Executive Session

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MURRAY. This bill has overwhelming bipartisan support, and it takes many good steps toward improving retirement security for families across our country. It would help Gold Star families, small businesses, long-term and part-time workers, and more.

With families in our country, nationwide, in the middle of a retirement crisis, we should take the opportunity we have right here in front of us today to offer them some relief as soon as possible.

This bill, the SECURE Act, has wide bipartisan support here in the Senate, and Democrats are ready to pass it today as is. But now we have a few Republican Senators who want to sidetrack it with last-minute amendments, including proposals that are not in the interest of working families and will kill any chance this bill has of becoming law. For example, one of the amendments strips out an important provision the House made sure to include, while another one tries to jam back in a proposal that the House took out before it passed it so it could pass by an overwhelming margin.

Well, let me be clear. Democrats don't think families relying on this relief should have to wait while Republicans try to chip away at it. We want to pass this bill today as it is, which is why I would like to ask the Senator from Pennsylvania to modify his unanimous consent request; that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 1994, which is at the desk, the SECURE Act, the bipartisan House bill; and that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

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Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, it is very disappointing on this side that there is an objection to this bill that addresses so many important issues. It has broad bipartisan support.

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