Today we enter the third day of the trump shutdown. The first ever real shutdown to occur when one Party Controls the entire legislative process. The republican Party Controls the house, the senate, the presidency and yet they were on able to keep the government open for the American People. Were mcconnell knows it takes 60 votes to win passage of a spending bill and yet he moved forward with a lastminute extension that he knew lacked the votes. Both democrats and republicans voted against the bill. The reason they had such difficulty finding consensus is a could never get a firm grip on what the president of their party wanted to do. These days, you never know who to deal with when it comes to the republicans. The Republican Leaders told me too work out a deal with the white house. The white house had worked out with Republican Leaders on the hill. Separately, President Trump turned away from not one but two bipartisan compromises. Each would avoided the shutdown. Each wouldve led to a deal on the budget and healthcare and disaster aid and things like opioidsra and veterans and pensions. My recent offer to the president was a generous one. I put his Signature Campaign issue on the table in exchange for daca and still he turned away. President trumps unwillingness to compromise caused the trump shutdown and brought us to this moment. The facts are well known. Now i wish to update the senate on where things stand. Since our meeting in the oval office, the president and i have not spoken and the white house refused to engage in negotiations over the weekend. The great dealmaking president , because of this frustration ive been having conversations with republican leader over the weekend about a path forward. After several discussions, offers, counteroffers, the republican leader and i have come to an arrangement. We will vote today to reopen the government to continue negotiations of a global agreement if an agreement isnt reached by february 8, the senate will immediately proceed to consideration dealing with daca. The process will be neutral and fair to all sides. We expect a bipartisan bill on daca will receive fair consideration and an up f or down vote from the floor. Its a shame, mr. President that the American People and the senate have had to endure such fingerpointing stridency to secure guarantee that we will finally moved to address this urgent issue. It is something the majority could have avoided entirely, a concern they could have obviated if he were only willing to take yes for answer. While this will not satisfy everyone on both sides, it is dea way forward. Im confident that we can get the 60 votes in the senate for a dac bill, and now there is a real pathway to get a bill on the floor and through the senate. It is a good solution and i will vote for it. Im incredibly grateful to the Bipartisan Group that has come together in recent days to renew the immigration debate with a sense of urgency. I believe g this group has a potential to return the senate to the kind of place it should be on the issue of immigration , a place for bipartisanship, a place for action, a place for achievement. The Bipartisan Group in a very fine way filled the glaring absence of the president in these talks. I expect majority leader to fulfill his commitment to the senate, to me and to the Bipartisan Group and abide by this agreement. If he does not, and i expect he will, he will have breached the trust of not only the Democratic Senators but members of his own party as well. Through these complicated and likely associations, democrats have always thought to be reasonable, to act in good faith, and get Something Real done despite all of it, the president was obstinate. Despite bipartisan support, the republican majority did nothing and modeled long for too long, content to delay action on our most pressing challenges until the very last moment. That and today. The republican majority now has 17 days to prevent the dreamers from being deported. Mr. President , we have a way to address the fate of the dreamers starting right now instead of waiting until march with the minority in the moderate middle, empowered to bring the bill to the floor instead of being held by the most strident anti immigration voices to the republican caucus. We, on our side of the aisle will continue to fight as strongly as we can for the dreamers in the weeks ahead. I say to all americans, merger senators to vote yes on the bipartisan compromise when it comes forward. Right, tweet, email, phone, visit, do everything yours can so we can finally pass this bill. In a few hours, the government will reopen. We have a lot to do. The issue of the dreamers demands resolution. A budget must be written. Healthcare has too be addressed. Relief provided to disaster stricken parts of our country. Pensions and opioids and veterans, childcare all have to be taken care of. The trump shutdown will soon and but the work must go on. It will. Thank you, and i yield the floo floor. Mr. President. Majority leader. I want to thank the democratic leader for his comments and his indication that heme intends to support the measure before us. I think if weve learned anything during this process is that a strategy to shut down the government over the issue of illegal immigration is something the American People didnt understand and would not have understood the future. Pastlad weve gotten that and we have a chance now to get back to work and therefore mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calll be waived. Mr. President , i know the paperwork is being finalized, but i am sure there is broad appreciation forha the fact that our democratic w colleagues who voted to close the government have now changed their mind and now will vote on final passage, having just voted on cloture to reopen the federal government. This was a strategy that lacked an endgame and was never