Omnibus and Tax Relief Legislation

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the American people have two principal concerns: our Nation's security and the economy. The legislation we will soon consider will help address both. It would enact permanent tax relief for American families and small businesses. That will lead to more jobs, more opportunity, and more economic growth here in America.NOTICE If the 114th Congress, 1st Session, adjourns sine die on or before December 24, 2015, a final issue of the Congressional Record for the 114th Congress, 1st Session, will be published on Thursday, December 31, 2015, to permit Members to insert statements. All material for insertion must be signed by the Member and delivered to the respective offices of the Official Reporters of Debates (Room HT-59 or S-123 of the Capitol), Monday through Friday, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. through Wednesday, December 30. The final issue will be dated Thursday, December 31, 2015, and will be delivered on Monday, January 4, 2016. None of the material printed in the final issue of the Congressional Record may contain subject matter, or relate to any event, that occurred after the sine die date. Senators' statements should also be formatted according to the instructions at http://webster.senate.gov/secretary/Departments/ Reporters_Debates/resources/cong_record.pdf, and submitted electronically, either on a disk to accompany the signed statement, or by e-mail to the Official Reporters of Debates at ``Record@Sec.Senate.gov''. Members of the House of Representatives' statements may also be submitted electronically by e-mail, to accompany the signed statement, and formatted according to the instructions for the Extensions of Remarks template at https://housenet.house.gov/legislative/research-and-reference/ transcripts-and-records/electronic-congressional-record-inserts. The Official Reporters will transmit to GPO the template formatted electronic file only after receipt of, and authentication with, the hard copy, and signed manuscript. Deliver statements to the Official Reporters in Room HT-59. Members of Congress desiring to purchase reprints of material submitted for inclusion in the Congressional Record may do so by contacting the Office of Congressional Publishing Services, at the Government Publishing Office, on 512-0224, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily. By order of the Joint Committee on Printing. GREGG HARPER, Chairman.

Another way this legislation will support jobs and grow the economy is by permanently eliminating a relic from the 1970s. This 40-year energy ban has cost our economy jobs, and it strengthens oil exporters such as Iran and Russia. It is no secret that Russia views its energy resources as a foreign policy tool. It is no secret that Iran views its energy resources as a component of national power, nor is it a secret that President Obama recently granted the Iranian regime permission to export those resources. Many think it is time the American people were treated at least as fairly as Iran.

This critical energy reform would help strengthen America's jobs and America's safety, but it is only a small part of how the overall bill would support our national security. For instance, we know that preventing another crisis in military readiness will require significant investments over the medium term and over the long term. We know there is much to be done, but we also know this legislation represents a critical step forward. It would finally ensure our military has the funding it needs to train, equip, and confront the threats we face from terrorist groups like ISIL and countries like Iran.

We know that preventing another crisis in military readiness will require significant investments over the near, medium, and the long term. For instance, our air campaign over Syria and Iraq has our Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force flying sorties that will further stress the readiness of the force, and those planes need to be maintained, repaired, and ultimately replaced. We know there is much to be done, but we also know this legislation represents a critical step forward. It would finally ensure our military has more of the funding it needs to train, equip, and confront the threats we face from terrorist groups like ISIL and countries like Iran.

We know this legislation would honor our veterans by funding the health care and benefits they rely on. We know it would enact critical reforms to help address the crises we have seen at the VA.

We know this legislation would, at a time of new and evolving terror threats, bring badly needed reform to the Visa Waiver Program. We know it would bolster the FBI's ability to confront terror within our borders.

We know this legislation would prevent--I repeat, prevent--the transfer of dangerous terrorists from Guantanamo's secure detention center into our communities.

We also know this legislation would enact an important cyber security information sharing measure. It is clear that countries such as Russia, China, and Iran are determined to continue launching cyber attacks against us. We know that the administration already succumbed to a devastating cyber attack just recently. It is time to provide the American people with some long-overdue protection.

The legislation before us would go a long way toward strengthening our national security in a dangerous world. Its provisions will help advance other important conservative priorities, too, like strengthening the First Amendment and helping protect families from a health care law that attacks the middle class.

This legislation would, in the wake of the Obama administration's conservative speech-suppression scandal, enact important reforms at the IRS and force it to root out waste. These reforms will help prevent another Lois Lerner, and they would help ensure that IRS employees who target Americans for their political beliefs are actually fired.

This legislation would strip out more pieces of a partisan law that hurts the middle class. One newspaper said the measure before us would ``take an ax'' to a ``key pillar'' of ObamaCare. It would prevent a taxpayer bailout of ObamaCare as well. The administration pushed hard to reverse that last provision but did not succeed.

The legislation before us would root out waste, fraud, and abuse. It would consolidate or terminate dozens--literally dozens--of programs. It would make long-overdue reforms to our Tax Code and contains pro- life and pro-Second Amendment protections as well.

So, in my view, here is the bottom line: This legislation is worth supporting. It doesn't mean this is the legislation I would have written on my own. It doesn't mean this is the legislation Speaker Ryan would have written on his own either. It is not perfect, and we certainly didn't get everything we wanted. But it made strides in it defending our Nation at a time of global unrest. It advances conservative priorities in several areas and enacts significant reform in several areas on everything from tax relief to energy policy to cyber security.

I plan to vote for it. I hope colleagues will choose to do the same.

Before I leave the floor, I wish to acknowledge the impressive work of the chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator Orrin Hatch, on the tax side of this issue. Permanent reform was never going to be easy to come by, but this thoughtful legislator, Senator Hatch, never gave up, and he and his staff continued to work on this issue for a very long time. The result is a significant accomplishment for American families and the American economy, and I can't thank Senator Hatch enough.

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