On the recordOctober 19, 2017
I have great news. This is the last amendment and the only bipartisan amendment tonight, and after this we will vote on the entire bill. The purpose of this amendment is to declare this process--the vote- arama--utter nonsense. It is part of a budget process that both parties have perpetrated and persisted with for 43 years. It has only worked four times; to fund the Federal Government, according to the Budget Act of 1974, four times in our history. We are supposed to appropriate 12 bills a year to fund the Government. We have averaged 2\1/2\. I urge all of my colleagues to make clear to the American people that we recognize this budgeting process is broken and we are committed to fix it. Thank you. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
