[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 172 (Tuesday, December 21, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H8901-H8915]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS AND SURFACE TRANSPORTATION EXTENSIONS ACT, 
                                  2011

  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 1782 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 1782

       Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution, it shall 
     be in order to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 
     3082) making appropriations for military construction, the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other 
     purposes, with the Senate amendment to the House amendment to 
     the Senate amendment thereto, and to consider in the House, 
     without intervention of any point of order except those 
     arising under clause 10 of rule XXI, a motion offered by the 
     chair of the Committee on Appropriations or his designee that 
     the House concur in the Senate amendment to the House 
     amendment to the Senate amendment. The Senate amendment and 
     the motion shall be considered as read. The motion shall be 
     debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the 
     chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
     Appropriations. The previous question shall be considered as 
     ordered on the motion to final adoption without intervening 
     motion.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Colorado is recognized 
for 1 hour.
  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, for the purposes of debate only, I yield 
the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman

[[Page H8902]]

from Texas (Mr. Sessions), my colleague on the Rules Committee. All 
time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only.


                             General Leave

  Mr. POLIS. I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 
legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on House 
Resolution 1782.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Colorado?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. POLIS. I yield myself such time as I might consume.
  Madam Speaker, House Resolution 1782 provides for consideration of 
the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment to 
H.R. 3082.
  The rule makes in order a motion offered by the chair of the 
Committee on Appropriations, or his designee, for the House to concur 
in the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment 
to H.R. 3082.
  The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by 
the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
Appropriations.
  The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the 
motion, except those arising under clause 10 of rule XXI.
  The rule provides that the Senate amendment shall be considered as 
read.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of approving a continuing 
resolution to maintain a level and consistent funding stream for our 
government. It's one of our primary constitutional responsibilities as 
Members of Congress to keep the Federal Government running through the 
passage of appropriations legislation. All money spent by the Federal 
Government needs to be approved by this body, Madam Speaker, right here 
in this Congress.
  This continuing resolution will ensure that all necessary and vital 
functions of government will continue uninterrupted until March 4, 
2011, instead of grinding to a halt at midnight tonight. If we do not 
act now, the Federal Government will shut down tonight at midnight, 
something that I hope no one in our body desires.
  The CR will fund the Federal Government at levels already approved by 
the House in the FY 2010 appropriations bills, aside from a small 
number of programs that both parties in the Senate have agreed on that 
would otherwise expire or be severely disrupted. It is a very 
straightforward measure, Madam Speaker, to keep the government running 
and get us through the next few months and into the next Congress. 
These are funding levels that we have voted on multiple times. This 
language is the result of bipartisan negotiations in the Senate, and 
it's my hope that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will 
work with us now to move this important measure forward to passage and 
avoid a government shutdown.
  We have 4 days until the Christmas holiday, and we are just weeks 
away from the end of the year. I can't think of anything that we would 
do to undermine the work that this Congress has done these last 2 years 
through a shutdown of the Federal Government. The uncertainty that a 
failure to pass this rule would lead to is the last thing our Nation's 
retailers or economy need, let alone the millions of Americans who 
depend on critical services of our Federal Government.
  Let me give an example, Madam Speaker. The next few days are amongst 
the busiest travel times of the year. Is it wise to cut off at midnight 
tonight funding for our Federal air marshals? This CR would allow the 
Federal air marshals to maintain the existing 2010 fourth-quarter 
coverage levels for international and domestic flights. This funding 
allows for continued air marshal training, including investigative 
techniques, criminal terrorist behavior recognition, firearms 
proficiency. This funding allows the Federal air marshals to fulfill 
their mission of protecting air passengers and crews.
  This funding is critical especially during this peak holiday travel 
time. What a Christmas gift it would be, Madam Speaker, to all of the 
families across our country traveling to visit their loved ones if the 
airports are closed, their flights indefinitely delayed, 
Grandma's visit over Christmas is canceled because Congress chose to be 
a grinch. Madam Speaker, it's for families across our country that we 
must ensure that our airports and travel remain open through this busy 
holiday season to allow people to visit loved ones across this country.

  This CR would also allow the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection to maintain the levels of Customs and Border Protection 
personnel in place in the final quarter of 2010. This would provide 
proper funding to keep terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S., 
secure and facilitate trade and travel, and enforce hundreds of U.S. 
trade regulations, including immigration and drug laws. U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection law enforcement serve as America's front line on 
our Nation's borders and ports of entry. It's important we maintain a 
consistent level of personnel at our Nation's borders.
  If we fail to pass this CR, Madam Speaker, it would be a Christmas 
gift--it would be a Christmas gift to terrorists and criminal cartels, 
because were we to let down our watch on our borders during this 
holiday season by interrupting these funds, we would be jeopardizing 
the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol's ability to do their job and 
protect America. This funding will enable these officers to inspect our 
borders, process trade, combat terrorism, and combat smuggling.
  In addition to extending the existing authority for the Department of 
Homeland Security to regulate chemical facilities that are high levels 
of risk for terrorist attacks, this CR also maintains the additional 
$23 million in funding for the Department of the Interior's new Bureau 
of Ocean Energy Management. Madam Speaker, this is the program that 
monitors offshore oil rigs. In light of the disaster we all witnessed 
unfold this summer in the Gulf of Mexico, can we all imagine what would 
happen if we let down our watch now?
  These funds are critical to ensure that tragedies like the Deepwater 
Horizon spill are not repeated. These funds allow existing rigs to 
continue operating in a manner that's safe to workers on the rigs and 
the environment. Interrupting these funds would be putting offshore oil 
rig workers' lives in danger, the environment in danger, and our 
economy in danger with potentially devastating impact in Florida and 
Texas and the other gulf States.
  This continuing resolution also provides continued funding for 
important allies such as Israel, Egypt, and Jordan at fiscal year 2009 
supplemental levels. By providing assistance and aid to our allies in 
the Middle East, we strengthen our position and make a vital investment 
in national security.
  It also continues the rate of operations for the Pakistan 
Counterinsurgency Capability Fund at $700 million. This section also 
continues the terms and conditions included in the 2009 and 2010 
supplemental which helped build and maintain the counterinsurgency 
capability of Pakistan under the same terms and conditions.

                              {time}  1750

  Madam Speaker, this Christmas season is not a time to let down our 
global watch on the war on terror. We must redouble our efforts, 
particularly with regard to assisting Pakistan with regard to their 
counterinsurgency efforts to root out al Qaeda operatives within their 
borders.
  This CR would also support vital programs that are important to the 
American people. These programs include Federal funding to levels 2007 
before the crisis for our national domestic priorities. These funding 
levels would provide low-income home energy assistance, Pell Grant 
assistance, and assisting the processing of veterans' benefits and 
supporting over $4.3 billion in reduced fee loans for small businesses.
  It is critical that we make sure that families across America are 
able to enjoy their holidays free of airport closures and free of 
flight cancellations. So, too, must this body ensure that we don't give 
a Christmas gift to the wrong people--the drug cartels and criminal 
terrorists that threaten our Nation's security.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, it is my understanding from prior conversations with 
the gentleman from Colorado (Mr.

[[Page H8903]]

Polis) that it would be his idea we would take the minimum amount of 
time, and I appreciate him yielding the customary 30 minutes to me and 
trying to work through the loads so we are able to get home.
  I would like to inquire of the gentleman if he has any further 
speakers that he would anticipate at this time on his side.
  Mr. POLIS. I have one speaker.
  Mr. SESSIONS. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POLIS. I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
his leadership, and I want to take this opportunity to express on the 
floor of the House my appreciation to Chairman Obey for his years of 
service. We have had opportunities to thank him personally, but I 
wanted the Record to reflect that this may be his last CR, and I don't 
want to misspeak because I know that he finds ways to do good so we may 
see him again, but I do want to express my appreciation. And I also 
want to recognize his partner, the ranking member, Mr. Lewis, as well.
  I want to acknowledge that this is something we have to do to keep 
the government open, so I wanted to express my appreciation and my 
concern. First of all, let me go to the Transportation Security 
Administration. I am the subcommittee chair on the Transportation 
Security and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee. It is interesting 
as we near the holiday, Christmas coming on Saturday, we are reminded 
certainly of the Christmas Day bomber of 2009. So as millions of 
Americans are now traveling and will continue to travel through this 
holiday season to gather with friends and family, domestically and 
internationally, we recognize the importance of providing transfer 
authority for TSA to allow for efforts against terrorist attacks such 
as what occurred in the Northwest Flight 253 and the recent attempts 
against all cargo.
  In addition, we recognize the importance of increased staff. This is 
the holiday time. There will be overtime, and we want to make sure that 
all of the levels of intensity, of ramping up are provided for, and I 
am very grateful that this CR chose to do that.
  Additionally, many of us have heard from our small businesses, and 
this will prevent the elimination of funding of reduced loans for small 
businesses.
  I want to raise something very quickly. I am a supporter of providing 
qualified teachers for our inner city schools, and even had a daughter 
work for a group called Teach for America. These are outstanding and 
well-informed individuals. I raise a question, because my district is 
dominated by inner city schools, of the change of definition of 
``highly qualified teacher'' that would include those in the Teach for 
America, that a recent graduate, does that in fact eliminate our 
experienced teachers, that is, take away from the training of those 
experienced teachers? I would raise that concern.
  Finally, I close by simply saying I view this as an important step, 
but I am disappointed we had to go this route and we could not look to 
a rational response to the work that so many of us have done. Some may 
call them earmarks. I call them designations of funding in cooperation, 
collaboration with our executive.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. POLIS. I yield an additional 30 seconds.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. It is a tragedy that, for example, a group 
that houses victims of human trafficking will not be able to be 
responded to, or a group that deals with those who are trying to 
rebuild their lives as ex-offenders will not get funding and that 
infrastructure projects will not get funding. Let me remind my 
colleagues, you don't save money; you just hand it over to the 
executive and it finds its way in some other direction.
  I am delighted we stand here today, continue to have the government 
work, and I appreciate the great work that was done for the CR.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of making 
further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2011. This measure 
will continue to assure funding for all Federal Government agencies and 
allow the Government to continue its day to day operations through 
March 4, 2011, provided under Public Law 111-242, the first fiscal year 
2011 Continuing Resolution (CR).
  This Continuing Resolution will basically fund the Government at 
levels previously approved by the House for fiscal year 2010. It is of 
great importance that this Congress continues to decide how best to 
finalize fiscal year 2011 spending and explore ways to equitably 
decrease the national deficit.
  As a Member of Congress, it is a critical constitutional 
responsibility to assure continued funding streams for the Federal 
Government. This Continuing Resolution will ensure that all necessary 
and key functions of Government will continue unimpeded until Congress 
finalizes our work with the passage of final appropriations 
legislation. There have been a few exceptions, but at least one 
Continuing Resolution has been enacted for each fiscal year since 1955.
  As we rapidly approach the holiday season, and the end of the year is 
only 10 days away, there is no greater business before this chamber 
than keeping our Federal Government up and running. Especially during 
this crucial time of transition, the citizens of the United States are 
depending upon us to keep the Federal Government fully operational. 
We must provide a sense of certainty and stability as our country 
continues to recover from recession and remains engaged in two wars 
abroad.

  I must say that I am very disturbed that we cannot get our colleagues 
to cooperate in a bi-partisan manner to pass essential appropriations 
bills and must instead resort to short-term continuing resolutions. 
However, with the funding for all Federal agencies and programs set to 
expire at midnight tonight, it is imperative that we pass this 
Continuing Resolution. It is crucial that we continue to fund 
Government agencies and programs without interruption. We must keep 
this Nation moving forward toward progress.
  In recent days and months, unnecessary partisan battles in both 
chambers have been waged over expenditures included in appropriations 
measures. Partisan finger-pointing and squabbling have hindered the 
passage of appropriations bills and had a negative impact on our 
economic recovery. This Continuing Resolution has suffered the same 
fate. I would like to remind all of my colleagues that appropriations 
are built-in by law to permit Members of Congress to identify and 
provide funding for useful and necessary projects in their districts. 
Specifically, in my home district of Houston, I fought hard to include 
in the Continuing Resolution, a total of $175,595,558 in appropriations 
funding for fiscal year 2011.
  These projects create jobs, rebuild our infrastructure and benefit 
our districts, our States and our country, as well. Though I 
recommended funding for critical transportation and infrastructure 
projects in Houston, Texas, unfortunately this funding was excluded 
from the Continuing Resolution. Though an opportunity to improve our 
national economy was lost, I will continue to fight for the funding of 
such useful, necessary and economically productive projects in Houston 
and support the funding of these types of projects nationwide.
  Overall, the Continuing Resolution will generally benefit the 
citizens of Houston and the entire country by continuing to fund 
important government programs without interruption. As we move forward, 
it is my hope that both chambers in the House and Senate will take a 
bipartisan approach to moving vitally important appropriations 
legislation which includes useful, necessary, job creating and economy- 
building projects from our districts. This is the fiscally responsible 
course and grows and strengthens our economy in the long run.
  In summation, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this 
Continuing Resolution as we continue the work of the Federal 
Government.
  Mr. SESSIONS. I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Madam Speaker, today is a historic day, also, as two of the stalwarts 
of this House of Representatives perhaps are here tonight to argue as 
chairman and ranking member of the Appropriations Committee on behalf 
of not only themselves, their committee, but also the teams they 
represent. The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) perhaps will be on 
the floor tomorrow, I don't know, but tonight I will be here, and I 
would like to recognize the service that Mr. Obey has given the United 
States Congress. I have been with Mr. Obey over a number of times in 
the last 14 years up in the Rules Committee. I have seen him very early 
in the morning and very late in the day. Mr. Obey has presented himself 
not only in a professional manner, but represented his party and its 
thoughts very well. It would be my hope I would be able to offer a warm 
hand and extension to him to say: Job well done, sir.
  Also, on my side, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) will be 
on the floor in just a few moments as they present this final spending 
package, the CR. Mr. Lewis has been a very dear

[[Page H8904]]

friend of mine over the years. He has been very gracious about hearing 
the activities I believe are important, including those of the 
gentlewoman from Wisconsin who sits in the chair tonight as the Speaker 
pro tempore, for issues related to sight, retinal issues, and the 
ability we have to create a better life for those who have lost their 
sight. Mr. Lewis has been very responsive to not only this Member but 
also to others in this body in dealing with health issues, 
understanding that research and development is a key part of technology 
in medical breakthroughs for people who count on us making wise choices 
with how we spend people's money.
  So I would want to extend to both of these gentlemen thanks for a job 
well done, knowing that tonight they will be ready to go home for 
Christmas and the holidays.
  Madam Speaker, the Republican Party finds itself in the position 
where we are here on the floor just a few days before Christmas. The 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis) has outlined the exact need of not 
only this administration but, I believe, forthrightly, the American 
people and certainly this Congress, the ability to make sure that we 
act responsibly, that we provide the funding that is necessary. The 
President of the United States has asked for this. The President of the 
United States has a constitutional authority to move forward, and I 
believe that that is a rational argument.
  The Republican Party finds itself in a circumstance where we have 
attempted, for quite some time, to bring to the attention of the 
majority what we believe is an overriding need to cut the amount of 
spending that is taking place by the United States Congress. I believe 
it has created excessive not only spending, a bloated government, and 
an inadequate ability by the free enterprise system to get out of the 
way of government; that a government that is empowered to roll over the 
free enterprise system and individuals who are in the marketplace 
perhaps, also. In the scheme of things, the Republican Party is worried 
about the future of this country and what our children and our 
grandchildren will have to pay with a monster debt that looms over us.
  I recognize, I think the entire country recognizes, that this debt, 
the doubling and tripling of debt that is underway, came as a result of 
a political opportunity with the Democratic Party by the President, the 
House, and the Senate to collectively determine that they were going to 
go and increase spending in a dramatic basis.

                              {time}  1800

  The Republican Party, through myself as the Rules Committee person, 
recognizes that we, once again, are here on the floor of the House of 
Representatives at the late hour, even though I believe what is 
inevitable is here with this continuing resolution to say, We believe 
there should have been a better effort on behalf of this majority to 
substantially review not only the excessive spending but to put into 
place those stopgap measures which would prove to the American people 
that Washington, D.C., does get it.
  What we need to get is this: as we loom and roll forward in the 
future, another debt limit opportunity vote that means that we will 
have to take the tough votes here on this floor and raise that debt 
limit so that we are as responsible as we are tonight, what has been 
described by Mr. Polis, about making sure the government funds itself.
  The Republican Party believes we should have immediately last year 
when we recognized not only continued unemployment, massive debt, have 
done something about stopping the spending. We spend about $4.5 billion 
too much every day, more than what comes in. And that $4.5 billion is 
important. When you add it all up, it amounts to about 40 percent of 
all of the spending going to debt.
  So we don't have to yell and scream. We have to succinctly come to 
the floor. We have to protect the turf that we believe is best for the 
American people, and that is, I will tell you, on January 5 when we 
elect a new Speaker and the Republican Party becomes the majority, we 
pledge ourselves to having not only the ideas about how to turn this 
country around, but I believe we will have the guts to make tough 
votes. And we will ask the American people to listen and look at every 
single vote we make.
  Today, we are kicking the can down the road. Today, I guess we are 
ready to go home. The Republican Party is here to say, We disagree. We 
think every dollar and every penny that is being spent to the detriment 
of the future of this country is a problem. So that's what we are doing 
here today.
  I appreciate the gentlewoman not only for her efforts of tireless 
sitting in the chair today, but I also recognize our leaders, the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Lewis). I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis) and wish him 
the very best of holiday seasons.
  Madam Speaker, just this morning, I stood right here to do a rule and 
pointed out that my democrat colleagues continue to use an 
unprecedented, restrictive, and closed process on the House floor, and 
here I am again to tell the same story. In fact, this is the third 
Continuing Resolution rule I have done this month.
  Week after week my friends on the other side of the aisle continue to 
bull-dose their massive spending agenda through the floor of the House 
with no Republican input, and no regular order.
  What was promised to be the most ``open, honest and ethical'' 
Congress by Speaker Pelosi when she took the gavel, has been the most 
closed, and one-sided Congress in history. The American people asked 
for changes in 2008 and they got something far worse. They received a 
Democrat Congress that doesn't listen to the American people, and a 
Congress that acts on their own interest and not the interest of the 
American taxpayer.
  Madam Speaker, in two weeks that will change. But until then, I am 
here to discuss another closed rule for another Continuing Resolution. 
The legislation before us continues to overspend--a common theme over 
the last two Congresses.
  The underlying legislation is a CR to keep the government running for 
2 months. The Democrats provided no budget for this year and the 
President has not signed one appropriations bill into law--so this 
legislation and rule is just another tactic to keep the government 
running until the Majority can kick the responsibility to the 
Republicans next Congress.
  Over the past three years, non-defense, non-homeland security, and 
non-veterans affairs discretionary spending has increased by a 
staggering 88 percent. In the meantime, the Nation's debt has risen to 
$13.5 trillion, there have been yearly record deficits since the 
Democrats took the Majority, and the unemployment rate has been at or 
above 9.5 percent for 18 consecutive months.
  This CR does almost nothing to reverse this trend and instead 
continues the unsustainable, high rate of spending passed the Democrat 
Majority this year. This includes more spending for many 
federal agencies that received massive increases with the Democrat 
Stimulus bill in 2009. My Republican colleagues and I have pledged to 
cut non-security spending back the fiscal year 2008 levels which would 
save American taxpayers nearly $100 billion in the first year.

  The American people are fed-up with the tax, borrow and spend 
policies of the past 4 years, which has brought nothing but 
unemployment, debt and deficit. Americans have called for an end to 
reckless spending and a new era of fiscal discipline, yet it continues 
to fall on deaf ears here today. This country needs leaders that are 
willing to make the tough fiscal decisions that will provide economic 
stability and job growth, not just more of the same.
  In true fashion, my democrat colleagues continue to push their own 
agenda on the American people. They have shut out Republicans over the 
past 4 years, and they continue to shut out the American people. 
Continuing on the path of reckless government spending, will only put 
the U.S. further in debt burdening future generations. Congress must do 
better for the American people. I oppose this rule.
  Madam Speaker, you have heard me say it over and over, but the 
American people we promised an ``open, honest and ethical'' Congress, 
and that is not what they have received. Congress only received the 
text of this legislation a few hours ago. American's have called for 
transparency and bipartisanship and have only seen a secretive 
dictatorship.
  I ask my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the rule. Vote no to stop the 
reckless fiscal policies that Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats have 
pursued over the last 4 years. It is time to end the idea of big 
government and big spending.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I want to further describe something that 
the gentlelady from Texas mentioned in her remarks, that this 
continuing resolution would expand the Federal definition of ``highly 
qualified teacher'' to

[[Page H8905]]

include a wider range of teachers, including those who are 
alternatively certified. This is particularly important for programs 
where the data shows they are effective, like Teach For America that 
help improve student outcomes, particularly among our most at-risk 
students. This definition would support greater local district control 
and flexibility to help ensure that good teachers are in public school 
classrooms.
  This was, from a policy perspective, largely agreed upon by Democrats 
and Republicans in policy circles around the definition of highly 
qualified. But a court recently said that previous language was unable 
to be interpreted in this way. So, Madam Speaker, we are using this 
continuing resolution to ensure that these good teachers can stay in 
the classrooms and that programs like Teach For America can confidently 
move forward instead of losing their ability to teach midway through 
the school year.
  Madam Speaker, tonight we are on the brink of a government shutdown 
if we fail to pass this CR, and we shouldn't let our partisan bickering 
between 99 cents or $1 or $1.01 grind the entire economy of this Nation 
to a halt, allowing drug cartels carte blanche on the border, and 
making sure that grandma can't visit the kids in Topeka.
  The House has done its part to keep the government funded. We passed 
a full year-long continuing resolution 2 weeks ago. We acted quickly to 
maintain government operations, and the Senate failed to overcome 
obstructionism. Today our situation is that we have what some on both 
sides, I am sure, would agree is an imperfect continuing resolution 
that will fund the Federal Government in the new year, which is clearly 
preferable to a government shutdown in the holiday season.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this 
rule. I thank Chairman Obey for his leadership not only on this bill 
and on this continuing resolution but for his hard work and his staff's 
hard work.
  Madam Speaker, the House did pass two appropriation bills this year, 
the Transportation-HUD appropriation and Military Construction/Veterans 
Affairs appropriation, and the Senate hasn't passed a single one. So 
rather than continuing on with futile work, I think it is important 
that we get about our business of funding government to ensure that we 
can move forward with the spirit of Chairman Obey guiding us in the 
112th Congress to continue our work in the appropriations process. I 
praise Chairman Obey and the staff for their hard work on this bill.
  I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule.
  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.
  Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1782, I call up 
the bill (H.R. 3082) making appropriations for military construction, 
the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal 
year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes, with the Senate 
amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment thereto, and I 
have a motion at the desk.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the Senate 
amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment.
  The text of the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate 
amendment is as follows:

       Senate amendment to House amendment to Senate amendment:
       In lieu of the matter proposed to be inserted, insert the 
     following:

             TITLE I--CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS AMENDMENTS

       Section 1. (a) The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 
     (Public Law 111-242) is further amended by--
       (1) striking the date specified in section 106(3) and 
     inserting ``March 4, 2011''; and
       (2) adding the following:
       ``Sec. 147. (a) For the purposes of this section--
       ``(1) the term `employee'--
       ``(A) means an employee as defined in section 2105 of title 
     5, United States Code; and
       ``(B) includes an individual to whom subsection (b), (c), 
     or (f) of such section 2105 pertains (whether or not such 
     individual satisfies subparagraph (A));
       ``(2) the term `senior executive' means--
       ``(A) a member of the Senior Executive Service under 
     subchapter VIII of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code;
       ``(B) a member of the FBI-DEA Senior Executive Service 
     under subchapter III of chapter 31 of title 5, United States 
     Code;
       ``(C) a member of the Senior Foreign Service under chapter 
     4 of title I of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 
     3961 and following); and
       ``(D) a member of any similar senior executive service in 
     an Executive agency;
       ``(3) the term `senior-level employee' means an employee 
     who holds a position in an Executive agency and who is 
     covered by section 5376 of title 5, United States Code, or 
     any similar authority; and
       ``(4) the term `Executive agency' has the meaning given 
     such term by section 105 of title 5, United States Code.
       ``(b)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, except 
     as provided in subsection (e), no statutory pay adjustment 
     which (but for this subsection) would otherwise take effect 
     during the period beginning on January 1, 2011, and ending on 
     December 31, 2012, shall be made.
       ``(2) For purposes of this subsection, the term `statutory 
     pay adjustment' means--
       ``(A) an adjustment required under section 5303, 5304, 
     5304a, 5318, or 5343(a) of title 5, United States Code; and
       ``(B) any similar adjustment, required by statute, with 
     respect to employees in an Executive agency.
       ``(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, except as 
     provided in subsection (e), during the period beginning on 
     January 1, 2011, and ending on December 31, 2012, no senior 
     executive or senior-level employee may receive an increase in 
     his or her rate of basic pay absent a change of position that 
     results in a substantial increase in responsibility, or a 
     promotion.
       ``(d) The President may issue guidance that Executive 
     agencies shall apply in the implementation of this section.
       ``(e) The Non-Foreign Area Retirement Equity Assurance Act 
     of 2009 (5 U.S.C. 5304 note) shall be applied using the 
     appropriate locality-based comparability payments established 
     by the President as the applicable comparability payments in 
     section 1914(2) and (3) of such Act.
       ``Sec. 148.  Notwithstanding section 101, the level for 
     `Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and 
     Information Administration, Salaries and Expenses' shall be 
     $40,649,000.
       ``Sec. 149.  The following authorities shall continue in 
     effect through the earlier of the date specified in section 
     106(3) of this Act or the date of enactment of the National 
     Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011:
       ``(1) Section 1021 of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense 
     Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (Public Law 108-375; 
     118 Stat. 2042), as amended by section 1011 of the National 
     Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 
     111-84; 123 Stat. 2441);
       ``(2) Section 1022 of the National Defense Authorization 
     Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (Public Law 108-136; 10 U.S.C. 371 
     note), as amended by section 1012 of the National Defense 
     Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84; 
     123 Stat. 2441);
       ``(3) Section 1033 of the National Defense Authorization 
     Act for Fiscal Year 1998 (Public Law 105-85), as amended by 
     section 1014 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
     Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84; 123 Stat. 2442);
       ``(4) Sections 611, 612, 613, 614, 615, 616, 1106, 1222(e), 
     1224 and 1234 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
     Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84);
       ``(5) Section 631 of the National Defense Authorization Act 
     for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110-181); and
       ``(6) Section 931 of the National Defense Authorization Act 
     for Fiscal Year 2007 (Public Law 109-364).
       ``Sec. 150.  Subject to the availability of appropriations, 
     the Secretary of the Navy may award a contract or contracts 
     for up to 20 Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).
       ``Sec. 151.  Section 8905a(d)(4)(B) of title 5, United 
     States Code, is amended--
       ``(1) in clause (i), by striking `October 1, 2010' and 
     inserting `December 31, 2011'; and
       ``(2) in clause (ii)--
       ``(A) by striking `February 1, 2011' and inserting 
     `February 1, 2012'; and
       ``(B) by striking `October 1, 2010' and inserting `December 
     31, 2011'.
       ``Sec. 152.  Notwithstanding section 101, the level for 
     `Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief 
     Program, Salaries and Expenses' shall be $36,300,000.
       ``Sec. 153.  Public Law 111-240 is amended in section 1114 
     and section 1704 by striking `December 31, 2010' and 
     inserting `March 4, 2011' each time it appears and in section 
     1704 by adding at the end the following:
       `` `(c) For purposes of the loans made under this section, 
     the maximum guaranteed amount outstanding to the borrower may 
     not exceed $4,500,000.'
       ``Sec. 154.  The appropriation to the Securities and 
     Exchange Commission pursuant to this Act shall be deemed a 
     regular appropriation for purposes of section 6(b) of the 
     Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77f(b)) and sections 13(e), 
     14(g), and 31 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 
     U.S.C. 78m(e), 78n(g), and 78ee).
       ``Sec. 155.  Section 302 of the Universal Service 
     Antideficiency Temporary Suspension Act is amended by 
     striking `December 31, 2010' each place it appears and 
     inserting `December 31, 2011'.
       ``Sec. 156.  Notwithstanding section 503 of Public Law 111-
     83, amounts made available in this Act for the Transportation 
     Security Administration shall be available for transfer 
     between and within Transportation Security Administration 
     appropriations to the extent necessary to

[[Page H8906]]

     avoid furloughs or reduction in force, or to provide funding 
     necessary for programs and activities required by law: 
     Provided, That such transfers may not result in the 
     termination of programs, projects or activities: Provided 
     further, That the House and Senate Appropriations Committees 
     shall be notified within 15 days of such transfers.
       ``Sec. 157.  Up to $21,880,000 from `Coast Guard, 
     Acquisition, Construction, and Improvements' and `Coast 
     Guard, Alteration of Bridges' may be transferred to `Coast 
     Guard, Operating Expenses': Provided, That the Coast Guard 
     may decommission one Medium Endurance Cutter, two High 
     Endurance Cutters, four HU-25 aircraft, the Maritime 
     Intelligence Fusion Center, and one Maritime Safety and 
     Security Team, and make staffing changes at the Coast Guard 
     Investigative Service, as outlined in its budget 
     justification documents for fiscal year 2011 as submitted to 
     the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and House of 
     Representatives.
       ``Sec. 158.  Notwithstanding section 101, the final proviso 
     under the heading `Science and Technology, Research, 
     Development, Acquisition, and Operations' in Public Law 111-
     83 (related to the National Bio- and Agro-defense Facility) 
     shall have no effect with respect to all amounts available 
     under this heading.
       ``Sec. 159.  Notwithstanding sections 101 and 128, amounts 
     are provided for `Department of the Interior--Minerals 
     Management Service--Royalty and Offshore Minerals Management' 
     in the manner authorized in Public Law 111-88 for fiscal year 
     2010, except that for fiscal year 2011 the amounts specified 
     in division A of Public Law 111-88 shall be modified by 
     substituting--
       ``(1) `$200,110,000' for `$175,217,000';
       ``(2) `$102,231,000' for `$89,374,000';
       ``(3) `$154,890,000' for `$156,730,000' each place it 
     appears; and
       ``(4) `fiscal year 2011' shall be substituted for `fiscal 
     year 2010' each place it appears.
       ``Sec. 160.  The Secretary of the Interior, in order to 
     implement a reorganization of the Bureau of Ocean Energy 
     Management, Regulation, and Enforcement, may establish 
     accounts, transfer funds among and between the offices and 
     bureaus affected by the reorganization, and take any other 
     administrative actions necessary in conformance with the 
     Appropriations Committee reprogramming procedures described 
     in the joint explanatory statement of the managers 
     accompanying Public Law 111-88 (House of Representatives 
     Report 111-316).
       ``Sec. 161.  Notwithstanding section 101, section 423 of 
     Public Law 111-88 (123 Stat. 2961), concerning the 
     distribution of geothermal energy receipts, shall have no 
     force or effect and the provisions of section 3003(a) of 
     Public Law 111-212 (124 Stat. 2338) shall apply for fiscal 
     year 2011.
       ``Sec. 162.  Notwithstanding section 109, of the funds made 
     available by section 101 for payments under subsections (b) 
     and (d) of section 2602 of the Low Income Home Energy 
     Assistance Act of 1981, the Department of Health and Human 
     Services shall obligate the same amount during the period 
     covered by this continuing resolution as was obligated for 
     such purpose during the comparable period during fiscal year 
     2010.
       ``Sec. 163. (a) A `highly qualified teacher' includes a 
     teacher who meets the requirements in 34 C.F.R. 
     200.56(a)(2)(ii), as published in the Federal Register on 
     December 2, 2002.
       ``(b) This provision is effective on the date of enactment 
     of this provision through the end of the 2012-2013 academic 
     year.
       ``Sec. 164. (a) Notwithstanding section 101, the level for 
     `Department of Education, Student Financial Assistance' to 
     carry out subpart 1 of part A of title IV of the Higher 
     Education Act of 1965 shall be $23,162,000,000.
       ``(b) The maximum Pell Grant for which a student shall be 
     eligible during award year 2011-2012 shall be $4,860.
       ``Sec. 165. (a) Notwithstanding section 1018(d) of the 
     Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2003 (2 U.S.C. 
     1907(d)), the use of any funds appropriated to the United 
     States Capitol Police during fiscal year 2003 for transfer 
     relating to the Truck Interdiction Monitoring Program to the 
     working capital fund established under section 328 of title 
     49, United States Code, is ratified.
       ``(b) Nothing in subsection (a) may be construed to waive 
     sections 1341, 1342, 1349, 1350, or 1351 of title 31, United 
     States Code, or subchapter II of chapter 15 of such title 
     (commonly known as the `Anti-Deficiency Act').
       ``(c) Notwithstanding section 106 of this Act, the use of 
     the funds described under subsection (a) of this section 
     shall apply without fiscal year limitation.
       ``Sec. 166.  Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are 
     provided for `Department of Veterans Affairs, Departmental 
     Administration, General Operating Expenses' at a rate for 
     operations of $2,546,276,000, of which not less than 
     $2,148,776,000 shall be for the Veterans Benefits 
     Administration.''.
       (b) This section may be cited as the ``Continuing 
     Appropriations Amendments, 2011''.
     TITLE II--EXTENSION OF CURRENT SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAMS

     SEC. 2001. SHORT TITLE; RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS.

       (a) This title may be cited as the ``Surface Transportation 
     Extension Act of 2010, Part II''.
       (b) Reconciliation of Funds.--The Secretary of 
     Transportation shall reduce the amount apportioned or 
     allocated for a program, project, or activity under this 
     title in fiscal year 2011 by amounts apportioned or allocated 
     pursuant to the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2010 
     for the period beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on 
     December 31, 2010.
                    Subtitle A--Federal-Aid Highways

     SEC. 2101. EXTENSION OF FEDERAL-AID HIGHWAY PROGRAMS.

        (a) In General.--Section 411 of the Surface Transportation 
     Extension Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-147; 124 Stat. 78) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``the period beginning on October 1, 2010, 
     and ending on December 31, 2010'' each place it appears 
     (except in subsection (c)(2)) and inserting ``the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011'';
       (2) in subsection (a) by striking ``December 31, 2010'' and 
     inserting ``March 4, 2011'';
       (3) in subsection (b)(2) by striking ``\1/4\'' and 
     inserting ``\155/365\'';
       (4) in subsection (c)--
       (A) in paragraph (2)--
       (i) by striking ``\1/4\'' and inserting ``\155/365\''; and
       (ii) by striking ``the period beginning on October 1, 2010, 
     and ending on December 31, 2010,'' and inserting ``the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011'';
       (B) in paragraph (4)--
       (i) in subparagraph (A)(ii) by striking ``\1/4\'' and 
     inserting ``\155/365\''; and
       (ii) in subparagraph (B)(ii)(II) by striking 
     ``$159,750,000'' and inserting ``$271,356,164''; and
       (C) in paragraph (5) by striking ``\1/4\'' and inserting 
     ``\155/365\'';
       (5) in subsection (d)--
       (A) by striking ``\1/4\'' each place it appears and 
     inserting ``\155/365\''; and
       (B) in paragraph (2)(A)--
       (i) in the matter preceding clause (i) by striking 
     ``apportioned under sections 104(b) and 144 of title 23, 
     United States Code,'' and inserting ``specified in section 
     105(a)(2) of title 23, United States Code (except the high 
     priority projects program),''; and
       (ii) in clause (ii) by striking ``apportioned under such 
     sections of such Code'' and inserting ``specified in such 
     section 105(a)(2) (except the high priority projects 
     program)''; and
       (6) in subsection (e)(1)(B) by striking ``\1/4\'' and 
     inserting ``\155/365\''.
       (b) Administrative Expenses.--Section 412(a)(2) of the 
     Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-
     147; 124 Stat. 83) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``$105,606,250'' and inserting 
     ``$179,385,959''; and
       (2) by striking ``the period beginning on October 1, 2010, 
     and ending on December 31, 2010'' and inserting ``the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011''.
       Subtitle B--Extension of National Highway Traffic Safety 
   Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and 
                          Additional Programs

     SEC. 2201. EXTENSION OF NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY 
                   ADMINISTRATION HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAMS.

       (a) Chapter 4 Highway Safety Programs.--Section 2001(a)(1) 
     of SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1519) is amended by striking ``and 
     $58,750,000 for the period beginning on October 1, 2010, and 
     ending on December 31, 2010.'' and inserting ``and 
     $99,795,000 for the period beginning on October 1, 2010, and 
     ending on March 4, 2011.''.
       (b) Highway Safety Research and Development.--Section 
     2001(a)(2) of SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1519) is amended by 
     striking ``and $27,061,000 for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2010, and ending on December 31, 2010.'' and 
     inserting ``and $45,967,000 for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011.''.
       (c) Occupant Protection Incentive Grants.--Section 
     2001(a)(3) of SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1519) is amended by 
     striking ``and $6,250,000 for the period beginning on October 
     1, 2010, and ending on December 31, 2010.'' and inserting 
     ``and $10,616,000 for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2010, and ending on March 4, 2011.''.
       (d) Safety Belt Performance Grants.--Section 2001(a)(4) of 
     SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1519) is amended by striking ``and 
     $31,125,000 for the period beginning on October 1, 2010, and 
     ending on December 31, 2010.'' and inserting ``and 
     $52,870,000 for the period beginning on October 1, 2010, and 
     ending on March 4, 2011.''.
       (e) State Traffic Safety Information System Improvements.--
     Section 2001(a)(5) of SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1519) is amended 
     by striking ``and $8,625,000 for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2010, and ending on December 31, 2010.'' and 
     inserting ``and $14,651,000 for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011.''.
       (f) Alcohol-impaired Driving Countermeasures Incentive 
     Grant Program.--Section 2001(a)(6) of SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 
     1519) is amended by striking ``and $34,750,000 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on December 31, 
     2010.'' and inserting ``and $59,027,000 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011.''.
       (g) National Driver Register.--Section 2001(a)(7) of 
     SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1520) is amended by striking ``and 
     $1,029,000 for the period beginning on October 1, 2010, and 
     ending on December 31, 2010.'' and inserting ``and $1,748,000 
     for the period beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on 
     March 4, 2011.''.
       (h) High Visibility Enforcement Program.--Section 
     2001(a)(8) of SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1520) is amended by 
     striking ``and $7,250,000 for the period beginning on October 
     1, 2010, and ending on December 31, 2010.'' and inserting 
     ``and $12,315,000 for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2010, and ending on March 4, 2011.''.
       (i) Motorcyclist Safety.--Section 2001(a)(9) of SAFETEA-LU 
     (119 Stat. 1520) is amended by striking ``and $1,750,000 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on 
     December 31, 2010.'' and inserting ``and $2,973,000 for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 
     2011.''.
       (j) Child Safety and Child Booster Seat Safety Incentive 
     Grants.--Section 2001(a)(10) of SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1520) 
     is amended by striking ``and $1,750,000 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on December 31, 
     2010.'' and inserting ``and $2,973,000 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011.''.

[[Page H8907]]

       (k) Administrative Expenses.--Section 2001(a)(11) of 
     SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1520) is amended by striking ``and 
     $6,332,000 for the period beginning on October 1, 2010, and 
     ending on December 31, 2010.'' and inserting ``and 
     $10,756,000 for the period beginning on October 1, 2010, and 
     ending on March 4, 2011.''.

     SEC. 2202. EXTENSION OF FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY 
                   ADMINISTRATION PROGRAMS.

       (a) Motor Carrier Safety Grants.--Section 31104(a)(7) of 
     title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking 
     ``$52,679,000 for the period beginning on October 1, 2010, 
     and ending on December 31, 2010.'' and inserting 
     ``$88,753,000 for the period beginning October 1, 2010, and 
     ending on March 4, 2011.''.
       (b) Administrative Expenses.--Section 31104(i)(1)(G) of 
     title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking 
     ``$61,036,000 for the period beginning on October 1, 2010, 
     and ending on December 31, 2010.'' and inserting 
     ``$103,678,000 for the period beginning October 1, 2010, and 
     ending on March 4, 2011.''.
       (c) Grant Programs.--Section 4101(c) of SAFETEA-LU (119 
     Stat. 1715) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1)--
       (A) by striking ``and'' after ``2009,''; and
       (B) by striking ``and $6,301,000 for the period beginning 
     on October 1, 2010, and ending on December 31, 2010.'' and 
     inserting ``and $10,616,000 for the period beginning October 
     1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011.'';
       (2) in paragraph (2) by striking ``and $8,066,000 for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on December 
     31, 2010.'' and inserting ``and $13,589,000 for the period 
     beginning October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011.'';
       (3) in paragraph (3) by striking ``and $1,260,000 for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on December 
     31, 2010.'' and inserting ``and $2,123,000 for the period 
     beginning October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011.'';
       (4) in paragraph (4) by striking ``and $6,301,000 for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on December 
     31, 2010.'' and inserting ``and $10,616,000 for the period 
     beginning October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011.''; 
     and
       (5) in paragraph (5) by striking ``and $756,000 for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on December 
     31, 2010.'' and inserting ``and $1,274,000 for the period 
     beginning October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011.''.
       (d) High-Priority Activities.--Section 31104(k)(2) of title 
     49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``2009, 
     $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, and $3,781,000 for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on December 
     31, 2010'' and inserting ``2010 and $6,370,000 for the period 
     beginning October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011''.
       (e) New Entrant Audits.--Section 31144(g)(5)(B) of title 
     49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``(and up to 
     $7,310,000 for the period beginning on October 1, 2010, and 
     ending on December 31, 2010)'' and inserting ``(and up to 
     $12,315,000 for the period beginning October 1, 2010, and 
     ending on March 4, 2011)''.
       (f) Commercial Driver's License Information System 
     Modernization.--Section 4123(d)(6) of SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 
     1736) is amended by striking ``$2,016,000 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on December 31, 
     2010.'' and inserting ``and $3,397,260 for the period 
     beginning October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011.''.
       (g) Outreach and Education.--Section 4127(e) of SAFETEA-LU 
     (119 Stat. 1741) is amended by striking ``and 2010'' and all 
     that follows before ``to carry out'' and inserting ``2010, 
     and $425,545 to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
     Administration, and $1,274,000 to the National Highway 
     Traffic Safety Administration, for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 2011,''.
       (h) Grant Program for Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators.--
     Section 4134(c) of SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1744) is amended by 
     striking ``$252,000 for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2010, and ending on December 31, 2010,'' and inserting 
     ``$425,545 for the period beginning on October 1, 2010, and 
     ending on March 4, 2011,''.
       (i) Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee.--Section 
     4144(d) of SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1748) is amended by striking 
     ``December 31, 2010'' and inserting ``March 4, 2011''.
       (j) Working Group for Development of Practices and 
     Procedures To Enhance Federal-State Relations.--Section 
     4213(d) of SAFETEA-LU (49 U.S.C. 14710 note; 119 Stat. 1759) 
     is amended by striking ``December 31, 2010'' and inserting 
     ``March 4, 2011''.

     SEC. 2203. ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS.

       (a) Hazardous Materials Research Projects.--Section 7131(c) 
     of SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1910) is amended by striking 
     ``through 2010'' and all that follows before ``shall be 
     available'' and inserting ``through 2010 and $531,000 for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on March 4, 
     2011''.
       (b) Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act.--Section 4 
     of the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 
     777c) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a) by striking ``For each of fiscal 
     years 2006'' and all that follows before paragraph (1) and 
     inserting the following: ``For each of fiscal years 2006 
     through 2010, and for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2010, and ending on March 4, 2011 the balance of each annual 
     appropriation made in accordance with the provisions of 
     section 3 remaining after the distributions for 
     administrative expenses and other purposes under subsection 
     (b) and for multistate conservation grants under section 14 
     shall be distributed as follows:''; and
       (2) in subsection (b)(1)(A) by striking the first sentence 
     and inserting the following: ``From the annual appropriation 
     made in accordance with section 3, for each of fiscal years 
     2006 through 2010, and for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2010, and ending on March 4, 2011, the Secretary of the 
     Interior may use no more than the amount specified in 
     subparagraph (B) for the fiscal year for expenses for 
     administration incurred in the implementation of this Act, in 
     accordance with this section and section 9.''.
       (c) Surface Transportation Project Delivery Pilot 
     Program.--Section 327(i)(1) of title 23, United States Code, 
     is amended by striking ``6 years after'' and inserting ``7 
     years after''.
       (d) Implementation of Future Strategic Highway Research 
     Program.--Section 510 of title 23, United States Code, is 
     amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(h) Implementation.--Notwithstanding any other provision 
     of this section, the Secretary may use funds made available 
     to carry out this section for implementation of research 
     products related to the future strategic highway research 
     program, including development, demonstration, evaluation, 
     and technology transfer activities.''.
               Subtitle C--Public Transportation Programs

     SEC. 2301. ALLOCATION OF FUNDS FOR PLANNING PROGRAMS.

       Section 5305(g) of title 49, United States Code, is amended 
     by striking ``December 31, 2010'' and inserting ``March 4, 
     2011''.

     SEC. 2302. SPECIAL RULE FOR URBANIZED FORMULA GRANTS.

       Section 5307(b)(2) of title 49, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) in the paragraph heading, by striking ``December 31, 
     2010'' and inserting ``March 4, 2011'';
       (2) in subparagraph (A) by striking ``December 31, 2010'' 
     and inserting ``March 4, 2011''; and
       (3) in subparagraph (E)--
       (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking ``December 31, 
     2010'' and inserting ``March 4, 2011''; and
       (B) in the matter preceding clause (i) by striking 
     ``December 31, 2010'' and inserting ``March 4, 2011''.

     SEC. 2303. ALLOCATING AMOUNTS FOR CAPITAL INVESTMENT GRANTS.

       Section 5309(m) of such title is amended--
       (1) In paragraph (2)--
       (A) in the paragraph heading by striking ``December 31, 
     2010'' and inserting ``March 4, 2011'';
       (B) in the matter preceding paragraph (A) by striking 
     ``December 31, 2010'' and inserting ``March 4, 2011''; and
       (C) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking ``$50,000,000 for 
     the period beginning October 1, 2010, and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and inserting ``$84,931,000 for the period beginning 
     October 1, 2010 and ending March 4, 2011''.
       (2) in paragraph (6)--
       (A) in subparagraph (B) by striking ``$3,750,000 shall be 
     available for the period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending 
     December 31, 2010'' and inserting ``$6,369,000 shall be 
     available for the period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending 
     March 4, 2011'';
       (B) in subparagraph (C) by striking ``$1,250,000 shall be 
     available for the period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending 
     December 31, 2010'' and inserting ``$2,123,000 shall be 
     available for the period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending 
     March 4, 2011''.
       (3) in paragraph (7)--
       (A) in clause (ii) of subparagraph (A)--
       (i) in the clause heading, by striking ``December 31, 
     2010'' and inserting ``March 4, 2011'';
       (ii) by striking ``$2,500,000 shall be available for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and inserting ``$4,246,000 shall be available for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending March 4, 2011'';
       (iii) by striking ``25 percent'' and inserting ``\155/
     365\ths''.
       (4) in subparagraph (B), by amending clause (vi) to read, 
     ``$5,732,000 for the period beginning October 1, 2010 and 
     ending March 4, 2011''.
       (5) in subparagraph (C) by striking ``December 31, 2010'' 
     and inserting ``March 4, 2011''.
       (6) in subparagraph (D) by striking ``$8,750,000 shall be 
     available for the period beginning October 1, 2010, and 
     ending December 31, 2010'' and inserting ``$14,863,000 shall 
     be available for the period beginning October 1, 2010 and 
     ending March 4, 2011'';
       (7) in subparagraph (E) by striking ``$750,000 shall be 
     available for the period beginning October 1, 2010, and 
     ending December 31, 2010'' and inserting ``$1,273,000 shall 
     be available for the period beginning October 1, 2010 and 
     ending March 4, 2011''.

     SEC. 2304. APPORTIONMENT OF FORMULA GRANTS FOR OTHER THAN 
                   URBANIZED AREAS.

       Section 5311(c)(1)(F) of title 49, United States Code, is 
     amended to read as follows:
       ``(F) $6,369,000 for the period beginning October 1, 2010 
     and ending March 4, 2011.''.

     SEC. 2305. APPORTIONMENT BASED ON FIXED GUIDEWAY FACTORS.

       Section 5337(g) of title 49, United States Code, is amended 
     to read as follows:
       ``(g) Special Rule for October 1, 2010, Through March 4, 
     2011.--The Secretary shall apportion amounts made available 
     for fixed guideway modernization under section 5309 for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010, and ending March 4, 2011, 
     in accordance with subsection (a), except that the Secretary 
     shall apportion \155/365\ths of each dollar amount specified 
     in subsection (a).''.

     SEC. 2306. AUTHORIZATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.

       (a) Formula and Bus Grants.--Section 5338(b) of title 49, 
     United States Code, is amended--
       (1) By amending paragraph (1)(F) as follows:
       ``(F) $3,550,376,000 for the period beginning October 1, 
     2010, and ending March 4, 2011.''.
       (2) in paragraph (2)--
       (A) in subparagraph (A) by striking ``$28,375,000 for the 
     period beginning October 1,

[[Page H8908]]

     2010, and ending December 31, 2010'' and by inserting 
     ``$48,198,000 for the period beginning October 1, 2010 and 
     ending March 4, 2011'';
       (B) in subparagraph (B) by striking ``$1,040,091,250 for 
     the period beginning October 1, 2010, and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and inserting ``$1,766,730,000 for the period 
     beginning October 1, 2010, and ending March 4, 2011'';
       (C) in subparagraph (C) by striking ``$12,875,000 for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010, and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and by inserting ``$21,869,000 for the period 
     beginning October 1, 2010 and ending March 4, 2011'';
       (D) in subparagraph (D) by striking ``$416,625,000 for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and by inserting ``$707,691,000 for the period 
     beginning October 1, 2010 and ending March 4, 2011'';
       (E) in subparagraph (E) by striking ``$246,000,000 for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and inserting ``$417,863,000 for the period beginning 
     October 1, 2010 and ending March 4, 2011'';
       (F) in subparagraph (F) by striking ``$33,375,000 for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and inserting ``$56,691,000 for the period beginning 
     October 1, 2010 and ending March 4, 2011'';
       (G) in subparagraph (G) by striking ``$116,250,000 for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and inserting ``$197,465,000 for the period beginning 
     October 1, 2010 and ending March 4, 2011'';
       (H) in subparagraph (H) by striking ``$41,125,000 for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and inserting ``$69,856,000 for the period beginning 
     October 1, 2010 and ending March 4, 2011'';
       (I) in subparagraph (I) by striking ``$23,125,000 for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and inserting ``$39,280,000 for the period beginning 
     October 1, 2010 and ending March 4, 2011'';
       (J) in subparagraph (J) by striking ``$6,725,000 for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and by inserting ``$11,423,000 for the period 
     beginning October 1, 2010 and ending March 4, 2011'';
       (K) in subparagraph (K) by striking ``$875,000 for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and by inserting ``$1,486,000 for the period beginning 
     October 1, 2010 and ending March 4, 2011'';
       (L) in subparagraph (L) by striking ``$6,250,000 for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and by inserting ``$10,616,000 for the period 
     beginning October 1, 2010 and ending March 4, 2011'';
       (M) in subparagraph (M) by striking ``$116,250,000 for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and by inserting ``$197,465,000 for the period 
     beginning October 1, 2010 and ending March 4, 2011''; and
       (N) in subparagraph (N) by striking ``$2,200,000 for the 
     period beginning October 1, 2010 and ending December 31, 
     2010'' and by inserting ``$3,736,000 for the period beginning 
     October 1, 2010 and ending March 4, 2011''.
       (b) Capital Investment Grants.--Section 5338(c)(6) of title 
     49 United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
       ``(6) $849,315,000 for the period of October 1, 2010 
     through March 4, 2011.''.
       (c) Research and University Research Centers.--Section 
     5338(d) of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding subparagraph 
     (A), by striking ``$17,437,500 for the period beginning 
     October 1, 2010, and ending December 31, 2010'' and inserting 
     ``$29,619,000 for the period beginning October 1, 2010 and 
     ending March 4, 2011'';
       (2) paragraph (3)(A)(ii) is amended to read as follows:
       ``(ii) October 1, 2010 through march 4, 2011.--Of amounts 
     authorized to be appropriated for the period beginning 
     October 1, 2010, through March 4, 2011, under paragraph (1), 
     the Secretary shall allocate for each of the activities and 
     projects described in subparagraphs (A) through (F) of 
     paragraph (1) an amount equal to \155/365\ths of the amount 
     allocated for fiscal year 2009 under each such 
     subparagraph.''.
       (3) Paragraph (3)(B)(ii) is amended to read as follows:
       ``(ii) October 1, 2010 through march 4, 2011.--Of the 
     amounts allocated under subparagraph (A)(i) for the 
     university centers program under section 5506 for the period 
     beginning October 1, 2010, and ending March 4, 2011, the 
     Secretary shall allocate for each program described in 
     clauses (i) through (iii) and (v) through (viii) of paragraph 
     (2)(A) an amount equal to \155/365\ths of the amount 
     allocated for fiscal year 2009 under each such clause.''.
       (4) In clause (3)(B)(iii)--
       (A) by striking ``2010'' and inserting ``2011''; and
       (B) by striking ``2009'' and inserting ``2010''.
       (d) Administration.--Section 5338(e)(6) of title 49, United 
     States Code, is amended to read as follows--
       ``(6) $42,003,000 for the period of October 1, 2010 through 
     March 4, 2011.''.

     SEC. 2307. AMENDMENTS TO SAFETEA-LU.

       (a) Contracted Paratransit Pilot.--Section 3009(i)(1) of 
     SAFETEA-LU (Public Law 109-59; 119 Stat. 1572) is amended by 
     striking ``December 31, 2010'' and inserting ``March 4, 
     2011''.
       (b) Public-Private Partnership Pilot Program.--Section 3011 
     of the SAFETEA-LU (49 U.S.C. 5309 note) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (c)(5), by striking ``December 31, 2010'' 
     and inserting ``March 4, 2011''; and
       (2) in subsection (d), by striking ``December 31, 2010'' 
     and inserting ``March 4, 2011''.
       (c) Elderly Individuals and Individuals With Disabilities 
     Pilot Program.--Section 3012(b)(8) of the SAFETEA-LU (49 
     U.S.C. 5310 note) is amended by striking ``December 31, 
     2010'' and inserting ``March 4, 2011''.
       (d) Obligation Ceiling.--Section 3040(7) of the SAFETEA-LU 
     (Public Law 109-59; 119 Stat. 1639, is amended to read as 
     follows--
       ``(7) $4,462,196,000 for the period beginning October 1, 
     2010, and ending March 4, 2011, of which not more than 
     $3,550,376,000 shall be from the Mass Transit Account.''.
       (e) Project Authorizations for New Fixed Guideway Capital 
     Projects.--Section 3043 of SAFETEA-LU (Public Law 109-59; 119 
     Stat. 1640) is amended in subsections (b) and (c) by striking 
     ``December 31, 2010'' and inserting ``March 4, 2011''.
       (f) Allocations for National Research and Technology 
     Programs.--Section 3046 of SAFETEA-LU (49 U.S.C. 5338; 119 
     Stat. 1706) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (c)(2), by striking ``December 31, 2010'' 
     and inserting ``March 4, 2011'', and by striking ``25 
     percent'' and inserting ``\155/365\ths''.
       (2) In subsection (d)--
       (A) by striking ``2010'' and inserting ``2011''; and
       (B) by striking ``2009'' and inserting ``2010''.

     SEC. 2308. LEVEL OF OBLIGATION LIMITATIONS.

       (a) Highway Category.--Section 8003(a) of SAFETEA-LU (2 
     U.S.C. 901 note; 119 Stat. 1917) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (6) by striking ``for the period beginning 
     on October 1, 2009, and ending on September 30, 2010,'' and 
     inserting ``for fiscal year 2010,''; and
       (2) by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the following:
       ``(7) for the period beginning October 1, 2010, and ending 
     on March 4, 2011, $18,035,192,815.''.
       (b) Mass Transit Category.--Section 8003(b) of SAFETEA-LU 
     (2 U.S.C. 901 note; 119 Stat. 1917) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (6) by striking ``for the period beginning 
     on October 1, 2009, and ending on December 31, 2010,'' and 
     inserting ``for fiscal year 2010,''; and
       (2) by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the following:
       ``(7) for the period beginning October 1, 2010, and ending 
     on March 4, 2011, $4,390,137,192.''.
             Subtitle D--Extension of Expenditure Authority

     SEC. 2401. EXTENSION OF EXPENDITURE AUTHORITY.

       (a) Highway Trust Fund.--Section 9503 of the Internal 
     Revenue Code of 1986 is amended--
       (1) by striking ``December 31, 2010 (January 1, 2011, in 
     the case of expenditures for administrative expenses)'' in 
     subsections (b)(6)(B) and (c)(1) and inserting ``March 5, 
     2011'';
       (2) by striking ``the Surface Transportation Extension Act 
     of 2010'' in subsections (c)(1) and (e)(3) and inserting 
     ``the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2010, Part 
     II''; and
       (3) by striking ``January 1, 2011'' in subsection (e)(3) 
     and inserting ``March 5, 2011''.
       (b) Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund.--Section 
     9504 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended--
       (1) by striking ``Surface Transportation Extension Act of 
     2010'' each place it appears in subsection (b)(2) and 
     inserting ``Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2010, 
     Part II''; and
       (2) by striking ``January 1, 2011'' in subsection (d)(2) 
     and inserting ``March 5, 2011''.
       (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall take effect on December 31, 2010.
       This Act may be cited as the ``Continuing Appropriations 
     and Surface Transportation Extensions Act, 2011''.


                            Motion To Concur

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Mr. Obey moves that the House concur in the Senate 
     amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment to 
     H.R. 3082.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1782, the 
motion shall be debatable for 1 hour equally divided and controlled by 
the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
Appropriations.
  The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) and the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lewis) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin.
  Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I have only one speaker on this side.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. I, too, will be brief.
  Madam Speaker, Christmas is almost here, and we are no closer to 
having a budget for this fiscal year--that began in October--we are no 
closer than we were last Christmas regarding that work. As Mr. Obey 
would say, I have minimum high regard for the process that has led us 
to this moment.
  The House managed to pass just two appropriations bills this year. I 
understand the Senate passed none, I heard earlier. The remaining 10 
bills never even received full committee consideration. The House has 
dithered away the year on insignificant suspension bills. We have named 
hundreds of post offices and praised every sports team in America. But 
the House has failed in completing its essential work, the work we were 
elected to do, that is, passing a budget for the new fiscal year.
  This isn't exactly how any of us envisioned we would be wrapping up 
our legislative business this year; but with

[[Page H8909]]

the hour growing late, it appears that we are limping into the new year 
with another short-term CR. And that is the best that we can do under 
these circumstances.
  I do want to commend our colleagues in the Senate for making the 
right decision and resisting the temptation to vote for a legislative 
Christmas tree, widely known as the 12-bill omnibus. This holiday 
turkey which had grown to nearly 2,000 pages, with a price tag of $1.1 
trillion, simply collapsed under its own weight. The last thing the 
American people wanted for Christmas was yet another trillion dollars 
of government spending. So today we are passing a CR that allows the 
essential operations of government to continue into the new year when 
the real work of writing fiscally prudent spending bills can begin.
  That work will be guided by our new committee chairman, the gentleman 
from Kentucky, Hal Rogers, who will be my only speaker this evening, 
besides myself, and Hal's full committee ranking member, the gentleman 
from Washington, Norman Dicks. I want to wish them both well as they 
take on their new responsibilities.
  While David Obey and I have not agreed on very much this year, let me 
also pause for a second to express my appreciation to David and wish 
him and his wife, Joan, good health and happiness as they pursue new 
opportunities outside of the Congress.

                              {time}  1810

  And in the most direct and sincere way, let me say that David Obey is 
passionate about the things that he's passionate about. I don't agree 
with him on many policy issues, but I do want you to know this, David, 
the country and both of our great parties need an awful lot more people 
with the kind of passion display. And if we had that we'd get our work 
done in an entirely different fashion.
  Before closing, let me make two other brief comments. As frustrating 
as this year has been for me, I know it's been an even more frustrating 
year for the highly professional House Appropriations Committee. Our 
committee is blessed with hardworking, dedicated people who receive 
very little credit for the fine work they do. They are asked to 
sacrifice time away from family and friends, and do so willingly, 
working day and night and weekends and even holidays. For that, and for 
so much more, I want to express my personal thanks to both the majority 
and the minority staff of our committee. They are deserving of the 
appreciation of the entire House. And I wish the entire House was here 
to express that to them by way of their applause.
  But let me also take just a moment to thank my own staff director 
sitting beside me, Jeff Shockey, who will be leaving the committee to 
pursue other opportunities after assisting Chairman Rogers and his 
staff with transition. Jeff is well known and highly respected by every 
member of the Appropriations Committee, our leadership, and the Members 
of the House. The committee's loss is indeed a loss for the entire 
House. Jeff is one of the finest individuals with whom I've worked for 
over 15 years, and I ask the House to join me in wishing him well. Many 
don't realize that some 15 years ago Jeff actually began with us as an 
intern and has worked his way pretty close to the top, and he hasn't 
broken too many bones on the way.
  Madam Speaker, let me close by wishing our colleagues and staff on 
both sides of the aisle a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I was in error. We have two speakers on this 
side.
  I now yield 1 minute to the distinguished Speaker of the House.
  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise, not to talk about the continuing 
resolution that is before us, but in praise of the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the chair of the Appropriations Committee. And 
this, hopefully, will be the last piece of legislation, not that 
hopefully it's your last, but hopefully it's the last that this body 
will hear from the Appropriations Committee. And I want to take the 
time on this bill to express the gratitude of our colleagues in the 
House, to the people of our country who care about America's working 
families, and to all who care about a world at peace, to thank Mr. Obey 
for his tremendous leadership. I rise to celebrate his career and the 
contributions. I think he is one of the greatest appropriators and one 
of Congress' greatest legislative minds.
  For more than four decades he has fought in favor on this floor for 
the people of the Wisconsin seventh district and for America's middle 
class. He is a visionary for a better life for the American people and 
a legislative genius. He has an ability to see around corners, 
anticipate challenges and opportunities, and sustain a fight on behalf 
of what is right.
  I had the privilege of serving on the Appropriations Committee under 
the leadership of Dave Obey. He was my chairman on the full committee 
and on Labor, Health and Human Services, and he was chair for a long 
time of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations, which 
appropriated our foreign aid. To that committee, the Foreign Ops 
Committee, he brought the values of middle America to our foreign 
policy. Values-based, people-oriented, again, in the interest of our 
national security, the strength of our country and recognizing that 
that strength was also about our values.
  He then chaired the Health and Human Services Subcommittee, where he 
measured the strength of our country in another way, in the health, the 
education, the economic well-being of America's working families. To 
see him operate on that committee was to see a master at work. We use 
that phrase from time to time. In the case of Dave Obey, it is an 
understatement. I sometimes think, when he's working, of the phrase, 
you'll understand when you understand, because when David sees so far 
down the road from the rest of us, sometimes we're not quite up there 
with him, and then he is always right. I don't know whether he's a 
self-fulfilling prophecy or he's just always right from the start.
  For nearly half a century, from demanding open committee hearings, 
more transparency in our caucus, ethics reform, he has been an 
unyielding and unflinching reformer.

  Mr. Obey, again, as I've said, was my chairman and, as a chairman, he 
had no parallel. He refused to allow measures designed to harm our air, 
water, and environment into the Federal budget. And after 9/11, he 
reached across the aisle to secure funding for first responders and the 
recovery effort and to extend our investment in homeland security.
  Of course he championed Federal investments in education, and devoted 
his energy to making health insurance a right, not a privilege for all. 
And it was a special privilege for all of us here to see Dave Obey 
gavel down the health care reform bill. It is a well-deserved privilege 
for him, a recognition by his colleagues in the House that he was the 
one who should do that.
  In every hearing in his committee, and with every vote, Chairman Obey 
sought to strengthen the middle class, and he acted on the belief that 
how we invest the public's money reflects our values as a people and 
will determine the future of our country.
  The reach of Mr. Obey's achievements has extended nationwide. But his 
first priorities have always been for the families, the workers, the 
businesses, and the communities of his beloved district.
  LIHEAP, for one. We always knew how important low-income--LIHEAP is a 
term of art here, and Dave Obey has been a great champion for it, as he 
has been for Pell Grants and other initiatives that affect America's 
working families. But the aspirations of his constituents, their hopes, 
their challenges, that was his call to action.
  Chairman Obey's official biography opens with these words: ``Every 
American who works hard should be able to fully share in the bounty of 
America, and so should their families.'' This has been Dave Obey's 
mission statement. He has been a transformational figure in Congress. 
His leadership on behalf of the American people, as I said, is 
unsurpassed.
  He has been blessed by a wonderful family. And we all are grateful to 
his wife, Joan, and his sons for sharing David with us. We also want to 
salute his staff person, his staff director, Beverly Pheto, for her 
leadership and her excellent work, and some might say, her patience 
with this great mind.
  I just have to tell one story on Dave Obey because I just love it so 
much.

[[Page H8910]]

Dave Obey, as I mentioned, was the Chair of the Foreign Ops 
Subcommittee. Some years later, after Charlie Wilson was chair in that, 
I had the privilege of becoming the ranking member on that committee, 
no longer in the majority. So when we went to the floor for the first 
bill that we were managing, that I was managing on the minority side, I 
was very prepared and ready and wanted to please David.
  So I made my case, we won our amendments. I see Congresswoman Lowey 
is here who now chairs the Foreign Ops Committee. And after we won our 
amendments, it was very bipartisan then. It wasn't that 
confrontational.
  But, in any event, after it was finished, and the job was done, I 
looked to David for some sign of something, at least that it was over. 
And David said to me, You did all right, but I think you could have 
been more diplomatic.

                              {time}  1820

  Now, hearing Dave Obey tell me I should be more diplomatic, well, 
David, of all the things he is known for, diplomacy is not among them. 
And that happened to be on the heels of running into Barney Frank on my 
way to the rostrum to manage the bill. He said to me, That suit you 
have on, give it away. It looks terrible on you.
  And I thought, In 1 day, I have gotten fashion advice from Barney 
Frank and diplomacy advice from David Obey. Maybe I will go home and 
start all over again, with all due respect to their various strengths.
  Reformer, visionary, public servant, David Obey has our gratitude and 
our appreciation. We will miss him enormously. He cannot be replaced. 
His legacy will live long in this body and in this country. We will 
long benefit from his leadership, his commitment, his values, his 
impatience, his eloquence, his Archy. His Archy, whose words of wisdom 
have guided us on occasions where other eloquence may have fallen 
short.
  The Congress he loves so much will miss Dave Obey. And I hope that he 
leaves here knowing the high regard that his colleagues hold him in, 
the deep respect we have for his intellect, his boundless energy, and 
from time to time, yes, his humor, and occasionally his diplomacy.
  So, Mr. Chairman, thank you. It has been an honor to serve with you. 
I know, again, that I speak for all of our colleagues when I say it is 
an honor to call you ``colleague.'' Thank you, Mr. Obey, for what you 
have done for our country.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I have only one speaker, but 
I am very happy to yield all the time he might consume to Hal Rogers, 
the chairman-elect of the Appropriations Committee.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Thank you, Mr. Lewis, for yielding time.
  It's been a real pleasure, and I mean that very sincerely, working 
under the leadership of Jerry Lewis on our side of the aisle, both as 
chairman and as ranking member of this committee for these last 6 
years. He has been gracious in every way. He has lent his talent and 
his wisdom to us as we prepare to do business. And not the least, he 
has volunteered his terrific staff, led by Jeff Shockey, to help us in 
the transition. And I can't say enough to thank Jerry Lewis and all of 
the staff for all the great work that you have done for the country and 
continue to do. And we have got some heavy work cut out for you as 
well, and for the staff.
  Madam Speaker, in my vocabulary, one of the most complimentary things 
I could say is a person is a difference maker. A difference maker sees 
circumstances that are not correct and applies wisdom and intelligence 
and perseverance and talent to change. And I can't think of a bigger 
difference maker--sometimes I thought in the wrong direction, but a 
difference maker--than David Obey. During my tenure here, coinciding 
with his, we have watched him over the years with that tenacity and 
innovation, sometimes blustery, sometimes entertaining, but always very 
efficient. And we will miss David Obey in this body.
  This is the last chance that we will have, perhaps, to say good-bye 
and best wishes. But I think I speak for the entire body when we say to 
David Obey, Thank you for your service to America. Thank you for your 
leadership and your talent on this committee. And we wish you the very 
best in your future endeavors, especially during the next week as we 
all celebrate the birth of the Christ child.
  And to Beverly and to Jeff and all of the staff on both sides of the 
aisle, the long hours that these people put in so that the rest of us 
can look good perhaps is not appreciated fully, and we need to 
continuously do that.
  So to David Obey, bon voyage, best of luck to you. And thank you, 
Jerry, for the great service you are rendering your country.
  Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey).
  Mrs. LOWEY. I thank the chair for yielding to me because it's been 
such an honor for me to serve with David Obey, one of the most 
effective legislators this body has known. And we are so sad to see 
your service in Congress coming to an end.
  People have described David many ways: direct, gruff, cantankerous, 
and maybe even some words not suitable for the Congressional Record. 
But for me, it has been such a great honor to serve with somebody who 
exemplifies exactly what a Representative should be. He is one of the 
most principled legislators this body has ever known.
  David's critical role in bringing to an end the Vietnam War, a sad 
chapter in American history, is well known. He understands and takes 
seriously the congressional role in authorizing war and peace, and he 
has never taken lightly our solemn obligation to the American people in 
this regard.
  He has served this institution with great honesty. Regardless of your 
request, idea, opinion, or question, you never have to wonder about 
where David Obey stands. He is always going to tell it to you straight. 
And even in holding one of the most powerful positions in Congress, he 
never lost sight of who exactly sent him here--the people of 
Wisconsin's Seventh District.
  To this day, more than 40 years after he was elected to Congress, he 
still maintains the fierce, dogged determination on behalf of the 
health, education, safety, and economic opportunity of the people of 
Wisconsin. The United States Congress is a better institution, the 
people of Wisconsin are better off today as a result of your service. 
And even though some may describe you in colorful ways, I will always 
be proud to call you a colleague and a dear friend.
  Mr. OBEY. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished majority leader, the 
gentleman from Maryland.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I hesitate to speak of course, lest we get off message, but I am 
going to take that chance in any event.
  I have had the opportunity of serving for a long period of time with 
Mr. Lewis, Mr. Rogers, Mrs. Lowey, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Dicks on the 
Appropriations Committee. I am not sure I see anybody else who served 
on that Appropriations Committee with us. And I served on the Labor, 
Health, Human Services, and Education Subcommittee of the 
Appropriations Committee. And I went on in January of 1983. I won't go 
all through every year from 1983 to today. That would take too long and 
would bore you stiff.
  But I had the great privilege of sitting just a couple of chairs from 
the gentleman from Wisconsin, who had been in the Congress some 12 
years before I came, having been elected in 1969. Served over four 
decades in this body. I will adopt all the words that were ascribed to 
him by the gentlewoman from New York, but three words that I would use 
are ``tough,'' ``courageous,'' and ``effective.''

                              {time}  1830

  I think the gentleman from Kentucky caught it as well. He is a 
difference maker. I think, Congressman Rogers, your words were very 
appropriate, not because you agreed or others agreed necessarily with 
the difference he wanted to make, but you knew if David Obey was 
engaged in an issue, he would make a difference on that issue.
  From my perspective, the good news is David Obey was almost 
invariably engaged on the issues he thought affected average people, 
who were not so average at all. Whether it was their education, their 
health, their housing, making sure the NIH was trying to find cures for 
diseases that afflicted them,

[[Page H8911]]

whether he was standing up to make sure that people in the cold of 
winter had heat or in the scorching heat of summer had air conditioning 
to keep them healthy, David Obey could always be counted on as a 
strong, unwavering, uncowering voice on behalf of people who needed a 
voice. They had a special interest, but they did not have money to hire 
voices. They needed voices in this body that we know as the people's 
House.
  The people on some 20 occasions returned David Obey to the Congress 
of the United States. Maybe it was one more than that, 21 occasions. 
They returned David Obey to the Congress of the United States because 
they saw in David Obey that voice that they needed and wanted and 
respected.
  David Obey, in addition to the three attributes I ascribed to him, is 
honest. One of the things I most admire in David Obey and one of the 
things I most cherished was his slaying of the dragon of hypocrisy. I 
don't think anything angered David Obey more than seeing hypocrisy. 
There is too much hypocrisy, where we say, Oh, we are for this, and 
then we vote for that, or vice versa. We could always count on David 
saying, Hey, you want to be honest? Stop posing for holy pictures.
  I am sure that has been mentioned during the course of this, because 
there is a famous phrase that we all remember by David Obey. By that, 
he meant, of course, be real. Don't try to flim-flam the public. Stand 
up for what you believe in, not what you think people want to hear. And 
we had no better example and no more faithful example of that 
performance than David Obey.
  I want to thank David Obey. I want to thank him for being my friend. 
I want to thank him for being an example of what Members of Congress 
ought to be. I want to thank him for being a steadfast, faithful voice 
for the people who needed a voice, a leader on behalf of the principles 
that I think this country was speaking about when it said that we 
establish a government to protect the general welfare. David Obey 
believed that to his very core, and every day of his service his belief 
was manifest in his actions.
  I also want to thank my friend Jerry Lewis. Every day that I served 
on the Appropriations Committee, I served with Jerry Lewis, and almost 
every day with Hal Rogers. Hal came a little after Jerry and I came to 
the committee.
  One of the things that I recall to people about this committee is 
that for most of my service, not all of my service, unfortunately, but 
for most of my service it was arguably the most bipartisan committee in 
the Congress of the United States, where we worked together, made 
determinations together. And, yes, there were differences, but we did 
so in a civil, collegiate way that the American public I think would 
have appreciated.
  Jerry Lewis has been someone who has focused on our institution. For 
many of the years that I served, Jerry Lewis and Vic Fazio from 
California were chairs of the Legislative appropriations committee, and 
they worked together as a team to make this institution more effective, 
better serving its Members and better enabling its Members to serve the 
Nation.
  Jerry, I want to thank you for your service as chairman of the 
committee, but as a member of the committee and certainly as chair of 
the committee that didn't get much publicity and sometimes was a 
thankless job, but was a job that you and Vic did in the best 
traditions of what the American public says it wants--bipartisan 
cooperation, positive partnership--and I thank you for that.
  Hal, I wish you the best of luck as you undertake these 
responsibilities. We are losing a giant as David Obey retires. David 
Obey chose to retire. There is no doubt in my mind if he had chosen to 
run again, his people would have sent him back.
  So, David Obey, you have been a great Member of this Congress. You 
have served your country, your State, and our people well. We are, all 
of us, in your debt. Godspeed.
  Mr. OBEY. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from 
Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).
  Ms. DeLAURO. I met David Obey 20 years ago. I was elected to this 
body, never having run for office before. I came to the freshman 
orientation. I sat at the end of a long table and I listened to people 
come in and tell us what we needed to know about this institution. And 
I listened to one David Obey at the far end of the table, from 
Wisconsin, and he spoke about appropriations and he spoke about the 
budget process and the Budget Committee, et cetera. And I said to 
myself, My god, what have I done? I am in so far over my head, I am 
never going to make it.
  Over 20 years, David Obey has become one of my dearest friends, my 
mentor, and, yes, we do conspire to try to do good things. He has shown 
me the power of this great institution and how it can change people's 
lives, to make opportunity real for people, for ordinary people. He is 
a smart, he is a savvy legislator. No one knows more about the issues, 
about the politics, and about the process and about getting it done.
  He is incorruptible, and, as many know, he does not suffer fools. And 
he is a real flesh-and-blood human being. He has passion on the issues 
that we deal with, and they are based on a wellspring of values. Born 
and raised in a working class family in Wisconsin, he knows what the 
struggle is about. He has walked in the shoes of the people of this 
country, and he knows that it is this great institution that can turn 
it around.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. OBEY. I yield the gentlewoman 1 additional minute.
  Ms. DeLAURO. He tells the truth fearlessly, and he is a patriot in 
every sense of the word.
  I will miss David's commitment, his dedication, and his integrity. 
And though soon no longer to be a colleague, he will always be my 
friend, and I think I know that whenever I am in trouble, I can pick up 
the phone and say, David, what should I do?
  I will miss you deeply, my friend. I will miss you deeply.
  Mr. OBEY. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Edwards).
  Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Madam Speaker, David Obey would be the first to 
say our democracy is bigger than any one of us, but I come here tonight 
to say that in the history of Congress, he is truly one of its giants. 
It is hard to imagine Congress without him. He has been a giant of 
courage, a giant of ethics, a giant of insight and wisdom as an 
institutionalist who believes in this House with all of his heart and 
soul, and a giant in the fight for everyday citizens who often don't 
have a voice speaking for them.

                              {time}  1840

  I want to pay special tribute to Chairman Obey for what he has done 
so quietly behind the scenes for America's veterans. He has been their 
unsung hero. In the 4 years that he has chaired the Appropriations 
Committee--these past 4 years--we have ended up, under his leadership 
and in partnership with Speaker Pelosi, with 3,000 new VA doctors, 
13,000 new VA nurses, and 145 new VA community clinics. All of that 
means better care, more timely care, more quality care for America's 
heroes and their families. It means respect to those who serve--respect 
with our deeds and not just with words.
  The greatest tribute I can pay as a father to Dave Obey is he has 
truly made a difference for my family and for the American family. 
Perhaps the greatest tribute he could hear, though, is that, I would 
say if Archy the Cockroach and Richard Bolling were here today on the 
floor of this House, they would say, Mr. Chairman, job well done.
  It has been a privilege to work with you and to learn from you. You 
will have left this country a better place. For that, we all thank you 
and salute you.
  Mr. OBEY. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Dicks).
  Mr. DICKS. First of all, I want to thank David Obey for all the help 
that he has given me over my entire career. I can remember the first 
weekend I was going to be on the committee, I called him at home and I 
said, Do you think I can offer this amendment to change the size and 
ratio of subcommittees? And he says, They'll never let you do it, but 
I'll vote for it because it's the right thing to do. That's how I first 
met David Obey.
  After 30 years, when I became chairman of the Interior Appropriations

[[Page H8912]]

Subcommittee, I relied on him greatly for a good 302(b) allocation. 
Because of that, good 302(b) allocation we were able to do some 
incredible things. We had been working together on the national parks. 
We had worked on the fish and wildlife refuges. We had worked on 
improving the arts and humanities. And the Interior appropriations bill 
I know was one that David enjoyed immensely because he always was 
asking me, How's this going? How's that going?
  And I just want to thank him for everything that he's done in the 
last few days and over the years. He has been a tremendous leader. He 
has done great things for this country. Our natural resources are 
stronger because of David Obey. And I have enjoyed being with he and 
Joan at Zion and out at Olympic National Park this year. We've had some 
wonderful experiences.
  I want to say to my friend, Jerry Lewis, who's done a great job, 
Jerry and I have been friends. We traveled together. When I became 
chairman of the Defense Subcommittee after the loss of our great 
friend, Jack Murtha, Jerry and Jeff went with me on almost every single 
trip to help me, to be there, and to show support. It made a great 
difference. I want to say, Jerry, I will always remember it.
  Hal, I look forward to next year. We'll work together. I hope that we 
can have a successful year; that we can get these bills passed. You 
will have my cooperation.
  Again, Bev and all the staff, those are the people--Paul Juola is 
here from the Defense Subcommittee. I've never seen people work as hard 
as the staff of the House Appropriations Committee. They're there every 
day, night, weekends. It's amazing to me the work that they put in. I 
just appreciate so much, having been a former staffer myself, how much 
more professionalism and how much more capability this staff has. 
David, you and Bev built a great staff, and we hope to keep that staff.
  Thank you for your help and thank you for your friendship.
  Mr. OBEY. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Price).
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, when I realized this 
tribute was underway, this spontaneous tribute on the floor of the 
House, I rushed over here because I very much want to add my word of 
respect and commendation and friendship as we recognize Dave Obey's 
years of service in this body and his retirement.
  I have been drawn to Dave and his knowledge of this institution, to 
his mentorship and leadership, ever since my earliest days here. I came 
here from a background as a student of the Congress; here was actually 
an architect of the modern Congress, generous with stories and accounts 
of his early days here with the Democratic Study Group and the reforms 
that transformed this place in the 1970s.
  He has carried that spirit of reform forward, and is still a reformer 
at heart. So I have been intrigued with that, as have many colleagues, 
and have learned a great deal from Dave Obey about that history, but 
also from our day-to-day association. He has an incomparable knowledge 
of the history of this place, a mastery of the House and a great 
loyalty to the institution, and a desire to make it work better. We all 
know that and admire him for it.
  In more recent years, Dave has been best known as the distinguished 
ranking member and then chairman of the Appropriations Committee. He 
has exemplified what those of us on the Committee like to think of as 
the spirit of appropriations--the work ethic and mastery of the bills; 
the careful drafting, line by line; the holding of the administration 
accountable, no matter which party is in charge in the White House; and 
the sense that appropriations--the power of the purse--is really at the 
heart of this institution's constitutional role. We need to do 
appropriations well, we need to do it cooperatively, and we need to 
assert ourselves as an institution, calling the executive agencies to 
account.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. OBEY. I yield the gentleman 30 additional seconds.
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. David Obey has been a master of 
procedure and strategy, a masterful chairman of appropriations.
  Finally, let me say this: Sometimes it's thought around here that in 
order to be effective, in order to be well liked, in order to do the 
job, you've got to be a go-along, get-along kind of guy. Well, that is 
not Dave Obey. In fact, it's precisely because of his forcefulness, 
precisely because of his passion for justice, his unyielding 
determination to fight for what he believes in, that he has our respect 
and affection and the effectiveness in this institution that he has. In 
that respect, as in so many others, he's been a role model for us all, 
and I'm proud to join in this salute here tonight.
  Mr. OBEY. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from West 
Virginia (Mr. Mollohan).
  Mr. MOLLOHAN. Madam Speaker, I'm pleased to stand up and have the 
opportunity and honor to say a few words about the distinguished 
chairman of the Appropriations Committee, my chairman, David Obey. We 
all operate on teams here in the Congress. I'm especially proud to be 
on David Obey's team, serving as one of the chairmen of one of the 
subcommittees under David's jurisdiction.
  David has long distinguished himself in public service. He started in 
the Wisconsin Assembly in 1963, and served until 1969. At the beginning 
of his career he may have stumbled into the wrong political party. But 
seeing the Joe McCarthy experience, he soon learned and developed an 
aversion for duplicity and felt that the Democratic Party was the home 
for him. I think they best reflect his Midwestern values and his 
progressive attitudes. I associate myself with those values and those 
attitudes, which makes it especially pleasurable to be a part of his 
team.
  I'm sure it's been mentioned here before that David served in 
Congress for a long time and that he came to the Congress as the 
youngest Member when he came, at 30 years old, and he's served 42 
years. So, do the math. And now he's voluntarily retiring from this 
institution, having left a very distinguished record from the 
beginning. Arriving with new ideas about how the Congress ought to 
operate and how it ought to be more open and how it ought to be more 
embracing of new Members, he was extremely effective in implementing 
those ideas, moving on through his career to higher responsibilities 
and becoming, ultimately, chairman of, as we refer to it, the powerful 
Appropriations Committee.

                              {time}  1850

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. OBEY. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.
  Mr. MOLLOHAN. His values that he came here with he continued to want 
to express. It was very important for him to continue his service as 
chairman of the Labor, HHS, Education Subcommittee where he could 
really affect all of those constituencies, which really allowed him to 
do those things that were important to him and to express that 
progressive attitude.
  Madam Speaker, David Obey has been a real contribution to the United 
States Congress. During his career--and it will be lasting after his 
career--his mark has been indelible in the reforms that are reflected 
in how we do business here. I don't know of a person in the institution 
who could have assimilated within the appropriations process--the rules 
and changes in procedures in the way we did business in response to 
legitimate concerns about the appropriations process--better than David 
Obey. It was his ability to separate the chaff from the grain, to 
understand what were legitimate expressions of concern about the 
appropriations process, his ability to deal with them, and his 
embracing the prerogatives of the appropriations process. At the same 
time, we recognize the process of the legislative branch reflects that 
which will really be his legacy.
  Madam Speaker, thank you for allowing me to say a few words. I want 
to personally thank David Obey for his personal considerations.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I had indicated I had no 
additional speakers, but with this display of love and affection this 
evening, my colleague, Tom Cole from Oklahoma, just had to come down 
for a couple of minutes.
  I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole).

[[Page H8913]]

  Mr. COLE. I thank the gentleman for allowing me to have time.
  Madam Speaker, I must admit I was in my office, signing letters, with 
the television off--muted--when I noticed a succession of Democratic 
speakers, which, as a former NRCC chairman, was a horror to just watch 
one after the other. I thought we must be getting beaten to death down 
there. What's going on?
  So I flipped on the sound, actually, just in time to see Mr. Rogers 
from Kentucky come on, and I thought this is actually some sort of 
bipartisan lovefest going on. We don't have a lot of that around here, 
and I wanted to get down and participate.
  You know, this is not, frankly, a very good time to be a Member of 
Congress. None of us are held in high esteem by the American public. I 
think it is an even more difficult time, quite frankly, to be a member 
of the Appropriations Committee because there are times when I think 
we're not held in much esteem by our own colleagues. I have heard so 
many things from some of our good friends on the authorizing committees 
that I think they forget the very simple fact that they always 
authorize more money than we spend on the Appropriations Committee and 
that we are usually left with the tough job of reconciling differences 
that have been unresolved on the authorizing committees. It is 
something that needs to be experienced by every Member of Congress 
before they appreciate the magnitude and the quality of the work that 
goes on on this particular committee.
  I had the opportunity to know my good friend Chairman Lewis many, 
many years ago. In 1991, I arrived in Washington, D.C., to be the 
executive director of the National Republican Congressional Committee. 
I had been here a few weeks when, all of a sudden, I got a message that 
I needed to go over and see my friend, who was the conference chairman. 
I thought I've only been in town a month, and I've already managed to 
offend one of the most powerful Republicans in Congress. I actually 
brought a staff member with me so that, if I were in real trouble, the 
staff guy and the additional staff guy could handle the problems.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.
  Mr. COLE. We chatted for a minute, and the gentleman immediately 
said, Well, actually, I just wanted to get to know you because I'd 
heard a couple of nice things about you.

  Since that time, he has been nothing but kind and generous to me. 
Frankly, I've watched him define what a Member and an appropriator 
ought to be year in and year out in the minority and in the majority. 
He has just absolutely served this body with incredible class and 
incredible character and incredible professionalism every single day he 
has been here.
  I would be remiss not to talk about my friend Chairman Obey as well. 
Frankly, I'd heard about Chairman Obey--again, before I'd ever 
arrived--from my old boss, Mickey Edwards. Mickey Edwards told me he 
was often wrong but always honest, and you could deal with him. Indeed, 
I found that to be the case on the last two points, not necessarily on 
the first. He has been a wonderful chairman, a wonderful colleague, 
somebody who is a credit to this institution and a credit to his 
district. I think he defines, as my friend Mr. Lewis does, who and what 
a chairman ought to be and how a Member of this body ought to act.
  If everybody in America knew these two gentlemen, the opinion of this 
institution would be enormously higher.
  Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, we really do need to bring this to a 
conclusion, so I yield 1 minute to the last speaker, the gentleman from 
Vermont (Mr. Welch).
  Mr. WELCH. Thank you.
  You know, the challenge, I think, every person who is elected to 
Congress faces is: How do you challenge the institution but respect it? 
How do you stretch the limits but abide by tradition and see its 
importance?
  David Obey has managed, over the course of a long career, to do it.
  He came here as a young man, aged 30. When he came here and saw what 
was here, he didn't like everything he saw, and he did challenge it. He 
moved up in the hierarchy here, out of turn, faster than many people 
thought he should because he did challenge the institution, but he did 
it in a way that he respected what the Congress had to do as an 
institution.
  You know, people talk about his irascible temper, or his 
irascibility, but he leaves with the same passion to challenge the 
institution--to challenge its limits but to respect fundamentally that 
this institution has traditions that we all are custodians of. When we 
are at our best, we manage to do both.
  David Obey, over a long career, you have done that. Thank you very 
much.
  Mr. OBEY. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Ohio 
(Ms. Kaptur).
  Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, it is very hard to find an honest man in life, and I 
would like to place on the record that David Obey is an honest man and 
that he served the people of his district admirably all these years. 
Some have wondered about his contentious nature on occasion, but you'd 
really have to understand what a ``Badger'' is to know where that all 
comes from.
  He has been a phenomenal husband, as I know his wife agrees, and has 
been a very, very good father. He has been a friend to all the Members 
who have served. He has treated us fairly, and his brilliance reflected 
in his books and in the laws and in the efforts that he has made here 
over decades and decades simply cannot be replaced. We from the Midwest 
know what we are losing as he chooses to leave this institution.
  I want to thank him for all he has done for the Great Lakes Region, 
for the people of Ohio, for our country, and for setting a standard, 
for those who follow, that will be very, very hard to meet and that 
will probably never be fully met.
  I want to thank this great Badger for his years of service to America 
and helping move liberty forward.
  God bless you and your family, Dave.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I am more than happy to 
express my deep appreciation for the service of David Obey.
  I yield back the balance of my time.


                             General Leave

  Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on the pending legislation.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I appreciate all of the kind words that have 
been said about me tonight. I must confess that I sometimes am more at 
ease when I am being pummeled than when I am being praised, but maybe 
that's just my quirky character.

                              {time}  1900

  Let me simply say that this is the last time that I will be making 
any comments on this floor. I want to thank the Members on both sides 
of the aisle for their courtesies over the past 42 years, and I want to 
say that it has been a privilege for each and every one of us, whether 
we have served here one term or 21 or even more, it is a privilege for 
all of us to have been sent to this place, to the people's House. I can 
think of no greater privilege and you cannot. This is the only place in 
the government that you have to be elected in order to occupy our jobs. 
In the Senate you don't have to be elected. Even in the Presidency, you 
don't have to be elected under quirky circumstances, and I think all of 
us can be proud of that distinction.
  Let me also say, Madam Speaker, that I do think I need to say at 
least a word or two about the subject at hand, this piece of 
legislation. John Wesley said that his rule for living was this: do all 
the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in 
all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you 
can, as long as ever you can.
  I wish I could say that this legislation lived up to that lofty goal. 
It does not. It has many, many shortcomings.
  The only reason for supporting this legislation today--and it is an 
overriding one--is to keep the government operating. If I were to vote 
my preferences, I would vote ``no'' because I believe we should have 
before us today a continuing resolution for the rest of

[[Page H8914]]

the fiscal year. The only reason we do not is because only in the 
United States Senate can you get a majority of votes for any 
proposition and still lose because of their peculiar rules.
  I think the difference between the way our two respective parties 
have handled similar situations is interesting.
  Four years ago, when our party took control after 12 years of rule by 
our friends on the other side of the aisle, the outgoing Republican 
majority chose to simply dump most of the work for that fiscal year 
onto the incoming Democratic majority by passing a short-term CR. That 
meant that we had to spend the first 2 months dealing with the previous 
year's business rather than being able to start with a clean slate in 
dealing with new problems.
  In contrast, today's outgoing Democratic majority has tried mightily 
to clear the deck for the incoming Republican majority by producing a 
full-year CR, which attempts to compromise by producing funding levels 
that were $46 billion below the President's budget and which amounted 
to a freeze at the previous year's level. Passage of that legislation 
would have meant that the incoming Republican majority would be able to 
start with a clean slate in working with the President on a whole host 
of major problems.
  But, instead, we are here today confronted with this legislation, 
which expires on March 4 and which will require the incoming Republican 
majority to spend the first 2 months of its stewardship dealing with 
last year's business. I think that's unfortunate. Through the use of 
the Senate filibuster, it has been assured that we could not complete a 
full-year CR. That action simply mirrors the procedural resistance with 
which we have been faced all year long with the Senate minority 
engaging in more than 87 filibuster actions in order to grind matters 
to a halt and frustrate the Congress' ability to do anything on the 
budget front by majority vote.
  That is unfortunate; but at this late date, there is no point in 
arguing. The die is cast, obviously. The only responsible choice at 
this point is to recognize reality, even though that means that the 
early days of the next Congress will be unnecessarily confrontational 
and partisan. It means that, on budget issues, most of next year will 
simply be about demonstrating political leverage rather than working 
through honest, substantive differences to reasonable conclusions. 
Because of that, I most reluctantly, but firmly, suggest an ``aye'' 
vote.
  I want to take an additional minute to thank two people in this 
Chamber who the public will never know, but there are many, many of 
them over Capitol Hill who work day in and day out to produce a better 
country, and the public never knows their names. One of them with us 
tonight is Jeff Shockey, who has done an admirable job as minority 
staff director on the committee for years. Sometimes I wish he hadn't 
been so good, but I do appreciate the work that he has done.
  And, lastly, I do not know what I would have done without Beverly 
Pheto as the chairman of the Appropriations Committee. She is an 
absolute true professional. She has imagination, she has courage, she 
has stamina, and most of all, she has an amazing ability to put up with 
me, and that alone ought to get her the Congressional Medal of Honor.
  So, with that, I would simply say good-bye to you-all, and I would 
hope that we would cast a responsible vote so that we can get about the 
country's business next year, even though many of us will not be here 
to participate.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this Continuing 
Resolution, which will fund government operations at FY 2010 levels 
through March 4, 2011.
  Madam Speaker, this bill is not my first choice, or even my second 
choice. And I don't think anyone believes our country is well-served by 
having its government run on a series of short-term funding measures. 
But since the Senate was apparently unable to act on either the House-
passed year- long Continuing Resolution, or an Omnibus spending 
package, we are left with today's resolution.
  When the 112th Congress convenes, I sincerely hope we will be able to 
return to regular order and enact annual, fully vetted, fiscally 
responsible spending bills that reflect the pliorities and values of 
our nation.
  Mr. OBEY. I yield back the balance of my time
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1782, the 
previous question is ordered.
  The question is on the motion by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Obey).
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, this 15-
minute vote on the motion to concur will be followed by a 5-minute vote 
on suspending the rules with regard to H.R. 6547.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 193, 
nays 165, not voting 75, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 662]

                               YEAS--193

     Ackerman
     Altmire
     Andrews
     Arcuri
     Baldwin
     Barrow
     Bean
     Becerra
     Berkley
     Berman
     Bishop (GA)
     Bishop (NY)
     Bonner
     Boren
     Boswell
     Boucher
     Brady (PA)
     Braley (IA)
     Brown, Corrine
     Butterfield
     Capps
     Capuano
     Cardoza
     Carnahan
     Carney
     Carson (IN)
     Castor (FL)
     Chandler
     Clarke
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Conyers
     Cooper
     Costa
     Courtney
     Critz
     Crowley
     Cuellar
     Cummings
     Dahlkemper
     Davis (AL)
     Davis (CA)
     Davis (TN)
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     Dicks
     Dingell
     Donnelly (IN)
     Driehaus
     Edwards (MD)
     Edwards (TX)
     Ellison
     Ellsworth
     Engel
     Eshoo
     Etheridge
     Farr
     Fattah
     Filner
     Foster
     Frank (MA)
     Fudge
     Garamendi
     Gonzalez
     Gordon (TN)
     Grayson
     Green, Al
     Grijalva
     Hall (NY)
     Halvorson
     Hare
     Harman
     Hastings (FL)
     Heinrich
     Higgins
     Himes
     Hinchey
     Hirono
     Holden
     Holt
     Hoyer
     Inslee
     Israel
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson Lee (TX)
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Kagen
     Kaptur
     Kildee
     Kilroy
     Kind
     Kirkpatrick (AZ)
     Kissell
     Klein (FL)
     Kosmas
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Levin
     Lewis (GA)
     Lipinski
     Loebsack
     Lowey
     Lujan
     Lynch
     Maloney
     Markey (CO)
     Markey (MA)
     Marshall
     Matsui
     McDermott
     McGovern
     McNerney
     Meek (FL)
     Meeks (NY)
     Miller (NC)
     Miller, George
     Minnick
     Mollohan
     Moore (WI)
     Moran (VA)
     Murphy (CT)
     Murphy (NY)
     Murphy, Patrick
     Nadler (NY)
     Napolitano
     Oberstar
     Obey
     Olver
     Owens
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Perlmutter
     Peters
     Peterson
     Pingree (ME)
     Polis (CO)
     Pomeroy
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Rahall
     Rangel
     Richardson
     Ross
     Rothman (NJ)
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruppersberger
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez, Linda T.
     Sarbanes
     Schakowsky
     Schauer
     Schiff
     Schrader
     Schwartz
     Scott (GA)
     Scott (VA)
     Serrano
     Sestak
     Shea-Porter
     Sherman
     Shuler
     Skelton
     Slaughter
     Snyder
     Space
     Speier
     Spratt
     Stupak
     Sutton
     Teague
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Tierney
     Titus
     Tonko
     Towns
     Tsongas
     Van Hollen
     Velazquez
     Walz
     Waters
     Watson
     Watt
     Waxman
     Weiner
     Welch
     Wilson (OH)
     Woolsey
     Yarmuth

                               NAYS--165

     Aderholt
     Akin
     Alexander
     Austria
     Bachmann
     Bachus
     Bartlett
     Biggert
     Bilbray
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (UT)
     Blackburn
     Blunt
     Boccieri
     Boehner
     Bono Mack
     Boozman
     Boustany
     Brady (TX)
     Broun (GA)
     Buchanan
     Burgess
     Burton (IN)
     Cantor
     Capito
     Carter
     Cassidy
     Castle
     Chaffetz
     Childers
     Coffman (CO)
     Cole
     Conaway
     Connolly (VA)
     Davis (KY)
     DeFazio
     Dent
     Diaz-Balart, M.
     Djou
     Doggett
     Dreier
     Duncan
     Ehlers
     Emerson
     Flake
     Fleming
     Forbes
     Fortenberry
     Foxx
     Franks (AZ)
     Frelinghuysen
     Gallegly
     Garrett (NJ)
     Gerlach
     Giffords
     Gingrey (GA)
     Gohmert
     Goodlatte
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (MO)
     Guthrie
     Hall (TX)
     Harper
     Hastings (WA)
     Hensarling
     Herger
     Hoekstra
     Hunter
     Inglis
     Issa
     Jenkins
     Johnson (IL)
     Jordan (OH)
     King (IA)
     Kingston
     Kline (MN)
     Kratovil
     Kucinich
     Lamborn
     Lance
     Latham
     LaTourette
     Latta
     Lee (NY)
     Lewis (CA)
     LoBiondo
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lummis
     Lungren, Daniel E.
     Mack
     Maffei
     Manzullo
     Matheson
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McCollum
     McCotter
     McHenry
     McIntyre
     McKeon
     Mica
     Michaud
     Miller (FL)
     Miller (MI)
     Murphy, Tim
     Myrick
     Neugebauer
     Nye
     Olson
     Paul
     Paulsen
     Pence
     Perriello
     Petri
     Pitts
     Platts
     Poe (TX)
     Posey
     Price (GA)
     Putnam
     Reed
     Rehberg
     Reichert
     Rodriguez
     Roe (TN)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rogers (MI)
     Rohrabacher
     Rooney
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roskam
     Royce
     Ryan (WI)
     Scalise
     Schmidt
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Shadegg
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Stearns
     Stutzman
     Sullivan
     Taylor
     Terry
     Thompson (PA)

[[Page H8915]]


     Thornberry
     Tiahrt
     Tiberi
     Turner
     Upton
     Visclosky
     Walden
     Westmoreland
     Whitfield
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Wolf
     Wu

                             NOT VOTING--75

     Adler (NJ)
     Baca
     Baird
     Barrett (SC)
     Barton (TX)
     Berry
     Blumenauer
     Boyd
     Bright
     Brown (SC)
     Brown-Waite, Ginny
     Buyer
     Calvert
     Camp
     Campbell
     Cao
     Chu
     Clay
     Coble
     Costello
     Crenshaw
     Culberson
     Davis (IL)
     Delahunt
     Deutch
     Diaz-Balart, L.
     Doyle
     Fallin
     Granger
     Green, Gene
     Griffith
     Gutierrez
     Heller
     Herseth Sandlin
     Hill
     Hinojosa
     Hodes
     Honda
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones
     Kanjorski
     Kennedy
     Kilpatrick (MI)
     King (NY)
     Lee (CA)
     Linder
     Lofgren, Zoe
     Marchant
     McCarthy (CA)
     McCarthy (NY)
     McMahon
     McMorris Rodgers
     Melancon
     Miller, Gary
     Mitchell
     Moore (KS)
     Moran (KS)
     Neal (MA)
     Nunes
     Ortiz
     Pastor (AZ)
     Radanovich
     Reyes
     Rush
     Salazar
     Sanchez, Loretta
     Schock
     Sires
     Smith (WA)
     Stark
     Tanner
     Wamp
     Wasserman Schultz
     Young (AK)
     Young (FL)


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (during the vote). Members have 2 minutes 
remaining in this vote.

                              {time}  1935

  Mr. WU changed his vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
  So the motion was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________