Congressional Record, Volume 165 Issue 187 (Thursday, November 21, 2019)

[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 187 (Thursday, November 21, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6734-S6736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

LEGISLATIVE SESSION

______

FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020, AND FURTHER HEALTH
EXTENDERS ACT OF 2019

The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message
from the House of Representatives:

Resolved, That the House agree to the amendment of the
Senate to the bill (H.R. 3055) entitled ``An Act making
appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice,
Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2020, and for other purposes.'', with an
amendment to the Senate amendment.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kentucky.

Motion to Concur with Amendment No. 1250

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, I move to concur in the House amendment to
the Senate amendment to H.R. 3055, with a further amendment numbered
1250.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:

The Senator from Kentucky [Mr. Paul] moves to concur in the
House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 3055, with an
amendment numbered 1250.

The amendment is as follows:

(Purpose: To reduce the amount appropriated by 1 percent and put the
savings towards the Highway Trust Fund and certain Environmental
Protection Agency Infrastructure Assistance)

At the appropriate place in division A, add the following:

SEC. ___. REDUCTION IN RATE FOR OPERATIONS.

The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020 (division A of
Public Law 116-59) is further amended by inserting after
section 150, as added by section 101 of this division, the
following:

``SEC. 151. REDUCTION IN CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS TO PROVIDE
SAVINGS FOR THE HIGHWAY TRUST FUND AND
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY INFRASTRUCTURE
ASSISTANCE.

``(a) Reduction in Continuing Appropriations.--
``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the
rate for operations provided by section 101 is hereby reduced
by 1 percent.
``(2) Exceptions.--The rate for operations shall not be
reduced under paragraph (1) for the following:
``(A) Amounts made available from the Highway Trust Fund
established by section 9503(a) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986.
``(B) Amounts for purposes described in section 147.
``(C) For the Environmental Protection Agency,
Infrastructure Assistance, amounts made available for the
following:
``(i) The Clean Water State Revolving Funds and the
Drinking Water State Revolving Funds.
``(ii) The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act
Program Account.
``(iii) The America's Water Infrastructure Act Grant
Programs under section 1459A of the Safe Drinking Water Act
(42 U.S.C. 300j-19a).
``(b) Transfer of Savings.--
``(1) Determination of savings.--The Secretary of the
Treasury shall determine the amount of the reduction in
amounts made available under section 101 of this division
that is attributable to subsection (a).
``(2) Transfer.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall
transfer from the General Fund of the Treasury an amount
equal to the amount determined under paragraph (1), as
follows:
``(A) For the Highway Trust Fund established by section
9503(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 95 percent of
such amount.
``(B) For the Clean Water State Revolving Funds and the
Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, 3 percent of such
amount.
``(C) For the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation
Act Program Account, 1 percent of such amount.
``(D) For the America's Water Infrastructure Act Grant
Programs under section 1459A of the Safe Drinking Water Act
(42 U.S.C. 300j-19a), 1 percent of such amount.
``(3) Availability.--Amounts transferred under paragraph
(2) shall remain available until expended.''.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.

Motion to Table

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I move to table the Paul amendment, but I
just want to say a few words.
This continuing resolution before the Senate holds spending at the
fiscal 2019 levels. An arbitrary 1-percent across-the-board cut on top
of this--although it sounds good--would be extremely harmful to our
agencies, particularly our military.
The Senate handily defeated similar amendments just recently, and I
hope we will do this today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I will be brief.
I agree with the distinguished senior Senator from Alabama. The Paul
amendment imposes a 1-percent across-the-board cut over last year's
funding level to the vast majority of discretionary spending for the
duration of the CR.
I hope all Members--Republican and Democratic alike--will oppose it
because it would mean arbitrary cuts in defense and other national
security programs, cuts to veterans' healthcare, education, childcare,
opioid programs, just to name a few. It is a simplistic tool that
ignores the complexities of our Federal budget. It is not a way we
should govern.
We have the hard work of making hard choices to fund programs each
year based on reality. That is what we should do. That is what the
American people deserve.
I support increased investment in our Nation's infrastructure. I
would be happy to work with Senator Paul to ensure these programs
receive the resources they require.
I hope he might be able to get some support from the Trump
administration, which has consistently proposed cutting resources to
improve our Nation's infrastructure. I hope he might be able to get
that kind of support, but funding it through an across-the-board cut on
all other programs, including veterans healthcare, national security,
and education programs is irresponsible. It is not the answer.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I move to table the Paul amendment and ask
for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator
from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy) and the Senator from Arkansas (Mr.
Cotton).

[[Page S6735]]

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker),
the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Minnesota
(Ms. Klobuchar), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the
Senator from Massachusetts (Ms. Warren) are necessarily absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Hyde-Smith). Are there any other Senators
in the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 73, nays 20, as follows:

[Rollcall Vote No. 363 Leg.]

YEAS--73

Alexander
Baldwin
Bennet
Blumenthal
Blunt
Boozman
Brown
Burr
Cantwell
Capito
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Collins
Coons
Cortez Masto
Cramer
Duckworth
Durbin
Enzi
Feinstein
Gardner
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Hassan
Hawley
Heinrich
Hirono
Hoeven
Hyde-Smith
Inhofe
Isakson
Johnson
Jones
Kaine
King
Leahy
Manchin
Markey
McConnell
Menendez
Merkley
Moran
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Perdue
Peters
Portman
Reed
Roberts
Rosen
Rounds
Rubio
Schatz
Schumer
Scott (FL)
Shaheen
Shelby
Sinema
Smith
Stabenow
Tester
Thune
Toomey
Udall
Van Hollen
Warner
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
Young

NAYS--20

Barrasso
Blackburn
Braun
Cornyn
Crapo
Cruz
Daines
Ernst
Fischer
Kennedy
Lankford
Lee
McSally
Paul
Risch
Romney
Sasse
Scott (SC)
Sullivan
Tillis

NOT VOTING--7

Booker
Cassidy
Cotton
Harris
Klobuchar
Sanders
Warren
The motion was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

Order of Business

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the votes following the
first vote in this series be 10 minutes in length.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Motion to Concur

Mr. McCONNELL. I move to concur in the House amendment to the Senate
amendment to H.R. 3055.

Cloture Motion

I send a cloture motion to the desk for the motion to concur.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The cloture motion having been presented under
rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.
The bill clerk read as follows:

Cloture Motion

We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the
provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate,
do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the motion to
concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R.
3055, a bill making appropriations for the Departments of
Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for the
fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, and for other
purposes.
Mitch McConnell, Roy Blunt, Jerry Moran, Richard C.
Shelby, Lamar Alexander, Susan M. Collins, John
Barrasso, Cindy Hyde-Smith, John Boozman, Lisa
Murkowski, Rob Portman, Johnny Isakson, John Thune,
Chuck Grassley, Tom Cotton, Pat Roberts.

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the
mandatory quorum call be waived.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Cloture Motion

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before
the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.
The legislative clerk read as follows:

Cloture Motion

The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum
call has been waived.
The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on the
motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R.
3055, a bill making appropriations to the Departments of Commerce and
Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2020, and for other purposes, shall be brought to a
close?
The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rules.
The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy).
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker),
the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Minnesota
(Ms. Klobuchar), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the
Senator from Massachusetts (Ms. Warren) are necessarily absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber
desiring to vote?
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 75, nays 19, as follows:

[Rollcall Vote No. 364 Leg.]

YEAS--75

Alexander
Baldwin
Barrasso
Bennet
Blumenthal
Blunt
Boozman
Brown
Burr
Cantwell
Capito
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Collins
Coons
Cornyn
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Duckworth
Durbin
Feinstein
Gardner
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Hassan
Heinrich
Hirono
Hoeven
Hyde-Smith
Isakson
Johnson
Jones
Kaine
Kennedy
King
Lankford
Leahy
Manchin
Markey
McConnell
McSally
Menendez
Merkley
Moran
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Peters
Portman
Reed
Roberts
Rosen
Rubio
Schatz
Schumer
Scott (SC)
Shaheen
Shelby
Sinema
Smith
Stabenow
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Udall
Van Hollen
Warner
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
Young

NAYS--19

Blackburn
Braun
Cruz
Daines
Enzi
Ernst
Fischer
Hawley
Inhofe
Lee
Paul
Perdue
Risch
Romney
Rounds
Sasse
Scott (FL)
Tillis
Toomey

NOT VOTING--6

Booker
Cassidy
Harris
Klobuchar
Sanders
Warren
The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 75, the nays are
19.
Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn having voted in
the affirmative, the motion is agreed to.
Under the previous order, all postcloture time is yielded back.
The question is on agreeing to the motion to concur.
Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy).
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker),
the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), the Senator from Minnesota
(Ms. Klobuchar), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the
Senator from Massachusetts (Ms. Warren) are necessarily absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Young). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 74, nays 20, as follows:

[Rollcall Vote No. 365 Leg.]

YEAS--74

[[Page S6736]]

Stabenow
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Udall
Van Hollen
Warner
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
Young

NAYS--20

Blackburn
Braun
Cruz
Daines
Enzi
Ernst
Fischer
Hawley
Inhofe
Lee
Paul
Perdue
Risch
Romney
Rounds
Sasse
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Tillis
Toomey

NOT VOTING--6

Booker
Cassidy
Harris
Klobuchar
Sanders
Warren
The motion was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

____________________