Coverage. A vote expected at 2 15 eastern. And cspan2. The presiding officer the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Eternal father, the center of our joy, bless our lawmakers with the peace and wisdom needed to lead in our challenging world. Give them eyes to discern and understand the intricate complexity of this turbulent season. Lord, guide our senators to the right paths. Lead them beside still waters. Restore their souls. Let them lack nothing for you make them whole. Overflow their cups with gentleness, care, and understanding for the people they represent. Let them fear no evil and take courage in adversity, for you continue to lead them with your allknowing right hand. We pray in your everlasting name. Amen. The presiding officer please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the 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. The presiding officer the senate will come to order. The clerk will read a communication to the senate. The clerk washington, d. C. , december 10, 2019. To the senate under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable cindy hydesmith, a senator from the state of mississippi, who will perform the duties of the chair. Signed chuck grassley, president pro tempore. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Mr. Mcconnell madam president. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell as we enter the final weeks of 2019, two things seem to be true here in congress. Number one, our democratic colleagues, particularly over in the house, seem eager to pour the vast majority of their time and their energy into their threeyear long journey to impeach the president the American People elected. And as a consequence, number two, congress has yet to fulfill a number of its core governing responsibilities for this year. At this late date several crucial mustpass bills remain undone. For months, madam president , my republican fellows and i have been expressing the need for bipartisan cooperation on these pressing subjects, funding for the federal government, defense appropriations, the money for our troops, the National Defense authorization act. But for months our always calls for our calls for democrats to join us in serious negotiations went largely unanswered as democratic leadership opted for a different political playbook, obsess over impeachment and obstruct this core business that we must do every year. So earlier this year House Democrats pushed through what we believe was their first purely party line ndaa that either chamber has ever passed in the 58 year history of the legislation. This is the legislation that puts forward congresss priorities for equipping, training, and maintaining the greatest fighting forces in the world. It had never been used before as a purely partisan weapon, that is, not until this year. But reassuringly the past few days have finally brought an end to bipartisan talks and produced a compromise ndaa. The end result should be able to pass both chambers, enter in the president s significant, and believe me signature, and it wont come a moment too soon. The ndaa operates the resources to keep crucial installations like Fort Campbell and fort knox running smoothly. It is similarly important to many of our facilities in our colleagues home states as well, and it directs readiness efforts, prioritizes research and programs and. So i look forward to sending the final bipartisan product of the the to the conference committee. In addition, congress, of course, needs to actually appropriate funds for our National Defense and for all other functions of our federal government. Just a niewntsdzs ago months ago when leaders put together a bipartisan, bicameral road map for the appropriations process, it looked like we would keep partisan disputes out of the process and finish up the appropriations with time to spare. Unfortunately, our democratic colleagues decided that picking fights with the white house was a higher priority, and we went the autumn mired in disputes in the kinds of poison pills that the speaker and democratic leader promised would be off limits. As we speak, chairman shelby, and appropriators in both chambers, are trying to bring months, months of near stalemate to a close. Last month bipartisan, bicameral agreement was reached on subcommittee allocations and talks continue this week on outstanding issues. Thanks to the months of delay, we have a long way to go and a very short time to do it. I hope that our democratic colleagues can finally stick to the terms of the budget agreement and keep partisan policy fights out of the process. Thats the only way both chambers will have a chance to be able to vote on funding bills before the end of this year. And so that brings us, madam president , to the usmca. For the better part of the past year President Trumps landmark greevment to agreement to update north american trade policy has been languishing as Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats indulge further and further in impeachment. 176,000 new american jobs sat waiting on ice as the speaker offered month after month of luke warm assurances that her caucus was hoping to be, quote, on a path to yes. End quote. This week, at long last, it appears that House Democrats may be finally willing to take action for American Workers and job creators and let the house vote on the president s deal. I was pleased to hear that u. S. Negotiators led by robert light hiez her are lighthizer are headed to mexico. I hope this Forward Momentum continues. So thats the same play. Theres a lot left to do for the American Families we represent if our democratic colleagues will simply allow it and it will certainly take a great deal of cooperation and consent right here in the senate if we intend to consider and pass these measures before the end of the year. Obstruction and stalemate have brought us to the 11th hour. I hope that now that were here that both chambers will be able to set aside democrats impeachment parade long enough to get the peoples business finally finished. The presiding officer morning business is closed. Under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. The clerk nomination, the judiciary, patrick j. Bumatay, of california, to be United States circuit judge for the ninth circuit. Mr. Mcconnell i note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call mr. Schumer madam president . Are we in a quorum . The presiding officer we are. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent that the quorum be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer for years President Trump has speculated wildly about a, quote, deep state conspiracy, unquote, against his presidency. Based on the claim that the f. B. I. Opened an investigation into the president s campaign with political bias with the explicit purpose that they were out to get him. Yesterday the department of justice Inspector General released a report that puts this Conspiracy Theory to bed. The report conclusively debunks the baseless conspiracy that the investigation into mr. Trumps campaign and its ties to russia originated with political bias. In fact, the report quotes the f. B. I. Deputy general counsel as saying, quote, the f. B. I. Would have been derelict in our responsibility had we not opened the case. Let me repeat that from the number two counsel at the f. B. I. The f. B. I. Would have been derelict in our responsibility had we not opened the case. Donald trump commit so many wrongs and when people call him for it, he blames somebody and comes up with a conspiracy and the most amazing thing is not just his appointees but these senators in this chamber, almost too many of them, just echo those crazy theories designed to divert us from the truth. The Inspector General of the department of justice, Michael Horowitz has been praised for years by members of both sides of the aisle for his integrity, for his fairness. Theres no reason to doubt the reports conclusion. Hes never been accused of bias before. Attorney general barr, Lindsey Graham praised mr. Horowitz but all of a sudden theyre casting aspersions on him and his report. Only political actors doubt this report. Political actors like attorney general barr and now it seems as well his hand picked federal prosecutor john durham. Attorney barr has all too often cant ad on behalf of the president s interests rather than as a neutral Law Enforcement officer. He almost seems a patchet man on a Political Campaign rather than being attorney general in august position and following the rule of law and trying to shield that office from politics whenever possible. Instead barr loves to jump in to the political pool of muck. I was skeptical when mr. Barr appointed john durham simply because attorney general barr had picked him and he does almost nothing in these sensitive areas that are not political. Well, you had some hope. Durham, some said, had a good reputation. Well, yesterday durhams statement confirms our suspici suspicions that he is not a nonpolitical actor. No prosecutor worth his salt would release a political Statement Like he did while conducting an investigation. Because of issuing that statement, durham has lost a great deal of credibility even before he issues his report. No one whos thinking of these things down the middle is going to think that durham is a dispassionate, political observer dispassionate nonpolitical observer because hes already shown himself to be in a certain sense a henchman of mr. Barr and his political activities. To emphasize the broad acceptance of the i. G. Report, f. B. I. Director wray appointed by President Trump embraced the report. When director wray asked whether he thought the f. B. I. Targeted the trump campaign, he said i do not. And for that, not surprising. Presidenru out this morning at the f. B. I. Director saying, quote, i dont know what the current director of the f. B. I. Was reading, but it wasnt the one given to me. President trump, if you actually read the report, youd understand exactly what f. B. I. Director wray was talking about and youd understand exactly why it was his duty to defend his department when they behave on a nonpolitical rule of law basis. My friends, its a sad state of affairs when Truth Tellers have no place in trumps washington. Anyone inside the administration, anyone inside the Trump Administration willing to speak truth to power, secretary mattis, d. N. I. Director coats, even chief of staff kelly towards the end, and so many others cannot survive the president s insistence on blind loyalty, cannot survive the fact that the president makes them tell lies and mistruths to continue to serve him. If you do not act in feeble obeisance to President Trump, he will turn on you. And so the equality of people in this administration is getting lower and lower and lower. Topnotch people, the ability to govern and make smart decisions and the ability to care about the truth often go hand in hand, but if you care about the truth, youre out, and so trump loses quality people in his administration, the only people who survive are willing to bow down to donald who will do just what he wants and says even when they know its false. And that is why this administration is so erratic, so disjointed, so ineffective, and at this time so unpopular with the majority of the American People. The American People people know that mattis was a fine man, they know that wray is a fine man. They know they are the kind of people who if trump says tell a lie wont. But, unfortunately, the people in this administration who remain are willing to do just that, and that said, as i said, its a very state of affairs and one of the reasons this administration has such a difficult relationship with the truth. The president conjures fictions, buys into baseless conspiracy theories told by known liars on fox news or somewhere else, and then anyone who contradicts him earns his scorn. Contradict him enough, if youre in the administration, you lose your job. Now, more worry. Amazingly this afternoon the president and secretary of state pompeo will meet in secret with Russian Foreign minister with the Russian Foreign minutes minister. Ruin intelligence has been pushing the baseless theory that ukraine interfered in the elections, not just putin. certainly republican senators have stunningly repeated that falsehood around these corridors, and now President Trump and secretary of state pompeo are meeting with the Russian Foreign minister in secret. What new conspiracies are they cooking up with the foreign minister today . I worry. The president has been so unable to articulate the defense of the facts uncovered in the impeachment inquiry that he has resorted to one conspiracy to the next. His allies, including members of the republican caucus, have elevated several of these theories. Here in the senate certain members of the grand old party are forming their own conspiracy caucus. Any crazy conspiracy, whether launched by putin or some wildeyed crazy conspiracy theorists who manages, of course, all the time to get on fox news and have his story or her story repeated some of my colleagues just repeat even though its clear they are false and they know they are false. Angus king had a great opt hed in u. S. A. Today, and it basically said if what the impeachment proceeding has found if what the impeachment proceeding has found is false, then where are the trump people to refute it . Not to come up with some irrelevant Conspiracy Theory and bring this one or that one into it that has nothing to do with it, but actually refute the facts. Where is that . President trump has not refuted a single fact that the impeachment inquiry has found. None of his people have been willing to come forward who would have knowledge to refute those facts if those facts were false. And so they try to create a shiny object, a diversion, and, unfortunately, too many of the news media on the right will spend time on that diversion and repeat trumps claim that the actual facts are false. This is had is the beginning of this is the beginning of the end of a democracy. When we cant have truth. We can disagree on the outcome of those facts, but we cant have truth of fact and everything is fake news, particularly those from the right who dont like the truth, and conspiracy theories that have no basis, in fact govern, our democracy is at risk. Its one of the main reasons so Many Americans believe, whatever their ideology, that President Trump should not be president. The conspiracy theories are not harmless. They are sinister, they are insidious, they erode the democratic fabric of this country, they erode the truth which sat the basis of democracy and help putin sow discord in our country. The conspiracies need to stop. If the white house would like to submit evidence or offer witnesses to make the president s case, please do so. They havent done it once. Instead, the white house is blocking documents and withholding witnesses who could potentially defend the president s action, a surefire sign, as angus king said in his opt hed that the oped that the president has something to hide. Given the house announced it would write two articles of impeachment this morning, the white houses refusal to rebut the evidence under oath is something not lost on the members of the United States senate who could soon be judges and jurors in a senate trial. On another happier subject. Over the weekend, negotiations on the annual defense bill con cueded concluded. There are lots of things missing in that bill, things that should have been included but were blocked by the republican majority in the senate. But theres one very good thing. I am, among a few others, i am proud that the bill will now provide all federal employees with 12 weeks of paid parental leave, something democrats have pursued for a long time. Once the ndaa is passed, hopefully in the coming week, two million federal employees will no longer have to choose between caring for a newborn and putting food on the table. This is huge, huge news. It will make the lives of millions of families better. You have a newborn baby that needs care, he or she. I just had a grandson, he turned 1, i know just exactly what its like. If both a mom and dad work, or its a singleparent family, what will that family do . Its one of the decisions that impedes on a new birth. In other countries there is something called paid family leave where you can take off three months and raise the child in those early days when he or she is helpless. In the u. S. Some private companies that are progressive do it, but not enough. Well, now all federal employees will get that opportunity, parental leave. It recognizes the changes in the world. When i was growing up, my mom stayed at home while my dad went to work. He was an exterminator. Thats not the norm anymore. Most families have two working parents, and we have lots of Single Parents who bear the load of raising a family. All it takes is one serious illness, complication or accident to wreak financial havoc on that family. Its no surprise that paid family lead ranks near the top of voters concerns. The United States is the only developed nation in the world that does not guarantee paid leave for parents of newborns or newly