John McCain

Mr. McCAIN

Mr. McCAIN. We are ready to schedule further votes on amendments after the 3 p.m. vote on the Reed amendment, and it is my expectation that we will be able to lock in those votes tomorrow morning. The ranking member and I have asked all of our colleagues to adhere to a filing deadline for first-degree amendments to the bill at 6 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday. There are several hundred filed amendments already, and those with further amendments should bring them down tomorrow by close of business. I also wish to add, my colleagues, I hope we can agree to the filing deadline. That will be approximately a week that we have been on the bill. I think that, hopefully, will be sufficient time for most of our colleagues or all of our colleagues to have time to file amendments. Senator Reed and I will continue the practice of allowing pending amendments, one on either side. We will be able then to schedule votes on pending amendments as they are, one on either side. I thank Senator Reed, and I hope we can get a lot of debate and discussion. The Reed amendment is a very important amendment. I respect Senator Reed's view on this issue, and we obviously will let the body decide. I do hope our colleagues understand that we have many filed amendments, and we would like to get to as many of them as possible. We would like to have as many Members be able to have their amendments on this bill as they feel necessary. We don't have to emphasize the importance of this legislation. I also look forward to Members coming to the floor tomorrow and debating the Reed amendment. It is a very important amendment, and I think it deserves the views of as many Members as possible, including those who are on the committee. Senator Reed.

Mr. McCAIN

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. McCAIN

Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that at 1:45 p.m. today, the Senate vote in relation to the following amendments: Shaheen No. 1494, spouse definition; Tillis No. 1506, C-130 aircraft; further, that there be no second-degree amendments in order to any of those amendments prior to the votes, and that the Shaheen amendment be subject to a 60-affirmative-vote threshold for adoption.

Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, on behalf of Senator Paul of Kentucky, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment in order to call up amendment No. 1543. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCAIN. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, I rise with my friend from Arizona, Senator Flake, to speak about an amendment that he and I and Senator Blumenthal from Connecticut have as part of this pending legislation. Along with sports fans across America, I was appalled to learn last month that many of the ceremonies honoring members of our armed services at NFL games are not actually being conducted out of a sense of patriotism but for profit in the form of millions of dollars in taxpayers' money going from the Department of Defense to wealthy NFL franchises. In fact, NFL teams have received nearly $7 million in taxpayer dollars over the last 3 years from contracts with the Army National Guard, which include public tributes to American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. Our amendment would put an end to this shameful practice and ask the NFL to return those profits to charities supporting our troops, veterans, and their families. All Americans can agree that sports unite us, especially football. For generations, football has brought together people from every walk of life--from the first organized American football game between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869 to Super Bowl XLIX played in the great State of Arizona this February, which attracted more than 100 million television viewers, the most watched TV program in history. Football has been a uniting force for our Nation. Every weekend, from peewee to high school, college, and the NFL, for good seasons and bad, in common cause and bitter rivalry, millions of passionate fans have bonded together. For many Americans, football is deeply patriotic and woven into the very fabric of our country's unique history and heritage. For several weeks every fall, this patriotic spirit grows when the NFL takes time to honor the service and sacrifice of the brave young Americans serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Teams wear special camouflage uniforms, hold special game-day programming under the theme ``Salute to Service.'' We have all been heartened by these patriotic displays, from the giant oversized flags and color guard pregame performances to half time tributes to our hometown heroes. Every fan, whether united by team or divided by rivalry, comes together to thank those who have served and sacrificed on our Nation's behalf. That is why I and so many other Americans were shocked and disappointed to learn that several NFL teams were not sponsoring these activities out of the goodness of their own hearts but were doing so to make an extra buck, taking money from American taxpayers in exchange for honoring American troops. That means many of the color guard performances and troop recognition ceremonies were actually funded with American tax dollars and pocketed by wealthy NFL teams. For example, the Army National Guard spent $675,000 under contracts with the New England Patriots--hardly a deprived franchise--that included a program called ``True Patriot,'' in which the team honored Guard soldiers at half-time shows during home games. Other contracts funded color guard performances, flag ceremonies, and appearance fees to players for honoring local high school coaches and visiting students. According to the information my office has received from the Army National Guard, the NFL received nearly $7 million in taxpayer dollars over the last 3 years from Guard contracts for activities including: pregame color guard ceremonies, pregame reenlistment ceremonies, pregame onfield American flag rollouts, ingame flag runners, half-time soldier recognition ceremonies, Guard-sponsored high school Player of the Week and Coach of the Week awards, and Guard-sponsored player appearances at local high schools. The following teams had contracts in the past 3 years, according to the Army National Guard: Atlanta Falcons, $579,500; Baltimore Ravens, $350,000; Buffalo Bills, $550,000; Chicago Bears, $443,000; Cincinnati Bengals, $117,000; Dallas Cowboys, $262,500; Denver Broncos, $460,000; Detroit Lions, $193,000; Green Bay Packers, $300,000; Indianapolis Colts, $400,000; Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Jacksonville Jaguars, $160,000; Minnesota Vikings, $410,000; New Orleans Saints, $307,000; New York Jets, $212,500; Oakland Raiders, $275,000; Pittsburgh Steelers, $217,000; St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, $60,000; San Diego Chargers, $453,500; San Francisco 49ers, $125,000; and Seattle Seahawks, $393,500. What makes these expenditures all the more troubling is at the same time the Guard was spending millions on pro-sports advertising, it was also running out of money for critical training for our troops. In fact, at the end of fiscal year 2014, the National Guard Bureau and Army National Guard announced they were facing a $101 million shortfall in the account used to pay National Guardsmen and could face a delay in critical training and drills because they couldn't afford to pay soldiers. Despite the fact that the Guard was facing serious threats to meeting its primary mission and paying its current soldiers, it was spending millions of taxpayer dollars on speakership and advertising deals with professional sports leagues, such as the NFL. This is obviously unacceptable. Providing for our common defense is the highest duty of the Federal Government. At a time of crippling budget cuts under sequestration, the Defense Department cannot afford to waste its limited resources for the benefit of sports leagues that rake in billions of dollars a year. Each of the four service Chiefs have warned before the Senate Armed Services Committee this year that sequestration is damaging our military readiness and putting American lives in danger. We must conserve every precious defense dollar we have at our disposal--which the NDAA does through important reforms to acquisition, military retirement, personnel, headquarters and management, and which our amendment would support by ending taxpayer- funded soldier tributes at professional sporting events. In addition to ending this shameful practice, this amendment calls upon professional sports leagues like the NFL to donate--to donate-- these ill-gotten profits to charities supporting American troops, veterans, and their families. The NFL raked in revenues totaling some $9.5 billion. The absolute least they can do to begin to make up for this terrible misjudgment is to return those taxpayer dollars to charities supporting our troops, veterans, and military families. I thank my fellow Senator from the State of Arizona, Jeff Flake, who has done terrific oversight of this issue. He was the first to expose it and similar cases of wasteful and excessive government spending. I also commend Senator Blumenthal for his longstanding commitment to our troops and veterans, as well as the other Members of this body who have supported our amendment. Again, I thank Jeff Flake, who was first to blow the whistle on this egregious use of American tax dollars, and also Senator Blumenthal. I yield the floor.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, the ranking member and I have a small package of amendments that have been cleared by both sides. I ask unanimous consent that the following amendments be called up, reported by number, and agreed to en bloc: Shaheen No. 1618; McCain, Blumenthal, and Flake No. 1539; Shaheen No. 1551; Warner No. 1571; Hoeven No. 1484; and Heller No. 1511.

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

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask that Senators wait to speak--which I will be asking to be in morning business in about 2 or 3 minutes--while we finish seeing if the modification that may be at the desk is approved. I ask for their patience for 2 or 3 minutes until we get this done.

Mr. McCAIN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following amendment, No. 1543, be modified with the changes at the desk.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for 5 additional minutes--the vote was scheduled at a quarter after--an additional 5 minutes in order to allow 3 minutes for the Senator from Colorado and 3 minutes for the other Senator from Colorado.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, it is my understanding that there will be a vote at 10:15 a.m.; is that correct?

Mr. McCAIN. I thank the Chair. Mr. President, I just listened to the words of the Senate minority leader concerning his views on an authorization bill--not an appropriations bill, not a funding bill but an authorization bill. I would hope the minority leader and, frankly, my colleague and friend, Senator Reid, would pay attention to what is going on in the world today. I refer to the Washington Post this morning and an article entitled ``Deadly fighting tests truce in Ukraine.'' As many of us predicted, Vladmir Putin will continue his aggression and dismemberment of the European nation for the first time in 70 years. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the article entitled ``Deadly fighting tests truce in Ukraine'' be printed in the Record.

Mr. McCAIN. Perhaps the minority leader and others have missed this article: ``Syria likely used chlorine gas in recent bombing raids, rights group says.'' A prominent human rights group accused the Syrian government Wednesday of using toxic chemicals during a recent surge in attacks involving barrel bombs on rebel-held areas in northern Syria. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that this article be printed in the Record.

Mr. McCAIN. On the front page of the New York Times this morning: ``ISIS Making Political Gains, Group Stakes Claim As Protector of Sunnis.'' Ideologically unified, the Islamic State is emerging as a social and political movement in many Sunni areas, filling a void in the absence of solid national identity and security. At the same time, it responds brutally to any other Sunni group, militant or civilian, that poses a challenge to its supremacy. That dual strategy, purporting to represent Sunni interests and attacking any group that vies to play the same role, has allowed it to grow in the face of withering airstrikes. In the news yesterday: ISIS has closed off a dam to the north of Ramadi, cutting water supplies to pro-government towns downstream and making it easier for its fighters to attack government forces. ISIS militants are opening only two or three of the dam's 26 gates on the Euphrates River, denying water to numerous cities and using water as a critical weapon to gain more influence and territory. ``Iraq: ISIS fighters close Ramadi dam gates, cut off water to loyalist towns,'' that was on CNN. ``President Hassan Rouhani stated on Tuesday that,'' according to Reuters, `` `The Iranian nation and government will remain at the side of the Syrian nation and government until the end of the road.' He also pledged to send reinforcements in backing Bashar al-Assad.'' ``U.S.: Shiite Fighters in Iraq Are a Necessary, if Unlikely, Ally'' Retired Marine Gen. John Allen, said the militias have an important role to play in liberating Anbar, so long as they ``take command from the central authority.'' ``Embedding U.S. forces can help inject energy into leadership development of new and weaker Iraqi commanders. . . . '' AFP Beirut: ``Iraq, Iran fighters deployed to defend Damascus.'' Thousands of Iranian and Iraqi forces have been deployed in Syria in past weeks to bolster the defences of Damascus and its surroundings, a Syrian security force told AFP on Wednesday. Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted elite Revolutionary Guards General Qassem Soleimani as saying ``in the coming days the world will be surprised by what we are preparing, in cooperation with Syrian military leaders.'' I point out to my colleagues, Qassem Soleimani is the guy who sent the copper-tipped IEDs into Iraq that killed hundreds of marines and soldiers and also was seen prominently in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq leading the Shiite militias. Some of that is complicated. Some of it is impossible to make up. Finally, the New York Times article on June 2: ``Assad's Forces May Be Aiding New ISIS Surge.'' Building on recent gains in Iraq and Syria, Islamic State militants are marching across northern Syria toward Aleppo, Syria's largest city, helped along, their opponents say, by the forces of President Bashar al-Assad. Finally, ``Exclusive: Syrian Rebels Backing Out of U.S. Fight Vs. ISIS.'' Syrian rebels are backing out because they are not being protected by the United States of America and being barrel-bombed. So I will not even go into the crisis in the Far East, where China is now militarizing islands in international waters. So here we are arguing about the way the authorization for America's defense is funded, and the minority leader just announced they would take a stand because they don't like the way it is funded. I don't like the way it is funded. But don't those who are in opposition to this have some sense of reality as to what is going on in the world; that if we don't authorize the ability to defend this Nation and its national security interests--which in the words of Henry Kissinger before the Armed Services Committee, ``The world has not seen more crises since the end of World War II.'' I say, with respect to my good friend Senator Reid, haven't you got your priorities skewed? Don't you understand this is an authorization bill? Don't you understand that if you want to fight, fight it on appropriations? Don't you understand--I am sure you do--that this is about the welfare and benefit of the men and women who are serving? I am as opposed to sequestration as anybody. I have watched the hearings on the Senate Armed Services Committee, where the military leaders have said sequestration is putting the lives of the men and women serving in uniform in greater danger. That should be enough alone, but we are playing the hand we are dealt. That fight should not take place on an authorization bill. This authorizes reforms of the Pentagon. This authorizes reforms of the retirement system, which is long overdue. It authorizes our ability to acquire the weapons and training which are necessary to defend this Nation. It doesn't fund them. It doesn't fund them; it authorizes them. After intense hearings, months and months of hearings, debate, work in the Senate Armed Services Committee, we have come up with a product that I am extremely proud of. I understand my friend from Rhode Island will be proposing an amendment later on to nullify the funding of OCO, which would then, by the way, have the effect of reducing the funding and authorization rather dramatically and cancel many vitally needed programs, equipment, and training for the men and women who are serving in the military. That is fine, but that will be defeated. Once it is defeated, I hope and pray we will then move forward with the amendment process, which has been absent for the last 2 years-- totally absent for the last 2 years--and not--for the first time in 53 years--not pass a Defense authorization bill through the Congress of the United States. For 53 years, through Democratic and Republican majorities, through liberal and conservative, we have authorized. We have authorized because our highest responsibility is the security of this Nation. I urge all of my colleagues, if we want to have this fight, have it on the appropriations bill, the money bill. This is authorization. For you to distort it in some way and to equate it with a funding mechanism, in my view, is intellectual sophistry. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I have a list of staff members of the Committee on Armed Services and I ask unanimous consent that those staffers on the list be granted the privilege of the floor at all times during the Senate's consideration of and votes relating to H.R. 1735, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2016. The list is as follows: Barker, Adam; --Barney, Steven; --Bennett, Jody; -Borawski, June; --Brewer, Leah; ---Brose, Christian; --Chuhta, Carolyn; --Clark, Jon; ---Clark, Samantha; --Davis, Lauren; --Donovan, Matt; --Edelman, Kathryn; --Edwards, Allen; --Epstein, Jonathan; --Everett, Elizabeth; --Goel, Anish; ---Goffus, Tom; ---Greene, Creighton; --Greenwalt, Bill; --Guzelsu, Ozge; --Hayes, Jeremy; --Hickey, James; --Howard, Gary; --- Kerber, Jackie; -- King, Elizabeth; --Kuiken, Mike. Leeling, Gary; Lehman, John; Lerner, Daniel; Lilly, Greg; McConnell, Kirk; McNamara, Maggie; Monahan, Bill; Nicolas, Natalie; Noblet, Mike; Patout, Brad; Potter, Jason; Quirk, John; Salmon, Diem; Sawyer, Brendan; Sayers, Eric; Scheunemann, Leah; Seraphin, Arun; Soofer, Rob; Sterling, Cord; Waisanen, Robert; Walker, Barry; Walker, Dustin; Wheelbarger, Katie; White, Jennifer.

Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, for the benefit of Members, and in agreement with Senator Reed, we will be having the Shaheen amendment, followed by side-by-side Markey and Cornyn amendments. And those votes, we are planning on, but haven't confirmed, will probably be at around 1:45 p.m., and that would complete our activities. That is not totally agreed to, but that is the plan.

Mr. McCAIN. We will voice vote the Tillis amendment, and we will be looking, hopefully, at a manager's package, as well. I yield the floor.

Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, I withdraw my request with respect to amendment No. 1543. It is my understanding we will call up this amendment after the votes this afternoon.

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

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Paul, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment in order to call up amendment No. 1543.

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

Mr. McCAIN

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business for 1 hour, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.