with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: for weeks now mr. mcconnell: for weeks now >> are now almost daily. and the needs of a bipartisan agreement to fund the federalve government and with the resources and stability that process is exactly what congress was on trial for a few months ago. and with pennsylvania avenue.

in like obstacles like poison pills. and here we are again. and we have to get results on appropriations before the end of the year. and then to reset those allocations. and then to originate the funding bill and then to vote on that when we had back to our home states. so to make this through december 20th to allow appropriations before the end

of this year. and then to pass the senate to indicate that a president is willing and ready december 20th so we can finish our work. and to get the bipartisan process back on track we can safely fund the federal government through december and then with more cooperation than the senate will take the house on - - the opportunity to consider three more those nominees to the federal bench and the diplomatic corps. later today we will vote to advance the nomination of

justice from florida to the us circuit george judgment 11 circuit. another judge also nominated 11 the circuit are impressive nominees with qualificationsst and two mortifying choices. and then with a diplomatic corps. in all g three confirmations and now a final matter the last few days with those images coming out of hong kong the

police crackdown for those that were standing up for their freedom and regions autonomy has intensified the university campus looks like a war zone. with government forces laying siege upon students and protesters. fee this is something truly terrible. in the midst of the crackdown hong kong's high court ruled against the executive in favor of the protesters writes to be acting beyond its authorities and allies it has the government systematic campaign with the autonomous region hundreds of pages of internal documentsov from the government

to have that region that is supposed to legally be distinct from the rest of china. those organs have apsley no mercy the protesters are not the problem it is beijing and hong kong leadership the communist party must know it will hurt in the 21st century version of tiananmen square united states where not forget neither would china's ortrading partners so what can the united states do cracks in september with the state of foreign operations appropriations bill of the 1992 hong kong policy act wwhich by the way was my bill back in 1982.

and with that autonomy of hongng kong. and with that appropriations process. and through new legislation. and then to be keenly interested ine decades. and then to move this important bill. in the united states is not need to wait for new laws. and would strongly encourage them and to hear those clear

statements in recent months. and for what it is with the eclarity that others have lacked those with hong kong himself. and with these brave men and women in the old consensus was the modernization of china reautomatically import our values and into their society. but simply this has not happened. i and the further integration and to expand china's reach beyond the shores.

and with the bilateral diplomacy. with those tools that has been provided with those responsible for egregious human rights abuses. the united states has the tsprinciples of human rights and confident we will fulfill it and also ask themselves to live in a world shaped by those who m showed no mercy of religious and ethnic minorities. i ask unanimous

consent the quorum call be dispensed with. officer, would. mr. schumer: our republican mr. schumer: our republican >> our republican friends have spent the past several weeks accusing democrats unable to work on serious issues because of the impeachment inquiry is such a distraction. republican leader has the claim on the senate floor and the presidency election campaign now running ads they refused to work on infrastructure or healthcare or drugs because of impeachment. this turns truth inside out simply put they are alive.

senate democrats put a trillion dollar infrastructure plan creating 15 million jobs three years ago wela did that and instead of working with us on that goal president trump walked out of the meeting with speaker pelosi and that was long before impeachment began. we have not heard from the republicans and then on the proposal on drug prices. so who was holding things up? for months and months it just amazes me the goal of the temerity because of impeachment that are not

moving forward we have 218 bills we have not had one discussion here on impeachment leader mcconnell if you want to get things done tell them you want to do some stuff on the floor and legislate. abject shaky knees silence because our republican friends when he makes up these lies they roll right along. many republicans have complained that leader mcconnell has turned into a legislative graveyard. so the idea the impeachment inquiry is preventing congress nrom debating legislation on infrastructure or prescription

drugs or healthcare or any other matter is absurd. democrats are eager and happy to work on those issues. and waiting with baited breath silence of our republican colleagues going along with this strategy as well. so this week the majority leader has once again scheduled no legislative business on the floor. none. we are not debating impeachment for three weeks in a row that one legislative piece or bill that's all the evidence they need to know and

what they think of republicans in the senate. that's because they're getting nothing done so with that impeachment inquiry itself the republican hearings last week brought upee many troubling allegations. including the startling revelation that ambassador gordon sunway told another state department official the president made it clear he clears cares more about the the bidens bandit itself and the president may have abuse powers with public office for personal and political gain.

so the president is saying all is false and all the witnesses are not telling the truth if they believe that are coming out of the impeachment hearings are false he should testify under oath in the house. and then to the contrary they should do it. so igr wholeheartedly with that invitation to testify in the house impeachment inquiry. not by tweeting or sending a note but by coming forward in person under oath to see what the president rejects. if he doesn't agree and then

to come to the committee to testify underr oath and follow his advisors and allow his advisers and to testify under oath. and to come to congress and free up all of the others who may have real knowledge. and to criticize the testimony to be secondhand in nature while at the same time blocking those individuals with firsthand knowledge of testifying. president trump come testify allow your advisor to testify.

so to allow those come before the committee what is president trump hiding and why? and then to confront the facts. and before i yield the floor want to address the tragic pattern that has emerged. 's almost weekly president trump announces he is considering where there is some bipartisan agreement and then backs off that position. president trump almost seems afraid not to go with what the public wants. so they must not really mean it so and then inundate in the

summer president trump said he was considering very strong checks in response to violence. leader mcconnell echoes him. with a debate on gun violence is front and center. now three months later after another high school shooting in with the mass shooting in fresno and other shooting and walmart in oklahoma. and then to cave to the corrupt leadership once again. and president trump gun violence isn't the only issue

we heard a new one this morning recent reports suggest the president is wavering on his promise to ban flavored cigarettes that are marketed to our children. after backing off from industry lobbyist because it could hurt the president politically. he promises to do something about a serious issue in some cases that threatens the life of our o children and backs off and reverses himself once a special interest way t in. do what you said you are going to do. it's not that n hard. blanton - - bn flavored e-cigarettes g marketed as cap'n crunch not adults but getting kids in high school orio junior high school to start vaping

xaich ultimately will harm them. another example occurred yesterday with the trump administration announced it would extend the temporary license granted to huawei that has been deemed a national security threat. once again he met fails to match is toughpr talk. so to agree it is a national security threat than they better start acting like it. every time president trump gives to huawei the chinese communist party take that as a signal they can hurt american jobs and threaten our security without repercussion. i would urge the president to read an editorial i believe it is the secretary of the air

force of today's wall street journal i read it this afternoon that says what the security threat allowing huawei into this country would be to our armed forces and military men and women and country as a whole. appraise the president's administration when it has done the right thing i praise nitithe trump administration whn it announced it would be in flavored cigarettes i praise the ministration when it announced it would stop huawei but announcements don't make the grade when you back off and waiver and stammer all of these announcements p do nothing like the issue of background checks and gun safety you just cannot believe the president and his administration when they say they will do something so many w timesnt