[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 151 (Thursday, September 19, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5583-S5584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             APPROPRIATIONS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, Senate Democrats blocked this year's 
funding for our national defense. They voted it down. We can't move the 
legislation forward.
  Democrats blocked the funding our commanders need to keep pace with 
Russia and China. Democrats blocked money for the tools and training 
that our men and women in uniform badly need while our adversaries 
continually pour money into new weapons and technology. The Democrats 
even voted against a pay raise--a pay raise--for our servicemembers. 
All but two Democrats voted to filibuster all of this and kept the 
Senate from even considering the legislation.
  Never mind that before we adjourned in August the Democrats in the 
House and Senate all agreed to a carefully negotiated framework to keep 
our appropriations process on track. In fact, the Speaker of the House 
and the Democratic leader in the Senate publicly agreed to the exact 
dollar figure for the Defense bill they just voted down yesterday. They 
publicly agreed to the number in the Defense bill they just voted down 
yesterday.
  We all agreed in the caps agreement that poison pills, new policy 
riders, or any changes to Presidential transfer authorities were off 
the table--off the table--unless both sides were on board.
  So the appropriations process, including at the committee level with 
Chairman Shelby and Ranking Member Leahy, appeared to be going pretty 
smoothly, but, as we have seen a number of other times in the recent 
past, the Democratic leadership seemed to have a change of heart.
  Perhaps it sunk in that actually meeting President Trump and 
Republicans halfway, as divided government obviously requires, might 
have earned some criticism from the far left. But whatever the reason, 
our Democratic friends turned on a dime, reneged on the bipartisan 
agreement, and began demanding exactly the kinds of poison pills and 
partisan policy changes that we all promised not to do.
  That is how we get to a spectacle like what happened yesterday. That 
is how we get to a place where 42 Senate Democrats vote to filibuster 
defense funding and obstruct a pay raise for our servicemembers, for 
all the world to see, because Democratic leadership decided they saw 
more of a political upside in picking new fights with the President 
than in keeping their word and investing in our men and women in 
uniform.
  In fact, I understand that just yesterday, our Democratic leaders 
were offered even more money for the Labor-HHS bill, but they declined 
it. So it is not about the money. It is not about compromising and 
getting to yes. It is about not wanting to take yes for an answer.

[[Page S5584]]

  I have great respect for our Democratic friends, but I think this 
episode has to go down as a new high-water mark for the policy 
consequences of what some people call ``Trump derangement syndrome.''
  We are at a point where 42 Senate Democrats would decline to fund the 
U.S. Armed Forces essentially just to spite the occupant of the White 
House. If you ask me, that is one heck of a price to pay to put on a 
show for ``the resistance.''
  But yesterday's vote is now a matter of record. It is in the past. I 
really am hopeful that we can get back on track with the kind of 
appropriations process my Democratic colleagues have already pledged 
they would support. They had already pledged to support it.
  When the good work that takes place in committees is allowed to 
proceed without this top-down partisan maneuvering, it tends to yield 
pretty good results. I think we were all pleased with the bipartisan 
funding bill that Chairman Shelby and Senator Leahy produced together 
last year. I understand this morning's appropriations markup is 
expected to be bipartisan as well.
  For example, I am proud the Financial Services and General Government 
bill would include a bipartisan amendment providing another $250 
million for the administration and security of elections, to help 
States improve their defenses and shore up their voting systems.
  I am proud to have helped develop this amendment and to cosponsor it 
in committee. That would bring our total allocation for election 
security to more than $600 million since fiscal 2008.
  It is a crucial issue. The Trump administration has made enormous 
strides to help States secure their elections without giving Washington 
new power to push the States around. That is how we continue the 
progress we saw in 2018, and that is exactly what we are doing.
  This is exactly the kind of positive outcome that is possible when we 
stop posturing for the press and let Chairman Shelby and Senator Leahy 
conduct a bipartisan committee process.
  As time grows shorter before the end of September, I hope the 
critical defense funding that Democrats blocked yesterday will soon 
earn the same kind of productive treatment, because I don't think the 
American people will have much patience with the notion that Democrats' 
first responsibility is irritating the White House and funding the 
Department of Defense coming second.
  I hope we can reboot this process and move forward for the sake of 
our Senate process, for the sake of stable funding for our government, 
and for the sake of our Nation's security.

                          ____________________