Chris Coons: “I rise to speak tonight in support of the omnibus appropriations package that Senator Mikulski, the Chair of our…”

“I rise to speak tonight in support of the omnibus appropriations package that Senator Mikulski, the Chair of our Appropriations Committee, has spoken at great length about, and that Senator Cochran has also dedicated so much of his time and effort and energy to, and that so many Members of this Chamber have contributed to. There are questions on the minds of my constituents from the home State of Delaware and questions on the minds of colleagues of mine who have spoken earlier this evening about this very large package--this $1.014 trillion spending bill--appropriations package. There have been questions raised about some specific provisions--an issue here about pensions, an issue there about Dodd-Frank and swaps, an issue about an environmental concern. There are a few issues that have Members--particularly of my caucus--who are very concerned. I have messages coming in to me in my office from social media and email saying: Why on Earth would you support this? My Senator, Chris Coons from Delaware, why would you support this? We are going into the holiday season and I want us to take a few minutes and look at what is actually in this package, to unwrap it a little bit and to better understand why on Earth I would stand on this floor and speak in favor of this package. You have heard of the hard work of our Appropriations Committee Chair.…”