Barbara Mikulski

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I rise for a final time as the vice chair of the Appropriations Committee. Tonight, as we get ready to vote, these will be the last votes I will cast in the U.S. Senate. The ones we do today and possibly tomorrow will write my final chapter as a voting Member of the U.S. Senate. I am very proud to be the first woman and the first Marylander to chair the Appropriations Committee. I am going to thank my fellow members of the Appropriations Committee and especially Chairman Cochran, who has been my friend and ally on moving these bills forward. I wish to also express a special thanks to my colleague and partner on the Commerce-Justice Subcommittee, Chairman Richard Shelby, for his steadfast advocacy for the important needs facing this country. The Appropriations Committee is a problem-solving committee. Our markups are vigorous and rigorous, but at the end of the day, we do try to find compromise without capitulating on our principles. That is why I wish I was standing here today presenting the Senate with a full-year funding bill instead of a temporary bill through April 28. Throughout the year, I have come to the floor seeking additional funding for fighting heroin and opioid abuse, helping the people of Flint, MI, and also dealing with the Zika response treatment. I am happy to report to my colleagues the Zika bill did pass in September, and this continuing resolution would have done all three. This bill includes important needs for our country. First of all, it meets our national security needs. There is funding in here for our troops overseas and money to enhance humanitarian relief and also very crucial needs related to embassy security. There are also other needs facing the people, and this goes to the disaster relief for victims of floods and Hurricane Matthew. While we are looking at the disasters of floods and hurricanes, there is also help for Flint, MI--$170 million, subject to authorization. We also looked at the other challenges facing our communities. One of the things we see is the big challenge of opioid abuse. I have heard it in my State and from my Republican Governor. I know the Presiding Officer has heard it in the great State of Iowa, and this terrible scourge and challenge knows no party, nor any geography, and we have an important downpayment in fighting that with $500 million. Also in the Cures Act, there is money to deal with the dreaded ``c'' word, cancer. With the advocacy of the Vice President and again working across the aisle and across the dome, we have come up with something called the Cancer Moonshot. In other words, if we could send someone to the Moon and return them safely, as our beloved John Glenn pioneered, then we can also have a Moonshot to find a cure for cancer. I am so pleased that as we wrap up our time here that that is there, although I am disappointed the funding for Flint is subject to authorization in the Water Resources Development Act and that the extension of the miners' health benefit lasts only through April 30. I believe promises made should be promises kept, and the miners deserve permanent extension of these benefits. I also support Senator Manchin's efforts on his behalf. I am disappointed our Republican colleagues wrote the CR behind closed doors and that we began to have to fight between coal miners versus Flint, MI, and others, pitting one group against another. I hope we can have a different approach in the next Congress. I will not be here, but I am here now as we try to finish this work. We hear a lot of Washington words, words that people don't understand--CR, stopgap, shutdown. I want to talk about what appropriations are, not in the technical bills but saying that we fund government doesn't mean anything. It means that we tried to find solutions, we tried to make sure we stood up for national security, that we promoted economic growth, and that we met compelling human needs and invested in what we as a nation value. This appropriations bill does pay for our troops in the field and the people back home to make sure they have the equipment and supplies they need to do their job. It also supports diplomacy, our Foreign Service Officers, and also our foreign aid to make sure we meet compelling human needs in our own country and around the world. It does fund the Homeland Security, while at the same time looking out for our Coast Guard, clearing the ice and keeping our ports open. It is the FBI, and here we make a downpayment on the new, much needed FBI facility to meet the new changes they have--fighting domestic terrorism and cyber security. We all want to put people back to work. That is why the Appropriations Committee does make investments in transportation because we know transportation not only moves goods and cargo, but it provides good jobs today: airports, seaports, roads, bridges, transit, and rail. To develop new ideas, we need to continue to lead the way. That is why we have made major efforts in innovation: in energy, agriculture, weather, climate, and astronomy. I am not going to sound like an accountant. I am ready to give an accounting to the people of Maryland, to this Nation about how we are spending their money. We want to spend the money to give the people of Flint safe drinking water, give people treatment to kick their prescription drug habit, to find cures for disease from cancer, Alzheimer's, and I am proud of the resources we provide to make our communities better and safer. I am proud of my service as the Democratic leader of the Appropriations Committee. I am proud to have worked with my colleagues. I have the best subcommittee chairs or rankings that anyone could have. We have an excellent staff, and we have all tried to work together. Today, as I bring this bill--the continuing resolution before the Senate--I say to you, I ask you to vote for the continuing resolution. It has parity for defense and nondefense. It doesn't have poison pill riders, and it has additional money for Flint, heroin, and opioid abuse. This continuing resolution accomplishes the goals we set out for this year. I am sorry that it only funds the government to April. This is my last set of votes. I hope you vote for the continuing resolution, and I hope in March, with the good work of Senator Leahy, who will then be the Democratic vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, working with Senator Cochran, who is so able and so skilled and yet such a man of principle, you will be able to arrive at a full- year funding for the Appropriations Committee. I do hope in the next Congress we do return to regular order. This committee is capable of it if the Senate is capable of it. In other battles, I have always said to my colleagues, and you know this when I have said to the women of the Senate: Let's put our lipstick on, square our shoulders, and get out there and fight. As we get here to vote on this continuing resolution, my final sets of votes, I want the people of Maryland to know and the people of America to know, I have my lipstick on, my shoulders are squared, and I am ready to get out there and vote, and although this will be my last fight in the U.S. Senate, it will not be my last fight to help America be the great country it is. God bless you, God bless this honorable body, and God bless the United States of America. Madam President, I yield the floor. (Applause, Senators rising.)

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about my longtime friend and colleague Barbara Boxer, who is retiring from this body along with me this year. Senator Boxer will be remembered as an inspiration to young women across our country. Her career is a textbook of how to get involved in public service. Starting at the local level, she came out of the antiwar movement and got involved in the environmental movement and local causes. Taking lessons from grassroots organizing, she ran for the Marin County Board of Supervisors. She lost that first race, but she didn't give up. She ran again and won and became the first female chair. Eventually, she made her way to the U.S. House of Representatives. Along the way, she heard a lot of ``no,'' but always turned it into a ``yes.'' She never quit, never lost faith in herself, and never stopped trying. When it looked like the accusations of Anita Hill would be swept under the rug, I spoke out in the Senate against it, but I was only one female voice. Barbara Boxer came to my aid. Even though she was in the House, she led a troop of fierce House women running up the steps to the Senate to face down the Judiciary Committee and demand they shed light on the accusations of sexual harassment. Barbara had the crack team of Eleanor Holmes Norton, Pat Schroeder, Louise Slaughter, Nita Lowey, Jolene Unsoeld, and Patsy Mink to back her up. They marshalled the press and marched right up these steps. They knocked on the door and were going to be turned away because they weren't Senators. But they pointed to that group of photographers and said, We are going to tell them that you turned us away, what do you think will happen then? So they were let in and made their case. Those Senators couldn't face the calculation and fury of Barbara Boxer and the House women, and those hearings were convened. The Anita Hill hearings made an indelible mark on this country. It really woke America up as to what was going on in the workplaces around the country for women and how little representation women really got in Congress. Watching that all-male Judiciary Committee tear into Professor Hill for daring to accuse her boss of sexual harassment, the women of America took action and elected Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, Carol Mosely Braun, and Patty Murray to the U.S. Senate. I was thrilled when Barbara came to me thinking about running for the Senate. I told her it was the perfect time: she can do more in the Senate and be heard in the Senate. I said would be worth the fight to get her here with me, even if just to have someone I could see eye-to- eye with on a daily basis. Barbara even started an exercise program in the House when we were there together. She showed up in colorful leotards, and Geraldine Ferraro came looking like a photo op for Vanity Fair, and Olympia Snowe wore this gorgeous outfit. I show up, chunky yet funky, and the instructor is yelling, ``Go for the burn! Put your hands on your waist and bend, bend, bend!'' And I turned to Barbara and said, ``If I had a waist, I wouldn't be here.'' Well, those exercise classes may not have lasted long for me, but her energy just couldn't be beat. Her zip and zest is pure California sunshine, and Californians have more sunshine in their spirit because of her work. Her energy has brought light to California and light to the sometimes dreary Capitol hallways. I am going to miss my good friend and irreplaceable political partner. Democrats have had a lot of tough fights over the last 25 years, and the two Barbaras have always been there, side by side. We voted against the war in Iraq, both believing it was a mistake. We were in the minority, but both of us still believe it was one of the best votes we have ever taken as Senators. We stood up for what we believed in and what we thought was right--which is exactly what our constituents sent us here to do. Barbara Boxer has been there for our children, leading the way for after school programs and making sure they are kept safe. She has fought against wasteful spending in the Pentagon--the $400 hammer and the $7,000 coffee pot. She has defended women's right to choose and protected women against domestic violence. She has held the feet of polluters to the fire as the champion of clean air, clean water, and our natural resources. It is too hard to pinpoint just one thing the Senate will miss about her: her political prowess, her dedication and determination, her undying loyalty and friendship. All of those and more will be missed. As we end this session of Congress and our careers in the Senate, I wish Barbara and her husband, Stewart, many happy days ahead as they start writing this new chapter in their lives. Even if we are on opposite sides of the country, I know I will always have a friend in California.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, again, I thank the gentlelady from Michigan. We both have master's degrees in social work. I joke, but I am actually serious when I say we are certified do-gooders. When people hear about social work, they sometimes think it is about giving money away, but it is really about trying to help people build lives, build families, and therefore build the Nation. The Senator from Michigan's championship in that area has been amazing to me. I am so glad my friend from Michigan is here in the Senate, whether she is standing up for the people in Flint, MI, so they have safe drinking water, or standing up for those who need help in the area of food and nutrition so there aren't food deserts in communities. That is one of the biggest public health initiatives. If you are a diabetic, you can't comply if all you can get is fast food and french fries. If you are a child, you need good food and good nutrition. My friend knows more than anybody that you need to feed the body, the mind, and the spirit, and she has certainly done that. It has been great being your pal and partner. Many people don't know this, but Senator Cardin and I commute every day. When those appropriation cycles got pretty late, after midnight, the gentlelady from Michigan offered her home to me. We had a saying: Stop whining and have a glass of wine. There was nothing like being able to talk about your day with a colleague who will offer inspiration and encouragement at the end of the day. My friend offered her home, but she has really fought for so many people to have a home and a community in order to have what they need so they can learn and prosper in this country. I just wish you so much and wish you all the best. Thank you very much. Barbara Boxer

Ms. MIKULSKI. That is the way we talk here. I thank the gentlelady from California for her kind words. We have been together through thick, thin, and the attempt to get thin, and that story about bending at the waist is a true one. I am not the person with the best hairdo or sleek or chic, but one of the things I have so admired about my friend is her authenticity. We first got to know each other in the House, and then I encouraged you to come to the Senate, which certainly was the right thing to do. You are yourself. You are true to yourself, you are true to your beliefs. You are true to your constituents, and you are true to the Constitution. You are such a true, blue person. There are many words to describe you, such as outspoken, feisty, and all of that, but I would say the word that describes you best is ``authenticity.'' You are who you are. The people of California have loved you for it and sent you to the Congress. We started out together basically in city council roles, sometimes called the pothole parliament. It has been a pleasure to serve with the Senator from California. I have watched you stand up for your beliefs, and along the way, as you stood up for your beliefs, you made believers of us all. Godspeed to you, Barbara. We are friends forever.

Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I thank the gentlelady from California.

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise to take the floor for what I call my summing-up speech. It is not my farewell speech because I have the honor and privilege of being the ranking member and former chairman of the Appropriations Committee. I will speak later on this week when we move the continuing resolution. It is the practice and the tradition of the Senate that when a Senator is departing the Senate, they give what they call their farewell address. Well, mine is not going to be as memorable as when George Washington resigned his commission or other memorable speeches, but I do want to say words about how I feel today about having the great opportunity to serve in the Congress. I have spent 30 years in the Senate, 10 years in the House of Representatives, and, yes, 5 years in the Baltimore City Council. I have served in elected public office for 45 years. More than half of my life has been in elected public service but, at the same time, all of my life has been focused on service. I rise today to thank the people of Maryland. I rise to thank them for their vote of confidence. When people vote for you, it is not only that they are sending you to Washington or sending you to city hall. They are giving you a vote of confidence that you will be their voice, that you will be their vote, that you will be at their side and on their side, and that is what I want to be able to talk about today. The people of Baltimore gave me my first shot at running for the Baltimore City Council. When I beat the political bosses, when running for political office as a woman was considered a novelty, they said: You don't look the part. But I said: This is what the part looks like, and this is what the part is going to be like. Along the way, so many people helped me. Behind ``me'' is a whole lot of ``we.'' I got started in public life because of volunteers and activists who, on their own time and on their own dime, volunteered themselves to not only help me get elected but to be involved in their communities, to be civically engaged, to make their community and their country a better place. These are the people who were behind me. Well, guess what. No, I was behind them, because they certainly have led the way. Along the way, there were people who also not only helped me get elected, but they helped me govern--people who, again, volunteered their own time. I had a wonderful service academy board that helped me pick the best and the brightest to serve in our military academies-- people with distinguished careers in either the military or in education. I had a judicial appointment advisory board that made sure I helped nominate the best people to serve in the Federal judiciary. Also, I had a veterans advisory group that brought to me what was really happening to the veterans, not what was in the press releases from the Veterans' Administration. Of course, I had a fabulous strategy group that functioned as a kitchen cabinet. It was a kitchen cabinet. We spent a lot of time cooking things up to try to make our country and our communities better places. So I thank them all for what they did. But, when we come here to try to serve the people who sent us here, we cannot do it alone. So we have a fabulous staff, both that serves us in Washington and serves us in our State. I wish to thank my current staff: my chief of staff, Shannon Kula; my deputy chief of staff, Rachel MacKnight; my State director, Nichelle Schoultz; my legislative director, Brigid Houton; my communications director, Matt Jorgenson; my scheduling director, Catie Finley; my office manager, Josh Yearsley; my appropriations staff director, Chuck Kieffer; and my appropriations deputy staff director, Jean Toal Eisen; and of course, all of my staff in my State office who helped me. There is also the support staff who made sure that the phones got answered. You didn't get one of those ``call 1, call 2, press 7, press 184,'' et cetera. Also, there are the people who answer the mail, whether it was snail mail, which so much of it was when I came, or email, because we really believed that we needed to be here for the people. I called their names, but there are also others who filled those jobs throughout my time in public office. They worked very hard to make sure that we could represent the people of Maryland and to be on their side. After 45 years, though, it is time for me to say goodbye to elected office, but not to service. I have the high privilege of being the longest serving woman in congressional history. But I say it is not how long you serve but how well you serve. For those who know me and have been to rallies and so on, they know that I say: ``I am here to work on the macro issues and I am here to work on the macaroni and cheese issues''--to work on the big picture, to make sure that the people's day-to-day needs were converted into public policy or, while we are working on public policy, to try to help our communities. We also have to remember in our own States that we have constituent service issues. One of the things I am really proud of is my constituent service staff, where if you were a veteran and you needed help or you had a Social Security or Medicare problem, you could call Senator Barb and you didn't feel that you had to go to a $100 fundraiser or know somebody who had connections. The only connection you needed was a phone. You didn't even need Wi-Fi. You could just call me. Summer, winter, spring, or fall, they had Senator Barb. I tried to be of service because service was in my DNA. I was raised to think about service. My mother and father ran a small neighborhood grocery store in one of Baltimore's famous row house neighborhoods. Every day they would get up, and they would open that grocery store and say to their customers: Good morning. Can I help you? Now, in running that business, they also wanted to be sure that they were connected to the community. We weren't a big-box shop. We were a shop for the little people. If anybody was in difficulty, my father was happy to extend credit. It was called: We will write your name down in a book. Pay us when you can. Don't worry that you got laid off at Bethlehem Steel. We know that your wife had a difficult childbirth and needs this extra stuff. We are here to help. My father would say: Barbara, deliver those groceries. Take it down in that little red wagon I got for you. With my little red wagon, I would maybe take orange juice down to a shut-in, but my father would say: Don't take a tip. But the tip he gave me was to always be of service and to treat people fair and square. The other place where I learned so much about service was from the nuns who taught me. I had the great fortune to go to Catholic schools. I was taught by the Sisters of Notre Dame and the Sisters of Mercy. These wonderful women, who led the consecrated life, taught us not only about reading, writing, and arithmetic, but they taught us religion and emphasized the Beatitudes. If anybody reads the Scripture, if you go to Matthew 5 and you go to the Beatitudes, you know what has shaped us. One of them is this: Blessed are those who are meek at heart. I had to really work at that one--really, really work at that one. At the same time, there were those who said: those who hunger and thirst after justice. That is what motivated me. It was focusing on the values of faith, like love your neighbor, care for the sick, and worry about the poor. I was also inspired by a motto from something called the Christopher Movement, where you would help carry the burden. It said: ``It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.'' That is what was motivating me to service. You see, we really believed in America in my family, and we really believed in it in my community. When my great grandmother came to this country from Poland in 1886, she had little money in her pocket, but she had big dreams in her heart. Women didn't even have the right to vote. One hundred years to the year that she landed in this country, I landed in the Senate. That is what opportunity means in the United States of America. I never thought I would come into politics. Growing up in Baltimore, my family wasn't involved in politics. My family was involved more in church work, philanthropy, doing good works in the way they did their business. In Baltimore in those days, there were political bosses--guys with pot bellies who smoked cigars and did deals, et cetera--and that wasn't going to be me. I thought I would go into the field of social work. But I got involved because they wanted to put a 16-lane highway through the European ethnic neighborhoods of Baltimore and not even give the people relocation benefits, and they were going to smash and bulldoze the first African-American home-ownership neighborhood in Baltimore, in a community called Rosemont. I said: Look, we can fight this. We just have to give ourselves a militant name. I helped put together a group called SCAR, or the Southeast Council Against the Road. Our African-American neighbors were on the other side of town, and they had a group called RAM, or Relocation Action Movement. Then the citywide coalition had a group called MAD, or Movement Against Destruction. So you see, I have always had a certain flair about these things. So we did take on city hall. But the more I knocked on doors--and our community did--we weren't heard. So I decided: the heck with it. If I knocked on a door and I wasn't going to be heard, I was going to knock on the door to get elected, and that is what I did--knocking on doors, putting together a coalition, defying the odds, defying what people said: You can't win. No woman can win in an ethnic, hard-hat neighborhood. No woman can win who isn't part of the political machine. And no woman could win who had been active in the civil rights movement. I said: Guess what. We defied the odds, and we denied the odds, and that is how I came into public office--a champion on behalf of the people. I wanted to come to be an advocate for people to have better lives, to have better livelihoods and better neighborhoods, to be able to save jobs and to do what I could to be able to help them. I knew that to do that I had to show up, stand up, and speak up for my constituents, staying close enough to the people so they wouldn't fall between the cracks and meeting their day-to-day needs and the long-range needs of the Nation. When I came to the Senate, I was the very first woman elected in her own right. Though I was all by myself, I was never alone. When I came, there was only one other woman here--the wonderful and distinguished colleague from Kansas, Senator Nancy Kassebaum, a wonderful colleague. When I say I was by myself as the only woman in the Democratic caucus, I say I was never alone because of the great men that we could work with in the Senate. Now, I have had the privilege to work with two of the best men in America. Senator Paul Sarbanes, who was my senior Senator when I came and who certainly was my champion, helped me to get on the right committees and convinced everybody that my name was Barb Mikulski and not Bella Abzug. But I was a little bit of both. As to Senator Sarbanes and now, of course, Senator Ben Cardin, who also has been at my side, we have worked together on issues related to Maryland both large and small. But there were others who taught me, like Senator Byrd, Senator Kennedy, and others. What it was all about was being able to work for jobs and for justice. Though I was the first Democratic woman, I wanted to be the first of many. I wanted to help women get elected to the Senate and do what I could to be able to help them to do that. It has been just wonderful to see that now there are 20 women who are currently serving in the Senate. One of the great joys has been to work to help empower them so that they can be a powerhouse. That is why we have those power workshops that struck fear into the hearts of the guys--not to worry about us but to keep an eye on us. I have been proud of what I have learned, taking the values that I had growing up and trying to put them in the Federal lawbooks, because, for me, no issue was too small to take up, and no cause was too big for me to not take on. I firmly believe that the best ideas come from the people. That is where some of my greatest accomplishments came from. One of the things I loved the most was being in Maryland, moving around the State, going to all of the counties in the State. I loved my Mondays in Maryland, where I could meet and go into unannounced places like diners. A lot of people like to do townhalls, and they are terrific, but I like to show up at a diner, go from table to table to table and not only eyeball the french fries but listen to what the people have to say. The other thing that I really liked was roundtables--absolutely those roundtables--where you could engage in conversation with people and listen to them, not show off how smart or cool you were. I really loved doing that. Out of it came some of my first big accomplishments. When I came to the U.S. Senate, my father was quite ill with Alzheimer's. My father was a wonderful man. He worked hard for my sisters and me so that we would have an education. He saw his role as a protector and provider, and by providing us an education, we could always take care of ourselves. When he became so ill and went into a nursing home, I listened to other families who would come to visit people in long-term care. We saw that the very cruel rules of our own government were forcing people to spend down their entire life savings and put in their family home or their family farm as an asset base. Well, listening to them, Barbara Mikulski said this: Family responsibility--yes, you need to take responsibility for your family, but the cruel rules of government should never push a family into family bankruptcy. So I crafted something called the spousal anti-impoverishment rules that enable elderly couples to keep their assets and keep their home. AARP tells me that since that legislation passed over 20 years ago, we have helped 1 million seniors not lose their homes or their family farms because one becomes too ill because of that dreaded A-word or Parkinson's or others. That is what I mean about the best ideas coming from the people. Then I also listened to women who worked hard every single day yet weren't getting equal pay for equal work. Of course we heard it from Lilly Ledbetter, but we heard it from lots of Lillies, and we heard it from lots of Roses and lots of Marys and lots of Otanias and lots of Marias. That is why we worked hard to pass the equal pay for equal work act. Working together with Senator Nancy Kassebaum, Olympia Snowe, our friends over in the House, Connie Morella, Pat Schroeder, we also found that women were being excluded from the protocols of NIH. The famous study to take an aspirin and keep a heart attack away was done on 10,000 male medical students, not one woman. So Olympia, Connie, Pat, Barb showed up at NIH and pounded the table and said: Let's start practicing good science instead of bad stereotypes and make sure we are included where we should be in a legitimate, scientific way. Out of that came the appointment of Bernadine Healy as the head of NIH; out of that came the Office of Research on Women's Health at NIH; and out of that came the famous hormone replacement study that Dr. Healy championed. Then Tom Harkin and Arlen Specter helped us get money in the Federal checkbook. One study changed medical practice and lowered breast cancer rates in this country by 15 percent. Wow. That is what working together does--to try to save lives a million at a time. That was on women's health. Then we saw growing concerns about the issue of the high cost of college. The first mortgage many of our kids are facing is their student loans. Working together with the other side of the aisle, we created AmeriCorps, making sure we enabled people to be able to be of service to our country and earn a voucher to pay down their student loans. Then there was a roundtable where I met with parents of special needs children, and a mother asked me to change the law from ``retardation'' to ``intellectual disability'' because she was being bullied. Well, I came back here and drafted legislation. Again, on the other side of the aisle was Mike Enzi, who worked with me to pass that. Rosa now is a member of the Special Olympics. She wins medals. She was Person of the Week on TV. That is what Mondays in Maryland means. It is worth everything to do things like that. In Maryland, we worked along with Senators Sarbanes and Hardin to clean up the bay. We worked to make sure our port was viable. We worked not only on our Port of Baltimore for ships of commerce, but also we worked on the space community at Goddard. I am so proud of the fact that I worked very hard to save the Hubble Space Telescope. That Hubble Space Telescope turned out to be the richest contact lens in world history. But again, with astronaut Senators Jake Garn and John Glenn working together, we did it, and it ensured America's premier leadership in astronomy and in space for years and for several decades. Over the years, though, I could go through accomplishment after accomplishment, but one of the things I have learned as my lesson in life is that the best ship you could sail on in life is something called friendship. It is friendship that makes life worth living. It enables life to have the value of giving. That is what friendship is. When I think about the friends along the way whom I have met both in my hometown and my State, there are also those who are here, people who on both sides of the aisle are absolutely so important to me--and the fact that we have worked on both sides of the aisle. I spoke about Senator Cardin and Senator Sarbanes. But also on the Senate Appropriations Committee, it was Senator Shelby and Senator Kit Bond; we could actually work together. We put our heads together to try to come up with real solutions for real problems, and we could do that. The other is not to judge one another because we have a party label. I am so darned sick of that. In the year of the women, so many came-- like Barbara Boxer and Patty Murray and Dianne Feinstein, also Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, who came from Texas. I got a call from Senator Hutchison one day, and my staff said: Ew, she wants to work with you on something. Ew, ew. She is a conservative from Texas and she wants to do something for women. I said: How about if we listen? Could we start with listening? Could we start with just listening? Senator Hutchison had a fabulous idea on IRA contributions. In those days, if you were in the marketplace, you could put in $2,000, but if you worked full-time at home, you could put in only $500. What Senator Hutchison wanted to do was to make it have parity--that old word, ``parity.'' I said yes. Our staffs told us not to work with each other, but we were going to forge ahead. We went out to dinner to talk over strategy, but we talked together about our lives, how she got her start, obstacles she faced. We had such a good time that we said: Let's invite other women. Well, that became the famous dinners--the famous dinners that the women of the Senate have. We knew we would never be a caucus because we were not uniform in our views or the way we voted, but what we wanted to be was, No. 1, a zone of civility where we would treat each other with respect, our debates would be observed with intellectual rigor, and when the day was over, the day would be over. Those dinners have now stood the test of time, and I am so proud of them. I have been so proud to work with my colleague, the senior Senator from Maine, Ms. Collins, who has been such a friend and such an ally. Though we are not a caucus, we are a force when we can come together. We have made change, and we have made a difference. That doesn't go down in the roll books, but I think it certainly should go down in the history books. So as I get ready to leave the Senate, what will I miss? Well, I will never have another job as consequential as this. This is pretty consequential. The fate of this country, and maybe even the world, lies in the hands of the Congress of the U.S. Senate. I will miss the people in the Senate the wonderful professional staff, but I am also going to miss the doorkeepers, the elevator operators, the cafeteria workers, the police officers who say: In helping the one, we help the many. We learn so much from them; I have learned so much from them. I learned a lot from the elevator operators. One was a lady of very modest means who every day would say to me and to all of us, ``Have a blessed day.'' What a great gift she gave us: ``Have a blessed day.'' Another elevator operator, who himself has recovered from very challenging health issues, always cheerful, asks, ``How is your day?'' The last thing you could do is to not return a smile. Those are the kinds of people whom I will always remember, all those helping hands. So I say to my colleagues now that I will never, ever forget you. Helen Keller, though she was blind, was a great visionary, and she said that all that you deeply love you never lose. And all whom I have ever met have become a part of me; each and every one of you have become a part of me. Everybody I met along the way, whether it was at roundtables or the elevator operators, have become a part of me. You shaped me, and you have helped me become a better person. So when I wrap up and people say ``Well, what do you think you are going to do, Barb,'' I will say my plan is not a job description but a life description. Every day I am going to learn something new. Every day I am going to give something back. Every day I am going to do something where I keep an old friend or make a new one. I want to thank God that I live in the United States of America, which enabled me to do this. In conclusion, George Bernard Shaw--I don't know how he would have felt about me, but he wrote this, and I think it is pretty good. He said this: I am [of the opinion] that my life belongs to the [whole] community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. For the harder I work, the more I live. I will rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ``brief candle'' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. God bless the United States Senate, and God bless the United States of America. (Applause, Senators rising.)

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Thank you very much, Mr. President and Vice President. Well, Mr. President, we all take pleasure in calling you that. Mr. Vice President, Senator, foreign policy guru, the Senator who was tough on crime but a soft touch when it came to compelling human need, a longtime colleague, but most of all, I know you as my friend Joe. My friend Joe. It is not only that I know you as my friend Joe, the people of Delaware know you as ``my friend Joe.'' The fact is, your colleagues, both present and past, here feel the same way about you and so do the American people. You have a unique ability to make a visceral connection to people. You actually connect to them, not only on the abstraction of big ideas, of which you were more than capable, but I think your connection was hand to hand, heart to heart. I think when you talk with people, that is why you have this visceral connection. Sure, you can debate the great ideas, whether it is national security or economic growth, but it is that heart connection you are able to make that I think has been one of your great, great signatures. We in Maryland know you as a neighbor, the Delmarva gang from Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. We also know you as ``Amtrak Joe.'' I think that is so fitting because not only have you been a champion of Amtrak and ridden the train so faithfully--which has now become the stories of fact and fiction--but also Amtrak Joe is right because, really, in the way you have lived your life, conducted yourself in public service, you have kept America on track and going in the right direction because you knew what your destinations were. I salute you for that. You have done a great job in everything you have undertaken. I know you because while others just go for the pomp and they love the policy--if I hear one more ``I'm going to dive deep in policy,'' I am going to shake my head. I am like you. I believe that we do need policies that help people, keep our Nation strong and safe, help our people be able to help themselves, and make sure there is an opportunity structure here. But we are here to be champions of the people. That is what you have been, a champion of the people, and you have been a steady friend. When I arrived in the Senate, I was the only Democratic woman. I have often said that, though I was all by myself, I was never alone. I was surrounded by the good men in the Senate, and particularly the Democrats reached out their hands and helped me. Of course, my very good friend Paul Sarbanes, who is here today, was my senior Senator when I came and was my colleague and my champion, but you were right up at the top of the list too. I call the men who were so incredibly helpful to me, Galahads. You help me in every way you can. In my time in the Senate, when I reached out to you, you were always there. When I reached out to fight for women to be included in the NIH protocols, you were there to help me. When I reached out to fight against the skimpy and spartan money for breast cancer research, you were there to help me. When we organized the women of the Senate, the Democratic women, to fight then-Bush on the privatizing of Social Security, when we said we shouldn't rely on the bull of political promises while we fear the bear market, you joined right there with us, side by side, shoulder to shoulder. Whether it was equal pay for equal work or so many issues, you were always there when we called upon you. You were always such tremendous help. I was also there to try to help you. I remember a day in the mid- 1990s when I got a call from you. Maybe you remember that, but I remember it. You said you really wanted to stop violence against women. You knew of my social work background, my advocacy for what was then called battered women. You said: Can you help me kind of go over this legislation to make sure that the money goes to people who will help those women and not to people who just want to get grants? So we worked together. We talked about the need for shelters. We talked about the reform of police, courts, and so on. Then you came up with that fabulous, fabulous idea to have a hotline. So it didn't matter whether you lived in Delaware or in Des Moines or in San Diego, there was always help on the other side of that line. I was so happy to work with you and to support you as you led that battle through--as only a good man could--to stand for women who were being battered in their own homes and facing danger. Lately I checked on the statistics on that hotline. Joe Biden, since that hotline legislation passed, over 1.5 million have called that hotline. Many of them were in lethal danger--lethal danger. Because of you, Joe Biden, there are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of women and children alive today because you had the foresight and the fortitude to create this legislation. That in and of itself would have been enough for a career. But, oh, you did so many other things. Now we know you are advocating the national Cancer Moonshot, but you have been a champion on finding the cure for cancer for a long time, whether it was for women with breast cancer or others. I am so pleased that in that cloture vote we are going to include $352 million for that. So on issue after issue, we were there. I know you have been a great leader, but I also know that behind great men there are also very terrific women. I think we owe a salute to Jill. She is a wonderful woman, a leader in her own right, with a belief in higher education, a belief in working at the community college level so people who had big dreams in their hearts but not a lot of money in their pockets could be able to go on to college. What a champion she has been there and also what a champion for our veterans and for our wounded warriors. Wow, she is just terrific. I know she has been at your side. There are so many stories I could tell, but I want to wrap up with one. I met your mother. She was spunky. She was feisty. She was a delight. If there is anything spunkier, feistier, or more delightful than an Irish mother, it is a Polish mother. I wish you could have met mine. Those two would have been kindred spirits. Do you remember when the Pope came to Baltimore? The Pope was coming to Baltimore, and I told my mother I wanted to greet the Pope in Polish. My mother's response was: Oh, my God. I grew up in a family that before World War II was bilingual. I was bilingual as a child, but during World War II we stopped speaking all foreign language, so my pronunciation is really awkward. My mother made me practice Polish words, how to say hello to the Pope and how to say goodbye to the Pope. You and I were at the Baltimore-Washington airport. There goes the Pope in his popemobile. He is heading up, he is getting on ``Shepherd Two,'' and you are saying goodbye: Goodbye Your Holiness. I say: No, say it in Polish. You have a large Polish community. I taught you how to say one simple phrase, ``sto lat.'' In the tongue of my ethnic heritage, when you say ``sto lat'' to someone, you say may they live 100 years. So, Joe, sto lat.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I come to the floor as the vice chair of the Committee on Appropriations. That means I am the Democratic leader on appropriations for this session of Congress, and next to me is the distinguished Senator from Vermont, Mr. Leahy, who will have that responsibility next year. I come to the floor to say that, sadly, I am concerned we will not finish our job on appropriations the way we should finish it--to do an omnibus, to get the job done. Alas, the clock is slipping away. Now, one needs to note that the Committee on Appropriations, during the past year, under the leadership of Senator Cochran of Mississippi, worked constructively, worked in a well-paced, well-sequenced way, and we were poised to finish our work, with the Committee on Appropriations reporting all 12 bills for floor consideration 5 months ago. So we were ready 5 months ago to bring them up either as individual bills or in a series of minibuses. But instead of finishing Congress's work to fund the government, we are now contemplating putting the government on autopilot by something called a continuing resolution--a short-term continuing resolution that would only last for maybe 3 months. I am very frustrated about this. It did not have to be this way. As I said, we have worked very constructively on both sides of the aisle and have been cooperating to do our job. We attempted to write bills that meet the needs of the American people--bills related to national security and economic growth and that meet compelling human needs. For those Republicans who are obstructionists, they really have been setting us back. For those on both sides of the aisle who want to save money, they are actually going to cost us more money by delaying. So where are we? There is only one bill--the VA-Military Construction bill, which is signed into law. There are 11 other bills left. Funding for every mission--let's start with the Department of Defense. Our troops are fighting overseas, and we need to support them. There is Federal law enforcement, foreign policy and embassy security, infrastructure, education--from child care to college affordability. So instead of making choices about what to fund, what to cut, we leave these missions on autopilot, spending the same amount as last year on the same items with the same policies. No business operates this way. No family operates this way. It is irresponsible to spend $1 trillion this way with no thought, delaying important investments, and thus resulting in increasing cost to the taxpayers. Let me talk about why this really can give you heartburn. Last week, Department of Defense Comptroller Mike McCord warned that a stopgap CR delays ships and weapons our troops need. Hello. Did you hear that? It actually delays the construction of ships and the purchase of weapons our troops need. Without a special provision in the CR, DOD would have to delay planned replacement for their Ohio-class submarines, disrupting contract awards and ultimately delaying production for the length of the CR. These new subs are necessary. They are the backbone of our nuclear deterrent--our nuclear deterrent. The current ships' nuclear reactors reach the end of their useful lives in the mid-2020s. So this isn't some new whiz-bang thing that might be untried. So without special provisions, other things will be delayed. What are we trying to do here? We are concerned that people in this country are now facing death from heroin and opioid overdoses. Every Governor in the United States of America has cried out to the Federal Government for help on heroin and opioid overdoses. We have heard on both sides of the aisle advocacy for a comprehensive approach. The problem affects every part of the country--urban and rural--and every socioeconomic category. Now, our appropriations bill is ready with new spending in law enforcement, prevention, treatment, and education. But in the continuing resolution, we won't get these investments, and more families will suffer. Every leading authority on treatment says when you need it and you are ready to ask for it, you need to get it on the same day. Just as clinicians have to act with urgency, so do we. What else won't a CR help? It won't help college affordability with full-year Pell grants. It won't bolster security funds for the FBI, for the Border Patrol, for embassy security. Remember Benghazi? Whoa, when people loved to investigate rather than legislate, Benghazi was in the news. That was at the same time the Congress had cut--particularly, the House had cut--embassy security considerably. But in this bill, working with both sides of the aisle, we were able to come up with the appropriate money for embassy security, border control, and so on. We also won't have the funds for infrastructure funding, particularly for roads, to improve our ports, and to make our railroads safer. We won't meet the needs of children--children who are on the march, children who are in desperate need of help in Central America. I know the other thing we have supported on both sides of the aisle is an innovation agenda, particularly in the area of the medical research of the National Institutes of Health. Hopefully, we are going to be debating the Cures Act, yet right now we have the ability to act with the funding for the National Institutes of Health research and also the great work done at the Department of Defense in research. All year long I have come to the floor and talked about how appropriations can be used to solve problems, whether it was children exposed to lead in drinking water--the compelling story of Flint, MI. We need to really modernize our water supply. In my own hometown of Baltimore, infrastructure funding could be fantastic. If we replaced the Baltimore water system that was built over 100 years ago, we would improve public health, we would create jobs in Maryland, in Baltimore, and we would leave our communities in a better, safer place by getting the lead out. We need to get the lead out of our water supply, and we need to get the lead out of Congress. We want to solve problems, create jobs, and protect America. A CR is not the best way to do it. But if we are going to do a CR, it should be for the shortest time possible. So let me be clear. Senate Democrats are willing to work across the aisle and across the dome. It is our Republican colleagues who need to think about this long and hard. I really urge that you not spend another half year spinning your wheels and not serving the American people, addressing security needs and compelling human needs. As I get ready to finish my time in being the ranking member on the Committee on Appropriations, I would like to finish it by working constructively, collegially, and in the best interests of the United States of America to get a real bill across the finish line for the longest time possible. That will provide certainty to Federal agencies that are protecting America and protecting our border while we try to protect American jobs. There is much ahead and that will lie ahead in the new term and with a new administration. We can act with certainty now for at least the funding for next year if we acted, and we acted with a long-term CR. I could elaborate on more, but, please, let's do our job. Let's work together. There are still a few days where we could get this done the right way. I yield the floor.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Death Gratuities Equity Act of 2016. I am joined by Senators Cardin and Warner in support of this bill. Congress required the Office of Personnel Management to study and report back on death gratuities and funeral expenses given to families of Federal employees killed in the line of duty. OPM provided its report in 2012, and what it found deeply disturbed me. Across the board the numbers were wildly different. Some families would get a $10,000 death gratuity with $800 for funeral expenses. Those funeral expenses were then deducted from the lump sum death gratuity. The $800 allotment for funeral expenses had not been updated in 50 years, and the $10,000 amount has not been updated in 20 years. This report really struck a nerve with me. If you are working hard every day for your country and you are killed in doing that duty, your country should do all it can to thank you. I think that's a pretty reasonable request. So I worked with OPM and the administration to create this legislation here today. My home State of Maryland has one of the highest numbers of Federal employees. Marylanders are called to service, and we proudly represent team USA at home and around the world. In 1998, when Al Qaeda bombed the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, killing twelve Americans. Maryland lost two of its own that day, Julian Bartley Sr. and his son, Jay. Since then, I have fought tooth and nail for his family and all the families who lose loved ones while serving America. We were able to finally get them the compensation they deserved in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014. But families shouldn't have to worry about whether or not Congress will take action, and they shouldn't have to fight for years on end to recognize the sacrifice made by their loved ones. We need to recognize that sacrifice now and secure it for the future. The families of all Federal employees across the country need to know that we have their backs should the worst come to pass. This bill does five things. First, it creates a standard minimum payment of $100,000 across all departments for any federal civilian employee killed in the line of duty. Second, it gives up to $8,800 for funeral expenses, and those expenses are in addition to the death gratuity, not taken away from it. Third, it makes it the law that these death and funeral gratuities cannot be taxed. Fourth, it ties these amounts to an automatic cost-of-living adjustment, so that we don't have to do this again in the future. And fifth, it now covers all federal employees, not just those killed abroad. This bill also now covers more kinds of Federal service employees who are eligible for death gratuities and funeral expenses. Brave people like firefighters, dedicated post office employees, diligent census workers, and bright young stars like interns, Job Corps students, and Peace Corps volunteers. These people and their families would all be covered and protected under this bill. I am very pleased with this plan to standardize civilian death gratuities. There's been too much disparity across departments for too long. Federal employees who are killed in the line of duty deserve to be recognized by their government for their sacrifice. Their families deserve certainty and a uniform policy they can rely on if the worst should happen to their loved ones. These hardworking employees are wearing the USA team jersey every day. This bill lets them know the government is on their side, that their service is valued, and that everyone is equal under the law.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Death Gratuities Equity Act of 2016. I am joined by Senators Cardin and Warner in support of this bill. Congress required the Office of Personnel Management to study and report back on death gratuities and funeral expenses given to families of Federal employees killed in the line of duty. OPM provided its report in 2012, and what it found deeply disturbed me. Across the board the numbers were wildly different. Some families would get a $10,000 death gratuity with $800 for funeral expenses. Those funeral expenses were then deducted from the lump sum death gratuity. The $800 allotment for funeral expenses had not been updated in 50 years, and the $10,000 amount has not been updated in 20 years. This report really struck a nerve with me. If you are working hard every day for your country and you are killed in doing that duty, your country should do all it can to thank you. I think that's a pretty reasonable request. So I worked with OPM and the administration to create this legislation here today. My home State of Maryland has one of the highest numbers of Federal employees. Marylanders are called to service, and we proudly represent team USA at home and around the world. In 1998, when Al Qaeda bombed the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, killing twelve Americans. Maryland lost two of its own that day, Julian Bartley Sr. and his son, Jay. Since then, I have fought tooth and nail for his family and all the families who lose loved ones while serving America. We were able to finally get them the compensation they deserved in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014. But families shouldn't have to worry about whether or not Congress will take action, and they shouldn't have to fight for years on end to recognize the sacrifice made by their loved ones. We need to recognize that sacrifice now and secure it for the future. The families of all Federal employees across the country need to know that we have their backs should the worst come to pass. This bill does five things. First, it creates a standard minimum payment of $100,000 across all departments for any federal civilian employee killed in the line of duty. Second, it gives up to $8,800 for funeral expenses, and those expenses are in addition to the death gratuity, not taken away from it. Third, it makes it the law that these death and funeral gratuities cannot be taxed. Fourth, it ties these amounts to an automatic cost-of-living adjustment, so that we don't have to do this again in the future. And fifth, it now covers all federal employees, not just those killed abroad. This bill also now covers more kinds of Federal service employees who are eligible for death gratuities and funeral expenses. Brave people like firefighters, dedicated post office employees, diligent census workers, and bright young stars like interns, Job Corps students, and Peace Corps volunteers. These people and their families would all be covered and protected under this bill. I am very pleased with this plan to standardize civilian death gratuities. There's been too much disparity across departments for too long. Federal employees who are killed in the line of duty deserve to be recognized by their government for their sacrifice. Their families deserve certainty and a uniform policy they can rely on if the worst should happen to their loved ones. These hardworking employees are wearing the USA team jersey every day. This bill lets them know the government is on their side, that their service is valued, and that everyone is equal under the law.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise in support of voting for the continuing resolution. Over the last several days, there have been votes I have had to oppose, but I think we have arrived at a place where both sides of the aisle can support this continuing resolution. Is it perfect? No. Is it acceptable? Yes. Is it necessary? Absolutely. The first thing we need to do is make sure we do not have a government shutdown or a government slamdown. Those wonderful men and women who work for the Federal Government, those who are keeping our Social Security offices open, those who serve our veterans, and those who are working at NIH right this minute on a cure for cancer or helping people with Alzheimer's need to know we are not going to play partisan politics with last-minute dramatic efforts to get one party or the other to stare each other down. This continuing resolution, which will be before our colleagues shortly, meets three goals that we Democrats have laid out. No. 1, it keeps the government open through December 9 so we can finish the work on government spending and what they call an omnibus bill, meaning all of the subcommittees that would fund the U.S. Government; No. 2, that we do it in a way that abides by the balanced budget agreement of 2015; No. 3, ensure that it does not contain draconian poison pill riders, which is true with one regrettable exception, the SEC political disclosure rider, which is where we tell corporations that if they give money to political parties, they need to disclose it. The bill does do important things. First of all, it fights Zika with $1.1 billion worth of emergency funding without objectionable riders restricting funding. It also contains funding for our veterans so they get the health care they deserve and have earned so we can shrink the disability backlog and that we don't leave the veterans stranded while waiting to see a doctor. I wish to compliment those who worked on that particular funding. I also want to say it does contain disaster relief for flooded communities like Louisiana and West Virginia, but the bill does not respond to the compelling needs in Flint, MI. However, we do have leadership on both sides of the aisle and both sides of the dome pledging to get money to Flint during the lameduck session. I commend Senators Stabenow and Peters for their advocacy--those of the Senators from Michigan--for their constituents. There are still 100,000 people in Flint, MI, waiting for their water pipes to be clean and safe. Small business owners are trying to keep their doors open, and mothers are worried about whether their children will suffer any cognitive damage as well as slow growth and development in the future due to the lead in their water. When we were fighting for Flint, we were fighting for the 100,000 people who needed to be able to count on their government so we could get the lead out of what we do and get the lead out of their waters. We were disappointed about Flint, but we do know it contains an approach that is acceptable to the Senators and the Members from Michigan. This bill includes $1 billion for Zika funding that I talked about, and it also funds money for our veterans. I could elaborate on this more, but what I want to say is this. Through a conversation that was arrived at by talking across both sides of the aisle, we were able to get through this legislation. I thank the Republican leader, Senator McConnell, for his work and talking with me as well as working with our leadership to achieve a bill I think we can support. We want to make sure we finish the job today so we can keep the government open and that we pass the omnibus in December, among the other bills we are going to be dealing with, which will be very important, and I will have more to say about it. What I am saying now, to my side of the aisle, is that this is an acceptable compromise. It might not be the most desirable, and we could continue to debate and dispute that, but it is acceptable. I urge my colleagues to vote for the bill, and I look forward to keeping our government open and working on the final product of an omnibus bill with my chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the Senator from Mississippi, who again wants to achieve compromise and do it in a way that is civil. I yield the floor.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life and legacy of a dear friend, a great leader, a pioneer in his own right, someone I admire, and someone many of us have cheered on, President Shimon Peres. President Peres helped build Israel through hard work and tough diplomacy aimed at restarting peace talks, and championed Israel's security and prosperity until his last breath. A giant among statesmen and inspiration to so many, his passing marks an end of an era and is a great loss to Israel, the region, and the world; but his legacy lives on in his unwavering commitment to regional peace and in the future of the Jewish people where generations upon generations will build a better, safer, and more peaceful future. Last night, we got the very sad news that President Peres passed away after suffering a stroke 2 weeks ago, and I want to come to the floor to speak about him. We all know the biography. Born in Poland, he grew up in Tel Aviv and spent some time studying in the United States, including at Harvard University and New School for Social Research in New York. Since the mid-20th century, President Peres committed his life to advancing peace and reconciliation in the Middle East and addressing security issues that faced the region. He became the Director General of Israel's Ministry of Defense at the age of 29 and had an impressive political career that spanned seven decades, which included two terms as Prime Minister and one as President. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role in negotiating the Oslo accords, along with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. President Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. A further testament to his hard work, commitment to his country, and legacy, he continued to engage on matters of importance to Israel after leaving public office in 2014. I have known and observed President Peres for a long time, in particular, during my almost 40 years in Congress, and I can say that we have much to celebrate in him, starting with one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century--the founding of the modern State of Israel, which followed the most incomprehensible and evil event of the 20th century, when the Nazis, with the complicity of so many others, sought to exterminate a people. Peres, along with survivors of the Holocaust, helped to build modern Israel, and as a result, never again will the Jewish people be dependent on anyone else for their security. I met with then-President Peres on my last trip to Israel in 2012, and, as with every engagement we have had, I was reminded of his strong commitment to regional peace that I believe changed the course of Israel's history in so many areas--defense, the occupation of the West Bank, the economy, and the peace process itself. Now, I have been a longtime friend and supporter of Israel, and I also have had the great honor in my years in the Senate to be on the committee that provided billions in foreign assistance and missile defense to Israel and ensured Israel had the resources it needed while enforcing current and potential future sanctions against Iran. So I have been a close observer of Israel and seen Peres up close and personal. What I can say about him is that, in our conversations, I told him my support for Israel is unabashed and unwavering and that I will continue to be a voice for Israel and a vote for Israel in the U.S. Senate. I said the United States will always stand by Israel since we are bound together by our common values, by history, and by our shared national interests. I said that support for Israel must be unflinching and unflagging and that the United States will continue to make sure that Israel maintains its qualitative edge--the ability to counter and defeat any military threat. We have had good conversations over the years, so I could not be more emphatic when I say that his legacy, along with his status as the last surviving member of Israel's founding generation which we cannot ignore, puts him in his own category among Israel's most iconic political figures. Israel has had to endure many wars and live in constant readiness for battle under the constant threat of terrorism; yet the people of Israel have remained strong and resolute, a testament to the legacy of Shimon Peres. Today we honor the life and legacy of our friend Shimon Peres, and all friends of Peres and Israel should recommit ourselves to ensuring the survivability and viability of the State of Israel, now and forever. I will miss my dear friend, but look forward to a future of peace, prosperity, and friendship that will live on.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise to also speak about the continuing resolution, and I speak in opposition to the continuing resolution. I just want to say to the Senator from West Virginia that I so respect the leadership role she has played in the Senate. What a diligent Senator she is, in her advocacy for West Virginia and the flood victims who really have not only my sympathy but as the vice chair of the Committee on Appropriations, I would like to be of help to her and to the people of Louisiana and West Virginia, but I would also say we can't leave out Flint, MI. We just can't. Now, we don't want to ``Christmas tree'' the bill--she and I are experienced legislators--but really, when we think about Flint, imagine living off of bottled water. Imagine trying to run a small business. I don't know if my father who had a small grocery store could have kept it open. I do hope we can put our heads together to come up with a solution, get rid of the poison pill riders, and meet the compelling human needs, as the Senator articulated so well, and find a solution to keeping the doors of government open. Right now we need an open mind in talking with each other, and so I look forward to being able to do that. Mr. President, I do come here to discuss keeping the government open. That is really important to me. I have 300,000 Federal employees in Maryland, and they do everything from working at NIH to find a cure for cancer or find a cure for Alzheimer's to working at the weather service so we can provide communities large and small throughout America the information about the weather they need to prepare for everything from natural disasters to planning to prevent our oranges and peaches from freezing on the trees. The Senate has until Friday of this week to avoid a government shutdown. As I said last week--and I have said many times--Democrats are ready to negotiate. We are willing to compromise, but there are certain things we cannot capitulate on, and Flint, MI, is one. Last week, the majority leader, the distinguished Senator from Kentucky, Mr. McConnell, filed a Republican continuing funding resolution. The leader has ``filled the tree,'' which is Senate speak for meaning we cannot amend the continuing resolution before us. So we are stuck. We are stuck in the same old ways, with the drama of being so close to the deadline, it can threaten a showdown, a slamdown. This is not where we want to go. What do Democrats want? Well, we want what the American people should want. No. 1, let us keep the government open through December 9. Now, I am not saying shut it down December 9. I am saying that by December 9, we could come to a complete omnibus bill, meaning our total funding for the fiscal year that lies ahead. Second, as Americans, we need to look at each other across the aisle, across State borders, and meet compelling, urgent needs, such as Zika, such as the floods in Louisiana and West Virginia and other States, and in Flint, MI. We need to be free of poison pill riders like the rider preventing the Securities and Exchange Commission from requiring companies to tell investors where they are putting their political contributions. What is wrong with that? Shouldn't we have an open and transparent process? We are not asking any company to reveal their trade secrets, but trading in political contributions should not be a trade secret. It is about are you trading, are you ashamed--are you ashamed of your political contribution? Wow. Is that what you want to do? You want to hide it? I don't think that is America. We are not saying to whom companies should give, but they should tell us to whom they did give. Let us also provide a full year of funding for our veterans and our military construction, most of all for our veterans. Talk about compelling human needs. We are just weeks away from once again celebrating Veterans Day. Celebrating veterans shouldn't be just 1 day a year. It has to be every day of every year. We have men and women--some of whom have served in the Senate, such as the distinguished Senator from Georgia, Mr. Max Cleland, and others--who come back bearing the permanent wounds of war, and we need to pay and bear the permanent responsibility for caring for those who did serve. We need to be able to back our veterans and not just with lip service and wonderful yellow ribbons. We need to do our duty. We have the funding ready for the defense of the Nation and the things to protect America outside of DOD. We have agreed on helping with Zika and victims in Louisiana, but the Republican continuing resolution doesn't help Flint, MI, and it includes poison pills. So I want to end the partisan gamesmanship--no shutdowns, no slamdowns, no showdowns. That is why I want to be clear about three changes I strongly recommend. No. 1, we need Flint, MI, funding. I see the Senator from Michigan is now on the floor. She is a sister social worker, and I so admire her unabashed, unrelenting, unflagging support, particularly for the children and particularly for the small businesses for Flint, MI. She has been so steadfast, unflagging and unrelenting, and we need to be the same way. We had $220 million for water infrastructure that passed in the Water Resources Development Act on a vote of 95 to 3. Guess what. It is fully paid for. So what is the problem? What is the problem with Flint, MI? When I think about Flint, I think about little children with lead in their drinking water. What does that do? It stifles intellectual development. It inhibits you for the rest of your life from fulfilling your God-given full intention. If we respect life, we should do all we can to sustain it. Then, think about small businesses. Think about trying to run a business when you don't have water. Water, water, everywhere water, water, but none of it fit to drink. How do you run a little diner? How do you run a little diner or a produce stand? As I said, my father owned a small grocery store. Everything was spotless. Everything was meticulously clean. He made sure his fruits and vegetables were clean. Everything was clean. He didn't have lead in the water. So let's get on with it. We know there are people in this country who have been hit by floods. They have too much water. Flint has too much of the wrong water. We can right that wrong by just joining our hands and understanding compelling human need. It doesn't come from a Democrat or a Republican ZIP Code, it comes from the United States of America, and we should be united in dealing with it. We should strip out the poison pill riders, such as the SEC political contribution transparency rider. We should reduce the Zika offset package to $375 million. These are reasonable changes that if the Republican caucus is willing to agree, we could pass the continuing resolution today. I remind my colleagues that when I became the first woman to chair the Committee on Appropriations upon the death of the esteemed Senator Inouye, the funding to respond to Hurricane Sandy was on the floor. Working together, we were able to pass that bill and meet compelling human need. I would like to be able to do that now. Throughout my tenure as the chair and vice chair of the Committee on Appropriations, I have lived by the principle that we owe the American people help when disaster strikes. We should respond to Zika that is now affecting 23,000 people, 2,000 pregnant women. We need to help the victims of Louisiana and other States that have been hit. We just saw the terrible things going on in Iowa. We must help the 100,000 people in Flint who are still waiting for the water in their pipes to be clean and their children, being exposed to lead, protected. The people of Flint need help. We passed the WRDA bill, and we need now to pass a CR that gets rid of poison pill riders, meets compelling human needs in every part of our country, and also makes sure our veteran funding is there to ensure there is no backlog in applying for their disability benefits and no backlog when they try to get to see a doctor. I am so proud of my Committee on Appropriations that is working with the VA on the veterans bill. We have a wonderful bipartisan bill working to meet the needs of rural veterans and veterans who had to wait in line for mental health needs and the other support we need to help with. So let's do our job, really. Hello? Let's do our job. I believe there is still time to work this out, but until we do, I oppose cloture on the McConnell substitute. Mr. President, that concludes my remarks, and I yield the floor.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise as the ranking member on the Appropriations Committee. I want to say to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle that over the past few weeks, we Democrats have negotiated with the Republicans to come up with a responsible continuing funding resolution that keeps the government open through December 9, giving Congress time to complete an appropriations process. Our goal was to respond to compelling urgent needs: Zika, Flint, floods in Louisiana, and also our national security as well as those things that are important to the economy of the United States of America. We wanted to be sure it did not include any poison pill riders but did contain the continuing funding for veterans and military construction. Our negotiations have been cordial and productive. I compliment the other side of the aisle on their professionalism and on their civility. We are now down to a handful of issues, but they are down to the real issues. The majority leader has filed a Republican-only bill with a substitute that has now been placed before the Senate today. We Democrats cannot vote for that substitute and urge others to vote against it. We want to be sure we avoid a government shutdown and a government showdown and continue the constructive talks that we have had, but the substitute offered by the Republican majority leader falls short. What is wrong with the bill before us? One, it fails to help the people of Flint, MI; 100,000 people in Flint, MI, are still waiting for their water to be clean and safe; 9,000 children have already had lead exposure that can cause permanent and irreversible damage. It tells Michigan to keep waiting in line. We know the people of Louisiana have been hit by terrible floods. We don't want to just give lip service in response to their needs but Louisiana is not the only ``need'' in America. We believe the people of Flint, MI--the people of Flint who have been waiting for more than 1 year--should be included in this continuing resolution. I want to be clear. We do want to help the people of Louisiana, but we also want to help the people of Flint. The other side of the aisle says Flint can be handled 2 months from now with a bill called WRDA-- the water resources development bill. The House has made no commitment to help Flint in that bill. They haven't even brought WRDA to the floor for action. The people of Flint need help now. They actually needed help 9 months ago. Remember, they are in a jackpot because of flawed budget cuts and our failure to enact a comprehensive infrastructure bill where cities like Flint, Baltimore, and so on could do something about their aging water infrastructure and at the same time create American jobs in our own urban communities. The Senate passed Flint funding on the WRDA bill 95 to 3 last week. So why wait? It is paid for. We have a framework for proceeding. Let's just do it. Also, while Democrats continue to fight for Flint, we will not stand by on partisan policy riders such as the SEC political disclosure to a 10-week continuing funding resolution. I know the 135,000 Marylanders who work for the Federal Government want to stay on the job. I want them to know we are working very hard to keep the government open and to avoid a shutdown or a slamdown. We need to make sure we help our veterans. We need to make sure we have the funds to fight Zika and the terrible challenge of children being born with the most horrific and lifelong--as short as their little lives might be--permanent handicaps, and we want to help Flint. Most of all, we know that in a trillion-dollar budget that funds both domestic and military, we have a framework to move ahead. Very serious work has been done on national security: the funding of the Department of Defense, the funding of other agencies that contribute to our national security, whether it is the State Department and diplomatic efforts, whether it is Homeland Security. Didn't they do a good job responding last weekend to the challenges in New York? In every community we face these. At the same time, when you look at the Labor-HHS, an agency such as the National Institutes of Health, we want them to keep the lights on so they can keep the light of hope going on to make sure we find cures for disease. We will say more about this. We appreciate the majority leader for continuing conversation with us. We are a work in progress. Let's get back to work. Let's continue to make progress. We have taken steps forward. Let's not take steps sideways or take steps backward. Let's continue making progress. Let's get rid of the poison pill riders. Let's come to an agreement on how we can help Louisiana and help Flint and resolve some of these other issues. Mr. President, we look forward to more conversation, more constructive conversation, and our side of the aisle stands ready to engage in those conversations and negotiations. I urge my colleagues to be on standby and to wish us well so we keep doing the job we were elected to do. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to note the sad and untimely passing of a wonderful pillar of our Baltimore community, Dr. Molly Macauley. This is a very sad time not only for the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore where Dr. Macauley lived, but also for the Johns Hopkins community and Resources of the Future, where Dr. Macauley gave so much of her time and energy. Molly Macauley was widely admired by her family, friends, and colleagues for her determination to impact the world. Originally from northern Virginia, she graduated from William and Mary in 1979 and came to Baltimore to study at Johns Hopkins University. She received her master's in 1981 and her doctoral degree in economics in 1983. Dr. Macauley was a visiting professor at Johns Hopkins for 20 years. She also joined the think tank ``Resources for the Future,'' eventually becoming vice president for research. Dr. Macauley was considered an expert in environmental economics, leading the way into the future in space research and renewable energy. She also served on committees involved in science, space, and medicine, finding common ground and moving all of us forward. We could use more role models like her everywhere today. Dr. Macauley spent her time dedicated to becoming a better leader and raising those around her up as well. She put forth so much effort to make sure that the work she was doing had the greatest possible influence. She tried to bring good to this world through her award- winning journal articles, her time spent testifying in front of Congress, and educating the next generation of changemakers. Dr. Macauley will be remembered in Baltimore especially for the love she had for our city. She chose to commute to D.C. each day because she couldn't bear to leave Baltimore for too long. She never let anyone forget their ties to Baltimore either. Even if they moved away, she sent Baltimore's world-famous Berger cookies and treats to remind them of home. Her passing has been a shock to our community, to have such an upstanding and valued member of it so brutally attacked. I know the community will be there for each other as we come to terms with her tragic loss. I ask that my colleagues join me in expressing sympathy to Dr. Macauley's family and friends as they mourn the loss of this remarkable woman and remember the impact she had on our Nation.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today having submitted a resolution honoring the 40th anniversary of women attending the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Forty years ago, in 1975, Congress proudly authorized women to attend military service academies. That act of Congress, created a milestone in our military history, setting the national stage for women's equality. On July 6, 1976, the very first class of women entered the U.S. Naval Academy. Four years later, the graduating class of 1980, commissioned 55 women. Since then, more than 4,800 women, including this year's graduating class of 2016, have graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and have transcended traditional military roles for women. Women have had to fight every single day and in every single way to be able to advance ourselves. Today, women make up 27 percent of the U.S. Naval Academy's student body, the highest in the school's history. This year, midshipmen were admitted from every state in the U.S., as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Naval Academy continues to evolve, depicting our Nation's diversity, and promoting equality. Our country is stronger today because women have advanced in the military. There are 2.2 million women serving in our military, serving with their male counterparts in leadership capacities that now include combat occupations. These strong, powerful, and intelligent women have unselfishly chosen to serve their country in a time when our Nation's military is needed the most, and they have done so with passion, heroism and integrity. The U.S. Naval Academy was founded in 1845. A school that began with merely 50 midshipman students and 7 professors now fosters a graduating class of 1,076 commissioned officers. A school rich with tradition, the Academy offers 43 different majors within 19 fields of study. The U.S. Naval Academy offers a premier education and continues to bolster some of the finest and most hardworking patrons of our society. But that society would not be complete without our women service members. When women succeed in the workplace, our economy succeeds, and our country is stronger for it. The U.S. Naval Academy has groomed trailblazers, women who have commanded in combat, women who have set standards for success, and women who have paved the way for our daughters and granddaughters. I wish to honor just a few of those trailblazers, as we recount the importance of this 40-year revolution. In 1995, CDR Wendy Lawrence, class of 1981, became the first Navy woman in space aboard space shuttle Endeavor. In 2006, RADM Margaret D. Klein, class of 1981, became the first woman commandant at the U.S. Naval Academy. Later she served as the Chief of Staff for U.S. Cyber Command, pioneering in the cyber field. In 2011, Marine Brig. Gen. Lori Reynolds, class of 1986, was the first woman to command the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot in Parris Island. Of course, we can't celebrate the U.S. Naval Academy without celebrating the accomplishments of ADM Michelle J. Howard, class of 1982; who was the first African-American woman to command a Navy ship. In 2014, Admiral Howard became the first woman to become a four-star admiral, and was then appointed the Vice Chief of Naval Operations; becoming the first African-American and the first woman to hold that position. This list of accomplishments from our U.S. Naval Academy women graduates goes on. It is the reason I have introduced this resolution. We must ensure the legacy of this institution and the accomplishments of these amazing women are recognized and celebrated. Last May, the U.S. Naval Academy commissioned 265 women officers. These women, like their predecessors, will go on to serve in some of the most demanding assignments in the Navy, the Marine Corps, and even inter-service agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard. They will continue to break new ground and become firsts in their fields. It is because of our Nation's heroes we are able to stand here today, but the service of women in the military is a milestone we must honor. These women have proven equality matters. These women have proven that they can achieve anything. These women have made many sacrifices to make our country safe. We must continue to promote equality and encourage women to strive for success in order to guarantee future parity. In today's increasingly uncertain world, women serving in military leadership roles, are more important than ever before. Women service members are a necessity--they are dynamic, resilient leaders who inspire millions to make the world a better place. I am proud to promote and recognize such strength. As the Navy proudly proclaims, ``Through Knowledge, Sea Power.'' As dean of the Women Senators, I am here to proudly proclaim, through women's equality, we gain knowledge and create power that is unstoppable. As a society, we must continue to promote and recognize our Nation's heroines and their outstanding efforts for future generations.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise in support of the nomination of Dr. Carla Hayden to be the head of the Library of Congress. President Obama nominated her on February 24, 2016, and the Rules Committee held a hearing on April 20, 2016. I thank the chairman of the Rules Committee, the Senator from Missouri, Mr. Blunt, and Senator Schumer. Why is there an urgency to confirm Dr. Hayden? Speaking as the vice chair of appropriations committee, the Library of Congress has $600 million of appropriations funded through the legislative branch and 3,000 employees. In addition to the work they do that is well known with the Library of Congress, they also oversee the U.S. Copyright Office for the entire Nation, which needs leadership and resources. The Library of Congress also needs to move into the digital age, and that is why President Obama nominated Dr. Carla Hayden. As Senators from Maryland, Senator Cardin and I know Dr. Hayden well. She has been head of the Maryland Enoch Pratt Free Library for 23 years. She is distinguished. She was the past president of the American Library Association and was confirmed by the Senate in 2010 to serve on the National Museum and Library Services Board and has received numerous awards. She has proven herself to be a skilled manager of large, complex projects and handling large budgets. She moved the Enoch Pratt Free Library into the digital age by leading the renovation of IT infrastructure dating back to the 1930s. When she did that, she not only brought the library into the modern age, she avoided techno- boondoggles and produced tangible results. She established a new wing dedicated to young adults, guided the $11 million annex to house the library's oldest and rarest materials, and also made the library a statewide research institution. She is a transformational leader who receives kudos from community leaders, archivists, and academics. President Obama has nominated a qualified candidate, and our Nation will be well served by her confirmation. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a statement by the American Library Association and other information related to Dr. Hayden be printed in the Record.

Ms. MIKULSKI. In the interest of time, I yield the floor.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I yield my hour assigned to me to the Democratic leader.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, today I recognize the incredible work of the Children's Miracle Network. Through their efforts to raise money for children's hospitals across the United States, countless children and families have had access to lifesaving health services. One of these children is Zannah Simons of Baltimore, MD. As a newborn, Zannah was diagnosed with a prenatal heart defect and a hypoplastic right heart. One day, Zannah was taken to the hospital in cardiac arrest and diagnosed with a rare bacterial infection. She was placed on a life support machine that took over the function of her heart and lungs and was given 24 to 48 hours to live. However, Zannah survived, and that hospital visit marked the beginning of several serious medical procedures, including two open heart surgeries to repair her heart. Doctors also recommended that Zannah's parents be screened to ensure that Zannah's heart defects weren't genetic. As a result of the screenings, it was discovered that Zannah's mother had hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Zannah is now a healthy and active 4-year-old who loves to dance and sing. Stories like Zannah's highlight the importance of medical institutions like Johns Hopkins, where she received care, as well as the Children's Miracle Network who helped make this access to care possible. Because of medical research, lives like Zannah's are saved and improved. Chronic diseases are better managed. We are better able to detect diseases at their earliest and most treatable stages and people survive conditions that were once considered fatal. These improvements did not just happen overnight; they happened because we invested needed resources and because we supported our Nation's brilliant medical workforce. We must continue to do so. Medical research is an investment that helps Americans to live longer and with better quality of life. We must not abandon our commitment to developing new techniques and technologies for curing and preventing illness. Since 1983, the Children's Miracle Network has raised $5 billion and distributed it to 170 children's hospitals. The hospitals use these donations for uncompensated care, family lodging, and travel expenses and research. In the case of Zannah, these donations helped fund the medical equipment that ultimately saved her life. The funds that hospitals receive from the Children's Miracle Network provides a safety net to families under incredible stress. Johns Hopkins Children's Center and the Children's Miracle Network played a role in saving Zannah's life, as well as diagnosing her mother's heart issue. This would not have been possible were it not for advances in medical research and the support that the Children's Miracle Network provides. Every minute, 62 children enter a Children's Miracle Network hospital. Unfortunately, some children are not as lucky as Zannah. Let's continue to support medical research and family safety net programs so that all children have the opportunity to live a full and healthy life.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I want to add my voice of sadness and regret for the loss of Pat Summitt. I extend my deepest sympathy to her family, friends, and the entire Lady Vols community. Pat Summitt was a trailblazer for all American women. I am honored to be a cosponsor of Senators Alexander and Corker's resolution recognizing Coach Summitt's incredible and inspirational life. America lost a true champion this week. It was not just that Pat Summitt was a competitor. It was that she was the competitor. Pat won eight NCAA championships, had 18 Final Four appearances, and won 84 percent of her games--more wins than any other woman or man basketball coach in NCAA history. Like so many athletes, her love of basketball started when she was a young girl. Growing up in Tennessee, she was always playing basketball with her three older brothers in their family's barn house. Rather than discourage and end their daughter's interest, her parents moved their family to a school district that actually had a girl's high school basketball team. They showed how important support can be to a young girl with a dream. Her passion only grew and followed her to college at the University of Tennessee at Martin. But she went without an athletic scholarship because women weren't offered them yet. Still, education had always been important in her family--she had never missed a day of school--and Pat graduated in 1974. Degree in hand, she was asked to be the assistant coach of Tennessee's women's team at the university's flagship campus in Knoxville. Then fate quickly took over, making her head coach the same year, at the age of 22. Pat never took the easy road--it was never offered. Her starting salary as coach was $250, and she also taught classes, recruited players, and drove the team van to every away game--all while studying for a graduate degree. But to her, it was worth it for the game. It was worth it to teach her players and prove to the doubters and naysayers just what her Lady Vols could accomplish. Pat was tough, there is no doubt about it. Her players recall her practices with pride. They also remember the sore muscles and pure exhaustion. But Pat knew nothing in life came easy, let alone winning. Her determined outlook comes from her father, who used to remind her, ``It's not done till it's done right.'' Well, Pat certainly did something right. In 1976, her Lady Vols made it to the Final Four. At the same time, Pat overcame a knee injury to play for the U.S. Women's Olympic basketball team and won a silver medal. Neither incredible finish satisfied her. She wasn't done yet. Eight years later, she coached the U.S. Women's Basketball Team and won the gold. Three years after that, she led Tennessee to a national championship--the first of the eight she would win. But Pat knew success had to come on and off the court. That was why she made all her players sit in the first three rows in every class. Unexcused absences were not allowed. Again, she got it right, as all of her players who finished athletic eligibility also graduated with a degree--more than 100 women athletes in total. Education was part of basketball, too. To Pat, the game wasn't just a game. It was a way to learn life's lessons, to teach young women what they can accomplish with hard work, determination, and belief in yourself While she was often a tough coach, she was always a source of encouragement. She once wrote to a player starting her first game, ``Winning is fun, sure. But winning is not the point. Wanting to win is the point. Not giving up is the point. Never letting up is the point . . . The secret of the game is in doing your best. To persist and endure, `to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.' '' Pat was a living legend that dedicated herself to the game and to the women who played the game. She was a fighter, an Olympian, a Medal of Freedom recipient, a mother to her son, Tyler, and an educator and role model to generations of young women. She faced stereotypes, skepticism, and hurdles. She persisted, she overcame, and she inspired others to do the same. We will all remember and miss Pat Summitt because she always did her best, she won, and she led so many others to victory with her.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I am furious and fed up at Congress's inability to act in a bipartisan way to protect us from the Zika virus. The U.S. is facing a public health emergency. Americans are desperate for Congress to respond. Instead, the House of Representatives passed a Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Zika conference report at 3 a.m. with no debate and no Democratic input. The bill passed by House Republicans doesn't recognize Zika as a public health emergency. It nickels and dimes our efforts to respond. It makes it more difficult for women to access birth control. And it waives safety rules for the use of pesticides. Now the House has left town and expects the Senate to pass this terrible bill. The facts are clear: Zika is here. It disproportionately affects women and babies. It causes horrible birth defects. And there is no treatment or vaccine. If there was ever a time that Congress should act in a bipartisan way to counter a significant threat, it is now. We are now considering cloture on the conference report on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Zika appropriations. We began the conference with an open meeting between Democrats and Republicans, the House and the Senate. But when we got down to the last, hardest issues, Republicans decided among themselves and then told Democrats, ``take it or leave it.'' That means no Democratic conferees signed the conference report, House or Senate. We can't sign it if it means leaving behind veterans, women's health, birth defects prevention, and clean water. I urge the Senate to reject cloture on this conference report and send conferees back to the drawing board. The Republican conference report is flawed for many reasons, including that it provides $1.1 billion, which is $800 million less than what the President requested to fight Zika. The Republican conference report also doesn't treat Zika like the emergency it is. The World Health Organization declared the Zika virus a public health emergency on February 1. And Zika meets the Budget Act criteria for emergency spending: It is urgent, unforeseen, and temporary. Yet Republicans insisted that we cut $750 million to pay for the response to Zika, including $543 million from the Affordable Care Act, $100 million from the Department of Health and Human Services, HHS, nonrecurring expense fund, and $107 million from Ebola response funds. When wildfires hit the West, Congress provided emergency funding. When flooding hit South Carolina and Texas last year, Congress provided emergency funding. Now, we have an infectious disease outbreak that we know causes serious birth defects, and Republicans insist our response be paid for. The conference report waives Clean Water Act requirements for the spraying of pesticides to control mosquitos. The need for this provision is a mystery to me, since the Clean Water Act already allows pesticides to be sprayed in pest emergencies. Under this bill, families can get birth control services from public health departments and hospitals, but not individual doctors or primary care clinics. This is important. The bill would make it more difficult for women to access birth control from their own doctors. I know the issue of birth control is difficult for some, but we know that Zika has terrible consequences for women and babies. The details about what Zika does to the brains of unborn children are truly horrific. In fact, evidence between Zika and birth defects is so conclusive that some countries are advising women to avoid pregnancy altogether. So the fact that this bill would make it more difficult for women to avoid pregnancy is truly astonishing to me. Republicans don't want to treat Zika as an emergency, and they don't want to expand access to birth control. It begs the question: Will they be willing to pay the costs associated with every child born in this country with Zika- related birth defects? Dr. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, estimated that cost to be $10 million per child. Lastly, the conference report is $500 million short of the Senate- approved funding level for the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA. It cuts $250 million for needed maintenance for VA hospitals and clinics, more than half of which are 50 years or older. That means more leaking roofs and moldy conditions that make veterans sicker, not better. In the 4 months since the President requested Zika emergency funds, more people have been infected, and more babies have been born with birth defects. Today there are more than 2,600 people in the U.S. and its territories infected with Zika, including nearly 500 pregnant women. The number of those infected is growing, and the costs associated with infection are growing. We can't nickel and dime our way out of this emergency. We know what the threat is, and we know how to respond to it. So, please, whatever differences we have on other bills, let's come together to reach agreement on a better conference report.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the bipartisan compromise amendment drafted by the Senator from Maine, Ms. Collins. I say it is a good first step, and I say it is even more than that. It is a significant step forward in gun control and violence control. I can assure you, from those of us who want to control violence, this in no way will impinge against Second Amendment rights. But we do want to curb violence in our country, which is at an epidemic level. I want to compliment Senator Collins, and I want to compliment the people who jumped in to help work with her to fashion a compromise. The Senator is known for her ability to put together a coalition to come up with the best ideas to find common ground. However, we are doing something more here than finding common ground. We are trying to find higher ground. We are trying to get out of the muck and mire that goes on in this institution, where we use parliamentary techniques to stifle debate, inhibit a clear vote. Even today, with such serious consideration about to take place, we are creating a fog of parliamentary procedure where nobody knows--are you voting yes or no on Collins? Are you voting yes or no on Johnson? What we are going to do is vote on the motion to table so we don't go backward. Of course, the American people are fed up. I am fed up. But I admire what the Senator from Maine did because her amendment--her amendment-- puts us in the right direction. Why should a person be able to buy a gun to kill people when they are on the no-fly list? If you are not allowed to fly because there is fear that you will blow up an airplane, shouldn't there be fear that if you are on that same list, you will buy a gun and blow people out of wherever they are? Oh, my gosh, when are we going to kind of man up in this institution? When are we actually going to do that? Sure, I am a champion of women's rights, but like, hello, don't we have the backbone and verve and so on to actually have straightforward debate? There is an amendment before us which is substantive and has content, and there are different views. I want to say I support the Senator for what she is doing. The FBI under her amendment would be notified when a person who has been on the terror list at any time in the last 5 years tries to purchase a firearm. If the Collins amendment had been law, we would have alerted the FBI that the Orlando shooter wanted to buy a gun and the Second Amendment would have been protected. But most of all, those people in that nightclub would have been protected. I am for protecting the Constitution, but I am protecting the point of the Constitution. When we take an oath, it is to defend the Constitution, but it is also to defend the American people against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Now, when we meet the enemy and it is us, we will not act. We have to act. The effort offered by the Senator from Maine is compromise without capitulation on principle. It is what the people want. It has intellectual rigor. It meets the constitutional test. I hope we support it, and I hope somewhere we start giving votes up and down and not hiding behind the fog of parliamentary procedure. I yield the floor.

Ms. MIKULSKI. I yield such time to the Senator.

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, how much time remains?