September 11, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 145 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
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EXECUTIVE SESSION; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 145
(Senate - September 11, 2019)
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[Pages S5416-S5419] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] EXECUTIVE SESSION ______ EXECUTIVE CALENDAR The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. The senior assistant legislative clerk read the nomination of Stephen Akard, of Indiana, to be Director of the Office of Foreign Missions, with the rank of Ambassador. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority whip. Tornado in Sioux Falls Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, as I begin this morning, I need to mention the tornado that tore through my hometown of Sioux Falls last night. Thankfully, there appear to have been no fatalities, but there has been a lot of structural damage. I am grateful to all of the emergency responders, the electric crews, and all of those who worked through the night to keep the residents safe. My thoughts are with Sioux Falls today and with all of those who are dealing with the tornado's aftermath. I had the opportunity this morning to speak with Mayor Paul TenHaken, of Sioux Falls, who, as you would expect, was up throughout the night with his team. I just expressed our support to him, to his team, and to our community as they begin the process of the cleanup and recovery from what was a very damaging storm. I also talked with my wife and older daughter, who lives in Sioux Falls, both of whom were in their basements last night as, I think, most residents were. I am glad to hear that people took the necessary steps to keep themselves and their families safe. As I have reported, so far--knock on wood--we are not aware of injuries that have been associated with this. Yet I will continue to monitor the situation, and my staff and I are available to help with whatever will be needed as a result of this storm. Remembering September 11TH Mr. President, it is difficult to believe it has been 18 years since the September 11 attacks. That bright September morning is seared in our minds as if it were yesterday--the shock, the horror, the sense of unreality in the days that followed, the grief and loss but also the resolve and the unity of purpose. As always, where there is great evil, good rises up in response--that of the courageous passengers on Flight 93 who laid down their lives to protect their fellow Americans; Vietnam veteran and Morgan Stanley security chief Rick Rescorla, who successfully evacuated more than 2,000 of his firm's employees from the World Trade Center and died returning to help evacuate others; Jason Thomas and Dave Karnes, two former marines who dropped everything and sped to the Towers and saved the lives of the two Port Authority officers they found who had been trapped in the rubble; National Guard pilots Heather Penney and Marc Sasseville, who scrambled their F-16s--weaponless--to meet the threat that was headed toward DC and who were prepared to sacrifice their lives by ramming their aircraft into Flight 93 before it could hit the Capitol or the White House; and the hundreds of first responders who ran toward the Towers, toward the inferno, and headed up the steps while civilians ran down. Then there were the countless ordinary Americans who were far away from New York and Washington who flooded blood banks and overwhelmed organizations like the Red Cross with their donations; who stormed Heaven with prayers for the missing and the injured and the suffering; and who proudly flew their flags and reached out to their neighbors. In the weeks and months and years to come, there was a 9/11 generation of soldiers--those who signed up in the wake of September 11 to fight back against the terrorists and those who were already serving. They deployed around the globe to fight terror and to defend freedom, and thousands of them laid down their lives. Eighteen years on, we remember the horror of that September day, but we are also lifted up by the memory of the heroes who came out of it. For those of us who serve in Congress, the anniversary of September 11 is also a reminder of the obligation we have to provide for our Nation's defense and to ensure that we are prepared to meet and defeat any threat. In the Senate, I am proud that both parties have worked together over the past couple of years to rebuild our Nation's military after years of its being underfunded and the strains of the War on Terror. September 11 is also a reminder of our obligation to care for those who stand between us and danger--our soldiers, our veterans, our first responders, and our law enforcement officers. They take on a heavy burden so the [[Page S5417]] rest of us can live in peace and safety. We owe them a debt we can never repay. This year, Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation to make the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund permanent to ensure that first responders whose health has suffered in the wake of their work at Ground Zero, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania will have the resources they need. While we are on the subject of veterans, like all of my colleagues, I am saddened that Senator Johnny Isakson is retiring at the end of this year. We were members of the same freshman class in 2004. During his time here, he has been a tireless advocate for veterans, and he will be deeply missed. Yet his hard work in the Senate as the head of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs will continue to bear fruit, and we will continue to work to implement the VA reforms he shepherded to ensure our veterans receive the care they have earned. I was here in Washington, DC, on September 11, and I evacuated the Capitol Complex. One of the things I remember very clearly from that day were the Capitol police officers who directed us out of the buildings. We were running from the danger, and they were not. They were not going anywhere until they were sure every last man and woman had made his way out. Against that spirit of courage and self-sacrifice, evil will never ultimately triumph. May God bless all of those who stand between us and danger. May He bless the victims of September 11 and their families, and may He continue to bless the United States of America. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Nomination of Michelle Bowman Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise to speak on the nomination of Governor Michelle Bowman to be a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the nomination of Thomas Peter Feddo as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Investment Security in the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. First, I will speak about Governor Bowman. Michelle Bowman currently serves as a Governor on the Federal Reserve Board and was the first person to fill the Federal Reserve's community banking seat, after her confirmation last year by a bipartisan vote of 64 to 34. Her current term expires on January 30, 2020, and President Trump has renominated her to the same position for a full 14-year term. Prior to serving as Governor, she was the State bank commissioner of Kansas from January 2017 to November 2018. She also served as vice president of a Kansas-based community bank, Farmers & Drovers Bank, between 2010 and 2017 and served in a number of government roles. Confirming Governor Bowman to a new 14-year term will provide the needed stability on the Board. During her current term as Governor, she has played a crucial role at the Federal Reserve by providing the community banking perspective and highlighting their importance to people, households, and small businesses across this Nation, as well as the U.S. economy broadly. She has also contributed meaningfully toward appropriately tailoring regulations in accordance with S. 2155. If confirmed, I am confident her experience and skill will continue to benefit the Board in promoting the effective operation of the U.S. economy and serving the public interest. I will be voting in support of Governor Bowman and urge my colleagues to vote in support of her nomination, as well, today. Turning for a moment to another important issue regarding the Federal Reserve, I want to reinforce that maintaining the independence of the Federal Reserve is of the utmost importance in this country. The recent remarks made by former New York Fed President Dudley urging the Federal Reserve to sway an election by using monetary policy are incredibly troubling. The job of the Federal Reserve is to provide this Nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system. I continue to encourage the Federal Reserve to conduct its monetary policy while remaining independent of politics. Nomination of Thomas Peter Feddo Mr. President, now I would like to turn to the nomination of Thomas Peter Feddo for Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Investment Security in the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or what we often call CFIUS. CFIUS plays an important role in today's investment market by reviewing the national security implications of certain transactions involving foreign investment in the United States. Congress recognized and underscored the importance of this national security job when it repurposed the previous Assistant Secretary slot with passage of FIRRMA last July. Up until that time, the Assistant Secretary split his time between CFIUS and work on international markets, and, today, the Assistant Secretary for Investment Security is dedicated 100 percent to CFIUS responsibilities. Mr. Feddo's nomination comes at an important time in history, when China's ambitions forced Congress to reevaluate the reliance of U.S.- China commerce and the laws and regulations governing that connectivity. FIRRMA expanded the jurisdictional reach of CFIUS to better protect U.S. cutting-edge technology companies from hostile foreign takeover and influence based on a couple of concerns. First, CFIUS did not have visibility into many investments from China that might provide coercive influence over U.S. cutting-edge technology companies. Second, these investments were resulting in technology transfers that could convey capabilities, advancing Chinese economic and security interests while restricting the U.S. military and national security structure from leveraging that technology. FIRRMA not only increased the bandwidth of CFIUS but also expanded the resources given to it to meet the new level of today's challenges. The time is now to fill this sensitive vacancy. Thomas Feddo is the ideal candidate to take up the mantle because he has the keen intellect and natural suspicions of a dedicated financial warrior. He currently leads the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Investment Security in executing Treasury's statutory role as the chair of CFIUS during one of the most trying times that investment markets have seen. For over a year now, he has led the CFIUS team at Treasury, but before that, he put in a 7-year tour at the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, where he oversaw implementation and enforcement of some 29 U.S. sanctions programs. As a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, with a degree in naval engineering, Mr. Feddo served as a lieutenant in the Navy's nuclear submarine force and as an officer at the Navy Antiterrorist Alert Center. Because of his unique experience and his technical education, once confirmed, Mr. Feddo will hit the ground running, moving CFIUS forward in pursuit of its continuing mission to guard U.S. technological leadership from foreign adversaries. I look forward to continuing conversations with him on opportunities to improve America's foreign investment review system, which requires constant vigilance. I also look forward to working with him on how we can make CFIUS programs more effective and efficient and be a faithful steward of U.S. taxpayer dollars. Mr. Feddo enjoys nearly unanimous support from stakeholders, which speaks volumes to his strong track record of experience and expertise. Thomas Feddo's nomination was advanced by voice vote in the Senate Banking Committee on June 18, 2019, with overwhelming bipartisan support. I ask my colleagues once again to vote to confirm him to this critical post. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington. Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. [[Page S5418]] Background Checks Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, before I begin, I would like to take just a moment to remember the thousands of innocent lives lost 18 years ago today and to thank the first responders who so bravely sacrificed their lives in the service of others. September 11 is a day that will always weigh heavily upon our Nation, but it is also a day that shows the strength and resiliency of the American people. In response to tragedy, we saw beyond our differences and came together as a country. That is the lesson we must never forget. Today, I come to the floor as a voice for families in my home State of Washington who have had enough of just ``thoughts and prayers'' and as a mother and a grandmother who has had enough of them too. My heart breaks with every report of another horrific mass shooting. Like my colleagues here today and the rest of our country, I watched in horror last month as devastating gun violence claimed dozens of innocent lives and threw our communities into a state of panic yet again. This heartbreak has become all too familiar to so many of us-- from El Paso and Odessa, to Dayton, to Maryville in my home State of Washington, and in schools and movie theaters and community spaces across our country. So what we are doing here today is refusing to accept this as normal and demanding the change that so many families are crying out for. Democrats are committed to heeding the voices of countless people back in Washington State and across our country who are desperate for leaders in this Washington--including President Trump and Leader McConnell--to address this crisis. That is why I am joining my colleagues on the Senate floor throughout today to call on Leader McConnell to take up commonsense gun safety legislation, starting with universal background checks. We know universal background checks save lives by closing dangerous loopholes to help keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them. That is why more than 80 percent of Americans support universal background checks and are demanding immediate action from Congress to make universal background checks the law of the land. There certainly are other steps we can take as well. We could strengthen the extreme risk protection orders, which have worked in my home State of Washington. We could revive the assault weapons ban, invest in gun violence prevention research, and regulate firearm magazine limits. All of those steps could save lives and prevent more families from enduring the horrific pain and trauma too many already have. But H.R. 8--the universal background check legislation that has already passed the House--is literally sitting here in the Senate, waiting to be called up for a vote. As I close, I want to be clear. Passing universal background checks must be this body's first order of business if we are serious about protecting people and helping to keep guns out of the wrong hands. I and all of my Democratic colleagues and so many others are going to keep up the pressure as long as we have to, to get this done. Mr. President, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Under the previous order, all postcloture time is expired. The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Akard nomination? Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient second. The clerk will call the roll. The legislative clerk called the roll. Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) and the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Roberts). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) would have voted ``yea.'' Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet), the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker), the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the Senator from Massachusetts (Ms. Warren) are necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sasse). Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The result was announced--yeas 90, nays 2, as follows: [Rollcall Vote No. 270 Ex.] YEAS--90 Baldwin Barrasso Blackburn Blumenthal Blunt Boozman Braun Brown Burr Cantwell Capito Cardin Carper Casey Cassidy Collins Coons Cornyn Cortez Masto Cotton Cramer Crapo Cruz Daines Duckworth Durbin Enzi Ernst Feinstein Fischer Gardner Graham Grassley Hassan Hawley Heinrich Hirono Hoeven Hyde-Smith Inhofe Isakson Johnson Jones Kaine Kennedy King Lankford Leahy Lee Manchin McConnell McSally Menendez Merkley Moran Murkowski Murphy Murray Paul Perdue Peters Portman Reed Risch Romney Rosen Rounds Rubio Sasse Schatz Schumer Scott (FL) Scott (SC) Shaheen Shelby Sinema Smith Stabenow Sullivan Tester Thune Tillis Toomey Udall Van Hollen Warner Whitehouse Wicker Wyden Young NAYS--2 Gillibrand Markey NOT VOTING--8 Alexander Bennet Booker Harris Klobuchar Roberts Sanders Warren The nomination was confirmed. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader. Remembering September 11th Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I think everyone knows today is the anniversary of 9/11. Many of us here remember evacuating this very building on September 11, 2001. We knew the world would never be the same. For the people of New York, an ordinary beautiful morning was brought to a screeching halt as the clear blue sky filled with smoke. For those at the Pentagon, the workdays in service of our Nation turned into a literal nightmare. For hundreds of air travelers, routine flights gave way to tragedy, and, thanks to the bravery of passengers and crew, incredible acts of heroism. The Senate stands with the entire Nation as we remember the terrible events of 18 years ago today and the nearly 3,000 innocent lives that terrorists stole away. We stand in solidarity with those who still grieve, and we honor the patriotic resolve that inspired first responders, U.S. servicemembers, and countless Americans who dedicated themselves, that day and since, to selflessly keeping our Nation safe. May our remembrances renew our commitment to building a world where terrorist evil has no home. May we never forget. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader. Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I join the leader. Eighteen years ago, on a cloudless Tuesday morning, my city, our country, and our world changed forever. In the span of a few hours, the Twin Towers fell, the Pentagon was hit, and smoke rose from an empty field in Pennsylvania. More than 3,000 souls were taken from us that day. I knew some of them: a guy I played basketball with in high school, a businessman who helped me on the way up, and a firefighter whom I went around the city doing blood drives with. It was one of the bloodiest days on American soil since the Civil War. Each year we correctly and appropriately pause to remember that awful day. We mourn those whom we lost and think of them. The day after 9/11, I called for every American to wear the flag. I wear this flag every day. I have worn it every day since then in memory of them. We also remember our resiliency and the resiliency of New Yorkers, the brave firefighters, police officers, and [[Page S5419]] ordinary citizens who rushed to the Towers. The generosity--I will never forget a man who had a shoe store about two blocks north of the Towers who just gave shoes to all the people. Some men and women who had to run 90 flight of stairs left their shoes behind. I remember the next day, when President Bush sent us back up to New York, and the empty skies, a bunch of F-16s around our plane going down there, smelling the smell of burnt flesh and death in the air, and seeing over 1,000 people lined up with little signs, because we didn't know who was gone and who might be found: Have you seen my sister Mary? Have you seen my son Bob? It was an awful day and a day we live with, but we know our resilience. Many predicted that Lower Manhattan would be a ghost town forevermore. It has more people, more jobs, and more business than before 9/11. Many thought that America would succumb to the evil brutality of the terrorists. We have fought back very successfully. We think, finally, of those who are dying now as a result of their rushing to the Towers into the hours and days after, and we are also grateful that this body has now fully funded both the health fund and the fund to see that the families are taken care of. It is an amazing moment. I live with it all the time. I ride my bike around the city, and every seventh or eighth block has the name of a street commemorating someone who died--firefighter this and police officer that. But America, New York, and all of us have not been beaten by the terrorists and have not been beaten by adversity. On this issue, we have come together, and we will prevail. I ask unanimous consent that there be a minute of silence in memory of those who were lost both that day and who are still being lost because of their heroism a few days after. Moment of Silence in Remembrance of the Lives Lost in the Attacks of September 11, 2001 The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate will observe a moment of silence in remembrance of the events of September 11, 2001. (Moment of silence.) ____________________
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