the preamble be agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 609 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Arizona (Mr. McCain).