John McCain

Mr. McCAIN

Mr. McCAIN. I thank the Senator from Tennessee. As the Senator from South Carolina noted, the relationship that exists between the Senator from Tennessee and the Senator from New Jersey, I believe, has reinvigorated the Foreign Relations Committee in a very incredible way. What has taken place, thanks to that bipartisanship and hard work, has really been some remarkable results. Frankly, thanks to the Senator's leadership and under the chairman, we have been able to have a significant impact on the conduct of national security in what I would argue is probably the greatest turmoil in my lifetime. I thank the Senator from Tennessee for his great work.

Mr. McCAIN

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

Mr. McCAIN

Mr. McCAIN. I ask unanimous consent the colloquy between the three of us be allowed.

Mr. McCAIN. I thank my two colleagues from North Dakota and Wyoming. There are no two Members of the Senate who know more and have worked harder on this energy issue. There are no two Senators who have worked harder to try to bring to the American people the fact that if we could export energy to these countries, it could literally change the world. This is not only when it actually arrives, but when Vladimir Putin gets the message, within 3 years--as I understand the Senator from North Dakota's context--we could be sending energy to the living rooms. If you would put the numbers back up with the countries and their dependence on Russian energy. Within 3 years the people within Latvia, Estonia, members of NATO, would no longer be reliant--and it gets very cold up in those Baltic countries as well. It can have a significant effect on the entire world. I would also point out if that energy--and I would ask my colleagues from Wyoming or North Dakota--could get to the living room of Kiev-- which the Senator showed the different pipelines that cross Ukraine-- that has a huge effect. I would ask my friend from Wyoming to comment. We have threatened Russians time after time after they absorbed Crimea in violation of an agreement they made in Budapest to respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine. They absorbed Crimea. They continue to provoke unrest in Eastern Ukraine. They have been threatened time after time by the United States and Europe, and I would argue that the handful of sanctions on individuals has had very little effect whatsoever on Russian behavior. I ask the Senator from Wyoming as well, this is not only about the fact that the United States of America would be an energy exporter-- which is a huge effect on our economy--but this could have a huge effect on the entire European Continent, because if Vladimir Putin understands that this energy is coming from a friend of the ally of the United States America, as opposed to them being dependent on Russian oil and energy, I would argue that it could change the entire shape of the world as we know it. I thank both of the Senators who have been involved in this issue for many years. I don't know how many times both Senators have come to the floor--and I might just say I don't claim to be an expert on energy as my two colleagues are--but I will say the presentation the Senator from North Dakota just made should be understandable and I believe is understandable to every American citizen how we can, within 3 years as I understand it, achieve a level of energy independence and that for Europe that could literally change the entire equation in Europe and in the United States.

Mr. McCAIN. I say to both of my colleagues, the Senator from North Dakota, Americans understand, I believe, that we need to do what we can to help our European friends become independent of Vladimir Putin as a source of energy. They also are beginning to understand the United States of America is going to be an exporter of energy, which will obviously change our dependence on Middle Eastern energy and on other forms of energy, but the way the Senator from North Dakota described this, I think every American, if they saw it, would ask: Why don't we move in that direction? Why don't we believe the major energy companies that say within 3 years--and beginning, I understand, next year with some of them--we could be supplying these countries with energy which would then give them not only the ability to have energy without dependency, but it also sends a huge message to Vladimir Putin and to Europe that they are no longer dependent on his largesse. There have been times in the past where Vladimir Putin has shut off the energy in the wintertime, and it gets very cold in some of these countries in the wintertime. It might also send a message to Vladimir Putin himself that he is not going to get away with the kind of behavior that he has. I would ask the Senator from North Dakota, what does it require-- suppose I am just an average citizen--to capture that natural gas that is being burned for $1 million-plus a day? What does it require to capture that and then get it to that port where it is going to be exported? I would finally say I intend to go every place I can in America in the next few months and give the same presentation the Senator from North Dakota did and help the American people understand that we don't have to do a lot. The energy is there. The question is, Do we have the national will and legislative will to take the action necessary to get that energy to the people who need it so badly, who are literally under the threat of freezing cold this coming winter?

Mr. McCAIN. Which is roughly how much money?

Mr. McCAIN. If I could ask the Senator from North Dakota one additional question, and maybe the Senator from Wyoming would comment on it too. What about the environmental aspects of using natural gas as opposed to other forms of energy, whether it be coal or oil or other forms of energy?

Mr. McCAIN. So I would think the EPA would be out there in front arguing for this legislation.

Mr. McCAIN

Mr. McCAIN. I ask unanimous consent the colloquy between the three of us be allowed.

Mr. McCAIN. I thank my two colleagues from North Dakota and Wyoming. There are no two Members of the Senate who know more and have worked harder on this energy issue. There are no two Senators who have worked harder to try to bring to the American people the fact that if we could export energy to these countries, it could literally change the world. This is not only when it actually arrives, but when Vladimir Putin gets the message, within 3 years--as I understand the Senator from North Dakota's context--we could be sending energy to the living rooms. If you would put the numbers back up with the countries and their dependence on Russian energy. Within 3 years the people within Latvia, Estonia, members of NATO, would no longer be reliant--and it gets very cold up in those Baltic countries as well. It can have a significant effect on the entire world. I would also point out if that energy--and I would ask my colleagues from Wyoming or North Dakota--could get to the living room of Kiev-- which the Senator showed the different pipelines that cross Ukraine-- that has a huge effect. I would ask my friend from Wyoming to comment. We have threatened Russians time after time after they absorbed Crimea in violation of an agreement they made in Budapest to respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine. They absorbed Crimea. They continue to provoke unrest in Eastern Ukraine. They have been threatened time after time by the United States and Europe, and I would argue that the handful of sanctions on individuals has had very little effect whatsoever on Russian behavior. I ask the Senator from Wyoming as well, this is not only about the fact that the United States of America would be an energy exporter-- which is a huge effect on our economy--but this could have a huge effect on the entire European Continent, because if Vladimir Putin understands that this energy is coming from a friend of the ally of the United States America, as opposed to them being dependent on Russian oil and energy, I would argue that it could change the entire shape of the world as we know it. I thank both of the Senators who have been involved in this issue for many years. I don't know how many times both Senators have come to the floor--and I might just say I don't claim to be an expert on energy as my two colleagues are--but I will say the presentation the Senator from North Dakota just made should be understandable and I believe is understandable to every American citizen how we can, within 3 years as I understand it, achieve a level of energy independence and that for Europe that could literally change the entire equation in Europe and in the United States.

Mr. McCAIN. I say to both of my colleagues, the Senator from North Dakota, Americans understand, I believe, that we need to do what we can to help our European friends become independent of Vladimir Putin as a source of energy. They also are beginning to understand the United States of America is going to be an exporter of energy, which will obviously change our dependence on Middle Eastern energy and on other forms of energy, but the way the Senator from North Dakota described this, I think every American, if they saw it, would ask: Why don't we move in that direction? Why don't we believe the major energy companies that say within 3 years--and beginning, I understand, next year with some of them--we could be supplying these countries with energy which would then give them not only the ability to have energy without dependency, but it also sends a huge message to Vladimir Putin and to Europe that they are no longer dependent on his largesse. There have been times in the past where Vladimir Putin has shut off the energy in the wintertime, and it gets very cold in some of these countries in the wintertime. It might also send a message to Vladimir Putin himself that he is not going to get away with the kind of behavior that he has. I would ask the Senator from North Dakota, what does it require-- suppose I am just an average citizen--to capture that natural gas that is being burned for $1 million-plus a day? What does it require to capture that and then get it to that port where it is going to be exported? I would finally say I intend to go every place I can in America in the next few months and give the same presentation the Senator from North Dakota did and help the American people understand that we don't have to do a lot. The energy is there. The question is, Do we have the national will and legislative will to take the action necessary to get that energy to the people who need it so badly, who are literally under the threat of freezing cold this coming winter?

Mr. McCAIN. Which is roughly how much money?

Mr. McCAIN. If I could ask the Senator from North Dakota one additional question, and maybe the Senator from Wyoming would comment on it too. What about the environmental aspects of using natural gas as opposed to other forms of energy, whether it be coal or oil or other forms of energy?

Mr. McCAIN. So I would think the EPA would be out there in front arguing for this legislation.

Mr. McCAIN

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

Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to address the Senate as in morning business and engage in a colloquy with the Senator from Arizona and the two Senators from the State of Texas, Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Cruz.

Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, as my colleagues know and the Senator from Texas and the Senator from Arizona both understand, we are facing a crisis on our border. It has been changed now to a ``situation.'' I understand that it is no longer a crisis but a situation, according to the White House. The Senator from Texas has been to the border. I have been to our border. We have seen this veritable flood of young people who have come to our country under the belief that they will be able to stay. The real human tragedy here of many, as my colleague from Texas and my friend from Arizona know, is that the trip from Central America to the Texas border, which is the closest place of arrival, is a horrible experience for these young people. Young women are routinely violated. Young men are mistreated. It is a terrible experience for them. Those who are for ``open borders,'' those who think this is somehow acceptable ignore the fact that this is a human rights issue of these young people who are enticed to come to our country under false circumstances and suffer unspeakable indignities and even death along the way. The President of the United States, who initially stated that they would--and I would quote him--he said that we had to stop this and initially said that we needed to reverse the legislation that has encouraged the people to come here. I quote him: Kids all over the world have it tough, he said. Even children in America who live in dangerous neighborhoods. . . . He told the groups [that he was addressing that] he had to enforce the law--even if that meant deporting hard cases with minors involved. Sometimes, there is an inherent injustice in where you are born, and no president can solve that, Obama said. But presidents must send the message that you can't just show up on the border, plead for asylum or refugee status, and hope to get it. Then anyone can come in, and it means that, effectively, we don't have any kind of system, Obama said. We are a Nation with borders that must be enforced. Unfortunately, the proposal--and I would ask my friend from Texas-- that has come over for $3.7 billion has nothing to do with dispelling the idea and the belief in the Central American countries that they can come here and if they get to our border they can stay. They cannot stay. They cannot stay. If they believe they are victims of persecution, they should go to our consulate, go to our embassy. But we cannot have this unlimited flow of individuals. Finally--I will yield for my colleagues--what about people in other parts of the world? Do they not need this kind of relief? Are they not persecuted? What about the Middle East? What about Africa? This is selective morality that is being practiced here, I would say to my friend from Texas. We want people to come to this country legally. We want them to come if they are persecuted. But we want an orderly fashion. Finally, could I just say and remind my friends that despite what may be said, the fact is--and the numbers indicate it--for young people these terrible coyotes are bringing them for thousands of dollars. The Los Angeles Times reports: In fiscal year 2013, 20,805 unaccompanied children from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras were apprehended by the Border Patrol and only 1,669 were repatriated. I ask my friend from Texas: What kind of message does that send?

Mr. McCAIN. Could I ask the Senator a question? The first thing that needs to be done is to amend the legislation which basically would then make every country treated the same way contiguous countries would be. That has to be the first step. Again and again, I think it is important to emphasize here that this is a humanitarian issue, but it is a humanitarian issue about these children who are taken--for how many days? Fifteen, twenty days on top of a train they are being taken and exploited by these terrible coyotes. So should we not have a system where if someone deserves asylum in this country we could beef up our consulates, beef up our embassies, and have them come there and make their argument, and then be able to come to this country, I would argue?

Mr. McCAIN. I would say to my colleague, yes. Also, the commander of Southern Command believes there is an increasing inflow of people entering our country illegally who are not from Mexico or from Central America. They are from other countries around the world, and there is a real and imminent threat of people coming to the United States of America not just to get a job with a better life but to commit acts of terror. We are seeing increasing numbers. I say to my friend from Texas, it is my understanding--tell me if I am correct--that now 82 percent of the people coming across the border illegally are other than Mexican, a majority from Central America but then China, India, Africa--from all over the world they are coming.

Mr. McCAIN. I just mentioned, and we all know--and I certainly would like my friend from Arizona to comment on this--we have a proposal that came over from the President of the United States to spend some $3.7 billion. I think all of us are for finding a way to pay for it but agree with measures that need to be taken, such as beefing up our consulate and embassy capabilities, such as increasing the number of refugee visas for citizens of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala by 5,000 each next year, do what is necessary to try to address this from the humanitarian standpoint. But the President of the United States failed, even though he had stated with the proposal that came over, there is not a request to amend the Trafficking Victims Prevention Act. In other words, we could be in an unending funding for treatment of people who came illegally unless we address the fundamental problem that is driving it. I would ask my friend from Arizona--and, by the way, could I also point out that legislation he and I were part of and spent hundreds if not thousands of hours on called for 90-percent effective control of the border and 100-percent situational awareness, some $8 billion being spent. It was amended on the floor for an additional 20,000 Border Patrol, that a fundamental element of immigration reform, as we proposed it, was to get 90-percent effective control of the border, and, in addition to that, that we would have that funding come out of fees people would pay as they moved on a path to citizenship, not subject to appropriations.

Mr. McCAIN. Absolutely. And I think, as we mentioned earlier, beefing up our embassy and consulate capabilities to hear these cases in the country of origin--particularly Central America--is very important. I would also point out an article entitled ``Deportation data won't dispel rumors drawing migrant minors to U.S.'' It is a very interesting piece. Organized crime groups in Central America have exploited the slow U.S. legal process and the compassion shown to children in apparent crisis, according to David Leopold, an immigration attorney in Cleveland. He said smugglers, who may charge a family up to $12,000 to deliver a child to the border, often tell them exactly what to say to American officials. ``The cartels have figured out where the hole is,'' he said. As it now stands, the 2008 law guarantees unaccompanied minors from those countries access to a federal asylum officer and a chance to tell a U.S. judge that they were victims of a crime or face abuse or sexual trafficking if they are sent home. If the claim is deemed credible, judges may grant a waiver from immediate deportation. ``Word of mouth gets back, and now people are calling and saying, `This is what I said in court' '', said a senior U.S. law enforcement official, who was not authorized to speak on the record. ``Whether it is true or not, the perception is that they are successfully entering the United States. . . . That is what is driving up the landings.'' Of course, the numbers are staggering, as we have pointed out. The President himself spoke in the Rose Garden last week. Speaking in the Rose Garden last week, Obama said he was sending a ``clear message'' to parents in Central America not to send their children north in hopes of being allowed into America. ``The journey is unbelievably dangerous for these kids,'' Obama said. ``The children who are fortunate enough to survive it will be taken care of while they go through the legal process, but in most cases that process will lead to them being sent back home.'' Unfortunately, his statement is not backed up by the actual numbers. We are talking about one-tenth of these children actually being sent back, as they are being coached by these coyotes who are giving them the story to tell. I wish to emphasize on the part of all of us on this side of the aisle and every American we represent that we have compassion for these people. We care about a humanitarian crisis. We care about these children. It is not a matter of fortressing America. We are all for legal immigration. We are from every part of the world. We will be portrayed by the open border people, very frankly, as those who want to stop these poor children from being able to come to our country. It is not that. We are trying to stop the human abuses, the terrible things being perpetrated on these children under the false pretenses--they should be false pretenses but now not so false--that they can come to this country and stay.

Mr. McCAIN. Well, the other aspect of this that makes things worse: Of course, the President on the one hand agrees with us that they can't stay. I don't know how many times I have quoted him here. But at the same time, as any objective observer would indicate, the proposal that came over for $3.7 billion has nothing that would dispel the incentive and the magnet creating this flood of young people whose trip we have been talking about, I ask my friend from Arizona.

Mr. McCAIN. If I could finally add that this proposal that came over for $3.8 billion--and I can only speak for myself, but unless there are provisions in that legislation which would bring an end to this humanitarian crisis, then I cannot support it. I cannot vote for a provision which will then just perpetuate an unacceptable humanitarian crisis that is taking place on our southern border. I don't know if my colleague would agree.

Mr. McCAIN. I would say to my colleague, the answer to the second question is obviously no. It is my understanding that if you break this legislation into individual illegal immigrant, it is like $80,000 per individual--a remarkable sum. I will be glad to be corrected for the record if that is not true. But concerning the Senator's first question, about a month ago, for the first time in Syria, an American citizen blew himself up as a suicide bomber in Syria. There are now thousands and thousands of Europeans--we believe there are as many as 100 U.S. citizens, although that number varies--who are fighting in Syria on behalf of the most radical terrorist organization: ISIS. These many hundreds of Europeans who are fighting there have-- guess what. As European citizens of these countries in Europe, they have a visa. They can go to a European country, get on a plane tomorrow, and fly to the United States of America because they are a citizen of one of the European countries with which we have a visa-free agreement. Our Director of National Intelligence, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation have all said unequivocally that the events that are transpiring now in the largest, most wealthy, most influential, and largest center for terrorism, between Syria and Iraq, is breeding these people who have said they want to attack the United States of America. Baghdadi, who is now the leader of ISIS, whom we saw on television apparently preaching at a mosque in Mosul the other day, despite the fact that there is $10 million on his head, when he left our prison camp Bucca in Iraq, he said: See you in New York. And I don't think he was joking. So this also is clearly a national security issue over time as well, I say to my friend from Texas. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCAIN

Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, on behalf of all Arizonans, I want to thank our State's official historian, Marshall Trimble, for his years of dedicated teaching service at Scottsdale Community College, from which he is retiring this year. Marshall Trimble is a true Arizona original. Born in Mesa and raised along historic Route 66 in Ash Fork, Marshall's infectious enthusiasm for Arizona's history and culture led him to begin teaching classes on the history of the southwest at Scottsdale's Coronado High School in 1969. For the next five decades, Marshall taught, sang and wrote about our State and its colorful historical characters, keeping alive our pioneering Old West spirit for generations of Arizonans. In 1997, Governor Fife Symington bestowed Marshall with the title Official State Historian, an honor continued by each successive Governor. Arizona owes Marshall a deep debt of gratitude for his many contributions to our State, and we look forward to his continuing to entertain and educate us for many years to come.