[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 186 (Wednesday, November 20, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6703-S6704]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           Government Funding

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I know people are waiting to see what 
might happen around here. We will have before us a continuing 
resolution to fully fund the Federal Government through December 20. I 
wish this was not necessary, and that we would have just passed all of 
our appropriations bills. But while I wish the step was not necessary, 
I would urge all Members to vote aye.
  I wish we were further along in our work, but it is not for lack of 
trying. It is no secret what is holding up negotiations--the 
President's demand for $8.6 billion more for his vanity wall along the 
southern border. This is a wall the President gave his word to the 
American people that Mexico would pay for it, and now he is telling the 
American people: No, I want the American taxpayers to pay for it.
  I should point out that he already has $10 billion on hand. He could 
not possibly build that much of his wall, anyway, over the next fiscal 
year with the eminent domain that would have to be done in Texas and 
elsewhere. And, of course, the wall they have built, at a cost of 
millions of taxpayer dollars a mile, can be defeated by a $100 saw at 
the local hardware store. The President was talking about how they will 
make it so high that it will be hard to get over it, but you can just 
kneel down and cut a hole to go through it. But he has $10 billion on 
hand for his wall. It could not be spent in the next year no matter how 
much the government is overcharged for the wall.
  He stole $6.3 billion of that from our troops and their families, and 
despite the fact that the vast majority of that money has yet to be 
spent, he wants more.
  If we hadn't had this issue, we would have had our work done by now. 
To quote one of the most famous baseball players, ``It's deja vu all 
over again.'' The President is once again putting his own personal 
interests ahead of the interests of our country.
  I would like to remind the Chamber what is at stake in the annual 
appropriations bills. These are the things that are being held up 
because the President wants us to forget his promise that Mexico would 
pay for this wall.
  What is being held up? Well, education for our children. Cutting-edge 
medical research. Anybody who has a family member with cancer or 
diabetes or any other disease wants their tax dollars being spent on 
medical research. Support for our Nation's farmers, medical care for 
our veterans, addressing the opioid crisis, environmental programs to 
keep our air safe to breathe and our water safe to drink--all of these 
things are being held up, all are being put on autopilot because the 
President cares about his wall--his symbolic wall--far more than he 
does about medical research or medical care for our veterans.
  So we find ourselves at a critical juncture. We could pass another 
continuing resolution to allow us to continue to negotiate in good 
faith, which I am committed to do, or shut down the government. Well, 
that is really not a choice.
  The continuing resolution before us is a good bill that will allow us 
to continue our bipartisan, bicameral negotiating on the fiscal year 
2020 appropriations process. I hope all Senators will support it.

[[Page S6704]]

  I would note for Senators how the Republican chairman of the 
Appropriations Committee, Senator Shelby, and I, as vice chairman, have 
kept the process in a bipartisan fashion. Almost all of our 
appropriations bills have come out of committee unanimously or 
virtually unanimously. They have come to the floor, and then they have 
gotten an overwhelming vote. Let's rely on those Senators in both 
parties who are willing to set aside political posturing and who are 
willing to set aside symbolism and instead have substance.
  In addition to continuing to fund our government for 4 more weeks, 
our bill tackles some issues that have to be addressed right away. It 
provides the Commerce Department with the necessary funds to carry out 
the decennial census, which is required by our Constitution. It 
provides funds for mobile centers to ensure that the census reaches 
those in the hardest to reach areas. It fulfills our constitutional 
obligation to make sure every American is counted.
  The bill includes a provision that would block a looming $7.6 billion 
rescission of highway funding set to hit the States July 1--the States 
of virtually everybody in this Chamber, Republican and Democratic 
alike. Without this provision, each of our States would see significant 
cuts to its highway funding. That is the last thing we need given the 
dire state of infrastructure in America today.
  The bill includes a pay raise for the military, which is set to go 
into effect in January. It also includes legislation to ensure that 
victims of state-sponsored terrorism get the compensation they are 
entitled to. More importantly, it ensures that the government remains 
funded and open while we continue to work on full-year appropriations 
bills.
  Now, even if we passed this bill today or tomorrow, we have only 4 
short weeks to complete our work. It can be done. I am committed to 
staying here, as we have in the past. We all worked nights, weekends, 
and I must say the tremendous Appropriations Committee staff worked 
even more hours.
  But it cannot be a one-sided negotiation. And we cannot be expected 
to divert billions more in taxpayer dollars to fulfill President 
Trump's cynical campaign promise as part of the final deal. It does not 
have the support in this Chamber or among the American people to carry 
the day.
  If we had an up-or-down vote in this body--will you take this money 
away from housing for our troops, for medical research, and all these 
other things, to pay for an ineffective wall so the President will not 
be embarrassed by not keeping his word that Mexico was going to pay for 
it? Of course, that would fail. Of course, that would fail. Nobody 
wants to go back home and say they did that.
  We have billions of dollars in here to keep our borders secure. We 
want to keep our borders secure. Everybody wants to, Republican and 
Democrats alike, but let's not waste the money on symbolism, especially 
if it means we do not do our medical research or take care of housing 
for our troops among all the other things I have listed. Do not do a 
bill with the hopes of, someday, Mexico will pay us back, just because 
the President promised they would. We all know they are not going to.
  So, with that being said, we have made some progress. I do not go and 
call press conferences like some of my colleague do each moment along 
the way, but I have been working closely with a bipartisan group. We 
all look forward to continue to work with Chairman Shelby and 
Chairwoman Lowey and with Ranking Member Granger to get these bills 
across the finish line.
  We owe it to the American people, and we have demonstrated--I think 
Senator Shelby as chair, myself as vice chair, we have demonstrated 
that we can get the bills through with an overwhelming bipartisan vote. 
Just let us do it. Let's go forward and pass them. Let's do substance 
over symbolism.
  With that, Mr. President, I see my distinguished colleague on the 
floor, so I will yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Cramer). The Senator from Tennessee.