Deb Fischer

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Thank you, Mr. President. Workplace flexibility is a necessity for our 21st-century families, and Senator King and I have come up with a proposal that I think really addresses this in a way that is voluntary and incentivizes businesses to truly help families, help those hourly workers meet the needs they are facing in this workplace environment and in their family environments. I yield the rest of my time to Senator King.

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending motion and call up my motion, which is at the desk.

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the budget proposal that has been offered by Senate Republicans, which will help Nebraska families--and all American families--have a brighter future. For far too long, families have been paying more and forced to expect less from an increasingly inefficient and out-of-touch Federal Government. While we have made progress, our economy is not where it should be, and, unfortunately, the government's spending habits remain unsustainable. Our $18 trillion debt isn't just a threat to our economic security. It is a threat to our national security. It is time to offer bold solutions and tackle these problems. Republicans were sent to Congress to stop this irresponsible mentality--to stop wasteful spending, to balance our budget, and to allow our economy to grow and flourish. Families all across this Nation have been forced to tighten their belts. Now it is Washington's turn. I am here today to highlight some of these initiatives and to show what Senate Republicans are doing to safeguard the hard-earned tax dollars entrusted to us by the American people. Back home, many Nebraskans are wondering how this budget will affect their families and their daily lives. With that in mind, the budget we have presented will adhere to three basic rules--cut spending, balance the budget, and do it all without raising taxes. This budget cuts $5.1 trillion in spending over 10 years. The budget preserves the spending caps put in place by the Budget Control Act. Like many of my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, I believe national defense must be the Federal Government's No. 1 top priority. I have the honor of serving as chairman of the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee. I fully understand the very real threats that our Nation faces each and every day. But in order for us to ensure our military men and women have the resources and training they need to fulfill the missions that we give them, we must make hard decisions and we must set priorities. Some red lines just won't disappear. The red ink of our debt is here to stay unless we make some real changes. Our budget preserves the needed pressure to compel Congress to make those hard decisions in order to properly fund the security of our Nation. This budget also provides much-needed resources for infrastructure improvements all across our Nation. It does this through a deficit-neutral reserve fund to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure with a new highway bill in May. The budget resolution provides this mechanism so that a bill can move forward, allowing authorizers to find either new revenue or offsets in order to extend the life of the highway trust fund. Ultimately, the committees of jurisdiction have to write the policies and the deficit-neutral reserve fund gives them the flexibility to do so. As chairman of the commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security, I know there is much work to do on our roads, our bridges, our ports, and our harbors. I also believe that infrastructure is another core duty and responsibility of the Federal Government. For us to meet that responsibility, we have to learn to live within our means. Second, this budget doesn't raise a dime in taxes--not one dime. The answer to our debt crisis isn't taxing hardworking Americans more. Rather, the answer rests in a government that is wiser--a more prudent steward of those tax dollars that every American entrusts us to spend wisely. This is a very timely topic because millions of Americans are preparing to file their taxes right now. An estimate from the National Taxpayer Advocate in 2013 indicates that Americans collectively spend 6.1 billion hours and $168 billion on efforts to navigate through our very confusing Tax Code and to file their taxes. Hard-working Americans--including many who work two or three jobs to support their families--should not be expected to dedicate these countless hours to comply with all these burdensome requirements, nor should they spend their money and have to hire expensive accountants to do so. When the income tax was first ratified in 1913, the entire Tax Code was 400 pages. Today's Tax Code and the regulated rules now total more than 73,000 pages. While these regulations cause stress and frustration for families, they also create financial hardships that hold back businesses, and they hold back job creators. Tax day is an annual reminder that our complex laws desperately need to be reformed. I remain committed to promoting a simpler, fairer tax system that provides certainty and one that encourages economic growth. Moreover, the vast majority of economists agree the single best way to create jobs and the single best way to generate economic growth is through comprehensive tax reform. This budget sets us on a path toward that needed reform. It is my hope that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle will work with us so we can accomplish this. Let's take a moment now and look at the President's budget proposal. His plan would raise taxes by $1.8 trillion to pay for new spending projects. I think the President's budget is tone deaf. It is tired. It is the same old tax-and-spend policies that got us into this mess in the first place. There is nothing in it that actually cuts spending or addresses this mounting debt. Under the President's budget, interest rates alone will triple from the $229 billion we currently spend to more than $769 billion a year. Let me repeat that. We currently spend more than $229 billion per year on our interest alone. That is going to triple to over three-quarters of a trillion dollars by 2025. That is money we could use to reinvest in our military, we could use to pay down our national debt or that we could use to improve the Nation's infrastructure. I think the President's proposal is a recipe for a national disaster. Our budget offers a realistic way forward. Importantly, this budget helps to keep Congress on track regarding the appropriations process. For the first time in a long time, Congress is meeting the budgetary deadlines as prescribed by law. Passing appropriations bills on time allows us to provide the American people with more certainty in planning for their futures. I have been a Member of the Senate for 2 years. In that time, I have seen firsthand the regulatory burden that is hindering our small businesses and preventing growth. I have seen the regulatory burden that hurts families and makes it hard for them to get ahead. Our budget provides a framework to lighten that burden, to lighten that burden of government and reduce the cost of responding to Washington bureaucrats. Because of the spending reductions in this budget, the CBO has estimated the size of the economy will grow by 1.5 percent per person in 2025. That is going to provide an additional $1,200 in income to families each year. That is the type of growth Nebraskans care about. With additional money in their pocket, middle-class families can save more and they can reinvest in their children and their future potential. They can buy a home. They can save for their kids' education. They can put something away for their retirement or maybe take a family vacation. In order to make this budget work, we have to address things that don't work. This week marks the fifth anniversary of ObamaCare. That is a law that does not work. ObamaCare has been harming our economy and millions of families ever since it was signed into law. I have been contacted by over 19,000 Nebraskans who have expressed to me their concerns and their frustrations with this law. Passage of this budget provides Congress the chance to send a bill to the President's desk to repeal and replace ObamaCare once and for all. I would also like to touch on some of the amendments I will be offering and explain how they will help Nebraska's families and Americans all across this Nation. My amendments cover a broad range of topics from national defense to pay equity, education, and regulatory relief. My amendments help families. They help families have more economic security, and they ensure our own national security. One amendment, which passed yesterday with bipartisan support, will bolster the basic principle of equal pay for equal work. It reinforces and it updates existing law to protect employees from retaliation for seeking information or discussing their salaries. My nonretaliation language closely tracks one of President Obama's April 2014 Executive orders on that very same issue. This is a commonsense approach to a very important issue that impacts women all across our Nation. I have also worked across the aisle with Senator Angus King from Maine on an incentive-based paid family and medical leave proposal. Our idea is not more one-size-fits-all redtape. It is a tax incentive for employers, particularly employers of hourly and low-wage workers. It offers a limited amount of paid leave so workers can meet the complex family needs they have. A common complaint I hear from Nebraskans is regulatory overreach, particularly with the EPA. That is why I have offered an amendment that would prohibit the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Obama administration has proposed guidance on how Federal agencies should consider greenhouse gas emissions and climate change impacts while conducting NEPA reviews. This was not the intent of NEPA, and regulations like these could cause significant project delays. In my home State of Nebraska, NEPA reviews already take far too long, especially when it comes to our highway projects. Time and resources are being wasted on bureaucratic paperwork that adds no meaningful environmental benefit. My amendment would stop these burdens and end the unnecessary process that would delay operations without improving environmental outcomes. The American people want a government that abides by commonsense principles. It is our responsibility to ensure their money is being responsibly used by this government, by us. Every day that we move forward and that we move our country forward, if we can not add the burdens onto the American people, that is a good day. This budget is a step in that direction. It provides the right tools to rescue a prosperous America for future generations. We have a responsibility to offer a better future, to offer a better future than the one we were handed. Let's step up to the plate and make that happen. I yield the floor.

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment and call up my amendment No. 409.

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, this amendment I think satisfies the desire for all of us to reassert and reaffirm our support for equal pay for equal work. Senator Mikulski spoke earlier about an amendment that I questioned because it ends merit pay, which I think hurts workplace flexibility and truly limits career opportunities for women. My amendment again reaffirms that support, equal pay for equal work. But it also affirms the course of free speech, because free speech includes the right to discuss wage information with fellow coworkers, and that reflects the President's action that he took in 2014 to prevent retaliation from employers against employees who discuss wages with other employees or seek such information from their employers. This is an amendment I believe all of us can support. It again reaffirms equal pay for equal work and the nonretaliation clause. I thank the Chair.

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, as a strong supporter of equal pay for equal work, I am pleased to offer this amendment to combat pay discrimination in the workplace. Our solution provides a reasonable, fact-based approach to equip Americans with the knowledge and the tools they need to fight discrimination. This amendment contains language similar to President Obama's April 2014 Executive order, clearly stating that employees cannot be punished for exercising their First Amendment rights by speaking with employers or coworkers about their wages. Furthermore, this amendment does not authorize any new Federal regulations, nor does it compel employers to disclose salary information. It simply prevents punitive actions against employees seeking information. Women want good-paying jobs. That means we need policies to promote economic growth and opportunities for all Americans. This is a simple amendment. This is an amendment that would create a deficit-neutral reserve fund to promote equal pay by reinforcing a commitment to existing law. Every Senator in here supports equal pay for equal work. That is existing law. This amendment is a chance to not just reaffirm support for the principles of equal pay for equal work, but also for free speech. This free speech includes the right to discuss wage information with coworkers. This amendment would prevent retaliation from employers against employees who discuss wages with other employees or seek such information from their employers. Importantly, this amendment does not authorize any new Federal regulations, nor does it compel employers to disclose that salary information. It simply prevents punitive action against employees who seek or share wage information. I believe this amendment is something all of us in this Chamber can support. I yield the floor.

Mrs. FISCHER

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

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I rise to speak about human sex trafficking--an issue that plagues the world and our Nation. Today I join my colleagues, Senators Cornyn, Wyden, Klobuchar, and King, in supporting legislation to help fight this evil and to stop it from spreading. Sex trafficking is real. It is affecting millions of people around the world. We should not tolerate it, and we cannot turn a blind eye. This modern-day form of slavery has continued to grow in the shadows all around us. It is time to take action. The scale of this problem is difficult to calculate; yet many estimates, including those from the United Nations and various human rights organizations, show that millions of human beings are being trafficked every year. Meanwhile, the criminals who force these victims into slavery profit to the tune of $32 billion annually. Mr. President, 300,000 children right here in the United States are at risk of becoming victims of this vile practice. Teenagers are the primary targets. These kids are being sold into a life of physical and emotional abuse. Often they are runaways who flee violent households looking for a way out. Women and girls represent a disproportionate amount of those trafficked around the world, but this does affect all of us. The pain and suffering victims experience is hard to describe in words. Simply put, it is evil. We must do more to stop this plague, and our work begins by setting a clear example. This Sunday we will commemorate International Women's Day. As we celebrate the progress women have made here in the United States and around the world, we must also use this moment to remind ourselves of the work that still needs to be done. As I mentioned, Senator Cornyn and I, along with several of our colleagues, introduced a new bill to address this issue. This legislation would set up a deficit-neutral fund to support people abused by sex trafficking. Through enhanced reporting and mechanisms that would reduce demand, this bill can serve as the next step in providing care for victims of trafficking and child pornography. Furthermore, Senator Cornyn's bill protects victims in courts by treating the traffickers as violent criminals. By labeling traffickers in this way, convicts can now be detained while they await their judicial proceeding. Funding for the bill comes from increased fines placed on those convicted of trafficking. While nothing can erase the pain inflicted on these victims, we must do what we can to make a difference. I encourage all of my colleagues to join in this effort and stand against this vile practice. A number of my colleagues have other bills as well. We should take the time to consider solutions that are offered by all of them. Our government has a responsibility to stand up and to act for those whose voices grow weak in the shadows of this imperfect world. This is our moment to do something. These victims do not have time to wait. We must act now. I ask unanimous consent that all time spent in quorum calls before the 2:20 vote this afternoon be equally divided.

Mrs. FISCHER. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, this afternoon the Senate voted to approve Dr. Carter's nomination as the next Secretary of Defense. I supported his nomination and appreciated the candor he displayed during both his confirmation hearing and in our private meeting. I believe the many challenges facing our Nation require a fresh perspective and a strong analytical mind. I am confident Dr. Carter possesses both. Despite the fact the international landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years, the Obama administration has failed to modify its policies to meet the new challenges facing our Nation. In fact, top administration officials have emphasized in recent interviews their approach is not changing and instead offer Americans a laundry list of things they will continue to do. This is unacceptable. I am very concerned this administration actually believes the correct course of action is to continue what we have been doing. In the Senate, the Armed Services Committee has held a number of hearings to examine the effectiveness of the current U.S. national security strategy. Witnesses from across the political spectrum have merged on one point. In several key areas, U.S. national security strategy and our regional goals are either ambiguous or divorced from events on the ground. What is needed is a reevaluation, not a continuation. In Syria, for example, President Obama called on Bashar al-Assad to step down 3 years ago. However, the President has failed to lay out a strategy to accomplish his stated goal. After hundreds of thousands of Syrians have died, terrorist groups have seized control of about half of that country. Further, thanks to assistance provided by Iran and Russia, Assad has fortified his control over much of western Syria. In response to all of this, President Obama has continued to call for a negotiated transfer of power without any articulation of how this would be accomplished. The President's goal was probably unlikely when it was first conceived, but now it is thoroughly unimaginable. The Obama administration has also stated the United States intends to degrade and destroy ISIL. While I support this goal, I am concerned we have yet again failed to lay out a strategy to accomplish it. Yesterday President Obama sent to Congress his authorization of military force. The decision to send young men and women to war is the most serious decision that elected officials will make. This deserves a serious, open, transparent debate that is worthy of the American people. I look forward to a robust committee process on this issue. I am also eager to hear more from the President about the exact contours of his strategy, particularly when it comes to achieving very clear goals. What exactly do we hope to achieve? Simply stating our objective is to destroy ISIL doesn't reflect the complexities of actually realizing this goal. The President has waged a campaign of airstrikes against this barbaric terrorist group, but we know airpower alone will not be sufficient to destroy ISIL. While the White House has proposed arming and training Syrian opposition fighters, this effort will take years to produce a force that is strong enough to dislodge ISIL from its strongholds in eastern Syria. What is more, it is unclear how the Syrian fighters--any of whom view Assad as the primary target--will be convinced to first fight ISIL. Questions about the extent to which the United States will provide opposition forces direct air support if they are attacked by ISIL or Assad--those questions remain unanswered. For these reasons, the President has been rightly criticized for not having a clear and effective strategy. Again, I support the goal of destroying ISIL. But this is a multilayered problem. In Iraq, the administration seems to embrace a growing Iranian role, even though this puts our goal of maintaining a unified Iraq in even greater jeopardy. With respect to Iran itself, the administration unequivocally states it will not allow that nation to develop a nuclear capability, but we hear reports repeatedly that are suggesting the U.S. negotiators are crafting an agreement that would accept its enrichment program and leave Iran as a threshold nuclear power 1 year away from a bomb, at most. In Ukraine, the United States imposed sanctions on Russia in March for its intervention. Since that time, Russia has continued to pour heavy weapons and fighters into that conflict. Clearly our policy is not working. We must acknowledge that as Putin continues to build momentum on the battlefield, the incentive for him to honor his diplomatic commitments and end the conflict diminishes. Additional measures--including defensive weapons for the Ukrainians-- are necessary, and they must be implemented. The international community and most Americans are understandably confused by the stark contrast between what they see and what they hear from the White House. They hear vague assertions, but they see no strategy. They hear a goal, but they see no discussion on how to achieve it. This damages our global credibility. In a world where we rely heavily on partner nations to be our boots on the ground, we cannot afford to have our international allies wondering if we mean what we say. Dr. Carter will have a lot on his plate in his new role. I hope his appointment will help encourage the strategic reevaluation that is so desperately needed. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. FISCHER

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

Mrs. FISCHER

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

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act. I am pleased to join my colleague in introducing this legislation. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with my colleagues on legislation that will promote our country's hunting, fishing, and conservation heritage. This bill does a lot of good things. It prevents antihunting groups from restricting sportsmen's ammunition choices, which would unnecessarily drive up hunting costs, impede participation in shooting sports, and consequently decrease conservation funding. The Sportsmen's Act provides States with more flexibility to build and maintain public shooting ranges in order to provide Americans with more opportunities to engage in recreational and competitive shooting activities. The legislation also expands and enhances hunting and fishing opportunities on Federal lands by establishing a more open policy for access to recreational activities on our public lands. I am especially encouraged by the fact that this bill contains provisions I have championed that would increase transparency regarding the judgment fund. It has the potential to help our efforts to track taxpayer-funded litigation that impacts our public lands policies. As my colleagues may or may not know, the judgment fund is administered by the Treasury Department and is used to pay certain court judgments and settlements against the Federal Government. Essentially, this fund acts as an unlimited amount of money that is set aside to pay for Federal Government liability. It is not subject to the annual appropriations process, and, even more remarkably, the Treasury Department has no reporting requirements, so these funds are paid out with very little oversight or scrutiny. This is no small matter, as the judgment fund disburses billions of dollars in payments every year. Because the Treasury Department has no binding reporting requirements, few public details exist about where these funds are going and why. The Public Lands Council has decried the lack of oversight of the judgment fund by stating: Certain groups continuously sue the federal government, and [the] Treasury simply writes a check to foot the bill without providing Members of Congress and the American taxpayers basic information about the payment. This kind of litigation can have a big impact on sportsmen and others who enjoy multiple uses of Federal lands. This is because the government is permitted to blindly fund lawsuits by activist groups who use the court as a backdoor to policy making. A recent report from the GAO found that cases filed against the EPA have shown a pattern of these groups working in unison with big law firms to sue under the same statutes in order to push their political agenda through the courts. The legislation I introduced this week with Senator Gardner, known as the Judgment Fund Transparency Act, will bring these cases to light. That bill has been included as a provision to the Sportsmen's Act and will provide even greater transparency and accountability. I am proud to be a vice chair of the Sportsmen's Caucus, and I look forward to continuing our work to advance these important legislative measures.

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act. I am pleased to join my colleague in introducing this legislation. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with my colleagues on legislation that will promote our country's hunting, fishing, and conservation heritage. This bill does a lot of good things. It prevents antihunting groups from restricting sportsmen's ammunition choices, which would unnecessarily drive up hunting costs, impede participation in shooting sports, and consequently decrease conservation funding. The Sportsmen's Act provides States with more flexibility to build and maintain public shooting ranges in order to provide Americans with more opportunities to engage in recreational and competitive shooting activities. The legislation also expands and enhances hunting and fishing opportunities on Federal lands by establishing a more open policy for access to recreational activities on our public lands. I am especially encouraged by the fact that this bill contains provisions I have championed that would increase transparency regarding the judgment fund. It has the potential to help our efforts to track taxpayer-funded litigation that impacts our public lands policies. As my colleagues may or may not know, the judgment fund is administered by the Treasury Department and is used to pay certain court judgments and settlements against the Federal Government. Essentially, this fund acts as an unlimited amount of money that is set aside to pay for Federal Government liability. It is not subject to the annual appropriations process, and, even more remarkably, the Treasury Department has no reporting requirements, so these funds are paid out with very little oversight or scrutiny. This is no small matter, as the judgment fund disburses billions of dollars in payments every year. Because the Treasury Department has no binding reporting requirements, few public details exist about where these funds are going and why. The Public Lands Council has decried the lack of oversight of the judgment fund by stating: Certain groups continuously sue the federal government, and [the] Treasury simply writes a check to foot the bill without providing Members of Congress and the American taxpayers basic information about the payment. This kind of litigation can have a big impact on sportsmen and others who enjoy multiple uses of Federal lands. This is because the government is permitted to blindly fund lawsuits by activist groups who use the court as a backdoor to policy making. A recent report from the GAO found that cases filed against the EPA have shown a pattern of these groups working in unison with big law firms to sue under the same statutes in order to push their political agenda through the courts. The legislation I introduced this week with Senator Gardner, known as the Judgment Fund Transparency Act, will bring these cases to light. That bill has been included as a provision to the Sportsmen's Act and will provide even greater transparency and accountability. I am proud to be a vice chair of the Sportsmen's Caucus, and I look forward to continuing our work to advance these important legislative measures.

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Special Committee on Aging be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on January 28, 2015, at 2:30 p.m. in room S-211 of the Capitol Building. The PRESIDIING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on January 28, 2015, at 2 p.m. The PRESIDIING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Special Committee on Aging

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on January 28, 2015, at 10:30 a.m., in room SR-428A of the Russell Senate Office Building. The PRESIDIING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on January 28, 2015, at 10 a.m., in room SH-216 of the Hart Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Attorney General Nomination.'' The PRESIDIING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on January 28, 2015, in room SD-628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, at 2:05 p.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Indian Country Priorities for the 114th Congress.'' The PRESIDIING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Committee on the Judiciary

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on January 28, 2015, at 1:30 p.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``Protecting America from Cyber Attacks: The Importance of Information Sharing.'' The PRESIDIING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Committee on Indian Affairs

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet during the session on January 28, 2015, at 9:30 a.m., in room SD- 430 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The PRESIDIING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on January 28, 2015, at 9:45 a.m.

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on January 28, 2015, at 11 a.m. in room SD-215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.