Harry Reid

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the Record remain open until 5 p.m. today for the purpose of submitting statements and introducing legislation.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 2 p.m. on Monday, September 15, 2014; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and 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 until 5:30 p.m., with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each; that at 5:30 p.m., the Senate proceed to vote on the motion to invoke cloture on S. 2199, as provided under the previous order; finally, that the filing deadlines for first-degree amendments to S. 2199, the Paycheck Fairness Act, be 3 p.m. Monday and second- degree amendments be 4 p.m. Monday.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 542.

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Senators should expect three rollcall votes at 5:30 p.m. on Monday on cloture on the Paycheck Fairness Act and cloture on the Baran and Burns nominations to be members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I appreciate very much the distinguished Senator from Texas for yielding the floor. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all postcloture time on the motion to proceed to S. 2199 be considered expired.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, as I have indicated, 13 years since the evil attacks of September 11, terrorism continues to rear its ugly head throughout the world. As I speak, the terrorist group ISIS, like a scourge, is plaguing the Middle East. These radical Islamic terrorists are wreaking havoc in Iraq and Syria, butchering the innocent and instituting brutal edicts. ISIS is a murderous, fanatical organization. It is evil in nature. They must be stopped, and they will be stopped. We will degrade and destroy them. The Presiding Officer is a general who led hundreds and hundreds of troops to battle in the Middle East. We must honor our troops as indicated in the prayer this morning by our Chaplain because they are going to be called as they are through the air, as President Obama said last night, to do something to degrade and, working with others, to get rid of this scourge. Last night President Obama delivered a stirring speech to the Nation outlining his blueprint for eradicating this threat without repeating mistakes of the past. We all know the mistakes about which I speak. The President made it clear: We will not rush into another ground war in the Middle East and we will not go it alone to destroy this evil. Instead, America will lead a coalition that includes European and Arab nations in a targeted, strategic mission to destroy ISIS. American air strikes will be supported by local forces that are trained by the U.S. military advisers and others who will assume the duties of defending and protecting their communities and homes. It falls upon us, Congress and the American people, to rally behind the President on his decisive strategy. There are no ground troops--I repeat--and that is the way it should be. I am confident we will put our political differences aside and work together to give this administration the tools it needs to meet ISIS head-on--not the least of which is the authority to equip and train Syrian troops to fight these very bad--I repeat--evil terrorists. However, it is disturbing that at a time such as this there are some in Congress taking cheap political shots at the President. Now is the time for us to come together. When tested, Americans have always closed ranks and engaged our adversaries as one united Nation. A matter such as this is no place for political posturing--political positioning. This is time for the rhetoric of campaign commercials to go away. We must draw together as a nation. When President Bush called upon Congress to do something about the terrible economic crisis that hit this country, we joined together, we joined together as Democrats, Republicans, and Independents and took this head-on. This is the situation now. We must draw together and support the President in eradicating the evil of ISIS, not only for our Nation but the world.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. In regard to this, Mr. President, I have an amendment that is at the desk that I ask the clerk to report.

Mr. REID. I ask for the yeas and nays on that amendment.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have a motion to commit S. 2199 with instructions, which is at the desk.

Mr. REID. I ask for the yeas and nays on that motion.

Mr. REID. I have an amendment to the instructions at the desk.

Mr. REID. I ask for the yeas and nays on that amendment.

Mr. REID. I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have a cloture motion at the desk that I ask the Presiding Officer to order reported.

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I now move to proceed to Calendar No. 409, S. 2432.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, the cloture vote with respect to S.J. Res. 19 occur at 1:45 p.m. today.

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID. Madam President, much has been said about the terrorist group ISIS in the past few days--and rightfully so. ISIS is a vile mob of fanatics whose butchery knows no bounds. I am confident President Obama's targeted action will degrade and destroy this menace. But there is another evil organization in the world today that, like ISIS, has zero regard for humanity. They are kidnappers and executioners. They are violent extremists who murder innocent civilians. They are terrorists who cower behind women and children, even using them as human shields. They are saboteurs of peace and provocateurs of bloody conflict who will not stop their butchery. Once again, I am not talking about the Islamic State of Iraq; I am talking about Hamas. Hamas and ISIS are both vicious, corrupt, hateful, evil groups. Both are extreme, outrageous, irrational, excessive, harsh, and radical. Yet for some reason Hamas's brutality doesn't elicit the same horror in the international community as ISIS. How can that be? One of the few differences between these two terrorist organizations is that Hamas has a narrow, ghastly focus: the destruction of the State of Israel. Consider its actions over the past few months. Hamas raided its own limited supplies for housing and general infrastructure, intended to repair the destruction that occurred during the last conflict they initiated. Hamas instead used the stolen materials to build tunnels to hide and infiltrate Israel--infiltrating to kill, maim, kidnap, and murder the innocent. These depraved agitators launched thousands of rockets into Israel, hoping to inflict death and destruction. Their rockets had no aiming devices, no aiming capabilities. They fired indiscriminately, not caring whether they hit a child, a family, a school, or a place of worship. It begs the question: Without specific targets, why fire the rockets into Israel? We know why--provocation. Hamas knew Israel would be forced to defend itself, and, of course, that is what the Israelis did. Israel responded as any nation would to such attacks against its nation--by trying to protect its people. And what did Hamas do? They had such little regard for the people of Gaza that they used their own as human shields. Hamas used Palestinians as shields to carry out a sinister ploy, hoping they and their apologists could dupe the world into blaming Israel. David Brooks, a distinguished columnist, said 2 months ago on PBS's ``NewsHour,'' referring to Hamas: It's a rare moment in military history where a party rejects a cease- fire in order to get more of their own people killed. But that's part of the strategy. When Hamas wasn't scheming for more Palestinian fatalities to blame on Israel, it was carrying out more public executions of Gaza residents. For example, this is an article from the Wall Street Journal: ``Alleged Collaborators With Israel Killed in Gaza. Deaths Follow Israel's Targeted Killing of Three Top Hamas Military Commanders.'' Hamas executed 18 people on Friday, some of them in the streets of Gaza City in the middle of the day, after accusing them of collaborating with Israel, according to media linked to the Islamic group, which rules the Gaza Strip. In one instance, about 20 militants dressed in black and with their faces covered brought six of the condemned men, their heads covered with cloth bags, to an alley near the Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City after midday prayers, witnesses said. A militant shot the men in the head one at a time with a pistol, after which he sprayed them with automatic rifle fire, the witnesses said. The bodies were loaded into government ambulances and taken away. These are the fanatics Israel faces every day, terrorist organizations as violent and extreme as any other on the face of the planet, as indicated by this Wall Street Journal article I just read. There are those who refuse to condemn Hamas as they would ISIS. The hypocrisy is stunning. Those who reject tyranny, corruption, and terrorism should denounce Hamas. All those who honor peace and sovereignty should stand for Israel. I stand with Israel. The United States of America stands with Israel. President Barack Obama and Congress continue to affirm America's unshakeable bond with Israel and our strong support for the security and safety of its people. For my part, I will continue to do all I can to support Israel's right to self-defense. I know my colleagues join me in supporting the State of Israel and condemning Hamas for the depraved, horrid, repugnant terrorist organization that it is. I yield the floor.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. There is a cloture motion at the desk I ask to be reported.

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session.