[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 214 (Thursday, December 17, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7564]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           Government Funding

  Madam President, we are at the eleventh hour before a funding 
deadline where the budget of the United States is at stake. Tomorrow, 
the continuing resolution expires, and we are facing the prospect of 
another continuing resolution. I pray that we don't do that.
  This has been a very disappointing year for the Appropriations 
process. Historically, the process begins with the President's budget, 
and then comes a budget resolution passed by the House and the Senate 
for the spending priorities in the next fiscal year. We didn't do that.
  Then there is an allocation, usually, after the passage of a budget 
resolution of how much each subcommittee of the Appropriations 
Committee can work with, the total amounts of dollars. We didn't do 
that.
  Then the subcommittees have hearings, and some of these subcommittees 
of Appropriations have many hearings, to explore whether the dollar 
amounts that are allocated for a certain purpose really are well spent 
and serve their purpose. We didn't do that.
  Then the subcommittee is supposed to meet and vote out an 
appropriations bill at the end of that process, reporting it to the 
full committee. And we didn't do that.
  Then the Appropriations Committee is supposed to take up the 
subcommittee's product, debate it, subject to amendment, and pass it 
out for a consideration by the full body. We never did that as well.
  The matter is supposed to come to the floor of the Senate, be 
debated, as well, perhaps amended, and pass the Senate, if it has the 
right, the necessary votes. We didn't do that.
  Then it is supposed to go to the House of Representatives to see how 
it matches up with their similar work product. We didn't do that 
either.
  Ultimately, it may result in a conference report, according to the 
rules, between the House and the Senate, and that never happened.
  So the entire budget appropriations process was completely avoided, 
and we find ourselves extending a continuing resolution for the 
spending of the U.S. Government for weeks at a time until after the 
election.
  So now we face the prospect, at the eleventh hour, of a decision to 
finish the work we were elected to do or to simply delay the situation 
again.
  Well, we need to do our job, and we need to do it now. We need to 
pass our annual appropriations bills to keep the government running. I 
cannot imagine the unforgivable and embarrassing tragedy it would be if 
the government is shut down for our failure to reach a decision.