things will break down and more obviously would be to the public. at the same time you have federal employees and the leadership in government trying to do their job of helping people. so there's a tension between trying to reduce the pain but nonetheless the government will be faltering. >> host: this conversation is with max stier, the president and ceo of partnership for public service. let's hear from julie in south carolina, independent line. >> caller: good morning. how are you? can you hear me? >> host: you are fine. go ahead. >> caller: good morning, everyone. you talk about the federal employees and how hard they work and that may be true but i own a business. i go to mytr local post office every week. i spent thousands every year the gene of what i when i walk in? two out of the three clerks on their cell phones. playing games. the federal workers are not concerned because they have job security. they don't care if it when i was

growing up on long island they said get the federal job to do work for thel post office. why? because they take care of their own. i have family who owned business. business. equity to work for the government and this whole thing is out of control. half the people -- unit in? they can complete a full sentence -- >> we are breaking away to keep our over 40 year commitment to live coverage of congress. today the senate is scheduled to hold a procedural vote to start work on a short-term spending bill that would avert a government shutdown this coming saturday at midnight. the focus boat is set forn time. now live to the floor of the senate here on c-span2. the chaplain: let us pray. lord and king, you are forever. send your light and truth to guide our senators.

as they move into crisis mode in an attempt to avoid a government shutdown, give them insights that will help them solve the riddles of these times. empower them to possess discernment in order to know what is right. imbue them with a passion for truth that will compel them to do your will. strengthen them also with a humility that seeks to listen and learn. may they find joy in their work as they seek to please you. remove from them

discouragement and despair. as you make them partners with you in building a nation where truth and justice will prevail. we pray in your powerful name. amen. the presiding officer: 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 clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c, september 26, 2023. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1,

paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable peter welch, a senator from the sent is from the state of vermont to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to h.r. 3935, which the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 211, h.r. 3935, an act to amend title 49, united states code and so forth and for other purposes.

thank you for joining us today. finally the southern district of they understand concerning this can be. the allegations against me are just that. allegations. or anyone who has known me throughout my years of service,

my advocacy is always use especially my mom, my hero. everything i've accomplished everyone has underestimated me. i recognize this will be the biggest fight yet but i have dated throughout this whole process, i thoroughly believe the facts are presented, not only will i be exonerated but i will be the future news senior center. i want to address more things. first, a cornerstone of foundation of american democracy and our justice system is the principal that all people to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. all people. i ask for nothing more nothing less. public opinion is no substitute

for our justice system. we cannot assign the presumption of innocence for political when the arm is irrevocable. those who rush to judgment you have done so on a limited set of frame the installations as possible. remember, prosecutors get it wrong. sadly, i know that. a set of waiting for colfax to be presented, others have rushed to judgment because they see political opportunities for themselves or those around them. all i ask for my colleagues in congress elected leaders and advocates of new jersey i have worked with for years as well as each person in the home allows

second, my long record, once that is indisputable throughout my time in congress i have remained steadfast on the side of civil society and human rights defenders in egypt and everywhere else in the world. if you look at my actions related to egypt during the periods described in the indictment and throughout my career, my record is clear and consistent in holding each accountable for unjust attention of american citizens and others, human rights abuses and deepening relationship with russia and efforts that eroded the independence of the nation's judiciary among a myriad of concerns. in 2017, i led a bipartisan letter to then-president trump expressing great concern with the worsening situation in egypt. the same here i sent a letter to the appropriation subcommittee

supporting the citizens as long as each adhered to the accords and urged appropriations committee to include requirements for assistance reform strategies outlined in the egypt format of 2013. in 2018 i urged secretary to focus more on human rights issues in egypt and raise concerns electoral environment ahead of the elections of the time are free, fair and credible. in 2019, i met with the president at the security conference and emphasize a level of repression inside egypt eroding security and cooperation in raising concerns to purchase a russian missile. in 2020 i spoke on the senate floor for international women's day and decided the case is a human rights lawyer and as her, human rights activist and

reporter unjustly in egypt for the human rights democracy in the free press. i have placed close on and dozens of other united states, i have challenged the president directly on human rights abuses and personal freedoms and the list goes on. throughout my 30 years in the house and senate, i've always worked to hold accountable those countries including egypt and human rights abuses and repression of citizenry and civil sale and. those who are attending to my mind that my actions as it relates to egypt simply don't know the facts. third, for 30 years, i have withdrawn thousands in cash from my personal savings account which i have kept for emergencies and because of the

history of my family facing confiscation in cuba. this may seem old-fashioned but these monies were drawn from a personal savings account based on the income i have derived over those years. i look forward to addressing other issues. i want to speak directly to the people of new jersey. as i started these remarks, you're the reason i have dedicated the entirety of my life to improving lives of new jersey and all americans. some my resignation for political reasons say i've lost trust in the people of new jersey. that could not be more wrong. today i'm surrounded by everyday people and constituents who know they are here because of important healthcare policies like the affordable care act, access to regret their healthcare and funding for community health centers and lowering the cost of drugs. they are here because i have

fought for working people, those who will follow o'clock to 9:00 to support those working life and i have always advocated to organize for better wages and working conditions of the support delivered critical services to better support in new jersey in the darkest days following sandy. and ever related thinking for new jerseyans were made whole and had resources to rebuild stronger and more resilient than before. they are here because during the worst pandemic and a sentry, i went to small business owners throughout the state to keep their doors open and employees on the payroll. they are here because one state and local governments were faced with excruciating decisions of having to lay off frontline responders and police officers and firefighters during the pandemic, i delivered aliens and federal funding and investment to keep our state in cities and towns and hospitals afloat. they are here because throughout my career and something not like

the positions i take, i have stood against authority things and iran and achieve nuclear weapons dictated on authoritarianism and russia and whatever in the world where human growth and democracy have. they are here because i have made it protecting against immigrants who come to our shores a better future for our children and they are here is 30 years new jersey would receive critical infrastructure funding and fought against were dismantled the gateway project. they are here since my earliest days in congress i have repeatedly stood up with the gun lobby to stop illegal flags from claiming lives and destroying communities. when tragedy struck new jersey judges, i made a promise i was not stop until i passed a law to

better protect and last year i delivered legislation signed into law by the president to better protect judges in the memo. they are here because they never gave up living justice for 9/11 families especially widows and children of those killed previously and unfairly excluded on the victims sponsored terrorism and in december working with others, i delivered billions long overdue federal relief to community and other u.s. victims. they are here because when other members turn back on veterans and not pass back act and help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, i was there and they are here because i successfully passed legislation to better serve world war ii vets as well as those suffering illness. for now, i remain focused on continuing the important work i

do every day on the half of the people who call new jersey home including doing everything we can this week to avoid a government shutdown, deliver funding states intra- people of ukraine have everything they need and return to washington this week --

mr. schumer: mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent -- no quorum, thank you.

mr. president, as i've said for months, the only solution for avoiding a harmful government shutdown is bipartisanship. we now have four days to go until funding expires on saturday at midnight. we are now right at the precipice. yet, all last week speaker mccarthy, instead of focusing on bipartisanship, catered to the hard right and has nothing, nothing to show for it. now the speaker will put on the floor hard right appropriations bills that have nothing to do with avoiding a shutdown. so this bike, the senate -- so this week, the senate will move forward first. over the weekend, senate democrats and republicans, together, worked in good faith to reach an agreement on a continuing resolution that will keep the government open beyond september 30. we are very close to finishing our work, and hope to release text very soon.

this bipartisan c.r. is a temporary solution, a bridge towards cooperation, and away from extremism, and it will allow us to keep working to fully fund the federal government and spare american families the pain of a shutdown. while for sure this bill does not have everything either side wants, it will continue to fund the government at present levels, while maintaining our commitment to ukraine's security and humanitarian needs, while also ensuring those impacted by natural disasters across the countries begin to get the resources they need. in a few hours we'll hold the first procedural vote to move forward on the vehicle for this c.r., and i thank my colleagues and staff from both sides of the aisle who spent all weekend negotiating in good faith to get us to this point. the senate c.r. is a good, sensible, and bipartisan -- let

me emphasize bipartisan -- bill. it will achieve the most important immediate goal, avoiding a shutdown, will protect american families from needless pain, pay our troops, and make good on our promise to american seniors. it will promote access to affordable health care, sustain investment in lifesaving research, and avoid costly disruptions to our supply chains. now, of course, today's graeme won't have everything that both sides want -- today's agreement won't have everything that both sides want. let me repeat, this c.r. is a bridge, not a final destination. will help us achieve our immediate and necessary goal of avoiding a government shutdown and move us away from the senseless and aimless extremism hadom natived the house, so -- has dominated the house to get

to work on appropriations. we can and must do more to respond to disasters that rarvaged the country. we can and must do more to grow it the middle class. we must do more to stand with our friends in ukraine. and resist 23450u79's dangerous a-- niewptd's dangerous -- 23450u79's dangerous attacks on freedom. we must do more to finish the bipartisan appropriations process in a way that makes strong investments in our country, in our families, and in our future. we'll continue to work on these and many more. but right now, this c.r. is a must -- a much-needed bridge away from extremism and towards cooperation. make no mistake, a shutdown would be a terrible outcome for the country, despite what some on the hard right would have us ludicrously believe. it's hard for me to believe that some in the extreme right, in the other chamber, say they actually want a shutdown.

what insanity. this will avoid that, the terrible outcome, that terrible outcome, it will pay for our servicemembers, which could be halted if there's a shutdown. it would prevent millions of americans who count on government services from suffering. it would prevent food safety, public health protection, small business loans, infrastructure projects have being cut, and at least temporarily ended, because they're all at risk right now, if there's a shutdown. if there's a shutdown, tsa could be thrown into chaos, meaning possible delays and disruptions for all flyers. border enforcements would be undermien and even fema's disaster relief fund could actually dry up. we don't need to go through any of this, mr. president. the senate's bipartisan c.r. will ensure that none of the bad

things that i just enumerated happened. i urge, i urge strongly, reasonable members of both chambers to come together, to pass this bridge c.r. and move forward, freed from the hard-right extremists who are hell-bent on destroying trust in government and hurting millions and millions of middle-class families. now, on the -- on labor and the uaw and the wga. early this morning on my way -- before i came to washington, i went to rockland county, new york and stood with uaw local 3039 on the picket line in solidarity with their fight for better wages, better benefits, safer working conditions. rain or shine, and today it was mostly rain, uaw local 3039 is out there standing for a fair,

equitable contract to share in the profits they helped create. we must not forget during the auto crisis of 2008, unions and workers gave back plenty. it's one of the reasons that the auto companies are making such large profits and the workers are entitled to have a fair share of those profits. so we need to make sure that this strike is fair to working people -- not this strike -- the settlement that the strike will produce is fair to working people. it's simple, mr. president. when unions win, workers win. the middle class wins. america wins. just take the wga strike, the writers guild, for example. this past weekend after nearly five months on strike, the wga announced a tentative settlement with hollywood studios to get members back to work.

the wga deal proves that progress is possible, that workers can gain, and i hope it encourages the big three auto companies to stay at the table and bargain in good faith. and today in a milestone for the uaw strike in the history of working people in this country, president biden traveled to michigan today to stand with the uaw on the picket line. it's likely to be the first time in a hundred years a sitting president joined workers on the picket line. it shows how important strong labor unions are to this president and to democrats, and that's why i thought it was appropriate for me this morning to join some of our new york uaw mechanics on the picket lines in new york, as the president marched in michigan. president biden's visit underscores a historic moment for the american labor movement. we may be on track to see the

most labor activity in 40 years, and i'm provided that so many of my colleagues on the democratic side of the aisle have stood in line -- stood on the line with workers fighting for a better life. as president biden said today, the middle class built this country and unions about the the middle class. praise god we have a president as pro union and for worker as president biden in office at a time like this. of course we weren't always so lucky. former president trump will also be in michigan this week where he will no doubt try to style himself as a champion of unions and working americans. that's pretty rich coming from someone who led one of the most antiworker administrations in recent memory. one openly hostile to labor unions, disinterested in the well-being of working families, and appointing antilabor people to many of the agencies that regulate labor. no working american should believe donald trump when he claims to fight for them.

where was donald trump when uaw went on strike against g.m. in 2019? all talk, no substance. even now he's openly attacking the uaw that is trying to secure better contracts. the difference between the biden administration's record on labor and the trump administration's record couldn't be starker. under the biden administration, democrats secured historic relief to protect hard-earned pensions through the american rescue plan. under the trump administration on the other hand, republicans reversed rules to expand overtime pay for eight million workers, loosened infection and safety rules for oil rigs and coal companies and reversed bans on toxic pesticides that protected farmworkers. under the biden administration, democrats broke the nearly decade-long freeze on the national labor relations board but under the trump administration, republicans appointed the most antilabor --

most antilabor nlrb nominees, and they voted to make it harder for workers to organize while making it easier for employers to oust existing unions. under the biden administration we passed historic bills like the infrastructure bill, chips and science, and the inflation reduction, all of which are creating good-paying jobs. and as majority leader, i made sure that pro-union provisions were written into this legislation. but under the trump administration, republicans passed a trillion and a half dollar tax cut that overwhelmingly benefited big corporations and the ultrawealthy while giving peanuts to working families that donald trump claimed to fight for. so it's easy to see who's really on the side of unions and working americans and who isn't. i was proud to stand with the uaw this morning. i'm proud that president biden is standing with working people of this country today.

i yield the floor. mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: at midnight on sunday, a current appropriations will run out and the federal government will shut down. over the years i've been pretty clear in my view that government shutdowns are bad news. whichever way you look at them. they don't work as political bargaining chips. they create unnecessary hardships for millions of americans. for example, in nearly 46,000 servicemembers and 22,000 civilian workers in my home state of kentucky who earn

federal government paychecks. and they hardly ever produce meaningful policy outcomes at the end of the day. a government shutdown would be an unnecessary disruption of the important work of the senate's agenda. so i would urge each of my colleagues to work this week to avoid one. for the past several months senator collins, senator murray, and our colleagues on the appropriations committee have worked diligently to help the senate fulfill our commitment to funding the government through regular order. at that -- as that important work continues, colleagues in both chambers are rightly concerned about a number of distinct priorities. they're focused on taking further action to rein reckless spending as we continue to rebuild our national defense.

they're concerned about addressing the consequences of the biden administration's failure to secure our southern border. they're eager to provide relief to communities recovering from natural disasters from hawaii to florida, and bipartisan majorities recognize the ongoing need to counter russia and china and continue to provide lethal aid to ukraine. in the coming weeks i hope the administration will work with congress to address these pressing needs. but in order to work on appropriations to continue uninterrupted, congress needs to extend government funding by the end of this week. the sooner congress keeps the light on, the sooner these important conversations can resume. the clearest path forward is a

standard short-term continuing resolution. our work this week needs to produce the resources and flexibility to maintain essential government functions at their current rates of operation while progress on full-year appropriations continues. so just to reiterate, mr. president, delaying action on short-term government funding doesn't advance the ball on any meaningful policy priorities, shutting the government down over a domestic budget dispute doesn't strengthen anyone's political position. it just puts important progress on ice and it leaves millions of americans on edge. so i expect that the appropriations committee will final liz a short-term extension in the very near future for the senate to review. and i would encourage each of my

colleagues to join me in supporting a standard, responsible step forward. the presiding officer: the democratic whip. mr. durbin: mr. president, i want to join the republican leader as well as the democratic leader with our hopes that we can still rescue the situation on capitol hill before the deadline. we have an impending government shutdown that's only five days away. the house republicans on the other side of the rotunda have not taken on their responsibility at this moment, and we are doing our best on a bipartisan basis to do the opposite. extreme factions of the republican party continue to list their demands for reckless cuts and partisan proposals in excha inning for keeping the light -- exchange for keeping

the lights on in the federal government. in doing so the radical agenda is holding the livelihood of the american people and the proper functioning of our government hostage. house republican proposals which some of their own members don't even agree with would cut millions of dollars from public health, child care, education, food safety, law enforcement, housing, and more. these cuts would create uncertainty for hardworking families across the country, and they'd put our national security and economic well-being at risk. instead of negotiating in good faith, house republicans are willing to put the country through the pain of a shutdown. now, we've had shut yowns before. i remember -- shutdowns before. i remember them well. 23013, 2018, and now the threat of one in 2023. it appears to be a five-year cycle. the shutdowns in 2013 and 2018 reduced economic outcome and gdp growth by projections in the billions.

billions. they forced federal employees to go without checks to either work without pay or be furloughed. and that included our military at the time. servicemembers would not be paid until congress funded the government. that would mean missed paychecks and strained household budgets for the duration of a shutdown until extreme maga republicans felt their demands had been met. take one agency, for example, the national institutes of health, the premier medical research agency in the world. they would have to delay new clinical trials during a government shutdown, stalling critical medical research for diseases like cancer and al hiezers t. would halt sphraining -- training of air traffic controllers at a time when our country desperately needs them. and the air traffic controllers already on the job would have to work without pay. how would you like to have the pressure of that job and in the

back of your mind wonder if you'll be able to make your mortgage payment? that would potentially lead to delays, longer wait times for those traveling as we've seen in past shutdowns. the same goes for tsa. a shutdown would lay major infrastructure projects that were created by the bipartisan infrastructure bill. it could jeopardize the benefits of more than six million american participants in the special supplement nutrition program for women, children, and infants, including 170,000 in my home state of illinois. public housing operations and housing choice vouchers subsidies would be at risk of running out of funding. a shutdown could deplete relief funds and slow emergency responses in the case of natural disasters, and we've seen evidence of plenty of those. in short, it would be nothing less than a disaster for the economy and for american families for this handful of maga republicans to stop the

funding of our government. here in the senate we've taken a bipartisan approach to the task of keeping our government funded. mr. president, i've served on the senate appropriations committee for a number of years, and i've watched carefully as the procedure of that committee, one of the most important committees in the senate, has changed. for the last almost five years, we have gone without a meaningful bipartisan effort to write budget bills, and we've taken from the members the opportunity on the floor of the senate to actually review those bills and make amendments. our good forfun, the leaders in that senate appropriations committee currently are two of the best, one of the best democratic senators, legislators, patty murray of washington, chairs the appropriations committee. her ranking republican member susan collins of maine, another extraordinary legislator. what they've

managed to achieve so far is a tribute not only to their skill but also a tribute to bipartisanship. they have reported out all 12 appropriations billions to the floor of the united states senate, for the first time in five years. instead of a massive package called an omnibus, they were leading us towards individual appropriations bills, a process we haven't seen on the floor in a long, long time. unfortunately, it was held up by one republican member last week. i heard a statement by the democratic leader in the senate that there have been negotiations through the weekend for a temporary spending bill. i hope that that spirit continues when it comes to the appropriations bills. i'm sure with senators murray and collins working on it, we have a good possibility. now we recognize it more than ever before the need to keep the lights on in washington on capitol hill. this week is going to be our test. what must be top of mind is

keeping the federal employees paid, their families fed, keep the economy moving forward, keep our affairs in order so that our adversaries know that the united states of america can actually fund its own government. that's why here in the senate we're going to consider a bipartisan continuing resolution to keep the government open at current funding levels while we work toward a longer-term answer. instead of considering a similar serious short-term proposal to prevent a shutdown, some house republicans are now trying to consider 11 individual appropriations bills before sunday. let me tell you, their track record doesn't look so good. speaker mccarthy has already pulled down one vote on the defense spending bill despite fact that his own party drafted the bill. they couldn't pass it with their own members of the house. i'm not sure what his plan is, but ours is to prevent a

government shutdown and have an orderly process of spending bills in the senate. we owe it to the american people to do it in a timely manner. put the needs of the american people. i am committed to preventing a shutdown and look forward to the isn't that right considering a continuing resolution that does just that. mr. president, on a separate topic, i heard my colleague earlier, senator schumer, talk about visiting a picket line for the united auto workers this morning. i did the same thing yesterday morning in bolling brook, illinois. a uaw warehouse workers were out on the line drinking coffee and eating a few doughnuts holding their signs in solidarity with their union. i wanted to walk over there and with be with -- and be with them. you have to understand when a worker goes on strike, they are

walking away from their paycheck. the same thing view it when it comes to medical benefits. they may lose the coverage that they had in the workplace and have a union program as an alternative that doesn't provide the same level of benefits. what i'm trying to get to is the bottom line is, these strikes are personal and family sacrifice on behalf of the workers. why would they do that? why would they walk off the job, why would they stand in the cold outside weather? because there's more at stake than their own personal well-being. their fighting not only for their fellow union members, they are fighting for working people across the united states. the organized labor movement, which i happened to be a child of a union family growing up, really mad a difference in the life of americans. the 40-hour work week, vacation, health care benefits, pension --

virtually every one of those elements that are part of a good, modern job would fought for and sometimes died for by those who were working in the labor movement in the earliest days. the uaw is a good example. a young fellow named walter ruther decided to make the union a viable force in detroit. they were a confrontation at a river rouge plant and violence broke out. some people were seriously injured. those sacrifices were made and america changed as a result of it. now the modern struggle of the uaw is not unlike that of the 1940's. the president of the uaw came by my office to talk about his goals. he made it clear that about it came to the question of the survival of these automobile workers in 2008 when the economy plunged, it was the workers who stood up and said, we'll make

sacrifices and changes so these companies can survive. some people, even those people on the floors of the senate, were arcing, let them go. that's -- were arguing, let them go. that's capitalism. but president obama and i and ears felt just the opposite. automobile manufacturing is a critical part of the american economy. president obama was determined to keep those companies alive during that period of time. uaw did its part and did it well. they sacrificed wages and benefits. they said that the new workers would be paid dramatically less than those that had been there for year, and they literally saved those companies. now those companies are profitable to the tune of billions of dollars a year, and what the uaw is saying, for goodness sakes, make sure the workers are part of the success story, too. don't let them read in the papers about how much the company is making while they're breaking their backs to maked product successful. there was a time not long ago in

the early 1960's when the executives of automobile companies and similar corporations were making about 30 times the wages of those who were working on production lines. now the numbers are 500 times. the three executives that lead the automobile manufacturers all make over $20 million a year, each and every are i one of them. i believe the one from general motors makes $29 million a year. meanwhile, the wages for the executives have gone up 40% in the last five years and for the workers, 6%. so there is a disparity there that needs to be addressed and done fairly. we want to make sure the companies are profitable, that they build products we're proud of, but we also want to make sure that the workers share in that profitability, share? that productivity and they can do it in they're part of the contract that's now being negotiated. so i was out there on the line for about a half-hour yesterday saying hello to the workers and encouraging them to be strong

during this period. it is a time of personal sacrifice, but it's well worth it, not only their sisters and brothers in the union but for workers all over america who will prosper with the achievements that are made by the uaw. i'm proud to have had their support over the years, and i'm proud to stand with them in this time of challenge. mr. president, i yield the

♪♪

[chanting] [chanting] [cheering] : ♪♪ ♪♪ is. [chanting]

[chanting] [chanting] [cheering] mental. [applause] effect of the matter and give you a monthly savings of a lot. guess what, you should as well,

to. [cheering] this leads to other benefits. [cheering] [cheering] >> i want to 174, laura dickerson. [cheering and applauding]

, this is your place. democracy during world war ii. this is where they built the liberator while the they built it when they were at our feet. today, eight years later we find ourselves here again. it's a different kind of democracy and a different kind of war we are fighting. ...

recognizing social justice. [applause]

the working class of this country. not the billionaire class, not the elite view, a series of people. that is what this battle is about. it is working class people from all walks of life. what we decide to do to gather that will change in shape the future of this earth and for future generations. that is the economic reality that they do not want us to recognize. icd ceos trying to justify a

system where they take on the traffic and the workers only have to fight for the scraps that live paycheck to paycheck. >> they say they deserve. they have different degrees. they have different responsibilities. they have different titles. different positions. i agree, though, these ceos sit in their offices, they sit in meetings. [cheering and applause] they think they own the world but we make it run. [cheering and applause] the ceos think the future belong to them. the day belongs to the autoworker and the working class [cheering and applause] the difference between them and

us is this is our theme song. solidarity. without our greatest muscle not a single return. that is what is different about working-class people. whether we are building cars or trucks. whether we are making coffee at starbucks. whether it is educating students to go to college. we do the heavy lifting. we do the real work. [cheering and applause] and though we do not know it, that is what power is. we have the power. the world is of our making. the economy is of our making.

this industry is of our making.

thank you for coming. to stand up with us. and our generations defining moment. if we know the president will do right by the working class and when we do that by the working class, a hell of a lot more than now. thank you very much. [cheering and applause]

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪

[inaudible conversations] ♪♪

we are very close to finishing

let me repeat, this is not a

final destination. help us achieve our immediate and necessary goal of avoiding a government shutdown and move us away from the center -- senseless and aimless extremism so that we can get to work. we can and must do more to respond to disasters that have ravaged the country. we can and must do more to lower cost and grow the middle class. we can and must do more to stand with our friends in ukraine. exist in these dangerous attacks on democracy and freedom. we can and we must do more to finish the bipartisan appropriations process in a way that makes strong investments in our country, and our families, and in our future. we will continue to work on these and many more. right now, this cr is a must needed bridge away from

extremism and towards cooperation. make no mistake, a shutdown would be a terrible thing for the country. despite what some on the hard right have us believe. it is hard for me to believe that some in the extreme right believe they actually want a shutdown. what insanity. this will avoid that terrible outcome. it will pay for our service members which could be halted if there is a shutdown. it would prevent millions of americans who count on government services from suffering. it would prevent food safety public health protections, small business loans, infrastructure projects from being cut. at least temporarily into it because they are all at risk right now if there is a shutdown if there is a shutdown csa can

be thrown into chaos. meaning possible delays and disruptions. border enforcement agencies being undermined. even fema's disaster relief funds could actually dry up. we do not need to go through any of this, mr. president. the senates bipartisan cr will ensure that none of the bad things that i have just enumerated happened. i urge strongly these members of both chambers to come together to pass this bridge cr and move forward. from the hard right extremists who are hell-bent on destroying trust in government and hurting millions and millions of middle-class families. now, on labor and the uaw and wga. early this morning, on my way before i came to washington, i

went to rockland county new york and stood with uaw local 3039 on the picket line and solidarity. rain or shine, today was mostly rain. uaw local 3039 is out there. standing for a fair and equitable contract to share in the profits they helped create. we must not forget during the auto crisis of 2008, unions and workers gave back 20. it is one of the reasons that the auto companies are making such large profits. the workers are entitled to have a fair share of those profits. so, we need to make sure that this strike is fair to working people, not this strike, this settlement that the strike will produce is fair to working people. it is simple, mr. president.

when unions win, workers win. the middle-class wins. america wins. just take the wga strike. writer's guild. for example. this past weekend, after nearly five months on strike, the wga announced a settlement with hollywood studios to get members back to work. the wga proves that progress is possible. that workers can gain. and i hope that it encourages the big three auto companies to stay at the table and bargain in good faith. and, today, and a milestone for the uaw strike in the history of working people in this country, president biden traveled to michigan today to stand with the uaw on the picket lines. it is likely to be the first time in 100 years a sitting president joined workers on the picket line. it shows how important strong

labor unions are to this president and democrats. that's why thought it was appropriate for me to join some of our new york members on picket lines in new york as a president marched in michigan. president biden's visit underscores a historic moment for the american labor movement. we may be on track to see the most labor activity in 40 years. and i am proud that so many of my colleagues on the democratic side of the aisle have stood on the line with workers fighting for a better life. as president biden said today, the middle class built this country and unions built the middle class. praise god we have a president that is prounion and pro- workers at a time like this. of course we were not always so lucky. former president trump will also be in michigan this week where he will no doubt try to style

himself as a champion of unions and working americans. that is pretty rich coming from someone who will lead one of the most anti-administrations in recent memory. one openly hostile to labor unions. seeming interested in the well-being of families and appointing antilabor people too many of the agencies that regulate labor. no working americans should believe donald trump when he claims this. where was donald trump when uaw went on strike against gm in 2019? all talk no substance. even now he is openly attacking the uaw trying to secure better contracts. under the biden administration, democrats historic belief for tensions through the rescue plan under the trump administration on the other hand, republicans had rules to expand overtime pay for 8 million workers.

infection and safety rules for coal companies and reversing bands on toxic pesticides that protected farmworkers. under the biden administration, democrats broke the nearly decade-long funding freeze on the national labor. they voted to make it harder for workers to organize. the inflation reduction. good paying jobs in the majority leader. these provisions written into this legislation. they have half dollar tax cut

overwhelming big corporations and the wealthy. while giving peanuts to working families that donald trump claimed. >> i am proud that president biden is standing with working people in this country today. >> on sunday, the current appropriations will run out so the federal government will shut down. whichever way you look at them

i urge them to avoid one. senator collins and our colleagues on the appropriation committee working to help the senate fulfill the commitment to funding the government your regular order. that important work continues college in both chapters are concerned about a number of distant priorities. reining in reckless spending as

we continue to rebuild our national defense. they are concerned about addressing the consequences of the biden administration failure to secure our southern border. they are easy to provide relief to communities recovering from disasters. in the coming weeks, i hope the administration will work with congress to address these pressing things. in order to work on appropriations to honor, congress needs to extend government funding by the end of this week. the sooner congress keeps the light on, the sooner these important conversations can

resume. the clear step forward is a standard short-term continued resolution. our work this week needs to produce the resources and flexibility to maintain a central government function at their current rates of operation while progress on full-year appropriations continues. so, just to reiterate, delaying action on short-term government funding does not advance the ball on any policy priorities. shutting the government down over a domestic budget dispute does not strengthen anyone's political position. it just puts important progress on i.c.e. and it leaves millions of americans on edge. so, i expect that the appropriations committee will finalize the short-term funding extension in the very near

future for the senate and review i would encourage each of our colleagues to join me in supporting this standard responsible step forward. >> mr. president, i want to join the republican leader, as well as the democratic leader with our hopes that we can still rescue the situation on capitol hill before the deadline. we have an impending government shutdown that is only five days away. the house republicans on the other side of the rotunda have not taken on their responsibility at this moment. we are doing our best on a bipartisan basis to do the opposite. extreme fractions of the republican party continue to list their demands for reckless counts and partisan proposals in exchange for keeping the lights on in the federal government. in doing so, the radical agendas

holding the livelihood of the american people in the functioning of our government hostage. house republican proposals which some of their own members do not even agree with what cut billions of dollars from public health, childcare, education, food safety, law enforcement, housing and more. these cuts would create uncertainty for hard-working families across the country and put our national security and economic well-being at risk. instead of negotiating in good faith, house republicans are working to put the country through the pain of a shutdown. we have had shutdowns before. i remember them well. 2013, 2018 another threat of 2023. it appears to be a five year cycle. reducing economic output in gdp growth by projections and the billions. billions. forcing federal employees to go without checks. to even work without pay or be

furloughed. that includes our military at the time. service members will not be paid until congress funded the government. that would mean missed paychecks and household budgets for the duration of the shutdown and till extreme republicans felt the demands have been met. the national institutes of health. the premier medical research agency in the world. they would have to delay new clinical trials during our government shutdown. stalling critical medical research for diseases like cancer and alzheimer's. the shutdown would halt training , 2600 air traffic controllers at a time when cuts desperately need them. the air traffic controllers already would have to work without pay. how would you like to have the pressure of that job and wonder if you'd be able to make your

mortgage payment. that would essentially lead to delays a longer wait times for those traveling as we have seen a past shutdowns. the same goes for tsa. the shutdown would delay major infrastructure projects that were created by bipartisan infrastructure bill. they can jeopardize the benefits of more than 6 million american participants in the special supplemental nutrition program for women, children and infants included 170,000 in my home state of illinois. public housing operations subsidies would be at risk of running out of funding. a shutdown could deplete relief funds in slow emergency responses in the case of natural disasters. we have seen evidence of plenty of those. nothing less and a disaster for the economy and for american families. a handful of republicans stopping the funding of our government.

here in the senate we have taken a bipartisan approach to the task of keeping our government funded. mr. president, i have served on the senate appropriations committee for a number of years. i have watched carefully as the procedure of that committee and one of the most important committees in the senate has changed. for the last almost five years, we have gone without a meaningful bipartisan effort to write budget bills. and we have taken from members the opportunity on the floor of the senate to actually review those bills and recommend those. our good fortune, the leaders in that appropriations committee currently are two of the best. the best democratic senators and legislators patty murray of washington. chair of the corporation committee. her ranking member sue lynn collins of maine. another extraordinary legislature. a tribute not only to their scale, but also to

bipartisanship. they have reported on all 12 appropriation goals to the florida and united states senate for consideration on the floor. for the first time in five years and set up a massive package. they weren't leading us to the appropriation bills. a process on the floor that we have not seen for a long, long time. unfortunately set aside by one republican member last week who we have not given up on the notion of making this bipartisan i heard earlier a statement for the democratic leader in the senate that there been negotiations through the weekend for temporary spending bill. i hope that that continues when it comes to the appropriation bills. i am sure with the senators working we have a good possibility. now recognize more than ever before the need to keep the lights on in washington on capitol hill. this week will be a test. it must be top of mind and any compromise keeping the federal employees paid, their families

fed, keep the economy moving forward, keep out our affairs in order so our adversaries know the united states of america can fund its own government. that is why i entered the senate we will consider a bipartisan resolution to keep the government open while we work towards a longer-term answer. a similar term proposal to prevent a shutdown, some house republicans are now trying to consider individual appropriation bills before sunday. let me tell you, their track record does not look so good. speaker mccarthy has already pulled down her than one vote on the defense spending bill.

talking about visiting the

picket lines for the united auto workers this morning. i did the same thing yesterday morning in illinois. the local warehouse workers were out on the line drinking coffee and eating a few donuts holding their signs in solidarity with their union. i wanted to walk over there and be with them at this moment. you have to understand when a worker goes on strike, they are really walking away from their regular paycheck and receiving emergency pay from the unions which historically has never been quite the same or as much the same thing is true when it comes to medical benefits. they may lose their coverage they had in the workplace and of a union program as an alternative that does not provide the same level of benefits. what i am trying to get to is the bottom line is he strikes are a personal and family sacrifice on behalf of the workers. why would they do that?

why would they stand in the cold from time to time like this. there is more at stake than their own personal well-being. they are fighting for working people all over the united states. i was happy to be a child and a union family growing up. really made a difference in the life of america. the 40 hour workweek overtime, vacation, healthcare benefits, patient, all of those elements that are part of a good modern job were fought for and sometimes died for by those working in the earliest stage. uaw is a good example. back in the 1940s when a young family decided to make the uaw a viable force in detroit michigan a famous confrontation where the uaw workers were on strike and violence broke out. some people were seriously

injured. sacrifices were made in america changed as a result of it. now the modern struggle is not unlike that of the 1940s. the president of the uaw came by my office several times to talk about his goals. he made it clear we all knew the answer. when it came to the question of the survival of these makers in 2008 when the economy plunged, it was the workers who stood up and said we will take sacrifices and changes so these companies can't survive. some people, even those people on the floor of the senate would argue let them go. that is capitalism. president obama and i and many others felt just the opposite. automobile manufacturing is a critical part of the american economy and president obama was determined to keep those companies alive during that period of time. uaw did its part and did it well they sacrificed wages and benefits.

they said that the new workers would be paid dramatically less than those that had been there for years. they literally save those companies. now those companies are profitable. to the tunes of billions of dollars a year. what the uaw is saying for goodness sakes is make sure the workers are part of the success story, too. don't let them read in the papers about how much money the company is making while they break their backs to make the products that are successful. there was a time not that long ago in the early 60s when the executives of automobile companies of similar cooperations were making about 30 times the wages of those working on production lines. now the number is 500 times. three executives leading the automobile manufacturers. all making over $21 million each and every year. each and every one of them. i believe general motors makes 29 million a year. the wages for the executives have gone up 40% in the last

five years. for the workers, 6%. there is a disparity there that needs to be addressed and done fairly. we want to make sure that the companies are profitable. they build products that we are proud of. make sure the workers sacrificing every single day share in that profitability. share that productivity. they can do it if they are part of the contract that is being negotiated. i was out there on the line for about a half an hour yesterday. saying hello to the workers and encouraging during this time period. it is a personal sacrifice, but it is well worth it. for workers all over america who will prosper with the achievements that are made by the uaw. i am proud to have had their support over the years and i'm proud to stand with them in this time of challenge

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. a senator: thank you, mr. president. are we in a quorum call. the presiding officer: we are not. mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. president. in march 2021, i came to the floor and spoke about hank yay becerra's abysmal record before voting to confirm him as secretary of health and human services. here is what i pointed out to my colleagues. he had no meaningful experience in public health, no meaningful experience running a large-scale

logistical operation. a career's worth of hostility toward basic constitutional & and my colleagues across the aisle didn't listen on this, and now his record as secretary is worse than anyone could have imagined or predicted. my colleagues who helped confirm him entrusted him with the lives of some of the world's most vulnerable children. unaccompanied minors who are apprehended by border patrol are transferred to the care of health and human services. this is clearly a big job considering that the biden border crisis has led to over 300,000 encounters with unaccompanied children at our nation's southern border.

i'm sure that these precious children thought they would finally be safe under the care of health and human health and d the sponsors they were ultimately going to be released to. but secretary becerra proved what we already knew. it was that he was not up to the challenge of such a large department with such expansive authority and he had no experience that was relative. without explanation, hhs loosened the vetting requirements for sponsors, eliminating certain background checks, and reviews of the children's files. since then hhs has lost contact with more than 85,000 of these children.

back p in february, "the new york times" released a horrific expo say is showing how these children have since been trafficked and exploited for labor. and these are only the stories of the children that the reporters could find. now, think about the enormity of this situation. 85,000 children. they cannot locate them. they do not know who is in charge of them. they do not know if they are dead or alive. they do not know if they are working in a processing plant or a manufacturing plant or if they're being trafficked for sex or if they're in a labor gang because they cannot find these children.

and they decided to loosen the vetting requirements. vetting takes too long. we need to speed up the process. so that is the mess that we find coming from health appeared human services and -- health and human services and its secretary, chief officer becerra. if you have any doubt that mr. becerra had direct knowledge of this crisis, look no further than his own words. that same "new york times" report referenced an audio recording taken during a staff meeting with the office of refugee resettlement. now, that is a department within health and human services. when becerra was admonishing his staff about their lack of speed in vetting sponsors and

discharging these children into their care, he said -- and i quote -- if henry ford had seen this in his plants, he would have never become famous and rich. this is not the way you do an assembly line. and if that doesn't convince you, listen to the whistleblowers who begged hhs leadership to listen. hhs employees on the ground in thed enormous signs of exploitation and raised it their supervisors. this is urgent, one wrote. she was ignored. again and again, staffers and contractors told hhs, something was wrong and the reports allegedly reached secretary becerra's desk. even the senior staffer overseeing the unaccompanying minor program noted in an e-mail to the department's leadership -- and i quote -- if nothing

continues to be done, there will be a catastrophic event, end quote. these reports were not just ignored. those who spoke up were retaliated against, they were fired, they were silenced. think about this. you're working in a department. you see things are going wrong. you hear the chief guy say, if henry ford had seen this in his plants, he would have never become famous and rich. this is not the way you do an assembly line. you report it. you say things aren't right here. children are being exploited. they're being used for labor. they are being used for sex. we cannot find these children. nothing has been done. so don't just take my word for

it. that's according to a report from the health and human services inspector general. when secretary becerra appeared before the senate finance committee back in march, i asked him what he knew about the exploitation of these children and when he knew it. unsurprisingly, he evaded that question, didn't get an answer. so, after the hearing, i wrote him a letter asking again about his knowledge of these neglected and lost children and what role he had in firing the very people who were trying to sound the alarm and say, something needs to be done. didn't hear a word until september 8, and the response he got -- i got from hh is the was

little moran i got from hhs was little more than an outline of their policies. they did not answer a single one of the questions about the secretary's involvement in the decision-making process of what needed to be done to go find 85,000 children. not a word. so i sent a follow-up letter giving the secretary one more chance to answer the questions. the senate has a duty to conduct oversight, mr. president, and i take that responsibility and that duty seriously. the secretary should take this responsibility and his duty to respond to us seriously. where are these children? how are you vetting these

children? i had really hoped that my friends across the aisle, for all of their talk of compassion and trying to be compassionate to individuals and looking at border policies, that they would take this responsibility seriously as well. but our senate judiciary committee democrats seem content with distracting and deflecting from the crisis of leadership that is occurring over at health and human services. in a hearing back in june that was supposedly intended to ensure the well-being of unaccompanied migrant children, chairman durbin didn't call a single government witness to testify about what is happening with these unaccompanied alien migrant children.

we cannot just turn a blind eye or try to sweep this under the rug. we are talking about children. children that are in a strange country, children that do not have an adult to look after them, children who maybe were lured here on a false premise. but, mr. president, this is something our judiciary committee and chairman durbin should take up. we should bring the secretary in and find out what is happening at health and human services with the office of refugee resettlement and with these children. i said it back in 2021, i'll say it again. secretary besir a is not fit to serve as -- secretary becerra is

not fit to serve as secretary of hhs. the non-response on answering these questions proves that point. i yield the floor. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the boat is set for 530 eastern time today. on senate news, a growing number of members calling on bob mendez and is -- menendez to resign. they were indicted last week on bribery charges. you are watching live coverage of the senate here on c-span2.

ms. collins: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that proceedings under the quorum be

dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you. mr. president, i rise tonight to urge my colleagues to support cloture on the motion to proceed to the faa authorization bill. now, let me explain what this is about. the vote to get on this shell legislation is simply a vote to move the process forward to prevent a disastrous government shutdown. it does not indicate support or opposition to any particular component of a continuing resolution. it does not bind members to vote one way or the other on a

continuing resolution. what this really is is a vote on whether or not members want whether or not members want government to shut down at the end of this week. it does indicate with the strongest possible terms that the senate is committed to working to prevent a government shutdown. we still have time to consider legislation to keep the government open and funded but in order to do so, the process must move forward. i would ask all senators who wish to avoid a shutdown of government and all that entails to vote yes on cloture.

again mr. president, let me stress that voting yes on cloture is a vote against the government shutdown and four leading the process move forward. is just the first step. it does not bind members to support the continuing resolution and to support every provision in the continuing resolution. now what happens mr. president if we don't move forward tonight we are increasing the chances that government g will shut dow. i have been through two government shutdowns mr. president and i can tell you they are never good policy. they did not accomplish the

goals that people who advocate government shutdowns think will be accomplished and they impose a real hardship. don't we want our military to ontime? want our military to do we need paychecks going to those grave border patrol agents who are overwhelmed and trying to defend our southern border? don't we want the coast guard and the entity very important to the presiding officers, as well as to my state of maine, to be able to continue patrolling our seas, intercepting threats. don't we want the dea to be able to continue to work to keep

fenton l. out of our community? mr. president the stakes are very high. i hope that all of my colleagues vote to proceed to this show built tonight. so that ben we can debate the continuing resolution to fund government until the middle of november. that will allow us to continue our work on the appropriations bill. that is so important. the appropriations committee for the first timeim in five years reported all 12 of the appropriations bills and would with overwhelming light partisan support.

three of them are in a package that are before us that were on the floor last week and have been put aside temporarily so that we can work on the continuing resolutions. and my hope is during that 45 day period when the continuing legislation is keeping government functioning at the levels that are needed that we can continue our progress on the appropriations bill, bringing them across the floor. we have already cleared some 20 amendments to the three bill package that the appropriators brought to the fore. those 20 amendments ruled receive roll call vote so we are making progress. let's not stop that progress by

shutting down government and causing tremendous hardship to our military, to our law enforcement o officers, to those who are serving americans through so many different agencies. let's not have that happen. please, i implore my m colleagus let's proceed by voting yes on the motion to invoke cloture tonight. thank you mr. president.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. qech --. mr. welch: first i want to thank senator collins and assure her that i appreciate the excellent work that she and senator murray have been doing, and i will be a vote for cloture so that we can proceed. vermont, mr. president, is one

of the states that suffered devastating damage as a result of recent floods and very much is in need of replenishing the fema disaster aid fund. as a congress, as a senate, our leaders senator mcconnell and senator schumer, our appropriation chair and vice chair, senator murray and senator collins, have been working very hard to get a continuing resolution passed so that we will keep the lights on in government. and we can't shut down. when we just think about it, military people won't get paid. that's just absolutely unacceptable. start there and the cascade of terrible things that are all avoidable will happen. and i'm very appreciative of the efforts of our leadership, especially our committee chairs and vice chair for their work to avoid a shutdown. i'm totally committed to avoiding a shutdown.

it's unacceptable to inflict so much unnecessary harm on so many innocent people because of a crackpot theory that if you shut things down and burn the place down, it's going to result in a good outcome. there are no good outcomes, as senator mcconnell said earlier, when you use as a tactic to try to get your way, you shut the government down. so i will be supportive of the efforts on a bipartisan basis here to work towards a resolution. it's still very much in play as to what's going to happen to the fema money that is so essential to people who have suffered as a result of natural disasters. i talk about vermont, of course, and i'll do that right now, but i'm very mindful that my colleagues in hawaii had suffered those devastating, that devastating fire in maui. of course we've had hurricanes

and storms in texas, in north carolina, in georgia, in florida. so the one thing all of us should be doing is helping each other when our citizens are the victims of a natural disaster. so, while number one priority is keep the lights on because we're going to fight another day. number two, my hope is that there is still time to include aid for the federal emergency management administration to help us in vermont, to help folks in hawaii, to help folks in north carolina, georgia, florida, and elsewhere. but i want to talk a little bit about what the situation is in vermont. we remember the iconic photo that was nationwide broadcast of the downtown of the capital city of vermont, montpelier. under water. the water is gone now. it's dried up. this is the, this is a local

business in montpelier. that is dominican toyshop in montpelier. water was up to here. this is now gone, but the question is this shop, dominican toyshop, where i bought things for my grandkids, kelly tactics spoke to the owner. she spoke to the burlington free press about the flooding in her toy store, and she said this was my lifelong dream shop. these photos of the flooding make me realize this is likely the end of minican. i worked so hard to bring it to life. he really needs a second chance here and our fema funding can make a difference. i visited and spoke with her and her young family as they were cleaning up the shop right after the flood. or in cabot, cabot, vermont, exphiewnlt, the home of cabot

cheese. all the businesses in town were hit bill flooding. the owners of henry's hardware which also serves -- this is a real vermont story -- as a bar, were trapped by the flood waters which rose from a trickle to a flood within minutes. vermont is still dealing with major infrastructure damage. there were more than 1,100 damaged sites on roads and bridges in the state, causing significant challenges for commuting in rural areas due to unclear information on closures. we're still reeling with the recovery from that. over 12 million pounds of debris from the flooding have been clear and community stepped up to extract it, as seen in flood recovery day where volunteers cleaned up over 100,000 pounds in one day. but there's still much more to go. other key components of vermont's infrastructure and

economic drivers, railways, hiking trails, ski resorts suffered damages and need to be repaired. for the vast majority of these business owners, the disaster recovery loans offered by the small business administration, they're not a financial reality. it will only force folks into more debt. they need grants. they need flexibility. they need options. i want to thank my senior senator colleague, senator sanders, who convened a meeting with the fema administrator, with governor scott and congresswoman ballit. but the administrator criswell, who is doing a terrific job, was very candid. the fema fund is running on vapors. it needs to be replenished. so as tough as the situation is -- and i do agree we have to avoid the shutdown -- my hope is that before the end of the day we'll be able to have

included fema relief to pleen nish that fund and make certain that the good work fema is doing can continue. it's really a basic question here. number one, do we use shutdown threats and shutdown reality as a tactic? we in this body have rejected that. and the second is, do we find a way to make certain that when citizens throughout our country, not just vermont or hawaii, but any citizens who are in harm's way when a natural disaster occurs, that we are here so they can count on us to help them get -- get to the other side. we have the opportunity to begin the process of keeping the government functioning and we have the opportunity to work

together again to replenish the fema disaster relief, the farm relief that's so essential so that our citizens who have been in harm's way can get the recovery funds that need. mr. president, i yield back. -- i yield back. mr. welch: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call:

until funding we are now right at the precipice. all last week speaker mccarthy instead of focusing on bipartisanship catered to the hard right and there's nothing to show for it. now the speaker will put on the floor hard right preparation doesn't have nothing to do with avoiding a shutdown. this week the senate will move forward first. over the weekend senate democrats and republicans together working in good faith to reach an agreement on the continuing resolution that will keep the government open beyond september 30. we are very close to finishing our work and hope to release a

text to very soon. this bipartisan series of temporary solution, a bridge for cooperation and away from extremism and it will allow us to keep working to fully fund the federal government and american families the pain of a shutdown. well for sure this bill does not have everything each side wants we will continue to fund the government at the present levels will maintaining our commitment to keep security and humanitarian needs while also ensuring those impacted by natural disasters across the country continue to get the resources they need. and if you hours we will hold the first procedural votes to move forward on that vehicle to the this er and i thank my colleagues and staff from both sides of the aisle who all weekend negotiating in good faith to get us to this point. the senate cr is a good sensible

and bipartisan and let me emphasize bipartisan, bill. it will achieve the most important immediate goal, avoiding a shutdown. it will protect american families are needless pain prepared troops and make good on our promises to america's seniors. it will promote access to affordable health care, and lifesaving research and avoid costly disruptions to our supply chains. now if coors today's agreement won't have everything that both sides want. let me repeat, this cr is a bridge, not a final destination. it will help us achieve our immediate and necessary goal of avoiding a government shutdown and move his way from the senseless and extremism that has dominated the house so we can get to work on appropriations.

we can and must do more to respond to disasters that have ravaged our country. we came in must do more to lower cost to grow the middle class. we cannot muster more to stand with their friends in ukraine can resist putin's dangerous attacks on democracy and freedom and we can and must do more to finish the bipartisan appropriations process in a way that makes strong investments in our country, and our families and in our future. we will continue to work on these and many more. right now this cr is a much-needed bridge away from extremism and towards cooperation. make no mistake, a shutdown would be a outcome for the country despite what someone hard right have ludicrously believed. hard for me to believe that some stream right and the other chamber say they actually want a

shutdown. what insanity. this will avoid that outcome. it will pay for our servicemembers which could he halted if there's a shutdown. it would prevent millions of americans who count on government services from suffering. it would prevent -- infrastructure projects from being cut in the least temporarily ended but they are all at risk right now if there's a shutdown. if there is a shutdown tsa could be thrown into chaos and possible delays and disruptions for all flyers. border enforcement agencies would be undermined and even fema's disaster relief funds would absolutely dry up. we don't need to go through any of this mr. president. the senate's bipartisan cr will

ensure that none of these bad things that i just enumerated on happen. i urge, i urge strongly reasonable members of both chambers to come together to pass this bridge crm move forward. please, from the hard right extremist who are on destroying trust in government and hurting millions and millions of middle-class families. now on labor and uaw and the wga, early this morning on my way, before he came to washington, i went to rocklin county new york and stayed with uaw local 3039 on the picket line in solidarity with their fight for better wages, better benefits and safer working conditions. rain or shine and today was mostly rain, uaw local 3039 is

out there standing for fair equitable contract to share in the process they helped create. we must not forget during the auto crisis of 2008 unions and workers gave back 20. it's one of the reasons the auto companies are making such large salaries and the workers are entitled to have a fair share of those profits. so we need to make sure that this strike is fair to working people and the settlement of the strike will produce is fair to working people. it's simple mr. president, when the unions win, workers went, the middle-class wins, america wins. just take the wga strike, the writers gil for example. this past weekend after nearly five months on strike wga announced a tentative settlement with hollywood studios to get

members back to work. the wga proves that progress is possible. with that workers can gain, and i hope it encourages the big three auto companies to stay at the table and bargain in good faith. and today in a milestone for the uaw strike in the history of working people in this country president biden traveled to michigan today to stand with the uaw on the picket line. it's likely to be the first time in 100 years a sitting president joined workers on the picket line. it shows how important strong labor unions are to this president and the democrats and that's why that was appropriate for me to join our new york debbie a members on the picket line in new york as the president marched in michigan. president biden's visit underscores the historic moment for the american labor movement.

we may be on track to see the most labor activity in 40 years and i'm proud so many of my colleagues on the democratic side of the aisle have stood on the line with workers, fighting for a better life. as president biden said today the middle class built this country and unions built the middle class. praise with the president that is pro union and pro worker as president biden is in a time like this. course we weren't always so lucky. former president will also be in michigan this week where he will no doubt try to style himself as the champion of unions. that's pretty rich coming from someone who led one of the most antiwar administrations in recent memory when openly to labor unity and deserved distribute it in the well-being of american families and appointing antilabor people terminate the edge -- agencies

that -- gnome one should believe donald trump when it comes to this but where was donald trump in the ui went on -- uaw went on strike? all talk and no substance and even now he is openly attacking the uaw that's trying to seek a battle -- better contract. difference between the by demonstrations record on labor and the administrations record couldn't be starker. under the by demonstrations they protect essentials for the american rescue plan. under the administrations on the other hand republicans reversed rules to expand overtime pay for 8 million workers, listened infection and safety rules for oil companies and reverse bans on toxic pesticides the protected farmworkers. under the biden administration democrats broke the nearly decade-long funding for the national labor relations board

for as the administrations republicans appointed the most antilabor nil r&b nominees and they voted to make it harder for workers to organize while making it easier for employers to oust existing unions. quorum call be lifted are. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. murray: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to complete my remarks before the vote is called at 5:30. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. murray: mr. president, i've been working nonstop reaching out to my colleagues who have heard pr -- heard from me all hours of the day and night this past weekend to put together a straightforward bipartisan c.r. package that we can pass quickly to avoid a government shutdown. the senior senator from maine and i have put together a bill that keeps our government funded while we continue to work on full-year appropriations. it provides critical dollars for communities struck by disaster

and ukraine which is at a pivotal moment in its defensive efforts against putin's unprovoked war of aggression. these are important down payments as we work on a full-year bill but we have more to do. importantly, this c.r. also ensures that firefighters will not see a pay cut. it prevents critical laws from lapsing to make sure the faa and community health centers can continue operating and more. i hope, mr. president, that all of our colleagues in the senate and the house will work with us to get this signed into law as soon as possible so we can avoid a shutdown that would be nothing short of devastating for our economy and for families everywhere. this should not be hard. we have a simple bipartisan c.r., a truly reasonable bill. we have the support to get it signed into law if it's put up

for a boat in both -- for a vote in both chambers and we do not have a moment to waste. let's get this done and get back to work on passing the 12 bipartisan appropriations bills that are ready to dominate senate floor. so, mr. president, i'm here tonight to urge a yes vote on the motion to invoke cloture. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. let me first thank the senator from washington state, chair of appropriations. we worked together so hard and diligently over the weekend and we produced a result, i think, that shows that bipartisanship can triumph over extremism. here in the senate, we are bipartisan. i want to thank leader mcconnell. he worked with us throughout. i want to thank ranking member collins. they worked without throughout. because we all knew together that a government shutdown will be devastating, devastating to this country. it amazes me that some in the

other body, just an extreme few, say they want a shutdown. that hurts tens of millions, hundreds of millions of americans for only some kind of ideological political purpose. but we said no. the funding levels continue at the same level as before. there is $6.1 billion for ukraine on the defense side and on the state department side. there is $6 billion for disaster relief on all of these. this is a bridge towards cooperation. it's not going to be the final proposal for the whole year. but to avoid a government shutdown, we needed a bridge. it's a bridge towards cooperation and away from steemism which will allow us to keep working to fully fund the federal government and spare families the pain of a shutdown. so let us hope that we get as many people on both sides of the aisle voting for this product

and that the house understands that bipartisanship there is the only way to go and avoid a shutdown. i yield the floor and ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: 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 the debate on the motion to proceed to calendar number 211, h.r. 3935, an act to amend title 49 united states code, and so forth and for other purposes. 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 h.r. 3935, an act to amend title 49, united states code to reauthorize and improve the federal aviation administration and other civil aviation

programs, and for other purposes, shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. the clerk: ms. balmed win. -- ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd. ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin. mr. carper. mr. casey.

the clerk: mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. the clerk: mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto. mr. cotton. mr. cramer. mr. crapo.

mr. cruz.

the clerk: mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. mrs. feinstein. mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer.

the clerk: mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham. mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. ms. hassan. mr. hawley. mr. heinrich. mr. hickenlooper. ms. hirono. mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. kaine. mr. kelly. mr. kennedy. mr. king. ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford. mr. lee. mr. lujan. ms. lummis. mr. manchin. mr. markey. mr. marshall. mr. mcconnell. mr. menendez. mr. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy. mrs. murray.

mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul. mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio. mr. sanders. mr. schatz. mr. schmitt. mr. schumer. mr. scott of florida. mr. scott of south carolina. mrs. shaheen. ms. smith. ms. stabenow. mr. sullivan. mr. tester. mr. thune. mr. tillis. mr. tuberville. mr. van hollen. mr. vance.

mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative -- cardin, carper, collins, cortez masto, cotton, duckworth, hassan, hyde-smith, kaine, markey, menendez, moran, mullin, murray, rosen, schatz, shaheen, whitehouse. senators voting in the negative -- hawley, lee, marshal, paul, schmitt. mr. tester, aye. mr. padilla, aye.

mr. welch, aye. 0

vote: the clerk: mr. rubio, aye.

mr. graham, aye. mr. crapo, aye. mr. ricketts, no.

the clerk: mr. blumenthal, aye. ms. lummis, no. the clerk: mr. wyden, aye.

the clerk: mr. thune, aye.

mr. fetterman, aye. ms. ernst, aye. mr. barasso, aye. mr. tuberville, no. mr. wicker, aye.

mr. cassidy, aye. mr. kennedy, aye. mr. daines, no. mrs. capito, aye. mr. grassley, aye. mr. tillis, aye. mr. vance, no. ms. hirono, aye. mrs. blackburn, no. mr. budd, no.

the clerk: mr. mcconnell, aye. mr. cornyn, aye.

mr. johnson, no.

the clerk: mr. peters, aye. mrs. fischer, no. mr. booker, aye. mr. lankford, aye.

mr. warner, aye. mr. merkley, aye. the clerk: mr. baldwin, aye.

the clerk: mr. durbin, aye.

the clerk: mr. murphy, aye. the clerk: mr. scott of florida,

no. mr. van hollen, aye. ms. warren, aye. mr. kelly, aye.

the clerk: ms. cantwell, aye. the clerk: ms. sinema, aye. ms. stabenow, aye.

mr. boozman, aye. mr. king, aye. mr. sanders, aye.

the clerk: mr. hagerty, no.

the clerk: mr. rounds, aye. mr. brown, aye.

the clerk: ms. klobuchar, aye.

the clerk: ms. murkowski, aye. mr. hickenlooper, aye.

the clerk: mr. sullivan, aye.

mr. bennet, aye. the clerk: mr. casey, aye.

the clerk: mr. reed, aye.

the clerk: mr. heinrich, aye. mr. romney, aye.

the clerk: mr. cruz, no.

the clerk: mr. lujan, aye. vote:

vote: the clerk: mrs. gillibrand, aye.

the clerk: mr. schumer, aye. mrs. britt, no. mr. young, aye.

the clerk: mr. manchin, aye.

the clerk: mr. braun, no.

the clerk: mr. warnock, aye.

the clerk: mr. hoeven, aye. mr. cramer, aye.

the clerk: mr. ossoff, aye. vot:

vote:

the clerk: mr. coons, aye.

vote:

the clerk: the yeas are 77, the nays are 19 and the motion is agreed to. the majority leader. mr. schumer: very glad to see that cloture was adopted by a very large, bipartisan majority. this shows we can work together, even with our differences, for the betterments of the country. i hope the house follows suit. okay, so now i ask unanimous consent that the veto messages

on s.j. res. 9 and s.j. res. 24 be considered as having been read and be printed in the record and spread in full upon the journal. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that, notwithstanding rule 22, the veto messages with respect to to s.j. res. 9 and respect to to s.j. res. 9 and concurrence with the republican leader prior to october 4, that there be if up to two hours for debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees on each resolution, that the senate then vote on passage of each joint resolution, the objections of the president to the contrary notwithstanding. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following senate resolutions, s. 365, s. 366. is 367. is -- oh, sorry, s. res. 365, s.

res. 366, s. res. 367, s. res. 368, s. res. 369. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measures en bloc? without objection. the senate will proceed en bloc. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it recess until 10:00 a.m. on wednesday, september 27, that following the prayer and pledge the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day and morning business be closed, that upon the conclusion of morning business the senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to h.r. 3935 poet cloture. that the senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to

allow for the weekly caucus meetings. finally, that all time during g adjournment, recess, morning business, and leader remarks count toward postcloture debate time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand in recess under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands in recess until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. i ask unans consent -- no quorum, thank you. mr. president, as i've said for months, the only solution for avoiding a harmful government shutdown is bipartisanship. we now have four days to go until funding