Harry Reid

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I express my appreciation publicly--I have done so privately--for the good work done by Senator Corker and Senator Cardin, the chairman and ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee. They have done remarkably good work and exemplary work for us. Getting consensus on anything in the Senate is very hard. In spite of the monumental task they faced, the chair and ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Corker and Senator Cardin, were able to do just that with their Iran legislation. These two good Senators have worked very hard to find a middle ground that satisfies both Congress and the administration. I think they have done that. The Corker-Cardin bill allows Congress to vote on a final agreement. It also provides for immediate reinstitution of the sanctions should Iran breach the terms of the agreement. After weeks of bipartisan negotiations, the Foreign Relations Committee reported the Corker- Cardin legislation with a unanimous 19-to-0 vote. I, along with many of my Senate Democratic colleagues, support this legislation. In fact, I think all Democrats would support this legislation. Senators Corker and Cardin worked very hard to strike a very delicate balance. Now we must protect that delicate balance by working together to avoid major changes that could imperil the success of the bill. I hope we can move forward with the same spirit of bipartisanship that got us here and bring the bill to a vote as quickly as possible. However, a number of my Republican colleagues stated publicly, in their efforts to be the Republican nominee for President, what they want to do with this bill. I am concerned that they and others want to use this good, bipartisan piece of legislation as a platform for their political ambitions. This bill is too important to be a pawn in anyone's political game. I have told Senator Corker and Senator Cardin that I will support their efforts to preserve their work. As we move forward, I am hoping we can all work together in the bipartisan spirit in which this bill was crafted and keep our eyes on the ultimate goal of preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. Having said that, I am very concerned about some statements made by my friend, the vote counter for the Senate Republicans, the senior Senator from Texas. He said in Politico--I am not going to state his full quote but basically enough to get the idea: Some of 'em might pass. I think it's going to be an interesting dance. . . . There are some that are interesting, that will be hard to vote against. This is a bill which was brought to the Senate floor on a bipartisan basis. We should continue on that basis. It shouldn't be up to Democrats to kill these vexatious amendments; we should get some help from our Republican colleagues. I look forward to this debate. It is important for the country. It is important for the world. I am grateful for the work done by those two good Senators. I just hope it is not maligned, messed up, and denigrated as a result of political posturing.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, when I first came to the Senate and when I served in the House, conference committees were an important part of the business we did here in Congress. But in recent years--very recent years--going to conference hasn't been what it used to be. Going to conference on a piece of legislation used to mean there would be serious discussions and compromises that generally produced a product that could be supported by Members of both parties. It was a real conference. Democrats sat down with Republicans and in a public forum determined what should happen on that bill. I can remember going to those conferences. They were tough, they were long, and there were a lot of compromises made. But that is what legislation is--the art of compromise. When we finished, we had a product that was supported by both parties. That is why we used to do appropriations bills like that. Why? As an example, Senator Domenici and I for many years were the chairman and ranking member of a very important subcommittee, energy and water. It was very important, billions and billions of dollars. We did our work as a subcommittee, but then we were able to meet and work these out in conference. That is why we came to the floor. We did the bill in a few hours because everyone had had their input. Sadly, under a Republican House and a Republican Senate, that is no longer the case. Here is an example: the budget conference resolution. There is all the chest-beating and flexing of muscles in the press. The Republicans have a budget. They worked and worked and got it done. They finished the conference. The Republican majorities in the House and the Senate don't even bother to show that there is a bipartisan consensus building; they just do it. Any meetings that have been had on this bill with Democrats have been strictly for show. There is no discussion. There is no public debate. There is nothing done. It is Republicans in the House and Republicans in the Senate meeting together. I would bet that the conferences even between the House and the Senate were done mainly by the two chairs of the committees. Not a word of input on this bill--not a word of input on this bill from Democrats. It is no conference. The party already knows what they want; they are not interested in our ideas. Forbes magazine--I don't quote Forbes magazine very often for obvious reasons. It is a very conservative news outlet, but listen to what they said, and I quote verbatim: This will not be the start of a period of bipartisanship when it comes to budget issues. To the contrary, the budget resolution conference report that will likely be voted on this week will solely become a product of what the Republican majorities in the House and Senate wanted to do. There was little-to-no effort to involve Democrats in the negotiations because the leadership would risk losing GOP votes in both houses by doing so. They also would have risked alienating the GOP base, much of which continues to believe a compromise with congressional Democrats and the Obama administration is the political equivalent of collaborating with the enemy. How about that; every word of this is true. It is so sad for our country when working across party lines is considered collaborating with the enemy. I have said here on the floor many times, and I will say it again: When Obama was elected the first time, Republicans gathered here in Washington--a couple of days the meeting took, and it has been written up a lot of times--and they made two conclusions. They came to two conclusions: No. 1, we are not going to have Obama reelected. They failed miserably with that. But on the second thing they have been successful; that is, they would oppose anything and everything President Obama wanted. They have done that now for 6\1/2\ years. What a sad day for our country.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that my friend, the senior Senator from South Dakota, be recognized as in morning business for up to 10 minutes.

Mr. REID. Prior to recognizing my colleague, would the Chair note the business for the day.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have said on a number of occasions, and I have told the Senators, but not with both of them present, how much I admire their legislative skills. What they have brought to the Senate is a work of art. I will always be amazed at how they were able to accomplish this 19 to 0 coming out of that committee. As I said earlier today, I hope we can preserve the structure of this great piece of legislation that the two fine Senators were able to come up with. Opportunity and Hope Mr. President, on another subject, we are all saddened by what we have witnessed unfold in the streets of Baltimore. A man is dead who should not be dead. His name was Freddie Gray. Freddie Gray's name will not be forgotten. This young man's death is the latest in a series of disturbing and unnecessary deaths of young men of color at the hands of police and vigilantes. To be clear, violence is never acceptable in any regard. It is never an acceptable response, even in tragedies such as these. The rioting and looting we are seeing on the streets of Baltimore will only further damage a community in a great American city that is already hurting. We should not let the violence perpetrated by a few become an excuse to ignore the underlying problem: that millions of Americans feel powerless in the face of a system that is rigged against them. It is easy to feel powerless when you see the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer. The opportunities to build a better life for yourself and your family are nonexistent, nonexistent in your community. It is easy to feel devalued when schools in your community are failing. It is easy to believe the system is rigged against you when you spend years watching what President Obama called ``a slow- rolling crisis'' of troubling police interactions with people of color. No American should ever feel powerless--no American. No American should ever feel their life is not valued, but that is what our system says to many of our fellow citizens. No American should be denied the opportunity to better their lives through their own hard work, but that is a reality too many face. In a nation that prides itself on being a land of opportunity, millions--not thousands, millions--of our fellow citizens live every day with little hope of building a better future no matter how hard they try. We cannot condone the violence we see in Baltimore, but we must not ignore the despair and hopelessness that gives rise to the claim of violence. This is not just about inner cities. This is about the deep, crushing poverty that infects rural and suburban communities across our great country. It does not matter if you live in Searchlight, NV, or the metropolitan Las Vegas area--which is now more than 2 million people-- or in Baltimore, rural America, when there is no hope, anger and despair move in. That is the way it is. We cannot ignore that. So let's condemn the violence, but let's not ignore the underlying problem. Let's not pretend the system is fair. Let's not pretend everything is OK. Let's not pretend the path from poverty--like the one I traveled-- is still available to everyone out there as long as they work hard because it is not. For hard work to bear fruit, there must be opportunity and there must be hope. I cannot imagine what direction my life would have taken without the hope of the American dream. As a little boy I had that. As a teenager I had it. I had it in college. So instead of turning a blind eye, let's work together and take the problem seriously. There is bipartisan work being done on criminal justice, and that is a good start. We need criminal justice reform. That is a good start, but it is only a start. Ensuring that populations are not unfairly targeted for incarceration will be a positive step, a real positive step. But we also need to be investing in inner cities and rural areas and ensuring that jobs and training and educational opportunities are available where they are needed the most. Looking out at the year ahead, the only piece of legislation I see on the agenda that does anything to create jobs is the surface transportation bill. There is nothing else. Look around. That is not enough. We need to do more. It is up to us in this Capitol to create these jobs. Democrats and Republicans must work together to make sure Americans have a right to succeed and America continues to be a land of opportunity for all of our citizens, not some of our citizens. I yield the floor.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life of SGT Edward Gobel, a long-time resident of Las Vegas, NV, who passed away on April 1, 2015. Ed Gobel was a man whose strong sense of duty to his Nation drove him to continuously seek new ways to help others and improve his community, and I am grateful for his years of service. He will truly be missed. Sergeant Gobel proudly served in the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam war. After his military service left him confined to a wheelchair, he drew from his personal experiences to help enact positive change in Las Vegas. He became a leading advocate for military veterans and the disabled in Nevada. Recognizing the importance of being involved in his community, Sergeant Gobel took on numerous roles, from director of the Council of Nevada Veterans Organizations to State commander of the Veterans of the Vietnam War. His tireless efforts to push key bills through the Nevada Legislature, such as a bill to create Nevada's first veterans home, earned him the Jefferson Award for Public Service in 2003. And in 2014, he was honored with the Chapel of Four Chaplains Legion of Honor Gold Medallion for his giving nature and commitment to service. I am impressed by Sergeant Gobel's investment in the people and issues that mattered most to him and by his continuous belief that change was possible. Sergeant Gobel is survived by his wife of nearly 40 years, Caryl Gobel, along with his sister, children, and grandchildren. My thoughts are with his family as they celebrate him and a life well lived.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, it is a hard thing to admit you are wrong. It is always very difficult. It is not very pleasing to look back and say to yourself: Oh, I wish I wasn't so far off; I was way off. But as public servants, we have to accept reality, regardless of where we may have stood or what we may have said in the past. Unfortunately, Republicans in Congress are trying their utmost to escape the reality that ObamaCare is a smashing success. Just consider a few of the facts--and these are only a few of them: 16.4 million Americans now have quality health coverage, many for the first time in decades, many for the first time in their lives. Since 2013, the United States has seen the largest decline in the uninsured rate--ever. Nine in ten Americans have health insurance. In the last 18 months, the uninsured rate for nonelderly adults has fallen by 35 percent. Health care costs have grown at their slowest rate in 50 years. Since 2011, the number of preventable deaths at hospitals and care centers has dropped by 50,000. That is 50,000 lives--50,000 people are alive today who wouldn't have been but for ObamaCare, and ObamaCare enrollees are overwhelmingly satisfied with their coverage. Those are the facts. No matter how hard my Republican colleagues try, they cannot wish those numbers away. All of the doomsday reports are wrong. I understand that many Senate Republicans have worked hard to make their opposition to ObamaCare their legacy. In June of 2009, the Republican leader--the majority leader--was on the Senate floor decrying health care reform more than 3 months before the bill even passed. His mind was made up before he even saw the bill. And so it has been with too many other Republicans in this body, and certainly in the other body where they voted--I lost track of it--65 times to repeal it. Each time it has been a colossal flop. The junior Senator from Wyoming, for example, has been relentless in his condemnation of ObamaCare. He comes to the floor all the time with his charts and everything, but he avoids the facts. He has been relentless in his condemnation of ObamaCare--before and after the bill was passed. But he is wrong. I don't say so, the facts say so. For example, Paul Krugman's piece in the New York Times today effectively lays out the options congressional Republicans have with respect to ObamaCare. Remember, this isn't some high school teacher talking about the merits of ObamaCare, it is a Nobel laureate in economics. This is what he said today, and I quote part of what he said--simply put, Republicans were wrong on ObamaCare. In this body, it is understandable for a Senator to be dead wrong on some piece of policy from time to time. It happens. But what is not understandable and what is not acceptable is for the entire Republican Party to double down on its opposition after they have already been proven wrong. It says a lot about their inability to govern and, quite frankly, their grasp on reality--that Republicans refuse to acknowledge facts. That is a reality. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the full piece from the New York Times written by Paul Krugman.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I see no one on the floor, so will the Chair announce the business of the day.

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the millions of Armenians who were deported during the Armenian genocide in 1915, and the 1.5 million men, women, and children who were killed. April 24, 2015, marks the Centennial Remembrance Day of the Armenian genocide, and my thoughts go out to the descendants of the victims and all of the Armenian people as the world commemorates this tragedy. As we reflect upon this horrific period in history, we are reminded of the importance of promoting tolerance and standing firm against hatred and discrimination. That is why I have always recognized the terrible atrocities that took place in Armenia as genocide and why I consistently support resolutions in the Senate to remember the anniversaries of the Armenian genocide. I will continue to support these resolutions and speak about this issue so we never forget the families who were torn apart and destroyed due to brutal intolerance. Nevada is home to a vibrant community of thousands of Armenian Americans. Through churches and other organizations, Armenians in Nevada have demonstrated a commitment to working to improve their communities and serve others. For instance, the Armenian Relief Association in Las Vegas has dedicated years to serving the Las Vegas community and providing Saturday school for children to learn Armenian history. Kirk Kerkorian, an immensely successful Armenian American businessman and philanthropist, has shaped Nevada's booming tourism industry and created jobs with his investments on the Las Vegas Strip. Kirk has also generously donated to organizations across the Nation and in Armenia through his charitable foundation, the Lincy Foundation, to support important causes such as public education, health care, and infrastructure development. Another well-known Armenian American, the late Jerry Tarkanian, will long be remembered in Nevada not only for his success leading the University of Nevada, Las Vegas basketball team, but also for his dedication to teaching young college athletes to be better people and proudly represent their city. I am proud that, for years, Nevada has officially recognized the Armenian genocide, and that Nevada continues to find ways to honor this strong community and Armenian history. I am grateful for the efforts of the Armenian American Cultural Society of Las Vegas, which raised thousands of dollars for an Armenian Genocide Monument at Sunset Park in Las Vegas, Nevada. The monument will represent the 12 provinces where Armenians were slaughtered during the genocide, and will provide Nevadans with a place for reflection for years to come.

Mr. REID

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

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

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

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I didn't realize the time in the quorum call would be equally divided, so I ask unanimous consent that the time be equally charged to both sides.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, this morning I would like to extend a warm welcome to the Reverend Dr. Ralph Williamson, of Las Vegas, NV, who opened the Senate today with such a beautiful prayer. For a dozen years, Dr. Williamson has served as senior pastor at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in North Las Vegas. During that time, Reverend Williamson has helped shepherd the First African American Episcopal Church through an expansion that includes a beautiful new sanctuary. It is brand new. He is a devoted pastor, and he is beloved by a growing congregation, which includes Senator Cory Booker's mother. Cory's mom and aunt live in Las Vegas. It was there that his good dad died. I had the opportunity to meet his father before he passed away. They are so proud of their son, Cory--as well they should be--as they are proud of having worshiped in this church. The Apostle Paul wrote: ``As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.'' Reverend Williamson has heeded this admonition, doing good for the members of his flock and the people of all southern Nevada. Through Reverend Williamson's leadership, the First African American Episcopal Church has become a source of faith and vital support for the community. Reverend Williamson's tireless efforts have produced programs for youth, seniors, and the underprivileged. He has pioneered food banks, summer lunch programs, tutoring programs, and health ministries. Just about everything that deals with helping people, he has done it. I appreciate his joining us today. I did not have the chance to tell him. We met earlier today. We had a ``Welcome to Washington'' with 60 or 70 people today. He gave the presentation to them and offered a prayer for those assembled. It was very warm and nice. But what I did not get a chance to tell him is that I believe the first leader of the flock, of this church in southern Nevada, was a man by the name of Albert Dunn. He was responsible for starting this first congregation. He was my friend, Reverend Dunn. He was a very, very devoutly religious man. To show you how far he went to help people in the community, this was a conversation with his wife one day. She said: ``You know, I wish you had talked to Reverend Dunn, because, oftentimes, we would get up in the morning and he had given away all the food to people who needed it.'' So I have a warm remembrance of this church and Reverend Dunn. Dr. Williamson, thank you very much for your leadership. I appreciate it very much.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I look forward to returning to the debate on the situation dealing with Iran. It is a very difficult issue. It is so important for the country and the world. I hope there can be some further negotiations when they finish these negotiations in June, at least something that will be received with popularity in the Senate. Democrats and Republicans will say: That is great. We are finally able to get something done. Iran now can no longer use nuclear weapons because we have stopped them from doing so. I hope we arrive at that point, but we are not there yet. I wish so fervently that the negotiators can arrive at some agreement in the next couple of months. We are going to move to this bill as soon as we can. I hope we can do it sooner rather than later. The debate on these amendments that the Republican leader talked about are very significant. As the Republican leader said, there should be amendments offered. If people think they can improve the bill, there can be amendments offered. If people think there is stuff in the bill they simply don't like and they don't like all of this process, let them offer an amendment. We need robust debate. We have to make sure that attention is focused on this issue and nothing else. I look forward to seeing what I can work out with my friend, the senior Senator from Kentucky, the majority leader of the Senate, to see when we can move to this bill.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, the Wall Street Journal had a great editorial today. To show you how senseless it was, I will read the headline: ``The GOP uses its advice and consent power to beat Harry Reid.'' Think about that, a major newspaper in this country has the audacity to say: ``The GOP [Republicans] uses its advice and consent power to beat Harry Reid.'' Reading the editorial, what they are talking about is that the Republicans were very smart in delaying Loretta Lynch to be confirmed. The reason she was delayed is because a very vital issue came up with the trafficking bill. It dealt with women's reproductive rights, and it took a long time to work that out. In fact, it took a long enough time to work it out until the Republicans capitulated to what we wanted. We protected the women's right to choose. The Hyde language no longer allows, as was in the underlying legislation, the Hyde language to apply to nontaxpayer money. So for them to say they beat Harry Reid, they didn't beat Harry Reid. What they did was beat up on themselves. To think that they beat Harry Reid, I repeat, all they did was beat up on themselves. Later today, the Senate will do something it should have done months ago, confirm Loretta Lynch as the 83rd Attorney General of the United States. She is as qualified a candidate as I have ever seen in this Senate, which is more than three decades--so qualified, in fact, today will mark the third time she has been confirmed by the Senate. Twice before, Loretta Lynch was unanimously confirmed as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. By all accounts, Loretta Lynch's confirmation this time around should have sailed through the Senate. For a while, it seemed it would. We had Senators, Republican Senators, saying what a wonderful woman she is. She is great. They were very vocal in their support. The senior Senator from Utah, the senior Senator from South Carolina, the junior Senator from Arizona--but it soon became apparent the Republican leadership pressed these people a little bit, and suddenly they weren't as interested in moving the Lynch confirmation along, even though that is what they said they should do. Her nomination has dragged on for months. In fact, I repeat, she has waited longer to be confirmed than the first 54 Attorneys General combined, longer than Attorneys General nominated by every President from George Washington to Woodrow Wilson. What should have been a quick confirmation would be anything but that. Instead, Ms. Lynch became the first Attorney General nominee in history to be filibustered. The editorial from the newspaper is very insulting. They said: ``Mr. Reid accused Republicans of racism and sexism.'' I dare--I dare anyone to find a single word that I said dealing with race or sex. I didn't do that, but maybe that is something the Republicans hoped I would do, but I didn't do that. There was even a hunger strike. Now, listen to this, the depth of this editorial from the Wall Street Journal: Al Sharpton's activist group vowed a hunger strike until Ms. Lynch received a vote. (Al, please go through with it.) I guess I was naive in thinking my Republican colleagues would treat Loretta Lynch with the dignity she and her office deserved. Perhaps my mistake was forgetting that for Republicans, this isn't about Loretta Lynch, it is about President Obama because Republicans will do everything, anything they can to make President Obama's life more difficult. They said they would do that when he was elected, and they have stuck with it. President Obama's Cabinet officials have been treated worse than any President in history. Today's vote on Loretta Lynch marks the seventh cloture vote the Republicans have forced on a Cabinet official during the Obama administration. Forcing cloture, that is terminating the filibuster, was something that was rare in the entire history of this country. It used to be Cabinet officials were filibustered only in the most extreme circumstances, but once Ms. Lynch is confirmed, five sitting members of the President's Cabinet will have been filibustered by Senate Republicans. To put that in contrast, it rarely happened before, rarely. Unlike today's Senate Republicans, Democrats showed restraint in our disagreements with the President's appointments. We showed great deference to his choices for the President, and by that I am talking about the last President, George W. Bush. Some may say that is water under the bridge. There will be those Republicans who, after confirming Loretta Lynch today, will say all's well that ends well. They are wrong. While I am pleased she will be confirmed as Attorney General, her nomination process is proof of all that is wrong with Republican Senate leadership. Senate Republicans made Loretta Lynch's nomination linger more than 10 times longer than the average Attorney General--and you have heard what I said before about that--just to spite Barack Obama. The viciousness with which the majority leader's party has treated the President is unconscionable and is bad for our country. Republicans have become so blinded by their nastiness that they have even made filibusters of Cabinet officials the norm around here. The first time we had a Defense Secretary filibustered, they did it. The first time for an Attorney General, they did it. How sad that in the future we can expect delayed and filibustered nominations such as Loretta Lynch to no longer be the exception but the rule. This is so unfortunate that this is how Republicans portend to govern. Mr. President, what is the order of the day?

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, it is my understanding that on Monday there will be opportunity for debate. Is that right, Mr. Leader? We will do that at closing tonight. That would be good. Madam President, I appreciate very much the understanding of the Republican leader, the majority leader, about how to proceed on this. This is a really important piece of legislation. I don't know of a piece of legislation in recent years that is more important than this. So I look forward to the Senate turning to this legislation. I again applaud and commend Senators Corker and Cardin for the delicate and very good work they have done on this. This measure, I repeat, is important. It deals with matters of international affairs and Congress's role in carrying out the constitutional responsibilities we have. This bill will take some time. I hope we can finish it as rapidly as possible. That is what I want. I also want to comment that I think it is important we have the opportunity--and I am sure the Republican leader--to have our caucus on Tuesday, so that we by that time will have an idea how we are going to proceed forward on this. I have heard some Senators want to offer amendments really to hurt this bill. I hope that, in fact, is not the case. I hope people are trying to be constructive. Regardless of that, the leader has assured us that there will be an open amendment process. So no matter how a person feels about this bill, they will have an opportunity to offer amendments. In my opinion, we need to support the Corker-Cardin agreement. Those Senators worked so we can get the bill passed as soon as possible. So I have no objection.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of a heinous and violent event that has tragically changed the world. On April 21, 1915, near the beginning of World War I, the German Army introduced to the world large-scale chemical weapons. That gas swept the battlefield. People died and suffered enduring pain, and those who survived, with rare exception, suffered the rest of their lives. The Kaiser's army released tons of chlorine gas, nearly devastating the Allied line in Belgium. Europe would never be the same. The world would never be the same. The use of poisonous gas proliferated during World War I, bringing death and devastation to members of the military and civilians. Following World War I, nations joined to support the Geneva Protocol of 1925, declaring that chemical weapons were so barbaric, so evil that they should be prohibited from use. The use of chemical weapons has continued. The world will never forget the atrocities perpetrated by Hitler during World War II, as Nazi Germany used chemicals in the genocide of millions of Jews. During the Nazi regime, at the beginning of it, five men--one name started with S, one started with A, one started with R, I, and N--invented sarin gas. The world will not forget the atrocities perpetrated by the Hitler regime during World War II as Nazi Germany used chemicals in the genocide of millions--millions--of Jews. The Iraq-Iran war of the 1980s was another terrible instance of lethal gasses being deployed as a tool of warfare. In 1988, Saddam Hussein unleashed a chemical arsenal on his own people, killing thousands of Kurds. Those pictures are available to see. The people are indiscriminately lying there--old men, old women, middle aged people, and babies. The world witnessed these events in horror and decided international action was absolutely necessary again. In 1992, the Chemical Weapons Convention was adopted in Geneva. The Chemical Weapons Convention outlaws the production, stockpile, and use of chemical weapons and requires their destruction. I voted for that ratification with pleasure. I voted for ratification--which was ratified here in the Senate--of the convention to do something more about these chemical weapons. But in spite of other efforts, the use of chemical weapons endures. One hundred years have passed since that fateful date in Belgium, and the world has yet to end the evil of those poisons. Today, Bashar al- Assad and his regime and forces loyal to him in Syria are responsible for horrific violence that violates basic decency. It violates international laws of war and has shocked the global conscience. It is no secret that Assad has repeatedly used chemical weapons against the Syrian people and the country over which he dictates. Even after Syria was compelled to accede to the convention--the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013--there is clear evidence that Assad has continued to reign terror over his own people by using barrel bombs filled with chlorine to indiscriminately wreak havoc. We are reminded of this all the time. I do not usually watch ``60 Minutes.'' It is a good program, but I usually have other things to do. But I watched because of the promotion on Sunday evening about something they were going to do on ``60 Minutes.'' They had graphic pictures that had never been shown before of what this evil person who runs this country of Syria did to his own people. Sadly, in addition to the use of chemical weapons, the Assad regime has carried out all manner of atrocities throughout the course of the 4-year civil war in Syria. As we speak, about 400,000 Syrians have been killed. He is responsible for the vast majority of those deaths. That does not take into consideration the millions of people who have been displaced. The regime has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including starvation, systematic murder, torture, rape, sexual violence and enforced disappearance. If there were ever, ever something that is evil, bad, wrong, it is what he has done. The action of the Assad regime has resulted in the deaths--as I indicated--of countless innocent civilians and has sewn discord and disarray across the regime. Yet Assad has repeatedly lied to the world about using chemical weapons. He loves to get on these shows. The U.S. journalists go over there, and he sits there before us talking all of these lies about what he has not done. There are dead people--hundreds of thousands of them there. There are barrel bombs, cluster bombs. He targets civilians. He starves them, demonstrating again and again what a terrible person he is and someone who cannot be believed about anything he says. I am going to submit a Senate resolution condemning the actions of the Assad regime and its military forces for these crimes they have carried out against humanity. This legislation will express the Senate support for the referral of these evil acts that Assad has perpetrated and that have also been perpetrated by other Syrian officials and of course by the military leaders to an appropriate international tribune. Also, I have to say, it turns my stomach to hear people talk about making a peace deal in Syria and having Assad be a part of that deal. How could we do that? This resolution will make clear the Senate's opposition to any role for Bashar al-Assad in any final settlement of that civil war. I am confident my Senate colleagues will join me in condemning the Assad regime and its unthinkable campaign of evil against its own people. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, on another subject, it is extremely difficult to compare one Congress to another. Each Congress is unique-- changing times, shifting issues, and new administrations with which to work. But one manner of gauging the success of a Congress is simply to tally the number of Presidential nominees who have been confirmed. After all, offering its advice and consent on nominees is the Senate's constitutional duty. If we were to use confirmations as a measuring stick, by all accounts the majority leader and Senate Republicans are failing in a spectacular fashion. So far this year, the Senate has confirmed 21 nominees--4 months, 21 nominees. It is unheard of to have such a small, small number. If that trend continues, the Republican-led Congress will confirm 63 nominees this year, 2015. By contrast, in 2007, my first year as majority leader under the Bush administration, the Senate confirmed 276 executive and judicial nominees. It did not matter that Democrats were working with a Republican administration. My disagreements with President George W. Bush have been well documented. That is an understatement. But I worked with him on nominations because Democrats knew--and I knew--that it was only fair to give the President the team he needed to lead the country. Doesn't President Obama deserve the same? Of course he does. In 2007, each Democratic committee chair worked to move President Bush's nominees through committees and the Senate floor in a reasonable amount of time. Yet we are seeing the opposite from Republican chairmen this year. They are refusing even to do hearings. Of course, if there are no hearings, there will be no nominations. In fact, Republicans have committed to holding up as many of the President's nominees as possible. Here is what one senior Republican Senator said in the last few days: ``I told them: You jam [nominees] through, it's going to be a long time before I approve of them.'' What I say to that is that if this is a tantrum that the Republicans are having for changing the Senate rules, as we were forced to do, then revenge is not an effective way to govern. If it really is the case that Republicans loathe the changes to the Senate rules, why do they not do something about it? We are 4 months into this Congress, and the majority leader had ample opportunity--which he has had--to undo the changes we made. So change them if you do not like them. It is clear the Republican plan for payback centers on allowing consideration of Presidential nominations to a trickle. Throwing a tantrum is not what the American people expect from their leaders. It is not fair to the President or the American people who elected him or the dedicated public servants who want to serve our country. Ten years ago a young Senator from Texas said: ``I would hope no one in this body would feel it necessary to bring all the leftover angst of the campaign season to bear against a bright and honorable nominee.'' Yet this is what the senior Senator from Texas and his party are doing today--doing exactly what he said should not be done. America continues to look on in disbelief as Republicans delay Loretta Lynch's confirmation because they can. This is outrageous. One only needs to look at the CNN poll today to find out that the work done by the Republican Senate has been an absolute flop. So I certainly hope this is not what we are to expect during the duration of President Obama's term. I hope my Republican colleagues will demonstrate leadership and move the President's nominees. Again, look at the CNN poll, I say to my Republican colleagues. It is a disaster for you. It is not only fair to move forward on President Obama's nominations, but it is a sworn duty Republicans have as Members of the Senate.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, after weeks of stalling a bipartisan human trafficking bill, our Republican colleagues have now agreed not to expand the scope of the Hyde language. Democrats and Republicans have come to an agreement on a path forward out of this pointless contrived fight. It also rejects an expansion of the Hyde language to any taxpayer dollars where it did not apply before. This is really good news. I thank the senior Senator from Washington, Patty Murray, for the work she put into brokering this compromise. But I have to say and throw a bouquet to Amy Klobuchar, who has worked so hard on this for weeks and weeks. She has been very relentless in working toward an agreement on this. She has worked consistently to arrive at the conclusion that we have arrived at. I express my appreciation to Senator Leahy on the Judiciary Committee, who has been available for us at any given time to help us work through these issues. It was not easy, but their efforts--the Senators I have mentioned-- have been extremely important to fight human trafficking, which is really very, very important for us to do. But we also rejected efforts to further obstruct a woman's access to services they deserve and need and which we believe are within the law. I also want to say something about Senator Cornyn. John Cornyn--I talked to him Thursday. We thought we had something worked out. He has been very reasonable in helping us arrive at a conclusion to this. I express my appreciation to him publicly for that. This compromise is evidence that when Democrats and Republicans sit down together and work toward a solution, good things can happen. The Senate needs more of this. But let's hope that post-agreement amendments do not ruin the agreement that we have reached. Each side is going to have to be cautious in what they offer, because any one of those amendments, as we know, can cause a minifilibuster or a maxifilibuster, according to how you look at it. We do not need to get involved in that. We need to move forward on this legislation. We are going to have opportunities on other matters to offer amendments. I think we better be very, very careful on amendments that are offered. I say to my Republican colleagues: Be very careful that you do not destroy this human trafficking legislation that is so important. You can do it with--I have looked at some of the amendments that are being talked about being offered. My Senators are not going to sit back like shrinking violets and let this stuff go forward without responding by action that will also cause some difficult votes for my Republican colleagues. So let's get rid of this quickly. Let's get Loretta Lynch confirmed quickly and move on to other matters.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, it has been 164 days--164 very long, long days, especially for a woman by the name of Loretta Lynch. Her nomination is languishing here in the Republican limbo that they have created. For 6 months Senate Republicans have looked for any and every reason to push back confirmation of this good woman to be Attorney General. Does anyone know why? Can a single Republican Senator tell us why? The answer is no. Her qualifications are impeccable. She has some bipartisan support. But again, for unknown reasons, Republican support seems to be disappearing. Is there a single Republican Senator who can come here to the Senate floor and give an explanation that does not absolutely smack of political foolishness? Republicans do not know why Loretta Lynch has not yet been confirmed--just listen to what Congressman Peter King said. By the way, Peter King is a Republican from New York. All you've heard from our party for a very long time is how much contempt they have for Holder. Now they're presented with Loretta Lynch, who is by far the best attorney general they could ever have expected this President to appoint, and they still hold the thing up. . . . And for what? Because they think it scores them a few political points? With whom? That is the irony of it all. Republicans have held Ms. Lynch's nomination hostage for nothing more than political purposes. Here is something I will read to the people within the sound of my voice, which is a direct quote from the New York Daily News editorial. The Republicans in the Senate, the meanest and most narrow- minded among them occasionally acting as if they want the Democrats to have the White House into the next century, need to free Loretta Lynch this week. They need to stop using abortion language in an anti- trafficking bill for cover, they need to stop using Lynch's support for President Obama on immigration as cover, they need to stop insulting Lynch the way they have for months as they have delayed a vote on confirming her as our next attorney general for the simple reason that they can. The issue here was never Loretta Lynch's policies, always about President Obama's. They have used her to get at him, because to the end they remain obsessed with getting at him. No wonder Jeb Bush stood up for Lynch in New Hampshire. Bush didn't just show grace in doing that, he also showed more common sense than his brother showed in eight years as President. Jeb Bush has to know that Sen. Mitch McConnell hijacking this process does him absolutely no good, the way it does him no good to have McConnell as an important voice and face of the Republican Party. As long as McConnell is, too many voters completely wide-open about the upcoming Presidential campaign will continue to think the party is still owned and operated by scrubs who think they can push around Loretta Lynch for sport. ``Pushing around Loretta Lynch for sport'' is certainly how it seems. How else can you explain the Republicans changing the subject every time her name comes up? Every time Ms. Lynch's confirmation is discussed, they change the subject. Every time when asked, Republicans deflect: ``next Congress'' or ``after Keystone'' or ``after we try and shut down Homeland Security,'' and, of course, the newest, ``after trafficking.'' President Obama put it best last Friday when he said: Nobody can describe a reason for it beyond political gamesmanship in the Senate. I have to say that there are times where the dysfunction in the Senate just goes too far. This is an example of it. He said: ``This is embarrassing.'' It is embarrassing. It is embarrassing for the Senate and for our Nation. Even Republicans--I should say some Republicans--are embarrassed. They know there is no rationale for delaying a vote for America's chief law enforcement officer. There is no reason that we cannot confirm Loretta Lynch today--right now, even. There is nothing preventing the majority leader from coming to the Senate floor immediately and moving the Senate into executive session for consideration of Ms. Lynch's nomination. Why then is the majority leader determined to make her wait until after the trafficking legislation is approved? Why? We are now spending the first 2 weeks of this current work period finishing two matters-- human trafficking and her nomination. These two matters could have been completed months ago. Everyone is aware of what has transpired with the human trafficking bill. It is sufficient to say that Republicans tried to pull a fast one on the American people. Republicans attempted to broaden a precedent that traditionally prevents Federal funds for paying for abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk. This is commonly known as the Hyde language. The Hyde language has applied to taxpayer dollars. Republicans want to change that to apply to nontaxpayer dollars. It was a failed political ploy, and it is no surprise, then, that the Republicans are scrambling to save their necks after trying to dupe American women. My Republican colleagues appear to be close to seeing the light on human trafficking, and there seems to be a path forward. But there is no guarantee that we can do it. As of right now, we do not have an agreement in place to put the finishing touches on our work on the bill. But we are working on that goal. The progress we have made is due almost entirely to the good-faith efforts of Senators Murray, Leahy, and Amy Klobuchar. When are Republicans going to see the light on Loretta Lynch? When will the majority leader realize he continues to obstruct a qualified nominee for absolutely no reason? The Senate should turn to a vote on Ms. Lynch's nomination immediately. Every day that passes without a newly confirmed Attorney General proves once and again that Republicans cannot lead and they certainly cannot govern.