[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 25, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S2501]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        GOVERNMENT SPENDING BILL

  Mr. President, first I want to say that it is very good news that the 
President seems to be taking the wall off the table in the negotiations 
we are having on an appropriations bill this week. It would remove the 
prospect of a needless fight over a poison pill proposal that Members 
of both parties don't support. On a bill as important as one to keep 
the government open, it is a dangerous prospect for the administration 
to push so hard for such a flawed, incomplete, and unthought-out 
proposal on a must-pass spending bill. It could tank what would have 
been productive, bipartisan, bicameral negotiations between the leaders 
in both Houses. If the threat of the wall is removed, as I hope is the 
case, our negotiations can continue and we can hopefully continue to 
resolve all of the outstanding issues by Friday.
  Make no mistake about it, there are other important issues to 
resolve--no poison pill riders, above all, and the ratio of defense and 
nondefense spending in terms of increases above the baseline. On the 
nondefense side, miners are very important on our side, getting 
permanent healthcare for these miners who have struggled their whole 
lives; the issue of cost-sharing, where 6 million people could lose 
their healthcare because it would become unaffordable; and the issue of 
Puerto Rico, which is struggling so, are among those that we feel are 
important as well. There are other issues to resolve as well, but I am 
hopeful we can address them as the week moves forward. Poison pill 
riders are something that could really hurt the bill, and we don't want 
that to happen.