Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, as I discussed on the floor yesterday, returning to regular order in the appropriations process is at the forefront of the Senate's agenda.

Thanks to the bipartisan work of the Appropriations Committee, led by Chairman Shelby, Ranking Member Leahy, and the subcommittee chairmen, it is actually becoming a reality. Their efforts have already produced thoughtful legislation for the full Senate to consider, beginning this week with the combined measures for the Legislative Branch, for Energy and Water, and for Military Construction and the Veterans Administration. It is those last components I would like to discuss this morning.

This year, 2018, has already brought significant legislative progress for America's men and women in uniform. Earlier this year, Congress and the President did away with arbitrary funding limits that had eroded our forces' comparative advantage. We delivered the largest year-on- year increase in funding for our troops in 15 years. Now, with the Military Construction-VA funding bill before us this week, the Senate can keep the ball rolling.

The committee's package would deliver mission-critical maintenance and improvements that are needed on installations both at home and abroad. It would support Active-Duty personnel, as well as National Guard and Reserve units. It would allocate significant resources for projects that reinforce key alliances and extend our influence around the world.

In my home State of Kentucky, it would mean major improvements to training facilities at both Fort Knox--home of the Army Cadet, Human Resources, and Recruiting Commands--and at Fort Campbell, where the 101st Airborne Division and Special Operations forces prepare for evolving missions.

But while underpinning the ongoing missions of our Active Forces, the legislation before us would also take critical steps to meet the individual needs of America's warfighters and their families here at home. It would allocate over $1.5 billion to operate and maintain military family housing facilities. It would provide for vital safety updates at overseas American military schools, part of a system that serves more than 66,000 children. Hundreds of millions in additional funding would go to build and improve the network of military medical facilities, which provide care to nearly 10 million servicemembers and military families.

Finally, within the Military Construction legislation is important funding to support our veterans. In addition to funding the maintenance and upkeep of VA health facilities, it goes further in allocating targeted resources to address the system's shortcomings.

Especially when we talk about access to prompt, quality care, the status quo is simply not good enough for America's veterans. For the more than 300,000 Kentucky veterans and for the millions of veterans nationwide, we can and we must do better. That is why this bill includes billions of dollars to improve claims processing and to cut down on backlogs. There is funding for treatment, mental health services, and preventing opioid misuse.

There are plenty of good reasons to support this appropriations package, but one of the most compelling is the support it will deliver to our all-volunteer military and those who have served our country in uniform. So let's keep this legislation moving this week. Rescissions Bill

On another matter, Mr. President, speaking of government spending, we will soon have an opportunity to save some of the money taxpayers entrust to us. Thanks to the hard work of Members, including Senator Lee and Chairman Enzi, we will soon turn to a House-passed bill that acts on the President's request to rescind nearly $15 billion in previously appropriated money that has gone unspent. This modest belt- tightening would in no way infringe on the bipartisan spending deal that Senators on both sides agreed to earlier this year. This savings package is 100 percent unrelated to that agreement.

Let me say that again. This savings package is 100 percent unrelated to the bipartisan agreement we reached earlier this year. It is totally separate. It simply pulls back a small amount of unspent funds from a variety of government accounts. If we, the people's elected representatives, want to speak seriously about stewarding taxpayer money, surely we can vote to recapture these unspent funds that are not even currently in use.

The President's modest rescissions request is entirely reasonable. It should be without controversy. I look forward to voting for it myself, and I urge my fellow Members to do the same. Tax Reform

Now, on one final matter, Mr. President, today marks 6 months since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed Congress. On Friday, it will be 6 months since the President signed it into law. What a 6 months it has been.

Already, Americans have seen their paychecks grow as the IRS withholds less of what they earned. Already, families are reaping the fruits of a new business tax code that gives American employers more ability to increase pay and create jobs. Six months in, these tax cuts have already led employers to issue tax reform bonuses, raises, and new benefits to 4 million workers and counting. That is welcome relief for middle-class families. But what about the long term?

Republicans know that enduring prosperity needs thriving businesses competing to hire American workers. So we designed tax reform to flip the Obama-era script and make America a more attractive place to invest, expand, and create jobs.

For large companies, capital investment might mean breaking ground on new locations or purchasing state-of-the-art technology. If you are a midsized employer, it might mean filling your factory floor with new equipment. If you are a Main Street family business, it could mean expanding into the vacant storefront next door or buying new tools that will transform your day-to-day operations.

In every case, you are placing a bet on your community and on your country. You are betting on American land, American equipment, and, most importantly, the future of the American workforce. You are putting down roots here instead of shipping jobs overseas. This is precisely what we have seen in the past 6 months.

Earlier this year, Apple announced plans to make $30 billion in capital investments over the next 5 years--new facilities, new data centers, and more than 20,000 new jobs.

Chipotle Mexican Grill announced a $50 million investment in upgrading and refurbishing their restaurants.

Carpenter Technology is using tax reform to speed up a new $100 million facility in Redding, PA. Their new state-of-the-art mill will allow them to compete in precision electronics manufacturing. New equipment can't be easily outsourced; neither can the jobs it will create. Sure enough, Carpenter is partnering with a local community college to train a 21st century workforce.

Remember, these businesses aren't just creating new opportunities themselves. These projects also mean prosperity for American contractors and construction crews, and it is not just the big guys.

In West Palm Beach, FL, tax reform means new kitchen appliances for the Don Ramon Restaurant. In my home State of Kentucky, at Glier's Meats, tax reform meant a new quarter-million-dollar machine to speed up production of their famous sausages. For a small business with fewer than 30 employees, that is a noteworthy opportunity. Everywhere you turn, businesses large and small are going all in on the future of the United States.

There is one more interesting thing the last 6 months have revealed: just how impossible it is for our Democratic colleagues to set aside their outdated, tax-and-spend ideology. Every Democrat in the House and in the Senate voted on party lines to block tax reform. They insisted the law wouldn't help American workers one bit. They said that it would be a disaster. Of course, the facts have debunked those predictions. But are our Democratic friends admitting they were wrong? No. They are doubling down on this silliness.

By now, we are all familiar with the House Democratic leader's comments from January. She laughed at the four-figure bonuses that working families were celebrating and called them ``crumbs.'' Earlier this month, she doubled down:

Hip, hip hooray, unemployment is down. But what does that mean for me?

Well, my Democratic friends seem hopeful they can convince Americans that tax cuts, bonuses, and a stellar job market are nothing to celebrate. Talk about a tall order.

But while those rhetorical gymnastics keep them busy, Republicans will keep up the fight for middle-class families.

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