[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 14730]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           GOVERNMENT FUNDING

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, in just 6 days, the government will shut 
down unless we figure out some way to fund it. We know how it should be 
funded. But instead of voting today on a bipartisan way forward, we 
will still have another failed vote, even though the Senate has already 
spoken on this issue. Instead of using the Senate's precious time to 
avoid a shutdown, Republicans are causing us to move forward on another 
squandered vote.
  Republicans should abandon their commitment to fruitless votes and 
pass a clean funding bill to keep the government open. As reported in 
the press, there is a conversation going on now with the White House 
and with the House and Senate leaders to have funding until the end of 
the year, not for a few weeks, not for a few months. I think we have 
done our part over on this side of the aisle. We communicated our 
priorities and tried to sit down at the negotiating table, ready to 
keep the government open.
  Inserting into this debate a meaningless, losing attack on women is 
just a waste of time, but they have decided--they the Republicans have 
decided--once again to place partisan, ideological agendas over the 
well-being of the Nation. To drag this partisan attack on any further 
when we are facing a government shutdown is not responsible. The 
Republicans should change their tactics. When Republicans gained 
control of the Senate, we were told that there would be no government 
shutdowns. But do we need the fear of a government shutdown? Shutting 
down is bad, the threat of a shutdown is not good, but here we stand, 
days before funding for the government expires, wasting time on 
publicity stunts.
  Every moment Republicans squander on pointless votes brings us closer 
to an unfunded Federal Government. Wasting time also leads to a void 
for shutdown advocates. Just last night, all over the news, it was 
reported that the junior Senator from Texas is going to extreme lengths 
to undermine the complete funding of our government. He is circulating 
a letter seeking support for a failed strategy that can only have one 
outcome: a government shutdown.
  I would hope my Republican colleagues will not join in that, not for 
a minute, not for any period of time. I say to my friends from the 
other side of the aisle: Stop this brinksmanship. Instead, work with 
Democrats to ensure we have an open, funded government serving the 
American people.
  I see there are Senators on the floor. Would the Presiding Officer be 
good enough to announce the business of the day.

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