[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 177 (Wednesday, November 6, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6411-S6412]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday, the Senate confirmed David 
Tapp of Kentucky to serve on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Today, 
we will turn to more of President Trump's impressive nominees for the 
Federal Judiciary.
  Last week, Senate Republicans had hoped to proceed to the urgent 
priority of funding our national defense, but for the second time in 2 
months, Senate Democrats filibustered defense funding. They blocked the 
Senate from funding our Armed Forces.
  Over the summer, the Speaker of the House and my colleague the 
Democratic leader both signed onto a bipartisan, bicameral budget deal 
that Democrats hammered out with President Trump's team in order to 
avoid

[[Page S6412]]

exactly--exactly--the kind of partisan stalemate that we are now 
experiencing and avoid a 12-bill omnibus. The agreement laid out 
specific top-line numbers and ruled out poison pills--the agreement we 
all reached just a couple of months ago.
  With respect to Presidential transfer authorities, the agreement that 
we all agreed to 2 months ago specifically stated that ``current 
transfer funding levels and authorities shall be maintained.'' The 
President's transfers authorities as they relate to border funding, or 
anything else, were to remain exactly as they existed in current law. 
This is the deal we signed off on just 2 months ago. The deal just 
simply preserves the status quo that was established by bipartisan 
legislation last fiscal year. The same transfer authorities, by the 
way, would also be preserved if Democrats tank the appropriations 
process and we end up with a continuing resolution. That was the deal. 
Democrats were onboard. I entered the terms into the Congressional 
Record and both the Speaker and the Senate Democratic leader posted the 
terms of the deal in their press release, but now our Democratic 
counterparts have gone back on their word.
  Contrary to the agreement, Democrats are now insisting on poison 
pills and, thus, blocking the resources and certainty our men and women 
in uniform need.
  While Senate Democrats block defense funding, House Democrats 
continue to hold up USMCA and the 176,000 new American jobs it would 
create. All their time and energy seems to go to House Democrats' 3-
year-old impeachment journey and the unfair, precedent-breaking process 
by which the House has conducted its inquiry so far.
  Last week, House Democrats passed their first votes on impeachment 
and codified their irregular process. They passed a resolution that 
fails--fails--to provide President Trump the same rights and due 
process that past Presidents of both parties have received.
  Here is what the Democrats' resolution effectively says: No due 
process now, maybe some later, but only if we feel like it. I repeat: 
No due process now, maybe some later, but only if we feel like it.
  Well, while we wait for our Democratic counterparts to come back to 
the table and allow this body to complete urgent bipartisan 
legislation, we are going to continue confirming more of President 
Trump's impressive nominees and giving the American people the 
government they actually voted for.

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