Emergency management. Confirmation votes on two of the nominees are expected at 11 a. M. Eastern today. And now through live coverage of the u. S. Senate here 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. Almighty god, who is given our lawmakers diversities of talents by the same spirit, use us for your glory. Lord, protect our nation from evil, prevent the weapons formed against america from prospering, for you remain our refuge and fortress. Continue to be the strength of our lives as we remember the many times you have preserved us in the past. Lord, open our eyes to the unfolding of your providence. Open our minds to your truth. Open our lips to speak your wisdom. 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. Grassley mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley i ask to speak for one minute in morning business. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley in honor of the Iowa Department of agricultures sweet corn days yesterday, i would like to highlight the strong Agricultural Sector of my state of iowa. Many people dont know how you get from the seed of the corn on the cobburing cob youre used to seeing on your table and thats why i started corn watch on my instagram. Each week i post an update with a progress of how the crop is growing on my farm in newhartford, iowa, it is a new way to show how iowa feeds and fuels the world. I yield the floor. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell yesterday the entire senate had the opportunity to meet in classified session for a briefing on Election Security. We heard from the director of national intelligence, the f. B. I. Director, acting secretary for the department of Homeland Security, and other Key Administration officials about our recent progress and ongoing work to protect our democratic process from interference. The takaway was perfectly clear. After 2016, the new administration kicked into high gear, alongside our efforts in congress, all levels of government work proactively to make sure that 2018 was not a repeat of 2016. And far from letting up, the executive branch is continuing to work hard in advance of next years president ial election. We know our adversaries will not let us so were not letting up either. I want to underscore my appreciation for the tremendous work that so many officials across our government have been doing to protect democracy and impose costs on adversaries who dare to interfere. Threats remain, but yesterdays briefing was instructive, an instructive counterpoint to the doom and gloom eye perply hyperbole we often see in the media. Good news doesnt sell newspapers, but although i doubt it would get much coverage, im proud of the work of our government, what theyve done to shore up our defenses of american democracy and defer foreign influence deter foreign influence and interference. I believe our colleagues feel the same way. At one point during yesterdays briefing, applause broke out in the room for the work of one of our agencies, bipartisan applause in the briefing yesterday about what was done in 2018 after which was largely incident free. Many of the details of yesterdays briefing were classified and should remain so, but much of what was discussioned discussed were the specific details and the full impacts of steps that are already public knowledge. Here in congress, weve taken legislative action to interact cybersecurity and clearance for Election Officials and allocated hundreds of millions of dollars in direct aid to state Election Officials. With the new resources that we provided, the department of Homeland Security dramatically strengthened its information sharing and security partnerships with the state and local authorities that operate elections in the United States. Participation came from all 50 states and 1,400 localities, and the direct aid to states helped the authority on the front line of conducting elections update their systems, strengthen their defenses and maintain vigilance. These and other actions have been part of a coordinated governmentwide federal, state, and local campaign to shore up our defenses. I would anticipate that every member who attended the classified briefing likely came away feeling confident that big steps forward have taken place in the last two and a half years. Thanks in large part to these measures, the 2018 elections went more smoothly than the 2016. And as we look to 2020, its encouraging to look at how seriously the administration is taking the threat and proactively working to counter it. Because we know the threat is not going anywhere, foreign adversaries will keep at it, so im glad the administration is so focused on staying strong and remaining vigilant. But, of course, as i said yesterday, the roots of the issue run deeper than just our elections themselves. A foreign adverse like russia didnt just wake up and decide to interfere in democracy. The meddling was an outgrowth of a long pattern of naivety that permeated the Obama Administration. So punching back against this behavior and deterring future episodes like it has also meant taking Broad Strokes to strengthens americas abroad and our relationship with the russians. Obviously nearly 30 russians and russian corporations have been indicted by the special counsel for election meddling. More broadly, we have a new National Security strategy, an improved road map for our Global Presence to check great power competitors like russia and china. Were recommitting to the alliances that preserve American Values around the world, reforming nato to meet 21st century threats an equipping our allies and partners who are on the front lines of russias geopolitical prospecting. And congress and the administration have worked together to restore our armed forces and unwind harmful funding restrictions that cut readiness and limited our commanders. So not just our efforts on Election Security but really our entire Foreign Policy have made strides under the leadership of this administration. Yesterdays briefing made it clear our work has led to huge progress huge progress, but the work certainly isnt oaf. Leaders across government are continuing to explore an repair potential vulnerabilities and increases opportunities ahead of the 2020 election. Congress will monitor this closely while resisting any efforts to use the failures of the past to justify sweeping of election laws as some have consistently sought to do. Let me say that again. Congress will certainly to continue will certainly continue to monitor this closely while resisting any efforts of failures of the pass while sweeping federal election laws as some on the other side have consistently sought to do. Make no mistakings many of the proposals labeled by democrats said to be Election Security are measures in fact for election reform that are part of the lefts wish that wish list of the left called the democratic politician protection act. What they do is ignore the great work this administration has done and sweep under the rug the necessary measures this chamber has passed. But speaking broadly, i think all americans should remember this, what russia really set out to do was to sow division, spark doubt and trigger a crisis in our country that would trigger beyond the actual actions that they undertook. So, as ive said before, as we continue taking action in shoring up our defenses, its also vital that we not fall into precisely precisely the trap that putin and company have laid. Its vital that americans not take the bait on fear and division and ultimately do russias work for them. Our country is strong. American democracy is strong. Our elections are already safer and more secure, and the important work continues. Our adversaries woarnt let wont let up and so we are not letting up either. Now, mr. President , on another matter. All week the senate has continued productivity in confirming the president s wellqualified nominees for Important Offices. We confirmed the newest judge on the ninth circuit. Yesterday we confirmed three district judges by overwhelming bipartisan margins, 7815, 8014, and 8510. Those are the margins on three district judges. Clearly, mr. President , were not exactly talking about radioactive controversial nominees here, not when 78 votes for confirmation is the low end. But, nevertheless, as has become typical over the past two and a half years, our democratic colleagues insisted on cloture votes to cut off debate before we could confirm any of them. In fact, we have yet to voice vote a single judicial nominee this entire congress. We havent voice voted a single judicial nominee this entire congress. Its really shame. A shame. Its not the precedent the senate ought to be setting for these lowertier nominations. But, of course, weve confirmed them nonetheless. Before the end of this week the senate would have done the same for three other lowerlevel nominees for the executive branch. Weeks like this were impossible before my republican colleagues and i did the right thing for the institution a few months back and moved the senate back towards our historic norms for nominations of this sort. We argued that the Senate Democrats were mindlessly obstructing even the least controversial nominees just for obstructions sake. Our colleagues across the aisle insisted no this is what they said, mr. President , no. The majority would be ramming through these extreme individuals and cutting off intense debate that these extreme nominees deserved. Well, who was right . One more time for good measure, 7815, 8014, and 8510. Enough said. Its particularly ironic that some of my friends across the aisle elect to complain the senate is spending too much time on nominations. You have heard that, mr. President. Spending too much time on nominations. Im not making this up. We actually hear protestations from the democrat side confirming these men and women its taking too long. As though it were totally obvious to everyone that their own unprecedented delaying tactics arent the only reason these nominees have not been quickly confirmed in big batches on a voice vote. Its quite the twostep. Democrats systematically drag their heels for two and a half years and counting and then complain we arent moving fast enough. Well, if it werent clear by now, the tactics are not going to work. The senate is going to press on, were going to do our job. Today well press on despite 492 days of obstruction, 492 days of obstruction and confirm peter wright, the president s nominee to serve as listen to this assistant administrator at e. P. A. He has been waiting for 492 days. And as it happens, well also vote on two kentuckians, robert king and john pallasch. Mr. King has been nominated to serve as assistant secretary for postsecondary education. He comes with an impressive record of experience in Higher Education and administration and advocacy at home in the bluegrass state and beyond. Mr. Pallasch has been tapped for assistant secretary of labor. His resume includes service as director of the Kentucky Office of employment and training, as well as Previous Service to the department as Deputy Assistant secretary for mine safety and health. So i will be proud to support each of these wellqualified nominees as the senior senator from kentucky, but moreover as someone who believes that the american president deserves to have his team in place and that citizens ought to be governed by the government they actually voted for. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call mr. Thune madam president . I would ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Thune madam president , the democrat partys model this year might as well be free stuff. Free health care, free college, free debt relief, free child care, free income. The problem, of course, is that the old add j, theres no such thing as a free lunch is 100 true. Health care has to be paid for by someone. College has to be paid for by someone. Democrats, of course, think they should all be paid for and often controlled by the government but what they dont like to talk about as much is that the government has to get its money from somewhere. And that somewhere is from the American People. Now, if you asked democrats how theyre going to pay for all of this free stuff, what theyll say is that theyll tax the rich. The problem is, madam president , theres simply arent enough rich people to even come close to paying for the democrats free programs and expansive policy proposals. Forbes magazine reports every year the combined net worth of the 400 richest people in the United States. But if you took every penny from every one of those people, it would be a tiny drop in the bucket next to the cost of the democrats proposals. Free health care alone and these are by conservative estimates would cost 32 trillion over ten years. Taking every penny from the richest people in the United States wouldnt even cover one year of that proposal. In fact, you could take every penny from every billionaire in the entire world and it would still only cover roughly 28 or less than three years of democrats medicare for all proposal. And thats just Free Health Care. Thats not the Green New Deal or guaranteed income or free child care or anything else. But what if we move away from billionaires. How about millionaires . What if we taxed every household in the United States making more than 200,000 at a 100 rate for ten years . Well, wed still barely have enough to cover Free Health Care much less democrats other proposals. But lets look at one of the democrats what i would say relatively smaller proposals and that is student loan forgiveness and free college. Now, no one can deny that Student Loan Debt is a problem in this country. Many graduates emerge with tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt that they struggle to repay and that burdens them for years. Its a growing problem. And ways to alleviate this burden and encourage more affordable education or conversations that we need to have. But the free college and debt elimination Solutions Offered by two leadin leading democrat sens are no solutions at all. The United States government is not swimming in money. We are deeply in debt. And we already need to shore up existing programs like Social Security and medicare both of which are on shaky financial footing. Paying for a College Education for millions of americans is not something the government can easily afford. The senator from vermonts plan for free college and student loan forgiveness would cost approximately 2 toy 2 trillion 2. 2 trillion over ten years. That maif not sound like may not sound like much when compared to democrats budget busting plan when paying for health care but its still a lot of money. The entire federal budget for 2019 is less than 5 trillion. And that is supposing that the senator from vermonts proposal comes in on budget which seems unlikely. For one thing, when you offer something for free, demand for it generally increases. The senator from vermont is making his estimate based on todays numbers. But what happens when demand skyrockets . The federal government could be on the hook for far more than the senator estimates. And these proposals would do anything but incentivize colleges and universities to lower the cost of tuition. Now, both the senators who have proposed free college and debt elimination plans this year have said have said they will pay for it. The senator from vermont would impose a Financial Transactions tax while the senator from massachusetts would impose what she calls an ultramillionaires tax on the very wealthy. But as one wall street journal editor highlights in a recent column, this is unlikely to cover the cost. I quote, financial transaction taxes chronically underperform estimates of the revenue theyll generate and wealth taxes are so ineffective that even france scrapped its version in despair in 2017. Much heavier middleclass taxation which what feeds European Social welfare states. End quote. It goes on to say and much heavier middle class taxation is likely to be the end result of democrats proposals like free college and student loan forgiveness. But even leaving aside the cost, madam president , lets talk about the merits of the democrats proposals. For starters there is the sheer unfairness of these plans. Legislation suppose lets suppose one of these proposals becomes law. Suppose youre someone who has lived frugally for years and you just finished paying off 30,000 in Student Loans. Youre not going to get a penny back from the democrats. Meanwhile someone who has just incurred that 30,000 in debt is going to get a complete get it completely wiped out. No need to live frugally or think about paying off the debt you freely incurred. The debt will just be gone. Then theres the fact that democrat proposals for free college and Debt Forgiveness are not going to solve the education debt problem. The director of the Education Policy Progra