[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9753]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION AND APPROPRIATIONS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, it was heartening to see so many 
Democrats joining us yesterday in advancing a good Defense 
authorization bill by a very large bipartisan margin. It now puts the 
Senate on the path to bring the bill to final passage tomorrow. Once 
that happens, the Senate will have taken a significant step by doing 
right for the men and women who risk everything to protect us. It is 
certainly good news, but it is not the end of the story either, because 
while the Defense authorization bill makes promises to our troops, it 
is the Defense appropriations bill that actually fulfills those 
promises.
  That is the bill we will consider next. I would expect everyone who 
votes for the Defense authorization bill would also want to support 
moving to Defense appropriations because I am sure every Democratic 
colleague who just voted to make promises to our troops will want to 
help us actually fulfill those promises by voting for the Defense 
appropriations bill as well.
  They might look to the example Democrats just set in the House of 
Representatives last week. House Democrats appear to understand just 
how cynical it would have been to make promises and then not fund them, 
which is why we saw dozens join Republicans to pass Defense 
appropriations. House Democrats must have known their constituents 
wouldn't fall for an ``I was for the troops before I was against them'' 
argument. House Democrats also must have seen how heartless it would 
have been to deny funding for America's heroes as part of some 
ridiculous filibuster summer plan to extract more cash for giant 
bureaucracies such as the IRS.
  I have to think Senate Democrats would see things the same way. 
Judging by what we just saw last week in the Senate Appropriations 
Committee, there is no reason to think otherwise. Democrats and 
Republicans came together in the Appropriations Committee to pass the 
Defense appropriations bill we are about to consider by a huge margin 
of 27 to 3. Not only did every single Democrat support this bill in 
committee, but Democrats had some pretty supportive things to say about 
it too.
  One Democratic friend called the appropriations bill ``a key 
investment in our national security'' that funds ``a number of Hawaii's 
defense needs.'' Another Democrat noted it would fund a program that is 
one of her ``top priorities.'' Here is what another Democrat said of 
the bill: ``It will directly protect and grow Connecticut's defense 
manufacturing industry and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it 
supports across our State.'' He went on to say it will ``implement a 
well-deserved pay raise for our troops who put their lives on the line 
each and every day.'' He concluded by saying it is a ``victory for 
Connecticut.''
  A victory for Connecticut--now there is a rousing endorsement of the 
bill we will vote on tomorrow. It is no wonder each of these Democratic 
colleagues voted to endorse the appropriations bill. It is good news 
for our troops and their families. It is good news for our country. 
These Democratic friends must not want to see a ``victory for 
Connecticut'' squashed or one of their ``top priorities'' sacrificed 
for the sake of some ploy to funnel a few more dollars to Washington's 
big bureaucracies.
  They must think this filibuster summer idea their party leaders 
hatched isn't good for America's national security or for job security 
in their own States. They must know you can't take credit for promises 
made in a defense authorization bill if you then vote against the 
appropriations bill that would fund them.
  I hope Senators in both parties would join together once more to 
bring the Defense authorization bill over the goal line tomorrow and 
then begin debate on the inseparable appropriations bill too.
  If Senators want to amend that appropriations bill or strike a rider, 
then they should vote with us to get on the legislation so we can 
consider these amendments or those motions to strike. If Senators want 
to try to increase or reduce the level of funding in that bill, the 
only way they will have a chance to try doing that is if they vote with 
us to get on the bill in the first place.
  So bring us your ideas. Bring them on out. Let's debate them. Whether 
you have a proposal to boost the helicopter industry in Connecticut or 
a plan to repair naval vessels, amphibious and surface ships in places 
such as California, Washington, Hawaii, and Virginia, the only way to 
ensure ideas like these are considered is by voting to open debate on 
the appropriations bill, and the only way to ensure they will not be 
heard at all--at all--is by voting to filibuster. That wouldn't be good 
for anyone.
  So let's not kill the opportunity to even have those debates because 
here is what we know: The young men and women of our volunteer force 
don't need a summer packed full of Democratic filibusters, and they 
certainly don't need a Democratic shutdown surprise in the fall. All 
they ask for are the weapons, the training, and the skills they need to 
prevail on the battlefield. We can give it to them. We are almost 
there.
  Democrats already joined Republicans to make a promise to the troops, 
and with just a little more good bipartisan work we will see Democrats 
join with Republicans to fulfill those promises. I have to think they 
will because failing to do so would mean making empty promises to both 
constituents and our troops.

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