[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 165 (Tuesday, October 7, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6965-S6967]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           Government Funding

  Mr. President, we are 7 days deep into a government shutdown--what a 
ridiculous waste of time; what a painful, ridiculous waste of time for 
the Nation.
  I can't tell you how frustrating it is, because I have been here long 
enough now to be able to see what the negotiations look like. Let me 
tell you what it just looks like for the last few years even. Let's go 
back just through the Biden administration.
  Every single end of September, as we approached the deadline for 
government funding, this body had a conversation: Do we want to remain 
open and continue negotiating or do we want a shutdown? And every 
single time, during the Biden administration, this body said: It is 
harmful to the American people and to Federal workers to have a 
shutdown. Let's keep things open and continue to be able to negotiate.
  So at the end of every September, which is the end of our fiscal 
year, this body voted to keep the government open and to continue to 
negotiate.
  What happens when the Trump administration comes? Well, during the 
Trump administration, Democrats have determined that they want to show 
they are fighting and raging--that they are the resistance against 
President Trump--and so they have determined that the best way to do 
that is just to be able to shut the government down.
  The same effect happens for Federal workers. The same effect happens 
for the Nation. We have the same opinions across the world as the 
entire world looks at the United States of America, the greatest Nation 
in the world, which is apparently not able to keep its government open 
because my Democratic colleagues have determined they want to show that 
they are the resistance.
  Well, who gets to pay the penalty for the resistance, and what does 
that really look like?
  We have had several votes that have happened here where we have had 
what is called a clean continuing resolution. This body knows it well 
because we voted on 13 of them in the last 4 years--a clean continuing 
resolution--and passed all of them. It was just a moment to say: Can we 
keep the government open and continue to negotiate?
  The body determined: Yes, let's keep negotiating, but let's not hurt 
Federal workers and their families and not hurt members of the military 
and their families. Let's not hurt them, but let's keep negotiating 
here.
  So we did that 13 times in just the last 4 years, until now.
  My Democratic colleagues, the President knows full well, have brought 
forward a proposal, and their proposal is titled ``Continuing 
Appropriations and Extensions and Other Matters.'' Now, ours is just 
titled ``Continuing Appropriations and Extensions.'' Theirs is titled 
``Continuing Appropriations and Extensions and Other Matters.'' It 
should make you say: Well, what are the other matters?
  Ours just keeps the government open; that is, the Republicans' just 
keeps the government open. It is status quo, where we are--the same 
level of spending, the same functionality. That is where it focuses in 
on.
  My Democratic colleagues have brought up their own proposal, which is 
$1.5 trillion in spending addition, and they include a couple of new 
little nuggets in there--their ``and other matters.'' They throw in, 
like, section 135, which has a new element on carbon management 
expenditures dealing with fossil fuels. They have a new section on 
climate change initiatives that are built into their ``and other 
matters.'' They have section 154, which is getting additional funding 
to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
  They have section 2306, which allows a new extension of electric 
vehicles getting access to HOV lanes.
  These are the demands that they have put in to say: We will not 
reopen the government unless we get electric vehicles into HOV lanes 
and additional money for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and 
carbon management expenditures.
  Oh, by the way, there was a $50 billion rural healthcare fund that 
Republicans passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill. They also want to get 
rid of that $50 billion rural healthcare fund, saying: We need to wipe 
that out.
  Can I tell you, rural hospitals really need the help. Fifty billion 
would really be a huge help for them. We have called that the Moon shot 
to be able to bring rural healthcare up to the standards they need to 
be across the country. They just wiped that out and included that in 
their ``in other matters'' section, to say ``Yes, we want to open up 
the government, but we also want to close down more rural hospitals at 
the same time.''
  Listen, we have disagreements on things. It is not just because we 
are different parties; we come from different States and different 
areas. We have different perspectives. Welcome to America. We have 
different opinions on things. That is what this body is supposed to be 
about. But when we have disagreements, we should be able to actually 
sit down like grownups and talk to each other and figure out how to be 
able to solve them. That is what actually should be done. This is not a 
radical concept; this is a pretty straightforward concept.
  Surprisingly enough, my colleagues have agreed with me in the past on 
this. Let me give just you some examples.
  My colleague Senator Ben Ray Lujan in September of last year said:

       Shutting down the government should be a non-starter.

  My colleague Senator Mark Warner said:

       Government shutdowns unleash chaos on Federal workers, 
     delay pay for servicemembers, and weaken our position on the 
     global stage.

  My colleague Bernie Sanders said:

       Shutting down the government is a serious and dangerous 
     action that we must do everything possible to prevent. 
     Shutting down the government would impact tens of millions of 
     our fellow Americans who would be unable to access government 
     services.

  My colleague and friend Jacky Rosen said:

       A government shutdown would be devastating for [Nevada] 
     families. [It would] increase housing costs, take away food 
     assistance for seniors & children in need.

  My colleague Senator Mark Kelly in September of 2023 said:

       A government shutdown would have serious impacts. 
     Servicemembers won't get their paychecks. Airports could have 
     major delays. Nutrition assistance for children could be cut 
     off. We can't let any of that happen.

  My colleague Senator Elizabeth Warren said:

       The least we can do--the bare minimum that we can do--would 
     be to pass a continuing resolution to keep the doors open and 
     the lights on.

  My colleague Brian Schatz said:

       I've seen the same thing, over and over again. Shutdowns 
     don't work.

  My colleague Senator Gary Peters said:

       A government shutdown will be a disaster for our economy 
     and for people in Michigan and across the country.

  My colleague Tim Kaine said:

       I'm a senator from Virginia. Some of the hardest effects of 
     a shutdown would be seen in my state.

  My colleague Dick Durbin said:

       [Negotiating to avoid a shutdown holds] the livelihood of 
     the American people and the proper functioning of this 
     government hostage.

  My colleague Amy Klobuchar said:

       Shutdowns are not good for the economy.

  How about this one. I have to find my favorite. My colleague Chris 
Murphy, my friend, made the statement:

       There is a time and a place to debate health care, just 
     like there is a time and place to debate energy policy and 
     immigration and education--but not when the funding of the 
     federal government, and all the lives that are impacted by 
     it, hang in the balance.

  I could not agree more.
  So we have an opportunity just to be able to open the government up. 
We

[[Page S6966]]

have literally a bill on the floor today, just like we had yesterday, 
that has already passed the House of Representatives that would just 
open us up for another 6 weeks now, allow us to be able to get 
appropriations work done and to reopen--the same thing we did 4 times 
during the Biden administration in September; the same thing we have 
done 13 times in the last 4 years just to be able to keep the 
negotiations going and to not have all these consequences.
  I have worked for years to be able to end government shutdowns. My 
colleagues that are here on the floor know it full well; we have talked 
about it before multiple times.
  I have a bill. It is called Prevent Government Shutdowns. It is very 
straightforward. It just says that if we get to a moment like this, 
instead of Federal workers and their families suffering the 
consequences, we do. We have to stay in session 7 days a week, we can't 
move to any other bill other than appropriations, and we have to be 
able to get our work done.
  It is as simple as, if you don't finish your work in class, you have 
to stay after class to finish your work, but it holds everyone else 
harmless and puts the pressure on Members of Congress, where it should 
be.
  This is not a controversial issue outside of this body. The last time 
we had a vote on this bill, we had 56 votes, and 1 Member that was 
absent that day stated publicly they would have voted for it if they 
had been in that day. So we would have had 57 votes. We just need 60 to 
be able to make this thing law so that we would literally never have a 
government shutdown ever again--ever.
  We would still have the debate on budget issues. We are going to have 
issues of budget disagreement. That is going to happen. We don't agree 
on everything. We should have the fights on budget, but we should have 
the fights here and hold everyone else harmless in the process.
  We are at 57. We just needed 60 votes, and literally this day and 
this time wouldn't happen.
  We need to solve this, and we can. We have solved a lot of difficult 
issues in the Senate. This is not too hard to solve.
  My friend and colleague who is the ranking member on Appropriations 
has worked incredibly hard--Senator Murray--on appropriations for years 
and knows this process can be done well. But the last time we did 
appropriations in the time and in the order it should have been done 
was 1997--1997.
  So let's fix our process. The entire country is staring at us, 
thinking, can't you guys get this together?
  Yes, we can. We just have to agree not only to reopen the government, 
which should be the lowest threshold, but then fix our process of how 
we actually do this work to make sure that we actually get the 12 
appropriations bills done on time, and when we don't, we stay after 
class until it is done and just stay at it.
  We can figure this out. There are 100 smart people in this room--100 
smart, stubborn people but 100 smart people in this room. Let's figure 
it out together.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, let me just start by giving our lawless 
President and OMB Director a little primer on the letter of the law 
because this morning, we learned they are plotting to try to rob 
furloughed Federal workers of backpay at the end of this shutdown.
  This flies in the face of the plain text of the law, which could not 
be more clear. President Trump should actually know this. He has caused 
more shutdowns than any other President, after all, and he signed the 
law that guaranteed their pay. It is not new, it is not surprising, 
and, in fact, OPM guidance that the administration actually issued last 
month reaffirmed that furloughed employees will be paid.
  Trump doesn't get to change the rules and rob workers just because he 
is worried his shutdown is backfiring. Scaring and intimidating workers 
will not work. He is not fooling anyone.
  I know Republican leaders desperately want to ignore the looming 
healthcare crisis they caused. They have put their heads in the sand 
for months. They have spun wild lies to try to bury the truth, and they 
are hoping people stop talking about it. But every day, that gets just 
harder because every day, another warning light goes off showing just 
how devastating it will be if Republicans refuse to extend the ACA tax 
credits and let people's premiums skyrocket.
  A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that 7 out of 10 families 
would not be able to afford their coverage if premiums doubled, and 4 
in 10 would likely just go uninsured. That means that people will skip 
their basic care, they will skimp on their prescriptions, and they will 
miss lifesaving treatments. The hard reality is that people will die--
people who otherwise would have sought the care they needed.
  To every Republican who thinks they can keep sitting on their hands 
and waiting this out, you need to understand this is not some distant 
crisis you can ignore. Premiums are being locked in right now. Letters 
are going out to families announcing shocking price increases this 
month. In Idaho, open enrollment actually starts next week.
  How is that not urgent to every Republican who keeps trying to say 
``We can talk about this later''? ``Later'' is simply too late.
  By the way, why wouldn't Republican leaders talk about this earlier? 
We have been asking to fix this for months and months and months.
  For all the talk of ``Oh, we can't discuss healthcare while 
government is shut down,'' well, you didn't discuss it while government 
was open either. Where have you been? And where are you right now, for 
that matter?
  House Republicans are not even here, and they have not been here for 
3 weeks. I cannot help but note the stark contrast between how little 
House Republicans seem to care about opening up the government and 
preventing massive healthcare hikes and how much they cared about 
shoveling trillions in tax breaks at some of the richest people in the 
world earlier this year. Where is that urgency now?
  I mean, when the tax breaks for billionaires were set to expire in 
December, that was the same time as these healthcare credits expire. 
Republicans made that priority No. 1. You can bet they fast-tracked 
relief for the bigwigs and fat cats because heaven forbid billionaires 
like Trump have to worry about filling up their private jets.
  But families worried about healthcare? Republican leaders refuse to 
talk about it. They voted down efforts to save these tax credits three 
times before government funding was even in question, and they have 
spent the last few weeks saying that our insistence on preventing 
people's premiums from doubling is ``unreasonable.'' Unreasonable?
  Even now, the best Republicans can offer is that later we can maybe, 
possibly, talk about potentially doing something someday. That is 
pretty cold comfort to families who are staring down thousands upon 
thousands in higher healthcare costs next year. Those premium hikes 
aren't maybe happening someday; they are for real, and they are getting 
finalized right now.
  If the Republican leader would rather send us home for the weekend 
than have a serious conversation; if House Republicans want to keep 
hiding as far as they can from the negotiating table; if you are going 
to not talk with us, then I beg my colleagues to at least talk to your 
constituents and see what this healthcare crisis looks like for them, 
because here is the thing Republicans seem especially keen to ignore: 
This is a problem where inaction will overwhelmingly hurt their own 
constituents.
  News flash for my colleagues: Over three-quarters of the families 
with healthcare coverage through the ACA marketplace are in red States.
  Do you know which five States will see the highest healthcare rate 
hikes next year? West Virginia is looking at a 387-percent rate hike 
for families that rely on ACA tax credits; Wyoming, 382 percent; 
Alaska, a 346-percent rate hike; Tennessee, 320 percent; and 
Mississippi, 314 percent. Those are five red States where premiums are 
going to more than quadruple for families that rely on those tax 
credits.
  But do you know what? Let's keep going. Let's do the next five. These 
are States where the average premium will more than triple for families 
relying on the tax credits: Texas, a 289-percent increase; South 
Carolina, 285 percent; Alabama, 284 percent; South Dakota, 235 percent; 
and North Dakota, 234 percent.

[[Page S6967]]

  So there you have it, the 10 States facing the biggest healthcare 
increases if Republicans refuse to act, all red States.
  And you know what--I can still go on--premiums are going to more than 
double for families relying on the tax credits for States like Florida, 
North Carolina, Ohio, nearly every other red State. So the bottom line 
is, a lot of people are going to be hurt if Republicans refuse to save 
healthcare, and they are represented by Republicans. At least, they 
would be represented by Republicans, but our House colleagues are 
nowhere to be found. They have been gone for 3 weeks.
  So my message to Republican leaders: You need to get serious about 
opening up the government and addressing the healthcare crisis before 
those premiums double for families across the country. You need to get 
serious now before those higher costs are locked in and before families 
back home decide they can't afford to stay healthy.
  And, you know, even if Republicans want to hide from the negotiating 
table, they are not going to be able to hide from this issue because if 
they stay home and refuse to come back to DC to hammer out a solution, 
the people they represent back home are going to make their voices 
heard about this. They are going to say: Hey, my monthly premium is 
going up by over a thousand bucks--monthly premium. What are you doing 
about that?
  They are going to say: Hey, I am going to lose my healthcare. What am 
I supposed to do?
  They are going to say: Hey, if you care so much about opening the 
government like you say, if you care so much about lowering costs, why 
don't you get back and go to work?
  When that message breaks through to all the Republicans who are just 
trying to ignore it, as I think it is very clear it is beginning to, 
here is another message for them: Democrats are still here. We are 
still at the table. And we are still ready to work together on a 
bipartisan deal to reopen the government and address this healthcare 
crisis.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Husted). The Senator from Connecticut.