On the recordDecember 12, 2014
as I have indicated, we are going to take up this important government funding bill today. Senator Mikulski, the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, has performed an extraordinary service in negotiating this bill. And I think it is fair to give a nod to Senator Shelby, of course, who has been involved in this. They get along extremely well and set a good standard for everyone in the Senate. The bill achieves many of our important priorities. It gives the Affordable Care Act the secure financial footing it deserves, gives our military the tools it needs to combat ISIS, it addresses the rape kit backlog, helping police and prosecutors prevent sexual assault, it increases funding for students' loans, ensures that the President's Executive action in protecting families can move forward, and it provides funding to fight the Ebola epidemic. There are lots of other things in it. I have just hit a few of the highlights from my perspective. There are things in this bill that I wouldn't have included--the Democrats wouldn't have included had we written the bill alone. I don't support the weakening of Dodd-Frank and the restrictions on the District of Columbia and other things, but I didn't write this bill. Senate Democrats didn't write this bill alone. It is a compromise. That is what legislation is all about. The Presiding Officer has been a Governor for the State of Maine.…
