Floor Statements

Mr. President, I move to proceed to the motion to reconsider the vote on passage of S. 2882.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote on passage of S. 2882.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, in a few minutes, the Senate is going to vote on the Republican partisan, status quo bill--partisan, status quo bill. The Republican CR was the wrong option for America a week ago. It remains the wrong option today because it does nothing--absolutely nothing--to solve the biggest healthcare crisis in America.

As we speak, tens of millions of Americans are getting letters in the mail informing them that their healthcare premiums are about to shoot up by an average of 114 percent. For a working-class family that needs healthcare, this is a huge increase. It is going to dramatically hurt them. And our Republican colleagues want to do nothing about it.

Four million people are about to lose coverage, and 24 million people will see their healthcare costs go up. And even if you don't have ACA, the insurers are going to raise rates on you because they are getting so much less money because of all the cuts my colleagues made.

This is a crisis.

Now I know the leader is going to show a poll that says that Democrats will be blamed for the shutdown. There are many more polls that show Republicans are blamed. The question in that poll is biased-- biased--in the New York Times, but it is biased.

That is true. I don't always believe the New York Times; you can be sure of that. Neither do you. OK?

But in any case, here is a poll from Morning Consult today: 75 percent of Americans support extending the tax premium credits; 63 percent of Republicans support it. Forty-five percent of voters say they will blame Republicans in Congress for a government shutdown, and only 32 percent blame Democrats.

It is natural that people understand that Donald Trump and the Republicans want a shutdown and Democrats do not.

We need to deal with this healthcare crisis now, not later, but the Republican bill fails to do that. I urge my Republican colleagues instead to join with us and work in good faith to keep the government open, keep costs down.

This is a totally partisan bill. Not once were we approached about what our input should be. When I was majority leader, 13 different times, we passed CRs. Why? Because every single one of those 13 times we negotiated with Republicans to keep the government open. We still want to have those negotiations today.

Democrats remain ready to get to work to negotiate a bipartisan agreement--a truly bipartisan agreement--to keep the government open, but we need to fix our healthcare system now. We need to stop premiums from going up dramatically. We need to be on the side of the American people because they are on our side in terms of getting this healthcare crisis fixed--one created by the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, which they now want to change the name of because they know it is so unpopular. In fact, Republican leaders are saying ``Don't talk about healthcare'' because they know that we are on their side and Republicans are not.

The issue can't wait. It must be dealt with now, not November, when it will be too late. The Republican CR is silent on healthcare and the wrong option for the country. It is as simple as that.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

I move to proceed to Calendar No. 167, S. 2882.

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

I withdraw the motion to proceed.

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

Mr. President, today, all of America can see the glaring contrast between Republican and Democratic priorities, as shown by the bills each party introduced late yesterday.

Senators will have to choose to stand with Donald Trump and keep the same lousy status quo and cause the Trump healthcare shutdown or stand with the American people, protect their healthcare, and keep the government functioning.

Today, we have a rare moment in the Senate where two bills come to the floor that truly crystallize the contrast between the two parties.

On the Republican side, Americans will see more of the same high costs, especially on healthcare, more of the same failures of the last 9 months or, instead, Republicans can vote to undo the destruction Donald Trump has inflicted on American healthcare and instead work on a bipartisan bill--the only bipartisan bill that can win--to keep the government open. That is what Democrats offer the American people. The choice is clear.

Our Republican colleagues seem to think Americans are happy with the direction of this country. They are voting like they think the status quo is good enough even though they have heard from so many of their constituents about the fear of hospitals closing, of healthcare being diminished, of premiums going way up, hundreds of dollars each month. They have heard that from their constituents, but they stick with Donald Trump, who doesn't give a hoot about them.

Republicans are voting like the status quo is good enough. They are wrong. Americans are tired of the status quo. They are tired of Donald Trump's chaos and inflationary policies.

By not even negotiating, by trying to make this partisan, Donald Trump and Republicans are shutting the government down.

People are paying more for groceries, more for their electric bills, more for rent. Even a cup of coffee every morning has gotten more expensive under Donald Trump.

Healthcare in America has been plunged into crisis. Fifteen million Americans will lose their healthcare. Premiums are set to go through the roof--hundreds of dollars each month, thousands of dollars each year. The American family--average family--can't afford that.

Republicans--what do they say? Well, let's kick the can down the road. Republicans say: Let's put it off. Let's do it later. But for Republicans, ``later'' means ``never.''

We should solve this healthcare crisis now. People are already getting letters in the mail saying their premiums are about to go up next year by $300, $400, $500--God forbid, even more.

A new report today showed that if we extend these tax credits, the vast majority of the benefits will go to the working- and middle-class families--the families who need help. That is what Democrats want to do here today.

Also, hospitals from Virginia to Nebraska, from Maine to California, are shutting down right now--not next

year; now. You know what that means. If you live in rural America, the closest hospital to you might be hundreds of miles away. You might not be able to see a doctor. Even if you can, you are going to pay more to see the doctor.

If you are an adult with parents who live in a nursing home, what is going to happen if that nursing home closes due to budget cuts? Hundreds--hundreds--of nursing homes will close because they depend on Medicaid, which has been slashed. Most people, most average families, can't afford to take their parents in, and there is no way they could provide the same care and expertise that a nursing home could.

I have talked to long-term care centers--in Republican districts no less--where doctors and nurses and healthcare workers and parents are frustrated or worried--worried their jobs are imperiled and worried even more that their patients are imperiled. They cannot understand how Donald Trump and Republicans are so OK with cutting their funding. In short, it is a betrayal. That is what the status quo looks like under Donald Trump.

Also, let me speak to my own colleagues here in the Senate who care about this institution and who, in normal times, would love to work together with the other side to make good things happen for the country. Donald Trump and his little minion Russell Vought have made a total mockery of the congressional appropriations process. He has trampled over Congress's power of the purse. He has illegally frozen, canceled, and redirected--unilaterally misappropriated--hundreds of billions in funding.

Why the heck should the Senate vote on a budget if Russell Vought singlehandedly, with Donald Trump's support, can undo it all? And that includes NIH research. It includes public broadcasting and so much else. It is all illegal. It cannot be tolerated. Why pass a budget if Russell Vought can unilaterally rescind it? Every Senator should not stand for it, including our Republican colleagues. Democrats will certainly not stand for it. Will Republicans?

Republicans cannot expect that another take-it-or-leave-it extension of government funding that fails to address healthcare costs is going to cut it for the American people. What we should do instead is move forward with our Democratic proposal to work to keep the government open, to lower people's premiums, to protect people's healthcare.

Finally, both sides should at least talk. Donald Trump does not want to talk. He has said to Republicans: ``Don't even bother'' to deal with Democrats. That is Donald Trump saying he--he--wants a shutdown.

You have to have two parties to pass a bill. If you say ``Don't deal with Democrats,'' you are saying you want a shutdown. That is what Trump has said. He either doesn't know the Senate procedure, where you need 60 votes--that is obvious--or he doesn't know math, because he only has 53.

Donald Trump is saying he wants a shutdown, and Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson should resist Trump's bullying. They know the only way to pass a budget is with bipartisan negotiation. In the 4 years when we Democrats had a majority, there was never a shutdown. Why? We talked to our Republican colleagues and created bipartisan proposals. We sat down and talked, which was normally what happened, except our Republican colleagues--Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson--are too afraid to buck Donald Trump.

Well, the American people won't stand for Donald Trump's status quo. They don't like the Republican partisanship. They expect both sides to come together and address the real needs they face, from healthcare to the cost of living. This is what Democrats offer the American people with our bill today if Senate Republicans heed their call.

Mr. President, I must speak for another moment about the

Would my colleague yield for a question?

Mr. President, I would just make one point to my good friend from Wyoming. When we were in the majority for 4 years, there was not a shutdown--not one. Why? Because we did what you are supposed to do: talk in a bipartisan negotiation and each side has input.

The reason we are having a shutdown now is you and your leadership refuse to talk to Democrats and have input and want only your imprimatur on the bill, which we believe hurts Americans badly with healthcare.

Never a shutdown when we were in leadership. You can quote all the things you want. We did it the right way. You are not.

Madam President, I enter a motion to reconsider with respect to the failed vote on S. 2882.

I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) and the Senator from Utah (Mr. Sanders) are necessarily absent.

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

Mr. President yesterday, Democrats released our bill to extend government funding and meet the needs of the American people. The contrast between the Republican bill and the Democratic bill is glaring.

The Republican bill is more of the same failed status quo of Donald Trump's failed policies: more high costs, healthcare cuts, and premiums up.

Democrats have a different option. We address the crises Americans face in healthcare, in Medicaid, in inflation, and in higher costs.

The House is expected to vote on their partisan, status quo bill either later today or tomorrow. If the bill passes the House, the Senate should take up the issue immediately afterward. We could do it quickly so we don't interfere with anyone's travel plans to Arizona.

We would ask for limited debate and just two votes: the House status quo bill, which delays any sort of healthcare relief; and the Democratic alternative, which would lower healthcare costs for millions of Americans.

I urge Republican leaders to speed up these votes.

One of the oldest sayings in politics is from the great Abraham Lincoln. He said that ``public sentiment is everything.'' That is certainly true in this debate. The American people will look at what Republicans are doing and what Democrats are doing, and it will be clear that public sentiment is on our side.

Public sentiment will be on our side for at least three reasons:

First, the American people want both sides to work together. We have made

it clear we want a bipartisan negotiation, but Republicans don't. The American people detest seeing Republicans being so intransigent. Republicans are governing like their view is the only view. That is, of course, not true. We are a split country, half and half. And to cut one half out entirely--no talk, no negotiation--is unacceptable for the American people. That won't win public sentiment in any way.

The second reason public sentiment is on our side: Americans are tired of the failed, chaotic, high-cost status quo, which decimates their healthcare, which raises their costs, and which Republicans are defending in their bill.

Tens of millions of people are going to lose coverage. Starting in October, millions will receive notices that their healthcare insurance premiums are going to go up $400, $500, $600--not a year; a month. The average working family can't afford that. Premiums are skyrocketing. Hospitals from Virginia to Nebraska, from Maine to California are shutting down now--not later. People won't be able to see a doctor or access affordable medication.

I met a woman whose daughter had cancer. She said to me that they depend on Medicaid for her recovery. What is she going to do? Wait? Delay? See what the Republicans want to do, if anything, when they haven't said they would do anything at all and they decimated healthcare themselves?

Now nursing homes are going to close down, and many, many American families are not going to know what to do about taking care of their elderly parents. They may not have room at home to have them move in, and even if they did, they can't give them the kind of healthcare their parents got in nursing homes. But nursing homes, one after the other, are going to close. They depend on Medicaid.

This is all chaos. This is suffering.

Medical research, which can cure cancer or Alzheimer's--millions are alive because we invested in medical research--cut it off? stifle it? don't send the money out for it? This is chaos. This is suffering.

These are the results of Donald Trump's policies, which the status quo, partisan Republican bill maintains, and Americans are tired of this status quo. All the data shows it. Even Leader Thune called the Republican bill status quo--the status quo option--on the floor yesterday.

America, do you want the status quo on healthcare? Leader Thune says his bill is status quo.

Today, I was amazed to hear that Leader Thune called our bill filthy. Is it filthy to provide healthcare for sick Americans? Is it filthy to prevent premiums from going up $400 or $500 a month? Is it filthy to prevent rural hospitals from closing? That is why Republicans are so out of touch. That is why.

The American people desperately want change. They don't think our country is headed in the right direction, and they need help in bringing healthcare costs down, providing better healthcare. They need help maintaining coverage. They need help for the essentials. The Republican status quo bill doesn't do any of this, but the Democratic bill does--the second reason that public sentiment is on our side, not theirs.

Finally and just as importantly, it is unacceptable that Donald Trump has told Republicans not to negotiate with Democrats, and Donald Trump is heading America toward a shutdown by not negotiating.

Look. Here is what he said. These are Trump's words, not mine. I will remind everybody of his words last week: ``Don't even bother'' to deal with Democrats. When Donald Trump says ``don't even bother'' to deal with Democrats, he says he wants a shutdown, plain and simple. And again, that is the last thing the American people want--a President who says: My way or the highway, and shut the government down if I don't get my way. That is what he said.

The public is on our side. The public is on our side. Public sentiment is everything. They don't like Republican partisanship, they don't like the status quo bill, and they certainly don't like Donald Trump refusing to even have Democrats be part of the decision.

He says he doesn't need us? Well, Donald Trump either doesn't know how to count or doesn't understand a modicum of Senate procedure, which most Americans do.

You need 60 votes, Mr. President, Donald Trump. You have 53. You need our votes. To say not to bother with us is saying you want a shutdown, plain and simple. The American people see that.

Finally, Leader Thune has spent a lot of time talking about the past. He has quoted me. I want to remind Leader Thune--I want to remind my Republican colleagues--when Democrats were in the majority and I was majority leader, every year, we did not see a shutdown. I was majority leader for 4 years--no shutdowns. Why? Because we sat down with the other side and negotiated. We knew that the majority had to work with the minority. Like now, we knew then we had to get 60 votes. And bipartisanship ruled the day. It had to if you wanted to avoid a shutdown.

Why is that not happening now? Well, frankly, Leader Jeffries and I were befuddled for about a month because in late July, we asked Thune and Johnson to sit down with us--late July. We heard nothing from them, crickets. We asked again in early September; nothing, crickets.

But now it has become clear why they wouldn't sit down with us. Here is the reason: Donald Trump. Donald Trump made it clear: ``Don't even bother'' dealing with the Democrats. Thune and Johnson listen to Trump. They are not independent actors. They don't represent an independent Congress, an independent House, or an independent Senate. And when Donald Trump says don't negotiate with Democrats, they don't and come up with 20 excuses why.

The single biggest reason that we are on the brink of a shutdown is Donald Trump's refusal to let Republicans even negotiate.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, tomorrow, the Senate will hold votes on two bills: the status quo continuing resolution from the Republicans, which will lead to a shutdown, and the Democrats' plan to prevent a shutdown while avoiding a catastrophe in rising healthcare costs.

Tomorrow, Americans will see the glaring contrast, the contrast between the Republican plan continuing the status quo of Donald Trump's healthcare cuts and high costs and the Democratic plan to avoid a shutdown while lowering premiums, fixing Medicaid, and protecting funds for scientific and medical research.

The latest studies, in fact, show that the impacts of the Republican healthcare cuts are quickly getting worse and worse than first imagined. This is an oncoming train that must be stopped.

So tomorrow, Republicans can choose: Either listen to Donald Trump and shut the government down or break this logjam by supporting our bill and keeping the government open. The votes tomorrow will tell all.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, yesterday, Speaker Johnson and House Republicans released a partisan CR that failed to meet the needs of the American people.

Republicans have been calling their bill a clean CR, but ``clean'' is the wrong word. It is a partisan bill; it has had no input from Democrats; and, most importantly, because it has had

no input from Democrats, it is a status quo bill. It is a status quo bill.

Americans don't want the status quo. With tens of millions being kicked off of health insurance, with healthcare premiums set to skyrocket next year, with people paying more for groceries, for energy costs, for rent and struggling because of Donald Trump's tariffs, people need help.

That is what they are telling us from one end of the country to the other. They are not happy with the direction America is going. American people want their leaders to address their needs, and that is just what Democrats are fighting for. The last thing the American people want is a status quo bill that continues the chaos and high costs of the last 9 months.

But the Republican bill, not only is it partisan, but it is a status quo bill. It changes nothing. It continues the chaos and high costs of the last 9 months.

Democrats say: No way. We need to answer people's needs. When they tell us prices are going through the roof, when they tell us their healthcare is at risk, they want us to be there. So we need to sit at the table and talk to our Republican colleagues so the American people's needs can be taken into account in a bipartisan negotiation.

But the Republican CR is certainly not the right answer. Republicans are causing a shutdown, creating it by not negotiating and by not being willing to answer the country's needs.

The American people deserve better than the Republicans' failed agenda. They deserve better than keeping the status quo because there has been such, such damage done in the last months.

Soon, Senate and House Democrats will release our own proposal to keep the government open with a short-term extension that properly meets the needs of the American people. Our bill will represent the right path to avoid a shutdown crisis by addressing healthcare costs and cuts, by preventing premiums from going up, by restoring and extending congressional funds for things like NIH that Donald Trump and Russell Vought are illegally halting.

Once both sides put forth proposals--and ours will be coming shortly--Republicans will face a choice: to keep following Donald Trump into a reckless shutdown that he seems to want or to finally come to the table and work with us.

Remember, it takes 60 votes to get anything passed in the Senate. That means Democratic input is a necessity to improve the lives and lower costs for the American people because Republicans are not doing a thing to make things better.

This is not optional; it is necessary. Republicans know that. Yet Donald Trump has told Republicans: Don't even bother. He said ``Don't even bother negotiating with Democrats.'' And they have, unfortunately, dutifully, obeyed.

By not even bothering to talk to Democrats, Republicans are paving the road that leads to a shutdown. That is deeply troubling for the American people. They expect Donald Trump and Republicans to do their jobs and to address their needs and to keep the government open by working like adults with the other side, not just saying: It is my way or the highway, particularly when their way represents a status quo that the American people abhor. Mark my words, the American people will blame Donald Trump if a shutdown happens.

Finally, I will say it again because it is important: Democrats don't want a shutdown, but Republicans cannot shut Democrats out of the process and pretend like the last 9 months have been business as usual.

There is nothing business as usual about kicking 16 million people off healthcare. There is nothing business as usual about Donald Trump illegally stealing and canceling Federal investments approved by Congress, even for NIH research, which may save the lives of children with cancer. There is nothing business as usual about Donald Trump tearing up budgets, ignoring the law, picking winners and losers for things as vital as disaster relief.

Republicans know that these abuses can't just continue as if everything is just fine. Everyone knows that Americans are frustrated with the status quo, frustrated with costs going up and up and up, frustrated with Donald Trump injecting so much chaos into their lives. And Republicans think that that is OK, no questions asked, no negotiation or discussion? Give me a break.

In the Senate, it takes 60 votes. So that means Republicans will need to work with us. If they can't even bother to have a conversation with Democrats, it is Republicans, then, the American people will know, are causing the shutdown in 2 weeks. We still have some time. I pray it doesn't happen.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I want to be very clear about something. When Donald Trump goes on FOX News and says to Republicans ``Don't even bother to deal with Democrats,'' when he says out loud that he doesn't need or want our votes, that means Donald Trump wants a shutdown--make no mistake about it.

Trump can say a million times he doesn't want a shutdown, but he is acting as if he absolutely wants one. His words say one thing, but his actions say another. He is ordering Republicans not to even bother working with Democrats. He is telling Republicans to ``fight back'' against ``the radical left democratic demands.'' He is telling them to vote yes on a partisan CR that fails to meet the needs of the American people and had no Democratic input.

These are the kinds of actions a President takes when he wants a shutdown: closing negotiations; forcing partisan votes; ignoring the needs on healthcare, on costs, and on so many other issues of the American people.

It is the same story with Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson. They are doing exactly what Donald Trump wants. They say they want a vote on a partisan CR as soon as possible here in the Congress, but they have refused even to sit down at the table with Leader Jeffries and me, despite repeated requests.

So, look, our Republican colleagues can say whatever they want, but it is clear as could be that they want a shutdown. They can say they don't; they are acting as if they do. They can try to play the blame game, but their actions tell a different story. Their actions show clearly they want to shut things down because they don't want to negotiate with Democrats.

And it is more than that. It means Republicans don't want to help the American people with the crisis they have created, raising people's costs, particularly their healthcare costs. They don't want to do anything about the crisis they have created for their hospitals despite the outcry from hospitals, hospital workers, and patients from one end of the country to the other. They don't want to do anything about the fact that people's premiums are going to shoot through the roof. They don't want to stop the rampant and illegal abuses of Donald Trump when he steals or cancels congressional-approved funding for medical research--medical research--or other things.

By refusing to sit down with Democrats, Republicans are telling the American people that they are happy to help Donald Trump burn this country down; they are happy to let the government shut down.

The American people don't want Republicans to shut the government down. The American people expect Republicans who are in charge to sit down and negotiate, as any responsible leaders would do. They expect Republicans to do their jobs.

On Friday, Donald Trump said on ``Fox & Friends'' that he all he needs is Republican votes. He is wrong. He doesn't know how to count. It takes 60 Senate votes for anything to pass. That means you need Democratic votes. That is a plain fact. To get those votes, he needs some input from Democrats. We particularly want to talk about people's high costs--particularly in healthcare--created by the Republican Big Beautiful Bill. Those are the plain facts.

If Donald Trump says no negotiations at all, then it is Donald Trump's shutdown.

Welcoming Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

Mr. President, now on a happier note--His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew I. I would like to welcome this morning to Washington His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of all the world's orthodox Christians. It is an honor to have His All- Holiness with us this week in our Nation's Capital. He is a great example not only to the world's Christians but to people of all faiths and to everyone who seeks peace, justice, and unity in a world in desperate need of all three.

I particularly commend the patriarch for his legacy as an advocate for protecting our planet, for interfaith dialogue, and for justice for every corner of the Earth.

We welcome Patriarch Bartholomew I to Washington this week. We thank him for his leadership, and we wish him the best during his stay here.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.