[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 151 (Friday, December 8, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H12047-H12048]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.J. RES. 128, FURTHER CONTINUING 
                    APPROPRIATIONS, FISCAL YEAR 2001

  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 669 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 669

       Resolved, That upon the adoption of this resolution it 
     shall be in order without intervention of any point of order 
     to consider in the House the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 128) 
     making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 
     2001, and for other purposes. The joint resolution shall be 
     considered as read for amendment. The previous question shall 
     be considered as ordered on the joint resolution to final 
     passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of 
     debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and 
     ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations; 
     and (2) one motion to recommit.

  The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder) is recognized 
for 1 hour.
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the 
customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Moakley), 
pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During 
consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for purposes of 
debate only.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 669 is a closed rule providing for 
consideration of House Joint Resolution 128, which makes further 
continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2001 through December 11.
  House Resolution 669 provides for 1 hour of debate on the joint 
resolution, equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. The rule waives all 
points of order against consideration of this joint resolution. 
Finally, the rule provides for one motion to recommit, as is the right 
of the minority.
  Mr. Speaker, the current continuing resolution expires at the end of 
today, and further continuing resolutions are necessary to keep the 
government operating while Congress completes the consideration of the 
remaining appropriations bills. Because the President refuses to sign 
any of longer duration, the joint resolution covered by this rule 
simply extends the provisions of our current continuing resolution by 3 
days.
  Mr. Speaker, after months of hard work, the House has now just a few 
issues left to resolve. Some of these issues are issues of policy. 
Others are issues of money. Issues of policy do not belong in our 
appropriations discussion, they belong in our authorizing committees. 
The President has always been quick to chastise the Congress for

[[Page H12048]]

such legislation, so I know this is not the proper place or time to be 
having these discussions.
  In contrast, this is now the time to talk about money. We talk so 
much about money here that it is easy to forget that the money is real 
and that it really belongs to the taxpayer. It would surprise most 
Americans to learn that when we here on the floor talk about spending 
$1 billion in a year, what we are really talking about is spending well 
over $2.5 million per day, $2.5 million per day.
  So I have come to the House floor with a great comfort for each of 
these continuing resolutions, knowing that every day is another small 
down payment to the American taxpayer. Each day is another step towards 
smaller and more efficient government.
  Like my Republican colleagues, I am determined to pass fair and 
fiscally responsible appropriations bills. I will stay here as long as 
it takes to achieve this goal for the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that the President will join us in our good-faith 
efforts to negotiate a fair, bipartisan solution to the disagreements 
still before us. I am hopeful that the fair, clean continuing 
resolution covered by this rule will give us the time we need to 
complete the appropriations process in a thoughtful and judicial 
manner.
  This rule was unanimously approved by the Committee on Rules 
yesterday. I urge my colleagues to support it so we may proceed with 
general debate and consideration of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, even though the fiscal year started 69 days ago, my 
Republican colleagues still have not gotten all the appropriation bills 
signed into law. So here we are, meeting on December 8 to consider not 
the first, the second, or the third, but the 18th continuing resolution 
in this fiscal year.
  Mr. Speaker, this continuing resolution will keep the Federal 
government open through this weekend so the negotiations can resume 
again next week. Once they resume, I hope the Republican leadership 
will agree to consider the bipartisan spending agreement that makes the 
improvements to education. Until then, we need to keep the Federal 
government open for other business.
  So although I think it is well past time that these appropriation 
bills were finished, Mr. Speaker, I will support this continuing 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I 
move the previous question on the resolution.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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