Jim Inhofe

Mr. INHOFE

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

Mr. INHOFE. Just for one comment.

Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I commend the Senator from Texas, Mr. Cornyn, for the effort he has put forth on a very difficult issue. I wholeheartedly agree with him. I must say that this morning I received a phone call from Secretary Mattis, who strongly supports this and says we really need to have this.

Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I agree with the Senator from Rhode Island. I would like to say that there are 29 members of NATO. Of the 29 countries, if you take all of their defense budgets and add them together, the United States' defense dollars equal about 67 percent of that. I believe this is sending the right message to let them know that we appreciate them--that is, our partners in NATO--but also that our President has made a very strong pitch that each one of them come up with 2 percent for their commitment, and they have not done it. I think the President needs to have our support. I think this does add legitimacy to that request. I believe that burden-sharing has always been a problem. We have never been able to do it under Republican or Democrat Presidents, and this, maybe, is the time that we can get it done. I support this motion.

Mr. INHOFE

Mr. INHOFE. First of all, Mr. President, we are about to go to conference. The first three votes here are very, very significant. They are considered to be maybe the most consequential votes of the year. We have been working closely with the President on our John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act. It is going to be a reality. We have done this through regular order in a very effective way. The Senate Armed Services Committee has been in concert with our combatant commanders, with Secretary Mattis, with the service chiefs, with the President. We have had a markup, our committee markup. We actually had over 300 amendments. I am disturbed that we can't change this policy we have had for a long period of time that says that if one person on the floor objects when we are considering a bill--the NDAA, which we have considered successfully for 57 years--we are not going to be able to consider amendments. That is something we may want to address. To overcome that, we adopted 47 bipartisan amendments, both through the managers' package and the votes on the floor. Tomorrow, we are going to hold our first big meeting of the conferees. I have been through a number of these in the past. This is where Members of the House and the Senate meet each other, talk about their issues, and talk about their successes and what they want to accomplish in this conference report. I have already visited with Ranking Member Senator Reed, Chairman Thornberry, and Ranking Member Smith, and we have a commitment to finish this conference report by the end of July. It is very ambitious. It is something we will be able to do. The second vote we are going to have is to instruct the conferees in terms of the CFIUS issue. Personally, having recently been to China and the South China Sea, seeing what they are doing right now in northern Africa, in Djibouti--we have a different China than we had before. We are going to have to thoroughly review foreign transactions for national security concerns. I think Senator Cornyn is on the right track. I fully support his amendment. The last one we will have is from Senator Reed, and I think this is significant too. Our President has said several times--I have to say this. Not one President in my memory, Democratic or Republican, has been successful in getting our allies and NATO to carry their share of the burden. This President is getting very tough on that. I think the Reed motion to instruct conferees on NATO is one that will give him a lot of the force that he needs to impact these other countries. If you take 29 countries--67 percent of our actual budget for our country is the entire amount for 29 countries. That isn't right. This is something we can change, and we will hopefully succeed in doing that during this conference we will have.

Mr. INHOFE

Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize Nathan Dills, the first Oklahoman to be sworn in as president of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association, SMACNA. With over 3,000 company members, SMACNA is a leader in promoting quality and excellence in the sheet metal and air conditioning industry. Nathan decided to go into the family sheet metal business in 2006. The passion for sheet metal operations goes back three generations in Nathan's family. His grandfather, O.C. Patten, was a sheet metal worker, and his father started the family's sheet metal business in 1977. Nathan now owns and operates the family companies in Oklahoma City. Not only was Nathan's father, Harold, on the SMACNA board of directors, be he was also a member of the college of fellows, a prestigious group within the SMACNA community. While a part of SMACNA, he won the two highest awards given by the organization. Before Harold passed away in 2016, Nathan was elected to the board, making his father and the rest of his family extremely proud. I am most impressed by Nathan's devotion to his faith and his family. He has been married to his wife, Shannon, for 19 years. Nathan has two stepchildren, Hayley and Jordan, one daughter, Olivia, and one grandchild, Zaidan. With 20 kids and grandkids myself, I can attest to the true joy faith and family bring to one's life. I want to congratulate Nathan Dills on this well-deserved position and wish him well in his new role as SMACNA president.

Mr. INHOFE

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

Mr. INHOFE

Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, reserving the right to object.

Mr. INHOFE. Let me just mention that we have a list of about 40 amendments that have gone through the process and have been cleared on both sides. These four were not among those. I am still holding out hope to be able to get not just those but also a managers' amendment. However, that had to be something that has gone through the process, and these have not. So I do respectfully object.

Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote on the motion to waive the budget act with respect to the Sanders' point of order occur at 5:30 p.m. today.

Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, first of all, let me just agree with the comments that were made by Senator Reed. He has been great to work with. I am glad he mentioned all the help of his staff. People don't realize how, on a bill this size--this is the largest bill we will consider probably this year--how much staff is involved. It is both Republican and Democratic staff. It is one of the few things we do around here that really isn't partisan. I think the Senator from Rhode Island and I were only apart from each other on maybe 10 or 11 amendments. By the way, on amendments, I do want to comment how many amendments we took care of during the committee hearing. So we have had a lot of activity on the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for 2019. Throughout the last 2 weeks, we have debated this legislation on the Senate floor in an open process. We have said over and over, we want to have open amendments, and we want to have people bring amendments down. We have a system that is probably not going to be changed, but there is going to be some activity this next year by several of us, if we are going to be involved in next year's authorization bill for the year 2020, to see if we can't address a major problem; that is, we have allowed a system to take place where 1 person can stop 99 people from having an amendment. That is wrong. In January, President Trump and Secretary Mattis announced the new national defense strategy that rightfully identified that we are returning to a world of great power and competition when dominated by the capabilities relative to China and Russia. We talked about that, the power they have. We have talked about an article that was written just recently that said that if we got into a fight of Russia versus NATO, most likely NATO would lose to Russia. We have watched China in the South China Sea putting together islands where it is almost as if they are preparing for World War III. I was there in the South China Sea, and our people made it very clear--and I am talking about allies of ours--that they are not sure which would win. We have China out there illegally building islands and putting us in a position where we don't really know what their intentions are. All we know is, everything on those islands--we are talking about over 3,000 now--that they are put in a position where they are preparing for a world war. It is not like it used to be. Now we are in a situation where a country can have a rocket that can hit an American city. So times have changed. We need to be prepared to respond to threats of terrorism from rogue states, like Iran and North Korea. The National Defense Strategy is clear. We need to make strategic investments now in the areas where we are falling behind--and we are behind. Since the release of the National Defense Strategy, I have traveled to visit our allies in both Eastern Europe and Asia. They all understand the threat of growing aggression from China and Russia. I have spoken with our commanders in the field, our military leaders, and our troops in the mess halls in Afghanistan and all around the world. Perhaps most importantly, you can really get more from them than you can from a hearing here in Washington. The Senate Armed Services Committee was tasked with implementing the national defense strategy. The result is the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act. We made tough choices about where and how to invest our resources, but I am pleased with the work we have done to restore America as the leader of the free world. We are making the needed investments in training, maintenance, and modernization. Any time you are starving the military, those are the three areas you see first--maintenance and modernization and, of course, that also means training. We are in the process of doing this, and that is what this bill is all about. We are changing this. We have addressed that by catching up where we were falling behind--artillery, hypersonics, the nuclear triad. Most people in the real world assume that America has the best system of anybody else. Their systems--plural--are better. Artillery, for example, is measured by rapid fire and range. In terms of rapid fire and range, both Russia and China are better than we are. Hypersonics is a new system, a weapon five times the speed of sound. It is still under development. We are working on it. However, we are behind both China and Russia. They are ahead of us in this training. In the nuclear triad, we haven't done anything in the last 10 years, while both China and Russia are actually ahead of us. It is not like it used to be, where we did have the very best of everything. So we are standing up to China by strengthening our position across the Pacific region. This bill provides support to our allies who stand up against China's military and economic coercion and procures deployable airbase systems to enhance credible combat power. The NDAA also calls out China for illegally creating fortified islands in the South China Sea for military purposes. That is what they are for. Nothing is on there, except preparing for some military activity. The NDAA modernizes the Committee on Foreign Investment to address national security concerns and to stop China from trying to steal sensitive technology from the United States companies. The NDAA counters Russia's growing aggression and influence across Eastern Europe by directing a study on permanently stationing U.S. forces in Poland and conducting a study on Russia's maligned influence around the world. It continues limitations on U.S.-Russia military cooperation, provides defensive lethal aid to Ukraine, and allows the U.S. Cyber Command to respond to Russia's continued cyber attacks. It keeps faith with our troops by providing a 2.6-percent military pay raise, the highest in nearly 10 years, modernizing the officer personnel system, and supporting our troops and military families. There is no doubt in my mind that this bill will make American families safer and will stand up for our democratic values around the world. I thank my partner in this, the Democratic leader of the committee. He talked about the staff that we have been working with and complimented them--John McCain's committee staff: Chris Brose, Samantha Clark, Rachel Hoff, Mark Montgomery, Erik Swabb, James Hickey, Diem Salmon, Greg Lilly, Adam Barker, Augusta Binns-Berkey, Lauren Davis, Allen Edwards, Jackie Kerber, Matt Lampert, Allison Lazarus, John Lehman, Daniel Lerner, Sean O'Keefe, Brad Patout, Jason Potter, Will Quinn, Dustin Walker, Gwyneth Woolwine, Leah Brewer, Gabriel Noronha, Nick Hatcher, Katie Magnus, Lindsay Markle, Cara Mumford, Madison Sparber, and Arthur Tellis; from our staff: Luke Holland, Tony Pankuch, Leacy Burke, Adrienne Jackson, Chris Ryan, and Laurie Fitch; and the floor staff: Laura Dove, Robert Duncan, Chris Tuck, Tony Hanagan, Chloe Barz, Mike Smith, and Katherine Kilroy. They have actually worked long, long hours. On a bill like this, they are out there all night long. But let me say, as I started, that there is something wrong with a system that will allow one Member of the Senate to preclude 99 Members from getting their amendments through. This is not right. I am not sure how to resolve it, but I would just say--and I think that my good friend from Rhode Island would agree--that we can work out something to keep that from happening or to minimize it. It is not quite as bad as it sounds, when we say we didn't have any amendments on the floor. We had countless amendments in committee. We had many amendments on the floor. There were 47 amendments that were folded into the bill, and that is after it came to the floor. So we did consider those, but we didn't vote on any amendments, and that is what we should be doing. We stand here and plead with people to bring their amendments down so we can have an open amendment process, and then one person objects. There is something wrong with that system. So I thank the chairman and the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee for their continued leadership. I thank my friend from Rhode Island, Senator Reed, for his leadership and commitment to bipartisan collaboration throughout the process. We shared a commitment to open debate and amendments. Secondly, and most significant, I recognize the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator McCain, for his leadership. Most of the stuff in this bill has come through the deliberation and leadership of Senator McCain. We can clearly see that this bill reflects his priorities and policy initiatives he has fought for as our chairman. His commitment to government oversight and accountability and American leadership around the world is evident on every page. We miss his voice in the Chamber today, but today's vote is a true tribute to his lasting legacy to our Nation, and I urge our colleagues to join me. We are going to cast two votes. At some point in this process, I am going to make another effort. We have a list of 47 amendments that have been cleared on both sides, and Democrats and Republicans are all for this. We want to have an opportunity to have these passed in a package. I am hopeful that there will not be a Member of this body who will object and object to 47 people having their amendments, which have been cleared, actually pass. We are getting close to the time when we will be voting. I think there ought to be one last shot--maybe not. This is a very significant vote coming up. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

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

Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I have a bipartisan list of amendments that have been cleared from both sides. We have been talking about wanting to have these presented, and there is no objection to any of them. So I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the adoption of the substitute amendment, the amendments be called up en bloc. There are 44 amendments. I further ask consent that these amendments be agreed to en bloc and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. I send the list to the desk.

Mr. INHOFE

Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Richard J. Schrider, a legislative fellow in the office of Senator Ernst, be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the 115th Congress.

Mr. INHOFE

Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I make a point of order that amendment No. 2366 is not germane.

Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I make a point of order that amendment No. 2700 is not germane.

Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2276 on behalf of Senator Boozman.

Mr. INHOFE. I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I call up the Rounds amendment No. 2273 to the underlying bill.

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

Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, first, let me make sure we get into the Record as accurately as I am saying right now, to Abe Schumer, that his little boy's most predictable adversary wishes him today a happy birthday.

Mr. INHOFE. That was very touching. Thank you very much, I say to my friend, Senator Schumer. Mr. President, I want to start today by giving an update as to where we are in the process for the NDAA. At 10:30 a.m., which is coming up shortly, we are going to have a cloture vote on Toomey's amendment that applies the REINS Act to the CFIUS rulemaking process. We all know what that is. We all know there is opposition. If that vote fails, we will immediately roll into a cloture vote on the substitute amendment. That is our amendment, which we will be considering as the bill. Then, we hope to invoke cloture on the underlying bill this afternoon before we head out of town. If we are able to do that, we will have the final passage vote on Monday when we return. We are also working diligently as we speak to clear an additional managers' package. One of the things we were talking about, and I have been somewhat critical of some of my fellow Members, is the fact that we have been operating under rules--and we have gone through this in years past; it is almost predictable that one individual will try to use this bill as a must-pass bill. Everyone knows it is going to pass; it has passed for the last 57 years. So, logically, it is where you put an amendment that is very difficult to pass. I don't blame them for that. I would do the same thing. Nonetheless, I wouldn't do it if it caused all other amendments to not be considered. I am hoping we will be able to have a managers' package. I have reason to believe and I am optimistic about that, and it would be a great thing to have. I don't know how many of these amendments would ultimately be in the managers' package, but we are talking about a lot of amendments, and we have already cleared many amendments. Anyone who criticizes the process that we are going through right now may not be aware of how many amendments we have considered in our work on this in committee. We are talking about some 300 amendments, and since that time, countless amendments have been agreed to on both sides. That is where we are today. It will be a great victory for all of us in this Chamber if we can get the managers' amendments agreed to, and hopefully that will be true. I can't neglect that today is the Army's 243rd birthday. I actually attended a birthday party for the U.S. Army quite a while before a lot of you were even born, when I was in Fort Lee, VA, in the U.S. Army. We would have been celebrating the 180th birthday at that time. Back when we were celebrating the 180th birthday, I never dreamed I would be around to celebrate the 243rd birthday of the U.S. Army. The Army is actually older than this country is. In 1775, brave Americans joined the cause to fight for the life and liberty we hold so dear now. It is the same motivation that still inspires the service of the men and women who join the Army and, indeed, all of the service branches today. It is for those men and women that we are here today. That is what this is all about--the NDAA that we are considering today. It has provisions for individuals; it has specific provisions for the men and women on the ground in harm's way, including the largest pay raise in 10 years. It means more opportunities for qualified servicemembers to receive promotions throughout their careers. I think it is a recognition that in the time in which this is taking place, there is a new emphasis on defending America. I don't say this critically, but the last administration had a policy which said that we can't put any more money in sequestration for the military unless we do the same for nondefense spending. A lot of people agreed with that. I don't agree with that. We are now at the point where we have broken parity, so I say to individuals who are making career decisions: Help is on its way; this is a good time to do it. Part of that is because of the modernization of the personnel system in this legislation. It also authorizes $40 million for supplemental impact aid support. With an expansion of some military activities, individuals who are involved are exempt from the taxes that support our schools. That is a problem we have. Every State has a problem, but it is probably more severe in Oklahoma than elsewhere. I would like to let individuals in my State of Oklahoma, at five different installations, know that help is on its way, and we are going to try to do a better job with the supplemental impact aid than we have done in the past. This bill increases funding for the personnel, improving the quality of life for the forces and their families. Most importantly, it increases end strength. It is not as much as I would like to see, but it does grow the force, so servicemembers can have sufficient time to be with their families and train before redeploying. That is what we are doing right now. It is going to take a lot of additional funding. We are authorizing that funding, and we are going to be rebuilding. I have to remind people in the outside world who are not here in Washington that we do have a problem. The assumption that America has the best of everything at one time was true, but it is not true. I always document that because it is a pretty strong statement. Right now, if we look at our artillery in terms of rapid fire and range, both Russia and China have better range and rapid fire than we have in the United States. We know we have done nothing with our nuclear arsenal for the last 10 years. At the same time, our triad system has been static, and Russia and China have improved theirs. They are ahead of us in that area. There is a new type of defense system that actually has a defense mechanism that goes five times the speed of sound. It is still in the experimental stage, but both China and Russia are ahead of us. The bill we are considering now, ironically on the birthday of the U.S. Army, is going to correct that. It is going to take a little while, but it is ultimately going to correct that. We have 20 or more minutes before we cast the two very significant votes that I just mentioned. This is everyone's opportunity to be heard. I am hoping, and I really believe, that individuals who have been somewhat of an obstacle in the past are cooperating at a new level, and I am very excited about that. I hope we will be able to stay on the schedule I just articulated a few minutes ago. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, we have two votes coming up. The first vote is the one I strongly support. With this amendment, Senator Toomey is looking to do something that has been very successful; that is, to give a little more opportunity for us to oversee some of the overregulations that are out there. I was very pleased to have the first CRA that was mine, which I authored, to be enacted into law. We have now had 16 CRAs, Congressional Review Act. It is interesting because we went 20 years without having any of them that were taken, and now we have been successful in doing that. It is a stronger position for those of us in the Senate to be able to get some things done. We can safeguard the importance of deregulation, especially for the future, by passing this amendment today. Senator Toomey's amendment will give congressional oversight over the CFIUS rulemaking process, which I think everyone in here knows needs to be done and will be done. It will not slow down the implementation process and still grants CFIUS the necessary flexibility to enact in the name of national security. After that, we are going to have the vote that is going to allow us to move to a package, and I am hoping we will be able to do it because there has been a lot of talk about not being able to get an open amendment process. We have not had one, and that is unfortunate. If we can get this package of amendments put together--there are going to be quite a few of them--all of them will be cleared on both sides. It is going to be one that people are going to be very anxious to get done. It is going to give voice to many of the Members, probably some 40 Members who otherwise would not have the opportunity to have their amendment agreed to or at least heard. I think we will have that opportunity. It is very important we do it now. Hopefully, that package of amendments is going to be one that will be favorably approved. With that, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.