ms. murkowski: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: madam president, i want to follow the comments of the chairman of the appropriations committee. this has been a tough week. it's been a tough weekend. it's been a tough day. and i think as -- as members of the senate, as we approach really the -- the showdown of a potential shutdown, it's important for us to recognize really what is at stake. this is not just -- does not just mean us staying here holding the floor late on a monday evening. i've got neighbors here in washington, d.c., who work for the federal government. one works for homeland security. one works for department of defense. they asked me over the weekend, am i working on tuesday? what's happening on tuesday? are we shutting the government down? when we talk about those who are uncertain about what happens this next week with their jobs, i think it's important to recognize that it's not just jobs that we're talking about, it's the reality that if i'm not at work, is the child care facility that my kids go to, i

ms. murkowski: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: again, i join my colleague, senator pryor. i don't think that any of us had -- had planned to do anything coordinated at this point in time. i just came to the floor and was anticipating the announcement from both leadership. but to see so many of our colleagues who have been working on this proposal that senator collins from maine, who has truly been i think remarkable in her persistence and insistence that we continue this effort to work collegially, to work collaboratively on these very, very difficult issues that -- that we have been facing in these past several weeks. so to -- to senator collins for her leadership most particular particularly. but we all know, if you're just trying to move the ball just one person, you don't get anywhere. we do a lot of sports analogies around here and quite honestly, i am really tired of sports analogies. but what i do appreciate is that as a senate, w we cannot work together as individuals and expect to accomplish the work that is nee

ms. murkowski: mr. president, i would suggest that, of those who have just spoken prior to me, it sounds to me like we ought to be able to get something done around here. we've listened to the chairman of the appropriations committee, with her commitment to advancing things through the budget process. i, too, think that we need to go to conference an g.e.d. that moving. mr. president, we're sitting here in a kind of a rarefied world here in the united states senate in these chambers. some would suggest that we live in a little bit of a bubble. let me tell you the folks who are not living in a bubble. those who have been furloughed as federal employees, those that have been shut out of whatever it is that they had hoped they were going to be doing this past week, those in my state, for instance, that are look to fill the family freezer. it's moose season, but now they're told that they can't access any of the refuge lands because fish and wildlife has said you cannot access these lands regardless of what

ms. murkowski: mr. president, i would ask unanimous consent at this time to enter into a colloquy with my colleague from north dakota. the presiding officer: is there objection? so ordered. ms. murkowski: thank you, mr. president. i rise today to speak to an issue that in my state of alas alaska, in the state of north dakota, quite honestly so many of our home states, we have -- we have facts, we have statistics, we have issues that face our indigenous peoples, most particularly our indigenous children, that, truth be told, these statistics are -- are not what we want to write home about. in fact, in many, many cases, these statistics are shameful and the effort and the initiative to make a difference in the lives of -- of the children of our first peoples is an effort that i want to speak to today and join with my colleague from north dakota in -- in addressing this issue. i want to help shine a light on the conditions facing indigenous children in our country, for whom the united states has a legal co