Circuit. Lawmakers will also vote to limit debate on Adrian Zuckerman to be u. S. Ambassador to romania. Both votes are expected to happen at 11 30 a. M. Eastern. Youre watching live coverage of the senate on cspan2. The president pro tempore the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Barry black, will open the senate with prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Listen to our prayers, almighty god. Let not our nation be ashamed. You are our mighty rock and fortress. Lead and guide us, enabling us to honor your name. Protect our lawmakers from the hidden traps that can derail freedom. Remind them that the truth aloe will make us free. Show yourself strong, even to those who strive to save themselves. Manifest your might to all. May our senators trust you, sek your wisdom, and obey your precepts. We pray in your mighty 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 permission to speak in morning business for one minute. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley in recent years, the Opioid Epidemic has resulted in steadily climbing numbers of kids entering foster care. However, in 2018, the number of children in foster care declined for the First Time Since 2011. This is evidence that prevention programs are working. It is important this renewed focus on prevention continues as states all 50 states work to implement the Family First Prevention Services act. When Child Welfare agencies have more tools, which they will have through this new legislation, to help families before children must be removed, outcomes are better for communities, better for parents, and, more importantly, better for the children were trying to protect. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Mcconnell mr. President . The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Leader, we are in a quorum call. Mr. Mcconnell i suggest the absence i ask unanimous consent that further proceedings your honor the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell yesterday the United States senate spoke up forcefully and clearly for the brave people of hong kong. We unanimously passed the hong kong human rights and democracy act. As the author of the original United Stateshong kong policy act back in 1992 and somebody who has advocated for hong kongers for decades, i was proud to speak out on this back in the summer when the protests began. I was also proud to secure important policy steps for hong kong in the state and foreign ops subcommittee back in september. Im also proud that senators approved these further steps to update the original law to preserve hopping congress autonomy to preserve hong kongs autonomy and to provide for tools for holding beijing accountable. I want to thank the senior senator from florida, all the other members who led on this issue, and all of our colleagues for securing unanimous passage. With this bill while this bill moves forward, its also important for the executive branch and our allies and partners around the world to fulfill their roles as well. Even before this new bill becomes law, congress has already given the Administration Significant powers to act, including authorities to directly sanction individuals who violate human rights, and i urge every trading nation around the world to look clearly at hong kong and imagine the costs as china continues to entrench its surveillance state and export it all around the world. The Senate Continues to do our part. Everyone else must do theirs as well. The United States and the world must stand with hong kong. Now, mr. President , on another matter, earlier in week, i got to attend the Kentucky Electric cooperatives annual meeting much the group represents 26 coops across kentucky, particularly in rural communities. We talked about the positive trends for what you might call Middle America over the past several years. The nations economic turnaround in smalltowns, small cities, farm country, rural america, and other places the obama economy largely left behind. We also talked about the work still ahead. One of the major priorities that kentuckians mentioned is the usmca. Ive heard it from our farmers, manufacturers, logistics providers, bourbon distillers, almost every sector of our economy that would benefit from this trade deal. Together, canada and mexico make up a 500 billion export market for the United States. This major update to our trading framework with our nation would send that number even higher, generate more wealth here at mothers and create an estimated here at home, and create an estimated 176,000 new jobs. It is no wonder why so many people want washington to get it done. I hear from everybody, from family farming operations to midsized manufacturers to fortune 500 firms that employ thousands and thousands in my state. All of them want this fairer, better Playing Field and trade with canada and mexico. In a little more than a week from now, it will be a full year since President Trump signed the Draft Agreement along with the leaders of canada and mexico. One full year. But for months now this generational agreement has been sitting on ice over in the house of representatives. Speaker pelosi has refused to allow a vote. In public, House Democrats insist and insist and insist that they care about more things than simply impeaching the president. They insist that they want to Work Together and legislate. But actions speaker louder than words. And apparently thus far House Democrats have preferred to block 176,000 new jobs for American Workers rather than put impeachment aside and get along with the white house for five minutes. It appears theres no governing priority, no matter how bipartisan, no matter how beneficial to American Families, that will not fake a back seat to take a back seat to impeachment. Month after month, every time shes been asked about this subject, the speaker of the house has offered the same empty rhetoric. Shes always close, always close to allowing a vote. Her conference is always almost there, almost there. But weve been almost there for months and months with no outcome in sight. Lots of talk. Zero results. Back in february, the speaker was asked about the usmca, quote, she said, im optimistic. That was last february. We heard the same thing in may and in june. We want to pass this bill. That was back in may and june. We heard the same thing through the summer. And in september. And in october. Every day, well be coming closer, she said. A few weeks ago, the speaker said i think we are close. I think were close. The last mile, she said. And call it the easiest trade deal weve ever done. Two days ago, the speaker insisted yet again a vote was imminent. That was a few days ago. This has been the House Democrats wild goose chase. This is what our American Families, american job creators and our partners in mexico and canada have had to put up with. Every time the Trump Administration meets the speaker halfway, she tries to move the goalpost another ten yards. She is literally she literally has not even updated her own talking points since valentines day. Textbook obstruction. Just in case anybody did not yet understand that the real roadblock here is partisan politics, i understand that the speaker hosted Richard Trumka, the head of the aflcio, a power player in leftwing big labor. He came to the capitol to try to quell the uprising of democrats own members who cant believe this thing still hasnt passed. How ironic. Were talking about a trade deal that would create more american jobs, and democrats are considering outsourcing their judgment to big labor special interests, who, to my recollection, have not supported a single major trade deal in living memory. So lets get this straight. It sounds like the head of the aflcio, an organization thats never supported any trade agreement, is now the guy who gives the goahead on usmca . Were talking about a trade deal, and democrats are considering outsourcing their own jobs to the head of the aflcio . Really . I wish i were making this up. Reporters got a hold of the chairman of the house ways and Means Committee yesterday, and he literally says the deal would move forward, quote, if we can get Richard Trumka to agree. So the head of the aflcio, an organization thats never supported a trade agreement, is now the guy who has to greenlight the usmca, which would create 176,000 american jobs. No wonder they have got a problem in the house. The chairman of the ways and means literally says this major trade agreement will only move forward if this major democratic contributor gives them permission. Well, it appears that even some House Democrats are getting fed up with the absurdity. Heres what one of them said yesterday. Trumka still says were at the fiveyard line, so it feels like we have been at the fiveyard line for a while. No kidding. This is the biggest opportunity House Democrats have had in the entirety of their first year in power to do something significant and substantive for American Families. To actually pass something new and real that can become law and strengthen our nation. In other words, the usmca is House Democrats final exam for their whole first year in power. And unless something turns around very quickly, after nearly a year of happy talk and empty promises, their leadership seems determined to flunk that exam. All impeachment, all the time, and even the most obvious win for American Workers and Small Businesses gets blocked. That will be democrats Progress Report if usmca goes nowhere. Well, obviously, i hope thats not how the story ends. Mexico has passed it. Canada is waiting on us. I believe a bipartisan majority in the senate are ready to pass it. Our workers, our job creators, and our neighbors are just waiting, just waiting on Speaker Pelosi. This is no time to kill a National Victory out of political spite. This is no time to outsource your judgment to special interests. The speaker should allow a vote and the house should send us the usmca. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Morning business is closed. Under the previous order, the senate will prod to proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. The clerk nomination, the judiciary, Barbara Lagoa of florida to be United States circuit judge for the 11th circuit. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call mr. Schumer mr. President. The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer mr. President , the house of representatives passed a continuing resolution yesterday to fund the government through december 20. With government funding set to expire tomorrow, it is up to the senate to pass a continuing resolution without much fuss and send it to the president s desk before the deadline. As the republican leader and i worked to set the time for that vote, we must look ahead. The continuing resolution will give appropriators additional time to get a bipartisan appropriations process back on track before the end of the year. The senate has been able to process several noncontroversial appropriations bills, bipartisan, but several more cant move forward until democrats and republicans both all agree on the allocations. Cant do it with one party. That leads to trouble. In recent days we have made some progress, and i hope the talks between both sets of appropriators, house and senate, democrat and republican, will continue in good faith and in earnest after we finish the continuing resolution. At the same time there are some very important issues democrats were trying to address in the continuing resolution that Senate Republicans refused to address. Most notably, republicans objected to restoring expiring funding for the minorityserving institutions, including historically black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, and hispanicserving institutions, Asian American and native American Pacific islander serving institutions and predominantly black institutions. These are ladders up. Such a High Percentage of people of color, people in minority groups use these colleges to create a great life for themselves. They work hard, they study, and theres no alternative for them other than these institutions. To hold the money back, which is what the other side is doing, that is so wrong. That is so unfair. Democrats will not stop fighting the fight to help these institutions and were committed to securing this funding any way we can. These are American Dream institutions. If you believe in the American Dream, you shouldnt be holding this money back. Now on syria. Yesterday the Defense Intelligence agency thats like the c. I. A. But for the Defense Department, very well respected, theyre great in many ways. They released a new assessment that confirms many of our worst fears. People havent seen this assessment, its really important. I would urge people to look at it. What did the assessment say . That President Trump this is his own Defense Department saying this that President Trump by precipitously withdrawing our troops from Northern Syria has given isis a lifeline. In the chaos that followed erdogans military offensive, an offensive unfortunately that President Trump green lit much to the consternation of people on both sides of the aisle, isis has had room to rebuild. Not only did the assessment suggest that the Islamic State is, quote, postured to withstand, unquote the recent death of its leader, abu bakr albaghdadi, but the assessment concluded the Islamic State reask youd resources within syria and, their words, strengthened its ability to plan attacks abroad. President trump, by giving in to erdogan has, quote, strengthened isiss ability to plan attacks abroad. Every american should hear that. Let me repeat. Because President Trump abruptly withdrew u. S. Troops from Northern Syria, isis has been able to strengthen its ability to plan attacks abroad. Thats not an assessment from some outside group or agency. Thats the assessment of the Defense Intelligence agency, part of the pentagon. The Trump Administration needs to get a handle on this situation fast. But despite this new damning assessment, we still have no idea what the president plans to do to ensure the enduring defeat of isis. President trump has welcomed president erdogan to the white house but hasnt produced a plan to defeat isis. This is an administration run amok. This is security. This is vital to america. No plan about isis and greeting erdogan, a dictator whose desire to go after isis isnt close to ours. Hed much rather go after the kurds, our main protector from isis other than the United States itself. Now meanwhile, there are now reports that Russian Forces have taken control of a former u. S. Military base in Northern Syria. Pictures of russia entering that deserted base because american soldiers were told they had to leave by the president , its not a picture americans want to see. Its incredible. The president continues to demonstrate an uncanny ability to get steamrolled by auto crats like erdogan, like putin, without getting a thing in return. Its nearly been two months since the president announced the withdrawal of u. S. Troops and we still dont know what comes next. We all know a small band of terrorists far away are more than capable of inflicting great damages on our shores and the intelligence assessments have now confirmed that isis has been able to strengthen its ability to do just that. President trump, what is your plan to defeat isis and protect the United States . On ndaa, the Defense Authorization bill, the annual defense bill which passed this chamber months ago has been stalled in the process of reconciling the Se