Floor Statements

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all postcloture time be considered expired on H.R. 3590 at 8 a.m., Thursday, December 24, if cloture is invoked, and that immediately the bill, as amended, be read a third time, and the Senate vote on passage; that after passage of H.R. 3590, as amended, the Senate then proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 245, H.R. 4314, an act to permit continued financing of government operations; that no amendments be in order; that the bill be read a third time, and the Senate then proceed to vote on passage; that passage require an affirmative 60-vote threshold; and if that threshold is achieved, then the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; further, that on Wednesday, January 20, 2010, at a time to be determined by the majority leader, following consultation with the Republican leader, the Finance Committee be discharged of H.J. Res. 45, increasing the statutory limit on the public debt and the Senate then proceed to the measure; that immediately after the joint resolution is reported, the majority leader or his designee be recognized to offer a substitute amendment and that the following be the only first-degree amendments in order to the joint resolution: Thune, TARP; Murkowski, endangerment EPA regs; Coburn, rescissions package; Sessions, spending caps; McConnell, relevant to any on the list; Reid, one relevant to any on the list; Reid, pay-go; Baucus, three relevant to any on the list; Conrad-Gregg, fiscal task force; that each of the listed amendments be subject to an affirmative 60-vote threshold and that if any achieve that threshold, then they be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that if they do not achieve the 60-vote threshold, then they be withdrawn; that upon disposition of all amendments, the substitute amendment, as amended, if amended, be agreed to, the joint resolution, as amended, be read a third time and the Senate then proceed to vote on passage; further, that passage also be subject to an affirmative 60-vote threshold; further, as in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that on Wednesday, January 20, 2010, after a period of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 421, the nomination

of Beverly Martin to be a U.S. circuit judge for the Eleventh Circuit; that there be 60 minutes of debate with respect to the nomination, with the time equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Sessions or their designees; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate then proceed to vote on confirmation of the nomination; that upon confirmation, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, no further motions be in order, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then resume legislative session.

That is right. And if there are any amendments here that pass, of course, they would automatically be part of it.

No.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today it adjourn until 9:45 a.m., Wednesday, December 23; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate resume consideration of H.R. 3590, the health care reform legislation, with the time following any leader remarks and until 10 a.m. equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees; that at 10 a.m. and until 2 p.m. the time be controlled in alternating 1-hour blocks of time, with the majority controlling the first hour; further that the remaining time until 2:13 p.m. be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders, with the majority leader controlling the final half.

Madam President, Senators should expect a series of rollcall votes, maybe as many as five, to begin at approximately 2:13 tomorrow afternoon.

Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it adjourn under the previous order, following the remarks of Senator Dodd of Connecticut.

Mr. President, all over this great country of ours, people are dying soon--far too soon. More and more Americans who come down with the flu, develop diabetes, or suffer a stroke are dying far earlier than modern science says they should die. More and more Americans who contract skin cancer or have a heart condition are dying rather than being cured.

Pull out the medical records of these patients and the official forms will tell you they died from complications of disease or maybe some surgery. But what is really killing more and more Americans every day are complications due to our health care system.

Much of our attention this year has been consumed by this health care debate. A national study done by Harvard University found that 45,000 times this year, nearly 900 times every week, more than 120 times every day, on average every 10 minutes, on end, an American died as a result of not having health insurance. Every 10 minutes. The numbers are numbing, and they don't even include those who did have health insurance but who died because they couldn't afford a plan that met their most basic needs.

This country--the greatest and richest the world has ever seen--is the only advanced Nation on Earth where dying for lack of health insurance is even possible. To make matters worse, we are paying for that privilege. The price of staying healthy in American goes up, it goes up, it goes up and, not surprisingly, so do the numbers of Americans who can't afford it. In fact, medical bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy in America. And the second choice is way down the list--it is medical bills.

That is why we are here. Just as we have the ability to prevent diseases from killing us too soon, we have before us the ability to provide quality health care to every American. We have the ability to treat our unhealthy health care system. That is what this historic bill does. It protects patients and consumers. It lowers the cost of staying healthy and greatly reduces our debt.

This landmark legislation protects America's youngest citizens by making it illegal for insurance companies to refuse to cover a child because of a preexisting condition.

It protects America's oldest citizens by strengthening Medicare and extending its life for almost a decade. We are also taking the first steps to closing the notorious loophole known as the doughnut hole that costs seniors thousands of dollars each year for prescription drugs. These are some of the reasons the AARP--the American Association of Retired People--and its 40 million Americans are supporting this bill.

Contrary to what we heard from my distinguished friend, the Republican leader, premiums are reduced by 93 percent. Ninety-three percent of people who have insurance will have reduced premiums.

This effort also strengthens our future by cutting our towering national deficit by as much as $1.3 trillion over the next two decades. What my distinguished Republican counterpart is saying is without basis in fact. These aren't numbers that I came up with, these are numbers that the Congressional Budget Office came up with--$1.3 trillion. That is trillion with a ``t.'' It cuts the deficit more sharply than anything Congress has done in a long time. It lowers costs. I have talked about Medicare.

My friend, the Republican leader, said it is going to reshape our Nation. That is why we are doing it. That is why we are doing this. We want to reshape the health care delivery system in our country. Is it right that America has 750,000 bankruptcies a year, about 80 percent of them caused by health care costs, and 62 percent of the people who have filed bankruptcy have health care costs? We are reshaping the Nation. That is what we want to do. That is what we have to do.

With this vote, we are rejecting a system in which one class of people can afford to stay healthy while another cannot. It demands for the first time in American history good health will not depend on great wealth. Good health should not depend on how much money you have. It acknowledges, finally, that health care is a fundamental right, which my friend Senator Harkin spoke about so clearly--a human right--and not just a privilege for the most fortunate.

President Johnson, former majority leader of the Senate, signed Medicare into law when he was President, with the advice: ``We need to see beyond the words to the people they touch.'' That is just as true today as it was 44 years ago when he signed that legislation.

This is not about partisanship or about procedure. And everyone knows we are here at 1 o'clock in the morning because of my friends on the other side of the aisle. For them to say with a straight face--and I know some of them didn't have that straight face--that we are here because of us is without any foundation whatsoever. And everyone knows that.

This is not about politics. It certainly is not about polling. It is about people. It is about life and death in America. It is about human suffering. Given the chance to relieve the suffering, we must.

Citizens in each of our States have written to tell us they are broke because of our broken health care system. Some have sent letters with even worse news--news of grave illness and preventable death. For weeks, we have heard opponents complain about the number of pages in this bill, but I prefer to think of this bill in terms of the people it will help.

A woman named Lisa Vocelka, who lives in Gardnerville, NV--a beautiful city below the Sierra Nevada mountains--lives with her two daughters, both of whom are in elementary school. The youngest suffers seizures. Her teachers now think she has a learning disability.

Because of her family history, Lisa, the girl's mom, is at high risk of cervical cancer. Although she is supposed to get an exam every 3 months, she doesn't go. She is lucky if she goes once a year, and most of the time she is not very lucky. When Lisa lost her job, she lost her health coverage. Now both Lisa and her daughter miss the tests and preventive medicine that could keep them healthy. Her long letter ended with a simple plea. It was: ``We want to be able to go to the doctor.''

That is why this bill will ensure all Americans can get the preventive tests and screenings they need. I am voting yes because I believe Lisa and her daughter deserve to be able to go to the doctor.

A teenager named Caleb Wolz is a high school student from Sparks, NV. Like so many students, he used to play soccer when he was younger. Now he sticks to skiing and rock climbing. You can forgive him, I am sure, for giving up soccer. You see, Caleb was born with legs that end above his knees.

As children mature, even Caleb, they grow out of their clothes. Most kids grow out of their shoes. Caleb doesn't. A lot of kids probably get a new pair every year but Caleb has needed a new pair of prosthetic legs every year since he was 5 years old. Unfortunately and unbelievably, Caleb's insurance company has decided it knows better than his doctor and has decided Caleb doesn't need those legs. That is why this bill will make it illegal for those insurance companies to use preexisting conditions as an excuse for taking our money but not giving coverage.

This is a big change. But isn't it a good change? I am voting yes because I believe Caleb deserves a set of prosthetics that fit.

Ken Hansen wrote to me from Mesquite, NV, a town on the border of Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. He has chronic heart problems and parts of his feet have been amputated but Ken can't go to the doctor because he makes too much to qualify for Medicaid and too little to afford private insurance. I share with the Senate exactly what Ken wrote me:

I am very frustrated because it seems my only hope is that

I die very soon, because I cannot afford to stay alive.

That is why this bill will expand Medicaid to cover people like Ken from Mesquite, NV, who are caught in the middle. I am voting yes because when someone tells me his only hope is to die, I think we have to take a close look at that. I can't look away. I cannot possibly do nothing.

A man by the name of Mike Tracy lives in North Las Vegas. His 26- year-old son has been an insulin-dependent diabetic since he was a baby. The insurance Mike's son gets through work will not cover his treatments and the Tracys can't afford to buy more insurance on their own. But his family's troubles are about more than just money. Since they couldn't afford to treat his diabetes, it developed into Addison's disease--which of course they can't afford to treat either. It could be fatal.

This is what he wrote to me 2 weeks ago:

I don't know what to pray for first: that I will die before

my son will so I don't have to bear the burden, or that I

outlive him so I can provide support to his family when he is

gone.

Quite a set of prayers. This should not be a choice any American should have to make. It should not be a choice any father or mother should have to make--and when given the chance to help people like Mike, our choice should be very easy.

That is what this legislation is all about. These are hard-working citizens with heartbreaking stories. They are people who played by the rules and simply want their insurance company to also do the same. They are not alone. These tragedies do not happen only to Nevadans. They don't happen only to people who, despite all their pain, find time to write their leaders in Congress. These tragic events happen to people on the east coast, the west coast, and everywhere in between. These tragedies happen to Americans in small towns and in big cities. These tragedies happen to citizens on the left side of the political spectrum and on the right side. As Mike Tracy wrote in his powerful letter about his son:

Democrats need health care. Republicans need health care.

Independents need health care. All Americans need health

care.

Get it done.

He is right. Every single Senator, every one of us, comes from a State where these injustices happen every single day. Every single Senator represents hundreds, thousands of people who have to choose between paying an electricity bill or a medical bill; between filling a doctor's prescription or--well, maybe just hoping for the best--between their mother's chemotherapy treatment and their daughter's college tuition.

As I mentioned earlier, on average an American dies from lack of health insurance every 10 minutes. That means in the short time I have been speaking our broken system has claimed at least two lives. Another American has died, another American has died--two have died a preventable death, each of them.

So as our citizens face heart-rending decisions every day, tonight every Senator has a choice to make as well. That choice: Are you going to do all you can to avert the next preventable death? I hope so. I urge an aye vote to stop this filibuster.

Mr. President, I advise my Members that in 1984 the Senate adopted a resolution, S. 40, to impose a requirement that Senators vote from their desks. I know we do not do this all the time but I ask tonight we do vote from our desks and follow the rule, S. Res. 40, and have Senators vote from their desks.

Cloture Motion

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, I would like to thank the employees in the Office of the Secretary of the Senate who read the managers' amendment aloud for more than 7 hours on Saturday, December 19, 2009. They are:

Kathie Alvarez, John Merlino, Mary Anne Clarkson, Scott

Sanborn, Leigh Hildebrand, Sheila Dwyer, Adam Gottlieb, Joe

Johnston, Elizabeth MacDonough, Ken Dean, Michelle Haynes,

Patrice Boyd, William Walsh, Valentin Mihalache, and Cassie

Byrd.

The readers represent the offices of the Legislative Clerk, Assistant Secretary of the Senate, Parliamentarian, Bill Clerk, Journal Clerk, Executive Clerk, Daily Digest, Enrolling Clerk, and the Official Reporters of Debates.

Madam President, following leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the health care legislation, with the time until 1:30 p.m. equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees. Beginning at 1:30 p.m., and until 11:30 p.m. tonight, the time will be controlled in alternating hours, with the Republicans controlling the first hour.

At 11:30 p.m., the Senate will recess until 12:01 a.m., with the time until 1 a.m. equally divided and controlled between the leaders or their designees, with the majority leader controlling the final 10 minutes and the Republican leader controlling the 10 minutes prior to that.

At 1 a.m., tomorrow, the Senate will vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the managers' amendment to the health care bill.

Madam President, the time I have until 1:30 p.m., I designate to the majority whip, the senior Senator from Illinois.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, if any, the Senate will resume the House message with respect to H.R. 3326, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act.

The time until 7:20 a.m. will be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with the final 10 minutes reserved for the two leaders, with the majority leader controlling the final 5 minutes. At approximately 7:20 a.m. the Senate will proceed to a series of votes with respect to the Defense appropriations bill.

Mr. President, it is my understanding the time until 7:10 is equally divided and controlled; is that right?

Mr. President, I designate the majority whip, the Senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin, to have control of that 10 minutes on our side.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 5 of the 10 minutes I have be reserved for the Senator from Illinois.

Mr. President, I withdraw that request.

Mr. President, my understanding is there is 5 minutes remaining.

Mr. President, I direct this question to my distinguished colleague, Senator McConnell, who is on the floor. Is my distinguished friend going to use any of his leader time this morning?

To my friend from Texas, whom I care about a great deal-- she is a member of the Appropriations Committee. I am disappointed she spent all morning not talking about the bill before us; namely, the bill that is going to fund our troops. That is why she is here. It is just after 7 in the morning in Washington. It is just after 4 a.m. in Nevada. Those watching around the United States may be wondering why we are voting at this rare hour, early on a Saturday morning, in what is shaping up to be the worst snowstorm in Washington's history.

The reason is very simple. We have work to do. We are going to support the troops, to make sure they have all the resources they need. I am confident my Republican colleagues will join with us in that regard.

I also say to my friend from Texas and others, it is as if they are in some other universe. First of all, we offered a unanimous consent request as soon as these proceedings started dealing with health care. I said:

I ask unanimous consent that no amendment be in order to

the Reid substitute amendment . . . unless the text . . . of

the amendment is posted on the home page of the official

Senate Web site of the Member of the Senate who is sponsoring

the amendment prior to the amendment being called up for

consideration by the Senate and the amendment is filed at the

desk. Further, that this unanimous consent request be in

effect for the duration of the consideration of [this bill].

That is pretty direct. Offer an amendment and people should be able to see it. Guess what. The Republicans objected to that. Here is exactly what the senior Senator from Wyoming said:

In light of some of the trust problems and transparency

problems we have, while this appears to lead to greater

transparency . . . I object.

Something that creates transparency, they object because it does not create transparency.

Let me just say, we are going to finish this Defense bill. We are going to move on, at the appropriate time, and vote on the so-called managers' package, which will save lives--along with the other bill that is now before the Senate on health care--save money, and save Medicare. There are immediate deliverables.

I don't know what in the world the Senator from Texas was talking about. Something that is picked up on talk radio? I don't know. But it is not anything that deals with reality. We are going to do away with preexisting disabilities. The letters we receive from around the country, what insurance companies do is incredible. We will insure 31 million new people--pretty good, 31 million. Thousands of primary care physicians will be created and thousands of community health centers, which we should have been doing a long time ago.

I can remember, as a new Senator, that seat right there in the back of the Chamber was held by the famous Pat Moynihan. We were, at that time, dealing with homelessness. That was the issue of the day. He turned around to me, a new Senator, and said: This is ridiculous. The reason there are so many homeless is because we did not do our job. When the insane asylums, the mental institutions were emptied, because we had medicine that would take care of these people in institutions, part of the deal was we would have community health centers to have them come and get their medication, have them taken care of. We didn't do that, and that is why we have so many homeless people. This bill is going to alleviate most of that.

We have something in this legislation called the CLASS Act, which will offer for the first time in the history of this country for people who are working to plan ahead in case they become disabled. It is fully paid for. CBO said, in the far future, decades and decades into the future, it is paid for. I did not use a penny of that money for the bill that is before the Senate.

Again, I say to my friends on the other side of the aisle, I am sorry this has been such a method of just saying no to everything-- everything, everything. It is too bad we didn't have a little more help. We received none. We hope they will join with us, the minority, as did the Republicans in the House of Representatives, and support the troops, 395 to 34. Out of 435 Members, only 34 voted against that bill. Democrats and Republicans--overwhelming majorities--over 90 percent of Democrats and Republicans in that

House supported that bill. That is what we need to do in a show of good faith for the men and women fighting around the world.

For example, in Afghanistan, I read the morning news from Nevada. The Nevada National Guard, in the mountains of Afghanistan, had a vicious firefight lasting more than a day, chasing these evil people through villages. Many of them were killed. One Nevadan was wounded. That is what this legislation before this body is about.

I hope we can do what needs to be done.

Mr. President, I move to table the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment with amendments, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, I move to waive all applicable sections of the Budget Act for purposes of the pending motion, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Could we have order?

First of all, to the Senate: This is a good, strong message we have sent to our men and women in uniform around the world as 88 Senators voted. It was a little bit of a struggle to get here, but we got here, and I am so grateful we were able to do that.

Madam President, we are going to do the continuing resolution now until the 23rd. The reason for that is this Defense bill will take a little time to enroll. We want to make sure there are no gaps in having full funding for Secretary Gates.

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.J. Res. 64, the continuing resolution received from the House and that is at the desk; that the joint resolution be read three times and passed, and a motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be considered read.

It is my understanding that the amendment needs to be reported at this time.

Madam President, before offering the amendment, the so- called managers' amendment, I have spoken to my Republican counterpart.

I ask unanimous consent that a Democratic Senator on my side be allowed to speak for up to 9 minutes prior to my offering the amendment.

I have not given up the floor, Madam President.

The amendment, I think, has been reported.

I still have the floor; is that right?

Mr. McCONNELL addressed the Chair.

Madam President, first of all, it is my understanding-- Madam President, I understand the amendment has to be read. This is the so-called managers' amendment that is at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that--if the minority wants this amendment read, it is going to take a little bit of time to do that, and I understand that. But I ask unanimous consent, as I did, that Senator Nelson of Nebraska be allowed to speak for up to 9 minutes.

Madam President, it is my understanding that the Senator from Nebraska told me before coming here he had a question he wanted to ask; is that right?

Mr. President, I have three cloture motions at the desk.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

Mr. President, I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

Mr. President, I have an amendment to the language proposed to be stricken.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

Mr. President, I have at the desk a motion to commit the bill with instructions.

Mr. President, I now ask for the yeas and nays on that motion.

Mr. President, I have an amendment to those instructions.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on that amendment.

Mr. President, I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorums be waived.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object.

I object.

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

Mr. President, I have spoken to my friend, the Senator from Oklahoma, and he thinks this is appropriate. He wants to speak, and we have known that for some time. So I ask the following unanimous consent request: I ask unanimous consent that at the conclusion of 10 minutes for Senator Stabenow and 10 minutes for Senator Durbin, Senator Coburn be recognized; that at the conclusion of his remarks--and he said he will probably take a couple of hours--the Senate then stand adjourned, after he completes his remarks, until 1 p.m. tomorrow, Sunday, December 20; that on Sunday, following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and that the Senate resume consideration of H.R. 3590, and that the time until 1:30 p.m. be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders; that beginning at 1:30 p.m. and until 11:30 p.m., Sunday, there be alternating hour blocks of time, with Republicans controlling the first hour block; that at 11:30 p.m., Sunday, the Senate then recess until 12:01 a.m., Monday, December 21; that following the prayer and pledge, the time until 1 a.m. be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with the majority leader controlling the final 10 minutes prior to 1 a.m., and the Republican leader controlling the 10 minutes immediately prior to that; that at 1 a.m. the Senate proceed to vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Reid and others managers' amendment; and that today the debate of Senators Durbin, Stabenow, and Coburn be for debate only; and that also for Sunday the same thing. I did not mention that before.

I am sorry, I could not hear my friend.

Mr. President, this may surprise everyone, but tomorrow is the shortest day of the year, December 21. We start longer days after that.

Mr. President, it is very nice of the Republican leader to recognize them. I join in his remarks, and not only the reading, but the long, long hours they have had to bear over the last several weeks.

Madam President, following leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to concur with respect to H.R. 3326, the Defense Appropriations Act. The first hour will be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees. The Republicans will control the first 30 minutes and the majority will control the next 30 minutes. I filed cloture on the motion to concur. That vote will occur sometime in the next 10 or 12 hours.

Madam President, we are going to finish this health care bill before we leave for the holidays.

For nearly an entire year, we have reached out to the other side, offered Republicans a seat at the table, tried to negotiate in good faith--nearly a whole year. Now we are closer than ever to fixing a badly broken system and doing more to make sure every American can afford to live a healthier life than this country has done in decades.

The Republicans have made their point. Through obstruction manuals, admissions that they believe stalling is good for electoral politics, and gambits like the one we saw yesterday; that is, forcing the full, hours-long reading of an amendment they did not like, and then complaining when that amendment they did not like was withdrawn, they have made their point to the American people. They have made it perfectly clear they have no interest in cooperating or legislating.

But the families and businesses who are suffering, hurting, and dying every single day have no time for these kinds of games. That is why we are going to finish health care whether the other side cooperates or not.

But health care is not the only critical issue this body faces. It is not the only critical issue to this country or before this body. Right now we have to complete a bill that supports the fighting men and women of this country, whether they are in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Japan-- all those many bases where tens of thousands of people are stationed. It is as simple as that.

Here are some of the good things in the bill that is now before the Senate, the message from the House. It funds more than $100 billion for operations, maintenance, and military personnel requirements for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Part of that money will also support preparations to continue withdrawal from Iraq. There is more than $23 billion for the equipment used by our servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan to do their jobs and stay safe. There is more than $150 billion to train our troops and prepare them for battle. There is more than $30 billion for the health care of our servicemembers, their families, and their children. It also gives our brave and valiant troops a pay raise of 3.4 percent this year.

This is not a partisan issue. Yesterday, this bill passed the House 395 to 34. More than 90 percent of Democrats voted for this bill. More than 90 percent of Republicans in the House of Representatives voted for this bill. That is because they know to our fighting men and women--these brave Americans half a world away, a lot of them--who wage two wars on our behalf, it is immaterial whether the leaders who will give them all the resources they need to succeed are progressives or conservatives. Surely, our troops who are on deployment after deployment after deployment spend more time counting the days until they can see their loved ones again than they do counting the political points scored by either side. They do not care most of the time, Madam President. They just do their jobs.

The House proved as much yesterday. The Senate should do the same today. We received this bill yesterday at 2 p.m. Are we going to wait until tomorrow to pass it? This simply is not right. Let's give our troops what they need to succeed, and do it now. Then let's get back to giving all Americans what they need to stay healthy.

These two bills--these two pieces of legislation--are about life and death. Our responsibility is too great to waste time playing political games.

First of all, Madam President, I apologize to everyone. I indicated to both the majority and the minority that we would be here at 5:30, but I had some things that came up, and I simply could not be here.

Madam President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 175, H.R. 3590. I have a cloture motion that is at the desk.

I now withdraw that motion.

Mr. President, I now move to recess until 12:01 a.m.

I ask for the yeas and nays on my motion.