[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 10 (Thursday, January 18, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S181-S183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE SESSION

                                 ______
                                 

  AMENDING THE PERMANENT ELECTRONIC DUCK STAMP ACT OF 2013--Continued

  Mr. SCHUMER. I move to proceed to legislative session.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion.
  The motion was agreed to.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                               H.R. 2872

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, shortly, we are going to be voting on an 
amendment authored by our colleague from Kentucky, Senator Paul, that 
deals with restrictions on U.S. support in regard to the Middle East. I 
want to urge my colleagues to vote against that amendment.
  Our ally Israel is at war to destroy Hamas terrorists, not at war 
against the Palestinian people, but this amendment by my colleague 
threatens U.S. efforts that support stability and security efforts and 
that serve Israeli and U.S. interests. What it would do is put certain 
restrictions on what funds America can make available in the region, 
particularly in regard to the Palestinians. It would undermine the 
United States' ability to work in lockstep with Israel on critical 
security cooperation and on counterterrorism efforts with the 
Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
  Today, we have a partnership in regard to security on the West Bank. 
The United States is helping in regard to the training of Palestinian 
security forces.
  Mr. President, one of the pleasant surprises, I would say, is during 
this war between Israel and Hamas, we have seen relative peace in the 
West Bank. The security forces are doing their job. It is not perfect 
by any stretch of the imagination. There is too much violence taking 
place everywhere. But the security forces have been successful in 
providing more stability in the region. That would be compromised or 
eliminated under the Paul amendment.
  It would prohibit the United States from meeting longstanding 
commitments to providing lifesaving assistance for hospitals, vaccines 
for children, and water treatment facilities. This goes beyond Taylor 
Force in cutting off potential funds to the Palestinians for their 
lifesaving type of activities, from hospitals to water treatment 
facility plants.
  It would also prohibit future assistance--including humanitarian 
assistance--to any governing entity for innocent Palestinians the day 
after Israel has destroyed Hamas, undermining the United States' 
ability to work toward a political horizon for Palestinians that 
protects Israel's security needs.
  We are all concerned about what happens after the war ends with 
Hamas, after Hamas is destroyed. We need to have an entity that has the 
credibility among the Palestinians, and that will require us all to 
have partnerships to make a lasting peace so we can have lasting peace 
between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The Paul amendment 
compromises that from being able to be done. It would restrict what we 
can do in partnership to make that a reality.
  We know the tragedy of this war with Hamas, but we hope coming out of 
it will give us a new opportunity for peace in the region, and that 
will require us to be able to help deal with the crisis that has been 
created through Hamas's attack, particularly with the Palestinian 
people, and to work to make sure there is a future with the Palestinian 
people living in peace with Israel.
  So this amendment does not serve our national security interests. It 
compromises our ability to have a successful conclusion after Hamas has 
been destroyed. It compromises our current abilities to keep peace in 
the region, particularly in the West Bank. It compromises what we need 
to do in regard to the humanitarian needs of the region.
  For all those reasons, I would urge my colleagues to reject the 
amendment.
  Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the Paul amendment.
  I ask unanimous consent that we begin the vote on the amendment.


                       Vote on Amendment No. 1384

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate?
  Hearing none, the question now occurs on agreeing to amendment No. 
1384.
  Mr. CARDIN. 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 executive clerk called the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. 
Graham), the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley), the Senator from 
Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Scott), and the 
Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley).
  Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Missouri Mr. Hawley 
would have voted ``yea.''

[[Page S182]]

  The result was announced--yeas 44, nays 50, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 10 Leg.]

                                YEAS--44

     Blackburn
     Boozman
     Braun
     Britt
     Budd
     Capito
     Cassidy
     Collins
     Cornyn
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Ernst
     Fischer
     Hagerty
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Johnson
     Lankford
     Lee
     Lummis
     Manchin
     Marshall
     McConnell
     Moran
     Mullin
     Murkowski
     Paul
     Ricketts
     Risch
     Romney
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Schmitt
     Scott (SC)
     Sullivan
     Thune
     Tillis
     Tuberville
     Vance
     Wicker
     Young

                                NAYS--50

     Baldwin
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Brown
     Butler
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Coons
     Cortez Masto
     Duckworth
     Durbin
     Fetterman
     Gillibrand
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Hickenlooper
     Hirono
     Kaine
     Kelly
     King
     Klobuchar
     Lujan
     Markey
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Murphy
     Murray
     Ossoff
     Padilla
     Peters
     Reed
     Rosen
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Sinema
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warnock
     Warren
     Welch
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--6

     Barrasso
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hawley
     Kennedy
     Scott (FL)
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Peters). On this vote, the yeas are 44, 
the nays are 50.
  Under the previous order requiring 60 votes for the adoption of this 
amendment, the amendment is not agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 1384) was rejected.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will now be up 
to 6 minutes of debate, equally divided, prior to the vote on the 
Marshall motion to commit.


                            Motion to Commit

  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I have a motion at the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The senior assistant executive clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Kansas [Mr. Marshall] moves to commit the 
     bill, H.R. 2872, to the Committee on Appropriations of the 
     Senate with instructions to report the same back to the 
     Senate in 1 day, not counting any day on which the Senate is 
     not in session, with changes that provide continuing 
     appropriations for the entire Federal Government through the 
     end of fiscal year 2024.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.
  Mr. MARSHALL. I rise in support of my motion to commit this 
continuing resolution to the Appropriations Committee with instructions 
for them to return to the floor a new continuing resolution to fund the 
government through the 2024 fiscal year.
  The requested modifications to this continuing resolution are nothing 
more than date changes and minor anomalies that the Appropriations 
Committee is more than equipped to handle with the 24-hour turnaround 
time.
  Doing so gives us ample time for the Senate and House to pass this 
amended legislation and send it to the President's desk before Friday's 
funding deadline.
  Under the bipartisan agreements made as part of the Fiscal 
Responsibility Act, a full-year CR through September 30 would result in 
a spending cut of $73 billion, bringing our total discretionary 
spending down to 1.56 trillion, a significant cut from the $1.66 
trillion funding deal that is in the works currently.
  This is the fiscally responsible decision that the American people 
deserve and Congress has an obligation to make. We should agree to this 
spending cut, roll up our sleeves, and get back to work on an even more 
responsible funding package for the next fiscal year that will start to 
address our Nation's massive $34 trillion dollar debt.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the motion to 
commit the CR with instructions. The Senate has before it a bipartisan, 
bicameral CR which keeps the government open and gives us time to 
negotiate and pass full-year funding bills under the Schumer-Johnson 
top-line agreement.
  The junior Senator from Kansas wants us to walk away from the 
bipartisan compromise on the CR, guarantee a government shutdown, and 
accept a devastating, year-long CR rather than do our jobs as Senators 
and write full-year bills.
  I spoke at length recently about how a full-year CR would lock us 
into last year's spending plans and policies as if nothing has changed 
in over a year, and it would force devastating across-the-board cuts to 
programs that our country and families rely on, defense and nondefense 
alike.
  It is simply not an option. We need to pass this CR, keep working 24/
7 to hammer out the strongest possible funding bills. And for all those 
reasons, I strongly oppose the motion and urge my colleagues to vote 
no.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I, too, urge our colleagues to reject 
this motion that calls for the Appropriations Committee to put forward 
a year-long continuing resolution for fiscal year 2024.
  Adopting this motion would wipe out the work of the appropriations 
committee that led to 12 stand-alone bills being reported last summer 
with overwhelming bipartisan support. It would also lock in dangerously 
inadequate funding levels for our national security and lead to cuts in 
other vital programs serving our veterans, older Americans, low-income 
families. It would stall biomedical research, harm our farmers, and 
slow progress that we are making on our infrastructure.
  A year-long CR would result in defense funding levels that are nearly 
$27 billion less than the President's request in the Fiscal 
Responsibility Act. According to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff, under a year-long CR:

       Thousands of [defense] programs will be impacted with the 
     most devastating impacts being to personnel, the nuclear 
     triad modernization, shipbuilding and maintenance, munitions 
     productions and replenishments, and the U.S. Indo-Pacific 
     Command priorities.

  A year-long CR would result in our military being less ready to 
respond to the serious security threats around the globe.
  I urge my colleagues to reject this motion and support the reasonable 
approach of completing our work.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.
  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, a reminder of two dates: a date in June 
when the Appropriations Committee did their job--they got all their 
appropriations bills done--and another date in November when we last 
worked on this on this floor through a minibus.
  We asked for more time. We stand at the ready. We are begging to 
bring these bills to the floor. Let them see the light of day. Let us 
finish our job. But in the meantime, I believe that this CR is the best 
path for American citizens.
  I yield the floor.


                        Vote on Motion to Commit

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion to 
commit.
  Mrs. MURRAY. 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 legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. 
Graham), the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley), the Senator from 
Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Scott).
  The result was announced--yeas 13, nays 82, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 11 Leg.]

                                YEAS--13

     Budd
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Hawley
     Johnson
     Lee
     Lummis
     Marshall
     Paul
     Risch
     Tuberville
     Vance

                                NAYS--82

     Baldwin
     Bennet
     Blackburn
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Boozman
     Braun
     Britt
     Brown
     Butler
     Cantwell
     Capito
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Cassidy
     Collins
     Coons
     Cornyn
     Cortez Masto
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Duckworth
     Durbin
     Ernst
     Fetterman
     Fischer
     Gillibrand
     Hagerty
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Hickenlooper
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Kaine
     Kelly
     King
     Klobuchar
     Lankford
     Lujan
     Manchin
     Markey
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Moran
     Mullin
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray

[[Page S183]]


     Ossoff
     Padilla
     Peters
     Reed
     Ricketts
     Romney
     Rosen
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schmitt
     Schumer
     Scott (SC)
     Shaheen
     Sinema
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warnock
     Warren
     Welch
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden
     Young

                             NOT VOTING--5

     Barrasso
     Graham
     Grassley
     Kennedy
     Scott (FL)
  The motion was rejected.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, amendment No. 1381 
is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 1381) was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill, as amended, is considered read a 
third time.
  The amendment was ordered to be engrossed and the bill to be read a 
third time.
  The bill was read the third time.


                           Order of Business

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There will now be up to 6 minutes of debate, 
equally divided, prior to the vote on the passage of H.R. 2872, as 
amended.
  The majority leader.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, we have good news for America. There will 
not be a shutdown on Friday. Because both sides have worked together, 
the government will stay open. Services will not be disrupted. We will 
avoid a needless disaster.
  My colleagues and I on both sides of the aisle worked late into the 
evening last night to reach this agreement. So I thank everyone for 
their good work. Keeping the government open wasn't a given. We stayed 
up, negotiating amendments and timing, but thanks to both sides working 
together, the Senate is passing the CR with enough time for the House 
to take it up today and send it to the President's desk well before 
Friday's deadline.
  Avoiding a shutdown is very good news for every American, especially 
for our veterans, our parents, our children, our farmers, our small 
businesses, and so many others who would have felt the sting of a 
government shutdown.
  I thank my colleagues on both sides for their good work. It is 
precisely what Americans want to see--both sides working together and 
governing responsibly, with no chaos, no spectacle, no shutdown.
  I yield to the chair of the Appropriations Committee, who has done 
such a good job on this measure.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I urge all of our colleagues to join us 
in voting to pass the CR so we can continue the work of negotiating and 
passing full-year funding bills without a shutdown, causing needless 
harm and chaos for folks back home.
  We know a shutdown come end of day Friday would be devastating. I 
will be frank. Just the fact that our Agencies have to continually plan 
around the potential of a shutdown nearly constantly is a huge 
opportunity cost. A shutdown tomorrow would force staff administering 
our Nation's veterans and nutrition assistance programs and so much 
else to either work without pay or stop working altogether.
  The Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board said a shutdown 
this week would force the Board to hit pause on investigations it is 
conducting, including the recent incident when a door plug blew out 
midflight. This should not be an acceptable option to anyone.
  Now, I have been working nonstop with my colleagues in both Chambers 
to keep this process moving as quickly as we possibly can so we can 
write and pass the strongest possible funding bills. Passing this 
measure will allow us the time we need to hammer out those funding 
bills for fiscal year 2024 after many months of needless delays.
  I think we all want this to be a drama-free and reliable process, so 
I hope House Republicans will work with us to make that possible now, 
too, which means leaving extreme partisan demands at the door. We are 
all working as quickly as possible, but we aren't going to lose sight 
of the millions of Americans who count on the programs we fund whether 
it is WIC--for so many moms and babies we don't want to go hungry--or 
lifesaving healthcare research.
  We have a lot of work left to do, but it has to happen in a 
bipartisan way. So let's get this CR passed and then work to make sure 
it is the last by keeping our focus on finalizing serious 
appropriations bills, which means no partisan poison pills and 
understanding that there needs to be a bipartisan agreement when it 
comes to key investments in our country's future.
  I yield the floor.


                           Vote on H.R. 2872

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill having been read the third time, the 
question is, Shall the bill pass?
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The yeas and nays have been requested.
  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 Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. 
Graham), the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley), the Senator from 
Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Scott).
  The result was announced--yeas 77, nays 18, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 12 Leg.]

                                YEAS--77

     Baldwin
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Boozman
     Brown
     Butler
     Cantwell
     Capito
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Cassidy
     Collins
     Coons
     Cornyn
     Cortez Masto
     Cotton
     Daines
     Duckworth
     Durbin
     Ernst
     Fetterman
     Fischer
     Gillibrand
     Hagerty
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Hickenlooper
     Hirono
     Hyde-Smith
     Kaine
     Kelly
     King
     Klobuchar
     Lankford
     Lujan
     Lummis
     Manchin
     Markey
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Moran
     Mullin
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Ossoff
     Padilla
     Peters
     Reed
     Ricketts
     Romney
     Rosen
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Sinema
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warnock
     Warren
     Welch
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden
     Young

                                NAYS--18

     Blackburn
     Braun
     Britt
     Budd
     Cramer
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Hawley
     Hoeven
     Johnson
     Lee
     Marshall
     Paul
     Risch
     Schmitt
     Scott (SC)
     Tuberville
     Vance

                             NOT VOTING--5

     Barrasso
     Graham
     Grassley
     Kennedy
     Scott (FL)
  The bill (H.R. 2872), as amended, was passed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Butler). On this vote, the yeas are 77, 
the nays are 18.
  The 60-vote threshold having been achieved, the bill is passed, as 
amended.
  The bill (H.R. 2872), as amended, was passed.

                          ____________________