Mitch McConnell

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, yesterday, I discussed a tide of good news flowing out of the Middle East. Peace agreements between Israel and the UAE and Israel and Bahrain will be documented at the White House later today. Even more Arab countries are reportedly considering following suit. The winds of change are blowing across the Middle East. Thanks, in large part, to the hard work of the Trump administration, they are blowing toward peace. I also mentioned yesterday that not everyone is happy. Not everyone in the Middle East is living in the 21st century. Some are too vested in the old fights and enmities and are afraid to let them go. President Abbas, who is now in the 16th year of a 4-year term at the head of the Palestinian Authority, predictably, tried to dismiss the compromise as nonsense. But, as the Obama administration's Middle East expert Dennis Ross wrote a few days ago, continuing this failed approach would just guarantee Palestinians will be left behind while the rest of the Arab world builds a better future. And then there is the theocratic basket case that is Iran. Last weekend, as if perfectly scripted to contrast with the hopeful news of optimism and peace coming from the Arab world, the mullahs reminded the whole world of their flagrant disdain for human dignity and basic human rights. They carried out a hurried execution in the face of international condemnation. Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old Iranian wrestler arrested during a government protest in 2018, was tortured into confessing to the murder of a security guard. He was hanged on Saturday. According to his mother, who was barred from visiting her son before his execution, Navid and his two brothers arrested alongside him were forced to testify against one another. As they mourn their brother, these two young men themselves face decades in prison for standing up to the brutal injustices of the Iranian regime. Stories like this are tragic, but they aren't shocking--not in a country where dissent and free expression are denied and not from rulers who regularly use both domestic and international terrorism. This regime has its fingerprints on destabilizing campaigns, assassinations, and violence against civilians in every single corner of the Middle East--from the shores of the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Aden. The Obama-Biden administration's Iran deal, the JCPOA, did not improve any of this bad behavior. It ignored Iran's nonnuclear aggression. It let Tehran continue R&D on enriched uranium. If anything, Iran's behavior has only gotten worse, and that bad deal is still doing damage. This year, it will sunset a prudent U.N. Security Council resolution that had kept Iran from buying conventional weapons. This summer, the U.N. Security Council, with the votes of Russia and China, refused to extend this 13-year-old embargo. Returning to the JCPOA has become a sort of mantra for our political left here in the United States. But really, the reflex to oppose everything President Trump does can be a gift to our adversaries. Former Vice President Biden promises to rush back into a bad deal without securing any improvements. He proposes we would be able to renegotiate the bad deal from the inside of it after tossing away any leverage in advance. There is one right way to deal with regimes like Iran--toughness and resolve. That is why President Trump successfully restored an important measure of deterrence when he removed Iran's top terrorist, Soleimani, from the battlefield forever. Even though Tehran is weakened by sanctions, political unrest, and economic unease, they are also emboldened by our internal divisions and eager to exploit rifts among our allies. We know from publicly released intelligence that Iran seeks to interfere in our own politics. We know that Iranian-backed groups continue to threaten our forces in Iraq and Syria. We know that Iranian proxies like Hezbollah pose a growing threat to our ally Israel. Unity, strength and resolve are the way to defend our security and our interests--not capitulation.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, the confirmation vote with respect to the Scarsi nomination occur at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow; further, if cloture is invoked on the Blumenfeld nomination, the postcloture time with respect to the Blumenfeld nomination expire at 2:15 p.m. tomorrow, the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination, and following disposition of the Blumenfeld nomination, the Senate vote on the motions to invoke cloture on the Holcomb and Robinson nominations in the order listed; further, if cloture is invoked on the Holcomb nomination, the postcloture time with respect to the nomination expire at 5:15 p.m. tomorrow and the Senate vote on the confirmation of the nomination. I further ask that if cloture is invoked on the Robinson nomination, the postcloture time expire at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Democratic leader on Wednesday, September 16; finally, that if any of the nominations are confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 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 the consideration of S. Res. 690, submitted earlier today.

Mr. McCONNELL. I know of no further debate on the resolution.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Tuesday, September 15; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Scarsi nomination under the previous order; finally, that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I have a request for one committee to meet during today's session of the Senate. It has the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committee is authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Now, Mr. President, on a totally different message, I had hoped, Republicans had hoped, and the American people had hoped that the Senate would be spending this week finishing up another bipartisan agreement on coronavirus relief. We want to get hundreds of billions more dollars into the pipeline for kids, for jobs, for healthcare. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats chose to block it all. Our Democratic colleagues voted against hundreds of billions of dollars to help Americans fight the virus. This wasn't even a vote on final passage, just a procedural vote to break the Democratic leader's filibuster and move forward with something. Senate Democrats, nevertheless, filibustered the aid. Then, just a few short days later, they went right back to signaling that a Democratic Senate majority paired with a President Joe Biden would abolish the filibuster and permanently vandalize this institution to more easily force radical change on the country. This threat to permanently disfigure the Senate has been the latest growing drumbeat in the modern Democratic Party's war against our governing institutions. There was former Senator Reid starting the ``nuclear'' exchange back in 2013. There have been years of unprecedented tactics to try and deny President Trump the government the people elected. There has been the least fair, least thorough, and most rushed impeachment inquiry in modern history. Now, the most shameless--the most shameless--hypocrisy: Senate Democrats happily use the filibuster to block coronavirus relief and Senator Tim Scott's police reform bill at the very same time they are conspiring to destroy that very tool so they can ram through their radical agenda if they ever win power. Grade A hypocrisy and nothing more. We have had former President Obama call for ``eliminating the filibuster, another Jim Crow relic,'' about 1 month after his own party used it to kill Senator Tim Scott's police reform bill. We have some of former Vice President Biden's allies in the Senate daydreaming about ending the filibuster even as they themselves use the filibuster to kill pandemic relief for working families. Democrats want completely different sets of rules depending on whether they hold power--different sets of rules depending upon whether they hold power. They want to assert minority rights when they have the minority and steamroll them if they get a majority. Here is NBC News: Democratic insiders are assembling a coalition behind the scenes to wage an all-out war on the Senate filibuster. . . . Veteran party operatives, activist groups and supportive Senators are coordinating message and strategy. This takes measuring the drapes to a new level. The Democratic leader and his colleagues aren't just measuring the drapes; they are calculating how much kerosene it would take to burn the drapes down. They aren't just threatening to pass radical policies like Medicare for none or the Green New Deal--no, no, no. The far left wants to hot- wire democracy itself--things like packing the Supreme Court with new seats or packing the Senate by handing out new statehood to one individual city. I said it a few months ago. Today's Democrats have lost patience with playing by the rules and want to wage war on the rule book itself. They are saying as much out loud. Perhaps our colleagues think promising a shameless power grab is the only way to energize their radical, far-left base, but the real effect--the real effect--is to make the stakes in these issues completely and totally clear to the American people. The Framers designed the Senate to be the country's firewall against ill-considered and radical change. That is what the Senate was all about in the beginning. If our Democratic friends have concluded their worst ideas could never clear the high bar--if they think their ideas could never clear the high bar, it is their bad ideas that need to be scrapped, not the core checks and balances of our government.

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, when I address the situation in the Middle East, it is often to discuss instability, terror, or other threats to the United States and its partners, like Israel. Those threats still exist, but I am very glad to be speaking today about peace breaking out, and it is breaking out more quickly than we can even stage the official ceremonies to memorialize the diplomatic achievements. A few weeks ago, with major help from the United States and the Trump administration, Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached the first Arab-Israel peace deal in 26 years. The Abraham Accord is named for the shared religious roots that Christians, Jews, and Muslims all hold in common. It will make the UAE just the third Arab nation, and the very first in the gulf, to normalize relations with Israel. In the words of Prime Minister Netanyahu, ``full and official peace, full diplomatic agreement, with embassies, investment, commerce, tourism, and direct flights between Tel Aviv and Dubai and Abu Dhabi.'' We have come a long way--a long way indeed. What a moment. Farsighted leaders in both countries made sacrifices to make this deal possible. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayid understand that both Arabs and Israelis will benefit from the peace and prosperity that tearing down barriers can bring. America will also benefit from these two regional friends working more closely together and reducing tensions across the challenging region. Now, to be sure, work is not finished, and no single step like this should be confused for an overnight miracle. In this case, we in Congress have an obligation to review any U.S. arms sales package linked to the deal. As we help our Arab partners defend against growing threats, we must continue ensuring that Israel's qualitative military edge remains unchallenged. But the winds of change are blowing, and they are bringing good news for peace all across the region. Of course, a few extreme voices, perhaps correctly sensing that their moment is slipping away, are not at all happy. A predictable cast of characters wasted no time condemning the agreement and branding the UAE as traitors to the Arab or Muslim world. Unlike Iranian clerics or al-Qaida terrorists, everyone who is actually living in the 21st century is celebrating this major progress. This major step forward is being documented in a signing ceremony at the White House tomorrow. But in just the couple of weeks that have elapsed between the announcement of the Abraham Accord and the official ceremony tomorrow, another Arab state has joined the parade toward peace. On Friday, September 11, Israel and Bahrain announced their agreement to open formal diplomatic relations. After Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE, this makes the fourth historic step toward normalization by Israel's Arab neighbors. Along with President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu and King Hamad of Bahrain called the agreement ``a historic breakthrough to further peace in the Middle East.'' Indeed, reports suggest that still more Arab states may not be far behind. This is a new course with the potential to fundamentally--fundamentally--change the Middle East. Dennis Ross, former senior diplomatic adviser to President Obama and a longtime practitioner of the peace process, wrote just yesterday that these agreements are bona fide ``breakthroughs'' that are changing ``the political landscape of the Middle East'' and the Israel-Palestine stalemate for the better. That is Dennis Ross, from the Obama administration. That is how former Obama administration officials are praising the Trump administration's successes. I am grateful for this administration's work to encourage peace. I am proud of this historic opportunity that American leadership and diplomacy has made possible.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to consideration of S. Res. 688, submitted earlier today.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to; that the preamble be agreed to; and that 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 ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to immediate consideration of H.J. Res. 88, which has been received from the House.

Mr. McCONNELL. I further ask that the joint resolution be considered read three times and passed and that 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 ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m., Monday, September 14; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Scarsi nomination, under the previous order; finally, that notwithstanding rule XXII, the cloture motions filed during today's session ripen at 5:30 p.m.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of Senator Sanders.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to immediate consideration of H.J. Res. 87, which has been received from the House.

Mr. McCONNELL. I further ask that the joint resolution be considered read a third time and passed and that 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 move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 774.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

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. 812.

Mr. McCONNELL

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