[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 23, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S209-S210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Supplemental Funding

  Mr. SCHMITT. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on an issue. I 
spoke about this on the floor, but the issue, once again, came to a 
head last week with another continuing resolution, another effort to 
sort of just kick this can down the road, and our inability, as a 
Senate, unfortunately, to spend the time necessary to pass 
appropriations bills.

[[Page S210]]

  Now, whether you want it to be minibuses or individual appropriations 
bills, my cup of tea is to have individual appropriations bills. But 
the fact of the matter is, I have been in the Senate now for almost 13 
months--a year and a month--and we have spent exactly 8 hours--8 
hours--that whole time dealing with appropriations bills.
  The facts are damning. We have an overall debt of $34 trillion. 
Before you blink an eye, it will be $40 trillion.
  This Senate, which is supposed to be the most deliberative body in 
the world--a unique place where 100 people come together, with 
unlimited debate--to debate the important issues of our time. But 
nothing could be more important about setting our priorities than what 
our annual budget is--how we spend, literally, trillions of tax 
dollars.
  And for me, my perspective on this is that I know how hard people 
work back home. I know many other Senators do. My dad worked 7 days a 
week on the midnight shift. There are a lot of people out there who 
work hard, and money is taken out of their paycheck every single week--
or every other week or every month--and sent here. And I think people 
are of the belief that we spend time here talking about priorities--how 
that money should be spent, how it should be saved. Can it be sent back 
to them? What about military spending? What about transportation?
  We don't do any of that. We don't do any of it. What we do is, a 
couple of people get in a room and decide how we are going to do that. 
And then it is unveiled, with no time to read it, and you either vote 
on this or you are in favor of shutting down the government.
  I am sorry. That is a false choice. There is a better way to do it.
  And, I can tell you, I have had conversations, not just among 
Republicans but among Democrats--rank-and-file Senators--who are 
begging for reform, thirsty for reform, a process where you can come 
out here and say, ``I have got an idea; I have got an amendment,'' and 
have it voted on, Republican or Democrat, and let the chips fall where 
they may. But we have got to get away from this deadline politics. It 
is killing us--financially, by way of trust with voters. This is not 
the way.
  And, by the way, we haven't debated any of those appropriations 
bills, really, and we are getting ready to talk about a supplemental 
request now, which is being negotiated in secret, that will, at some 
point, be foisted upon us. My guess is--I hope I am wrong--that the 
Democratic leader isn't going to send it to a committee.
  All this language that we are told has taken months to parse out 
because it is complicated, for this Senate--Republican or Democrat--the 
message to individual Senators is: Yes, vote on it, tomorrow.
  This is nuts. You know, no legislature does this. But this is where 
we are at. As I have talked to people, maybe it is a lack of muscle 
memory of voting on hard things. Maybe it is just an unwillingness. But 
I think it has to do with control.
  Senator Schumer wants to control this process and have as little 
public viewing of all of this as possible, whether it is normal 
appropriations or supplemental appropriations. And, again, I might win 
some votes; I might lose some votes. But something is getting lost 
here, and I think it is time for Senators to come together and demand 
something better.
  This can't be the way. When you run for office and getting around 
Missouri--Missouri is a big State. I like to say that Kennett, MO, in 
the Bootheel, is closer to the Gulf of Mexico, as the crow flies, than 
from the northwest of Missouri. It is a big State. You work hard. You 
want to listen to your constituents. You want to come up here and 
advocate for the positions that they care about. We don't do any of 
that.
  So we have got another test. You know, the CR thing was kicked again 
to March. We have a supplemental budget request now coming. Let's just 
try it. Let's give people time to review things, to ask questions, to 
offer amendments.
  Maybe we get to a conference committee. I mean, with the NDAA, at 
least we were able to do that, and I am proud to serve on the Armed 
Services Committee.
  But I just wanted to take this opportunity to just point out that it 
feels like the only time we have these conversations is when we 
approach a deadline, and then it goes away. And it really disempowers 
everyone in this Chamber, except for a few people. And I don't think 
that is the best way to run a railroad, and it certainly isn't the best 
way to run a country.
  So, Mr. President, I am just hoping for something better. I have been 
discouraged, again, the first 13 months. We spent 8 hours on perhaps 
the most important thing we can do around here every year, and we are 
in desperate need of reform.
  I yield the floor.