Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 190 (Monday, November 10, 2025)

[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 190 (Monday, November 10, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8125-S8131]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS AND EXTENSIONS ACT, 2026

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Ricketts). The clerk will report the bill.
The bill clerk read as follows:

A bill (H.R. 5371) making continuing appropriations and
extensions for fiscal year 2026, and for other purposes.

Amendment No. 3937

(Purpose: In the nature of a substitute.)

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I call up substitute amendment No. 3937.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

The Senator from South Dakota [Mr. Thune], for Ms. Collins,
proposes an amendment numbered 3937 to H.R. 5371.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask that the reading be dispensed with.
(The amendment is printed in today's Record under ``Text of
Amendments.'')

Cloture Motion

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The cloture motion having been presented under
rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.
The bill clerk read as follows:

Cloture Motion

We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the
provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate,
do hereby move to bring to a close debate on substitute
amendment No. 3937 to Calendar No. 168, H.R. 5371, a bill
making continuing appropriations and extensions for fiscal
year 2026, and for other purposes.
John Thune, Kevin Cramer, John Barrasso, James Lankford,
Shelley Moore Capito, James E. Risch, Mike Rounds,
Steve Daines, Lisa Murkowski, Katie Boyd Britt, Pete
Ricketts, Jon A. Husted, Roger Marshall, Cindy Hyde-
Smith, Tim Sheehy, Jerry Moran, Susan M. Collins.

Mr. THUNE. I ask for the yeas and nays on the amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The yeas and nays are ordered.

Amendment No. 3941 to Amendment No. 3937

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 3941 from Senator
Paul.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

The Senator from South Dakota [Mr. Thune], for Mr. Paul,
proposes an amendment numbered 3941 to amendment No. 3937.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask that the reading be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:

(Purpose: To strike a provision modifiying the definition of hemp for
purposes of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946)

Nothwithstanding any other provisions of this Act, in title
VII of division B, section 781 shall have no force or effect.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on the
amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The yeas and nays are ordered.

Amendment No. 3942 to Amendment No. 3941

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I have a second-degree amendment at the
desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

The Senator from South Dakota [Mr. Thune], proposes an
amendment numbered 3942 to amendment No. 3941.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask that the reading be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:

(Purpose: To improve the bill)

At the end add the following.
``This Act shall take effect 1 day after the date of
enactment.''

Amendment No. 3943

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I have an amendment to the text of the
underlying bill.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

The Senator from South Dakota [Mr. Thune], proposes an
amendment numbered 3943 to the language proposed to be
stricken by amendment No. 3937.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask that the reading be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:

(Purpose: To improve the bill)

Strike ``1 day'' and insert ``2 days''

Mr. THUNE. I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The yeas and nays are ordered.

Amendment No. 3944 to Amendment No. 3943

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I have a second-degree amendment at the
desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

The Senator from South Dakota [Mr. Thune] proposes an
amendment numbered 3944 to amendment No. 3943

The amendment is as follows:

(Purpose: To improve the bill)

At the end add the following.
``This Act shall take effect 3 days after the date of
enactment.''

Motion to Commit with Amendment No. 3945

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I move to commit the bill to the Committee
on Appropriations with instructions.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

The Senator from South Dakota [Mr. Thune] moves to commit
the bill, H.R. 5371, to the Committee on Appropriations to
report back forthwith with instructions with an amendment
numbered 3945.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask that the reading be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:

(Purpose: To improve the bill)

At the end add the following.
``This Act shall take effect 5 days after the date of
enactment.''

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on the motion
to commit with instructions.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The yeas and nays are ordered.

Amendment No. 3946

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I have an amendment to the instructions.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

The Senator from South Dakota [Mr. Thune] proposes an
amendment numbered 3946 to the instructions on the motion to
commit with an amendment No. 3945.

Mr. THUNE. I ask consent the reading be waived.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:

(Purpose: To improve the bill)

Strike ``5 days'' and insert ``6 days''

Mr. THUNE. I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The yeas and nays are ordered.

Amendment No. 3947 to Amendment No. 3946

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I have a second-degree amendment at the
desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

[[Page S8126]]

The Senator from South Dakota [Mr. Thune] proposes an
amendment numbered 3947 to amendment No. 3946.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask consent that the reading of the names
be waived.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:

(Purpose: To improve the bill)

Strike ``6 days'' and insert ``7 days''

Cloture Motion

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk with
respect to Calendar No. 168, H.R. 5371.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The cloture motion having been presented under
rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.
The bill clerk read as follows:

Cloture Motion

We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the
provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate,
do hereby move to bring to a close debate on Calendar No.
168, H.R. 5371, a bill making continuing appropriations and
extensions for fiscal year 2026, and for other purposes, as
amended.
John Thune, Kevin Cramer, John Barrasso, James Lankford,
Shelley Moore Capito, James E. Risch, Mike Rounds,
Steve Daines, Lisa Murkowski, Katie Boyd Britt, Pete
Ricketts, Jon A. Husted, Roger Marshall, Cindy Hyde-
Smith, Tim Sheehy, Jerry Moran, Susan M. Collins.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin.

Motion to Table

Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, shortly, I will move to table amendment
No. 3947 for the purposes of offering my amendment to extend the
Affordable Care Act tax credits for 1 year. I am doing this because my
Republican colleagues are refusing to act to stop healthcare premiums
from doubling for over 20 million Americans.
I just can't stand by without a fight. Americans have said loudly and
clearly that they are in a healthcare crisis. That is not up for a
negotiation. But it didn't have to be this way. We are at this moment
because Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have simply refused
to address the biggest increase in insurance premiums they will likely
ever experience.
For months, congressional Republicans and Donald Trump have refused
to even talk to us about addressing it. Estimates show that 22 million
Americans will see their premiums double on average. I am getting calls
daily from Wisconsinites begging me to stay in this fight.

A couple in Door County, WI, told me their premium is rising by $550
a month next year. Everything is already too expensive. So where are
they supposed to find 6,500 extra dollars in their budget?
Another couple, from Butternut, WI, told me their premiums are going
from $400 per month to over $5,000 per month. That is $55,000 more a
year. As they wrote to me, ``healthcare tax breaks are not just numbers
on paper. They are a lifeline that allows us to sleep at night, knowing
that we won't lose everything if one of us gets sick.''
Behind every one of the 22 million Americans who rely on these tax
credits is a story, a family who has to put together a budget, who has
to make the hard decisions of what they can afford for their family
next year. Some are logging on to healthcare.gov right now and finding
that they simply can't afford health insurance next year. That is
unconscionable.
Addressing this demands that we act now--not in a week, not next
month, but now.
That is why a handshake deal with my Republican colleagues to reopen
the government and no guarantee to actually lower costs is simply not
good enough. The people I work for need more than that. They need
healthcare that they can afford, not a symbolic vote.
For over a year now, I have been fighting to get a bill passed to
avoid this very situation and make these tax credits permanent. My
colleagues and I have tried every which way to get this bill passed.
Every time, my Republican colleagues kill the effort and put 22 million
Americans on the path to pay more for healthcare next year.
For 41 days, I have been clear. I will work with anyone to reopen the
government and lower Americans' healthcare costs. And I am not throwing
in the towel until we have exhausted every option to make that happen.
That is why I have offered an amendment to extend tax breaks for
Americans who buy their insurance through the Affordable Care Act for 1
year. My amendment is as straightforward as it gets. It would extend
current law for 1 year, stop costs from skyrocketing for constituents,
and give us time to negotiate on healthcare costs, without leaving 22
million Americans in the lurch.
Is this everything I think we should do? No. We should make
healthcare more affordable for everyone forever. But I am willing to
compromise to avoid catastrophe for families I work for.
I am demanding that we take this vote so that we can actually provide
some relief to millions of American families. The American people are
desperate for healthcare that they can afford and demand that we do
everything in our power to lower costs. This is a tool in my toolbox to
try to lower their costs. So I am using it.

I have talked to so many of my Republican colleagues who want to do
something here, who want to keep healthcare costs down for their
constituents, who know their constituents in red States and districts
will be hardest hit.
Well, now is the time to show it.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
Ms. BALDWIN. My sincere hope is that the Republicans join me so I can
make this amendment to the continuing resolution and let 22 million
Americans rest easier. I hope my Republican colleagues choose to join
us.
And now I yield to Senator Sanders.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I want to thank the Senator from
Wisconsin for offering this important and very simple and
straightforward amendment. Nothing can be simpler.
Are you prepared, I say to my Republican friends, to sit back and
allow over 20 million Americans to see a doubling of their healthcare
premiums?
In my State of Vermont, people who are 65, 63 years of age will, in
some cases, see a tripling or quadrupling. And that is the case in your
States as well.

All that Senator Baldwin is saying is: Let us take a deep breath. Let
us make sure that people do not see an outrageous increase in their
premiums. Let us not pave the way for 15 million Americans to lose
their healthcare entirely because of savage cuts to Medicaid. That is
all she is asking.
Now, I notice that recently, some of my Republican colleagues are
beginning to talk about the healthcare crisis. Well, during Trump's
first 4 years, he had virtually nothing to say about the crisis, and
nothing to say about it in the next 4 years. But I am glad that there
is some discussion.
The truth of the matter is, in my view, that the current healthcare
system is broken, it is dysfunctional, and it is cruel.
But I want to ask my Republican friends a simple question: Are you
happy with the fact that here in the United States, we are the only
major country not to guarantee healthcare to every man, woman, and
child?
We are unique. That is not the kind of exceptionalism we should be
proud of.
Are you happy that we are paying twice as much per capita for
healthcare, over $14,000 per person, more than any other major country,
and yet we have 85 million Americans who are uninsured or underinsured?
Are you content with the fact that the insurance companies and the
drug companies are making huge profits, paying their CEOs exorbitant
salaries? Are you happy with that?
Are you happy that patients in America have to get on the phone and
fight like crazy and deal with all kinds of bureaucrats in order to get
the healthcare that they paid for in an incredibly complicated, broken
system?
So if you want to have a debate about healthcare, let's have that
debate. I happen to believe that we should join the rest of the
industrialized world, guarantee healthcare to all people through a
Medicare-for-all, single-payer system.
You got a better idea? Bring it forward. But what we should agree
upon is that you don't raise premiums by 100 percent or, in some cases,
triple or quadruple.
Let's take a deep breath. Let's extend these ACA subsidies for
another

[[Page S8127]]

year. Let's have that debate on healthcare. That is what the American
people want.
Mr. President, I yield to the Senator from Michigan.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. President, I rise today in support of Ms. Baldwin's
amendment on a clean 1-year extension on the healthcare.gov credits.
Since July, I have been really clear. If you want me to vote on a
deal, it has got to do something to bring down the cost of healthcare
because of the healthcare crisis that Republicans in this Chamber
precipitated back in July.

Just to review the bidding, in July, the Big Beautiful Bill, which
all of you voted for--most of you voted for--slashed Medicaid and
slashed coverage for people on healthcare.gov. Now, all our hospitals,
all our healthcare systems, all our nursing homes--everybody--accepted
that and started to plan.
In response to that, the hospitals said: Well, look, people are still
going to come. They are still going to get into car accidents. They are
still going to have heart attacks. They are just not going to be
covered by health insurance. So we are going to have to charge the
people with insurance even more money.
So we are now at this point. This crisis that has been precipitated
has led to the fact that every single American--everyone watching,
everyone listening--is either facing losing their health insurance or
paying more, and that includes people on private, employer-provided
insurance.
When we take a step back and we look at all the people that are going
to fall off healthcare, all the healthy young people that are not going
to pay for healthcare anymore, it looks like--across, at least, my
State--every single person is looking at their prices doubling, not
just the people who are affected by the Big Beautiful Bill but the bill
payers, the people on private health insurance.
No one in this room would say that we are paying too little for
healthcare right now.
And I don't always agree with Senator Sanders, but I can say there is
no more broken system in America than healthcare right now. It needs
full rebuilding. We may disagree on some of the ways to do it, but the
Republicans offered zero plan, zero ideas. Hell, Marjorie Taylor Greene
is talking about how Republican don't have a plan. I never thought I
would be agreeing with her.
So, today, all we are asking for is a clean 1-year extension. No one
says ObamaCare is perfect. No one says a clean extension is perfect.
But you pushed people back into a corner. You have said we are going
to pay for our tax cuts on the backs of everyday Americans by using
their healthcare as the bill payer.
So can we do a 1-year extension, please, so that we can have some
kind of conversation--a real conversation--that the American people
expect people of our stature to be having? Can we have that
conversation over the next year, but not, in some cases, have people's
health insurance go up by 600 percent? That is what you have
precipitated.
So to every American watching, whether you are on healthcare.gov or
you are on private insurance, if you are getting those letters, if you
are getting those notifications of an increase of your bill of $200,
$500, $800 starting January 1, my peers on the other side of the aisle
are the ones--you should lay it at their feet because they have put us
in this place. And if they vote tonight against this, it is because
they don't give a crap about the cost of your healthcare. They don't
give one single crap about it.
So I hope my colleagues find it in their hearts to say: Let's fix the
system, fine. But at least for now, give us a 1-year extension so we
can have a real conversation.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin.

Motion to Table

Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, I move to table amendment No. 3947 for
the purposes of offering my amendment to extend ACA tax credits for 1
year. That is Baldwin No. 3950.
I ask for the yeas and nays.

Vote on Motion

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion to
table.
Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
The result was announced--yeas 47, nays 53, as follows:

[Rollcall Vote No. 612 Leg.]

YEAS--47

Alsobrooks
Baldwin
Bennet
Blumenthal
Blunt Rochester
Booker
Cantwell
Coons
Cortez Masto
Duckworth
Durbin
Fetterman
Gallego
Gillibrand
Hassan
Heinrich
Hickenlooper
Hirono
Kaine
Kelly
Kim
King
Klobuchar
Lujan
Markey
Merkley
Murphy
Murray
Ossoff
Padilla
Peters
Reed
Rosen
Sanders
Schatz
Schiff
Schumer
Shaheen
Slotkin
Smith
Van Hollen
Warner
Warnock
Warren
Welch
Whitehouse
Wyden

NAYS--53

Banks
Barrasso
Blackburn
Boozman
Britt
Budd
Capito
Cassidy
Collins
Cornyn
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Cruz
Curtis
Daines
Ernst
Fischer
Graham
Grassley
Hagerty
Hawley
Hoeven
Husted
Hyde-Smith
Johnson
Justice
Kennedy
Lankford
Lee
Lummis
Marshall
McConnell
McCormick
Moody
Moran
Moreno
Mullin
Murkowski
Paul
Ricketts
Risch
Rounds
Schmitt
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Sheehy
Sullivan
Thune
Tillis
Tuberville
Wicker
Young
The motion was rejected.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Moreno). The Senator from Oregon.

Motion to Table Amendment No. 3946

Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I want to provide an opportunity tonight
for us all to stand up for the Constitution, one of the most important
powers that we have here as a Congress, and that is the ability to
design a program and to fund a program. And once that has been signed
into law by a President of the United States, it is the law of the
land. The President has the responsibility to execute that program as
designed and funded.
But back in 1974, we decided to give the President a fast track to
propose that something we have designed and funded should be unfunded.
It is called a rescission, a fancy name for us acting to unfund a
program we previously had put in place.
And here is the thing, that law, the Budget Act of 1974, says that it
takes an affirmative vote of the Senate and of the House of
Representatives to unfund the program that is already in law.
But an unexpected challenge has emerged, and that unexpected
challenge is that if the request from the President to unfund the
program comes within 45 days of the end of the year, even if we were to
act and turn down the rescission, it still means that, under a grace
period in the law, the funds evaporate at the end of the year. So in
other words, with no approval from the House or Senate, no new law
being passed, the existing law is undone on the clock. It is like--
well, it is like Cinderella's coach. It reaches midnight, and the coach
becomes a pumpkin. It falls apart. It disappears.
That is a threat that goes fundamentally to the difference between a
democracy and an autocracy. In a democracy, we come together with all
of our varied experiences, with all of our different parts of the
country, and we say: Here are programs and funding that fit our Nation
as a whole. It is a master compromise. But in an authoritarian
government, one person decides what is funded and what isn't. And that
is what happens in this special power when it is submitted within 45
days of the end of the fiscal year.
So however much one may like or dislike a given President in power,
support or oppose, all of us have a responsibility to stand up for our
constitutional power of the purse; that all of America will be served
by the laws we pass and that if they are to be undone, they have to be
voted on by this Chamber and the Chamber down the hall in an
affirmative fashion.
So I will, at the appropriate moment a minute or two from now,
propose at that point to table an amendment that is in the tree so we
can submit an

[[Page S8128]]

amendment that will defend our Constitution, defend article I power,
defend our democracy.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

Unanimous Consent Agreement

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I would ask unanimous consent that the
remaining rollcall votes be 10 minutes in length.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
There will now be 2 minutes of debate, equally divided.
The Senator from Oregon.
Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I will be happy to give a portion of that
equally divided by saying simply this: None of us are well served by a
situation where the President decides to cancel programs based on the
President's preferences. That is not a democracy.
And whether it is this President or a future President, we need to
have these rescission requests submitted in time for us to take action
as the law requires.
So submitting them with enough time to spare at the end of the fiscal
year for us to vote up or down is the right thing to do. It protects
our constitutional power to design and fund programs.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate?
The Senator from Oregon.

Vote on Motion to Table

Mr. MERKLEY. I move to table amendment No. 3946 for the purpose of
offering my amendment No. 3948 to defend our constitutional power of
the purse and the importance of our democracy in ensuring that what we
put into law stays in law unless we choose to change it.
I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The question is on agreeing to the motion to table.
The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
The result was announced--yeas 47, nays 53, as follows:

[Rollcall Vote No. 613 Leg.]

YEAS--47

NAYS--53

Amendment No. 3941

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, instead of a clean CR, this bill contains
language that has been air-dropped in that will destroy hemp farming in
Kentucky and across the United States.
Tucked away on page 163, title VII, division B of this spending
package is a provision that will shut down the hemp industry across the
United States. My amendment would strip the provision designed to
regulate the hemp industry to death.
The bill as it now stands overrides the regulatory frameworks of
several States, cancels the collective decisions of hemp consumers, and
destroys the livelihoods of hemp farmers. And it couldn't come at a
worse time for America farmers. Times are tough for our farmers.
Farmers' costs have increased as the price of fertilizer and machinery
have jumped, while prices for their crops, like soybean, corn, and
wheat, have declined.
For many farmers, hemp has proved to be a lifeline, a new cash crop.
Farmers turn to growing hemp to mitigate the losses they endured during
this season of hardship. But that lifeline may soon be extinguished by
this very legislation.
The effective hemp ban included in this spending package is a result,
we are told, of bad actors skirting the legal limits by overly
enhancing the concentration of THC in their products. The hemp
industry, myself, and others have come together, and we have been
willing to negotiate to get rid of the bad actors. Yet, instead, we are
met with legislation that would be prohibition.
Members of the industry, myself, and others who are advocates of this
have been willing to get rid of synthetic cannabinoids, willing to
compromise at every turn, but we are met with the numbers in this bill,
which will eradicate the hemp industry.
For the last several weeks, we have offered proposals with the goal
of creating an environment in which the hemp industry could thrive and
sell products, and we have been met with those who want to prohibit the
industry from continuing.

This bill's per-serving THC content limit would make illegal any hemp
product that contains more than 0.4 milligrams. That would be nearly
100 percent of the existing market. The numbers put forward in this
bill will eliminate 100 percent of the hemp products in our country.
That amounts to an effective ban because the limit is so low that the
products intended to manage pain or anxiety will lose their effect.
The States have done what they are supposed to. The States have
instituted laws. Twenty-three States have instituted laws on hemp. None
of them have limits anywhere close to what is being proposed in this
bill. So what will happen is most of the things that your States have
regulated, are regulating, and have made legal will be made illegal by
this bill. This bill will effectively preempt and nullify all State
laws concerning hemp.
Currently, Maine limits THC to 3 milligrams per serving; that will be
overruled. My home State limits THC to 5 milligrams in beverages; that
will be overruled. Minnesota, Utah, and Louisiana also have 5
milligrams per serving. Alabama and Georgia have 10 milligrams.
Tennessee has 15 milligrams. The bill before us nullifies all these
State laws and makes the hemp industry kaput.
The language in this bill will outlaw all current hemp plants and
seeds. It changes the definition of what a hemp plant is. It makes it
so low that there may not even be an existing plant that can meet the
parameters. But every plant in the country will have to be destroyed.
Every hemp seed in the country will have to be destroyed. This is the
most thoughtless, ignorant proposal to an industry that I have seen in
a long, long time.
The States have made progress, and more progress is coming. Most
States have age limits.
To add insult to injury, we are given this legislation in an
appropriations bill. We have Senate rules against this.
So I would recommend that we vote for this amendment, and my
amendment would strip out the language.
I would transfer the remainder of my time to Senator Merkley.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.
Mr. MERKLEY. I really ask my colleagues, particularly on this side,
to hear me out on this.

The Senators from Kentucky and Oregon cooperated to create the first
research on hemp. We cooperated to give the first opportunity to move
research seeds across State lines. We cooperated and pushed to create
hemp as a legitimate agricultural product.
CBD derived from hemp has been approved by the FDA for treating
seizures. It is a legal medicine. We would wipe out an industry that we
have spent more than a decade creating.
The advocates for this language that is in the bill will tell you
this won't affect CBD. Every expert I have consulted has said that that
is exactly wrong; that this will, in fact, wipe out 95 to 99 percent of
the industry.

My colleague from Kentucky is exactly right. We asked our farmers to
engage in this research, and we asked them to build this industry. We
should protect it for CBD.

[[Page S8129]]

I support my other colleague from Kentucky, who doesn't want
intoxicated products produced from hemp. The definition that is in this
bill does far more than that, and it has to be fixed. So, for now, it
needs to be stripped out.
Please support Senator Paul's position.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kentucky.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the language I helped secure in the
Agriculture appropriations bill addresses a serious concern regarding
the manufacturing and selling of unregulated, intoxicating THC products
nationwide.
I led the effort to legalize industrial hemp through the 2014 pilot
program and the 2018 farm bill. Unfortunately, companies have exploited
a loophole in the 2018 legislation by taking legal amounts of THC from
hemp and turning it into intoxicating substances and then marketing it
to children in candylike packaging and selling it in easily accessible
places like gas stations and convenience stores all across our country.
So the children end up being the unknowing consumers of these poisonous
products and being sent to the hospital at an alarming rate.
My efforts to close this loophole and stop this from happening are
included in this appropriations package. It will keep these dangerous
products out of the hands of children while preserving the hemp
industry for farmers. Industrial hemp and CBD will remain legal for
industrial applications--such as seed, stock, fiber, grain oil--or will
be used in drug trials. This language merely clarifies the original
intent of the 2018 farm bill, rooting out the bad actors and protecting
the growing hemp industry.
While some may masquerade as advocates for hemp farmers, even
sometimes threatening to hold up government funding over this issue, I
will continue to work on behalf of Kentucky's farmers while protecting
our children not only in my State but in yours as well. I would urge my
colleagues to do the same.

Vote on Motion to Table

Therefore, I move to table Senate amendment No. 3941, and I ask for
the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion to
table.

Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
The result was announced--yeas 76, nays 24, as follows:

[Rollcall Vote No. 614 Leg.]

YEAS--76

Alsobrooks
Banks
Barrasso
Blackburn
Blunt Rochester
Boozman
Britt
Budd
Cantwell
Capito
Cassidy
Collins
Coons
Cornyn
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Curtis
Daines
Duckworth
Durbin
Ernst
Fetterman
Fischer
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Hagerty
Hassan
Hawley
Heinrich
Hirono
Hoeven
Husted
Hyde-Smith
Johnson
Justice
Kennedy
Kim
King
Lankford
Lee
Lujan
Lummis
Marshall
McConnell
McCormick
Moody
Moran
Moreno
Mullin
Murkowski
Murray
Padilla
Reed
Ricketts
Risch
Rosen
Rounds
Schiff
Schmitt
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Shaheen
Sheehy
Slotkin
Sullivan
Thune
Tillis
Tuberville
Van Hollen
Warner
Whitehouse
Wicker
Young

NAYS--24

Baldwin
Bennet
Blumenthal
Booker
Cruz
Gallego
Hickenlooper
Kaine
Kelly
Klobuchar
Markey
Merkley
Murphy
Ossoff
Paul
Peters
Sanders
Schatz
Schumer
Smith
Warnock
Warren
Welch
Wyden
The motion was agreed to.
(Mr. HUSTED assumed the Chair.)
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Schmitt). The Senator from Maine.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I yield back all remaining time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Cloture Motion

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before
the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

Cloture Motion

We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the
provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate,
do hereby move to bring to a close debate on substitute
amendment No. 3937 to Calendar No. 168, H.R. 5371, a bill
making continuing appropriations and extensions for fiscal
year 2026, and for other purposes.
John Thune, Kevin Cramer, John Barrasso, James Lankford,
Shelley Moore Capito, James E. Risch, Mike Rounds,
Steve Daines, Lisa Murkowski, Katie Boyd Britt, Pete
Ricketts, Jon Husted, Roger Marshall, Cindy Hyde-Smith,
Tim Sheehy, Jerry Moran, Susan M. Collins.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the mandatory quorum
call under rule XXII has been waived.
The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on
amendment No. 3937 to Calendar No. 168, H.R. 5371, a bill making
continuing appropriations and extensions for fiscal year 2026, and for
other purposes, shall be brought to a close?

The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 60, nays 40, as follows:

[Rollcall Vote No. 615 Leg.]

YEAS--60

Banks
Barrasso
Blackburn
Boozman
Britt
Budd
Capito
Cassidy
Collins
Cornyn
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Cruz
Curtis
Daines
Durbin
Ernst
Fetterman
Fischer
Graham
Grassley
Hagerty
Hassan
Hawley
Hoeven
Husted
Hyde-Smith
Johnson
Justice
Kaine
Kennedy
King
Lankford
Lee
Lummis
Marshall
McConnell
McCormick
Moody
Moran
Moreno
Mullin
Murkowski
Ricketts
Risch
Rosen
Rounds
Schmitt
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Shaheen
Sheehy
Sullivan
Thune
Tillis
Tuberville
Wicker
Young

NAYS--40

Amendments Withdrawn

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Cloture having been invoked, the motion to
commit and the amendments pending thereto fall.
Under the previous order, the pending amendments, other than the
substitute amendment No. 3937, are withdrawn and all postcloture time
is expired.
The amendments were withdrawn.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question occurs on the substitute
amendment.
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I yield back all debate time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Vote on Amendment No. 3937

The question is on adoption of the amendment.
Mrs. MURRAY. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
The result was announced--yeas 60, nays 40, as follows:

[Rollcall Vote No. 616 Leg.]

YEAS--60

[[Page S8130]]

Lummis
Marshall
McConnell
McCormick
Moody
Moran
Moreno
Mullin
Murkowski
Ricketts
Risch
Rosen
Rounds
Schmitt
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Shaheen
Sheehy
Sullivan
Thune
Tillis
Tuberville
Wicker
Young

NAYS--40

Cloture Motion

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before
the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

Cloture Motion

The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum
call has been waived.
The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on
Calendar No. 168, H.R. 5371, a bill making continuing appropriations
and extensions for fiscal year 2026,

=========================== NOTE ===========================

On page S8130, November 10, 2025, first column, the following
appears: The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that
debate on Calendar No. 163, H.R. 5371, a bill making continuing
appropriations and extensions for fiscal year 2026

The online Record has been corrected to read: The question is,
Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on Calendar No. 168,
H.R. 5371, a bill making continuing appropriations and extensions
for fiscal year 2026

========================= END NOTE =========================

and for other purposes, as amended, shall be brought to a close.The
yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 60, nays 40, as follows:

[Rollcall Vote No. 617 Leg.]

YEAS--60

NAYS--40

Alsobrooks
Baldwin
Bennet
Blumenthal
Blunt Rochester
Booker
Cantwell
Coons
Duckworth
Gallego
Gillibrand
Heinrich
Hickenlooper
Hirono
Kelly
Kim
Klobuchar
Lujan
Markey
Merkley
Murphy
Murray
Ossoff
Padilla
Paul
Peters
Reed
Sanders
Schatz
Schiff
Schumer
Slotkin
Smith
Van Hollen
Warner
Warnock
Warren
Welch
Whitehouse
Wyden
The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 60, the nays are
40.
Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn having voted in
the affirmative, the motion is agreed to.
The motion was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I want to thank all of our colleagues for
their hard work on this bill. I am excited about its impending passage.
I hope that will mean that we will immediately reopen government as
soon as the House acts and the President signs it into law.
I am also very pleased that we were able to fully fund three
appropriations bills that passed with overwhelming bipartisan support
on August 1.
I thank my colleagues. I know of no other requests for time.
I yield back the remaining time.

Vote on H.R. 5371, As Amended

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the clerk will read
the bill by title for the third time.
The amendment was ordered to be engrossed and the bill to be read a
third time.
The bill was read the third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill having been read the third time, the
question is, Shall the bill pass?

Mr. WHITEHOUSE. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
The result was announced--yeas 60, nays 40, as follows:

[Rollcall Vote No. 618 Leg.]

YEAS--60

NAYS--40

Government Funding

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I just want to reiterate my gratitude for
my colleagues, our staff who report night and day, literally, and to
all of those who have brought us to this point.
We are going to reopen government. We are going to ensure that
Federal employees, whether they were furloughed or laid off or forced
to work without pay, will now receive compensation that they have
earned and deserve.
And we will also be able to celebrate on Veterans Day tomorrow the
fact that we have passed the appropriations bill for the VA.
This would not have come about without the work of so many people--
too numerous to mention. But I do want to thank my fellow
appropriators, particularly the chairs of the three committees--Senator
Boozman, Senator Hoeven, and Senator Mullin--for their hard work.
I want to thank our House counterparts, particularly Chairman Cole,
who worked night and day with us on getting conference agreements.
And our Democratic colleagues who courageously realized that we could
not let this shutdown continue to go on with the harmful consequences
growing worse with each passing day.
I also want to particularly thank my staff. They literally went
without sleep and worked continuously to do all that needed to be done.
I want to thank Leader Thune and Leader Barrasso for their hard work
and the work of their staff as well.
My list of gratitude could go on and on, but the hour is getting
late, and I do want people to be able to go home for the night and
home-home, finally.
Again, I think this is a great victory for the American people. It
shows that the Senate can work; that we can produce the results that
are needed.
I want to give a shout-out to Senator Katie Britt, who is here this
evening--

[[Page S8131]]

she helped in so many ways with the negotiations-- and Senator Shaheen,
Senator Kaine, Senator Angus King, my colleague, and the rest of the
eight Democrats who were willing to cross party lines for the good of
the people of this country.

So thank you, Mr. President, for all that has been done and for your
personal participation as well.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, this has been a very long road--quite
literally, the longest shutdown in history. I am very, very happy to be
able to say that we are coming to the end.
Before we close today, I want to take the time to say thank you to my
staff, who have worked around the clock tirelessly now for the past 6
weeks; to the staff of the Appropriations Committee, who have played a
critical role in getting us to where we are today; to the Cloakroom
staff; to every Senate staffer on both sides of the aisle, who has
spent 41 days coming into work without pay; to the custodial staff,
who, again without pay, have kept this building and the Senate office
buildings livable; to all institutional staff, without whom this place
would not run; to the Secretary of the Senate and everyone in her
office; the Sergeant at Arms and her team; the Architect of the Capitol
and his staff; and everyone on the floor right now making this session
happen; and to the men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police, who have
shown up during this shutdown day in and day out to protect the rest of
us. I am humbled by and grateful for your service.
I know that the strain of these weeks has been immense, and you all
have families, rent to meet, bills to pay, car and mortgage payments. I
am grateful for all you have done to keep the Senate running and for
all that you do every day, shutdown or no shutdown, to serve the Senate
and to serve our country.
With that, after 6 excruciating weeks, I will stop talking and let
all of you get some rest.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

____________________