Amending the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act of 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I want to begin this afternoon by commending the men and women who make up the world's most capable military. Over the weekend, America's all-volunteer Armed Forces executed a challenging mission with precision and with excellence. At the President's order, the United States joined with our British and French allies in military action to respond to Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people.

I support both the actions taken and the underlying objectives.

The tactics the Assad regime has deployed to consolidate gains and terrorize the people of Syria have stood in defiance of the clear U.S. position that the use of chemical weapons is simply unacceptable. It was time to act.

Americans have become used to flawless execution on the part of our uniformed military. Times like these compel us to pause and appreciate their excellence and their heroism. We must remember that none of it could occur without extensive training, careful planning, robust investment, and the professionalism, dedication, and bravery of our servicemembers.

Mr. President, on a completely different matter, this afternoon the Senate will vote to advance legislation from Senator Moran that would bolster the proper sovereignty of American Indian Tribes in the face of excessive Federal regulations.

From the passage of the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 all the way until 2004, the NLRB respected the sovereignty status of Tribal government employers. But because the law does not technically provide that exemption, the NLRB discarded that precedent in 2004 and has become entangled in local Tribal decisions.

By intervening in Tribal affairs on a case-by-case basis, the NLRB has effectively been picking winners and losers among different businesses. The result has been regulatory confusion and a lessening of Tribal governments' authority to govern their own lands.

This legislation would correct the 83-year-old oversight that led to this confusion. It would codify in law that federally recognized Tribal governments should be exempt from such regulation, just like other State and local governments.

More than 160 Tribes, Tribal corporations, and Tribal trade associations support Senator Moran's legislation. I am proud to support it as well, and I urge every one of us to vote to advance the bill later this afternoon.

Tax Reform

Mr. President, tomorrow's tax filing deadline is not exactly a national holiday, but millions of Americans use the end of tax season as a time to pause and to take stock. In recent weeks, at kitchen tables in Kentucky and across the country, working families have been crunching the numbers. For too long, our country's outdated and unfair Tax Code made life more difficult than it needed to be for middle-class families. Now all of that is changing.

Tomorrow marks the last time America's working families, entrepreneurs, and job creators will have to file under that old Tax Code. This Republican Congress and President Trump got rid of it and put a brandnew 21st century Tax Code in its place. Now Americans are rightly anticipating a better year ahead, and they aren't having to wait very long.

President Trump is in Florida today to hold a roundtable discussion with small business owners. On Main Streets from Miami to Tallahassee, tax reform is empowering local employers to create more prosperity for their employees and for their communities.

In Melbourne, the owner of Stellar Transport, a shuttle service that works closely with Florida's elderly, is using tax savings to raise wages, expand paid vacation, and cover a 26-percent increase in healthcare costs for his 60 employees.

In Jacksonville, Magellan Transport Logistics is planning to buy a new 47,000-square-foot facility and hire 100 new employees as part of an ambitious plan to succeed under the new pro-growth Tax Code. Of course, these are among the first fruits of the U.S. economy under this historic new law.

Millions of U.S. workers are receiving bonuses, raises, and special benefits, not to mention lower utility rates and increased opportunities. As employers adopt new withholding practices, more and more workers will see more of their own money going into their own pockets.

Florida's workers and entrepreneurs should be proud of Senator Rubio, who was instrumental in getting tax reform across the finish line. In particular, his efforts helped Republicans to secure a significant increase in the child tax credit.

It is surprising that Florida's senior Senator didn't want any part of all these tax cuts and new jobs. He took every opportunity to vote with every other Democrat and try to block these tax cuts from happening. Fortunately, Republicans overcame partisan opposition and made tax reform a reality. Measure Placed on the Calendar--S. 2667

Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk due for a second reading.

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Mr. McCONNELL. 140, with a further amendment.

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Mr. McCONNELL. 140 to the Committee on Commerce with instructions to report back forthwith.
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Mr. McCONNELL.

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