Live now to the floor of the United States senate. They are back from their summer recess and our live coverage picks up right here right now on cspan2. The president pro tempore the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Barry black , will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Eternal and sovereign god, the earth in its fullness belongs to you. Teach us to live by your prece precepts and follow your plans. Guide our lawmakers in the challenging decisions they face. May they build up rather than tear down using their powers to keep dreams from becoming nightmares. Give them the wisdom to know that history will judge them by whether they act with courage or cowardess. Lord, lead our senators in their efforts to guide our citizens to the better angels of our nature. May our lawmakers make the commitment to stand for right, though the heavens fall. And, lord, we pray for those affected by Hurricane Harvey and for those bracing for hurricane irma. We pray in your merciful name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President. The president pro tempore the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i understand theres a bill at the disefng due a second reading prrs the clerk will read the title for the second time. The clerk a bill to strengthen Border Security, increase resources for enforcement of Immigration Laws and for other purposes. Mr. Mcconnell in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14rbgs i would object to further proceeding. The president pro tempore the bill will be placed on the calendar, the objection having been heard. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President , i want to begin by extending the senates Heartfelt Sympathies to those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Weve seen the devastation across texas, louisiana, and the gulf coast. We know the recovery will not be easy or will it be quick. We also understand the federal governments Important Role in assisting impacted communities. Last week the president submitted a such mnl supplemental emergency funding request that will allow this critical work to continue. It will also allow our country to be better prepared for future natural disasters. Its especially important given the potential for another, another major hurricane to strike our country this very week. I said when the president submitted his emergency funding request, the senate will work closely with his administration and the house of representatives to deliver that much needed relief. Im glad to see the House Appropriations committee has already taken important steps to get us there. I look forward to the house sending over legislation so that the senate can act a it as soon as possible. I know that securing this emergency funding is very important for the president and i know that preventing a default or shutdown emits such a historic natural disaster. Its also very important to him and even more so now with another major hurricane on the way. These are the president s immediate priorities. Pass Disaster Relief, prevent a default, and fund the government. These are my immediate priorities as well, im sure all of my colleagues feel the same way. We have to get all three of these things done, and we have to do it very quickly. In the case of the debt limit, we need to act quickly given the new uncertainty from the large cost of storm recovery. As the president s budget director wrote in his letter to Congress Last week given the need for additional spending as a result of a Disaster Response, initial recovery from Hurricane Harvey, the administration continues to urge congress to act expeditiously to ensure that the debt ceiling does not affect these Critical Response and recovery efforts. Otherwise, he continued, it may not be possible to get these Critical Resources to americans who desperately need them. Heres why. As treasury secretary ma knew chin explained, quote, our First Priority is to make sure the state gets money. It is critical and to do that we need to make sure we raise the debt limit so if Congress Appropriates the money but i dont have the ability to borrow more money and pay for it, were not going to be able to get that money to the state. He called for congress to put politics aside and get these things done as quickly as possible. That was the secretary of the treasury. I look forward to continuing to discuss these important issues with the president s team and congressional leaders of both parties at the white house tomorrow. I look forward to discussing other important shared priorities as well. Nominees, for instance, it was good to see the senate clear a large package of nominees before we left for the state work period. Now our work continues. There are other vacancies to fill. There are nominees, for instance, for positions that are critical to recovery from Hurricane Harvey. We have to Work Together to get those nominees confirmed quickly, and we have to keep working together to fill other vacant positions in the federal government as well. Another issue of extraordinary importance is tax reform. We actually have another meeting at the white house today on that issue specifically. Its clear the president is very engaged on this issue, as he wrote in an oped over the weekend, our selfdestructive tax code costs americans millions of job, trillions of dollar, and billions of hours spent on compliance and on paperwork. We owe it to the American People to fix this broken system. American businesses want to prosper on our shores. And middleclass families are ready for more growth, more jobs, and higher pay. Thats the aim of tax reform, and thats the message i hope the president will continue to take around the country, including his trip this week to north dakota. In the meantime, work will continue among members and committees in both chambers to keep moving forward on this important issue. In addition to these issues, i also look forward to todays discussion about the National Security challenge, tomorrows discussion about the National Security challenge before us. Administration officials will be coming to Congress Later that day to give a briefing on challenges like north korea and afghanistan. Im looking forward to that important meeting. These are complicated issues. And they will require smart responses from both the administration and from congress. Here in congress, well have an opportunity to address some of them soon as we work to pass related legislation, like the annual Defense Authorization bill. The chairman of the Armed Services committee, senator mccain will take the lead on that legislation. Weve kept senator mccain and his family in our thoughts over the state work period. Were glad to have him back with us. We know hell again manage this years legislation with skill and dedication. There are obviously other important issues before us as well. There are many goals we share with the administration. Theres a lot we want to get done. And we have three critically important things before us right now that we need to do quickly. Pass Disaster Relief. Prevent a default so that those emergency resources can actually get to americans who need them, and keep the government funded. Those are the three important things before us now. Well continue working with the administration and our friends on both sides to accomplish those things. Mr. Schumer mr. President. The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Schumer first i welcome you and every other senator back from the district work period. As we all know, much has happened since we last were here. North korea has tested several Ballistic Missiles. And reportedly tested a Nuclear Weapon, alarming wellmeaning nations around the world. In charlottesville, neonazis and White Supremacists marched in the streets, reminding us that we are not done fighting the darkest elements of american society. Racism, bigotry, hate. Right now, large parts of the fourth largest city in our country remain under water. I extend my most Heartfelt Sympathies to the people of houston and across parts of texas and louisiana who are just beginning a long road to recovery from Hurricane Harvey. Having lived through Hurricane Sandy in my home state of new york, i remember the agonies of families who lost their homes, lost their businesses, and particularly in the first month had a sense of helplessness about what had happened to them. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in houston, and we thank all the First Responders, the rescue organizations, the police and Fire Departments who were on the scene, as well as those everyday american heroes. Americans always rise to the occasion, who lent a hand. Like those folks who drove to houston with boats hitched to their cars to help rescue stranded families. In rough times, americans pull together. And congress will do its part to provide relief and aid to the people of houston this month. Now, mr. President , needless to say, we have a busy work period ahead of us. In addition to a recovery package for houston, we have to pass appropriations to keep the government open, raise the debt ceiling, protect the dreamers, provide certainty on the costsharing programs that Keep Health Care premiums down and much, much more. The todo list is lengthy. Nearly all the items i mentioned will require votes from senators from both sides of the aisle. The best way to tackle and ultimately pass legislation on those issues is for us to work in a bipartisan way this month. Now, on tax, unfortunately, were off to a very bad start because President Trump has scheduled a meeting on tax reform today with only republican legislative leaders. Just as they did with health care, republicans seem to be excluding democrats from the legislative process from the very beginning. The majority leader announced prior to the break that he would likely pursue changes to the tax code on reconciliation, meaning the republicans would only need the votes of their own party. Now they are meeting about the issue without even inviting democrats to join in this preliminary discussion. Very simply, if republicans hope to avoid the same pitfalls that ultimately brought down their effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care act, they ought to abandon the misguided idea that one party can enact major changes to the tax code, and efforts like this require two parties, and the result an effort like this requires two parties, and the results for the American People will be better if we all Work Together. The American People understand clearly that if democrats were included in the debate, tax reform would be much more likely to help the middle class. If republicans are the only ones in the room on tax reform, the vast majority of benefits are likely to go to those at the very, very top. That is what the Republican Party has stood for for years. Now, mr. President , on another matter, north korea. Over the past six weeks, north korea has repeatedly tested the resolve of the United States with the launch of several Ballistic Missiles. The rogue regime has threatened to launch a missile in close proximity to guam, a u. S. Territory, and it has, in fact, fired a missile over the territory of our ally, japan. The United States must respond to these increasingly bellicose actions with firmness and levelheadedness. And the president of the United States has to lead the way. The president of the United States should be firm and level, and above all else, credible. The president s words matter, especially, especially on issues of National Security. But thus far, President Trump has responded to north korea with bluff and bluster, hyperbole and exaggerated language. Quote, fire and fury like the world has never seen, unquote. Thats the kind of language you typically hear from the north korean regime, not from the president of the United States. The harsh fact of the matter is because President Trump bluffs and blusters will be much less effective in dealing with north korea in the long run. Foreign leaders, especially our allies, dont know whether they can trust his words when there is so much hyperbole involved, and it undermines his ability to lead in a geopolitical crisis. Id urge the president to speak with caution, to speak with prudence, and always speak credibly as well as strongly. It is paramount that north korea understands the position of the United States and that when the president of the United States makes a statement, he believes we are prepared to act accordingly. Finally, mr. President , on the daca program. Today the administration announced it 0 would it would terminate the program after a period of six months. Most americans know how heartless this daca decision is. Ripping apart families, telling people who worked so hard to become americans for years that they now have to leave the country. These are folks who were brought here as children through no fault of their own. They may have known no other country but ours and have voluntarily registered themselves with the government in order to live, work and give back to our great country. Make no mistake, they contribute greatly to our country. These hardworking people and their contributions are vital to our economy, vital to our communities and schools and institutions like the military, and they are vital, too, to tens of thousands of businesses, small and large, who will be hurt if the Administration Order stands. 91 of Daca Recipients are employed, paying taxes, paying into Social Security. A study by the center for American Progress earlier this year found that ending daca would drain 433 billion from our national g. D. P. Over ten years. Even the Libertarian Cato Institute estimated that ending daca would cost employers nearly 2 billion over two years. The human and economic toll of rescinding daca will be farreaching. Its telling that attorney general sessions, not President Trump, made the announcement today that the administration would be ending daca. And he did it without taking a single question. It shows that President Trump is not proud of what the administration has done today. Otherwise, he would have come forward himself. It shows that he is probably ashamed of his decision. And it was with unbelievable hypocrisy that both attorney general sessions and the White House Press secretary said today that the decision was about upholding rule of law. If this white house has such if this white house had such reverence for the rule of law, the president would not have fired jim comey or attacked the federal judiciary for ruling against the travel ban or ed or par donned Sheriff Joe Arpaio for no reason other than he was a political ally. Mr. President , congress now has an ability, an obligation to act. Democrats will do everything we can to prevent President Trumps terribly wrong order from becoming reality. I yield the floor. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Under the previous order, the senate will be in a period of morning business until 5 00 p. M. With senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. For the information of the senate, pursuant to the order of august 3, 2017, the senate received h. J. Res. 76 from the house of representatives on august 4, 2017, and the joint resolution was passed, and the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table. Mr. Cornyn mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from texas. Mr. Cornyn mr. President , i just returned from texas where, as the world knows, Hurricane Harvey has devastated the gulf coast and now ranks among the costliest natural disasters in american history. Today i want to share with you what my state has experienced in the wake of this storm that has battered so many homes and broken so many hearts. A storm that calamitously has resulted in the loss of at least 60 lives, with probably more to come as the water recedes and as peoples bodies are discovered. And, of course, we mourn with those families who have lost loved ones. Youve seen the pictures, but let me describe what m