[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 20582-20584]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the Republican 
continuing resolution.
  In addition to the many, many problems I have with how this bill was 
secretly written without any attempt to work with Democrats, I also 
cannot support it because of the absence of the Dream Act and long-term 
funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program.
  On four occasions, Republicans tried to repeal the Affordable Care 
Act with

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bills they drafted in secret. These bills had no input from Democrats--
or really anyone who would have actually been affected by repeal.
  Then they drafted a so-called tax reform bill, again entirely in 
secret, not consulting anyone outside a small group of Republican 
lawmakers.
  So it is not a surprise that the bill they jammed through is actually 
nothing more than a tax cut for the richest Americans and large 
corporations, and all at the expense of American families, who will 
actually pay higher taxes.
  Now, doubling down on their failed strategy of secrecy, Republicans 
came up with a government funding bill at the very last minute that 
ignores many of our highest priority needs, including passing the Dream 
Act and coming up with a long-term solution for CHIP.
  I hope that Republicans will finally realize that this isn't the 
right way to govern. You are not representing the country when you 
govern 1 month at a time and rush through poorly written bills that 
only benefit certain special interests.
  It is time to return to regular order.
  Now I would like to speak about the absence of the Dream Act in this 
bill, a negligent decision that even the majority of Republicans in 
this country disagree with.
  To say that Republicans have sent mixed signals on DACA is an 
understatement.
  During his campaign, Donald Trump said he supported deporting all 
undocumented immigrants, including those who had registered for the 
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program.
  Later, he said DACA recipients had nothing to worry about. Then, in 
September, the Justice Department canceled the DACA program. I can't 
even imagine the uncertainty that DACA recipients have felt since 
Donald Trump's election.
  DACA was put in place in 2012 by President Obama to remove the 
crushing fear of deportation experienced by hundreds of thousands of 
young people. These are outstanding individuals who were brought into 
the country through no choice of their own, at very young ages, and who 
know no other country than the United States.
  In fact, the average DACA recipient was brought into the United 
States at the age of 6.
  Now, there are nearly 700,000 individuals with DACA in the United 
States, approximately 220,000 of whom live in California. Each day, 
more than 100 lose their DACA protection, plunging them back into the 
uncertainty that President Obama relieved.
  These young people study, they work, they pay their taxes. They are 
patriotic. They are American in every way that counts, and to leave 
them in such uncertainty is nothing less than cruel.
  One family in particular has really brought this issue home for me, 
and that is the Sanchez family from Oakland.
  Maria and Eusebio Sanchez lived in the United States for more than 20 
years before they were deported in August.
  Maria was an oncology nurse, and Eusebio was a truck driver.
  They had no criminal records, they paid their taxes, they owned a 
home, and they contributed to their community.
  They also had four children, three of whom are U.S. citizens.
  Little Jesus is just 12.
  Elizabeth is 16 and currently enrolled in a community learning 
center.
  Melin is 21 and is currently enrolled at UC Santa Cruz, studying 
molecular cell and developmental biology. She wants to be a 
pediatrician.
  Their oldest daughter, Vianney, is 23, and she is not a citizen.
  She is, however, protected under DACA. She graduated from UC Santa 
Cruz with a degree in psychology, and today Vianney is taking care of 
her three siblings.
  Imagine being thrust into the role of caregiver to your three 
siblings after your parents are kicked out of the country, but your own 
ability to remain here also remains uncertain.
  Vianney will lose her DACA status in August. Imagine the fear and 
stress she carries with her every day.
  All DACA recipients have to register with the government, so 
immigration officials know where Vianney lives and works. They could 
show up any day and deport her, leaving her three younger citizen 
siblings behind with no one to care for them.
  Sadly, the experience of this family isn't rare. There are families 
like this across the country, people who came to America looking for a 
better life, who work and follow the law and contribute.
  By ignoring their plight, by not prioritizing the Dream Act, 
Republicans are telling them they are just not important enough.
  I simply can't accept this and ask my Republican colleagues to look 
into their hearts and find their compassion. Tell these young people 
they are safe. Tell them they deserve to stay and the Dream Act will 
pass.
  This bill also fails to provide long-term funding stability for the 
Children's Health Insurance Program and for community health centers. 
Both of these programs are vital to our communities and provide 
healthcare for millions of Americans.
  CHIP provides health coverage for nearly 9 million children. In 
California, 1.3 million are currently enrolled in the program and 
around 2 million are covered at some point during the year.
  This program is absolutely critical to support children in working 
families that are moderate income and can't afford private coverage. 
Around a quarter of kids on CHIP have special healthcare needs.
  I have been hearing from my constituents about how important this 
program is.
  Rachel, from Orange, wrote me to say, ``There are many who depend on 
this assistance to stay alive. I was a type 1 diabetic at 12 with two 
disabled parents. If not for governmental assistance, I would be dead. 
Don't leave someone in this same situation hopeless.''
  Kathleen from Arcata wrote to me and said, ``I am a single mom and 
though my kids are grown now, I had the CHIP for them. I can't imagine 
what it would be like to raise a child living in similar circumstances 
now without this program.''
  CHIP is also an important program for pregnant women. In California, 
30,000 expecting mothers depend on the program.
  This care is so important for ensuring healthy moms and babies. If 
funding lapses, these expectant mothers are at risk of losing their 
coverage.
  Funding for community health centers is also at risk.
  There are more than 10,400 centers that see more than 25 million 
patients across the country.
  In California, we have more than 1,500 centers that care for more 
than 4.4 million patients each year in California. If we don't provide 
long-term funding for these centers, there is no doubt they will have 
to limit hours, lay off staff, or even close.
  Supporting community health centers isn't just the right thing to do 
for access, but for positive outcomes and cost-effectiveness as well.
  Health center patients have an 18 percent lower rate of emergency 
room visits. Medicaid patients receiving care at health centers have 
costs that are 24 percent lower, and the quality of care is 
exceptional. Patients do better, and it costs less.
  For all the talk about bipartisan support for these two programs, I 
am profoundly disappointed that we have not addressed their funding in 
a meaningful way.
  Healthcare coverage for kids and access to basic healthcare services 
in our communities should be a no-brainer. I strongly support these 
programs and hope we can provide stability soon.
  In conclusion, this has been a bad year for governance, and it is 
being capped off by yet another disappointing display by Republicans.
  All of us saw and heard the thousands of Dreamers who visited our 
offices. We saw not only their passion but also their desire to make a 
difference.
  Many of these young people live in fear every day.
  Congress has a chance to improve their lives and provide for them a 
positive, productive future.

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  Republicans have chosen to ignore truly time-sensitive issues like 
DACA, CHIP, and basic government funding. Instead, they chose to spend 
months on tax cuts for rich Americans and big corporations.
  Tax cuts for rich people aren't time-sensitive. Protecting children 
is.
  Let's get back on track, let's add the Dream Act and CHIP to this 
bill, and let's return to the good governance that our people expect.
  Thank you.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kentucky.

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