Mitch McConnell

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. I move to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 3055. Cloture Motion I send a cloture motion to the desk for the motion to concur.

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call be waived.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 386.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 75, which was received from the House.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I have 3 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: committee on energy and natural resources The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, November 21, 2019, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing. committee on the judiciary The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, November 21, 2019, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on the following nominations of Patrick J. Bumatay, of California, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit, Lawrence VanDyke, of Nevada, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit, Philip M. Halpern, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York, Bernard Maurice Jones II, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma, Barbara Bailey Jongbloed, to be United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut, and Thomas Michael O'Connor, to be United States Marshal for the Southern District of Texas, and Ralph Ignatius Sozio, to be United States Marshal for the Southern District of New York, both of the Department of Justice. select committee on intelligence The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, November 21, 2019, at 2 p.m., to conduct a closed hearing.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday the U.S. Senate spoke up forcefully and clearly for the brave people of Hong Kong. We unanimously passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. As the author of the original United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, and somebody who has advocated for Hongkongers for decades, I was proud to speak out on this back in the summer when the protests began. I was also proud to secure important policy steps for Hong Kong in the Senate Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs back in September. I am also proud that Senators approved these further steps to update the original law to preserve Hong Kong's autonomy and democracy and provide more tools for holding Beijing accountable. I want to thank the senior Senator from Florida, all the other Members who led on this issue, and all of our colleagues for securing unanimous passage. While this bill moves forward, it is also important for the executive branch and our allies and partners around the world to fulfill their roles as well. Even before this new bill becomes law, Congress has already given the administration significant powers to act, including authorities to directly sanction individuals who violate human rights. I urge every trading nation around the world to look clearly at Hong Kong and at Xinjiang and imagine the costs as China continues to entrench its surveillance state and export it all around the world. The Senate continues to do our part. Everyone else must do theirs as well. The United States and the world must stand with Hong Kong.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on another matter, earlier this week, I got to attend the Kentucky Electric Cooperative's annual meeting. The group represents 26 co-ops across Kentucky, particularly in rural communities. We talked about the positive trends for what you might call Middle America over the past several years--the nascent economic turnaround in small towns, small cities, farm country, rural America, and other places the Obama economy largely left behind. We also talked about the work still ahead. One of the major priorities that Kentuckians mentioned is the USMCA. I have heard it from our farmers, manufacturers, logistics providers, and bourbon distillers. Almost every sector of our economy would benefit from this trade deal. Together, Canada and Mexico make up a $500 billion export market for the United States. This major update to our trading framework with our neighbors would send that number even higher, generate more wealth here at home, and create an estimated 176,000 new American jobs. It is no wonder that so many Kentuckians and so many people around the country want Washington to get it done. I hear from everybody, from family farming operations to midsize manufacturers, to Fortune 500 firms, such as UPS and Toyota, that employ thousands and thousands in my State. All of them want this fairer, better playing field in trade with Canada and Mexico. In a little more than a week from now, it will have been a full year since President Trump signed the draft agreement along with the leaders of Canada and Mexico--1 full year--but for months now, this generational agreement has been sitting on ice over in the House of Representatives. Speaker Pelosi has refused to allow a vote. In public, House Democrats insist and insist that they care about more things than simply impeaching the President. They insist that they want to work together and legislate, but actions speak louder than words, and apparently, thus far, House Democrats have preferred to block 176,000 new jobs for American workers rather than put impeachment aside and get along with the White House for 5 minutes. It appears there is no governing priority--no matter how bipartisan, no matter how beneficial to American families--that will not take a backseat to impeachment. Month after month, every time she has been asked about this subject, the Speaker of the House has offered the same empty rhetoric. She is always close to allowing the vote. Her conference is always ``almost there, almost there,'' but we have been almost there for months and months with no outcome in sight. Lots of talk but zero results. Back in February, the Speaker was asked about the USMCA. She said, ``I'm optimistic.'' That was last February. We heard the same thing in May and in June. ``We want to pass this bill.'' We heard the same thing through the summer and in September and in October. ``Every day we're becoming closer,'' she said. A few weeks ago the Speaker said: ``I think we are close . . . the last mile,'' and she called this ``the easiest trade deal that we've ever done.'' A few days ago, the Speaker insisted, yet again, a vote was ``imminent.'' That was a few days ago. This has been the House Democrats' wild goose chase. This is what our American families, American job creators, and our partners in Mexico and Canada have had to put up with. Every time the Trump administration meets the Speaker halfway, she tries to move the goal post another 10 yards. She literally has not even updated her own talking points since Valentine's Day--textbook obstruction. Just in case anybody did not yet understand that the real roadblock here is partisan politics, I understand the Speaker hosted Richard Trumka yesterday, head of the AFL-CIO, a power player in leftwing Big Labor. He came to the Capitol to quell the uprising of the Democrats' own Members who can't believe this thing still hasn't passed. How ironic. We are talking about a trade deal that would create more American jobs, and Democrats are considering outsourcing their judgment to Big Labor special interests, who, to my recollection, have not supported a single major trade deal in living memory. Let's get this straight. It sounds like the head of the AFL-CIO--an organization that has never supported any trade agreement--is now the guy who gives the go-ahead on USMCA? We are talking about a trade deal, and Democrats are considering outsourcing their own jobs to the head of AFL-CIO--really? I wish I were making this up. Reporters got ahold of the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee yesterday, and he literally said the deal would move forward ``if we can get Richard Trumka to agree.'' So the head of the AFL-CIO-- an organization that has never supported a trade agreement--is now the guy who has to green-light the USMCA, which would create 176,000 American jobs. No wonder they have a problem in the House. The chairman of the Ways and Means Committee literally said that this major trade agreement will move forward only if this major Democratic campaign contributor gives them permission. Well, it appears that even some House Democrats are getting fed up with the absurdity. Here is what one of them said yesterday: [Trumka] still says we're at the five yard line. . . . So it feels like we've been at the five yard line for a while. No kidding. This is the biggest opportunity the House Democrats have had in the entirety of their first year in power to do something significant and substantive for American families--to actually pass something new and real that can become law and strengthen our Nation. In other words, the USMCA is House Democrats' final exam for their whole first year in power. And unless something turns around very quickly, after nearly a year of happy talk and empty promises, their leadership seems determined to flunk that exam. All impeachment, all the time--and even the most obvious win for American workers and small businesses gets blocked. That will be Democrats' progress report if USMCA goes nowhere. Obviously, I hope that is not how this story ends. Mexico has passed it. Canada is waiting on us. I believe a bipartisan majority of the Senate is ready to pass it. Our workers, our job creators, and our neighbors are just waiting on Speaker Pelosi. This is no time to kill a national victory out of political spite. This is no time to outsource your judgment to special interests. The Speaker should allow a vote, and the House should send us the USMCA.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session for the consideration of Calendar No. 503.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk on the nomination.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call be waived.

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I have 13 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing the following nominations: Mitchell A. Silk, of New York, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Brian D. Montgomery, of Texas, to be Deputy Secretary, and David Carey Woll, Jr., of Connecticut, and John Bobbitt, of Texas, both to be an Assistant Secretary, all of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Peter J. Coniglio, of Virginia, to be Inspector General, Export-Import. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing. Committee on Environment and Public Works The Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on the nominations of Sean O'Donnell, of Maryland, to be Inspector General, Environmental Protection Agency. Committee on Foreign Relations The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 10:15 a.m., to conduct a hearing on the nomination of Stephen E. Biegun, of Michigan, to be Deputy Secretary of State. Committee on Foreign Relations The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 2 p.m., to conduct a hearing. Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on the nomination of Stephen Hahn, of Texas, to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Department of Health and Human Services. Committee on Indian Affairs The Committee on Indian Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing. Committee on Indian Affairs The Committee on Indian Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing. Subcommittee on Cybersecurity The Subcommittee on Cybersecurity of the Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing. Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities The Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities of the Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 3 p.m., to conduct a hearing. Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support The Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support of the Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing. Subcommittee on Health Care The Subcommittee on Health Care of the Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 2 p.m., to conduct a hearing. Subcommittee on Multilateral International Development, Multilateral Institutions, and International Economic, Energy, and Environmental Policy The Subcommittee on Multilateral International Development, Multilateral Institutions, and International Economic, Energy, and Environmental Policy of the Committee on Finance is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, my colleagues are well familiar with my repeated calls for bipartisan progress in funding the Federal Government. For more than 2 months, as the appropriations process idled at partisan roadblocks, I pointed out just how straightforward this entire process could have been. With the road map negotiated in July by the President and the Speaker, and approved by each of the congressional leaders, we had the necessary commitments to move forward in good faith and avoid partisan riders that would stall the entire effort, but, of course, that didn't happen. But failing to secure funding for the Federal Government before the end of the year is not an option. Chairman Shelby continues to lead efforts to settle on subcommittee allocations that can earn bipartisan support. Today, these efforts are ongoing, and with our deadline to prevent a funding lapse rapidly approaching, I am encouraged that the House will apparently be voting today on a continuing resolution to keep the Government funded until December 20, while talks continue. These talks must continue because it is vital that we work in good faith to fund important priorities for the coming year, but what is needed in the near term is to keep the Government open for the next several weeks while this work goes on. This is not rocket science. The House needs to send us the short-term funding bill which the Senate can pass and which the President will sign. That is the way to keep the government open while our important discussions continue to make progress toward closing out the appropriations process and getting full-year bills to the floor.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on another matter, for weeks Republicans have been trying to move forward significant bipartisan legislation for the American people. Senate Republicans are trying to get our Democratic colleagues to let us consider defense funding. House Republicans have tried to get Speaker Pelosi to finally allow a vote on the USMCA, and in both Chambers we have been asking Democrats to stop slow-walking the conference committee for the critical Defense bill, the NDAA. Alas, our Democratic colleagues have not been willing to budge on any of those things. As a result, while the Senate waits for the House to send us short-term funding legislation, we will spend our time on the personnel business. Yesterday, we advanced the nomination of Justice Robert Luck, of Florida, to be a U.S. circuit judge for the Eleventh Circuit, with the support of a bipartisan majority. Justice Luck brings an impressive and well-rounded legal record, including a clerkship on the Eleventh Circuit, service in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, and years spent ruling from the State bench. Today, we will also advance the nomination of Justice Barbara Lagoa, of Florida, also to serve on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. A graduate of Columbia University School of Law, Justice Lagoa has spent years practicing law, serving as a Federal prosecutor, and ruling from both the State appellate bench and the Florida Supreme Court. I look forward to confirming both of these impressive nominees, along with Adrian Zuckerman, the President's nominee to serve as our Nation's Ambassador to Romania.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on a final matter, I spoke yesterday about the courageous people of Hong Kong who are standing up to Beijing and speaking up for their freedoms. But Hongkongers are not alone in bravely speaking up at this time. The Middle East continues to be swept by widespread and cross-sectarian demonstrations. In Lebanon, in Iraq, and in Iran, millions are demanding a better future, greater justice, less corruption, and more democracy from their governments. These protests expand three countries. Each is unique, but one common thread connects them: Iran. For years, Iran has systematically sought to undermine the territorial integrity and manipulate the politics of countries all across the Middle East. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Lebanon and Iraq, where Iranian proxies have challenged the very sovereignty of the state. In Lebanon, Iran backs Hezbollah, the terrorist group that has become a dominant political player. Hezbollah has become a state within a state. Its weapons and fighters do not work to defend the Lebanese state but to embroil it in Syria's civil war and imperil its security by threatening Israel with precision rockets. In Iraq, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has spent years sponsoring Shia militias and proxies that are more loyal to Tehran than to Baghdad or to the people of Iraq. In both of these countries, Tehran has used and promoted the use of force to acquire power and to acquire influence. A few weeks ago, the leader of Iran's terrorist Quds Force reportedly flew to Iraq for secret meetings to guide Iraqi leaders through the protests there. Here is what this Iranian thug told the Iraqis: ``We in Iran know how to deal with protests.'' Enough said. Well, a violent crackdown on peaceful protesters is not going to resolve anything. What Iraqi and Lebanese leaders must do is stop listening to the poisonous advice of Iranian tyrants, who are losing their own grip on their own people, and start addressing their own citizens' demands for transparency and reform. Iraq and Lebanon should give their people what they want--less corruption, less malign foreign influence, more opportunity, and the rule of law. That is the path forward for Iraq and Lebanon. Commit to prosperity and pluralism at home, combat corruption and injustice within all sects and confessions, protect the sovereignty of your country, pursue peace with your neighbors, and enjoy support from the United States as well. I would note that in contrast to Hezbollah's thugs, Lebanon's Armed Forces by most accounts continue to be one of Lebanon's few institutions of national unity. The LAF has respected the rights of protesters, protected them from violence, and sought to deescalate tensions on the street. I know the U.S. military believes its training and partnership with the LAF is paying off, helping it to be a more professional and responsible security force. So while these events transpire in Iraq and Lebanon, the Iranian people themselves are also engaging in their own demonstrations. Iran used to be a moderate, open, and prosperous society. It could be again. Now tens of thousands of Iranian people themselves are raising their voices in righteous anger at what has become of their living conditions and their country. The Iranian people are feeling the pain inflicted by the brutality, selfishness, and extremism of their ruling class. The regime seems to be doing all it can to put a stop to this. Reports over the weekend indicated an enormous, unprecedented internet blackout aimed at keeping Iranians in the dark and suggests Iranian leaders are threatening yet another violent crackdown against their own citizens. But Iran's leaders know exactly what must be done to alter the course of their once-great country and unlock a better future for its citizens. Iran needs to stop pursuing nuclear weapons and long-range missile capabilities, stop supporting terror and cyber offensives, stop causing bloodshed to weaken its neighbors, and stop the horrific mistreatment of its own people. There is an entire civilized world full of diverse nations that get by just fine--just fine--without engaging in any of these rogue state activities. Iran engages in all of them. Iranian leaders will either listen to their own citizens and start behaving like a normal nation or they will be treated more and more like the backward pariahs they have become. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, for weeks now, almost daily, I have spoken about the need to get our appropriations process back on track and the need for bipartisan agreement to fund the Federal Government and, particularly, to provide our military commanders with the resources and stability they need. That kind of smooth process was exactly what Congress was on track for just a few months ago. Leaders in both parties, in both Houses, and at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue signed onto a deal that set top- line funding levels and ruled out obstacles like poison pills. Alas, as I have discussed at length, policy riders crept back into the process, and our discussions stalled. As a result, here we are again--behind schedule. We need to get results on appropriations before the end of the year. So, while the House and the Senate continue negotiations on setting the allocations, we need to buy more time. The House and the Senate need to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government through December 20 and allow these talks to continue. The Senate can't originate this funding bill, but we will wait to receive legislation from the House and then vote on it before we head back to our home States. This is what we need: a CR, as clean as possible, through December 20 to enable more progress on appropriations before the end of this year. A clean CR through December 20 would pass the Senate, and the White House has indicated that President Trump would sign it. Let me say that again. The administration indicates the President is willing and ready to sign a clean CR through December 20 so that we can finish our work. This is our opportunity to get a bipartisan process back on track. First, with bipartisan, bicameral cooperation, we can safely fund the Federal Government through mid-December so talks can continue. Then, with more cooperation, we can reach agreement on allocations and pass as many of the 12 appropriations bills as possible before the end of the year.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, now, on another matter, while we wait on the House, the Senate will take the opportunity to consider three more of President Trump's well-qualified nominees to the Federal bench and the diplomatic corps. Later today, we will vote to advance the nomination of Justice Robert Luck, of Florida--the President's impressive nominee--to be a U.S. circuit judge for the 11th Circuit. Then we will consider Justice Barbara Lagoa, who has also been nominated to the 11th Circuit. Both are impressive nominees who have sterling qualifications--two more fine choices by President Trump. Finally, the Senate will turn its attention to the diplomatic corps and confirm Adrian Zuckerman, of New Jersey, to serve as the Ambassador to Romania. I hope each of my colleagues will join me in supporting all three confirmations as the Senate continues to give the American people the government for which they voted.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on a final matter, in the last few days, the reports and images coming out of Hong Kong have become even more disturbing. The police crackdown on Hongkongers who are standing up for their freedom and their region's autonomy has intensified. University campuses now literally look like war zones, with government forces laying siege to groups of students and other protesters. Many observers feel the situation may be verging on something truly terrible. In the midst of this crackdown, just today, Hong Kong's High Court ruled against the executive and actually in favor of the protesters' rights--yet another signal it is the government that is acting beyond the bounds of its authorities. This latest escalation against Hongkongers comes as Beijing faces international fallout from leaked documents that delineate the government's chilling, systematic campaign against ethnic minorities in another supposedly autonomous region, Xinjiang--hundreds of pages of internal documents from the Chinese Communist Party government. It is a handbook for this Orwellian campaign to effectively erase a religious and ethnic minority in a region that, again, is supposed to be legally distinct from the rest of China. This effort is being conducted using ``organs of dictatorship'' and ``absolutely no mercy.'' The protesters are not the problem. It is Beijing and the Hong Kong leadership that must deescalate. The Communist Party must know it will hurt them catastrophically if it turns Hong Kong into some 21st century version of Tiananmen Square. The United States would not forget it, and neither would China's other trading partners all across the world. So what can the United States do? In September, I worked to add language to the State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill to modify the reporting requirements of the 1992 Hong Kong Policy Act, which, by the way, was my bill back in 1992. My additions would work to expose the current tools the Chinese Communist government is using to subvert the autonomy of Hong Kong and to allow the U.S. Government to pay for the legal support for Hong Kong's democracy activists. One important step to help Hong Kong is for the House and Senate Democrats to finally get to ``yes'' on the appropriations process. Last week, I had a productive meeting with the senior Senator from Florida on the subject of revising and extending the Hong Kong Policy Act through new legislation. As I indicated, I authored the original bill back in 1992 and have been keenly interested in Hong Kong's status for decades. So I appreciate the leadership Senator Rubio and others have shown and hope we can find a way to move this important bill. Yet, while I support additional legislation, the United States does not need to wait for new laws to act further. There are already significant tools at the administration's disposal, and I strongly encourage them to use them. I have been encouraged to hear clear statements on China from key members of President Trump's team in recent months. I would encourage this President, who has seen Chinese behavior for what it is with a clarity that others have lacked, not to shy away from speaking out on Hong Kong himself. The world should hear from him directly that the United States stands with these brave men and women. This administration has rightly understood what prior administrations have entirely missed. The old consensus was that economic modernization in China would automatically import our values of freedom and human dignity into their society. Now, every day reminds us that this simply has not happened. Instead, Beijing is using modern technology it has obtained through integration with the West to further its political and social control over its own population and expand China's reach beyond its shores. So, rather than focusing solely on trade, I encourage the administration to make Hong Kong's autonomy a key topic within our bilateral diplomacy. The administration should also take advantage of the tools Congress has already provided in Global Magnitsky to target the individuals who are responsible for egregious human rights abuses. In Xinjiang and Hong Kong, the world is seeing the true face of the Communist Party of China. The United States has a role to play in standing up for the universal principles of human rights, and I am confident we will fulfill it. Yet our allies and partners must also ask themselves whether they are prepared to live in a world that is being increasingly shaped by those who show absolutely no mercy to religious and ethnic minorities and who confront peaceful protest with violence. I suggest the absence of a quorum.