On the recordApril 7, 2011
I have a meeting at the White House. There will be no more votes tonight. We hope that we are able to have some good fortune at the White House. We are going through these issues. As I indicated outside the door, I am not as confident as I was. The last 24 hours have not been kind to the American people. This is not a debate between Democrats and Republicans, it is a debate between Republicans and Republicans. They cannot determine how many social issues they want. The funding is pretty well taken care of, but that is not where we are. We are here trying to fund the government at the end of the fiscal year based not on money but on social issues, some of which have been in this country for 40 years. We have not settled the issues in 40 years; we will not do it in a few hours. I am not optimistic. I hope things are better when I get to the White House and we can work it out. What is going on is really too bad for the American people. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon is recognized.
