Cloture Motion

Floor Speech

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Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, this motion--and when I hear the phrases used like ``no strings attached'' or how ``simple'' this is--there isn't anything that would be more complicated than this.

This is a Schumer motion to suspend the rules to refer the House message--the bill that we are on--to the Rules Committee, which doesn't have jurisdiction over appropriations or spending, and he is trying to call it a vote to fund TSA.

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Mr. THUNE. I mean, we have had countless votes to fund TSA. We had one yesterday. We have had countless motions by our side to pass a continuing resolution that funds all of DHS--including TSA--and consistently blocked by this side.

So this is a convoluted--I mean, I don't know how you come up with this. This is very--I will give you credit for coming up with something that is this convoluted. But it doesn't do anything that the leader says it does. It has nothing at all to do with funding TSA.

The opportunity to fund TSA has come and gone multiple times here, when we have had votes here on the floor, including as recently as yesterday; and countless motions, continuing resolutions, to fund all of DHS, including TSA, numerous times, over and over and over again. And our colleagues on the other side have blocked it.

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Mr. THUNE. Sure. Sure.

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Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, this is not an appropriations bill. The legislation we are on right now, which has to do with whether or not citizens--and only citizens--ought to be able to vote in American elections has nothing to do with funding the government.

We have had countless votes and countless appropriations bills brought in front of this institution, the U.S. Senate, that actually would fund TSA. And we ought to fund TSA. Let's get to work doing it.

And if that group that is meeting can't come up with a solution here pretty quickly, things are going to get worse and worse and worse--and they already are. People at airports--anybody who has gone through an airport lately, they don't see what is happening here as ``serene.'' They see this as a convoluted mess, and that is what is happening across the country if we don't fund the government--DHS--including TSA.

We are all for it. We have tried repeatedly to do it. This has nothing to do with funding TSA. This is a ploy--nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.

Let's vote.

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Mr. THUNE. The tree, I would say to my colleague from New York, has on it right now a vote that we just completed, and there will be other opportunities to vote on other amendments related to the legislation that we are on here today.

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Mr. THUNE. But if we want to have--

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Mr. THUNE. If you want to have a debate on appropriations, we can have that.

We have made ourselves available. The White House is available. There are meetings going on right now which I hope ultimately lead to a result where we get these Agencies opened up again, including TSA. In order for that to happen, you have to have a willing partner and somebody who is willing to sit down at the table and negotiate with you, which we haven't had until 2 days ago.

Now, hopefully, these discussions will lead to what ultimately will be a result to fund all of these Agencies, including TSA, but that is not what this is about, and you know that.

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Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I will just say, when you talk about doing something quickly, referring it to the Rules Committee, which has no jurisdiction over spending, over appropriations, on a bill that has nothing to do with funding these Agencies--but we are happy--we are happy--we will pivot immediately to fund all these Agencies when you are ready to do it.

Cloture Motion

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