James Risch

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Madam President, today I wish to highlight the hard work and determination of a small business in my home State of Idaho. The small business that I am honoring today goes above and beyond when it comes to embodying the American entrepreneurial spirit. As a member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, it is my pleasure to recognize Hanson Garage, Inc., as the Idaho Small Business of the Month for October 2019. Hanson Garage in Orofino was founded in 1917 by Hans ``Pete'' Hanson and began selling Dodge vehicles in 1919. Pete's son, Ket Hanson, later took over the garage and passed it on to his sons Keith and Larry when he retired in the early 1980s. Keith and Larry grew up sweeping floors and washing cars at the garage, and upon graduating from the University of Idaho, they became partners in the family business. More than 100 years and three generations later, Hanson Garage remains a smalltown, family-owned business renowned for its passion, friendliness, and dedication to providing exceptional service. The garage sells new and used Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, and Ram vehicles, Suzuki ATVs and motorcycles, and KTM motorcycles. It also offers services such as financial assistance, vehicle repair, and a variety of parts for purchase. Over the years, the business has received several awards from Chrysler and Suzuki for exceptional sales and service, and the Hanson family attributes the business's success to their consistent fair prices and superior customer service. Thirteen families in the Orofino area are employed at Hanson Garage, comprising a significant share of the workforce for a community of about 3,000 people. Keith and Larry Hanson are active members of the Orofino Chamber of Commerce and supporters of local youth sporting events and of the Orofino Lumber Jack Days and the County Fair. I would like to extend a well-deserved congratulations to Keith and Larry Hanson and all of the employees of Hanson Garage for being selected as the October 2019 Idaho Small Business of the Month. You make our great State proud, and I look forward to watching your continued growth and success.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize an Idaho educator who has committed himself with distinction to mentoring some of my State's brightest students. Since 1993, Dr. Jasper LiCalzi has been a member of the College of Idaho faculty, most recently as the chair of the Department of Political Economy. There he offers courses on national government institutions, State and local politics, and public policy issues such as healthcare, the environment, and macroeconomics. Dr. LiCalzi's research at the College of Idaho has concentrated on interest groups in Idaho and the Idaho State Legislature. He recently completed a book, ``Idaho Politics and Government: Culture Clash and Conflicting Values in the Gem State''. The book examines governmental and political institutions in Idaho through the prism of political culture. Dr. LiCalzi is also the political analyst for KIVI Channel Six in Boise, ID, and is frequently featured as an expert on political economy by radio and newspapers both locally and nationally. He is also a member of the advisory board for the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy. As Governor and U.S. Senator, I have had the pleasure of hiring many students of Dr. LiCalzi's as staff members, from interns to the highest leadership positions. His dedication and quality of education was apparent in each and every one of them. After a generation of educating Idaho's brightest, he has announced his much deserved retirement. Beyond the classroom, Dr. LiCalzi has set the bar for what a college mentor should be. It is not unusual to find him outside the classroom most nights advising student groups, cheering for the ``Yotes'' and contributing to the community of Caldwell, ID. Finally, Mr. President, those of us in this business know you cannot do it without support and great advice, and the best advice comes from your wife. I would be remiss not to pay tribute today to Dr. LiCalzi's wife, Deborah. At every turn, she has been standing next to Dr. LiCalzi, many times cheering louder than he. Their decades of marriage and commitment to each other exceed even the high accomplishments Dr. LiCalzi has made at the College of Idaho. The College of Idaho and the State of Idaho have been made a better place due to the career and commitment of Dr. and Mrs. LiCalzi.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, first of all, let me say I concur with the good Senator from New Jersey that we should follow regular order. He, like myself, has spent decades of service in a legislative body, and we both know this system works when the committee system works. Every legislative body is set up with a committee system. Now, why is that? One of the reasons is because people develop an expertise in a certain lane, and they can use that expertise on the committee. Most importantly, the issues regarding a bill--whether it is good or bad or whether it should be amended or whatever should happen to it--is best handled in the committee system, where people have an expertise in the area that the bill goes to. This bill goes to the Foreign Relations Committee, which I chair-- which my good friend from New Jersey previously chaired--and it will be handled in the regular order by that committee, but it is a bad way to do a piece of legislation to draw it, drop it, and then come to the floor and try to pass it unanimously. This piece of legislation was brought to the committee yesterday, and it is a piece of legislation that certainly deserves consideration but not this way. I have not had a chance to even read it, let alone study it, and that is true of virtually every Member of the majority party. I frankly don't know whether the other members of the committee who serve in the minority party have had an opportunity to read it or to study it or, for that matter, to prepare amendments to it to make it better and to move it along. So given that, the committee system is really important here. I don't want to really go into the merits of all this. A lot of it is being debated out in the hallway right now with the national media and that sort of thing. Look, what has happened over the last few days here is really a poster child for what has happened to the entire Trump Presidency. A fair amount--not all but a fair amount--of the national media and a fair amount of the minority party here have done everything they can to delegitimize this President, not the least of which is taking anything that comes along and attaching to it some nefarious idea, some nefarious purpose. Let me give you an example. My good friend said: What happened to standing up to Russia? This administration has imposed more sanctions on Russia than the entire 8 years of the previous administration. So what has happened to standing up to Russia? We continue to stand up to Russia. I think my friend from New Jersey and I would be able to agree on the many sins Russia has committed starting way back, but if you go with fairly recent history, their invasion of Georgia and then their promise to back off and to get out of Georgia--they still occupy two of the regions in Georgia. Of course, the invasion and takeover of the Crimea, their cause of problems on the eastern border of Ukraine, their interference in Ukraine, their interference in our elections, their interference in all kinds of European elections, and it goes on and on, poisoning people in London--I mean, that is about as far out as you can possibly get. So we all need to stand together. We all need to stand up to Russia, and this administration has been doing it. They are going to continue to do it. I think virtually everybody here is urging them to do it, and we are going to continue to do it. Look, the argument that there was some significant delay in moving funds to Ukraine is simply not well-taken, and the reasons for it, with all due respect to my friend, I think, are well known. In fact, if you read the transcript of this telephone conversation, the President himself raises the important issue that he has raised with all of us from time to time, and that is that any time he sees the United States getting on the short end of the stick with whatever you talk to him about, it raises an alarm with him. In this particular case, he has been very distressed by the fact that we have been carrying the bulk of the dollars and cents for helping Ukraine. We want to help Ukraine. Senator Menendez, I think, very clearly laid out many of the problems that have to do with Ukraine. The country has serious problems, not the least of which is corruption, but the first reason he had issues with the spending was the fact that Europe just simply is not doing what they should be doing in helping to fund this, and that is clearly laid out in this transcript. The second thing is the corruption itself. When money goes into Ukraine, it is a well-known fact that there is tremendous corruption and graft within the country and a lot of the money disappears. The most notorious institution within the country is the gas company--interestingly enough, the gas company board on which Vice President Biden's son sat and was appointed to and has received $50,000 a month to sit on after the Vice President was tasked by President Obama to look into the corruption and do something about the corruption in Ukraine. In any event, corruption is a big problem and funds get diverted. I am just going to close by saying, look, every American that is interested in this talking that is going on back and forth about this call that the President had with President Zelensky should look at that transcript and read it. It will take just a few minutes to read it, and it will not take long to figure out that the mischaracterization of this is off the wall. It is absolutely amazing to me that people would take this conversation, which was a standard, ordinary, regular conversation that a head of state has with another head of state, and characterize it the way it is being characterized. It was a congratulatory call. There was a lot of banter in it. My good friend knows--he has met with a lot of heads of state, as I have. Sometimes we even meet together with heads of state. It is common to have bipartisan meetings with heads of state. I don't know whether people think these things are scripted and that they are focused directly on issues, but there is always a lot of banter. The banter can be in the form of having conversations about family. It can be talking about sports. Frequently, if one of the teams has done well or poorly, one party or the other will raise it and talk about it. These things are very informal, as this phone conversation was. In my experience, one of the frequent issues that is discussed in these conversations is local politics--what is happening in your country, what is happening in my country--and then also a discussion of mutual issues with friendly countries or, for that matter, countries that are not friendly. This call that the transcript was released on is very, very rare. If you are looking for a window to see what actually happens in these calls, this transcript is a really good characterization of what happens in these calls. It is not a good thing to be releasing these calls. I think heads of state should be able to have these conversations--all of us should be able to have conversations with our counterparts, with a head of state, with Ministers in the other countries without having to be thinking about every word we say is going to wind up being analyzed and pulled apart and taken by your political enemies and badly misrepresented. Look, don't take my word for it. Don't take Senator Menendez's word for it. The transcript is all over the internet right now. It is going to be published in every newspaper probably in America tomorrow. It takes just a few minutes to read it. Read it and take away for yourself the feelings you have about it. The President of the United States is tasked with being the frontline of foreign policy. Yes, foreign policy is shared by both the first and second branch. It is one of those things the Founding Fathers did not resolve 100 percent for one branch or the other, such as appointments for the second branch or such as appropriating for the first branch. There is sufficient authority given to each branch of government, but the head of state, in this case, the President of the United States, is tasked with carrying on these relationships with other countries. This phone conversation that he had is clearly, clearly, part of that. Don't take my word for it. Everybody make up your own mind on this. It isn't rocket science. As you can see, the English is very straightforward. It can be understood. I think everybody will come away with their own belief. If people hate Trump, they are going to look at that and say that this is terrible, as a lot of people in this town have done. I think most ordinary, good, straight-thinking Americans are going to look at this and say: What is the big deal? It was a conversation between two people talking about various issues they were interested in, and it isn't a problem. In any event, in order to preserve the regular order, in order to preserve the jurisdiction and the hard work of the Foreign Relations Committee, Mr. President, I object.

Mr. RISCH. Reserving the right to object.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, for the Committee on Foreign Relations I report favorably the following nomination list which was printed in the Record on the date indicated, and ask unanimous consent, to save the expense of reprinting on the Executive Calendar that this nomination lie at the Secretary's desk for the information of Senators.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Madam President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receives prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, for the Committee on Foreign Relations I report favorably the following nomination lists which were printed in the Records on the dates indicated, and ask unanimous consent, to save the expense of reprinting on the Executive Calendar that these nominations lie at the Secretary's desk for the information of Senators.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. RISCH

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

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Madam President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Madam President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Madam President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Madam President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Madam President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Madam President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, It is easy for me to brag about Idaho's small businesses because they are consistently making national news for their innovative ideas. Just last month, the Office of Advocacy announced Idaho ranked third in the Nation for the fastest growth of small businesses, creating jobs and economic opportunity across the State in 2018. Globally, Idaho is renowned for our ``Famous Idaho Potatoes,'' and recently, Idahoans have begun using their vast knowledge of the potato to innovate. As a result, new market-altering products are emerging, such as BioLogiQ, Inc.'s sustainable bioplastic resin. As a member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, it is my pleasure to recognize BioLogiQ, Inc., as the Idaho Small Business of the Month for September 2019. BioLogiQ of Idaho Falls was founded in 2011 by an Idaho native, Brad LaPray. Like so many Idahoans, LaPray spent a lot of his youth playing and working outdoors and developed a passion for nature and the agriculture industry. He moved away for a while and developed an interest in bioplastics, but eventually came back home to Idaho where he saw an opportunity to use his interest in bioplastics and his passion for the agriculture industry to create a business. LaPray understood that a percentage of all potatoes is turned into starch and not used for human consumption. His company, BioLogiQ, uses excess potato starch to create a sustainable bioplastic resin. LaPray created BioLogiQ to provide people with environmentally friendly plastic products made from renewable resources and reduce plastic waste globally. As stated on their company's website, ``BioLogiQ, Inc. is a plant-based manufacturer focused on bringing sustainable packaging solutions to brand owners, retailers, and the plastics industry. Using its proprietary process, BioLogiQ's makes a low moisture content plasticized starch resin pellet called NuPlastiQ. We make NuPlastiQ in pellet form so plastic product manufacturers can use them like other traditional plastic resin pellets using their standard production equipment. BioLogiQ's NuPlastiQ pellets are designed to be blended with conventional petroleum-resin pellets to make BioBlends that increase the sustainability of all plastic products.'' NuPlastiQ technology makes it possible to reduce the thickness of plastic bags and is most widely seen in TaterMade Bags at retailers such as Walmart and Sam's Club. Through their hard work, expertise, and desire to make a difference, BioLogiQ is now an industry-leading sustainable bioplastic resin provider. BioLogiQ is reshaping the bioplastic market, and I have full faith they will continue to be successful. I would like to extend my sincerest congratulations to Brad LaPray and all of the employees at BioLogiQ, Inc., for being selected as the Idaho Small Business of the Month for September 2019. You make our great State proud, and I look forward to watching your continued growth and success.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Madam President, Idaho's entrepreneurs are passionate individuals who consistently innovate and provide high- quality products and services. As a member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, it is my distinct privilege to recognize Empire Airlines as the Idaho Small Business of the Month for August 2019. Located in Hayden, Empire Airlines is an international air carrier and heavy maintenance repair station with decades of experience and a history of success. In 1977, Nick Chenoweth and Vic Walters founded Clearwater Flying Service, which later became Empire Airlines. Neither Chenoweth nor Walters were pilots, nor had they any experience running an airline. A third partner, Mel Spelde, joined the company just 2 months later as flight instructor and manager. Early jobs for the business included fire patrol, air ambulance, charters, flight instruction, transporting backcountry hunters and anglers, and cloud seeding in Libya. The business quickly adopted a ``go anywhere, do anything'' attitude, which is reflected in its motto, ``We Can Do That.'' As the business grew, they eventually changed the name to Empire Airlines. Now run by president and CEO, Tim Komberec, Empire Airlines focuses on cargo, maintenance, and airline startups. Over the years, Empire steadily grew but never lost the try-anything, go-anywhere spirit embodied in its motto. Empire now has an aerospace division to provide state-of-the-art maintenance for aircraft, as well as an unmanned division, which provides drone services to help clients solve problems and reach goals. Empire Airlines also provides consulting services to help others jump-start their airline operation. Empire Airlines strives to be a valued member of the community, supporting various charities and causes, including drug-free high school graduation parties in the area and numerous other events. What might be most impressive is the way Empire celebrates the many employees who have reached 25 years with the company by giving them a place in the timeline of the company's history posted publicly on its website. Empire Airlines' success is a prime example of Idaho's entrepreneurial spirit: Dare to dream, look at things differently, never give up, and when opportunity calls, answer with ``We can do that.'' The State of Idaho is proud to be home to innovative, hard- working entrepreneurs like Nick, Vic, Mel, and all of those at Empire Airlines. The entire Empire family shows how one big idea and a dedication to hard work can lead to small business success. I would like to congratulate Tim Komberec and all of the employees at Empire Airlines on being named the ``Idaho Small Business of the Month'' for August 2019. I look forward to watching your continued growth and success.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Madam President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. RISCH

Mr. RISCH. Madam President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.