Senate the Senate Met at 11 A.M
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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 115 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 164 WASHINGTON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2018 No. 12 Senate The Senate met at 11 a.m. and was lions of Americans rely on—veterans Now that we are 13 hours away from called to order by the President pro services, opioid treatment centers, a government shutdown that the tempore (Mr. HATCH). death benefits for the families of fallen Democrats would initiate and Demo- f soldiers, and health insurance for 9 crats would own, the craziness of this million vulnerable children—would be seems to be dawning on my friend the PRAYER thrown into chaos. Democratic leader. Perhaps he is re- The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- Last night the Senate began consid- membering his own words from 2013. fered the following prayer: eration of a bill passed by the House Here is what he said back then about Let us pray. that would erase all of these threats. threatening a government shutdown. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on The bill keeps the Federal Government No matter how strongly one feels about an us. As the clock ticks toward another open. It extends the State Children’s issue, you shouldn’t hold millions of people deadline, inspire our lawmakers to be Health Insurance Program, which pro- hostage . that’s wrong. instruments of Your purposes. May vides coverage for 9 million children A few days later, the Democratic they humbly seek to do what is best for and low-income families for 6 years. leader added: our Nation and world, achieving to- This vote should be a no-brainer, and it It’s sort of like this. Someone goes into gether what cannot be done without al- would be, except that the Democratic your house, takes your wife and children lies. leader has convinced his Members to hostage, and then says, ‘‘Let’s negotiate over Lord, give them the wisdom to see filibuster any funding bill that doesn’t the price of your house.’’ that there is a practical morality based include legislation they are demanding He went on to say. on absolutes that they should follow. for people who came into the United We’re shutting down the government, Remind them that they are account- States illegally. What has been we’re not gonna raise the debt ceiling until able to You for their thoughts, words, shoehorned into this discussion is an you pass immigration reform. It would be and deeds. May they speak truth as insistence that we deal with an illegal governmental chaos. You give them the ability to com- immigration issue. Now maybe he is remembering those prehend it, finding workable solutions He has insisted that he will not sup- words today because now he is saying: to challenging problems. port any legislation at all for the Never mind, I really didn’t mean it, We pray in Your great Name. Amen. American people no matter how non- and he himself is calling for an even f controversial or how bipartisan unless shorter short-term funding bill. Of we pass a bill on illegal immigration course, his last-ditch proposals would PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE first. If that means shutting down the do nothing for the Children’s Health The President pro tempore led the funding for veterans, military families, Insurance Program or the 9 million Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: opioid treatment centers, and even children who are waiting on us to I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the Federal grants to his home State of renew it. What is more, the incredibly United States of America, and to the Repub- New York, so be it. If it means throw- short-term continuing resolutions he is lic for which it stands, one nation under God, ing a wrench into the gears of the U.S. now proposing do not meet any of the indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. economy, just as Americans are start- demands—none of them—that he and f ing to feel the benefits of historic tax his own conference and Democrats in reform, so be it. If it means failing to the House have been making for weeks. RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY renew the Children’s Health Insurance None of that would be solved in a LEADER Program, which the House-passed bill short-term CR—the stuff they have The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. funded for a full 6 years, apparently been calling for. CAPITO). The majority leader is recog- that is just fine with those on the other So apparently now he wants his nized. side. Members to default on their own de- f Nearly every Democrat in the House mands. He has spent days apparently made the same demand. That has been persuading all of his colleagues to in- FUNDING THE GOVERNMENT their stated position: Nothing for hun- sist that we cannot pass another con- Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, dreds of millions of Americans and no tinuing resolution. Now he wants them the deadline to fund the government is healthcare for 9 million vulnerable to pass one. He spent weeks getting his nearly upon us. The Senate is now just children until we solve a non-imminent Members to proclaim that we should hours away from an entirely avoidable issue related to illegal immigration. To not do anything to fund the govern- government shutdown. At midnight to- even repeat this position out loud is to ment unless we address the DACA night, funding for programs that mil- see how completely ridiculous it is. issue, and now apparently he is calling ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S315 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:46 Jan 19, 2018 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A19JA6.000 S19JAPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE S316 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 19, 2018 on them to do just that. These incred- children because extreme elements of House. The Republicans, through their ibly short-term extensions would not their base want illegal immigration to appointees, have a pretty decisive edge even give us enough time to actually crowd out every other priority. Appar- when it comes to the U.S. Supreme write the legislation the Democratic ently, they believe the issue of illegal Court. In other words, when you look leader is demanding. One extremely immigration is more important than across the spectrum of the three short-term CR would lead to another everything else—all the government branches of government, the Repub- and another—exactly the outcome services the American people depend licans are in control. Democrats have declared they cannot on. What are they offering us? The accept. I would recommend to stop the wild- fourth CR. Now, CR is Washington Now, I wish for all of our sakes that goose chase. Don’t go to a destination talk. It is a continuing resolution. the Democratic leader would figure out that cannot be explained. Let’s fulfill What does it mean? It means that the what he actually wants. I feel bad for the core responsibilities of Congress. Republican majority has failed in 119 his own Members. He has painted them Let’s fund the government, provide for days to produce a budget for the United into a corner, but I especially feel bad the American people, and then resume States of America. The Republican ma- for the American people whose govern- serious negotiations on the issues that jority in the House and Senate—with ment the Democrats are threatening to matter most. Let’s fund the govern- their President—has failed to come up shut down and the 9 million children ment for a full month so we can actu- with a blueprint for spending for this whose health insurance could be ally get something done. great Nation that we serve and are thrown into jeopardy because Senate f proud to be part of. Democrats cannot get their story Their fourth failure to produce a straight. RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME budget in this fiscal year, which began Now, my friend the Democratic lead- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under er now wants his Members to pass a October 1, is before us now. Was it ne- the previous order, the leadership time gotiated between the Republicans and bill that allows SCHIP to expire. Ap- is reserved. parently, he now wants every Demo- Democrats? No. It was produced in the crat in the House of Representatives to f House of Representatives and with the break their word and pass a separate Senate. It was passed there by the Re- CONCLUSION OF MORNING publicans and a handful of Democrats funding bill of his own that does not BUSINESS address the illegal immigration issue who supported it, and it was sent over they said they must have. So let’s The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning here on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. think about this for a minute. First, he business is closed. Well, you say, at least we are going leads his own troops into a box canyon, f to keep the lights on. And that is all a and then tells them it was really all for continuing resolution does—keeps the FEDERAL REGISTER PRINTING nothing. Maybe it is time to come back lights on. It doesn’t allow agencies to SAVINGS ACT OF 2017 to reality. make important decisions that invest We already have a bill that we know The PRESIDING OFFICER.