[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 151 (Thursday, September 19, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5588]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Appropriations

  Mr. President, on another matter, with the end of the fiscal year 
just a week and a half way, we know the clock is running out for us to 
pass funding bills. After the longest government shutdown in history 
earlier this year, I thought there was bipartisan support to get the 
regular appropriations process back on track. Both parties knew there 
was a funding crisis at stake this fall if we couldn't come together 
and reach a compromise.
  So that is exactly what we did before the August break. Our 
colleagues on the Appropriations Committee, led by the chairman, 
Senator Shelby, worked day and night to reach an agreement that was 
acceptable to both parties in both Chambers, as well as earning the 
support of the President. That is not easy to do. That was the 2-year 
budget caps agreement. But they got it done. That is until the August 
recess occurred, and, apparently, memories faded about what exactly had 
been agreed to, or people reconsidered their previous agreement and 
decided to withdraw their consent.
  We knew this caps deal, as imperfect as it was, would lay the 
foundation for the appropriations process this fall and get us out of 
this reoccurring movie called the looming shutdown.
  At the end of July, we passed a 2-year budget agreement. It was a 
fair compromise, considering everybody's interests. While there are 
still details to be hashed out in the individual appropriations bills, 
it was a strong start. We thought we had made it past this shutdown 
movie and scenario.
  We agreed to top-line defense spending and nondefense spending. There 
was a promise not to derail the appropriations process with poison pill 
policy riders, and we got it done with plenty of time to spare.
  Now it appears that our Democratic friends are backing down from 
their commitments, which is a serious mistake on their part. If we 
can't work together in good faith and trust that our colleagues will 
actually stick to their word and keep their commitments, then, that is 
going to do nothing but further erode our ability to function on behalf 
of the American people.
  Imagine my surprise when, yesterday, the Senate voted to begin debate 
on the first batch of funding bills and Democrats blocked it. They 
stopped it dead in its tracks. Even though they had agreed to the 
spending caps and a process to go forward, they blocked it. They voted 
to deny our troops the largest pay raise in a decade. They voted to 
withhold vital funding from our military at a time when we face growing 
threats around the world. They voted to derail the very process they 
had agreed to before August. In so doing, they once again put partisan 
politics above our responsibilities to the American people.
  What is the reason for this? A disagreement over funding allocations 
of 0.003 percent of the total budget--0.003 percent of the total 
budget. That is like robbing a bank in order to steal the change from 
the gumball machine. I am really disappointed. We are better than that, 
and I hope our colleagues will reconsider.
  Our national security is on the line. If there is one thing we ought 
to do above all else, it is to provide for the defense and to make sure 
that the American people are safe and that those who put themselves in 
harm's way and who volunteer to wear the uniform of the U.S. military 
are treated with respect and fairness. It is inappropriate and it is 
just wrong to play games with national security or with our military, 
as our Democratic colleagues appear to be doing.