. mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: this week the senate has moved past a partisan paralysis and checked off several important items for the american people. on monday we passed the bipartisan measure that funds the government through february 8, but that bill didn't only end the shutdown. it also extended the state children's health insurance program for six years, that's long-term security for millions of vulnerable children and peace of mind for their families. and the bill delayed three onerous taxes that obamacare would otherwise have imposed on the american people. yesterday i filed cloture on commonsense legislation to protect unborn children who can feel pain. there are only seven countries left -- just seven -- that still permit elective abortion after 20 weeks, including us, unfortunately, china, and north korea. on issues of human dignity, this is not the company we ought to keep. i look forward to voting to advance...

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: okay. mr. president, there are now only 13 days remaining until the continuing resolution expires on february 8. in that short amount of time, we must seek a budget deal, an agreement on health care legislation, and a bipartisan bill to protect the dreamers and provide for border security. all these items are important. all of them are urgent, and we are working hard to get them all done. on the issue of immigration, the bipartisan group of moderate senators should continue trying to find a consensus. i think that's an excellent idea. the white house, unfortunately, has proven to be wildly unpredictable. within a course of hours, they say different things. every time the president moves forward on one thing, his staff pulls him back and undoes what he says. we should find a narrow deal...