Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 170 (Wednesday, October 15, 2025)

[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 170 (Wednesday, October 15, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7119-S7129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

LEGISLATIVE SESSION

______

CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS AND EXTENSIONS ACT, 2026--Motion to Proceed

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 168, H.R.
5371.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the motion.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 168, H.R. 5371, making
continuing appropriations and extensions for fiscal year
2026, and for other purposes.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.

National Human Trafficking Hotline

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, we Senators disagree on a lot of issues
in this body. However, there is one topic that we should all agree on,
and that is the effectiveness of the National Human Trafficking
Hotline.
Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that
they have awarded the contract to run the hotline to a new contractor--
very good news. The Trump administration moved on from the current
contractor, Polaris.
On March 5 this year, I sent a letter to HHS. The letter makes public
alarming whistleblower disclosures. These disclosures allege that
Polaris failed to report tips of human trafficking, including child sex
trafficking, to law enforcement.
On July 29 of this year, HHS sent me a letter confirming that Polaris
had failed to report some tips to law enforcement.
For example, an audit of 294 cases was carried out. According to HHS,
of the 294 cases, 4 trafficking cases weren't correctly reported
because of clerical error, and in 24 trafficking cases, staff managing
the hotline didn't follow reporting protocol.
That is nearly a 10-percent failure rate in a sample of 294 cases.
Now, project that failure rate to the hotline receiving nearly 1.5
million tips.
So, as you can see, the Trump administration has thus far shown an
aggressive commitment to fighting human trafficking.
This Senator will continue his oversight of the hotline and its new
contractor to ensure that women and children who fall victim to these
horrific acts have a way out.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

Government Funding

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, Democrats are dug in. Fifteen days into a
government shutdown, Democrats show no sign that they are ready for it

[[Page S7120]]

to end. Not even the prospect of military families going without a
paycheck was enough for Democrats to reopen the government. Nor are
Democrats concerned about needy families uncertain about the future of
nutrition assistance or Americans in flood zones who are unable to
update their insurance or close on a home in the midst of hurricane
season.
No, Democrats are dug in. And all those Americans living in
uncertainty? Well, they are just going to have to wait until Democrats'
far-left base is satisfied.
Democrats attempt to defend their funding blockade by complaining
that Republicans won't negotiate. But what exactly is there to
negotiate?
Negotiation happens when you have two sides, each with its own
demands. Republicans have no demands. We have offered Democrats a
clean, nonpartisan funding extension. Democrats, on the other hand, are
insisting on $1.5 trillion in new partisan spending in exchange for
their votes.
Now think about that. Let's put this in perspective: $1.5 trillion in
new spending in their proposal to keep the government open for 4 weeks
until the end of October.
Well, we are already at the middle of October. So, basically, they
are saying they want $1.5 trillion in taxpayer dollars to keep the
government open for the next 2 weeks. Think about that one.
As our colleague from Louisiana put it, you need a spreadsheet to
keep track of everything they are asking for. The truth is that what
Democrats really want is something Republicans can't give them, and
that is the approval of their far-left base.
They are looking for praise from the likes of moveon.org and
Indivisible. This weekend, Indivisible is holding rallies around the
country, and Democrats' motivations are laid bare by what one of the
leaders of that far-left group told CNN last week.
He said:

I'm telling every elected I talk to: millions will be out
cheering you on, or they'll be calling for new leadership.

``Cheering you on or calling for new leadership''--that is Democrats'
motivation, pleasing their far-left base and preserving their political
careers.
Meanwhile, we are reading stories about military families lining up
at food banks, flight delays because of understaffed airport towers,
needy families uncertain about the food assistance they depend upon.
But our Democrat colleague from Rhode Island says: For ``Democrats,
it's so far, so good.''
``So far so good''--I doubt military families and Federal workers
would agree.
If there was ever anything to make it clear that Democrats are in
this for their own political advantage, it is callous comments like
this one or the Democrat leader's statement that ``every day gets
better'' for Senate Democrats.
While Democrats may be basking in praise from their far-left base,
polls show that most Americans want this shutdown to end. Two-thirds of
voters think Democrats should reopen the government, rather than hold
out for their partisan demands.
And if just five more Democrats would show some courage, we could do
just that. We need five more Democrats to say, ``Enough is enough,'' to
put the American people ahead of the far-left, and to support this
clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution sitting right there at the
Senate desk, ready to be picked up and passed today, put on the
President's desk, signed into law, and the government reopens.
If just five more Democrats would show some courage, we could do just
that. With five more votes, this bill could be on its way to the White
House. As I said, President Trump stands ready to sign it. It is clean.
It is nonpartisan. It has no policy riders, no partisan gimmicks. It
simply funds the government for a foreseeable time, until November 21,
to give us an opportunity to finish the appropriations process under
regular order and to deal with the funding of the government in the way
that it should be funded--in an open, transparent process that uses the
committees under regular order, the Appropriations Committee, the
subcommittees, and the floor open to amendments.
Again, I know that is a novel concept--that is a novel concept--
compared to the way the Democrats did it when they had the majority.
Even though the Appropriations Committee did its work last year and 11
of the 12 appropriations bills were reported out, not a single one was
brought to the floor of the Senate because they like to negotiate
behind closed doors, with a handful of people deciding on behalf of
everybody else.
That is not the way this place ought to work.
Troops need to get paid. Families need to get the help they need. All
the uncertainty for the American people needs to go away, and we can
get back to work on the things that really matter.
But the question is, Are Democrats interested in that or are they
more interested in being cheered by far-left groups at Saturday's
rally?
Well, I guess we will see soon enough.
Will today be day 15 of the Democrats' shutdown?
We will have another opportunity, later today, to vote on that bill
sitting right at the desk. Five more Democrats, it passes, goes to the
White House, gets signed into law by the President, and the government
opens up.
Will today be day 15 of Democrats' shutdown, or will it be the day we
reopen the government and get back to the business of serving the
American people?
I yield the floor.
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. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Recognition of the Minority Leader

The Democratic leader is recognized.

Government Funding

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, it has now been over 2 weeks since
Republicans shut the government down because they refuse to work with
Democrats in a serious way to fix the healthcare crisis looming over
the American people. Open enrollment starts in just 2 weeks, and
Americans will be forced to choose healthcare plans that will send
costs skyrocketing.
As we speak, families are receiving letters for their new health
insurance rates, and more States--more States--are opening their
window-shopping period for what health insurance will look like next
year.
With open enrollment around the corner, Republicans cannot continue
to kick this can down the road. It is happening now. The healthcare
crisis is now. The public agrees. Democrats agree. The White House
privately admits it.
Even some Republicans in Congress know it is the truth, and yet
Republican leaders, especially Speaker Johnson, continue to dig in.
The Speaker has now kept the House Republicans on vacation for 3
weeks, as if they can make the issue go away by letting House
Republicans hide. Well, the American people don't have time for
Republican inaction.
This morning, let me show my Republican colleagues precisely what
will happen if they continue to insist on ``no negotiation.''
Let's take a look at this chart. These are real numbers. These are
the actual numbers for New York's healthcare exchange for the average
couple in Plattsburgh, NY.
This is in the heart of New York's rural North Country, and it is
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik's district. Right now, with the ACA tax
credits, this healthcare plan, a bronze plan, is $282 a month. That is
still a lot for a family, a working family. It is a lot of money. It
ends up, you know, coming close to $4,000--$3,500 a year. But that is
nothing compared to what will happen if these credits expire.
If the tax credits expire, the same healthcare plan will go up to
nearly $1,700 a month next year--$1,700. Mr. President, $1,400 extra
every single month--a 495-percent increase.
For the average family or small business owner or farmer in upstate
rural New York, an extra $1,400 a month on healthcare is financial
ruin. That is $15,000 a year. How are people--even people making decent
money--going to afford that?

[[Page S7121]]

And this is not just true of New York. This is similar to what is
happening in all the States around the country. Every day now, people
are getting notices, and we are getting close to November 1, where
people are going to have to decide: Do they give up health insurance
altogether and watch their people, their children, their spouses
suffer?
So I say to my Republican colleagues, especially in the House: You
can't hide from your constituents forever. The American people expect
Congress to fix this healthcare crisis, because otherwise people will
go bankrupt; people will get sick; people will lose insurance; people
will fail to get the care they need; and more people--more people--will
needlessly die.
Republicans know this, and yet neither the Trump administration nor
Republicans in Congress are even pretending to try and solve the
healthcare crisis.
Democrats are ready and willing to negotiate with Republicans. We
want to work in a serious way to reopen the government and spare tens
of millions of Americans the threat of financial ruin--financial ruin--
$15,000 more or even more a year.

Trump Administration

Mr. President, last week, the Trump administration vindictively fired
thousands of Federal workers in a mistaken attempt to try to hurt the
Democrats in this shutdown.
Let's be very clear: Nobody forced the administration to do these
firings. They did it because they wanted to, period. They did it on
their own.
This decision, which they made--Trump made and his administration
made, Vought--was so callous, so unnecessary, so deeply hurtful to
hard-working Americans, and yesterday we learned it is even worse than
they thought.
Yesterday, we learned that the administration admitted in court that
nearly 800 employees in HHS were laid off in error. Not only are they
mean and vicious and uncaring, they are incompetent. It is despicable.
How careless, how incompetent is this administration? How cruel are
they that they will throw away people's livelihoods like this with the
flick of a pen without even examining what is happening?
These accidental firings show you how stupid it is for Russell Vought
to treat Federal workers as political pawns. It is destructive; it is
cruel; it is vicious, and it will backfire in the eyes of the public.

That is why even Republicans in Congress have urged the
administration not to take vengeance out on Federal workers. The
administration should reverse every single firing from last week and
should stop playing politics with people's livelihoods and their lives.
They should instead get serious about negotiation with Congress to
end this shutdown at once.

Young Republicans Chat Group

Mr. President, and finally on the Young Republicans, it is a
frightening time in America as we witness the rise of political
violence and violent rhetoric.
Yesterday, as most people now know, Politico published a story about
thousands upon thousands of text exchanges reported from prominent
members of the Young Republican organization across the country,
showing racist, sexist, outright violent language.
This wasn't a casual mention. This happened thousands and thousands
and thousands of times from a group called the Young Republican
organization. They made jokes about Hitler, about gas chambers. They
talked about torture. They made jokes about sexual assault. They used
almost every racist obscenity, including the N-word.
Now no matter who it comes from, right or left, all of us have an
obligation to denounce vile rhetoric like this. But a full day after
these texts have leaked, most Republican leaders haven't said a peep
about these gas chamber and Hitler jokes coming from the Young
Republicans.
Too many Republicans seem willing to call out violent rhetoric only
when it comes from the other side. But these same Republicans never
seem willing to denounce it when it comes from their own ranks, and
that is dangerous. Violent political rhetoric is an attack on everyone.
And Vice President Vance yesterday, amazingly, seemed to excuse these
vile texts as just a college group chat and ``refuse[d] to join the
pearl clutching.''
That is outrageous. Leave it to JD Vance to preach about violent
political rhetoric only when it serves his interests and then ignore or
excuse it when it comes from his own side.
The hypocrisy is disgusting and shameful coming from supposed
national leaders. If you don't like hate speech, you don't like all
hate speech, not just hate speech from political groups you don't like.
The real test is to denounce it from groups that might be on your side
of the aisle, the Young Republican organization.
And let's be clear: These aren't random college kids. These are
individuals who work in government, who have held positions of
leadership at the State level, and one person in the chat is actually
an elected official. Of course, some Republicans at the lower level
have spoken out, and good for them; they should do so. But where is
everyone else? Where are all our Republican colleagues? Where is
President Trump?
Here is what needs to happen: Every single Republican leader from the
President on down has to condemn these attacks immediately or all their
cries about hate speech seem to be one-sided or bogus.
The people who made these vile comments should be out of a job and
never allowed to work in politics again. And both sides must make it
clear to the entire country that vile rhetoric like this is
unacceptable.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority whip.

Government Funding

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, today is day 15 of the Schumer shutdown.
Here we are, over 2 weeks into this, and the Democrats continue to play
a dangerous game. The Schumer shutdown continues to put lives at risk,
and it is doing it each and every day.
Every day an airplane takes off and lands, there is increased risk
because of the Schumer shutdown. Thousands of air traffic controllers
across the country keep us safe. Right now, they are working, but they
are not getting paid. Yesterday, they received a partial paycheck, and
it was their final paycheck until Democrats end the Schumer shutdown.
It is not just air traffic controllers. It is TSA agents. It is
Border Patrol agents. It is ICE agents. It is FBI agents. They have
also received their final paychecks. These are the people that we
expect to make life-and-death decisions, and they shouldn't be
distracted by financial matters that are affecting them as a result of
the action by the Democrats in this body.
As of today, there is one bank that I want to refer to that serves
members of the military. They serve Federal workers. They serve their
families. They say that during the Schumer shutdown, 70,000 members
have come asking for loans. That is 70,000 families of military and
Federal workers who need extra help to make ends meet because Democrats
have blocked their paychecks.
A recent headline from the Wall Street Journal reads ``Furloughed
Federal Workers Turn to Side Hustles to Survive Shutdown.'' People with
full-time government jobs are desperate for the actual income that is
necessary because their regular paychecks are being withheld by the
Democrats. These are workers who are struggling to make ends meet, and
they are not going to see another dime until Schumer and the Democrats
end this shutdown.
These people, when they go to work--life-or-death decisions--need
clear heads and clear minds to do their jobs. They shouldn't have to
worry about the distractions of putting food on the table and keeping
the lights on because the government is shut down. They shouldn't have
distractions; they should be focused on their job when they are at
work, not having to be worried about what is going on at home because
the paychecks haven't come because the Democrats have stopped the flow
of their paychecks.
One air traffic controller was very blunt about this and the
consequences of the Schumer shutdown. He said:

The financial anxiety doesn't just hurt morale; it directly
affects safety.

This is an air traffic controller.

Sometimes that small moment where your mind is elsewhere
can have serious impacts.

[[Page S7122]]

That is what we are dealing with today. This is the seriousness that
the Nation is facing while the Democrats and Chuck Schumer play
political games, and it is a dangerous game.
Let me tell you what is going on at airports across the country
because air traffic controllers aren't getting paid thanks to Chuck
Schumer and the Democrats.
In Burbank, CA, the air traffic control tower was unmanned for 6
hours. Flights were grounded.
In Nashville, similarly, hundreds of flights were delayed in 1 day
because the air traffic control tower went dark.
In Charlotte, nearly 2,000 flights have been delayed since the start
of the Schumer shutdown.
Airport after airport.
In Atlanta, the Nation's busiest airport, air traffic controller
staffing challenges and delays are mounting with each passing day.
More than 53,000 flights have been delayed nationwide because of the
Schumer shutdown.
Most air traffic controllers live paycheck to paycheck, as do most
Americans. Senate Democrats expect them to work for free. Why? Because
the minority leader says: ``Every day gets better for us.'' The
Democrats say that every day gets better for them. Better for whom? Not
better for the American people, whose lives are put in danger as a
result of what the Democrats are here doing despite the needs of the
Nation.
CNN recently published a shocking quote from a Democrat staff member.
Maybe it is a member who is sitting on the floor right now in the U.S.
Senate. A Democrat staff member said this, published by CNN. A staff
member, a Democrat, said that the Democrats aren't going to change
course with the Schumer shutdown strategy until ``planes [are] falling
out of the sky.'' That is the approach of the Democrat staff to the
Democrat Senate, that they are not going to end the shutdown until
there are ``planes falling out of the sky.''
Mr. President, is that where we are now because of what the Democrats
are doing to this country? The shutdown doesn't end until planes are
falling out of the sky.
Today's Democrat party has completely surrendered to the radical
left. They have abandoned the American workers, the American people,
American families. Those workers and families want to keep America
safe. The safety of the American people has now become a punch line for
the Democrat party in this Nation.
The far left is controlling today's Democrat party--make no doubt
about it. These people are radical, extreme, dangerous, and scary, and
they are coming to Washington this weekend. And they have told us how
dangerous they are by admitting that their shutdown strategy will not
change until planes are falling out of the sky.
Innocent people are collateral damage in this dangerous political
game the Democrats are playing.
Democrats will have their ninth opportunity today to reopen the
government. They will have their ninth opportunity to vote for a
bipartisan, clean continuing resolution--a clean continuing resolution
that they voted in favor of 13 times when Joe Biden was President.
Democrats are going to have their ninth opportunity to pay the brave
men and women who keep our skies clear and who keep our borders secure
and keep our communities safe.
Democrats have an obligation to reopen the government, and they need
to do it before there are planes falling out of the sky.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic whip.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the Republican Party controls the
Presidency, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Despite that
trifecta, the government has been shut down for 15 long days and
counting.
As Americans suffer, Majority Leader Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson
insist that congressional Republicans will address expiring Affordable
Care Act health insurance premium tax credits after the government
reopens. But do the American people have any reason to believe that
congressional Republicans really are going to work to help save
healthcare for millions of Americans? Not if you look at the record.
In the past 8 months, Democrats have repeatedly tried to extend these
ACA premium tax credits. What does it boil down to? Health insurance is
expensive. For some families, it is too expensive. We created a program
to provide tax credits for many families who otherwise couldn't have a
good health insurance policy.
The Republicans, in the big, beautiful, blue budget--whatever they
call it--ended up basically eliminating these tax credits, which means
the burden will fall on these families, without any help in the Tax
Code, in a matter of weeks.
In the past 8 months, we have tried to extend these tax credits,
which were eliminated in the Trump big, beautiful budget.
In February, Senator Shaheen of New Hampshire offered an amendment to
the first budget resolution to protect these tax credits. Senate
Republicans voted against it, and the amendment failed.
In April, Senator Shaheen went again and offered another amendment to
the second budget resolution doing exactly the same thing. Once again,
the Republicans had a chance to correct the error they made in this
big, beautiful budget, but they voted against it.
In June, Senator Jon Ossoff from Georgia offered an amendment to the
Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill to save the enhanced premium tax
credits a third time. You know what happened. You can guess it. Every
Senate Republican voted against the amendment. It failed.
Let us not forget that for the past 15 years, the American people
have been waiting for the Republican Party's Affordable Care Act
replacement plan.
In Donald Trump's first term, he made an attempt to repeal the
Affordable Care Act. He wouldn't describe to the American people what
he was going to replace it with, but he was damned determined to get it
repealed.
It led to a moment I will never forget on the floor of the Senate. It
was about 2 or 3 in the morning. All the Members were in their seats.
It came down to one person as to whether or not the Affordable Care Act
would be repealed under the Trump administration, in his first term. It
was a moment of high drama because we knew what was at stake: Millions
of American families, without the help of the Affordable Care Act,
couldn't buy or afford health insurance.
So it came down to the vote of John McCain--former Senator,
Republican from Arizona. He went through those doors to my right and
was gone for a few minutes. People said: He is talking to President
Trump. Trump is trying to convince him to put an end to ObamaCare and
the Affordable Care Act once and for all.
John McCain was his own man. He wasn't a creature of membership in an
organization. He voted his conscience.
He walked through that door. A hush fell over the Chamber. He stood
in the well right on the corner of that table and lifted his right arm
as far as he could--remember, his arm was broken many times when he was
a prisoner of war--and came down hard with a ``no.'' With that single
vote, John McCain saved the Affordable Care Act for millions of
Americans and gave them health insurance they can afford for their
families. The Republicans had failed again to put an end to the
Affordable Care Act.
Well, here they are doing the same thing with the big, beautiful
budget bill. And what does it mean for families? Chuck Schumer was on
the floor earlier this morning talking about the impact on the
premiums.
Each State has a target date when the health insurance industry is
going to announce the new premiums for the new calendar year, which
starts in just a few weeks.
Our date in Illinois is October 27--12 days from today. Those who are
part of healthcare.gov, those who are part of the Affordable Care Act
will find out what happens to their premiums.
If history is an indicator, it shows that my Republican colleagues
have no plan. They didn't have one in Trump's first term; they
certainly don't have one now.
The President said, when he was asked point blank ``What is your plan
to replace ObamaCare?'' he had concepts of a plan in his mind--nothing
in writing--to make healthcare more affordable for the American people.

[[Page S7123]]

So it is a bit over the top for the Republicans to ask Democrats and
the American people to wait and trust them to fix this issue, to let
the premiums go up, and then maybe they will get around to changing the
law.
That is what this is all about. There are a lot of words used on the
floor of the Senate to describe the government shutdown. I am sorry it
has reached this point, but I think there is a reason for it, and it is
a good one. We believe that 20 million American families will see the
cost of health insurance go up because of the Trump budget and reach a
point where it is not affordable for many families to have health
insurance. How about that?
What about your family? If you are a person who has health insurance,
children, perhaps someone in your family with a serious illness, you
understand the value of health insurance, and you understand your
vulnerability. One broken bone, one automobile accident, one bad
diagnosis, and you are going to end up with a bill you cannot pay. It
will exhaust your savings. That is the reality of the cost of health
insurance.

My Republican colleagues, like the one who just spoke, don't seem to
understand that, and I think he should. What is at stake here is not a
political custom match. What is at stake here is a decision by this
body to help millions of American families. If Republicans in Congress
fail to extend the enhanced premium tax credits before the end of this
year--and that is just a few weeks away--premiums for 22 million
Americans will double. Take a look at what you are paying each month
for health insurance for your family, multiply times two, and that is
the result of the Big Beautiful Bill that was passed by the
Republicans.
Let me give you an example: In Illinois, a 60-year-old couple with an
income of $82,000 could see their annual premiums increase $17,000 a
year if the enhanced premium tax credits are not extended. That is an
increase of $1,400 a month. Ask any family, working family, whether
paying $1,400 a month more for health insurance will have an impact on
the family budget. You know the answer.
Now, compare that additional cost of the tax cuts that some
billionaires will enjoy because of this so-called Big Beautiful Bill
that was passed by the Republicans. Billionaires will receive a tax cut
of more than $310,000 a year. I am sure Elon Musk needs that money--
$25,000 a month in tax breaks. Contrast those two numbers, an increase
in health insurance premiums of $1,400 a month because of the
Republicans' vote and an increase in the tax breaks, the reduction of
taxes for billionaires in America of $25,000 a month. That includes
more than 100,000 people in my home State of Illinois who will be
forced to make the impossible decision that most Americans pray they
will never have to make, like whether to purchase groceries or insulin
or whether to pay the mortgage or take the kids in for their checkup.
Don't take my word for it. Listen to what my constituents have
written to me. Stephanie from Evanston, IL, is a business owner. And
many business owners count on health.gov for their health insurance.
Stephanie told me if her enhanced ACA tax credits are allowed to
expire, the result of the Big Beautiful Bill with the Trump budget
would ``cripple'' her budget and that she is ``not sure [she] could
cover the doubling of this cost.''
Most people wouldn't be able to. She asked me how ``our country
claims to support business owners if [they] can't afford to take care
of their family's health?'' More than 4 million other small business
owners who get their health coverage through the Affordable Care Act
are asking the same question.
Take Jennifer, she is a mother and a small business owner from
Illinois who told me her costs have skyrocketed under this President.
She told me her food costs are up and ``utilities are up, gas is . . .
expensive, [and] the costs of supplies for my business have tripled.''
Jennifer is concerned her ACA premiums will double next year unless
we do something.
That is what the shutdown is all about. It is not some source of
pride for politicians to argue back and forth. There is a purpose in
this debate. The purpose is to make sure we come to the rescue of tens
of millions of Americans who face the doubling of their health
insurance premiums. Jennifer is concerned her ACA premiums will double,
as I mentioned, next year. If that happens, she would have ``no choice
but to pass those costs on to my customers or to close my doors.''
As you know, small businesses employ almost 50 percent of private
sector workers. They are the engine of our economy. If our Nation's
small businesses start closing, there will be a ripple effect
throughout our local economy, and it will happen, in part, because
Republicans in Congress refuse to lower healthcare costs.
I like John Thune. He is the Republican leader here in the Senate. We
have known one another for years. We have our differences politically,
but I think he is basically a good person. I heard him come to the
floor over and over again saying pass this clean continuing resolution,
open the government, and, by golly, we are going to sit down and talk
to you about health insurance.
Why can't we do that now? Why can't we do that this morning? There
are enough tables in this building for people to gather. Now that the
House of Representatives is back in town, they can participate as well.
We need the President at the table, as well, as far as I am concerned.
There are many Republicans who basically will wait for a signal from
the President to agree to anything. Bring him to the table. He brought
a cease-fire to the Middle East. Let's see if he can bring a cease-fire
to the Senate and House.
It is past time to address this issue. Insurance companies are making
their final decisions about monthly premium costs for next year right
now. They sent out notifications, and people will soon be picking their
healthcare plans based on these costs. As I mentioned, October 27
is the target date for this announcement in Illinois. I guarantee you,
if we don't bring some relief to these families, we are going to see
premiums increase dramatically.

That is what this government shutdown is all about. We want to sit
down and deal with healthcare costs directly and now. Leader Thune and
Speaker Johnson seem to have made the political calculation, when it
comes to tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, they have no
problem moving fast and breaking things. But when it comes to
healthcare for more than 24 million Americans, that can wait. My
constituents, like Stephanie and Jennifer and their families, can't
wait any longer. It is time to get this done.
One last point: I am from Downstate Illinois. I live in Springfield,
200 miles south of Chicago. I am honored to represent the city of
Chicago. I, basically, do my best to represent the entire State. We
have problems downstate because of these healthcare costs as well.
Nearly 400,000 Illinoisans currently receive the ACA tax credits, which
are at risk of disappearing because of the Republican vote. If the tax
credits are not extended, eligible enrollees will pay an average of
$1,032 more per year in Illinois for healthcare coverage, $1,700 more
per year in rural areas. Smalltown, rural Illinois is going to feel
this as well.
These increases will be higher for families. A 60-year-old couple
earning $82,000 a year would see an annual increase of $17,000, $1,400
a month. A family of four earning $64,000 a year in Downstate Illinois
would see an annual premium increase of 226 percent, $2,571. Counties
that will be hardest hit financially are conservative, Republican-
dominated counties, by and large. Hamilton County will see an increase
of $2,772 a year; White County, $2,496 more a year; Union County $2,400
more a year. Counties with the highest number of enrollees impacted:
Cook County, our largest, 170,500; DuPage County, 35,900; Lake County,
23,200. We estimate we will lose up to nine hospitals in Downstate
Illinois because of changes in Medicaid and because of these increases
in health insurance premiums. Is that of concern? It is to me. I
represented these Downstate Illinois counties for many years.
I know what it means to lose a hospital. I know what it means to add
45 minutes to an hour to your drive time for the delivery of that baby
or critical traumatic care. It really makes the difference between life
and death. That is what we are fighting for.
Before the Sun sets today, let us hope that at some table here in the
U.S. Capitol, the leaders of Congress will meet, and the President will
promise to join them in an effort to get this solved. There is no
reason we can't do

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it. We hear from the Republicans that they want to make some changes.
Let's make those changes now and make sure we get this done quickly.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sheehy). The Senator from Nebraska.
Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, it has been 15 days since congressional
Democrats shut down the Federal Government. Let's call it what it is:
It is the Schumer shutdown.
In that period, we have voted eight times on a clean continuing
resolution. It is straightforward. It is a short-term bill that funds
government at current levels without adding any kind of partisan
policies to it. This would give us, here in Congress, time to finish
the full-year funding bills responsibly.
Instead, Democrats pushed for over a trillion dollars in new spending
to recklessly eliminate the $50 billion rural hospital stabilization
fund. Why in the world would Democrats want to do that? Why would they
want to eliminate this crucial fund for our Nation's rural hospitals?
It is unthinkable.
The fact is, the Democrats' so-called proposal to reopen the
government is packed with unrelated items. This includes the COVID-era
bonus payments, overseas climate resilience projects, and taxpayer-
funded healthcare for noncitizens. That is not responsible governing,
and it is not fair to American families.
House Republicans passed and they sent to the Senate a clean CR. That
means that it has no poison pills, no policy riders on it. Democrats
rejected it eight times. It is now time, folks, for Senator Schumer and
his caucus to drop this partisan wish list and do their jobs.
Meanwhile, it was reported in Punchbowl News on October 9 that Chuck
Schumer said:

Every day gets better for us.

And by ``us,'' he means the Democrat party.
If the Democrats think it is better that our troops aren't paid and
that it is better when people are worried about being furloughed, then
that just shows their arrogance. That just shows that they are tone-
deaf to the uncertainty and the stress people are feeling. That just
shows Chuck Schumer is in his Schumer shutdown only for political
theater.
This shutdown is hurting people. Farmers are losing access to Federal
support at a time when the ag economy is already strained. Construction
projects that rely on Federal funding are stalling. Air traffic
controllers and Federal employees face uncertainty about their
paychecks. None of this--none of this--is necessary.
Let's be clear. A short-term funding bill is not the place for
sweeping policy changes. If this continues, deeper cuts to essential
services may follow, and that is entirely preventable.
Remember, the House sent us a clean CR, with no new policies
included. It simply continues current funding until November 21. Then
we will take up appropriations bills that have strong bipartisan
support. And they have that because it was already negotiated within
that Appropriations Committee and, as a member of that committee, we
passed it out of the committee.

I am deeply committed to that transparent process--one where Senators
debate, amend, and vote on each bill individually before the end of the
fiscal year.
All we are asking is to reopen the government so that we can continue
that funding process. Leader Thune promised that we would take
appropriations bills up, here on the floor, and we have already passed
three of them. Let's show the American people bipartisanship and
transparency and continue this important work.
So why are we here today and still shut down? Because the Democrats
are more focused on appeasing the far left than funding the government.
I believe they are caving to political pressure when they should be
fulfilling their most basic duty: keeping the government open and
operating for their constituents.
Republicans' goal is simple: Reopen the government now, protect our
military and families, and return to regular order.
At the end of the day, Americans deserve a functioning government,
not political theater. If just a handful of Senate Democrats join
Republicans, we can end this shutdown. And I hope when we next vote to
reopen the government, my Democrat colleagues will join us in doing the
right thing.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.

American Agriculture

Mrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to highlight a growing
crisis that threatens our farmers, rural communities, food security,
and our national economy. I am concerned that as American agriculture
and rural communities face very hard times, many Americans are unaware
of the stakes ahead.
Here is the bottom line. American agriculture is in serious trouble,
and Congress must act now with short-term assistance.
That is not hyperbole. I continue to hear from producers in
Mississippi and across the country that the numbers don't add up and
the outlook is grim. Without immediate action, we risk losing not only
farms but also the rural communities and the food security they
provide. This is no longer a warning; it is an emergency.
Over the past three crop years, rising input costs for seed,
fertilizer, fuel, labor, and more have collided with falling commodity
prices and high interest rates. Even with strong crop yields this year,
many farmers are facing losing between $100 and $400 per acre. For a
2,000-acre farm, that is a financial hit in the hundreds of thousands
and sometimes millions of dollars in losses. Farm bankruptcies have
already surpassed last year's total, and if we do not step in, that
trend will accelerate.
The ripple effect is real. In small towns across America, family
farms are the economic engine. When farms thrive, so do local grocery
stores, schools, equipment dealers, banks, and churches. When farms
fail, the community fails with them. Jobs disappear. Families leave.
Main Street goes silent.
We have seen this before. In the 1980s, a generation of farmers was
nearly wiped out by high interest rates, collapsing markets, and
inadequate safety nets. Today's producers are starting to feel those
same pressures. Bankers, economists, and lenders are sounding the alarm
again.
While we may differ on policy, we must agree on the urgent need to
act while we still have time to do that. The significant updates we
secured in the reconciliation process this summer will strengthen the
farm safety net, and I am proud of that progress. But those changes
won't take effect until next fall. That is too late for many farmers
already on the brink. We need short-term assistance now to help
producers survive the coming crop year.
Let me be crystal clear: Farmers do not want a handout; they want a
fair shot.
Food security is national security. We cannot afford to lose a
generation of American farmers or become dependent on foreign countries
to feed and clothe us. That is a risk that we cannot take.
Over the long term, we know American agriculture will be stronger if
we secure fairer trade deals and build stable markets at home and
abroad.
Our competitors--China, Argentina, Brazil, and others--are moving
aggressively. I believe that if we don't act quickly, we will lose
vital export opportunities and long-term stability for our producers.
In this world of global competition, we must revive American-grown
cotton to be the center of our supply chains, providing reliable
markets for our producers and bolstering industries that depend on
cotton.
I introduced the Buying American Cotton Act to help us get there by
incentivizing U.S. retailers to produce, purchase, and manufacture
American cotton here at home. This legislation would help secure a
resilient, self-reliant, and prosperous cotton industry for the future
by reinforcing our supply chain--from farm to textile, to market--and
by reducing our reliance on cotton produced under forced labor
practices and environmental destruction.
I call on this body to consider this legislation as we seek long-term
solutions to the problems that beset American farmers today.
I am encouraged by the bipartisan work underway to complete a 5-year
reauthorization of the farm bill, which is long overdue.

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Last winter, we secured farm support funding, which was a lifeline
for many of our farmers this crop year, but the crisis hasn't passed.
Farmers are still facing impossible choices about whether they can
afford to plant next year or even to stay in business at all. I fully
support ongoing work to provide additional Federal bridge funding
before the end of the year to ensure more of our family farms can stay
in business.
We all represent different sectors of American agriculture, but the
crisis does not discriminate. It spans commodities, regions, and party
lines. What matters now is that we come together with urgency and with
purpose.
Our farmers are counting on us. It is time for Congress to meet the
moment before it is too late.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.

Israel

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, after more than 2 years of bloodshed, 20
living hostages and the remains of at least 7 deceased hostages were
recently returned to their families in Israel by Hamas. Videos of the
tearful reunions circulating on social media showed the immense joy and
relief felt by the families, who have been suffering through the
unthinkable and wondering if they will ever see their loved ones again.
Behind all this extraordinary story is the leadership of President
Trump in negotiating an end to this war that has lasted 2 years.
President Trump has rightly gained praise from some of the most
unexpected critics, like Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, and minority
leader Chuck Schumer. All of these people are correctly acknowledging
what supporters of President Trump have known for a long time: He is
truly a master of the art of the deal. I can't think of a single
President who, through a combination of carrots and sticks, could have
accomplished something like this before, but President Trump has, and
he deserves the credit.
But, of course, for this conflict to be truly over, each and every
one of the conditions laid out in President Trump's 20-point peace deal
must be implemented by both sides, and that is where the trouble really
begins.
We cannot allow a terrorist organization like Hamas to pull the wool
over our eyes or to act like this is any normal sort of negotiation
between two parties acting in good faith. Hamas must keep up its end of
the bargain on this and other terms for the deal to actually work.
We have already seen how Hamas has violated the peace agreement, as
they have not yet returned the remaining bodies of 20 additional
hostages who are presumed dead, including 2 American citizens, so that
their families can properly grieve and bury their loved ones.
Yesterday, Hamas, despite this peace deal, violently sought to
reassert its control over Gaza from rival Palestinian groups. This
included Hamas dragging several men from their families and executing
them in broad daylight.
Hamas has been rightfully described as a death cult. Their blatant
disregard for human life is the reason the Palestinian people have
undergone so much suffering over the last 2 years in Gaza. I know some
would like to blame Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces and Prime
Minister Netanyahu, but the reason for the humanitarian disaster that
has been Gaza for the last 2 years is because of Hamas. If they hadn't
executed 1,200 or so Israeli citizens on October 7, 2 years ago, none
of this would have occurred.
Of course, establishing an agreement that depends on the good will of
Hamas is going to be an enormous challenge, and it can't be a matter of
faith that they will act as any negotiating partner in good faith would
be presumed to act.
Over the last 24 hours, the importance of establishing a
multinational security force in Gaza to replace Hamas has become
increasingly clear. Hamas cannot remain in control if we are to have
peace. But the return of the 20 living hostages is no small feat, and
it is something to be celebrated.
If President Trump is successful in ultimately bringing a lasting
peace to the region, it will be one of the most significant diplomatic
and foreign policy accomplishments in memory.

Government Funding

Mr. President, on another matter, it has now been 15 days since
Senate Democrats have shut down the Federal Government. They did that
by blocking a short-term spending provision that would have taken us up
until November 21--in other words, roughly 9 weeks from the beginning
of the continuing resolution.
Republicans have given Democrats multiple opportunities to end this
mess by holding a number of votes on the House-passed continuing
resolution.
As majority leader Senator Thune has pointed out numerous times, we
are not asking for any major policy changes. All we are asking is to
keep the lights on and to keep Federal Government employees paid during
this period of time while we work out longer term appropriations bills
by the November 21 deadline. But every single time we have given
Democrats the opportunity to do the right thing, only three of them
have voted to reopen the government.
You know, talking to my constituents back home, it is hard to explain
what is going on here. They understand the stupidity of a government
shutdown. Experience has shown that the same problems that cause a
shutdown in the first place are there staring you in the face when the
government is reopened, so it accomplishes nothing except maybe as
performance art. If you think about it, that is really what this is.
Our Democratic colleagues are afraid to act in a reasonable and
logical manner and keep the government open while we negotiate longer
term appropriations bills and take up the issue of healthcare subsidies
that expire at the end of this calendar year. In a normal world, that
is what we would be doing now, but we can't do any of that during a
government shutdown.

Federal employees are now beginning to miss their paychecks, which
will have consequences that reverberate throughout the country. One in
six Americans lives paycheck to paycheck. So it may not be a big deal
to wealthy Senators on the Democratic side who don't have to worry
about paying the bills paycheck to paycheck, but it does matter to
many, many Americans because it means they may not be able to pay their
rent or they may not be able to buy groceries for their family or pay
their utility bills because they are not receiving a paycheck.
Some people may be thinking, well, it is only government employees
that are going to be affected, and everybody knows the Federal
Government is big and bloated and could stand a diet.
But it is not simply the case that these government employees will be
the only ones affected. There are going to be a number of downstream
effects of this Democrat-induced shutdown that have consequences for
everybody.
First of all, I have to tell you, it is embarrassing. It is
embarrassing that the greatest country in the world and the people who
are elected to represent 330 million Americans can't get their act
together and can't figure this out. It is beyond dumb. It makes no
sense at all except as a matter of self-serving political gesturing and
the sort of performance art that I mentioned a moment ago--trying to
demonstrate to your political base: Yeah, we are fighting.
Well, this isn't fighting. Fighting is keeping the government open,
having debates, having votes, trying to persuade people to your point
of view. That is what political fighting is. It is not taking your ball
and going home.
One issue affecting the whole country, Federal workers and private
sector employees alike, is the way this shutdown is disturbing airplane
flights. My flight coming back from Austin this past week was delayed
by such a disruption. It wasn't that big a deal to me, obviously, but I
am sure I am not the only once who has experienced this. More important
than the fact that Senators are experiencing it, our constituents--the
people we represent, the people we owe our jobs to--they are the ones
that are suffering inconvenience.
Transportation security agents and air traffic controllers are among
the Federal workers deemed essential during a government shutdown,
which means they have to work, but they are not being paid. That is a
pretty difficult situation for many of these folks to be in. As I said,
some of them can't afford childcare, to buy groceries, to pay the rent,
to pay utilities. This is the true hardship for many of these
Americans. This has resulted in many

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of these essential employees calling in sick in order to pick up shift
work to make ends meet. Additionally, those who are showing up are
having to work under increased stress, longer hours, and shortstaffed
working environments.
On top of this, they are carrying the burden of not knowing when they
are ever going to get paid. Now, we know that under the law, these
employees will eventually be reimbursed for their missed salary, but
that doesn't do a lot to put food on the table right now or pay the
rent or to pay utility bills now.
As the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
put it, ``It's completely unfair that an air traffic controller''--the
one who makes sure our airline flights are safe--``is the one that
holds the burden of `see how long you can hang in there in order to
allow this political process to [work] out.'''
The president of a local chapter of the American Federation of
Government Employees at Dallas-Fort Worth said regarding the shutdown:

There's a lot of uncertainty,[a] lot of questions coming
from the field. They don't know how long this is gonna last.

I don't know how long it is going to last, either, but the problem is
that it only gets worse the longer the shutdown goes on.
Just in terms of airline flights, we have seen hundreds canceled
since the shutdown began, and thousands more have been delayed, which
means more and more Americans' daily routines are being upended as a
result of this irrational and truly stupid government shutdown.
Three airports in Texas are seeing some of the worst delays. Last
Tuesday, both the George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby
Airport in Houston were at risk of ground stops because of staffing
shortages. Love Field in Dallas was also experiencing delays.
But this isn't just affecting the State of Texas; airports around the
country are experiencing delays in order to avoid dangerous potential
air flights and ground activity associated with shortstaffing. The
Federal Aviation Administration is also reporting staffing problems in
Boston, Nashville, Chicago, and Philadelphia, as well as Burbank, CA;
Newark, NJ; and Denver, CO. Some analysts have speculated that the
disruptions could continue to cause problems during the upcoming travel
holiday--Thanksgiving and into Christmas.
For many of us here in the Senate, it has become an unwelcome
tradition each year to have our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations
with our families upset in order to perform our responsibilities. That
doesn't just affect Members of the Senate and the House but also the
able staff that make our work possible.
Of course, what this tradition is, is really a sign of dysfunction.
It is embarrassing. It should be embarrassing. If we did our jobs
properly and passed our appropriations bills on time, we would not have
to impose the burdens of all this on other people--our constituents and
our staff.
It is really not rational that the Senate Democrats should impose
this burden on the entire country in order to try to appease the more
radical elements of their political base, which is really what this is
all about. They are afraid to agree to something reasonable and
rational and short term because they know that they are likely to be
criticized by their political base, the more radical elements in the
Democratic base.
Well, don't take my word for it. Minority Leader Schumer has made it
clear that he is willing to impose almost any cost on ordinary
Americans in order to try to appease his radical progressive base. In
one of the more telling quotes, he admitted to Punchbowl News, last
week, that this was all about politics, when he said:

Every day gets better for us.

Really? Well, by ``us,'' he doesn't mean the American people. He must
mean people like him who are afraid to say no to the radical base in
order to perform the most basic functions of government. Plus the fact
that it is not true--is every day really getting better? Or is it more
and more embarrassing? Is it having more and more of a ripple effect on
people who are innocent of any wrongdoing? They just happen to be
affected.
I think if the Democratic leader were to ask the Transportation
Security Administration workers who are working overtime without pay or
the air traffic controllers who are wondering when, if ever, they will
receive their next paycheck, who are also working without pay, or the
mothers and fathers of the Federal employees who are wondering if they
are able to enjoy the holidays with their children and their extended
families because of travel disruption, or maybe just because
financially they won't be able to make ends meet--but the truth is that
Senate Democrats care less about the Federal workers and the rest of
the country than they do about appeasing their radical base.
Senator Schumer has made it clear that it was his plan, all along, to
make the American people pay the price in order to achieve his
political goals when he said:

We've thought about this long in advance.

So this wasn't an accident. This wasn't sort of a surprising
occurrence. This was planned, all along, by Senator Schumer, the
Democratic leader, which makes it all that much more egregious.
Well, I sincerely hope, for the sake of Texans and Americans all
across the country, that Senate Democrats will have a change of heart.
I hope that, someday soon, maybe today, Senate Democrats will set aside
the demands of their radical base and simply vote to put an end to this
ridiculous government shutdown that serves no one's interest except
perhaps their own narrow political interest.
We need to pass that short-term continuing resolution that will only
take us to November 21, and then, I imagine, we are going to have this
discussion all over again, which is just further evidence of the
dysfunction here in the Senate and in the Congress these days--mainly,
because our Senate Democrats and House Democrats are so opposed to
President Trump and his policies, and they feel like they need to be
shown to fight and to push back against President Trump.
But they are not hurting President Trump. He is doing just fine. He
is making incredible peace deals in the Middle East and, hopefully, in
other places around the world, like Ukraine. What they are doing is
hurting their own constituents, and they are causing people to doubt
whether their government can actually function the way it is supposed
to.
So I hope, given the opportunity to vote here shortly on another
short-term continuing resolution, the stopgap spending bill that will
only take us to November 21, that we get five more Democrats joining
the three who have already voted to reopen the government so that we
can put an end to this foolishness, because every day does not get
better for the American people, even if it gets better politically to
save Senator Schumer's skin.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Ricketts). Without objection, it is so
ordered.

Israel

Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, at long last, our friends in Israel have
won the war by defeating the depraved Hamas savages that launched the
heinous, unprovoked attack from Gaza on October 7. After the most
devastating assault on Jews since the Holocaust, which was followed by
2 years of fighting and suffering and death, the living hostages are
home, and a new day has dawned in the Middle East.
Earlier this week, I joined my fellow Arkansans in rejoicing and
thanking God for answering our prayers and bringing those hostages home
to their families.
At the same time we celebrate their reunions, though, we also pledge
that we will never forget the innocent deceased victims of Hamas's
atrocities, many of whom have not yet been properly laid to rest. We
will work to secure their remains and honor their memory through our
commitment to a lasting and enduring peace in the Middle East.
When terrorists attacked, raped, maimed, and killed innocent Israelis

[[Page S7127]]

and Americans and citizens of other nations, on October 7, the Middle
East was forever changed, but not in the way Hamas intended. Instead of
pressuring Israel to surrender, President Trump rejected the Obama-
Biden policy of appeasement and weakness, and we backed Israel to the
hilt.
Because of President Trump's unrelenting pressure on Hamas and Prime
Minister Netanyahu's decisive military action, Iran's terrorist ring of
fire around Israel is now a ring of smoke--smoking ruins. We have
crippled Iran's nuclear weapons program. We have weakened the Houthis.
We have devastated Hezbollah, and we have destroyed Hamas's political
and military leadership.
This graphic shows just some of the depraved savages who are now
rotting in hell. If you have a chance to be Hamas's next leader, you
might want to think twice. This is how we deliver ``peace through
strength.''
Though good has once again triumphed over evil, we must keep the
pressure on to compel Hamas to demilitarize once and for all. As
President Trump said this week, ``if they don't disarm, we will disarm
them''--because let's be clear: There can be no lasting peace for Gaza
with Hamas sitting at the table.
For those who say otherwise, consider that, as the rest of the world
celebrates the return of the hostages and a cease-fire, Hamas
terrorists have been publicly executing members of the opposition in
Gaza in a last-ditch effort to hang on to their waning power. This is
appalling, but not surprising, given Hamas's track record of using the
people of Gaza as pawns to achieve its ultimate aim of eliminating
Israel.
Time and again, we have seen Hamas use innocent people as human
shields and weaponize humanitarian aid by withholding food and supplies
from children. These are the sort of vile intimidation tactics that
Hamas terrorists have used for decades to remain in power--no more.
Today, with our friends in Israel and the Arab world, we have the
opportunity to chart a path toward peace and prosperity for the people
of Gaza. And while today is a day for rejoicing, let it also serve as a
reminder of one of history's timeless lessons: Bad things happen when
you lose a war, especially when you started the war. These men can
attest to that lesson.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.

Government Funding

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, let me be clear: Shutdowns do not require
Presidents to fire people en masse. They actually do not require
Presidents to cancel projects and raise energy prices; nor do they give
Presidents new magical powers to destroy programs they don't like or to
target political opposition.
You don't have to take my word for it because this is not our first
government shutdown. It is just the first time that a President has
blatantly and gleefully tried to use a shutdown against the American
people.
So when President Trump fires hundreds of public health workers at
CDC without thinking twice about if it would put lives in jeopardy,
that is a choice he is making. When President Trump puts at risk
special education programs through mass layoffs, that is a choice he is
making to abandon students with disabilities and their families and
weaken their access to rights under our special education laws. When
Trump outright shutters a key community development fund, which has
strong bipartisan support and finances housing and healthcare and other
community projects in our country, that is a choice he is making.
President Trump is choosing to fire as many people as he thinks he
can get away with to break as much of the government, as is possible,
to hurt the American people as much as he can, because he thinks he can
use regular people as leverage.
That is the cold, hard reality, and it is plain as day. That is why
Trump is governing by a principle of maximum pain. It is not because he
had to; it is because he wanted to. It is not because he is following
any law; it is because he is ignoring countless laws. It is not because
he held off on layoffs; it is because he is eager to continue to break
our government, bend it to his will, and enrich himself in this
process.
President Trump knows perfectly well--just as my Republican
colleagues know--that shutdowns don't give him any new power, and they
don't just let him fire people with reckless abandon. After all, Trump
was President for the longest shutdown in American history. And guess
what. Trump didn't have to fire thousands and thousands of workers when
he caused that longest shutdown in history. He didn't get to run
roughshod over our laws when he kept the government shut down for over
a month. So don't let any Republican tell you he simply had to now.
And let me put another obvious falsehood to rest. Leader Thune keeps
saying Democrats are ``enthralled to the radical left.'' But here is
the thing: We actually are the ones talking to Republican voters,
because the majority of Republicans--and the overwhelming majority of
the American people--do not want to see their premiums double, triple,
or even quadruple for millions of families.
And many Republicans are starting to realize that too. Look at
Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has made clear she thinks Republicans need
to look at how to stop these premium hikes. Just look at the growing
chorus of Republican Members begging Speaker Johnson to bring them back
so we can solve this issue.
Clearly, Republicans are feeling the heat. That is why we are
suddenly hearing Republican leaders absurdly pretend they have always
meant to focus on healthcare, even if they would never talk about it
before and even if the only thing they are saying right now is: No, no,
no. We can't do anything on this right now. We can just think about it,
possibly talk about it; potentially, maybe, do something someday. So
House Republicans may not be here in DC to talk about this issue with
Democrats, but here is the thing: They are still hearing about this
back at home. Families are staring down massive premium hikes, and they
want Republicans to return and finally work on solutions.

Look, the Republican leader can shut down the government if he is
really that desperate to avoid addressing the healthcare crisis
Republicans caused. He can shut down the debate, but he cannot shut
down the voices of families who are speaking out about how their
premiums are about to skyrocket.
I have been constantly hearing from folks back home in Washington
State. Letters and calls are pouring into my office from families who
are worried about how their premiums will double if Republicans refuse
to act.
A woman called in to my office to share that her husband already
received notices that their insurance is going to double in cost.
A mother whose son has a traumatic brain and spinal cord injury
called. She is terrified that she has no idea how they are going to
afford the care he needs if healthcare gets more expensive.
Last week, I spoke with a freelancer in Seattle who is worried that
their monthly payments will increase--monthly--by $1,300.
A video producer told me his premiums are going to more than double
and be 60 percent of his mortgage payment.
The week before that, I spoke with some small business owners. They
have no idea what they are going to do if these tax credits expire and
their healthcare costs go up. Many of them are rethinking whether they
can even afford to keep their small businesses or if they choose to
just go for catastrophic coverage instead. One small business owner
will see his premiums triple, his wife told me, and that is simply not
affordable.
This is not just happening in Washington State; this healthcare
crisis is about to hammer families across the country in red and blue
States alike. In fact, the biggest rate increases are all in red
States, and three-fourths of the people who rely on these tax credits
are too.
Why don't Republicans go home and talk to their constituents? If the
Republican leader doesn't want to sit down with Democrats to work on a
solution, how about he sits down and listens to folk back home who are
getting notices this month with massive price hikes for their health
insurance?
If the Republican leader won't sit down with Democrats to save people
from losing their healthcare coverage,

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how about he sits down with small business owners since nearly half of
the people on the marketplaces are small business owners, employees or
self-employed.
If he won't sit down with Democrats to stop premiums from tripling
for some families in his State, how about he sits down with farmers
since over a quarter of farmers in this country are covered through the
ACA changes?
Does Leader Thune think farmers are now the radical left? Does he
think small businesses are the radical left? Because that is who is
about to get crushed by these higher premiums. That is who is watching
this debate and hoping and praying for action.
It is unbelievable that the best the Republican leader can offer to
families who are worried about their Affordable Care Act crisis is
``wait.'' ``Later.'' That is really out of touch with families and with
reality. Rates are being set right now. Massive hikes are being
announced right now. Open enrollment is in a few weeks.
In fact, by the way, Idaho's open enrollment starts today. Every
single Senator needs to watch what is happening in Idaho today because
folks in Idaho are in for a very rude awakening when they log in today
and see the rates for the coming year. And that rude awakening is
coming to the rest of the country on November 1 if Republicans keep
refusing to act.
So every single Senator needs to listen to the families who speak out
about these massive rate hikes that are becoming reality. I actually
spoke to some Idahoans last week. One retiree told me about how her
premiums are going to jump 173 percent. That is almost triple. If you
think that is bad, another retiree I spoke with had learned that with
the tax credits, his premium will be $367 a month; without those tax
credits, a whopping $2,232 a month. That is astounding. Yet, if
Republicans refuse to act, that is the reality that is going to come
crashing down on families across our Nation.
This is not an end-of-the-year problem, like Speaker Johnson keeps
saying; it is a right-now problem. There is a train coming. Families
are tied to the tracks. Why on Earth would Republican leaders insist on
standing by? Why are they twiddling their thumbs? Why do they want to
wait until those rates are locked in? For all the talk of ``later,''
why on Earth wouldn't Republican leaders work with us earlier on this?
This is not some surprise. We have been raising the alarm on this
issue for months. Republican leaders just didn't care earlier, and
apparently they still don't care now. What a contrast to Republicans'
billionaire tax breaks just a few months ago. Republicans were full
speed ahead when it came to shoveling money at some of the richest
people on the planet. Remember that? They moved heaven and earth. They
used magic math. They slashed over a trillion in healthcare for
patients and hospitals. They used every trick in the book for
billionaires. But now, nothing when it comes to working families;
nothing when it comes to healthcare.
Republicans can either go back home and explain to their own
constituents why they think their premiums should double or they can
come to the table, where Democrats have been this whole time, and work
with us to reach a serious deal that reopens the government in response
to this healthcare crisis. Democrats are not going anywhere. We are
staying at the table.
Right now, Republican leadership is refusing to take the shutdown or
the healthcare crisis seriously. Speaker Johnson is still refusing to
bring his Members back from vacation despite the growing mutiny among
Republicans. Leader Thune is still refusing to do anything other than
vote on the same failed partisan CR over and over. And President Trump
is still creating a government shutdown like his own personal jamboree,
tweeting out sombreros and promising to cut ``Democratic programs.''
Let's be clear. Republicans control the White House and both Chambers
of Congress, and they are basically missing in action when it comes to
finding a real solution to reopen the government and save millions of
Americans from healthcare bills that will break the bank.
When will President Trump get serious about a solution? When will
Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune do their jobs and get to the
negotiating table? When will House Republicans end this monthlong
vacation? Today? Tomorrow? Next week? The American people are waiting.
But, of course, Republican leadership isn't the end all, be all
because Republican voters have made clear they do not want to see their
premiums skyrocket, and Republican Members of the House and Senate
alike are hearing from those families back home who will not let them
ignore this and starting to realize that we actually do need to address
this healthcare issue now. But the clock is ticking. Rate hikes are
going out in the mail. Open enrollment is starting today in Idaho. Time
is running out, and that message is breaking through.
I think even Republican leaders are starting to realize there is no
spinning their way out of premiums doubling in our country. If they
want to get serious about stopping that and ending the shutdown, all
they have to do is say so.
Mr. President, our doors are open.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted
to complete my remarks prior to the scheduled recess.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Ms. ROSEN. I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to display
three charts simultaneously.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Hamas

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, on October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists
shocked the human conscience when they carried out a brutal attack on
Israel that murdered innocent men, women, children, babies; an attack
during which terrorists raped innocent women; an assault during which
Hamas took hundreds hostage, including Americans and Holocaust
survivors.
For people everywhere and especially Jewish people, this brutal
terrorist attack shook us all to our core. It shattered our hearts, and
it led to our collective grief--a grief that has lasted for years as we
awaited the day when these innocent hostages could be reunited with
their families.
Since the aftermath of October 7, I have had these posters in the
lobby of my office to remind every single person who walked through the
doors that innocent people were still being brutally held by Hamas
terrorists. These signs have been a reminder of who started this war
and how it was kept going for so long.
For more than 2 years 739 agonizing days, families in Israel, in the
United States, and around the world have lived every waking moment--
every waking moment--in anguish, waiting, praying, advocating for the
safe return of their loved ones taken hostage, again, by the terrorist
organization that is Hamas. Those folks never stop; they never tire.
They traveled across continents and oceans to make sure that the world
would never forget their commitment to freeing their loved ones and
that their voices would be heard and that their loved ones would be
brought home. So their mission was not to stop speaking out until they
were reunited with their loved ones.
I had the honor of meeting these families many times over the last
couple of years both in Israel and here in the United States. I have
had the honor of meeting mothers and fathers who showed me photos of
their missing children, of meeting brothers and sisters who refused to
give up hope, and even meeting survivors who escaped captivity and
still found the courage to tell their stories when it wasn't pretty or
easy, and they will spend the rest of their lives healing.
I have also met with families of innocent people who were taken
hostage and murdered and whose bodies Hamas refused to return to their
loved ones. I sat with them. I have listened to their gut-wrenching
stories and cried with them and promised them that America and Congress
would never turn away.
As a mother, as a wife, frankly, as a human being, I can understand
their fight, their desire to be reunited with their loved ones and just
how deep that pain is for them. That is why I worked with colleagues on
both sides of the aisle and across two different administrations to
continue shining that light on the need to return hostages to their
families, to their communities.

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This week, that day finally came. After many long, painful months of
negotiations, a cease-fire deal has been reached--one that has resulted
in the return of all the living hostages. This is a testament to the
resilience and relentless work of families, allies, advocates who never
stopped speaking out and standing up.
I am deeply grateful to the Trump administration for reaching a deal
to make this day possible for these families.
This is a testament to what we can do, what can happen when we put
politics aside and care for each other as human beings, when we have
empathy for each other.
While we have been overjoyed to see the images of hostages being
reunited with their loved ones--it has brought us to tears--let us not
forget those who haven't been so lucky, because Hamas continues to hold
the bodies of dead hostages, including Americans Itay Chen and Omer
Neutra.
I met their families. I felt their pain. And we cannot forget them.
We cannot forget these families--families who will never get to see
their loved ones, families who never got to say goodbye, that one last
``I love you'' before a loved one went off to a music festival to enjoy
an evening concert.
We must remain clear-eyed that our work is not over. The agreement is
still in its early stages, and now is not the time to sit idly by.
I hope the Trump administration and my colleagues in Congress on both
sides of the aisle continue to provide support and enforce guardrails
to see this through. We must remain committed to ensuring the quick
return of the deceased hostages to give their families, well, maybe
some sense of closure that they need and they deserve.
We must make sure that Israel's security remains ironclad; that
Hamas, terrorists--Hamas are terrorists, let's be clear--they can never
again threaten innocent lives and that no terrorist organization should
be using civilians as shields or bargaining chips. We should demand
this much. No terrorist organization should ever use civilians as
shields or bargaining chips, as we have seen.
At the same time, we must also act to ease the immense suffering of
innocent Palestinians in Gaza. They need access to humanitarian aid, to
food, to medicine, and the chance to rebuild their communities free
from Hamas terrorist control and oppression.
Most of all, we must not let this fragile moment pass by without
redoubling our commitment to peace, a lasting peace that ensures
safety, dignity, and self-determination for both Israelis and
Palestinians.
So, this week, as we mark this moment of long-awaited relief, let us
remember, our work is not done, for peace is not achieved in a single
day. It is built with strength and courage of those who refuse to give
up on it, for the hostages who survived, and for those who tragically
did not, for the families who waited, for the families who advocated
for the return of their loved ones, and for the people who continue to
pray for a peaceful future.
May this step be the first sign of change as we move toward an end to
violence, toward a future where Israeli and Palestinian children alike
can grow up knowing not war but embracing hope, a hope for a peaceful
tomorrow. It is my hope as well.
I yield the floor.

____________________