[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 16, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S233-S247]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DISAPPROVING THE PRESIDENT'S PROPOSAL TO TAKE AN ACTION RELATING TO THE
APPLICATION OF CERTAIN SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE RUSSIAN
FEDERATION--Resumed
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
resume consideration of S.J. Res. 2, which the clerk will report.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A joint resolution (S.J. Res. 2) disapproving the
President's proposal to take an action relating to the
application of certain sanctions with respect to the Russian
Federation.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the time until 12:30
p.m. will be equally divided between the two leaders or their
designees.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President I ask unanimous consent that the time on
the quorum call be equally divided between the two sides.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. GRASSLEY. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Recognition of the Majority Leader
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader is recognized.
Border Security
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, one dollar--one dollar--that is the
amount that the Speaker of the House said she would be willing to
invest in physical barriers at our southern border--one dollar. Talk
about serious, good-faith negotiations. Talk about taking borders
seriously.
The men and women on the ground have been unambiguous about the
crisis they are facing: the entry of criminal aliens and gang members
into our country, the drugs that go on to infect our communities, the
ongoing humanitarian crises that are fueled by our government's mixed
signals and our inability to enforce our own laws.
According to Speaker Pelosi, these urgent issues are worth about 33
cents each--33 cents. As we all know, that is because the Speaker has
recently defined a brandnew dogma for the Democratic Party: Actually
enforcing our immigration laws with the help of physical barriers is
``an immorality''--an immorality.
That is quite the indictment of her fellow Democrats' past positions.
Recent years have seen Democrats vote for billions--billions--of
dollars in physical walls and fencing. Recent years have seen a
Democratic administration build the same steel barriers--the very same
steel barriers--that this President now wants to expand.
But these days, it seems that Democrats are happy to take their cues
from the gentlelady from San Francisco and her extreme, fringe position
that walls have now become immoral. Really?
Yesterday, President Trump issued yet another bipartisan invitation
for Members of Congress to meet at the White House and actually
negotiate. Yet, again, only Republicans came to the table.
For the American people, who deserve both a functioning government as
well as a secure border, that really is not a promising sign. For
Federal workers who are now stretching every dollar until Democrats
lose interest in dead-end political games, the Speaker's $1 punchline
is not very entertaining.
So for everyone's sake, I hope our Democratic colleagues will reverse
course and work seriously with this White House to reach an agreement
that can become law and fulfill our promises to our country.
In the meantime, as the White House made clear just yesterday,
cherry-picking continuing resolutions that fail to
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address the border crisis will not receive the President's signature.
They are not going to.
The only way out of this impasse is a bipartisan agreement, and as
the Democratic leader and I have both stated here on the floor, only an
all-corners bipartisan agreement will receive a vote here in the
Senate.
S.J. Res. 2
Mr. President, on another matter, before the Senate today is a
resolution from the Democratic leader that would overrule career civil
servants at the Treasury Department and fire from the hip on one of the
top foreign policy concerns of the United States.
This is the pending business, despite the fact that the Democratic
leader had previously proclaimed he would not let the Senate address
any business--any--during this partial government shutdown. Apparently
there is an exception to that.
Remember, that was the reason the Democratic leader gave for leading
a Democratic filibuster of a bipartisan package that would have
reaffirmed our commitment to defend our allies in Israel, stand
alongside Jordan, and unlock justice for the victims of Assad's rogue
regime.
On one day, they insist we shouldn't do any business; on another, it
is time to bring up an unrelated resolution of their own. At the end of
the last Congress, they said they would support bipartisan legislation
to shore up our allies in the Middle East and deliver justice for
victims of unspeakable violence in Syria. Now they are filibustering
the bill and have voted against it three times--three times against
this potential bill that benefits our allies Israel and Jordan and
deals with the victims of cruelty in Syria.
These twists and turns are pretty hard to follow, confusing, until
you remember the one key to our Democratic colleagues' thinking these
days--political spite for the President comes first, ahead of
everything else.
You see, the administration isn't opposed to these bipartisan, urgent
bills to back Israel, Jordan, and the Syrian people. President Trump,
we expect, would sign these bills. We might actually make a law, which
is what people sent us here to do, presumably.
Naturally, the Democratic leader isn't interested. Democrats in
Congress don't think working with the President to accomplish things
suits their political brand these days.
The Democratic leader's new resolution, which he has been happy to
prioritize ahead of Israel and the Syrian people, offers him a chance
to make a political splash. It overrules the careful actions of career
civil servants at Treasury and blows up a nuanced decision the current
law actually requires. Current law actually requires what they do.
Supporting Israel? It is not too interesting to my friends across the
aisle, but picking a political fight with the President, boy, they are
up for that one every day.
This is the key to understanding this unusual moment. This is the
central principle. Democrats have made a marketing decision to obstruct
President Trump at all costs, even if it hurts substantive priorities
they used to support. That is why we are in day 26 of this partial
government shutdown, with Democrats refusing to even show up and
negotiate on funds for border security, which they used to brag about
supporting. That is why Senate Democrats have decided that aid for
Israel and help for the people of Syria are not worthy of this body's
time but are happy to spend more time trying to blow up a highly
technical Treasury Department decision that current law actually
requires.
Let me say that again. They are happy to spend floor time trying to
blow up a highly technical Treasury Department decision that current
law actually requires. Political obstruction is their top priority.
Everything else follows from that.
Nomination of William Barr
Mr. President, on a final matter, even in the midst of this political
climate, the President's nominee for Attorney General delivered an
impressive performance during the first day of his hearings before the
Judiciary Committee. Senators were reminded exactly why he won
bipartisan admiration for this body in 1991 and was confirmed as
President Bush 41's Attorney General with no opposition--none.
Now, as Mr. Barr himself acknowledged in his testimony yesterday,
times have changed, but the core principles that our Nation's Attorney
General must uphold haven't changed. As the nominee testified
yesterday, ``the American people have to know that there are places in
the government where the rule of law--not politics--holds sway . . .
the Department of Justice must be such a place.''
Those are the words of the right man for this job. His testimony made
clear what he sees as key priorities for the Department of Justice:
building on past progress in preventing violent crime, enforcing and
improving our Nation's immigration laws, and protecting the integrity
of our electoral system.
He stated definitively where his loyalties lie: with ``the rule of
law, the Constitution, and the American people. That is how it should
be. That is how it must be. And, if you confirm me, that is how it will
be.''
Experience, integrity, and total commitment--the President has made
an outstanding choice. The Judiciary Committee continues its hearings
today. I look forward to their continuing review of this nomination
and, then, to its being reported here to the floor. The American people
deserve the very best. That is just what Attorney General Bill Barr
will be
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Recognition of the Minority Leader
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader is recognized.
Government Funding
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I just heard Leader McConnell, my good
friend, rail on and on. First, he doesn't agree with Nancy Pelosi on
the wall. That is a surprise. Second, he doesn't like the fact that we
want to get a vote to open up the government before we move forward on
S. 1. We know that. His arguments are getting kind of old and stale.
I will say to the leader, very simply--you may disagree with us: Open
the government. Open the government. You can do it, Leader McConnell.
All your blaming and flailing isn't going to open the government. We
all know Donald Trump is the obstacle here. You know it. I know it. We
all know it. The only way to help all the folks who need help is to
open the government.
There are a good number of Republicans on your side who have
advocated that already. To hold the government hostage, you are losing
the argument. You are losing it with the public. An overwhelming
majority of Americans think the government should not be shut down over
a wall. Even a substantial number of people who support the wall say:
Don't shut down the government to get the wall.
We have problems on the border. A lot of Americans don't think it is
a crisis that demands hurting our economy and our government.
Leader McConnell, we know you disagree with Leader Pelosi and me on
what should be border security. We know you think we should pass S. 1
before we open up the government. Leader, you--you--can open the
government. That is what the American people want, and I dare say that
is what most of your colleagues want, at least if they talk to you
privately.
It seems that every day the Trump shutdown drags on, we read another
story about a new way it is hurting our economy. Eight hundred thousand
public servants have been without pay, including thousands of veterans
who work for the Federal Government. Each one of those Americans has a
different story about how the shutdown is hurting them and their
families. As nine essential Cabinet Departments remain shuttered, we
are learning that the effects of the shutdown are even more widespread
and continue to worsen. Yesterday, President Trump's own White House
Council of Economic Advisers doubled their projections of how much
economic growth is being lost each week during the shutdown.
Let me repeat that. The Trump administration's own economic advisers
have just said that the Trump shutdown will substantially hurt our
economy--twice as much as they originally
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predicted. Growth is down. Economic and consumer confidence is down.
Billions of dollars have been pulled out of our economy. Some of the
leading financial leaders in the country are now saying we might even
go into contraction in the first part of this year if this shutdown
continues.
Do you think, Leader McConnell, that is benefiting Donald Trump? Do
you think, Leader McConnell, that is benefiting the Republican Party,
who the Americans know own the shutdown? No. Let's open the government
and then debate our differences on border security and whatever else.
Why is our country suffering self-inflicted damage? Because President
Trump is using the American government as leverage in an attempt to
extract taxpayer money for a border wall he promised Mexico would pay
for.
He says: You know, I hear Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity: He promised
this in the campaign.
No, he didn't. He promised a wall that Mexico would pay for. He never
said once, that I can recall, in the campaign: But if Mexico doesn't
pay for it, we will pay for it.
Of course people voted for it--or some, not that many. This is
ridiculous. The President makes a campaign promise. He twists the
campaign promise around and now shuts down the government so he can
show he is keeping not the promise he made but a different one. It
would sound ridiculous and absurd if it weren't the reality.
The fact of the matter is that eight Cabinet Departments not named
Homeland Security have absolutely nothing--nothing--to do with our
disagreements over border security. That is why Democrats have offered,
and continue to offer, to reopen the government while we debate border
security.
Again, three words for Leader McConnell again: Open the government.
Three words to my Republican colleagues: Open the government.
Three words to President Trump: Open the government.
Then, we can have all the discussion and debating, as we are supposed
to do, on these issues where we don't agree.
Democrats have made entirely reasonable proposals. We proposed to
open the government by passing Republican spending bills from the last
Congress so there would be no controversy. These are not bills the
Democrats put together. These are bills the Republicans put together
with some Democratic input. Leader McConnell voted for every one of
them--every one of them.
As for this idea that he will not move unless Trump agrees, that may
have made sense in the first week or two. It makes no sense now because
President Trump is adamant, all over the lot, and seems unwilling and
unable to tie himself out of his own knots to get the government open.
Someone should step in. On our side, we are willing to step in. Where
is Leader McConnell? Where are the Republicans?
The American people support passing our bills--bills that we have
asked unanimous consent for by wide margins--two to one, including
nearly 40 percent of Republicans. Forty percent of Republicans support
passing our bills and then debating.
So, Mr. President, even your prized base--a good chunk of it, about a
third--is turning away from you on this issue.
When will the President and my Republican colleagues wake up to the
hardship being inflicted on so many people across the country? It is
time that the Senate act on House-passed bills to open the government.
The President, we know, is inflexible. He is ``proud,'' as he said,
to have shut down the government. He is, amazingly--never seen a
President like this--impervious to the pain and suffering of Federal
workers and the American people. He makes stuff up: Oh, the Federal
workers want the wall. Who? Two people who are on FOX News all the time
who are part of a Border Patrol union? That is it, not the average
worker.
The President has refused all entreaties to open up the government by
Democrats and Republicans, like my friend Senator Graham--one of the
President's biggest allies in this Chamber.
His deputies are hardly even empowered to negotiate with the Hill
since President Trump retracts their offers almost as soon as they are
made. Everyone--everyone--can see how fruitless it is to try and
negotiate with this President at the moment.
My friend Leader McConnell is the one who can break the impasse. He
has declared before that ``he is the guy who gets us out of
shutdowns.'' He was proud of that. I wish he were still proud of it.
I think we are all ready for that, Leader McConnell, because so long
as Leader McConnell hides behind the President and the President's
absurd and destructive shutdown strategy, the Senate will be unable to
vote on broadly popular legislation to reopen the government.
The longer Leader McConnell allows this to continue, the more he and
Republican Senators will be tied to the President and the President's
disgraceful tactic of government by extortion.
Russia
Mr. President, last night, the Senate voted to proceed to the
resolution to disapprove the Treasury Department's plans to relax
sanctions on Russia, and 11 Republicans--I am proud of that, proud of
them--joined with every Democrat to advance the resolution, which will
face a cloture vote today. Two or three more Republican votes will
ensure cloture is invoked and the passage of the resolution achieved.
So I would like to make a direct appeal to my Republican friends who
are wondering about this.
This resolution is about a very simple thing. Do you believe America
should take a tough line on Putin or do you think we should go easy on
Putin and his cronies? From where I am standing, that is an easy
choice.
The past half decade has seen Putin expand his malign activities
around the world, from invading Ukraine and Georgia to annexing Crimea,
to propping up the brutal Assad regime in Syria, to directing nerve
agent attacks on foreign soil.
Russian intelligence has tried to destabilize Western democracies at
every opportunity--France, England, many other European countries, and
most obviously here in the United States. As proof positive, they go
online, they try to sow dissension in America, this beautiful country.
As Leader McConnell said yesterday--confusingly, before voting
against the resolution--``We have long seen Vladimir Putin for the KGB
thug that he is.'' Those are strong words but accurate.
In the face of this global assault on Western democracies, of course
we have seen that the Trump administration has been shamefully and
suspiciously weak on President Putin. The President has avoided
criticizing Putin at every turn. When asked about President Putin's
brutal tactics against his opponents, President Trump demurs.
When this body, near unanimously, passed the Russian sanction
legislation, President Trump contemplated vetoing it.
When President Putin told President Trump he didn't interfere in our
2016 elections, the President reportedly said: I believe you.
Last weekend, we learned that President Trump has expressed a desire
to withdraw from NATO this summer--the past summer is when he expressed
the desire. That is Putin's dream--Putin's dream. All the advice of our
military and diplomatic leaders were against it. Somehow, the President
wants to do it, and who benefits the most? Putin. Who loses the most?
The West.
Now, with this proposed sanctions relief, we have another example of
President Trump trying to lighten the burden on Putin's oligarchs. We
should not allow it.
For a very long time, the Republican Party predicated its foreign
policy on taking a tougher line against Russia and Putin. In so many
campaigns for President, we Democrats were accused of not being tough
enough on the Russians. I have always felt we have to be tough on the
Russians, but it seems acquiescence to the President, a fear of
breaking with the President, has held back too many of my Republican
colleagues from supporting this resolution.
The resolution, just to repeat, is sort of--I know Treasury made an
effort, although I don't have much faith in the strength. I think the
Secretary of Treasury is an intelligent man, but he never stands up to
Trump, and I don't have any faith in his strength in standing up this
time. So if Trump wanted a
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weakened resolution because maybe Putin or the Russians wanted it, that
is what we have here.
Forty-five percent control is not--45 percent ownership, which is
what this does, takes Deripaska out of this? Forget it. Then add to his
45 percent the 7 percent the in-laws own, that the large percentage
that Russian banks--controlled by Putin--own, the control is just as
tight as it was before. The people who were put in charge have close
relationships with Russia. This is not a strong resolution. It is
slightly less than a joke--slightly less than a joke.
So I hope some of our colleagues will come around. This is all about
America, the West, the stability of our Nation, and if Putin thinks he
can manipulate our country and manipulate the President and too many of
my colleagues who have always been strong against Russia go along, what
is he going to do next? What is he going to ask President Trump to do
next, and what will President Trump do?
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The minority whip.
Government Funding
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, to quote the great Yogi Berra, ``It's deja
vu all over again.''
It is the 26th day of the shutdown, and for the 26th day in a row,
Democrats are refusing to seriously engage with the President to get
the government reopened. Democrats have spent a lot of time talking
about their desire to get the hundreds of thousands of furloughed
Federal workers back to work, but their actions contradict their words.
The only way for the government to reopen is for both sides to come
to the table and compromise. The Democrats are absolutely refusing to
consider any concession. Their position is, my way or the highway.
Unfortunately, that is not the way things work in the real world. When
you have two groups with diametrically opposed positions, both sides
have to give a little if they are ever going to get anything done.
The White House has a strongly held position on this issue, but it
has also made it clear that it is willing to be flexible and to
negotiate with Democrats. The Democrats don't share that willingness,
and their refusal to negotiate is victimizing the very workers they
claim they want to protect.
Senate Democrats' latest attempt to distract from Democrats' refusal
to negotiate is to push for votes on House-passed legislation on
reopening the government, but as Democrats know very well, these votes
would be meaningless because this is not legislation the President is
going to sign.
Indeed, before Christmas, the Democratic leader in the Senate stated:
``The President must publicly support and say he will sign an agreement
before it gets a vote in either Chamber''; that from the Democratic
leader as recently as just a few weeks ago.
Well, there is no point in spending time taking up a bill that hasn't
received agreement from all parties. We know that, and the Democrats
know that as well, but apparently they are willing to flip-flop on this
issue if they think it will suit their political purposes. Kind of like
how they were for a border fence before they were against it. That is
right.
In 2006, the Democratic leader and the ranking member of the Senate
Judiciary Committee voted for legislation to authorize a border fence.
They were joined in that vote by then-Senator Biden, then-Senator
Clinton, and then-Senator Obama. In 2013, every Senate Democrat--every
Senate Democrat--supported legislation requiring the completion of a
700-mile fence along our southern border. In 2009, the Democratic
leader praised border fencing as a border security accomplishment.
So what has changed? The need to secure our borders hasn't changed.
The effectiveness of barriers hasn't changed. That has been well
documented.
The House majority leader, Steny Hoyer, was asked about the
Democrats' flip-flop, whether there is any real difference between what
they supported previously and what they are opposing now. Here is what
he said: ``I don't have an answer that I think is a really good
answer.''
Well, that is an honest reply. Democrats don't have a good answer
because there is no real difference between what they supported a few
years ago and what they are opposing now. Democrats have flip-flopped
on the issue because they are afraid to oppose the radical far-left
wing of their party and because they are committed to obstructing this
President no matter what.
If Democrats weren't hurting anybody, their refusal to play ball
wouldn't be a problem, but every single day that they refuse to engage
in serious negotiations is a day that families aren't getting paid,
national priorities aren't getting funded, and important border
security is being postponed.
That is where we are. I urge my colleagues to rethink their
obstruction and to work with the President to get the government
reopened and Federal workers back to work and funding for that critical
and important priority of ensuring that we have a secure southern
border.
March for Life
Mr. President, this Friday, as they do every year, individuals from
every corner of the United States will come to Washington, DC, to
participate in the national March for Life.
As usual, South Dakotans will be among them. Tens of thousands of
individuals will march from the National Mall to the Supreme Court to
bear witness to a simple truth; that unborn babies are human beings and
that they deserve to be protected.
It can be easy sometimes for human beings to turn their backs on
injustice. Maybe because we don't want to get involved, we are
reluctant to speak out.
It is particularly easy to turn our backs in the case of abortion
because the injustice of abortion is hidden. It happens out of the
public view behind closed doors, but we must not forget that every day
in the United States, unborn babies are being killed.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which compiles data
on the number of U.S. abortions, reports that there were more than
638,000 legal abortions in 2015--638,000. That is roughly equivalent to
three-quarters of the population of South Dakota. That is an incredible
number of lives lost, an incredible amount of joy lost, an incredible
amount of love lost, and it is all too easy to forget because we don't
see it happening. We can't forget. We can't forget injustice. We can't
let fear or discomfort stop us from speaking up for those who cannot
speak for themselves.
Fortunately, there are tens of thousands of men and women and young
people around this country who are committed to speaking up for the
unborn and who travel to Washington, DC, every year to remind us of the
truth about abortion, to remind us that abortion is the destruction of
an innocent human life, that every abortion kills an innocent human
being with her own DNA and her own, distinct identity.
I can think of few greater things than to defend the defenseless, to
stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, and I am
grateful for all those who will march through the streets of
Washington, DC, on Friday to speak up for the innocent unborn. I thank
them for reminding us of this great injustice, and I join them in
praying that one day every child will be safe from abortion.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.
Mr. LEE. Mr. President, this coming Friday, tens of thousands of
Americans will take to the snowy streets of Washington, DC, to exercise
their fundamental rights on behalf of millions of others who cannot.
They will come from every State in the Union, including the State of
Utah, to march to the U.S. Supreme Court. Fittingly, they will be
marching down Constitution Avenue in the name of justice and in defense
of the innocent.
The March for Life is a spectacular tradition in American politics, a
mass demonstration of joy. Despite its size and the diversity of its
participants--sometimes north of 100,000 souls, born and unborn--the
march is typically ignored by the mainstream media.
The marchers also know that the Supreme Court, rightly, is not
supposed to be swayed by public opinion one way or another. Yet they
march January after January after January, cheerfully, prayerfully,
happily, peacefully, bundled up against the cold, with babies in their
strollers, and wearing smiles on their faces.
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I have been, and I can confirm that the March for Life is the
happiest protest you can see because they march not principally in
outrage over the lives lost to the scourge of abortion but in abiding
hope for the lives yet to be saved.
The March for Life is often seen as the pro-life movement's response
to the Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. In truth, it is a
continuation of the march of human dignity and equality that has
defined American history since we first declared ``that all men are
Created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable Rights, that among these are Life''--yes, life--``Liberty,
and the pursuit of Happiness.''
Raised from the crib on the Declaration of Independence, Americans
can sometimes take its lofty and inspiring words for granted, but these
truths, however self-evident, remain as revolutionary today as they
were when they were penned in 1776.
From the dawn of time, powerful men have dehumanized women, the poor,
the sick, the disabled, the young and the old, those who thought
differently, looked differently, loved differently, or worshipped
differently.
Whether enforced by tribal taboos, corrupted science, or judicial
fiat, these experiments in dehumanization are the darkest chapters in
human history--including the original sin of our Republic, the
monstrous evil of slavery.
The story of American history is the story of our Nation standing up
to oppression, of our coming to the defense of the vulnerable in our
laws and with our very lives. From Independence Hall to the Bill of
Rights, from the abolition of slavery to universal suffrage, to the
civil rights movement, to the triumph over nazism, fascism, and
communism, the American people have fought through prejudice and pride
to assert and to defend the equal dignity of every single member of the
human family.
For all the powerful forces arrayed against it, the right to life
remains a part of who we are--a common heritage and, I believe history
will prove, a common destiny. That is precisely why the march grows
every single year not only here in Washington but in solidarity marches
in State capitals all around the country.
In Salt Lake City on Friday, Utah will host its annual March for Life
at the Utah State Capitol building. The same group of people will also
be organizing the annual diaper drive for the Pregnancy Resource
Center, a nonprofit organization that provides free healthcare services
to pregnant mothers in need. They know that to love is to serve, and to
be pro-life is to be pro every life and not just some lives. Our duty
to justice and equality extends beyond the unborn child in the womb; it
extends to her mother and to her father, to her siblings and her
friends, her neighborhood, her church, and her school--to her whole
life.
Abortion is evil, but so is indifference. Human dignity impels us to
transcend both, not merely by changing laws but by changing hearts,
starting, of course, with our own. It is not enough to restore a legal
regime of life; we must also endeavor to forge a new culture of life
that is broader and runs deeper than the law.
Those of us who call ourselves pro-life have a particular duty to
exercise the very right we fight to win back for the unborn: the right
to live, the right to grow, to strive every day to become more fully
the person God made us to be. A culture of life can be built only one
hopeful soul at a time, one by one. We have a long way to go, of
course, but the work is well underway. To see what it looks like, stop
by the march.
The struggle for life is just the latest battle in America's long,
noble crusade for justice, for equality, for freedom and liberty, and,
of course, for dignity. It is another fight worth having, another fight
most worthy of our heritage, another fight worthy of our children. One
day soon, we are going to win this fight. We are going to win this
fight, too, just as we have won others. Until that day, America will
continue to march.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President--and I welcome the distinguished Presiding
Officer, who has probably presided before, but this is the first time I
have been on the floor and have seen him preside. I realize he cannot
respond, but I welcome him to the Senate.
Government Funding
Mr. President, for 26 days, President Trump has held funding for our
Federal Government hostage, using it as leverage to force Congress to
provide $5.7 billion to build his ill-conceived, expensive, and
unfortunately totally ineffective wall on the southern border. We knew
this was coming because for months during the campaign, he riled up his
base with chants of ``Build the wall. Build the wall.'' He invented a
crisis at the southern border and then told supporters that only he
could solve it. He gave his word over and over again that Mexico would
pay for the wall so American taxpayers would not have to.
That was over 2 years ago, and I think he is feeling the pressure now
as he shutters himself in the White House. Having failed to convince
both Republicans and Democrats in Congress that the campaign slogan was
actually good policy and having failed, as we all knew, to get Mexico
to pay for the wall, he turns to a negotiation tactic that he seems to
have mastered--bullying. He has shut down the government of the most
powerful Nation in the world, making us a laughing stock around the
rest of the world, and he says he will keep us shut down until he gets
what he wants. It is the height of irresponsibility. It certainly
destroys our effectiveness in other parts of the world.
He is the President of this country. We all--Democrats and
Republicans--accept that he is the President. But that also means he is
supposed to lead the Nation, not run it into the ground like so many of
his businesses that had to declare bankruptcy. But he sits in the White
House tweeting and watching television all day, ignoring the damaging
effect his actions are having on millions of Americans of whatever
political persuasion around the country.
The shutdown not only hurts our Federal workers, it is hurting
America's economy. The President's own Chair of the White House Council
of Economic Advisers estimates that gross domestic product will slow by
.1 percent for every 2 weeks the government is shut down. Today, there
are reports that this estimate is too low and that the impact could be
.1 percent for every week the government is shuttered.
Those are numbers, but let me tell you a story and give an example.
Small businesses employ more than 59 million people in this country.
Small businesses in this country are one of the main drivers of
economic growth, but every day the government is closed is a day small
businesses can't get Small Business Administration-backed loans to
invest and grow their companies.
Last week, I heard from a woman who runs a small sign company in
Essex Junction, VT. Essex Junction is in Chittenden County outside of
Burlington, VT. It is a beautiful community. It survives by small
businesses that expand. She is trying to grow her business, and she is
trying to acquire another one, but the SBA backs the space she is
trying to purchase, and so she can't bring the sale to finality during
the shutdown. As a result, the seller is threatening to just move on.
He can't get an answer from the SBA. And, of course, that would throw
her expansion plans into jeopardy.
We have many excellent craft breweries in Vermont. They bring in a
lot of revenue. They hire a lot of people. They are a key part of our
tourism. I heard from one of the head brewers from one of these major
craft breweries. He depends upon the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade
Bureau to approve his license applications, formulas, and the labels he
puts on his beer. He has been brewing the beer and it is ready to be
labeled, but the office is closed due to the government shutdown. They
are not processing applications. He wrote:
I am one of the millions of voters whose livelihood depends
on the government operating. . . . Every day that passes
without the
[[Page S238]]
ATTB up and running is another potential day of lost sales.
Farmers across the country and in Vermont are also feeling the pain
of the shutdown. Just a few weeks ago, we passed the bipartisan farm
bill. I was one of the conferees on that bill. I praised Senator Pat
Roberts, Republican from Kansas, and Debbie Stabenow, Democrat from
Michigan. They put together this bipartisan bill, and the President
took credit when he signed it.
Well, it is a 5-year farm bill, and now the President, right after
signing the farm bill, has shut the U.S. Department of Agriculture
field offices that help farmers implement the law. Farmers need
information now as the new planting and growing season looms. How long
will it affect operations heading into the planting year? Most of the
staff are on furlough. If you are a farmer in the Midwest and you are
preparing your crops, you can't say: Well, you know, we can wait a few
months--maybe past the growing season--to find out what the rules are
going to be, and then we will plant. The decisions have to be made now.
It also means that farmers can't apply for much needed loans. They
need these loans because the drop in commodity prices brought on by the
President's tariffs has hit many farmers hard. They need loans to help
pay their bills. Many banks are not willing to lend on them, so they
have to rely on the Department of Agriculture as a lender of last
resort.
Guess what happens in these multiple whammies. Offices that issue
these loans are closed due to the shutdown. They need the loans because
of the President's tariffs and the President's shutdown, but these
offices can't give them the loans.
For those farmers who have better credit, who can access other
lending options, many of their loans are also delayed by the shutdown
since the lenders are unable to confirm that the farmer has other
outstanding loans from the USDA. They could just connect to the USDA
office to ask, but it is closed.
Just this week at the Farm Bureau convention, the President loudly
proclaimed that he is providing assistance to the Market Facilitation
Program to have farmers mitigate the financial losses caused by the
Trump tariffs. But as of December 28, there is no one left in the USDA
accounting offices to process any new applications for these much
needed payments.
I recently heard from a dairy farmer in what we call the Northeast
Kingdom in Vermont. She milks 80 cows, and she is proud of her
operation, but she has been hit hard by the President's trade policies,
which have led to retaliatory tariffs against U.S. dairy exports, and
she is now behind in her electric bill. The electric company is
threatening to turn off the power to her home, to her barn, to her milk
parlor, to her milking machines. She received one installment from the
American Facilitation Program to help mitigate the effects of the Trump
tariffs, but she hasn't received the second installment because of the
Trump shutdown. The second installment is needed to help pay her bills.
She says that she will be in much better shape when the new Dairy
Margin Coverage Program from the new farm bill is implemented. Again, I
applaud Senator Pat Roberts and Senator Debbie Stabenow for ushering
that through in an almost unanimous vote. Unfortunately, no work is
being done to get the program up and running because of the government
shutdown. She is frustrated. She is worried about her future. She is
looking for help. She is an honest, hard-working person, and she is
stymied. I don't blame her.
Implementation of the farm bill, which I spent more than a year
working on--I was on the committee conference working hard to deliver
for our Nation's farmers on a wide range of key priorities, especially
our struggling dairy farmers. It is now on hold during the shutdown
with nearly every USDA Agency furloughed. This is life in the age of
the Trump shutdown.
The President says that shutting down the government, paralyzing our
country, is necessary to address a growing crisis on our southern
border. The only crisis we have in our country right now is the one
caused by the Trump shutdown. The crisis we face is not at our southern
border but at kitchen tables, on family farms, and in small businesses
across the country as families hurt by the Trump shutdown try to figure
out how to make ends meet.
The President talks of hordes of illegal immigrants rushing across
our borders, but border apprehensions have dropped 75 percent since
2000, and the majority of people apprehended at borders today are
families--women and children--fleeing violence in their own country.
They deserve our compassion, not vitriol.
More people are in this country illegally as a result of visa
overstays than from illegal border crossings. This wall does nothing to
address that. To address our complex immigration issues, we need
comprehensive legislation based on facts, not bumper sticker slogans.
We all support strong border security--every Democrat, every
Republican does. By working on a bipartisan basis in the last fiscal
year, Democrats and Republicans supported $21.1 billion for border
security and immigration enforcement. This followed a similar
investment we made in fiscal year 2017.
As vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I know that we
invested in our ports of entry, including the purchase of nonintrusive
inspection equipment to detect illegal and illicit contraband. We
invested in aircraft to monitor our sprawling border from above and
quickly respond to emergencies. We invested in video surveillance,
radar systems to detect movement in remote locations. These are
solutions that work. These are smart uses of taxpayer dollars. A 30-
foot wall that Mexico will not pay for is not a good solution.
This shutdown is not about border security. If this were about border
security, we would be done with it today. The Trump shutdown is the
President trying to distract America from his failures as a leader and
shore up the support of his base. It is shameful.
It is clear that President Trump will not do the right thing on his
own, so it is time for Senate Republicans to step up. Just yesterday
morning, Democrats asked unanimous consent to take up two bills that
would get this government back open--a six-bill minibus that has
bipartisan support, including four bills that passed the Republican-
controlled Senate 92 to 6--virtually every Republican voted for it--and
a continuing resolution for the Homeland Security Department through
February 8. Even though virtually every Republican has voted for this,
the Republican leader objected to going forward.
If they continue to object to opening the government, this shutdown
is as much on them as it is on the President. We have bipartisan bills
before us that could reopen the government. We could vote on them
today, and they would pass with veto-proof margins.
Leader McConnell, bring up these bills. Let's vote to end this
national nightmare.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. McSally). The Senator from Washington.
Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in
morning business.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I come to the floor today with a number
of my colleagues on the 26th day of this deeply damaging and completely
unnecessary Trump shutdown. We are here today to lift up the voices and
stories of the people who are being hurt by President Trump and his
Senate Republican allies and to once again call on Republican leaders
here in the Senate to finally allow a vote and work with us to end this
manufactured crisis. While President Trump is very focused on his
political game, actual people, their families, and their communities
are paying the price.
People we represent--moms and dads, workers, small business owners,
people who did not do anything wrong, who just want to work, do their
job, serve their communities--all of them have been pulled into
President Trump's chaos and dysfunction, and it needs to end.
I am very proud to kick off another effort here in the Senate by
those who want to make sure that President Trump and Senate Republican
leaders
[[Page S239]]
don't forget whom this is about and understand who is being impacted by
their refusal to act.
I want to start with a few from my home State of Washington, where
there are nearly 13,000 workers who have been caught up in this Trump
shutdown.
Lauren is a furloughed FAA employee who shared her story with me
through my website. She told me she supports her family with one
income, and now that paycheck has been frozen. She said she has been
losing sleep trying to figure out how to cut her own expenses and pay
her bills since the Federal Government isn't meeting its obligation to
pay her.
I heard from Adam, also from my home State, who is buying his first
home with his fiance. What should be a very exciting time is now filled
with unnecessary stress because Federal loans through USDA and FHA are
held up. As if closing a home isn't stressful enough, now they don't
know when or even if a loan is going to come through. As Adam described
to me, home buyers are now caught in the middle, and that is just
wrong.
One Federal employee I met with while I was home last week is a
scientist at one of the impacted Agencies, and he told me about the
stress that he and his family have endured since the start of the
shutdown, having to cover their childcare expenses and mortgage while
he is not being paid--expenses that total up to $1,700 each month.
Right now, he said he is able to tap into his family emergency fund to
make ends meet, but he doesn't think they can hang on much longer.
I am not the only one, by the way, who is hearing from people in
Washington State about how President Trump's unnecessary shutdown is
impacting their lives. These stories are everywhere.
Earlier this week, the wife of a furloughed TSA employee with a 6-
year-old daughter told the Seattle Times about how the shutdown has
thrown her family into an economic tailspin. Their family is currently
living off of money she makes from babysitting and with the help from
her retired father, who has taken now a minimum-wage job to help with
the family's finances. She worries how they are ever going to make it
if this shutdown continues.
This is a small number of the countless stories coming out of my
State and from around the country about how President Trump's reckless
government shutdown is hurting real people. They are people in every
one of our States in the country. They are people on every side of the
border debate. They are people who heard President Trump say he would
be ``proud'' to shut down the government. They are people who simply do
not understand why they are being asked to bear the burden, to pay the
price because President Trump and Republican leaders here in the Senate
have boxed themselves into a political corner.
They are people who are getting angrier and angrier, more and more
desperate with every day that goes by, who are going to make their
voices heard, and we are going to make their voices heard. We are
fighting by their side to end this shutdown. I am going to keep making
sure they have a voice in the Senate.
I am proud to be with a number of my Democratic colleagues today. We
are going to lift up their stories until President Trump and
Republicans here in the Senate agree to end this crisis they started.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.
Ms. HARRIS. We are now 26 days into the longest government shutdown
in American history, and 800,000 workers--800,000 Americans--are going
without pay. Half of them are working anyway.
Let's be very clear about how we got into this mess. The Senate
unanimously passed a bill to open the government right before the
holidays. The vote was 100 to 0. There was such jubilance on this floor
that, literally, Members of the Senate were singing Christmas carols.
Yet 2 weeks ago, the House, doing its job, then passed a bill to
reopen the government. They sent six bills over to the Senate. This
body needs to hold a vote on that legislation and send it to the
President and ask him to sign it.
The real obstacle to ending this shutdown is in the White House. The
President is holding the American people hostage over his vanity
project on the southern border and peddling his usual propaganda to
distract from a crisis of his own making.
The President has said that ``most of the workers not getting paid
are Democrats,'' as if that is true or if that should matter. He has
said that ``many of the people that we're talking about . . . agree
with what we're doing.'' It has been said that the workers have said to
``stay out until you get the funding for the wall.''
Well, that is contrary to what we have been hearing and what I have
been hearing. Last week, for example, I heard from a woman by the name
of Trisha. Trisha and her husband are both air traffic controllers with
nearly 40 years of Federal service combined. Trisha's husband served in
the Navy. He now has to work long hours of overtime to compensate for
the workers who are absent because they have been furloughed, and he is
not being paid.
Trisha's job was deemed nonessential, so she is also not being paid.
Neither parent in this family is being paid. They have three young
children, and this is on top of the fact that Trisha and her family
have already endured hardship these past few months as victims of the
Thomas fire.
As she wrote me:
On December 5th of last year, our home was completely
destroyed in the Thomas fire and we have used every resource
available to us to work towards rebuilding our home.
While their home is being rebuilt, Trisha's family moved into a
rental home, and they are currently evacuated from that rental home due
to the flood and mudslide risks that are currently an issue in
California.
Trisha said:
We have small children that we are most concerned about
(with the uncertainty of our careers as Federal employees and
the incredibly long road ahead in rebuilding our home but
most importantly our livelihood).
She writes:
We will continue to stand with our NATCA Brothers and
Sisters in ensuring the safety of the National Airspace
System, but without the support staff working, it is a
daunting task.
Trisha's message is one of nearly 20,000 phone calls, emails, and
letters my office has received since the shutdown started 26 days ago--
all pleading with us to reopen the U.S. Government.
They are 2 of the 42,300 workers who are currently being furloughed
in California. I don't know which of them are Democrats or Republicans,
and it doesn't matter. What matters is the people who are being hurt
and the critical government functions that are going undone. They are
the TSA agents who protect our flights and the air traffic controllers
who help to land our planes. They are park rangers and FBI agents and
Coast Guard members. They inspect our food and provide loans to our
farmers. They conduct lifesaving research. Right now, though, they are
being told to pay their bills by babysitting or selling their
belongings on craigslist.
These Americans need their government to do its job. They don't need
a wall. They need paychecks. Congress is a coequal branch of
government. We don't need a permission slip before we can vote on a
bill.
On behalf of Trisha and hundreds of thousands of Americans like her,
let's take up the legislation that we have already approved. Let's send
it to the President, and let's end this pointless shutdown as soon as
possible--right away, now.
I yield back my time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.
Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I thank Senator Murray, Senator Harris,
and my colleagues who are on the floor.
I point out that we are now on day 26 of this outrageous and
dangerous partial shutdown that was totally avoidable. It has been
caused by one person--President Trump--and is now being assisted by the
Republican leadership in this body by its not allowing the U.S. Senate,
which is a coequal branch of government, to take up legislation that
would reopen government--legislation that has previously passed this
body and would, clearly, pass on a vote if the majority leader would
allow us to have that vote. We could then reopen the government.
The unanimous consent request that I offered yesterday with my
colleague
[[Page S240]]
from Maryland, Senator Van Hollen, would allow the appropriations bills
that have nothing to do with this current dispute with the President to
be fully functional, and it would allow for a continuing resolution for
the Department of Homeland Security. We could then work, as we should
work, to deal with border security and immigration issues. Yet the
majority leader objected to the Senate's taking up that legislation,
and the shutdown continues.
There are 800,000-plus citizens who work for the Federal Government
who are being denied the ability to either get paychecks for the work
that they do or are being furloughed without pay. In each one of those
cases, there is a hardship that is having an impact that goes well
beyond just the 800,000.
There are businesses in Baltimore that are wondering whether they can
keep their doors open because they depend on Federal workers to come in
and use their services. Whether it is a laundry, a cleaner, a
restaurant, or a supply store, they know their sales depend on people
having checks to pay their bills. The Federal workforce does not. So it
is affecting secondary employment. There have also been a lot of
layoffs by those who depend on the contract services of the Federal
Government.
There are many individual stories, and Senator Van Hollen and I have
traveled throughout our State and have met with government workers. We
have heard the account of one person who was supposed to close on a new
home, his first home. He is not going to be able to do that because he
doesn't have a paycheck that shows the wages necessary in order to
support the mortgage because his most recent paycheck is zero.
We have heard from a person in my office who is an air traffic
controller. Her husband is also an air traffic controller. They are
responsible for relatives who are dependent on them. One needs a
medical procedure, but they are not going to be able to move forward
with that medical procedure because they don't have the out-of-pocket
costs that are going to be necessary to pay for that. The list goes on
and on and on of hardship--of people wondering whether their credit
scores are going to be affected, which could affect their employment
because they are going to be late in paying their mortgage payments.
That is assuming they get paychecks in the next couple of months
because, then, their homes could well be foreclosed on.
I could put a face on each one of these 800,000, but let me just
share an account by Lamar Cobb, who is a lead transportation security
officer at BWI Marshall Airport. I was there earlier this week, meeting
with the government workers who are keeping our airports and our air
traffic safe. These are dedicated people who are working without pay.
He came forward.
One of the reporters there asked: Can you give us an individual
hardship that you have actually confronted?
He explained that he has a 10-year-old daughter whom he describes as
his heart and pride and joy. He had to take her out of cheerleading
because he could not pay for it while he works at BWI without receiving
a paycheck. Then he said something that, I think, really hit us all. He
said at the press conference: It may not seem like the end of the
world, but to a 10-year-old, it is pretty close.
These are the circumstances in which we are putting our fellow
citizens by saying: Work without pay or be furloughed without pay.
It makes no sense at all. We should never have had the shutdown. We
could end it now by the Senate's carrying out its constitutional
responsibility as a coequal branch of government. Let's vote on the
legislation that can reopen government. Let's do what we are
responsible to do--let's end this shutdown.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin.
Ms. BALDWIN. Madam President, I rise to address the Trump shutdown
and the real consequences that have occurred since 800,000 Federal
workers, including nearly 3,000 Wisconsinites, have been furloughed or
forced to work without pay.
The President said this week that his administration is setting
records. It is true that he now holds the record for the longest
government shutdown in our Nation's history, but every day that it
continues, the Trump shutdown is causing real pain for hard-working
people in my State.
I recently read the heartbreaking story of Mallory Lorge. Mallory
lives in River Falls, WI, and works for the Department of the Interior.
On Friday, Mallory, along with thousands of other Federal workers, did
not receive a paycheck. Mallory has type 1 diabetes. Without her
paycheck, she can't afford her $300 copay to get the insulin she needs
to manage her diabetes and stay alive. Mallory said she is rationing
the two vials of insulin she has left. Her blood sugar rose to a high
level last week, but she said she felt forced to ignore it. Instead,
she said, I just went to bed and hoped I would wake up.
Think about that for a minute. Because President Trump and the
Republicans in Congress refuse to support bipartisan legislation to end
this shutdown and reopen the government, Mallory can't afford to get
the insulin she needs to live. The House has done its job in passing
bipartisan legislation to end the shutdown. Now it is time for Senate
Majority Leader McConnell to stop blocking a vote in the Senate so that
we can fund the government.
We are 26 days into the Trump shutdown. It is not just hurting
Federal workers and contractors. It is also hurting small businesses
and entrepreneurs across the country. In Wisconsin, we make things--
cheese, brats, and, yes, beer. Milwaukee is often called Brew City, but
thanks to the government shutdown, there are craft brewers across our
State that can't make or sell new beer.
Russ Klisch is the President of Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee.
Lakefront has been making beer in Wisconsin for more than 30 years. The
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approves licenses for new
beers and new breweries as well as labels for beers that are sent out
of State, but the Agency is not currently serving craft brewers due to
the Trump shutdown.
Lakefront Brewery has plans to introduce a brand-new beer in mid-
February, but those plans are now on hold. This government shutdown
threatens to cut its beer sales and hurt its ability to grow its
business and support the economy. Other breweries across Wisconsin are
impacted as well.
Mosinee Brewing Company opened its doors just last November, but it
can't get approval to start making and selling its new beer until the
government reopens. New ``Made in Wisconsin'' beer is also on hold
until we reopen the government.
President Trump and Majority Leader McConnell can and should end this
shutdown today and ensure that Federal workers like Mallory can finally
get paid and so that small business owners like Russ can keep growing
their businesses.
We should vote in the Senate today on House-passed legislation, and
the President should sign it so we can finally end this useless
shutdown that is preventing our country from moving forward.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, I join my colleagues this morning to
share the stories of the people in New Hampshire who are currently
enduring hardships because of this Trump shutdown--a shutdown that has
been termed by a number of my colleagues as the longest government
shutdown in U.S. history.
I have here a picture of Andre and his wife Maria and their three
beautiful children, from Derry, NH. Andre is an air traffic controller
who works at the Boston Terminal Radar Approach Control facility in
Merrimack, NH. It is sounds like it would be in Boston, but it is not.
It is in New Hampshire, where we have hundreds of air traffic
controllers and FAA personnel.
Andre works at the center to keep the airways safe for passengers who
are flying over the Granite State. He also represents and talks to a
number of other air traffic controllers in the New England region to
hear what they have to say.
With what he is hearing right now regarding the shutdown, Andre
writes:
Air traffic controllers have remained on the job, dedicated
to the safety of every flight, but we don't know when we will
receive our next paycheck. My colleagues and
[[Page S241]]
I have suffered the sudden loss of our income due to the
government shutdown. It's going to be hard for me to meet all
of my financial obligations.
What I am most impressed by with regard to the Federal workers with
whom I have met is their dedication to their jobs. All of those air
traffic controllers understand that the safety of the skies in the
United States depends on them, and they are there. They are not getting
paid. They are experiencing hardships like Andre is talking about, but
they are there and are doing everything they can to make sure that the
American public can fly safely.
In addition to Andre's story, I have heard from nearly 100 other air
traffic controllers in New Hampshire who are all calling for an end to
the shutdown--air traffic controllers who are protecting our safety and
who are working without pay.
I want to read an excerpt from a letter that I received from Jamie in
Auburn, NH, because I think it so exemplifies where we are and how the
American people are feeling about this government shutdown.
Jamie writes:
Dear Senator Shaheen, there are many stories to be told
regarding the effects of the government shutdown on Federal
employees--the stress of financial uncertainty, the inability
to take necessary time from work to care for our families,
and the continued degradation of FAA resources. . . . These
are but a few examples shared amongst us, but there is
something that tears at the very fabric of who we are. We
take deep pride in serving our country and providing the
safest and most efficient air traffic control system in the
world. We do so with an unwavering sense of duty and a deep
understanding of the trust bestowed on us by the American
people. To be used as pawns in a political chess match not
only disrespects us as dedicated Federal employees, but it
serves to weaken our democracy. A government that must hold
hostage the livelihood of its citizens is the very definition
of a failed democracy.
Sadly, that is what President Donald Trump is doing. He is holding
hostage hundreds of thousands of Federal workers, and he is being
enabled in this effort by the Republican leadership in this Senate who
is unwilling to bring forward the bills that would open the government
today. We could pass them today.
These are just two examples that I think articulate the very real
impact this shutdown is having on many hard-working Americans and their
families.
Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the
Record these letters that I have received from air traffic controllers.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Dear Senator: I'm writing to you today because of the
effects of the government shutdown on my profession and
family. My coworkers and I have remained on the job dedicated
to the safety of every flight despite the concern of when our
next paycheck will come. The government shutdown has effected
me professionally and personally.
My husband and I are both air traffic controllers and we
have 6-month-old twins. We go to work normally like any other
day and we pay for childcare. It is going to be hard to meet
all of my family's financial obligations without knowing when
our next paychecks will be. My family has no income while the
government remains shutdown.
The shutdown affects us all in many ways, but the other
major way it is effecting me is professionally. This
government shutdown is setting back air traffic control
staffing numbers.
The FAA Academy is closed during the shutdown which is
where all of our new trainees train initially.
There are controllers being forced to retire because of
age, but with the shutdown new replacements cannot be
trained. We are at a 30-year low in staffing and every day
the FAA Academy is closed the more set back staffing becomes.
New trainees that are unable to train due to the Academy
closure may lead to fewer new hires for 2019. Many
controllers are working 6-day work weeks and these new hires
will help.
This career has been all I wanted to do since I was little.
Like my coworkers I perform my duties professionally and to
the highest safety standards despite not knowing when my next
paycheck is. We will all continue to do so, but with
financial concerns until the shutdown ends. Please End the
government shutdown. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Kristen (Milford, NH).
____
Dear Senator Shaheen: I write today to urge you to end the
current partial government shutdown caused by a lapse in
annual appropriations. As a federal air traffic controller
and constituent, I want you to know how the shutdown is
affecting me.
Since air traffic control specialists perform life and
safety excepted activities as defined by the Antideficiency
Act, controllers like me have remained on the job, dedicated
to the safety of every flight, since the beginning of the
partial shutdown on December 22nd. However, my family will be
placed under significant financial stress if the shutdown
lasts beyond the current pay period. We don't know when we
will receive our next paycheck.
The Federal Aviation Administration has closed its training
academy in Oklahoma City, where new controllers arrive to
begin their careers, as I did ten years ago this week.
Classes have been cancelled, which will invariably lead to
fewer new hires in 2019. Stopping the hiring and training
pipeline exacerbates the current controller staffing crisis.
The number of fully certified air traffic controllers is now
at a 30-year low.
Please do whatever you can to end the government shutdown
without delay.
Sincerely,
Aaron (Milford, NH).
____
Dear Senator Shaheen: There are many stories to be told
regarding the effects of the government shutdown on federal
employees. The stress of financial uncertainty, the inability
to take necessary time from work to care for our families,
and the continued degradation of FAA resources. . . These
are but a few examples shared amongst us. But, this is
something that tears at the very fabric of who we are. We
take deep pride in serving our country, providing the
safest and most efficient air traffic control system in
the world. We do so with an unwavering sense of duty and a
deep understanding of the trust bestowed upon us by the
American people. To be used as pawns in a political chess
match not only disrespects us as dedicated federal
employees but it serves to weaken our democracy. A
government that must hold hostage the livelihood of its
citizens is the very definition of a failed democracy.
The Congress, Senate, and The White House has once again
tarnished what was once considered the beacon of democracy. .
. The image of the United States of America.
Yes, I and my family need this government open. I need to
be paid for my continued dedication. . . for my work. . .
But, the American people need the practice of government
shutdowns to end. The way for political agendas to be
advanced is through diplomatic compromise not party-lined
standoffs.
Please free my family, my colleagues, and the American
people from this governmental siege of our livelihoods and
open our government. Restore the faith of the American
people.
Sincerely,
Jamie (Auburn, NH).
____
Dear Senator Shaheen: I am writing to you today because of
the partial government shutdown that is causing 800,000
federal employees to go without the certainty of their
paychecks. This uncertainty is adding undue stress to
ourselves and our jobs because of financial obligations.
As an air traffic controller and constituent, I want you to
know how the partial government shutdown is affecting me. For
the last TWO weeks, other controllers and I have remained on
the job, dedicated to the safety of every flight. Even
without knowing when we will get paid, or even if we will get
paid.
As my husband and I do not know when or if I will receive
my paycheck, we are having to stretch every last penny to
meet all our financial obligations. If this shutdown
continues for much longer, we do not know how or if some of
our bills will be paid.
We ask you to end this shutdown immediately!
Sincerely,
Caitlin (Amherst, NH).
____
Dear Senator Jeanne Shaheen: As an air traffic controller
and constituent, I want you to know how the partial
government shutdown is affecting me. For the last two weeks,
air traffic controllers have remained on the job, dedicated
to the safety of every flight. Yet, we don't know when we
will receive our next paycheck. My colleagues and I have
suffered the sudden loss of our income due to the government
shutdown. I am a college graduate and have numerous student
loans to pay as well as trying to provide for my family.
Please, we as air traffic controllers beg, end the
government shutdown.
Very Respectfully,
Adam (Hudson, NH).
____
Dear Senator Shaheen: As an air traffic controller and
constituent, I want you to know how the partial government
shutdown is affecting me. For the last couple weeks, air
traffic controllers have remained on the job, dedicated to
the safety of every flight. Yet, we don't know when our next
paycheck will come. This has placed an immense amount of
stress and financial burden on me and my family. We are
having to make choices on whether or not to pay certain bills
or buy groceries.
Please end the government shutdown immediately!
Sincerely,
Joshua (New Boston, NH).
____
Dear Senator Shaheen: I am writing to let you know that the
government shutdown is negatively impacting me, my wife and
family.
As the shutdown continues my wife and I are having to make
some difficult financial decisions. We have two daughters,
one just out of college and the other in her senior
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year at UVM. Along with all of our regular monthly bills we
have student loan payments and tuition due.
Not knowing when to expect our next paycheck is causing
undue stress on me, my wife and family.
I would like to see you help end the shutdown as soon as
possible!
Ronald (Brookline, NH).
____
Dear Jeanne Shaheen: First, thank you for all that you do
for our state and country. I am writing you today with regard
to the government shutdown. As an air traffic control
trainee, my job security is something I have to worry about
until I certify. Unfortunately, the shutdown has me worrying
about my income and financial obligations as well. Morale is
notably down at work, and the staffing only gets worse as the
more senior controllers approach retirement. Anything you can
do to assist in the swift cease of this shutdown would be
greatly appreciated by air traffic controllers nationwide.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Andre (Nashua, NH).
____
Dear Jeanne Shaheen: I'm writing to you in regards to the
government shutdown. If this shutdown continues it will put a
huge financial burden on my family. At this time I am the
sole provider for my household. My husband is a small
business owner in New Hampshire and is currently not
collecting income to keep his business going. We have two
children. A two-year-old boy and a five-month-old daughter.
Since there is currently no paid maternity leave I had to
live off of my savings while out with my new born, which is
why I have no money saved up to cover all of our expenses
during this shutdown. Going into debt because I can't pay for
the childcare I use (while still working) is not an option.
Please find a way to stop this shut down.
Lanna (Nashua, NH).
____
Dear Senator Shaheen: Please, put an end to the government
shutdown. I soon will have used my entire savings to pay my
current bills. I now, don't have the down payment for a house
that I was ready to buy. I've had to pass up on a vacation
this month, skiing in NH, in fear that I won't get paid.
Please Senator Shaheen, put an end to this government shut
down. After 30 years of service in the USAF and FAA, this is
a slap in the face.
James (Manchester, NH).
____
The Honorable Jeanne Shaheen: Please- end the shutdown!
I am a 30-year controller, and I don't think I will be
employed at the end of January.
The financial impact of the shutdown is a burden that I
should not have to deal with at this stage in my career.
Staffing is the worst it has ever been and a continued
shutdown will have negative effects on the air traffic system
for years!
Please work to end the shutdown!!!
Maurice (Derry, NH).
____
Dear Honorable Shaheen: I am writing to you today to inform
you of the impact the partial government shutdown is having
on me, as an air traffic controller, and my family. For the
last two weeks, I have worked air traffic, not knowing when
I'd be paid next. I am dedicated to the safety of every
flight. This sudden loss of income as well as paid leave is
impacting my life multiple ways. First, I missed paid time
off that was prescheduled, around the holiday with my family.
With one child, a patient at Mass General, and another at
Boston Children's Hospital, I have had to miss out on paid/
earned sick leave for both their appointments. Lastly, as a
support for the training department, I am seeing a direct
impact on future controllers.
Please end the government shutdown immediately!
Sincerely,
Kristine (Nashua, NH).
____
Dear Senator Shaheen As an air traffic controller and
constituent, I want you to know how the partial government
shutdown has affected me. As an air traffic controller I work
a job that is 24/7, 365 days a year.
We plan and bid our vacations 15 months in advance.
However, because I am an excepted employee engaged in life-
saving activities, my vacation time during Christmas and New
Year's was canceled. I had to work over the holidays and
missed this time spent with family. This combined with
uncertainty of when my next paycheck will come is adding
stress that is not needed.
PLEASE END THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATELY!
Sincerely,
Seth (Hollis, NH).
Mrs. SHAHEEN. I know every Member of the Senate has heard from
constituents who are facing significant hardships as a result of the
shutdown. I know every Member wants this shutdown to end.
Unfortunately, President Trump doesn't seem to want this shutdown to
end.
The House has already passed appropriations bills that would reopen
the government. This appropriations legislation is not partisan. In
fact, they are bills that have already had bipartisan support in the
Senate. So I urge President Trump, Majority Leader McConnell, and our
Republican colleagues to take up these bills to reopen the government.
I believe we should reopen the government. Let's do our jobs so the
rest of America can do theirs.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.
Unanimous Consent Agreement
Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that Democrats
control the time until 12 noon, with Senators permitted to speak
therein for up to 3 minutes each, and the Republicans control the time
from 12 noon to 12:30 p.m.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.
Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam President, I rise to give voice to the more than
5,000 Federal employees across New Jersey who aren't getting paid due
to President Trump's pointless government shutdown. Make no mistake.
This shutdown is the result of a Presidential temper tantrum.
Democrats have voted for border security funding, for new technology
to scan vehicles for drugs, for more port-of-entry infrastructure
personnel, and for new drones to detect unauthorized crossings. Yet
President Trump is holding 800,000 Federal workers hostage all because
he wants $5.7 billion for a border wall that he promised Mexico would
pay for.
We have long known that something is broken inside this President
that makes him incapable of caring about anyone other than himself.
Clearly, he does not see Federal workers as real people with real bills
to pay--people like Emily Nering of Basking Ridge, NJ.
Emily has worked at the EPA's Edison field office for 8 years. She
coordinates water quality research and is in the midst of a major
survey of the New Jersey-New York Harbor, and she assisted in emergency
efforts to deliver clean drinking water to Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands after Hurricane Maria. She said:
I took an oath of office too. I want to get back to doing
the important work that the EPA conducts and to continue to
serve this great nation. I saved up to contribute to an IRA
this year and to start saving for a down payment on a home,
but those funds will now be used to help me pay rent and
other bills, pushing my financial and life goals further out
of reach. . . . I urge the President and Congress to put us
back to work so we can continue to serve the American people!
In recent days, I have heard from Coast Guard members, TSA agents,
IRS workers--patriots who have built their careers on serving their
fellow Americans. Their work is important, and they deserve to be paid.
If President Trump wants to discuss issues like border security and
comprehensive immigration reform, then he should end the shutdown,
reopen all of those elements of the government that have nothing to do
with his desired border wall, release his hostages, and reopen the
government, but if he continues to bury his head in the sand, then it
is time for the Senate to act.
We could likely pass legislation to reopen the government with a
veto-proof majority if only the majority leader would hold a vote.
Let's do the right thing for Federal employees like Emily. Let's vote
and end this shutdown now.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Madam President, on Friday, the day that thousands
of Federal workers in Nevada and across the country missed their first
paycheck of the Trump shutdown, I was in Reno meeting with two dozen
affected workers and families who work for our Federal Government.
These hard-working Nevadans who serve the American people in the U.S.
Coast Guard, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Forest Service, and
government contractors told me about the struggles they are having,
their fears, and the very human consequences of the President's
decision to hold our government hostage.
These Nevadans shared how their finances and their whole lives have
been thrown into chaos by this reckless shutdown. Person after person
told me that without the promise of a paycheck, they are struggling to
pay their
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mortgage or rent, keep up with their other bills, and even put food on
the table for their families. Some are even cashing out their savings
while others consider taking out high-interest payday loans, risking
their good credit just to stay afloat.
It is not just Federal workers who were suffering. Entire families
have had the rug pulled out from under them because of this reckless
shutdown.
While I was in Reno, I had the opportunity to meet Brianna. She
talked to me about her family. She is a stay-at-home mom. She has two
beautiful daughters--as you can see--and her husband works in the Coast
Guard. He is a coastguardsman. Right now, he is reporting to work
without pay for the duration of this shutdown.
Brianna told me that without their sole source of income, her family
would struggle to make ends meet. She told me they are weighing the
decision to pull her oldest daughter out of school and to move in with
her parents until the shutdown is over. That is outrageous.
I can't tell you how many letters and emails I have also received in
the office. This is one from a veteran in Reno. He said:
I applaud you for standing up to Trump and not wasting
taxpayer money on a stupid wall that he promised Mexico would
pay for. However, as a Federal employee who is also a
disabled vet, I am asking that you support legislation to
assure that we do not lose pay and benefits because of this
shutdown. We are currently scheduled to receive our normal
pay on December 31, but after that, we have no more checks
coming until the shutdown is over. Despite what others on the
Hill have said, many Federal employees depend on those checks
and face real economic impacts when the government shuts
down. We are tired of being demonized by the right as
parasites and bureaucrats, and it is ridiculous that the
President wants to freeze our pay and stop all of our pay
raises. The Federal Government is the largest employer of
veterans, and we continue supporting our country throughout
our Federal service.
No family or individual in the United States of America should have
their life upended like this. So we ask that the Federal Government
reopen and that the majority leader bring the bill to the floor so we
can open this government on behalf of Federal workers not only in
Nevada but across the country.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.
Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Thank you, Madam President.
I join my colleagues today in calling for a simple, commonsense
solution to one of the most vexing, unnecessary, and avoidable crises
in recent history.
The present paralysis of Agencies' essential governmental functions
is intolerable and unacceptable. It is shameful and embarrassing to
every Member of this body, but it should be most shameful and
embarrassing to the Chief Executive of the United States, who is
singularly responsible for it by insisting on a wall and agreement to
it as a condition for reopening the government.
President Trump is singlehandedly blocking progress toward providing
the American people with the services and the essential public
functions they need and deserve.
The impact is on the consumers of those functions. We are all
consumers. We all fly and depend on the air traffic controllers and the
TSA. We all eat food and depend on inspections by the FDA. We all
consume drugs, and the approvals of essential pharmaceutical medicines
are vital to all of us. We all need and deserve the protection provided
by the U.S. Coast Guard, whose brave men and women are receiving no
pay--none.
Many of those 800,000 workers going without pay are also working
without pay. I have sponsored a measure that will enable them to avoid
foreclosures and repossessions of their cars and other financial crises
through measures similar to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. I have
sponsored and supported calls for providing them with unemployment
compensation. The ones who work need the compensation and the benefits
to put food on the table and make sure they stay in their homes.
These 800,000 workers are experiencing real pain. They are real
people with real lives going through financial hardships.
On Monday, I met with many of them at Bradley International Airport
in Windsor Locks. I heard them share their personal stories about how
the shutdown is causing them real harm. I also heard about their
dedication to doing their job and how the air controllers and----
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time is expired.
Mr. BLUMENTHAL. The TSA are overtired and need that help.
I ask unanimous consent for 1 more minute.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I respect the rights of the Senator. We
have a number of Senators and a limited amount of time. So if he could
finish quickly, we would all appreciate it. Thank you.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Let me just finish by citing Adrian Pellot, one of
those workers whom I met on Monday. Adrian is a behavior detection
officer. He has done it for more than a decade. He is one of those
workers going without pay. I will just leave you with this thought. He
told me:
We have no income right now. We're bleeding money. Just
day-to-day things. Food. I still have to pay the bills.
So do all of those 800,000 workers.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.
Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, let me tell you about the impact the
Trump shutdown is having on one couple from my home State of Vermont.
Kelly and Ricky Klein own Groennfell Meadery in Colchester, VT. In
fact, this is Kelly with her very pretty little daughter, Nora.
Groennfell Meadery is part of a growing industry in Vermont. We are a
small State. We have the most craft breweries per capita in the Nation,
and they create jobs. They support small businesses. They bring people
to Vermont from all over the country. Business has been good. Kelly and
Ricky have been planning an expansion. Recently, they were approved for
a $1.3 million Small Business Administration loan. They were going to
buy three new stainless steel fermenter tanks. They were going to move
to a bigger facility, double their production, hire additional people,
and bought additional supplies in anticipation of it. What happened?
Their loan from the SBA is now on hold because of the Trump shutdown.
It is not clear if it will ever come through. So instead of expanding,
they have to use their own money. They have to use their stockpiles of
mead. They have to take out a loan to make payroll. They are really
hurting, but they told me one thing, even in this difficult time.
Even in this difficult time, they said they were more concerned for
people who have lost paychecks and lifesaving benefits and with others
in their industry who have been harder hit. It is a sense of community
and empathy. I wish President Trump had that same sense of empathy and
caring that they do.
We have to end this shutdown. I call on the majority leader--the
Republican leader--to bring up the bills, which we have already passed
by an overwhelming majority, that would reopen this government.
Democrats and Republicans have voted for them. All we need is for the
Republican leader to bring them up.
Stop the shutdown. Let people go back to their businesses.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.
Mr. UDALL. Madam President, I rise today to talk about a New Mexico
family who is severely impacted by the shutdown, and I think there are
probably hundreds of thousands of families like this across the
country.
This is Leah Teresa Ornelas, her husband Ervie, and their sons Ian
and Zachary. They are all from Carlsbad, NM. Zachary, their youngest--
in the middle--had a brain tumor and has undergone two surgeries.
Zachary is now disabled and requires constant care. Ervie, his
stepfather, reduced his work as a daycare teacher by 75 percent to take
care of Zachary. Leah is a public nurse, and her paycheck goes to their
high insurance costs and medical bills. The family moved back in
together to save on expenses. Their older son, Ian, is now the main
provider for the family. Ian works for the Department of
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the Interior, has been furloughed for 26 days, and has now missed a
paycheck.
The Ornelas family is scared to death that Ian will miss another
check and another check. They simply cannot make it without Ian being
paid. The Ornelas family has made tremendous sacrifices as a family.
They can make no more adjustments, as the President callously advised.
This Trump shutdown must end now. The President and Senate majority
must do the right thing for the Ornelas family--and for hundreds of
thousands of families across the Nation--and open our government now.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, as my colleagues have said, it has now
been 26 days since President Trump shut down the government and began
holding Federal workers and their families hostage to force funding for
an expensive, ineffective, and unpopular border wall.
That is 26 days of working without pay for hundreds of TSA and
Customs and Border Patrol officers in my State of Michigan and across
the country. That is 26 days of our Federal workers wondering how they
will pay their mortgage and keep their lights on. That is 26 days of
grocery stores, restaurants, and other local businesses watching their
sales dry up.
This shutdown is also hard on Michigan farmers, including Jessica
Youngblood, whom I want to take a moment to talk about.
She and her husband David, who is a veteran, are raising their three
young children on their farm in Macomb County. Like many farmers,
Jessica is also a small business owner; the Youngbloods are launching a
winery. For 3 years, they have poured all of their time and they have
poured all their money into their 25 acres of wine grapes. I have had
the opportunity to walk with Jessica and her children through the rows
of grapevines, and I have seen how hard they are working as a family
every single day.
This year, they finally had grapes to harvest so that they could
launch their small business. They planned to open their winery on their
farm and start selling their wine on Memorial Day weekend.
Unfortunately, the government shutdown threw a huge roadblock in front
of this homegrown Michigan business.
The Tax and Trade Bureau at the Department of the Treasury approves
their labels--when they are open. Jessica needs to bottle her wine in
March, but that can't happen without labels being approved and printed.
As Jessica said:
We are 100% dependent on the grapes we grow on our family
vineyard. . . . We are farmers! We need the government to
open so we can run our business.
It is time to end this shutdown. Let Jessica and her family benefit
from all of their hard work. So I say: Leader McConnell, open the
government so that the Youngblood family can open their small business.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana.
Mr. TESTER. Madam President, approximately 635,000 veterans work for
the Federal Government, and the hardships of the shutdown on these men
and women are multifold.
First, furloughed veterans who are Federal workers are missing
paychecks. They are having a hard time paying their mortgages and
paying their bills overall. Veterans with VA-guaranteed home loans are
at risk of being evicted by mortgage companies because they can't make
their payments.
Second, veterans are not getting the benefits they have earned from
several Federal Departments, other than the VA. For instance, Native
American veterans, who already face unique challenges with healthcare,
are unable to rely on the Indian Health Service to provide their
healthcare because it is closed down. Homeless veterans rely on the
Department of Housing and Urban Development's housing vouchers, which
are not going out because of the shutdown.
That is not all. Other benefits and protections are at risk. The VA
is currently implementing major reform bills like the Appeals and
Modernization Act and the VA MISSION Act. To roll out these new
initiatives, the Federal Register must publish new rules and
regulations. Guess what. The Federal Register isn't operational because
of the shutdown, so the implementation of these wide-sweeping,
bipartisan VA reforms is shut down.
On top of this, we know that those stationed at the borders and at
airports--many of whom are veterans--are among those hurting the most
because of this President's shutdown.
There are many more veterans suffering. Colin, from Billings, wrote
me and said: ``I am a federal employee and a veteran, and this standoff
is placing a great deal of stress on me and my family.''
His wife is pregnant, he has a 2-year-old son, and he has no
paycheck. He spent his career in public service. After he got out of
the service, he could have made a lot more money in the private sector.
Unfortunately, because of the fact that the President and Leader
McConnell will not bring the bills to the floor, we are in a shutdown.
This is the human cost of the President's shutdown. These are men and
women who have volunteered to serve our Nation and put themselves in
harm's way and continue serving our Nation as civilians, and this is
how the President says thank you--putting them out of a job, out of a
paycheck, and out of the benefits that they have earned. He belittles
the financial hardship that his actions are causing, and he turns their
service in the military and as civilians into a political football.
The President has turned his back on the veterans of this Nation. It
is time to put these men and women back to work. I call, and continue
to call, on the majority to put an end to this real crisis--because
they can--and reopen the government.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
Mr. KAINE. Madam President, I stand to tell the story of a great
Virginian named Vidisha. This is a picture of Vidisha and her son Ayan,
who came to a Federal employee roundtable that I did last Friday
morning.
I have told stories on the floor about Virginians who are affected
personally--worrying about missing mortgage payments, having to
reschedule medical appointments, having to draw money out of an IRA and
pay a tax penalty because of the shutdown. But I thought it was
interesting that Vidisha came in and talked just a little bit about her
own anxiety and the anxiety of everybody she works with. But what she
really wanted to talk about was how the shutdown hurts the American
public.
She works for probably the smallest Agency in the Federal Government,
the Chemical Safety Board, with 40 employees and a budget of $11
million or $12 million. This is a small Agency, and they have one job:
Investigate chemical spills--not to find fault, not to help a lawyer,
but investigate chemical spills so that they can determine what went
wrong, to prevent future chemical spills that are going to hurt
Americans. Because of the shutdown, she and her colleagues--those 40--
are not doing that job.
President Trump tweeted last weekend that the reason he is forcing
the shutdown is he promised to protect the safety and security of the
American public. He is hurting the safety and security of the American
public.
Vidisha said that during the shutdown there has been a major chemical
spill in Houston, TX. Normally, the investigators would be on it
immediately to do the investigation, to give recommendations, and to
reduce the risk of a spill at that facility or any other. But because
of the shutdown, Vidisha and her staff are not investigating. How does
this protect the safety and security of the American public--by leaving
a major chemical spill with potentially life-threatening consequences
uninvestigated and unresponded to?
This President's claim that he is helping the safety and security of
the American people is a flat-out lie. You are hurting the security of
the American people when you disable people like Vidisha and her
colleagues from investigating chemical spills, from interdicting drugs
if you are a Coast Guard, ATF, or DEA agent, or from doing law
enforcement investigations if you are an FBI agent.
The President is hurting the security of this country. It is time to
reopen government and put the security of Americans first.
[[Page S245]]
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii.
Mr. SCHATZ. Madam President, I have a simple request for my
Republican colleagues, and that is this: Open the government. Open the
government. There have been too many people suffering for too long for
this to go on any further.
One of those people is named Scott Pekalib. He lives in Hilo, HI, and
works for the U.S. Geological Survey. He has had a rough few months.
In October, his husband Jay went into the hospital for a routine
surgery that went horribly wrong. He went into cardiac arrest and was
in an induced coma for several days. He had to be flown to another
island to receive the care that was necessary. Scott and Jay spent all
of their savings to get through this ordeal. After paying for medicine,
hotels, and airfare, they were living paycheck to paycheck.
Now, because of this government shutdown, Scott's paycheck reads
zero. He doesn't know how he is going to buy gas to take his husband to
the doctor or how they are going to pay the bills that are due. Scott
is making impossible choices between buying the prescription drugs he
needs and the ones that his husband needs. All of this pain and
suffering is because the Senate will not vote to reopen the government.
So I ask my Republican friends to call for a vote, and if the
President vetoes the bill, let's act like a separate, coequal branch of
government and override that veto. That is our prerogative in the
United States, and that is our obligation in the U.S. Senate--to do
what is best for the Nation, for the health, safety, and economic
security of all of our constituents.
Let's reopen the government.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.
Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, we have heard from a number of our
colleagues today about personal stories that are happening to real live
people in their home States--people who have not received a paycheck
and are facing fear about what they are going to do in the coming days.
We have a responsibility--and I think I speak on behalf of
Republicans and Democrats both here. We need to open government. We
have disagreements all the time in Congress over different issues.
Certainly, we cannot put these people's lives at risk and leave them as
pawns in our States. Open up government, and then have a discussion
about the issues we disagree on.
I know the Senator from Minnesota expected to be here, but I also see
on the floor the Senator from Georgia, who would like to speak. I ask
unanimous consent that the Senator from Georgia be allowed to speak and
the Senator from Minnesota, when she returns.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Lankford). Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, I thank the Senator from Washington
very much for her courtesy. I will be brief, and I will be very
succinct. In fact, I will be responding to some of the things that
Senator Schatz from Hawaii and others have said on the floor.
I am going to respond to myself. I made a speech here only yesterday,
about 2:30, in which I talked about the frustration that I have and
that most Georgians have with the fact that the government is shut
down, and I talked about who is losing.
We are losing. The government loses more money when it shuts down
than it makes any other time. Shutting down is a losing proposition all
the way around, and we are exemplifying the best way to lose because we
are not doing anything to solve the problem.
I have a solution I am going to propose, specifically, right now. I
am not going to put my name on it to be the lead name. I don't care who
gets the credit. I am ready for some solutions. I am going to talk
about some very serious things right now and some very difficult
things, but we are in a serious, difficult problem. We have serious
problems, and we need serious people to solve them.
In the United States today, at our ports, our airports, and our
highways--every way you can cross the border to come into the United
States of America--we charge fees for all kinds of things, and we have
for years. We have trust funds, like Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and
things like that. People come across our borders all the time. In
Smuggler's Gulch in San Diego, they come in on an eight-lane highway,
flooding into America in the morning to go to work and flooding out of
America in the afternoon to go home to bed, and we charge for that.
A constituent of mine called me last night, a gentleman I know very
well, who is a very successful businessperson. He said: Johnny, you all
are fighting over this border wall or how you fund it or who gets
credit for it. I saw your speech. Have you ever thought of this?
I listened. I listened, I thought, and I said: You know, I haven't.
I got my staff to get me the information, and it all works. It makes
sense, and I think it would make sense to the American people. I think
it would make sense to the President of the United States, the
Democratic Party, and the Republican Party as well. If we all start
tonight, even, and decide whether we want to sign it or not, we can do
it together. Who gets the credit for it stops, and we fight over
something that makes more sense fighting over than having a border that
leaks and an immigration program that doesn't work.
Here is the idea. We establish a fee in the United States of America
through our ports, through our airports, through all the different ways
you come here. You create a trust fund for that money to go into, and
it is designated for the security of our borders--our Canadian border
and our Mexican border.
That is it. They charge. Someone entering the country pays. If it is
a bus that comes in 10 times a day, you know they don't pay 10 times
the amount that somebody comes in once a day. We will figure that out,
but create a mechanism.
If you use the current mechanisms that are being used to collect
moneys today in our Departments, we would raise $2.5 billion a year
doing that. Did you hear me? $2.5 billion. If we had $2.5 billion, we
wouldn't have a problem anymore.
You could argue over what you build. That doesn't matter when we have
security. Security is what we want. This Senate and House can get
together at the White House, we get in a room, and we say: What do we
want to charge? To whom do we want to give the responsibility? What is
the goal?
The goal is to secure the border--a mechanism to fund securing the
border--and to get off this argument of who is right, whether it is
Democrats or Republicans. We are just arguing about something that
doesn't matter. What matters is the American people. What matters is
how their Representatives are handling their problems. What matters is
what you and I are doing to get this whole argument that is going on
and put it aside.
I am here to tell you, I am throwing an idea out that I think is a
good idea. A very smart man gave it to me. I didn't think of it. I
thought about it all last night. I couldn't think of anything wrong
with it. I am sure somebody will be able to come up with something that
is wrong with it.
It pays for it. We decide where the money goes, and it goes for
security. We don't argue over what type of security because that is not
the issue. The issue is we want it secure.
What we have had is that we have had a couple of leaders who argued
about how you secure it, not whether or not you can secure it. You can
always argue about how. I like pink better than purple, but I don't let
that stop me from buying a black shirt if it is the only shirt I can
get.
It is time we decide what it is we want. We want security. We want to
put the government back to work. We want the American people to get the
benefits they deserve, and we want a mechanism to do it--that is, a
simple mechanism to do it. We already do it everywhere. We do the
passenger facility charge.
The distinguished speaker sitting in the Chair today knows that. He
flies here every week and pays $7.50, I think, per ticket here and per
ticket out. It pays for the security of airports. We do this all over
the place. Let's do it here.
When you ask anybody what is probably the biggest problem in America,
they say the biggest problem is that the American Senate and the
American
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House will not sit down and get the work done.
After that, we haven't even opened the door to see if we can find a
solution. This opens the door to a solution. I am telling you, as a
representative from the State of Georgia, representing 10.5 million
people in this Senate, we can solve our problem today--not tomorrow,
but today--with the action of our Finance Committee and our leadership
and the President of the United States, by not deciding who gets credit
or who gets blame but deciding it is time enough for funding games to
be over with. It is time for us to get down to business.
We all took an oath a few months ago when we were sworn in, saying
that is what we wanted to do, and now we are avoiding it every single
day.
I will not take any more time. I know the Senator from Texas is here,
and the lovely Senator from Minnesota is here, and they are two very
good representatives in the Senate of the United States of America.
Don't forget about this idea. I am going to talk about it a lot. I
don't want it to be the Isakson amendment or the Isakson idea. I want
it to be our idea, America's idea. I want to fund it with Americans'
money, to solve America's borders and get our immigration system solved
and get us off of dead center and talking about nothing and mainly down
center lane.
I want to end with what Zell Miller told me. Zell was a Senator at
one time. He beat me for Governor of Georgia in 1990. In our last
debate in that Senate race--it was a pretty good race. I had gotten
pretty close. In fact, if my grandchildren had been old enough, it
would have almost been won by me, if I could embellish the stories a
little more.
At the end of the story, we had a minute each to close our speech. I
closed my remarks with a 1-minute statement. I thought it was pretty
good. Zell leaned back, with that twang of Zell's and said: You know,
ladies and gentlemen, if you see a turtle sitting on a fence post on a
country road, there is one thing you know for sure: He did not get
there by himself.
I know for sure right now we are going nowhere because we are not
talking about the problem. I know for sure that it is time for us to do
the simple thing; that is, to solve it. It is not the hard thing, and
that is to think of other reasons why we can't solve it. I, for one,
will do everything I can do to let the people I am representing here
know I am doing everything I can to get it open. I don't care what we
have done. I am not going to call anybody a name. I am not going to do
anything like that. I am not going to claim it for my idea. I hope
nobody will steal it and claim it for theirs and cause us problems.
Let's just get to work. There is no problem we can't solve that we
don't want to, and there is no problem we can solve if we don't want to
solve it.
God bless you, Mr. President, for presiding today, and God bless the
United States of America.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota.
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I appreciate the sentiment of the
Senator from Georgia, and I remember earlier last year when we were
both part of discussions to try to resolve an earlier shutdown issue
and an earlier issue related to immigration reform. We put together a
bipartisan bill involving the Dreamers, and we got some broad support
on our side. Unfortunately, the White House, in the end, was not
supportive of that agreement, even though the Senator from Georgia had
worked so hard.
I think we can't rule out, as much as we have tried and will continue
to try, to come up with bipartisan solutions like the majority and the
minority leader did in December that we all supported and would have
prevented this shutdown. We can't take out the element of the fact that
a number of times we have been gut-punched, basically, when we have
tried to do that. That doesn't mean that the discussion shouldn't
continue, and I appreciate his good work on that.
I want to discuss one Minnesotan, Kathleen DeMaster, who has been
affected by this and her family. She works for the U.S. Department of
Agriculture in Minneapolis. She is currently furloughed. This is
Kathleen and her daughter. She says:
My situation is becoming desperate. . . . I accepted my
position with the federal government only a few months ago
because it is a fantastic way for me to better myself and my
career. I am passionate about public service and have enjoyed
my job very much since I started. While accepting this
position improved my situation, I have lived paycheck to
paycheck. . . . This has not changed unfortunately. I am a
single mother and a homeowner. And while I am college
educated . . . I have struggled to get where I am now. It has
never been easy, and unfortunately, this has only made life
more difficult. My funds are exhausted. At this point in
time, I don't have the money to pay for my mortgage or for
childcare for my daughter. The money I will receive for
unemployment insurance will not cover everything I need [it
to].
Unfortunately this has put me in an untenable situation. Do
I risk losing my home or do I risk having my daughter lose
her daycare and being unable to work when I am recalled?
In other words, she can maybe lose the daycare because she is at home
now, but she is not going to be able to have the daycare when she goes
back to work, when she can.
These are the choices I (and many others, I am sure) are
facing right now.
This may be a story you have heard before, but I felt it
needs to be shared until it is heard by the right ears.
These are this woman's words--``the right ears.''
I am at a loss for what else to do, and I'm terrified for
what it means for my daughter and myself.
Kathleen is doing everything she can do to provide for her daughter.
She recently started picking up shifts with Instacart, the grocery
delivery service, just to make ends meet. If this shutdown drags on--in
her words--she is simply at a loss about how she and her daughter will
get by.
In my State there are 6,100 other Federal workers with these stories.
They are not being paid, and each of these workers has a face and a
name. It is time to end the shutdown and reopen the government.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
Tribute to Joyce Sibley
Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I rise today to give tribute to a great
American, a great Texan, and a 32-year veteran of this institution who
has dedicated her career to serving the needs of her fellow citizens.
Her name is Joyce Sibley.
She has led my team of caseworkers in Texas for the last 6 years, and
she is now retiring. Joyce started working in the U.S. Senate in 1971,
working for John Tower of Texas, answering the phones at his Austin
office.
Since then, Joyce has become a living legend among Texas caseworkers
because she simply doesn't take no for an answer, and she always goes
the extra mile and more to help someone in need. Indeed, her work has
extended so many extra miles beyond our State boundaries that it is
difficult to comprehend.
``To move mountains'' is a figurative expression, but when I say
Joyce has moved battleships, I mean it literally. During the Albanian
civil war of 1997, Joyce got the 6th Fleet to come ashore and help
rescue nearly 100 Americans on a beach, including several Texans.
The office of my predecessor, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, was in
communication with the Texans throughout that scary night in which the
American evacuees were huddled at the Port of Durres in Albania, having
been sent there by the U.S. embassy. The Albanian Task Force at the
State Department reported that everyone had been evacuated, but the
Americans still trapped there disagreed and started calling offices in
Houston and Austin.
Joyce and her team had to give up on the State Department's part and,
instead, they transferred a cell phone call from that beach in Albania
directly to a Pentagon duty officer who contacted the Texans and
connected them with the 6th Fleet. Together, they coordinated a Zodiac
evacuation in the early morning hours.
Joyce was instrumental in organizing their escape.
There was another occasion, when a soldier was wrongfully convicted
of counterfeiting in South Korea, after copying and printing Korean
currency in order to test the quality of his new printer. There was no
intent and no evidence of any attempt to distribute fake Korean
currency.
After being convicted and imprisoned for months, largely abandoned by
his command, the Texas office asked the
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Korean Government to take another look at the case, and the conviction
was reversed. The airman returned to serve with distinction in San
Antonio, thanks in part to the amazing casework skills of Joyce Sibley.
Likewise, when the earthquake hit Haiti, there were several Texans
buried in the rubble at one of the local hotels. Joyce and others
stayed in touch with the family members, set up regular briefings with
the State Department, and kept the family closely informed until all
were found and accounted for.
The Haitian Government even arrested a group of Texas missionaries
and charged them with kidnapping for providing relief and housing to
orphaned Haitian children. A few tense weeks followed, but they were
all freed once Joyce helped to turn up the heat.
There are too many stories to list about Joyce's helping families
with heartbreaking international adoption situations in Romania,
Russia, Haiti, China, Korea, Guatemala, and Ethiopia.
Here is one of my favorite stories. Last fall, a heart surgeon
contacted our office on a Thursday evening. He had been traveling out
of the country. When he was coming back to Houston, he realized he had
lost his passport. He was supposed to travel to Houston overnight and
go straight to the hospital to perform several surgeries. Joyce,
working with other members of our staff, was able to get a government
official to meet his plane to confirm his identity and to get him
through customs at 6 a.m. on Friday morning.
He called me when he was on the way to the hospital and said that
thanks to our office, thanks to Joyce, he was able to make it there on
time to perform lifesaving surgeries.
There are quite literally thousands of Texans whose lives have been
made better by Joyce's decision to stay in Texas and to devote her
professional time to helping families who needed help, often in times
of great stress. Dealing with the Federal Government, the often
maddening leviathan of Federal bureaucracy, Joyce was an expert at
getting that leviathan to move and helping Texans who were frustrated
and needed relief.
Whether it has been handling an international crisis or ensuring that
a veteran gets his or her paycheck, Joyce has been tireless on behalf
of Texans in need of help and guidance. The hallmark of a great
caseworker is knowing the system, having great contacts at the
multitude of Federal Agencies, and pushing back whenever she heard the
word ``no.'' Instead, she would ask, isn't there something else we
could do to help this soldier, to help this veteran, to help this
Texan? So many times, thinking of the ``something else we can do'' was
exactly what was needed.
Joyce has been an irreplaceable asset to the U.S. Senate and to the
people of Texas. The good news is that everyone who has worked with her
has her spirit in their blood now, has been trained directly, hands-on,
by Joyce. It is in their DNA now to go that extra mile and to try to
get to yes, no matter the obstacles, when they are looking out for and
fighting for Texans. That is her legacy--a team inspired by her
leadership. And I know that legacy will endure.
Joyce starts a new adventure at the end of this month as she begins
her well-earned retirement. My team will be a little bit poorer for
having lost her, but the Senate, the people of Texas, and thousands of
families she has assisted over the course of nearly five decades are
much richer for having had her on their team.
Thank you, Joyce, for your work, your passion, your patriotism, and
most of all, your shining heart. It has been a pleasure, an honor, and
a privilege to serve the people of Texas alongside you. God bless.
I yield the floor.
Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Cloture Motion
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before
the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
Cloture Motion
We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the
provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate,
do hereby move to bring to a close debate on S.J. Res. 2, a
joint resolution disapproving the President's proposal to
take an action relating to the application of certain
sanctions with respect to the Russian Federation.
John Thune, Mike Crapo, Tom Cotton, Todd Young, John
Cornyn, Jerry Moran, John Boozman, Deb Fischer, John
Hoeven, Susan M. Collins, Cory Gardner, Dan Sullivan,
Marco Rubio, Richard Burr, John Barrasso, Pat Roberts,
Roger F. Wicker, Thom Tillis, Shelley Moore Capito,
Mitch McConnell.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum
call has been waived.
The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on S.J.
Res 2, a joint resolution disapproving the President's proposal to take
an action relating to the application of certain sanctions with respect
to the Russian Federation, shall be brought to a close?
The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) is
necessarily absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Romney). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber wishing to vote or to change their vote?
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 57, nays 42, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 6 Leg.]
YEAS--57
Baldwin
Bennet
Blumenthal
Booker
Boozman
Brown
Cantwell
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Collins
Coons
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Daines
Duckworth
Durbin
Feinstein
Gardner
Gillibrand
Harris
Hassan
Hawley
Heinrich
Hirono
Jones
Kaine
Kennedy
King
Klobuchar
Leahy
Manchin
Markey
McSally
Menendez
Merkley
Moran
Murphy
Murray
Peters
Reed
Rosen
Rubio
Sasse
Schatz
Schumer
Shaheen
Sinema
Smith
Stabenow
Tester
Udall
Van Hollen
Warner
Warren
Whitehouse
Wyden
NAYS--42
Alexander
Barrasso
Blackburn
Blunt
Braun
Burr
Capito
Cassidy
Cornyn
Cramer
Crapo
Cruz
Enzi
Ernst
Fischer
Graham
Grassley
Hoeven
Hyde-Smith
Inhofe
Isakson
Johnson
Lankford
Lee
McConnell
Murkowski
Paul
Perdue
Portman
Risch
Roberts
Romney
Rounds
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Shelby
Sullivan
Thune
Tillis
Toomey
Wicker
Young
NOT VOTING--1
Sanders
The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 57, the nays are
42.
Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted
in the affirmative, the motion is rejected.
Under the previous order, cloture not having been invoked, S.J. Res.
2 is returned to the calendar.
The Chair recognizes the majority leader.
____________________