Patrick Leahy

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, Vermont, the Green Mountain State, is filled with outdoor enthusiasts: people who ski, snowboard, mountain bike, hike, and do so much more. Outdoor enthusiasts who live in Chittenden County or who have visited the area are likely to have perused the walls, shelves, and aisles of the Skirack in Burlington, VT. Today I want to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Skirack, a small business that has become a staple of downtown Burlington. Just a few blocks from its present location at the corner of Main and Pine Streets in downtown Burlington, the Skirack first opened its doors on November 22, 1969, driven by the vision of a group of University of Vermont students. The founders of the Skirack--Karen George, Zandy Wheeler, Spike Clayton, and John George-Wheeler--opened the shop with one goal in mind: to provide the finest outdoor goods and services. Over the next 50 years, their store has equipped Vermonters and visitors to our State with the essentials as they face the elements and reach new heights, both literal and figurative. Vermont has a proud and prominent legacy of outdoor recreation. Vermonters, or those who visit, can cross country ski, swim in Lake Champlain, mountain bike, or go on a trek through any of Vermont's magnificent forest trails. Contrary to the store's name, the Skirack has been Vermonters' one-stop shop for all of their outdoor recreational needs, regardless of the season. Since its inception, the Skirack has been the recipient of numerous honors and accolades. The store has been named the Snowsports Retailer of the Year and Nordic Retailer by Ski Industries of America. But recognition of the Skirack goes far beyond their snow sport inventory. For 5 years in a row, from 2013 through 2017, it was named one of America's best bike shops by the National Bicycle Dealers Association and in 2018 was named one of the 20 Best Running Shops in America by Gear Patrol. The Skirack has gone through many changes throughout its 50 years of operation. In 1974, Karen, Zandy, Spike, and John moved the Skirack from its small shop on Center Street to where it is currently located on Main Street in downtown Burlington. Over time, they were able to double the size of their store by expanding to the building next door. Then, in May 2011, they began a special partnership with Patagonia and opened a second store, Patagonia Burlington. And today, the Skirack employs more than 80 Vermonters. Vermont's economy depends on small businesses like the Skirack. Over the years, those small businesses have become the backbone of Vermont's economy. In 2018, the more than 77,000 small businesses made up 99 percent of Vermont businesses--99 percent. In Vermont, almost 60 percent of employees, over 158,000 Vermonters, are employed by a small business. I am proud that small businesses such as The Skirack, have not only been able to not only survive but thrive. With the holiday season approaching, it is important for Americans across the country to visit their hometown Main Street stores as they shop for friends and family. Holiday sales represent 20 percent of average annual sales across most industries and 30 percent or more for some businesses. Marcelle and I congratulate Karen, Zandy, Spike, and John on an incredible 50 years of operations at the Skirack. We wish them all the best of luck, and we hope for 50 more strong years.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, today the Supreme Court heard arguments in one of the most consequential immigration cases in modern American history. The future of more than 700,000 DACA recipients--our Nation's Dreamers--hangs in the balance and their fate is inherently intertwined with the fate of the American Dream itself. Dreamers, by definition, are law-abiding immigrants brought to the United States as children--through no choice of their own--now simply seeking the chance to contribute to the only country they have ever known as home. Dreamers, by definition, do not pose any kind of public safety or national security threat. They are our neighbors, our first responders, our defenders, and our teachers. Nearly a thousand Dreamers serve in our Armed Forces, risking their lives to preserve the freedoms of millions of American citizens. Dreamers are Americans in every way, except on paper. Americans know this, and have roundly rejected the baseless, un-American vitriol spread by President Trump--yet again this morning, just hours before the argument--that some Dreamers are ``hardened criminals.'' So it is no wonder that the overwhelming majority of Americans support providing legal protections to our Nation's Dreamers. And it is no surprise that leaders of industry in every major sector of our economy have called for providing legal status and a path to citizenship for Dreamers, recognizing their enormous contributions to our economy. The depth of opposition to President Trump's decision to heartlessly terminate DACA is matched only by the breadth of agreement among courts that the Trump administration is just plain wrong on the law. Five out of six Federal courts that considered the Trump administration's effort to end DACA blocked President Trump from actually doing so and they have rejected the Trump administration's laughable argument that its decision to end DACA is simply unreviewable by the courts. I am hopeful that the Supreme Court sides with the near unanimous consensus among lower courts. I am hopeful that it joins the united chorus of Americans who envision a legally protected place in our society for this group of immigrants that embodies the American dream. Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules, Congress is by no means a bystander. Congress still has the authority and the responsibility to do what is right. Just a few months ago, the House passed a bipartisan bill, the American Dream and Promise Act, which would enact critical protections for Dreamers and provide temporary safe haven to targeted groups of immigrants whose home countries have been crippled by natural disasters or civil conflict. The Senate could easily take up this bill today or it could take up the bipartisan Senate bill, the Dream Act of 2019, authored by Senators Graham and Durbin, which would provide meaningful safeguards to our Dreamers. Either way, Senate inaction is simply not acceptable to the millions of Americans in both parties who see the prospect of mass deportations of Dreamers as antithetical to who we are as the United States of America. As we wait for our Nation's highest Court to rule on this case, it is essential for Americans to express their views about the future of Dreamers to their elected representatives. This case, after all, is not just about the specific Dreamers who would benefit from DACA's continued existence, and it not just about the Trump administration's anti-immigrant impulses and policies. This is about whether our proud past as a nation of immigrants and refugees--a country that became one out of many--has a bright future. That future should not be left solely to the courts nor should it be left to languish in Majority Leader McConnell's legislative graveyard. This future will be shaped, in part, by what we choose to do now, in the present and it is beyond time for the Senate to come together and do what is right. (At the request of Mr. Schumer following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record.)

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, it is great sadness that Marcelle and I learned of the passing of Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina on October 28. I have served in the U.S. Senate with nearly 400 Senators. Like many of them, Senator Hagan fought day and day out for her constituents in North Carolina and for the ideals and morals on which our country was founded. Senator Hagan followed a line of public service in the Hagan family. Her father and brother served in the Navy, and her uncle, Lawton Chiles, represented Florida here in the U.S. Senate. Recognizing the sacrifice and importance of our Nation's service members, Senator Hagan was a tireless advocate for our military members and their families. During her time in the Senate, she was an active partner in our efforts to strengthen the National Guard, and she authored such important legislative initiatives as the Hire a Hero Act. She was also a tireless advocate for women and children, for efforts to support victims of crime, and for the advancement of civil rights. Her tenure in the Senate, in my view, was too short. After Senator Hagan's work in the Senate, she went on to become a senior policy consultant for Akin Gump, where she held a particular focus on the health and financial services sectors. Additionally, in 2015, Senator Hagan became a resident fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University, where she studied the influence money has in our politics. She said, ``I worry how we are going to get good people to run for office if you have to spend so much time raising money.'' I agree. Our public servants at every level of our govemment should be more focused on advocating for their constituents, rather than raising a war chest to fight against wealthy corporate interests, pressure groups, or dark money influencers. Her tragic affliction with Powassan virus, which ultimately led to her passing last month, robbed us of Senator Hagan's dedication to public service far too soon. It was also a stark reminder of how precious our time really is. I know Marcelle and I join with North Carolinians and our Senate family in mourning the passing of Senator Hagan. Our hearts go out to Chip, their children, Jeanette, Tilden, and Carrie, and the entire Hagan family. Our prayers are with Kay, as we mourn this dedicated public servant.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, in the midst of fall celebrations such as Halloween or, for fans in Washington and Houston, the World Series, I want to take a moment to highlight another important annual celebration that occurred last week: Bat Week. It is fitting that last week, the Senate approved an appropriations bill to fund the Fish and Wildlife Service. At this time each year, we join our friends at the Fish and Wildlife Service, conservation groups around the world, and bat enthusiasts to recognize the irreplaceable role of bats and to highlight our urgent fight to protect them. Many do not know the profound impact that bats have on our environment and our economy. For an agricultural state like Vermont, bats are vital to both our ecosystem and our economy. They control pests, pollinate crops, and even spread seeds. Some farmers would consider bats among their best friends. For years, I have worked on the Appropriations Committee to prioritize funding for habitat conservation and to stop the spread of white-nose syndrome. I am proud that the fiscal year 2020 Interior bill once again responds to the call of the bat signal and provides more than $7 million to combat white-nose, a disease that has devastated bat communities across the country. So once again I hope Senators will join me in recognizing the importance of bat and keep the advocacy behind Bat Week going throughout the year.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, Vermont sets the gold standard for the maple industry, and maple is integral to our State's economy and to our State's identity. The Vermont families and businesses that keep this sector vibrant and viable are also an essential part of the fabric of our State. I am proud to recognize one of those businesses today. Nestled along the western slopes of Vermont's highest peak, Mount Mansfield, Runamok Maple is one of the roughly 1500 sugar producers in Vermont that produce nearly half of the Nation's maple syrup. Owned and operated by Laura and Eric Sorkin, Runamok Maple exemplifies the innovation and entrepreneurship that is revitalizing communities across Vermont. Maple sugaring is a tradition carried forward and refined by each new generation of Vermonters. The Sorkins themselves benefited from the mentorship of nearby sugar producers before launching their own business a decade ago. In 2016, recognizing an opportunity, they pumped money and energy into a diversification effort that included a retail line of flavor-infused and barrel-aged syrups, all packaged and branded for the direct sales market. Two years later, I was proud to support funding for the Northern Border Regional Commission that in turn allowed Fairfax, VT, to expand wastewater infrastructure to Runamok's new manufacturing home, an old facility that once manufactured Scrabble game tiles. The improvements enabled Runamok's expansion from 45 to 100 employees and revitalized a part of the historic town. Through their products, writings, and creativity, the Sorkins and their outstanding staff are not only producing world-class value-added products, they are changing how people think about maple syrup. Long gone are the days when it was considered a mere condiment for pancakes. I was not surprised, then, to see Runamok Maple featured in a recent Washington Post article about the many possibilities of Vermont's sweetest export. In recognition of the families across our State who continue to keep this bedrock Vermont sector thriving, I ask unanimous consent to have that article printed in the Record.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I want to recognize Kathleen ``Kathy'' Ott, who recently retired from her role as the Director of the Library of Congress' Congressional Relations Office after 11 years of dedicated service to the Library and to Congress. Appointed in 2008 by former Librarian of Congress, Dr. James Billington, Kathy was sought after by the Library for her extensive experience interfacing with Congress from both the public and private sectors. As the director of the Library's Congressional Relations Office, she spent more than a decade of her career building strong bipartisan relationships between the Library, Congress, and congressional staff. Kathy has had the privilege of serving two Librarians of Congress, Dr. James Billington and Dr. Carla D. Hayden. Kathy was instrumental in supporting Dr. Hayden's confirmation process. With the help of Kathy's tireless effort throughout the nomination process, Dr. Hayden was overwhelmingly confirmed in a bipartisan fashion by the Senate during the 114th Congress. In her time at the Library, Kathy has shaped the Library's relationship with Congress through 3 Presidential administrations, 6 Congresses, and 11 budget and appropriations cycles, building bipartisan support for Library of Congress initiatives along the way. Additionally, she worked with 10 different chairs of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and House Administration Committee. As a member of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, I always appreciated Kathy's thorough and dutiful commitment to her role, the Library, and Congress. During her tenure, Kathy has welcomed nearly 500 new Members of Congress during their freshman orientation activities hosted at the Library. She also created the bipartisan Library of Congress Caucus in the 111th Congress, which currently has 84 Representatives. Moreover, she helped to coordinate the congressional participation in the award of the Library's Gershwin Prize for Popular Song to the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Smokey Robinson, as well as other noteworthy musical artists. In her position, Kathy also played an integral role in the launch of the Library's popular Congressional Dialogue Dinner Series in 2013, which has just concluded its 45th dinner. Marcelle and I have had the pleasure of enjoying many wonderful nights at the Library attending these delightful dinners and discussions. Marcelle and I have had so many wonderful experiences with Kathy. I have to mention one especially. When Pope Francis came to speak to a joint meeting of Congress, Kathy had arranged to have a special Bible from the Library's collection available to be blessed by the Pope. She knew the Pope would bless it, so she arranged to have with it several religious medals and other things important to her and her family available to be a part of the blessing. I know the Pope didn't mind, and those of us there thought, ``This is why we think the world of her.'' Kathy has always been known as a reliable and trusted source for Library of Congress information. She will be greatly missed by Members of Congress and congressional staff alike. Marcelle and I wish Kathy the best in retirement.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Madam President. earlier this year, Vermonters who are expanding and elevating one of Vermont's most honored products-- cheese--were recognized with a record number of ribbons at the American Cheese Society's 36th Annual Awards competition in Richmond, VA. I am delighted, though not surprised, that a total of 44 Vermont cheeses won awards, including 5 that were finalists for Best of Show. Many of these cheeses are featured every year at our annual Taste of Vermont, held here on Capitol Hill each May. Vermont's talented Vermont cheesemakers have brought home top awards from this competition each year, but never before has the State been a winner across so many categories. Despite its small size, Vermont was in the top three States for the number of awards earned--a significant accomplishment for this bedrock sector in our State. The winners came from every corner of Vermont, every scale of production, and for many varieties of cheese. Large producers, like the Cabot Creamery Cooperative, which represents hundreds of farm families, came home as winners. So, too, did small operations like Barn First Creamery, which is home to just 32 goats and 2 farmer-cheesemakers. This contrast and diverse success is a fitting illustration of Vermont's agricultural landscape. The Vermont Cheese Council helped to support the Vermont cheesemakers involved in the American Cheese Society's competition by providing technical assistance and marketing support. This council's foundational role is to help produce and advance Vermont-made cheese. The success of Vermont cheesemakers at this year's American Cheese Society's Annual Awards is just the latest testament to its effectiveness. Similar to the American Cheese Society, the Vermont Cheese Council provides the public and food professionals with educational events to learn more about cheese and cheese making throughout the State. Cheese is a staple for Vermont agriculture and value added production, with over 45 cheesemakers--the most per capita of any State--throughout Vermont working with sheep, goats, and multiple cow breeds, to produce world-class artisanal cheese. The State's Department of Tourism and Marketing provides visitors with a map of the Vermont Cheese Trail created by the Vermont Cheese Council. It features locations where visitors can experience over 150 varieties of cheeses. Great cheese requires great dairy farmers, and both are fundamental to our State's economy and tradition. I am proud to celebrate the success of all the cheese producers throughout my home State of Vermont and want now to recognize the Vermont cheesemakers receiving awards from this year's American Cheese Council. They include Barn First Creamery, Westfield; Boston Post Dairy, Enosburg Falls; Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Cabot; Fairy Tale Farm, Bridport; Grafton Village Cheese Company, Grafton; Jasper Hill Farm, Greensboro; Maplebrook Farm, Bennington; Mt. Mansfield Creamery, Morrisville; Parish Hill Creamery, West Westminster; Sage Farm Goat Dairy, Stowe; Spring Brook Farm/Farms for City Kids Foundation, Reading; Vermont Creamery, Websterville; Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company, Woodstock; Vermont Shepherd, Putney; and Von Trapp Farmstead, Waitsfield.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I see my friend, the senior Senator from Alabama, on the floor. I want to offer my praise for him because we are going to vote on final passage of the fiscal year 2020 Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill, the Agriculture appropriations bill, the Interior appropriations bill, and the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. I urge all Members to vote aye. These are good, bipartisan bills. They show that despite whatever political atmosphere we operate in, the Appropriations Committee can put partisan politics aside and do our work on behalf of the American people. These bills make responsible investments that build on what we were able to accomplish in fiscal year 2019 while strongly rejecting the shortsighted cuts the Trump administration proposed. They back up our commitment to invest in rural communities and farms, law enforcement, and the environment. We have reached this point because we worked together quietly during evenings and weekends to get it done. I want to thank the chairs and the ranking members of the subcommittees for their work: Senators Hoeven and Merkley, Senators Murkowski and Udall, Senators Collins and Reed, and Senators Moran and Shaheen. I have often said that Senators are merely constitutional impediments to their staff, and Senator Shelby and I are lucky to have such a staff. They have worked very long days and nights. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the list of the staff, both Republicans and Democrats, who deserve our thanks.

Mr. LEAHY. I yield the floor, and I urge an aye vote.

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

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today, the Senate is going to vote on whether to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to a package of appropriations bills that will include the Senate Defense appropriations bill, and the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS) appropriations bill. There are many things in these bills that I support, but I am going to strongly urge all Senators to vote no. I am disappointed that the majority leadership has taken this step. They bowed to demands by President Trump, and that is continuing to delay funding for our troops. They insist on including in this bill authority for President Trump to raid American tax dollars from our military and their families. President Trump wants to raid that money to pay for his wall, after he had given his solemn word that Mexico would pay for it, and that is not acceptable. Because he cannot keep his word, he has already raided $6.2 billion from the Department of Defense this year alone for his border wall. He did all of that without congressional approval of either Republicans or Democrats. He diverted $2.6 billion from the fiscal year 2019 Defense Appropriations Act. Then he took another $3.6 billion from military construction projects for his southern border wall. That money came from projects that would have improved the lives of our troops and their families: military schools, childcare centers, and improved training facilities, many of which have been damaged by hurricanes and other natural disasters. On this side, we oppose this bill because we are fighting to protect funds that are meant for the women and men of our military and their families. We oppose this bill because we stand with those patriotic Americans, and we refuse to place the President's failed campaign promises on their backs. That alone should convince every Member of this Chamber to oppose this package. Yet the Labor-HHS appropriations bill that is tied to this Defense bill also shortchanges the domestic priorities of the American people by stealing even more money to pay for President Trump's vanity wall. If all things were equal, the Labor-HHS appropriations bill--our largest domestic funding bill--would receive a 3-percent increase in fiscal year 2020, but the Republican bill provides less than a 1- percent increase for Labor-HHS, while the Department of Homeland Security's appropriations bill receives a 7-percent increase to cover the cost of the President's demand for his wall. It doesn't add up to me, and it doesn't add up to most Americans, who broadly oppose President Trump's wall. If, in the House and Senate, we were to have an up-or-down vote on the wall, I suspect it would fail. So now, they are trying to do it through a backdoor way--a shortsighted cash grab directed by President Trump. This is a bill that fails to cover even the annual costs of inflation in public health, Head Start, childcare, special education, veterans' training grants, and dozens of other programs that are relied upon by the American people. He will cut the veterans programs and he will cut the childcare programs to pay for this wall. I am also disappointed by the willful spread of misinformation by President Trump and the Republican leadership regarding our opposition to this bill. They have baselessly accused the Democrats of blocking a 3.1-percent pay raise for our troops by our opposing this package. That is ridiculous. Regardless of the action we take in this Chamber, the men and women of our military will see a raise in January. No matter what we do, they are going to get that raise. This well-deserved raise is based on a statutory formula that does not need to be authorized by the legislation before us. In fact, neither the House nor the Senate Defense appropriations bills contain any provision that is related to a pay raise. Reaching a bipartisan-bicameral consensus on a $693 billion Defense appropriations bill is hard enough without there being the willful and irresponsible spreading of misinformation. This campaign of misinformation does not stop there. The Republican leadership has even accused the Senate Democrats of holding up aid to Ukraine. That would be laughable if it were not for the real-world consequences we are seeing play out in Ukraine today. It is the Republicans who are holding both military funding and Ukraine aid hostage to President Trump's vanity wall. It is the Republicans who refuse to bring a bill to the floor unless Congress enables President Trump to continue stealing funds from our troops and our military families to pay for the wall that he gave his solemn word that Mexico would pay for. The Senate Democrats have long advocated for aid to Ukraine. We insisted it be included in the fiscal year 2020 appropriations bills, and we will continue to do so because it is the right thing to do. Since 2015, I have personally supported more than $3.3 billion in aid for Ukraine. That is a level that far exceeds the President's request. These baseless accusations are merely attempts to distract from why the Senate Democrats are actually opposing this package. We will not stand idly by as President Trump continues to rob our military families--using them as his personal piggy bank--for a failed campaign promise that he cannot keep. We will not stand idly by as the domestic priorities of the American people are shortchanged to pay for some unnecessary monument to the President's ego along our southern border. We have been down this road before. Just last month, the Republican leadership failed to get the votes that were necessary to move these bills, but I think it is prudent to remind everyone that this entire strategy has been tried before. It failed before, and it will fail again--that strategy being the wall over everything, that strategy being the wall at all costs no matter how much damage it does to our veterans, no matter how much damage it does to our military families, and no matter how much damage it does to American children. It is a strategy of a wall and a campaign promise over the American people. That same strategy drove the country into the longest government shutdown in American history earlier this year that cost the taxpayers billions of dollars, and they got absolutely nothing in return. Incidentally, that was when the Republicans controlled both Chambers of Congress, and they still allowed this shutdown. So, if you think this failed Republican strategy will work on the second go-around, I have a fence for you to paint back at my home in Vermont. Everyone here knows there is only one real path forward to our reaching agreement on bipartisan bills, and I believe it is time we reached that agreement. I have tremendous respect for my good friend Chairman Shelby. Look at the bills we just passed overwhelmingly. That is because Senator Shelby and I were able to sit down and work on these bills, put them together, and do them in a bipartisan way. I have told the Secretary of Defense and others that we still have time to do that on the Defense appropriations bill. We can do it. When we come back next week, we should try again. Let the grownups in both parties in this body work on it. We will get it done, but the clock is ticking. It is really time to stop the political maneuverings and to stop the sloganeering. Let's do real work. I yield the floor.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today I am proud to honor the contributions of farm to school programs around the country by introducing a resolution that designates October as ``National Farm to School Month.'' I am glad Senators Collins, Brown, and Perdue joined me in introducing this resolution. Under a provision I authored in the 2010 Healthy and Hunger-Free Kids Act, farm to school programs across the country have thrived. Grants have been awarded in all 50 States and the District of Columbia to support programs in more than 43,000 schools. We have learned that one of the best ways to help students make healthy choices is to teach them about their food and how it is grown. Making that connection makes a difference. We all know that hungry children cannot learn. Studies have shown that healthy nutrition in a young person's diet is crucial to cognitive ability and better health in the long run. Food insecurity and obesity rates are still too high in this country, resulting in poor health and learning and behavioral difficulties at school. The school meal program has made tremendous strides in recent years to ensure not only that children have access to meals throughout the school day but that those meals are nutritious. The Farm to School Program has given children and schools across the country the tools to craft farm-fresh, healthy, and delicious meals that students enjoy. In Vermont, I have seen firsthand how farm to school efforts have better connected children with the food in their cafeteria. Students participate in school gardens, sustainability projects, and taste tests for new school menu items. Earlier this month, I was glad to visit St. Albans, VT, to announce grants that will enhance classroom curriculum to help children become familiar with local food and how to eat healthfully. Ensuring children have enough food to eat is an issue that unites us all. There is simply no excuse that in the wealthiest, most powerful Nation on Earth, people go hungry. Small changes in eating habits by children will result in lifelong health benefits for generations to come. The Farm to School Program empowers children and their families to make healthy choices now and in the future. I am glad all Senators joined us in recognizing the importance of this program and recognizing October 2019 as National Farm to School Month.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, as the Senator knows, Senator Shelby and I have been working very hard on the appropriations bills. I commend his staff and my staff for all the work they have done. It is not just the bill's first page and the number at the end that counts. There is a whole lot that goes in in between. There are a number of policy considerations that are in there. There are things that Senators from both parties want that make a great deal of sense and both parties are for it, and we are putting those together. I would hope, having done all that, it means that within the next day or so we can get at least four of these appropriations bills passed. I remind everybody that the last time Senator Shelby and I went through this exercise, we passed most of the bills, if not unanimously, virtually unanimously. I think it helps the Senate. It shows that we are doing our work and that we can set aside partisan differences and do what is best for the country. The other body has been working very hard in the House of Representatives on their appropriations bills. Their Appropriations Committee is led by two of the finest members I have served with: Nita Lowey, the chair from New York, and Kay Granger, the ranking member from Texas--one a Democrat and one a Republican--both of whom believe in the Congress and have our support, and they worked hard. I say that just because I have had so many Members ask me how it is going. I think it is going better than anybody thought it might at this point earlier. We will get it done. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I don't see the Senator from Kentucky on the floor, but I will speak briefly in opposition to it as I know many others feel the same. His amendment will slash spending below the Bipartisan Budget Act, which we all negotiated, by over $14 billion. To give you some examples, the U.S. Census Bureau would be $3.8 billion below the fiscal year 2020 bipartisan level, making it impossible to hold an accurate and complete count. It would severely compromise the Federal Government's ability to fight wildfires and safeguard people's lives and property. All you have to do is look at the tens of thousands of acres in California, Arizona, and Colorado to see what that would do. We have $3.6 billion to fight wildfires. He would reject those increases and then cut them by $1.6 billion. It would cut available funding for our Nation's roadways and bridges by over $1.5 billion. It would eliminate the potential of there being 19,500 new jobs and a whole lot of other things. Mr. President, the Paul amendment would slash spending below the Bipartisan Budget Act by over $14 billion. Under the Paul amendment, the Bureau of the Census would be $3.8 billion below the fiscal year 2020 funding level in the Senate bill. At this funding level, it would not be possible to hold an accurate and complete count. The Paul amendment would also severely compromise the Federal Government's ability to fight catastrophic wildfires and safeguard people's lives and property at a time when tens of thousands of acres in California, Arizona, and Colorado are ablaze. The fiscal year 2020 Senate bill provides $3.6 billion to fight wildfires and access. The Paul amendment would reject those increases and reduce the amounts provided for fire suppression by $1.6 billion. The Paul amendment would cut available funding for our Nation's roadways and bridges by over $1.5 billion, eliminating the potential for 19,500 new jobs and exacerbating the $123 billion backlog of bridge repairs and replacement of 47,000 structurally deficient bridges. These are just a few examples of the real world implications of the Paul amendment. I urge all members to vote no. Mr. President, if nobody seeks time, I yield back all time.

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, the travel section of the New York Times on Sunday, October 6, 2019, included a lengthy article about the extraordinary music of Cuba and the rich culture that has developed over many generations around the creation and performance of music in that country. The article is too long to insert into the Record, but I encourage all Senators to read it as it describes in colorful detail the unique creativity, ingenuity, and complexity of Cuban music that derives from the infinite variety of sounds, instruments, artistry, and talents of Cuban musicians drawing on their African, Haitian, and European heritage. I mention this because it is illustrative of the many aspects of Cuban society today that Americans should be able to experience for themselves. The Cuban people, who endure many hardships, are as resilient, ingenious, and hard-working as any people I have met. Despite an economy broken by mismanagement that discourages private initiative, a one-party political system that punishes dissent, racial, and gender inequality, and only dreams for a better future, they know how to enjoy life's pleasures and to make strangers feel welcome. Unfortunately, rather than encouraging Americans to travel to Cuba to experience Cuban society and build relations with the Cuban people, as we do with people living under other autocratic governments, President Trump has slammed the door. Egged on by a handful of Cuban-American hardliners in the White House, the State Department, and Congress--few, if any, of whom have ever set foot in Cuba--the President has adopted a bankrupt approach toward that country that is steeped in hypocrisy. These are the same people who for years have unreservedly supported spending hundreds of millions of dollars on TV and Radio Marti, despite abundant evidence that they were little more than anti-Cuba propaganda broadcasts masquerading as objective journalism. Finally, thanks to a recent investigation, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting has new leadership and reforms are underway. Those reforms should include relocating the Office to Washington, DC, where it would be less vulnerable to the political interference and ideological influence that has plagued it in the past. Every few weeks or months, this White House devises a new way to ratchet up pressure on the Cuban Government and, in doing so, cause greater hardship for the Cuban people on whose behalf the White House professes to act. The latest was announced last week, when the Commerce Department said it is revoking licenses for aircraft leases to Cuban airlines and will deny future applications for aircraft leases. It will also expand sanctions to cover more foreign goods containing as little as 10 percent U.S. content. Since this, like other sanctions against Cuba, will backfire, there is only one rational explanation: The White House, and their enablers in Congress, care little about the impact of these punitive policies on the Cuban people. They are motivated by personal and ideological animus. The White House has imposed onerous restrictions on travel by Americans who want, and have a right, to visit Cuba as they can to every other country, except North Korea, and by Cubans who want to visit or resettle in the United States. Just to apply for a U.S. visa, Cubans must now travel to a third country at a cost of hundreds of dollars that very few can afford. Cuban entrepreneurs, whose fledgling small businesses depend on American customers, have seen their incomes plunge as visits to Cuba by Americans have fallen by 50 percent. For the first time that I can remember, Cubans with claims of being threatened and arrested for their political activism in Cuba and who have requested asylum in this country have been locked up in U.S. jails and deported. The White House has severely limited remittances, on which many Cuban families depend. President Trump apparently believes it is his prerogative to dictate to Cuban-Americans how much--or how little--of their hard-earned income they can send to needy relatives. The State Department ordered the departure of U.S. Embassy personnel from Havana and Cuban Embassy personnel from Washington, which has brought diplomacy to a virtual halt. Discussions on a wide range of topics, from public health to climate change that began under President Obama have all but ceased, and our top diplomat, Secretary of State Pompeo, has nothing but praise for a failed policy that is completely at odds with the mission of his Department. Exhaustive investigations have not produced any evidence that illnesses suffered by U.S. Government personnel in Havana that triggered the ordered departure were caused by the Cuban Government, as some initially charged. Yet, 3 years later, our Embassy is barely functioning with a skeleton staff, and the State Department has done nothing to try to mitigate the adverse impact this is having on our relations with Cuba. Under President Obama, negotiations began to seek a resolution of the thorny issue of expropriated property claims. The Trump White House summarily abandoned that process and has instead encouraged lawsuits against American companies that want to do business in Cuba, if doing so involves property confiscated during the Cuban revolution 60 years ago. Airports, seaports, warehouses, hotels, homes, and restaurants, many of which were once owned by Cuban elites who profited off the spoils of the U.S.-supported Batista dictatorship, are now off limits. This is a legitimate issue that needs to be addressed, but tying up U.S. courts for years and hurting American companies is not the way to do it. The White House has insisted that each of these and other punitive actions is designed to bring democracy to Cuba and human rights to the Cuban people. And I have little doubt that creative minds in the White House will conjure up additional sanctions in the coming months. None of them will achieve those goals or anything positive for Cuba or its people. Anyone who knows Cuba, and who knows the Cuban Government, understands the fallacy of the White House's approach. I wish it were otherwise, but human rights have not improved since President Trump announced his punitive policy 3 years ago. In fact the situation is worse, as the recent re-arrests of Jose Daniel Ferrer, Berta Soler, and other dissidents illustrates. As access to the Internet in Cuba has increased, so has persecution of critics of the government. With only a handful of staff at our Embassy in Havana, there is no one to regularly interact with the Cuban dissident community or their families. Cuba is no closer to being a multi-party democracy than it was 3 years ago, nor is the Cuban Government any closer to withdrawing its support for Nicolas Maduro despite his corrupt, abusive, and disastrous reign in Venezuela. So yes, we have profound disagreements. But while the administration continues to tighten the screws on Cuba, making the lives of the Cuban people even more difficult, President Trump sings the praises of other foreign dictators and pretends to be concerned about corruption in Ukraine. He called Egypt's President al-Sisi a great leader. He invited President Erdogan to the White House. He admires Vladimir Putin and Roberto Duterte. He has spoken endearingly of Kim Jung Un, and he has praised Xi Jinping and the Saudi Crown Prince. How can one possibly reconcile embracing these ruthless, corrupt strongmen while at the same time throwing the book at Cuba, a tiny, impoverished country that poses no threat to the United States and whose people want closer ties with the United States? This is what happens when national policy is subverted by local politics, when promises derived from campaign contributions take precedence over the national interest, when family grievances and the personal vindictiveness of a few with political influence trample on the aspirations of the majority of Americans. This administration's policy toward Cuba is no different from past failed attempts to force the Cuban Government to transform itself into a democracy, or to incite the Cuban people to rise up and overthrow it. It has not worked, and it won't work. And in the meantime, the Russians are eagerly filling the vacuum, only this time it is 90 miles from Florida, not 6,000 miles away in Syria. Russia's Prime Minister Medvedev visited Cuba just 3 weeks ago. No one is saying that we should provide aid or sell weapons to the Cuban Government the way this administration does to despotic governments in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines. No one is saying that we should not criticize the Cuban Government for its repressive policies and its abuse of those who speak out for greater political, economic, and journalistic freedom. No one is saying that we should excuse Cuba's support for Maduro or for the corrupt and repressive Ortega Government in Nicaragua. What we are saying is that pursuing a policy that has failed for more than half a century is nonsensical, indefensible, and wrong. It has achieved none of its objectives, while it is harming the Cuban people and infringing on the rights of the American people. And if we are serious about controlling the spread of deadly viruses; mitigating the effects of climate change; combating organized crime, drug trafficking, and human trafficking; protecting fisheries and other marine resources; addressing the causes of migration; expanding export markets for American companies; and countering the influence of Russia and China in this hemisphere, we need to engage with every one of our neighbors whether we agree with their policies or not. I hope the new National Security Advisor will review this policy. I hope he will put it to the test of time and common sense. I hope he will assess whether it is achieving its objectives and whether it is serving our national interests. I hope he will ensure that the right people, who will put the national interest first, are the architects of our policy toward Cuba. And I hope he will consult widely on ways to improve our policy, rather than rely on a handful of extreme voices that are not representative of the majority of the American people or the majority of Members of Congress.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today is World Polio Day, and I want to comment briefly about the funding to support global polio eradication efforts in the Senate version of the fiscal year 2020 Department of State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, which was reported unanimously by the Appropriations Committee on September 26. Polio is a highly infectious, crippling, and potentially fatal disease. While there is no cure, there are safe and effective vaccines. The global strategy to eradicate polio, therefore, focuses on preventing infection by immunizing every child until transmission stops and the world is polio-free. Through the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, the United States provides financial support and technical leadership around the world to support the eradication strategy. USAID focuses specifically on recognizing and raising the importance of identifying and reaching mobile populations, cross-border coordination, communications, and the need for more women vaccinators and community- based disease surveillance. Since global polio eradication efforts began 30 years ago, when cases numbered 350,000 annually, polio has been eliminated in more than 120 countries and remains endemic in only three--Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. While significant progress has been made, much work remains. Cases of polio persist in insecure areas and in countries with porous borders and large migratory populations, posing considerable obstacles to eradication. However, while there have been real setbacks, and the goal posts continue to change, complacency is not an option. To that end, the Appropriations Committee has recommended $61 million in fiscal year 2020--an increase of $2 million over last year--for USAID's polio eradication activities. Increased resources are necessary to get over the finish line in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan, and to demonstrate the continued U.S. commitment to polio eradication. It is our hope that this increase will cause other donors to follow our example. I am not alone in my support for these activities. The State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee heard from more than 20 members, Republicans and Democrats, requesting funding for global polio eradication efforts in fiscal year 2020. So while many Senators have advocated for this critical funding, I want to be sure that all 100 Senators are aware of these efforts which are essential to achieving a polio-free world.

Mr. LEAHY

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

Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, as the distinguished senior Senator from Alabama has said, we are going to be voting soon on our ``domestic minibus.'' We will vote on a cloture motion to proceed to H.R. 3055. I understand that once we are on the bill, Chairman Shelby is going to offer a substitute amendment that will include four bills that were reported from the Appropriations Committee with every Republican and every Democrat voting for them--the Agriculture bill, the Interior bill, the Commerce-Justice-Science bill, and the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill. I know that some feel that sometimes the Congress gets so polarized that we could not have a unanimous vote that the Sun rises in the east, but this was a case where we did in our committee, which has representatives of all wings of the Republican Party and all wings of the Democratic Party. We all voted aye, and I would urge Members to vote aye. I am pleased that the substitute package will not include the Military Construction and the Veterans Affairs bill, and let me explain why. The underlying House vehicle we are moving to contains the House version of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill, but the Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet considered this bill. We have not had debate in the committee. We have not had a vote on it in committee. It would be premature to bring it to the Senate floor. It is an important bill. It is an important bill that I have always supported because it funds critical programs, particularly for our veterans. But President Trump wants to insist on using the bill to take funding from our troops and their families to fund his ineffective wall--a wall that he gave his word Mexico would pay for--and that is unacceptable. Look at the people who are affected by the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill. Let's not get them tied up in a Presidential campaign promise. Let's look at the military families who are now living in substandard housing. Let's look at the veterans who are not getting the care they need. Let's have a clean bill. Had the bill with the President's wall been in this--the American people would be paying for it and not Mexico, as the President promised--I would have been unable to support the cloture motion. I am going to have more to say about each of the four bipartisan bills included in Chairman Shelby's substitute when we turn to them. Hopefully we can by tomorrow. Each one funds programs that are important to the American people and our economy. They make critical investments in affordable housing, infrastructure, rural development, our farming communities, our small businesses, and our environment. They are good bills. I was glad to work with Senator Shelby so we could have these bills before the Senate. They speak to real needs of the American people. Now we have only 4 short weeks before the continuing resolution we are operating under expires. Four weeks can go by very quickly around here. We need to do our work. We need to do it quickly. We should be able to enact all 12 appropriations bills into law. I was going to say the Senate deserves no less, but it is the American people who deserve no less. So I will continue to work with Senator Shelby and others, both Republicans and Democrats alike, to get these bills done. We have a vote coming up soon. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I understand we are waiting for another Senator, and when he arrives, of course, I will yield.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Bob Ross, a detailee on the Agriculture Subcommittee, Faisal Amin, a detailee on the Interior Subcommittee, and Olivia Matthews, an intern on my Appropriations Committee, be granted floor privileges for the length of the current debate on H.R. 3055, the Commerce, Justice, Science, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act of 2020.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, oceans, lakes, and rivers across our planet are filled with debris that litters shorelines and threatens public health, navigation safety, wildlife, and the environment. This debris causes serious damage to the health of ocean ecosystems and marine life and, due to ocean currents, often travels great distances and poses threats to nations that are not responsible for the mismanagement of such waste. One of the most common forms of marine debris is plastic, which is abundant in our everyday lives, often in the form of single-use packaging. Countless seabirds, sea turtles, seals, and other marine animals are killed each year after ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it. And most commonly used plastics never fully degrade but, rather, break down into smaller and smaller pieces, known as microplastics, which pose unique problems of their own. The negative health, environmental, and economic impacts of marine pollution, both to countries that discharge waste and to those on whose shorelines such waste washes up, are steadily mounting. Billions of pounds of plastic and other debris can be found in our oceans and waterways. In the Senate version of the fiscal year 2020 Department of State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, which was reported unanimously by the Appropriations Committee on September 26, the committee recommended funding to respond to this global threat. In this bill, the committee directs the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development to redouble their diplomatic and programmatic support for regional and global efforts to address this urgent problem, including through grants, technical assistance, and new multilateral mechanisms, and provides $10 million to support such efforts. While the funding provided is minuscule compared to what is needed, the committee's intent is clear. The United States must increase its leadership and visibility on this issue and become more engaged in efforts to prevent and mitigate the impacts of marine debris. The committee recognizes that the United States cannot address this problem alone. Nothing connects countries of the world more than oceans and waterways, and strong international cooperation is necessary to guarantee their conservation for generations to come. It is imperative that the United States increases its engagement both bilaterally and multilaterally to tackle this challenge. It is not an understatement to say that what I am speaking about--the protection of the oceans, lakes, and rivers of our planet--is essential to our existence. I hope other Senators will join me, Senator Whitehouse, and others who have taken up this cause in calling for additional resources to address ocean plastic pollution.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today we remember and remind the world that nearly 1 year has passed since the premeditated murder of Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudi Government. That horrific crime, carried out so brazenly as if it were just a routine job, exposed the true character of the Saudi Government not only as it pertains to Mr. Khashoggi but to the ruthless treatment of critics of the Saudi royal family more broadly. While the Crown Prince systematically orders the execution of his opponents, he has so far escaped punishment for the murder of Mr. Khashoggi and for the lies about that crime. Multiple Saudi officials, including the Foreign Minister, Minister of Interior, and others--all members of the royal family--flagrantly and shamelessly lied to the world, repeatedly changing their story. The Crown Prince called Khashoggi a ``dangerous jihadist.'' That too was a lie. The Saudis, who have refused to turn over Mr. Khashoggi's remains, insist that the men who were arrested are the only ones involved in the murder. No one who knows anything about the Saudi royal family, which is the Saudi Government, believes that. Despite all the incriminating evidence and all the lies, the White House continues to ignore its own intelligence experts and the U.N. Special Rapporteur, relying instead on the Saudi royal family to investigate itself. What a sham. This crime reminds us that journalists the world over who shine a spotlight on corrupt, repressive governments risk their lives and the safety of their families. They are threatened and killed for nothing more than doing their job. Today we are also concerned about the fate of hundreds of courageous pro-democracy activists who have recently been arrested for protesting against corruption and repression in Egypt. Journalists, members of opposition political parties, and civil society activists in Egypt are routinely persecuted, denied due process, and subjected to prolonged physical and psychological abuse. If the Saudi royal family can escape punishment for the premeditated murder of a Washington Post journalist, what does that say to journalists everywhere? What does it say about our own government, if we accept that? I want to remind the Saudi Government, the White House, and the State Department that we do not--and we will not--accept that. Jamal Khashoggi was murdered, and there is no reasonable doubt about who is culpable. Justice will be done--no matter how long it takes.

Mr. LEAHY

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased that the fiscal year 2020 appropriations bill for the Department of State and Foreign Operations was reported unanimously by the committee earlier today. There is a great deal in the bill that the American people can feel good about, as the summaries released by both the majority and minority indicate. However, as is always the case with bipartisan legislation, there are also things that I wish were not in the bill, and there are things missing from the bill that I wish had been included. I want to speak about one of those. I deeply regret that the bill does not even mention the words ``climate change.'' That is remarkable, or perhaps a better word is ``appalling,'' when one considers the existential threat that climate change poses for every living thing on Earth. If Democrats were in the majority, funding for programs to combat global warming and adapt to climate change would be a priority in the bill. Instead, it is completely missing. An example is the Green Climate Fund, GCF, which was created in 2010 with the active participation of the United States. Its mission is to respond to climate change by investing in low-emission and climate- resilient development. The GCF was established to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries and to help vulnerable societies adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. The United States contributed a total of $1 billion in the first 2 years of operation of the GCF. Then President Trump was elected. Even though, according to press reports, the Trump Organization had previously cited climate change in its application for a permit to build a barrier to protect a Trump golf course from the rising sea level and increasingly powerful storms, he continues to publicly refuse to recognize climate change as a serious threat. Despite that hypocrisy and overwhelming scientific recognition of the impact of burning fossil fuels on the Earth's climate, the Trump White House withdrew from the Paris climate agreement and opposed further U.S. funding for the GCF. Republican majorities in the Congress fell into line, and in the past two appropriations bills, there has been no funding for a U.S. contribution to the GCF. The next replenishment for the GCF is scheduled for 2020. Since there are no funds in the bill just reported by the Appropriations Committee for a U.S. contribution to the GCF, absent an about-face by the White House, the United States will not make a replenishment pledge. It will be left to other countries to ensure that the GCF continues to operate. Once again, U.S. leadership to address what many believe to be the most ominous threat facing the world is nowhere to be seen. Despite that inexcusable failure by the White House and the Republican leadership in Congress, it is important to emphasize that overwhelmingly the American people recognize the threat that climate change poses and they want strong action to address it. They see what is happening here and around the world, as extreme climatic events-- hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, droughts, and forest fires, coupled with crop failures, displacement of people whose homes and livelihoods are destroyed, and unprecedented migration flows--become more and more frequent and destructive. They rightly fear that if we fail to act, not long from now, these types of disasters will be exponentially worse, and they worry about the chaos this would cause for their children and grandchildren. I mention this because I am confident that as soon as we have a President who puts the lives of future generations above the profits and campaign contributions of the fossil fuel companies, the United States will once again become a leader against climate change and a leading contributor to the GCF. Other countries should understand this. Despite President Trump and his cheerleaders in Congress, the United States has not turned its back on the threat of climate change, nor have we abandoned the GCF. Presidents come and go, and while U.S. support for diplomacy and programs to combat climate change is currently suspended, the American people, and especially the younger generation, will make sure that suspension is only temporary.