[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13622]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         CONTINUING RESOLUTION

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I wish to bring a little perspective to 
today's vote on the clean CR-Zika package. Remember, this is a 10-week 
funding bill. Its contents command broad support. It contains zero 
controversial riders from either party.
  Can it really be that Democratic leaders have embraced dysfunction so 
thoroughly that they attack a noncontroversial 10-week funding bill 
over--what exactly? Now, remember, the reason we are in this position 
is that our friends on the other side didn't want to have a regular 
appropriations process. Does anybody know what the issue is? Do they 
even know?
  The rationale seems to change by the hour. What we do know is it has 
almost nothing to do with what is actually in the bill. They have 
agreed to its spending levels, so it isn't that. They have agreed to 
its compromise Zika package, so it can't be that. They have agreed with 
us to help veterans and those hurt by floods and the heroin and 
prescription opioid crisis, too, so it can't be that either.
  We also know that the Senate has already voted to pass assistance for 
families affected by lead poisoning in Flint--in its proper vehicle--
the Water Resources Development Act, with Chairman Inhofe pledging to 
continue to pursue resources for Flint once the bill goes to 
conference. So Flint can't really be an issue either. And the White 
House said yesterday that the WRDA bill is an appropriate vehicle for 
the Flint funding.
  It is almost as if a few Democratic leaders decided long ago that 
bringing our country to the brink would make for good election-year 
politics, and then they have just made up a rationale as they go along. 
But that couldn't really be true, could it? Could it be true?
  That would mean Democrats have been playing politics with the lives 
of expectant mothers and babies suffering from Zika after a few months 
ago demanding immediate action. That would mean Democrats have been 
playing politics with the lives of those struggling with the heroin and 
prescription opioid crisis after promising they would help. That would 
mean Democrats have been playing politics with the lives of flood 
victims after saying they cared.
  I know our Democratic friends wouldn't want the American people to 
think that.
  I hope every one of our Democratic friends will show us today that 
they are actually serious about supporting veterans and tackling Zika 
and flood relief and the heroin and prescription opioid crisis, and we 
all know the way to do that is by supporting the legislation before us 
that actually does those things.
  This 10-week funding bill need not be, as some Democratic leaders 
seem to wish, some titanic struggle for the ages. It is just a 10-week 
funding bill. It is hard to believe Democrats would really be willing 
to hold up this commonsense package and its critical resources to 
address Zika, the heroin and prescription opioid epidemic, and floods.
  The clean CR-Zika package before us is fair. It is a result of 
literally weeks of bipartisan negotiations. It does the very things 
Members of both parties and, more importantly, our constituents have 
been calling for.
  We really cannot afford to delay any longer. Passing this clean CR-
Zika package should be one of the easiest votes we cast.

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