In the Senate Chamber at about 8 30 p. M. And walk over to the house for President Trumps first state of the Union Address. Tomorrow, republican senators join their house colleagues for a threeday policy retreat. 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. Almighty god, the earth belongs to you and everything in it. And even when wrong seems overwhelming, you continue to rule. Create in our lawmakers a hunger and thirst for integrity and honesty. Give them pure hearts and truthful lips, accompanied by a passion to glorify you. Provide them the wisdom to live for the honor of your name, as they remember they are your ambassadors. May they look to you for help, knowing that you surround them with the shield of your favor. We pray in your holy 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 presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell this evening President Trump will deliver his first state of the Union Address as tens of millions of americans tune in, he will continue a timehonored tradition by taking stock of the past year and laying out his vision for the future. And for anyone who has been reading the headline over the last year and paying attention to the issues that impact middleclass families, the state of the union will not come as a surprise. Unemployment is low, Consumer Confidence is high, the news is packed with all the pay raises, special bonuses, expanded benefits and new investments that are flowing into american households and communities because of theland marc landmark tax reform law that the president passed and congress signed. The tax code is allowing companies to ramp up the amount they can invest in their own American Workers. This includes some of our countrys largest employers. Walmart is increasing its starting wage for all hourly associates, expanding mairnty and parental leave, and giving its own 100,000 bonus to employees. Disney, at t, and bank of america are giving tax reform bonuses to more than 100,000 workers each. The list goes on. And its not just the big guys who are benefiting. Yesterday afternoon here on the floor i talked about verse logistics which paid its employees bonuses as a result of tax reform. I talked to a woman who worked for the company and explained what this bonus would do for her family. Money was tight around the holidays. They were table to give gifts to their children over christmas, but mom had to go without. But because of this tax reform, she got her own tax reform bonus. With that extra money, she and her husband were able to buy each other christmas presents after all and enjoy a nice dinner out. I could share these stories all day. Im so Proud Congress and the president teamed up to take money out of washingtons pocket and put it back in the pockets of hardworking americans who earned. But some of our democratic colleagues dont seem to feel that way. They all voted against a law that will raise takehome pay for American Families who spent a decade spending not just to get ahead but to stay afloat. Some scoffed at these bonuses pay raises and new benefits. My friends, the Democratic Leaders in the senate and house have used the word crumbs. One chairman said that she doesnt think a 1,000 bonus doesnt go very far for almost anyone. 1,000 doesnt go far for almost anyone. That might be true in new york or san francisco. It sure isnt true in kentucky. And i think taking that argument to most kitchen tables would get you laughed out of the room. Of course immediate raises, bonuses, and worker benefits are far from the whole story. Tax reform will also deliver direct relief to middleclass families across america by cutting their tax rates and doubling the standard deduction. A typical family of four earning a Median Income will get to keep more than 2,000 of their own money that they would have otherwise sent to the i. R. S. Next year. Further, the law repeals obamacares punitive individual mandate tax and soon Many Americans are likely to see lower utility rates as Utility Companies pass along their savings to consumers. Just yesterday, two major kentucky utilities asked the Kentucky Service commission to pass 180 million tax reform savings on to their customers, which could lower their bills this year. And thats particularly important to lowincome families because pay pg their utility paying their utility bill is a big percentage of many of their takehome pay. Were already seeing early signs that tax reform will create an environment where wages will be higher and opportunity will be more abundant for years, even decades, to come. President trump and republicans in congress understand when you make america a more attractive place to invest an create jobs, youre helping American Families and communities. We understand that the myth of an us versus them economy where employers must lose for workers to win is nothing more than a Divisive Political talking point. Thats why we seized this general rational opportunity to provide a 21st century tax code that will give our workers a better result. Tample is far from the only way this president and this congress have gone to bat for the future of our country. Weve taken a machete to the forest of red tape that the Obama Administration left behind. To name three examples, congress and the white house have teamed up to roll back regulations that have threatened hundreds of thousands of coal jobs, required states to have give grants to planned parenthood and blocked Oil Exploration in a small portion of federal land in alaska. After the Senate ConfirmedPresident Trumps cabinet from secretary mattis at the pentagon to administrator pruitt at e. P. A. , they have notched achievement after achievement for the American People, laying the groundwork for a stronger and safer nation. We have made major progress for veterans like corporal bradley, a true American Hero who will attend tonight as a guest of the first lady. Veterans will be able to access the Health Care Options they need and the Employment Training programs they deserve. We have much more to do or our heroes, but these first steps are, indeed, promising. Weve taken big steps in the war against addiction and scourge of opioids, an issue that is deeply personal for far too many American Families. In just his first year in office, the president has begun to transform the federal judiciary. President trump had more new Circuit Court judges confirmed in his first year than any prior president , a testimony to the fine quality of the nominees he sends here to the senate. Well vote to confirm another excellent judge later today and the president rose to the occasion of a Supreme Court vacancy by filling it with an experienced jurist in justice gorsuch. On all of these fronts from americas pocketbooks to the ongoing fight begins isil there is more good news than i can begin to recite. I look forward to the state of the Union Tonight and hearing from our president. On behalf of all the americans we represent, men and women from coast to coast, who are seeing the economy turn around and their country grow stronger before their eyes, im glad there will be so much to applaud. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserve. Morning business is close dz. The senate will closed. The senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nominees. The clerk nomination, the judiciary, David Ryan Stras of minnesota minnesota to be of minnesota to be judge for the eighth circuit. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call quorum call mr. Flake mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from arizona. Mr. Flake mr. President , i rise today the presiding officer the senate in a quorum call. Mr. Flake i ask permission to or unanimous consent to vacate the quorum call. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Flake mr. President , i rise today to honor the life of my friend, levon g. Keep, the leader in the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. His passing on friday was a sudden and unexpected and i wish to extend my condolences to his family during this difficult time. Elder keep served in the Public Affairs department. He helped to Shape Community and Public Relations for the church and is a recognized expert in constitutional law. His career was devoted to defending religious liberty for all religious institutions. His insight was particularly salient during this everchanging world. As his daughter stephanie said, he wanted to defend and support all churches and all religious beliefs and all peoples right to believe and act in a way that they feel is right. That was a big part of his work. Mr. President , i consider it a privilege to have worked along side elder keech over the past several years. I was able to witness firsthand the love he had for his wife, the pride he had in his children, and the devotion he had for the gospel of jesus christ. Mr. President , im grateful for his guidance, for his and his friendship for his counsel and his friendship, his humble expertise and kind demeanor will be sorely missed by all who know him. His legacy will bless his family for generations to come. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. The presiding officer the senator from arizona. Mr. Flake i rise with Great Sadness to remember edward lerenzen who perished this weekend in a house fire. Ed was invaluable to my staff during last years tax reform debate. The Washington Post honored his contributions to congress saying, quote, quietly and intelligently mr. Lerenzen provided reliable fiscal information especially when facts and figures were the last thing wishful thinkers in washington or the government wanted to face. The committee for a responsible federal budget where ed served as Senior Advisor said, quote, he was a brilliant budget mind. His guidance and expertise is a void that cannot be filled, unquote. The Committee Also remembered his deep love for his children saying, quote, we worked every day with a kind, loving man who cherished his three kids, bringing them to the office on occasion and lighting up in their presence at the sound of their names, unquote. Mr. President , i cannot imagine the grief that ed and michaels family and loved ones face. I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to them during this difficult time. May we all hold our families a little closer today. I yield the floor. Mr. Schumer mr. President , are we in a quorum call . The presiding officer we are not. Mr. Schumer mr. President . The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Schumer mr. President , tonight the president will address a joint session of congress in his First Official state of the union. I want to talk about p what i expect the president to say, and i also what i suspect he wont. The president will be eager to defend the accomplishments of his nascent administration and take credit for a healthy American Economy, pointing to low employment, job growth, and a soaring stock market. But the truth is these trends were present before donald trump took office. President trump was handed an already healthy economy by his predecessor. Like many things in his life, he inherited the healthy economy. Here are two words we wont hear President Trump say tonight about the economy thanks, obama because much of the growth in 2017 was created by president obamas policies and by many measures the growth under president obama was better than under President Trump. Under president obama, employment was driven from over 10 down into the fours. The tightening of the labor market began to the stock market that President Trump often touts on twitter, it was booming under president obama as well. In President Trumps first year, the economy created 2. 06 million jobs. Thats less than the 2. 24 million jobs created in 2016, the last year of obamas term. Again, President Trump president obama created more jobs in his last year. Sorry. President trump, president obama created more jobs in the last year of his term than you created in the first year of yours. So if youre going to pat yourself on the back, give a shout out to barack obama because he did even better than you in job creation. In 2017, under President Trump, the average monthly job growth was lower than in 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011 all under president obama. Again, President Trump, job growth in your first year of your term was less than in each of the last six years of president obamas term. How about the stock market . In the First Six Months of 2017, the percentage growth of the s p 500 was lower than during the First Six Months of president obamas term. In the first year of the trump presidency, the percentage growth of the dow was lower than during the first year of president obama. So again, here are two words wed like President Trump to say tonight about the economy thanks, obama. We may never hear President Trump say those words, but he ought to. I also expect the president to speak about bipartisanship. President trump understands theres a very low bar when this comes to the topic. His first year in office has been so divisive, even a mere appeal to bipartisanship sounds like progress. But the proof will be in the pudding. Will President Trump pursue real bipartisanship through his actions or will he fall back on empty rhetoric . When it comes to bipartisanship, President Trump has to walk the walk, not just talk the talk intermittently. Mr. President , when it comes to bipartisanship, actions speak a whole lot louder than words. And id remind President Trump that this has been one of the most partisan administrations many of us have ever worked with. Ive worked under president reagan, president h. W. Bush, and president w. Bush all republicans. All of them were legion more bipartisan than President Trumps first year. What have we seen . An Assembly Line of partisan c. R. A. s designed not to need a single democratic vote. A Supreme Court justice picked by the hard right, Heritage Foundation and federalist society. No consultation, not a consensus nominee. A partisan Health Care Bill that failed under reconciliation specifically designed not to include democrats. A partisan tax bill that ultimately passed also under reconciliation, no consultation with democrats, not a single democratic vote. The reason that these dont get democratic votes is President Trump and his administration dont talk to us. They dont ask us what we might suggest. They dont try to create a bipartisan meld which great president s have done from the time of george washington. They just act in a narrow partisan way and the American People know it. Theres hardly been a shred of bipartisanship in the trump era. Despite our many appeals for it. The president and Congressional Republicans seem to think that bipartisanship happens when one side puts together a bill, pounds the table, and demands the other side support the bill. With no negotiation, no compromise. Theyre missing the step where they consult with the other side, work with the other side to earn their support. Thats the hard work of legislating in our democracy. But this administration eschews hard work. The republican majority in the white house have been content to craft legislation on their own, demand democrats support it, and then label us obstructionists when without consultation, without compromise we dont. That dynamic is the root of the ineffectiveness and gridlock here in congress. Now, i sincerely hope it changes, mr. President. If the president calls for bipartisanship tonight, i welcome it. But we eagerly await action, not just a sound bite in a speech. We await honest debate, goodfaith give and take, an eventual compromise that are the actual hallmarks of bipartisanship. If those things arise, even though they havent in the first year, democrats will gladly work with our republican colleagues and the white house to get things done for the middle class. But we need to see it to believe it. Mere words in a speech tonight do not create bipartisanship. Action do. Finally, mr. President , heres s