Today, use our senators for your purposes, enabling them to live worthy of your name. May the words they speak bring edification and unity as they build bridges of cooperation. Give them the wisdom to depart from strife, remembering that soft answers turn away anger. Inspire them to avoid contention in their search for common ground. Give them cheerful hearts and optimistic spirits. We pray in your great 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 , 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. Mcconnell i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i understand theres a bill at the desk due a second reading. The presiding officer the clerk will read the title of the bill for a second time. The clerk h. R. 6297, an act to reauthorize the iran sanctions act of 1996. Mr. Mcconnell in order to place the bill on the calendar under provisions of rule 14, i would object to further proceedings. The presiding officer objection is heard. The bill will be placed on the calendar. Mr. Mcconnell i now ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined between the majority leader after consultation with the democratic leader, the senate proceed to the consideration of h. R. 6297 which was received from the house. Further, that the bill be read a third time and the senate vote on passage of the bill with no intervening action or debate. Finally, if passed, that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. Mr. Reid mr. President , reserving the right to object. The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Reid thank you. The chair of the Ranking Member of the intelligence committee, senator feinstein has had some trouble with this. I spoke to her last night. She said go ahead and let this go. Shes totally in agreement now that there would be time for debate on this issue and a vote. We understand that. So i have no objection to this matter. The presiding officer without objection. So ordered. Mr. Mcconnell so this week senators will have a chance to pass the iran sanctions extension bill that recently passed the house on an overwhelming vote. Preserving the sanctions is critical given irans disturbing pattern of aggression and its persistent efforts to expand its influence across the middle east. Its all more important given how the administration has ignored irans efforts to upset the balance of power in the greater middle east and how its been held hostage by irans threats to withdraw from the nuclear agreement. The authorities extended by this bill give us some of the tools needed to impose sanctions if necessary to hold iran accountable and help keep americans safer from this threat. I expect that next year the new congress and the new administration will undertake a review of our overall policy toward iran and these authorities should remain in place as we address how best to deal with the Iranian Missile test, support to hezbollah, and support of the syrian regime. As we come to the end of this year and of this congress, well continue our efforts to complete the business before us. Members have been working diligently on their respective conference committees to conclude the outstanding conference reports on the Defense Authorization bill, the water ways infrastructure and resources bill, and the Energy Policy modernization bill. I look forward to the full Senate Taking up these measures as they are available so we can pass final legislation to be signed into law. In the coming days, the senate will also consider a critical and bipartisan medical innovation bill known as the 21st century cures as well as a continuing resolution to keep the government funded and carry us into the spring. Mr. Reid note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call the presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Reid i can consent the quorum call be terminated. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Reid mr. President , yesterday it was at the university of las vegas and deserves some attention here this morning and ill take brief time talking about that. The students who operate that newspaper made the Bold Decision to change the name of the newspaper. Its been going on for, somewhat controversial now for quite some time. The newspaper will no longer be called the rebel yell. There were many who felt that that was a disparaging name for the paper, that the civil war ended a long time ago, and we shouldnt hearken back to the civil war and the confederacy for that newspaper. Now the newspaper will be scald the scarlet gray, the free press. Im happy to have brian here who is a member of my press staff who is the editor and chief of that newspaper. He ran the newspaper when he was at unlv. Im proud of the students who did this. Seven months ago when the students announced their intention to change the name of the paper, i publicly supported them. Now that theyve followed through, im amazed by their leadership and their courage in doing the right thing. The name change wasnt easy. There was a lot of debate swirling around this issue on campus and throughout the state, but these students were more interested in unifying the student body and rejecting hateful symbols of racism and a divisive past rather than hiding behind tradition. Now its time for the university and the administration especially do the right thing and get rid of their rebel mass scott. While these young men and women, what theyve done is a lesson for all of us. Some politicians, state legislatures and National Football and the Football LeagueNational Football league can learn a thing or two from these students. I applaud them for doing the right thing. Theyve long been an independent voice for the students and i congratulate my able staff member brian for urging me to move forward on this matter for many months now. Mr. President , as the republican leader mentioned a minute or to two ago, the senate has important work to do before this congress can come to a close. One of the pieces of legislation that has to be addressed is the cures act. Scaledback version of the 21st century cures legislation, the house is scheduled to consider tomorrow. The staffs of the senate help committee, house judiciary and Commerce Committee have worked countless hours on this bill. Theyve missed time with their families and given up vacations in hopes of reaching a bipartisan agreement for more than a year. There are many priorities in this bill to address, funding for opioid which has been an ongoing problem, with all the deaths occurring a daily basis, weve done nothing to help with that. Nothing. We of course are concerned about cancer and the advocacy of Vice President biden and the socalled moonshot are important provisions for the National Institutes of health. There are other key issues outstanding that will need to be resolved in this matter. Its my understanding that the Committee Work continues in the house and we can expect a managers amendment and House Rules Committee sometime tonight. So were all eager to see what that is going to be. We know its different from the senate bill which we felt very good about. By the end of next week, well have to pass new legislation to ensure that the government doesnt shut down for lack of funding. But also we also have to be concerned what happens with that cures act. Is this going to be put over again as we put over Opioid Funding time and time again over the past several years . Are we going to move forward with something thats constructive in nature . Right now theres some angst in my caucus about what we should do. Now, funding, im very disappointed that Republican Leadership appears unwilling to pass a comprehensive bill that reflects the careful and considered judgment of the Appropriations Committee. With only days left in this congress, we should be working on a bipartisan bill in a manner thats bipartisan, set out our priorities but thats not happening. We should be Funding Initiatives that serve important needs and eliminate others that are wasteful and of a lower priori priority. Instead it appears were going to pass another continuing resolution that just sets the government on autopilot potentially for many months. The exact months we dont know. There is some dispute among the Republican Leadership as to long the c. R. Is going to be. This is punting for lack of a better description. The only thing we can do is punt and see what happens. Its irresponsible and its wasteful and its not the way we should be doing the business of this congress. Mr. President , i would ask that announce the business of the day. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Under the previous order, the senate will be in a period of morning business until 11 00 a. M. With senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. The assistant democratic leader. Mr. Durbin 15 years ago i had a woman contact my office in chicago. She had a problem. It turned o out that here daughter who was about 17 or 18 years old at the time had an extraordinary musical talent and had been accepted as a student at manhattan conservatory of music as well as the Juilliard School of music in new york. The problem was that her daughter was undocumented. She brought her little girl to the United States at the age of 2. Teresa lee, this korean girl, was raised in the United States by a family of very modest means, but she showed extraordinary talent at music, so much so that she was accepted at these great schools. When she went to fill out the application form, they asked her her nationality, citizenship status. She turned to her mother and said what should i put here . Her mother said i never filed any papers after we brought you to this country so i dont know. They called our office and the law was very clear. This young girl who for 15 or 16 years had grown up in chicago, modest circumstances, gone to school, done well, excelled in her music, was in fact undocumented. Under the law of the United States of america, the only recourse for her and its still the case was to leave this country for ten years and apply to come back. Ten years. I thought to myself this little girl had nothing to say when the family decided to move to the United States when she was 2 years of age. She wasnt consulted. She didnt make a conscious decision. She in fact did everything she was expected to do in her life. She grew up believing that she would be an american, that she would be part of this countrys future, but she was in this undocumented status, an uncertain status. Thats why 15 years ago i introduced the dream act that said for young women and men like teresa lee, well give you a chance. If you were brought here as a child to the United States and youve gone through school and done well, you have no serious criminal issues that worry us, well give you a chance to earn your way into legal status and ultimately citizenship. Well, the dream act was introduced 15 years ago and over the last 15 years its passed in the house some years, the senate other years. Its never become the law of the land. It was a few years ago that i wrote a letter to thenpresident obama, still president obama, and asked him as a cosponsor of my dream act could he do something to help these young people who were fearful that they were going to be deported. Senator lugar of indiana, a republican, joined me in the letter and later some 20 other senators joined as well. President obama studied it, asked his attorney general and others to find a path. He created an executive order. That executive order allows those who have been in the status of teresa lee a chance under the deferred action for Childhood Arrivals Program or daca program, to sign up with the government, to register with the government, to pay a filing fee of almost 500, to go through a criminal background check, and for that, if approved, receive a twoyear temporary and renewable status. That status would allow them to stay in the United States without fear of deportation and would allow them to work. Well, since the president signed the executive order, 744,000 young people have taken advantage of it. Many of their parents warned them. They said be careful. If you sign up with this government and tell them youre not here legally, they might use it against you. Some of those students, young people and their parents came to me with that concern, and i said to them as long as you are following the law, as long as you are paying the fee, submitting yourself to a criminal background check and understand this is only a temporary situation that can be renewed, do it. Be part of america. Be part of obeying the law and following the law and ultimately i think it will be to your benefit. I could not have imagined when i gave that advice that we would be facing a new president coming in in just a few weeks with a totally different view on immigration. That president elect donald trump has said some very hurtful and divisive things about immigration during the course of his campaign, but fortunately for us it appears that he is reflecting on those statements now, and some of those hes modifying if not changing. I hope hell do the same when it comes to this. These 744,000 dacaeligible currently in the program as well as others who would be eligible should be given their chance in america. As long as they are no threat to our country, we should capitalize on their talents, on the education that they have received that we paid for and give them a chance to make america better. As i have stood here many times, i will today and tell the story of just one of these students. Its one thing to talk about what they might bring to this country. Its another thing to get to know them a little bit. This is a photograph of yuri hernandez. Yuri was 3 years old when her family brought her to the United States from mexico. She grew up in coos bay, oregon. In high school, she was an honor roll student, active in her community. She was an active member of the key club, the key juan is service the Kiwanis Service program for students. She went on to attend the university of portland where she graduated with a branch lors degree in social work. She received numerous awards, was involved in many extra curricular and volunteer activities. She was Vice President of the social work club, a board member of the National Association of social workers and a member of oregonians against human trafficking. When you hear about her record in college and what she has achieved, remember this. This young lady did not qualify for one penny of federal assistance. Because she is undocumented, because she is a dreamer, she was ineligible for the things that many students take for granted in america pell grants, government loans. Yuri had to find another way to do this. She had to work her way through school, borrowing money from parents. She faced hardships that many students dont face, but she overcame them, and that speaks to her, her character and her determination. She volunteered as a tutor for atrisk Elementary School students, and during her senior year in college, she was a fulltime student n and a fulltime worker to pay for her college education. Do we need persons in america like yuri . So determined, so committed to their future that theyre willing to make sacrifices many students dont make . Well, of course we do. Yuri is now a graduate student at the university of michigan social work. Again, she doesnt qualify for any government assistance to go to school. Shes planning a graduate degree in masters in social work in the fall of 2017, and she still finds time to tutor and Mentor High School students. She wants to give back to america. She wrote me a letter, and heres what yuri said about the daca program daca opened a lot of doors. I no longer wake up every day fearing that i could be picked up and deported out of the United States. Daca changed my life completely and allowed me to use my education. Would america be better if yuri is deported, if she is sent away from this country to a country she has never known, one that she was taken away from when she was a child of 3 years of age . I think the answers obvious. And for her and for thousands just like her, this is a moment of testing. Will we in the United States of america, this nation of immigrants, this diverse nation which believes in fairness and justice, give to the dreamers those Daca Recipients their chance to prove themselves . Will we hold these children responsible for decisions made by their parents or will we give them their own chance in life . Mr. President , over the last few weeks, i have been back home to illinois and i have talked to a lot of people who have come to know these Daca Recipients and dreamers. Many of these young people are despondent. Theyre afraid that with the new president , theyre going to lose any protection they currently have from deportation. Some of them descrifn to despair. Some have decide some have been driven to despair. Some have decided to leave the country. In some rare cases, there have been cases of suicide in their despondency. We can do br in america. We could say to these young people while C