Senator Nelson: (6:06 PM)

• Spoke on the continuing resolution.
  • "I want to express my appreciation to the Senate that in the funding bill, it includes the money for Zika, $1.1 billion that has been so desperately needed, not only assisting local governments and state governments with things like mosquito control but also starting the trial on the Zika vaccine. The first trial is necessary. There will be a second and larger trial and hopefully at the end of that we'll have a Zika vaccine. This has gotten to the level of being quite uncomfortable. Over 2,000 pregnant women in the continental U.S. and our territories that have the Zika virus and we know from the CDC that up to 12%, it's likely that there will be a birth defect. So I want the Senate to know how much I appreciate this."

 

Senator Grassley: (6:08 PM)

• Spoke on the Survivors' Bill of Rights Act.
  • "This is the way it should be because, regardless of political party, all members of Congress should be empowering survivors of sexual violence. However, while Republicans were ready to move forward on this bill last week, Democrat leadership has been stalling Amanda's diligent efforts. This bill ensures that all survivors of sexual violence have equal access to all available tools in their pursuit of justice. This includes the proper collection and preservation of forensic evidence that is so vital in cases of sexual violence. This bill also guarantees these survivors a new package of rights. Like I said, this is a bipartisan bill, very noncontroversial. It has already passed this body 89-0. Each day, others like Amanda will fall victim to sexual violence. The Senate should not wait one more day to help these people seek justice."

 

Senator Shaheen: (6:11 PM)

• Spoke on the Survivors' Bill of Rights Act.
  • "The sexual assault survivors' rights act for the first time establishes a set of codified court-enforceable rights to address unique issues faced by sexual assault survivors. It also assures survivors the opportunity to enforce these rights in federal court. Last February, I introduced this legislation, but the real inspiration for the bill came many months earlier when I first met with Amanda Nguyen, a young sexual assault survivors who faced heartbreaking challenges after reporting her assault. As Senator Grassley said, she was really the moving force behind this legislation. She told me about the he repeated battles she had fought to prevent her rape forensic kit from being destroyed and she recounted the grueling process she and other survivors have endured in order to win justice."

 

Senator Grassley: (6:18 PM)

• Unanimous consent –
  • The Committee on Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 5578, the Survivors' Bill of Rights Act, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  • The Senate pass H.R. 5578.
  • (Without objection)
• Spoke on the Senate Democratic leadership.
  • "I usually don't feel the need to address the Democrat leader's remarks on the floor, but he's decided to put partisan politics above rape survivors for the last week at least, so I cannot stand on the sidelines and let those remarks go unrebutted. The Democrat leader recently said right here on the floor of the Senate that - quote – 'Congress is floundering because of Republican inaction.' This could not be further from the truth. If you want to know what's really going on, it's that the Democrat leader is using political gamesmanship to hold up noncontroversial as well as bipartisan legislation, mostly by Republican members who are up for reelection this year. Why isn't the so-called objective media reporting on this?"
• Spoke on the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails.
  • "Releasing as much as possible to the public is the right thing to do, and I very much appreciate that Director Comey is complying with his legal obligations for transparency under the Freedom of Information Act. But these document controls imposed before the public release make it look like the FBI is trying to muzzle Congress and keep us from working with the information until after the FOIA process is completed. So you know what Congress is forced to do? Congress has to wait in line behind FOIA requesters before we get access to information in a way that we can actually use it as follow-up for our investigation. The way this process is working sets a very dangerous precedent that could undermine transparency, and transparency is essential for accountability in government. Frankly, this whole process is an end run around our constitutional oversight responsibility."