Transcripts For CSPAN2 U.S. Senate U.S. Senate 20180122 : vi

CSPAN2 U.S. Senate U.S. Senate January 22, 2018

Mrs. Ernst mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mrs. Ernst mr. President , i rise today to urge Senate Democratic leadership to end their reckless Government Shutdown. Its no secret that over the years ive made clear that i dont like funding our government from one shortsided bandaid bill to another. We must establish a path forward to responsibly fund our government for the long term. Its responsible and right thing to do for our military, for future generations, for our veterans, and for the American People. But rather than finding a longterm funding solution to ensure stability in our military, the Senate Democratic leadership has decided to shut down the government. So what does that mean for our military . Well, for starters, critical defense projects have come to a halt. We can also see delays in maintenance of our critical aircraft, ships, our weapon systems at a time when our adversaries are becoming more aggressive and more advanced. And our Service Members who put their lives on the line every day for our country dont know when they will receive a paycheck. I have an advisor right now that is deployed to the middle east. I received an email from him this morning and he said its really hard for all of us here knowing that our government is shut down, but he said every day its the same for us here in afghanistan. We will do what we need to do. God bless him for that. Iowa National Guardsmen are deployed overseas right now. One of my former units, the 248 aviation support battalion is spread out through the middle east doing their mission while we struggle to find a way forward for them here in washington, d. C. Military schools have been canceled. I spoke to an active Duty Army Officer this morning. She was scheduled for her precommand course this weekend and her orders were canceled. She told me, i will not be able to go to that precommand course before i deploy. She will head overseas not having had a vital course to instruct her on leadership in the military. The likelihood of her picking up that course again in the future, near zero near zero. Additionally, having served as a Battalion Commander in the Iowa National guard during our last Government Shutdown, i can tell that you these shutdowns have a Significant Impact on our National Guardsmen. A shutdown prohibits our citizen soldiers from participating in drill and training exercises essential to our military readiness. Our Public Affairs officer sent out this notice this morning from the Iowa National guard. The headline, Iowa National guard feels effect of federal Government Shutdown. Nearly 900 technicians furloughed. Thats in iowa alone. Approximately 400 personnel sent home from weekend training. Thats just iowa. 110,000 National Guardmen were affected over this last weekend because of the shutdown. Now, should these men and women be called to defend our nation in the face of danger, it is critical that they are properly prepared and a Government Shutdown does not allow this. During the time that the Government Shutdown goes on, were not able to maintain our equipment. That hurts our readiness. Our personnel cant do their wellness and medical checks. That hurts our read aniness readiness. Our military cant get to their schools for advancement in their careers, that hurts our readiness. Once those orders to school has been canceled, you cant just pick up on tuesday, wednesday, or thursday and say, okay, im going to school now, there are only so many slots allocated. If you miss that training period, you may be waiting months, perhaps even years to pick up those schools in the national guard. During the shutdown our folks are furloughed. Depending on how long the government is shutdown, our citizen soldiers might not receive enough training days to be adequately prepared for duty. This could also mean that their time serving throughout the year might not be included in their total years of service, potentially further jeopardizing their benefits and pay. What a lot of folks here that havent served in the military or guard or active duty, what they dont understand, in the reserve and guard you have to meet so many points in a year for that to be considered a good retirement year. If you fall a few days short of that, the entire year does not count towards your retirement. The entire year does not count towards your retirement. Despite the rhetoric otherwise Senate Democrats are turning their back on men and women in uniform by putting our militarys resources and readiness in jeopardy. It is inexcusable. Additionally, the legislation the senate voted on friday night would have reauthorized the Childrens Health Insurance Program for six years. Six years. Providing approximately 80,000 80,000 iowa children with access to Important Health care services, especially in the rural and underserved areas. Unfortunately, Senate Democratic leadership is playing political games in a posthour effort to ensure critical funding is in place for children in iowa and across the country. Instead the Senate Democratic leadership shutdown hurts iowas lowincome children, and puts rural areas at a major disadvantage and disrupts states ability to ensure secure Financial Planning for their health care programs. Folks, the reality is this shutdown happened because Democratic Leadership didnt get everything they wanted in this funding bill. They didnt get everything they wanted. As a result, they decided to hold hostage our military, our militarys readiness, our Childrens Health care, and our government. You see, the Senate Democrats who chose to play politics set arbitrary deadlines regarding deferred action for childhood arrivals, also known as daca. I too want to ensure that Congress Finds a solution for Daca Recipients. We have many, many recipients in iowa. Many of my colleagues want to see resolution on this as well. America is a nation of immigrants and our diversity truly is our strength. Its incredibly important that we find a fix for Daca Recipients as they are so important to the fabric of our communities and to our future. Many young down documented children were many young undocumented children were brought here truly through no fault of their own. Congress has been and must continue to Work Together to identify and pursue a measured approach that addresses Daca Recipients unique situation, and also respects the importance of our immigration laws, keeps our borders secure, and discourages future ilLegal Immigration. There is estimate time to achieve a solution. Theres still time, but holding the government hostage and stalling important discussions on daca really is nonsensical. Some of my democratic colleagues are starting to show a willingness to work through these issues and reopen the government, and im asking them to vote yes for funding our government so that we can move ahead. But the decision to remain shutdown lies solely with the Democratic Leadership here in the senate. So today im calling on Senate Democratic leaders to put their reckless games aside and start working with us on a path forward to fund the government, ensure lowincome children have access to health care, provide the resources our military needs, and find a solution for our Daca Recipients. Im asking my senate colleagues, those that i have spoken with, both sides of the aisle, to join us in a yes vote today at noon, or shortly thereafter, so that we can find solutions. With that, mr. President , i thank you, and i yield the floor. I notice the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call quorum call quorum call mr. Schumer mr. President. The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Schumer mr. President , are we in a quorum call . The presiding officer we are. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer thank you, mr. President. Now today today we enter the third day of the trump shutdown, the first ever real shutdown to occur when one Party Controls the entire legislative process. The republican Party Controls the house, the senate, the presidency, and yet they were unable to keep the government open for the American People. Leader mcconnell knows it takes 60 votes to win passage of a spending bill, and yet he moved forward with a lastminute extension that he knew lacked the votes. Both democrats and republicans voted against that bill. The reason the republican majority had such difficulty finding consensus is they could never get a firm grip on what the president of their party wanted to do. These days with these days you never know who to deal with when it comes to the republicans. The Republican Leaders told me to work out a deal with the white house. The white house said work it out with Republican Leaders on the hill. Separately President Trump turned away from not one but two bipartisan compromises. Each would have averted this shutdown. Each would have led to a deal on the budget and health care and disaster aid and things like opioids and veterans and pensions and on immigration. My recent offer to the president was a generous one. I put his Signature Campaign issue on the table in exchange for daca and still he turned away. President trumps unwillingness to compromise caused the trump shutdown and brought us to this moment. The facts are well known. Now i wish to update the senate on where things stand after this weekend. Since our meeting in the oval office on friday, the president and i have not spoken, and the white house refused to engage in negotiations over the weekend. The great dealmaking president sat on the sidelines. Despite and because of this frustration, ive been having conversations with the republican leader over the weekend about a path forward. After several discussions, offers, counteroffers, the republican leader and i have come to an arrangement. We will vote today to reopen the government, to continue negotiating a global agreement with the commitment that if an agreement isnt reached by february 8, the senate will immediately proceed to consideration of legislation dealing with daca. The process will be neutral and fair to all sides. We expect that a bipartisan bill on daca will receive fair consideration and an upordown vote on the floor. Now its a shame, mr. President , that the American People and the senate have had to endure such hand wringing, finger pointing, stridency to secure a guarantee that we will finally move to address this urgent issue. It is something the majority could have avoided entirely, a concern the president could have object obviated if he were willing to take yes for an answer. While this procedure will not satisfy all on both sides its a way forward. Im confident that we can get the 60 votes in the senate for a daca bill. And now there is a real pathway to get a bill on the floor and through the senate. It is a good solution, and i will vote for it. Im incredibly grateful to the Bipartisan Group that has come together in recent days to renew the immigration debate with the sense of urgency. I believe that this group has the potential to return the senate to the kind of place it should be on the issue of immigration, a place for bipartisanship, a place for action, a place for achievement. The Bipartisan Group in a very fine way filled the glaring absence of the president in these talks. I expect the majority leader to fulfill his commitment to the senate to me and to the Bipartisan Group and abide by this agreement. If he does not of course and i expect he will he will have breached the trust of not only the democratic senators, but members of his own party as well. Through these complicated and lengthy negotiations, democrats have always sought to be reasonable, to act in good faith and get Something Real done. Despite all of our entreaties, the president was obstinate. Despite bipartisan support for daca, the republican majority dithered. The senate has muddled along for too long, content to delay action on our most pressing challenges until the very last moment. That ends today. The republican majority now has 17 days to prevent the dreamers from being deported. Mr. President , we have to we have a way to address the fate of the dreamers starting right now instead of waiting until march with the minority and the moderate middle empowered to bring a bill to the floor instead of being held by the most strident, antiimmigration voices in the republican caucus. And we on our side of the aisle will continue to fight as strongly as we can for the dreamers in the weeks ahead. I say to all americans, urge your senators to vote yes on the bipartisan compromise when it comes forward. Write, tweet, email, phone, visit, do everything you can so we can finally pass this bill. In a few hours the government will reopen. We have a lot to do. The issue of the dreamers demands resolution. A budget must be written. Health care has to be addressed. Relief provided to disasterstricken parts of our country. Pensions and opioids. Veterans. Child care. All have to be taken care of. The trump shutdown will soon end, but the work must go on. And it will. Thank you and i yield the floor. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i want to thank the democratic leader for his comments and his indication that he intends to support the measure before us. I think if weve learned anything, i think if weve learned anything during this process, it set a strategy to shut down the government over the issue of ilLegal Immigration is something the American People didnt understand and would not have understood in the future. So im glad weve gotten past that and we have a chance now to get back to work. And, therefore, mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call be waived. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. The clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. The clerk cloture motion. We the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the motion to concur with a further amendment in the house amendment to the Senate Amendment to h. R. 195, signed by 17 senators. The presiding officer by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. The question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the motion to concur in the house amendment to the Senate Amendment to h. R. 195 with a further amendment shall be brought to a close. The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. The clerk will call the roll. Mr. Schumer mr. President , before we call the roll, i ask unanimous consent that the democratic whip be allowed to address the chamber for three minutes with the gracious approval of the majority leader. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Durbin mr. President , let me thank you very much and thank the majority leader for this opportunity. Let me thank my friend, my colleague, and our leader on the democratic side for his passionate, personal commitment to this issue involving the dreamers and daca. He has been by my side and ive been inspired by his leadership from the start. And let me thank my colleagues. So many of you cast a vote that was very hard and very difficult because ubld, as you believed that the issue of the dreamers is the civil rights issue of the time. You stuck your necks out and said im willing to go on record even if its hard to explain back home and i will never forget that. The question now is how we move forward. What i have seen here on the floor of the senate in the last few days is something we have not seen for years. Constructive, bipartisan conversations and dialogue on the floor not just about this issue, which is obviously front and center, but about the future of this institution and what the senate will be from this point forward. That, to me, has been encouraging because it says to me that we do have an opportunity to Work Together. My special thanks to senator susan collins, my friend, and senator murkowski for joining with jeff flake and Lindsey Graham and cory gardner and others who have been working on this issue for so long to try to make a positive impact on this debate so we can move forward. I cannot tell my colleagues how many have come up to me from the other side of the aisle and said were with you on this issue. We want to help you get this done. Each of them has a little different take on what that means, but i do believe them and i do believe we have this opportunity to move together. Now comes the test, the real test as to wheth

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