[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 191 (Thursday, December 8, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7043-S7044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           Government Funding

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am worried that we are heading toward 
another unnecessary, manufactured crisis because our current government 
funding is set to expire in 8 days. So I want to take a moment and talk 
about how we got here, and the path forward.
  In fiscal year 2022, Leader McConnell required parity between defense 
and nondefense funding. This was a requirement that we met--Democrats 
and Republicans--and it provided the commonsense framework that allowed 
us to finish our work.
  Now, the Republicans have abandoned this framework, demanding steep 
cuts to programs that the American people rely on. The cuts will be 
more painful as inflation continues to squeeze pocketbooks. Heating, 
cooling, food, and housing--these costs are becoming more expensive.
  They have justified this change of tactics by claiming that Democrats 
spent $700 billion in reconciliation bills and that this should negate 
the need to provide parity to nondefense programs. Well, of course, 
there is an obvious flaw in that kind of reasoning. The spending that 
they are talking about was to meet an unprecedented crisis that killed 
more than 1 million Americans and threatened to collapse the global 
economy.
  Did people expect us not to defend Americans at that time?
  The bills were meant to get us out of the pandemic, get the Nation 
healthy, and get our economy back on track, and I believe they are 
accomplishing that goal.
  Would anybody say they wish we had not spent that money?
  They weren't meant to fund the basic functions of the American 
Government in fiscal year 2023; they were meant to take care of the 
dangers of the pandemic that killed 1 million Americans and threatened 
the collapse of the global economy.
  Now, we Democrats do agree with our Republican colleagues that 
inflation threatens the national security. We all agree on that. But 
nondefense programs face an equal threat and demand an equal response 
because of inflation, and if we have inaction on the Republican side, 
that threatens bipartisan priorities and programs--priorities and 
programs that both Republicans and Democrats support.
  Without an omnibus, the bipartisan CHIPS law--remember the CHIPS law? 
That passed this summer. It will help our country compete with China. 
Well, it won't be funded, and that competition languishes. And our 
promise to our veterans will be broken as the bipartisan PACT Act would 
go underfunded. VA medical care would fall at least $7.5 billion short.

  Without an omnibus, those who are opposing the omnibus or those who, 
by inaction, won't support getting an omnibus before us will defund the 
police by slashing assistance to local law enforcement and keep 1,500 
police officers off the streets and out of our communities. In the face 
of a surge in domestic violence, it will be the inaction of those who 
are not helping us get an

[[Page S7044]]

omnibus bill through that will leave the bipartisan reauthorization of 
the Violence Against Women Act without the new funding it needs.
  Remember when I and others rewrote the Violence Against Women Act? We 
added the LGBTQ community, we added the Native American community, and 
we added money to go after those who are predators of children.
  Now, Republicans may want to blame Democrats for stifling the 
economy, but it is their position that will shortchange funding at our 
ports of entry and strangle the flow of commerce and the economy's 
ability to grow. You can have rhetoric, but then reality catches up. 
And you need the money to fund our ports of entry, or we all know the 
effect it will have on the economy.
  And if they do not join in this, it will be Republicans who turn 
their backs on small businesses by not providing the SBA with the 
resources it needs to help small businesses thrive.
  And sending men and women to the Moon, that funding is going to be 
delayed.
  For months, the Democrats have asked our Republican colleagues to 
join us at the negotiating table, and for months we were met with dead 
silence. At this very moment, my door and the doors of my staff are 
open. They can join us in this work at any time.
  Time is running out. We have to move forward. I have stayed here the 
past several weekends to be available for any kind of negotiations 
people want. So, to move this forward, I would hope we would have had a 
bipartisan bill on the floor by now.
  On Monday, Chair DeLauro of the House and I will introduce an omnibus 
bill that we believe is fair and bipartisan. It will fully fund defense 
at the NDAA level, and it will provide the needed increase to 
nondefense programs to both stave off inflation but especially to help 
the American people.
  And to show our good faith, we eliminated the so-called poison pill 
riders that Republicans have objected to, and we firmly believe this 
bill can and should earn the votes of at least 10 Republican Senators. 
So I think it is a reasonable path forward.
  The money runs out on December 16. I think it would help if my 
Republican friends accept yes for an answer. There is plenty in here 
for both Republicans and Democrats to declare a victory.
  But most importantly, the American people can declare victory. Each 
side will get a large part of what they want, but the most important 
part, the American people will get what they need. We should call this 
an American bill. It is not a Republican or a Democratic bill; it is a 
bill for America because if we don't do it, we are going to have a 
continuing resolution at last year's level, with no adjustments for 
inflation, with real-life consequences that would entail.
  I would hope no Republican wants that because if they do, we end up 
with a continuing resolution that lowers funds of everything from 
defense to nondefense programs. It damages our economy; it damages our 
defense; and they will have only themselves to blame.
  I would hope it won't be a case of who passes blame of a disaster but 
rather a case where we come together and say to America: You can 
declare victory.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.