The Senate has largely done its part to meet a major deadline, which is only a month away. September marks the end of the fiscal year, when federal funding decisions are due for 2019.

Thanks to bipartisan support for open debate and amendments, many of the funding decisions for next year have already been approved by the full Senate and are well on their way to becoming law.  When the House of Representatives gavels back into session after Labor Day, the Senate will have passed at least 9 of the 12 annual appropriations bills, demonstrating significant and encouraging progress toward restoring regular order to the Senate floor.    

Even some of the most persistent roadblocks have been overcome, such as the spending bill to fund the departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and Labor.  Funding for these departments had not received Senate floor consideration since 2007 but has now been passed by a vote of 85 to 7.

Funding Oversight Is Essential to Constitution’s Checks and Balances

A regular appropriations process is good for the American taxpayer, because the consideration of funding bills individually allows Congress to apply appropriate oversight on government agencies and cut wasteful spending.  Otherwise, the bills are put together in a massive, unwieldy “omnibus” measure to fund the government, which President Trump has said he would not sign again.

It is also critical for Congress to fulfill its unique “power of the purse,” a responsibility granted by the Constitution in its separation of powers.  As representatives of the people, lawmakers are best positioned to identify local needs and direct the appropriate funding toward them.  Likewise, control of the purse can put a check on any excessive spending by executive agencies.  

Bipartisan Cooperation Needed During Consideration of Supreme Court Nominee

Another constitutional duty the Senate is set to fulfill next month is its consideration of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court seat left vacant by Justice Anthony Kennedy.  I recently spoke on the Senate floor about my support for Judge Kavanaugh, reminding my colleagues of the “advice and consent” that the Constitution asks the Senate to provide for judicial nominees.  

The noise from outside political groups who oppose Judge Kavanaugh should not distract from lawmakers’ full and thorough review of his credentials, which I have found to be impressive.  With 300 published legal opinions, there is no shortage of information on Judge Kavanaugh’s legal philosophy.  However, Democrats continue to make extraordinarily excessive demands in an effort to slow down the confirmation process. They have requested hundreds of thousands of documents from his career – more than any other previous Supreme Court nominee.

I look forward to the committee hearings and floor debate on Judge Kavanaugh, which are expected in the Senate in the coming weeks.  I am also hopeful my Democratic colleagues will extend the same bipartisan spirit of cooperation to Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation process that has been essential to advancing this year’s appropriations bills.  His many qualifications and well-regarded reputation should speak for themselves.

Sometimes a conversation at church can spark an idea for a law.  That happened in early May, when my longtime friend Leland Speed told me about the success of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, commonly known as JROTC, in the Jackson Public School system. 

As Leland explained, more than 90 percent of this year’s graduating seniors who participated in a JROTC program within the Jackson Public School system have been accepted into an institution of higher learning.  More than $7.5 million in scholarships have been awarded to these JROTC graduates.

JROTC’s Record of Positive Outcomes

I would come to find out that the success of the seven Jackson Public Schools with JROTC units is not an outlier.  According to a RAND Corporation study, participating in JROTC is likely to improve a student’s grade point average and test scores.  Cadets are more likely not to drop out of school but to graduate and go to college.  In the process, JROTC instills valuable leadership skills and community service, teaching high school students about personal responsibility and civic engagement. 

These findings match my own experience as an ROTC Cadet in college, and the record of success of many JROTC graduates.  In fact, two current members of the President’s cabinet, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, both participated in JROTC. 

But too often these programs are out of reach where they are most needed.  Hundreds of high schools across the country are on a waitlist to host a JROTC unit.

Beginning of ‘JROTC Act’

The more I learned about the success of JROTC programs, I better understood that more students would benefit from these programs in their schools.  Earlier this year, I introduced the “JROTC Opportunities for Transformational Change Act,” or “JROTC Act,” in the U.S. Senate.  The bill set out to authorize funding for 100 additional JROTC units and to make reforms that would help schools in rural and underserved areas participate. 

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I also offered my “JROTC Act” as an amendment to the annual defense authorization bill.  It was adopted into the full bill by the committee and soon passed by the entire Senate.  Last month, the “JROTC Act” was included in the defense bill’s final conference report passed by both the House and the Senate.  President Trump signed the bill into law this week. 

Senate Committee Grants Additional Funding

Every year, there are two pieces to the puzzle when it comes to defense spending.  An annual defense authorization bill approves funding levels for our military, and then the defense appropriations bill actually puts the money toward the priorities that the authorization bill has identified. 

I am pleased to report that the defense funding bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee supports my “JROTC Act” by increasing our investment in JROTC.  This bill should come to the Senate floor for a vote soon. 

Our state can support more JROTC units, and I hope this legislation enables that for the communities in Mississippi that could benefit the most from these programs.  Not every bill idea emerges from a conversation at church, but the “JROTC Act” is an encouraging example of how policy solutions can be driven by local success stories.  

WASHINGTON—Following Pastor Andrew Brunson’s release from prison to house arrest by Turkish authorities today, Helsinki Commission Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker (MS) issued the following statement:

“I welcome the long overdue decision by a Turkish court today to transfer Pastor Brunson to house arrest. This first step is a humane gesture for a falsely accused man who has endured more than 650 days in a maximum security prison. I will continue to seek full justice for Pastor Brunson, which includes his acquittal and freedom to leave Turkey.”

Pastor Brunson is one of several American citizens, including NASA scientist Serkan Gölge, who have been caught up in the sweeping purge that followed the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. Pastor Brunson spent more than year and a half in jail on national security charges. Gölge and two Turkish employees of U.S. consulates stand charged with similar terrorism offenses despite no involvement with violent activity—a situation faced by thousands of other Turks. A third consulate employee remains under house arrest on dubious charges.  

Last week, the four senior members of the Helsinki Commission expressed concern about Pastor Brunson’s ongoing imprisonment. In November 2017, the Helsinki Commission held a hearing on the detention of American citizens and U.S. consulate employees in Turkey. A month earlier, Helsinki Commission leaders called on President Erdogan to lift the state of emergency imposed in July 2016 after the failed military coup against his government. Turkey ended its two-year-long state of emergency last week, but the Grand National Assembly earlier today approved legislation that effectively enshrines many of President Erdogan’s controversial emergency decrees.

Ahead of the May 2017 meeting between President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Helsinki Commission leaders also urged President Trump to seek guarantees that U.S. citizens jailed in Turkey will have their cases promptly and fairly adjudicated and receive full consular assistance.

Now that President Trump has appointed Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, the Senate can begin its work on his confirmation.  This process will include a hearing and vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee and then consideration by all Senators on the Senate floor.

Like Justice Neil Gorsuch, whom President Trump appointed last year, Judge Kavanaugh is an outstanding nominee to the High Court.  His credentials include more than a decade on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and his impressive record falls well within the judicial mainstream.  I am confident he will be a strong conservative addition to the Supreme Court, diligently protecting the Constitution and the inalienable rights it affords to every American.

The confirmation of a new justice to the Supreme Court is always a pivotal moment for our country, and Judge Kavanaugh’s consideration by the Senate is an opportunity for Americans to learn for themselves about his legal career and court opinions. 

Wins for Non-Union Workers, Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers

The decisions made by the Supreme Court for this year’s term demonstrate the difference one justice can make.  For example, with a ruling of 5-4, the Supreme Court upheld the First Amendment rights of government workers who do not want to pay dues to labor unions. 

The decision of one justice also made the difference in a particularly significant victory for free speech and the sanctity of life.  In National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, the justices invalidated part of a California law that forced crisis pregnancy centers to inform a woman about state-funded abortion services, even if those services went against the centers’ deeply held religious beliefs.  The ruling could have implications for similar laws in other states.

Direction of the Court Hangs in the Balance

These court cases follow a number of other major cases in recent years decided by a similarly slim margin and demonstrating just how fragile the balance of the Court is. One of those cases was the Supreme Court’s decision that the individual mandate of Obamacare amounted to a tax. Another case culminated in a 5-4 ruling to protect an individual’s right to own a handgun, overturning the District of Columbia’s handgun ban because it violated the Second Amendment.

With so many important issues at stake, the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice, who will assume a lifetime position, cannot be taken lightly.  This is a decision that far surpasses a presidential or congressional term.  I commend President Trump for his determination to put the best legal minds on the Supreme Court bench.  He has sought jurists with a solid reputation for both their judicial capabilities and their impartiality when interpreting the law.  Judge Kavanaugh has this reputation, and I look forward to participating in his confirmation process in the U.S. Senate.