Catherine Cortez Masto

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleagues to really put a face to what we are talking about here when we in Washington are making decisions that are impacting the real lives of the people back home in our States. I have to thank my colleague from Illinois, who has not only led the charge on this fight but has never given up for those Dreamers and their families, has really fought to show who they are because they are not numbers. They are real people. I go home to my State, and on a regular basis I meet with Dreamers and their families, and it is no different. We sit around and we talk and tell stories about their struggle and their fight just to have that American dream. They are crying. Many are afraid to even tell their stories. The first time I had an opportunity to sit with Dreamers, they had never told their story before because they were too afraid to tell it. They were too afraid that if they told it and left their home that day and went to work or went to school, that when they came back, their parents would not be there. It was the first time they came forward. It is no different now. This administration and what they are doing is continuing the fear in our communities. That is why now more than ever we have to pass the Dream Act. Since this administration ended DACA, more than 11,000 DACA recipients have lost their status. Each week, 851 Dreamers are losing their protection. If we fail to pass legislation to protect Dreamers, 800,000 kids will be forced to watch their lives fall apart. They will lose their driver's licenses, their health insurance, their scholarships, their student loans, their work permits. They will face the constant threat of being detained, separated from their families, and forced out of the only home they know. This is not just a crisis for these kids and their families, it is a crisis for our country, and it is a crisis for businesses across America. If Dreamers lose their jobs, employers will incur nearly $3.4 billion in costs. The Center for American Progress estimates that our GDP will shrink by $460.3 billion over the next decade. Over 800 business leaders from companies like Airbnb, Amazon, Facebook, Google, Lyft, and Microsoft have signed a letter to Congress, as you have heard, urging legislators to pass the Dream Act. The value Dreamers add to our economy is apparent to our country's most innovative businesses, it is apparent to religious groups and advocacy organizations all across the Nation. What is it Congress is missing? Why are some Members of this body unable to see all the contributions these kids make? This is also a moral crisis. We cannot turn our back on Dreamers. We must embrace them. They are living examples of what America stands for as a nation, built through the sweat and hard work of generations of immigrants. Immigrants are a fundamental part of our communities. They always have been. They have built our railroads, our cities, our highways. They have founded businesses, invented groundbreaking technologies, and discovered lifesaving cures. Blue jeans, hamburgers, ketchup, YouTube, Google, Apple, even America's best idea--our national parks--these are iconic American inventions, and yet they were all created in whole or in part by immigrants. Immigrants have held public office. One of Nevada's first Senators was an immigrant. His name was James Graham Fair, and he was born to a family in Ireland. His father brought him to the United States when he was a child to escape the potato famine. He grew up on a farm in Illinois and moved to Nevada in the 1850s to get involved in silver mining. He made a fortune when a repository of silver ore in northern Nevada, known as the Comstock Lode, was discovered. The discovery of this silver made him wealthy beyond belief. Overnight, he became one of Nevada's silver kings. He invested his fortune in railroads and real estate and eventually accumulated over $40 million, and that is more than a billion dollars today. In 1881, he was elected to represent Nevada in the U.S. Senate. In 1882, this Irish immigrant, a man who became a king because of the Comstock Lode, turned his back on other immigrants, and he voted in favor of the Chinese Exclusion Act. The Chinese Exclusion Act was a watershed moment in the history of American immigration policy because it was the first time the Federal Government restricted immigration on the basis of race. I tell you this story because, to me, the Chinese Exclusion Act exemplifies a vicious truth--that immigrants and their descendants are often the ones fighting to keep the next generation of immigrants out. Sadly, this Congress--a group that includes many descendants of immigrants--is in danger of making the same mistake. When are we going to acknowledge what basic economics, history, and scientific research have always proven to be true; that immigrants make our economy stronger, that immigrants come to our country and start businesses, apply for patents, create jobs, and invent technologies that change our world. The 800,000 Dreamers in this country don't want special treatment. They want the chance to live their lives and do all of those things without the fear of deportation looming over their heads. We have a President who is not just refusing to give them that chance but actively spreading lies and hate about who they are. I wish I could say this xenophobia--this hate--is something we have never seen before, but anti-immigrant sentiment is nothing new. These attempts to shut our doors are as old as our Nation itself. We are a nation of immigrants. We are caught in a vicious cycle. We look to our ancestors for inspiration. We benefit from the contributions of immigrants, but every generation, we default to the arrogance of power and treat immigrants as scapegoats and shut them out. A teacher from Sparks, NV, recently contacted my office to share the fear and uncertainty kids and families are feeling right now. David wrote: I teach music at Diedrichsen Elementary School in Sparks, and my wife is the Assistant Principal at Desert Heights Elementary in Stead. . . . We are seeing an increase in stress, acting-out behaviors and absences in our students from immigrant families. Another friend of mine who teaches at a school with a large immigrant population has told me about days when large numbers of children are absent because of rumors of raids by ICE. These are the consequences of using immigrants as scapegoats. We are facing another watershed moment in our country's history. People will ask: Where were you when Dreamers' lives were hanging in the balance? Did you use your voice? Did you speak out? It is time to stop this cycle. It is time to do the right thing and pass the Dream Act, not just because it will add billions of dollars to our economy but because threats to immigrants are a threat to our communities, our safety, our lives, and the future of this country. The Dream Act is an investment in our future. Republicans in Congress are looking for a way to reduce the Federal deficit. Well, I have a solution for you. Passing the Dream Act would decrease the Federal deficit by $2.2 billion over 10 years. It turns out that the refrain we always hear that immigrants are taking away jobs is a myth. The economy is not a zero-sum game. Research shows that immigrants drive growth. They generate new patents at twice the rate of native-born Americans. In 2014, they earned $1.3 trillion and contributed $105 billion in State and local taxes and nearly $224 billion in Federal taxes. Immigrants are 30 percent more likely to start a business in the United States than nonimmigrants, and 18 percent of small business owners in the United States are immigrants. In 2007, these small businesses employed an estimated 4.7 million people and generated more than $776 billion in revenue, but this fight is not just about our economy. At its core, this fight is about 800,000 uncertain futures. When you meet Dreamers like I have, you will see they are not numbers, and they are not graphs. They are hard-working young people who are putting themselves through school and supporting their families. They are young people like Maria, a Dreamer who was brought to the United States when she was 4 years old. Now, 22, she is working as a teacher and director of the Infant Toddler Program at a Montessori school in Washoe County, NV. She already has an associate's degree, but she plans to enroll in the University of Nevada, Reno to pursue a bachelors in education, human development, and family studies. Maria sent me a letter to tell me her story, and she wrote: I, as a Dreamer, am being truly affected by not knowing what will happen with my future. Since we moved here, I have learned what the meaning of true work ethic is and how to be a positive asset to our nation. Being a DACA recipient means I can never have a criminal record, I pay taxes, I have a great job teaching our youth, and am still working hard to continue my education. . . . I am here thanks to the selflessness and courage my mother showed, and I believe any parent would do the same for their children without hesitation. My mother followed all the rules to quickly become a true hard working member of this nation. In her letter, Maria told me all she wanted was a chance to follow the rules, show her potential, and continue working as a teacher. Maria's story is both an immigrant's story and an American story. It is a story about what happens when we give Dreamers a chance. Maria's story is no different from Sergey Brin's, the cofounder of Google who came here from Russia. It is no different from Madeleine Albright's, the first female Secretary of State, an immigrant from Czechoslovakia. It is no different from that of John Muir's, a Scottish immigrant, or that of Joseph Pulitzer's, a Hungarian immigrant, or that of Albert Einstein's, a German refugee. Dreamers' stories are no different from my own. My grandfather was born in Chihuahua, Mexico. He crossed the Rio Grande to come to this country. He served in our military, became a citizen, married my grandmother, and he raised a family. His son, my father, began his career as a parking attendant at the old Las Vegas Dunes Hotel. He worked his way up through the ranks to become the first Latino on the Clark County Commission and then president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. My mom and dad worked all of their lives so my sister and I could become the first in our family to earn a college degree. My family taught me that when someone opens a door for you, you hold it open for the next person coming along after, and that is what I am in the Senate to do--to make sure every American gets that same opportunity my grandfather had, that my parents had, and that my sister and I had. It is time to recognize that Dreamers are Americans, that their stories are no different from any of ours, that by taking away their protections, by allowing them to return to the shadows, we are allowing a vicious cycle to grind 800,000 dreams into the dust. It is time to learn from the mistakes of our predecessors. We must pass the Dream Act before the end of this year. Thank you for listening. I yield the floor.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of my motion to commit be printed in the Record.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I rise to thank my colleague from Maine, whose amazing work as chair of the Aging Committee continues to inspire me. I also rise to share a story that is very personal to me. It is a story about one of the smartest people whom I have known, my grandmother Katherine, whom I was named after. She was the daughter of an Italian immigrant and his Italian-American wife. She was exactly the kind of person you think of when you think of an Italian grandmother. If you have ever had one, you know that she loves to feed people and invite the whole family--aunts, uncles, cousins, everyone--over to her house for dinner on Sunday nights. The other 6 days of the week, she worked on volunteer projects throughout Las Vegas with her sorority, Beta Sigma Phi. She never graduated from college, but she was a leader in our community, and she was always reading. If you walked into her house, it was full of books. In fact, the first thing that you saw when you walked into her house was, on one wall, floor to ceiling, a bookcase with all of the books that she had read. She was brilliant. She was one of my greatest inspirations. Her work in our community in Las Vegas is one of the reasons that I decided to pursue a career in public service. Unfortunately, in the 1990s, my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. At first, you could barely notice a difference. There were small things, things that could happen to anyone--lost keys, mismatched socks, books left in odd places. Then a woman who had spent her entire life loving to cook for her family and grandchildren had suddenly stopped cooking. Over the next 10 years, she got progressively worse. We could see the changes in her every single day, but our lives changed too. My grandfather became her caregiver. My mother became her caregiver. My aunt became her caregiver. My cousins and I and my sister all became caregivers. That is what happens when someone is diagnosed. It does not affect just one person; it affects an entire family. There is a common misconception that people who are suffering from Alzheimer's are not aware of what they are losing, that their memories are gone but not missed. That was not the case for my grandmother. I do not think it is the case for anyone who is struggling with this disease. My grandmother frequently had these moments of clarity when it was clear that the losses were just as painful for her as they were for all of us. One thing that happens to many people with Alzheimer's is that they tend to wander. They wander away from home or they get lost. She had had one of those moments of clarity after she had wandered away from home one day, and the entire family had spent an afternoon looking for her in our neighborhood. My aunt and I had found her and had gone to pick her up in a car. I will never forget it, as I sat in the back seat while my aunt drove. My grandmother, who had been seated on the front passenger's side, asked my aunt: Why am I doing this? Why am I in my housecoat and slippers? Why am I doing this? My aunt looked at her and she said: Mom, you are sick. You have something they call Alzheimer's, and that means that it is impacting your brain and your memories, and you are forgetting. We were so powerless. We couldn't do anything but make her comfortable and bring her home. For many, many families who are dealing with Alzheimer's, they have gone through those same moments--those moments when they are dealing with their loved ones either trying to explain to them what is happening or giving them comfort because they know their memories are gone, and they want to make sure they are giving them the comfort they need and they deserve. We know, unfortunately, that there is no cure for Alzheimer's. My grandmother passed away, as many people with Alzheimer's do, when her illness got so bad that she lost the ability to eat or drink, but the experience of caring for my grandmother opened my eyes to the true impact of this disease. I saw that when one person is diagnosed, whole families' lives are transformed too. I think about my grandmother every day. Every day, I return to some piece of wisdom or guidance that she shared with me. I am committed now to honoring her memory by fighting to prevent Alzheimer's and to provide caregivers with the support they need and deserve. When my grandmother was first diagnosed, we did not understand Alzheimer's like we do today. We did not have enough healthcare programs for it or support for the caregivers. It was seen as an individual disease that struck at random, with no cure and no hope. Although there is still no cure, we know now that there are things that we can do to help to keep the brain healthy longer and possibly reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and that there are things that we can do now to promote prevention. For those who are already living with Alzheimer's and for their caregivers, like my family was for my grandmother, there are things that we can do to dramatically improve their experiences and to help lessen some of that burden. Today there are things we can do to invest in finding that cure for Alzheimer's. It is just a petri dish away, but we have to believe that it is there and that we can continue and support that investment. I have visited the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas and met with its director, Dr. Jeffrey Cummings. I have seen the incredible work they have done, including their methods for the early detection of Alzheimer's, which simply did not exist only a few years ago. Yet education in the community and the spreading of best practices still lag behind. There is no longer any doubt that this is a public health crisis. That is why I am so grateful and proud to be sitting on a committee and working with a chairwoman, my colleague from Maine, who has made an effort here in Congress to really bring attention to Alzheimer's disease and to help to fight for funding and investment in a cure. I am proud to join my colleagues from Maine, West Virginia, and Virginia in introducing legislation that is known as the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act. This bill will create Centers of Excellence that will be dedicated to promoting effective interventions and educating the public on Alzheimer's disease, cognitive decline, and brain health. It will provide grants to State and local health departments to build the infrastructure that is necessary to address this public health crisis, and it will collect the data that is necessary to keep pushing the frontiers of what we know about this disease. I urge my colleagues to support this vital, bipartisan piece of legislation that has the potential of having a positive impact on millions of Americans across this country.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I rise to thank my colleague from Maine, whose amazing work as chair of the Aging Committee continues to inspire me. I also rise to share a story that is very personal to me. It is a story about one of the smartest people whom I have known, my grandmother Katherine, whom I was named after. She was the daughter of an Italian immigrant and his Italian-American wife. She was exactly the kind of person you think of when you think of an Italian grandmother. If you have ever had one, you know that she loves to feed people and invite the whole family--aunts, uncles, cousins, everyone--over to her house for dinner on Sunday nights. The other 6 days of the week, she worked on volunteer projects throughout Las Vegas with her sorority, Beta Sigma Phi. She never graduated from college, but she was a leader in our community, and she was always reading. If you walked into her house, it was full of books. In fact, the first thing that you saw when you walked into her house was, on one wall, floor to ceiling, a bookcase with all of the books that she had read. She was brilliant. She was one of my greatest inspirations. Her work in our community in Las Vegas is one of the reasons that I decided to pursue a career in public service. Unfortunately, in the 1990s, my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. At first, you could barely notice a difference. There were small things, things that could happen to anyone--lost keys, mismatched socks, books left in odd places. Then a woman who had spent her entire life loving to cook for her family and grandchildren had suddenly stopped cooking. Over the next 10 years, she got progressively worse. We could see the changes in her every single day, but our lives changed too. My grandfather became her caregiver. My mother became her caregiver. My aunt became her caregiver. My cousins and I and my sister all became caregivers. That is what happens when someone is diagnosed. It does not affect just one person; it affects an entire family. There is a common misconception that people who are suffering from Alzheimer's are not aware of what they are losing, that their memories are gone but not missed. That was not the case for my grandmother. I do not think it is the case for anyone who is struggling with this disease. My grandmother frequently had these moments of clarity when it was clear that the losses were just as painful for her as they were for all of us. One thing that happens to many people with Alzheimer's is that they tend to wander. They wander away from home or they get lost. She had had one of those moments of clarity after she had wandered away from home one day, and the entire family had spent an afternoon looking for her in our neighborhood. My aunt and I had found her and had gone to pick her up in a car. I will never forget it, as I sat in the back seat while my aunt drove. My grandmother, who had been seated on the front passenger's side, asked my aunt: Why am I doing this? Why am I in my housecoat and slippers? Why am I doing this? My aunt looked at her and she said: Mom, you are sick. You have something they call Alzheimer's, and that means that it is impacting your brain and your memories, and you are forgetting. We were so powerless. We couldn't do anything but make her comfortable and bring her home. For many, many families who are dealing with Alzheimer's, they have gone through those same moments--those moments when they are dealing with their loved ones either trying to explain to them what is happening or giving them comfort because they know their memories are gone, and they want to make sure they are giving them the comfort they need and they deserve. We know, unfortunately, that there is no cure for Alzheimer's. My grandmother passed away, as many people with Alzheimer's do, when her illness got so bad that she lost the ability to eat or drink, but the experience of caring for my grandmother opened my eyes to the true impact of this disease. I saw that when one person is diagnosed, whole families' lives are transformed too. I think about my grandmother every day. Every day, I return to some piece of wisdom or guidance that she shared with me. I am committed now to honoring her memory by fighting to prevent Alzheimer's and to provide caregivers with the support they need and deserve. When my grandmother was first diagnosed, we did not understand Alzheimer's like we do today. We did not have enough healthcare programs for it or support for the caregivers. It was seen as an individual disease that struck at random, with no cure and no hope. Although there is still no cure, we know now that there are things that we can do to help to keep the brain healthy longer and possibly reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and that there are things that we can do now to promote prevention. For those who are already living with Alzheimer's and for their caregivers, like my family was for my grandmother, there are things that we can do to dramatically improve their experiences and to help lessen some of that burden. Today there are things we can do to invest in finding that cure for Alzheimer's. It is just a petri dish away, but we have to believe that it is there and that we can continue and support that investment. I have visited the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas and met with its director, Dr. Jeffrey Cummings. I have seen the incredible work they have done, including their methods for the early detection of Alzheimer's, which simply did not exist only a few years ago. Yet education in the community and the spreading of best practices still lag behind. There is no longer any doubt that this is a public health crisis. That is why I am so grateful and proud to be sitting on a committee and working with a chairwoman, my colleague from Maine, who has made an effort here in Congress to really bring attention to Alzheimer's disease and to help to fight for funding and investment in a cure. I am proud to join my colleagues from Maine, West Virginia, and Virginia in introducing legislation that is known as the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act. This bill will create Centers of Excellence that will be dedicated to promoting effective interventions and educating the public on Alzheimer's disease, cognitive decline, and brain health. It will provide grants to State and local health departments to build the infrastructure that is necessary to address this public health crisis, and it will collect the data that is necessary to keep pushing the frontiers of what we know about this disease. I urge my colleagues to support this vital, bipartisan piece of legislation that has the potential of having a positive impact on millions of Americans across this country.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Madam President, I rise today to urge my colleagues to reauthorize Federal funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program. Children's health insurance is not a partisan issue in this country, and it never has been. In 1997, the bill to create the Children's Health Insurance Program passed with bipartisan support. It was introduced by the late Senator Ted Kennedy, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and our colleague, Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican from Utah. This program has been a resounding success. Tens of millions of kids from all over the country have received access to preventive care, doctors' visits, prescriptions, dental and vision coverage as a result of this act of Congress. Children's healthcare is not a partisan issue in Nevada--the great State that I represent--either. Over the past 20 years, more than 60,000 of Nevada's kids have benefited from our State CHIP program, Nevada Check Up. Together with the gains we have made due to the ACA's Medicaid expansion, our rate of uninsured children has fallen by half, making our program one of the biggest successes in the country. Today, 9 million children from low-income families nationwide, including 27,000 from Nevada, get their health insurance through CHIP. If Congress continues to do nothing, those 9 million children will not be able to go to a doctor for their annual checkup; 9 million children will not be able to afford their prescriptions. The parents of those 9 million children will have to wait until their child's headache or infection or sore throat becomes an emergency before taking them to the hospital. In 2008, the last time funding for CHIP was on the chopping block, Senator Ted Kennedy said that the test of a great nation is in the way it treats its children. We are a great nation. We know how to take care of our kids. Americans understand that children's healthcare is the kind of thing that should be beyond the reach of partisan politics. Governors from both parties, medical professionals, care providers, and advocates from across this Nation have already called on Congress to do its job and move as quickly as possible to reauthorize this funding. Nevada's Republican Governor, Brian Sandoval, is one of those voices. Republicans and Democrats alike know that kids can't go to school, they can't go to soccer practice, they can't learn their times tables or their fractions, they can't do things that healthy, happy kids like to do if they do not feel well. But don't ask me why funding for CHIP is important. Listen to the voices of parents who lie awake at night, worried that the cough they are hearing down the hall in their child's room will not go away on its own. It is scary enough to have a sick child. No parent should have to live with the additional fear that they will not be able to afford the care their child needs. No parent should have to choose between treating a cough that has been getting worse and worse for weeks and paying next month's rent. People across the country are working every single day just to make ends meet. CHIP is their lifeline. Just ask Lisa, a self-employed mom. Her children are able to see the whiteboard in math class because CHIP allowed her family to afford glasses. Ask Glenna, whose daughter broke her arm on the monkey bars when she was 4. Without CHIP, Glenna would have had to take out loans to pay off that medical bill. Hear from Vanessa about the excellent healthcare her daughter received after she contracted meningitis at age 12, which was paid for with health insurance Vanessa purchased through CHIP. Vanessa says that CHIP is the reason her daughter is alive today. These are just three of the countless stories I have heard from people who just don't know what they would do if private health insurance were the only option available to their family. Illness, injury, these things happen. All of us get sick sometimes, but going bankrupt trying to pay for your son or daughter's medical treatment, that is not normal. That should not be something we accept as part of our everyday lives. Every time I go home to Nevada, I hear the same things over and over from people I meet. They say to me: My medical bills are out of control. Please do something to help. We should be working night and day around the clock to fix our healthcare system and relieve the burden of healthcare costs on working people. Allowing funding for CHIP to expire, allowing State governments to go bankrupt, allowing rural hospitals and our community medical centers to shut their doors and go out of business, this is not what the American people sent us here to do. We are the representatives of this great Nation, and it is time to act like it and stop playing politics with children's health. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, as the newest Senator from the Silver State, I am humbled to serve and represent my fellow Nevadans. We Nevadans are very proud of our State, its people, and the spirit of self-reliance and community that guides us every single day. We are proud of the vastness and beauty of our rural counties and the energy and diversity of our cities, such as Reno and my hometown, Las Vegas. When I was preparing to deliver my maiden speech before this body, my intention was to honor the Silver State's history and people, as well as share the issues I had planned to fight for while I am here in Congress--issues that matter to hard-working Nevadans. That speech was meant to celebrate Nevada's founding and values, to declare the basic right of every individual to education and affordable healthcare, to remind my colleagues of the dignity of equality and the right to marry whomever you love. That speech was meant to proclaim the dignity of women and their right to make their own health choices, to defend the right of immigrants and Dreamers to live in our country without fear, and to call on this body to fight for American values, including diversity and inclusion. That speech was meant to demand that our country's leaders respect every American, regardless of the color of their skin or how they choose to worship. Unfortunately, my maiden speech on the floor of this body will instead talk about mass murder. Today I want to recognize the courage of heroes and first responders and honor the wounded and those murdered. I want to recognize the fundamental dignity of every American in this age of violence, rancor, and ignorance, the dignity of Americans not to be slaughtered by other Americans just for walking outside and attending a conference. With over 43 million visitors per year, Las Vegas prides itself on warmly welcoming people from all around the world to revel in what we have to offer. Hospitality, in every sense of the word, defines who we are. When travelers come to Las Vegas, they plan to enjoy themselves in the company of loved ones and friends and become a part of our Nevada family. On October 1, a man attacked that family by smashing two windows in his 32nd floor hotel suite and unleashing a barrage of bullets onto 22,000 people attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival. In 10 minutes, 58 innocent people were massacred, and more than 500 people were injured. At first, concertgoers confused the rapid gunfire for fireworks. The grim realization that repetitive bursts were not fireworks but bullets, came as those in the crowd began to collapse, one after another, and blood began to stain the ground. This was a concert on the Las Vegas Strip, but it looked more like a battlefield. These were innocent people. The human cost of this atrocious act of terrorism is incalculable. Children lost parents. Parents lost children. Friends lost friends. Those who survived the ordeal must not only heal from physical wounds but cope with the mental scars that will haunt them forever. I will never forget the stories I heard walking through our hospitals and meeting with our first responders and those recovering from their wounds. Entire emergency room and hallway floors were stained with blood. A recovery room in one of our hospitals was turned into a makeshift morgue. A victim's phone rang continuously with calls from her father, who would soon learn that she would never be coming home. There is one life story cut short for each of the 58 people killed that night. We have come to learn their stories--stories of sacrifice, of courage, and of love. A young man died after taking the bullets that would have ended his girlfriend's life. A security guard was killed on the job. As bullets ripped through the night sky and bodies began falling to the ground, he took responsibility for keeping the public safe by directing the panicked crowd. He made the ultimate sacrifice--protecting others. With approximately 2 million residents, the Las Vegas area is not a small town, but this tragedy has shown just how strong and connected our community is. It goes beyond Las Vegas. There are so many communities across this country that were injured by this tragedy in some way. Many of those killed and injured were visitors to Las Vegas. All Nevadans grieve for those dead and are doing what they can to help the survivors. Mr. Rogers has a timeless quote: Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping. As we embrace others and the families of those wounded and those murdered, we also recognize so many in the community who helped. Even in the middle of the attack, there were helpers who shielded strangers from bullets and helpers who led people out of the concert venue. There were helpers who plugged strangers' bullet wounds with their fingers. There were helpers like Jonathan. Despite receiving a gunshot wound to the neck, Jonathan saved the lives of 30 people by leading them out of the venue and aiding them in taking cover. He did this even after losing sight of his own family. Jonathan later said: ``I decided I'm not going to leave anybody behind.'' There were helpers like Taylor, an Iraq war veteran, who turned a parked utility van into an ambulance. After climbing a fence as he fled the gunfire, he came across the vehicle, and he knew what he had to do. Before first responders arrived, Taylor drove roughly 30 people to area hospitals. There were other helpers, like Tami, also an Iraq war veteran, who stayed behind to help victims on the ground. Tami used her ER nursing experience to triage those who were immobile because of their injuries. Despite her best efforts, Tami couldn't save one young woman and had the heartbreaking task of telling a mother that her daughter was dead. Tami said: I'll never forget that girl's face. I had to tell the mom that her daughter had gone. In the toughest of circumstances, the promptness, efficiency, and professionalism of Southern Nevada's first responders and medical community saved many lives and ensured that this tragedy did not escalate into a further loss of life. Andrew, an ambulance dispatcher, calmly and purposefully directed his team despite it being his first day in his new role. There were doctors across our valley who did not need a call to rush to our hospitals to help. There were nurses who stayed long past their shifts to help care for and comfort the wounded, and our police officers and firefighters ran toward the bullets to help. These first responders, doctors, and nurses knew some of the people they were helping. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Clark County Fire Department, American Medical Response, MedicWest Ambulance, Community Ambulance, University Medical Center, Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, The Valley Health System, and Dignity Health deserve our deepest thanks for their valor and their unmatched bravery. I also honor and thank the Red Cross and the Department of Veterans Affairs, which brought mobile units to our hospitals, and the volunteer mental health counselors who came from all over the country to help provide comfort and support. I will never forget their dedication as our community grappled with this senseless tragedy. In the days that followed, our community's compassionate response showed the world who we are as Las Vegans. So many unnamed heroes in our community stood for hours in line to donate blood. They came to the family reunification center and gave food and water and clothing-- whatever they could--to help families and those who were wounded. Artists and volunteers created beautiful memorials and prayerful spaces for honor and grief. Local businesses, as well as airlines like Allegiant and Southwest and medical providers like The Valley Health System, MedicWest, and American Medical Response, made sure that the families of the slain as well as the wounded were provided help, support, and relief from medical bills and travel costs. In less than a week, dedicated volunteers built a beautiful remembrance wall and planted a healing garden for all of us to express our grief, reflect, and to remember. Our city also received an outpouring of support and solidarity from countless fellow Americans, State governments, and foreign embassies. I was personally touched by the outpouring of support from my colleagues in this Chamber, and I thank them for it. The people of Las Vegas came together to heal and protect their community, but they cannot do it all on their own. It has been difficult for all of us to understand the events of the past 2 weeks, but one thing is clear: We cannot stand by and do nothing. As a lifelong Las Vegan, I have never seen such a profound community response. In the midst of such horror, I am so proud of my community, and I continue to be amazed at the strength and spirit that will help move us forward. But they need our help. The time has come for the people in this room--all of us--to do our part to keep our communities safe. Over the past few weeks, I have heard my colleagues saying things like ``no law could have stopped that'' or ``you can't legislate away evil.'' While that may be true, we are not helpless. When something bad happens, we can always take steps to understand what happened and work together to find a way to stop a future tragedy. Listen, we cannot stop every shooting, but we can do something to prevent these senseless mass murders. Just over a year ago, 49 people were murdered at a nightclub in Orlando--then, the deadliest shooting in modern history. My hometown of Las Vegas has now broken that record with 58 men and women being murdered by 1 man with multiple guns that were rigged for combat. This is a horrific distinction to bear. Will we stand by and wait for the next community to break that record? In our communities every day, Americans make commonsense decisions to protect their health and safety. They lock their doors. They set their alarms. They go to their doctors for annual check-ups. They wear seatbelts. After the worst attack on American soil on September 11, 2001, we reshaped the way we protect our country and our way of life. Now, in the wake of the worst mass shooting in modern American history, I am calling on my colleagues to work with me to take reasonable, concrete steps to reduce the likelihood of another senseless shooting massacre on American soil. Do not get me wrong. The people of Las Vegas are grateful to have the thoughts and prayers of nearly every Member of Congress, but thoughts and prayers alone are not enough. Now it is time for action--meaningful action--to prevent mass murders. Let me be very clear. This is not about taking away guns. I grew up in a family of gun owners and hunters. My father was a member of Ducks Unlimited. I have family members who are avid sportsmen, including an uncle who was a member of the Nevada Bighorns Unlimited. My husband is a retired Secret Service agent. We are proud gun owners. I believe that Americans have the right to own guns. But with the right to own a gun comes a shared responsibility to ensure that weapons do not fall into the hands of dangerous people. The right to own a gun must be balanced by the right of every American to be able to go out in public without having the fear that he will be shot and killed at a church, in a movie theater, in a classroom, in a nightclub, on a baseball field, or at a concert. The right to own a gun is important, and equally important is the right not to be killed by someone who has no business owning a gun. The Second Amendment calls for gun ownership in defense of the security of America, not to terrorize its citizens. Congress has the responsibility to keep weapons that are designed for our military out of the hands of mass murderers. When we took office, each of us swore an oath to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution. That means that we are sworn to protect the lives and liberty of the American people. Are we keeping that promise? If there are commonsense, reasonable, proven steps that we can take to keep innocent people from dying at the hands of mass murderers, why wouldn't we take them? Why wouldn't we pass legislation that the majority of Americans supports? Why wouldn't we ban the tools used to kill and injure almost 600 people in the space of 10 minutes? Many place blame with the strength of organizations like the National Rifle Association and other allied interest groups. Yet a recent poll finds that 93 percent of voters in gun households support universal background checks. Count me as part of that 93 percent. Congress is not going to repeal the Second Amendment, but its Members need to find the courage to be honest that there is a problem. I echo my colleague Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who gave his maiden speech on this very same topic in 2013, right after the horrific massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He said that he never expected to find himself talking about guns in his maiden speech, but the issue of gun violence found him. I am devastated to say that the issue of gun violence found me too. It found the city of Las Vegas along with finding everyone else in the State of Nevada. It has already found other Members of this body and their neighbors across the country. Like Senator Murphy, I am making it my mission to prevent another tragedy like this one from ever happening again. We should return to commonsense principles as we determine how to move forward. One, guns should not be available to people who are mentally ill, have a history of violence, or are suspected terrorists. Two, everyone who buys a firearm should undergo a background check-- no exceptions for people who buy from online retailers, gun shows, or private dealers. We cannot enforce our laws if we are not running background checks to determine who is trying to buy a firearm. Three, certain military-style accessories that are necessary for war zones simply do not need to be in our communities. As Members of this body are aware, the mass shooting in my hometown was made all the more lethal because of what is referred to as a bump stock--a tool that is designed to turn a semiautomatic rifle into an even deadlier weapon in order to kill as many people as possible and rain gunfire down on 22,000 concertgoers. This Chamber should speak in a unified voice that these tools do not belong in our country. This has nothing to do with infringing on the Second Amendment rights of law- abiding gun owners. You do not need a bump stock to hunt unless you are hunting people. If we do nothing now, there will be more massacres. We will see more fathers without daughters, more mothers without sons, and more sisters without brothers. The time has come to ask ourselves: Who will really be at fault the next time something like this happens? Will it be the deranged killer who used a loophole to get his hands on a deadly weapon or the people who failed to close that loophole when they had the chance? My colleagues are right in that we cannot legislate away mental illness, and we cannot legislate away evil, but we can legislate to prevent murder. We can take smart, sensible steps to keep Americans safe. We can work together with gun owners and citizens against gun violence to make Americans safer. To my colleagues who are undecided, I invite you to come to the hospitals with me in Las Vegas. Hear from the people who came to Las Vegas for a night of fun and country music and who will have to live with emotional and physical scars for the rest of their lives. Hear from Dana, who will never see her fiance again. Hear from Lindsey, who will never see her sister again. Hear from Hannah's three children, who will never see their mother again. I spent much of the last 2 weeks talking with families of those who were wounded or killed. That Monday night after the massacre, I remember hugging a mother and father who were looking for their 26- year-old daughter at the family reunification center. They had gone to all of the area hospitals with the hope that they might find their daughter alive. Their final hope that night, if you want to call it that, was waiting in the reunification center for the call from the coroner's office to see if their daughter's body had been identified. It so easily could have been my family, frantically searching, waiting, and grieving in that center. My niece was at that concert. The people of Las Vegas responded to the worst tragedy our city has ever seen with unprecedented bravery, selflessness, and compassion. We are Vegas Strong. It is long past time for Congress to follow their example and the example of so many other communities in our country touched by this violence and, finally, to summon the strength to get something done and reduce gun violence in America. Let's not ignore the lives of those murdered or those wounded. Let's actually come together and agree that we must do something to honor all of the daughters, mothers, sons, fathers, sisters, brothers, and friends we have already lost to senseless gun violence. It is time for us to move beyond resolutions. We must now have a new resolve to protect the basic freedom and safety of all Americans. Work with me. Reach out to my office so that we can find common ground and finally offer the American people something more than just our thoughts and prayers. Let's get something done in honor of the loved ones who are still with us, the family members and friends we would do anything to protect, the people in our lives we could not bear to lose. I ask my colleagues to work with me. Work with me to prevent this from ever happening again. Mr. President, thank you for listening. I yield the floor.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I had expected to be able to vote today on the confirmation of Mr. Randal Quarles to be a member of the Federal Reserve. Instead, I am in Las Vegas, meeting with victims of and first responders to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. On the question of Mr. Quarles's nomination, I want to make clear that I would have voted ``no'' had I been present. While an official in the Bush administration Treasury Department in the lead-up to the economic crisis of 2007 to 2009, Mr. Quarles failed to take action to prevent the build-up of risk that ultimately led to hundreds of thousands of foreclosures and evictions in Nevada. In fact, Mr. Quarles during that period repeatedly maintained that the financial system was safe, that large banks were well-capitalized, and that the housing market was strong, notwithstanding clear signs of escalating risk. After serving in the Treasury Department, Mr. Quarles was the beneficiary of the second-largest ``loss share'' agreement in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's history. This agreement provided a taxpayer-backed guarantee and allowed Mr. Quarles to profit substantially off of the failure of a large bank. If confirmed, I hope that Mr. Quarles will exceed my expectations and become a strong advocate for a safe and resilient American financial system. However, I cannot in good conscience vote to confirm him given my concerns about his past record. Thank you.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I had expected to be able to vote on the confirmation of Mr. Eric Hargan, to be Deputy Secretary for Health and Human Service, HHS. Instead, I am in Las Vegas to grieve with and assist my fellow Nevadans in the aftermath of the worst mass shooting in modern American history. On the question of Mr. Hargan's nomination, I want to make my opposition to his confirmation clear. I do not believe Mr. Hargan to be qualified to be a leading member of HHS. This decision is based on his prior experience, his work and statements opposing the Affordable Care Act, as well as his statements regarding the extension of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan would be the highest ranking appointee at HHS, making him responsible for implementing and enforcing the Affordable Care Act, ACA, going forward. Considering the fact that the administration has repeatedly and consistently sought to undermine the ACA, I fear that someone with Mr. Hargan's views will only aid and abet this reckless game the administration is playing with Americans' healthcare. I hope that Mr. Hargan will surpass my expectations and serve this country well as Deputy Secretary at HHS. The role of HHS Deputy Secretary in implementing and administering the efforts of strengthening our healthcare system is too important for any other result. I believe strongly that Americans deserve affordable and accessible healthcare coverage, and I hope Mr. Hargan's actions as Deputy Director show that he agrees. However, I could not in good conscience vote to confirm someone about whom I have so many concerns. Thank you.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I had expected to be able to vote today on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Callista L. Gingrich to be Ambassador to the Holy See. Instead, I am in Las Vegas meeting with victims of and first responders to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. I support the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Callista L. Gingrich to be Ambassador to the Holy See. The U.S. relationship with the Holy See is an important one and is best supported with a confirmed ambassador leading it. Ms. Gingrich's faith and engagement with the Catholic community will support U.S. ties to the Vatican.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I had every intention of ably performing my duty as Senator and voting today on the confirmation of Mr. Ajit Pai to be a member of the Federal Communications Commission. Unfortunately, the tragic events in Las Vegas last night required me to travel back to my home State. My thought and prayers are with the families of those killed and wounded in the vicious and senseless attack outside the Mandalay Bay Resort. On the question of Mr. Pai's nomination, I wanted to make my vote in opposition to his confirmation clear. Many of the specific actions taken by Mr. Pai as Chairman of the FCC have raised questions about whether he should garner my support for another term at the Commission. I have come to this decision through a process of reviewing his resume, meeting with him personally to discuss his governing perspective, as well as having questioned him during multiple FCC hearings before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. I will continue to keep an open mind in working with Mr. Pai to bridge the digital divide in remote parts of Nevada and for my constituents who simply need more access to complete their homework, apply for jobs, or perform various everyday functions that require quality internet service. At this time, there were too many concerns about actions taken in Mr. Pai's tenure since January, including the process by which he is looking to reform a free and open internet.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. I thank the vice chair. It is true that Indian Country made significant gains under the Affordable Care Act. Before the ACA, the Indian Health Service regularly denied Tribal members' claims for basic care and preventive services, such as mammograms, women's health screenings, or diabetes management care. Because of the chaos the Trump administration has created in the healthcare markets, this problem is not being confronted, it is being exacerbated across the country. We have seen it in Nevada. Insurers are pulling out of the ACA exchanges in rural areas, thanks to the uncertainty these continued efforts to repeal the ACA, such as Graham- Cassidy, are creating in the healthcare market. Democrats are ready to work with Republicans to fix the problems with the Affordable Care Act. We want to provide certainty that brings insurers back into the health insurance marketplaces, lower premiums and prescription drug prices, and improve healthcare. We can't kick millions of people--including the members of the Walker River Paiute Tribe and the 27 other Tribes and community organizations in the State of Nevada--off of their healthcare. No one in this country should be forced to choose between paying their medical bills and putting food on their table. All too often, our Tribal members are confronted with that very choice. I will not stop fighting to oppose these efforts to take away the healthcare of Native communities in Nevada and millions more Americans throughout our country. It is time we work together. I thank the vice chair. I yield the floor back.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I thank Senator Udall, the ranking member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. I am honored to be working with him on that committee in a bipartisan way, as he talked about. I am also very honored to represent the great State of Nevada, a State that is home to civically active Tribes. Nevada's Tribal communities deal with many of the same challenges that plague Native communities throughout the United States. Indigenous people suffer from higher rates of poverty, illness, and substance abuse than the general population. I recently received this communication from the Walker River Paiute chairman, Amber Torres, about the importance of the Medicaid expansion for her community. Chairman Torres wrote: I feel that the impacts on cutting Medicaid expansion for Nevada would be detrimental to the people. With this coverage we have been able to obtain services for our male and childless adult population. Our people have been able to obtain services that have not been approved or do not qualify through Indian Health Services. She then goes on to say: A large portion of our reservation is covered by the expansion and have seen their health ailments being addressed in a timely manner due to alternative means of coverage. She said: We have seen our covered recipients percentage go from 20 percent to 45 percent, with our numbers continuing to rise daily. If Medicaid expansion is repealed, what is the alternative for these people . . . ? Historically Indian Health Services has only been at a Medical Level Priority 1 for our service delivery area, which means bleeding, blind, broken or dying. Is this what we need to look forward to going back to? Chairman Torres's question is one a lot of Native Americans are asking right now and a question I wish to pose to Ranking Member Udall. The Federal Government has a sacred trust and responsibility to the Native communities of Nevada and throughout the country. I ask the vice chairman, would rolling back Medicaid expansion in Nevada and other States like mine result in pre-ACA Indian Health Service coverage and care, as Chairman Torres discussed?

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize UnidosUS for its leadership on behalf of the Latino community. On July 25, 2017, the Coalition on Human Needs will honor UnidosUS, formerly known as the National Council of La Raza, as one of its Human Needs Heroes for 2017. For almost 50 years, UnidosUS has been at the forefront of the policy movement to build opportunity for Latinos through civil rights, education, housing, economic advancement, health care, and the defense of immigrants' rights. UnidosUS ensures that the human face of immigration is always seen and the essential role of immigrants in our communities is understood. I am proud to work with UnidosUS to advance a fair and moral immigration policy. I am also proud to work with UnidosUS in advancing economic opportunities for Latinos throughout our communities and look forward to our close cooperation in the future. UnidosUS has a long record of promoting just policies to improve the lives of those in the Latino community. From the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA, program, UnidosUS has been a trusted source and advocate on immigration policy. The ability of UnidosUS to serve as a broad voice that reflects the views and needs of Latinos across the country ensures that the debate on immigration never forgets the impact on families and communities. It is my honor today to recognize UnidosUS and thank them for all they have done on behalf of Latinos and immigrants.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, today I am honored to congratulate the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges on 80 years of promoting justice for children and families. On May 22, 1937, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, NCJFCJ, was established by judges who came together with a vision of strengthening the juvenile court system and providing support, sharing knowledge, and facilitating an exchange of ideas with their colleagues across the Nation. The NCJFCJ is the oldest judicial membership organization in the country and a leading provider of judicial education. The NCJFCJ believes judges are the leaders of the juvenile and family court system, and by engaging all stakeholders, better decisions are made with improved outcomes for children, families, and victims of domestic violence. I am so proud that they have made Reno, NV, their home. The NCJFCJ brings together a broad constituency of judicial officers, attorneys, advocates, court administrators, clerks of court, probation officers, child welfare professionals, and others with a common goal of ensuring the most effective juvenile and family court system. It addresses a wide range of complex issues impacting the well-being of children and families that encompass juvenile delinquency, domestic child sex trafficking, child abuse and neglect, child custody and visitation, substance abuse, domestic violence, trauma, mental health, and military issues. The NCJFCJ also leads development and implementation of policies and practices to ensure fair, equal, effective, and timely justice for children, families, and victims of domestic violence. For eight decades, the NCJFCJ has been known for the exemplary quality of its services, including advanced education, training, publications, technical assistance, research, data and statistics, and policy development to promote justice for children and families. Inspired by the leadership, experience, expertise, dedication, and passion of its members, the NCJFCJ is committed to another 80 years of efforts to meet the ever-evolving needs of our most vulnerable population: the children and families who seek justice. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing and honoring the 80 years of achievements and tireless efforts of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, its members and staff, past and present, to ensure a timely, fair, and coordinated justice system for children and families and safer communities across the country.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I rise to join my colleagues to speak out on the secret healthcare legislation that Republicans are attempting to jam through the Senate without any public review or consideration. This is an insult to the American people. It is a shameful abdication of the role of a U.S. Senator to represent the concerns and priorities of the people of a State and country. We were elected to be a voice for the people of our individual States. What I am hearing loud and clear from my State is: Keep the Affordable Care Act. Do not repeal it. Keep it, and work together to improve it. Like my colleagues, I wish to share the story of one of the many Nevadans who have contacted me to share their story about the ACA and why they so desperately want to avoid its repeal. Jessica and her husband own a brewery in Reno, NV, and I was lucky enough to get to meet and speak with her in person when I was home last month touring the Community Health Alliance Center. After meeting with her, I had the opportunity to sit and talk with so many incredible people--doctors, nurses, people who care about the very faces of women, men, and children we are talking about tonight. This is Jessica's letter to me, and this is what I would like to share with you, what she wrote to me. Dear Senator Cortez Masto, I am a resident of Nevada, a small business owner, and a mother. I am writing to express my views about the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act has had a tremendously positive effect on my life, and I would like to share my story with you. The Affordable Care Act saved my small business. When the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law in 2010, and when it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012, my husband and I were in the planning stages of our small business. At the time, my family was provided health insurance through my corporate job. Knowing the ACA would take effect gave me the peace of mind to leave my job and become a full time small business owner. Today, our business, Under the Rose Brewing Company, is celebrating our 4th year in existence, and we are in the beginning stages of a large expansion, which will create many new jobs in Reno. This business would not have survived without my full- time dedication. I would not have been able to leave my corporate job without the ability to procure affordable healthcare for my family. The Affordable Care Act allowed me to start my family in a healthy way. As my husband and I prepared to sign up for our first year of health care with the ACA, we found out that I was pregnant. Prior to the ACA, health insurers were allowed to consider pregnancy a ``pre-existing condition.'' Instead of being denied coverage or charged higher premiums, I was able to receive appropriate and affordable care during my pregnancy through the ACA. The Affordable Care Act saved my life and my baby's life. 30 weeks into my pregnancy, at a regular checkup with our midwife, my husband and I were advised to see a doctor. Since I didn't look sick or feel sick, we hesitated, but our midwife was positive it would be for the best. Our insurance through ACA allowed us to see the recommended OBGYN. Half way through our appointment he became very concerned and rushed me into the hospital. My son was born by emergency C-section a few hours later. Several doctors agreed that neither the baby nor myself would have survived a further 24 hours of pregnancy. Having health insurance through the ACA allowed my husband and I to seek treatment and care without having to worry about the affordability of following doctor's orders. This is the first time I could say that the ACA saved my life and the life of my beautiful baby boy. The Affordable Care Act saved my baby's health [and provided us with health insurance]. Thus my son was born 9 weeks early and was admitted into the NICU. He stayed in the NICU for 32 days and was under constant doctor care. By the time he left the hospital, we had incurred well over 1 million dollars in total costs. The ACA allowed him to start his life without a cap on his total lifetime healthcare coverage. Prior to the ACA, many NICU babies reach their lifetime limits before even feeling the sunshine on their faces. I am eternally grateful for this provision of the ACA. One week after bringing our beautiful baby boy home from our hospital's NICU, I found myself in need of emergency care for a second time. I suffered a postpartum stroke. I was taken to the emergency room and admitted to the hospital for the second time in 2 months. Again, the ACA allowed me to seek treatment and care without worrying about coverage. The Affordable Care Act will save my son's healthcare. My son now has a medical issue with his growth. Should the ACA be repealed, amended, or replaced with something less inclusive, this issue will be considered a preexisting condition. The thought of my 18-month-old son being denied coverage, or potentially not being able to afford the healthcare offered to him, makes me sick to my stomach. Why would our lawmakers vote to take this away from him? I implore you to consider the great lengths the Affordable Care Act has gone to not only improve and save lives in my family, but families across the Great State of Nevada. I further implore you to consider the children currently covered and benefitting from the ACA as you contemplate your vote on this significant matter. I strongly urge you to defend this crucial legislation. Too many of your Nevadan constituents rely on this lifesaving, health-saving and financial-saving legislation. Thank you for reading my story and considering my views. I am happy to speak directly with you. Sincerely, [Jessica] and family. Mr. President, I know Jessica's story is one of thousands. I hope my colleagues across the aisle think of Jesse and her family and the millions of Americans like her who have so much at stake while continuing to secretly rewrite our country's healthcare laws. Thank you for listening. I yield the floor.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, today I am honored to congratulate the Jerome D. Mack Middle School, in Las Vegas, NV, for earning the School Innovation and Change Award, SICA. On June 1, 2017, a representative of the National Principals Leadership Institute will join with Mack Middle School to recognize this achievement formally to a gathering of 700 parents, students, and teachers. This award recognizes Mack Middle School's principals, teachers, staff, and students for their efforts to embrace new and innovative strategies for educational improvement. To win this award, Mack Middle School submitted a competitive application to the National Principal Leadership Institute that included a school profile, a school changes story, documents supporting those changes, a reflection of innovation, a sustainability plan for how a $10,000 award would be used, and a description of community building. Earning this award is no easy feat. In its improvement efforts, Mack Middle School has seen many upgrades in technology and pedagogy that mark demonstrable change. Every student now receives a laptop computer, and all assignments are completed on a virtual classroom portal. Students are taught to critically self-assess their own abilities and have learned to improve their skills to new levels of mastery. Their principal is a nationally board certified teacher and a nationally accredited principal mentor. Ten of their teachers attend national board certification classes, and approximately 390 of their students will earn high school credits this year. All this to say Mack Middle School is more than deserving of this award. Moreover, these changes have positively affected the campus dynamic as teachers are excited about their work and students take charge of their education plans. More community center than a school, Mack Middle School has become a hub where parents and students alike partake in use of the school's athletic fields and even the school's Wi-Fi signal. In an area that is too often marred by high crime and poverty, the school stands as a beacon of what is possible when teachers are engaged in their community and where parents take an active role in their students' lives. Mack Middle School is an inspiration for East Las Vegas and the greater Nevada community. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Jerome D. Mack Middle School for their hard work, innovative approaches to education, and their efforts to improve educational outcomes for students in East Las Vegas.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I say to my colleague from the great State of Washington, I do know where Gonzaga is, and I am with you. As a graduate from the Gonzaga School of Law, we are going to the final four, and this time we are going to win. I am very excited. Congratulations to the players, the coach, and to everyone at the school. Mr. President, I take the floor today to urge my colleagues across the aisle to stand up for their constituents and vote against the measure on the floor, which will restrict access to safe, affordable, basic healthcare to millions of Americans across this country. This measure will allow States to discriminate against title X family planning clinics for no other reason than petty partisan politics that degrade women's access to healthcare and turn it into a Republican talking point. These clinics provide essential family planning and health services to millions of American women, men, and families--many of whom are poor and low-income and in rural areas. This measure will cause these families to suffer by limiting their access to healthcare. In my home State of Nevada, there are 23 clinics that risk losing funds as a result of this measure. These clinics are in Nevada's major cities and in our rural areas, like Hawthorne, Lovelock, Pahrump, Tonopah, Ely, Winnemucca, and Fallon. For many families in our rural areas, these clinics are the only healthcare facilities where they can access family planning services, as well as basic primary and preventive healthcare services. The votes today empower States to discriminate against providers and, in turn, threaten the health and safety of the men, women, and families who rely on these clinics for basic and, at times, lifesaving services. We should be promoting access to healthcare, especially for our vulnerable communities. We should be expanding access to care, especially for Americans living in rural areas. Republicans' actions today are an affront to American women and families. Their political agenda and shortsighted approach will do nothing but cause harm to Americans. It is time for Republicans to stop playing politics with women's health and actually put Americans' health and safety first. I yield the floor.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I speak in unity with my colleagues and highlight the irreparable harm that will be done to our environment and communities now that Scott Pruitt has been confirmed to be the head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Pruitt has focused his career on working against the EPA's fundamental mission of protecting our Nation's environment, instead pushing an antienvironment agenda dictated by big corporations that have funded his campaigns and political career. Mr. Pruitt has been serving as Oklahoma's attorney general since 2010, during which he has spent countless hours working to undermine and repudiate the very Agency he is nominated to run. Throughout his tenure, Mr. Pruitt sued the EPA 14 times over orders that seek to protect our environment and the health and safety of our communities. Included in Mr. Pruitt's lawsuits were efforts to undercut basic, commonsense measures that are essential to Americans' health and safety: EPA safeguards for clean air and clean water. Yes, Mr. Pruitt supports undoing measures that ensure the air we breathe is not polluted and the water we drink is free of contaminants. And during his confirmation hearing, Mr. Pruitt contradicted his own record and biography, calling into question his knowledge of basic principles. Pruitt claimed he believes that the EPA has ``a very valuable role.'' And yet his own LinkedIn profile brags that he is ``a leading advocate against the EPA's activist agenda.'' Almost 4,000 Nevadans reached out to my office urging me to vote against Mr. Pruitt. I want to read some stories from Nevadans who voiced their concerns about Mr. Pruitt and what is at stake for them--as well as countless other families across the country. From Jean Pierre LeBarry of Las Vegas, NV: I am of Basque descent, as is my whole family. I grew up in Northern Nevada, as many other Basque folks did, on a ranch. We did not have running water or even electricity. We did have our sheep though. We were sheep ranchers, across the great state of Nevada the industry flourished, but before I had heard Al Gore say anything about climate change, I saw its effects in our state [Nevada]. We stopped getting as much snowfall; we would scour the desert for water to keep our herd alive on the range. Year after year it got worse, slowly killing our industry, thinning our herd, and giving me first hand example of how severe climate change is. This was more than 30 years ago I saw these changes taking place. After I left the ranch, I worked as a government employee for the Bureau of Land Management, until I retired. To see how much disregard Scott Pruitt would have for my family and their struggles with the deterioration of our climate; it is appalling that anyone would dare to confirm his nomination to head the Environmental Protection Agency, the very agency he has tried so hard to dismantle already. From Sharon Ingram-Bevans of Reno, NV: My Husband was a Vietnam Vet and he died last March after a 10 year illness directly related to environmental pollution. He was stationed at Camp Le Juhen North Carolina, exposed to drinking water full of jet fuel, and some great general's idea to have young Marines scrape and repaint Agent Orange boxes while serving in the Refugee camps at Okinawa Japan. Our Daughter has Thyroid disease due to this exposure also. If we only paid attention to how we use and dispose of substances we might have a better world to give to our children. There is no Planet ``B'' and even rich people need clean air and water. From Brittany Lamborn of Las Vegas, NV: I was born and raised in Nevada. My sister, brother, and I grew up in the Las Vegas valley, surrounded by majestic mountain ranges, fragrant pines, and breathtaking sunsets. Away from the glitz and glamour of the Strip, I could lose myself in the beauty of Red Rock or walk the trails on Mt. Charleston. My mom would take us to Gilcrease Orchard to pick fresh produce. My dad would take us on stargazing trips to Cathedral Gorge in Panaca. I have never wished for another home. Home means Nevada. Now I have two young children of my own. I put on a brave face every morning so that they do not see my fear that increases with each day. I fear that these God given wonders will not be protected for them. I fear that the overwhelming need to consume will eat up our natural resources. And I fear that, unchecked, we will do irreparable harm to the only planet we have. When the dust has cleared, I fear: What will be left for our children? Climate change is a fact, not a feeling or an opinion. We need someone at the helm of the Environmental Protection Agency that will protect every Gilcrease Orchard, every Red Rock, and every Cathedral Gorge in the United States. Scott Pruitt is not that man. I know I am not the only Senator whose office was contacted by countless constituents, urging us to put the health and safety of our children and our environment first and oppose Mr. Pruitt's nomination. I promised Nevadans I would come to Washington and fight for them and their priorities, and that is why I could not support Mr. Pruitt to lead the EPA. I urged my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I rise today, along with many of my colleagues, to speak out against the White House nominating Steven Mnuchin to be the next Secretary of the U.S. Treasury. President Trump has nominated the former CEO of OneWest Bank--who before that for 17 years was a Goldman Sachs executive--to run the Federal agency tasked with crafting and implementing U.S. economic policy. So much for draining the swamp. I want to start, however, by sharing the story of a good friend, Lola Orvik, whom I met when I was attorney general of Nevada. In 2013, Lola's mortgage on her townhouse in Henderson was underwater. Like thousands of other Nevadans, she needed to refinance, but five different loan modification applications had all been rejected by her bank. Lola was desperate for a solution and on the verge of losing her home. She received a telephone call offering help that was too good to be true, and it was. After calling my office, she thankfully discovered that it was a scam. I am so glad she called my office. Our staff referred her to a new program we had created, the Home Again Homeowner Relief Program. It is a one-stop shop to help struggling homeowners. It helped Lola finally get a loan modification, reduce her principal by $37,000, slash her interest rate from 5.7 percent to 2 percent, and keep the house she had lived in for nearly 20 years. The Home Again Program helped thousands of Nevada homeowners understand all the State and Federal housing resources available to them. It has helped folks like Lola restructure their loans to ensure more affordable monthly payments. That simple hotline number has gone a long way. Because we were there to help her, Lola got her life back. However, not everyone was as fortunate as Lola. In fact, some families are still trying to overcome the continuing destructive impact of the foreclosure crisis in Nevada and across this country. In the depths of the great recession, Lola's predicament was not unique. Nevada was ground zero for the housing crisis. Property values plummeted. ``For sale'' signs lined the streets. Foreclosure notices hung on doors throughout the State. Thousands of families lived in constant fear of losing their homes. In 2008, Nevada had the highest foreclosure rate in the Nation, with more than 77,000 homes getting a notice at the door saying they were at risk for eviction. We led the Nation in the terms of foreclosure rate for 62 straight months during the recession. Things got so bad that by 2010, nearly 70 percent of Nevada homeowners were underwater on their homes, meaning that they owed more on their mortgages than the current value of their property. As Nevada's attorney general, I fought the big banks, Wall Street institutions, and default servicing companies to secure more than $1.9 billion to help hard-working families get back on their feet. That money helped to fund the Home Again Program. More than just getting that money back, this was about changing the conduct and predatory practices of the big banks when working with homeowners. For instance, we made dual tracking an illegal practice so that banks could no longer foreclosure on a home while simultaneously considering their request for a loan modification and then charging them fees every step of the way. We demanded that a homeowner have a single point of contact within the financial institution so the homeowner would no longer get shuffled around from person to person and told to resubmit their loan modification application over and over again. We demanded that the banks demonstrate that they had personal knowledge of the foreclosure documents they filed to prevent robo- signing and unlawful foreclosures of a home. Unfortunately, not every bank was willing to do everything possible to help the millions of Nevadans and Americans who were suffering. Mr. Mnuchin's OneWest Bank--formally known as IndyMac--was one such bank. Instead of trying to help homeowners, OneWest enforced predatory and unforgiving practices that only served to line the pockets of Mr. Mnuchin and his co-owners. Steven Mnuchin purchased IndyMac from the Federal Government after it collapsed and took control of the thousands of mortgages the bank managed. Mnuchin rebranded the bank as OneWest and went to work using questionable foreclosure practices, like dual tracking, so he could make more money. That is not right. Instead of working to help these homeowners stay in their homes, OneWest Bank, under Mnuchin's leadership, became a foreclosure machine. The bank had one of the highest denial rates for applications to the Home Affordable Modification Program. A judge in Wisconsin cited OneWest's ``harsh, repugnant, shocking, and repulsive'' practices when deciding a suit against them. Recent documents show that the company used robo-signing to deny modification claims, proving that it did not fairly consider loan modification applications for tens of thousands of homeowners. When confronted with these facts at his Senate confirmation hearing, Mr. Mnuchin lied. He denied that OneWest used robo-signing, offered empty excuses, and shifted blame for his company's heinous practices. And during his confirmation hearing, Mr. Mnuchin repeatedly refused to say how many homes OneWest foreclosed on in Nevada. However, according to new data, during the foreclosure crisis and its immediate aftermath, OneWest made $3 billion in profit while evicting 3,654 Nevada families from their homes. This includes 181 foreclosures on seniors who had taken out reverse mortgages. When he eventually left the bank, Mr. Mnuchin received a $10.9 million payout. This is on top of the annual compensation of $4.5 million he has received since 2015, when OneWest was bought by other investors. Let me repeat that. Some 3,654 Nevada families lost their homes because Mr. Mnuchin's OneWest put profits over people. That is a snapshot and a statistic which does not do justice to how much pain that caused for those families. I want to spend some time on these accusations of robo-signing, both because Mr. Mnuchin clearly lied and also because this was an issue I took on when I was attorney general during and after the crash. First, let's be clear what this is. Robo-signing is a procedure used by mortgage companies to sign foreclosure documents without reviewing them. This is a reckless practice used by banks to cut corners and forge documents, to rush things along, and it caused thousands of families to be wrongfully evicted from their homes. Like OneWest, the banks were involved in a massive robo-signing scheme in my home State of Nevada, and I went after them aggressively as the State's attorney general. Nevada led the Nation in foreclosures every month for more than 4 years. Mr. Mnuchin's company did not care that middle-class families were losing their homes during the crisis. In fact, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate, he admitted: I never wanted to be in the mortgage servicing business. I didn't want to be in the reverse mortgage business, I wanted to build a regional bank. In other words, Mr. Mnuchin had to convince his investors that they would make money--a point that Mr. Mnuchin admitted at the hearing, saying: ``Yes, my investors made a lot of money on OneWest.'' Not only did his investors make a lot of money, Mr. Mnuchin did so as well. Since leaving the bank, he has pocketed nearly $20 million. Mr. Mnuchin was making millions, while thousands of Nevadans were losing their homes and their dignity, Nevadans like Heather McCreary of Sparks, who came to Capitol Hill last month to share her heart- wrenching story of how she applied to OneWest for a loan modification in 2010 after she and her husband lost their jobs as a result of the financial crisis. Despite three applications and following all instructions, the bank kept Heather's family dangling and then suddenly foreclosed on their home. I want to read some of Heather's testimony. It is moving and heartbreaking and deserves to be heard by every Member of this body. Here is what she told us at the hearing: In 2008, when the economy started to get worse, I was laid off. The following year, in 2009, my husband Jack was laid off too. Though Jack was able to find another job pretty fast, he had to take a big pay cut--from about $25 an hour to $8.50 an hour. Between the cut in Jack's pay and the loss in income I experienced when going on unemployment insurance benefits after I got laid off, we were pinched and we were drowning financially. However, we were determined to keep our dream home, so Jack and I were tenacious about doing whatever we could to get help. We sought help from the Hope Now Alliance, which is an alliance of HUD-approved counselors who provide free foreclosure help, and from the Washoe County Senior Law Project. We worked side-by-side with both organizations to do everything required of us by our mortgage servicer IndyMac, which later became OneWest. When we first asked for help, OneWest gave us a short forbearance and allowed us to make a smaller payment for several months with the goal of a reduction in our monthly mortgage payments through the Home Affordable Modification Program (or HAMP). By applying for the HAMP program, we thought we were back on the road to keeping our home. We complied 100 percent with OneWest requirements for HAMP--we were incredibly nervous about being able to keep our house, so we were extremely careful to make sure we did everything we could to keep the process going forward. Our application for HAMP was processed and we were approved for our modification. I sent in the signed paperwork and the first payment under the modified payment amount along with it. But then the process started to fall apart. After a whole 30 days, OneWest returned our personal check and told us that only certified checks would be accepted, so they were now voiding the modification offer. We had followed the instructions to the letter on OneWest paperwork, crossing our ``T''s and dotting our ``I''s. But in the end, this didn't matter--and OneWest's rejection of our HAMP application put us on the road to foreclosure. We applied two more times for loan modifications over the next six months because we were given assurances by people at OneWest that they would approve our application. We again complied with every request OneWest made of us, taking care to send in extra documents whenever OneWest requested them. But as far as I can tell, OneWest never attempted to process the loan modification. The foreclosure went through and we lost our home on September 10, 2010. The foreclosure left us without a home; and finding a new rental was extremely difficult because of our credit. Juggling the demands of raising our twins was so hard--the foreclosure even meant that our kids had to miss school. Eventually we did find a new place, but we had to pay an outrageous rent, even though it was not a good home for us at all. It's hard to explain the shame, embarrassment, and grief that Jack and I felt. I've cried a river of tears over this. I really didn't think we were asking too much: We wanted to hang on to our home for the sake of our kids, and we did everything we could to stay in our home. And while I will probably never know exactly what OneWest did, the outcome of my story proves that Steve Mnuchin's company had no interest in helping us. They wanted to foreclose because they were focused on their profits. Heather's story is just one of thousands that highlight just how wrong Mr. Mnuchin is to be our next Secretary of the U.S. Treasury. The Treasury Department has the vital mission of promoting the conditions that enable economic growth, stability, job opportunities, and the ability to buy a car or own a home. Their actions directly affect the lives of every American. Our next Treasury Secretary should have a proven record of fighting to expand economic opportunities for everyone. That is what Americans deserve. Yet, from where I stand, Mr. Mnuchin falls far short of that test. President Trump's choice of Mr. Mnuchin to lead the U.S. Treasury is a slap in the face for Nevada families like Heather's. Her story makes it crystal clear: This is not someone who will be looking out for working people when he implements our Nation's economic policy. In many ways, President Trump's unfortunate choice of someone like Mr. Mnuchin should not surprise us because in 2006 the President said he ``sort of hoped'' the real estate market would tank, and in 2007 he said he was ``excited'' for the housing market crash. The motive was the same: profits. We cannot afford to return to the misguided policies that brought us to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Families cannot afford to lose their homes again. But that is exactly what we can expect if Stephen Mnuchin is confirmed as President Trump's Treasury Secretary. When I ran for the Senate, I promised Nevadans that I would fight for them, that I would stand up for them and be their voice here in Washington. Today, I am that voice, and that is why I rise with my colleagues in opposition to the ``Foreclosure King,'' Mr. Mnuchin. Mr. President, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, let me first of all say I echo the comments of my colleague from South Carolina. Thank you to all of you who have been working so hard. I rise to yield the remainder of my postcloture time to Senator Wyden.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I yield my hour of postcloture debate time under rule XXII to Senator Cardin.

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO.--who will lose health care, I vote no.