[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 151 (Thursday, September 19, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             APPROPRIATIONS

  Mr. GRASSLEY. The latest political ploy by the Democrats is to paint 
the Senate majority leader as an obstructionist because he hasn't moved 
to consider certain bills passed by the other body.
  Well, let's think about that for just a minute. They can hardly use 
that talking point anymore.
  Yesterday, the Senate majority leader moved to take up the House-
passed appropriations package, and the Senate Democrats blocked that 
motion.
  The Senate isn't obliged to consider every partisan bill from the 
House, and the House doesn't have to consider every bill that is passed 
by the Senate. But if there is any House bill that the Senate has the 
responsibility to take up, to debate, and to amend, it is the annual 
spending bills to keep government operating. We have to fund the 
government, and that is what we are doing.
  So I hope we don't hear any of this bellyaching anymore when we have 
a House bill that the Senate doesn't somehow take up.
  I yield the floor.

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