in less than 9 hours, unless there is an intervening effort that is successful, the government will shut down. I know people across America are scratching their heads and saying: Why? How did it ever reach this point? I went through O'Hare…

I thank the majority leader for the statement he just made. It is hard to believe that we are a little over 3 hours away from shutting down the government of the United States of America. When you hear about this happening in foreign…

I would say to the Senator from Vermont, I just missed Senator Cruz. I was rushing down from my office to ask the junior Senator from Texas a question, which I have asked him repeatedly. He has come to the floor and spoken at great length…

It is a reasonable question. I am prepared to disclose that, and I think most Members are. So I say to the Senator from Vermont, shutting down the government to keep the American people--40 million uninsured people--away from the…

The statement made earlier by the majority leader is worthy of note. In less than an hour the government will close. That means agencies all across the United States will start notifying government employees: Go back home. Don't go to…

I would say to the Senator from Nevada that we have 50,000 Federal employees in Illinois, and we expect the majority of them to be sent home tomorrow. They are working in places such as the Rock Island Arsenal. Some of those employees will…

I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: S. 1559 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of…

what we just witnessed was an effort by Senator Harry Reid to move the votes--the critical votes--on keeping the government open to this evening. What we have just heard from the Republican side of the aisle is they want to stall and delay…

I see Senator Sessions is on the floor. It is my understanding Senator Grassley used some Democratic time that was yielded to him for the beginning of his speech, and I ask that the Parliamentarian recapture that time for the Democratic…

At 4:30, then the Democrats are recognized? The PRESIDING OFFICER. That is correct.

Let me start by acknowledging what the Senator from Tennessee just said. I have worked with Senator Corker on so many issues, bipartisan issues, and I salute him for his efforts to try to find bipartisan solutions. What he said is…

What time is it now? Would the Chair take notice? The PRESIDING OFFICER. It is 4:29. Senators are reminded to address each other in the third person, not by their first and last names. The Senator from Tennessee.

How much time--I know there was time yielded by Senator Reid to the Republican side for Senator Grassley. How much time is remaining at this point on the Republican side? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The alternating time occurs at 4:30 p.m.

If Senator Sessions is prepared to speak now, I will wait. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.

The point I would like to make is that the Senator is just plain wrong. What he has stated is just plain wrong. Here is the state of the situation: The health insurance that you enjoy and the Senator from Alabama and I enjoy, as well as…

The Senator has spoken at length many times, including today, about his education. I respect him. He has gone to some very famous schools. Certainly, the Senator understands it takes 60 votes to achieve the goal he is trying to achieve…

My understanding is that the Senator's position is, if we do not defund ObamaCare, as he has characterized it--the health care reform act--that he believes we should shut down the government on October 1. Is that the Senator's position?

First, I do not come in the place of the majority leader. He will speak for himself. We do not know what the Senator's unanimous consent requests might be. If the Senator would articulate it, describe it, I am sure we will take it under…

I might question the Senator's premise as to whether the House was going to vote the way it did. Since it has voted 42 times to abolish ObamaCare, it came as no surprise. But let me ask a specific question. One of the reasons I voted for…

Now will the Senator answer my question of whether his family is protected by the government-administered Federal Employees Health Benefits Program--the best health insurance in America--where his employer, the Federal Government, pays 72…

I announce that the Senator from New Hampshire (Mrs. Shaheen) and the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Udall) are necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Heitkamp). Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The result…

I think the Senator's answer to Judy is: You need a better job. After working a lifetime--62 years, hard work, the best she can do; she has never had health insurance--and I think the Senator's answer was: Judy, get a better job. So let me…

Will the Senator yield for a question? The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Kaine). Will the Senator yield?

Senator Schumer is going to come to the floor shortly. As soon as he arrives, I will yield to him. I would like to respond to Senator McCain's remarks. Senator McCain's father, grandfather, and son--I am sure there are other family members…

I would like to respond to that. If this were a courtroom--and you are an attorney, and I once practiced law myself--I would say: Your Honor, the witness refused to answer the question about his very own health insurance policy. Now let me…