[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 71 (Wednesday, April 26, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S2541]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Government Spending Bill

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, as Senators continue to negotiate the 
appropriations bills this week, I want to reiterate my hopes that we 
can reach an agreement by this Friday. So long as we try to operate 
within the parameters our parties have operated under for the last few 
spending bills, I am optimistic about the chances for a deal.
  I am glad the President has taken the wall off the table in the 
negotiations. Democrats have always been for border security. In fact, 
we supported one of the toughest border security packages in 
comprehensive immigration reform in an amendment offered by two of my 
Republican colleagues, Senator Hoeven and Senator Corker. We may 
address border security in this bill as well, but it will not include 
any funding for a wall, plain and simple.
  Now, we still have a few issues to work out, including the issue of 
cost sharing, Puerto Rico, and getting permanent healthcare for miners, 
which I was glad to hear the majority leader voice support for 
yesterday--permanent healthcare for miners. I want to salute Senator 
Manchin, who has worked so long and hard for these poor miners who have 
struggled and have had hard, hard, hard lives. They shouldn't have 
their health benefits taken away. But above all, in the bill we have to 
make sure there are no poison pill riders. That has been a watchword of 
our negotiations in the past and is what led to success, and I hope 
both sides of the aisle will pursue that now.
  We Democrats remain committed to fighting President Trump's cutback 
on women's health, a rollback of financial protections in Wall Street 
reform, rollbacks of protections for clean air and clean water, and 
against a deportation force. Those are the kinds of poison pill riders 
that could hurt an agreement, and I hope we will just decide at the 
given time that we can debate them in regular order, but they shouldn't 
hold the government hostage and pass them without debate.