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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 116 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 165 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 No. 151 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was The Senate isn’t obliged to consider gotiated framework to keep our appro- called to order by the President pro every partisan bill from the House, and priations process on track. In fact, the tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). the House doesn’t have to consider Speaker of the House and the Demo- f every bill that is passed by the Senate. cratic leader in the Senate publicly But if there is any House bill that the agreed to the exact dollar figure for the PRAYER Senate has the responsibility to take Defense bill they just voted down yes- The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- up, to debate, and to amend, it is the terday. They publicly agreed to the fered the following prayer: annual spending bills to keep govern- number in the Defense bill they just Let us pray. ment operating. We have to fund the voted down yesterday. Savior of humanity, Your unfailing government, and that is what we are We all agreed in the caps agreement love sustains us. Stagger freedom’s en- doing. that poison pills, new policy riders, or emies and bring them to their knees. So I hope we don’t hear any of this any changes to Presidential transfer Use our lawmakers so effectively that bellyaching anymore when we have a authorities were off the table—off the our citizens may rejoice because of House bill that the Senate doesn’t table—unless both sides were on board. Your mercy. somehow take up. So the appropriations process, in- cluding at the committee level with Lord, be for our Nation a towering I yield the floor. rock of safety, a shelter in the time of Chairman SHELBY and Ranking Mem- storm. We wait quietly before You. So f ber LEAHY, appeared to be going pretty use Your strong arms to bring us Your RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY smoothly, but, as we have seen a num- peace. LEADER ber of other times in the recent past, the Democratic leadership seemed to We pray in Your great Name. Amen. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- f have a change of heart. jority leader is recognized. Perhaps it sunk in that actually PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, meeting President Trump and Repub- I want to thank the senior Senator The President pro tempore led the licans halfway, as divided government from Iowa for his observations this Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: obviously requires, might have earned morning. That is exactly where we find some criticism from the far left. But I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the ourselves with what happened on the United States of America, and to the Repub- whatever the reason, our Democratic lic for which it stands, one nation under God, Senate floor yesterday afternoon. friends turned on a dime, reneged on indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. f the bipartisan agreement, and began The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. APPROPRIATIONS demanding exactly the kinds of poison HYDE-SMITH). The Senator from Iowa. pills and partisan policy changes that Mr. GRASSLEY. I ask unanimous Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, we all promised not to do. consent to address the Senate for 1 Senate Democrats blocked this year’s That is how we get to a spectacle like minute. funding for our national defense. They what happened yesterday. That is how The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without voted it down. We can’t move the legis- we get to a place where 42 Senate objection, it is so ordered. lation forward. Democrats vote to filibuster defense Democrats blocked the funding our f funding and obstruct a pay raise for commanders need to keep pace with our servicemembers, for all the world APPROPRIATIONS Russia and China. Democrats blocked to see, because Democratic leadership Mr. GRASSLEY. The latest political money for the tools and training that decided they saw more of a political ploy by the Democrats is to paint the our men and women in uniform badly upside in picking new fights with the Senate majority leader as an obstruc- need while our adversaries continually President than in keeping their word tionist because he hasn’t moved to con- pour money into new weapons and and investing in our men and women in sider certain bills passed by the other technology. The Democrats even voted uniform. body. against a pay raise—a pay raise—for In fact, I understand that just yester- Well, let’s think about that for just a our servicemembers. All but two Demo- day, our Democratic leaders were of- minute. They can hardly use that talk- crats voted to filibuster all of this and fered even more money for the Labor- ing point anymore. kept the Senate from even considering HHS bill, but they declined it. So it is Yesterday, the Senate majority lead- the legislation. not about the money. It is not about er moved to take up the House-passed Never mind that before we adjourned compromising and getting to yes. It is appropriations package, and the Senate in August the Democrats in the House about not wanting to take yes for an Democrats blocked that motion. and Senate all agreed to a carefully ne- answer. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S5583 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:27 Sep 20, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A19SE6.000 S19SEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE S5584 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 19, 2019 I have great respect for our Demo- CONCLUSION OF MORNING went on to vote to confirm. In other cratic friends, but I think this episode BUSINESS words, it was not that President Trump has to go down as a new high-water The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning nominated scores of extreme nominees mark for the policy consequences of business is closed. whom the Democrats felt they couldn’t what some people call ‘‘Trump de- support. Again and again, the Demo- f rangement syndrome.’’ crats have delayed a nominee, then We are at a point where 42 Senate EXECUTIVE SESSION turned around and voted in favor of Democrats would decline to fund the him or her. U.S. Armed Forces essentially just to In one particularly memorable exam- spite the occupant of the White House. EXECUTIVE CALENDAR ple, in January of 2018, the Democrats If you ask me, that is one heck of a The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under forced the Senate to spend more than a price to pay to put on a show for ‘‘the the previous order, the Senate will pro- week considering four district court resistance.’’ ceed to executive session to resume judges even though not one single But yesterday’s vote is now a matter consideration of the following nomina- Democrat voted against their con- of record. It is in the past. I really am tion, which the clerk will report. firmations—not one single Democrat. hopeful that we can get back on track The senior assistant legislative clerk These judges could have been con- with the kind of appropriations process read the nomination of Brian McGuire, firmed in a matter of minutes by voice my Democratic colleagues have al- of New York, to be a Deputy Under votes. Instead, the Democrats forced ready pledged they would support. Secretary of the Treasury. the Senate to spend more than a week They had already pledged to support it. Mr. MCCONNELL. I suggest the ab- on their considerations—time that When the good work that takes place sence of a quorum. could have been spent on genuinely in committees is allowed to proceed The PRESIDING OFFICER. The controversial nominees or on some of without this top-down partisan maneu- clerk will call the roll. the many important issues that face vering, it tends to yield pretty good re- The senior assistant legislative clerk our country. sults. I think we were all pleased with proceeded to call the roll. So far this September, the Senate the bipartisan funding bill that Chair- Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask has confirmed six district court judges. man SHELBY and Senator LEAHY pro- unanimous consent that the order for The Democrats forced cloture votes on duced together last year. I understand the quorum call be rescinded. four of them despite the fact that all this morning’s appropriations markup The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. four were eventually confirmed by is expected to be bipartisan as well. FISCHER). Without objection, it is so huge bipartisan margins. In fact, one For example, I am proud the Finan- ordered. was confirmed by a unanimous vote of cial Services and General Government THE JUDICIARY 94 to 0. bill would include a bipartisan amend- Mr. THUNE. Madam President, last If the Democrats had had a serious ment providing another $250 million for week, the Senate confirmed President reason for their obstruction of the the administration and security of Trump’s 150th judge. That is a signifi- President’s judicial nominees, they elections, to help States improve their cant milestone and one that has been would not have been repeatedly turn- defenses and shore up their voting sys- harder to achieve than it normally ing around and voting for them. Their tems. would be thanks to the Democrats’ de- obstruction isn’t based on principle; it I am proud to have helped develop termination to delay judicial confirma- is based on partisanship.