Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Now, Mr. President, last night the Senate took an important step toward passing a temporary extension of government funding and avoiding an unnecessary government shutdown. We had a strong bipartisan vote last night with 68 Members in favor of moving forward with the CR, and that number would have been higher were it not for weather delays. It is a clear signal that majorities of both parties in the Senate want to pass this funding extension as quickly as we can.

If both sides continue working in good faith, we can have the CR passed by tomorrow. If both sides continue working in good faith, we can avoid a shutdown without last minute drama or needless anxiety for so many Americans.

There is every reason in the world to make this an easy, uncomplicated, and drama-free process. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do just that, work in good faith. We are willing to cooperate, as always, with the other side to keep this process moving, but Republican Members need to be realistic and practical about how much time we have left before the shutdown deadline.

What the Senate cannot do right now is mimic the chaos in the House, where a vocal minority of hard-right rabble-rousers want to bully their way into making a shutdown happen. Amazingly, the hard right thinks preventing a shutdown is somehow a ``surrender,'' as the House Freedom Caucus suggested a few days ago.

Only in the bizarre world of the hard right is it a surrender to keep the government open. Only in the twisted logic of MAGA extremism is it a disaster to extend funding so that VA offices remain open, food inspectors remain on the job, nutrition funding remains in place. All of these programs

would be at risk if the government shuts down on Friday. But to the hard right, a shutdown is precisely the point. They want to create pain and chaos for the American people in order to bully their way into getting what they want.

But by now, many Republicans--even in the House--are exhausted by the hard right's bully tactics. The Republican majority can't get anything done over in the House because the hard right keeps sabotaging things on the floor--even their own appropriations bills. The hard right and the House Republican leadership's all-too-often willingness to go along with them is perhaps the biggest reason why this Republican majority is one of the least impressive, least productive, and least competent in modern history.

But for all their bullying and bluster, all their attempts at intimidation, the hard right's efforts are going to end in failure. If the majority of Senators and Representatives continue working in good faith--Democrat and Republican--we are going to keep the government open. We are going to continue on the appropriations process.

So I urge my colleagues, once again, let's work together. Let's work together to pass a CR quickly so we avoid a shutdown with time to spare.

Supplemental Funding

Mr. President, now on the supplemental, today I will join with congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle in both Houses to meet at the White House with President Biden and discuss the importance of passing the national security supplemental.

I expect the meeting with President Biden will reinforce something I have been saying all along: It is a matter of the highest national urgency that both parties keep working together to pass the supplemental. The vast majority of Members on both sides know we must do something on Ukraine. The eyes of history are upon this Chamber. We made a lot of good progress over the past 2 weeks, and I remain hopeful that things are headed in the right direction.

Reaching an agreement on the supplemental, of course, is very complex. Republicans have demanded that border provisions be included in exchange for Ukraine. Everyone knew that was never going to be easy.

Nevertheless, President Biden has made clear that he is willing to work with Republicans on border security. But as everyone knows, including Republican leadership, this has to be bipartisan.

The hard right--typical of them in the House--have insisted on passing a highly partisan bill, H.R. 2, word for word. That is not bipartisanship. Any agreement on an issue as complex and contentious as the border is going to have to have support from both sides of the aisle.

The work is not done on the supplemental, but I remain very hopeful that negotiations continue heading in the right direction.

Democrats are trying very hard to keep this process going, and I want to acknowledge the efforts of my Senate colleagues who have been at this for weeks. Passing the supplemental is one of the hardest things that the Senate has done in a very long time, but we must do everything in our power to finish the job. At stake is the security of our country, the survival of our friends in Ukraine, the safety of our friends in Israel, and nothing less--nothing less--than the future of Western democracy.

We cannot come up short in this pivotal moment. We must stay the course until the job is done.

Bipartisan Tax Agreement

Mr. President, on the bipartisan tax agreement, yesterday Senate Finance Chairman Wyden and House Ways and Means Chair Smith announced a bipartisan, bicameral tax agreement with important wins for working families and for Main Street businesses. I am proud to support this bipartisan tax agreement because it will provide much needed relief for low-income families and keep American businesses competitive against the Chinese Communist Party.

The child tax credit alone will benefit as many as 60 million children in low-income households and lift nearly half a million kids out of poverty--half a million kids out of poverty. That is a really significant achievement, and it is a credit to Chairman Wyden and all the negotiators.

Now, most Democrats, myself certainly included, wanted to restore full refundability to the child tax credit. This framework does go a good part of the way toward restoring full refundability. The best part is the biggest tax credits under this expanded CTC will go to low- income families, helping them afford basic necessities like groceries, diapers, baby formula, clothing, toiletries, and so much more.

Second, I am really happy that this framework expands the low-income tax credit or LIHTC. I made it clear to the negotiators from the beginning that any agreement must include provisions to support affordable housing or I couldn't support it.

I want to thank Senator Cantwell for all the work she did to make sure that strong affordable housing provisions were included in the bill. She is a very influential member of the Finance Committee, and she and I have worked on low-income tax credit issues for a while.

Right now, housing is one of the biggest problems in our country. States like mine and yours, Mr. President, particularly, struggle with increasing the supply for affordable loans. The housing shortage affects everyone everywhere--urban, suburban, and rural areas. Thankfully, this tax package will support the construction of up to 200,000 new affordable homes by bolstering LIHTC allocations and providing greater financing flexibility for affordable housing construction.

In an era of divided government, when you have a House Republican majority constantly trying to put housing funding on the chopping block, the LIHTC is the best tool available to increase the supply of affordable housing. So I am proud of the expansion we secured in the agreement.

Of course, like everything nowadays, moving forward with this agreement will take continued cooperation from both sides in both Chambers. I hope my Republican colleagues will work with us in good faith because this could improve the lives of millions of working families and help Main Street businesses grow in today's economy.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I know of no further debate on the motion to proceed.

I ask unanimous consent that the only amendments in order to H.R. 2872 be the following: Paul No. 1384, Marshall Motion to Commit, Braun No. 1382, Murray No. 1381; and that at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, January 18, the Senate vote on adoption of the amendments in the order listed, with each subject to 60 affirmative votes required for adoption, with the exception of the Marshall Motion to Commit and Murray No. 1381; that there be 2 minutes for debate equally divided prior to each vote; further, that on disposition of the Braun amendment, the Murray substitute amendment No. 1381, as amended, if amended, be agreed to, the bill be considered read a third time, and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, as amended, if amended, with 60 affirmative votes required for passage, all without further intervening action or debate.

I call up substitute amendment No. 1381.

I ask that further reading the amendment be dispensed with.

Madam President, there is good news. We have just agreed to lock in an agreement and pass a bill tomorrow that will fund the government and avoid an unnecessary government shutdown. This CR will give Congress time to continue working on the appropriations process to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year. We hope that the House will take up this bill before the Friday deadline with bipartisan support. I appreciate the work of all the leaders to move forward with this CR.

And, in conclusion, I hope--truly hope--we will see the same bipartisanship we have seen tonight in the Senate continue as we tackle the very important supplemental and appropriations bills before us.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Science, Commerce, and Transportation be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 520 and that the Senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following resolutions: S. Res. 520, S. Res. 525, and S. Res. 526.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles, where applicable, be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table all en bloc.

Madam President, I have four requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

committee on foreign relations

The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 10 a.m., to conduct a classified briefing.

committee on homeland security and governmental affairs

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a business meeting.

committee on homeland security and governmental affairs

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

committee on the judiciary

The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 11 a.m. on Thursday, January 18; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of H.R. 2872.

Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. President, as of today, over 200 million Americans remain on alert as heavy snow and subzero temperatures persist across the country. As far south as Texas, Americans are seeing snow, ice, and dangerous road conditions and power outages by the hundreds of thousands.

On Friday, Governor Hochul declared a state of emergency for western New York and warned residents to stay off the roads. Of course, I might say, though, the cold did not stop the Buffalo Bills. Go Bills.

And, last week, Senator Gillibrand and I sent a ``stand ready'' letter to FEMA, urging them to remain at the ready to assist our State officials with whatever support they request.

Thankfully, snowfall in New York has slowed today compared to over the weekend, but we are not out of the woods yet. Yet another wave of lake-effect weather is set to pass through our State in the coming days.

My office will continue to remain in touch with State officials, and I urge everyone to continue to exercise caution.

Government Funding

Mr. President, now, on the CR, over the weekend, Congressional leadership reached a bipartisan agreement on a clean extension of government funding until March 1 and March 8, which will prevent a government shutdown.

The focus of this week will be to pass this extension as quickly as we can. Time is of the essence. If we don't act soon, the government will run out of funding at midnight this Friday, January 19, just a few days away.

So, today, the Senate will take the first vote to move forward on a clean CR, putting the Senate on a path to pass the CR before Friday's deadline. If both sides continue to work in good faith, I am hopeful that we can wrap up work on the CR no later than Thursday.

The key to finishing our work this week will be bipartisan cooperation in both Chambers. You can't pass these bills without support from Republicans and Democrats in both the House and the Senate.

And passing a clean CR this week is important for two main reasons: First,

passing the CR, of course, will avert a harmful and unnecessary government shutdown. No reasonable Member on either side, Democrat or Republican, wants a government shutdown. Both sides recognize that a government shutdown would mean crushing delays to veterans programs; nutrition programs for women, infants, and children; delayed benefits for our military; and so much more.

Second, passing the CR will give our appropriators time to finish drafting all 12 bills to reflect our bipartisan agreement. Congressional leaders have already agreed to a top-line number that will protect critical priorities like housing, veterans' benefits, healthcare, nutrition programs, and more. We want to move forward as quickly as we can to turn this top-line number into legislation, but everyone knows we need more time.

Now while most Democrats and Republicans want to avoid a shutdown, a small group of hard-right extremists seem dead set on making a shutdown a reality. With little leverage to actually enact their agenda, these extremists have tried again and again to bully the Speaker, bully their own Republican colleagues, and bully the country into accepting their hard-right views. That is it. The only tactic the hard right has in its playbook is to bully everyone else into submission, just like Donald Trump does. And the reason is simple: Most Senators, most Congressmen-- Democrat and Republican--do not accept that their draconian cuts will be good for America. So the only thing they can do is bully because they can't convince, they can't win over people by argument, so bullying seems to be their way to go.

Even now, the hard right, amazingly, is demanding that the Speaker walk away from the agreement that the four corners made on the appropriations top lines. That is simply ridiculous, as even many Republicans recognize, and it goes to show you how unserious, how incapable the hard right is of doing the hard work of governing.

But if the hard right's tactics in the House have proved one thing, it is that bullying almost never works--and it ain't working for them. Bullying didn't work during the default; it didn't work during previous shutdown threats; and it is certainly not going to work now.

I hope that both sides can continue working together this week to move forward with the CR quickly to prevent a government shutdown before the Friday deadline.

Tax Framework

Mr. President, now on the tax framework, this morning, Senate Finance Chairman Wyden and House Ways and Means Chairman Smith announced a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on a tax framework that will significantly improve the lives of millions of working families and help Main Street businesses growing in today's economy. It has taken a lot of hard work to come up with this framework, and I applaud the good work done by Chairman Wyden, Chairman Smith, and everyone on both sides who made this agreement possible.

I support this bipartisan tax framework because it makes important progress to expand the child tax credit, helps address our affordable housing crisis, and helps keep U.S. businesses competitive against the Chinese Communist Party. As everyone knows, it takes bipartisan support to get things done, so I hope our Republican Senate colleagues are willing to work with us to keep this process going.

Now, this tax package has a great many provisions, but there are two that I think distill why it is so important an achievement. The first number is 16 million; that is the number of children from low-income families who would benefit from this tax package's expansion of the child tax credit. It goes a good part of the way toward restoring full refundability to the CTC, and largest tax credits will go directly to families who earn the least. For instance, under this tax package, a family with three kids where one parent earns $32,000 a year will receive almost a thousand dollars more from the CTC in the first year alone, and a single parent with two children earning $13,000 part time would see their credit double, a gain of over $1,500 in the first year. That is more money for parents to pay for groceries, diapers, baby formula, clothes, toiletries--the things parents absolutely need but, in many cases, struggle to afford.

Now, the second--the first number was 16 million--the second number of significance is 200,000. That would be the number of new affordable homes that will be made possible because of this agreement through the expansion of the low-income housing tax credit. I pushed very hard to make sure that strong, low-income housing tax credit provisions were included in this tax agreement. I made it public that omitting it would be unacceptable, and I could not support the package without it.

The housing shortage is one of the biggest issues we face in this country. It affects urban, suburban, and rural areas. It is one of the biggest issues we face in New York where we need to build more affordable housing.

The low-income housing tax credit is one of the most effective tools in existence to increase the supply of affordable housing, and this package will make this credit far more generous and far more easy to access.

So, once again, I commend Chair Wyden and Chair Smith for all of their hard work in making this framework possible.

Again, it will take bipartisan support in both the House and Senate if we want to take the next steps forward. I hope Members of both parties are willing to work with us on this package because there are many things in it that both sides can celebrate. It represents a great opportunity to help working families, help Main Street businesses, and lower costs for people across the country.

Supplemental Funding

Mr. President, on the supplemental, as we continue to work to fund the government, Senate negotiators remain hard at work finalizing an agreement for a national security supplemental. As I have said repeatedly, it is a matter of the highest national urgency that we pass the supplemental. At stake is the security of our country, the security of our friends abroad--including Ukraine and Israel--and nothing less than the future of Western democracy. We cannot afford to let these issues go unaddressed.

Passing the supplemental is one of the hardest things the Senate has done in a very long time. But for the sake of our national security, of our friends abroad, of our fundamental values, and of the strength that this country is regarded in in the rest of the world, we must stay the course.

I yield the floor.

Recognition of the Minority Leader

Mr. President, as the Senate begins its work for the year, the most immediate need on the calendar is avoiding a government shutdown and fully funding the government for fiscal year 2024.

A shutdown is looming over us starting on January 19, about a week away. For the most part, both parties--Democrats and Republicans--agree we don't want a shutdown. Instead, we want to work together to pass the 12 appropriations bills based off top-line funding levels that Congressional leadership agreed to last Sunday.

Chair Murray, Vice Chair Collins, Chair Granger, and Ranking Member DeLauro are all committed to working as quickly as possible to make that happen. Unfortunately, it has become crystal clear that it will take more than a week to finish the appropriations process.

So, today, I am taking the first procedural step for the Senate to pass a temporary extension of government funding, so the government does not shutdown on January 19. What I am doing today is filing cloture on a shell bill we can act on next week. Members should be ready to take the first procedural vote on this vehicle upon our return after the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. I am taking this step because even a temporary extension of government funding takes about a week to pass through the Senate. So we want to act with enough time before the January 19 deadline.

I urge my Republican colleagues in the Senate to work with us to keep this process moving quickly on the floor. Leader McConnell and I are in discussions about this very issue. The vast majority of us are all on the same page that a government shutdown would be a recipe for chaos.

Now, there are those on the hard right, over in the House, who think they can bully their colleagues and the House and the country into a shutdown. Amazingly, this band of hard-right extremists actually say a shutdown would be a good thing.

But to those 30 or so hard-right extremists, how on earth would it be good for the country to freeze, for example, nutrition programs that benefit 7 million women, infants, and children--many of those women pregnant? How would it be good for the country

to close regional VA offices and keep our veterans who served us--many of whom risked their lives for us--waiting in line to get the benefits they are entitled to? How would it be good for the country to furlough food inspectors to ensure that the groceries we buy don't make us sick, or delay new applicants for military retirement benefits?

These are just a few of the things that will happen if we shut down next week. When the hard right says they want a shutdown, they are saying they want these things--VA closures, no food inspections, delayed military benefits, and so much more. This shows you that the hard right is not serious about governing. The only tactic in their playbook is to try and bully the rest of Congress and the country to bend to their extremist views.

But here is the incontrovertible truth. The White House is controlled by a Democrat. The Senate has a Democratic majority. And the Republican majority in the House is about as narrow as it can get. So it takes compromise to get anything done in these conditions of divided government. The top-line agreement we reached last week has borne that out. And I am hopeful that reasonable Members, on both sides of the aisle, in both Chambers, are ready to work together to ensure a government shutdown is avoided.

Mr. President, now, on artificial intelligence, as we begin the new year, one of the Senate's top priorities will be to legislate on artificial intelligence.

Mr. President, 2023 was a year to remember in the world of AI, with the popularization of technologies like generative AI. It is impossible to predict what 2024 will bring. So we must act and act quickly to ensure that the United States keeps leading the way.

Thankfully, thanks to our bipartisan AI Insight Forums and the leadership of our committees, the Senate has come very far in understanding how AI works and what we should do. We have listened to experts in tech, labor, business, academia, civil rights, and more.

We have discussed everything, from AI's impacts on democracy, on our workforce, on national security, and the thorny but important technical issues like transparency, explainability, bias, and more.

AI, for sure, will be one of the most difficult issues that the Senate has ever faced. But if there has been any consensus so far in these forums, it is that Congress must intervene to promote safe AI innovation.

So AI is going to be a big focus for many Senators this year. My colleagues in the bipartisan AI gang--Senators Brown and Young and Heinrich--agree that the Senate will work in tandem with the regular order committee process, using findings and insights that our AI Insight Forums have uncovered. Our committees have already done great work, and I thank all the chairs and ranking members for their continued leadership.

And I want to emphasize, underline, underscore that our work on AI remains wholly bipartisan. Both sides recognize the need to get something done on AI. So I thank my colleagues on both sides for their work on AI, and I look forward to making more progress on this very difficult issue in the months to come.

Mr. President, now, on bad weather, across my home State of New York, thousands of our friends and neighbors are just having their power restored after enduring the first major storm of 2024. We have seen heavy rain, coastal flooding, and hurricane force winds across much of Upstate New York.

While communities are just beginning on the road to recovery, we must remain vigilant. Weather reports already show more snow and wind storms are expected this upcoming weekend that could hit communities just as they are starting to recover and rebuild. Senator Gillibrand and I have sent a ``stand ready'' letter to FEMA, urging them to stand ready to provide New York the support it needs if requested.

I will continue to work with the Governor and local officials to ensure New York communities have the tools they need to recover from this storm.

Mr. President, finally, on M.L.K. Day, this Monday, America will celebrate a national holiday in honor of the great Martin Luther King, Jr. It is a great holiday, and I was proud as a Congressman to be one of those leaders in helping to pass this legislation. And you would be surprised at some of the bigotry we heard when we tried to do it.

But just one point today, when you think about it, this is the only Federal holiday named for one person. We have Mother's Day for the mothers and Father's Day for the fathers and Veterans Day for the veterans and Independence Day for our Founding Fathers and Mothers, but only one day for one man. And the reason for that is simple: Dr. King was unique.

And, I like to say, he hoisted a giant mirror on his shoulders, and with his eloquence, with his brilliance, and with his faith, he forced America to look into that mirror, and America didn't like what it saw. And that began our slow march to racial equality, on which we are still trodding and still have a long way to go.

But I think every American should be saluting one of the greatest Americans who ever lived, Martin Luther King, Jr., and I look forward to joining with many of my friends in New York to celebrate and commemorate this holiday.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

I move to proceed to Calendar No. 243, H.R. 2872.

Madam President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call for the cloture motion filed today, January 11, be waived.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.