Directing the Removal of United States Armed Forces From Hostilities Within or Against Venezuela That Have Not Been Authorized By Congress--

Floor Speech

Instead, the bill that the Senator from Louisiana is asking unanimous consent for actually lets Donald Trump and Russ Vought decide whom they want to pay during a shutdown, and that will allow them to stiff everyone else. President Trump has said he will only pay the people he wants to.

He literally said:

[W]e're going to take care of our people. There are some people who really don't deserve to be taken care of, and we'll take care of them in a different way.

This bill would actually let Trump do exactly that.

We should make sure all of our workers get paid, not just the workers Trump likes. So the best way to do that is, of course, for Republicans to sit down with us, as Democrats, and work out a solution to reopen the government. If, instead, you do as the Senator from Louisiana suggests here, then, at a minimum, it should cover all employees, and that proposal is out on the table with Senator Van Hollen and Senator Peters.

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