Bill Nelson

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, the subject the Senator from Delaware speaks of--climate change especially--affects my State of Florida, as we are ground zero with so many of the consequences of climate change-- the sea level rise. I will be addressing that topic within the next couple of days. I have addressed that problem over and over, but I want to give a concluding speech on that topic.

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the November 15, 2018, vote on the motion to table the motion to discharge S.J. Res. 65, a joint resolution relating to the disapproval of the proposed export to the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain of certain defense articles and services. I would have voted yea on the motion to table.

Mr. NELSON

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 Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Madam President, I intend to be giving a number of speeches over the course of the next couple of weeks to comment on various matters on which I have had the privilege of working. I want to say, with regard to the election, that things turned out a little differently than Grace and I had expected, but let me say that I have been very, very blessed. That is because I have had the privilege of serving the people of Florida and our country for most of my life, and I don't think anyone could have been more honored by having a lifetime of public service. I was not victorious in this race, but I still wish to strongly reaffirm the cause for which we fought: A public office is a public trust. First, I want to say thanks to all who have rallied to our cause, both here in the Senate and in Florida. You knocked on the doors, you walked the precincts, you made the phone calls, and you contributed your time and your resources. With an optimistic heart, I wish to say something else: We may have been heavily outspent, but we were never outworked. To all Floridians, I say to you this, whether you voted for me or for my opponent or you didn't vote at all: I ask that you never give up this fight. A public office is a public trust, and there are a lot of other things that fall under that category of public trust. You must fight to protect the fundamental right to healthcare and against any attempt to roll back our progress on things like preexisting conditions. Most everybody has a preexisting condition. If it is not required that an insurance company cover you, then either your rate is prohibitively high or else you don't get coverage at all. Out of the 20 million people in the State of Florida, 8 million people have a preexisting condition. You must continue the fight to preserve the natural wonders of our State, from the Everglades to the pine forests and to the beaches and the offshore waters. Say no to drilling off our coast--not one rig off of our coastline--not only for the sake of our environment but for the sake of our tourism economy and for the sake of the largest military testing and training area for the U.S. military in the world right off of our coast. As a country, we need to continue to launch rockets and to explore the heavens. I have seen the blue brilliance of the Earth from the edge of the heavens, and I will fight on to save this planet, our homes, and our cities from the spreading plague of greenhouse gases that infect our atmosphere, play havoc with our weather, and risk the planet our children and grandchildren will inherit. Every single one of us needs to keep fighting to strengthen Social Security and Medicare for the generations that are yet to come. It is your Medicare. It is your Social Security. You pay into these programs. They belong to you and not to the politicians who are plotting to rob you of your retirement. I will continue to fight on and on for the inalienable human rights that are the soul and glory of the American experiment: civil rights, women's rights, LGBT rights, and the sacred right to vote. We must end all forms of voter suppression, make it easier for Americans to vote, and honor the ideal that we are governed by the majority and not by minority rule. There are great decisions ahead that will shape the course and character of America in the 21st century. Yes, I will continue to fight--and to fight hard--for what is right. I will also encourage others to seek common ground with their colleagues and the other side of the aisle. Inevitably, at times that effort will fall short, but we have to try. We have to move beyond a politics that aims not just to defeat but to destroy, where truth is treated as disposable, where falsehoods abound and the free press is assaulted as the enemy of the people. Whether an institution such as this Congress will be effective in the future depends on whether the people who make up this institution can get along, where we retreat from the tribalism that has captured American politics and where men and women of good will can come together. As the Good Book says, ``come now, and let us reason together.'' There has been a gathering darkness in our politics in recent years. My hope today can be found in the words of John F. Kennedy, who said civility ``can guide us through that darkness to a safe and sane future.'' Thank you all for the privilege of a lifetime of public service. God bless you, and God bless our country. I yield the floor.

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Would the Senator yield?

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, this is an example of where the Senate can get something done. There were many twists and turns to the Coast Guard bill, but at the end of the day, we all came together in a bipartisan way to get it done, and I thank the Senator from Mississippi.

Mr. NELSON

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

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, we finally have the Coast Guard bill here. I want to urge our colleagues to support the passage of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018. We have worked on it and passed it through committee. We have been in intensive discussions with the House, and finally, the final product is here. Coast Guard personnel live by the motto ``Always Ready.'' Just last month, I saw firsthand how Coast Guard efforts in protecting life and property followed Hurricane Michael up in the Panhandle of Florida. Coast Guard ships, planes, and helicopters came from across the country to help hundreds of people on the Florida coastline and inland, and the Coast Guard, as always, was there to assist--``Always Ready,'' their motto. In Panama City, the shallow-water response teams provided food, water, and oxygen and ensured the relocation of over 130 nursing home residents, 35 of whom were bedridden, and they saw them to safety and medical care as far away as Pensacola. The Coast Guard also conducted damage assessments to facilitate the reopening of the Florida waterways and ports. This isn't something new; the Coast Guard provided similar efforts to Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico following Hurricanes Irma and Maria last fall. If there is a disaster, aside from the Federal Agency tasked--FEMA-- you can bet your boots that the Coast Guard is going to be there. During just 5 weeks of the 2017 hurricane season a year ago, the Coast Guard saved over 11,000 people and more than 1,000 pets and mobilized nearly 3,000 personnel. For Hurricane Maria alone, a year ago, the Coast Guard deployed over 500 personnel, 7 helicopters, 17 planes, and 14 cutters. And you know the devastation that Hurricane Maria did on the island of Puerto Rico. On behalf of Floridians, I thank the Coast Guard for their hurricane response and invaluable assistance provided to storm victims. We owe the Coast Guard our gratitude for their readiness and service to the Nation. When mariners are out in their fishing boats and get stranded out in the ocean, who are they so happily contacting but the Coast Guard for rescue? The Coast Guard does much more than just save lives; they also serve as a first line of defense against cartels and smugglers who seek to flood the United States with illegal drugs. Last year, for instance, was a banner year for Coast Guard drug enforcement. They prevented over 200 metric tons of cocaine, valued at over $6 billion, from entering the United States. In Florida, the Coast Guard cutter Mohawk, which is homeported in Key West, confiscated over 7 tons of cocaine in August. A month later, the Coast Guard cutter Tahoma offloaded 6 tons of cocaine in Port Everglades. And just last month, the Miami-based Coast Guard cutter Bernard C. Webber confiscated over 3,500 pounds of cocaine and 50 pounds of marijuana. The bottom line is that the Coast Guard is an adaptable, responsive military force that maintains a persistent and comforting presence along our rivers, in our ports, on our coastal waters, and on the high seas. I have had the privilege of spending a great deal of time with the Coast Guard. I have been in their helicopters chasing down go-fasts, showing me in a simulated chase how they would shoot out the engines from the open door of a Coast Guard helicopter. I have also done that chase in high-speed, the Coast Guard getting off the cutters into the go-fast--go-fasts that can turn on a dime. At the end of the day, the Coast Guard is going to catch even the speediest boats, and if they can't catch them with the go-fast small boats, they will catch them from the air. I have been with the Coast Guard up in Alaska, where the Navy has pretty well ceded protection of the seas off of Alaska and up into the Arctic to the Coast Guard. We have a substantial fishing fleet up there. Of course, who do they rely on when they get into trouble? That is why we have a substantial Coast Guard presence in Alaska. The bottom line is that the Coast Guard is an incredible force. They are especially present in the State of Florida since we have so much coastline. Nearly 40 percent of all Coast Guard personnel are in and around the State of Florida. Down in Key West is the joint task force center--maintained by all agencies of the Federal Government--which is tracking the movements of the drug smugglers. If we had more assets in the Caribbean and the Pacific, we would be able to pick up a lot more of the drugs trying to enter and poison our children in the United States. We should do everything we can to support the Coast Guard's work. That is why we are here today. The bipartisan bill before us will reauthorize the Coast Guard for fiscal years 2018 and 2019. It authorizes a $2 billion funding increase for the Coast Guard through fiscal year 2019. This includes new money to help the Coast Guard continue modernizing its aging fleet of cutters and aircraft. A good part of the Coast Guard's modernization of their fleet--the new offshore patrol cutters are being built by a shipbuilder in Florida. This legislation will also better enable the Coast Guard to execute their missions, provide adequate resources and training to meet operational demands, and support servicemembers and their dependents. You should see these Coast Guard bases around the country, even on the Great Lakes. Just think--there are mariners on the Great Lakes. There is a great deal of commercial shipping on the Great Lakes. As a result, we have a substantial Coast Guard presence and Coast Guard bases on the Great Lakes. This is a good bill, and we can be proud of it. Passing it will ensure that the Coast Guard has the tools they need to continue to carry out their many important missions, including the lifesaving and disaster response roles on which so many Americans have come to rely. When they call, they know they can depend on the Coast Guard. I urge our colleagues to support this motion for cloture and then tomorrow to support the final passage of the bill. I yield the floor.

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the October 10, 2018, vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar No. 640, Jeffrey Bossert Clark, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Attorney General. I would have voted no. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the October 11, 2018, vote on the motion to confirm Executive Calendar No. 640, Jeffrey Bossert Clark, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Attorney General. I would have voted no. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the October 11, 2018, vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar No. 641, Eric S. Dreiband, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Attorney General. I would have voted no. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the October 11, 2018, vote on the motion to confirm Executive Calendar No. 641, Eric S. Dreiband, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Attorney General. I would have voted no. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the October 11, 2018, vote on the motion to confirm Executive Calendar No. 1007, David James Porter, of Pennsylvania, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit. I would have voted no. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the October 11, 2018, vote on the motion to confirm Executive Calendar No. 1081, Ryan Nelson, of Idaho, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit. I would have voted no. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the October 11, 2018, vote on the motion to confirm Executive Calendar No. 1082, Richard Sullivan, of New York, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit. I would have voted yes. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the October 11, 2018, vote on the motion to confirm Executive Calendar No. 627, William Ray II, of Georgia, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia. I would have voted no. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the October 11, 2018, vote on the motion to confirm Executive Calendar No. 628, Liles Clifton Burke, of Alabama, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama. I would have voted no. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the October 11, 2018, vote on the motion to confirm Executive Calendar No. 629, Michael Juneau, of Louisiana, to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana. I would have voted no. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the October 11, 2018, vote on the motion to confirm Executive Calendar No. 634, Mark Norris, Sr., of Tennessee, to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee. I would have voted no. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the October 11, 2018, vote on the motion to confirm Executive Calendar No. 638, Eli Richardson, of Tennessee, to be U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Tennessee. I would have voted no. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the October 11, 2018, vote on the motion to confirm Executive Calendar No. 894, Thomas Kleeh, of West Virginia, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of West Virginia. I would have voted yes.

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to allow Coast Guard details Catherine Carabine and Sean Stewart to have the privilege of the Senate floor during consideration of the Coast Guard bill.

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, the Senate is going to vote shortly on legislation called the FAA bill. It addresses the concerns of air travelers across the country. The bill before us has some key safety and security aviation measures. We have worked across the aisle to bring to Congress a 5-year authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration. This is the first 5-year bill of the FAA that has passed and will pass this Congress since the 1980s. Why is that important? There needs to be stability for planning purposes for the aviation industry. Fortunately, this bill is a new mark of bipartisanship that would allow us to get an extensive bill charting the authorization for aviation for the next 5 years. Remember, there was a time during one year in which we had multiple extensions. That has caused an inability to bring bipartisan agreement to the FAA's governing of aviation. Well, we have that agreement, and it is going to be a 5-year bill. I have already commended Chairman John Thune in another hearing this morning on another topic in the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. It is that bipartisanship that brings us to this point. Along with the FAA bill, the bill will also provide long-term stability and continued focus on security and safety at the Transportation Safety Administration, the TSA, and the NTSB, the National Transportation Safety Board, which is charged with determining the cause of aviation and other transportation accidents. This bill greatly benefits the flying public. It ensures the FAA's core mission remains safety, and it helps American aviation and aerospace companies remain competitive and produce good-paying jobs. In Florida alone, my State, aviation and aerospace companies employ over 98,000 people. It is ``big time'' to us in Florida. Most important of all, we have heard weary travelers loud and clear with their cries for help, and help is on the way. That is why this bill contains a number of comprehensive consumer protections. We have all experienced the indignity and the frustration of being squeezed into smaller and smaller airline seats. Under this bill, the FAA will be required to establish minimum dimensions for passenger seats. For airline passengers who purchased airline services that were never received, the legislation requires prompt refunds. Remember how infuriating it is if your bag doesn't arrive or if it is completely lost--the indignity that you have already paid for that bag. You are going to get a refund. We also addressed the needs of traveling families by requiring early boarding during pregnancy, private space in airports for nursing mothers, and ensuring that strollers can be checked at the gate. By the way, do you know how cigarettes are prohibited on flights? This prohibits e-cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, on flights. The bill calls for the development of a bill of rights for passengers with disabilities. We also established an aviation consumer advocate within the Department of Transportation. The aviation consumer advocate will now be there to help travelers who have been mistreated by the airlines. Those are just some of the consumer-oriented reforms. It will be incumbent on the Trump administration to carry out these improvements. This Senate will be enacting our constitutional responsibility of oversight to see that the executive branch is doing just that. Aside from the consumer wins, I would also like to mention that the bill advances the TSA's mission of securing our transportation system by expanding the use of bomb-sniffing dogs, speeding up the deployment of technology, and addressing gaps in surface transportation security. The bill also addresses another topic, disaster recovery and response, by including protections for local governments that have experienced a natural disaster, by limiting the number of years the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, can demand repayment of disaster assistance in cases that don't involve fraud or abuse. That is a real problem in Florida, where years later--they call it a clawback-- FEMA is trying to clawback disaster assistance funds that it had already sent to the State or local governments and then claimed years later: No, you shouldn't have had that. Of course, those funds have already been spent. It is a very important issue for Florida and for so many of our cities and counties that are put in this economic, fiscal bind. For the residents of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, there is also an extension of disaster unemployment assistance. Believe me, after those island territories--our fellow U.S. citizens--had been hit by the hurricanes that roared through that part of the world last year, there is still a lot of unemployment, and they need that unemployment assistance as a result of the natural disaster that occurred. In the case of Puerto Rico, not just one but two hurricanes, Irma and Maria, hit and devastated that island. This is, certainly, going to help those who lost their jobs or those who were unable to work due to Hurricane Maria to get back on their feet. As the ranking member of the Commerce Committee, I have always sought to address the national challenges by reaching across the aisle to find bipartisan consensus, and this bill does that. As I said in my comments, Senator Thune has been a great partner to work with. I appreciate the opportunity to have worked with him, along with Senators Blunt and Cantwell, as well as with Representatives Shuster, DeFazio, McCaul, and Thompson, on this important legislation--5 years, an FAA bill. I yield the floor.

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the October 1, 2018, vote on motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 302, long-term FAA reauthorization. I would have voted yea.

Mr. NELSON

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

Mr. NELSON. Madam President, over the past few weeks, I have been meeting with residents and business owners in South Florida who are continuing to experience the health impacts and the financial troubles as a result of the persistent algae blooms which are on the east coast of Florida. On the west coast, those algae blooms that are going down the Caloosahatchee River are supercharging the red tide bacteria in the gulf, and the profound ecological effect is that of dead sea life literally littering the beaches. The smell is pungent, and it is irritating. I am here to urge my colleagues to support the Water Resources Development Act--what we refer to as the WRDA bill--because it contains the authorization for an important reservoir project that could help alleviate some of the discharges. When discharges come out of the big lake, Lake Okeechobee, that are already combined with local runoff and discharges of nutrient-laden water into the waters and lakes of Florida--particularly the Caloosahatchee on the west coast and the St. Lucie on the east coast-- then all of that nutrient-laden water is like throwing fertilizer into water. Since algae is already in the water, if you throw fertilizer into it, the algae is going to grow. The algae grows, and it turns into this green gunk. It absorbs all of the oxygen in the water, and it becomes a dead waterway. The fish can't live because the oxygen is not there. There are important things in this Water Resources Development Act, particularly an in-excess-of-10,000-acre reservoir that is going to be authorized south of Lake Okeechobee, which would allow for the flow of some of those discharges. Last week, the House and the Senate committees of jurisdiction resolved their differences in conference negotiations and reached an agreement that passed in the House by a voice vote. We are going to have the WRDA bill come up in the Senate. We should take it up and pass this bill immediately so it can go to the White House for signature and become law so we can get to work on the reservoir that will be south of Lake Okeechobee. The reservoir is particularly important and timely right now because of this algae crisis in Florida. It is also a critical piece of our broader Everglades restoration effort. We need additional storage so we can move water gradually from Lake Okeechobee, clean it up, and send it south to the areas of the Everglades that are starved for freshwater. One of the true champions of Everglades restoration, Nat Reed, passed away earlier this summer. I expressed remarks on the floor of the Senate about what he meant to our State and to our country and its environment. I note, today, that I am filing legislation with my colleague Senator Rubio to formally rename the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge after Nathaniel Reed. When we all learned the sad news in July that Nat had passed away, there were conversations about the most fitting tribute and what it might be. Naming this particular refuge after Nat Reed makes sense because the refuge wouldn't be there without his family. In 1967, Nat's father, Joseph Reed, established the Reed Wilderness Seashore Sanctuary on the northern end of Jupiter Island and had it designated as a national landmark. In 1969, he gave Florida Audubon the piece of land that today is the island portion of the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. Today, the refuge provides habitat for dozens of threatened and endangered species. In fact, this stretch of beach is one of the most productive sea turtle nesting areas in the entire Southeastern United States. So it is fitting that we rename the Hobe Sound National Refuge, which Nat Reed's father started, after this great American environmentalist. I urge my colleagues to pass Senator Rubio's and my bill, to take it up and pass it very soon to honor Nat Reed's legacy. I urge the majority leader to call up the WRDA bill for a vote immediately so we can get on with this new reservoir project and many other projects that are in the water bill. I yield the floor. Recognition of the Minority Leader

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, on the 11th of November 2018, the world celebrates the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. America entered the Great War 2 years, 8 months, and 9 days after it started, but with our allies and through great sacrifice, defeated the Central Powers. In honor of the Great War centennial, two men have served as thankful ambassadors from our oldest ally: France. Mr. Christophe de Goulaine and Mr. Pierre Lauvergeat have undertaken a historic effort named Operation Twin Links. In tribute to American World War I veterans and their families, the two men traveled almost 5,000 miles of American countryside on a fully restored 1918 Harley Davidson 1000 18-J motorcycle. This is the very model our servicemembers rode throughout the Western Front. It is also the same model that Corporal Roy Holtz of Chippewa Falls, WI, rode into Germany on November 12, 1918, in the famous photograph titled, ``The first Yank and Harley to enter Germany.'' The motorcycle is named Bony, after the French commune which is home to Somme American Cemetery and Memorial, the final resting place for 1,844 American soldiers. Operation Twin Link's historic journey of remembrance and thanks began at Fort Caroline National Memorial in Jacksonville, FL, which shares a special linkage as twin city to Nantes, France. From there, Bony traveled to the Harley Davidson Headquarters in Milwaukee, WI, then to Las Vegas, NV. Along the way, these ambassadors made numerous stops, thanking Americans for their support during those dark times in history and reminding us all of the links shared between our two great nations. Bony's trip concluded on September 10, 2018, in Jacksonville, FL, where Mr. de Goulaine's ancestor, French explorer Rene de Goulaine de Laudonniere, founded the first European settlement in America. As we near the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, I invite all Americans to remember the sacrifice of our great generation and our enduring allies in Europe. Furthermore, it is with gratitude and appreciation that I thank Mr. de Goulaine and Mr. Lauvergeat for reminding us of the deep friendship of the people of France and for undertaking this feat to bring home a symbol of American ingenuity, steadfastness, and resolve from World War I.

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I would like to recognize the legacy of an extraordinary fourth generation Floridian and friend who passed away last weekend. Otis Odell ``Pete'' Clemons died on September 16, 2018, at the age of 91. He was a well-known Florida cowboy. In fact, he won the Best All Around Cowboy honors at Silver Spurs Rodeo a record eight times. His rodeo skills inspired artist Buster Kenton to create a cartoon character named Cowboy Jake. Pete served his country in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, he attended the University of Florida and earned his bachelor's degree in 1950. He became the owner and operator of the Okeechobee Livestock Market. The market continues to operate today under the management of his two sons, Jeff and Todd Clemons. Notably, Pete is the only person to be inducted into the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame and the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. In 2009, he received the Florida Folk Heritage Award in recognition of his successful rodeo career, as well as his contributions to the State's cattle-ranching community. Pete was a longtime member of the Okeechobee Cattlemen's Association and served as honorary director of the Florida Cattlemen's Association. He was an active member of the First United Methodist Church. I extend my deepest condolences to his family, particularly his wife Susanne and his children: Jeff Clemons and his wife Debbie and Todd Clemons and his wife Tina. Pete is also survived by his siblings, Billie Jean Reynolds and her husband Mark and Bud Clemons and his wife Kathy, as well as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the September 6, 2018, vote on the motion to confirm Executive Calendar No. 779, Dominic W. Lanza to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Arizona. I would have voted no. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the September 6, 2018, vote on the motion to confirm Executive Calendar No. 782, Charles J. Williams to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Iowa. I would have voted aye. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the September 12, 2018, vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Charles P. Rettig, of California, to be Commissioner of Internal Revenue for the term expiring November 12, 2022. I would have voted no. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the September 12, 2018, vote on the motion to confirm Charles P. Rettig, of California, to be Commissioner of Internal Revenue for the term expiring November 12, 2022. I would have voted no. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for the September 12, 2018, vote on the conference report to accompany H.R. 5895, a bill making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and for other purposes. I would have voted aye.

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, when you walk by Senator McCain's desk and see the black drape and the bowl of white roses, it really underscores the loss. We lost a colleague. We lost a friend. The country lost a true public servant. We have heard the stories. After being shot down, spending all those years in the Hanoi Hilton, beaten nearly to death when he was fished out of the lake in downtown Hanoi, he continued to serve his country-- in the Navy, in Congress, in this Senate, and, of course, as the party's nominee for President. His call to serve and his sense of duty and honor is the legacy of John McCain. He is an example for all of us. He was a fighter, and he was funny too. Maybe it was the years in prison or the long line of military service or the sometimes tense humor of fighter pilots. Maybe it was that legacy of his family in the military, but he knew in his soul how special the United States was and what the United States could do for its people and for the world. Sometimes we forget the stories of the excruciating pain that Senator McCain went through as a POW. In 2000 David Foster Wallace, in Rolling Stone magazine, wrote an article. I want to give you some of the graphic details after he had been nearly beaten to death and his weight had gone down to 100 pounds. When they found out that his father was a four-star admiral and his grandfather was a four-star admiral, they decided they were going to offer him early release. This is what the author writes: McCain, 100 pounds and barely able to stand, refused [release]. The U.S. military's Code of Conduct for Prisoners of War said that POWs had to be released in the order they were captured, and there were others who'd been in [that prison] Hoa Lo a long time, and McCain refused to violate the Code. The commandant, not pleased, right there in the office had guards break his ribs, rebreak his arm, knock his teeth out. McCain still refused to leave without the other POWs. And so then he spent four more years in Hoa Lo [prison] like this, much of the time in solitary, in the dark, in a closet- sized box called a ``punishment cell.'' Maybe you've heard all this before . . . [there have certainly been] profiles of John McCain. But try to imagine the moment between getting offered early release and turning it down. Try to imagine it was you. Imagine how loudly your most basic, primal self- interest would have cried out to you in that moment, and all the ways you could rationalize accepting the [commandant's] offer. Can you hear it? If so, would you refuse to go? You simply can't know for sure. None of us can. It's hard to even imagine the pain and the fear in that moment, much less how you'd react. That was written 18 years ago about John. In that moment, you could summarize his courage, his strength, and his will to overcome. But here in the Senate we saw a leader who thought that public service was a noble calling, a leader who always tried to do the right thing, who always put the people of his country ahead of himself--an individual who always believed that we, as Americans, can subscribe to a cause greater than ourselves. America is certainly going to miss John McCain. For this Senator and for Grace, as well, it was certainly a privilege to know the McCains and to look up to him as a role model, not only for this Senator but for the entire country. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, today I voted yea on the confirmation of Lynn Johnson of Colorado to lead the Administration for Children and Families under the Department of Health and Human Services. As the head of the agency that oversees the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Mrs. Johnson now faces the daunting and critically important task of overseeing the ongoing reunification of hundreds of children and parents who were forcibly and cruelly separated by this administration at the southern border. This nightmare is far from over. As of today, hundreds of children have still not been reunified with their families. According to information I received from the Department of Health and Human Services yesterday, 43 of these children are being held in facilities in my home State of Florida. I am outraged at the slow pace of reunification, and I am furious that these children are still being subjected to the unimaginable trauma of separation at the hands of our government. I conveyed these serious concerns to Mrs. Johnson when I met with her last month. It is my hope that she understands the gravity of the situation she has now inherited. I expect her to immediately put forward a plan to reunify all remaining separated children with their families and to ensure that these children are treated humanely while they are held in facilities that she now oversees. I will continue to monitor this crisis, and I will continue to hold this administration accountable for its policies.

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Madam President, you can't say it any better than how the Senator from Rhode Island has said it. He is a West Point graduate, was a company commander, was the executive officer of a brigade--he just told us, the 82nd Airborne. He has seen what has happened to these young troops. They get their pay, they go outside the gates, there are folks who want to give loans to them, and then they run up rates as much as 100 percent and 150 percent. That is why we passed the Military Lending Act back in 2006, to cap those rates at 36 percent. That is high enough, but it is a lot less than the 150-percent rates given to these poor, unsuspecting troops who are being taken advantage of. As a former 82nd Airborne member, the Senator from Rhode Island has just shared his personal experience of what would happen. Troops would not show up for muster because suddenly their car had been repossessed or they had people hounding them. What has happened over the years since 2006, when we passed the bill, is, in fact, they found ways to get around it. Now commanders are receiving harassment calls. They found a way to get around the 36 percent. What we want to do is lower it down to 24 percent. If someone cannot do well in business when getting a return of 24 percent on what they are loaning out, then they shouldn't be in business, and especially they shouldn't be in business to take advantage of our U.S. military troops. That is why I have introduced the Military Lending Improvement Act of 2018. That is why it goes into more specifics. It not only lowers the interest rate but ensures that auto loans are covered by the Military Lending Act. Let's remove any ambiguity there--to prohibit creditors from calling servicemembers' commanding officers or improperly threatening action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice to collect a debt from a U.S. military servicemember. It is commonsense. It will show members of our military that the law will protect them and will go after these shady lenders. I urge all of our colleagues to support it. Obviously, this doesn't have anything to do with partisanship. This is supporting the troops. I urge our fellow Members of the Senate to work with Senator Reed and me to get the CFPB leadership off the dime to protect our bravest from financial scams. It is just mind-boggling that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that is set up for the purpose of protecting consumers would now turn a blind eye to protecting some of the most vulnerable who almost everybody in America would say we want to protect. That is because there are the unscrupulous lenders. We saw a lot of this in the early years of the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq. When a servicemember was overseas in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, they were being scammed by the payday, title loan, and other kinds of lenders, and they were being charged those exorbitant rates. It is just morally wrong. That is what brought the law in 2006, and now we need to update that law. Back in 2006, there was a Department of Defense report that told the story of one young servicemember who was charged $100 to take out a $500 loan. Using the CFPB's formula, that equates to an annual percentage rate of 520 percent. That servicemember was forced to take out other loans. He had to do multiple rollovers to pay off the initial $500. It snowballed into a cost of $15,000 when it was all said and done. The servicemember can't pay that. So the law was passed in 2006, but now we need to update it, and before we update it in law, we need to get the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to act and to protect the consumer. The law says creditors ``may not impose an interest rate higher than 36 percent,'' and it says that specifically on servicemembers. There is no ambiguity there. So the CFPB ought to enforce that law until we update it with this new one. When you have to force a member of the military to have to be concerned and harassed and taken away from his duties and to file a complaint with the CFPB, it just ignores the law. What is there to protect the very people we want to protect? Indeed, this is a matter of right and wrong. Indeed, this is a moral reason. Let's get the administration to enforce the existing law, and then let's update that existing law with even tighter restrictions on the lenders that are taking advantage of the very people we want to honor and help, the people in uniform who are protecting this country. I yield the floor.

Mr. NELSON

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

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, folks are voting today in Florida. As a matter of fact, they have been voting for some weeks since Florida started voting by mail, which started a couple of weeks ago. They are voting in early voting--a period of time of up to 2 weeks prior to the August 28 primary. They are voting early in these elections. They are exercising their most fundamental right, which is to vote. Of course, there is so much at stake for Florida and our country in this year's elections. Last month, a Federal judge in Florida overturned a 2014 ban on early voting, and it was a ban on college campuses. Back in 2014, the legislature passed and the Governor signed into law a series of restrictions to make it harder to vote instead of easier. One of them, which was then implemented by the Division of Elections--secretary of state--was that there could not be a voting place on a college campus. Well, we have State universities, just as other States do, that have huge numbers of students. Of course, if you want to make it easier for students to vote, instead of their having to go out in the community, it is quite logical to have a place for them to vote on the campus. Well, there was an attempt in the past to ban the voting. The particular case I weighed in on a few years ago was one in which they were banning voting from the student union building at the University of Florida in Gainesville--a campus, by the way, that enrolls some tens of thousands of students. In a scathing opinion, a Federal judge overturned that ruling, saying that the ban by Florida law was unconstitutional and that it seemed to put in place a prohibition on a geographical location for voting as a means by which to hinder younger voters--specifically, students--from casting their ballots. Because of the Federal judge's ruling, there will now be an early voting location on the campus of the University of Florida for the upcoming general election this coming November. According to press reports, it doesn't look as though that is going to be the case in all places around Florida's colleges and universities. We just read a newspaper report that said that the supervisor of elections in Duval County--that is Jacksonville--says he might not be able to set up an early voting location on the campus of the University of Florida in time for the general election due to logistical and financial concerns. I hope that the Federal judge's ruling in this case makes very clear his displeasure about not making it convenient for students to vote by refusing to set up a precinct on the university campus location. I am hopeful that the logistical and other issues can be resolved as quickly as possible and that Florida's universities can host early voting during the general election. Early voting is key to ensuring access to the ballot for all voters. We have found that with early voting and voting by mail, increasingly larger percentages of the voting electorate are utilizing that opportunity to vote instead of waiting until the last day, election day, November 6. Unfortunately, we have seen some efforts in Florida over the last decade to curb access to early voting, particularly among young, low-income, and minority voters. We ought to make it easier to vote, not harder. I hope that in the multiplicity of universities and colleges all around Florida, that the supervisors of elections will pay attention to the Federal judge's ruling and act accordingly. Madam President, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Madam President, I am here to call on the Senate leadership to bring up the Water Resources Development Act, or the WRDA bill. It needs to come up soon for consideration because right now, in Florida, we are facing a massive environmental and economic crisis, and it is so sweeping that it brings up the memories of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oilspill, or the BP oilspill. Right now, neon green slime is clogging the Caloosahatchee River on the west coast, and the St. Lucie River on the east. I have been to Stuart on the east coast. I have smelled the stench of toxic algae choking the waterways. I have talked to mothers and grandparents who are worried about exposing their children to the harmful toxins, and they are concerned about this if they get anywhere near there. That is why we wrote to the CDC, asking for healthcare guidance. I have met with business owners who have literally had to close their shops because of the algae. If they are fishing boat captains, obviously, that is what happens. If it is a bait and tackle shop--you get the picture. If the stench of algae is so bad in the location of a shop--whatever its business--they still have to close. It is not right. It is not fair for the hard-working fishing guides, the restaurant employees, or anybody who has a business involving our beautiful beaches. People enjoying the natural bounty are all being affected through no fault of their own. That is on the east coast. On the west coast of Florida, our white sand beaches aren't as crowded with tourists, but with what? The rancid corpses of fish. This is the pufferfish. This is on one of Southwest Florida's beaches. The turtles are casualties from massive, noxious red tide. This event--a bacteria that occasionally appears in the Gulf of Mexico has moved very close to the shore this year. It has lasted for 10 months and counting. Hotels and restaurants are half full. Boat captains are facing one cancellation after another. Look at this. This is on a beach where 267 tons of dead fish and sea life have been removed from about 150 miles of Florida's world-renowned beaches, and that is just this year alone. These pictures are horrifying enough, but go there; it is even worse in person. The local governments have spent a lot of money going out and cleaning up the beaches. What has happened is absolutely heartbreaking. I am a fifth-generation Floridian, and I have never seen it this bad. I have never seen our beautiful beaches covered like this. That is why Senator Rubio and I are pushing so hard for the Water Resources Development Act. It includes a critical project to address the algae by providing additional water storage for Lake Okeechobee so that the Army Corps doesn't have to discharge so much to the east and west. It also, very importantly, authorizes a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee, along with stormwater treatment areas, which can help clean up the water so that they can send the water into the reservoir that is in the St. Lucie on the east. This reservoir is on the west, near LaBelle. They can send the water there, store it, start to treat it, and then let it go as the natural flow going south to the Everglades. This project in the Water Resources Development Act is part of the historic Everglades restoration effort that many of us have worked so long and hard to advance. It is just one piece, but it is one that absolutely cannot wait. If we don't act soon, I am afraid there will not be much of an environment in South Florida left to save. I urge the majority leader to schedule a vote on the WRDA bill as soon as possible, and I urge my colleagues to support the Water Resources Development Act when it comes to the floor of the Senate. I yield the floor.

Mr. NELSON

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

Mr. NELSON

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, there was a new report published in POLITICO today that read that oil industry lobbyists have been consulting with the Trump administration about drilling off of Florida in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico, off of Florida, is off limits to drilling, pursuant to a law that Senator Mel Martinez and I passed in 2006 that prohibits any drilling up until the year 2022. The U.S. Department of Defense--specifically, the Air Force, which runs the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range--has asked us to extend that moratorium on any oil-related activities until at least the year 2027. The Air Force is requesting this simply because the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range is the largest test and training range in the world for the U.S. military. When the eastern training for the U.S. Navy was shut down in the Atlantic because the training range at the island of Vieques had been shut down, most of the Navy training for the Atlantic came to the gulf test and training range, not even to speak of the huge U.S. Air Force bases--Eglin Air Force Base, where all of our American and foreign pilots are trained on the F-35, as well as Tyndall Air Force Base, where similar training is done for our American pilots on the F-22. In addition, the training range is of such a significant distance and square mileage that it allows some of the most sophisticated weapons to travel hundreds of miles in the testing of those weapons, most of them by air. They can either impact in the sea at a potential target or can impact on land, at the giant Eglin Air Force Base. As a result, this is an extremely valuable national asset. The training and testing not only takes place in the air, over the Gulf of Mexico, but it also takes place on the surface and, in some cases, underwater. The U.S. military has asked us not to mess with the gulf test and training range. Yet, as we speak--and from this report in POLITICO today--efforts are being made by the oil industry to get the Trump administration to allow up to 75 miles off the coastline of Florida to be drilled. I want to show you what that would do to the heart of the gulf test and training range. All of this area in yellow is off limits until the year 2022 to any oil-related activities. You see the State of Florida. You see Pensacola, Eglin Air Force Base, here at Fort Walton, and the Tyndall Air Force Base, here at Panama City, and the rest of the peninsula of Florida. These are the Florida Keys and the Naval Air Station Key West, which is where a lot of those Navy squadrons of F/A-18s come down and will train for a week or two. When they lift off from the runway on Boca Chica, within a couple of minutes, they are over restricted airspace. So they don't have to spend a lot of fuel or time in getting to their training area. You see the enormity of this area that is shaded in yellow. From here, this area is 125 miles off the coast, but in a line from Tampa Bay, it is 235 miles. From a line off of Naples, it is more like 285 or 290 miles. It is a huge area that is preserved for national security-- for the training and testing of some of our most sophisticated weapons. As has been reported in POLITICO today, if the Trump administration were to allow the oil industry to drill up to 75 miles off the coast, then you will have a line that will be approximately like that, and you will see what you have done. You will have cut the heart out of the gulf test and training range for our U.S. military. I could tell you that as long as this Senator is here to protect this training range, that is not going to occur. Yet we passed this in 2006, and there have been attempts, time after time, of trying to invade this military space, especially everything east of this longitude line, which is considered the military mission line. For the sake of our national security, I don't think we want to do this. Just to give you an idea of how large and how valuable an asset this restricted space is, if you were to take the Nevada test site, which is a famous test site, especially with all of its supersecret stuff, and were to superimpose it on the gulf test and training range, it would be a minor part of the land or surface area of the Earth compared to the size of the gulf test and training range. Here, again, we have an example where, early in the year, the Trump administration comes out and says they are going to drill and offer leases off the entire Outer Continental Shelf of the United States. Then, in a political stunt, the Secretary of the Interior, Mr. Zinke, comes to Florida and says: Oh, we are not going to do that off of Florida when, in fact, time after time, we have information--including this report in POLITICO today--that says they are, and they are up to 75 miles. We are not going to do that to the U.S Military, to the Department of Defense. We are not going to take away the heart of their most significant test and training range, and if anybody wants to have a fight about it, this Senator is ready to fight. Instead of proposing this, what we ought to be doing is what the Air Force asks, and that is to extend out this moratorium and law on any drilling from the year 2022 to at least 2027. That is what this Senator--and I think I can speak for the Florida delegation in a bipartisan way--wants to accomplish. Tariffs Mr. President, today, in Jacksonville, I saw firsthand how the Trump administration's tariffs are starting to cut jobs and threaten the very manufacturing facilities we are trying to encourage. I had reported to the Senate several months ago that I had also visited the Budweiser brewery in Jacksonville, where they produce 3.3 billion aluminum cans a year, and how a tariff, or tax, of 10 percent added to that imported aluminum would pretty soon add up to real money. Today I went to a manufacturing plant that had actually brought business from China. This is a manufacturing company that puts together, manufactures garbage cans, the kinds that have the lids that pop up on the top when you step on the foot pedal. They are in various sizes. The ones I saw being manufactured today are about that much in diameter or a larger size, about that much in diameter. This manufacturer, which is the same company that also manufactures in China, but it is done with human labor in China, imports the preprepared steel, and then, because of American creativity and Yankee ingenuity, it acquired robots and created a process where they are assisted by humans. In one case, I saw a factory worker who could do the very same task faster than the robot can. They put together these garbage cans for, lo and behold, Walmart. Walmart will not pay any more for the ones manufactured in America than the ones manufactured in China. Of course, the ones manufactured in China are the ones they are getting because they are cheaper. In large part, that is because the cost of labor is cheaper. This company created a new manufacturing process where this can be done as cheaply as it is done in China and therefore has created 60 jobs, in this particular plant I visited today, just since it opened up last year. When you add all of the ancillary jobs and the suppliers, you are talking about 250 jobs being affected. Here is the problem. The problem is the 25-percent tariff on the imported steel sheets that come from China. If the manufacturer has to add on 25 percent to the cost of his garbage can, obviously, that is not going to be competitive, since they are selling that garbage can and can still just make it at the same price they import that garbage can from China. This is wrong. Unless that tariff, that tax, is turned off by President Trump, those jobs are going to be lost. That old warehouse facility, which has been modernized with all of this state-of-the-art robotic equipment, $15 million worth of equipment, all of that is going to go away. That is not what we want. That is not what is good for America. We want to keep the manufacturing jobs here. We want to bring manufacturing jobs here. This particular company thinks that since this has been a successful financial operation and their big customer is Walmart, they can expand into many other products and do the manufacturing in America instead of in China--but a 25-percent tariff on imported steel is going to kill it. That is why it is important that we try to get President Trump to recognize that this is doing harm to America instead of doing good. I saw that directly and very vividly. I saw employees who were hard at work. I saw a rundown area that has suddenly sprung back to life. I saw an old, dilapidated, abandoned warehouse that had suddenly become a new, modernized, high-tech facility. I don't want that to go away. I want that and all of the businesses that are getting so hurt all over America and especially in my State of Florida--what about the boat manufacturers? We have a big boatbuilding industry. The boat manufacturers import a lot of aluminum. Now there is a 10-percent tax on them. That is the tariff, but because of President Trump imposing that tariff, now there is a retaliatory tariff put on by the European Union, Canada, and Mexico for those products--in this case, boats. The company is Correct Craft. They are the ones that build the very nice ski boats under the label ``Nautique.'' Canada responded with a 10-percent retaliatory tariff. The European Union responded with a 25-percent retaliatory tariff on boats exported from the United States to those countries as well as Mexico. They can't be competitive if they are selling boats in the European Union, and there is a 25-percent hike in the price. That is not going to be competitive with the other boat manufacturers in other parts of the world. My visit today in Jacksonville to the company that makes these garbage cans for Walmart is another reminder of just how bad these tariffs are that the President has imposed and how counterproductive it is to the creation of American jobs. I yield the floor.