[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 16, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         FUNDING THE GOVERNMENT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, as we all know, Congress has until 
Friday to reach an agreement that ensures continuous funding for the 
Federal Government. There is too much at stake for Republicans and 
Democrats not to come together, particularly while serious bipartisan 
conversations are underway on shared priorities, such as rebuilding our 
military, fixing our broken immigration policy, and other issues.
  Now that a Federal judge has issued a nationwide injunction 
preventing the administration from winding down the Obama 
administration's DACA Program, it is clear that Congress has at least 
until March, at a minimum and possibly even longer, to reach a 
compromise that resolves the DACA question but also strengthens our 
security and makes other needed reforms to our broken immigration 
system. With no imminent deadline on immigration and with bipartisan 
talks well underway, there is no reason why Congress should hold 
government funding hostage over the issue of illegal immigration.
  I am confident that Senators on both sides of the aisle will choose 
to avoid a manufactured crisis, reach a bipartisan funding agreement in 
the coming days, and then continue our negotiations in these important 
areas.

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