[Pages S2493-S2495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Unanimous Consent Request--S. 1364

  Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I rise to talk about President 
Trump's tariffs and how they are ruining confidence in our economy. 
They are raising prices on all of our families, and they are hitting 
our allies for no reason.
  We all know that tariffs can be a useful tool to protect critical 
American manufacturing and combat our enemies. Targeted tariffs on 
adversaries like communist China or Iran can actually work to our 
advantage. And it is natural for us to have trade deficits with 
countries that have smaller economies because they just can't afford to 
pay for quality American goods. We are always going to buy more cheap 
goods from less wealthy countries than they are going to be able to buy 
from us. Even my Republican colleagues have acknowledged this.
  This is why President Trump's blanket tariffs just make no sense. 
They have no legitimate economic basis. And the formula that he used to 
impose these blanket tariffs is nonsensical. We know this because 
President Trump has imposed tariffs on islands uninhabited by humans 
and on one of the United States' own military bases.
  Probably the most egregious error in President Trump's tariff plan 
was punishing our allies, Israel and Ukraine. Both these countries are 
currently under attack. They need the United States to be standing with 
them, not hitting them with nonsensical tariffs that could cause them 
even more harm.

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  Meanwhile, our adversary and the initiator of the war in Ukraine--
Russia--is getting no tariffs. Our adversary North Korea is getting no 
tariffs. And while our ally Israel got slapped initially with a 17-
percent tariff, even though we maintain a free-trade agreement with 
them, their adversary Iran got tariffed at a mere 10 percent.
  I will admit, as I am sitting here right now, I just saw that Donald 
Trump changed his mind again and is telling countries around the world 
they now have to have a 10-percent tariff. He just made a major trade 
decision action via a tweet as I was sitting here to provide a stand 
with Israel and Ukraine.
  Let me just say, those actions by this administration are just bad 
for our economy. It is outrageous, and it is bad for U.S. credibility. 
It is just clear there was very little thought put into President 
Trump's major, potentially catastrophic, gamble with the global 
economy. He did this without any advice and consent from Congress, and 
that was a mistake. It was a mistake that our allies in need of aid are 
paying the price for.
  We have an opportunity to rectify a small part of this error right 
now and exempt Israel and Ukraine from these oppressive tariffs that 
could do significant damage to their already hurting economies.
  Really, this shouldn't be a partisan issue. It is a national security 
issue. Let's come together and protect our allies who rely on our help 
from these harmful tariffs. I hope my Republican colleagues can join 
me.
  Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent 
that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 1364; that 
the bill be considered read three times and passed, and that the motion 
to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Ohio.
  Mr. MORENO. Reserving the right to object, think about some numbers. 
I was 5 years old when I came to this country from South America, 18 
when I became a citizen. Since that time, there have been 10 Presidents 
of the United States of America and only one that actually had the guts 
and the courage to stand up for working Americans.
  We lost 90,000 factories in this country. If you take the logic of my 
colleague, let's shut down all of our factories and send manufacturing 
to the lowest wage countries on Earth that employ slave wages, that 
have massive government subsidies, and gut out what is left of the 
American manufacturing ecosystem.
  Of course, that is completely illogical. But that is almost what we 
have done over the last four to five decades.
  You drive through Ohio, Dayton was the computing capital of the 
world; you go to Toledo, it was the glass capital of the world; 
Youngstown, the steel capital of America; Akron, the rubber capital of 
the world.
  Today, these cities are working to get past what they have gone 
through. But as I went on the campaign trail against a Democrat that 
always claimed to be on the side of the working men but then saw what 
their policies enacted, we beat him soundly.
  I urge my Democratic colleagues to go back to your original North 
Star. The point of the Democratic Party for decades, as far as I knew, 
was that you were for the working men and women of this country. But 
that is not the Democratic Party today. They are the party of electric 
vehicle mandates, against tariffs, against fringe social issues.

  If we want to talk about the specific resolution, look, there is no 
greater ally ever in the history of the United States of America with 
Israel than President Donald J. Trump. Every single Republican last 
week voted against Bernie Sanders' resolution to block arms sales to 
Israel. Fifteen Democrats voted to kneecap them while in the middle of 
a war. When we talk about Israel, they have already negotiated a 
situation with President Trump.
  So let's talk about Ukraine. This is a country that both sides of the 
aisle--shockingly to me, quite honestly--have given hundreds of 
billions of dollars to this country of Ukraine when we have enormous 
needs in our country. What do we get in return? They impose a tax of 20 
percent or more on our goods that we send there. Let me repeat that. We 
sent them hundreds of billions of dollars in aid, and then when we send 
them our products, they add a tax on our imports.
  Look, President Trump is doing a masterful job of negotiating with 
countries and with companies to finally do what should have been done a 
long time ago, which is to rebuild this country from the inside out.
  So for the reasons that President Trump laid out last week that we 
are going to rebuild this country with American hands, with American 
hearts, and with American pride, it is with that sentiment that I, 
therefore, object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Nevada.
  Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. I appreciate my colleague being here to object. I 
don't think he actually read the resolution. The real focus was on how 
we address tariffs against Israel and Ukraine.
  I appreciate his partisan argument, but I think he also neglected to 
represent that there are Democrats that opposed Bernie Sanders' bill, 
and I was one of them. I think it is important we work in a bipartisan 
way to move this country forward.
  I am also a Democrat that supports bringing manufacturing back to my 
State. You are welcome to come to Nevada anytime and see what we have 
done around the work that is essential.
  I think what I am looking for in this time is common sense, working 
across the aisle where we see it to show the American public that, yes, 
we can still function and work together on moving forward. I think it 
is important we stand with Israel at all levels, including ensuring 
that they are not tariffed, there is no tariff against them.
  It is very, very simple here. And I think targeted tariffs make 
sense. I don't quite understand the continued partisan conversation 
here. But at the end of the day, I am hopeful that many of my 
colleagues still want to work in a bipartisan way on issues that 
reflect not only who we are as a country but will still be working to 
address protection for our allies and, at the same time, protecting our 
economy. I am disappointed in the objection today.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Banks). The Senator from Ohio.
  Mr. MORENO. I actually read the resolution. Again, I will repeat it. 
There is no greater friend of Israel's in the White House, ever in the 
history of the United States of America, than Donald J. Trump.
  He negotiated with these countries. We need to give him the latitude 
in terms of negotiating with these countries. In terms of bipartisan, 
go back through the record in the last 90 days and see almost the 
complete block voting on everything, including we have two votes coming 
up and another two votes at the end of the day. Let's see if there is 
one Democrat that doesn't vote in total unison with their party.
  Look at the Republican side. We are much more freethinkers and we 
have differences of opinion and that comes out when we vote. When we 
talk about bipartisanship, I hope the Democrats get to a point where 
they are willing to work with us on common sense.
  I had a bill that I presented to the floor about 3 weeks ago. Here is 
what it said: If you come into this country illegally, you can't claim 
asylum. And if you do, you invalidate your right for asylum for life, 
and you must only claim asylum at a designated port of entry. This is a 
90-10 issue. Democrats blocked that.
  I want to work in a bipartisan manner. I think the American public 
demands that we do. But when every Democrat votes in total and complete 
lockstep with their leadership every single time to block any progress, 
we are going to be unable to do that.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
  Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Thank you. I have to stand up here and call my 
colleague out. He is trying to paint all the Democrats together. If he 
would look at my record in standing independent from some of my party's 
votes and the fact that I think it is important and know it is 
important that we work in a bipartisan way and have done just that in 
committee in my votes in a bipartisan way with my colleagues, I would

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hope that he would be open to working with me in the future on some 
bipartisan legislation.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I ask the previously scheduled vote 
begin immediately.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


  

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