Floor Statements

Madam President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 161, S. 2806.

I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Madam 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 the following days and times: Monday, September 22, at 8:30 a.m., and Thursday, September 25, at 12 noon; further, that when the Senate adjourns on Thursday, September 25, it stand adjourned until 3 p.m. on Monday, September 29; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 115, S. 2296; finally, that notwithstanding rule XXII, the cloture motion with respect to Executive Calendar No. 425 ripen at 5:30 p.m.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, last night, we found the answer to the question of how serious Democrats are about funding the government, and the answer is not at all.

For years, the Democrat leader talked about the importance of passing clean continuing resolutions. In fact, we did 13 of them while the Democrats had the majority the past 4 years with a Democrat in the White House.

The Democrats' CR proposal this time is the exact opposite. It is not clean; it is filthy. It is packed full of partisan policies and measures designed to appeal to Democrats' leftist base: funding healthcare for able-bodied adults who refuse to work; ensuring that noncitizens go back on the Medicaid rolls; removing Republican-passed measures to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid and free up resources for the people who need Medicaid the most.

Even while Democrats are ensuring that noncitizens and able-bodied adults who refuse to work are getting government-funded healthcare, they are attempting to eliminate a historic investment in home- and community-based services for Americans with disabilities. Where exactly do their priorities lie?

They are also trying to ax Republicans' transformational, once-in-a- generation investment in rural healthcare designed to improve the way that we deliver care to those who need it.

Republicans have advanced a clean, nonpartisan CR to keep the government funded while we continue bipartisan work on regular annual appropriations funding bills.

Democrats--well, Democrats are threatening to shut down the government if Republicans don't agree to last night's laundry list of partisan demands. I think that tells you all you need to know.

I expect the House to advance a clean CR tomorrow, and I hope--I really hope--that Democrats will come to their senses and join us in passing it. The ball is in their court.

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

Mr. President, I will shortly ask for unanimous consent to authorize Senators to use their office accounts for security purposes. Every Senator will now have additional flexibility to address the security concerns they face as public officials. Along with the additional investment in security in the continuing resolution that Republicans have put forward, there is ongoing bipartisan work to address Member security in the legislative branch appropriations bill, which I hope House and Senate will complete work on in the very near future.

We are also actively working with the Sergeant at Arms to identify additional authorities for security options for Senators. I am grateful to the Senate Sergeant at Arms and the Capitol Police for their work on this and for the collaborative efforts of many Senators from both parties.

Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 413, which is at the desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I send an executive resolution to the desk for the consideration of certain nominations en bloc and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, in order to place the executive resolution on the calendar, I object to my own request.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Democratic leader, should the Senate receive H.R. 5371 from the House, the Senate proceed to

the immediate consideration of S. 2882, that the bill be considered read a third time and the Senate vote on passage of S. 2882, and that if S. 2882 is not passed, the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 5371, that the bill be considered read a third time, and the Senate vote on passage of H.R. 5371 with 60 affirmative votes required for passage of both bills and with no amendments or motions in order to the bills prior to the votes on passage.

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

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 425.

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

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

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 410.

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