John Barrasso

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 484, which is at the desk.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, 1 year ago today, the American people rejected high prices; they rejected open borders; they rejected the weakness of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. One year ago today, the American people voted to get America back on track, and they did so by voting for a unified Republican government. Republicans won a historic victory. President Trump won every single battleground State in America. He won the popular vote. He moved over close to 3,000 counties to the right. That is 89 percent of the counties in the United States. Senate Republicans won a 53-seat majority, and House Republicans maintained the majority as well. Americans gave us a mandate to secure the border, to rebuild the economy, to unleash American energy, and to restore America's strength. Here we are 1 year later, and America is back on track. The results are undeniable. For the first time in years, America's borders are secure. For the last 5 months, absolutely zero illegal immigrants have been released into our Nation. Gone are the days under Joe Biden when 10,000 illegal immigrants poured into our country each and every day. When Joe Biden was President, over 10 million illegal immigrants flooded into our Nation. Illegal immigrants were incentivized to come here with the promise of free healthcare, with the promise of free airplane tickets, with the promise of free hotel rooms and free food and free meals and free cell phones. That era is over. President Trump is successfully removing illegal immigrant criminals from our Nation, taking them away from communities all across the country. Republicans in Congress are finishing the wall, hiring more border agents, and investing in Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The drug cartels are clearly on notice: The border is closed, and America is once again protecting our citizens. Today, our communities are safer, and the economic turnaround has been equally dramatic. America's energy dominance is back. Gas prices have dropped to the lowest point in 4 years. AAA reports prices are expected to continue to fall and perhaps stay low over the busy Thanksgiving period that is upcoming. Inflation has cooled. Things are more affordable. Remember, under Joe Biden, prices soared by more than 21 percent. Under President Trump, private sector real wages are up over $1,100 a year. The economy grew 3.8 percent in the second quarter of this year. We are seeing strong economic growth, and more strong economic growth is expected. The Atlanta Federal Reserve predicts third-quarter growth could be 4 percent--even greater economic growth. You might ask yourself, what is at the heart of this economic comeback? Well, let me tell you. The working family tax cuts, which passed the Senate, passed the House, and were signed into law by the President--that is at the heart of our economic comeback. This is the most pro-worker, pro-family tax relief in years. In Wyoming alone, families could save $2,400 this year because of the tax cuts. Waiters, barbers, and bartenders keep $1,300 more by having to pay no tax on tips. In my home State and in the Presiding Officer's, nurses, firefighters, and police officers can keep $1,400 more by having to pay no tax on overtime. New parents get a $1,000 Trump account for every newborn child, to invest in their future, and parents get a bigger child tax credit: $2,200 more per child. Seniors are going to keep more as well. There is a new $6,000 deduction on Social Security income. Clearly, the Presiding Officer has heard it, and I have heard it at home as well: Farmers, ranchers, and small business owners are getting relief from the much-dreaded death tax. That is what it means to stand with working Americans. Let's be clear. If the Democrats had had it their way, families would be paying much more in taxes--a lot more. Every single Democrat voted for the largest tax increase in American history. Every single Democrat voted for a $4 trillion tax increase. Had Democrats succeeded, families, seniors, and small businesses would have been financially crushed. Every Democrat voted for the government to take more of people's hard-earned money. Republicans said people should keep their hard- earned money. Republicans voted for Americans to keep what they earned. That is the difference between Republicans and Democrats. One year ago, American voters rejected a weak America and also rejected a dangerous world. Today, we see the resurgence of American strength. We are defending our interests and deterring our enemies around the world. Military recruitment has surged to its highest level in 15 years. Morale is high. Deterrence is back. President Trump successfully crippled Iran's nuclear program. He strengthened the success of the Abraham Accords. He secured the release of the hostages in Gaza. He ended wars around the world not once, not twice, but eight times. President Trump is the President of peace, and he is achieving this peace through American strength and leadership. These are the policies that Americans want, need, and voted for when they elected President Trump President of the United States once again. Regrettably, Senate Democrats still can't bring themselves to support the success. They voted against securing the border, against lowering taxes, against strengthening Medicaid, and against everything that helps working families. Here in the Senate, for months, they delayed hundreds of routine and bipartisan nominees. It was an unprecedented blockade. Now Democrats have set a new, shameful record. Today, they broke the record for the longest government shutdown in American history. Let me repeat that. Today, the Democrats have broken the record for the longest shutdown in American history. During the 36 days of the Schumer shutdown, Democrats have voted against reopening the government 14 times. That is 14 votes against paying our troops, 14 votes against paying our Federal workers, 14 votes against paying our air traffic controllers, 14 times against Border Patrol agents, and 14 times against paying our TSA agents. The Democratic Party has been hijacked by socialists, and now they are holding the American people hostage. Why? Well, it is because the Democrats have become radical and extreme. Gallup pollsters tell us that only one in three Democrats is proud to be an American. Can you imagine that. Only one in three registered Democrats is proud to be an American. That is half the number it was last year. The party of J.F.K. is gone, and it is now the party of AOC. Democrats are now the party of socialism and censorship, of weakness and wokeness. They even brag about it, as we saw last night in New York. Yesterday, in New York City, they elected as mayor a socialist who wants to defund the police, abolish prisons, and give illegal immigrants free healthcare. That is who the Democrats have chosen as the mayor of New York City. That is the Democrats' vision of America's future. It is a dangerous vision. It is a destructive vision. One year ago, Americans chose a better path. They chose safety, prosperity, and common sense. As a result, today, America is moving in the right direction, and we are going to continue to fight to get America back on track. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I know of no further debate.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Utah (Mr. Lee).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Thursday, October 6; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each; further, if Senator Kaine makes a motion to discharge S.J. Res. 90, the Senate vote on the motion to discharge at 5 p.m.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 168, H.R. 5371.

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, this morning, Wyoming mourns the passing of Vice President Dick Cheney. His career has few peers in American life. He was a high school football star in my hometown of Casper, WY, at Natrona County High School. He was White House Chief of Staff for President Ford. He represented Wyoming in Congress for 10 years, and he actually served as the Republican whip in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served as Secretary of Defense for our Nation and was Vice President of these great United States of America. His unflinching leadership shaped many of the biggest moments in domestic and U.S. foreign policy for decades. Dick is going to be remembered as a towering figure who helped guide the course certainly in Wyoming, also in the United States, and, of course, around the world. My prayers are with his wife Lynne, his daughters Liz and Mary, and with his grandchildren as they celebrate this incredible man. Government Shutdown Mr. President, on a separate matter, this weekend, 42 million struggling Americans lost access to food assistance. Many are suffering. Many are sacrificing. This weekend, 1.8 million Federal workers missed a paycheck. Their bills are mounting. This weekend, thousands of flights across the country were delayed, and today, air travel is less safe and less dependable. These are the latest consequences of the Schumer shutdown of our Nation's government. These are real people, they are feeling real pain, and it didn't have to be this way. Republicans and a few reasonable Democrats have voted 13 times now to reopen the government. We voted to prevent this suffering caused by the Schumer shutdown. Senator Schumer and the Democrats in the Senate voted 13 times against a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution to reopen the government. Democrats voted 13 times against paying our troops. Democrats voted 13 times against paying air traffic controllers. They voted 13 times against TSA agents and having them paid. They voted against paying the Border Patrol time and time again. They voted 13 times against funding food assistance for struggling families. They voted against funding Head Start for young children. Today is day 35 of the Schumer shutdown. Democrats have now tied the record for the longest shutdown in American history. And for what? That is the question--for what? What have they gained? Have Democrats become more popular? No. They are the weakest they have been and at their lowest numbers in the past 20 years. Why? Because Americans are paying attention. Americans resent being used by Democrats as political pawns. They hate it. The impact on the economy is dramatic. The Congressional Budget Office has looked into this and reports that the Schumer shutdown could cost our economy as much as $14 billion. Even Democrats' supporters in the unions are pleading with the Democrats to open their minds and open the government. The president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association supports a clean continuing resolution. He said it. He said this Friday. He said this-- Democrats--``It is incredibly unfair to expect hard-working, patriotic American air traffic controllers and their families to bear the full burden'' of this shutdown that the Democrats have caused. The president of the Teamsters Union has repeatedly urged Democrats to reopen the government. He said just on Thursday: Put the politics aside, get to the table, negotiate a deal, pass a clean CR right now. That is what the American people say. That is what the polls are showing. There is no reason to shut down the government. The government should be open, and we should be negotiating these things. The government shouldn't be shut for any of these reasons. The head of the American Federation of Government Employees said: Both political parties have made their point. He went on to say: It's time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. That is what I have been trying to do, but 13 times, the Democrats said: Nope. The government is staying shut down. This union president went on to say: No half measures, and no gamesmanship. It is time for the Democrats to stop playing games. The president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association likewise said: The biggest way to ensure the safety, security and reliability of our national air traffic control system is to pass a clean continuing resolution. Democrats are going to have a chance again this morning. Major airlines agree. United, Southwest, Delta, American--all of them support immediate passage of a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution. American Airlines was blunt: A prolonged shutdown will lead to more delays and cancellations--and the American people, especially during the . . . holiday season, deserve better. I agree. The American people deserve better than what the Democrats have been doing for the last 30-some days, with the longest shutdown now in the history of the country. These are Democrats' allies who are saying these things--supporters, contributors. They are saying enough is enough. These are the people who have supported the Democrats for decades, and the Democrats continue to ignore all of them. Federal workers want to reopen the government. Democrats tell them: Nope. No. No. No. We know better than you do, they say. As a result, the pain continues. We are seeing it today all across the country. Each day, the Democrats grow more radical, more reckless, and more extreme in what they are doing by keeping the government shut down while people are suffering, struggling, concerned about their own futures, concerned about their lives. People resent the way they are being treated by the Democrats who continue to shut down the government. The Democrats have said it. You have heard them. Senator Schumer said it boldly and proudly. He said to the press--the first lines out of his mouth in an interview with Punchbowl News was ``Every day gets better for us.'' That is Chuck Schumer. ``Every day gets better for us,'' he said. I don't know who the ``us'' is. It is not the people I talk to in grocery stores in Wyoming or the people I ran into on the plane flying back here. It is not those folks. The House Democrat whip freely admitted--she said: Of course there will be families that are going to suffer. I guess by ``suffer'' she means ``don't have food to feed the kids.'' That is what she said. Of course there will be families that are going to suffer . . . but it is one of the few leverage times we have. The Democrat whip in the House is saying people suffering because kids can't eat is leverage for the Democrat party. This is heartless. It is mean. That is what the Democrat party has become. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware told a national television audience a week ago--he said: Frankly, this is our . . . moment of leverage. He referred to the shutdown as an ``unpleasant tool.'' The tool is the shutdown itself. It is the pain, the uncertainty, the missed paychecks, the mounting bills, the grounded flights, the chaos in American lives, and they call that an unpleasant tool that they continue to use, and the American people are suffering as a result. Knowing all of that, we had Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona--who is, of course, testing the waters for a Presidential run; been all around the country; does not hide this from anybody--he declared proudly--he said: I'd just go back and shut it down again. Just think about that. This is a tool that the Democrats are using, causing pain to the American people, and one of their potential candidates for President wants to do it all again. This is just wrong. Democrats have to be seeing the hardship. They have to be hearing the people's voices and the people in pain. But still, one of their standard bearers to lead the country says: We are going to do it again. This is a choice by the Democrats. They call the pain the American people are suffering ``leverage.'' Look, enough is enough. The American people deserve better. Republicans stand ready to open the government today. We are going to have that vote. We support a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution to reopen the government, to pay our troops, to pay our Federal workers, and to restore vital services. That is what we ought to be doing, and on this, the Republicans will not budge. The American people have suffered long enough. The Democrats have caused too much suffering. It is time for the Democrats to reopen the government. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis) would have voted ``Yea.''

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Cotton) and the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, this isn't lawmaking. This is a political stunt by the Democrats. The resolution they are offering is empty. It is meaningless. Democrats shut down this government. Democrats have voted against reopening the government 13 times. Democrats are holding food assistance for 42 million Americans hostage, and they are going to do it again tomorrow. They are doing it tonight. Democrats knew their actions threatened food assistance. They were fully aware of it. This was organized and orchestrated in Chuck Schumer's office months in advance of the shutdown. The Department of Agriculture warned the Democrats weeks ago what was going to happen. The local newspapers around the country--as a matter of fact, a newspaper in the Senator's home State of Oregon reported: Food is the first thing to go. The Oregon paper went on to say: Oregonians brace for SNAP delays if federal shutdown drags on. And still, for 34 days, Democrats have voted time and time again to keep the government closed. If Democrats hadn't voted 13 times to shut down the government, there wouldn't be the lines we are seeing on television down and around the block at food banks and all around the country. The Senator from Oregon talked about children, using people as pawns, as political pawns. That is exactly what the Democrat whip in the House had said. So, of course, there is going to be suffering. She said it gives them leverage. Senators in this body--Democrats--have said exactly the same thing. The Democrats have continued to use people as pawns for political purposes, and it is wrong. It has to stop. If Democrats really wanted to help struggling families, they would stop blocking a clean continuing resolution. The shutdown ends when Democrats end their dangerous political games. And it is a dangerous political game that even the Washington Post has pointed that out. You want to end the food assistance cliff? It is easy. Pass the clean, bipartisan continuing resolution. Democrats should vote for it immediately. Until then, the Schumer shutdown is going to continue to hurt struggling families. Therefore, I object.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Schmitt), and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Schmitt) and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I come to the floor today as the minority leader Chuck Schumer leaves the floor because I saw some very interesting new polling this week about the Schumer shutdown of our government. It actually came, of all places, from CNN--not exactly a Republican-friendly outlet. Let me share what the poll shows. Since the Schumer shutdown began, approval of Republicans in Congress is up 5 percent. By contrast, Democrats are now at their weakest and lowest position in 20 years. The American people are clearly paying attention to the damage being wrought on the American people by the Democrats, and the American people are sick and tired of the Democrats' dangerous political games. They resent being used by Democrats as pawns, as leverage. They resent being treated as pieces on a chessboard. Millions resent having their paychecks held back; now it has been a full month. Americans know who is to blame for the Schumer shutdown. They heard the Democrats loud and clear. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, just this Tuesday called the shutdown ``the only lever we have.'' People are suffering. To him, it is a lever. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware said almost the exact same thing last week to a national television audience. He said: Frankly, this is our only moment of leverage. He even admitted that shutdowns are, as he said, an ``unpleasant tool.'' Then he voted for the 13th time yesterday to use the tool to keep the government closed. Food pantries in Senator Whitehouse's home State of Rhode Island are getting ``slammed.'' Democrats call that leverage. Families in Delaware are making ``backup plans,'' according to the news, just to get groceries. Democrats call that leverage. It is not leverage; it is picking pain--pain for people--for political purposes. It is using hunger as a bargaining chip. Democrats refer to it as unpleasantness. We are now 30 days into the Schumer shutdown. It is the longest full shutdown in the history of this country. For 30 days, Democrats have chosen leverage over lives, they have chosen politics over paychecks, and they would rather fight President Trump than feed American families. This weekend, 42 million Americans will lose food assistance. Let me say that again--42 million Americans. That is one in eight; twice as many Americans as are on the failed ObamaCare exchanges, as the minority leader was just talking about, which Democrats are still trying to prop up even though it has failed on its promise to control costs. As the headline in the New York Times on Sunday said, ObamaCare is pricey. Democrats are putting free healthcare for illegal immigrants ahead of American families, ahead of American seniors, ahead of American veterans, ahead of American soldiers, and ahead of American workers. That is their priority--free healthcare for illegal immigrants. We have citizens in this country, real people in real pain, and they count on food assistance to put food on the table. Now these families are living in limbo, and their balance is about to hit zero. So what happens to them next week if the Democrats keep the government shut down, as they voted 13 times to do? And what about the week after that? Families will go hungry because Democrats keep playing this dangerous political game. Even some Democrats are calling on the Democrat party to change course. Listen to the words of Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. She was interviewed, actually, yesterday on CNN. She said: I don't think federal workers should be political pawns. She said: I don't think we should swap the pain of some Americans for others. I think we should be lifting all of them up and helping them. Senator Cortez Masto is one of the few reasonable Democrats who has been voting for a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government. Here is the simple truth: Senate Republicans have voted 13 times on a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution to reopen the government. That is 13 votes for funding food assistance, for paying the troops, for paying Federal workers, for paying TSA agents, for paying air traffic controllers, for paying Border Patrol, for paying Capitol Police, who are here and have been working for the last month without pay. Every single time, Senator Schumer and radical Democrats have voted no--voted 13 times against funding food assistance, against paying for our troops, against paying Federal workers, against paying TSA, against paying air traffic controllers, against paying Border Patrol, and against paying the Capitol Police. Democrats stand here and claim President Trump can fund food assistance on his own? They know what they are asking him to do is against the law. Democrats are not, in the words of Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, ``powerless'' to fund that program--$9 billion a month. Democrats had the power 13 times to end the shutdown. They voted no 13 times. The Democrats are the ones who have the power. They are not powerless; they are unwilling to help American families. The Senate should be funding those programs today. We tried again yesterday. It failed. The clean, bipartisan continuing resolution that is sitting right there on that desk right now could be passed if we get Democrats to vote for it. It funds SNAP. It pays our Federal workers. It pays our troops. It pays TSA agents. It pays air traffic controllers. It pays Border Patrol agents. It pays Capitol Police. It reopens the government, which is what we ought to be doing. We need five more Democrats to say yes. The most ironic thing about this, the hypocrisy of it all, is that Democrats had no problem voting for a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution 13 times when Joe Biden was President. What has changed? Donald Trump is in the White House. They are not happy about that, and they are not happy about anybody who voted for him. So now they are more interested in what they describe as leverage than children going hungry in this country. It is no wonder that Republicans' approval rating has gone up, as the CNN poll shows, and that Democrats' polling has gone down during the Schumer shutdown to the lowest and weakest point in 20 years. Enough with the politics of pain. It is time to reopen the government, and it is time to feed these vulnerable families. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Schmitt) and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Mississippi (Mrs. Hyde-Smith) and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis) and the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, today I would like to start with a quote. Here it is: It is time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. It goes on to say: No half measures, and no gamesmanship. Those are the words from the American Federation of Government Employees--not FOX News, not the National Review, not the Wall Street Journal--no. These are the words of the American Federation of Government Employees. Let me tell you about the organization. They are the largest union in America for Federal workers. They were proud promoters, a couple of weeks ago, of the far left's radical rally. They are a very liberal group that has sued the Trump administration now more than a dozen times in the past year. This is a group that endorsed Kamala Harris for President, and 100 percent of their 2024 campaign war chest went to Democrats. Even my friend and colleague who is on the floor right now, Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip, admits: They're our friends. We take them seriously. This labor union is one of the Democrats' biggest cheerleaders, and today they are calling out Democrats for playing politics and holding hostage the paychecks of over 800,000 Federal workers. If that doesn't push the Democrats to wake up and reopen the government, it is hard to tell what will. We are now in day 29 of the Schumer shutdown, and Democrats have set a record for the longest full government shutdown in American history. Union after union are begging the Democrats to open the government. It is not only this American Federation of Government Employees--oh, no, it is the head of the Capitol Police union. The head of the Capitol Police union warns: The longer the shutdown drags on, the harder it becomes for my officers. The President of the Teamsters Union says: American workers are not bargaining chips. Senators should stop screwing around and pass the House-passed clean, short term funding bill. The head of the National Air Traffic Controllers, their union, warns: The message is simple: End the shutdown today. There is no excuse-- The union leader says-- that these hardworking men and women are showing up to do this job and to not ever know when . . . they're going to get paid. These are working Americans, and their paychecks are missing. And at the same time their paychecks are missing, their bills are mounting, and the stress that they are suffering is multiplying. The message is clear: Reopen the government today. Democrats refuse to listen. Instead, they freely admit it is all about politics. They are playing a big and dangerous game of politics, and it is a politics of pain. The minority leader, Schumer, gloated--he gloated--this month to the press in a sitdown interview with Punchbowl News. He says: Every day gets better for us. I am not sure who the ``us'' is, but it is not the American people. Then you have the whip in the House on the Democrat side of the aisle. What did she say? She admitted to FOX News--she said: Of course there will be families that are going to suffer . . . but it is one of the few leverage times we have. That is not somebody that is serious about taking care of people and making sure we get the government open. And even my friend and colleague Chris Coons of Delaware, just last Thursday, told a national television audience on C-SPAN: Frankly, this is our only moment of leverage. And he called this shutdown an ``unpleasant tool.'' He has voted 13 times to keep using this ``unpleasant tool'' to keep the government closed. Now, those are the words of high-ranking Democrats in both the House and the Senate, and at the same time, vulnerable mothers and children are being described as leverage so that Democrats can give free healthcare to illegal immigrants. That is what they are doing: using the American people as leverage, as pawns in their big game of politics. And what are their demands? Healthcare for illegal immigrants. It is reckless; it is radical; and it is wrong. This suffering, the unpleasantness, is going to get worse as the weeks go on unless the Democrats vote to reopen the government. Air traffic controllers missed their first full paychecks yesterday; 1.8 million Federal workers missed their full paycheck on Friday. This includes Border Patrol agents, TSA agents. By the end of the week, 42 million Americans will lose food assistance. The Democrats call that unpleasantness. Lines at food banks are already swelling. The New York Times reports food banks are anticipating an even greater surge in demand. What do the Democrats call that? Unpleasantness, so they can have leverage. Families from New Hampshire to Georgia are going to go hungry because Democrats choose to close the government and refuse to open it. What do the Democrats call that? Unpleasantness. Democrats know the President can't legally use emergency funds, to the tune of $9 billion per month, for food assistance. Democrats have an option: Vote for a clean continuing resolution and reopen the government. Of course, the Schumer shutdown is not only a financial issue; it is also causing a crisis in national security. This past weekend, one in six air traffic controllers nationwide--in terms of the locations, the centers--were understaffed. Since Sunday, nearly 20,000 flights have been delayed. What do the Democrats call that? Unpleasantness. Some Democrats privately say they are not going to budge unless planes are falling out of the sky. That is their definition of unpleasantness. Democrats continue to embrace the politics of pain. Democrats have chosen leverage over the lives of people in this country. They have chosen leverage because they want to fight Trump. They should be feeding our families. They are choosing politics over paychecks. The American people deserve better. We are not getting it from the Democrats in this body. Senate Republicans have voted 13 times for a clean, short-term continuing resolution to reopen the government and pay every Federal worker, and 13 times Senate Democrats have voted no. Under Joe Biden, they voted 13 times for the exact same kind of clean continuing resolution. They voted yes all of those times. Here is the math everybody in this Chamber understands. It takes 60 votes to reopen the government. Fifty-five Senators have voted to reopen the government time and time again. That means we need five more Democrats to end the shutdown. Republicans are absolutely ready to pay our Nation's workers, to feed our Nation's families, and to reopen the government. Democrats continue to vote against this. They seem to be committed to what the House Democrat whip admits is suffering and what Senator Coons continues to call unpleasantness. Democrats need to stop playing this dangerous game of the politics of pain. They need to reopen the government, and they need to do it today. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Mississippi (Mrs. Hyde-Smith), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Ms. Ernst).