Every Child Achieves Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, last week I had a chance to travel the
State of Texas. Of course, the Presiding Officer can imagine, I had a
chance to move around the State to listen to what people were saying
and, frankly, to tell them what it is we have done on their behalf in
the Senate so far this year. By and large, I heard that folks are happy
to see the Senate back to work, under new management, and getting
things done that they elected us to do.

I spent a good amount of time out in West Texas and in the panhandle
and had a chance to speak to a number of farmers and ranchers in that
part of the State. They are, frankly, very pleased to hear that they
will soon have access to new markets in Asia now that the trade
promotion authority bill has been passed and is the law of the land,
and we are currently in the final stages of negotiating the Trans-
Pacific Partnership.

The trade promotion authority, of course, passed last month and was
signed by the President, and it represents a true bipartisan
accomplishment between Congress and the President. While it is true
that I disagree with the President more often than I agree with him, in
this case we can both agree that opening new markets for our farmers,
ranchers, and our small business people is good for our States and good
for the country.

Getting Texas beef, cattle, cotton, and other goods to new markets
translates into better jobs, better wages, and a better economic
climate for hard-working Texans. But of course passing the trade
promotion authority legislation is just one example of what this
Chamber has accomplished so far this year. Under new leadership, the
Senate has made tremendous progress from what this Senate used to be.
We have seen the return to regular order, functioning as a deliberate
body that considers a wide range of legislation to benefit the everyday
lives of the American people.

I think pointing out that we voted on more than 130 amendments,
compared to just the 15 that were voted on last year, is a great
indicator that this Chamber is actually back working the way it should.
The good news is, whether you are in the majority or the minority,
everyone is getting a chance to participate in this process, and
regular voting on amendments brought by any of our Members is now
typical and not the exception to the rule.

I mention we passed the trade legislation, but overall the Senate has
passed more than 40 bipartisan bills. We have seen 22 of those already
signed into law by President Obama. So the American people let their
voices be heard last November 4. They sent us here to do their work.
This week, we will take up another important piece of legislation. We
will take up an education bill that will ultimately give school
districts in Texas and across the country more flexibility and more
power to make the best choices for their students.

I know the HELP Committee--the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Committee--the committee of jurisdiction in education matters, has
worked hard under the leadership of Chairman Alexander and Ranking
Member Murray. They brought this bill to the floor with a unanimous
vote in the committee. So I and others look forward to an open
amendment process and a vigorous debate over our Nation's education
priorities and the important role the States play and local control
plays in making sure all students have access to educational
opportunities.

Later this week, we will likely have a chance to reconcile the
language between the House and the Senate version of the Defense
authorization bill, a bill that will help equip our Armed Forces with
the resources and give them the authorities they need to keep our
country safe. Of course, the Senate will also continue discussions on
how to responsibly address the challenges facing the highway trust fund
and find a way forward for our transportation networks.

I remain optimistic that this Chamber can ultimately take up
appropriations bills that are needed to fund our troops on the
battlefield and care for our veterans upon their return. Last month,
our Democratic friends laid out a strategy, something they called the
filibuster summer, saying unless they get 100 percent of what they
want, that they are not going to allow the Senate to proceed to
consider these appropriations bills.

Well, I would like to just remind them there is a lot of work we have
to do that needs to be done, and if we could just get back in the
spirit of this bipartisan cooperation, everybody can let their voice be
heard and their vote will count, but pure partisanship will not get the
job done. The many Texans I spoke to back home want this spirit of
diligent, focused work to continue. They certainly want to see us
provide the resources to our troops that they need to carry out their
mission. So while we have a strong track record so far in the 114th
Congress, we still have a lot of work to do. I hope my friends across
the aisle will continue to work with us on behalf of the people who
sent us here.

Separately, I know my colleagues and I are anxiously awaiting the
news of the final outcome of Secretary Kerry's ongoing negotiations
regarding Iran and its nuclear aspirations. As we all know, earlier
this year, Congress passed the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, which
guarantees that Congress, on behalf of the American people, will have
time to study, scrutinize, debate, and then ultimately vote on whether
we approve or disapprove of the negotiated deal between Secretary Kerry
and the administration and Tehran.

If the President reaches a deal with Iran by Thursday, then Congress
will have up to 30 days to review it and then to vote on whether to
approve it. As I have said all along, I have grave concerns about how
the President has been negotiating with one of our foremost
adversaries, a country that constantly threatens the American people
and our allies and has done nothing to garner our trust or respect.

The broad outlines of the deal--of the potential deal--we have seen
reported in the press don't look particularly promising. It seems to
get actually worse by the day. So I strongly encourage the President
and Secretary Kerry to remember that if you want a deal badly enough,
that is exactly what you are going to get is a bad deal. So ``any deal
at any cost'' is not the mantra of the American people who are
understandably very wary of any agreement with Iran.

But, fortunately, the Senate has proved we will not stand by and
watch the President as he makes far-reaching agreements without the
consent of the American people through their elected representatives.
So I look forward to working with my colleagues to give very careful
scrutiny, certainly the sort of scrutiny this proposed deal deserves,
to make sure our country's best interests are protected. If this deal
does not protect our national security and the security of the region
and our allies, Congress may have no other choice than to vote it down
by passing a resolution of disapproval.

I yield the floor.

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