Floor Statements

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 421.

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

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

Mr. President, I have one request for a committee to meet during today's session of the Senate. It has the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, November 4, 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 be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each; and that the closure motion with respect to Calendar No. 168, H.R. 5371, ripen at 11:30 a.m.; further, that the Senate recess from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings; and that at 2:15 p.m., the Senate execute the order of October 30 in relation to the confirmation of the Dunlap nomination.

If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned following the remarks of Senator Merkley.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 168, H.R. 5371.

Mr. President, Democrats are grasping at straws these days. The other day, the Democrat leader came to the floor and tried to reboot the notion that the clean CR sitting before us here in the Senate is a partisan CR. Yep. Apparently, a bill with no partisan add- ons, strictly a bill to fund the government, is a partisan bill--only in ``Democratland.''

The Democrat leader, of course, continues to try to push this ludicrous narrative that Republicans--or President Trump--shut down the government.

That is right. The party that demanded nothing and put forward a clean, nonpartisan bill is the party that shut down the government.

And the party that demanded $1.5 trillion to keep the government open--until Friday, until Halloween; that is what their bill will do-- $1.5 trillion in new spending to keep the Federal Government open until Friday.

I wonder if Democrats have seen some of the recent headlines like this one, and I quote: ``Benefits cliff amps up pressure on Senate Democrats'' and ``Largest federal workers union calls for an end to the shutdown, putting pressure on Democrats.''

``Putting pressure on Democrats,'' not Republicans. Now, why? Because Republicans are ready to reopen the government today, and we are not demanding a single thing in exchange. It is the Democrats who are refusing.

In fact, the Democrats latest ploy is--get this--moral outrage that the President isn't stepping in to save Democrats from the consequences of their actions. That is right. Democrats are outraged--outraged--that they are coming face-to-face with the consequences of their decision to shut down the government, and so they are flailing around, blaming President Trump for not stepping in to somehow save the SNAP program from running out of money to pay benefits.

Yes, that is right. The very same people who were content to let the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children-- more commonly known as WIC--run dry are now positioning themselves as crusaders for nutrition benefits.

President Trump did step in to save Democrats from themselves on WIC. He somehow managed to find money to cover the program for the time being. But there is a limit to what he can do.

That is kind of the reason we like to, you know, have the government open. But, apparently, Democrats are still not willing to contemplate allowing the government to function because the SNAP bill that they tried to UC yesterday was not just a cynical political ploy to insulate themselves from the consequences from their own actions, it was also a disturbing signal the Democrats are ready to continue this shutdown, I guess, forever.

Do Democrats have any--any--end date in sight? Are there any consequences bad enough to get Democrats to reopen the government again?

Because things are getting pretty serious here. The shutdown had consequences from day one. But now, 30 days in, the consequences are really stonewalling.

Here are some headlines I think that describe the situation:

``Government shutdown could lead to $14B in lost GDP, CBO reports.''

``Shutdown could close Head Start programs this week, jeopardizing child care.''

``Shutdown crushes small business owners as losses hit billions-- industry leaders beg Congress for `clean CR.' ''

``Ongoing government shutdown threatens holiday travel.''

``National Guard Training Grinds To Halt Amid Shutdown--With No Pay In Sight.''

``U.S. government shutdown: 60,000 aviation safety staff face financial strain as crisis deepens.''

``Largest federal workers union calls for `clean' bill to end shutdown.''

Those are just a sampling of the headlines out there, and they represent the consequences as the Democrat shutdown accelerates.

So when will the Democrats put an end to this? When the economy is ruins? When Federal workers have lost their homes? When housing assistance and small business loans and Head Start and National Guard training are distant memories? I hope the pain of the American people is worth the plaudits the Democrats are getting from their liberal base.

I don't know if listing out the consequences of Democrats' shutdown moves Democrats anymore. I really don't. In fact, more than one Member of their party--way more than one Member of their party--described using the pain of the American people as ``leverage.''

Let me give you an example of some of the things they have been saying, starting with the Democrat leader:

Every day gets better for us.

The whip, the No. 2 position among House Democrats, says:

There will be families that are going to suffer . . . but

it is one of the few leverage times we have.

The Senator from New Mexico: Paying our troops ``gives the President more leverage.'' That is a really good reason not to pay the troops, right?

The Senator from Arizona, when asked about it, said: Hey, I would just go back and ``shut it down again.''

The Senator from Delaware:

Frankly, this is our only moment of leverage. And although

a very unpleasant tool to use--

Very unpleasant if you are a worker who lost their job and are not getting paid.

And, of course, the Senator from Vermont:

You reopen the government, we lose our leverage.

It is all about leverage. That is what they are making it all about-- leverage. The question is, When are the American people going to matter more than their leverage?

If there are any Democrats out there who can still see beyond the demands of their far-left base, if there are any Democrats who care about the damage that this shutdown is doing, then I have the bill right there at the desk--a clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution to fund WIC, SNAP, troop pay, air traffic controller pay, farm programs, housing assistance, our national defense, and every single other government priority. We just need five Democrats to show some courage and join the three Democrats who are already with us, and we can get this government open. That is all it takes.

Everybody knows that in the Senate, it takes 60 votes to do anything. Democrats come down here and consistently say that Republicans have control of the Senate, the House, and the White House. The Republicans in the House, Senate, and White House all agree: Open up the government. You can't do that in the Senate unless you have 60 votes, meaning we have to have a few Democrats. We have a few already. We need five Democrats with a backbone, five Democrats with the courage to take on that far-left base and say: We care more about the lives of the American people than about gaining some political leverage.

It just takes five, Mr. President.

Enough is enough. I urge my Democrat colleagues to agree to reopen the Federal Government and to do it today.

I yield the floor.

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 the postcloture time with respect to the Dunlap nomination be expired and the Senate vote on the confirmation of the nomination, notwithstanding rule XXII, at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Democratic leader, no earlier than Tuesday, November 4; further, that if cloture is invoked on the Tung nomination, that all postcloture time be expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination, notwithstanding rule XXII, at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Democratic leader, no earlier than Wednesday, November 5; finally, that if confirmed, 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, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 371.

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

Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

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

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.