Business Before the Senate and Appropriations

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this week the Senate has several opportunities to make headway on important matters facing our country.

First, we will tend to a pending treaty protocol on the accession of a new member to NATO and reaffirm the importance of the alliance to the security of U.S. interests around the world. Then, we will consider yet another of the President's well-qualified nominees to the diplomatic corps. But while the Senate can take care of some of these matters on their own, much of the pressing business of the American people requires coordination with our colleagues across the Capitol.

Unfortunately, the only thing that seems to really inspire House Democrats these days is their obsession with overturning the results of the 2016 election.

In the weeks since the Speaker of the House gave in to her far-left Members' demands for an impeachment inquiry, she and other prominent House Democrats have insisted over and over and over that impeachment will not stop them from making real progress on legislation.

They say their 3-year-old impeachment parade doesn't have to block traffic and bring other important priorities to a standstill. That is what they have been saying, but actions speak louder than words. We have yet to see any actual indication that House Democrats intend to make good on that commitment.

For months, we have heard the Speaker claim that she would like to get to yes on the USMCA. We have heard that her caucus is ``making progress,'' but nearly a year after this landmark agreement with Mexico and Canada was announced, the most significant update to the North American trade policy in a generation is still waiting for the House to take action. Billions of new dollars in economic growth and 176,000 new American jobs are still waiting on House Democrats.

And that is not all. So far, even something as completely basic as funding our Armed Forces--funding our men and women in uniform--has met the same fate. Democrats have elected to stall it and block it in order to pick fights with the White House. Notwithstanding our bipartisan, bicameral agreement to wrap up the appropriations process in good faith, Senate Democrats voted a few weeks ago to block funding for the Department of Defense. No critical resources for U.S. servicemembers, no predictable planning process for our commanders, no pay raise for our all-volunteer Armed Forces--none of that was allowed to travel through the Senate because our Democratic colleagues just don't care for the occupant of the White House.

Ironically, many of these same colleagues of ours have spent recent days making loud pronouncements on U.S. foreign policy. By the sound of their comments, it almost sounds as if they are coming around to Republicans' long-held views on the necessity of American leadership all around the world. But, once again, actions speak louder, and thus far our Democratic colleagues have not even been willing to get past partisanship for the sake of job No. 1--funding our military.

So this week we will offer our Democratic colleagues a clear test. Are all the declarations that they are willing to work on important legislation just empty talk or will Senate Democrats finally do their part to move the appropriations process forward?

Soon we will vote on advancing a package of domestic funding legislation. As I said last week, I am grateful to Chairman Shelby and Senator Leahy for their continued conversations and hopeful they can produce a substitute amendment that will fund a number of urgent domestic priorities. Then, once we complete that work, we will vote to move forward the funding for our national defense--two big votes, two big votes, two big opportunities for our Democratic friends to show the country whether their party's impeachment obsession leaves them any room at all for the pressing business of the American people.

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