Harry Reid

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding cloture having been invoked, the motion to proceed to S. 2124 be withdrawn; that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 328, H.R. 4152; that following the reporting of the bill, a Menendez-Corker substitute amendment, the text of which is at the desk, be made pending; that no other amendments be in order; that no points of order or motions be in order other than budget points of order and the applicable motions to waive; that on Thursday, March 27, following morning business, there be 2 hours of debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees prior to a vote in relation to the Menendez-Corker amendment; that upon disposition of the amendment, the bill be read a third time and the Senate proceed to vote on passage of the bill, as amended, if amended.

Mr. REID. I reserve the right, and will just make a brief comment. The committee action on this bill was really historic. The issue my friend just suggested be part of an amendment process was discussed at some length in the committee. As I discussed this morning, the situation in Ukraine is critical. The Senate must act as quickly as we can on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations bill. The bill before us gives additional aid to the fragile Ukrainian economy. As Secretary Kerry said yesterday, he wants this aid that is in our bill now, but he also wanted what was in our bill--IMF funding. But he said: If I cannot get both, the most important thing we do now is the funding that is in our bill, and he is probably right. We already know there have been many signals--not any hidden signals--from the House that they would not accept the IMF. The Republican leader said he was concerned about the IMF. So I am very pleased the sanctions inside this legislation that I hope will pass on Thursday is something that is going to help Ukraine. I am confident it will. It sanctions those inside Ukraine and Russia who have undetermined Ukraine's sovereignty and stability. I think, as far as I am concerned, we will have more legislation on this in the not distant future. As far as I am concerned, I think there should be more sanctions that we look at. I think they need more aid. On Sunday shows, I heard Republican Senator Ayotte, Democratic Senator Durbin both talking about the need for sleeping bags, small arms fire, and things such as that that the Ukrainians simply do not have. That is why I am pleased we have been able to come to a tentative agreement to vote on this measure Thursday. I would have preferred to include, as I have already indicated, the International Monetary Fund provisions in this bill. It is something that is needed. These provisions would have provided additional funds to stabilize this fragile Ukrainian economy, but my Republican colleagues, for reasons unrelated to Ukraine, were ready to kill the bill over the IMF issue. Today we are ready to move forward on the bipartisan Senate Foreign Relations Committee bill without the IMF language. Let me just take a minute--a brief minute--to extend my appreciation--and I think I speak for the entire Senate--for the hard work that has allowed us to get where we are. Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Corker--they have worked very well together on legislation generally but on this specifically. Senator McCain, who is a long-time leader on national security issues, has been very articulate and forceful in his view as to what should be done. By the way, both Senators Corker and McCain suggested we should have the IMF money in this, but I called Senator McCain this morning and told him reasons why I thought we could not go forward with it, and I think he agrees with that. I hope my colleagues will join us in voting to pass this important bill on Thursday. The people of the Ukraine are watching. The Russians are watching. It is time for the Senate to act. It is time for Ukraine to get the support it needs, it is time for this body to sanction the Russians, and it is time to send a clear message to Putin that the United States condemns the Russian annexation of Ukraine. I say once again, if he so likes these votes he created in Crimea, why doesn't he have one in Chechnya? Why doesn't he have a vote there? Because I think that would turn out much differently than what he would want. I understand Senator Barrasso is talking about this issue that my friend from Texas suggested, and it and other issues are something we need to bring up when we talk about further work on Ukraine. So I object.

Mr. REID. Madam President, my friend from Texas is absolutely right. We need to do more on Ukraine--there is no question about that--and I look forward to working with him and all Senators to do that.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I now move to proceed to Calendar No. 333, H.R. 3979.

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. REID. Madam President, is there more that the Chair needs to do?

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 26, 2014, the Senate proceed to executive session, and that notwithstanding rule XXII, the Senate proceed to vote on cloture on Executive Calendar Nos. 581, 582, 583, and 584; further, that if cloture is invoked on any of these nominations, the time until 2:30 p.m. be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees and that at 2:30 p.m. all postcloture time be expired and the Senate proceed to vote on confirmation of the nominations in the order upon which cloture was invoked; further, that following Senate action on these nominations, the Senate proceed to vote on confirmation of Calendar No. 694; further, that there be 2 minutes for debate prior to each vote and all rollcall votes after the first vote in each sequence be 10 minutes in length; further, that following the disposition of Calendar No. 694, the Senate resume legislative session; further, that upon disposition of the listed nominations, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and President Obama be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has received a request from a State regulatory agency seeking access to records that the subcommittee obtained during its recent investigation into offshore tax evasion and the effort to collect unpaid taxes on billions in hidden offshore accounts. This resolution would authorize the chairman and ranking minority member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, acting jointly, to provide records, obtained by the Subcommittee in the course of its investigation, in response to this request and requests from other government entities and officials with a legitimate need for the records.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, following my remarks and those of the Republican leader, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to the Ukraine act. At 5:30 there will be a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to that important piece of legislation. We have so much to do this work period and we have so much to do this week. I know I have said this on other occasions, and we have been able to work things out so it hasn't been necessary, but everyone should understand we have a lot to do and we may have to be in this weekend. If we are forced to go through all the procedural hoops to be able to complete the important Ukraine legislation, the important unemployment legislation, and the important SGR legislation, and setting it up so we can sometime next week get on minimum wage, we are going to have to be in this weekend. There is just no way around it, and everyone should understand that. I know I will immediately start hearing from people: I have this event; I have that event. It is Monday at 2 p.m. in the afternoon. It is only 11 a.m. in the West. There is plenty of time to reschedule stuff or at least put it on hold, because we just have no choice. The only alternative is to take a week away from the break we are expecting to have. So everyone should understand that it is possible the Senate will need to work through the weekend to get all this work done.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. The first item the Senate will consider, as I have already indicated, is a bipartisan package of aid to Ukraine. It includes sanctions against Russia for their untoward actions against their neighbor, Ukraine. As we prepare to debate this measure, I advise all Senators it is customary to show respect for the President--I am confident everyone will--when he is overseas. He is at a nuclear conference over there in Europe as we speak and it is an important meeting. President Putin is not there, but he has sent his Foreign Minister, as I understand it. As we begin debate on this aid and sanctions package, I also hope the Republicans who stopped action on this legislation prior to the break have considered how their obstruction affects our great country's national security as well as the people in Ukraine, who are struggling so very much. Since this was blocked by some Republicans, these important sanctions have not taken place. Russian lawmakers voted to annex Crimea and Russian forces have taken over, in many instances by force, military bases in Crimea. It is impossible to know whether events would have unfolded differently if the United States had responded to Russian aggression with a strong unified voice, which we did not do. When a few extreme Republicans blocked action on this robust bill, which was reported out of the Foreign Relations Committee with a strong bipartisan vote, and then, when it came to the Senate floor, we sent a very weak message to the Russians by indicating we will work on this later; we won't do it now. In spite of what some Republicans did with their obstruction, President Obama moved forward with additional sanctions, and I am glad he did. The President is working closely with our European allies to impose the most effective sanctions possible. That is, in effect, what he is working on today. In light of such clear-cut aggression against Ukraine, which continued as late as yesterday, it is difficult to believe Republicans blocked that package at all, but they did and it is almost unimaginable why they did this. They blocked aid to Ukraine in order to protect the anonymity of their big-time donors. They are saying: We will give the President the tools he needs to help the beleaguered people of Ukraine but only if--only if--the 501(c)4 work being done by the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department is stopped. That is pretty absurd, but that is the truth. It is all over the news today. So Republicans delayed this aid package for 10 days in order to protect the Koch brothers and billionaires just like them. That is very hard to believe, but it is true. Republicans objected to moving forward with this aid package in order to protect the ability of the Koch brothers and other GOP donors to hide behind shadowy front groups--groups that spend millions on political attack ads. This is the reason for holding up something that is so important to 46 million Ukrainians and important to our country. It is important for our security. But they objected to moving forward with this aid package unless, I repeat, we agreed to allow the Kochs and billionaires just like them to continue anonymously spending millions and millions of dollars trying to buy America's democracy. Hard to believe, but it is true. I applaud so very much the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, the junior Senator from Tennessee, as well as the senior Senator from Arizona, John McCain, for their impassioned defense of this bill prior to the break. No one spoke more fluently and with more articulation than those two good men. They joined in defending bipartisan sanctions and the role of the International Monetary Fund in stabilizing Ukraine's economy and keeping Ukraine free. The measure before the body includes vital loan guarantees, sanctions, and IMF funding. That is what they are holding up more than anything else. In the work we did on the omnibus, this was one of the last items we tried to get done--IMF funding. But even back then they would not agree to IMF funding unless Treasury stopped all work on looking at these secret shadowy groups. If the American people knew what they were doing--but they do not because they are hidden--these millions and millions they are spending on ads around the country are hidden behind phony organizations. We couldn't get that IMF funding in the omnibus because Republicans opposed IMF funding unless they got relief from the Treasury Department. This legislation provides money for Ukraine--direct money. It is not very much. But if the money we in effect owe the International Monetary Fund was received by the IMF, they would be able to multiply that money many times over, what we put into this. As I recall, it is $600 million. This would allow the International Monetary Fund to go to other countries that participate in IMF funding and it would generate more than the $600 million. Ukraine needs this money. We had Senator Durbin on a Sunday show, Senator Ayotte on a Sunday show speaking together about how this country needs our help. And without this money, the help we give will be just a pat on the back, not really much help. So I am very grateful to have the support of Democrats and Republicans--this is bipartisan--to move this aid package forward this evening. I hope the obstruction will stop. I am hopeful and somewhat confident this legislation will receive the strong bipartisan support it deserves. Unemployment Like all Senators, I get lots and lots of letters and emails and phone calls each month. Some write, some call, pleading for additional unemployment benefits because they have been out of work and they can't find a job. The sad part about that is most of them are not kids. I mean that not in the negative sense. They are not young men and women. Many of them trying to find a job are in their fifties and sixties and they can't find work because they have been laid off because of the recession, depression--whatever we want to call it--and they can't find a job. They need this help. A number of these individuals have been driven into poverty. One thing we have to do this work period is do something about unemployment compensation, and we are going to try to do that. We have a bipartisan bill, and I so much appreciate the Republicans who have stood up and agreed to help us with that. Health Care There are also people who call, and they are calling because they are happy. They have hope. They do that because for the first time in their adult lives they have health insurance or they have health insurance that is cheaper than they had last year. They have family members who are disabled and who can now get health insurance. They couldn't do it before because they were considered to have a preexisting disability. People who are disabled are really happy because they can get insurance for the first time in their lives or if they have had it in the past, it has been so outrageously costly that it was burdensome to them. Four years ago yesterday, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, making quality health care available to millions and millions of Americans for the first time in years. I talked to the President's Chief of Staff the day we left for our work period at home. In the 2 days prior to that, 80,000 people each day had signed up. Tens of thousands of people every day are signing up. We are fast approaching 6 million. Some say we will get over that. The mix of people who are signing up is good. It is a good mix. We have a lot of young people. There was a piece on public radio this morning of a young man 21 years old who never had insurance before but he said: You know, I need insurance, so I am going to buy some insurance. And it is really very inexpensive. Connecticut has such an unusual experience. They have two stores set up for people to come in and get their health insurance, and they have had thousands of people who have done that. Some people who aren't very computer literate have been able to go in and talk to somebody and sign up. They had the example of one woman who had struggled on the computer. She didn't know how to use it very well. She came in, and she saves $300 a month for her health care. So that is what Connecticut has done, but there are many messages of hope out there. Families have college-aged children who have stayed on their parents' health plans. Seniors have saved hundreds of dollars on their prescriptions because we are filling the doughnut hole. I have heard from entrepreneurs who finally--finally--can do what they want to do, which is go out and start a business of their own. They are entrepreneurs who have been locked into their jobs, but now they can leave. They are not locked into jobs to keep their health insurance; they can have health insurance on their own; they can strike out on their own without the fear of losing their health insurance. Women are benefiting from free preventive care, and people with preexisting conditions, which I have talked about, have signed up for health insurance for the first time. One lifelong Republican called recently to say that he and his son signed up for affordable insurance and saw the doctor for the first time in years. They had been without health insurance because of preexisting conditions they both have. But now that his insurance company can no longer discriminate against him or his son, they are getting the lifesaving care they need and deserve. In the long run, this saves huge amounts of money for us as a society. Across the country, families such as the one I just mentioned have been freed from the fear of going bankrupt or reaching an arbitrary lifetime cap if they get sick. The Affordable Care Act puts patients in charge of their own health care decisions. There are many others on the other side of the aisle who don't want this law to work. We are approaching 13 million people, right as we speak, who have insurance now--or are using the benefits of this would be a better way to say it. Six million people have signed up, and 3 million people are on their parents' health insurance because of this law. We have at least 5 million or maybe more who are there because of Medicaid. This is wonderful. These people have health care. It is good for our country. I can't imagine what the Republicans expect done--just to say, OK, get rid of all insurance we have? They keep talking about repealing this bill. What are they talking about? They have had about 60 votes to repeal it. It doesn't work, and all the polling--which they don't talk about--is now saying: I am glad we have this. There are some who don't like the bill because they don't think it is strong enough. All the polls are somewhat misleading that the Republicans have been throwing around here, but they are still spending millions of dollars on disingenuous ads distorting the truth about the Affordable Care Act and how it is benefiting millions of Americans. We fought hard 4 years ago to pass this landmark expansion of quality, affordable health care, and we will fight just as hard to make sure the law works for every American family.

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I am told there are three bills at the desk due for a second reading.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I object to any further proceedings with respect to these three bills.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I understand S. 2149 is due for its first reading.

Mr. REID. I object to my own request to have a second reading.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, just alerting everyone, we have a lot to do this week. We have to have some finality on the Ukraine matter, we have SGR--and we are waiting for the House to take some action on that--and we have unemployment compensation. Then we have a number of things we have to do during the next 2 weeks of this work period. We are going to have to finish those I just outlined now, which means that if we can't get some way forward without a lot of procedural roadblocks, we will have to be in this weekend. It is not pleasant for some people, but I have alerted everyone as often as I can. We have been able to avoid the weekends, but this work period is very significant. We have a lot we have to get done. We may either have to start spending a weekend here and there or what we would have to do is just take the week we were supposed to start our Easter break and work that week. It would be a short week, but we would at least be here. So I just alert everyone so people can't come back and say, ``Why didn't you tell us?'' Because I have been saying this for--at least all day.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. tomorrow morning; that following the prayer and the pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that following any leader remarks, the Senate be in a period of morning business for 1 hour, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each during that time, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with the majority controlling the first half and the Republicans controlling the final half; that following morning business the Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to the Ukraine act postcloture-- again, Mr. President, 30 hours postcloture. We have done it scores of times, and it is totally wasted time, but that is what the Republicans want and that is what they get under the rules of the Senate--further, that all time during adjournment and morning business count postcloture on the motion to proceed to S. 2124.

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Following my remarks and those of the Republican leader, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 10:30 a.m. this morning, with the Republicans controlling the first half and the majority controlling the final half. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of S. 1086, the child care and development block grant reauthorization bill. We did extremely well yesterday. I expect more rollcall votes on it today. We are also working on an agreement on flood insurance, we are working on additional executive nominations, and we are seeing what we can do on minimum wage. We have Ukraine sanctions out there someplace, and we are trying to put it all together. We hope we can finish that today, but it is not guaranteed. Senators will be notified with as much notice as possible when votes are scheduled.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Over the last couple of weeks I have taken some heat from Senate Republicans and conservative pundits for exposing two multibillionaires. These are two oil barons, and they are trying to rig the political system to favor the rich and especially favor themselves. After the 14th statement adverse to me issued by a spokesman for the Koch brothers, it seems abundantly clear I have gotten under their skin. As the saying goes, from the great Senator Pat Moynihan: ``Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.'' But I had guessed the Koch brothers have been able to buy their facts over the years, not paying any attention to whether they are true or false. This week media outlets from New York, and especially the New York Times, to the Washington Post, to the Detroit News, revealed the truth. The truth is millions in political ads sponsored by these two multibillionaires are misleading at best and outright false in many instances. The truth is the Koch brothers are willing to do anything, even exploit Americans suffering from cancer, to advance their campaign of distortion. I am not afraid of the Koch brothers. None of us should be afraid of the Koch brothers. These two multibillionaires can spend millions of dollars of their money rigging the political process for their own benefit, but that doesn't mean we have to lie down and take it--because we are not going to. They may believe that whoever has the most money gets the most free speech. That is wrong, it is unfair, and it is untrue. I will do whatever it takes to expose their campaign, their campaign to rig the American political system to benefit the wealthy at the expense of the middle class. A number of Republican Senators have rushed over here to defend the Koch brothers. That is hard to comprehend, but they have done it. If someone asked me--and no one has, but I will give my opinion anyway-- billionaires seem perfectly capable of defending themselves. They do it with hundreds of millions of dollars. I am sure it has over the past couple of years reached close to $1 billion spreading these falsehoods. Remember, they don't just do it under the phony banner of Americans for Prosperity, they divert money to a lot of other organizations; for example, millions of dollars to the chamber of commerce, which runs ads against Democratic Senators. They are capable of defending themselves. But when Senate Republican Senators rush to defend the Koch brothers, they are also defending the Koch brothers' radical philosophy--and it is radical. How do we know it is radical? Because they said it is radical. They said so. I am not making those words up. One of the brothers kept harping on the fact that he had a radical philosophy, and they do. I ask my Republican colleagues in the Senate, is even one--is even one--willing to stand and disavow the Koch brothers' radical agenda? It is radical. It is radical because they say it is radical--and it is radical. All we have to do is look at it. Will Senate Republicans reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to privatize Social Security? Will they come to the floor and reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to end Medicare as we know it? Will Senate Republicans reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to end the guarantee of affordable, quality, health care and put insurance companies back in charge so tens of millions of Americans are again one heart attack or car accident away from bankruptcy? Will Senate Republicans reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to allow insurance companies to deny coverage for a child with a heart murmur, a survivor of breast cancer, a teen who suffers from acne or absolutely anyone with a preexisting condition no matter how minor? Will Senate Republicans reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to eliminate minimum-wage laws and workplace safety standards? That is what the Koch brothers want. Will Senate Republicans reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to decimate America's public education system? That is what they want. Will Senate Republicans reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to roll back environmental safeguards and give themselves the unfettered right to pollute our air and water? We have to look out for our children and our grandchildren having pure water to drink, good air to breathe--not with the Koch brothers. That isn't what they want. Will Senate Republicans reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to give more tax breaks to the richest of the rich--to profitable oil companies, corporations who ship jobs overseas, and billionaires who pay lower taxes than their secretaries? Not one Republican stepped forward, so obviously they must agree with the Koch brothers' radical philosophy. Republicans are willing to defend the Koch brothers on the floor of this Senate, but are they willing to defend the Koch brothers' radical agenda as well? I guess that is what they are doing by coming to the floor. If Republicans don't support the Koch brothers' ``survival of the richest'' philosophy, all they have to do is say so because the truth is it will be terrible to allow the Koch brothers to buy Congress and to buy our country. And that is what they are trying to do. It would be catastrophic to allow the Koch brothers' Congress to devastate the American middle class with their richest-take-all policy agenda. This discussion isn't only about fairness or the democratic way. This discussion isn't only about the inherent danger in allowing two multibillionaire oil barons to buy America's political system. This is also about how these two multibillionaires would use a political system, once they have bought it, and how they would abuse it in order to add zeros to the bottom line while hurting middle-class families. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that at 2:30 p.m. today, the Senate proceed to Executive Session to consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 686; that the Senate proceed to vote without intervening action or debate on the nomination; that the motion to reconsider be made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order; that any related statements be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session; further, that there be 2 minutes of debate equally divided prior to each vote.

Mr. REID. I yield back all time, and ask that the vote start immediately, and all Senators should be advised that we will start the vote.