Harry Reid

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, an ancient Greek philosopher once said, ``To be doing good deeds is man's most glorious task.'' Today the Senate has an opportunity to do a good deed. We have a chance to do something to address human trafficking. It is hard to fathom that in the 21st century, slavery continues to rear its ugly head in the form of human trafficking. But in the shadows of American society, there are children, women, and men who are literally being enslaved and subjected to the most shockingly inhumane treatment imaginable. The victims of human trafficking suffer physical and sexual abuse and violence. Forced to live in squalor, they have no hope. This legislation before this body aims to change that. It seeks to not only prevent trafficking but also gives survivors hope for a new life. This legislation creates a domestic trafficking victims fund that will help support victims of trafficking and child pornography get back on their feet by providing housing, job training, and other support services. This legislation provides funding to train law enforcement in rescuing and supporting survivors of human trafficking and effectively prosecuting traffickers. It officially designates child pornography as a form of human trafficking and ensures that victims have direct access to child advocacy centers. It protects victims and witnesses by treating suspected human traffickers as violent criminals. It keeps victims of trafficking and child pornography informed regarding any plea bargain or deferred prosecution related to their cases. This legislation is good for our country. It will go a long way in curbing human trafficking and child pornography. That is why it is supported by 200 law enforcement and victims' rights groups nationwide. Unfortunately, Republicans are committed to turning a bipartisan bill into an unrelated and unconscionable political fight. We can give all the speeches out here we want saying somebody should have read the bill more closely. The question is--and we can have all kinds of debates out here as to how it got in the bill. A number of people feel it was by a little bit of sleight of hand and that it shouldn't be in there. In this legislation that is meant as an outline to stop child trafficking and human trafficking generally, there is a provision dealing with abortion. It has nothing--nothing--to do with this. I served in the House of Representatives with a very fine man. He has had his name affixed to an anti-abortion bill--anti-abortion legislation for almost three decades, and it has been continued year after year in appropriations bills. What I am talking about, what is happening in this legislation, it would make it permanent. It is wrong. If my friend the Republican leader is so in tune with getting this passed, take that provision out of the bill; otherwise, it will not pass. Take it out. It is unfortunate that Republicans are committed to turning a bipartisan bill into an unrelated, unconscionable political fight. Is it worth it? Is it really worth endangering a piece of legislation that would do good for our country? Democrats will not allow a bill to prevent human trafficking and child pornography to be hijacked by a Republican ploy. We can do a lot of good with this legislation, and I hope my Republican friends will choose to do the right thing and take this out of this legislation and pass this bill without any gimmicks.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, talking about gimmicks, there have been a number of reports in the press in the last couple of days about how this unprecedented letter to the leaders of the Iranian regime originated. We know 47 Republican Senators signed it. There are news accounts reporting that this was intended as a big joke. A big joke? Others say Republicans say it was a political organizing exercise after being hammered so hard with their nonfunding of Homeland Security. Others say it was simply designed to sabotage negotiations. Pick whatever one of the three you want. Whatever the reason, one thing is clear: This is not a joke; this is not an organizing exercise; this is about Iran getting a nuclear weapon. I am disappointed that so many of my Republican colleagues are destroying the long tradition of bipartisanship in defending Israel and stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. I am heartened that a few Republicans--seven to be exact--didn't sign the letter. That is nice. Seven out of 54 didn't sign the letter. Seven is certainly better than nothing. As some of the seven Republican Senators have said, they agree with Democrats that this letter was not appropriate. We are witnessing a fundamental test of Republicans' ability to govern. They are treating nuclear negotiations as a chance to play games-- political games. They are treating a human trafficking bill as a chance to play some of these games. This is not the time for games. Republicans' behavior on these issues is irresponsible and beneath the dignity of this institution. We can and should do better. Mr. President, what is the business of the day?

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Will my friend yield for a question?

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have to leave the floor in a moment, and I would like to direct my question to my friend, the senior Senator from Illinois. I too met with Francis Collins. He is a genius. We are so fortunate that he is there. He told me something I can't get out of my mind-- sequestration. It took $1.5 billion away from the things that the Senator from Illinois has been talking about. The second year of sequestration will take away $2 billion. I read in the press that Republicans in the House--with their budget and the budget over here--are going to continue the sequestration. I ask my friend, what will that do to Francis Collins and the people he has working at that institution?

Mr. REID. Mr. President, if I could, through the Chair, ask my friend one final question. During my last trip to the National Institutes of Health, when I met with Dr. Collins and others, one of the issues they were so in tune with was that they were so close to having a universal vaccine for flu. In the past they would come up with the best solution they could for a flu vaccine every year. If we are fortunate, it is 50- percent effective. They are very, very close to having a universal vaccine for flu. Tens of thousands of people in the United States die from the flu every year. Why didn't they proceed? Sequestration. They didn't have the money to continue the research. I thank my friend very much for bringing this subject up. It is something that is devastating not only to the scientific community, but it is devastating to the people out there who would benefit from the research who really don't know what could be in store for them. It is such a shame for our country that China--Japan has done a good job for many, many decades. They have the lowest death rate in the world. The European Union is trudging way ahead of the United States in something on which we have lead forever.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I was stunned a few minutes ago to hear the assistant Republican leader on the floor speaking about trafficking legislation that is now before the Senate. I am glad he is speaking about the legislation. He has done that quite a bit. But as he spoke about the bill, it is very stunning what he said. He said: This bill is being hijacked and being used to debate something that it really doesn't have very much to do about, and that is the subject of abortion. I totally agree with my friend from Texas. This bill has been hijacked by an issue completely unrelated to human trafficking. I suggest that the majority take it out. We can debate on how it is in the bill. Some said that it was by sleight of hand, and some said that the Democratic staff should have seen that it was in there. It is in there, and it has to come out. Unless that language is taken out of the bill, there will be no bill. We cannot have this legislation hijacked by an abortion issue. My friend the President pro tempore of the Senate and the chairman of the Finance Committee said: I can't believe that this Senate has become so political that we would raise that issue at this time on this bill. ``Raise the issue''--he took the words right out of my mouth. I can't believe it either. I say to my friends the majority, take the abortion language out of the bill. It has nothing to do with abortion. I hope my Republican friends will choose to do the right thing and eliminate this unrelated issue on an otherwise good piece of legislation.

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, all over the country today in newspapers and electronic media there is a story. I will just pick one of them out from the front page of the Washington Post today. The headline reads: ``CBO: Health law will cost less than expected.'' It says: ``President Obama's health-care law will cost taxpayers substantially less than previously estimated, congressional budget officials said Monday, in an upbeat note for a program that has faced withering criticism since its passage five years ago.'' I would just note here that the opposition has come from my Republican colleagues in the Senate and the House. They voted 67 times to repeal it in the House. Of course, each time it has failed. Continuing on in this article, it says: The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office attributed the savings to spending on medical care in coming years that will not be as great as previously forecast. As a result, the agency said, insurers are not expected to charge Americans as much for coverage, and the government will save on subsidies for low- and moderate-income people. What's more, the CBO has concluded that companies are not canceling health insurance policies as often as had been anticipated earlier this year. Fewer Americans consequently are planning to sign up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act, generating more taxpayer savings. In total, the health-care law will cost taxpayers . . . 11 percent less over the next decade than estimated in January. The cost of providing subsidies for people to buy insurance on the state and federal marketplaces--the centerpiece of the law--will be 20 percent lower than projected. The article goes on and on about the good things that are happening with health care in America.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, the official mission statement for the U.S. Attorney General reads: To enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. That is a tremendous responsibility. The U.S. Attorney General is more than just a lawyer or an administrator. An Attorney General is a defender, a crime fighter, and an advocate for Americans' rights. It is not an easy job, but President Obama's nominee Loretta Lynch is up to the task. Throughout my time in the Senate, I have seen many qualified nominees, Republicans and Democrats--people such as Janet Reno, Madeline Albright, Colin Powell, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Loretta Lynch, a graduate of Harvard Law School, is as qualified as any candidate I have ever seen in my 33 years in Congress. Ms. Lynch currently serves as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. She has been confirmed unanimously for that office by the Senate twice, most recently in 2010. During her time in the U.S. attorney's office, Loretta Lynch has proven herself to be a tough crimefighter. She has vigorously prosecuted drug dealers and criminals, corrupt politicians, and greedy Wall Street bankers. Loretta Lynch is also a guardian of the Constitution. She takes the protections afforded to Americans in the Bill of Rights seriously. Almost two decades ago she helped bring to justice a Haitian immigrant who had been physically and sexually assaulted by police officers acting outside the law. She has also defended human rights abroad. She was part of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where she prosecuted suspects accused of one of the most heinous crimes in world history, the genocide carried out in Rwanda. Whatever the case, whatever the crime, Loretta Lynch has protected the innocent and fought the guilty. She has been exemplary in defending the interests of the United States and its people. She is an ideal candidate to be America's top law enforcement officer. That is why she was nominated 121 days ago by President Obama. I look forward to the Senate finishing this confirmation as soon as possible. The American people need Loretta Lynch in their corner. Mr. President, what is the business of the day?

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, what is the business before the Senate?

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, on human trafficking, I underscore, appreciate, and agree with the statement of the Republican leader. I feel very confident we will clear on our side moving to that. I think it would be a waste of the Senate's time to have a vote on a motion to proceed and a waste of time afterward, so I hope we can get on this legislation tomorrow. I doubt there will be problems on my side. If there are, I will work to clear them.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, as I speak here today President Obama and his administration are engaged in negotiations to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon. These negotiations are unprecedented and very critical to our country and the world. The stakes couldn't be higher. We as leaders should do everything we can to help these negotiations succeed. When it comes to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb, we should put partisanship way to one side. Sadly, though, the judgment of my Republican colleagues seems to be clouded by their abhorrence of President Obama. Today Republican Senators actually sent a letter to the Iranian leadership aimed at sabotaging these negotiations. Let's be very clear. Republicans are undermining our Commander in Chief while empowering the Ayatollahs. Just last week Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was here in the Capitol decrying the evil intent of the Iranian leadership. Republicans at that speech, which took place down the hall from where we stand today, in the House Chamber, stood, applauded, stomped their feet, and yelled in support of what the Prime Minister of Israel had to say. Today those same Republicans are trying to negotiate with the very same leaders in Iran with whom Netanyahu said we shouldn't be negotiating. This simply doesn't make sense. The outcome of the negotiations between the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia, and the entire world is so important. The main participants in these negotiations are the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, and Russia. Even though we are one of the negotiators, the negotiations affect the entire world. This letter is a hard slap in the face of not only the United States but our allies. This is not a time to undermine our Commander in Chief purely out of spite. We should always have a robust debate about foreign policy, but it is unprecedented for one political party to directly intervene in an international negotiation with the sole goal of embarrassing the President of the United States. Throughout the 8 years of President Bush's Presidency, Democrats--I disagreed with his foreign policy. I spoke about it on the floor lots of times. We know the disaster of the war in Iraq. But even at the height of our disagreements with President George W. Bush, Senate Democrats never considered sending a letter to Saddam Hussein or other Iraqi leaders at the time--never considered it, nor to be an embarrassment to the Commander in Chief, George W. Bush. So I say to my Republican colleagues: Do you so dislike President Obama that you would take this extraordinary step? Obviously so. Barack Obama is the President. This is an extraordinary step, and why it was taken, I really don't understand, other than a dislike of the President. Barack Obama is President. I have agreed with him on certain things, and I have disagreed with him on certain things, but he is my President, and he is a President to all of us. It is time for Republicans to accept that the citizens of our country twice elected President Obama by large margins as President of the United States. Obviously Republicans don't know how to do anything other than attempt these seemingly juvenile political attacks against the President. Congressional Republicans don't know how to get things done. They don't know how to govern. If you don't believe what I just said, look at the press today; read a newspaper; look at the news. The pundits all agree that the Republicans are in a state of disarray here in the Congress of the United States. They don't know what to do or how to do it. Today's unprecedented letter, originated by a U.S. Senator who took his oath of office 62 days ago, is a kind of pettiness that diminishes us as a country in the eyes of the world. The Republicans need to find a way to get over their animosity toward President Obama. I can only hope they do it sooner rather than later.

Mr. REID. I will be happy to yield to the assistant leader.

Mr. REID. I say to my friend, with whom I have served in this Congress for 33 years, I have never seen anything like it. I have never seen anything like it. I disagreed with President Bush so very much on what he was doing to our country, but I would never ever have considered anything even close to this. The only thing I can figure out is what I said. The dislike of the President is so intense by the Republican leaders that this is what they are doing. They can't accept the fact that this good man, Barack Obama--this man with the unusual name--was elected twice by overwhelming margins by the people of this country, and he is doing his very best to try to alleviate a problem that exists. It would be better for the world--I think everyone should acknowledge that--if we could work something out with Iran so they don't get nuclear weapons, and we have to try to do that. To prejudge what is going to come, if anything--the President of the United States said there is less than a 50-percent chance he can get it done, but shouldn't we let him try?

Mr. REID. I say to my friend, I guess my thoughts have been clouded by the people I have worked with here. It was just a few years ago that two outstanding U.S. Senators who will go down in the history books-- Dan Inouye and Ted Stevens. One was a good Republican, and one was a good Democrat. They worked arm in arm on issues that made our country a better country. They would never ever consider such a thing. If they were here today, they would be on this floor demanding: What is going on here? One of these two men was a ranking member of the defense appropriations committee that funds the military. These two men worked together on that subcommittee for more than a decade, and they worked together. My judgment is clouded by the people I have worked with here who would never consider anything like this.

Mr. REID. And if anyone should have some ill feelings about Vietnam, John McCain, who came to the House of Representatives with the Senator and me, was in a prison camp for 5 years and 4 of those years were in solitary confinement. John Kerry was shot, was wounded--highly decorated, but he had a little beef with the Vietnamese. And they worked together because they thought it would be good for our country to reestablish relations with that country. So my mind is--I repeat--clouded with the experience I have in this body with leaders such as Mark Hatfield, a Republican, who would never ever consider anything like this. I am dumbfounded that 47 of my colleagues would sign a letter. Last week they were over here, as I said, jumping up and down and cheering the Prime Minister of Israel because he was denigrating what was going on in Iran--you can't negotiate with these people--and now they are sending a letter to the same people whom they were cheering against just a week ago? Would the Chair announce the business of the day.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, most of the issues that come before this body are complex and nuanced. Rarely are we faced with simple issues. But today we have a very simple, clear-cut issue before us. It is as straightforward and clear-cut as any one question could be. Do you support American workers or do you not support American workers? Under our law, workers have the right to unionize and have their voices heard in the workplace. Through elections, workers choose for themselves whether to form a union. Last year the National Labor Relations Board took important steps to modernize and streamline union election procedures--commonsense, simple advancements. Rule changes are good for workers and good for businesses. This whole fight isn't about business versus workers. We would have to search long and hard to find a business that opposes what the NLRB did. It is all the anti-union rhetoric of the Republicans here in the Senate. The reform that the NLRB pushed forward allows employers and unions to file forms electronically--kind of the modern world in which we all live. It also allows communications with workers by email and cell phone--pretty reasonable, it sounds like to me. Yet today Senate Republicans are trying to roll back rule changes instituted by the NLRB. Later this afternoon we will vote on a resolution of disapproval to undo these commonsense reforms. Republicans think they are striking a blow against labor unions with votes like today's, but what they are really doing is undermining American families. American workers and their families have come to rely on many of the benefits provided by collective bargaining: higher wages, safe working conditions, decent health care. It is no surprise that some of the most prosperous times in American history--namely, the middle 20th century-- came about in times of record union membership. Even today in my home State of Nevada, unions protect wages for casino employees on the Las Vegas Strip, up at Lake Tahoe, and all over the State. We ensure through the unions safe working conditions--certainly for miners in Elko and around the State--and also, with rare exception, quality health coverage for educators statewide. So I want to be very clear. This is about whom the Republicans really are attacking, and it is the middle class. Each time Republicans throw roadblocks for workers to organize, they are weakening the middle class. I support American families. I support American workers. I support the middle class. Senate Democrats support the middle class. We do not support this Republican attack on unions. We will vigorously fight any attempt to weaken worker protections, including today's resolution vote.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I will briefly comment on my friend the Republican leader further trying to come to the floor once again to try to minimize the disastrous attacks on ObamaCare. The House has voted 57 times to repeal that law. Each time, the result is the same. As Albert Einstein said, the definition of insanity is someone who does something over and over again and gets the same results. So it is insane what they have done in the House, and it is really insane what they are trying to do here in the Senate. There is no question about the case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The language is clear. Almost 10 million people will lose health insurance. And we have seen in the press the last few days that very terrible things would happen to families if they lost their health care. What my friend the Republican leader is talking about doing is turning it back to the insurance industry. If you had a preexisting disability, no insurance. They set arbitrary limits as to how much they would pay. It was a time of dread for families who were trying to insure their boys and girls, mothers and fathers. So I hope the Supreme Court will listen to the will of the American people and the will of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives which passed this law. We all knew the intent of Congress. We still do. The law is very clear, and the Supreme Court should follow the law. Mr. President, will the Chair announce the business of the day.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum, and I ask unanimous consent that the time be equally divided between the minority and the majority.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, today marks the 115th day since President Obama announced he was nominating Loretta Lynch to be Attorney General of the United States. That makes her the longest pending Attorney General nominee in more than four decades. The Senate Judiciary Committee reported her nomination favorably last week. So what is the wait? Why can't we get this woman approved? It appears we are not going to this week. She has a spotless record and credentials that are above reproach. There is absolutely no reason she should have to wait any longer for confirmation. Our Nation needs an Attorney General. Each day that passes without Ms. Lynch's nomination being confirmed is yet another testimony to Republicans' inability to govern.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, last December, rightfully, the National Labor Relations Board voted to make important changes to union election procedures. Their rule changes are good for workers and businesses. They modernize the election process and help prevent delays and frivolous litigation. I am sure there are some businesses that oppose this, but I haven't found them. This is simply a problem that has been engendered by the Republicans in the Senate. They are trying to roll back these reforms instead of supporting the rights of workers. The reforms they made are so basic, such as using email and using other processes such as a fax machine and using the employers' records, not the unions' records. Later this afternoon the Senate will consider a Republican-introduced resolution of disapproval which seeks to undo the NLRB's rules changes. This is yet another sad reminder of how little regard Republicans have for the American worker. Last year we saw Republicans vote against an increase in the minimum wage, as well as legislation that would ensure American women get the same pay for doing the same work as men. Republicans in Congress I don't think get it. We are in this building, in this Chamber, to help the American people and want to work to make sure businesses are prosperous, but we also can't lose sight of the fact that workers are what makes the businesses profitable. So if you are for American workers and the families they support, then prove it with your vote on this resolution.

Mr. REID

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