Floor Statements

Mr. President, following any leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business until 4 o'clock this afternoon for debate only, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each during this time, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees.

We are very hopeful we can reach agreement on the budget today. I will have more to say about that in a few minutes. Senators will be notified when votes are scheduled.

Order of Procedure

Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate recess from 1 p.m. this afternoon until 2 p.m. this afternoon in order to allow for a special Democratic caucus meeting.

Mr. President, there are two bills at the desk due for a second reading.

Mr. President, I object to further proceedings in regard to these bills en bloc.

Mr. President, I have been married for a long time--more than 50 years. My wife and I have one daughter and nine grandchildren. I love these women very, very much. One day, though, I may not be able to help them, and one of them may need a cancer screening. It is not a pleasant thought, but that is the reality of life--that I may not be around to help them when they need something.

Over their lives, they will be in need of other things, such as a cholesterol check, maybe a blood pressure screening--tests that are less serious but just as important to a woman's health. They should be able to get the test that can save their life. So should every single woman in America. I believe that and, frankly, that is not so controversial. It is not so controversial a belief.

Some women, of course, have doctors. Others, including many of the poorest among us, don't. So where do they go to get a blood pressure, cholesterol, or cancer screening? Where do they go? Thankfully, there is a little-known part of a little-known law that saves many lives. It is called title X, and it is part of a public health law. It means women and girls can go to their

local health department or community clinic and get these tests. More than 5 million women use these centers for title X coverage every year--5 million--and one of them could be my granddaughter or my daughter.

Mr. President, some watching us today--and we know the whole world is watching us today--may be asking why I am talking about women's health when the question before us is the budget of the biggest economy on the planet Earth. Some may ask why we are talking about the smallest corner of planet Earth. With a government shutdown looming not weeks away or days away but hours away, why are we talking about whether women can get something as simple and noncontroversial as a cancer screening? The answer is that Republicans want to shut down our Nation's government because they want to make it harder for women to get the health services they need.

By the way, title X does not include abortion. It is illegal to use Federal funds for abortion services. So anyone who says this debate is over abortion isn't being truthful. It is about simple and important health services. Republicans want to shut down the government because they think there is nothing more important than keeping women from getting cancer screenings. This is indefensible, and everyone should be outraged--men and women should be outraged. The Republican House leadership has only a few hours left to look in the mirror, snap out of it, and realize how positively shameful that would be.

For months, this conversation has been about billions and trillions of dollars. It has been about weighty issues and difficult decisions. This debate is about saving money--or that is what we thought it was about. But no longer. We have an agreement on the cuts and savings. I was there at the White House last night. That agreement includes a historic level of cuts. We have always recognized we had to make cuts. That is why we agreed at the White House last night to make significant cuts--hard but important.

But now the tea party--among others, although they are the biggest push--is trying to move its extreme social agenda on issues that have nothing to do with funding the government. They are willing, it appears, clearly, to throw women under the bus even if it means they will shut down the government because that is where we are. That is the one issue that was remaining last night. That agenda is an extreme agenda. I don't agree with their ideas on social policy, but in our democracy, those ideas, however radical or however you may disagree with them, deserve a debate if they want one. That is fair. But that debate doesn't belong in an urgent bill to keep the government running, and it especially doesn't belong here at this late hour.

The consequences of letting our country's funding expire will be devastating. There are almost 1 million Federal employees. These are people who work for the Bureau of Land Management, which doesn't have a big presence in the Presiding Officer's State but has a huge presence in Nevada. The State of Nevada is 87 percent owned by the Federal Government. There are Forest Service employees, FBI employees, Internal Revenue Service employees, and the people who work in this great government complex--almost 1 million of them--who are waiting on pins and needles.

Federal employees are like everybody else. They are working from paycheck to paycheck. They are wondering if they are going to be able to get that new car they have needed for 3 or 4 years. They are wondering, with summer coming, if they are going to be able to take that vacation they have wanted to take for a long time. Federal employees are like everybody else.

The consequences of letting our country's funding expire would be devastating to people, individuals, and it would be devastating to our troops, to our small businesses, and to Americans' everyday lives-- people who just want to get a home loan or get their tax refund or, I repeat, get their paycheck. A government shutdown would damage our image and credibility around the world. But Republicans are asking me to sacrifice my wife's health, my daughter's health, and my nine granddaughters' health. They are asking me to sacrifice the health of women in Nevada and all across this country. But I am not going to be part of that. I won't do it. As a legislator, I am very frustrated. As an American, I am appalled. As a husband, a father, and a grandfather, I am personally offended.

Would the Chair announce morning business now, please.

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

Mr. President, I will read a statement that was issued by Speaker Boehner and myself a few minutes ago. This is the statement:

We have agreed to an historic amount of cuts for the

remainder of this fiscal year, as well as a short-term bridge

that will give us time to avoid a shutdown while we get that

agreement through both houses and to the President. We will

cut $78.5 billion below the President's 2011 budget proposal,

and we have reached an agreement on the policy riders. In the

meantime, we will pass a short-term resolution to keep the

government running through Thursday. That short-term bridge

will cut the first $2 billion of the total savings.

I, first of all, express my appreciation to the Speaker and his office. It has been a grueling process. We did not do it at this late hour for drama. We did it because it has been very hard to arrive at this point.

I also express my appreciation to my counterpart, Senator McConnell. We have talked during this process on a number of occasions. We have, as we say here, on many occasions it has turned out to be we have a terrific relationship. We do our best to protect each caucus. We have our battles here. But he is a pleasure to work with. I admire and appreciate his work for the people of Kentucky and the country.

This has been a long process. It has not been an easy process. Both sides have had to make tough choices, but tough choices are what this job is all

about. I think it is important to note, as we said in this statement, that this is historic, what we have done--$78.5 billion below the 2011 budget we have been working off of. We worked on many riders. What we have done has been difficult but important for the country. We all agree there are many cuts that have to take place in the future. We understand that. We must get this country's fiscal house in order. But if the American people have to make tough choices--and they are doing it every day--so should their leaders. That is our responsibility--all 100 of us and 435 Members of the House.

The Speaker and I reached an agreement that I have read that will cut spending and keep the country running. We have agreed to a historic level of cuts for the remainder of this fiscal year, as well as a short-term bridge that will give us time to avoid a shutdown while we get this agreement through both Houses and to the President.

I repeat, we will cut $78.5 billion, and we have reached an agreement--I repeat for the second time--on the policy riders. I do that because that has not been easy. In the meantime, we will pass a short-term resolution to keep the government running through this coming Friday. That short-term bridge will cut the first $2 billion of the total savings we have already talked to, the $78.5 billion.

Mr. President, with the permission of the Republican leader, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 28, H.R. 1363; that a Reid-McConnell substitute amendment, a 7-day continuing resolution, which is at the desk, be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and the Senate proceed to vote on passage of the bill, as amended; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with all the above occurring with no intervening action or debate.

The Republican leader is right. We have a lot of work to do.

The one thing I want to mention is how much I appreciate the support of the American people. Of course, they knew we needed to get this done, but also the business community of our country.

I had a conversation earlier today with Tom Donohue, the President of the Chamber of Commerce. It was so important to his organization that we complete this. The Business Roundtable and organizations all over America understand how important this is.

I want to mention one more person--I know the night is late--who is always an unsung hero, but really a hero among heroes, and that is the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Dan Inouye, who is here behind me tonight. He has been, with his tireless staff, working so hard. I applaud his person, Charlie Houy, who has a fantastic knowledge of what goes on in this country as it relates to money. He came to the Senate in 1983. He has been here all these years working in the Appropriations Committee.

I am not going to go through all the staff, but it is important to mention my chief of staff, David Krone, who has worked so very hard. I want to mention one other American. I never met him until we started this--and what we have been through--and I hope I don't get him in trouble--and that is John Boehner's chief of staff, Barry Jackson. He is a real professional. It has been very difficult to work through all this stuff, but I admire his professionalism. Of course, the White House staff has been indispensable.

Mr. President, I would hope we could have the consent agreement approved at this time.

Mr. President, following any leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business, with the first hour equally divided, with the Republicans controlling the first 30 minutes and the majority controlling the second 30 minutes. Senator Hoeven will be recognized at noon for up to 25 minutes to deliver his maiden speech to the Senate.

We continue to work to complete action on the small business bill. We are

hopeful we will be able to vote on a budget by the end of this week. Senators will be notified when votes are scheduled.

Mr. President, for Members of my caucus, the 12:30 luncheon we have every Thursday has been postponed until 3 o'clock today.

Mr. President, approximately 1 hour ago, I was at the White House with Speaker Boehner. We had made a joint statement to the press during the nighttime there at the White House, and at that time I was cautiously optimistic that we could complete the work on the people's business to fund the government until the end of this fiscal year-- October 1. Now we are 38 hours away from this deadline of the government shutting down, so it is clear from the math that in less than 2 days a decision must be made as to whether the government closes or stays open, whether we put the American people first and reach an agreement, or have, as I will explain in a few minutes, issues having nothing to do with government funding cause the government to shut down.

We met last night, the Speaker and I, with the President for quite a long time, 1\1/2\ or 2 hours. The meeting was initially one where the President, the Vice President, Speaker Boehner, and myself were present to try to work through these issues. We then went into a meeting with our staffs to try to work through these issues. The numbers are basically there. That is where we are. My staff, the President's staff, and the Speaker's staff worked through the night to try to come up with an appropriate way to end this impasse.

I repeat, the numbers are basically there, but I am not nearly as optimistic--and that is an understatement--as I was 11 hours ago. The numbers are extremely close. Our differences are no longer over how much savings we get on government spending. The only thing--the only thing--holding up an agreement is ideology. I am sorry to say that my friend, the Speaker, and the Republican leadership have drawn a line in the sand not dealing with the deficit--which we know we have to deal with and where we have made significant cuts--not with the numbers that would fund the government to the end of this fiscal year. That is not the issue. The issue is ideology, not numbers.

There are a number of issues, but the two main issues holding this matter up are reproductive rights for women and clean air. These matters have no place on the budget bill. This is a bill to keep the government running with dollars, and they want to roll back the Clean Air Act. The bottom line is this: If we are going to sit down at the negotiating table, as we have, and fund the government, it should be based on government funding.

I know there are some rambunctious new Members of the House of Representatives over there, and there are probably some who have been there a long time who are more senior and who believe, as Republicans, this is their time to shine. But they should do that on a legislative matter, not on a spending bill. They can send the stuff, and we will get to it when we can, to show we can get to things. We have done it on this clean air bill and the very difficult issues dealing with 1099--a government issue relating to the health care bill. It was tough, but we did it. We had a bunch of votes yesterday on EPA funding. We can legislate, and we can do that on issues that are difficult. We showed that this week in the Senate. But no one can realistically think we can walk out of a room and suddenly agree on or focus on an issue that has been around for four decades--this issue relating to women's choice. This is a legislative matter. We can't solve in one night a disagreement this country has been having for four decades. There are very definite sides that have been taken.

I served in the House of Representatives with Henry Hyde, where this all got started. Henry Hyde was the man who started, more than anyone else, the public debate on women's choice. He was dug in as to what he felt was right; others disagreed with him. But the Hyde amendment prevailed, and we have been basically working off that for four decades. For 40 years, we have been focused on that issue. We can't solve in one night a disagreement this country has been having for four decades. It is not realistic to shut down the government on a debate dealing with abortion. It is not realistic, and it is not fair to the American people. We haven't solved the issue in 40 years, and we are not going to solve it in the next 38 hours.

Now is the time to be realistic. We should not be distracted by ideology. We have been distracted by ideology. This is a bill that funds the government. It isn't a bill that should deal with changing the Environmental Protection Agency's rules and regulations. That should be done legislatively. We can't now, on a bill that focuses on the spending of this country, suddenly decide there is going to be a big breakthrough on one side or the other on abortion. It can't happen. It won't happen.

Speaking of distractions, the House is now going to pass a short-term stopgap. It is a nonstarter over here. Doing that is a sure way to close the government. There are no more short-term extensions unless it is a clean continuing resolution to allow us a few more days to work on matters relating to funding the government. The President has told the Speaker that, I have told the Speaker that, and Republicans in the Senate have told the Speaker that we can't pass another short-term CR. It is not only bad policy, it is a fantasy. As I said last night, this is a nonstarter in the Senate. The President told the Speaker that last night. He called and talked to him 20 minutes ago, 30 minutes ago, and told him the same thing. I talked to the President at a quarter to 10, and he told me the same thing.

We have moved so far, and we have given everything we can give. The President is absolutely right, we can't keep funding this government one paycheck to the next, one stopgap measure after another. The United States of America, this great country of ours, shouldn't have to live paycheck to paycheck.

I repeat, this debate that is going on today deals with money; it doesn't deal with ideological issues where both sides have drawn a line in the sand. If the House of Representatives wants to send us matters regarding Wall Street reform, we can debate them here. If they want to send us measures dealing with health care, we can debate them here. If they want to send us measures dealing with EPA, we can debate them here, just as we did yesterday. If they want to send us something here on title X, which is reproductive health for women, we can debate that issue. But it should not be on a stopgap funding measure. So if this government shuts down--and it looks as if it is headed in that direction--it is going to be based on my friends in the House of Representatives, the leadership over there, focusing on ideological matters that have nothing to do with the funding of this government. I think that is a sad day.

As a predecessor of my friend the Republican leader said many years ago--the great Henry Clay--``All legislation is founded upon the principle of mutual concession.'' He was known as the ``great compromiser,'' Henry Clay was. He served in this body and served three separate times as Speaker of the House of Representatives. That is what he said. Isn't this the time to do that? Remember the two words that are so important in what Henry Clay said: mutual concession. We have done far more than anyone ever thought we would do, and we have done it because we believe this government should not shut down.

Would the Chair be kind enough to announce, are we in a period of morning business?

I have cleared this with the Republican leader. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate extend the period of morning business until 9:30 p.m. tonight, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each during that period.

Mr. President, I have a meeting at the White House. There will be no more votes tonight. We hope that we are able to have some good fortune at the White House. We are going through these issues.

As I indicated outside the door, I am not as confident as I was. The last 24 hours have not been kind to the American people. This is not a debate between Democrats and Republicans, it is a debate between Republicans and Republicans. They cannot determine how many social issues they want. The funding is pretty well taken care of, but that is not where we are.

We are here trying to fund the government at the end of the fiscal year based not on money but on social issues, some of which have been in this country for 40 years. We have not settled the issues in 40 years; we will not do it in a few hours. I am not optimistic. I hope things are better when I get to the White House and we can work it out.

What is going on is really too bad for the American people.

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

Madam President, I have just returned from the White House. We have narrowed the issues significantly; However, we have not yet reached an agreement. In 26 hours and 15 minutes the government will close if we don't get this resolved. We have not yet reached an agreement.

We are going to work throughout the night to attempt to resolve many issues. The remaining issues are extremely narrow. Having said that, I have been to this podium before, and I have spoken to the press before, and I said we have narrowed the issues--and we have. The sad part about it is that we never quite get to the finish line.

I hope we can work through the night and get this done. The President set an early morning deadline before we have to start notifying almost 1 million Federal employees that they will have to report to work and hear that they won't be there on Monday. It is a technical thing they have to do tomorrow before closing time. We need to work toward that deadline. I hope we can get that done. I am not really confident, but I am very hopeful.

Madam President, this resolution concerns records that several offices of the Senate have provided to the Department of Justice in connection with a criminal investigation.

As those documents may be needed in a pending criminal case arising out of that investigation, United States v. Douglas D. Hampton, this resolution would authorize the use of these documents in connection with this case or any related proceedings.

Madam President, last night we were finally able to arrive at an agreement on the small business jobs bill--or at least a way to get rid of some very important amendments that we will vote on around 4 o'clock this afternoon. There will be seven rollcall votes.

This morning, there will be a period of morning business until 11 a.m., with the time until 10:40 a.m. equally divided and controlled between the majority and the Republicans. The majority will control the first half and the Republicans will control the final half. At 10:40 a.m., Senator Ayotte will give her maiden speech to the Senate.

Madam President, as the deadline looms, our budget negotiations continue nonstop. The Speaker and I met with the President yesterday morning, and we met with one another yesterday afternoon. As in any ongoing negotiation, the status of those talks is constantly evolving, but I will give the Senate a snapshot of where we stand at this moment in time.

The bottom line has always been the same, and it is this: We want to avoid a shutdown. We want to pass a budget that makes smart cuts--cuts that save money but that don't cost jobs. This has been our bottom line throughout this process. So we have made some tough choices. We have made those choices because we know at this late stage of the game reality is more important than ideology. We know sacrifices are the cost of consensus, and we think they are worth it. Our bottom line hasn't changed because our objective hasn't changed. We want to keep the country running and keep the momentum of an economic recovery that is creating jobs.

I wish I could say the same about those on the other side of the negotiating table. The Republicans' bottom line has changed at almost every turn. First, Republicans refused to negotiate until we tried it their way. We gave the reckless House-passed proposal a vote. The Senate resoundingly rejected it. Then, once talks began, Republicans staked out their position. They asked for $73 billion in cuts. When we said: Let's meet in the middle, they said no. Then we said: In the interest of getting this done, we will agree to your number, and they still said no. Republicans refused to take yes for an answer. Every time we have agreed to meet in the middle, they have moved where the middle is. They said no when we met them halfway, and now they say: It is our way or the highway.

That is no way to move forward.

People ask: Why is this so difficult? They ask: Can't you just get it done? I understand how they feel, and I share their frustrations, but this is why it is so tough. It is like trying to kick a field goal and the goalposts keep moving.

The Democrats' bottom line has not changed. The Republicans' bottom line hasn't stayed still. Our bottom line hasn't changed because our priorities have not changed. We all want to lower

the deficit. But Democrats will not sacrifice seniors' retirement security, women's health, our children's education, or our Nation's veterans. The cuts we make have to be smart cuts, and those aren't smart. They are radical. We want an agreement that is reasonable and responsible.

I wish I could say the same about those on the other side of the negotiating table. They forget that not one of those people led us into a recession, and punishing seniors, women, children, and veterans will not lead us to a recovery. Their budget would cost 700,000 jobs and slow economic growth. It would take us backward, not forward. That is as counterproductive as it comes. The point of this entire exercise is to help the economy. Democrats won't stand for a budget that weakens it.

Our bottom line--our strongest desire to reach an agreement--hasn't changed because our willingness to compromise hasn't changed. We long ago accepted the reality that getting something done means not getting 100 percent of what we want. We long ago accepted the fact that the only way to reach consensus between a Democratic Senate and a Republican House is to compromise.

I wish I could say the same about those on the other side of the negotiating table. The Republicans have demanded a budget that can pass with only Republican votes. Instead of seeking a bipartisan budget, they are actively seeking the opposite.

The Republican leadership has the tea party screaming so loudly in their right ear that they can't hear what the vast majority of the country demands. The country demands that we get this done. As I have said before, the biggest gap in these negotiations isn't between Democrats and Republicans; it is between Republicans and Republicans. So the Speaker has a choice to make and not much time to make it. He can either do what the tea party wants or what the country needs.

Madam President, I will close with two pieces of advice that we would be wise to heed today, one from American history and one from ancient history.

Henry Clay served in both Houses of Congress, in the House and in the Senate. He actually held the same seat the Republican leader now holds. He was a Senator from Kentucky. He also held the same gavel Speaker Boehner now holds at three different times. Henry Clay served as Speaker of the House, I repeat, on three separate occasions. In his esteemed career, he earned the nickname ``The Great Compromiser.'' So Henry Clay knew what he was talking about when he said:

All legislation is founded upon the principle of mutual

concession.

This legislation--this budget--is no exception. But it is important to remember that the most important word in that quote isn't ``concession,'' it is ``mutual.''

We all have a responsibility to be reasonable, which brings me to the second piece of advice: To everything there is a season. To paraphrase a passage we all know well, a passage much older than the old statesman Henry Clay, there is a time to campaign and a time to govern. There is a time to be partisans and a time to be partners. We stand here with less than 72 hours on the clock. It is time to get to work. It is time to get the job done. This is the season for action.

Will the Chair now announce morning business, please.

Mr. President, we have one more vote in this series of votes. This will be the last vote tonight. We are now going to continue working on this piece of legislation. People should talk to the manager of the bill if they have other amendments. We have quite a few we have to work through, but I think we have had a lot of success today.

We are still working on seeing if we can get a budget deal, everybody. I have a meeting at the White House at a quarter to 9 tonight with Speaker Boehner.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.