Paycheck Fairness Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

9/11 TRIBUTE

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday I joined Congressional leaders in awarding three Congressional Gold Medals to the memory of thousands of men and women who perished so tragically on this very day 13 years ago. Every American that morning bore witness to the terrible tragedy and suffering. But that was not all we witnessed. We also saw incredible acts of bravery and compassion and heroism. We saw it in a great city. We saw it on the edge of the Capitol. We heard about it high above the clouds. The sacrifices of those heroes of 9/11 inspired us then and they inspire us now. The memory of every man and woman who perished so tragically that day continues to serve as a unifying force for our Nation. We will never stop honoring them.

ISIL

Mr. President, the American people have a lot on their minds these days. Among their greatest concerns is the threat of ISIL, the brutal terror group that recently beheaded two American journalists. ISIL is growing stronger by the day and it is lethal. Every day we wait to confront them is a day they grow more deadly. I and others have called on the President to provide us with a comprehensive plan to defeat this menace. Last night, he described to the Nation what our military, intelligence, and diplomatic corps are doing to confront this threat, and outlined ways he will expand on existing operations.

Over the next week, following a series of briefings, Congress will work with the administration to ensure that our forces have the resources they need to carry out these missions. Specifically, the President set forth a near-term concept of operations to enhance the defense of Baghdad and Kurdistan, a midterm plan for retaking Anbar Province and Mosul from ISIL, and a long-term plan to contain ISIL within Syria.

The defense of Baghdad will require an air campaign to strike ISIL and target them within Iraq and extending into Syria. The midterm plan requires a new train-and-equip program and an increased scale to return the Iraqi security forces to the fight at a higher degree of combat readiness.

The President also envisions an effort to regain the trust and cooperation of the Sunni tribes through a new territorial or national guard, the same tribes and friends we abandoned when we completely withdrew from Iraq. The President's long-term plan, which is now clear, will be a responsibility left to the next administration, will be an effort to field a viable indigenous ground combat component to defeat ISIL within Syria.

Today, the President's staff will begin briefing the Senate on what will be required of our Armed Forces and intelligence community to effectuate this indefinite campaign, which we now know will include a multiyear air war of attrition. My expectation is that the administration will explain how best to build a moderate Syrian opposition capable of defeating ISIL. I am hoping the Congress will consider what this new multiyear campaign will mean for the overall defense program, the need to modernize our military, to retain dominance of the air and sea in the Asia Pacific theatre, to revitalize NATO in the face of Russian aggression, and how to field additional force structure and combat power into the U.S. Pacific Command now that Europe and Central Command require additional tactical units and capabilities. Our Nation must also rebuild a nuclear triad.

That said, I am glad the President has brought a new focus to the effort against ISIL. He needs to take this responsibility head on. This Congress, the next Congress, and the next administration have serious work ahead as we consider this multiyear commitment and what it will take to defeat ISIL.

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

One more point. Given the urgency of this situation, I have to say it is a little disconcerting to see the Democrat-led Senate focusing on things such as reducing free speech protections from the American people. At a time when the rest of the country is worried about the threat of ISIL, at a time when millions wonder how they are ever going to find a job in this awful economy, at a time when we find out the crushing Federal regulations have gotten so out of control that they now cost the economy more than $2 trillion a year, this is what they choose to make their top legislative priority this week, taking an eraser to the First Amendment?

Now they plan to devote almost all the remaining time between now and November to what Democrats like to call messaging bills. These are bills designed intentionally to fail so that Democrats can make campaign ads about them failing. Yesterday, Roll Call got hold of an email from a Democratic aide who let the truth slip without meaning to. His email said that Senate Democrats plan to either "slam Republicans'' for blocking the latest designed-to-fail bill or slam Republicans for voting to go ahead and debate the bill. How cynical can that be? The email just confirmed what everybody already knew, that Senate Democrats have zero intention of passing the bill before us today. Passage of this bill would represent failure for them. All they want is fodder for campaign commercials. That is why they refuse to address the growing crisis at home and abroad. That is why they obstruct nearly every good bipartisan bill from the House of Representatives. They even bury bipartisan bills that would help create jobs and help struggling middle-class families.

It is long past time for the Democrats to get serious. We were lucky to get serious things done for the Americans who sent us here. We need to let the Senate start doing that kind of thing. A good start would be to take up the dozens, literally dozens, of bipartisan jobs bills the House of Representatives has already sent us. Let's send those to the President's desk ASAP. Let's help make it easier to put the American people back to work.

Let's take up other commonsense legislation, such as a bipartisan bill that just passed the House on Tuesday with the votes of dozens of Democrats. The bill, which is similar to legislation I have cosponsored, would stop the administration from implementing a so-called "waters of the U.S.'' proposal that would allow it to regulate and fine almost every pothole and ditch in the country.

Passing this bill is critical to protecting the property rights of every American, especially farmers. One Kentucky farmer from Shelby County wrote me the other day to explain how the administration's heavyhanded regulation would affect him. He lamented that "The White House clearly wants me to spend more time figuring out additional permitting requirements and less time growing food for American families.''

Let's work together to fix this problem along with the many other serious challenges facing our country. Let's address the threat of ISIL together. Let's pass serious jobs bills together. Let's take Senate Democrats' focus off saving the jobs of Democratic politicians and start focusing on the needs of the American people instead.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source