[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 19488-19489]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ISSUES BEFORE CONGRESS

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I first would like to talk today about 
year-end business.
  Congressional negotiators are making good headway on a budget deal 
that would meet our commitments to our military and also our urgent 
priorities here at home. I hope this progress continues this week.
  Unfortunately, the progress in Congress is in stark contrast to the 
rhetoric coming from the White House. President Trump again suggested 
yesterday that a ``shutdown could happen.'' If a shutdown happens, as 
the President seemed to be rooting for in his tweet earlier this year, 
it will fall on his shoulders. His party controls the Senate, the 
House, and the Presidency.
  Nobody here wants to see a shutdown. We Democrats are not interested 
in one. That is why we are working with our Republican colleagues in 
good faith to resolve all of the issues we have to solve before the end 
of the year, and it is in this spirit that Leader Pelosi and I will go 
to the White House this afternoon to discuss all of the issues before 
us.
  It is no secret that one of the major sticking points--if not the 
major sticking point--in the negotiations is funding levels for 
programs that invest directly in economic growth and a social safety 
net for the middle class. Democrats are pushing for sorely needed 
funding to combat the opioid crisis, to shore up pension plans, to 
support veterans' health, to relieve student loan debt, and build rural 
infrastructure.
  Without a budget agreement that lifts spending caps on both defense 
and economic development in a fair and equitable manner, programs I 
have mentioned, and so many others--medical research comes to mind--
could see their funding cut. Our veterans deserve better. People 
seeking recovery from opioid addiction deserve better. Hard-

[[Page 19489]]

working pensioners deserve better. We must do both things--support the 
military and programs that create jobs and growth here at home--in 
equal measure. Both are very important.
  I know there are some on the far right who say all the jobs programs 
and economic growth programs are unimportant, but most of us, Democrats 
and Republicans, believe both are important. The idea that both are 
important has been the basis of successful budget agreements going back 
several years, including the agreement we reached last April, where the 
military side and the domestic job, economic growth side were treated 
equally.
  Unfortunately, it appears that the Freedom Caucus--a rather small 
bloc of hard-right House conservatives--is trying to derail another 
successful parity agreement. According to press reports, the Freedom 
Caucus is pushing for a very short-term extension of funding for jobs 
and economic development, while pushing for a long-term extension and a 
large increase for funding in defense. That is a ruse designed to slash 
funding for education, healthcare, infrastructure, and scientific 
research--all the things the Freedom Caucus, against the will of the 
overwhelming vast majority of Americans, doesn't want the government to 
fund.
  Make no mistake, the Freedom Caucus is gearing up to hurt the middle 
class on the budget, just like so many Republicans way beyond the 
Freedom Caucus did with their tax bill--just like on the tax bill. We 
Democrats are going to defend the middle class because they need our 
help, too, and they have been forgotten by our Republican colleagues 
throughout the year, but this time, the Freedom Caucus's actions, if 
they had their way, could lead to a disaster. Speaker Ryan must stand 
up and tell the Freedom Caucus, no, they cannot be allowed to hold 
hostage productive bipartisan budget negotiations with outrageous 
demands that hurt the middle class. If Speaker Ryan lets them have 
their way, it will cause a shutdown. It will be on the Freedom Caucus' 
shoulders, Leader Ryan's shoulders, and the President's shoulders 
because such a bill could not pass either the House or the Senate--we 
are giving them fair warning right now--not right at the deadline.

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