Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 188, S. 748.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 11 a.m. on Tuesday, December 16, 2025; 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 the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 1071, postcloture, and that all time during recess, adjournment, morning business, and leader remarks count postcloture on the motion to concur; further, that the Senate recess from 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings; and, finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Tuesday's session of the Senate, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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

Madam President, I am pleased to join my colleague from South Carolina on the floor. I really want to echo and emphasize what he is talking about, and that is that healthcare absolutely needs to be reformed. And as the Senator from South Carolina said, that is exactly what the President has said. We have got to reform healthcare because medical inflation is going up like a rocket, and it is not going to change until we reform this healthcare system.

And it starts with making sure that support goes to people so they have more control over their own healthcare. That is just common sense.

And so I agree with my colleague from South Carolina and certainly with the President's comment that that is the kind of reform that needs to be done, but it needs to be done when the government is open.

And so, again, you know, we are calling on our colleagues to join us to vote to open up government. The American people are suffering. We need to get back to work on all these issues, and that happens when they join us and vote to open up the government.

For more than a month, Democrats have refused to pass a simple, clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution--one that would simply keep government open and allow us to continue our work on all these things and on the appropriations process, regular order, moving the bills through the way we should.

And, gee, this is something that they did 13 times during the Biden administration--13 times during the Biden administration. And it wasn't just some of the Democrats that made these 13

votes. It was all of them. All of them. All of them.

And now they continue to hold government hostage, and the American people pay the price.

For more than a month, Democrats have put programs like SNAP at risk, jeopardizing support that 42 million Americans rely on to help put food on the table.

For more than a month, Democrats have refused to support women and young children who rely on WIC Programs for supplemental nutrition assistance. Emergency funding for that program is nearly exhausted.

For more than a month, Democrats have refused to provide educational opportunities to the 750,000 children who participate in the Head Start Program, many of which are in danger of closing soon or have already been shuttered.

For more than a month, Democrats have refused to pay Federal employees, including our military, our National Guard, air traffic controllers, and TSA agents--those who keep this Nation safe. These individuals are maintaining critical services for our Nation while facing major personal financial uncertainty.

The Department of Transportation has been forced to order air service reductions across the country in order to protect the safety of the traveling public, as fed-up and tired air traffic controllers continue to go without pay.

The men and women of our Armed Forces are waiting in line at food banks and struggling to pay their rent.

The American people are suffering. This shutdown is not governing. Senate Democrats need to vote with us to reopen the government so we can continue our work on full-year appropriations bills.

As I said just a minute ago, during President Biden's administration, Democrats passed the same kind of clean, short-term CR 13 times. Now they want to add extraneous policies just to keep the government funded.

The Appropriations Committee has advanced 8 of the 12 appropriations bills with strong bipartisan majorities. We have passed 3 of those bills on the Senate floor, with more than 80 votes. And we are ready to move on them today and to get back to regular order and the appropriations process, govern the right way, fund priorities, find savings to address the deficit where we can, and make sure we are doing our work on behalf of the American people.

It is long past time for Democrats to vote yes to reopen the government. It is time to resume governing on behalf of the American people. It is that simple.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleagues today.

Today marks the 23rd day of the government shutdown--the 23rd day-- now the second longest in our Nation's history. Yet, despite the mounting consequences, our colleagues across the aisle continue to block a clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution--one that would simply keep the government open and allow us to continue our work on the appropriations process.

To be clear, there are no Republican priorities included in the CR. Let me repeat again: There are no Republican priorities included in the CR. It simply keeps the government funded. It is the same kind of CR that Democrats passed 13 times under President Biden. Yet now they refuse to vote for it.

Let's just take a minute to review. Here are the 13 clean CRs that were passed during the Biden administration. Thirteen of them. You can count them.

Oh, gee, how did the Democrats vote? I don't know. Let's check.

Well, here is the percentage of Democrats that voted for each of those 13 clean CRs during the Biden administration.

Now, Mr. President, from sitting way back there--I know your eyes are pretty good; former Navy SEAL. They might be diminished a little bit by now, so I am going to help you out here.

On the first one, 100 percent of the Democrats voted for it. On the second one, 100 percent of the Democrats voted for it. On the third one, 100 percent of the--same kind of clean CR we are looking at right now, but it was under Biden. That is the difference. Third one, 100 percent of the Democrats. Fourth one, 100 percent of the Democrats voted for the clean CR. On the fifth one, 100 percent of the Democrats voted for the clean CR. On the sixth one, 100 percent of the Democrats voted for a clean CR--the same kind that none of them will vote for now. Well, I guess we have three, but we have to get enough to get 60 votes.

I lost count. One, two, three, four, five, six. I think I am at seven--100 percent of the Democrats voted for it. The eighth one, 100 percent of the Democrats voted for it.

Now, on the ninth one, I don't know what happened. Maybe one of them was gone. Who knows? But, gee-whiz, we only got 98 percent of the Democrats on that. Ninety-eight percent voted for that one. But the good news is that they were right back on the next one--100 percent. I think that is No. 10, 100 percent. No. 11, 100 percent. It was 100 percent on No. 12. And, gee-whiz, they finished with only 98 percent of Democrats on the 13th one.

You kind of get the point, right? Come on. What in the world is going on here? And then to have the gall to go out there and say oh, well, you know, they are not shutting down the government. It is ridiculous. I don't know how there could be any doubt about it.

For anybody that thinks this shutdown should be stopped right now, they better call their favorite Democrat on the phone and say: Hey, it is time. It is way, way, way past time.

But right now, instead, our colleagues across the aisle have chosen a different path. They have taken our government hostage, demanding more than $1 trillion in new spending just to keep the lights on--$1 trillion just to keep the lights on and to pay people--Federal employees, military, everybody else that is working. That is not compromise. That is called coercion. That is not compromise. That is coercion. That is holding our government hostage.

While this political stalemate drags on, American families are paying the price. Vital programs that hard-working families rely on--programs they

have paid into and depend on--have been shuttered or are dangerously close to running out of money.

Several States are now warning that they will be forced to shut down SNAP--the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program--benefits as soon as November 1 if the shutdown continues. That means millions of Americans could lose access to the assistance that helps them put food on the table.

Meanwhile, our economy is losing $15 billion in GDP each week as long as this shutdown persists.

Many Federal employees, including critical air traffic controllers-- our air traffic controllers are working; they are not getting paid. How about our Border Patrol agents? Pretty dangerous job. They are not getting paid. They are working; they are not getting paid.

How about this group? Our troops. Mr. President, you were a Navy SEAL. You were in harm's way. We have people in harm's way, and they are not getting paid because the Democrats want to say that somehow this clean CR shouldn't be voted for and that somehow they are cooperating--they are trying to collaborate when instead they are holding our government hostage.

Rural America--our farmers, ranchers get left behind. Many are out in the field right now, harvesting, working on bringing in their crops, getting ready for next year. Program services they depend on--the USDA--they can't access. That means more uncertainty at a time when they can least afford it.

Look, the list goes on and on--goes on and on and on--but the bottom line is this: We need to get government--we have offered over and over again, as my colleagues said, to work on any and all issues, but you do it once you get the government open.

This has gone on--I would say long enough but actually way too long. I don't know at what point Democrats are going to decide to come back and start doing their job, which is governing, but we are eagerly awaiting it.

For the American people--the American people are the ones that pay the price when the Democrats take our government hostage. And, as I have made very clear here, there is no doubt but that is exactly what they are doing.

I yield the floor.

Mr. 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.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following resolutions, which were submitted earlier today: S. Res. 446, 250th Navy Birthday; S. Res. 447, Ataxia Awareness Day; S. Res. 448, Energy Efficiency Day:

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

The resolutions were agreed to.

The preambles were agreed to.

(The resolutions, with their preambles, are printed in today's Record under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee be discharged from further consideration and the Senate proceed to S. Res. 337.

I know of no further debate on the resolution.

I ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 2283 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 151, S. 1440.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 157, S. 1728.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 158, S. 2403.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn to then convene for pro forma session only, with no business being conducted, on Friday, October 10, at 11:30 a.m.; further, that when the Senate adjourns on Friday, October 10, it stand adjourned until 3 p.m. on Tuesday, October 14; 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 be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each; finally, that notwithstanding rule XXII, the cloture motion with respect to the motion to proceed to H.R. 5371 ripen at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

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

Mr. President, I rise in support of the resolution that Senator Cramer and I introduced to overturn the Bureau of Land Management resource management plan for North Dakota.

This flawed plan, finalized during the closing days of the Biden administration, undermines BLM's multiple-use mandate and restricts access to vast, taxpayer-owned energy reserves in North Dakota. It is yet another example of the Biden administration's overreaching Green New Deal agenda intended to block access to domestic energy production.

North Dakota is an energy powerhouse and the third largest oil- producing State in the Nation. Our energy producers operate under the highest environmental standards in the world.

But the Biden administration's North Dakota resource management plan ignores that record of responsible energy development. Instead, the North Dakota resource management plan seeks to curtail coal, oil, and gas production by locking away taxpayer-owned energy reserves and jeopardizing our Nation's energy security.

Under this plan, nearly 213,000 acres--or 45 percent--of Federal oil and gas acreage is closed off to new leasing. It also closes off access to over 4 million acres--nearly 99 percent--of Federal coal, impacting development at all of North Dakota's major lignite coal mines.

These restrictions will drive up supply costs for baseload coal-fired powerplants--costs that will be ultimately passed on to electric customers across the region. We supply a large region of the Midwest with electric power.

This comes at a time when energy demand is rising. As manufacturing is brought back home and new industries like artificial intelligence and data centers are coming online, our need for affordable, reliable energy is only growing. It makes no sense for the Federal Government to restrict access to the very resources needed to power our economy.

In North Dakota, BLM manages 58,000 acres of surface land and about 4.1 million acres of subsurface minerals. Federal minerals are scattered and often intermingled with State and privately owned minerals due to North Dakota's unique split estate. So when the Federal Government imposes blanket restrictions as included under the Biden-era resource management plan, it blocks development of State and privately owned minerals as well.

The State of North Dakota estimates that this plan would cost $34 million every year in lost revenue from oil and gas alone, including revenue for school trust lands that is meant for North Dakota classrooms.

I am pleased to join Senator Cramer and Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak in introducing this CRA resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it and help overturn this overreaching and restrictive plan. By passing this resolution, we can continue working with President Trump and Interior Secretary Burgum to take the handcuffs off and unleash North Dakota's full energy potential.

I yield the floor.