mikulski: mr. president? mr. president, i rise to speak on the consolidated and further continuing appropriation for fiscal year 2015. mr. president, every year we have a particular responsibility that was mandated by the constitution, which is that the congress of the united states shall pass an annual revenue bill to fund the government. the power of the purse was vested in the congress. it was not vested in the executive branch. our subcommittee on appropriation is a constitutionally mandated, mandated committee. and the reason for that is if one reads the federalist papers, it says that if -- if the leader of a country controls the purse, they tend to be kings, but if the executive branch has to share power with the legislative branch controlling the purse, you have checks and balances. now, tonight is the night we talk about what is our annual bill. it had been the hope of myself and my vice chairman, senator shelby, that we could follow something here called regular order, where with the 12 subcommittees in

chairwoman mikulski has done an outstanding job. she has been a giant of the appropriations process. she should be congratulated for her perseverance in bringing us to this point right now. now, mr. president, i spoke yesterday about the funds included in the bill for the state department and foreign operations. i commended members of my office who worked so hard on that. we put important funding for the environment, for aids prevention, treatment, for united nations peacekeeping, for emergency funding for ebola. and this bill will protect u.s. security, humanitarian and economic interests around the world. but it also funds many of the domestic priorities that face budget cuts. the people in our states depend upon it from law enforcement to transportation, health care to protecting our national parks. mr. president, this congress and the past congress in what i feel is a terrible mistake voted to spend $2 trillion to $3 trillion in a war in iraq that we should not have been involved in. as a result, we did not fund our law enforcem

mikulski: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. ms. mikulski: mr. president, i ask that the call of the quorum be vacated. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. mikulski: to give an update which is the usual update in the senate. the leadership on both sides of the aisle is negotiating the time and method by which we will continue to proceed in this bill. the omnibus spending bill for fiscal 2015. but what i've been happy about is that people have actually come to the floor to make presentations on the substance of the bill, both pro and con, and sometimes in the same speech and i think that that's been both enlightening and informative and i think all of my colleagues including the presiding officer for coming. i want to make a comment about my subcommittee on financial services and general government. this is a subcommittee that has been chaired by the very able senator from new mexico, senator tom udall. and he's done an outstanding job. now, much has been discussed about dodd-frank, wall street bailouts, are we throwing our soul into the

let me say this would never have happened but for barbara mikulski.tomorrow should be a very interesting day. with a little bit of good fortune, we could complete the spending for the country for a fiscal year that's fast upon us, we could finish the defense bill and then look to doing the tax extenders and completing the work on tria, whatever that might be, and from that point forward, we would work on nominations and be out of here fairly quickly, but everyone's going to have to work together to get this done. ms. mikulski: thank you very much, leader reid, for your very kind words and your support and assistant -- oh, ahmadinejad? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. ms. mikulski: madam president, i rise to speak on the omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2015. madam president, i wish to thank the democratic leader, the majority leader, for his kind words. but it's not only about his kind words about me, it's been his advocacy to make sure that as we look at the need for funding for the entire government, that there would be no gove

chairwoman mikulski has done an outstanding job. she she has been a giant of the appropriations process. she should be congratulated for her perseverance and bringing us to this. i spoke yesterday about the funds included in the bill. i commended members of my office. more funding for the environment, treatment for the united nations peacekeeping, for emergency funding for ebola, protect ebola, protect us security, humanitarian and economic interest around the world. also funds the priorities that face budget cuts. the people in our state depend upon from law enforcement, protecting our national parks. mr. president, this congress and the past congress voted to spend two or $3 trillion on the war in iraq we should not have been involved in. as a result we did not fund our transportation, healthcare, national parks were decaying bridges and roads in america. americans would think it might be good to take care of some of those things. this omnibus started carrying us back to the needs of the united states, includes critical investment

she was recently surpassed by barbara mikulski of maryland. she not only had longevity. she was very influential in terms of veterans affairs. prior to her experience in the house, she also had volunteered for the red cross. she had become an advocate for servicemen returning from world war i. when republicans in the 1940's briefly regained the majority in the 80th congress, she becomes one of the very first women to chair a major congressional committee. she chairs the veteran affairs committee in the 80th congress and again in the 83rd congress when the control flip-flopped back and forth. she was a republican. her experience, and you see a couple of pictures. in this one, she is having a radio date with mary norton of new jersey. this is in 1926. and these two really become in many respects the deans of women in congress for several decades. mary norton is a democrat when she came up to politics in jersey city, new jersey. her mentor was frank "i am the law" hague. he promoted her career. as she comes into the house in 1925, the same year as edith noures rogers. the i

mikulski: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. ms. mikulski: mr. president, as come to the floor today during the consideration of the national defense authorization to bring my colleagues up to date on the appropriations bill. as we know, the continuing resolution expires on thursday at midnight. but i'm here to talk about some good news. the appropriations committee on both sides of the dome, the house appropriations committee and the senate, working in a conference committee has completed its work. this legislation is now, as we speak, heading to the rules committee into the house. hopefully it will head to the house floor tomorrow. on the senate tomorrow night and into friday, and this means no government shutdown, no government on autopilot, we fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year for 2015, except homeland security, which will be a continuing resolution. mr. president, what we're talking about here is a monumental achievement. it is a monumental achievementship for showing how we can work together, we can govern, and we can

senator mikulski has been a terrific coleader, and i would like to thank her for her leadership. a women's history museum is long overdue in washington, d.c., think of it, madam president, we actually have a museum that is dedicated to buildings, honoring buildings. we have museums along the mall that commemorate various aspects of our history. we have the air and space museum. there's a privately run spy museum. there's the newseum, which honors journalism. there is a museum that honors native americans. americans from all over this country can come to washington and learn about our history and the contributions of the people who have made our nation the greatest country in the world. despite this plethora of museums, however, there has been no museum dedicated to the women who have helped to shape our nation's history. the legislation that was finally approved last week calls for a commission to fund its own costs and it would be paid for entirely with private funds, at no cost to american taxpayers. this commission would put forgot a -- this commission would put forth a plan f

mikulski: madam president, i thank -- ms. murkowski: madam president, i thank my colleague from arizona. the and as he has pointed out, not only is this measure important to the state of arizona but the state of nevada will also gain the benefit of being able to access copper resources in that region well as well, bringing jobs and bra brig a resource. so, contained in this package -- and, again, a balanced package, and we're talking about the federal land conveyances for economic and community development. we've mentioned the opportunity for mineral production with two copper mines, one in arizona, one in nevada, opportunity for increased timber production in my state. we will finally realize the obligation to settle the land claims with the native people of the southeastern part of the state in the sialaska region. they're still awaiting their conveyance. this measure that we have in front of us will not only fulfill that decades' old promise, but it will allow for a continuation of timber within their region, albeit very,

biggest story coming out is how she along with nancy pelosi lockouts on one side and then barbara mikulskisuch an interesting thing. lou: you are talking about the left side of the party. >> so where would she fit in all back? i think every time the mention her name, it shows the alternative callery clinton. >> i think the critical thing here is the heavy handing of harry reid over the last several years. lou: one thing you have to give them is he is smart and clever and he knows what the heck he is doing -- the 1600 page bill with immigration and health -- i'm exasperated one do you think that republicans get the fact that they better focus on the middle class this time? the 1600 page bills are going to fly all the time. if they play that game, they are going to be dead in the water. >> the longer the bill, the less likely they are to help in the middle class. but the working class voters hep republicans and they didn't do as well with mitt romney at the top of the ticket. and so that is what happens when he wants more accessible. so instead of saying i'm one of you, they put on their mom

he then worked for senator barbara mikulski and later moved to baltimore where he became a city council member and eventually the white mayor of the predominantly african-american city. he focused on reducing overall crime rates in struggling neighborhoods. in 2006 he was elected governor where he raised the minimum wage, legalized medical marijuana, granted in-state college tuition rates to immigrants and enacted gun control laws. >> i think we have too many guns and too much killing. >> reporter: he abolished the state's daept calling it wasteful and ineffective at deterring crime. >> what kind of society do we want to be? >> and in 2012, he signed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. >> the way forward is always found through great are respect for the equal rights of all. >> but the economy has been bumpy. taxes have risen under o'malley, including a controversial gas tax hike last year. >> a rain tax, a flush tax, higher costs for health care, for being born, for dying, trips, slips, fishing, flip flops, tube socks, purses, rollerskates, p.j.s, diapers, hats and book bags. >> o'mall

the other side is basically mikulski and there is such a schism in the democratic party. >> you're talkingbout the left side of the party. >> where would hillary clinton fit in all of that? i think every time you mention elizabeth warren's name, it shows there is an alternative to hillary clinton. >> i think this, and i would let democrats slaughter each other for a year just as we are going to do. i think the critical thing here is the heavy-handedness of harry reid over the last several years. you will now in the senate have some very strong chairmen. mitch mcconnell will not get to push them around. he will go back to the job of the leader, to move it forward. >> i haven't agreed with mcconnell over the years on various issues but one thing you have to give the man, he's smart, he's clever and he knows what the heck he's doing. >> it's not a shot at mitch mcconnell. i think it's very important for every senator and the committee chairmanships to start working again and to do things in committee so you can basically watch it and these gang of eights that run off in the back room and come

when barbara mikulski ran for re-election in 1992, she was opposed by this republican who later movedn keys. >> that's correct, 200 more points for brian thompson into the big leagues. get that clock back on board and rolling 200 point toss-up here. 16 things i'll miss about being in congress was the title of the post by outgoing -- >> michele barkman -- >> that's incorrect, on what website? >> on what? >> time. the website is buzzfeed. in the 1980s ash carter, president obama's nominee for defense secretary was against president reagan's strategic defense initiative which was popular known by this -- >> joe? >> star wars. >> 200 points for joe. leaders of the central committee of the republican party in this state vowed this week toe remain neutral in the first in the nation presidential caucuses? >> new hampshire. >> incorrect. >> brian? >> iowa. >> 200 point toss-up. yesterday the bureau of labor statistics reported that the u.s. added 321,000 jobs in november and unemployment rate remained at this percentage -- >> 5.8%. >> 5.8%. brian, you earned the 200 points with that one. you

and as even the top democrat, barbara mikulski said emphatically last night, we don't get everything want. that's the art of compromise. but as christine knows very well, the idea of wall street and rolling back any reforms hit a very raw nerve, and that's what made this so difficult. >> okay, so, let's, like, tamp down on that very issue, wall street and how this spending bill benefits wall street. jamie dimon, jpmorgan chase guy, he personally lobbied to ease restrictions on big banks trading derivatives. a little history for you, jpmorgan chase accepted a $25 million bailout in 2008 because of poor investments. his bank lost $2 billion in trades because they were poorly executed a few years back. and now, taxpayers might bail out the banks again, because bankers want the government to allow them to make these risky investments. am i right, christine? >> this is a bitter pill for the democrats. this is a bitter pill for elizabeth warren. and you know, the white house calls and says this is what compromise looks like. they got more money for the s.e.c., more money for the commodity

this was a deal negotiated by harry reid and barbara mikulski, and she went against it.t talk about ted cruz for a second. bob corker, orrin hatch, lindsey graham, putting out statements criticizing ted cruz because, they say, he kept the senate in and gave the democrats, gave the white house, confirmation votes on nominations that they wouldn't have had if they had gone home a couple of days ago. >> it's interesting, both cruz and warren went about their opposition in different ways. david axelrod, i want you to respond to this. an anonymous aide saying this. if this party can't accommodate its clinton era folks and its warrenites, we're headed for trouble. do you think this party can unite those two wings of the party? >> i do if secretary clinton comes out. >> move towards elizabeth warren. >> and i think she will. let me say one thing about ted cruz. i think he was delighted to be i think that was -- he got everything he wanted. >> you agree with that. >> two years ago, when ted cruz shut down the government, everybody said cruz is finished, his career is finished, h

their last days in power are grappling with a rare public split, leaders like harry reid and barbara mikulsking bill that passed this weekend. >> it's a monumental achievement flip for showing how we can worç together, we can govern and we can get the job done. >> reporter: the white house joined in too at a pivotal moment saying the administration supports passage of the bill but that the administration objects to the inclusion of ideological and special interest measures. that led to a very rare split. >> i'm enormously disappointed that the white house feels that the only way they can get a bill is to go along with this. house democratic leader nancy pelosi wasn't alone. massachusetts senator elizabeth warren also rallied the left condemning the bill's provisions that help banks.ç >> the american people did not send us here to work for wall street banks, they sent us here to work for them. >> reporter: in the end, the more liberal voices lost, the bill passed. >> the yeas have 56, the nays have 40. >> reporter: meantime, the righç saw its own fissure exposed again this weekend. >> if you

and i think senator mikulski, the president, and many others on the hill did a very good job of puttingills-- and i worked in the senate for a long time-- all bills are compromises. there are some thing in there you don't want and some things you do. the president made the decision at the end of the day there was more good than bad. as he said, and secretary leu said, they didn't want to put the provision in there but they were stuck with it. important lesson there is, it's a light on how wall street gets its way in washington. it doesn't have a bill that comes out with democrats--ç republicans and democrats in the house and senate have to raise their hand in the light of day to vote for wall street. they put them in these big bills so nobody has to vote for them, and they can get their special provisions and the public's deceived and there's no accountability. >> sreenivasan: what about the central argument he's making we're essentially walking backç down that road of banks that are too big to fail, that we're essentially going to protect these big four or five banks? >> we are, and

i'm proud to have as cosponsors senator reid, durbin, blumenthal, coons, harkin, menendez, levin, mikulski, warren, boxer, gillibrand, murphy and white house, hirono. i'm loud in the house of representatives -- i'm proud in the house of representatives the lead sponsor is john conyers, 59 cosponsors in the house bill. the legislation that we've authored would provide training and mentoring for police departments so that they have what they need. it prohibits all forms of profiling. it provides for data collection and provides grants to develop best practices. it has broad support, including support of the leadership conference on civil and human rights, the aclu, naacp and the rights working group. mr. president, as i started my comments on the floor, america is the beacon for hope for people all around the world. they embrace our core values because they know what america stands for. it stands for every one of us being treated fairly under our laws. i'm proud of our values, and i'm proud of what we've been able to accomplish as a nation, where we can enjoy religious freedom, where you can

senate leaders should get credit also, like barbara mikulski, for holding the line on so many critical priorities, for putting in this trillion-dollar spending plan some very important things that should arouse the gratitude of many people. they've also stood up against and foughtly and prevented from getting into this some very extreme proposals -- and fought and prevented from getting into this some very extreme proposals. but for people watching this proposal across this country and in hawaii, what they are seeing unfortunately is a bill packed with policies pushed by very connected special interests, special interests with armies of high-paid lobbyists looking out for their own protections and looking to roll back commonsense protections for people who cannot hire those high-priced lobbyists or make donations to political candidates and elected officials. i say this right now, this omnibus, this cromnibus as it's called is a jagged bitter pill for anyone to swallow. let me start with the provision that senator schatz mentioned. the provision that is rolling back aspects of dodd-fra

i say one of my funnest moments was watching senator rockefeller stand and visit with barbara mikulski. i'm pretty sure she might be the shortest person in the united states senate, and i'm pretty sure jay might be the tallest. and i said what you don't know about senator rockefeller, not only in intellectual stature but physical stature, he's a giant of a man. but it's not that intellectual stature of senator rockefeller that impressed me, and it certainly wasn't his size that impressed me. it was the size of his heart and how much he cared for the people that he served in west virginia. i had a chance last year -- or this year to travel to west virginia and spend time with the folks of his great state. as they were looking at this transition, they would tell me stories about senator rockefeller, and they would tell me stories about what he meant to them and what -- the things that he had gone out of his way to do, things that were beyond maybe what even expectations of a -- of a -- of a populace would ever be, that jay was there for them, and they knew that every day jay woke up and

top appropriations people on capitol hill, republican congressman hall rogers and democrat barbara mikulskie thanksgiving day holiday to hammer out a deal. they expect it to be on the floor next week. complicating factors push leadership to do a short term extension in february so then a gop controlled congress can tackle government funding early on to get it started. whether they will strip funding to finance president obama's executive action which could lead to a big fight on capitol hill, martha. martha: that deals with the issue of immigration and action before us on that. the military and the mission against isis. funding is an issue there as well, right? >> reporter: no question about that. so the house leadership wants to hear from its rank-and-file members who have been home over the thanks giving holiday obviously hearing from their constituents. i'm told if there is consensus on a response to president obama on immigration, that house majority leader kevin mccarthy reserved floor time. there could be debate and discussion of that on the house floor this week. for the fight agains

and i know that senator mikulski, the chair of the appropriations committee, wants to see this happen, but make -- to make it happen she needs republican support and i very much urge my republican colleagues, stand up for rural america, stand up for 15,000 jobs, let's protect these 82 processing plants. madam president, as senator tester has made clear, the beauty of the postal service is that it provides universal service six days a week to every corner of america no matter how small or how remote. it supports millions of jobs in virtually every other sector of our economy. it provides decent-paying union jobs to some 500,000 americans, and, in fact, -- and i say this as the chairman of the senate veterans committee -- it is the largest single employer of veterans. whether you are a low-income elderly woman living at the end of a dirt road in pennsylvania or vermont, or you're a wealthy c.e.o. on wall street, you will get your mail six days a week, and the american people, by the way, pay for this service at a cost far, far less than anywhere else in the industrialized world. but if

anator mikulski has done remark my good job, she did such a good job explaining what she's with merely 100 writers that she's had to try to fight off. so i, in spite of all this, i'm optimistic that even the republicans don't want a shutdown. (inaudible question). been filed has not yet, there are still negotiations going on on a few things. (inaudible question). >> when we work through the defense bill and work through the omnibus, and i think that the right time to do it. up to the republicans. we on our side can get them done quickly, but wee see what they want to do. >> i know you all want to move surge ungeneral, what's going to happen? >> maybe we'll have to work the weekend and maybe work next week. i know that's tough duty for have to dobut we may that. we have a number of nominations we're going to do. to, we have nine judges left, we're going to do those. going to do dr. murphy, do andhead of immigration naturalization, ice. do socialg to security administrator, and other things that i've given a list to the republicans and it's up to them to decide how long we stay. >> separ

reaction from maryland senator, barbara and -- barbara mikulski. -- the outgoing governor of maryland -- tim scott, south carolina republican, not in favor of the move. back to calls -- this is christina in st. louis, missouri. welcome. thank you for having me. i would just like to say that unitarian efforts of releasing an american, which is really great for an american's , there are also efforts happening for the cubans in cuba. there is no change there and i think it is important to have this relationship with cuba and build a relationship, but we have to do it in such a way that is going to be effective. right now, obama is getting played by the castro's and it is very clear. we need to have people who are educated in this situation having these conversations and we want to push for that and i want to push for people to set aside their parties and look at the policy issues. there is a reason why politics have changed, and there is a reason for that. obama needs to open his eyes and see why that change hasn't happened. if he does not want to make the change for the better, get a te

. >> david mikulski. >> [inaudible] there is an idea that the founder of the labour party talked about a term that i don't know how to translate into english, [speaking foreign language], but for someone who was more -- >> that is not fair -- >> i am not asking you to say that. i am not asking you to say that. i am asking to say -- how do you hit the israeli middle that wants that kind of labour party, that has that kind of approach? >> it is about uniting sources with centrist. weise -- we share the same thing, same values, the same understanding of the risks and danger in front of our eyes and other parties, we all understand the dangers that face israel, so we must share together the ability to ring change. >> you mentioned the social justice these of this and how 5% of israel came together. this was a unique moment. yet, netanyahu one after that. >> it you want to depress me? [laughter] >> all i am asking you about is why labor has not been able to really capitalize on its natural constituency, the social movement. there is a very sit -- very distinguished here who can delve into w

senator mikulski who chairs the senate appropriations committee has performed extraordinary service in negotiating this bill, and i think it's fair to give a nod to senator shelby who of course has been involved in this. they get along extremely well and set a good standard for everyone in the senate. the bill achieves many of our important priorities. it gives the affordable care act the secure financial footing it deserves, gives our military the tools it needs to combat isis. addresses a rape kit which helps police officers prevent sexual assault, ensures the president's executive action protecting families can move forward and provides funds to fight the ebola epidemic. there are a lot of other things in it but those are a few of the highlights from my perspective. there are things in this bill that i wouldn't have included, democrats wouldn't have included had we written the bill along. i don't support the weakening of dodd-frank and the restrictions on the district of columbia and other things. but i didn't write this bill. the senate democrats didn't write this bill alone. it's

host: the senate the democrats, under barbara mikulski, chair of the appropriations committee, has been working with hal rogers. they have a deal on the underlying bills. what are the operating off of? guest: it goes back to this deal that was brokered by paul ryan and patty murray. they figured out a deal. you figure if the details, these are the marks we're going to hit. the appropriators get together and gave those numbers to their committees. they are close on the numbers. that is what is so interesting. the house and senate are not that far apart on the numbers. they need to negotiate things that are much less than you would expect. host: mike is in a pennsylvania. caller: thank you for c-span. i just wanted to make the observation and comment about what is a majority and super majority. a super majority is defined as two thirds of the vote. what that means is if you get back, they're only two times when the congress have had a super majority. 1933, what did the common men get? social security. in 1955, what did the common men get? medicare. i am more interested in a 1% sales tax o

bash yeah mikulski and i have gone through many tabletop exercises where you're presented with either radioactive contamination or you're affected by one of the 4 natural or intentional infectious diseases, as soon as you lose the trust of the population, you're in a spiral. and i think we got to a point in ebola it was not a massive spiral but we got to where we lost the trust and i think we'll have to go back and pinpoint exactly when that was and exactly what was said. but then it becomes a struggle. in this case, thank goodness we've been able to contain outbreak in the united states. >> and there could be another case that comes, but i think the public, we would hope, now knows it's not -- there were movies about it and -- >> you had no administration official out saying we're not going to have anymore. you actually have them out saying, you can expect that there will be some. that is a totally different point that they've now set for the american people. >> let me add something that goes back to an earlier question. i think if you look at the supplemental request, whether it's f

there is a picture of senator barbara mikulski, of maryland. the piece says the near collapse of a crucial government wide funding bill that now faces the senate test underscored a fundamental problem with congress -- the lost art of compromise. from doce's a quote hastings, he is retiring, house member from washington, republican host: allowing party leaders to celebrate a compromise of sorts. though it does not appear to be a model for the future. according to the "new york times " piece to start us off here. larry, you are on the line from tuscaloosa, alabama. first call for open phones. hey, larry. caller: hey, how are you doing? i wanted to annotate something to you all. the guest of that you had on a few minutes ago that was dealing with gun control -- host: larry pratt. caller: yes. in other words, he kind of tee - -teed on your head and called it rain water. for good, texas, i lived in -- fort hood, texas, i lived in killeen, you are allowed weapons to carry. i do not know where he is getting that from, but that is not true. sharpton, i

beginning bybill saying "this omnibus bill cobbles together a lot of last and negotiations from barbara mikulskiand in a single week, congress attempting to fund the entire federal government, rewrite wall street regulations, expand political contributions, and among other things override the district new marijuana law -- newspaper hill" stating that four senators decided not to show up for the vote on saturday. may all missed the saturday vote. the session took most senators by surprise late on friday evening, most believed that the deal have been worked out to move the votes to monday evening , but senator mike lee and ted cruz said that none of the saturday votes were close enough that those senators would have made a difference." linda, jefferson, missouri, who had the worst year in washington? good morning. the people. the people absolutely are having the worst year. like you just read a few minutes in about them doing more eight days than they did all year? neednot understand why we -- why we, the people, keep putting are having these same people up there. all the time. all the time. they

the: and also taking to senate floor yesterday was senator barbara mikulski of maryland. she is the senate appropriations committee chairwoman. she was one of the negotiators on this budget deal. she went to the senate floor to talk about the budget deal, how it came together, and to encourage her colleagues to vote for it. here's what she had to say. [video clip] the processly made work. we show that we could govern. we worked across the aisle. we worked across the dome. we practiced civility. we argued. we debated. we fought. sometimes you give a little, you take a little, but you stand up for them all. and i want them to know that we were able to concentrate and compromise on what i call capitulation, or principal. i want to say to my colleagues, stay steady, stay strong. host: we want to hear from our viewers on this trillion dollar spending bill. lines for those who support it or opposed it. richard is calling in on the line that opposes. he is an independent from lake lasted, florida. good morning. caller: yes, good morning, john. it looks like the republicans and b

i know senator mikulski from maryland, the chair of the senate appropriations committee, is working veryd long to try to get an omnibus bill. we will do everything possible so we have a budget for next year. does that including voting no on a short-term funding bill for homeland security? guest: we will see how it's packaged together. there are 12 appropriation bills. there are 11 other agencies that are funded here. there are groups of other agencies so we have to take a look at the total package. i expect the senate will do the responsible thing and fight for an omnibus appropriations bill host: for funding the whole government? guest: as much as possible. host: has the president poisoned the well by acting on immigration? guest: i don't think so, congress had a full two years to act on immigration bill and the united states senate did the right thing by passing a bipartisan bill. everyone acknowledges that our immigration system is broken and congress needs to act. the best thing is for them to act and we should not need the president to have to do executive orders. we should have pas

this was negotiated in part by chairwomanopriations barbara mikulski. they said if you wait until next year, it will be republican is negotiating this bill and there will be fewer democratic victories. so she is pointing to all the things in the bill come all the environmental and labor stuff that they were able to send off as a victory for democrats. it squeaked past on this last vote? what was the problem on the republican side? ofthere was a group conservatives that voted against the content of the bill and the process. pages, and a 1600 they had about 2 1/2 days to look through it. the biggest group of conservatives said they are not that there is a rider would block funding for the implementation of the spending part of the bill deals with the homeland security department only being funded for a little bit of time. that is the cr portion. it would only find the department of homeland security short period of time. they could take another bite of the apple early next year, and try and fight president obama's action than. >> and this goes on, of cour