Chuck Grassley

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I have 9 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: Committee on Armed Services The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing on the nomination of Mark T. Esper, of Virginia, to be Secretary of Defense. Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing. Committee on Energy and Natural Resources The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing. Committee on Foreign Relations The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on the following nominations: Ann C. Fisher, of the District of Columbia, and Ashley Jay Elizabeth Poling, of North Carolina, both to be a Commissioner of the Postal Regulatory Commission, Catherine Bird, of Texas, to be General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and Rainey R. Brandt, and Shana Frost Matini, both to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing. Committee on the Judiciary The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing. Select Committee on Intelligence The Select Committee on Intellience is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 2 p.m., to conduct a closed hearing. Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining The Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 30 seconds as in morning business, please.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, 24 years ago radical Serb forces committed the worst genocide on European soil since the Holocaust. In and around the hallowed grounds at Srebrenica, over 8,000 Bosnians were murdered out of ethnic and religious hatred. Iowa, my State, is now home to many Bosnians who bore witnesses to those atrocities. I pray that they and their families find peace, as well as justice. Ethnic and religious hatred must never be tolerated, and we must not forget the victims of this crime. I yield the floor.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, Iowans from the organization Iowa Safe Schools asked me to note that July 15 is the kickoff of their annual Pride Camp. They tell me that it is an opportunity to learn valuable life skills and network with other LGBTQ youth in a supportive and nurturing environment and that it is a week full of fun and learning for its attendees.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 1 minute as in morning business.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, in honor of the Iowa Department of Agriculture's Sweet Corn Days yesterday, I would like to highlight the strong agricultural sector of my State of Iowa. Many people don't know how you get from the seed to the corn on the cob you are used to seeing on your dinner table. That is one reason, particularly for city people, that I started the hashtag ``Corn Watch'' series on my Instagram. Each week I post an update with the progress of how the crop is growing on my farm in New Hartford, IA. It is a small way to show nonfarmers how Iowa feeds and fuels the world. I yield the floor.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 60 seconds as in morning business.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, we are all very much concerned about several mass instances of violence around the country. The Secret Service has a program of alerting people to some of those things and training people. Understanding the common factors of the past acts of mass violence can help us prevent future tragedies. The Secret Service, through its National Threat Assessment Center, compiles and studies data on these risk factors. Yesterday, the Secret Service released its report entitled ``Mass Attacks in Public Spaces,'' which confirms that there are often warning signs before targeted violence. Following up on the expertise of the Secret Service, I introduced a bill that goes by the acronym EAGLES Act to expand the National Threat Assessment Center to conduct additional research and training to prevent targeted violence. Congress should pass this law to help stop violence before it happens. I yield the floor.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I want to update my colleagues and the American people about efforts to reduce the cost of prescription medicine. Last week, our country and the American people celebrated Independence Day, marking 243 years of self-government. As elected representatives, it is our job to make the government work for the people, not the other way around. For more than two centuries, our system of free enterprise has unleashed American innovation, investment, and ingenuity. Robust competition incubates advances in science and medicine. It leads to lifesaving cures and promising treatments for cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and other debilitating diseases. However, prescription medicine too often smacks consumers with sticker shock at the pharmacy counter. The soaring prices leave taxpayers with a big tab--particularly under the Medicare and Medicaid Programs--and they weigh heavily on the minds of moms and dads all across the country. Last week, I held meetings with my constituents in 12 counties across Iowa. The cost of prescription drugs comes up at nearly every single Q- and-A county meeting that I hold. Iowans want to know why prices keep climbing higher and higher. They want to know why the price of insulin keeps going up and up and up--nearly 100 years after the lifesaving discovery was made. They want to know what can be done to make prescription drugs more affordable. I am chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and in that position, I have been working with Ranking Member Wyden from Oregon on a comprehensive plan to do just that. We have held a series of hearings to examine the drug price supply chain. We are working on a path forward. We are taking care to follow the Hippocratic Oath: ``First, do no harm.'' In other words, let's be sure we don't try to fix what is not broken. Americans don't want to give up high-quality lifesaving medicine. That is why I support market-driven reforms to boost competition and transparency, because with transparency brings accountability and the marketplace working more free of secrecy. Congress needs to get rid of perverse incentives and fix problems that undermine competition in the drug pricing system, including withholding samples by brand-name pharmaceutical companies, pay for delay, product-hopping, and rebate-bundling. There is too much secrecy in the pricing supply chain. Consumers can't make heads or tails of why they are charged what they pay for their medicine. President Trump has made reducing drug prices a top priority of this administration, and they have taken several steps under various laws-- including even under ObamaCare--to do things that give more freedom to consumers of medicine and on other healthcare priorities. In another instance, on Monday, the Federal court took a negative move, knocking down a rule that would require drug companies to disclose the price of their drugs in television ads. This is very, very disappointing. Senator Durbin and I worked on this in the last Congress, and I am going to continue to work with Senator Durbin to get this job done. Congress must correct what the Federal court said the administration didn't have the authority to do. I disagree with the court, but Congress can fix that. Big Pharma is already required to disclose side effects in their ads. Consumers ought to know what the advertised drug will cost. Today, I call upon my colleagues to climb aboard that effort Senator Durbin and I will be pursuing. Let's pass the bipartisan healthcare bills thoughtfully crafted in various committees. The previous three speakers spoke to some of those issues. Let's get these various bills correcting some of these problems over the finish line. Working together, we can drive down the price of prescription drugs without derailing quality and without derailing innovation, all of which saves lives and improves the quality of life for the American people. I yield the floor.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. If you are going to have representative government, you have to have dialogue between constituents and those of us elected. Last week, I continued my annual 99 county meetings with Q&A's in 12 of our 99 counties. No matter the setting, Iowans set the agenda at my meetings. Holding face-to-face meetings is the best way to hear what is on Iowans' minds, but it is not the only way. I encourage Iowans to write in or call my office to voice their opinions on any Federal issue. Iowans can also read my speeches and press releases on grassley.senate.gov; follow me on Facebook or on Twitter @chuckgrassley or @senatorchuckgrassley on Instagram. I enjoyed my conversations with Iowans last week. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 90 seconds as in morning business.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month. It is important to recognize the impact Alzheimer's has on families in Iowa and across the country and to recognize the cost to taxpayers because of the care it takes in the last years of their lives. This disease robs Americans of their memories and impacts their ability to speak, pay attention, and exercise judgment. The best way for Congress to help with Alzheimer's disease is to ensure adequate research funding to find treatments. As Congress considers appropriations for next year, we should continue to fund research and work toward curing this disease.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, on another point, the Supreme Court made a decision this week that I very much disagree with. I am an advocate for the Freedom of Information Act and for the public's business being public, and this Supreme Court decision inhibited that. In a self-governed society, the people ought to know what their government is up to. Transparency laws, like the Freedom of Information Act, help to provide access to information in the face of an opaque and obstinate government. Unfortunately, a recent Supreme Court ruling and new regulations at the EPA and the Department of the Interior are undermining access to there being public information. In other words, the public's business ought to be public. So I am working on legislation to address these developments and to promote access to government records. Americans deserve an accountable government, and transparency leads to accountability.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, on a little lighter note, I am proud to say that the NBA season concluded with a University of Northern Iowa graduate's being able to call himself a champion. The Toronto Raptors' head coach, Nick Nurse, graduated from my alma mater. He played for the University of Northern Iowa Panthers from 1985 to 1989. Nick went on to coach numerous teams, including for Grand View University in Des Moines. Nick knows how to reignite hometown pride. He led the first and only boys' Class 3-A championship for Kuemper Catholic High School in Carroll, IA. He is a class act. Congratulations to Nick. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business for 90 seconds.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, ever since I was elected to the U.S. Senate, I have welcomed young Iowans to intern in my office. Internships provide students with the opportunity to gain valuable work experience, to apply the things they learn inside the classroom to the real world, and to develop skills they will carry with them into the future. That is why my office offers year-round internships in both Washington, DC, and in Iowa. I offer students the opportunity to work alongside my staff to learn more about our Federal Government, and it happens that about two-thirds of my staff were former interns. This is a wonderful educational opportunity, and I encourage all college-age students to apply. National Dairy Month Mr. President, on another subject, Wells Enterprises, the maker of Blue Bunny ice cream, produces more ice cream in one location than any other place in the United States. That is why Le Mars, IA, is called the Ice Cream Capital of the World. It produces over 200 million gallons a year, which I appreciate, because I like to eat ice cream. The Wells Ice Cream Parlor is one of the busiest tourist attractions in our entire State, and I have been there multiple times. With this being National Dairy Month, I am proud to recognize Wells and all of the hard-working farmers and dairy workers who produce the great dairy products that are enjoyed across the country. I yield the floor. Recognition of the Majority Leader

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business for 1 minute.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, later today, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to consider four protocols to the United States' tax treaties with Spain, Switzerland, Japan, and Luxembourg. I support swift action on these protocols both in committee and in the Senate, and I urge my colleagues to vote yes on them. I encourage the committee to also take up the new tax treaties with Chile, Hungary, and Poland as soon as possible. These new treaties will provide important benefits to U.S. taxpayers and the U.S. Government. After years of discussion and debate, the time has come to move forward on all of these bilateral agreements. I yield the floor.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask to speak as in morning business for 1 minute.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, Gov. Kim Reynolds of my State of Iowa has unveiled what she calls the ``This is Iowa'' campaign. That campaign has encouraged people to choose Iowa to live and work. Iowa has the second lowest unemployment rate in the Nation. As I travel Iowa with my county meetings, I hear from employers across Iowa that have high-paying skilled jobs they cannot fill. That is why Iowa was ranked the No. 1 State to find a job in 2019. The cost of living is low and the quality of life is second to none. Check out thisisiowa.com to learn more. In the words of Meredith Wilson, of ``76 Trombones'' fame, from Mason City, IA: ``You really ought to give Iowa a try.'' I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I ask to speak as in morning business for 1 minute.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. According to the Pentagon's estimation, a young woman in the military has a one-in-eight chance of being sexually assaulted. Unfortunately, many cases are never prosecuted. This is completely unacceptable. We must do more to prevent assaults and ensure that survivors get justice. The men and women who have volunteered to place their lives on the line deserve better. The Military Justice Improvement Act would help ensure impartial justice and send the message that sexual assault in the military will not be tolerated. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. The short answer to your question is yes, but I would like to give a longer answer, if I could, and give you my perspective of TANF. TANF is an acronym for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program, which was created almost 23 years ago to provide help to low- income families with children in order to promote work and to strengthen families. The creation of TANF sent a very clear message: People receiving help from the taxpayers should be expected to work, to prepare for work, or to take steps to become more self-reliant in exchange for having the taxpayers help you through difficult times in your life. TANF also sent another message, this one to our 50 States: In exchange for this funding, States must help people find work, prepare for jobs, or do other things that will help families get back on their feet. Besides Senator Daines' mentioning Montana, I presume that of the 49 States, many are not meeting the requirements of TANF. Obviously, it does not make much sense for us to have standards if we don't enforce those standards. There have been many proposals in recent years to improve the program, but, unfortunately, none have become law. That is why I am grateful to be here with Senator Daines, who effectively represents Montana. I know Senator Daines has been working on fixing problems with TANF and getting more people from welfare to work. Other than these statements he is making here, this year, as evidence of his work, Senator Daines introduced a bill with Ranking Member Brady, of Texas, of the House Ways and Means Committee, that seeks to help more people find jobs and escape poverty. Senator Daines and I have agreed to work together, along with our other colleagues on the Finance Committee, to find ways to get something done on TANF as it has been too many years since any changes have been made to the program. I am grateful for his commitment to work with me to update this program, and I do look forward to working with the Senator and the other members of the Finance Committee to see what we can agree to, for reforms are needed more now than ever. To my colleagues and people in the Senate who feel this way or to people outside the Senate who feel this way with regard to any talk of reforming TANF as being needlessly harmful to the people whom Senator Daines and I want to help, I say what is really harmful to people is, if there are incentives to stay on government programs, because being on government programs guarantees a life of living in poverty. What our goal should be for everything is to help people get out of poverty, and the way to get out of poverty is to be in the world of work if you have the capacity to work. Maybe some people who have certain physical conditions aren't able to work, and we have to help those people. Yet, for people who have the capability of improving themselves, they ought to be incentivized to improve themselves. Not only that, but it would work well for the needs of our labor market's requirements right now, and the Senator gave the statistics that there are more job openings than there are people for those jobs. In the final analysis, if we want to get people in the workplace, we ought to have programs that incentivize people to go to work, and our reforming of TANF takes care of some of that. We also have to get rid of this cliff we have; that being, when people make $1 more than what they get from the government programs, they lose everything. I can give you an example. When I went to a factory in Northwest Iowa, I asked: Have you ever thought about encouraging people who are on welfare to come to work? He said: We have one. He works until he makes about $800. He quits for the rest of the month and then comes back at the beginning of the month because he knows he is going to lose all of those benefits. It seems to me we ought to do away with that cliff and that we ought to encourage people to get jobs. If they make more money, they shouldn't lose everything all at once. Then, as they work their way up the ladder and improve themselves, maybe they will be off of the programs entirely. In being a humanitarian, that is the way I see it. You are not a humanitarian if you give a person a life in poverty, which is what life is if you are just on government programs. In most cases, you have to be in poverty to qualify for the programs. Yet a few working people qualify for some. In helping to be humane to people, we provide a process for them to be in the world of work and improve themselves. So I look forward to working with the Senator.