The president pro tempore the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Spirit of the living god, fall afresh on us. As the clock ticks toward another deadline inspire our lawmakers to be instruments of your purposes. May they humbly seek to do what is best for our nation and world, achieving together what cannot be done without allies. Lord, give them the wisdom to see that there is a practical morality based on absolutes that they should follow. Remind them that they are accountable to you for their thought words, and deeds. Y they speak truth as you give them the ability to comprehend it, finding Workable Solutions to challenging problems. We pray in your great name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Mcconnell madam president , the deadline to fund the government is nearly upon us. The senate is now just hours away from an entirely avoidable Government Shutdown. At midnight tonight, funding for programs thaillions of americans relyn, veteran sees, opioid treatment centers, death benefits for the families of the fallen soldiers, and Health Insurance for nine million Vulnerable Children would be thrown into chaos, thrown into chaos. Last night the senate began consideration of a bill passed by the house which would erase all of these threats. The bill keeps the federal government open. It extends the state childrens Health Insurance program which provides coverage for nine million children and lowincome families for six years. This vote should be a no brainer. And it would be except the democratic leader has convinced his members to filibuster any funding bill that doesnt include legislation they are demanding for people who came into the United States illegal illegally. What has been shoe horned into this discussion is an insistence that we deal with an illegal immigration issue. Hes insist tentsz we wont sur that he wont support any legislation at all for the American People, no matter how noncontroversial or how bipartisan unless we pass a bill on illegal immigration first. If that means shutting down the funding for veterans, military families, opioid treatment centers, and even federal grants to his home state of new york, so be it. If it means throwing a wrench into the gea of the u. S. Economy justs americans are starting to feel theenefits of historic tax reform, so be it. If it means failing to renew the Childrens Health program which the housepassed bill funded for a full six years, apparently thats just fine with those on the other side. Nearly every democrat in the house made the same demand. Thats been their stated position, nothing for hundreds of millions of americans and no health care for nine million Vulnerable Children until we solve a nonimminent issue related to illegal immigration. Madam president , to even repeat this position out loud is to see how completely ridiculous it is. Now that were 13 hours away from a Government Shutdown that democrats would initiate and democrats would own, the craziness of this seems to be dawning on my friend, the democratic leader. Perhaps, perhaps hes remembering his own words from 2013. Heres what he said back then about threatening a Government Shutdown. No matter how strongly one feels about an issue, you shouldnt hold millions of people hostage. Thats wrong. A few days later, the democratic leader added, its sort of like this. Someone goes into your house, takes your wife and children hostage, and then says, lets negotiate over the price of your house. He went on to say, were shutting down the government. Were not going to raise the debt ceiling til you pass immigration reform, it would be governmental chaos. End quote. Now maybe, maybe hes remembering those words today because now he is saying never mind. I really didnt mean it. And im calling for an even shorter shortterm funding bill. Of course, last ditch proposals would do nothing for the Childrens Health program or the nine million children that are waiting on us to renew it. And what is more the incredible shortterm continuing resolutions hes now proposing do not meet any of the demand, none of them, that he and his own conference and democrats in the house have been making for weeks. None of that would be solved in a shortterm a few day c. R. , the stuff theyve been calling for. So apparently now he wants his members to default on their own demands. Its been days apparently persuading all of his colleagues to insist we cannot pass another continuing resolution. Now he wants them to pass one. He spent weeks getting his members to proclaim that we should not do anything to fund the government unless we address the daca iss, and now apparently calling on them to do just that. These incredibly shortterm extensions would not even give us enough time to actually write the legislation the democratic leader is demanding. One extremely shortterm c. R. Would lead to another and another, exactly the outcome democrats have declared they cannot accept. Now, madam president , i wish for all of our sakes that the democratic leader would figure out what he actually wants. I feel bad for his own members. Hes painted them into a corner. But i especially feel bad for the American People whose government, the democrat government the democrats are threatening to shut down and the nine million children whose Health Insurance could be thrown into jeopardy because Senate Democrats cannot get their story straight. Now, my friend the democratic leader now wants his members to pass a bill that allows schip to expire. Apparently he now wants every democrat in the house of representatives to break their word and pass a separate funding bill of his own that does not address the illegal immigration issue they said they must have. So lets think about this for a minute. First he leads his own troops into a boxed canyon, then tells them it was really all for nothing. Maybe its time to come back to reality. We already have a bill that we know can pass the house because it already did. We have a bill that we know the president will sign into law because hes already committed to do just that. We know that with one noncontroversial and bipartisan vote, we can keep the government up and running. We can fund the Childrens Health care program for six years, and we can give ourselves the time we need to finish ongoing negotiations on daca, border security, and the longterm needs of our military and, madam president , we could do all of that today. All of it. Or or our democratic friends could continue to take the Democratic Leaders advice and vote to shut down the governme government, destabilize funding for our troops, shut down the Childrens Health care program, and still not get what theyre demanding on illegal immigrati immigration. Its really up to them. I look forward to voting soon on cloture on the house bill. The American People, the citizens who actually elected us, will be wating. They will see which senators make the patriotic decision to stand up for the American People and vote to continue government funding and extend Childrens Health care while we continue our bipartisan talks. And they will see which senators vote to shove aside veterans, military families, and Vulnerable Children to hold the entire country hostage, hold the entire country hostage until we pass an immigration bill they havent even written yet. This is completely unfair and uncompassionate for my democratic colleagues to filibuster government funding, harm our troops, and jeopardize Health Coverage for nine million children because extreme elements of their base want illegal immigration to crowd out every other priority. Apparently they believe that the issue of illegal immigration is more important than everything else, all the Government Services the American People depend on. I would recommend stop the wild goose chase. Dont go to a destination that cannote explained. Lets fulfill the core responsibilities of congress. Lets fund the government. Provide for the American People, and then resume serious negotiations on the issues that matter most. Lets fund the government for a full month so we can actually get something done. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Morning business is closed. Under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the motion to concur in the house amendment to the Senate Amendment h. R. 195 which the clerk will report. The clerk house message to accompany h. R. 195, an act to amend title 44 United States code and so forth and for other purposes. Mr. Durbin madam president . The presiding officer democratic whip. Mr. Durbin madam president , lets look at the reality of what we face at this moment in this country, in this chamber. The republicans are in majority control of the United States senate. The republicans are in majority control of the United States house of representatives. The republicans are in control of the white house. The republicans through their appointees have a pretty decisive edge when it comes to the United States supremeou. In oer words when you look across the spectrum, the three branches of government, the republicans are in control. What are they offering us . The fourth c. R. Now, a c. R. Is washington talk. Its a continuing resolution. What does it mean . It means that the republican majority has failed, failed in 119 days to produce a budget for the United States of america. The republican majority in the house and senate with their president have failed to come up with a blueprint for spending for this great nation that we serve and are proud to be part of. Their fourth failure to produce a budget in this fiscal year which began october 1 is before us now. Was it negotiated between the republicans and democrats . No. It was produced in the house of representatives and with the senate. It was passed there by the republicans and a handful of democrats who supported it, and it was sent over here on a take it or leave it basis. Well, you say, at least were going to keep the lights on, and thats all a continuing resolution does, keep the lights on. It doesnt allow agencies to make important decisions to invest taxpayers dollars wisely and to save taxpayers dollars, and last night the department of defense reported to us, theyre sick and tired of the continuing resolutions which they have faced for three yrs. Note i said three years. Because we have failed even on the democratic side to come up with appropriations in the past and budgets in the past. And so im being very honest about it. But if we are going to change this mentality of never producing a budget, never producing appropriation bills, kind of stumbling into the fiscal year for month after weary month, if that is the new norm around here, shame on us and shame on the majority party, the republicans, for saying thats the best they can do. We can do better. We need to get beyond this world of continuing resolutions, and we need to get into a world where we actually make a decision which is good for the taxpayers as well as the security of the United States of america. The best that the republican leader in the senate can offer us is another bandaid, another four weeks of temporary funding, a wasteful gesture, a wasteful exercise, and he knows it. There is more to this issue. He brings it up, senator mcconnell brings it up regularly. Last night he did and again today. He glories in saying that this is all about illegal immigrants, illegal immigrants. Lets be honest what were talking about here. We are talking about those who were protected and allowed to live in the United States legally under an executive order of president obama until september 5 of last year when President Donald Trump announced he was eliminating this program, and as that protection is eliminated, as their twoyear protection eires, yes, they move into illegal categories. So are they illegal technically after they have lost daca . Yes. What caused it . President donald trump caused it by his announcement on septembes finished by march 5. Thats the reality. And you know what he also told us . Im going to end this program. Now i challenge you in congress to pass a law to replace it. So what has the republican majority in the house and senate done in the four and a half months since we received that challenge from President Trump . Nothing. Nothing. And then i hear senator mcconnell say we havent even seen a written proposal from the democrats on this. The senator knows better. A group of us, six of us, three democrats and three republicans accepted President Trumps challenge and produced a bipartisan solution. We have described it to everyone, democrat, republican alike. It was a goodfaith effort. Real compromise. Pain on both sides. Its ready. Its ready to be brought to the floor of the United States senate. Its ready to be passed into law. For senator mcconnell to say he doesnt know anything about it, im sorry, but we have been very openbout whats included in there. He knows its a product of long and hard bipartisan work. Id like to address another aspect of what he has said about these socalled illegal immigrants. Last night, late last night, after using that term, i noticed the gallery was filled over here with young people who appeared to be at first glance here to watch the debate on the dream act, the debate on daca. After the meeting of the senate, i invited them into my office. There were about 40 of them. They were from all across the United States but primarily from the state of oregon who came all the way out here to try to see if this senate was going to meet President Trumps challenge and produce an alternative. It turns out most of them were protected by daca, the executive order that is being abolished by President Trump. One of them said to me i am skipping my first week of class at the university of texas. I said whats your major . She said neuroscience. I said dont skip too many classes. Thats got to be a tough thing to do. But you came here because whats at stake in this chamber, whats at stake in this debate will decide whether or not she can continue to live in the United States of america. For senator mcconnell to dismiss this issue and say welo ignore the oious. For many of these young people, this debate, this moment may decide their future. It may decide the future of their family. Are they worried . To say the least, half of them were crying as they came into my office. At a point when i was talking to them, i said we will do everything we can to help your parents, they all broke down crying. Thats what this is about. This is about a heartwrenching issue that is before us because President Trump made a decision september 5 to end a program which allowed these young people to go to school, to work in the United States of america. It was President Trump that challenged us to do something about it, and we have done nothing, nothing. And thats the challenge we face. To say were in no hurry. Well, we may not be as senators and congressmen, but these young people are in a hurry to find out whether or not they have a life. Thats what it comes down to. There was an announcement just a few minutes ago from the house side from the Republican Leadership that the house of representatives, despite the fact that we do not have an agreement moving forward, is going to leave. Theyre going to leave washington. I dont know for how long and i dont know what theyre going to do when they leave, but i would beg them dont turn your back on your responsibility right here in washington to work with us, to find a way to move forward. We have come up with a proposal. It is a shortterm laststep continuing resolution of just a few days. I have been around here for a while. You give this senate and house a couple of weeks, it turns into a couple of months. If we do this in a matter of three or four days to reach an agreement on these key issues, everything included in the c. R. That we have before us and everything that should be, i think well roll up our sleeves, get down to work and do it. We dont want to shut down this government. We want to solve the problems facing this government and this nation, and that means working together, something which senator mcconnell has not engaged in when it comes to this c. R. Its time for us as democrats and republicans to sit down in a room together, think about this great nation and the frustration they have with our political system and those of us in political life. Nine out of ten, maybe even more would say to us for goodness sakes, will you stop your fighting, will you stop your bickering, will you stop your debating, would you get into a room, act like grownups and do something together for the good of this nation . Thats what were proposing. To sit down together for the good of this nation and move forward. When he was asked just a few days ago, senator mcconnell said his biggest problem was he didnt know what