Senator Mikulski: (12:15 PM)

• Spoke on the continuing resolution.
  • "What do Democrats want? Well, we want what the American people should want. Number one, let's keep the government open through December 9. No, I'm not saying shut it down December 9, but by December 9, that we would come to a complete omnibus bill, meaning our total funding for the fiscal year that lies ahead. Second, as Americans, we need to look at each other across the aisle, across state borders, and meet compelling urgent needs like Zika, like the floods in Louisiana and West Virginia and other states, and in Flint, Michigan. We need to be free of poison pill riders, like a rider preventing the Securities and Exchange Commission from requiring companies to tell investors where they're putting their political contributions. Now what's wrong with that? Shouldn't we have an open and transparent process here? We're not asking any company to reveal their trade secrets, but trading in political contributions should not be a trade secret."

Senator Stabenow: (12:26 PM)

• Spoke on the continuing resolution.
  • "We have stepped up together to support efforts, and I supported every single one of them. What is different about Flint, Michigan? That's the question. Now, the only thing I know that's different is that we have actually agreed to eliminate a program to fully pay for what we're doing to help. Normally, it's not paid for. It goes on the deficit. We don't see a program being eliminated to fund the floods in Louisiana or other areas, but we took the extra step. We are actually phasing out a program that affects predominantly Michigan that I authored in the 2007 bill because of the urgency and the dire circumstances in the city of Flint. So that's the only difference I see, is that it costs nothing to do this - nothing. We could do it by unanimous consent today. It costs nothing. So then the real question is, well, why, why is there such a problem?"