[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 185 (Tuesday, November 19, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S6631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             APPROPRIATIONS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, my colleagues are well familiar with 
my repeated calls for bipartisan progress in funding the Federal 
Government. For more than 2 months, as the appropriations process idled 
at partisan roadblocks, I pointed out just how straightforward this 
entire process could have been. With the road map negotiated in July by 
the President and the Speaker, and approved by each of the 
congressional leaders, we had the necessary commitments to move forward 
in good faith and avoid partisan riders that would stall the entire 
effort, but, of course, that didn't happen.
  But failing to secure funding for the Federal Government before the 
end of the year is not an option. Chairman Shelby continues to lead 
efforts to settle on subcommittee allocations that can earn bipartisan 
support. Today, these efforts are ongoing, and with our deadline to 
prevent a funding lapse rapidly approaching, I am encouraged that the 
House will apparently be voting today on a continuing resolution to 
keep the Government funded until December 20, while talks continue. 
These talks must continue because it is vital that we work in good 
faith to fund important priorities for the coming year, but what is 
needed in the near term is to keep the Government open for the next 
several weeks while this work goes on.
  This is not rocket science. The House needs to send us the short-term 
funding bill which the Senate can pass and which the President will 
sign. That is the way to keep the government open while our important 
discussions continue to make progress toward closing out the 
appropriations process and getting full-year bills to the floor.

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