Authorizing the President of the Senate to Certify the Report of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate Regarding the Refusal of Dr. Ralph De La Torre to Appear and Testify Before the Committee
Floor Speech
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Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, before I begin my remarks on the continuing resolution to fund the government, I do have to take just a moment to note that today is National Lobster Day, and that is extremely important to the State of Maine.
Just last week, I treated the Members of my caucus to a wonderful lobster lunch, complete also with Maine potatoes and Maine wild blueberry pie. That should be an incentive for people to become Republicans, I would think, to get that annual lobster lunch. But it is an iconic industry in my State. If you ask people about the State of Maine, lobster always comes up.
So I do want to acknowledge that Senator King and I have once again this year noted that September 25 is National Lobster Day, and we appreciate the support of our colleagues. Government Funding
Now, Madam President, I rise to urge passage of the government funding measure that was approved by the House of Representatives earlier today. The bill, which is known as a continuing resolution, or a CR, is straightforward. Most important of all, it prevents a government shutdown.
Government shutdowns are inherently a failure to govern effectively. They have negative consequences all across government. They require certain essential government employees, such as Border Patrol agents or members of our military or air traffic controllers, to report to work but with no certainty that they will be paid. We simply cannot allow that to occur.
Other harmful impacts have been outlined by the Secretary of Defense and all of the service Secretaries who point out that new defense programs cannot be started when there is a government shutdown--that inevitably increases costs to the taxpayers--and programs that should be terminated or trimmed are continuing to be funded at current levels. So we can't have--or stopped altogether, as people cannot do their work--so we cannot have a government shutdown.
This continuing resolution is not perfect, but it is an effort to extend current year program levels through December 20, with limited exceptions aimed primarily at preventing program disruptions and preparing for the Presidential transition and inaugural activities.
I would also note that this temporary funding bill includes $231 million for the Secret Service's immediate protection operations following the two recent assassination attempts on the life of former President Trump. All of us are aware that there also is a plot by the Iranian Government to assassinate President Trump. So we need to make sure we are providing robust protection.
While the first attempt on President Trump's life, the Secret Service has conceded, was due to poor communication and other failures, the Secret Service has also asked for this additional funding. It is absolutely essential as they deal with the increased threat environment and ensure that our current President and Vice President and Presidential candidates are all fully protected.
As I mentioned, the Secret Service has acknowledged that the security failure on July 13 was not a result of a lack of resources. The additional funding in this bill will help to surge support to meet emergent personnel, equipment, and logistical needs. It will also allow for the Department of Defense to be reimbursed for the activities that it provides and will now resume for former President Trump.
The continuing resolution also allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, immediate access to more than $20 billion for its Disaster Relief Fund to sustain disaster assistance during the period covered by this CR.
This funding resolution is the product of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations. It is essential that it be adopted in order to prevent a government shutdown, and I urge its adoption.
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Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, I do think it is important to point out that the House passed this bill by an overwhelming bipartisan vote.
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