John Thune

Mr. THUNE

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 Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, today is our first full week back in session since the election 2 weeks ago. While we haven't had the change of control yet in the Chamber--it doesn't happen until next year-- Republicans are setting out our priorities for the new Congress and looking forward to getting to work. Two weeks ago the American people spoke. They sent a clear message to Washington that they are tired of the status quo, tired of gridlock, tired of obstruction. They are tired of Washington wasting their money. They want change, and on election day, they asked Republicans to make that happen. Republicans are humbled by the trust the American people have placed in us, and we are not going to let them down. We look forward to setting a positive and a constructive agenda and getting the Senate working again for the American people. Over the past several years, the Senate Democratic leadership has stifled debate, ignored the regular order of business, and wasted the Senate's time on partisan pieces of business that Democratic leaders knew would not pass. That means that very little time has been spent on American families' priorities. Even many Democrats have grown frustrated with the highly partisan direction the Senate has taken under Democratic leadership. Republicans intend to chart a different course. Starting in January, we will ensure that the Senate returns to the committee process and that the Senate floor once again becomes a forum for debate and amendments and votes. I am encouraged that this week a number of rank-and-file Democrats abandoned their leadership and joined Republicans to support legislation to approve the Keystone Pipeline and the more than 42,000 jobs it will create. Republicans hope we can continue to have that kind of collaboration in the new Congress. Americans have had a rough time over the past several years, including a weak economy, few jobs, high prices on everything from health care to electricity, and the list goes on and on. Our first priority in the 114th Congress will be enacting policies that will help create jobs and increase economic opportunity for American families. A good place to start is the dozens of House-passed jobs bills that have been gathering dust on the Senate Democratic leader's desk. Many of these bills passed the House with bipartisan support, and it is high time they get a vote in the Senate so they can get on the President's desk. We hope the President will work with us on priorities such as expanding trade to open new markets for American agriculture and manufacturing overseas. I have to say I am a little concerned that the President has indicated his intention of continuing to operate on his own. The American people made it clear on election day that they have rejected his policies, and I hope the President will take that message to heart and rethink his plans to go it alone on important issues such as immigration. Finally, Republicans will get to work on some of the big-ticket items that need to get done in Washington, including issues such as reforming our Tax Code to make it simpler and fairer and to make us more competitive in the global marketplace, eliminating the hundreds of inefficient regulations that are driving up prices for American families and killing jobs, and issues such as conducting oversight of the executive branch to ensure that the cycle of abuses such as the IRS scandal and the Veterans Affairs scandal stops now. Republicans understand the opportunity we have been given and we don't intend to waste it. We are going to make Washington work again, we are going to make government more efficient and effective and stop the waste of taxpayer dollars, and we are going to get our economy going again to put our Nation on a path to growth and shared prosperity. Divided government has been historically a time when great things have been accomplished. We can go back to Social Security reform in 1983 when we had a Republican President working with a Democratic House or tax reform in 1986 when we had a Republican President working with a Democratic House or 1996 when we had a Democratic President working with a Republican Congress on welfare reform. There are lots of examples throughout our history where divided government has led to big accomplishments and big results for the American people. I submit that we can do that again. The American people are counting on us. Republicans are ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work, and we invite Democrats and the President to join us. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, let me just say that at long last this week we are going to be voting on the Keystone XL Pipeline. The vote has been a long time coming--years, in fact. Republicans have been trying to get this pipeline and the many jobs it will support approved. It would have been at the top of our agenda in January when we take control of the Senate, but we are happy to get a head start on that work a little early. It is just too bad that it took an election defeat and a runoff election to finally motivate the Democratic leadership to allow a vote on the measure. It should have received a vote years ago. In fact, the Keystone Pipeline, if there is such a thing, is a win- win. It will create jobs. One can argue about how many jobs. The President's own State Department said it would support over 42,000 jobs. It will decrease our reliance on oil from dangerous countries. It will increase revenues to State and local governments. It will free space on overcrowded rail lines so the farmers can get their goods to the marketplace, and it will do all of that without spending a dime of taxpayer money. Our economy has been limping along for years. The unemployment rate is still hovering at near recession levels and 9 million Americans are unemployed. More Americans are working part-time jobs because they cannot find full-time employment. Household income has fallen nearly $3,000 since President Obama took office while the price of everything else, from food to health care, has risen. Americans need jobs and economic opportunities, and the Keystone Pipeline will help supply them. As I said, the State Department estimates that in my home State of South Dakota alone, construction of the pipeline would bring 3,000 to 4,000 jobs and generate well over $100 million in earnings. It will also bring over $20 million in annual property taxes to South Dakota counties. I know some of the counties in the middle of my State are counties that are struggling to keep up with the cost of keeping the local governments going. School districts are struggling to survive and property tax revenue that will come in as a result of building a pipeline will help sustain many of those local governments and many of those school districts during some pretty difficult times. My State is just one of the States that benefits. Nationwide, the pipeline will support more than 42,000 jobs--construction jobs from welders to pipefitters, to those who work at local hotels and gas stations. It will invest $5.3 billion in the U.S. economy and bring States a total of $5 billion in property taxes over the life of the project. That is a lot of funding for local priorities such as schools, law enforcement personnel and roads and bridges. Opponents of the pipeline like to cite environmental concerns as a reason for opposing the pipeline and its jobs. Five separate environmental reviews from the President's own State Department have found that the pipeline possesses no meaningful risk to the environment. In fact, even the State Department admits the Keystone Pipeline is the safest way of transporting the oil. It is safer than rail or truck. It is important to remember Canada will be extracting and transporting its oil regardless. The only question is whether we want it to come to the United States along with the thousands of jobs it will create or whether we want to let Canada ship that oil overseas. The American people have been very clear about their feelings about this project. Poll after poll has shown strong support. Republicans support the pipeline. Democrats in both Houses of Congress support the pipeline. Unions support the pipeline. The only people who seem to oppose it are Members of the far leftwing of the Democratic Party. The reason we haven't had a vote in the Senate is not because a majority of Senators don't support the project, it is because Senate Democratic leadership refused to hold a vote despite having support from their side of the aisle. While it is unfortunate it took the Democratic leadership this long to come around, I am glad we are finally here. I hope the Senate will finally approve the pipeline. If this bill passes today it will have one final hurdle to clear and that is the President of the United States. I very much hope he will listen to the voices of American workers and the bipartisan majorities in the Congress. Given his recent comments, I am skeptical. The President has demonstrated a disturbing commitment to holding the American economy hostage to priorities of the far leftwing of his party. Take his recent energy agreement with China which would force American companies to implement costly new measures while China gets to do nothing. The national energy tax that the President unveiled back in June will put tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of American workers out of jobs and devastate entire communities. The pipeline's economic benefits to support the American people and five-- five--successful environmental reviews have yet to convince the President to approve this project. I am concerned this vote probably isn't going to help, but I hope I am wrong. By signing this bill, the President could send a powerful message about his willingness to work with Congress, and he can show the American people he heard their demands for change in Washington and that their economic priorities can be addressed. I am sorry American workers have had to wait years for this project because, let's not forget, they are the ones who have been hurt the most by the administration's refusal to approve the pipeline. I hope today marks the end of their waiting and I hope it marks the beginning of a new era in the Senate. When Republicans take over in January, bills such as Keystone will be the order of the day. We will take up jobs bills that passed the House with bipartisan support but have been waiting for a vote in the Democratic leader's Senate. We will take up legislation to create economic growth here at home by opening new markets for American agriculture and manufacturing overseas. We will repeal the medical device tax which is opposed by Members of both parties thanks to the fact that it is eliminating thousands of jobs in the medical device industry, and that will be just the start. I hope that just as they did today, Democrats will work with us even more on bills to create jobs and economic opportunities for the American people because it is the people of this country for whom we ought to be doing everything we can to help and to support. I can state that the people in the Midwest, in the heartland whom I represent, already spend--if they make $50,000 a year--20 percent of their income on energy, either fuel or electricity. All these proposals, the national energy tax, the deal with China, continue to drive up the cost of energy and make it more difficult and more expensive for middle- income families who are increasingly squeezed by these policies. I wish to close by quoting from a letter the leaders received from the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives in which they urge Congress to support legislation to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline, and this is what they say: The Keystone XL Pipeline also is part of a long-term solution to alleviating the transportation pressures many in agriculture have faced. This year, farmers around the country experienced some of the largest harvests they have seen in generations. For some, their successful year has come to an alarming halt when trying to sell and transport their crop. Farmer cooperatives in the upper Midwest are facing major delays in getting their farmers' grain to market due to the sustained shortage of rail equipment resulting from the increased use of rail to transport crude oil. The Keystone XL Pipeline will ultimately free up locomotives and track to move more grain to market and improve our ability to handle year after year record harvests. Yet another reason to support this project and the jobs that come with it, the energy independence that comes with it, the lessening-- relieving, if you will--of rail capacity issues that are plagued in many areas of the Midwest and making it harder for farmers to come to the marketplace. This is a project that is a win-win, and I hope when the vote comes later today, we will have not just the majority of the Senators but the 60 votes that are necessary to move this to the President's desk. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, on Monday, November 17, 2014, I was unable to be present for rollcall vote No. 276, on the motion to concur to the House amendment to S. 1086, the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014, due to inclement weather and travel disruptions from Sioux Falls, SD. Had I been present, I would have voted in support of this measure.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Yes. I would say to my colleague from Kentucky--and I appreciate the leadership of our colleague from North Dakota in constantly, persistently trying to get this in the Senate for a vote. My State of South Dakota, similar to so many others, stands to benefit enormously from this. We wish we had the direct energy production that the Senator of North Dakota has. We have a lot of indirect benefit from that. In fact, the State Department, the President's own State Department--not the oil companies--the State Department has said that in my State of South Dakota it would create 3,000 to 4,000 jobs, add $100 million to the economy, and generate $20 million in property tax revenue. I happen to come from a county through which the pipeline would pass, a small rural county in South Dakota. My father still lives there. He is 94 years old. The school district there is very concerned about staying open. They know that when this pipeline is built, the easement they will have to get will generate property tax revenue that very well could keep the school district going. So many of the local governments out in my area in the State are very supportive of this important project. I guess as I have looked at this--we have now had plenty of time to look at it since it has been kicking around here for about 6 years and five now environmental impact statements, all of which came back and said they have minimal impact on the environment. If we are serious about job creation, and we have all talked on our side about the jobs this would create, the economic activities it would create, and the lessening of the dependence we have on foreign sources of energy--I have to say one other thing about my State; that is, we have a rail crisis. We have been battling now for a long time with the limited capacity in rail and much of the oil moving out is going on rail. That makes it harder for us to get our agricultural commodities to the marketplace, and so what is happening is that we are consistently stressed. The one thing the pipeline would do in addition to moving Canadian oil down is it would allow for about 100,000 barrels a day of that--what do you call it--sweet light crude--to be put on the pipeline and therefore not on the rail car. That saves about a unit train a day, which is significant. I guess I would say to my colleague from Kentucky--and I appreciate the arguments he has made not just with respect to this specific issue but also with what the administration's policies are doing to energy production in this country and the cost of energy and what that means for middle-income families, what that means for businesses, and what that means for jobs. It is like an all-out assault. The Keystone Pipeline is one example of many of policies where this administration is in a position to do something good for the economy, something good for jobs, and something good for energy development in this country, lessening the dangerous dependence we have on foreign oil sources of energy. I would say to my friend from Kentucky and I would ask him in terms of--the Senator doesn't have the direct and indirect benefit we have in North and South Dakota, but I know he has an awful lot of energy development in his State--what these policies are doing to jobs in a State such as Kentucky. I know the Senator hears every day from his constituents about this administration's assault on the industries that are so basic and so important to our economy, so important to jobs, and providing a better, stronger, if you will, future for middle-income families in this country. I would be curious to know if the Senator from Kentucky shares the same concern about the jobs and economy and cost of energy and everything else that I do and that we do in the northern part of the country.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 566, which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I rise today along with my colleague from South Dakota, Senator Johnson, to commemorate South Dakota's 125th anniversary of Statehood. One hundred twenty-five years ago, on November 2, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison shuffled the Act of Admission Papers for North and South Dakota to ensure that no one knew which State entered the Union first. To this day, we still don't know which act President Harrison signed first. South Dakota is perhaps best known as the home of the Shrine of Democracy at Mount Rushmore, which opened to the public just 50 years after South Dakota attained statehood. This monument captures the way of life and governance structure that we have in South Dakota. Our elected officials take the concerns of their constituents to Pierre and ensure that our State is bettering the lives of its citizens in a fiscally responsible manner. We believe in limited government which provides room for individuals and businesses to grow and thrive. Our model of free enterprise has allowed businesses to flourish in South Dakota, and as a result, is one of the best States in the country to start a business. We consistently have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, which is currently at 3.7 percent. Our labor force and our economy are driven by our State's top industries of tourism and agriculture. The 28,000 South Dakotans who work in our tourism industry ensure that people from all over the world enjoy our great places. Tourists enjoy visiting Mount Rushmore, of course, but also seeing the sights throughout the Black Hills and the Badlands, the Corn Palace in Mitchell, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and the falls in Sioux Falls. In addition to welcoming Americans from coast to coast, South Dakota is feeding our Nation and our world. Each year, one South Dakota farmer produces enough food to feed 155 people. South Dakota ranks in the top 10 States for wheat, corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and sunflowers. We are also in the top 10 States of bison, honey, sheep, and beef. In all, South Dakota's agriculture industry contributes $26 billion annually to our economy. While the productivity of our farmers and ranchers is unmatched, all hard-working South Dakota families contribute to our State's success. Whether they are educating our children, serving in our growing health care and financial services sectors, conducting research in our college laboratories, hard work is what binds South Dakotans together and has made our State's experiment in democracy one of the most successful in our Nation's history. I am proud to call the great State of South Dakota home, and I am honored to have the privilege of serving all South Dakotans here in the Senate. Today I wish to honor the spirit that has endured in our State for the last 125 years by celebrating this special anniversary.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I also wish to speak in support of S. 1507, the Tribal General Welfare Exclusion Act of 2013. I am a cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation which passed the House of Representatives earlier this week. This bill would codify that general welfare benefits provided to tribal members by Indian tribes--often in areas with high levels of poverty and unemployment where these benefits are much needed--are exempt from Federal taxation. The bill would ensure parity between the tax treatment of benefits provided by Indian tribes and those provided by State and local governments. While the Internal Revenue Service has issued guidance on this issue, further action is needed to ensure that our tribal citizens are treated fairly with regard to taxation of certain tribal welfare benefits. This bill establishes a tribal advisory committee to advise the Secretary of the Treasury on the taxation of tribal members. This is a bipartisan amendment with support from the National Congress of American Indians and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Tribes and tribal organizations across the country, including the Great Plains Tribal Chairman Association and the Coalition of Large Tribes representing the nine tribes in my home State of South Dakota, are urging us to move forward with this legislation. The Joint Committee on Taxation has estimated that this legislation would have a negligible impact on Federal revenue. I hope before we adjourn that the Senate can pass by unanimous consent this legislation that was passed by the House of Representatives earlier this week under suspension and that we will reaffirm our commitment to Indian Country. I hope we move this legislation and move it quickly and clarify once and for all this important issue. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize LT Wendy Lewis of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps on her upcoming promotion to lieutenant commander. Lieutenant Lewis is currently serving as a Congressional Fellow on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. A ship driver by training, Lieutenant Lewis, has ably lent herself to the committee's work. I would like to thank her for the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and other members of the committee. This well-deserved promotion recognizes her leadership and dedicaton to serving others.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the Canyon Lake Little League all-star team for qualifying for the 68th Little League World Series in South Williamsport, PA. The Canyon Lake Little League all-star team's journey to the World Series was drama filled. After a rough first two innings in the qualifying game, Canyon Lake scored six runs in the bottom of the third, capturing the lead and continued their rally into the fourth inning, where they scored another eight runs, defeating the Nebraska Little League team, 15 to 4. This final win in Indianapolis captured for the team the Midwest Regional title with an impressive 6-to-0 record. Previously, the Canyon Lake team gave equally impressive performances at the South Dakota/North Dakota district games, including a sixth inning comeback against Fargo to win 10 to 9 in the final. Once in Pennsylvania, the team rounded out their performance at the Little League World Series on a high note, as they captured South Dakota's first win at the world level. Canyon Lake defeated the Czech Republic 5 to 3 in the consolation round, ending their run on a high note. Canyon Lake was led by manager Rich Hegre and assistant coaches Scott Spencer and Steve Richey. The athletes of the 2014 Canyon Lake all-star little league team, in alphabetical order, are as follows: Colton Hartford, Matthew Hegre, Jake Kostenbauer, Mason Litz, Logan Miller, Bridger Nesbit, Dylan Richey, Adam Salter, True Synhorst, Daniel Vigoren, Cooper Voorhees, and Blake Weaver. I commend the players and coaches of the Canyon Lake all-star team for their efforts. These athletes should be incredibly proud of all their remarkable achievements. On behalf of the state of South Dakota, I am pleased to congratulate the Canyon Lake All-Stars on this impressive accomplishment.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, as we continue with what will likely be the final legislative week before the elections, it is a good time to take a look back at the year and take stock of where we are and what Congress has accomplished. The House of Representatives, of course, has spent the past year legislating. Members of the House have sent literally hundreds of bills over to the Senate for consideration, including 40 jobs bills, many of which passed with bipartisan support in the House of Representatives. Even now, in the final week before recessing for election season, the House is taking up two legislative packages, one focused on creating jobs and another focused on lowering the price of gas and groceries. Unfortunately, like so many other House bills, neither of these bills is likely to go anywhere in the Democratic leader's Senate because unlike the House, the Senate has not spent the past year taking up legislation to solve the many challenges facing American families. Instead, Senate Democrats have spent the past year taking up political gimmicks and designed-to-fail messaging bills they hope will win a few votes for them in November. Back in March--earlier this year--the New York Times reported that Democrats planned to spend the spring and summer on messaging votes ``timed to coincide with campaign-style trips by President Obama.'' The Times went on to say: ``Democrats concede that making new laws is not really the point. Rather, they are trying to force Republicans to vote against them.'' That is from the New York Times earlier this year, which was laying out and predicting what the Democrats' strategy was going to be for the balance of this year. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats have followed that playbook pretty exactly. Again and again, Senate Democrats have bypassed serious legislation and chosen to bring up bills designed to win them votes with their far-left base or to smear Republicans in the November elections. Take last week was an example. After an August recess beset by economic stagnation at home and crises abroad, including, I might add, the murder of two American journalists at the hands of ruthless terrorist group ISIS, you might think Senate Democrats would want to spend our first week back focused on the challenges our Nation is facing. Well, Mr. President, you would be wrong. Instead of legislation to address some of these challenges, Democrats chose to kick off this brief 2-week session with a bill to erase many of the speech protections of the First Amendment. That is right. Faced with crises abroad and a sluggish economy here at home, Democrats thought the most appropriate use of our time last week was legislation to erase parts of the First Amendment. As with so many of the other bills they have brought up this year, Democrats knew this legislation did not have a chance of passing in the Senate. But they chose to bring it up anyway because they thought it might help get portions of their base out in November. And they swiftly followed it up with another designed-to-fail piece of legislation they hoped to use to criticize Republicans. In fact, the newspaper Roll Call reported earlier this week--this is from a story written about the Democrats' strategy: ``Republicans should prepare to be criticized regardless of how they vote'' on this particular bill. The article went on to quote an email that was sent to Democratic communicators which outlined plans, and again I quote, ``to slam Republicans for either blocking the bill once again or for letting us on the bill only to slow down the rest of the Senate.'' So basically the message to Democratic communicators around here on Capitol Hill was to slam Republicans no matter how they voted. If they voted to get on the bill, slam them for slowing down the Senate so we cannot do other things. If they voted against getting on the bill, obviously, attack them for blocking the bill. So here is the strategy, at this late hour of the game when we have so many big issues and challenges facing the country: It is simply to put bills on the floor that are designed to help Democrats in the fall elections and essentially to make Republicans look bad. That is a quote. That is a direct quote from an email that was sent out to Democratic communicators: ``slam Republicans'' no matter how they vote. Either way, take advantage of the situation. Try and play politics with it. There is certainly a place for campaigning. There is certainly a place for politics. But the place for campaigning is not in the halls of Congress. Our job here in Washington is to pass legislation to address the challenges facing our country. And that job does not change if one party controls the House and the other party controls the Senate. The Senate and the House still have a responsibility to work together to get serious legislation to the President, and that is certainly what the House has tried to do. The House has sent bill after bill to the Senate, many of them, as I mentioned earlier, bipartisan bills. They got strong bipartisan votes coming out of the House of Representatives. But again and again, Senate Democrat leaders have said no--no to working together, no to bipartisan House legislation, no to developing bipartisan solutions. Senate Republicans' efforts have met a similar response. Again and again Republicans here in the Senate have put forward legislation to help create jobs, grow the economy, and to provide help to working families struggling with the high price of everything--from groceries to health care. Several of our bills have even received support from rank-and-file Democrats--bills such as Senator Collins' Forty Hours Is Full Time Act, which would fix an ObamaCare provision that is reducing workers' hours and wages, or Senator Blunt's Hire More Heroes Act, which would give employers an incentive to hire our Nation's veterans. But the Senate Democratic leadership has refused to consider our proposals. Senate Republicans have even been prevented from offering amendments to bills that come before the Senate. Since July of 2013, Senate Republicans have been allowed just 14 amendment votes--less than one a month in the world's greatest deliberative body known for unlimited debate and unlimited amendment. Less than one amendment per month, that is what Senate Republicans have been allowed in the last year. Compare that to the House of Representatives where the Democrat minority has been allowed 194 amendment votes over the same period. When the minority party is denied a voice in the Senate, it is the American people--the people whom we represent--who are really being denied a voice. Democrats may not control the House, but through the amendment process, they have been able to make their constituents' voices heard. Republicans in the Senate, on the other hand, have been prevented from bringing their constituents' voices to the legislative process. American families are struggling. The economy continues to stagnate. Unemployment is still above 6 percent--way higher than that if you figure in the labor participation rate the number of people who have actually given up even looking for work. Last month's job creation was the worst this year, and opportunities for advancement in this economy are few and far between. Health care costs, which were already high when the President took office, have continued to increase. Average health care deductibles have increased 50 percent, and health care premiums have risen by an average of $3,459 since the President took office, despite--despite--the President's promise that his health care law would drive down premiums by $2,500. Gas prices have increased by 87 percent over the course of the Obama administration. A Politico poll released this week found that ``strong majorities now say that they lack the savings to grapple with an unforeseen job loss''--61 percent of the people in the poll said that--``and that the cost of basic household items like gas and groceries has strained their finances. . . .''--62 percent of the people polled had that response. It is not surprising that a recent George Washington University/ Battleground poll found that 70 percent of Americans think the country is ``on the wrong track.'' With these challenges facing the American people, our focus in the Senate this year should have been legislation to address our struggling economy and to repair the damage ObamaCare is doing to families and businesses. Instead, Senate Democrats have chosen to focus the Senate's efforts on politics. The Democrat-led Senate has failed in its most basic responsibility this year; and that is to pass solutions for the American people. With just a few days left in the session, it is a little late for Democrats to do anything about that now. I hope that when we return in November things will be different. I hope Democrats will spend less time trying to save their jobs and more time trying to create jobs for the American people. I hope they will spend less time campaigning and more time legislating. I hope they will be ready to work with Republicans to deliver solutions for the American people. That is what we are here to do. That is what we ought to be focused on. All this using the floor of the Senate to conduct campaigns doesn't serve any constructive purpose when it comes to solving problems and meeting the challenges being faced by the American people every single day--chronic high employment, a sluggish economy, reduced take-home pay, higher costs for health care, groceries, fuel, college education, we go right down the list. These are the real and present impacts of this economy on the American people and middle-class families. Congress can do better. The American people deserve better. I hope when the dust settles and the smoke clears from the November elections, we will come back with a renewed sense of purpose and focus on what is truly important to the people we represent. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, during the past month, two American journalists were murdered by a fanatical Islamic terrorist group, the Islamic State, known as ISIL. The murder of these two journalists is part of a campaign of horrific brutality that has included crucifixions, rape, the slaughter of civilians, and prosecution of religious minorities, including Christians and Yazidis. Currently ISIL holds large sections of land in both Iraq and Syria, and the group has made clear that its ambitions extend even further. Meanwhile, Iran continues its efforts to enrich uranium, Ukraine is struggling to prevent further Russian incursions, and the Islamic militants in Libya recently seized the U.S. Embassy compound after Americans were forced to evacuate the war-torn country. Here at home we are facing a crisis on our southern border thanks to the President's policies which have encouraged thousands of unaccompanied children to undertake the dangerous journey to the United States. On the economic front, millions of middle-class families are being squeezed by the Obama economy and Obamacare. Job growth last month was a disappointing 142,000 jobs, the worst report this year, and far from the numbers we need to get the economy going again. Unemployment remains high, and the unemployment rate would be even higher if millions of Americans hadn't gotten so discouraged by the lack of job prospects that they gave up looking for work altogether. Meanwhile, ObamaCare has not only failed to fix the problems in our health care system, it has made them worse. American families are facing higher health care premiums and fewer health care choices. In short, our country is facing serious challenges both at home and abroad. What are Democrats doing about all these challenges? Well, this week they are taking up legislation that limits Americans' First Amendment rights. That is right; instead of taking up any of the 40 House-passed jobs bills, addressing our border crisis, or focusing on the international challenges we are facing, Democrats have decided to spend the first part of a brief 2-week session rewriting the First Amendment. It is no wonder a George Washington University Battleground poll found that 70 percent of Americans think the country is on the wrong track. Our First Amendment right to freedom of speech is one of our most fundamental rights. It is the right that helps protect all of our other rights by keeping government accountable and ensuring that all Americans, not just those whose party is in power, get to make their voices heard. The Democrats' proposed constitutional amendment would severely curtail this freedom by giving Congress and State governments the authority to regulate political speech. That means Congress will get to decide how much of a voice Americans are allowed in the political process. And that is bad news for Americans of every political affiliation. Under the Democrats' legislation, the party in power could effectively silence the voices of those who disagree with them. Democrats are unhappy about recent decisions by the Supreme Court that rolled back some of the restrictions on free speech and increased individuals' voices in the political process. So their solution is a constitutional amendment to shut down the voices of those who disagree with them. Apparently they don't realize that is not the way the American system works. In America, if you don't like what your opponents are saying, you have the freedom to persuade your opponents to adopt your position or you persuade the American people to vote against them. You don't try to revoke their right to speak. That is what they do in totalitarian societies. It is not what we do here in America. In the United States your political power is supposed to exist in proportion to the strength of your ideas, not in proportion to your ability to silence your critics. Fortunately for Americans of every political persuasion, the Democrats' amendment is unlikely to go anywhere in Congress--as Democrats well know. So why are they taking up this legislation this week when there are so many problems, foreign and domestic, that need to be addressed? The answer is simple. Democrats are worried about reelection, and they think this legislation somehow will help them get reelected. They have passed this amendment to appeal to members in the far-left base who want restrictions on political speech or at least on political speech with which they disagree. Democrats are betting that seeing this amendment defeated in Congress will encourage members of their political base to come to the polls in November. That, of course, has been Democrats' legislative strategy all year. The New York Times reported back in March that Democrats plan to spend the spring and summer on messaging votes, ``timed''--and I quote, ``to coincide with campaign-style trips by President Obama.'' ``Democrats concede,'' the Times reported, ``that making new laws is not really the point. Rather, they are trying to force Republicans to vote against them.'' Let me repeat that. Despite the economic challenges facing American families and steadily growing international unrest, the Democrats have spent the past several months pursuing a legislative strategy in which ``making new laws is really not the point.'' We have seen that time and time again here over the past several months on the floor of the Senate where we come here on a daily basis casting political show votes, knowing they are not going anywhere, designed to appeal to a political constituency that they hope will come out and support them during the November elections. Instead of pursuing political consensus--the only way to actually accomplish anything in a divided Congress--Senate Democrats have brought up bill after bill to pander to their political base. It is disappointing that the Democrats have put their electoral prospects over Americans' freedom of speech this week. And it is disappointing that Democrats have spent this entire year on political show votes instead of substantial legislation to address the many challenges that are facing American families. The President has been no help. Instead of urging Democrats in Congress to work with Republicans on Senate legislation to deal with our country's most serious problems, he has been focused on campaigning. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that campaigning has been the President's main concern for the majority of his Presidency, whether it is involved in delaying Obama regulations to protect Democrats in the 2012 elections or his decision last week to defer his executive action on immigration until after the election in what White House officials essentially admitted was an attempt to protect Democrats in November. There is a place for campaigning--we all know that. We all do it--but it is not in the halls of Congress or in the Oval Office. We were elected to govern, and that means we should be spending our time on legislation to meet our Nation's challenges. We should be taking up legislation to support job creation. We should be fighting to give middle-class families a break from ObamaCare's high premiums and reduced choices. We should be taking up measures to advance energy independence in this country and make energy more affordable for working families. We should be focused on what we need to do to address the crises abroad and America's security here at home. Republicans are working to create jobs; Democrats are trying to save their own. It is not too late for Democrats to join Republicans to come up with bipartisan solutions to the challenges facing our country. The House of Representatives passed somewhere on the order of 350 bills, all of which are collecting dust here in the Senate, 40 of which specifically deal with the issues of the economy and job creation which every poll says is the American people's No. 1 priority. Yet here we are again in a shortened work period where we have a couple of weeks to actually do some things that would bend the curve in the direction of lowering the unemployment rate, growing the economy, creating more jobs. We have a whole series of bills that have been passed by the other Chamber, the House of Representatives, that have been sent here which specifically deal with the issue of jobs and the economy that are sitting at the desk collecting dust because the majority leader has chosen instead to try to bring to the floor a whole bunch of things he thinks are additive in terms of getting the vote out for Democrats in November elections but frankly do absolutely nothing to address the serious concerns and challenges that are facing middle-class families all across this country. The people's representatives can do better. The people's representatives should do better. Whenever Democrats here decide they are ready to stop campaigning and start governing, Republicans are ready to go to work. Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander), the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Cochran), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cornyn), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Roberts), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott), and the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) would have voted ``nay'' and the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cornyn) would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I recognize Scott Mah, an intern in my Washington, DC office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota. Scott is a graduate of Sioux Falls Christian High School in Sioux Falls, SD. Currently, Scott is attending Northwestern University, where he is majoring in economics. Scott is a dedicated worker who has been committed to getting the most out of his experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Scott Mah for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Kristin Wileman, an intern in my Aberdeen, SD office for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the state of South Dakota over the past several months. Kristin is a native of Aberdeen and a graduate of Aberdeen Central High School. Currently, she is attending North Central University, where she is pursuing a degree in journalism communications. She is a very hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Kristin for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I recognize Katherine Veenis, an intern in my Washington, DC office for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota. Katherine is a graduate of Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, SD. Currently, Katherine is attending Texas Christian University, where she is majoring in political science. Katherine is a dedicated worker who has been committed to getting the most out of her experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Katherine Veenis for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I recognize Sam Reuland, an intern in my Washington, DC office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota. Sam is a graduate of White Lake High School in White Lake, SD. Currently, Sam is attending University of South Dakota, where he is majoring in history and political science. Sam is a dedicated worker who has been committed to getting the most out of his experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Sam Reuland for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I rise today to talk about the disturbing leadership failure we are seeing out of the White House. Over the past year the President and his administration have seemed increasingly out of touch with the many challenges facing our country at home and abroad. Two weeks ago the President's spokesman told reporters, ``I think that there have been a number of situations in which you have seen this administration intervene in a meaningful way that substantially furthered American interests and substantially improved the tranquility of the global community.'' Let my repeat that. ``Substantially improved the tranquility of the global community.'' Well, fighting is going on right now in Israel and the Gaza Strip. Russia is actively involved in a war in Ukraine and recently played a role in bringing down a Malaysian airliner with 298 people onboard. Iraq is virtually in chaos. Much of the country is under the control of a terrorist organization considered by al Qaeda to be too extreme. Those are just some of the most serious trouble spots that we face right now. Yet the President's spokesman claims that ``there have been a number of situations in which you have seen this administration intervene in a meaningful way that have substantially improved the tranquility of the global community.'' Not only can I not think of a number of situations in which the President's action has substantially improved tranquility, I find it hard to think of one. We are actually looking at more points of serious instability than we have seen in decades. Writing in the Washington Post over the weekend, the paper's editorial page noted that during the President's administration: ``we have witnessed as close to a laboratory experiment on the effects of U.S. disengagement as the real world is ever likely to provide.'' Disengagement is a good description of the President's attitude because right now the President doesn't even seem to be paying attention. Obviously America can't fix all of the world problems, but strong American leadership can help, as we have seen many times over the past century. Strong American leadership, however, requires a President who is fully engaged and this President is anything but. Tens of thousands of children are arriving at our southern border. The President is playing pool. When a plane is shot down in Ukraine, the President keeps right on with his campaign schedule. Earlier this month, as thousands of unaccompanied children were making their dangerous trip across the southern border--because of the President's statement if they got here they could stay--the President traveled to Texas, but he didn't go to assess the situation himself. He was, as the Associated Press reported, ``primarily in Texas to raise money for Democrats.'' Weeks later, despite taking multiple trips to fundraise for Democrats, the President still hasn't visited the border, despite calls to visit from members of his own party. Indeed, the President has largely stopped even discussing the crisis. This is the same President whose spokesman described him as having substantially improved the tranquility of the global community. Our world is facing a number of very serious crises now, and the President seems completely unaware of it. Unfortunately, when it comes to domestic issues, the President seems equally out of touch. The President has recently taken to telling his audience that ``by almost every economic measure, we're doing a whole lot better now than we were when I came into office.'' Try telling that to the American families who are doing worse. Average household income has dropped by nearly $3,000 on the President's watch. Meanwhile, prices have risen. Food prices are higher. The price of gasoline has almost doubled. College costs continue to soar. Health care premiums which the President promised would fall by $2,500 have increased by almost $3,000, and they are still climbing. Combine high prices with declining income and we get a whole lot of families who were once comfortably in the middle class are now struggling to make ends meet. The Obama administration's economy provides few opportunities for these families to improve their situation. In 2009 the President's advisers predicted that the unemployment rate would fall below 6 percent in 2012. Two years later unemployment still hasn't fallen below 6 percent. The only reason the unemployment rate is as low as it is is because so many Americans have given up looking for work and dropped out of the labor force altogether. If the labor force participation rate were as high today as it was when the President took office, our unemployment rate would be about 10 percent. Even when jobs do become available, too often they are low-paying jobs, not the kinds of jobs that help middle-class families achieve financial security or move low-income families into the middle class. Take the most recent jobs report. Under the President's policies, the economy lost 523,000 full-time jobs and gained 799,000 part-time jobs last month, which is the largest 1-month jump in part-time employment in 20 years. I will give the President this, he does talk. He talks about helping middle-class families, but he has steadily opposed measures to help them. Republicans have proposed numerous measures to create good-paying jobs and increase opportunity. We have urged the President to approve the Keystone Pipeline and the tens of thousands of jobs it would support. In fact, Democrats have urged the President to approve it too. The President said no. Republicans have proposed fixing the 30-hour workweek provision in ObamaCare, which is cutting workers' hours and wages. The President has said no. Republicans have proposed repealing the medical device tax, which has already eliminated thousands of jobs in the medical device industry and will eliminate many more if it isn't repealed. A lot of Democrats agree with that position. The President said no. The President hasn't just said no to measures that would help the middle class, he has implemented policies that have hit the middle class with tremendous financial burdens. Chief among the President's burdensome policies of course is ObamaCare. The President told an audience in Wilmington, DE, the other day that thanks to his administration, millions more now have the peace of mind of having quality, affordable health care if they need it. Try telling that to the Americans who lost their health care plans as a result of the President's law and were forced to replace them with plans that cost more and offered less. Try telling that to the Americans who obtained health care plans under the Affordable Care Act only to discover their plan didn't cover the doctor they wanted it to cover. Tell it to the families paying thousands of dollars more each year in premiums, deductibles, and copays thanks to the President's health care law. That does not even mention the drag the health care law is having on the economy. Part of the reason there are so few opportunities for American families to get ahead is because the President's health care law is making it more difficult for businesses to afford to hire new workers. Now the President is piling up his budget-busting health care law with a national energy tax that will drive up energy bills for American families and put hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work. Nero may have fiddled while Rome burned, the President fundraises. The Washington Post reports: In his two presidential terms combined, Bush hosted 318 fundraisers. Obama has already smashed that number with 393 events to date. And he still has 2\1/2\ years to go in his administration. Instead of urging the President to focus on crises at home and abroad, Democrats have taken a leaf from the President's book and spent the past several months focused on elections. Rather than taking up legislation to provide real help for struggling middle-class families, Senate Democrats have spent months--months--on political show votes and designed-to-fail legislation they hope will win them a few votes in November. Our country is facing challenges at home and abroad. Campaigning has its place, but in Washington Members of Congress and the President should be focused on solving the problems facing our country, supporting middle-class families, and restoring America's economic vitality. It is time for Democrats and the President to stop focusing on politics and start focusing on the policies we need to create jobs, to grow the economy, and support freedom and opportunity at home and around the world. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Scott and Jamie Nagy of Brookings, SD, as my nominees for the 2014 Angels in Adoption Award. Since 1999, the Angels in Adoption program, through the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institution, has honored more than 2,000 individuals, couples, and organizations nationwide for their work in providing children with loving, stable homes. In 2006, after being married 14 years, Scott and Jamie, along with their four children Nick, Tyler, TJ, and Natalie, adopted their daughter Naika from Haiti when she was 2\1/2\ years old. Jamie, who was adopted as an infant, found the process helped her better understand her own adoption story. Through their journey with Naika, the Nagys decided to help others understand adoption and the needs of children around the world. In 2009, Scott was one of the first coaches in the country to coach barefoot at a basketball game to help raise awareness for Samaritan's Feet, an organization that provides shoes to orphans and impoverished children in developing countries. Scott cites his interest in helping Naika's home country as a source of inspiration for participation in the program. Scott and Jamie's story demonstrates how parents and families can foster patience, grace, and understanding as they grow their families and open their hearts and homes. Their desire to help others understand the effect of overwhelming change on both the child and the family and learn how to overcome those challenges speaks to their strength of character. I commend their efforts to assist other families navigate the adoption process and raise awareness of the needs of children around the world. It brings me great pride to honor South Dakotans Scott and Jamie Nagy, my nominees for the 2014 Angels in Adoption Award.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Josh Curry, an intern in my Washington, DC office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota. Josh is a graduate of Elk Point-Jefferson High School in Elk Point, SD. Currently, Josh is attending Augustana College, where he is majoring in business administration and government. Josh is a dedicated worker who has been committed to getting the most out of his experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Josh Curry for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Jason Helland, an intern in my Sioux Falls, SD, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several weeks. Jason is a graduate of Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, SD and Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. Currently, he is attending the University of Denver Strum College of Law. He is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Jason for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize William Hyde, a legal fellow in my Washington, DC office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota. After graduating from the University of San Francisco in 2002, William joined the U.S. Army. He was stationed abroad multiple times and served a combat tour in Iraq. In 2009 William received his M.A. from Stanford University, earning summa cum laude distinction. Currently, William is attending Harvard Law School in Cambridge, MA and is serving as a Blackstone legal fellow through the Alliance Defending Freedom. William and his wife, Celeste, are the proud parents of a son William. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to William for his service to our country and the work he has done on behalf of the people of South Dakota. Bill is a consummate professional with excellent legal research, writing, and analytical skills. I wish him continued success in the years to come as he embarks on his legal career.