[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 163 (Wednesday, October 16, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5809]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           Government Funding

  Mr. President, earlier this summer, both Houses of Congress and the 
White House arrived at a budget agreement that gave us a blueprint for 
funding the government, but in September, Republicans unilaterally 
walked away from our agreement and proposed taking $12 billion from 
domestic programs--including Head Start, HHS, and even the Pentagon--to 
fund the President's border wall. This is a nonstarter. There aren't 
enough votes in the Chamber to pass it.
  As we look to get the appropriations back on track, I was 
disappointed that Senate Republicans let the entire State work period 
pass without responding to Democratic offers. Instead of spending that 
time negotiating with House Democrats on allocations, Senate 
Republicans have sat on their hands, and now we are back in session 
this week at the same impasse. Republicans are insisting on the same 
thing they unsuccessfully shut down the government for last year: $12 
billion for a border wall that President Trump promised Mexico would 
pay for.
  If Senate Republicans don't wake up and resume good-faith 
negotiations with Democrats, I fear we are headed down the same road.