have ruled that these websites are protected by this federal law have said that congress ought to do something about that. most recently, last august, a sacramento judge dropped charges against backpage stating, and i quote, if and until congress sees fit to amend the immunity law, the broad reach of section 230, which is the section of the communications decency act even applies to those alleged to support the exploitation of others by human trafficking. now, to me, that's an invitation for congress to act, saying we get it. they are exploiting human beings online, but this federal law gives them this immunity. this immunity was put in place, you know, in an effort 21 years ago to try to ensure we could have a free internet, and that's very important, but it was never intended to provide an immunity to illegal activity like this.

certainly not to keep people in the business of sex trafficking. that injustice is why we introduced our legislation. it's called stop enabling sex traffickers act or sesta. i introduced it with senators blumenthal, mccain, mccaskill, cornyn, heitkamp and others. senators thune and nelson took this bill through the commerce committee late last year. by the way, we had a spirited debate in that committee and ended up coming out of the committee with a unanimous vote. why? because after hearing from the victims, after hearing from the experts on both sides, senators said, whoa, this doesn't make any sense, and it's our responsibility as senators to change this law. it provides justice for victims of online sex trafficking because they'll have the opportunity to sue. hold these websites accountable, that knowingly facilitate crimes. it also helps in terms of

prosecutions because the state prosecutor is now the a.g.'s, the local prosecutors at the state level will be able to have access now to the courts to be able to take on these websites and again rolled them accountable -- hold them accountable. the prosecutions again have been thwarted because of this immunity. these are very narrow changes. they don't affect the freedom of the internet at all. in fact, i would argue it helps to ensure a free internet to take care of these bad actors. and by holding these folks accountable, it's going to provide the justice that the victims deserve. it's a fair commonsense approach and again that's why it has support not just of the members i mentioned but actually now 66 or 67 members of the united states senate. again, that's out of a hundred members. that's a rare thing to have that kind of support. it has the majority of the republicans on board. it has the majority of the democrats on board. it's again a fair commonsense

approach that's going to make a real difference in the lives of the people we represent and be effective at curbing this increase in trafficking we see online. every day we don't act, there are more women and more children who are being trafficked unnecessarily. it also has the support of an extraordinary coalition of law enforcement, organizations and trafficking advocate, survivors, faith-based groups, civil rights community, major businesses, even some members of the tech community that initially pushed back against this legislation. looking at it i think many of them realize this is not a defensible position to say that we shouldn't amend this federal law that's providing this immunity to these bad actors. these members of the united states senate who have cosponsored, including colleagues of mine who are in the senate chamber this afternoon are saying i want to be part of the solution.

they're showing some courage. i appreciate that. but the people who are really showing courage are these survivors and these children and these women who have been trafficked and they need our help. we need 60 votes to pass most things around here, and in this case, we will have some objections apparently and so having 66 or 67 supporters of this legislation is a key number. it enables us to ensure that we can get this on to the floor and passed on the floor. so why are we waiting? we shouldn't wait. we should move this month during human trafficking awareness month, human trafficking prevention month. we should move because it's the right thing to do for these victims, those who might be victims between now and when we act. it's the right thing to do because it will create a safer and a better and a more just society and elected officials like us are elected to do just

that. again, there are hundreds of sex trafficking survivors on capitol hill last week and i met with them. and the stories will break your heart. some were the parents. some were trafficking victims themselves. they have shown great courage by sharing their stories, bringing their tragedy public, and now we owe them the opportunity to get this legislation passed to ensure we can protect some of the most vulnerable among us. thank you, mr. president. i yield back my time.

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from indiana. mr. young: mr. president, i rise today to talk about an issue that's very important to hoosiers, protecting our unborn

children. right now hoosiers from across the state of indiana are traveling to washington, d.c. to take part in tomorrow's march for life. this annual event brings together the unsung heroes of the life movement, those who've dedicated their lives to saving innocent children. now, despite what's often portrayed in the media, life-affirming principles are supported by a majority of americans, uphold by "politico" and the harvard school for public health show that 58% of americans, almost three in five americans oppose allowing medicaid funding to be used for abortion. according to the quinnipiac university polling, 60% of americans, including 46% of democrats, support federal legislation limiting abortion after 20 weeks. i'm proud to cosponsor the pain capable unborn child protection

act. this act would protect unborn children at 20 weeks post fertilization, the point at which scientific evidence proves that abortion inflicts pain. now, it's estimated that this common sens legislation will -- commonsense legislation will save roughly 12,000 to 18,000 babies annually and it will not apply, incidentally, to cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at risk. now, before being elected to the united states senate, i sat on the board of directors of hanna house. this is in bloomington, indiana, where i live and it offers women loving support during pregnancy. i further spent two years as a small town attorney in pay oll ollie, indiana and i offered free legal services to parents who wanted to adopt. so you can see why i'm very passionate about helping children find loving homes and

helping caring adults become parents. i've seen firsthand through my own experiences the importance of advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves. the united states is one of only seven countries in the world, one of seven countries that allows abortions after 20 weeks. this list includes human rights violators like china and north korea. this isn't company that we want to keep. during this time when there's principalled disagreement on so many issues, republicans disagreeing with democrats, conservatives disagreeing with progressives, surely we can come together and take action that a significant majority of americans want. so i am hopeful that this critical legislation will receive a vote on the floor

very, very soon. thank you, mr. president. i yield back my time. and i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk shall call the roll. quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new hampshire. mrs. shaheen: mr. president, i ask the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. shaheen: thank you, mr. president. the senate and the house right now are struggling to pass yet another short-term continuing resolution to avoid a federal shutdown at midnight on friday. for nine consecutive years now, since i've gotten to the senate, we have begun the fiscal year without regular appropriations bills being enacted into law. if we pass another continuing resolution this week, it will be the fourth continuing resolution

for fiscal year 2018. there were three c.r.'s or continuing resolutions for fiscal year 2017. this government by c.r. is chaotic and it's disruptive. it's inflicting real damage on our armed forces and also on critical domestic programs that benefit people across this country. now, i live in a very small town in new hampshire called madberry. if our board of selectme selectn madberry committed this kind of budgetary malpractice, we would get rid of them. the fact is that the frantic scramble to pass a new c.r. by midnight on friday is yet another manufactured crisis here in washington. it's a crisis that is completely unnecessary. the appropriations committees in both houses of congress have completed their work in a thoughtful, timely manner, and

this congress, the house passed all 12 of its appropriations bills out of committee and the senate, the appropriations committee passed eight of our 12 bills. and we did that with overwhelming bipartisan support. and the only reason we didn't report the other four bills out of committee is because the majority leadership directed us to stop. so let's be very clear, this is not about appropriators not being able to get our work done and not being able to agree on what we want to do. this is about the leadership in congress, the republican majority, which has refused to allow us to go forward with a regular order budget process. the house, the senate, and the white house are all controlled by republicans, and if they wanted to complete the appropriations process in a timely manner, we could have done so. and we could have done it with

bipartisan support. now i am especially concerned about the damage that government by c.r. is inflicting on our armed forces and national security. those of us who serve on the armed services committee were disturbed by testimony from the chief of naval operations, admiral john richardson in september of 2016. he said, and i quote, our ability to achieve true effectiveness and efficiency has been undermined by budget instability, workforce limitations, and eight, now likely nine -- and it was nine -- straight years of budget uncertainty and continuing resolutions. i remember when he came and spoke -- that's the end of that quote. i remember when admiral richardson came and spoke to the navy caucus, and we were asking him what his concerns were. and he said, well, you know, my

biggest concern is budget certainty. and what we tell everybody in the navy now to figure on, is to figure that they can't do anything in the first quarter of a fiscal year because they're going to be op ratings under a -- operating under a continuing resolution. as he pointed out, this compromises our mission and drives inefficiency and waste into all that we do. end quote. in a similar vein, the army chief of staff, general mark milley, has repeatedly warned us of the damaging impacts that budget uncertainty has on combat readiness. training cycles are disrupted and sometimes they are discontinued. all nonmission critical maintenance is postponed for the length of a c.r. now, i share the views of many in this congress that we need to increase support for our military. we live in an uncertain world where we're facing security

threats from isis to russia, north korea. we could go down a long list. and we must be prepared to respond. but we can't increase military spending at the expense of funding our domestic needs. and when it comes to funding domestic needs, no challenge is more urgent and frightening than the nationwide opioid epidemic. in my state of new hampshire, nearly everyone has a heartbreaking story of a family member, a friend, or a colleague whose life has been destroyed by opioids. and you can just look at these headlines and see what the challenge is. august 16, 2017, from our state news paper, "the concord monitor" in the capital. new hampshire drug overdose deaths, most little fentanyl,

continue at a high rate. the c.d.c. recently said that new hampshire has the highest overdose death rate from fentanyl, the third-highest in the country. and nationwide in 2016, more than 63,000 americans died from overdoses. more than 63,000 people. if we were losing that many americans to a disease outbreak, to a war in the middle east or elsewhere, there would be an outcry in congress and we would pass legislation to address the crisis in a matter of days. well, this current funding crisis is an opportunity for us to address the opioid epidemic. in recent weeks, along with my colleague from new hampshire, senator hassan, i've urged the senate to make an immediate emergency $25 billion federal investment in treatment and prevention, a down payment on a sustained reliable funding stream to support efforts by

states and communities. at long last we could provide a response that is commensurate with the magnitude of this public health crisis. there is bipartisan support in this body and throughout congress to address the opioid epidemic. president trump promised when he was campaigning and since he became president that he was going to work to end this epidemic. and yet, we're still waiting to see the resources that states and communities need. now last week many of us watched with great anticipation when president trump invited in bipartisan representatives from both the house and senate and the television cameras at -- to talk about how we're going to address the funding situation that we're in and how we're going to address daca. that was young people who were brought to this country through no fault of their own and are

now in a situation where they don't have citizenship and they don't have a way forward. well, senators graham and durbin spent four months negotiating and excellent bipartisan agreement to strengthen border security and give dreamers a path to citizenship that they deserve. the president in that meeting that we all watched said bring me a solution, and i'll sign it. well, they reached an agreement that would likely pass in the senate with at least 60 votes. last week president trump applauded the deal. he invited senators graham and durbin to the white house to finalize it. and when they got there, they were shocked to find that the president had completely reversed himself. this morning senator graham was stating the obvious when he said

we do not have a reliable partner in the white house. well, we do have reliable partners in this body. give us that bill, let us vote on it, let us send it to the president, and let the president veto it if he doesn't like it. yesterday majority leader mcconnell said, and i quote, as soon as the president figures out what he's for, then i will be convinced that we're not just spinning our wheels but actually dealing with a bill that can become law. well, again, we've got a bipartisan deal on daca. let us vote on it. there are very real consequences to the constant chaos, turmoil, and policy reversals that have become the new normal under this president. we must commit ourselves on a bipartisan basis to restoring order to the appropriations process. it is time to fulfill our

constitutional responsibility, to pass full year appropriations bills that address the needs of the american people. and as we work to resolve this current fiscal impasse, any agreement should include a number of basic provisions. we should fund government for the remainder of this year. no more short-term continuing resolutions. enough. it is enough. we need to stop that. the majority of members in this chamber and throughout congress understand that we can't keep doing this. any deal should increase support for our military and it should provide parity for our domestic needs. to address the opioid epidemic, for our veterans, for the children's health insurance program and community health centers, for those medicaid payments that are so critical to our rural hospitals, for disaster relief in florida and texas and california and puerto rico and the virgin islands.

for pension relief where we have people who have worked their whole lives who are facing old age without the pensions that they paid into. we can get this done. there are enough people of goodwill on both sides of the aisle in this body and in the other body that we can do this if we are allowed to work together. so democrats and republicans, let's get this done. let's keep the government funded. and let's show the american people that we can work together in the interest of this country. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: thank you, mr. president. should the children's health insurance program -- i should be more specific, the children's health insurance program be reauthorized? of course it should be reauthorized. it has a long history of strong bipartisan support. this is a major issue in reaching the point of whether or not we need to get something passed, and we do need to get something passed, so government doesn't shut down. in regard to the children's health insurance program as being part of that, this started very early last fall when the senate finance committee overwhelmingly passed a five-year extension from that committee once again stating the

strong bipartisan support that the children's health insurance program has. now, thankfully it's moving along in the house of representatives because that body has included a six-year extension of children's health insurance program in the continuing resolution that we have to get through the united states senate. so that six-year extension would be the longest extension of the program since the program was created over 20 years ago. now i'm sure this is going to be surprising to our constituents for sure and maybe even surprising to members of this body, but this reauthorization of six years actually saves $1 billion. i cannot believe we're in a situation where people who have

said they supported the children's health insurance program wol vote against -- would vote against its reauthorization when the house resolution comes over here, but that's what the leadership of this body is dealing with to make sure that the children's health insurance program is elevated in this debate so people know that they have been crying for a long period of time about this bill finally -- this children's health insurance program finally being reauthorized could be in a situation of voting against of what they had been pleading for a long period of time. my colleague from the senate judiciary committee, senator feinstein said, and i quote, health care coverage for kids should be a no-brainer. end of quote. i agree.

the children's health insurance program reauthorization is a no-brainer. the value it has for the kids and saving money at this point. senators warner and kaine from virginia wrote, quote, we ask that you include bipartisan legislation reauthorizing the children's health insurance program in any upcoming funding legislation. end of quote. well, it's here for all these senators that want the children's health insurance program reauthorized, this is the opportunity to reauthorize it. will you vote against what you've been advocating for a long time, the reauthorization of the children's health insurance program? in my state of iowa 68,792

children, at the latest enrollment, are in chip and depending on congress to do the right thing. the right thing to do is to reauthorize the children's health insurance program as soon as possible, and that could be today or tomorrow, and for six years so we don't have to deal with it for a long period of time. so, my fellow senators, this is a time for statementsmanship, not gamesmanship, and time to vote for a prompt reauthorization of the children's health insurance program. if i can, mr. president, i'd like to speak to a taxation. now it's nearly three weeks ago the president signed into law the tax cut and jobs act. it is the most sweeping reform

of our tax code in more than three decades. this tax reform provides both tax simplification and tax cuts for the vast majority of taxpayers. importantly, the tax reform bill made good on its commitment to provide real relief to small business owners, and that includes family farmers an ranchers. as one of three senators on the finance and agriculture committee, it was a priority of mine to represent agriculture and the family farm institution throughout the tax reform debate. fair treatment for farmers under tax reform was especially important to me given the large role agriculture plays in the state of iowa's economy.

agriculture accounts for one out of every five jobs in the state and makes up 33% of iowa's economy. the tax reform bill provided a once in a generation opportunity to make real and long-lasting reforms for farmers, ranchers, and every american working in our agricultural industries. broadly speaking, across the board rate reductions will let americans keep more of their own money. this will afford farmers the opportunity to reininvest in their operations -- reinvest in their operations instead of sending that capital to politicians. this expands section 179 of the tax code which helps farmers finance overhead costs. it enables farmers to deduct more expenses in the year they

occurred and also expands the availability of cash accounting to more farmers in iowa and throughout the country. these provisions will allow farmers to invest in the equipment necessary to do the job of feeding the nation and the world. the tax cuts and jobs act lowers taxes on capital investment and includes a business deduction that will help level the playing field between farms that file as corporations and those that file as individuals. more than 94% of farms are taxed under the i.r.s. provisions affecting individual taxpayers. the bulk of agriculture producers who operate outside the tax code deserve basic fairness.

the tax cuts and jobs act makes sure that those taxed under the individual and corporate tax codes are treated with more equity. one of the most frequently discussed issues in tax reform discussion is the estate tax which can force family farms to break up operations to pay the i.r.s. following the death of family members. now, that doesn't happen at the death of a lot of farmers, but in a few cases it does, and it seems to me to be very unfair to make up -- break up a farming operation to pay as a result of the consequence of a death. i support a full repeal of this unfair tax but was pleased that in this tax reform legislation we were able to make significant

progress and alleviate the burden on family farmers by doubling the estate tax exception. this substantial change would let more family farmers pass their hard-earned life work on to their children, paving the way for the next generation of family farmers. according to the iowa farm bureau, given the price of farm land, about 30% of crop farms in iowa exceeds the $5 million state tax exception in the 2016 -- in 2016 based on land values. the doubling of the exception amount will go a long ways towards alleviating the nightmare that is the death tax for many iowa farmers. i've long advocated for commonsense tax relief measures because they will help iowa and the mid-wes -- midwest and will

make life easier for middle-class americans. farmers hard work provides the healthy and affordable food that we so often take for granted. we should do everything in our power to support that segment of our economy and create an environment where these small businesses and hardworking families can thrive and prosper. that's what tax reform will do for farmers, for iowans, and for all americans. whether it's a middle-class farmer or a middle-class nonfarmer, all benefits from other provisions of the tax bill, like doubling the standard deduction, doubling the child tax credit, reducing the 15% bracket to 12%, reducing the 25% bracket to 22%, and there's a lot of other features in this

bill to benefit not only farmers but also other middle-class families. i yield the floor.

mr. cardin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: thank you, mr. president.

mr. president, the dreamers are part of this country. they are america's future. they are helping to build this great nation and they need our attention now. the republicans control the house, the senate, and the white house. one of their principal responsibilities is to pass a budget. we are now four months into the fiscal year and we don't have a budget and we're talking about another continuing resolution through mid-february. a couple of week ago we were told on the floor to give it a couple of more weeks and we would work some of these issues out, but that time has now come and we still do not have a budget. we should not be going into february without dealing with the problems of this country. we need a deal on the budget. we need an agreement on the dreamers. we need so many issues that need to be addressed. there's no excuse why the republican leadership has not brought these issues to the floor of the senate for action. i want to start in regards to

the dreamers to commend the bipartisan work of a group convened by senators graham and durbin. they have come up with a good plan that addresses key issues needed for a compromise on immigration reform. i was pleased to see they put on their web site a -- website a summary of the proposed legislation, it deals with the dreamers, border security, and visas and those in temporary status and reunification and migration. the draft legislation that we saw would provide a 12-year pathway for citizenship for dreamers with two years of credit for time with daca. they must have entered the united states by june 15, 2012, when president obama and homeland security announced the creation of daca. i think most of us know that daca stands for deferred action

for childhood arrivals. let me talk for a few minutes about the dreamers. these are individuals who entered the country as minors. when they were brought here by their parents to seek a better life. under the daca program they are entitled to a two-year renewable work permit without fear of deportation. each one has to go through a criminal background check, need to be enrolled in school, high school graduates or in the u.s. military. in the united states today we have 800,000 who are registered under the dreamers. there are about 10,000 in my state of maryland and they are contributing a half billion dollars to maryland's gross domestic product. they are a key part of our economy. they are the next generation of teachers, doctors, engineers, and entrepreneurs. they are going to help build america and no other country but the united states -- and know no other country but the united states which is their home. our values which makes america

the great nation that it is, we are a welcoming country. we are a country that people have come to over the years to build this nation. that is america's pg strength. let -- america's strength. are we going to turn our back on the values that built this nation? are we going to rip families apart? is that what america stands for? i would find that hard to imagine. at the same time we would hurt the economy and hurt ourselves. i met many dreamers. i met one in my office who had tears in her eyes. she said, i have an expiration date on my back. she doesn't know what will happen when that date occurs. to me, and i hope to all americans, this country is not where someone should have to live under those fears. we need to take action to help the dreamers. i've had several roundtable discussions with dreamers in maryland. i've had them in college park, baltimore, and other areas

throughout america. let me just mention two dreamers i met with. adam was originally born in canada, he was born in pakistan. becky was born in peru and came here with her parents to the united states. i mentioned them collectively because they attend the university of maryland college park. our state allows dreamers to get in-state tuition. they needed work permits because they have to work. otherwise they never would have been able to get through school. they need a driver's license. adam needed a driver's license so he could get to a magnet school. that was all possible, the ability to get a driver's license, the ability to work because of president obama's executive order, data can a program. now all that has been put in doubt because of president trump's announcement that the program will end. this puts their lives on hold

and they wonder whether they need to go into the shadows of the united states of america. this was a crisis created by president trump when he a nnounced the end of the daca program in six months. that will expire in march. president trump's actions to rescind the daca program was wrong. we can correct it. that's what congress can do and we must do. our university community in maryland strongly supports the daca program. i've heard from the university of maryland system, johns hopkins university, and many other of the schools in our state. this fall i received a joint letter from the public school's secondary systems of prince george's county, anne arundel counties as well as baltimore city. the school superintendents wrote to me that, and i quote, maryland is a national leader in providing students with a world-class education. essential to our success is our commitment to providing children in our schools with a safe and welcoming environment to learn. termination of daca will have a direct and damaging effect on

the maryland students who are currently beneficiaries. the school letter continues, it is a direct threat to maryland's economic stability and safety as it will strip students of their ability to work and drive legally, pay taxes, and pursue post secondary opportunities. parents who lose work authorizations will face deportation or be moved into dangerous underground economy, causing financial uncertainties for their families and harmful stress on their children. our students. in addition, the daca decision could impact our ability to motivate our young, our youth to remain committed to their education in pursuing college and careers and will lead to the worsening economic hardships of our daca community. all from our school systems in maryland. i heard similar concerns from law enforcement officials. tom manger, who cochairs the law

enforcement immigration task force, is the police chief in montgomery county wrote, our support for a legislative solution for dreamers is consistent with our long-standing support for bipartisan reform of our immigration system. we support measures allowing law-abiding people to feel safe and secure in their communities, which reinforces trust and cooperation with state and local law enforcement. beyond the significant contribution dreamers make to our communities, we are concerned that the absent action by congress, dreamer population will be driven back into the shadows and be hesitant to report crimes and cooperate with investigations. such an outcome would risk undermining community safety. when dreamers and all immigrants feel safe, engaging with local police, all of our communities are safer. i certainly agree with chief manger. a similar group to the dreamers are those who are here in temporary protective status or

t.p.s. there are 437,000 people from el salvador, somalia, sudan, south sudan, yemen. in maryland, 22,500 people are here from el salvador, honduras, an haiti, the largest number from el salvador. so our t.p.s. population in maryland exceeds the daca population. my own state recipients contribute $1.2 billion to the gross domestic product of my state. so this is a major part of the maryland economy. this is a very similar situation to the dreamers. they get a six- to 18-month extension. they have been here for decades because of the underlying conditions in the countries from which they came still exists. benefit listen to central -- i have been to central america. i can tell you that it is not safe for people to return to their gang communities. they have the same or similar

situation. they no know no other country but america. if they are required to go back it will tear families apart. we need toage o-- we need to acn order to protect this group of citizens. i want to acknowledge the fact the legislation that was introduced -- i join my colleagues senator van hollen, feinstein, and others that will provide a legislative effect, s. 23144, the secure act. i am pleased that the outline of the durbin-graham compromise legislation includes relief for t.p.s. recipients. the legislation would make changes to the diversity visa lottery program and reallocate half the annual visas to recipients of t.p.s. that would amount to about 27,000 visas annually. under the draft t.p.s. recipients would maintain legal status and work authorization while awaiting visas.

this would give t.p.s. recipients from deportations, green cards and ultimately a pathway to citizenship. after t.p.s. backlog is clear, which could take roughly a decade to do given the 300,000-plus recipients of t.p.s. in the united states today, the annual visas would be aloe caughted to nation nations- allocated to nations on priori priority. the department of homeland security has placed termination dates on t.p.s. for those from el salvador and haiti and has extended the deadline for decision in honduras. these individuals are at risk. we need toage oact. maryland has a large number of el salvadorans. i am gravely concerned about what will happen to these individuals, many mixed-nationality families who have been part of the american community for so long. photophore nearly a decade, el salvador has cannotly suffered per capita murder rates that have been the worst in the world. in 2016, the people of el

salvador would victims of over 250,000 homicides, more than 80 per 100,000. the highest globally. el salvador has limited capacity to absorb the nearly 200,000 individuals who could be subjected to immediate deportation. we welcome these individuals to america to save them from danger. in the case of haiti, as another example, haiti has made important strides towards reconstruction. it's capacity to effectively manage repatriation efforts have faced set 13 backs, including the continuing cholera epidemic. additionally, the conditions in haiti were further complicated by two category-5 hurricanes irma and maria. these recent developments exacerbate fragile conditions in haiti. as the department of homeland security own memorandum from april 2017 outlined, an stimed

30% of the population suffer from food and security and 40% of the population lacks access to fundamental health and nutrition services. in other words, mr. president, it's not safe for those individuals to have to go back to haiti. they've been here. this is their home. they want to make this their home. we should give them that opportunity. met me conclude by quoting from becky again. one of the dreamers i met at the university of maryland at college park. she said the best present she ever got was on her 13th birthday when president obama executed the executive order that gave her legal status and hope here in america. well, we can give her even a better present right now. we can give her the present of congress acting to provide protection from the -- for the dreamers and those on t.p.s. so they don't have to worry again and they know that they're home

here in merge i urge my colleagues -- here in america. i urge my colleagues to pass legislation that will protect the dreamers and t.p.s. and, mr. president, i certainly hope that we will do what is the minimum to get done by the congress of the united states and pass a budget before the deadline of to -- of tomorrow evening. with that, i yield the floor.