Floor Statements

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 2:15 p.m. tomorrow, all postcloture time on the Campbell nomination be considered expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the Campbell nomination with no intervening action or debate; finally, that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session for 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 Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 3759 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the bill.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 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. 265, S. 1425.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Wicker amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to, the committee- reported substitute amendment, as amended, be agreed to, the bill, as amended, 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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Tuesday, January 9; further, 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 morning business be closed; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Campbell nomination; further, that all time during adjournment, recess, morning business, and leader remarks count postcloture on the Campbell nomination; finally, that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previoius order, following the remarks of Senator Merkley.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I spoke yesterday about the need to fund the Federal Government by January 19. Members in both parties, including leadership on both sides, have publicly stated their desire to approach this issue in a serious and collaborative manner, and those sentiments were renewed in a productive meeting we had yesterday. I am optimistic that we can begin 2018 with a bipartisan, 2-year funding agreement that meets several critically important objectives.

To begin with, any agreement must provide our Armed Forces with the resources they need to fulfill their missions. That means setting aside the misguided notion that new defense spending needs to be matched dollar for dollar by new nondefense spending.

Some describe this notion as parity, but, of course, there was no parity at all in the damaging cuts that the Budget Control Act inflicted on our national security. Since fiscal year 2013, discretionary defense spending has been cut by $85 billion more than nondefense spending.

That number has real consequences for the men and women in harm's way who serve our country. Last year, Secretary of Defense Mattis testified: ``No enemy in the field has done more to harm the combat readiness of our military'' than these self-inflicted budget reductions.

Nothing about this issue needs to be partisan. During the Obama administration, Defense Secretaries Panetta, Hagel, and Carter all similarly warned that sequestration cuts would handicap our men and women in uniform. Those were all Secretaries of Defense during the Obama administration. Unfortunately, at a time when our country faces a myriad of threats and strategic challenges around the globe, experts agree that this is exactly what has happened.

Congress has a golden opportunity to put aside political calculations and prioritize the actual needs of America's all-volunteer military. There is no reason that an arbitrary formula, which bears no relationship--none--to the real needs of our Armed Forces, should dictate the degree to which we fund them. Our men and women in uniform

are doing their jobs. Our job is to give them the resources they require.

Funding our Armed Forces is not the only area that is ripe for productive, bipartisan negotiation. Last December, the Senate made progress moving toward a long-term reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program. Unfortunately, though Senate Republicans were prepared and eager to move forward, we were not able to put that in the continuing resolution. Approximately 9 million children, including thousands in my home State of Kentucky, depend on CHIP for healthcare coverage. Their parents depend on it for financial security and for peace of mind. Instead of giving them a 5-year reauthorization in time for the holidays, partisan objections forced Congress to settle for a short-term patch.

This month we can set this right. I know colleagues on both sides of the aisle are eager to find a long-term solution--5 years, full reauthorization. Let's get this done for working families.

Furthermore, as Senators from both parties have stated, Congress should act now to provide relief for communities across the country that were devastated by disasters in 2017. Last year's hurricanes crippled Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and dealt blows to communities from Florida to Texas. Wildfires caused serious damage across the Western United States. For many Americans in these areas, life is nowhere near back to normal. It is time to complete our work on the supplemental disaster relief legislation.

It is imperative that none of these urgent priorities be held hostage to our ongoing discussions around immigration policy. Senators with diverse viewpoints have been discussing how to address the unlawfully established DACA Program while also improving border security, interior enforcement, and addressing other important parts of our broken immigration system. As I have stated, if a compromise solution emerges that meets the President's conditions, it will be brought up for a vote in the Senate. In the meantime, let's continue productive negotiations and secure a bipartisan funding agreement.

Mr. President, I understand that there is a bill at the desk due for a second reading.

In order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to further proceedings.

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

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m., Monday, January 8; further, 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 morning business be closed; finally, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Campbell nomination.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be recognized for the purposes of propounding a unanimous consent agreement.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the order of December 21, 2017, and the provisions of rule XXXI, all uniformed military promotions pending in the Senate remain in status quo, with the exception of the following: PN765, PN540, and PN475, and that the following defense civilian nomination also be returned to the President: PN1096. I further ask consent that the previous order be modified to reflect that PN1193 should be returned to the President and PN1316 should remain in status quo.