Joe Donnelly

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize College Wood Elementary School of Carmel, IN, for being named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Established in 1982, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes schools that have demonstrated a vision of educational excellence for all students, regardless of their social or economic background. Since its inception, this program has allowed schools in every State to gain recognition for educational accomplishments, particularly in closing the achievement gaps among students. College Wood's mission is to provide opportunities for all students to realize their potential. College Wood students have consistently ranked among the top 10 percent in annual standardized testing. By encouraging every student to strive for excellence, explore opportunities, and realize their full potential, College Wood students are equipped to succeed and graduate. College Wood strives to provide a quality, well-rounded education and teach students the traits of successful leaders and communicators. To that end, the school includes social and emotional learning in its curriculum. Social Thinking and Superflex lessons instill social awareness, emotional management skills, and perspective-enhancing experiences. The school also seeks to help teach students about the importance of service and helping others. Through several philanthropic endeavors, College Wood students, parents, and staff work closely together to give back to the community. Several donation drives throughout the year lead up to the school's biggest annual event to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am proud to recognize College Wood Elementary School principal Kathryn Olssen, the entire staff, the student body, and their families. The effort, dedication, and value you put into education has led not only to this prestigious recognition, but will benefit you and the Carmel community well into the future. On behalf of the citizens of Indiana, I congratulate College Wood Elementary School, and I wish the students and staff continued success in the future.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize White Lick Elementary School of Brownsburg, IN, for being named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Established in 1982, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes schools that have demonstrated a vision of educational excellence for all students, regardless of their social or economic background. Since its inception, this program has allowed schools in every State to gain recognition for educational accomplishments, particularly in closing the achievement gaps among students. White Lick Elementary School currently serves over 600 students and offers a variety of education and extracurricular opportunities for its students. White Lick Elementary School has been effective in tailoring its curriculum to the educational needs of each individual student. As part of its commitment to students, the school provides programs like Learning Lab, which offers students struggling academically extra support in reading and math in a small-group setting every day for 30 minutes. The school also prides itself on the professional development of its staff. Teachers are given the chance to learn and grow through weekly meetings with their professional learning communities. In these meetings, teachers come together to analyze test scores and other data as they discuss how to better meet the needs of their students. The school's investment in students is reflected in the diverse opportunities it offers. Whether it is through the ``Step-a-thon,'' where students participate in a physical challenge to help raise funds for various school programs or the numerous afterschool clubs, White Lick has excelled in offering resources and programs beyond the classroom. I am proud to recognize White Lick Elementary School principal Susan Wise, the entire staff, the student body, the parents, and the entire Brownsburg community. The effort, dedication, and value you put into education has led not only to this prestigious recognition but will benefit your students and Indiana well into the future. On behalf of the citizens of Indiana, I congratulate White Lick Elementary School, and I wish the students and staff continued success in the future.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, for years, I have been calling on Democrats and Republicans to work together to improve the healthcare law. There are some, like me, who recognize the benefits of the existing healthcare law, as well as the areas that need fixing, and I have proposed that we partner together to strengthen our healthcare system. For the first time, we have legislation in the Senate that has broad bipartisan support and would improve issues with our healthcare system by stabilizing the individual marketplace and lowering premiums for Americans. This is what I have long pushed for. Today, it is more important than ever that we act to pass this bipartisan legislation. I would like to take a few minutes to explain why. Beginning next week, on November 1, millions of Americans, including Hoosiers, can sign up for healthcare coverage through the individual marketplace. Unfortunately, as consumers prepare to shop for health insurance plans, there is uncertainty and instability in the marketplace and confusion and higher prices for consumers. That wasn't the case earlier this year, as both public and private analyses showed that individual marketplaces were relatively stable and improving. For the last 10 months, though, the administration has worked to make it harder for Americans to access affordable healthcare and destabilized the markets. For many months, the administration refused to commit to continuing important cost-sharing reduction payments that reduce costs for consumers and, even worse, played politics with these payments. This culminated with the administration's announcement earlier this month that it would discontinue cost-sharing reduction payments. This decision came only weeks before open enrollment. There is no disputing a simple fact: The administration's actions created uncertainty for insurers, causing some to significantly raise rates and others to leave the market altogether. As a result, many Americans will be forced to pay more for healthcare plans through the individual marketplace. For example, CareSource, an insurance company that offers insurance to Hoosiers through the individual marketplace, told me earlier this year that rates would rise 2.2 percent if the Federal Government committed to continuing cost-sharing reduction payments. Because the administration refused to do so, rates for CareSource plans are on average now 20 percent higher for Hoosiers than last year. Centene, the other insurer offering coverage in the marketplace, will have average rate increases of nearly 36 percent. In addition to higher rates, it will be harder for Hoosiers to find help enrolling in healthcare plans because the administration slashed 82 percent of Navigator Program funding for my home State of Indiana--the deepest cut of any State in the country. Consumers also have a shorter period to enroll than in past years. The administration plans to do maintenance and shut down HealthCare.gov for 12 hours on all but one Sunday throughout the open enrollment period. It does not have to be this way. As I have said for years, there is another path--a bipartisan path. We should work in a bipartisan manner to improve our healthcare system, all Americans working together. I have pressed the administration to commit to providing stability for health insurance markets and to working together on bipartisan solutions that reduce healthcare costs and ensure access to quality medical care. Over the past several months, I have engaged in bipartisan conversations in meetings with my colleagues to discuss ways we can partner together to stabilize our healthcare markets. We have talked to a range of healthcare experts. There has been a good-faith effort to find common ground on steps we can take to lower costs for families. That is what we should be doing. After participating in this effort, I was pleased that Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray reached a bipartisan agreement last week. It makes improvements to our healthcare system and helps reduce costs for our families. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation. It continues cost-sharing reduction payments that reduce consumers' deductibles. It also reduces copays for two years and restores funding to help Americans navigate signing up for health insurance. It enables more flexibility for States without undermining essential health benefits or harming people who have preexisting conditions. If this legislation came to a vote today, I am confident it would receive more than the 60 votes needed to pass in the Senate. It has wide-ranging support from both Democrats and Republicans. It has bipartisan support, not only in the Senate but also from Republican and Democratic Governors all across the country. We have heard from groups, including the American Medical Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and AARP, urging Congress to move forward on this proposal because it is common sense. It benefits families. It helps stabilize the insurance markets. It is our job to protect families from unnecessary increases in the cost of healthcare, particularly those within our control. We have an opportunity to do that with the bipartisan Alexander-Murray agreement that we achieved by working together. The healthcare debate should not be a political game. The stakes are way too high for that because healthcare impacts the well-being and the economic security of millions of Americans. I have said over and over that the American people expect us to work together to try and make life a little bit better. At the very least, we should do no harm. The Alexander-Murray agreement not only provides relief for families, it actually helps put them in a better place. There is no doubt we have more work to do, but this proposal is an important first step. Let's strengthen the healthcare system and make healthcare more affordable with this bipartisan solution. I yield back. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I rise in support of the Portman amendment. We can all agree that tax reform should help create more good jobs and protect the good jobs we already have. I support the Portman amendment, and I look forward to colleagues supporting my amendment that ensures that companies that ship American jobs to foreign countries are not eligible for tax breaks. I want to work with my colleagues to make sure any tax reform package is good for American workers. Thank you, Mr. President.

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the amendment I offered to address the outsourcing of American jobs. Currently, American companies that ship jobs to foreign countries can still claim massive tax breaks. That is wrong, and we should claw back incentives and prohibit companies from receiving tax breaks for outsourcing jobs. My end outsourcing amendment is common sense for taxpayers, supporting companies that invest in American workers, not those shipping jobs to foreign countries. I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. President, I yield back.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, yesterday, September 27, 2017, I was in Indiana with the President of the United States and was unable to vote. Had I been present, I would have voted in support of Mr. Heath Tarbert's nomination to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and in support of Mr. Makan Delrahim's nomination to be an Assistant Attorney General.

Mr. DONNELLY

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

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I rise to discuss my legislation, which seeks to prevent American workers from losing their jobs and having them shipped to other countries. I have always fought to protect American workers and ensure we have Federal policies that benefit our workers in Indiana and across the country. In my home State of Indiana, our workers are being hit particularly hard by jobs being lost and shipped out of America. Recently, more than 300 workers at the Carrier plant in Indianapolis were laid off, and hundreds more are slated to lose their jobs just days before Christmas. They are not alone. Over 2,000 Hoosier jobs have been or are scheduled to be eliminated and outsourced at nine different companies. These are more than just statistics. These are moms and dads, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives, our friends, our neighbors, and folks we go to church with, men and women who get up in the dark and go home in the dark, working hard every single day to take care of their families, to give everything they have to try to make their company a success. These men and women, as I said, work hard every single day. They make quality products, they support their families, they pay their bills, and are working hard to save enough to retire with dignity, and now they are losing their jobs because those already highly profitable companies would rather squeeze out that last dollar in profits by paying less to foreign workers. I have met and spent time with Hoosier workers whose jobs are being outsourced. They are not looking for a handout. They just want an equal shot, a level playing field, and the opportunity to provide for their families. I met them on the Sunday after the announcements were initially made at Carrier. I spent time with them, talked to them. One of our young men in a military uniform of our country, standing up and serving our Nation, had just been laid off, with his job being shipped elsewhere. He and fellow workers have fulfilled their part of the American promise--a promise that if you work hard and you help your company succeed, you will be able to keep your job, you will earn a decent living, you will be able to put a roof over your family's head, and you can send your kids to school to have an even greater shot at the American dream than you and then retire with dignity. This is the basic promise of America--the promise of shared success of our workers and our companies. It is now in question. American companies need to live up to their part of the bargain as well, and many already do. As a U.S. Senator, I have a responsibility to working families, to taxpayers, and to our economy. It is critical our laws and policies encourage businesses to invest in American workers and American communities and penalize those who ship jobs to foreign countries. That is why, earlier this year, I introduced the End Outsourcing Act, which is based on three principles: First, Federal contracts, funded by taxpayers, should go to companies that employ American workers. This ensures that Federal contracting policy takes into consideration whether companies have outsourced domestic jobs. Second, companies that do send jobs to foreign countries should forfeit tax breaks and incentives. It is fundamentally unfair that when companies leave for a foreign country, they can then write off the moving costs involved and hand the bill to American taxpayers for their very costs of heading out the door. This legislation claws back incentives and prohibits companies from receiving tax breaks for outsourcing jobs. Third, Federal policy should encourage businesses to invest here at home, in our towns and in our cities--not only in Indiana but across the country. My legislation creates tax incentives for companies that relocate foreign jobs back to rural or struggling communities. We should encourage job growth in these towns and these places. When companies bring jobs back home, we should support them for helping spur economic investments and growth. I have spoken with President Trump about this several times, even as recently as last night, and he has been very supportive. Today I am offering a simple amendment--an amendment which would require companies bidding for Federal defense contracts to disclose in their proposals whether they have outsourced more than 50 jobs to a foreign country in the previous 3 years, and it would allow contracting officers to take into consideration a company's outsourcing practices when awarding Federal contracts--just like price, just like quality, just like delivery. It would be one more element so the people of America can get the very best deal. Put simply, our tax dollars should go to companies that invest in and support American workers. If we are going to effectively address the jobs going overseas, the jobs leaving our plants, the workers like the ones at Carrier who were laid off and the devastating impact on families across our country, we need to take action here. We can start with the Senate passing my amendment. Preventing the outsourcing of these jobs and investing in our workers should be a bipartisan priority. Protecting American jobs and encouraging businesses to invest in the United States shouldn't be any controversy at all. In fact, it should be easy. While there is no single solution to prevent companies from shipping jobs to foreign countries, hardworking taxpayers deserve to know our policies line up to promote the American economy and American workers, investing in our workers, strengthening our middle class. We call that Hoosier commonsense, and there is a lot more wisdom in Indiana and in other States than there is in Washington, DC. In Indiana, this makes sense. I urge my colleagues to support the End Outsourcing Act when it comes up for a vote. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DONNELLY

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

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Madam President, I am here today to urge the White House and the National Security Council to develop and deliver to Congress a clear, comprehensive U.S. strategy to address the urgent threat posed by North Korea's nuclear missile program. I have submitted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act--the annual national defense bill that we will consider soon-- requiring that strategy within 90 days, and I hope all of my colleagues will support it when the time comes. I am honored to colead two Senate panels that have been focused on this threat for years: the Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces--where I work with my colleague Senator Fischer to oversee our Nation's nuclear arsenal, missile defense systems, and nuclear nonproliferation programs--and the Banking Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and Finance, where I work with Senator Ben Sasse to oversee the development and enforcement of U.S. sanctions laws. In my role on these two panels, I have traveled to South Korea, the DMZ, and China. I have met with U.S. forces and foreign leaders to discuss our challenges and our options for overcoming them. I have worked with colleagues--both Republican and Democratic--to shape legislation to improve our homeland defenses, strengthen our military, and expand our sanctions in response to Kim Jong Un's dangerous behavior. I have sat in dozens of meetings, hearings, and classified briefings on the subject of North Korea's nuclear program and what we can do about it. Just yesterday, every Member of the Senate had the opportunity to attend one of these briefings and hear from the leaders of the Pentagon, the State Department, and the Intelligence Community about our various efforts against Kim Jong Un. I am sorry to say I walked away from yesterday's briefing with the same concern I had after every briefing on this subject in the past 8 months. We have operational plans for our military and scattered talks among our diplomats, but we need a substantive strategy. With each passing week--at times, with each passing day--North Korea is making its intentions clear and its progress toward a nuclear- capable ICBM known to the entire world. We see missile tests with growing ranges, warhead tests with growing yields, test shots that fly over the territory of our allies, and threats that target U.S. territories. Kim Jong Un says he wants to shoot a nuclear-armed missile into the U.S. mainland. I take him at his word, as we all should. In times like this, it is critical every move we make be a deliberate one that moves the ball forward toward the outcome we want, the outcome we need to achieve. We should be doing everything in our power to do that in a way that will not put America's sons and daughters, moms and dads, brothers and sisters who make up our Nation's military in harm's way unnecessarily. There are more than 20,000 U.S. servicemembers in South Korea. At last count, more than 300 of them were from my home State of Indiana. Another 40,000 U.S. troops are in Japan and nearly 4,000 on Guam, not to mention the thousands of sailors and marines aboard our vessels at sea in the region. I have every confidence in the ability of these men and women to defend our Nation, but we owe it to them to make every appropriate effort to end this conflict in a way that doesn't unnecessarily put their lives at risk. We talk a lot about a whole-of-government effort. That is not what we are seeing right now when it comes to our response to North Korea. I see a Treasury Department that needs to dramatically step up its sanctions enforcement to not just induce pain but to cripple North Korea's ability to progress further on its nuclear program. I see a diplomatic corps grappling with the top national security priority in the Pacific--bar none--lacking the resources, the guidance, and the backing from Washington to do their jobs. I see a U.S. Embassy in Seoul with no Ambassador. I see a State Department without key positions filled in various areas, including arms control, nonproliferation, and Asian affairs. I see a Defense Department without an Assistant Secretary for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities--or, for that matter, an Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs. We can do better, and we must do better. This is not a partisan critique. It is not fearmongering. It is not a call to arms. This is my effort to speak on this floor, before my colleagues and the country--a request we have all made to the White House many times. Give us a strategy on North Korea and let our country unite behind it. The country is looking for leadership on this. The world is looking for leadership. Let's define our objectives based on the best interest and safety of our country and our allies and develop our strategy to achieve it. Let us work together across departments and agencies, across branches of government, and across party lines to get there. This is way too important to not do that. No more mixed messages. No more bluster. We have to act. We can't afford to waste our efforts in chaos and disarray. We have to continue improving our missile defenses and be prepared to use them to protect our territory, the territory of our allies, and all of our people. We have to sanction Chinese banks that do business with North Korea. We have to cut off the lifelines of the Kim regime, including oil supplies and foreign currency--not to topple the government but to eliminate their ability to continue down this murderous path. We have to be doing far more to get our partners in the region to do more--allies and competitors alike--in service of a goal we all share. There is ample support for all of these efforts in Congress. Senator Fischer and I worked together to provide even more funding for missile defense than the President requested because it is so important. Senator Sasse and I have worked together to gather options from some of the Nation's best and brightest minds on how to shape sanctions that could actually impact North Korea's ability to continue their nuclear program, whether Kim Jong Un agrees to it or not. I believe there will be ample support among our allies--and even our adversaries--around the world if we provide the kind of clear, forceful, and effective leadership America has always been known for in the past. There is not a nation on Earth that is safer with the existence of North Korea's nuclear weapons program, and that includes North Korea itself. However hard the path forward may be, we can all agree that the status quo is not enough. It is not even close and will not continue to work. We cannot fix that without a strategy. I am here today asking the administration--once again, reaching out our hand to them--to take that first essential step forward and asking my colleagues to support my amendment to the national defense bill to require the administration to submit a North Korea strategy to Congress within 90 days. We can do this together. I yield back.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that George Delong, a member of my staff, be granted floor privileges for the duration of today's session of the Senate.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I want to talk about what a great moment this is. I want to thank Chairman Alexander for all his help, Ranking Member Patty Murray for all of her help, and to my colleague the Senator from Wisconsin, Mr. Johnson, for all he has done to spearhead this effort. This gives folks a shot. It doesn't provide any guarantees, but it allows folks to be able to take their care into their own hands, to make judgments, and to decide: I want to take a shot at this. For me, it was a wonderful family from Indiana who, by the way, this morning they are at Legoland down in Florida because their young boy is in good health, is getting along, but time is ticking. Young Jordan McLinn has Duchenne muscular dystrophy. His mom Laura and Jordan met with me and said: All we want is a shot. We don't want a guarantee. We want a chance to try to make Jordan better. That is what this Right to Try Act does. That is why I am so proud of all our colleagues coming together to support this, and to all the families Senator Johnson mentioned, we are so proud of you. We are so grateful to you for your advocacy because it was your words, your examples that have helped to get this done. I want to say to everyone in Indiana and everyone in America how grateful we are that this Right to Try Act has passed, and to Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray, thank you for working together to make this happen. I yield back.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Today I wish to recognize and honor the extraordinary service and sacrifice of Lt. Aaron Allan of the Southport Police Department. Dedication, loyalty, and compassion for those in need were the qualities that defined Lt. Allan's life. Lt. Aaron Allan was a 6-year veteran with the Southport Police Department, who began his career in law enforcement in 2001. A kind and caring person, Lt. Allan was a family man who devoted his life to serving his community. Lt. Allan earned the nickname ``Teddy Bear'' because of his kind heart and willingness to help anyone in need. Lt. Allan had dreamed of being a police officer since he was 5 years old. Before he joined the Southport Police Department in 2011 as a volunteer officer, he previously worked as an officer at the Indiana School for the Deaf and for Franklin Township Schools. In 2015, he was named Southport Police Department's ``Officer of the Year,'' after saving two lives. Among his efforts, he performed CPR to save a man at the Indiana State Fairgrounds before backup officers arrived with a defibrillator. In recognition of his work, he became the only full-time paid officer in an all-volunteer force of reserve officers. He was a devout volunteer, leader, and role model in Southport, who believed in community policing and prided himself on stopping to talk with residents and getting to know them. Lt. Allan made a difference in the community and always put the safety and well-being of his fellow citizens first. When he encountered a family whose car would not start and the husband had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and the wife cared for her husband and young daughter, Allan went to an auto parts store and bought the family a new car battery with his own money. It went beyond that. He participated in ``Shop with a Deputy,'' volunteering to take underprivileged children Christmas shopping. He also excelled responding to difficult calls, whether a citizen had overdosed and needed Narcan or he encountered a drunk driver. He enriched and touched so many lives through his service, and he made the ultimate sacrifice while responding to fellow citizens in need. On Thursday, July 27, 2017, Lt. Allan was doing his job, responding to an incident involving an overturned vehicle in Southport, when he was shot. Hours before Lt. Allan was killed, he walked his 5-year-old son, Aaron, Jr., to the bus for his first day of kindergarten. He put his life on the line so that Hoosiers could have the chance to live in peace and safety, and we are eternally grateful. He died doing what he loved, and his legacy will live on. Lt. Allan was a devoted citizen, son, husband, father, and friend, who loved his children and his fellow brothers and sisters in blue. He loved his job as a Southport Police Officer, and no amount of gratitude can repay Lt. Allan or his loved ones for his sacrifice. Lt. Allan is survived and deeply missed by his wife, Stacy, their two sons, his fellow officers in Southport, and citizens across Indiana. Let us strive to remember and emulate the shining example Lt. Allan set for us, and honor his selfless commitment to serving his fellow citizens. May God welcome Lt. Allan home and give comfort to his family and friends.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize and honor the extraordinary service and sacrifice of U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman First Class Ryan Lohrey of Middletown, IN. Dedication to his country, loyalty to his fellow servicemembers, and a deep love for his family were the qualities that defined Ryan's life. A native of Middletown, IN, Ryan graduated from Shenandoah High School in 2005. Two years after graduation, he joined the U.S. Navy, where he served our country as a special amphibious reconnaissance corpsman, providing medical care to his fellow servicemembers. On Monday, July 10, 2017, Ryan and 15 other servicemembers died tragically when the KC-130 aircraft they were on crashed in Mississippi. The plane was carrying servicemembers from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452 and the 2d Marine Raider Battalion, a special operations unit. Hundreds gathered on July 27 as a military procession honored Ryan from Indianapolis International Airport to New Castle, IN. He received military honors during his funeral in Middletown on July 31, 2017. Ryan is remembered for his selfless sacrifice, humility, patience, and infectious smile. He distinguished himself through his service in the U.S. Navy, where he deployed with the 2d Marine Reconnaissance Battalion and later with the 2d Marine Raider Battalion. He was a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq. Ryan had qualification as an enlisted fleet marine force warfare specialist, marine combatant diver, and Navy and Marine Corps parachutist. He rose to become a special amphibious reconnaissance corpsman. For his service, among the awards he earned were a Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Combat Action Ribbon with Gold Star in lieu of second award, and Good Conduct Medal with two Bronze Stars in lieu of second and third award. Ryan was a devoted patriot, son, husband, and father, who loved football and making others laugh. He is survived and will be deeply missed by his wife, Cassie; his two children, Gavin and Maelyn; his parents, Michael and Teresa Lohrey of Middletown; and his grandparents, Barbara Lohrey of Middletown, and George Lohrey, of Sulphur Springs; as well as friends, the U.S. Navy family, and Hoosiers across the State of Indiana. As Ryan's grandmother said, ``Ryan was my hero. He's everybody's hero.'' Ryan set an example for others and will be remembered for his strong character. Let us always remember and emulate the shining example this brave man set for us and honor his commitment to serving his fellow citizens. May God welcome Ryan home and give comfort to his family and friends.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I rise today to offer a motion that would protect Medicaid, the Medicaid expansion, and the Healthy Indiana Plan--known as HIP 2.0--in my home State of Indiana. I first want to thank my colleagues for their support of this motion. I am proud to have Senators Casey, Cantwell, Blumenthal, Leahy, Brown, Harris, Hassan, Franken, Feinstein, Udall, Shaheen, Carper, Coons, Whitehouse, Kaine, Van Hollen, Cortez Masto, Baldwin, Menendez, Reed, Duckworth, Manchin, Markey, Stabenow, Durbin, Wyden, Murphy, Warren, Gillibrand, Cardin, Klobuchar, Heinrich, Hirono, Booker, Peters, Warner, and Nelson as supporters of this effort. I also want to extend a special thank-you to my friend Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania. Senator Casey has been a tireless advocate for protecting the Medicaid Program and the critical services it provides, not just to the people of Pennsylvania but to millions of Americans across our beloved country. Senator Casey has done incredible work to remind all Americans of the important role Medicaid plays in our communities and the millions of children, families, students, and seniors who have coverage through Medicaid. My motion is simple. It would send this bill back to the Finance Committee to get the consideration it never received, and it would require the committee to strike provisions that reduce or eliminate benefits for those currently eligible for Medicaid, prevent States from expanding Medicaid, or shift costs to States to cover that care. In my State of Indiana, we have seen the success of a bipartisan approach to expanding the Medicaid Program and helping our fellow citizen access health insurance. I was proud to work with then-Indiana Governor and now-Vice President Mike Pence when he used the Affordable Care Act to establish HIP 2.0. More than 400,000 Hoosiers have been able to access coverage through HIP 2.0, many for the first time in their lives. HIP 2.0 has helped reduce the uninsured rate in Indiana by 30 percent. Our Vice President called HIP 2.0--that is the Medicaid expansion in Indiana--a national model. Then-Governor Pence is hardly the only Republican Governor to praise the Medicaid expansion as a way to cover more of our citizens. Governor Sandoval of Nevada said just yesterday that he ``will continue to do all I can to protect the thousands of Nevadans whose lives are healthier and happier as a result of the expansion of Medicaid.'' Governor Kasich of Ohio has offered similar sentiments as he has fought to protect the Medicaid coverage for his State. Nationwide, 31 States and Washington, DC, expanded coverage to more than 14 million Americans, many of whom have health insurance for the first time in their lives. All of that progress is at risk with the current bill. Many of our States, including Indiana, have been devastated by the opioid abuse and heroin use epidemics. This public health crisis hasn't been confined to simply one neighborhood or one economic bracket; it has been felt in communities across my State and all communities across our country. Vice President Pence said in his farewell address as Governor: ``With HIP 2.0, we have also made great strides expanding treatment for those who struggle in the grip of drug addiction.'' I agree with the Vice President. HIP 2.0 and the Medicaid expansion have made treatment and recovery services more accessible for thousands of Americans struggling with addiction as they work to get back on their feet. I don't think there is a single Member of this entire body--the U.S. Senate--who hasn't heard from the relative of someone who is battling addiction or from someone who has lost a loved one due to this epidemic. Gutting Medicaid and ending programs like HIP 2.0 as we know them would not make life better for Hoosiers or for the other 14 million Americans who have gained coverage through the Medicaid expansion. It would actually do the opposite. Too often, this debate has been about statistics and not about the people who would be harmed. But healthcare, at the end of the day, is inherently personal. It is about the health and the economic well-being of our loved ones. It is about not having to go to the ER just to visit a doctor. It is about our financial security so our families and our friends aren't one illness away from bankruptcy. The proposal before us wouldn't just impact Medicaid expansion; it would harm millions of working Americans who count on Medicaid for basic healthcare. It would affect more families than that, including those families who have insurance through their jobs but also use Medicaid to access care for chronic or complex conditions. In 2015, 63 percent of Medicaid households had at least one full-time worker, and another 14 percent had part-time workers. That is almost 80 percent. For these hard-working Americans, Medicaid provides their families with financial security and stability and the healthcare they need so they can keep working. Last month I stood on this floor and shared the stories of Hoosiers, including those who have Medicaid for themselves or to ensure that their children have the care they need. I have met with these families and heard their struggles, their fears, and their pain. I have listened as they pleaded with all of us here to protect their ability to access Medicaid. Many of these Hoosiers or their children are struggling with very complex medical needs that made it impossible for them to get coverage in the past. They would be priced out of the market under this current legislation. I cannot support a bill that takes care away from these families or from their children. My faith teaches me that we are all God's children, and every man, woman, and child should have the chance to live up to their God-given potential. There is nothing we wouldn't do to take care of our kids. These aren't just Indiana values. These are values in every town in every corner of our country. My faith also teaches me that we all deserve to live, work, and retire with dignity. In Indiana, 62 percent of Hoosier nursing home residents use Medicaid to help pay for their care. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Medicaid supports more than 1.4 million Americans in nursing homes across our country. Their care would be threatened by this bill, which is part of why seniors' groups have been so vocal in their opposition to the proposed Medicaid cuts in this bill. I have also heard from a number of school superintendents all across my State opposing the Medicaid cuts because of the harm it would cause to the thousands of students across the Hoosier State. Schools use Medicaid funding for certain health-related services they provide, including individualized education plans, special transportation for children with disabilities, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, and medical equipment at the schools. Some school districts use Medicaid to help pay for health professionals or for full-time registered nurses at schools across the country, where they assist students with complex medical needs and treat students with everything from illnesses to asthma attacks. As school districts and local governments across the country continue to make even more difficult budget choices, cutting off this critically important source of funding creates just one more huge challenge. In addition to trying to make up the lost funding, our communities and States could be impacted in other areas as well, including infrastructure, other education spending, police and fire, and other local priorities. The plan from my friends across the aisle undermines coverage for millions, but we haven't even had a hearing on their proposal. Committees haven't been able to go through regular order to examine the merits of Medicaid and the Medicaid expansion and how gutting them would harm millions of people--children with really complex medical conditions, those struggling with substance abuse disorders, and seniors in nursing homes trying to live with dignity and peace. My motion sends this bill back to the Finance Committee to ensure that we are protecting those Americans who are the most vulnerable among our society. It would allow us to move toward strengthening healthcare for our country. If you believe we should support children and families with complex medical conditions, then you should support this motion. If you want to protect the 1.4 million seniors using Medicaid for nursing home care, then you should vote for this motion. If you want to continue the progress we have made fighting the opioid abuse and heroin use epidemics, then I ask for your vote in this effort. I firmly believe we can improve healthcare and build upon the gains we have made if we work together--not as Democrats or as Republicans but as Senators and Americans--in a bipartisan manner. This is not a political game. The consequences are as serious as it gets, and the American people are counting on us. I urge my colleagues to support this motion. Thank you, Mr. President.

Mr. DONNELLY. Madam President, I intend to offer the following motion to H.R. 1628 and I ask unanimous consent that it be printed in the Record. The motion is supported by Senators Casey, Cantwell, Blumenthal, Leahy, Brown, Harris, Hassan, Franken, Feinstein, Udall, Shaheen, Carper, Coons, Whitehouse, Kaine, Van Hollen, Cortez Masto, Baldwin, Menendez, Reed, Duckworth, Manchin, Markey, Stabenow, Durbin, Wyden, Murphy, Warren, Gillibrand, Cardin, Klobuchar, Heinrich, Hirono, Booker, Peters, and Nelson.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I have a motion to commit at the desk.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, for all of the discussion about delays, politics, the process, vote counts, budget scores and analysis, it is critical we remember that this healthcare debate is first and foremost about people, our friends and neighbors, and their families. It is about moms and dads, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, grandmas and grandpas. We all agree everyone needs access to quality, affordable healthcare. Regardless of how healthy you are today, everyone needs the peace of mind that if they get sick, they will be able to get the care they need. We all know someone who has fought cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or has a child battling a chronic condition or disease. In our shared experiences and relationships are shared values. Each of us wants our loved ones to be healthy and to live long, full, happy lives. We want what is in the best interests of our families, our friends, and our neighbors. I have seen these values firsthand through the stories of Hoosiers who recently wrote to me out of desperate concern about the Senate healthcare bill. I have heard from everyone--from working parents to students, to seniors--that access to quality and affordable healthcare is critical to their ability to raise a healthy family, to contribute to our communities, and to live our final years in dignity. Take Conor, who is a lawyer, and Sarah, a nurse practitioner, and their family in Fort Wayne, as an example. In 2015, Sarah was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that attacks the nerves in her brain and spinal cord. As Conor wrote me, ``Like everyone else who suffers from MS, my wife didn't make this choice. She did not choose this disease . . . sometimes people get sick or are diagnosed with chronic conditions through no fault of their own.'' If untreated, she would become severely disabled, and her condition would get progressively worse. The best possible outcome for Sarah is controlling the disease and limiting the spread of the symptoms because there currently is not any cure. Conor and Sarah worry that under the Senate healthcare proposal, they would be subject to annual and lifetime caps, making Sarah's treatment unaffordable. Through the Senate healthcare bill, States could seek waivers that would allow them to get rid of essential health benefits and implement annual and lifetime caps, even for health insurance plans that people receive through their work, just like Sarah does. For Conor and Sarah and others who suffer from conditions like MS, the reforms that prohibit limits on coverage allow them to have the peace of mind that they can live full lives, despite their disease and their diagnosis. It is stories like Sarah's and Conor's that remind us why this is such an important debate. It is inherently personal. It is about the health, the well-being, and it is even about the life and death of our loved ones. It is about not going to the ER just to visit a doctor. It is about financial security. It is about financial security so our families aren't one illness or one sickness away from bankruptcy. Take, for example, Beth and Brad from Plainfield, IN. They are the proud parents of Kyle. Kyle has special needs, and he relies on Medicaid, not only for his healthcare but literally to help keep the family together. Beth recently wrote me: Kyle is on a home and community-based Medicaid waiver, which is not mandated. If Medicaid is cut, Kyle and others like him are in real danger of losing coverage for home nursing and nutrition among many other things. Without home nursing, Brad or I will also have to quit working. And without enough income to pay for it ourselves, we'll be placed in the horrific situation of either not being able to give our child what he needs at home, or institutionalizing our precious boy. We want to care for our son at home. We want to work and pay for his primary insurance that reduces the amount of Medicaid money needed. We want the independence, freedom and responsibility that the minimal supports through Medicaid allows. And Lori from Kokomo, IN, wrote to me about her 3-year-old daughter Savannah: She has a long list of medical issues. She has had 2 open- heart surgeries, 8 heart catheterizations, 1 pacemaker placement, and countless other procedures. Her medical bills, at 3 years old, are in the millions, and she still will need more cardiac surgery in the future. Her annual care--just her medications, appointments with specialists, therapies, etc-- are more than our annual income, despite my husband working 3 jobs. The Senate GOP bill puts her life in grave danger. Lifetime limits and waiving of Essential Health Benefits means she will lose her private insurance. Allowing alteration or waiver of Essential Health Benefits will be catastrophic for Savannah and others with preexisting or chronic conditions. I will be forced to look at my child and say, ``I'm sorry honey, Mommy and Daddy don't have enough money for your surgery.'' As a dad, the health and well-being of my family is on my mind every day, and I know that every mom and dad across our country feels the same way. My faith teaches me that we are all God's children, and every man, woman, and child should have a shot at being able to live up to their God-given potential. We will move Heaven and Earth to take care of our kids. These values are shared across Indiana and across our entire beloved country. My faith also teaches me that we all deserve to live with dignity. Claudia from Muncie wrote to me: I am a 55-year-old, medically-retired flight paramedic and RN. My career was cut short when I was diagnosed with ALS-- Lou Gehrig's Disease--in 2005. Without Medicaid and the waiver I would be institutionalized. Because of the things Medicaid covers, I am still able to be a mother. For two decades, I was the person who came to the aid of others. Please, don't fail me or my family now. This bill would fail Claudia and millions of others. It would force Claudia's family and families across the country to pay more, not less, or to even put critical healthcare out of reach. You don't have to take my word for it, though. The American Heart Association calls this bill ``heartless.'' The Catholic Health Association says the bill is ``devastating.'' The American Academy of Pediatrics says it ``fails children.'' The American Cancer Society says the bill could ``greatly harm millions of cancer patients, survivors, and those at risk for the disease.'' AARP, the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, and Catholic Charities oppose this bill. Here in the Senate, we have been hired by the people we represent to continue the proud American tradition of leaving our children a country that is even better than when it was given to us. We owe it to the people we serve to ensure they have healthcare that is affordable and accessible. Ohio's Governor, John Kasich, recently said, when he talked about the challenges with our healthcare system, that this will never, ever be solved with a one-party approach. He is right. In order to strengthen our healthcare system, we would be a lot better served by working together with a bipartisan effort and with input from those who provide healthcare every single day--the doctors, the nurses, the hospitals in urban communities and in rural communities all across our country. Most importantly, we need to remember the patients and the caregivers who rely on our healthcare system. We can do this together, and a big dose of Hoosier common sense would be a huge part of it. I yield the floor.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Madam President, over the last several months, there has been an important debate about healthcare--a debate between those who believe we can strengthen the American healthcare system by improving the Affordable Care Act and those who believe the law must be repealed and replaced. If you listen closely, however, the question at the heart of both sides of this debate sound oddly the same--how do we make sure Americans have access to quality healthcare they can afford? It is this shared concern about the affordability of quality healthcare and the recent actions of the Trump administration that I would like to discuss today. For a moment, let's set aside the healthcare reform debate because whether we agree to work together in a bipartisan way to improve our healthcare system, as I strongly believe we should, or whether Republicans push through a partisan proposal to significantly change the way in which Americans receive healthcare, we should all be able to agree that we want to protect the stability of the insurance markets and access to quality, affordable healthcare. Yet, despite this shared objective, protecting the stability of our healthcare system has not been the approach of this administration. Instead, it has done the opposite. It has tried to drive change by creating instability and chaos. On his first day in office, the President did not ask how he could fix the Affordable Care Act or improve the healthcare system. Instead, he began a deliberate, strategic effort to undermine the healthcare system, to drive up costs, and to create a scenario so painful for regular folks that we would have no choice but to rebuild the healthcare system from scratch. On the day he was sworn in, President Trump signed an Executive order to exempt, to delay, and to defer the implementation and enforcement of the law, creating instability in the marketplaces where millions of Americans obtained the coverage they needed. The administration canceled enrollment efforts to attract younger and healthier Americans into the insurance markets. This resulted in an estimated 500,000 fewer Americans purchasing coverage. Most notably, the administration has refused to commit to continuing critical payments that lower deductibles and copays for our families. This drives up the costs for our friends and neighbors, and in some States, it drives insurance companies out of the market completely. To be fair, though, the President has been straightforward about his strategy to undermine the Affordable Care Act, noting that the best thing we can do ``is to let ObamaCare explode. Let it be a disaster because we can blame that on the Democrats.'' For the President and many in Washington, healthcare seems to be a political exercise. I can assure you that for the citizens of my State back home in Terre Haute, in Richmond, in Fort Wayne, in Indianapolis, in Lawrenceburg, and in Evansville--particularly for those with preexisting conditions, including children, older Hoosiers, and people with disabilities--this is about a lot more. It is about the health and the well-being of our loved ones. It is about the financial security of our families. For many, it is a life-and-death issue. This week, Indiana's insurance companies will submit their proposed healthcare rates for 2018 to the Indiana Department of Insurance. It is the first step in a routine process that determines how much Hoosiers will be paid for critical healthcare coverage in the coming year. The 2018 filings, however, are likely to be anything but routine. Growing evidence across the country shows that the actions taken by the President and the administration, along with legislative uncertainty in Congress, have created instability and have created chaos in the insurance markets, resulting in significant cost increases for consumers. Let me share just a few examples of what I am hearing from the insurance companies in my home State of Indiana. The president and CEO of CareSource, an insurer that offers plans to Hoosiers through the insurance marketplace, told me that at the beginning of this year, the company was seeing rates stabilize, and if there was certainty regarding cost-sharing payments--those payments I previously discussed--rates would increase by about 2 percent--2 percent--in 2018 compared to 2017. Now, though, the company is saying that, if the administration stops cost-sharing payments--and they have refused to commit to making those payments--rates for silver plans would increase by a minimum of 15 percent. This is real money, real families, real healthcare, and real life- and-death decisions. The president and CEO said: ``In addition, we believe that ceasing CSR payments may adversely impact the risk pools, potentially leading to further increases in future years.'' The chairman and CEO of Indianapolis-based Anthem said, in part, in a letter: As I have stated publicly over the previous few months, without certainty of CSR funding . . . Anthem will have no choice but to reevaluate our approach to filing 2018 rates. Such adjustments could include reducing service area participation, requesting additional rate increases, eliminating certain product offerings, and/or exiting certain individual ACA-compliant markets altogether. Let me be clear. These cost increases, limits on product offerings, and market exits are not the result of the current law or even the healthcare system. This is a deliberate choice. They are the result of a deliberate choice by the President to undermine the healthcare law at the expense of real people--moms, dads, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters. This makes no sense. If your house needs repairs, you don't set the house on fire. You work to fix the issues. If we are serious about improving healthcare in this country, we can do it, and we can do it by working together. In my home State of Indiana, I was proud to work with then-Indiana Governor and now Vice President Mike Pence when he used ObamaCare to establish a program we call the Healthy Indiana Plan, or HIP, 2.0. The innovative plan expanded healthcare coverage to over 200,000 Hoosiers, and it helped to reduce the uninsured rate in Indiana by 30 percent--30 percent. Our Vice President called this program a ``national model'' to provide affordable healthcare to our most vulnerable citizens and treatment to those struggling with opioid abuse and heroin use, which is an absolute scourge on our country. We can improve our healthcare system by working together, but the first step is to do no harm--to stop doing damage to the current system and to the people who rely on it. Healthcare is not a game. It is life and death. This is about people's health. It is about economic security. It is about real lives. I hope my Republican colleagues and the administration will immediately stop these efforts to damage our healthcare system and will work with all of us on our shared goal to make quality healthcare more affordable. There is way too much at stake for Hoosiers and for all the people in our beloved country. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DONNELLY

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

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I rise today to honor our law enforcement officers during National Police Week and to talk about the importance of supporting law enforcement, including their mental health. During National Police Week, we recognize and remember the sacrifices of the law enforcement officers we lost in the line of duty in 2016. Every day and through every night in communities across Indiana and our country, law enforcement officers are patrolling our streets, arriving at the scenes of challenging and often traumatic incidents, and even putting themselves in harm's way as they do their best to keep our families safe. They help ensure that our children can be safe at the neighborhood playground and our seniors can sit peacefully on their front porch. They help keep drugs off our streets, they are called to the scenes of opioid and heroin overdoses, and they help stem the violence and crime that has plagued many of our communities for far too long. Our law enforcement officers put on the uniform every day. They head out the door to serve us, while their family members say a prayer hoping they come back safely into their family's loving arms at the end of their shift. Sadly, sometimes they do not. In my home State of Indiana, our law enforcement lost one of their own last year when the Howard County sheriff's deputy, Carl Koontz, was shot and killed during a raid in Russiaville, IN, last March. Deputy Koontz was only 27 years old, in the prime of his life, and had dedicated himself to serving and protecting the communities he loved. He left behind his wife Kassie and their young son Noah. Deputy Koontz's loss was felt not just in Kokomo, not just in Howard County, but in cities and towns across our State. He represented the very best our State has to offer. He was smart, talented, and service driven, working to make his community a better place to live. Mr. President, I know your State was stricken this past year, as well, with the loss of the same kind of extraordinary individuals who went and served every day. That is at the core of what law enforcement officers strive for and why it is so devastating when they are lost in the line of duty. While we pay our respects to those we lost, it is our solemn duty to support those who serve our communities today. As law enforcement officers go through their work, they are sometimes confronted with challenging or even horrific situations. Recently, I joined with my friend and colleague from Indiana, Senator Todd Young, to introduce the bipartisan Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act. It provides tools for law enforcement agencies to help support the mental health and wellness of our brave men and women. We were thankful to have the support from Senators Blunt, Coons, Cornyn, and Feinstein when we introduced the legislation. I am honored that Senators Blumenthal, Booker, Brown, Cruz, Hatch, Klobuchar, Cortez Masto, Durbin, and Tester have added their support in the days since. I say to the Presiding Officer, thank you for your support of our legislation. I am very pleased to say that our bill passed the Senate unanimously late yesterday, and it is a major step forward. I am hopeful that our friends in the House of Representatives, where a companion piece was introduced by Congresswoman Susan Brooks and Congresswoman Val Demings of Florida, who served as the first female chief of police in Orlando before coming to Congress--I am hopeful Congresswoman Brooks and Congresswoman Demings can shepherd this bill through that Chamber. This legislation is also supported by a number of law enforcement organizations, including the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, the Major County Sheriffs of America, and more. I am proud that this is a bipartisan effort, as evidenced by the Members supporting this legislation. It is time to get this to the President's desk to be signed into law as soon as possible. The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act is about providing resources to law enforcement agencies that want to better protect their officers' mental health, as well as the providers who strive to serve that unique population. It would direct the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to develop resources for mental health providers to educate them about law enforcement culture and evidenced- based therapies for mental health issues common to law enforcement. It would require the Department of Justice to study the effectiveness of crisis hotlines for law enforcement. It authorizes grants to initiate peer mentoring programs in law enforcement agencies. We are already seeing the success of these programs where the IMPD, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, is utilizing peer mentoring for officer mental health. During my time in the Senate, our main legislative focus has been to improve the availability of mental healthcare services for servicemembers and their families. We have made great progress in recent years. I am proud that my bipartisan Jacob Sexton Military Suicide Prevention Act is now law. As of this September, every servicemember--Active, Reserve, or Guard--is required to have an annual mental health assessment. The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act builds upon the work our military has been doing to combat suicide and mental health challenges. It requires the Department of Defense, the VA, and the Department of Justice to consult on military mental health practices that can be adopted by law enforcement agencies. Building on the Sexton Act that requires annual mental health assessments for servicemembers, the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act examines if having annual mental health checks for law enforcement officers would help save lives. When Senator Young and I announced this legislation last month, we had the honor of being joined by a number of law enforcement professionals, including the Indianapolis chief of police, Bryan Roach. Chief Roach shared some of his experiences. He said: When I am came on, officers were taught to be in control of their emotions. We still teach the IMPD to be in control of their emotions. But if you think about the day in, day out routine of the things they participate in, and the things that they see, and they are confronted with on a day to day basis, it is difficult sometimes to control those emotions, but they do a very good job of it. The problem is they take those things home. The things we're talking about are not just PTSD, but depression and anxiety. As the chief stated, law enforcement officers--like the rest of us-- don't just turn themselves off when they go home. The experiences they have every day impact them and their family and their friends. Sheriff Mike Nielsen of Boone County--located in Central Indiana, right near Indianapolis--was also on hand that day with us to share his perspective. He said: In 2015, Captain Nanavaty and the office received national recognition, being awarded the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund's Annual Officer Wellness Award. IMPD's innovation and forward thinking have inspired police departments across the United States to follow their footsteps and undertake similar efforts to address law enforcement mental health and wellness. But this is just the beginning of these efforts. I have seen things that cannot be unseen. The brave men and women of police, fire, EMS, are all public safety officers who put their lives on the line each and every day. They endure more than anybody can imagine, and they must deal with the stresses of life both on the job and at home. Sometimes it is really, really tough. Sheriff Nielsen continued: We must all work hard to stop the stigma with mental health issues. As administrators, we have to train our supervisors how to recognize signs of PTSD in our staff. We must administer standard officer wellness programs. As administrators and public safety, we must lead from the front, and let our staff know that it is okay to struggle with issues. That we are only human. Our emotional mental health heals just like a physical injury. With the proper treatment, and with time. We must provide the funding and resources to go beyond the critical stress debriefing. We must do this for our officers. Both Chief Roach's and Sheriff Nielsen's comments show us the importance of ending the stigma attached to mental health issues. We can't be afraid of talking about mental health and the ways we support our law enforcement officers as they work through these challenges. Lebanon police officer Taylor Nielsen, who followed in the tradition of her dad, Sheriff Mike Nielsen--an extraordinary family, serving our State with their lives every day--was courageous enough to share her mental health struggles following a particularly tough assignment. She recounted the questions that she was dealing with: Why am I alone? Why isn't anybody else having these issues? Why can't I get this out of my head? What is wrong with me? These were the questions that repeatedly ran through my head on a daily basis last year. Questions that made me believe that there was something fundamentally wrong with me. She continued: For those of you who feel you are fighting alone, know that there is relief out there. Please don't be afraid to seek out those resources. The battle will be hard, but it can be won. Thanks to her strong will and the help of a trained therapist, Taylor was able to handle her mental health challenges. As she said, though, we have to work together as a team to beat these issues. We will take time over Police Week to reflect on the law enforcement professionals we lost last year. As we do that, it is important that we take commonsense steps to support our law enforcement officers. We took a major step forward with yesterday's passage of the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act in the Senate. I see my colleague Todd Young, who was my teammate on that, in the Chamber as well. I am hopeful it will be enacted soon so we can bring more tools to law enforcement agencies across Indiana and our country. Congresswoman Brooks and Congresswoman Demings are working on it right now. After the service and sacrifices law enforcement officers make every day, they have earned the resources we have, so that we can provide the very best to the very best. Thanks again to Senator Young for working with me on this effort, to the police and sheriffs in Indiana who have lent their support, to law enforcement officers protecting Hoosiers as we stand here at this moment. May God bless all of these officers, and may God bless the family of Deputy Carl Koontz. May God bless Indiana, and may God bless America. Mr. President, I yield back.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I also congratulate my colleague from Indiana. He is a terrific partner. The theme of his speech of working together and building on Hoosier common sense couldn't be more important, couldn't be more timely, and couldn't have been presented any better. I am fortunate to work with such a good partner for our State and for our Nation. Both of us have benefited from the wisdom, the advice, and the counsel of Senator Lugar, who, in our State, has set a benchmark for all of us to aspire to in terms of decency, intelligence, ability, craftsmanship, and leadership. For a maiden speech, it was an extraordinary effort, a terrific job, and I am proud to be his partner from Indiana. I yield the floor.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Minnesota for her wonderful remarks and for her wonderful comments about those people who go down into the mines every day. I acknowledge the permanent healthcare fix we have for our miners and their families that was included in the fiscal year 2017 appropriations legislation. This was a promise made by Harry Truman. It was a promise that was our obligation to keep, and the keeper of the flame for making sure it got done was my colleague, Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia. As he knows, my State, the State of Indiana, the Hoosier State, has thousands of miners as well. They go to work in the dark, and they come home in the dark. They work in grueling conditions and have done so for decades. Part of it was the promise that was made to them that they and their family would have healthcare, a promise made by Harry Truman that is our obligation to keep. When the lights were starting to flicker and it was getting dimmer on this promise that it would ever be kept, we fought for years. Joe Manchin led the fight, led the crew, and we got this done. It is a good example of what Congress can do when we work in a bipartisan manner. I thank all of my colleagues on both sides for being part of this. Many people worked hard to secure the passage of this fix. Part of it was an amazing group of folks who came to visit us on a constant basis, our friends from back home, the miners from Virginia and from West Virginia and from Indiana and from Ohio and from all around this country who--if you remember, my colleague Joe Manchin was there that hot day this summer when it was 100 degrees outside. All of these retired miners--many in their seventies, eighties, some in their nineties--were here on one of the hottest days of the year. Under extraordinarily difficult conditions, they stayed and sat in the Sun and in the heat because, they said: We are here for our brothers and sisters. They said: We know you are here for us too. Our leader was Joe Manchin. He lived this every single day, every single conversation that we had. We were in it together. We told our miners: We will never stop until we get this done, and we have the permanent healthcare fix done. It was a wonderful team to work with, but there is no question that the captain of our team was a fellow from West Virginia. To my colleague Joe Manchin, we are so proud of you and so proud of you for keeping us moving forward. I yield the floor.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Thank you, Mr. President. For the third time in the last year, I stand on the Senate floor in support of thousands of retired coal miners and their families across Indiana and the United States. If Congress doesn't act, many of the miners will lose their health benefits at the end of this month. There are a lot of important issues facing us here, but few have such high stakes. Retirees are receiving letters telling them that their health insurance will soon run out. This is a promise that was made and a promise we have to keep. We have less than 30 days. Let's do the right thing. Let's do the right thing and enact a permanent solution. I strongly urge my colleagues to take action immediately and ensure that our retired miners receive the health benefits that were promised to them by the U.S. Government. I yield back, Mr. President.