[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 166 (Monday, October 21, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Appropriations

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, before I get into my main remarks on 
Syria, I just heard the majority leader, Leader McConnell, say that he 
wants to see if we can do appropriations bills, that he will see if the 
Democrats want to legislate. Give me a break. Since we have started to 
legislate, we have been waiting for 6 months, 9 months. It is well-
known in the country that the Senate is the legislative graveyard, that 
Leader McConnell has not put on the floor bill after bill on major 
issues that affect the country and that demand attention. Most 
everybody knows that he is proud that he is the Grim Reaper. So now, in 
his asking if the Democrats want to legislate, it is all up to Leader 
McConnell.
  On the appropriations bills, of course, we want to legislate when it 
is being done in a fair way. There are some bills that came out of the 
Appropriations Committee in a bipartisan way. I think there are four of 
them that the leader is thinking of putting on the floor, and we would 
like to move forward on those and have a vigorous process as we go 
forward.
  There are certain bills that were not done with any consultation--the 
taking of money out of things like MILCON and HHS and putting it for a 
wall that he knows the Democrats will not go for. Those kinds of things 
we can't legislate until they become bipartisan, until we work 
together. There are certain bills--HHS, Defense, MILCON, DHS--that we 
can't move forward on until we have some bipartisan agreement. Yet, on 
the bills on which there is agreement, we would be happy to move 
forward. Of course, that doesn't solve the problem.
  After that happens, our House colleagues--Speaker Pelosi, Chair 
Lowey--have since suggested that there be a 302(b) conference because 
even the 302(b)s are different than these bills, and that is the right 
place to go once the Senate passes these less controversial bills.
  I hope we can move forward. I hope we can. The first package of 
bills--four of the five--is not controversial. The fifth, they didn't 
even bring to the floor of the Committee on Appropriations--MILCON. 
Yet, on those four, moving forward would be a fine thing. Hopefully, we 
could work out an amendment process whereby Members could offer 
amendments.
  So we will finally legislate after 9 months, not just move judges and 
other appointees, and that is a good thing. I am glad that Leader 
McConnell has finally, maybe, felt the pressure and wants to legislate.