[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 20 (Monday, February 5, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S353-S354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, yesterday evening, after months of 
persistence, hard work, and arduous negotiations, a bipartisan group of 
Senators released the text of the emergency national security 
supplemental package. The bipartisan package is 4 long, tireless months 
in the making. Everyone worked doggedly to piece this bill together, 
from Senators to Senate staff, to the Biden administration. I must have 
called the negotiators hundreds of times, calling every day, multiple 
times a day.

  I want to thank President Biden for his leadership and for making it 
clear from day one that he was willing to compromise with Republicans 
to get this agreement done.
  I wish to thank my Senate colleagues who worked ceaselessly on this 
package--including Senators Murphy, Sinema, Lankford, Murray, Collins--
as well as Secretary Mayorkas and the rest of the administration. And 
all of our staffs worked so long and so diligently. We are blessed in 
the Senate to have great, hard-working, dedicated staffs.
  Now, at times, I know it seemed as if negotiations would fall off the 
tracks. Many on the outside rooted loudly for this effort to fail. But 
everyone persisted and persisted. Even in dark moments, I reminded my 
colleagues of the immense stakes in this bill, and, to their 
everlasting credit, they kept moving forward. And now we have a bill.
  The $64,000 question now is whether or not Senators can drown out the 
outside noise, drown out people like Donald Trump who want chaos, and 
do the right thing for America. I urge Senators of goodwill on both 
sides of the aisle to do the right thing and tune the chaos out. 
History is going to look over our shoulders and ask if the Senate rose 
to the occasion. We must--we must--act.
  In a few moments, I will file cloture on the motion to proceed to the 
vehicle of the national security supplemental. This vote will be the 
most important that the Senate has taken in a very long time to ensure 
America's future prosperity and security. That is how important the 
vote on this national security supplemental is.
  Senators should expect the first vote on this bill to come Wednesday. 
Everyone will have had 3 days to read this bill before taking a vote. 
We must keep working until the job is done. Passing this bill is too 
important to let the calendar get in the way.
  Getting to this point was never guaranteed. A security package that 
includes bipartisan border legislation is one of the hardest things the 
Senate has tackled in years. From the start, I said the only way we 
would succeed was if both sides were serious about reaching a 
bipartisan package. I worked very hard to give negotiators the space 
they needed to do their work and to create an environment where 
bipartisanship could take root.
  Many on the hard right wanted to hijack this process by demanding we 
take up H.R. 2, but I made clear the

[[Page S354]]

only bill I would bring to the floor was one that could win bipartisan 
support. Not a single Democrat in the House or Senate voted for H.R. 2.
  Today, I am proud that, after 4 months of hard negotiations, we 
indeed have a bipartisan agreement that is a product of compromise, 
hard work, and persistence. I am hopeful that enough Senators 
understand that this bill is too important--too important--to let 
politics get in the way, because, if we fail the Ukrainian people, then 
Vladimir Putin will likely succeed in his invasion of Ukraine. Putin 
will be emboldened, and Western democracy will face the greatest threat 
it has seen in decades.
  If we don't help Israel defend itself against Hamas, the dangers of 
another October 7 will persist, and the war in the Middle East could 
grow much worse.
  If we don't deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, countless of innocent 
Palestinian civilians will be denied lifesaving assistance that cannot 
wait.
  And if we don't secure our border right now, the crisis our 
Republican colleagues talk about so much is only--only--going to get 
worse.
  Everyone agrees the border is a mess. For years--years--our 
Republican colleagues have demanded we fix the border. All along, they 
said it should be done through legislation. Only recently did they 
change that, when it looked like we might actually produce legislation.
  Well, we are producing legislation in a bipartisan way, and, now, 
unfortunately, many on the hard right are running, are turning their 
back on this package. Everyone is asking the same question: Are MAGA 
Republicans serious about fixing the border or is this merely 
political?
  If Senate Democrats wrote this national security supplemental 
entirely on our own, of course, it would look different. But we live in 
an era of divided government, and that means that both sides have to 
compromise if we want to pass a bill.
  This bipartisan agreement is not perfect, but given all the dangers 
facing America, it is the comprehensive package our country needs right 
now. It will provide tens of billions in military assistance for 
Ukraine so they have more access to Javelins, ammunitions, Stingers, 
howitzers, and more. It gives Israel the security assistance it needs 
to resist those who wish to wipe a Jewish State off the map. It 
delivers lifesaving humanitarian assistance--food, water, medicine, 
clothing--not just for innocent civilians in Gaza but for growing 
humanitarian needs around the world. And it holds the line against the 
Chinese Communist Party in the Indo-Pacific.
  It has other items we are very proud of too: hundreds of millions for 
the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to protect synagogues, churches, 
mosques, HBCUs, and other nonprofit organizations victimized by 
discrimination and hate. This is something I have worked very hard to 
secure for years.
  It also includes the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, something we worked very 
hard on to pass in the Defense authorization bill. We are glad it has 
been included here.
  And, of course, thanks to months and months and months of hard work 
by Senators Murphy, Sinema, Lankford, Murray, and Collins, and our 
staffs, and many, many others who provided their input, this 
supplemental package is a real opportunity for Congress to finally 
address America's borders and make progress toward a more efficient and 
well-resourced system. It will cut years of delay in the asylum 
process, while ensuring fair outcomes. It will invest in more frontline 
personnel and provide more funding for the border.
  Make no mistake about it. Fixing our immigration system will not 
finish with this bill. Democrats will keep fighting to reach our 
ultimate goal of comprehensive immigration reform.
  I believe so strongly in comprehensive reform. As you will recall, I 
led the Gang of 8 in 2013 to pass it, and we will keep fighting for it 
once our work on this supplemental is done.
  In the coming days, I urge Senators on both sides to think carefully 
about what is at stake in this legislation. This moment, this bill, the 
actions here in the next few days are an inflection point in history, 
where the security of our Nation and of the world hangs in the balance. 
I know a majority of Senators want to get this done, and I know it will 
take bipartisan cooperation to move quickly. It is not going to be 
easy, but Senators owe it to the American people to tune out the 
political noise coming from the outside and do the right thing for our 
country--our beloved country.
  This moment demands the Senate to show leadership. It hearkens back 
to the decades and moments when Senators did rise to the occasion. It 
demands the Senate's decisive action. In the coming days, I hope the 
Senate can, once again, rise to the occasion and lead America forward.

                          ____________________