[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 18 (Thursday, January 25, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           WORK OF THE SENATE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this week, the Senate has moved past a 
partisan paralysis and checked off several important items for the 
American people.
  On Monday, we passed the bipartisan measure that funds the government 
through February 8. But that bill didn't only end the shutdown, it also 
extended the State Children's Health Insurance Program for 6 years. 
That is long-term security for millions of vulnerable children and 
peace of mind for their families. And the bill delayed three onerous 
taxes that ObamaCare would otherwise have imposed on the American 
people.
  Yesterday, I filed cloture on commonsense legislation to protect 
unborn children who can feel pain. There are only seven countries left 
that still permit elective abortion after 20 weeks, including us, 
unfortunately, China, and North Korea. On issues of human dignity, this 
is not the company we ought to keep. I look forward to voting to 
advance this bill next week.
  We also made important headway in another vital area--the personnel 
business. We confirmed three of President Trump's highly qualified 
nominees for important posts. We have a new Chairman of the Federal 
Reserve, Mr. Powell. We have a new Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, Mr. Azar. And we have a new Ambassador at Large for 
International Religious Freedom, our former colleague Sam Brownback. 
Here in the Senate, Mr. Brownback championed legislation to combat 
human trafficking and work to facilitate cooperation on issues facing 
vulnerable children. As the voices of religious minorities are being 
suppressed around the world, I am glad they will have Ambassador 
Brownback to speak up for them.
  Of course, a great deal of work lies ahead of us. In the near future, 
we need to make bipartisan progress on areas such as immigration and 
border security, disaster relief, healthcare, and securing adequate 
funding for our Armed Forces. It is my strong preference that Senators 
reach bipartisan agreements on these issues in advance of the February 
8 deadline. Fortunately, with the government shutdown behind us, 
serious discussions have resumed on all these matters. A bipartisan, 
bicameral group, including Senators Cornyn and Durbin, is hard at work 
on immigration. We will also hear from the White House on Monday, and I 
look forward to the framework they will present.
  I am optimistic these ongoing negotiations will lead to results; 
nonetheless, I came to the floor on Sunday night and again on Monday to 
restate a possibility I had previously discussed with Members with 
diverse views on immigration policy. I restated that if the February 8 
deadline for the current funding bill passes and a long-term agreement 
still eludes us, as long as the government remains open, the Senate 
will proceed to a variety of priorities on the subject of immigration, 
including border security, the DACA issue, and other aspects of 
immigration policy.
  The bill I choose to introduce for debate will have an amendment 
process that will ensure a level playing field at the outset. The 
amendment process will be fair to all sides, allowing Members to offer 
their own legislation for consideration and votes. While I obviously 
cannot guarantee any outcomes, let alone supermajority support, I can 
ensure the process is fair to all sides.
  I am glad that my restating this simple position helped my Democratic 
colleagues to persuade their leader to abandon his filibuster and 
permit the government to reopen. The American people are waiting for us 
to act as soon as possible, so I hope that hard work and honest 
discussions will yield agreements before February 8.

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