question? do you think that the law is consistent with our values? 51% said no and 42 or something like that said yes. this is about who we are as a country that we are able to protect their borders, our people and our values. >> what if they find another home on the hill? >> the u.s. done for the because the u.s. senate begins its state today. a bill prohibiting taxpayer money from funding abortions. at 4:30 eastern the senate has to vote on ending debate moving

to a final vote on the abortion measure. by the senate coverage here on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal father, answer our prayers, for your unfailing love sustains us. give our lawmakers a great faith

to live for, as you deliver them from doubt, disillusionment, bitterness, cynicism, and frustration. lord, teach them so to live and toil that they may face with clear consciences the gaze of their peers and the judgment of posterity. be near to the unpaid federal workers and their families who are feeling the economic strains of this partial government shutdown. lord, don't permit these trials to overwhelm them. and, lord, touch with your mercy the loved ones of the u.s.

citizens killed in north syria. we pray in your compassionate name, amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, tomorrow washington will play host to one of the nation's proudest examples of peaceful activism, the 46th annual march for life. hundreds of thousands of americans from different states, different ethnic backgrounds, different faiths will speak with one voice on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. i'd like to welcome the marchers, especially my fellow kentuckians, including the executive director of kentucky right to life. i welcome all of the marchers with gratitude. i'm grateful they are helping shed light on this great shame of our society and bearing witness to the fact that human

dignity and human rights are for everyone. as they march tomorrow, our friends can take pride knowing that our beliefs are consistent not just with morality and supported by science, they are also squarely supported within the mainstream of yourself. a sizable majority of american adults hold views on the subject that are far, far from the absolutist position of the far left. 75% of all americans, including more than 60% of those who call themselves pro-choice, support more protection for the lives of unborn children. the far left is wedded to the most extreme positions on this subject. for example, the radical left wants america to remain one of only seven countries -- seven countries in the entire world, including china and north korea, who allow elective abortions to

occur after 20 weeks, and even the child is capable of feeling pain. the american people, however, know better. that survey also found that a majority of americans oppose taxpayer-funded abortion. so i'm proud today to stand with that majority of americans and urge every member of this body to join me in supporting the no taxpayer funding for abortion act in afternoon. thanks to the dedication of senators wicker, roberts, ernst, lankford, daines, blunt and many others, the bill-before us would supplement existing law and bolster the long standing protections of the hyde amendment. by implementing a government-wide statutory prohibition on taxpayer subsidies for abortion and abortion coverage, s. 109 would close off federal support for abortion that flows outside of

the hyde-protected regular appropriations process. in addition, it would explicitly ensure that federal health care facilities are not party to abortions and increase transparency requirements for federally subsidized health care plans. so i'm proud to support this important step forward in protecting america's right -- rights of conscience. i would urge every one of our colleagues to vote to advance it. mrs. murray: mr. president? mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: mr. president, the fact that the united states is debating and voting on this bill attacking women's health care right now is an absolute disgrace. we are 27 days into president trump's completely unnecessary government shutdown. workers are not being paid. families are huddled around their tables wondering which bills to pay and which expenses to cut.

our national security is being impacted. our parks are filling up with trash. our economy is losing billions of dollars. the list goes on. it needs to end. so i urge my colleagues, vote no against this bill today that would erode women's health care and take away our constitutionally protected rights. demand that republican leaders let us vote to open up the government and then let's get back to work getting our country back on track. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor.

mr. schumer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: first i want to just echo the words of my colleague, our great ranking member of health and human services, senator murray. and now, look, folks, the trump shutdown drags into its 27th day. the pain inp flicted on our economy, our citizens, our economy grows. the council of economic advisors said the shutdown would hurt our economy twice as much as originally projected. experts are predicting it could wipe out the entire first quarter of economic growth. airports are understaffed. an understaffed t.s.a. means longer and longer lines. yesterday the executive vice president of the air traffic controllers said flying, quote, is less safe today than a month ago. absolutely. hundreds of public servants are suffering. i can give a list of a long number. mr. president, president trump,

this shutdown, your shutdown, has gone on too long. why is president trump punishing folks like so many of my constituents who have nothing to do with disagreements about border security? if you sense exasperation in my tone, you're right. we democrats are exasperated. all we want to do is reopen the government. we're happy to debate border security with the president and our republican colleagues. happy to. but let's reopen the government. and my friends, my republican friends here, both the president and leadership mcconnell are ignoring the overwhelming will of the american people. so we urge our colleagues to think about this. we know that president trump is not interested in ending the shutdown. leader mcconnell knows he has the power to end the shutdown. the only reason we're in this prolonged stalemate is that our -- my friend, the republican

leader, refuses to take up any legislation to reopen the government. we should do it now. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to s. 10 the, which the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to the consideration of s. 109, a bill to prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions. the presiding officer: under the previous order, there will be 30 minutes of debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees. all time is yielded back. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion: we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the

motion to proceed to calendar number 11, s. 109, a bill to prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the motion to proceed to s. 109, a bill to prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions, shall be brought to a close? the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote: vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote?

seeing none, on this vote, the yeas are 48, the nays are 47. three-fifths of the senators duly chose enand sworn not having voted in the affirmative, the motion is not agreed to. mr. schumer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: mr. president, can we have some order, please. the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. mr. schumer: we spent the past few days debating the resolution of disapproval of the treasury department's plan to relax sanctions on russia. we've made clear the treasury's plan is insufficient and let putin and his cronies off the hook. we've made clear that putin's maligned activities around the globe have not abated. we've made clear there is no reason to believe sanctions on one of our chief adversaries,

when there has been no reconciliation and exchange for nothing. earlier this week, ten brave republicans joined us on the motion to proceed and again on cloture, but it was not enough for passage. so many other republicans who have campaigned that democrats are not tough enough on putin when they had a chance to be tough on putin ran for the exits. i just want to let my colleagues know that the house was different, and in this case far more courageous. the house passed the same resolution of disapproval 362-53. republicans by more than a 2-1 ratio, more than 2-1, voted to not allow the loosening of sanctions on deripaska's rusal. 136 of them joined with the unanimous, unanimous support of

house democrats to pass the resolution. so now two votes -- two small votes -- stand in the way of passage here in the senate. let the overwhelming bipartisan house vote be a message to my republican friends in the senate. we should pass this resolution. we should not let putin get his way simply because donald trump has always wanted him too often. so, i'm going to shortly reconsider the resolution before it expires tonight at midnight. i strongly urge my friend, the leader, not to block the request and give republican senators a chance to change their minds on this incredibly important motion. so i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar 14, h.j. res. 30, that the joint resolution be considered read for a third time and the senate vote on passage with a 60-vote affirmative threshold with no intervening

action or debate, and if the joint resolution fails to achieve 60 votes for passage, it be returned to the calendar. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. mcconnell: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. kaine: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 5, h.r. 21, making appropriations for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2019. i further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: is there an objection? mr. mcconnell: objection. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. kaine: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. kaine: mr. president, i would like to speak on the preceding motion, but before i do, i would like to yield time to my colleague from new mexico.

mr. udall: senator kaine, you're yielding to me to talk about the interior department in the bill. okay. and let me just thank you for your vigilance. i mean, when we have 800,000 federal employees across this country and their families hurting, you have been vigilant at this. i know your state of virginia, you and senator warner, are very concerned, as senator heinrich and myself, very concerned about what's happening in new mexico. and i wanted to speak a little bit about the interior department bill, where i'm the ranking democrat. mr. president, i rise today to call on this body to take action and immediately end the government shutdown that is causing tragic consequences in the lives of americans.

we are on day 27 of the shutdown, the longest in our nation's history. every day my constituents in new mexico are asking me, what are we doing to end this senseless shutdown? so i'm here on the senate floor demanding that we open the government, demanding that we do our jobs as a coequal branch of government, demanding that we pass bipartisan appropriations bills. i have the privilege of serving as the ranking member of the interior appropriations subcommittee, and i know how critical that the interior bill is, particularly to my home state of new mexico and states across the west and across the country. the interior bill funds basic services like health care and public safety for 2 million

american indians and alaska natives. through the indian health service and the bureau of indian affairs. this bill keeps our air and water clean through the work of the environmental protection agency. this bill protects and preserves national parks and other treasured public lands and helps support small businesses that depend on them. the agencies in this bill fund science, wildlife protection, energy development, and arts and cultural programs in every state. and they employ tens of thousands of americans. there's no reason why they should be shuttered. they are simply too important. this shutdown is particularly devastating for indian country. every day the president continues to treat tribal programs like hostages for political gain. by his action he endangers

families across indian country. multiple health clinics that serve urban indians have closed their doors, forced to turn hundreds of patients away. tribal court programs are in jeopardy. food distribution and social service programs are on the chopping block. law enforcement services are stretched to the breaking point. thousands of tribal members are furloughed -- all to devastating effect. indian country is paying the price for every day that the president's reckless shutdown continues. these are people's lives and livelihoods on the line. our government is completely failing to uphold its trust and treaty obligations to native americans. all for what? a wildly expensive and ineffective wall that this nation doesn't want. and a vanity project for a

president who is not putting the best interests of this country first. it doesn't make any sense. we need to pass the interior appropriations bills so that we can reopen the entire national park system along with other public lands and do so safely. already we have heard about the tragic impacts of the shutdown on our parks, including 1,000-year-old joshua trees cut down in california and fossils that have been looted in carlsbad caverns in my home state of new mexico. we can't let this kind of damage happen to our most treasured places. and we must ensure that small businesses that depend on our public lands, from fishing guides to gas stations and hotels are able to thrive and keep our economy strong. across the board, this shutdown is hurting businesses,

contractors, and federal workers. even the president's own council on economic advisors has released figures doubling the expected impacts to the economy. think about that. the president's own aides admit that this shutdown is worse than they anticipated. this is totally unacceptable. but it's not too late to change the situation. we can end this shutdown today. all it takes is for enough of my republican colleagues and friends to find the courage to join us to pass these appropriations bills and to send a message to the white house, we need to reopen the government. so, mr. president, i want to say to them let's join together to make sure that tribal health clinics are open and tribal law enforcement officers are on patrol. let's work side by side to reopen the entire national park

system and other public lands that ensure that -- and ensure that there are enough staff members on the ground to protect our nation's most cherished natural and cultural resources. let's pass these bipartisan appropriation bills without delay. i don't understand how this chamber can stand by and watch the devastating effects of this shutdown on our nation. in new mexico alone, we estimate that there are at least 10,800 federal workers that are working without pay or are furloughed outright. and nationwide, there are an estimated 800,000 federal workers and as many as two million federal contractors that may be affected. we're talking about millions of people's paychecks being held hostage for a border wall that the american public doesn't support.

yesterday, i stood on this floor and talked about the impacts this shutdown is having on the ornelias family of carlsbad, new mexico. they are depending on a paycheck from the department of the interior to help keep their family afloat as they deal with a disabled son who had two brain surgeries. the ornelias family was already dealing with one of the worst crises a family can go through, and now they have to worry about how to pay for basic necessities. they are just one example of the lives at stake. but it's not just federal workers and federal contractors. every single american relies on the federal government for essential public safety and security. the food and drug administration shut down. contaminated food can kill thousands. t.s.a. agents and air traffic controllers we rely on to keep

air travel sf, they are unpaid. and in a massive irony, president trump's shutdown means that the department of homeland security is unpaid. there are an estimated 2,000 new mexicans we rely on for border security, international trade, and immigration work. they are unpaid. this really truly is madness. for their sake and for the sake of all americans who are affected by this tragic situation, we need to end this shutdown now. the consequences of inaction are too great. once again, let me just thank senator kaine for his passion on this issue and for his vigilance in terms of bringing this issue and fighting with all of us here on the floor, and i would yield to senator kaine. the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. kaine: i will briefly

conclude my comments, recognizing that my colleague from indiana is on the floor. i want to thank the senator from new mexico for his words. he spoke about the motion i just made. i will be on the floor tomorrow and saturday and next week, tuesday, wednesday, and thursday, to share stories that are being shared with me and are being shared with me every day by virginians affected and the agencies that the senator from new mexico discussed and others. but just to clarify, the motion that i made earlier was to have a vote on the house bills that are pending before us. there are two house votes pending before us. one is for a short-term appropriations for the homeland security-related agencies. the other is for the full-year fiscal year, the remainder of the fiscal year appropriation for the following departments and agencies -- department of the interior, environmental protection agency, forest service, department of the treasury, including the i.r.s., the judiciary, the executive office of the president. we are trying to fund the executive office of the president.

the district of columbia, the department of agriculture, including the food stamp program, the food and drug administration, the department of transportation, the department of housing and urban development, the department of commerce, the department of justice, including the f.b.i., science-related agencies, including nasa, the department of state, and several related and independent agencies. that was the motion that i made that was objected to by the majority leader. three items quickly. there are three levels of just surreal illogic to the position that we are in. the first is we are having a legitimate debate between congress and the president on border security and immigration reform. that's a very legitimate debate on which there are intellectually respectable differences of opinion, but if we're having a debate about that, why would we wish the workers that are charged with admin sterg the -- with administering the food stamp program?

why would we punish the citizens that need those services? the first level of illogic we are in is we are punishing the workers and the citizens who need services completely unconnected with the border and immigration reform issue. surreal illogic number two. if we are having a debate about safety and security on the border, why would we demand customs and board patrol forecasts work without pay? those that are affected and that are part of the agencies dealing with the dispute are by all accounts the front-line people who are dealing with this immigration judges, custom and border patrol folks, coast guard agents, f.b.i., batf agents. why would we make their lives harder when they are the safety and security professionals who are charged with dealing with the issue that we are trying to figure out? and the final level of surreal logic, as i yield to my

colleague from indiana is this. i want to thank all my colleagues because a week ago we by unanimous consent passed a back-pay bill that the president signed yesterday. now we have guaranteed that the federal treasury will write a check for the paychecks for all of these workers. it's actually probably going to be more because to close and restart actually costs a little bit more. but we have now agreed to pay back pay in this and any future shutdown to these workers. so if we're going to pay them anyway, if we're going to pay them anyway, why wouldn't he want them to be serving america instead of furloughed? if we're going to pay them anyway, if the federal treasury is going to write that check, wouldn't it be better if they are in their offices, answering the phone, processing food stamp applications, serving their fellow americans rather than locked out of their offices? we bar federal workers from striking because of the need for continuous government operations, but we're locking

them out of their offices while we have agreed to give them full payment for the work they would have been doing had we not locked them out. that is not fiscally smart. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. young: i rise to talk about an issue that's very important to the people in my state of indiana. it's also very close to my heart, the sanctity of life. tomorrow, many thousands pro-life advocates from around the country, many hoosiers, will convene in washington for the march for life. this is the world's largest annual pro-life demonstration. you may not be able to tell this by watching today's television or movies, but there is

bipartisan agreement among most americans that we must protect human life. now, this is no old-fashioned point of view. in fact, a recent survey of millennials showed that 70% supported limits such as parental notification, blocking abortions at five months of pregnancy, and ending government funding for abortion. in indiana, concerned citizens from all corners of the state are fighting tirelessly to protect pro-life principles. these are the unsung heroes of the life movement. those who have dedicated their lives to saving innocent children. these and other hoosiers, of course, elected me to represent their interests in the united states senate, but they also elected me to represent their values. and i have been proud to work on legislation that reflects those

values. already in this new congress, i have joined dozens of my senate colleagues on a letter to president trump asking for a public commitment to only support pro-life legislative and administrative policies. now, to be clear, this president has indeed been supportive of pro-life policies, but house democrats have already indicated they intend to move forward with pro-abortion legislation this congress. we would like the president to let the house know that he's going to veto any kind of legislation that doesn't respect the sanctity of life. i've also joined several of my colleagues this week to cosponsor the no taxpayer funding for abortion act of 2019, which we just voted on. this bill would have established a governmentwide statutory prohibition on taxpayer subsidies for abortion or

abortion coverage. federal taxpayer dollars should absolutely not be used to fund abortion. i'm incredibly disappointed that my colleagues didn't join me in voting to pass this important legislation today, and i will continue looking for ways to advance this needed reform. i'm also a cosponsor of the born-alive survivor protection act which ensures that a baby who survives an abortion will receive the same treatment as any child naturally born premature at the very same age. we must do all we can to protect innocent life. before being elected to the u.s. senate, i sat on the board of directors of the hannah house in bloomington, indiana. this is a maternity home which offers women loving support during their pregnancy. i also spent two years as a small-town attorney in southern

indiana. during that time, i offered free legal services to parents who wanted to adopt. i am passionate about helping children find loving forever homes and helping caring adults become parents, and i have come to appreciate firsthand through my own life experiences the importance of advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves. we are divided on so many issues today, but protecting the lives of unborn children should not be one of those issues. i'll continue working on legislation that advances pro-life values, and i am hopeful we can soon turn these actions into law. mr. president, i yield. i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. daines: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. daines: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. daines: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that jason smith and allison grab, fellows at the commerce committee it be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the 116th congress. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. daines: mr. president, this week folks from all over the country, all ages, all backgrounds, all walks of life are coming together to celebrate and highlight one of the single most important priorities of this nation, and that is protecting the unborn. in fact, tomorrow nearly 100,000

of these folks will march right here in washington, d.c., at the march for life rally. in fact, i'll be speaking at that rally tomorrow. as american citizens, i believe in our founding principle that all men, that all women are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, and none these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. every human life must be valued. every human life must be protected. -- from conception until death. we must stand to protect the most vulnerable in our society, and that includes the unborn. i'm grateful that under president trump's leadership and the republican-led united states senate, we have delivered some of the strongest pro-life

results in history. in fact, last congress this republican-led senate confirmed 85 conservative judges. that includes a record-setting 30 circuit court judges. in fact, we also confirmed 53 district court judges and two new supreme court justices. i remember when i left the private sector to come to public service that when the senate puts a judge on the bench, that these are lifetime appointments. you know, we can pass laws here. laws can be changed in the current congress. laws can be changed in a future congress. but these judges are lifetime appointments. but despite the great progress we've made over the last couple of years, there is plenty of work left to be done. in fact, just this week, i was

grateful -- i am thankful to see 48 of my u.s. senate colleagues joined me in sending a letter to president trump urging him to stop any legislation, any legislation that's coming out of the house, that would erode pro-life protections. the good news -- this is a battle that we are winning, and this is a battle that we must absolutely win. thank you. i yield back.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. mr. sullivan: mr. president, a couple of days ago, i came to the floor to talk about the partial government shutdown, how it's impacting different parts of my state, the great state of alaska, and in particular how it is impacting the men and women

of the ug coast guard. i recognize, i think we all recognize that we're trying to work through this partial government shutdown that a lot of federal workers are being impacted, but let me talk about the coast guard because i think it's a little different, a little different than almost any other group of federal workers. on tuesday, these brave men and women did not receive a paycheck. they didn't receive a paycheck, and they are the only branch of the u.s. military right now out there around the world, around the globe, risking their lives for the american people who are not getting paid. army, navy, air force, marines, we love them all, they're working hard, they're getting paid. men and women of the coast guard are not getting paid. that's wrong. that's particularly wrong. they can't leave the. they would get court-martialed. they are working hard, saving

lives. in my state certainly in alaska all the time, and they are not getting paid when the other services are getting paid. so what did we do? a number of us, democrats and republicans, almost one quarter of the members of the united states senate, mr. president, cosponsored a bill that says let's pay the coast guard. let's pay the coast guard right now so they are treated fairly like the other men and women serving in our military. so that was a good start. i was optimistic then. it's been a bit of a roller coaster ride, but to be honest, mr. president, i couldn't imagine that this bill wouldn't sail through. okay. we're not going to be able to fix everything right now, but this is one we can start working on these individual issues. and there is a lot of talk of doing that. so last week, i had the opportunity to raise this with the president and his administration.

the secretary of homeland security. and we continued to press this issue all week. o.m.b. director, chief of staff of the white house, the president himself. and then he said this week he was going to support the bill. that's important. now you have the executive branch, the president of the united states, he'll sign it. he said it. as a matter of fact, i was in a meeting with him yesterday. he said he is 100% supportive of this bill. bipartisan, actually more democrats than republicans on the bill right now. so what we did, trying to move this quickly, is that we said all right, the president is going to sign it. to the senate, bipartisan bill, let's move it. we moved to hotline it. what does that mean? tries to get this bill to be moved through unanimous consent through the senate. a hotline says we're going to try to move it real fast, everybody is going to vote on it. so that started today, and by noon, every republican member of

the u.s. senate said good to go, let's pay the men and women of the coast guard. i had the opportunity to talk to a public radio program in kodiak, one of the largest coast guard stations in the country. actually, it is the largest in the country. and i had the opportunity to say to my fellow alaskans, hey, i'm pretty optimistic. we have moved. a lot of cosponsors, 25% of the senate, democrats and republicans, the president of the united states, and bingo, republicans have said we're good to go on it. and so i certainly started work and some of my democratic colleagues who are also optimistic. why would we block this? remember, the only men and women in the u.s. military not getting paid right now. and we have a solution. so, mr. president, i come to the floor and i hate to admit it

because two hours ago i was pretty optimistic, but i'm getting word that my colleagues, the democrats, the minority leader are now saying maybe we're just going to block this. not sure why. nobody has come down here to say why. we're running the hotline on the democratic side, so maybe that's just a rumor. i hope it's just a rumor. why would you block it? come on, my colleagues on the other side. why would you block it? this is -- we're not going to fix everything tonight, but we could fix this tonight. let me just talk a little bit about just in my state, some of you have probably seen the -- seen "the deadliest catch" and those kind of shows about the men and men and women of alaska. look at the men and women who are out there keeping our american fishermen safe. on average, every month in the state of alaska, the coast guard saves 22 lives, one month, on

average, one state. assists 53 people. reports and investigates 25 maritime casualties. conducts close to 20 security boardings and over 20 security patrols. if you're in trouble in the high seas in alaska, which is a bad place to be, the seas are never too rough or the skies never too dismal for the coast guard to come out and rescue you. we've seen it time and time again. but it's not just in alaska, mr. president. as you know, it's all over the country, and it's all over the world. i talked to the commandant of the coast guard just yesterday. i said mr. commandant, admiral, i think we're close. the president is good to go. i think most of the senators are good to go. the bill has 25 cosponsors. he reminded me he has got men and women of the coast guard

deployed in the persian gulf through an antipiracy operation, alongside u.s. marines and u.s. navy personnel. right now. persian gulf, marines, coast guard, navy. guess who is not getting paid. does anyone think that that should be a tolerated situation? the answer is no. the answer is no. so again, i just hope this is a rumor and that the hotline that's happening right now on the democratic side, yeah, we have cleared it. good to go. every republican has signed off on this, that this is just a rumor, that tonight the democrats will clear this, will get it to the house. the coast guard says they can start cutting checks again within 24 hours. the president will sign this. so there should be no reason, mr. president, not to do this. now, as you know, the partial

government shutdown is negatively impacting federal workers. the president's request, in my view, for border security is imminently reasonable, and i'm hopeful the speaker will start to view it that way. i know a lot of her members are. we're all working this. we're all working for a solution . senator johnson put out a bill that i joined as a cosponsor that would immediately pay all workers who are currently working without pay, so this would expand the idea of what we're doing with the coast guard bill. i think it's a good idea. that's a start. but the coast guard bill right now has momentum. it has momentum. we could get this done in 24 hours, mr. president. it's not a complete solution, but we have the white house, which should be the senate and

hopefully the house getting ready -- being ready to find a solution, at least for some of the men and women in the federal workforce. but, mr. president, as i like to emphasize, they are not just any federal workers. all of them are important, there is no doubt, but when you are the only members of the military not getting paid for risking your lives for your country and we can fix it here tonight in the senate, that's what we should be doing. i certainly hope this bill isn't being blocked unreasonably. as i mentioned, it's not a complete solution, but it's a start of a solution. for the life of me, i can't understand why this bill would be blocked. and more importantly, the men and women of the coast guard will not understand why this bill is being blocked. and the communities that support and depend on the coast guard

like kodiak, alaska, will not understand why this bill is being blocked. these are young men and women who love their country, have chosen to serve and protect us. they're not going to understand why this bill is being blocked tonight. so, mr. president, i don't want to use the word plead, but i am asking my colleagues on the democratic side to do the right thing. cast this -- pass this bill tonight. every single american who is aware of this situation knows that it's inequitable. the other members of the military are out there risking their lives just like the men and women of the coast guard are, and they are getting paid, and the men and women of the coast guard aren't. we are on the verge of a solution. passing this bill will take care

of at least one issue that we're all trying to resolve, and i again urge my colleagues, my democratic colleagues, because all of my republican colleagues have already passed this bill in the hotline. i urge my colleagues to take up this bill, do the right thing, and support the men and women of the coast guard who are not being treated equal like their brothers and sisters in the other branches of the military. until then, mr. president, i'm going to continue to fight for this. i'm going to continue to raise the issue. as i mentioned, we have made a lot of progress, including getting the white house and the president on board, getting all of our members here on the republican side of the senate on board, and i'm hopeful with more advocacy, more reasoning, with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that we'll also get there. move this to the house quickly

and get the men and women the paychecks -- the men and women of the coast guard the paychecks that they are needing. i yield the floor.

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h.r. 259, which was received from the house.

the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 259, an act to extend the medicaid money follows the person rebalancing demonstration to extend protection for medicaid recipients of home and community-based services against spousal impoverishment, and for other purposes. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the bill be considered read a third time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i know of no further debate on the bill. the presiding officer: if there is no further debate, the question is on passage of the bill. all in favor say aye. all opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the bill is passed. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without

objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the judiciary committee be discharged from further consideration and the senate now proceed to s. res. 10. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 10, honoring the life of richard arvin overton. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. the committee is discharged, and the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to immediate consideration of s. res. 21 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 21, to constitute the minority party's membership on certain committees for the 116th congress, or until their successors are chosen.

the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. mcconnell: i further ask the resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: now, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10:00 a.m. friday, january 18. further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning business 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, following leader remarks, the senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to s. 1. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: so if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.

[applause]