[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 74 (Monday, May 1, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2646-S2647]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Government Funding Legislation

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, late last night, due to the hard work and 
diligence of the staffs of the Appropriations Committees on both sides 
of the aisle in both Houses, the staff of the leadership, and so many 
others, we were able to come to a bipartisan agreement on a bill to 
fund the government through September. Most importantly, this agreement 
takes the threat of a government shutdown off the table. It is also a 
good agreement for the American people.
  The bill ensures taxpayer dollars are not used to fund an ineffective 
border wall; it excludes over 160 poison pill riders; and it increases 
investments in programs that the middle class relies on, like 
education, infrastructure, and medical research.
  It includes a permanent extension for health benefits for miners. 
Here, I want to praise--and I can't give enough praise--to the Senator 
from West Virginia, Joe Manchin, who was relentless even after 
disappointment after disappointment, at holding the Senate's feet to 
the fire and making sure this was done. Many miners can rest easy 
tonight--people who have worked so hard all their lives and had so much 
disappointment--because of Joe Manchin's work and what we put into the 
bill.
  There is also funding to shore up Puerto Rico's Medicaid Program, and 
$2 billion to help States like California, West Virginia, Louisiana, 
and North Carolina recover from recent natural disasters.
  The bill also includes a significant increase in NIH funding, which 
deals with cancer research and the Cancer Moonshot that both President 
Obama and Vice President Biden pushed for and continues onward, and a 
restoration of year-round Pell grants that will benefit about 1 million 
students. College is often the ladder up for a lot of students, and 
this will help them stay on that ladder.
  And the bill includes significantly increased funding for 
infrastructure, as well as funding to combat the scourge of opioid 
abuse which affects all parts

[[Page S2647]]

of the country--urban areas, suburban areas, rural areas. It affects 
the poor, the middle class, and the rich.
  Good news: It protects 99 percent of the Environmental Protection 
Agency's budget so their quest to keep our water and air clean will be 
able to continue. It increases funding for clean energy research as 
well. That is one of the great hopes for jobs in this country, as our 
Senator from Washington, Maria Cantwell, constantly reminds us.
  For my home State of New York, I was particularly pleased the 
agreement supports critical programs that are greatly needed and very 
popular in my State, like the Community Development Block Grant 
Program, which so many smaller cities depend on; the Great Lakes 
Restoration Initiative to get pollution out of all the Great Lakes, 
Lake Ontario and Lake Erie being on the shores of New York; and the 
vital TIGER Grant Program, which has done so much to support 
infrastructure, road building, and highways throughout my State and 
throughout America.
  As I said, the bill explicitly precludes the use of any of this 
funding for a border wall. This is an idea that both parties rejected. 
A load of Congressmen and Senators on the Republican side have said 
that the wall doesn't make sense. In fact, you couldn't find one 
Republican on the border in the States of California, Arizona, New 
Mexico, and Texas who supported that wall. Why? Unlike the President's 
promise, Mexico is not paying for it. There is no plan for the wall. We 
don't even know where we would build it. The Secretary of the Interior, 
President Trump's appointee, said: We can't build it from the U.S. side 
because it cuts us off from the river. Mexico will not build on their 
side. Where are we going to build it? In the middle of the river? And, 
mainly, because it is not very effective--you can tunnel under a wall.
  We all want to prevent the scourge of drugs from coming across our 
border; so many of them come in little planes and boats. When they come 
by land, they are often hidden in parts of cars, in the carburetor or 
the exhaust tank--hidden. They will be able to come through because the 
wall obviously is going to have portals in it where trucks and cars can 
go through. So there is no money for the border wall, not one plug 
nickel.
  We do have money, of course, for border protection, which both 
parties have always supported, and comprehensive immigration reform. 
Senator McCain and I, in a bipartisan bill supported by 68 Members of 
this body, made sure we had very strong border protection. But it has 
to be smart, it has to be cost effective, and it has to work.
  Early on in this debate, Democrats clearly laid out our principles 
and insisted there would be no poison pill riders in this bill. We were 
able to knock out more than 160 poison pill riders from the final 
agreement, including the border wall, anti-labor measures that hurt the 
working people of America, and efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. So 
many women depend on these clinics for their health. And we were able 
to achieve significant investments in domestic programs that help the 
middle class and those struggling to get to the middle class.
  Of course, this bill doesn't include all the things we wanted, but 
that is the nature of compromise. At the end of the day, this is an 
agreement that reflects our basic principles--something that both 
Democrats and Republicans can support. It took a few extra days, but we 
got a very good agreement.
  I want to thank my friend, the majority leader, Senator McConnell. He 
worked very hard to get a good bill. I thank the chairmen and ranking 
members of the House-Senate Appropriations Committees, particularly 
Senator Leahy from Vermont in our Chamber. I thank Speaker Ryan and 
Leader Pelosi and all of their staff for working so hard last week and 
over the weekend to forge an agreement.
  I must tell you, and I must tell my colleagues, the negotiations 
between our two sides were consistently productive and always 
respectful. Throughout the process, both Republican and Democratic 
Members and staff negotiated in good faith because we all wanted to get 
something done. I believe this experience bodes well for the 2018 
budget and future negotiations between our two parties on 
appropriations. If we can show the same desire to get things done--the 
same mutual respect, the same ability to compromise--we can get a darn 
good budget for the year 2018 without the specter of a government 
shutdown hanging over the country's head.
  I wish to say one final thing. It shows that when our Republican 
colleagues are willing to work with us, we can get things done. All too 
often--particularly from the White House--this attitude is just do it 
our way, my way or the highway. That is what happened on the healthcare 
bill--no consultation with Democrats. That is what happened on this 
little tax plan.
  When you don't do things in a bipartisan way, it is much harder to 
pass things. It is much harder to get a product that is at the 
consensus of where America is. I hope that not only will this 
successful negotiation on the 2017 appropriations bill be a model for 
the 2018 bill but a broader model that we can all work together to get 
things done for the country we love.
  I expect we will vote on this bill later this week, and I believe it 
will receive overwhelming support in this Chamber.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CRAPO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Ernst). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. CRAPO. Madam President, I rise today in support of Jay Clayton, 
who has been nominated to serve on the U.S. Securities and Exchange 
Commission. In the interest of time, I will save my longer remarks for 
later.
  As demonstrated at the Banking Committee's nomination hearing, Mr. 
Clayton is eminently qualified to serve on the U.S. Securities and 
Exchange Commission, or the SEC.
  He impressed both Republicans and Democrats and was voted out of 
committee on a bipartisan vote of 15 to 8. His extensive expertise and 
experience in our financial markets will be a benefit to the Commission 
and to the American people.
  His testimony about the need to make our capital markets more 
attractive, which would rejuvenate their ability to invest in the 
United States and grow and create jobs, was well received. 
Additionally, he pledged to members of this committee and to the 
American people that he will show no favoritism to anyone.
  While some have raised issues about his previous work potentially 
creating conflicts, Mr. Clayton is not new in this regard, nor will he 
be any less vigilant to ensure that he acts appropriately and 
ethically.
  I will be supporting his nomination and look forward to having him at 
the SEC, where he can help protect and promote the success of our 
security markets and our investors.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Moran). The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time is expired.