John Cornyn

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Portman).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Portman).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Portman).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Portman).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Portman).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Portman).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Portman).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Kirk), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Portman).

Mr. CORNYN. I object.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Portman).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Portman).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Corker), the Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Enzi), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Johanns), the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Portman), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio), and the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), and the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I thank the senior Senator from New York, my friend, Senator Schumer, for working on this bipartisan legislation. It is a good example of the kinds of things we can do working together. Even though he and I come from different parts of the country and different political parties, he has been a good partner on a number of things that we have worked on together, and I am hoping we are setting in place some good habits that will continue on in the next Congress. I agree with Senator Schumer that JASTA is a good example of the kind of good work we can do together to solve problems facing our Nation. This bill passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee without opposition because of the careful work we were able to do to ensure the bill accomplished its goals while addressing concerns about unintended consequences. So I appreciate our work together and look forward to continuing both for the duration of the 113th Congress and the 114th Congress.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. It is good to see the senior Senator from Vermont back and in good health. I know he has been struggling a little bit with this crazy weather we are having, and we are glad to see him back. On November 5, 2009, a radical jihadist, by the name of Nidal Hasan, who happened to also be a major in the U.S. Army, opened fire at Fort Hood, TX, claiming the lives of 12 U.S. soldiers, one civilian, one unborn child, and wounded more than 30 other people. It was a shocking tragedy and event. Shortly after the attack, it became clear that Hasan was motivated by the same poisonous ideology that spurred the attacks on September 11, 2001; in other words, this was an act of domestic terrorism. Yet due to the narrow and outdated definition of ``international terrorism,'' the Fort Hood victims have not been awarded the same medals and recognition as other military victims of terrorism. Furthermore, the Obama administration took the position of claiming that the 2009 Fort Hood victims were not eligible for Purple Hearts because this was workplace violence--believe it or not. They further said they didn't think Hasan was acting under the explicit direction of a foreign terrorist group, so they were not qualified for these Purple Hearts and this recognition. When our men and women in uniform come under hostile fire from a terrorist, they and their families should receive the full honors and full recognition and benefits that accompany such courageous service. That is why I have authored legislation in the Senate making these victims of the November 2009 attack at Fort Hood eligible to receive the Purple Heart or the civilian equivalent. Last week I was pleased that the House of Representatives passed the Defense authorization bill, which includes the legislation I authored awarding Purple Hearts to victims of this terrorist attack. I wish to thank my good friends Congressmen Williams and Carter for their steadfast dedication to seeing this to conclusion and to fruition. While long overdue, this is welcome news to the wounded, the families of the fallen, and the entire Fort Hood community, because even after 5 years, the wounds from this horrific attack are still there, especially for the families of people such as Michael Cahill, a civilian physician's assistant and retired soldier, and Army CPT John Gaffaney, both of whom charged the shooter and sacrificed their lives to save others around them. The close-knit community at Fort Hood has endured great loss in recent years, and I am pleased we are now just one step closer to delivering this important piece of justice to the victims and their families. It is my hope that once the Defense authorization bill clears this Chamber, that the President will act quickly in signing this legislation into law because any further delay is a continuing injustice to all of the victims from that day and indeed all of the good people at Fort Hood. I yield the floor.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, today I address the Senate on the nomination of Dr. Tho ``Bella'' Dinh-Zarr of Texas to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB. Dr. Dinh-Zarr is uniquely qualified to serve as a Member of the NTSB. Dr. Dinh-Zarr currently holds the position of Director of the U.S. office of the FIA Foundation, an independent nonprofit charity based in the United Kingdom which supports activities that promote international road safety research and sustainable mobility. I have been informed that, prior to assuming her current role, Dr. Dinh-Zarr also served as the Foundation's Road Safety Director from 2007-2014. Dr. Dinh-Zarr has extensive professional experience with traffic and highway safety issues, working previously as Director of North America's Make Roads Safe Campaign for Global Road Safety, a scientist at the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, and as National Director of Traffic Safety Policy for the American Automobile Association. I would like to highlight some of Dr. Dinh-Zarr's connections to our shared home State of Texas--in particular, her education and work experience at some of our well-known academic and research institutions. Dr. Dinh-Zarr and her family escaped Vietnam in 1975, eventually taking up residence along the Gulf Coast in Galveston, TX. From an early age, Dr. Dinh-Zarr developed an awareness of the region's extensive multi-modal transportation network and the importance of rail, marine, and pipeline safety in her community. One of her first jobs was working at the Galveston Railroad Museum, an institution dedicated to preserving the region's storied history of rail transportation through educational exhibits and programs. Dr. Dinh-Zarr earned both a Masters of Public Health and a Ph.D. in Health Policy and Injury Prevention from the University of Texas School of Public Health. She is a graduate of Rice University and worked as a Research Associate at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, TTI, widely recognized as one of the premier transportation research agencies in the country. The NTSB plays a critical role in advancing transportation safety. The agency is charged with investigating transportation-related accidents and making recommendations aimed at preventing future events. In order to best meet its goal of improving safety across our Nation's transportation system, the NTSB must ensure safety recommendations are reasonable, balanced and evidence-based. The agency's investigative and advocacy responsibilities must be considered in light of the unique and diverse safety challenges confronting our States, where innovative and tailored solutions can often more effectively reduce or eliminate the likelihood of future incidents or injury versus a one-size-fits-all approach. Toward this end, NTSB must place a high priority on transparency and accountability, working to ensure communities, individuals, small businesses, and all others impacted by its work are provided adequate opportunities to be heard. I am confident that Dr. Dinh-Zarr is up to the challenge. She will not only bring to the position a wealth of knowledge and experience, but also a Texan's sense of compassion and dedication to the service of others. I am pleased to join her friends and family, members of Vietnamese American community in Texas and across the country, and many others in support of this well-qualified nominee.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. I thank my friend from Vermont. All of this got pushed back a little bit with the laudatory speeches for our retiring colleague from Nebraska. We are backed up a little bit, but I won't be long. I have to say that I came to the floor when the Senators from Oregon and Colorado were talking about Senator Feinstein's decision to release this report. I get it that different people see the same subject matter sometimes through a different lens, but I can't think of any more reckless or irresponsible thing to do to our brave men and women who fight in our military, who have fought our wars for the last 13 years, and the intelligence community that has worked while risking their lives to keep us safe. We all remember what happened on 9/11/2001, but apparently with time our memories have faded. What we do know for a fact is we would not have avoided another attack on our own soil if it were not for the dedication and the patriotism of men and women in our intelligence community who were operating under color of law. In other words, this isn't just something they decided to cook up; this was something that was vetted at the highest levels of the Justice Department and the Department of Defense. We had hearing upon hearing on these various enhanced interrogation techniques. There were disagreements, but we do know they were effective in gleaning intelligence that helped keep Americans safer. That is not just me saying that. Ask Leon Panetta, the immediate past Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Secretary of the Department of Defense--a proud Democrat but also a patriot in his own right. Ask John Brennan, President Obama's choice to be the current CIA Director. He said virtually the same thing. So much of this should have proven to be unnecessary after two separate U.S. attorneys conducted criminal investigations. There was one done earlier and then one done later when Attorney General Eric Holder reopened the investigation. These men and women who risk their lives to do what their government asks them to do to keep us safe were subjected to at least two Justice Department investigations, and obviously no decision to proceed with any kind of criminal charges was decided upon. I think you have to wonder about the timing of this in a lameduck session where we have basically three items of business to do before we break for the Christmas holidays and a new Congress. It is clear that this report was pushed out in an attempt to make a political statement, but I have to tell you that I think it is a reckless act, and it is a disservice not only to the men and women who risked their lives but also to the American people who should expect more of us. This was not a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report. Once Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee figured out what was happening, they simply disassociated themselves from it. This is purely a partisan report. There are absolutely no recommendations made for any reforms in this report. It was simply done to embarrass and to hold up our brave men and women who serve our country and the intelligence community to ridicule, and it is a shame.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss) and the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. I came to the floor to talk about another topic, and that is about my friend and fellow Texan Congressman Ralph Hall, who at the end of this year will be retiring from representing Texas's Fourth District in the House of Representatives for more than three decades. It is hard to speak to the entirety of Ralph's 34 years in Congress in just a few minutes. I will try. I would be remiss if I didn't mention some of his greatest hits, so to speak. Let me begin with what I admire most about Ralph Hall and why he is so beloved back home in Texas. Why would they return him election after election over these many years? First, Ralph is someone whom a lot of Texans look up to as a role model. He is a happy warrior. Having proudly served this country and Texas for over 50 years, he is a man of extraordinary character and remarkable integrity. Thinking about Ralph, the first thing that comes to mind is his service to others, from his military service to being the oldest and among the longest serving Members of Congress. Ralph has lived a life of service to others and leaves behind a considerable legacy--one that will be long remembered and celebrated by people in my State and I believe the people of the United States too. Those who know Ralph know he is the man who, wherever he goes-- whether it is back home or here in Washington--before leaving a room, he will have hugged or shaken the hand of every person in the room, not to mention telling a few bad jokes and leaving everybody laughing in the process. He is a man who truly cares about others, and that is evident by the way he arranged his desk in his Washington office. He said one of his favorite things about his office is the view. Even so, he arranged his desk with his back to the window so others could sit and enjoy the view. This speaks to the kind of man he is, always putting other people first. As I said, he is also well known for his excellent sense of humor and an occasional bad joke. He is a great storyteller and raconteur. He does have some pretty good stories to tell, though, from selling cigarettes to the famous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde, to putting President Reagan on hold, to his interesting encounters and friendships with Mickey Mantle, Muhammad Ali, Ted Williams, Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, among others. There are his many stories about flying Hellcat fighter aircraft in the U.S. Army during World War II. Ralph has led a full and exciting life. During his time in Congress, he has not just been the hometown Congressman from Rockwall, TX; he has been the hometown Congressman to everyone he has encountered. It doesn't matter who you are--Ralph just naturally wants to try to find out how he can be helpful to you, from the person he met on the street, to the colleagues in the Texas delegation, to the President of the United States. That is just the way he is. Knowing Ralph, he probably has something up his sleeve that he is not telling us about what he is going to do after he leaves Congress next month. In fact, when asked about his plans after leaving Congress, Ralph mentioned he would probably go to work at Walmart because he has to have a job. Ralph has always got to have something to do. But it goes to show that no matter what he does next, he will not be slowing down anytime soon. Ralph Hall will be greatly missed in this Congress. I am privileged to call him a colleague and a friend. I would like to wish him Godspeed and all the best as he continues to recover from a recent car accident at home in Rockwall. I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes in the next chapter of his long and storied life. I yield the floor.

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), and the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, in the waning days of the 113th Congress it is a bittersweet moment as many of us are saying goodbye--although not on a permanent basis but at least in terms of our official relationships working together as Senators--to so many of our good friends and valued colleagues. Every other December we find ourselves bidding farewell to some of the most admired and respected Members of this Chamber. Today I want to say a few words about three of these esteemed Members, starting with my good friend, the senior Senator from Georgia. Saxby Chambliss Saxby Chambliss and I arrived in the Senate at the same time following the 2002 elections. At the time, the war on terrorism, as we all know, was barely a year old, and it was by far and away the biggest issue on the minds of Americans across the country and in the Halls of Congress. Senator Saxby Chambliss immediately established himself as one of the Senate's most important leaders on national security issues, which came as no surprise to anyone who watched his career in the House of Representatives. Indeed, in his capacity as chairman of the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security, he oversaw the first official investigation of the 9/11 attacks. It is hard to believe it has now been more than 13 years since that fateful day, but Senator Chambliss has never lost sight of the continuing threat posed by radical Islamic terrorists and he has never stopped working to uphold bipartisan support for strong national security policies. He has been a consistent leader on important pieces of legislation such as the PATRIOT Act and on the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay. He has also been a leader on the Armed Services Committee on the annual Defense authorization bill which we will be taking up later this week and on controversial but important topics such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Most recently on the campaign to destroy the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Senator Chambliss again has been one of the leading voices helping us find our way to the right strategy and the right policy. In short, name any high-profile national security issue and there is a good chance Saxby Chambliss has been driving the debate and working to move the United States in the right direction. I know he is also especially proud of his efforts to improve current retirement policies for members of the National Guard and military Reserves. Senator Saxby Chambliss comes from a State where agriculture is the single largest industry and he spent 6 years as chairman or ranking member of the Senate agriculture committee. He was one of the first Members of our class in 2002 to serve as a chairman of any standing committee, something we were all a little bit envious of, early on in his first term of office. But he has worked on several tough farm bills during the time he has been in Congress and he has been our go-to Member on all related issues. In fact, Senator Chambliss understands these issues almost better than anyone on both sides of the aisle, which is another way of saying he understands the challenges facing American farmers better than almost anyone here. That understanding allowed him to play a key role in reforming Federal crop insurance. Folks down in Georgia have been justly appreciative of Senator Chambliss's work on agriculture policy, and they also appreciate his efforts to accelerate the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project through a Federal-State partnership, which was officially signed back in October. It is an impressive list of accomplishments, and I know I speak for all of our Members on both sides of the aisle and staffers alike, when I say that Saxby Chambliss will be missed as much for his warmth and friendship as for his policy work. As a diehard Atlanta Braves and Georgia Bulldogs fan, he is equally at ease discussing baseball, football, quail hunting or national security. He is unfailingly kind, thoughtful, and considerate to everyone with whom he works in this Chamber--whether Senator, staffer or casual visitor. Saxby is now preparing for his life's next great chapter, which he will spend with his wife Julianne, to whom he has been married for nearly half a century, their two children, and six grandchildren, which I know bring them a lot of joy. I wish my good friend all the best in his retirement, and I wish the entire Chambliss family a never-ending supply of health and happiness.

Mr. CORNYN

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

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), and the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey).

Mr. CORNYN

Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Cochran), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), and the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran).