John Barrasso

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, today marks day 28 of the Schumer shutdown of the U.S. Government. Democrats continue to block a clean continuing resolution that would reopen the government. For them, it is a big game, and for the American people, they continue to suffer. So listen to his own words. Listen to what Senator Schumer said, what he gloated to the press. He said: Every day gets better for us. I have got to wonder who the ``us'' is because it is not the American people. Then, just last week, the Democrat whip in the House of Representatives said to the press, in an interview that was broadcast on television--proudly proclaimed, it looked like: Of course, there will be families that are going to suffer. . . . But it is one of the few leverage times we have. Leverage? The Democrats are playing the politics of pain, and the American people are the ones who are suffering. It is wrong. It is heartless. It is mean. Leverage for what--taxpayer giveaways of healthcare, funded by the taxpayers, to illegal immigrants who stormed into this country in the last administration? Is that why they are shutting down the government? Leverage for that? Leverage for $1.5 trillion in new spending? Leverage so they can eliminate the one thing that we passed this summer to help our rural hospitals--$50 billion for rural hospitals, remote hospitals like those that we have all across the country? They want to get rid of that? Leverage for that? Leverage so they can continue to suck up to the far-left, radical wing of their party they are trying to impress? That is not good for our country. It is not good for healthcare. It is not good for anything. I am a doctor. I have practiced medicine in Wyoming for 24 years. I want Americans to have high-quality, affordable healthcare. That is what we want for American citizens, but right now, that is impossible because American healthcare is broken. The Democrats broke it. They broke it when they passed ObamaCare. The day they passed ObamaCare, they broke healthcare in America. The headline in the Sunday New York Times proves the point in its first three words: ``ObamaCare is pricey.'' That is what they have done. They said: Oh, we want to lower the cost of care. They didn't. They misnamed it and put the word ``affordable'' in it, but there is nothing affordable about it. ObamaCare has been pricey from the beginning, and it is getting worse. The Washington Post's editorial page agrees. They wrote recently: The real problem is that the Affordable Care Act was never actually affordable. That is the Washington Post. They are right. ObamaCare is a failed program. It has failed financially. The Democrats created it, and they continue to defend the failure today. The Democrats tried to prop up ObamaCare with very juicy subsidies to try to hold down out-of-pocket costs. Then, when Joe Biden became President, the Democrats added Biden COVID bonus payments on top of all of the subsidies. These payments are an admission that ObamaCare's flaws have only gotten worse. Democrats voted twice to make these Biden COVID bonus payments temporary. The first was scheduled to end in 2022, but they noted that ObamaCare was still failing miserably, so they extended the payments again. They extended them to the end of this year. Democrats set the expiration date. Democrats created the cliff. Democrats created what they are now referring to as a ``crisis.'' Remember, Democrats created ObamaCare, and they created these Biden COVID bonus payments, and they did it without a single Republican vote--not in the House, not in the Senate--not a single one. These payments were always intended to be temporary--or so they claimed. Democrats' own report that they wrote back then when they passed it said they were to be applied ``during the public health emergency.'' Today, Democrats are now demanding $350 billion in permanent, new spending. Why? Because they need to prop up ObamaCare once again because it has failed. When the Democrats say ``Fix it now,'' what they are really saying is ``Prop up ObamaCare forever.'' It is wrong. COVID is over. Democrats probably didn't see the memo. Maybe they don't realize it is over. They are still trying to go after money for COVID. Look, even after the Biden COVID bonus payments expire, the Federal Government is still going to pay for 80 percent of the average ObamaCare enrollee's premium because ObamaCare is pricey. That is what the New York Times tells us. What is expiring now is this added cash that Democrats paid insurers during the pandemic. Money didn't go to private individuals. It didn't go to the citizens. It went to the insurance companies. They won't tell you that either. These Biden COVID bonus payments are riddled with waste, fraud, abuse, and actual corruption. Democrats removed every income limit on the subsidies, with no means testing whatsoever. You hear Bernie Sanders come out to the floor and say: Oh, we can't do this for millionaires and billionaires. They did it for millionaires and billionaires. They removed the upper limit. It is for anybody. The sky is the limit. No matter how much money you make, no matter what is going on in your life, you get these bonus payments for COVID through the Democrats, and they want to make it permanent. It is absolutely wrong. It is ridiculous. In 2024, 12 million people whom they enrolled in this program got insurance that they never used. Since the subsidies flowed directly to the insurance companies from the government, the insurers pocketed tens of billions of dollars even though the enrollees did not make a single claim. How does that happen? Let me talk about some of the waste and some of the actual fraud and manipulation that is going on, because in 29 States of our 50, more people are claiming full benefits than are eligible for those benefits in the State. How did the Democrats allow that for the last 4 years? That is what we are trying to take a look at and are saying: Mr. President, this is wrong. There were 6.4 million people under the Biden administration who were improperly enrolled that year, and $27 billion was paid by hard-working taxpayers for all of these people who were improperly enrolled. At least 1.6 million people were doubly enrolled--enrolled in both Medicaid and in ObamaCare--which, of course, is not allowed. It is illegal. You can't do it. Democrats allowed it to happen anyway because they don't care. They have never shown they care. It is all a political game for them. You heard it. You heard the whip in the House say: Oh, no; this gives us leverage. You heard the minority leader here, Chuck Schumer, say that every day gets better for them. Well, it doesn't get better for the American people. This isn't about making healthcare more affordable; this is a direct theft of taxpayer money, and it is all to prop up a program that they named after President Obama--ObamaCare--and it is a program that never worked. Healthcare costs continue to go up, and ObamaCare has failed to address that. As even the New York Times said on Sunday, ObamaCare is pricey. So what caused those prices to go up? Well, Democrats did, of course. When the government pays any price, insurers can charge any price. It is exactly what is happening today, and now it is the American families who are paying their taxes who are paying the price. Republicans will not allow Democrats to paper over the inadequacies of ObamaCare. We want to get to the root cause of the cost of medical care. Democrats are protecting waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption. At the same time, Federal workers are going unpaid. Enough is enough. Even liberal labor unions are fed up with the Democrats' politics of pain, and we have seen it. Finally, yesterday, the American Federation of Government Employees urged Democrats to join Republicans and reopen the government. What exactly did they say? They said: Both political parties have made their point. And then they went on to say: It's time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship. That is from the union that has, for years and years and years, supported Democrat candidates across the board. They are saying: Do what Republicans have been saying from the beginning. Pass a clean continuing resolution. Remember, they did it 13 times when Joe Biden was President, and now they voted against it 13 times with Donald Trump in the White House. It is a big political game for the Democrats. It is a dangerous game, and the American people are suffering. So are the Democrats going to listen to the union that represented and worked with the Democrats to get them elected in the first place? Well, we are going to find out. Let me echo what Leader Thune said: Republicans are happy to address ObamaCare's many failures, but, first, we need to reopen the government. There are not going to be negotiations while the government is closed. We are not going to negotiate with hostage takers. We need to reopen the government and then talk about all the things that people want to talk about, because, right now, our troops and women, infants, and children in the Women, Infants, and Children Program--they shouldn't be used as leverage for Democrats to try to save their failed programs. Air traffic controllers, TSA agents, whom I talked to yesterday coming from Wyoming to come back to Washington--they don't want to be used as pawns. They don't want to be thought of as chips on the table in a political game of leverage. Chuck Schumer saying ``Every day gets better for us''--that is wrong. The American people deserve better. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Justice).

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

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum calls with respect to cloture on the Pratt and LaCour, Jr., nominations.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Patrick for his hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming. Patrick is from Jackson, WY. Patrick is currently enrolled at George Washington University, where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in international business. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months. I want to thank Patrick for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his journey.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to James for his hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming. James is from Shillington, PA. James is currently enrolled at Susquehanna University, where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months. I want to thank James for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his journey.

Mr. BARRASSO

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

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Edwin for his hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming. Edwin is from Lewisville, TX. Edwin is currently enrolled at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in neuroscience and a minor in public health. After graduation, Edwin plans on attending medical school. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months. I want to thank Edwin for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his journey.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Montana (Mr. Sheehy). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Montana (Mr. Sheehy) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), and the Senator from Montana (Mr. Sheehy).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, today is day 23 of the Schumer shutdown of the government, and we just heard the minority leader--right here on the floor--continue to practice the politics of pain, and it is pain felt by the American people. Remember, Senator Schumer is the one who said to the press: Every day gets better for us. I don't know who ``us'' is. It is not the American people, not the people who come to work all across the country and the Wyoming National Guard, the people all around America, the people in the Presiding Officer's State and mine, the people who aren't going to get paid. Senator Schumer said: Can't we do anything about it? Yes. You could vote to open the government. Yesterday, they decided, once again, to vote to keep the government shut. Tomorrow, hundreds of thousands of Federal workers are going to miss their paychecks because Chuck Schumer and the Democrats will not vote to open the government. They won't do it. They haven't done it for 23 days. Democrats have now set the record for the longest full-time government shutdown in American history. In previous shutdowns, some of the Agencies stayed open--not now. This is the longest shutdown in the history of the entire U.S. Government because, this time, no one is getting paid, not the Capitol Police officers who had to come in during the so-called filibuster by the Senator from Oregon, Senator Merkley; none of the people at the desk; none of the people who were working around the Capitol; none of the Democrats' staff or the Republicans' staff who were here as Senator Merkley droned on and on and on through the night, reading the same poem four times, to no avail. It was rubbish--all of it. The Democrats have shut down this government, and they are punishing the American people as a result. They are more concerned about playing politics than they are about protecting working families. It is a big game that they are playing as American families suffer. And they don't seem to care that families are suffering. They are actually bragging about the fact that families are suffering. This is the Democrat whip in the House of Representatives. What did she say this week? It wasn't just some slip of the tongue. She was in an interview. There is a video of her on television--I saw it early this morning--saying, of course, there are going to be families who are going to suffer. Of course, she says, there is going to be suffering-- almost gleefully--because it is one of the few leverage times we have. That is the Democrat whip of the House of Representatives. The Presiding Officer may have served with her when he served in the House before coming to the Senate. He knows this individual. This is the politics of pain, practiced by the Democrats, and, apparently, they don't believe that withholding paychecks or stamps or funding to feed women and infants and children is a problem. They think it is leverage. They think it is a big game. Leverage for what--to give taxpayer-funded healthcare to illegal immigrants? That is one of the demands that we got from Chuck Schumer in the letter of demand to open the government. Lay it all out there. What do they want? Lots of things, including healthcare--free, paid for by taxpayers--for illegal immigrants. They want $1.5 trillion in permanent new spending added to the debt because whom are they trying to impress? The radical wing of the Democrat Party, their radical leftwing. That is what the Democrats are trying to do. That is what Chuck Schumer is trying to do. He doesn't care. He is standing here, talking. He is only talking to one group. It is the radical wing of the party-- the people in New York who have nominated Mamdani to be the mayor of that city. The Democrats are willing to cause the American people to suffer because they want to continue to pass liberal policies that Americans don't want and never voted for but that are being demanded by that radical wing of the Democrat Party. So what have we done as Republicans? We have proposed a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution to reopen the government and that pays the workers who have been working for weeks without pay so they don't miss their paychecks. Democrats have rejected it and have continued to reject it not once, not twice--12 times. It is a cycle of obstruction. Democrats have voted for clean continuing resolutions, as I have heard the Presiding Officer say, a number of times. I have heard him say it on television. The Democrats voted for it 13 different times when Joe Biden was President. Now they oppose it. Why? Because President Trump is in the White House, and they don't even like the White House. They just had a picture of some of the improvements that the President is doing at the White House. They don't like that either. They don't like the fact that he is in the White House. They don't like the fact that he is improving the White House. They don't like the fact that he is going to continue to be in the White House. Speaking of the President, just days ago, he told the Democrats that he was happy to meet. I agree, and we were there when he said it. He said he was happy to meet once they reopened the government, but since the Democrats continue to refuse to reopen the government, the Senate is going to try to do the next best thing. Today, this body is going to move to begin debate on Senator Johnson's Shutdown Fairness Act. So let's talk about it. There is not a single good argument that I have heard against passing it immediately because this bill ensures that the men and women who keep our Nation safe receive their pay during this Schumer, Democrat- caused shutdown as they play politics. We have got to pay the people who are keeping our Nation safe. It pays our troops who are protecting our Nation at home and abroad. It pays the Coast Guard as they continue to patrol our waters. It pays the Border Patrol. They defend our southern border. It pays members of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement as they round up and deport illegal immigrant criminals. It pays the air traffic controllers who guide flights safely to their destinations. It pays the TSA agents who screen the passengers at every airport in America. It pays the Capitol Police officers who have worked for weeks here without pay. It applies back to the very first day of the Schumer shutdown, and that means employees will get their full pay. It applies to this shutdown, and it applies to future shutdowns. I think that is very important as we cannot allow the Democrats to continue to painfully treat the people and use the American people as what the Democrat whip calls, in the House, ``leverage,'' hurting the American people for leverage. No. So it is not just for this shutdown but for future shutdowns to provide stability and predictability to those who keep us safe. Would I prefer a clean continuing resolution that fully reopens the government today? Immediately? Absolutely, but Democrats have blocked a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution every single time we have offered them. It has been reported that Democrats are going to filibuster this bill, today, too. So, when Democrats stand up here today and criticize the bill, remember this: The Democrats have a choice to pay the essential workers who are working right now and are working here without a paycheck or to send them into the weekend with empty bank accounts and bills they cannot pay. If Democrats vote no, it won't be about fairness. It is all going to be about politics. It is a dangerous game of politics they are playing. Remember what the House Democrat whip told the press. She said: Of course families are going to suffer. This is a Democrat. Of course, she says, families are going to suffer, and this is one of the few times--the few leverage times--we have. That is not about helping the American people. It is about taking advantage and using the American people maliciously, terribly, disgustingly, disgracefully. If the Democrats vote no, it is all going to be about leverage rather than paying the American people. It is time to reopen the government. It truly is. Border Wall Football Game Mr. President, on a separate matter, on Saturday, the annual Border Wall football game comes to Laramie, WY. For the 117th time, the Wyoming Cowboys will play Colorado State University. The winner of the game gets something called the Bronze Boot. This year, the Pokes are going to play in special Cowboy and Coal jerseys, and uniformed coal miners from all around Wyoming will lead the Cowboys onto the field. This is a fantastic way to celebrate Wyoming's proud history and heritage. National Coal Week Mr. President, in Wyoming, we have world-class coal. Wyoming's Powder River Basin provides nearly half of all the coal produced in America. It is clean coal. It is low-sulfur coal. We have enough coal to power America for at least the next 100 years. Here in the Senate, Republicans are also celebrating this vital industry. Senate Republicans introduced a resolution earlier this week to designate this week as National Coal Week. I want to thank and congratulate Senator Cynthia Lummis for leading this important effort. No one knows better than our home State of Wyoming how important coal is to keeping the lights on. Coal is the most affordable, available, reliable source of energy on the planet. National security, of course, starts with energy security. Coal means freedom. That is why coal is such an important part of the Republicans' agenda to unleash American energy. We are cutting redtape. We are opening up 13 million acres of Federal land for mining. Coal production is up more than 6 percent since last year. The coal renaissance that we are seeing today is part of the broader American energy revival. It was even reported this week that the price of gasoline has fallen to below $3 for the first time in 4 years. You didn't see this when Joe Biden was in the White House, and they were fighting American energy and making us desperate for energy. Oh, no. We are now heading into an energy-dominant time for America. Across the country, families are feeling the financial relief that comes from returning to commonsense energy policies. Republicans know you can protect the environment without punishing the economy. Democrats never understood that. And, in Wyoming, we know better than anyone else. America is an energy superpower. Wyoming is America's energy breadbasket. We have the resources; we have the workers; and now we are acting like it. So, as we mark National Coal Week, I want to thank the great men and women of our coal industry in Wyoming and across the Nation for helping make America energy dominant once again. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum calls with respect to cloture on the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 191, S. 3012, and the Taibleson nomination.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tenessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Sheehy), and the Senator from Alaska (Mr. Sullivan).

Mr. BARRASSO

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. Mr. President, I come to the floor having just heard the minority leader on the floor, and I would like to remind the minority leader that it was the Democrats who created ObamaCare and, in the process, broke healthcare in this country. I am a doctor. I practiced medicine in Wyoming for 24 years. I want American citizens to receive quality, affordable care. So much of that has been impossible because of what the minority leader supported when Barack Obama was in the White House. They realized it was failing so they had to prop it up with juicy subsidies. And it was still failing. So, then, during COVID, they needed to prop it up even more with even juicier subsidies. That is what he is talking about today. Let me point out that it was the minority leader and his party that set the date for those to end. They are the ones that chose that date. Those are the folks that have caused the problem here today. With all these juicy subsidies, what they ended up with is a program fraught with waste, fraud, abuse, and even corruption. They removed all of the income issues so that anybody--no matter how wealthy and how much money they are making--are qualified for these juicy subsidies. It is just wrong. There has been a complete fall-down in terms of the cost of healthcare. The expenses have continued to rise, and the failures are the result of the program they put in place, in the first place. But the minority leader doesn't want to think about any of that. That is the reason--one of the reasons--the Democrats are holding the American people hostage and keeping the government closed for today, the 21st day of the Schumer shutdown. On Thursday, Republicans brought to this Senate floor a bipartisan appropriations bill. It was a bill to appropriate money for the military. It funds our defense, it funds our troops, and it even gives the troops a raise. So, this summer, Democrats overwhelmingly supported this bill in committee. The Appropriations Committee voted 26 in favor and only 3 opposed. So you think it might have a shot--a chance of passing--here on the floor of the U.S. Senate--to pay the troops, to make sure they have the weapons they need, to make sure they can be the fighting force we need to protect our Nation. But, on Thursday, Senate Democrats voted no. Evidently, they were for it before they were against it. All but three Democrats voted to deny paychecks to our men and women in uniform. So why would they do that? Why would they be for and then against it? Why would they change their tune? It is because the radical wing of the Democrat party demanded it. The radical wing of the Democrat Party, that is who these people are playing up to. They would rather provide free healthcare to illegal immigrants in this country than pay the men and women in uniform. That is who the Democrat party members of this Senate are listening to, are following the advice of. And they are following them right over the cliff. Before the vote, Senator Chris Coons of Delaware came to the floor to explain why the Democrats had flip-flopped on this critical issue of defending the Nation. He is the ranking member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. He helped write the bill. You would think he would be for it. He is well aware of what we need to do to supply the military with what they need. In his speech, he called the bill-writing process--he said it was ``positive,'' it was ``constructive,'' and it was ``bipartisan.'' Sure it was. That is how you get a bill out of committee 26 to 3. Yet he admitted, on this very floor, last Thursday: I won't vote just for the Defense appropriations bill, even though it is my bill. There you have it. He praised it. He helped write it. He voted yes. Then he voted no. That is the Democrat party of today. They were for it before they were against it. That is what happens when you let the radical leftwing of the party call the shots. Democrats have now voted 11 times against a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government. I would remind the President that they voted 13 times on similar measures supporting opening the government--supporting a clean continuing resolution when Joe Biden was President. The only difference now is that the far-left activist groups are watching, and they are taking names. One Democrat Senator admitted that voting to reopen the government would mean ``people are going to get hammered by the radical left.'' That is what they are worried about--getting hammered by the radical left. It has been reported that Senators are ``terrified''--the Democrat Senators--``terrified'' of getting the guillotine from the far-left activist groups, afraid of getting hammered. They are trying to avoid the guillotine. That is what the Democrats are doing today. Democrats know they could end this shutdown today, but they are too scared of the radical activists who continue to call the tune of the Democrat Party. You saw it this past weekend. They were congratulating themselves. On Saturday, Senate Democrats protested in the streets, and they protested with radicals who were seen holding signs that called for the death of President Trump. That is the Democrat Party of 2025. Democrats gave speeches that bragged about shutting down the government. They chanted old, tired songs about resistance, and they worked overtime to prove their loyalty to their rulers--the people who have the leash and the chains around their necks. They are their rulers. They are the Marxist, the pro-criminal, the anti-police, the anti-ICE, the anti- American wing of the Democrat Party. They are the ones calling the tunes. They are a dangerous, extreme, scary, and radical wing of the party. These are the same radicals by whom the Democrats say they are terrified of getting the guillotine. Senator Bernie Sanders said: If the shutdown ends, Democrats will lose their leverage. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said, ``I am very proud,'' he said, of his Democrat colleagues for shutting down the government. Proud of what? Proud of denying soldiers their paychecks and denying the paychecks of air traffic controllers and TSA agents--all who have to work without pay day in and day out? Are they proud of that? Are they proud of these workers like the one I talked to yesterday in Wyoming who is on the job, working without a paycheck, saying: How am I going to go to the grocery store? How am I going to put food on the table? How am I going to help make sure my child gets to eat? That is what we have with the Democrat Party today. We know that 42 million Americans may soon lose food stamps as a result of the Democrats' obstruction and keeping the government closed. Flight safety is also at risk because of staffing shortages. Some Democrats are saying they won't open the government unless ``planes are falling from the skies.'' That is from a Democrat staffer, who may be somebody who is in this Chamber right now but who works with the Democrats right here in the U.S. Senate. Through it all, Senator Schumer gloats to the press. He says: Every day gets better for us. Who the heck is ``us''? It is not the American people. He has to be talking about the Democrats because it is certainly not getting better for men and women all across the country--the people who are going to work without pay because the Democrats have shut down the government. It is not the Border Patrol agents, who aren't getting paid. It is not the air traffic controllers, who are missing their paychecks. It is not military families, who are now lining up at food banks. I look around, and I see on every day of the Senate Schumer shutdown a day that is actually worse for the American people. Now, two in three Americans in a recent poll say they see the Democrat Party as weak. Every day this shutdown continues, Democrats are proving Americans right. It is time for the Democrats to end this dangerous political game that they are playing. It is a game for them, and it is dangerous, and it is hurting people. Republicans are committed to reopening the government, to paying the Federal workers, and to putting American families first. It is time for the Democrats to join us. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski).

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

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Risch).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, one of our colleagues just spent over 22 hours on this floor reading from a book, reciting poetry, one poem at least four times, and talking about renovations currently going on at the White House. It was 22 hours of what I can only describe as rubbish. I come to the floor today to ask a simple question: What did Democrats actually accomplish? The government is still closed. Capitol Police officers and Senate support staffers who were here for the entire 22 hours are still not getting paid, so let me read from the Record and into the Record an article published today in the Daily Caller written by Adam Pack. The headline is this. It is entitled ``Democrat Forces Unpaid Capitol Police to Stay Up All Night So He Can Rail Against Republicans.'' Let me tell you the title again: ``Democrat Forces Unpaid Capitol Police to Stay Up All Night So He Can Rail Against Republicans.'' The article goes on: Democrats are refusing to pay support staff and Capitol Police during the government shutdown, but still forced them to work overnight Wednesday so a lawmaker could rail against the Trump administration from an empty Senate chamber. To repeat: Democrats are refusing to pay support staff and Capitol Police during the government shutdown, but still forced them to work overnight Wednesday so a lawmaker could rail against the Trump administration from an empty Senate chamber. The article goes on: Democratic Oregon Sen. Jeffrey Merkley took to the Senate floor for-- As they wrote this-- a 14-hour long-- Now 22-- and counting screed against President Donald Trump beginning early Tuesday evening. His overnight talk-a-thon, which was still ongoing at the time of publication, forced floor aides and Capitol Police to work throughout the night despite staffers missing their first full paycheck due to the funding lapse on Monday--and Capitol Police poised not to receive their salary later this week. Merkley blasted Trump's decision to deploy National Guard to Portland, Ore. over the objections of state and local officials during his marathon speech. He also denied that violence had occurred outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland despite at least 195 rioters being arrested outside the building since June. ``Portlanders have responded in a very interesting way,'' Merkley said in the opening hour of his speech. ``They are demonstrating with joy and whimsy.'' The article goes on: ``They want to make it clear to the world that what Trump is saying about there being violent protests or a rebellion in Portland,'' Merkley continued. ``It's just not true.'' Democratic New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim also joined Merkley on the Senate floor in the 10 p.m. hour, praising the Oregon senator for shining a light on the Trump administration's alleged ``authoritarianism.'' ``It's important that we don't underestimate the fragility of our democracy,'' Kim said. Senate staffers missed their first full paychecks on Monday after Democrats consistently rejected a House-passed bipartisan spending bill to fund the government. A wide swath of federal employees will not receive their salary on Friday if Democrats do not supply the votes to end the shutdown. The article goes on: Merkley and Kim have voted with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on eleven separate occasions to keep the government shuttered during the 22-day long funding lapse. Just three Democratic Senate Caucus members have thus far crossed party lines to fund the government, leaving the spending measure short of the necessary 60-vote threshold to move most legislation in the Senate. Republicans blasted Merkley's overnight speech during the shutdown, arguing the move was unfair to floor aides and Capitol Police officers working unpaid because Democrats refuse to fund the government. The article goes on: ``The Democrats are going to make Capitol Police and Capitol support staff--who they refuse to pay--work all night so they can give speeches patting themselves on the back for shutting down the government and hurting the American people,'' Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso wrote on X. ``How ridiculous is that?'' Senators, whose pay is protected by the U.S. Constitution, received their salaries on Monday. The Senate is expected to vote on legislation this week sponsored by Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson to pay military personnel and federal employees who are reporting to work during the shutdown. Democrats are expected to filibuster the bill. Several members of their caucus have argued that every federal worker should be paid during the shutdown despite repeatedly voting against reopening the government. The article continues: Merkley's overnight remarks follow other Senate Democrats staging all-night speeches to protest the Trump administration this year. In April-- The article concludes-- New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker delivered the longest Senate floor speech in history to attack the president and his policies. The facts speak for themselves. Americans deserve better than Democrats' rubbish. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Utah (Mr. Curtis), the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski), and 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 Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Budd), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cornyn), the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis), and the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Tuberville). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis) would have voted ``yea.``