[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 181 (Thursday, November 2, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5322]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Supplemental Funding

  Mr. President, now on the supplemental, today, the House of 
Representatives is scheduled to vote on the GOP's unserious and 
woefully inadequate aid package. By now, it is glaringly apparent that 
the House aid package is even worse--worse--than what people originally 
thought because, yesterday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office 
reported that the House Republican package will add over $12 billion to 
the budget deficit.
  Now, Speaker Johnson said he wanted a pay-for. He insists that 
emergency funding for Israel has to be paid for, when we usually don't 
pay for emergency funding. But the hypocrisy here is that, by cutting 
funding to go after tax cheats, he will actually explode the deficit by 
billions and billions of dollars--what a joke.
  I am glad that the President issued a veto threat over this 
stunningly unserious proposal. Unserious at a time of crisis like this? 
From the House GOP leader?
  The Senate will not be considering this deeply flawed proposal from 
the House GOP, and, instead, we will work together on our own 
bipartisan emergency aid package that includes aid to Israel, Ukraine, 
competition with the Chinese Government, and humanitarian aid for Gaza, 
so much needed.
  Let me say that again. The Senate will not take up the House GOP's 
deeply flawed proposal and, instead, will work on our own bipartisan 
emergency aid package that includes aid to Israel, Ukraine, competition 
with the Chinese Government, and humanitarian aid for Gaza.
  It still mystifies me that at a moment when the world is in crisis, 
at a time when we need to help Israel respond to Hamas, the House GOP 
thought it was a good idea to tie Israel aid to a hard-right proposal 
that will raise the deficit and is totally, totally partisan, and all 
the while helping wealthy tax cheats get away scot-free. Why would they 
make support for Israel conditional on this hard-right giveaway to the 
wealthy? It is truly astounding, and it shows you how weak and 
unserious--and what a joke, frankly--the House GOP proposal is.
  And don't just take it from me, folks. The Republican vice chairman 
of the Joint Economic Committee had this to say about the House GOP 
bill, and he is a Member of the House GOP. He said:

       I think it was intellectually lazy. . . . It's a little 
     hard to have, ``I care about debt,'' and then at the same 
     time move something as your pay-for that actually will 
     have a multiplier of raising the debt.

  That is a top Republican saying this House Republican proposal 
``actually will have a multiplier of raising the debt.''
  I really regret that the House Speaker has chosen this as his first 
major legislative step. When we spoke the night he was elected, I said: 
Let's work together in a bipartisan way. And I reminded him that things 
only get done if you work in a bipartisan way.
  Speaker Boehner, Speaker Ryan, and Speaker McCarthy had to learn that 
lesson the hard way. I hope the Republican leader will examine what he 
has done and change course and work in a bipartisan way to help fund 
these necessary items for Israel, Ukraine, and Gaza, and the South 
China Sea.
  The right way forward is something very different from what the House 
GOP is pushing. We need to stand with Israel. We need to provide swift 
humanitarian aid for Gaza. We need to help Ukraine, which desperately 
and immediately needs the help. And we need to stay one step ahead of 
the Chinese Government.
  The Senate will work on our own emergency aid package, not the one 
proposed by House Republicans.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.