Johnny Isakson

Mr. ISAKSON

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, we are reaching that time of year when some of our colleagues will retire, some may be retired without wanting to be retired, and we will have new colleagues coming to the Senate and the House next year. I wish to pause for a moment and pay tribute to a great Georgian who will be retiring at the end of December and who has served our State for six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives-- Mr. Lynn Westmoreland. Lynn Westmoreland is a true entrepreneur, a native Georgian, a dedicated father, an outstanding businessman, and an unquestioned leader in the House of Representatives. As the ranking member of the Intelligence Committee in the House, he has been instrumental since 9/ 11, seeing to it that we remain safe in this country and that we have the information we need to make decisions we need to make to keep America safe. I go back with Lynn Westmoreland a long time. I was a realtor in Georgia. I was in the brokerage business for 33 years. I dealt with homebuilders all the time, and one of them was Lynn Westmoreland. Early in his career, he founded his own construction company, called L.A.W. Construction. He was an outstanding homebuilder in Fayette County, GA, and in our State. He built that business to be one of the best building and construction businesses in our State, and I am proud of what he accomplished. He is also a guy who gives back. So Lynn decided to run for public office. He ran for the Georgia House of Representatives in Fayette County and won. He served 12 years in the Georgia House, rising to Republican leader in the Georgia House of Representatives. He was the leader at the time when, for the first time in history, the Georgia Republican Party went from the minority party to the majority party. Wherever Lynn has been, he has been a leader and a fighter for what is right for our country and a dynamic leader for our State. Lynn is married to a beautiful lady named Joan. They have three children and six grandchildren. She has been a great supporter of Lynn. They have been side by side since they first met at the age of 15 and began their 47-year marriage a few years later. Lynn will be retiring, and we will miss him. We want to say thank you to Lynn for all he has done for Georgia when he was in our legislature and for what he has done for America now in the Congress of the United States. He will be sorely missed, but he will be appreciated always as a man of courage, a man of conviction, a man of commitment, and a true son of Georgia who excelled in the United States of America. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be recognized, and following my remarks, Senator Casey from Pennsylvania be recognized, followed by Senator Sanders from Vermont, followed by Senator Warren from Massachusetts, and followed by Senator Alexander from Tennessee.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, this is somewhat of an unorthodox way to ask for a UC, but we are going to go through a process this afternoon talking about a bill called the Pediatric Rare Disease Priority Review Voucher Act, which expires on September 30 of this year. All of those names I just mentioned have a stake in this particular debate and I am going to lead it off. Then, I am actually going to refer to my colleague from Pennsylvania, Senator Casey, my friend and coauthor of this legislation for the purposes of the UC motion, and then we will go from there. Mr. President, I fell in love with my wife in 1968 and married her 48 years ago. We have had a great marriage. But in 2004, I fell in love with Alexa Rohrbach, the young lady to my left who you can see on the screen here. Alexa had neuroblastoma, an incurable cancer of the brain. She came to Washington, DC, lobbying us to try to accelerate the research into rare diseases for children and to try to find cures for them. I got interested, and I went to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, PA, where Senator Casey is so active. I am active in children's health care in Atlanta, and I saw many of the breakthroughs for cancer and other diseases of children. Bob Casey and I got very interested in seeing what we could do to further the development of new drugs coming into the marketplace to save lives and make the quality of life better. Such was my desire to be, hopefully, the guy who prompted some researcher somewhere to develop a new program that would research neuroblastoma and would correct it so that Alexa Rohrbach could sit by me today. Five years after I met her, Alexa Rohrbach died, but my passion for trying to meet the request that Alexa had lobbied for did not go away. It actually burned brighter. So Senator Casey and I got together and developed the FDA Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher Act, and passed it 5 years ago. That bill provided, as an incentive for companies to develop breakthrough drugs, a priority review voucher for future drugs that would incentivize them to work harder to develop new drugs. Such has been the case in a number of things that have happened, and I am very proud that took place. But that program is expiring September 30. I want to see to it that it is extended. It is an incentive that incentivizes the right thing to happen for the right people for it to happen for, and it doesn't cost the taxpayer any money, but saves lives and it makes their quality of life better. There will be objections that you will hear from Senator Sanders and Senator Warren and maybe others about this--that or the other, in terms of pharmaceutical companies or in terms of trying to do a package of bills together--but there is no reason whatsoever to object to a unanimous consent to adopt the extension for 5 years for this proven program. Some of those who will object have written letters to the FDA encouraging programs like this to exist--one of them being Senator Warren from Massachusetts, who on the April 15 of this year signed this letter to the FDA, urging the acceleration of development of a breakthrough drug for Duchenne disease. By the way, on Monday of this week the Sarepta Therapeutics company in Boston, MA, was approved by the FDA for the development of a new drug that is the first drug to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a disease that affects 1 in 3,500 boys who are born, limits the quality of their life, and, in many cases, causes death. That process was developed through the work of a company. We want to make sure that companies are incentivized to make those types of breakthroughs again. There are so many companies where, if given the right incentive and the right opportunity, breakthroughs can be developed. Lives can be saved, and the quality of life can be better. We will hear all kinds of arguments about pharmaceutical companies, and you will hear arguments about this, that, and the other. The facts of this matter are clear. This bill is an incentive that for 5 years has incentivized the development of new breakthrough drugs to cure diseases and ailments that affect children in America. It is an incentive that is right, it is not an incentive that is wrong, and it works. Any objection to it for any reason whatsoever--such as that it ought to be included with another package of drugs or that because pharmaceutical companies develop breakthroughs, we shouldn't do it, is a bogus argument. I will be glad to debate anybody, anyplace, anywhere if you are talking about a philosophical difference, but by golly, I will not debate them about delaying something that can expedite a cure being developed in the United States of America for a disease that kills children. So when Bob Casey and I ask for unanimous consent today to approve the bill, it is only approving an extension for 5 years of a bill that is in place and has worked. It doesn't cost the American taxpayer a dime but may save the life of an American taxpayer and their children. That is a good thing for us to be here for. That is the reason I am still here today at age 71. It is to see to it that I make some contribution to the furtherance of health and the quality of life for every child in America. It is my hope that at some point in time in this debate before we get to the end of the year, those who have adversarial reasons to object to a unanimous consent for an extension of 5 years will come to the reality that we are doing the right thing for the right reasons. It is not partisan. It is not political. It is practical, and it is right. I publicly want to thank Senator Bob Casey from Pennsylvania for being my partner throughout this development, and I encourage every Member in the Chamber, when they have the opportunity, to vote for the health of our children, to vote for the extension of their lives, to vote for the development of new cures coming through and the research and development and incentives to cause that to happen. With that said, I yield to Senator Casey.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, today I wish to pay special tribute to an exceptional Federal civil servant of the United States of America, Dr. Susan S. Kelly, the director of the Transition to Veterans Program Office, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Dr. Kelly is retiring from the Federal Government on September 30, 2016, after 33 years of distinguished service to our Nation. Many of us on Capitol Hill have enjoyed the opportunity to work with Dr. Kelly on a wide variety of defense issues and programs, and it is my privilege and honor to recognize her many accomplishments. Dr. Kelly has an extensive history of helping organizations successfully transform, and I want to focus on her exceptional work since she took over as the director of the Transition to Veterans Program Office in June 2012. She has been instrumental in the ambitious effort to revitalize the Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program, which ensures that servicemembers transitioning to civilian life are provided with the information and training needed to effectively pursue their civilian career goals. In implementing the sweeping redesign of the Transition Assistance Program, she has helped the military move away from viewing transition as an end-of-career activity, instead making postmilitary preparation a careerlong process that servicemembers plan for throughout their military life cycle. She has also helped to transform the Department's views on transition, emphasized the essential skills that make the all-volunteer force an attractive pathway to employment, and strengthened a talent pipeline that returns career-ready servicemembers to communities across America. It was the first redesign and comprehensive review of the Transition Assistance Program in the 20-plus years since it became law. At every turn, Dr. Kelly sought to ensure that the Transition Assistance Program is not only effective but also efficient. Dr. Kelly implemented a stronger oversight of program budgetary processes and sought to use smarter, more efficient processes in redesigning the Transition Assistance Program. Dr. Kelly has also led several changes to prevent unnecessary redundancy within the Department, including relying on existing assets for certified financial planners, educational counselors, and resiliency trainers. In addition to eliminating redundancies, this has fostered collaboration with other Department of Defense agencies and, for this work, was recognized in 2015 as a finalist in the management excellence category for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal, which honors stars of the Federal Government's workforce. Dr. Kelly's work on behalf of the Transition to Veterans Program Office, the Department of Defense, and, most importantly, our Nation's servicemembers demonstrates her dedication to the cause of changing the culture within the Department to better help our Nation's veterans succeed. With Dr. Kelly's guidance, this dramatic and sweeping transformation of the Transition Assistance Program has been implemented throughout the Department of Defense, enabling the Department to ensure that today's veterans are better equipped than ever to handle an ever-changing labor market every bit as well as they were able to handle the ever-changing challenges of the battlefield. As Dr. Kelly concludes her 33-year career as a public servant and leader in a highly demanding department, she is to be recognized this day as a most distinguished American for her exemplary leadership, commitment, managerial talent, and vision. On behalf of the Congress and the United States of America, I thank Dr. Susan S. Kelly and her entire family for the commitment, sacrifices, and contributions they have made throughout her honorable service. Congratulations on completing an outstanding and successful career.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. I appreciate that. I yield to the Senator from Connecticut to begin.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I am honored to join the ranking member, Senator Blumenthal from Connecticut, on this important day. This morning when I woke up, I began preparing for a speech I made at Oglethorpe University at 11 o'clock this morning on Constitution Day, and it reminded me of what an important September day today is. Senator Robert Byrd, the distinguished Democrat, majority leader, and President pro tempore of the Senate for many years and who served here for many decades, amended an appropriations act on September 19, 2004, to designate today as Constitution Day. So it is a great honor for me to speak on the floor to honor our veterans on the day we honor our Constitution because, without our veterans, there would be no Constitution. Without those who fight to defend our freedom and our liberty around the world, there would be no Constitution. So it is a great day to do this. I wish to express my agreement with exactly what Senator Blumenthal said. This is a mere down payment. It is an acknowledgment. There is lots of work to be done. Critically, though, this extender bill addresses any number of programs in the VA that will expire at the end of the fiscal year unless they are extended. Most importantly are homeless programs, which are critically important, and adaptive sports programs, which are critically important as well. So by adopting this bill, our homeless programs will stay in place and our adaptive sports programs will stay in place. As Senator Blumenthal said, should the Secretary of Education shut down an institution midterm, this provides help to that student who is a veteran to see to it that they don't lose their benefit and they can continue their education. Again, this is a small down payment. We have other things yet to be done. Hopefully, they will be done after we come back for the lameduck session after the election. But tonight, all Members of the Senate from both parties--Republicans and Democrats--can help us make a down payment on Constitution Day to those who make our freedom and liberty possible--our veterans of the United States of America. I urge an ``aye'' vote from each Member of the Senate. I yield back the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I yield back all time.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 19, 2016, at 5 p.m., to hold a classified briefing entitled ``Assessing the Recent North Korea Nuclear Event, Missile Tests and Regional Dynamics.''

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, as chairman of the Select Committee on Ethics, on behalf of the members of the committee and its staff, it is my privilege to give public notice and honorable mention to the outstanding service that Annette Marie Gillis, deputy staff director, has provided to the committee and the Senate for the past 36 years. Annette, the middle child of Henry Lee and Geneva G. Gillis's seven children, was born and raised in Alexandria, VA. She began her Federal service in 1979, right after high school, with the U.S. House of Representatives, working first for Congressman Herbert E. Harris and then for Congressman Carl D. Purcell. In September 1980, Annette came to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics as a staff assistant. While working for the committee, she earned an associate of science degree in management from Northern Virginia Community College and then a bachelor of arts in Psychology, magna cum laude, from Marymount University. Because of her intellect, hard work, and professionalism, she advanced to become systems administrator, then chief clerk, and finally, in 2005, deputy staff director. Her contributions to the critical work of the committee have been invaluable. Over the years, serving under 14 different chairmen, including myself and Senator Boxer, Annette has been the constant in the committee's work, expertly managing the operations of the committee and its staff. I now would like to yield to the Senator from California, whom I have had the honor of serving with on the Select Committee on Ethics, so that she can say a few words about Annette.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, on Christmas Eve 2009 on the floor of the Senate, I and the other 99 Members of the Senate voted on what is known as the Affordable Care Act, which later became known as ObamaCare. It has been 7 years since that debate, and a lot has happened. When it passed on the floor of the Senate and in the House, I voted against it because I feared it would limit access, cost more, and limit choice. It was sold as doing the opposite. It was sold as costing less, expanding choice, and expanding access. But facts are stubborn things. It is now time for us to look at ObamaCare and the Affordable Care Act, realize what it has done to us, and realize time is running out for us to correct the imperfections of that legislation. On choice, remember what the President said: If you like your policy, you can keep it. Because of what we are doing, there is going to be more access for those who don't have a policy. But, in fact, those who liked the policy they had didn't get to keep it. In fact, a lot of their coverage went away or became more limited. The cost was going to be less expensive because everybody was going to be covered, but, in fact, everybody was not covered and costs have gone up. In fact, in our charity hospitals, our inner-city hospitals, and our high-trauma, level-1 centers around America, the payments for the disproportionate share of costs were going to be eliminated because ObamaCare was going to have everybody covered and there would be no uninsured people going to hospitals, but, in fact, that didn't take place. Access was going to increase because there was going to be more coverage, more insurance, more things like that. But what has been the fact is the following: Choice is limited or nonexistent, cost is more expensive than ever, and access is gone. As to my State of Georgia, I want to read you a few facts. Just last month after Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, and Cigna announced they would leave Georgia's marketplace, Blue Cross filed its third premium increase for the third time this summer--an increase of 21.4 percent. Earlier in the summer, Humana announced average premium increases in Georgia of a whopping 67.5 percent. This year, all 159 counties in Georgia had at least two provider options. In 2017, 96 counties in Georgia will have one option and one alone. The numbers do not lie. ObamaCare is forcing insurance carriers to leave the market, eliminating competition and choice, all the while placing the burden of higher costs on the backs of working taxpayers in this country. Worst of all, the inevitability of the Affordable Care Act as a single-payer government system, which is on the horizon, is what I feared the most in the debate of Christmas Eve 2009--something all of us in the Senate hoped would never happen. It is going to be on our doorstep if we don't act now to correct ObamaCare, repeal the portions of it that are wrong, keep the portions of it that are right, but bring about choice, access, and quality to our residents. That is what we promised them 7 years ago, and that is what they deserve today. It is time for the Senate, the House, and this administration and the next administration to realize that our No. 1 priority was to bring about the promise of a program that has more access, lower costs, and more choice for American citizens. We cannot rely on going to a government single-payer system. It will bankrupt the country, destroy health care, and eliminate the choice we all love as Americans. So with that, I challenge the Senate to get down to business, correct the inequities in the law that was passed and do the right thing for the people of Georgia who I represent--give them insurance that is accessible, affordable, and accountable to the American people. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, today I wish to commend the men and women who work in radio broadcasting and to thank the National Broadcasting Professionals Coalition of Radio and Music for ensuring all those working in this profession are properly recognized for their contributions to society. The legislature in my home State of Georgia passed a resolution during the 2016 legislative session recognizing an entire week of April as ``Men and Women in Radio Broadcasting Week'' in our State, proposed by Atlanta radio host Dee Hill. Today I particularly recognize the ``Fabulous Five'' women who were recently honored for their contributions at the Women in Radio reception in Atlanta, GA, hosted by Dee Hill Presentations and Annabella's Foundation, Inc. I congratulate these women--Carol Blackmon, Regina Allen Slaughter, Michele Williams, Sylvia James, and Myrna Taylor-Ransom--who have marked outstanding professional achievements in their industry. These women and all those who work in radio broadcasting are the producers of radio shows, station managers, disc jockeys, radio hosts, and traffic reporters. They are the pioneers of internet radio, blog talk radio, and podcasts. They are in front of the microphone and working behind the scenes to produce radio shows and keep radio stations on the air. We thank them all for their fine work to keep our Nation informed, to encourage debate, and to entertain us.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, may I inquire of the Chair, is the Senator from Connecticut due to speak next?

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be recognized for up to 5 minutes, to be followed by Senator Blumenthal for up to 10 minutes.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I find it unbelievable that today the United States Senate said no to pregnant moms and veterans. The vote earlier to deny cloture on the VA-MILCON legislation and the Zika virus is to say to pregnant moms in America: We don't think the case of the Zika virus is that important; you are going to have to run the risks yourself. To say to our veterans who fought and risked their lives for us that we may not fund their health care is just not the right thing to do. I deeply regret the fact that the cloture motion was denied this morning. I hope that before we leave town this week, cloture will be granted so we can approve MILCON-VA appropriations and approve our response to Zika. But let me underline how important that is with two quick, brief remarks. In terms of Zika, I represent the CDC--the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--in Atlanta, GA, the world's health care center. I was there 2 weeks ago for a briefing on the Zika virus. There are more than 1 million Zika cases in Latin America, there are Zika cases in the Caribbean, and there are 150 in the United States of America. The Zika virus is very unique. It attacks a pregnant mom, it attacks the child in the womb, and it attacks the brain and central nervous system, causing manifested, terrible brain problems and deformities, some that we hope we can stop and prevent. But you can't do it if you don't fund the Nation's response, and the $1.1 billion in this bill, which was denied today, would go to Zika response. There are two responses we need to fund. One is the research and development for preventive vaccines so we can find them as quickly as possible. That is obviously important. But the other is the education to do the most we can to see to it that Zika is prevented wherever possible. A lot of people think that if you don't have mosquitoes, you don't have to worry about Zika. Zika is transmitted in two very distinct ways. One is through one of two types of mosquitoes, both indigenous to my State of Georgia and most of the southeastern United States. But Zika is also transmitted by sexual intercourse, which means whether you are in Colorado where there are no mosquitos or Georgia where there are, there is another way to transmit it as well. If we don't have a good education process in terms of how people can protect themselves against transmitting the Zika virus during sexual intercourse or protect themselves against bites by mosquitoes carrying the virus, we are going to be in big trouble. We will have a lot of babies born who will have lives of tragedy because we didn't do our jobs as U.S. Senators. It is estimated that the cost of a live birth and the lifetime of a child born with the effects of the Zika virus will be $10 million per child on the taxpayers of America--$10 million. Think of the cost that adds up to. We should come to the table immediately, come back, vote again, and vote for cloture on the Zika virus--the $1.1 billion response that passed the House--to pass the Senate and see to it that we tell the American people that we understand the dangers of Zika, and we are going to do everything we can to allow them the education they need to prevent it. We are going to respond to it, and do it in the right way. As far as the VA is concerned, I have never understood how anyone can look a veteran in the eye and say no. As chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee in the Senate, I know what these people have done. As one who served in the military, I know what sacrifice means in terms of serving in uniform. To say no to the funding of VA health care is just unconscionable, and it is wrong. Our veterans volunteered. We don't have a draft anymore. We don't conscript people anymore. People volunteer. We have had 16 straight years of deployment in the Middle East of Americans who volunteer to protect this country. They deserve to know that when they come home, their health care is going to be provided for, their benefits are going to be provided for, and the promises we made to them to get them to volunteer to join our military are promises we keep to them, regardless of the condition they may be in or the difficulties they have. So as one Member of the Senate, I can't say no to a pregnant mom, and I can't say no to a veteran. I don't think anybody in here really wants to say no to them at all. I would encourage members of the Democratic Party to come back to the floor and join all of us in the Republican Party to vote for cloture on the MILCON-VA and cloture on the Zika virus, and do it as soon as possible. Time is wasting. Time is of the essence. Time is important. Our response is important. Our pregnant moms are important. There is nobody more important than the veterans of the United States of America. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on June 28, 2016, at 9:30 a.m.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on June 28, 2016, at 9:45 a.m., in room SR-253 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a Subcommittee hearing entitled ``How the Internet of Things (loT) Can Bring U.S. Transportation and Infrastructure into the 21st Century.''

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on June 28, 2016, at 10 a.m., in room SD-215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``Examining the Proposed Medicare Part B Drug Demonstration.''

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on June 28, 2016, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Global Efforts to Defeat ISIS.''

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet, during the session of the Senate, on June 28, 2016, at 2 p.m., in room SD-430 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Small Business Health Care: Cost and Options.''

Mr. ISAKSON. 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 June 28, 2016, at 4 p.m.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on June 28, 2016, at 10 a.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``One Year After Enactment: Implementation of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015.''

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on June 28, 2016, at 2:30 p.m., in room SH-219 of the Hart Senate Office Building.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights, and Federal Courts be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on June 28, 2016, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Willful Blindness: Consequences of Agency Efforts To Deemphasize Radical Islam in Combating Terrorism.''