Senator Reid: (11:08 AM)

• Spoke on the continuing resolution.
  • "But now I feel very comfortable in being able to say to the people of Flint, Michigan, I've had conversations with people and I've been given the assurance by the Republican leadership that something will happen in the lame duck. We've been waiting a long time to get this done, and it is going to happen. As I indicated a minute ago, I've had a number of conversations with Leader Pelosi this morning. And I would never want to say what someone said, but I can say that I felt comfortable in talking to her that the House feels comfortable with where they are on Flint. We feel comfortable here in the Senate. And I really appreciate the hard work of Senator Stabenow and Senator Peters, because they have been tireless, relentless in making sure the people of Flint, Michigan, get some help. So I think it should be a good day for the Senate. It should lead to our being able to move forward on this continuing resolution. There are a couple of other outstanding issues, but I think they should be able to be resolved."

 

Senator Cardin: (11:13 AM)

• Spoke on the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act.
  • "We cannot in good conscience close the courthouse door to those families who have suffered unimaginable losses. I have confidence in the American jurisprudence system that we will get this right in order to respect the lawful acts of governments but also to hold those who sponsor terrorism accountable under our system of justice. The legislation restricts the application of this exception. It only applies to acts of terrorism on U.S. soil. It establishes a standard that is greater than negligence in order to be able to have an actionable claim. There is an ability for the government to stay the proceedings to negotiate a settlement so that the U.S. government can intercede. I think these exceptions were put in, negotiated in order to try to deal with some of the legitimate concerns that were initially raised. As ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I recognize that there are risk factors in terms of how other countries may respond to the enactment of JASTA."

 

Senator Grassley: (11:19 AM)

• Spoke on the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act.
  • "But what this claim ignores, of course, is that this bill does not allow lawsuits against individuals. It only allows it against foreign governments, and this bill expressly prohibits lawsuits arising from acts of war. So any claim by the president that this is all about protecting U.S. personnel from being hauled into foreign courts just doesn't hold water. The second most common argument some are making is that if Congress stands up to the president, the Saudis and their lobbyists, and this legislation becomes law, the argument goes then the Saudis will respond by pulling their money out of U.S. securities. Well, let's set aside the fact that this appears to be an empty threat. It's highly unlikely that they would follow through on it, but even if they did, there will be plenty of buyers for those securities. But more importantly, is this really how we should be deciding policy? What kind of a message would that send to other foreign governments?"