mr. shelby: mr. president, i rise to urge my colleagues to oppose the paul amendment. while we all understand the desire to cut spending, the allocations in this package before us have -- are based on caps that were set in a bipartisan budget agreement signed into law earlier this year. i think we should and cannot go back on our word and our agreement and expect bipartisan support. we're working on the appropriations committee. i think we're doing well at this point. we have a long way to go. but if we start loading it up, the process will fall apart. i urge you to vote no on the paul amendment. mr. leahy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: mr. president, i rise to urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment offered by the senator from kentucky. make no mistake about what this amendment would do. it is an 11.4% across-the-board indiscriminate meat ax cut in important programs, and as the chairman of the committee has pointed out, it would violate the bipartisan agreement that we just reached earlier this year. in addition, let me

mr. shelby: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. shelby: thank you, madam president. madam president, this week the senate takes another step toward regular order in the appropriations process here in the senate. the package before the senate today contains the fiscal year 2019 appropriations bills for the subcommittees on interior, financial services, agriculture, and transportation, housing and urban development. madam president, we have not debated an interior appropriations bill on the floor of the united states senate in nearly ten years. the financial services appropriations bill has not seen floor action in several years either. why, madam president? because year after year party-line votes in committees represented the end of the line in the legislative process. yet here we are today debating both of these appropriations bills and more on the senate floor. so what changed, madam president? what changed was the mind-set of appropriators on both sides of the aisle who embraced a willingness to sacrifice partisan riders and prio

mr. shelby: mr. president, before we vote here this morning, i want to express my support for the appointment of conferees and my belief that this is yet another encouraging sign of a return to regular order in the appropriations process. the package of appropriations bills that will be conferenced with the house received overwhelming bipartisan support here in the senate. this broad agreement was facilitated by a concerted effort from both parties to prevent partisan riders from poisoning the well. thus far, we've been able to translate bipartisan cooperation among members of the appropriations committee into success here on the senate floor. but this time -- at this point i want to recognize and to commend the continued efforts of the committee members in the process, especially the republican and democratic managers of this package. in particular, i want to thank vice chairman leahy for his strong partnership in this effort, and senator alexander, who's here on the floor, who has guided this proce

mr. shelby himself was fired. although the v.a. said he left to pursue other opportunities whether those reports are true the damage to the v.a. hr management has already been done i'm sure they are supposed to improve their resources of the toxic environment or at the top are they rampant. nose that limits the time for employees but as we all know the official time is not spent on union activities. let me repeat that so spending time on union activities is illegal. rather to have human resources functions to ensure a work environment for all employees. so with the current turmoil and vacancies the human resources function is more important than ever to ensure that care for veterans is not impacted and then to sustain cuts from both ends does not inspire confidence at the agency the goal is not to further undercut the workforce my hope our discussion today can show what it is doing to better management and i think the witnesses to being here today and i look forward to their testimony. >> the first panel today acting secretary with

mr. shelby himself was fired. although the va released a statement saying that he left to pursue other opportunities and whether any of those reports are true, the damage to va's hr management has already been done. i am not sure how the va is supposed to improve its human resources management when such stories of its toxic environment are at the top are rampant. finally, it is in the mist of this turmoil that this administration released a new executive order that limits the amount of official time for employees to no more than 25%. as we all know, official time is not spent on unit activities. let me repeat that. official time is not spent on union activities, because spending time on union activities is illegal. rather, it is time spent by union officials to perform human resources functions and ensure a well functioning work environment for all va employees. with the current turmoil and vacancies in the va's hr division, the human resources function employees on official time perform is more important than eve

mr. shelby: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i rise here this afternoon to urge my colleagues to invoke cloture on the substitute amendment before us. in debating this measure over the past week, we voted on several amendments. we hoped to include dozens more in the managers' package that we're working with the democrats on that continues to evolve. mr. president, we sought to achieve a fair process on this package. the bill managers have gone to great lengths to accommodate members' interests within a framework that has allowed us to make so much progress thus far in the appropriation process. i want to thank my colleagues and i want to especially thank senator leahy for working together with us in a bipartisan way. and we hope that this will be, continue to be a constructive process because it is to all of our benefit. in this light i urge my colleagues to vote yes so that we can continue to move forward on this package and build upon the momentum that we've generated thus far. mr. leahy: mr. president. the presidin

mr. jack edward sherman a longtime resident of shelby, illinois, in my district, an advocate for former military men and women throughout the nation and chairman of the veterans advisories committee and i'm proud to say, my friend. mr. shimkus: he joined the navy in 1959, rose that the to the rank of yeoman third class before disability cut short his service hsm made his way to illinois nand 1976, married nancy, and they raised two daughters. as chairman thoif veterans advisory committee he's led our meetings for years, being a valuable experience and perspective. unfortunately his health declined to the point where his mobility is limited and doctors declare he should no longer live on his own which is what he has done since his beloved wife passed away in 2016. jack is now in mississippi, thanks to the u.s. department of veterans' affairs, which located a suitable residence for him near the home of one of his daughters. members of my veterans advisory committee and i will miss jack. we want to thank him for his tremendous service throughout the years an wish him the best of health an happiness

shelby, to get our military funded. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. ms. cheney: i yield 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. byrne: let's not let petty political games from protecting our service members. let's pass this resolution, demonstrate our commitment to pass a defense funding bill before the end of the fiscal year, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama yields back. the gentlewoman from wyoming reserves. the gentleman from washington, mr. smith, is recognized. mr. smith: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: just a couple quick points. the department of defense budget is 18% of the overall federal budget and you would be a pretty bad business person if you looked at your books and said a thing that takes 18% of the budget has nothing to do with the deficit. it all adds up. piece by piece. it absolutely is a big part of what contributes to us having a deficit and a debt. so we cannot ignore what we spend on defense and how it impacts everything else. now, you can make that policy decision

mr. shelby: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that for the purpose of rule 16 in relation to the substitute amendment number 3399, division a of h.r. 6147, serve as the basis for defense of germaneness for division a of the amendment. division b of h.r. 6147 serve as the basis for defense of germaneness for division b of the amendment and that h.r. 5961 as reported by the house appropriations committee serve as the basis for the defense of germaneness for division c of the amendment. and h.r. 6072 as reported by the house appropriations committee serve as the basis for defense of germaneness for division d of the amendment. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. so ordered. mr. shelby: mr. president, i now call up the substitute amendment number 3399. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from alabama, mr. shelby, proposes an amendment numbered 3399. strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following -- section 1 -- short title --

mr. shelby: i move that the senate now insist on the amendment, agree to the request of the house for conference, and authorize the chair to appoint conferees on the part of the senate. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. all opposed no. ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. a senator: i have a motion to instruct conferees at the ask and ask for its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from look la mr. cassidy moves that the managers on the part of the senate on the conference on the disagreeing votes on the two houses on the senate amendment to the bill h.r. 5895 be instructed to insist that the final conference report include provisions that have the effect of extending the national flood insurance program and the authority of the administrator of the federal emergency management agency to issue votes and obligations with respect to that program through january 31, 2019. a senator: mr. presi

shelby amendment to h.r. 6147. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: now, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10:00 a.m. tuesday, july 31. further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning business be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. and that following leader remarks, the senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the grant nomination. further, that the senate recess following the 12:15 vote until 2:15 to allow for the weekly conference meetings. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: so if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the the presiding officer: the >> the continuing work on britt grant's nomination to be a judge on the 11th circuit. later this week expect debate to resume on 2019 federal spending bills. mo