Benjamin Cardin

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. At this time, I yield to my colleague from Arizona, Senator Sinema.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I am now pleased to yield to my colleague from Maryland, Senator Van Hollen, who has been a real partner during his stay here in the Senate. We have traveled the State of Maryland together, and we know firsthand the hardships of this shutdown. We have seen the faces, and we have seen the consequences.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I have joined Senator Isakson on many bills since I have been in the Senate, and I look forward to working with him to find the solution with regard to border security issues. I thank him for his comments. I yield to my colleague from Maine, Senator King, who has been so instrumental in trying to come up with concrete ways to end this shutdown.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I certainly appreciate the words from Senator Portman. The two of us have been working together since we were in the House of Representatives, and we are proud that we have a record of concrete accomplishments, working together across party lines. Sometimes we had to take on the leadership of both of our parties, but we got things done. So I am encouraged by his comments, and I really do believe we can work together to resolve this issue. With that, I would like to yield to my colleague from West Virginia, Senator Manchin, who has been a real leader on the practical impact that this shutdown has. The story about what is happening in the prisons located in West Virginia I think really frighten all of us.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to yield to my colleague from New Hampshire, Ms. Hassan.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, over the last hour, many of our colleagues have come to the floor--Democrats and Republicans--with different views about how we should deal with border security issues and how we should deal with the problems at hand but with a common willingness and commitment to reach a bipartisan agreement. In order for that to be accomplished, we need time. Therefore, we are filing this afternoon a bipartisan amendment to the underlying bill that would provide 3 weeks for a continuing resolution for government to be opened so that we can work together to deal with the border security issues. I agree with Senator King in his optimism that we will be able to reach an agreement. It is interesting that Senator King is an Independent. This should not be a partisan problem on border security. We should be able to resolve the issues. I thank Senator Murkowski for her help in organizing this event. We tried to work in a truly bipartisan manner in order to give optimism, and I think, rightfully so, that we can solve this issue if we have the time to do it. I urge all of our colleagues to join us in this effort. Let's open government, let's have 3 weeks, and let's all be committed to deal with border security in the manner in which this institution in the past has been able to deal with tough issues. I again thank my colleague from Alaska, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Lainy LeBow- Sachs, a Baltimore icon whose name has rightly become synonymous with public service and philanthropy. After 23 years at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and 16 years before that as one of then-Governor William Donald Schaefer's key special assistants, Lainy has announced she is retiring. My wife Myrna and I are proud to have Lainy as one of our dearest friends and closest advisers. So today, I would like to pause to reflect on the remarkable legacy she has created. Lainy was born in Newton, MA, but moved to Baltimore in 1970, where she spotted a flyer for someone who was running to be the city's next mayor. Intrigued and looking for a way to engage in the community, she began volunteering on the campaign. The candidate in question was William Donald Schaefer, who, with Lainy's help and knack for connecting with people, went on to win that election and several others after it until becoming the Governor of Maryland in 1987. Lainy was by his side throughout it all, serving as one of his closest advisers and confidants. She became known around Maryland for her strength of character, work ethic, and uncanny ability to facilitate meaningful connections between State and local officials with shared goals and ideas for making Maryland a better place in which to live and work. After Governor Schaefer's retirement, Lainy's talents were widely sought-after. She was approached regularly by public officials, businesses, and nonprofits, all of them eager to have one of Maryland's most influential and effective public servants on their team. None of the opportunities resonated, until she was approached by Dr. Gary Goldstein, the president and chief executive officer of the Kennedy Krieger Institute. For those outside of Maryland who may be unfamiliar with Kennedy Krieger, the institute is, as its website states, ``an internationally recognized institution dedicated to improving the lives of children and young adults with pediatric developmental disabilities and disorders of the brain, spinal cord and musculoskeletal system, through patient care, special education, research, and professional training.'' The chance to work on behalf of children with developmental disabilities, to raise their profile, to put their needs and care in the spotlight and devote her time to something so worthwhile and meaningful, the opportunity called to Lainy. She began directing Kennedy Krieger's external relations, leading the institute's philanthropy, public relations, and government relations efforts into a new and prosperous era. Her penchant for inspiring others to care as deeply as she did, combined with her famous Rolodexes full of contacts and friends from across the State, made her an indomitable force of good will. Kennedy Krieger's fundraising skyrocketed under her leadership, as did the institute's profile, allowing it to invest in groundbreaking medical research and, above all, to care for more children. Over the course of her tenure, she led three capital projects that raised a combined total of more than $117 million, all in the name of improving and expanding healthcare for our children and grandchildren. She built the institute's new external relations department from the ground up; it started with only her; today, it employs a staff of 34 like-minded philanthropists dedicated to keeping Kennedy Krieger growing. Dr. Goldstein, the man who convinced Lainy to join Kennedy Krieger, says it best: ``She has been phenomenally successful. We are quiet, nerdy academics around here. She took us up a step by a factor of ten.'' Lainy has been so successful throughout her career both because she works hard and because her compassion and empathy shine through in all that she does. When she asks someone for help or for resources, it is always clear that the ``ask'' comes from a place of deep, heartfelt sincerity. When she uses her influence to connect people, it is because she genuinely believes in them and in the work they are trying to do. Everyone has always understood Lainy to be extraordinarily thoughtful, earnest, effective, and empathetic, and that character has inspired immediate trust from everyone she meets. That trust has been her currency, and she has spent it on helping others. What makes Lainy so remarkable isn't just that she is so talented; many people are. Rather, it is that she has always used her talents to improve other people's lives. In his book ``Wishful Thinking,'' Frederick Buechner wrote, ``The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.'' From the day Lainy first arrived in Baltimore nearly 50 years ago, she has found that place in her life, and all of our lives have been enriched. When I say that Lainy is retiring, I need to add some caveats. She currently serves on the boards of Beth Am Synagogue, the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, the Baltimore Jewish Council, the BB&T advisory board, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Serving for Lainy comes as naturally and, apparently, as necessarily as breathing. Lainy has come to define the best of Maryland, and her legacy is now and forever woven into our State's history. She has channeled her considerable skills and connections into work that has changed lives and facilitated incredible progress in caring for some of our most vulnerable children. On behalf of those children, their families, and the entire State of Maryland, I extend to her my sincere and eternal gratitude.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, it is day 33 of this dangerous and unnecessary government shutdown. Let me share with my colleagues that this morning, I stopped by an IBEW office that was set up by the Maryland Food Bank. We are very proud to have the Maryland Food Bank in Maryland. It provides the necessary food for hungry Marylanders who go through tough times and can't get enough food for their families. I don't think we ever thought it would have to set up a special location for Federal workers and for those who are impacted because of a Federal shutdown, but it is exactly what it did today. I am very proud of those at the Maryland Food Bank. I thank them for their services to the people of our State. They have now been able to provide basic food to patriotic Federal workers who are not getting their paychecks. This will be the second pay period this week for which Federal workers' pay stubs will read ``zero'' for the work they will have done. Of the over 800,000 Federal workers, 30 percent are veterans. They are patriotic Americans who show up every day to do work--to keep us safe, to deal with our national security, to deal with our food safety. The list goes on and on and on. They are showing up today and working on the 33rd day. They are being asked to carry out their work with their having no prospects of getting paid in the near future. These are patriotic Americans. The number is more than 800,000. We also have contract workers who get contracts from the government. Many of these contractors employ low-wage workers to do basic work for the government. These workers are not getting paid. We have small businesses that depend upon contracts that are not being fulfilled right now because of the government shutdown. They are laying off workers. Then we have the general impact on our economy. It is projected that we are going to lose all of our economic growth, which will slow down and create more unemployment in America. All of that is happening because of this shutdown. It is in our national security interest to end this dangerous shutdown. The FBI is on shutdown, meaning many of its workers are not even being brought in, and those who are being brought in are having a difficult time doing their jobs. On Thursday, the FBI Agents Association released a petition that describes the shutdown as a matter of national security. It urges leaders in Washington to reopen the government. ``On Friday, January 11, 2019, FBI Agents will not be paid due to the partial government shutdown, but we will continue our work protecting our nation,'' the petition reads. ``We urge our elected representatives to fund the Department of Justice . . . and the FBI because financial security is a matter of national security.'' My colleagues, these are people who go to work every day to keep us safe, and we are asking them to do that without their having a full complement of supporting workers and to do it without being paid. Recently, I met with our airport security people--the TSA and others--who are charged with keeping our airports safe. They are responsible for air traffic safety. They asked me how they can do their work when they are distracted. How are they going to pay their bills? They also don't have the full complement of support staff necessary. That is what it is at risk. We know security is being compromised in our Federal Prison System. On Friday, prison guard Brian Shoemaker was patrolling the halls of Lee penitentiary in Southwestern Virginia when an inmate tried to squeeze past him into a restricted area. Seconds after Shoemaker told the prisoner to turn around, the inmate lunged at him and punched him in his shoulder. Mr. Shoemaker did not sustain a major injury, but it did not escape him that he was working without a paycheck at one of the most dangerous Federal jobs in America during this partial government shutdown. Fears for his and other prison staff members' safety are escalating as 16-hour shifts become routine and as a growing number of guards call in sick in protest and work side jobs to pay their bills. ``I don't think we should be subjected to that kind of thing and not receive a paycheck,'' said Shoemaker, age 48, a 17-year veteran of Lee penitentiary. ``I'm walking in here and doing my job every day, and it's very dangerous.'' Mr. Shoemaker is one of 36,000 Federal prison workers who is deemed to be an essential employee by the U.S. Government, which means he is expected to report for work during the shutdown even though he will not get paid until the government reopens. He has worked 33 days without pay. Even though these employees are supposed to work, union officials at 10 prisons, including Lee, who were reached by the Washington Post, say the number of employees who are not showing up for work has at least doubled since the shutdown began. This cannot continue. As a result, those who are showing up are routinely working double shifts, correctional officers and other prison staff members say. Secretaries, janitors, and teachers are filling in for absent officers. There is at least one prison--Hazelton Federal Correctional Complex in West Virginia--at which the number of assaults on officers has increased since the shutdown, according to a union official there. ``There has been a rise in people calling in sick and taking leave during the shutdown,'' said Richard Heldreth, the local union president at the Hazelton prison. ``The staff who are showing up are dealing with this violence, long hours and extra overtime with the uncertainty of when we will be compensated.'' The list goes on. I had a chance to meet with some of our Coast Guard workers this morning. The Coast Guard is in a partial shutdown. Here is one of the critical national security Agencies of this Nation that is not working at its full strength. We have heard the President talk about border security. He has compromised border security by not allowing Homeland Security to be fully operational--to have all of its capacity--and its workers to be paid to do their work. Research is being very badly hurt as a result of this shutdown. A coalition of more than 40 patient and healthcare provider groups is warning about the effects of the government shutdown on the FDA. This marks the first time advocacy organizations have weighed in on the more than month-long lapse in appropriations. ``We fear that this continued shutdown not only puts the current health and safety of Americans' safety at risk, but has begun to put future scientific discovery and innovation in jeopardy,'' the group wrote in a letter to President Donald Trump and senior congressional leadership. The effort, spearheaded by Friends of Cancer Research, has drawn in the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Research!America, and the National Organization for Rare Disorders. The shutdown is keeping the FDA from reviewing new drug and medical device applications and from conducting certain inspections of food and medical product facilities. It has also slowed the hiring and onboarding of new staff at an Agency that is already grappling with hundreds of vacancies. Some FDA research and policy development has also come to a halt. The FDA regulates products and industries that comprise about one- quarter of the U.S. economy. The FDA ensures a safe food supply; protects patients from contaminated and unsafe medical products; and approves new lifesaving treatments, the group wrote. The list goes on. Diplomatic missions around the world are being compromised. I had a chance to talk to one of our Ambassadors in a key country of great interest to the United States. He confided in me that without a full complement of staff, his mission is being compromised, and our national security is being put at risk. Let's take a look at the faces of the people who are impacted by this shutdown. I already mentioned the fact that just a few hours ago, I was at the Maryland Food Bank location at which I saw very proud, patriotic government workers stand in line to get bags so they could pick up food because they didn't have the money to pay for food for their families. That is what is at stake. I have received letters from Federal workers who are concerned about whether they will be able to continue their dental and vision health protection because those payments are not automatically made when we are in shutdown. The workers are supposed to make those payments directly. How many workers are going to be able to or will even know that they need to make the payments? They may see the loss of critical coverage. I know it is affecting people's credit scores. We know credit agencies are not very tolerant with late payments. Yet government workers are going to have to slow down in paying their bills because they will not have money. Most workers live paycheck to paycheck in paying their bills. Now their credit scores are going to be affected, and that is going to affect the cost of credit. It may affect such things as their security clearances, which will affect their employment. I have heard from several Federal workers. I heard from one who said: I have this dilemma. I live 90 miles away from where I work as a Federal worker. I am expected to be there every day. I don't have the money to pay for gasoline for my car. Yet I am expected to pay for that without getting a paycheck. By the way, I don't have the money to pay for the childcare for my children. How am I expected to show up for work and do essential work when I don't have the money to take care of my needs so I can get transportation to my job and take care of my family's needs with safe childcare? This is the face of the people who have been impacted by this partial government shutdown. Her circumstances are really shocking. One might be surprised to learn that many Federal workers are expected to use their own personal credit cards to pay for government expenses. If they travel on behalf of the government, they use their own credit cards to pay for those expenses. I am told it averages somewhere around $600 a month. At the end of the month, they have to, of course, pay their credit card bills, but they have their reimbursements from the Federal Government for these legitimate expenses. In a government shutdown, there is no Agency that can reimburse them for that money. The credit card companies are going to demand that they pay. These are government expenses, not theirs. What do they do? This is where we are today with the tragedies. There was an ad in the paper that really got to me. It was written by a government worker who said she was looking for a job. She writes: I'm currently furloughed due to the government shutdown and am available for baby-sitting during the workday. I have plenty of childcare experience from raising my two children, ages 3 and 5, so I know how hard it can be to find last- minute weekday childcare. Alternatively, I'm also happy to provide science tutoring for any high school or college students. I have a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular medicine and can help with biology, genetics, microbiology, biochemistry, cell bio, or research methods. Please message me if interested, and I would be happy to provide you with additional information. Thanks. Here is a Federal worker whom we want to keep in Federal service. She needs money to pay her bills and is willing to be a babysitter but has scientific training. We know she could be gobbled up in the private sector for a lot more money than she is making as a government employee, and we are going to lose her. We are going to lose a lot of talented workers who ask: How much longer can I put up with this? How much longer can I work without pay? The critical missions that she is performing on behalf of America will be compromised and lost. This is what is at risk. This is what we are risking. I haven't even gone into all of the different Agencies or the work that is important to Americans. HUD's being closed means FHA loans are not being processed and that you can't go forward with your closing on a home. I know several senior housing projects are being put on hold, which jeopardizes quality, affordable housing for our seniors. The IRS season is beginning, but it doesn't have its full complement. People want their refunds, but they are going to be delayed. The list goes on and on and on. This is President Trump's shutdown. Many of us, on both sides of the aisle--Democrats and Republicans--understand border security issues. In the fiscal year 2019 appropriations, our appropriators did their work. The distinguished ranking member, Senator Leahy, is on the floor. He worked very closely with Senator Shelby on every single appropriations bill in a bipartisan manner. We did our work in the U.S. Senate. Seven of the appropriations bills have not yet been completed through no fault of the work of our appropriators. Four of them passed the Senate by a vote of 92 to 6. Why don't we just pick them up and pass them? We have tried. I have asked unanimous consent. Because we don't want to offend the President, the Republican leaders have refused to allow us to consider them. Two others passed the Appropriations Committee by votes of 31 to 0 and 30 to 1. With regard to Homeland Security, on border security the committee did its work on the fiscal year 2019 budget. They came up with a game plan on border security. We did our work on time, in a bipartisan manner. We know how to deal with border security issues. We have the expertise to work to make sure that we spend our money in the most appropriate way to defend our border and to protect Americans. So what should we do? First, we should open the government. There is no excuse for the government to be closed. We are a coequal branch of government. We need to act as a coequal branch of government. It is our responsibility. We will have that chance tomorrow. There will be a vote on the floor of the Senate to pass a short-term continuing resolution. This is identical to what we acted on by unanimous consent before the President changed his mind. Let's remove the hostage-taking of the American public. Let's have a short period of time to prove that we can use the legislative process here, as we have in the past, to work on border security issues and pass a bipartisan border security bill, but not under the tactics the President of the United States is currently using. We can act that way on behalf of the American people. This is a dangerous shutdown. We have seen the results, and we know people's lives have been compromised and our national security has been affected. We need to take the leadership. I hope my colleagues will join me tomorrow in voting for the continuing resolution so we can open the government and use our legislative process to deal with the border security issues and to deal with what is important to the American people. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I thank Senator Murray, Senator Harris, and my colleagues who are on the floor. I point out that we are now on day 26 of this outrageous and dangerous partial shutdown that was totally avoidable. It has been caused by one person--President Trump--and is now being assisted by the Republican leadership in this body by its not allowing the U.S. Senate, which is a coequal branch of government, to take up legislation that would reopen government--legislation that has previously passed this body and would, clearly, pass on a vote if the majority leader would allow us to have that vote. We could then reopen the government. The unanimous consent request that I offered yesterday with my colleague from Maryland, Senator Van Hollen, would allow the appropriations bills that have nothing to do with this current dispute with the President to be fully functional, and it would allow for a continuing resolution for the Department of Homeland Security. We could then work, as we should work, to deal with border security and immigration issues. Yet the majority leader objected to the Senate's taking up that legislation, and the shutdown continues. There are 800,000-plus citizens who work for the Federal Government who are being denied the ability to either get paychecks for the work that they do or are being furloughed without pay. In each one of those cases, there is a hardship that is having an impact that goes well beyond just the 800,000. There are businesses in Baltimore that are wondering whether they can keep their doors open because they depend on Federal workers to come in and use their services. Whether it is a laundry, a cleaner, a restaurant, or a supply store, they know their sales depend on people having checks to pay their bills. The Federal workforce does not. So it is affecting secondary employment. There have also been a lot of layoffs by those who depend on the contract services of the Federal Government. There are many individual stories, and Senator Van Hollen and I have traveled throughout our State and have met with government workers. We have heard the account of one person who was supposed to close on a new home, his first home. He is not going to be able to do that because he doesn't have a paycheck that shows the wages necessary in order to support the mortgage because his most recent paycheck is zero. We have heard from a person in my office who is an air traffic controller. Her husband is also an air traffic controller. They are responsible for relatives who are dependent on them. One needs a medical procedure, but they are not going to be able to move forward with that medical procedure because they don't have the out-of-pocket costs that are going to be necessary to pay for that. The list goes on and on and on of hardship--of people wondering whether their credit scores are going to be affected, which could affect their employment because they are going to be late in paying their mortgage payments. That is assuming they get paychecks in the next couple of months because, then, their homes could well be foreclosed on. I could put a face on each one of these 800,000, but let me just share an account by Lamar Cobb, who is a lead transportation security officer at BWI Marshall Airport. I was there earlier this week, meeting with the government workers who are keeping our airports and our air traffic safe. These are dedicated people who are working without pay. He came forward. One of the reporters there asked: Can you give us an individual hardship that you have actually confronted? He explained that he has a 10-year-old daughter whom he describes as his heart and pride and joy. He had to take her out of cheerleading because he could not pay for it while he works at BWI without receiving a paycheck. Then he said something that, I think, really hit us all. He said at the press conference: It may not seem like the end of the world, but to a 10-year-old, it is pretty close. These are the circumstances in which we are putting our fellow citizens by saying: Work without pay or be furloughed without pay. It makes no sense at all. We should never have had the shutdown. We could end it now by the Senate's carrying out its constitutional responsibility as a coequal branch of government. Let's vote on the legislation that can reopen government. Let's do what we are responsible to do--let's end this shutdown. I yield the floor.

Mr. CARDIN

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

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I am here with my colleague Senator Van Hollen. The two of us are going to make a unanimous consent request to reopen the government. I know the distinguished majority leader is here. We are on day 25 of this tragic, outrageous, needless, and dangerous partial shutdown. Senator Van Hollen and I have met with government workers, and we heard their account. They can't pay their bills. Mortgages are going without payment. I heard yesterday from a Federal worker who can't pay their children's extra activities at school for dance lessons. They can't help their relatives deal with their problems. They are postponing needed health treatment issues. I read last week on the floor of this body a letter from Kristen Jones and Brad Starkey, air traffic controllers who explained how they can't take care of their family needs. So 800,000 people are furloughed without pay or working without pay--30 percent are veterans. Small businesses are shuttering their operations because they depend upon government workers for their business. From cleaners to restaurants, they are finding they don't have the business they used to have. Kevin Hassett, Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, indicates the economic impact is $1.2 billion a week on our economy. We heard that small businesses have to lay off employees because they are not getting their Federal partnerships. I used the example of the Senior Services of America. They laid off 176 employees because the USDA and Forest Service can't honor their contracts. People can't close on their home mortgages because they don't have pay stubs to show their income. The FHA can't certify loans with HUD being shuttered. Core missions are being compromised. I talked to air traffic controllers yesterday--people in air safety. They don't have their full complement. They are professionals. We have the most professional government workforce in the world, and they are dedicated professionals who do their job, but we are asking them to do it with half the number of employees and without getting a paycheck. That is outrageous. This shutdown has to end. The President wants it. We are an independent body. We are a coequal branch of government. We could open up the government. Yes, we can negotiate border security, but we have to have the government open. You can't negotiate under circumstances where the President is holding the country hostage, and he undermines his own negotiators. It cries out for Congress to take the lead. I agree with Senator Graham when he says we should open the government and then let us negotiate using the regular process of Congress to debate the issues of border security, including immigration issues. We are a coequal branch of government. Two bills are on our desk. Both have passed the House of Representatives. I am going to make a unanimous consent request with regard to H.R. 21, and my colleague Senator Van Hollen will deal with the rest of the government. H.R. 21 has six appropriations bills that are not related to the issue of border security. They have already been acted upon by this body. They are not part of this dispute. It is Financial Services and General Government. It is Agriculture. It is Interior and Environment. It is Transportation and HUD. It is State and Foreign Operations. It is Commerce, Justice, and Science. They passed this body either by a 92-to-6 vote for the Appropriations Committee or unanimous or near unanimous by our Appropriations Committee under Republican leadership in a bipartisan manner. We need to reopen the government. Therefore, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 5, H.R. 21, making appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019; I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I say in response to the distinguished majority leader, I just don't understand why the Senate is missing in action. We are a coequal branch of government. Let us speak about opening the government. There are Members on both sides who understand that we can debate border security, and we can reach agreements, but you can't do that with a partial government shutdown. This is President Trump's shutdown, and now with the majority leader's objections, the Republicans in the Senate are assisting this shutdown.

Mr. CARDIN. Briefly, in response to the majority leader, the first priority should be reopen government. That needs to be our very first priority of business. In regard to the legislation the leader is referring to, let me point out that those bills could have been passed in the last Congress where Republicans controlled both the House and the Senate. The majority leader made a decision on floor time that it was not a priority to be considered in the 115th Congress. Let me also say, in regard to Israel, it will benefit from the foreign ops appropriations bill to be passed, which is part of my unanimous consent request of an additional $200 million, but that is being held up because of this shutdown that has been caused by the President and has now been assisted by the Republicans in the Senate.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CARDIN

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

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, this is day 23. For 23 days, we have had a partial shutdown of the Federal Government. It is now the longest shutdown in our history. That is not a proud record. Government workers have now gone a pay period without getting their paychecks. Those who have been working have picked up their pay stubs, and their pay stubs show zero. Those who have been furloughed have not received a paycheck. I think the American public would be outraged to think that we are asking our dedicated Federal workers--our frontline of public service-- to work and not get paid. That is not what this country stands for. It has an effect on their work. It is difficult to show up every day and do your work and mission for the public and be worried about how you are going to have money to make your monthly mortgage payment or to pay for your children's needs or to meet your medical needs or your family's food needs. These are real decisions that government workers must make. Many are falling in default. The largest number of Federal workers live paycheck to paycheck. In other words, they can't make it without their income coming in. That is a fact of life for American workers. Yet the government is in a partial shutdown. I ask why? What is the disagreement we have here that keeps us from opening the government? Why is the President holding the American people hostage to his agenda? I say that because the House of Representatives has passed over to us a bill that would pass the appropriations for six appropriations bills, opening up most of those Agencies, all except for one that comes under Homeland Security. Those would be opened up. They are not in any disagreement. The appropriations specifics were agreed to by the Senate in four of those six bills, and the last two were passed out of the Appropriations Committee 31 to 0 and 30 to 1. Under Republican leadership, in a bipartisan manner, we have already approved these six appropriations bills. So why don't we act? I asked the distinguished majority leader for us to consider that bill, and he objected. Quite frankly, I don't understand why, because if we bring it up for a vote, we will pass it by overwhelming numbers, and the government will open for those Agencies that are under those appropriations. Then, my colleague Senator Van Hollen asked unanimous consent that we bring up a continuing resolution for Homeland Security, which passed this body in late December by a unanimous vote, so we could have the government open and then we could negotiate the border security issue. We agree on border security for the country, but we disagree with wasting money for a wall that will not keep us safe. In fact, those who had been involved in negotiating border security in the Senate have been arguing for spending more money for technology and personnel but not for a wall. That is what we should be doing. Some people ask me: Well, can you negotiate a compromise? It is hard to negotiate a compromise with the President while he is holding America hostage. It is hard to negotiate with the President when he undermines his own negotiators every time we get close to an agreement. It makes no sense at all for the government to be shuttered while we debate these issues. The only ones we are hurting are our government workers, our constituents, and our economy. Today, I met with government workers at BWI, or Baltimore/Washington International Airport. I met with people who represent the workers who are working for airline safety and for passenger safety on our flights. These are people who do safety inspections. These are people who work for TSA and who screen us as we get on the planes. These are air traffic controllers, who make sure that the air is safe. These are professionals who are showing up and working every day right now because that is their professional responsibility--to keep us safe. They acknowledge that they are distracted. They are distracted because they don't know how they are going to pay their bills. They are distracted because they don't know when they are going to get a paycheck for working. They are distracted because they don't know whether they have to find other employment in order to pay their bills. They don't have the full complement in because there are some who are out on furlough. Some safety inspectors aren't there. How do they carry out their mission unless we have the full team in place? Of the 800,000 Federal workers, approximately half are furloughed without pay. That means the critical mission on behalf of the American public is not being done--whether it is food safety, whether it is approving a loan so that a person can buy a home, or whether it is a small business owner who needs help from the Small Business Administration and can't get that help, can't close on a loan, can't do what they need to do, and can't run their business. So it is not only 800,000 workers who are not working or working without pay. It is also those businesses that depend upon it. When you look at the small businesses around Federal facilities, with so many of the workers not being there and others not having money to pay--they are not using those services--these businesses are losing customers and are laying off people. It is not hypothetical. We know of specific companies that have shuttered as a result of the Federal Government shutdown. We know of nonprofits that had to lay off workers because their contracts with government Agencies expired. Today, at BWI, or Baltimore/Washington International Airport, I heard directly from these individuals. Each one had a story to tell about how they are really fighting to make sure that airline safety issues are maintained and about the challenges they are facing, et cetera. They told pretty direct stories. There was an AFGE worker there who told me of the situation where he had to try to explain to his young daughter why he could not pay the fee so she could continue in a dance class. He didn't have the money. It broke his heart. These are affecting real people. Last Friday, along with Senator Van Hollen, we met with a group of Federal Government workers. We had a chance to talk to them. They are from different Agencies. One was in the Justice Department. He is an excepted employee. So he is there doing his work, trying to keep us safe, but he said the necessary investigative work that should have been done so that he could get his job done to keep us safe was not done because the person who would be doing the investigative work was on furlough as a result of the government shutdown. Why should the Justice Department be shut down? Why? They are not part of the border security debate, and yet they are. We had another of our government workers show up and say that they could not settle on a home. They have a contract to settle on a new home. They are starting a family. The reason they can't settle is that they are required to bring in their two most recent pay stubs showing that their income is what they say it is. The problem is their most recent pay stubs--and they have them--show zero as income. They no longer qualify for their mortgage. These are real-life people--800,000 of them. Yet this shutdown continues. It is dangerous. It is irresponsible. It is wrong. We have the votes in this Chamber to change it tonight. I hope that Leader McConnell will bring up the two votes that passed the House of Representatives. We have already acted on those bills in the previous Congress. Let us open the government. It makes no sense whatsoever. The Congress is a coequal branch of government. We know that what the President is doing is wrong. Each of us knows that in our hearts. We know he has shut down government for no legitimate reason. We can debate the issues with the government open and prevent the loss to individual families and to our economy. We are a coequal branch of government, and we should act. Let us vote on opening government. Quite frankly, I hope we will have the votes that would show the President we would override any veto he may impose. That is our responsibility as a coequal, independent branch of government. Let us exercise our responsibilities, and let us take action tonight. This shutdown needs to end. It needs to end now. I urge my colleagues to bring up this legislation. Let's pass it, and let's show that we can exercise our responsibility. We recognize the President is wrong. We have a responsibility to do what is right, and this is what we have done in the past. I see my colleague from Maryland is on the floor. The two of us have been pretty active over the weekend, talking with Federal workers. I want to explain to the people of Maryland that we are going to do everything in our power to open up government. We are prepared to take all steps necessary to get government open. We know that people are hurting. We know that people are worried. This is irresponsible. It is costly, and it needs to end. I hope President Trump will end this. If he doesn't, we, as a coequal branch of government, should take the necessary actions to open the government. I urge the Republican leader to bring these bills to the floor. We are for border security. We are not for wasting money on a wall. We are for negotiating. Let Congress determine where money should be spent, not the President. Let us all work together for the safety of our Nation and for the protection of our workforce. I yield the floor.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, as Leader Schumer has pointed out, starting today, 800,000 Federal workers are going to be missing their paychecks. In this region, there are 140,000. Senator Van Hollen and I, representing Maryland, and Senators Warner and Kaine, representing Virginia, have made the point of what this is going to mean for families in our communities. This shutdown is outrageous and dangerous--caused by President Trump. Workers are not going to be receiving their paychecks and are going to be at risk. Our whole country is at risk. Let me put this in perspective, if I might. It is like AT&T, General Motors, Apple, Lockheed Martin, Google, and ExxonMobil laying off their entire workforce at one time. That is the impact we have now with 800,000 workers not receiving their paychecks. Kevin Hassett, who is the Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, points out that this will cause a $1.2 billion-per-week hit on our economy. America is being held hostage by President Trump--held hostage over his desire to have a wall built. It is not about border security. We have already appropriated funds for border security, and we are prepared to continue to protect our borders. This is about President Trump and his wall. We should open government and work together for the American people. There are seven appropriations bills that have not yet been acted upon. With six of those appropriations bills, there is no controversy. They have nothing to do with the border wall. They have nothing to do with homeland security. These are six appropriations bills that this body has already acted on in one way or the other. They include Financial Services and General Government, Agriculture, Interior and Environment, and Transportation-HUD. Those four appropriations bills passed this body by a vote of 92 to 6. Then, there are State-Foreign Operations, which passed the Appropriations Committee unanimously, and Commerce-Justice-Science, which passed by a vote of 30 to 1. These six appropriations bills have already been acted on under Republican leadership in a bipartisan manner in this body. That is exactly what H.R. 21, which is pending before this body, incorporates. It is not a Democratic effort; it is to reaffirm what this body has already done and allow these six appropriations bills to pass and for those workers and those Agencies to be fully operable without the hostage-taking by the President of the United States.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 5, H.R. 21, making appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019. I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, if I could, very briefly. I am extremely disappointed. I can assure you, the majority leader, this is not a show vote issue with 800,000 Federal workers being denied their paychecks. The last time I checked the Constitution, we are a coequal branch of government, and we should act as a coequal branch of government and pass legislation that is overwhelmingly supported by this body.

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I might return the question and ask the distinguished majority leader whether his objections to reopening the government with action we have already taken previously is absolute. I can assure the majority leader that it is my commitment to our Federal workers and to our country that the first order of business here should be the reopening of government. There are other important issues we need to do that I strongly support. I, quite frankly, do not understand the majority leader's position as to why he would deny us a vote on reopening government that passed this body unanimously in the past.

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, of course I would repeat my request of the distinguished majority leader whether his objections are absolute. Let me just point this out. We passed the bill that I asked unanimous consent--basically that has been passed nearly unanimously by this body--92 to 6 for these appropriations to pass. The last time I checked the Constitution, that is enough even for a veto override. I don't think anything has changed. These bills have nothing to do--zero to do with the Homeland Security wall issue. Zero. So why doesn't our distinguish majority leader, as the leader of a coequal branch of government, allow us to speak on behalf of our responsibilities under article I of the Constitution? Let us take our action that we can take right now, today, at this very moment, and pass six appropriations bills where there is no controversy whatsoever in this body.

Mr. CARDIN. My first order of priority right now, since we can do this at this very moment, is to reopen the government. It is outrageous that the government is closed. People's lives are being affected every minute. I heard just yesterday of a layoff of another 180 jobs in my State because the Department of Agriculture is closed. We have an important economic development program in Baltimore, and HUD can't act on the papers right now. That is being delayed. To me, that is something we can get done right now. As a Senator from Maryland, I am going to use every opportunity I can to reopen government in a responsible manner. I am disappointed that the majority leader is not using the opportunity we have right now to pass six appropriations bills that are not in controversy. If the majority leader could answer for me, why are we holding up these six bills that have nothing to do with the central debate argument? We can put enough votes on the board to show the President of the United States that he doesn't have the support in the Senate, and we have the votes to override his veto. To me, that should be our first order of business.

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I will express my views on issues. I don't need the majority leader trying to express how I will vote on future issues. I will answer to the people of Maryland on how I will act on issues that are up before the Senate. My top priority right now is to reopen the government, and I am very disappointed that the majority leader will not allow us to act as a coequal branch of government.

Mr. CARDIN

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

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, in a few moments I am going to yield the floor to Senator Kaine to make a unanimous consent request that has been cleared by both sides, and I am very pleased about that. This is in regard to S. 24, legislation that I have filed with several of my colleagues. I particularly thank Senator Kaine, but I also want to thank my colleagues Senator Van Hollen and Senator Mark Warner for their work, as well as Senator Collins and others in this body who cosponsored that legislation. It is legislation very similar to what we passed in the last hours of the 115th Congress by unanimous consent. It does what I think all of us have said we want to make sure is done; that is, when we reopen government, those who have been working without pay and those who are on furlough without pay will get their backpay. I think that is at least some assurance to our government workforce that when we finally reopen government, they know they will be getting their paychecks. I think it is a very important point to give them at least that comfort. I don't want to minimize the risk factors that we have for the 800,000 Federal workers who are not getting their paychecks. Just today, I found a letter from a constituent. I am going to read it very briefly. ``Dear Senator Cardin, As an Air Traffic Controller and Maryland constituent, I want you to know how the partial government shutdown is affecting me and my family. Today, I received my Earnings and Leave statement from the Department of Transportation, indicating I received $0 for my last 2 weeks of working at the FAA-Washington Enroute Air Traffic Control Center in Leesburg, VA. I have proudly gone to work for this job that I love, and always maintain the highest level of safety. My husband Brad is also a controller with me at Washington Center, and his Earnings and Leave Statement was for $1.34. We cannot sustain our financial obligations on a total of $1.34 for our last two weeks of work! We recently were able to build a new house to try to start a family, and we still have increased financial obligations because of that and all that entails. In addition, my family, my brother and father, has minimal income now, and we are supporting them. My father is 69 years old and currently has an enlarged hernia that requires an operation, he has no health insurance, and no income. He lives in NH, and is on even more medication now. The side effects are greatly affecting him. He needs my help, and I don't have the resources now to help him. He is suffering so much, and I love him greatly. My brother recently had to weather a separation from his wife, and has been unable to find affordable housing in MD on a single income for him and my niece and nephew--Ayden 10 years and Ava 7 years old. They have been living in our basement since August 2018, and we have been supporting them in every way we can until he can get back on his feet. I love them so much, and now I can't continue to help them. This hurts so much, we need our pay checks to support our family now!'' It ends by saying: ``Please help in any way you can to END THIS SHUTDOWN NOW!'' I couldn't agree more. I urge our colleagues, hopefully in the next couple of days--even before that--to end the shutdown. But at least, as a result of the unanimous consent request that will be made very shortly, which has cleared both sides, we can tell them that the pay is coming. I see the distinguished majority leader is here. We had some words earlier. I want to thank the majority leader for accommodating this unanimous consent. It is consistent with what the leader has said in the past, that we will make sure our workers get paid when the government is open. I yield the floor.