Were grateful that we can turn to you throughout lifes seasons, for you are the source of our hope for the years to come. Lord in a world of change and decay, you remain the same yesterday, today and forever. Strengthen our lawmakers with your spirit and inspire them with your precepts. May they always place their confidence in you, for your steadfast love and faithfulness sustain us. Undergrid america with a foundation of right living that exalts a nation, as you deliver us from the evils that Bring National decline. Surround us all with the shield of your divine favor. We pray in your sacred name. Amen. The president pro tempore 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 receive a message from the house of representatives. The majority secretary mr. President , a message from the house of representatives. The presiding officer mr. Clerk. The House Reading clerk i have been directed by the house of representatives to inform the senate that the house has passed house concurrent resolution 27, a concurrent resolution establishing the budget for the United States government for fiscal year 2016, and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2017 2025, in which the concurrence of the senate is requested. The presiding officer the message will be received. The democratic leader. Mr. Reid another day another report highlighting how obamacare is helping americans. Todays proof comes from a gallup poll which finds that nine out of ten americans report having health insurance. Here are a few excerpts from an Associated Press story about this poll. Underlining a change across the nation nearly nine out of ten adults now say they have health insurance, according to this Extensive Survey which was released today. A gallup poll found that the share of adults who lack insurance dropped to 11. 9 for the first three months of this year the lowest level since the survey began its tracking. Coverage gains from 20142015 translate to about 3. 6 million fewer adults uninsured since the fall. The Affordable Care act has three major objectives increased coverage, slower rate of increase in costs and improved health. The first one is clearly a win said dan winners research for the poll. Coverage is increasing. There is no question about it. On balance, it is estimated 14. 75 million adults have gained coverage since the fall of 2013 when the laws first open enrollment season was about to begin. The survey also found that hispanic saw the biggest coverage gains of any ethnic or racial group. At a time when republicans are very keenly trying to court the hispanic vote, i will repeat that said mr. Winters. At a time when the republicans are very keenly trying to court the hispanic vote, a large chunk of hispanics are gaining insurance via the Affordable Care act. Recent gains in coverage have benefited people up and down the income ladder, but the most notable improvement has been among those making less than 36,000 a year, a group that traditionally struggled to get and keep health insurance. Mr. President , a little short comment on this. You know, when we have people who make less than 36,000 a year have insurance coverage, it saves us money. Theyre not having to go to their primary care physician which is an emergency room, the highest cost of Health Care Delivery of anything within the United States, so this is really really, really very good news for america. Obamacare is working. More and more evidence is mounting every day. So its time we stop trying to destroy the law that is helping millions and millions of americans. Mr. President , lets talk a little bit about Loretta Lynch. We have now passed the first 100 days of the republicancontrolled senate. We all remember the lofty promises made by the republican leader and his party before they assumed party but were still struggling to finish two issues that should have been resolved weeks ago. Democrats have been ready to move forward on both the Loretta Lynch nomination and the socalled doc fix. This doc fix that were going to talk about a little later is so important, not only for the doctors but also for their patients. Medicare is an important part of our Health Care Delivery system and it really benefits older americans. Today marks though, the 157th day since president obama first nominated Loretta Lynch as attorney general. For more than five months, democrats have been ready to take up and confirm Loretta Lynchs nomination, but in november of last year back in november of last year, after she was first nominated the republican leader said quote miss lynch will receive fair consideration by the senate and her nomination should be considered in the new congress through regular order. Im not making this up. This is what the republican leader said. I quote it verbatim. Even though democrats were ready to move the nomination before we before the elections there were some republicans that said we would like a little more time to take a look at her and we agreed to that. We based this upon what the republican leader said, that she would receive fair consideration by the senate. Well that hasnt happened. January came and went, and Loretta Lynchs nomination never got a confirmation vote on the floor. Democrats were ready to confirm a new attorney general but republicans werent and arent. February and march flew by and republicans still arent ready. Now were halfway through april and once again Senate Democrats are ready and willing to confirm the new attorney general but the republicans are not. Miss lynch has a spotless record. No one can question her integrity, her background, and theres no question that she shouldnt have to wait any longer. Mr. President , lets spend a little bit of time talking about the Sustainable Growth rate, the doc fix or the s. G. R. Before the senate recessed for the easter break republicans were unable to agree on how to prevent a physician pay cut. We were ready to proceed and last night on the last night we were here. We said when we come back, we still want to move this forward. We want three simple amendments, and we still feel the same way. Were willing not only to have those amendments, but we will give a very, very short time agreement on each one of them. The republican leader said when the bills come to the floor he wants to have amendments. We dont want to amend this bill to death. We want three simple amendments. We said that the night we were here closing the senate for the easter recess, and we say it again. I wish republicans would have joined us years ago in our efforts to repeal this faulty law, but they didnt do that. But regardless of the history we have an urgent need before us today to get this bill done. Each day that passes without doing this s. G. R. , this Sustainable Growth rate, to get rid of it is basically what were doing, would be a good day for america and it also would be a good day for america if we can confirm Loretta Lynch. Each day that passes without her confirmation without a doc fix is just another example of republicans inability to govern. Mr. President , would you announce the business of the day . The presiding officer under the previous order the leadership time is reserved. Under the previous order, there will now be a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. Under the previous order the veto message to accompany s. J. Res. 8 is considered as having been read and it will be printed in the record and spread in full upon the journal. Mr. Hatch mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from utah. Mr. Hatch mr. President id like to take a few minutes once again to talk about the ongoing effort here in congress to replace the medicare Sustainable Growth rate or s. G. R. Formula. As we all know, s. G. R. Has been a problem pretty much since its inception. Members of both parties are tired of passing temporary s. G. R. Patches that have usually been cobbled together at the last minute behind closed doors. This constant, seemingly unending cycle has only grown more tiresome as the years have gone by. Thats why a little over two years ago a group of leaders in both the house and the senate set out to fix this problem once and for all. I was part of this effort, mr. President. I was joined in the senate side by former finance Committee Chairman max baucus. Together senator baucus and i worked with the leaders on the house energy and commerce and ways and means committees to craft legislation that would repeal and replace the s. G. R. With an improved Payment System that rewards quality efficiency and innovation. While many critics deemed our efforts a lost cause we introduced our bill in late 2013 and got it reported out of the finance committee on a voice vote. That same legislation formed the basis of the s. G. R. Bill that passed overwhelmingly in the house with 392 votes at the end of march. Now the bill is before the senate. It is my hope that we will act quickly to pass this bipartisan, bicameral legislation and send it to the president s desk as soon as possible. This s. G. R. Bill is historic for a number of reasons. First of all it demonstrates what congress is truly capable of when members work together, and while that type of cooperation used to be commonplace around here, it has in recent years been in short supply. The bill also represents a step forward in the effort to reform our nations entitlement programs. The bill contains bipartisan reforms to the Medicare Program and its not limited to fixing the broken s. G. R. System. To go along with the permanent s. G. R. Fix the bill includes a meaningful down payment on medicare reform without any accompanying tax hikes. These reforms include a limitation on socalled medigap first dollar coverage, more robust means testing for Medicare Parts b and d and Program Integrity provisions that will strengthen medicares ability to fight fraud. Im aware that these are not transformative reforms and that much more work will be necessary to put medicare, not to mention our other entitlement programs, on a more sustainable trajectory. However, any senators, who like me, have been clamoring for entitlement reforms should welcome these changes. After all for years the idea of bipartisan medicare reforms seemed at least farfetched. President obama and his allies here in congress have stated repeatedly that before theyd consider changes to our safety net programs, republicans would have to agree to massive tax hikes, but here we are just one senate vote away from enacting meaningful and bipartisan medicare reforms into law. Of course, as i said last month before the house vote, this bill is not perfect. Anyone who is determined to vote no could likely dig through the bill and find a reason to do so. I have my own thoughts as to how id like to improve the bill, but lets be honest. While ive only been in the senate for 38 years or so, i dont remember voting on many perfect bills particularly not on a subject matter this complex and under a divided government. So while i understand the impulse that some may have to hold out for a better, more ideal solution to the s. G. R. Problem, i think it would be a grave mistake to pass up this bipartisan opportunity we have before us now. As i see it, we have two options. We can hold out for a better bill one that satisfies every demand and subject ourselves to many more years of the lastminute, timeconsuming s. G. R. Patches that are loathed by everyone in congress and everyone in the Health Care Industry or we can pass the bipartisan bicameral bill we have before us now fixing the s. G. R. Problem once and for all and setting the stage for future entitlement reform. It should be pretty clear where i stand mr. President. This is a good bill, and its coming at the right time. I want to commend the leaders in the house from both parties that worked so hard to reach a deal not to this legislation and to pass it with such an overwhelming consensus. I know it wasnt easy. It is now up to us here in the senate. Lets get this done the president. I hope all of my colleagues will join me in supporting the gathering bill wetland with s. G. R. Bill and with that i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call you you you go you us mr. Nelson mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from florida. Mr. Nelson mr. President i ask consent that the quorum call be lifted. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Nelson thank you mr. President. Mr. President , over the course of the easter recess i went to meet with the president of honduras president her hernandez president hernandez about the limited albeit progress that his country is making against crime as well as all the drugs that are coming in. I had gone to honduras with our fourstar marine general general kelley, the commander of United StatesSouthern Command and between the u. S. Military and the coast guard, we have been successful. As a matter of fact, i even went on some simulated drug interdictions out in the crabbian off of key west out in the caribbean off of key west. They showed me how one coast guard fast boat can interdict a drug smuggler fast boat. Ans basically they shoot out the engines. They can do that from another fast boat or they can do that from a helicopter. That has had an effect. There are less drugs coming out of south america going into honduras, which is one of the three Central American countries that had become so prime for the drug trade. They come in in big shipments into honduras, el salvador, guatemala. Then they break them down into much smaller packets and go through this very efficient Distribution System that goes north through the rest of Central America and into mexico and from there on up to the United States. Its hard to catch them when there are the much smaller packets of cocaine going north. And, therefore we really made an effort to assist the three Central American countries guatemala, el salvador, and honduras. Needless to say theres a lot of corruption in the governments, the local police of all of those three countries and, as a result, the drug lords find it fairly easy pickins to buy off people and buy off gums. So president hernandez came into office wanting to really make a difference. He started doing some shows of force. Hes worked with general kelley on this. But the fact is that it is still a very violent country with not only the drug trade but also human trafficking. But the trends are in the right direction. A year ago honduras was the murder capital of the world. It was about 86 murders per 100,000 of population. They have cut that down to about 66 per 100,000 of population still very, very high. But the trefnedz trend is in the right direction. And so i want to commend president hernandez. I want to commend the first lady of the country. They have been trying to help their country with its economy so that the extreme poverty that is so evident in that part of the world is not a caldron bubbling that is ripe for corruption and for paying off people to transport the drugs. In addition, of course, theres the human trafficking. Theres part of it for the sex slaves and thats a trade that often parents sending their children north thinking they will have a better life and the young girls are just brutally treated and ultimately forced into prostitution. But part of it is also because of the poverty the hopelessness of the parents that their children have no future, and they are willing to turn, after paying thousands and thousands of dollars to a human trafficker trafficker theyre willing to turn their children over to a coyote to transport those children to the north. Now, some of them do make it dont make it. The and it is true and it is true. Some of the reforms that the hernandez government have been putting in place have lessened the migration of these young. But theres a lot more to do. And thats where i would commend the senate to take a look at the administrations request for Central America. They call it its got a name Something Like progress for alliance. Its about a billion dollar appropriations request that will help with the economic development, the medical care in that very poor region of the world. And if the congress will approve that request i think we will continue to see the fruits of our labors, a very positive outcome. As long as there is such a difference between the economic elites and the very poor huge majority that are very poor, were always going to have those problems. But at least we are seeing the steps in the right direction. While i was there our ambassador asked me in the assembled press to announce that in another week the Naval Hospital ship, the comfort, will be coming anchoring off the coast of honduras and for one week will offer the medical services of navy doctors and nurses and a whole host of private doctors and nurses from this country that are volunteering their time to come down and help with the medical attention that is so desperately needed in that part of the world. Mr. President , i commend the senate that we seriously consider favorably the request of the administration for this billiondollar request into Central America. At the end of the day its going to lessen the drug trade going north through those countries and stop the family deprivation lessen the family deprivation of which they would dare risk their children to be sent north with a coyote. Mr. President , i yield the f