Mitch McConnell

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. On another matter, Mr. President, last week, Secretary of Defense Mattis met with our NATO allies in Brussels. He offered an important reminder: ``Threats to our collective security have not waned.'' In other words, it remains a challenging time to defend our Nation, our interests, and our values. Secretary Mattis has been consistent. Our new national defense strategy makes this clear. Though we face a constant threat from international terrorism, our Nation must also enhance our capabilities for a renewed era of international competition among great powers. He, along with our senior military commanders, have shared this message with Congress time and again. They have detailed our servicemembers' pressing needs and explained the importance of steady resources in the face of evolving threats. We have heard them loud and clear. Earlier this year, our bipartisan spending agreement eliminated harmful, arbitrary limits on defense spending and delivered the largest year-on-year increase in funding for our military in 15 years. Now it is time to build on this progress and pass our 58th annual Defense authorization bill. This year's NDAA is rightfully named for our friend and colleague John McCain. It would authorize $716 billion to equip and train America's 21st century forces to meet and overcome today's challenges. As the Iranian regime continues its aggressive efforts to expand its sphere of influence throughout the Middle East, this bill will empower our forces to support our strategic partnerships in the region. As China continues testing the boundaries of its power in the Pacific region, the NDAA will extend the authority of the Indo-Pacific maritime security initiative and extend the reach and readiness of naval and air forces within the U.S. Pacific Command. As Russia persists in its efforts to destabilize western democracies and sow doubt within NATO, the bill before us would enhance multilateral security cooperation throughout the alliance and give U.S. Cyber Command the resources to disrupt, deter, and defeat cyber aggression. The legislation before us sends a clear message to our men and women in uniform. It tells them that we have their backs. After years of uncertain funding and arbitrary funding limits, we have their backs. In the face of diverse and evolving threats, we have their backs. When I vote, I will do it to tell the brave Kentuckians serving at home and abroad that we have their backs. I hope that each of our colleagues will do the same. This bill was crafted in a thorough, bipartisan committee process and was modified to include more than 40 amendments. I look forward to concluding our consideration and passing this NDAA very soon.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk that is due for a second reading.

Mr. McCONNELL. In order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to further proceedings.

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on another matter, there has been no shortage of recent reporting on the economic progress that is flooding across our country. Take a New York Times headline from earlier this month: ``We Ran Out of Words to Describe How Good the Jobs Numbers Are.'' Let me say that again. This is from the New York Times: ``We Ran Out of Words to Describe How Good the Jobs Numbers Are.'' This is from a Wall Street Journal editorial: The U.S. economy is picking up speed, and it's paying dividends in an expanding job market. . . . President Trump's tax reform and deregulation agenda appears to be working. And here is a welcome development for America's parents: Workers age 25 to 34 made up 1.04 million of the 2.58 million jobs added over the last year. Job and wage growth may finally be inducing young people to move out of their parents' basements. More jobs, more wage growth, more opportunities for middle-class Americans--it is good news, plain and simple. Well, apparently, it is not so simple for our friends across the aisle. While Republicans and the rest of the country are cheering on this new prosperity for working families, our Democratic friends are trying to pretend that the facts don't matter and things aren't actually getting better. Here is how the leader of the House Democrats, the distinguished Congresswoman from San Francisco, tried to sarcastically brush away the facts a few days ago: Hip, hip, hooray, unemployment is down! What does that mean to me? I couldn't make this up. ``Hip, hip, hooray,'' she scoffs. Unemployment is at an 18-year low, the fewest Americans on unemployment insurance since 1973, and Democratic leadership can't quite fathom why this would matter for American families and small business owners. I know plenty of families and job creators in Kentucky who would be happy to explain. Texas Roadhouse is a restaurant chain based in Louisville that employs more than 2,500 Kentuckians. They shared recently that tax reform will allow them to invest in their company, customers, and employees. Plus, this economic climate has them planning to open 30-- 30--new locations across the country next year. Maybe the new cooks and wait staff at 30 new restaurants could explain to the House Democratic leader why a falling unemployment rate is a victory for American families. Just today, Glier's Meats in Covington, KY, is sharing similar good news. Tax reform is enabling this small business, famous for its German-inspired sausage, to make life better for its nearly 30 employees and plant deeper roots in Kenton County. Since the new law passed in December, Glier's has been able to make capital investments, including new machinery, which is critical to the daily operations of the business. They have been able to resume offering comprehensive health benefits, which it had to give up 6 years ago as costs soared under ObamaCare. They have been able to significantly increase employees' wages, and they are on track to hire five new workers in the coming months. Our Kentucky State treasurer, Allison Ball, had it just right. She said in a recent column: ``Kentuckians have immediately benefited from federal tax reform.'' These immediate benefits are only the beginning. More and more stories like these are being written all the time as tax reform, regulatory reform, and the rest of Republicans' opportunity agenda continue helping American workers and job creators. There are transformative new equipment purchases for Main Street small businesses, pay raises for hard-working middle-class employees, and new job openings all over the country so that new workers who are just starting out have more opportunities, and midcareer professionals who have been on the sidelines have the opportunity to clock back in. Unlike leading Democrats, apparently, Republicans don't need it explained to us why this news matters to workers and families. It is exactly what we hoped to achieve. It is exactly the result that our policies were meant to produce. The distinction could not be more clear. On one side of the aisle are those who mock multithousand-dollar tax reform bonuses as ``crumbs,'' who can't grasp why an 18-year low in employment would matter to American families, and on the other side of the aisle are those of us who have helped make it happen.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, just a few hours ago, President Trump, Secretary of State Pompeo, National Security Advisor Bolton, and the rest of the American delegation concluded their summit meeting with North Korean officials. This was a historic first step in an important negotiation. In the words of the joint statement agreed to by the United States and North Korea, both sides have committed to pursuing a lasting and robust peace regime and complete--complete--denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The next steps in the negotiation will test whether we can get to a verifiable deal that enhances the security of Northeast Asia, our allies, and, of course, the United States. Resolving this 61-year-old international challenge will take a great deal of hard work. As President Trump explained a few hours ago, ``Today is the beginning of the arduous process. Our eyes are wide open.'' I support the goals contained in the joint statement, and I remain supportive of the administration's stated position as Secretary Pompeo has reiterated: The goal of the United States is the ``complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.'' If North Korea does not prove willing to follow through, we and our allies must be prepared to restore the policy of maximum pressure. Today, I congratulate the President on this major step and share his hope that it will begin a process that leads to a historic peace.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on a related matter, history clearly shows us that skillful diplomacy, global peace, and a stronger American military are in no way opposed to one another--quite the opposite. These components of America's strength are complementary. As President Reagan explained, ``Peace does not exist of its own will. It depends on us, on our courage to build it and guard it and pass it on to future generations.'' Yesterday afternoon, the Senate took a step toward doing just that by turning to the John S. McCain 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. This legislation builds on the landmark bipartisan budget agreement Congress and the President reached earlier this year. That deal established the outlines for the largest year-on-year increase in funding for American Armed Forces in 15 years. Now this NDAA will authorize the use of those resources for the priorities that matter most to the men and women who serve our country and to their commanders who plan for the future. The legislation will equip our All-Volunteer Force to meet a variety of challenges abroad, but its impact will also be felt right here at home, where servicemembers will receive more top-notch training and expanded support services for themselves and for their families. The 2019 NDAA includes a pay raise for all Active-Duty personnel--the largest such increase in nearly a decade. It directs billions in new funding to the construction of new family housing and on-base support infrastructure. It expands resources for child and health services as well. I know each of my colleagues can testify to the important roles military installations play in communities all across our country. My fellow Kentuckians and I take great pride in Fort Campbell, Fort Knox, and the Blue Grass Army Depot. We are proud that Kentucky is home base to many outstanding units, such as the 101st Airborne Division and those of Kentucky's Air and Army National Guard units. In our State, as in every State, the military's presence anchors entire communities and offers a constant reminder of the sacrifices that keep us safe. It is our responsibility to support them. I look forward to delivering that support when the Senate votes on the NDAA later this week.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Now, Madam President, speaking of the economy, by now it is no secret that under the last administration, our Nation's economic recovery was slow, stunted, and almost exclusively focused on the largest urban centers. Between 2010 and 2016, that is where more than 90 percent of the population growth happened; it is where nearly three-quarters of new jobs went. Most everywhere else--in our smaller cities, small towns, and rural areas--families heard a lot of talk about what my Democratic colleagues called an ``economic recovery,'' but they saw few or none of the effects in these small towns and small communities. So it is no surprise that after seeing their communities suffer under 8 years of Democrats' policies, millions of Americans are ready to take a different route. That is why they elected a Republican President and Republican majorities here in Congress. And we set about implementing our agenda to take money and power out of Washington and put it back in the hands of middle-class families and small businesses all across our country. But even as the positive effects of these policies have become more and more obvious, they continue to encounter near-complete party-line opposition at every turn. I recall that just 2 or 3 days after President Trump signed our historic tax reform into law, several of my colleagues across the aisle were offering some dramatic predictions. On Christmas Eve last year, the senior Senator from Montana took to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle with a piece titled ``Tax bill a disastrous plan, fails Montana and our future.'' Quite a pronouncement. It reminded me of the Democratic leader of the House. She said our plan to give tax cuts to middle-class families and businesses would bring about ``Armageddon.'' Armageddon. How are these prognostications holding up? The new Tax Code is causing Northwestern Energy to pass along millions of dollars in savings to Montana utility customers. My friend Senator Daines recently shared what tax reform already means to Montana small business owners. In Chester, at Stricks Ag, it means bonuses of nearly $1,000 for each employee. In Missoula, at Big Sky Brewing, it means worker bonuses and money to purchase new equipment. The same goes for Cabinet Mountain Brewing in Libby. Over in Thompson Falls, tax reform gave Thompson River Lumber the breathing room to buy their first new forklift in 19 years. These are the workers and job creators whom Senator Daines bet on when he voted for tax reform and helped make all of this possible. He voted for Montanans to send less to the IRS and keep more of their own hard-earned money to save or invest as they see fit. It is too bad their senior Senator took the opposite approach and tried to block these tax cuts from happening, let alone that Democratic leaders in both Chambers now say they will repeal tax reform if they get the chance. But Republicans will keep picking up the slack and will keep standing up for the American people.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Now, Madam President, on another matter, I want to share the Senate's warmest wishes for a speedy recovery for Larry Kudlow, the Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President, who is currently recovering at Walter Reed from what we are told was a small heart attack. Larry is not just a famously happy warrior for pro-growth, pro-opportunity economics; he is also widely regarded as really one of the best guys in Washington. We hope he gets well soon.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume consideration of H.R. 5515.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk for the Toomey amendment No. 2700.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk for the Inhofe amendment No. 2282, as modified.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk for the bill, H.R. 5515.

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session for a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination: Executive Calendar No. 835.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate vote on the nomination with no intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; that no further motions be in order; and that any statements relating to the nomination be printed in the Record.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 542, submitted earlier today.

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 543, submitted earlier today.

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 544, submitted earlier today.

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 545, submitted earlier today.