[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 178 (Thursday, November 7, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6457-S6458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Veterans Day

  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, I rise today to say just a word about 
Veterans Day, but then to talk about our Nation's historically Black 
colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions.
  We will celebrate Veterans Day as a nation on Monday, so this will be 
an opportunity to stand as a Member of the Armed Services Committee and 
as a Senator from a very militarily connected State to echo the words 
of Senator Thune from a few minutes ago that we owe a huge debt to our 
veterans.
  Also, November 10 is the 244th anniversary of the Marine Corps. As a 
father of a U.S. marine, I also want to specifically offer my 
congratulations to the Corps.
  One of the joys of serving in the Senate and being on the Armed 
Services Committee from a State that has the

[[Page S6458]]

military tradition of Virginia is the ability to meet wonderful leaders 
all around my commonwealth, all around the country, and all around the 
globe. For those serving our country, we are in their debt.
  I do want to point out that we are having a debate on the floor over 
the Defense appropriations. The Senator from South Dakota spoke a 
little bit about that. I just want to lay out from the Democratic 
perspective what is at stake. It is not support of the military that is 
at stake. As an Armed Services Committee member, I am devoted to making 
sure we get to the right appropriations level for the Department of 
Defense.
  What is holding this up is not one party or the other not supporting 
the military. What is holding this up is that Democrats do not approve 
of the practice that has been engaged in by President Trump of 
rummaging through the Defense Department's budget to come up with money 
for a border wall, which our military leadership says is a nonmilitary 
issue.
  We do not believe that once Congress appropriates money for a defense 
budget, the President should be able to use an emergency declaration to 
go into the coffers of the Pentagon and cannibalize projects that 
affect our military families to use for the border wall. To the extent 
there is a dispute right now, that is what the dispute is about. It is 
not support for the Defense Department or not; it is whether we should 
allow a rummage sale in the Pentagon budget to fund a border wall.
  If you are going to have a discussion about border wall funding, 
let's do that separately, but let's not cannibalize the Defense 
Department's budget to do it.