ms. stabenow. mr. white house. -- mr. whitehouse. senator whitehouse: no. senator warner: no. senator merkley: no. senator kaine: no. the clerk: mr. king. mr. van hollen. ms. harris. mr. chairman. senator enzi: aye. the clerk: ms. stabenow. senator stabenow: no. the clerk: mr. chairman, there are 12 yeas and 11 nays. senator enzi: the motion to able has passed. wyden number 1. does anyone seek recognition in opposition? senator toomey. senator toomey: yes, i would just remind my colleagues that there is absolutely nothing about the reconciliation device that excludes democrats from fully participating in tax reform. this is going to go through regular order. it's going to be marked up in the senate finance committee. it's going to be open to amendment. and democrats, i assume, will offer amendments. and that is the way our process is supposed to work. this establishes a 51-vote threshold which we have many occasions, which we have 51-vote thresholds. this is regular order. i don't think we should be changing that. senator enzi: all time has -- >> mr. chairman, i am the sponsor

ms. stabenow: thank you, mr. chairman. i would hope this would be an amendment that we could all support. given the comments from colleagues that the cut in the budget resolution on medicare isn't really a cut. so, if that's the case, then i think we should be very clear that structurally medicare won't be changed, with the almost $500 billion in cuts in the budget resolution. and this would simply put a budget point of order against medicare privatization. which i know is a great worry to seniors in michigan and people across the country. 47 million americans, mostly seniors, but people with disabilities, depend on medicare. including two million people in michigan. that's about one in five people in our country. medicare's a promise. it's a guarantee that america's seniors who paid in their whole lives, people have paid in their whole lives have affordable, comprehensive insurance when they retire. a lot of folks holding on just -- having a tough time in terms of insurance and they breathe a sigh of relief when they're 6

ms. stabenow: thank you, mr. president. first, let me say the people of michigan and our country deserve a better deal than what is in this budget. there are a number of concerns i have, but i want to mention three big ones that i'm proud to join with colleagues on amendments that would address them and votes that will be coming up. the first is the fact that this budget would take $473 billion out of medicare. i offered an amendment in committee to make sure that wouldn't include privatizing medicare, but that was voted down. so that is certainly something that could happen. $1 trillion in medicaid cuts as well. in michigan, three out of five seniors in nursing homes are there with the help of medicaid health insurance. this is children, families, senior citizens. there will be an amendment offered that senator nelson and i, senator sanders offered to take out this cut for medicare. there will be one offered for medicaid with senator sanders and myself and senator casey to strike that. second, 80% of the tax cuts built int

ms. stabenow: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator michigan. ms. stabenow: i would ask suspense of the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. stabenow: thank you. mr. president, we need tax reform that helps small businesses, closes tax loopholes that are taking jobs overseas and instead be creating those jobs at home, and we need tax reform that puts money in the pockets of middle-class families in michigan and all across the country, and we need an american budget that shows what we value as americans. too often we think of budgets as sterile numbers on a spreadsheet. in reality, budgets are about people. they're about the middle-class parents who are sitting down to do their taxes and feeling like it's them, not the wealthiest 1%, who are carrying the heaviest burden. they're about helping small business owners in pontiac, michigan; family farmers in cadillac; and michigan companies who are creating good-paying jobs. and they are about ensuring that the most vulnerable among us -- our children, senior citizens, people with dis

ms. stabenow: well then, i appreciate that. thank you. mr. president, i know we are in the middle of a discussion and certainly a debate right now about a budget resolution. obviously i participated in discussions of how concerned i am about the priorities in the budget resolution. i think people of michigan and the country deserve a better deal. but while we're doing that, the clock is ticking on some very, very important programs where we actually have bipartisan support in committee. i want to thank chairman hatch and the finance committee, working with myself, working with our ranking member, senator wyden, for moving forward last week a reauthorization, five-year reauthorization of the children's health insurance program, what we call chip. the problem is, and it passed out with only one negative vote so we got a strong bipartisan vote coming to the floor. my concern is that now we move on to tax cuts geared predominantly to wealthiest americans, a bill that includes medicaid cuts and medicare cuts and other debates. and yet, we have thi