Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I appreciate my colleagues being down here again on a bipartisan basis to talk about where we are at this moment.

We just had two messaging votes. Both of those votes failed. I voted for both of them because my message was I want to get this government open. I want to do it quickly and with the sense of urgency that responds to the men and women who have been so significantly impacted by this partial government shutdown for the past 34 days. I also want to be fair to the President's priorities that he has articulated in the proposal that he has provided to us as recently as Saturday. I think we can do this together.

My message to folks back home--my message to people is don't give up hope because now is the time that we all must come together to address these issues, but you can't do it when the government is shut down.

I have indicated I am supportive of a measure the Senator from Maryland, Mr. Cardin, has introduced that will allow for a short-term CR, 3 weeks, allow us then to go through--whether it is the appropriations process, the Judiciary Committee process--but allow us to have this debate on these important priorities; allow us to do the business of the Senate, to do the business of legislating, but let's also allow the business of the government to proceed by opening up the government right now.

We will have an opportunity to go back and forth amongst colleagues. I will remind folks, we have very limited periods of time.

I am going to yield to my colleagues on the other side. It is so important that we are coming together now to offer some glimmer of hope.

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. I would ask that the Senator from Maine be recognized at this time.

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. I ask that the Senator from South Carolina be recognized.

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I yield to the Senator from Georgia.

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, how much time remains on the Republican side?

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. I thank the Presiding Officer.

I now yield to the Senator from Ohio.

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, that is exactly why we are here--to get this government open, to get people paid, and to get people back to work.

Let me turn to the Senator from Louisiana.

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I turn to my colleague from Iowa.

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. I thank the Senator from Iowa.

I have a question for the Presiding Officer in terms of how much time remains on the Republican side.

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. Perfect. We are down to the remaining two speakers, 3 minutes each. I ask that Senator Gardner be recognized at this time.

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I now ask that the Senator from Arizona be recognized.

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Maryland and all Senators--on the Republican side and the Democratic side--who came to the floor after these two votes to express this air of optimism that we can figure this out.

One of the things I have heard very clearly from both sides is enough already--enough already. That is what the American people are saying about this shutdown: Enough already--figure it out.

Well, we got the message. We know what the mission is, and I think what you have seen expressed here on the floor is the good will and the good faith that will be extended in these hours and days going forward, knowing that there is an urgency to get the government open and to address the legitimate priorities that the President has outlined.

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