[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 141 (Wednesday, September 21, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H6315-H6328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2012
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2608.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Kentucky?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution
405, I call up the bill (H.R. 2608) to provide for an additional
temporary extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the
Small Business Investment Act of 1958, and for other purposes, with the
Senate amendment thereto, and 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.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Senate amendment:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Small Business Program
Extension and Reform Act of 2011''.
SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL TEMPORARY EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATION OF
PROGRAMS UNDER THE SMALL BUSINESS ACT AND THE
SMALL BUSINESS INVESTMENT ACT OF 1958.
(a) In General.--Section 1 of the Act entitled ``An Act to
extend temporarily certain authorities of the Small Business
Administration'', approved October 10, 2006 (Public Law 109-
316; 120 Stat. 1742), as most recently amended by section 2
of the Small Business Additional Temporary Extension Act of
2011 (Public Law 112-17; 125 Stat. 221), is amended by
striking ``July 31, 2011'' each place it appears and
inserting ``July 31, 2012''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a)
shall take effect on July 30, 2011.
SEC. 3. REPEALS AND OTHER TERMINATIONS.
(a) General Provisions.--
(1) Effective date.--A repeal or other termination of a
provision of law made by this section shall take effect on
October 1, 2011.
(2) Rule.--Nothing in this section shall affect any grant
or assistance provided, contract or cooperative agreement
entered into, or loan made or guaranteed before October 1,
2011 under a provision of law repealed or otherwise
terminated by this section and any such grant, assistance,
contract, cooperative agreement, or loan shall be subject to
the applicable repealed or otherwise terminated provision, as
in effect on September 30, 2011.
(3) Applicability of temporary extensions.--A repeal or
other termination of a provision of law made by this section
shall have effect notwithstanding any temporary extension of
programs, authority, or provisions under the Act entitled
``An Act to extend temporarily certain authorities of the
Small Business Administration'', approved October 10, 2006
(Public Law 109-316; 120 Stat. 1742).
(4) Deficit reduction.--Any savings resulting from this Act
and the amendments made by this Act shall be returned to the
Treasury for deficit reduction.
(b) Pollution Control Loans.--Paragraph (12) of section
7(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)) is
amended--
(1) by striking ``(A) The Administration'' and inserting
``The Administration''; and
(2) by striking ``research and development'' and all that
follows and inserting ``research and development.''.
(c) Small Business Institute.--Subparagraph (E) of section
8(b)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(1)) is
repealed.
[[Page H6316]]
(d) Drug-Free Workplace Grants.--Paragraph (3) of section
21(c) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(c)) is
amended--
(1) in subparagraph (R) by adding ``and'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (S) by striking ``; and'' and inserting
a period; and
(3) by striking subparagraph (T).
(e) Central European Small Business Enterprise Development
Commission.--Section 25 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C.
652) is repealed.
(f) Paul D. Coverdell Drug-Free Workplace Program.--Section
27 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 654) is repealed.
(g) Pilot Technology Access Program.--Section 28 of the
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 655) is repealed.
(h) National Veterans Business Development Corporation.--
(1) In general.--Section 33 of the Small Business Act (15
U.S.C. 657c) is repealed.
(2) Corporation.--Beginning on the date of enactment of
this Act, the National Veterans Business Development
Corporation and any successor thereto may not represent that
the corporation is federally chartered or in any other manner
authorized by the Federal Government.
(i) Lease Guarantees and Pollution Control.--Part A of
title IV of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 (15
U.S.C. 692 et seq.) is repealed.
(j) Alternative Loss Reserve.--Paragraph (7) of section
508(c) of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 (15
U.S.C. 697e(c)) is repealed.
(k) Small Business Telecommuting Pilot Program.--Subsection
(d) of section 1203 of the Energy Independence and Security
Act of 2007 (15 U.S.C. 657h) is repealed.
(l) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
(1) Small business investment act of 1958.--Section 411(i)
of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 (15 U.S.C.
694b(i)) is amended to read as follows:
``(i) Without limiting the authority conferred upon the
Administrator and the Administration by section 201 of this
Act, the Administrator and the Administration shall have, in
the performance of and with respect to the functions, powers,
and duties conferred by this part, all the authority and be
subject to the same conditions prescribed in section 5(b) of
the Small Business Act with respect to loans, including the
authority to execute subleases, assignments of lease and new
leases with any person, firm, organization, or other entity,
in order to aid in the liquidation of obligations of the
Administration hereunder.''.
(2) Title 10.--Section 1142(b)(13) of title 10, United
States Code, is amended by striking ``and the National
Veterans Business Development Corporation''.
(3) Title 38.--Subsection (h) of section 3452 of title 38,
United States Code, is amended by striking ``any of the'' and
all that follows and inserting ``any small business
development center described in section 21 of the Small
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648), insofar as such center offers,
sponsors, or cosponsors an entrepreneurship course, as that
term is defined in section 3675(c)(2).''.
(4) Veterans entrepreneurship and small business
development act of 1999.--Section 203(c)(5) of the Veterans
Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999
(15 U.S.C. 657b note) is amended by striking ``In cooperation
with the National Veterans Business Development Corporation,
develop'' and inserting ``Develop''.
SEC. 4. TERMINATION OF EMERGING LEADERS PROGRAM.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, effective
October 1, 2011, the Administrator of the Small Business
Administration may not carry out or otherwise support the
program referred to as ``Emerging Leaders'' in the document
of the Small Business Administration titled ``FY 2012
Congressional Budget Justification and FY 2010 Annual
Performance Report'' (or any predecessor or successor
document).
Motion to Concur
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the motion.
The text of the motion is as follows:
Mr. Rogers of Kentucky moves that the House concur in the
Senate amendment to H.R. 2608 with an amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
In lieu of the matter proposed to be inserted by the
amendment of the Senate, insert the following:
That the following sums are hereby appropriated, out of any
money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of
applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds,
for the several departments, agencies, corporations, and
other organizational units of Government for fiscal year
2012, and for other purposes, namely:
Sec. 101. (a) Such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate
for operations as provided in the applicable appropriations
Acts for fiscal year 2011 and under the authority and
conditions provided in such Acts, for continuing projects or
activities (including the costs of direct loans and loan
guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for
in this Act, that were conducted in fiscal year 2011, and for
which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made
available in the following appropriations Acts:
(1) The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2011
(division A of Public Law 112-10).
(2) The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011
(division B of Public Law 112-10).
(b) The rate for operations provided by subsection (a) is
hereby reduced by 1.503 percent.
Sec. 102. (a) No appropriation or funds made available or
authority granted pursuant to section 101 for the Department
of Defense shall be used for (1) the new production of items
not funded for production in fiscal year 2011 or prior years;
(2) the increase in production rates above those sustained
with fiscal year 2011 funds; or (3) the initiation,
resumption, or continuation of any project, activity,
operation, or organization (defined as any project,
subproject, activity, budget activity, program element, and
subprogram within a program element, and for any investment
items defined as a P-1 line item in a budget activity within
an appropriation account and an R-1 line item that includes a
program element and subprogram element within an
appropriation account) for which appropriations, funds, or
other authority were not available during fiscal year 2011.
(b) No appropriation or funds made available or authority
granted pursuant to section 101 for the Department of Defense
shall be used to initiate multi-year procurements utilizing
advance procurement funding for economic order quantity
procurement unless specifically appropriated later.
Sec. 103. Appropriations made by section 101 shall be
available to the extent and in the manner that would be
provided by the pertinent appropriations Act.
Sec. 104. Except as otherwise provided in section 102, no
appropriation or funds made available or authority granted
pursuant to section 101 shall be used to initiate or resume
any project or activity for which appropriations, funds, or
other authority were not available during fiscal year 2011.
Sec. 105. Appropriations made and authority granted
pursuant to this Act shall cover all obligations or
expenditures incurred for any project or activity during the
period for which funds or authority for such project or
activity are available under this Act.
Sec. 106. Unless otherwise provided for in this Act or in
the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2012,
appropriations and funds made available and authority granted
pursuant to this Act shall be available until whichever of
the following first occurs: (1) the enactment into law of an
appropriation for any project or activity provided for in
this Act; (2) the enactment into law of the applicable
appropriations Act for fiscal year 2012 without any provision
for such project or activity; or (3) November 18, 2011.
Sec. 107. Expenditures made pursuant to this Act shall be
charged to the applicable appropriation, fund, or
authorization whenever a bill in which such applicable
appropriation, fund, or authorization is contained is enacted
into law.
Sec. 108. Appropriations made and funds made available by
or authority granted pursuant to this Act may be used without
regard to the time limitations for submission and approval of
apportionments set forth in section 1513 of title 31, United
States Code, but nothing in this Act may be construed to
waive any other provision of law governing the apportionment
of funds.
Sec. 109. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
except section 106, for those programs that would otherwise
have high initial rates of operation or complete distribution
of appropriations at the beginning of fiscal year 2012
because of distributions of funding to States, foreign
countries, grantees, or others, such high initial rates of
operation or complete distribution shall not be made, and no
grants shall be awarded for such programs funded by this Act
that would impinge on final funding prerogatives.
Sec. 110. This Act shall be implemented so that only the
most limited funding action of that permitted in the Act
shall be taken in order to provide for continuation of
projects and activities.
Sec. 111. (a) For entitlements and other mandatory payments
whose budget authority was provided in appropriations Acts
for fiscal year 2011, and for activities under the Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008, activities shall be continued at the
rate to maintain program levels under current law, under the
authority and conditions provided in the applicable
appropriations Act for fiscal year 2011, to be continued
through the date specified in section 106(3).
(b) Notwithstanding section 106, obligations for mandatory
payments due on or about the first day of any month that
begins after October 2011 but not later than 30 days after
the date specified in section 106(3) may continue to be made,
and funds shall be available for such payments.
Sec. 112. Amounts made available under section 101 for
civilian personnel compensation and benefits in each
department and agency may be apportioned up to the rate for
operations necessary to avoid furloughs within such
department or agency, consistent with the applicable
appropriations Act for fiscal year 2011, except that such
authority provided under this section shall not be used until
after the department or agency has taken all necessary
actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related
administrative expenses.
Sec. 113. Funds appropriated by this Act may be obligated
and expended notwithstanding section 10 of Public Law 91-672
(22 U.S.C. 2412), section 15 of the State Department Basic
Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2680), section 313 of the
Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and
1995 (22 U.S.C. 6212), and section 504(a)(1) of the National
Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 414(a)(1)).
Sec. 114. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), each
amount incorporated by reference in this Act that was
previously designated as being for contingency operations
directly related to the global war on terrorism pursuant to
section 3(c)(2) of H. Res. 5 (112th Congress) and as an
emergency requirement pursuant to section 403(a) of S. Con.
Res. 13 (111th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the
budget for fiscal
[[Page H6317]]
year 2010, is designated by the Congress for Overseas
Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism pursuant to
section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985, except that such amount shall be
available only if the President subsequently so designates
such amount and transmits such designation to the Congress.
Section 101(b) of this Act shall not apply to any amount so
designated.
(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply to amounts for
``Department of Justice--Federal Bureau of Investigation--
Salaries and Expenses''.
Sec. 115. During the period covered by this Act,
discretionary amounts appropriated for fiscal year 2012 that
were provided in advance by appropriations Acts shall be
available in the amounts provided in such Acts, reduced by
the percentage in section 101(b).
Sec. 116. Notwithstanding section 101, amounts made
available by this Act for ``Department of Defense--Operation
and Maintenance--Operation and Maintenance, Air Force'' may
be used by the Secretary of Defense for operations and
activities of the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq and
security assistance teams, including life support,
transportation and personal security, and facilities
renovation and construction: Provided, That the authority
made by this section shall continue in effect through the
date specified in section 106(3) of this Act: Provided
further, That section 9014 of division A of Public Law 112-10
shall not apply to funds appropriated by this Act.
Sec. 117. Notwithstanding section 101, funds made
available in title IX of division A of Public Law 112-10 for
``Overseas Contingency Operations'' shall be available at a
rate for operations not to exceed the rate permitted by H.R.
2219 (112th Congress) as passed by the House of
Representatives on July 8, 2011.
Sec. 118. The authority provided by section 127b of title
10, United States Code, shall continue in effect through the
date specified in section 106(3) of this Act.
Sec. 119. The authority provided by section 1202 of the
John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2007 (Public Law 109-364; 120 Stat. 2412), as extended
by section 1204(b) of the Duncan Hunter National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417;
122 Stat. 4623), shall continue in effect through the date
specified in section 106(3) of this Act.
Sec. 120. Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are
provided for ``Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board--
Salaries and Expenses'' at a rate for operations of
$29,130,000.
Sec. 121. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
except section 106, the District of Columbia may expend local
funds under the heading ``District of Columbia Funds'' for
such programs and activities under title IV of H.R. 2434
(112th Congress), as reported by the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives, at the rate
set forth under ``District of Columbia Funds--Summary of
Expenses'' as included in the Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Request
Act of 2011 (D.C. Act 19-92), as modified as of the date of
the enactment of this Act.
Sec. 122. Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are
provided for the necessary expenses of the Recovery
Accountability and Transparency Board, to carry out its
functions under title XV of division A of the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5), at
a rate for operations of $28,350,000.
Sec. 123. (a) Section 9(m) of the Small Business Act (15
U.S.C. 638(m)) shall be applied by substituting the date
specified in section 106(3) of this Act for ``September 30,
2011''.
(b) Notwithstanding section 9(n)(1)(A) of the Small
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(n)(1)(A)), the Small Business
Technology Transfer Program shall continue in effect through
the date specified in section 106(3) of this Act.
(c) Notwithstanding section 9(y)(6) of the Small Business
Act (15 U.S.C. 638(y)(6)), the pilot program under section
9(y) of such Act shall continue in effect through the date
specified in section 106(3) of this Act.
Sec. 124. Section 8909a(d)(3)(A)(v) of title 5, United
States Code, is amended by striking ``September 30, 2011''
and inserting the date specified in section 106(3) of this
Act.
Sec. 125. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
effective on the date of the enactment of this Act, of the
unobligated balances remaining available to the Department of
Energy pursuant to section 129 of the Continuing
Appropriations Resolution, 2009 (division A of Public Law
110-329), $500,000,000 is rescinded, $774,000,000 is hereby
transferred to and merged with ``Department of Homeland
Security--Federal Emergency Management Agency--Disaster
Relief'', and $226,000,000 is hereby transferred to and
merged with ``Corps of Engineers-Civil--Flood Control and
Coastal Emergencies'': Provided, That the amounts made
available by this section for the Corps of Engineers-Civil
shall be for emergency expenses for repair of damage caused
by the storm and flood events occurring in 2011: Provided
further, That the amounts transferred by this section shall
remain available until expended: Provided further, That each
amount transferred by this section is designated as an
emergency pursuant to section 3(c)(1) of H. Res. 5 (112th
Congress) and as an emergency requirement pursuant to section
403(a) of S. Con. Res. 13 (111th Congress), the concurrent
resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2010.
Sec. 126. (a) Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are
provided for ``Department of Homeland Security--Federal
Emergency Management Agency--Disaster Relief'' at a rate for
operations of $2,650,000,000: Provided, That the Secretary of
Homeland Security shall provide a full accounting of disaster
relief funding requirements for such account for fiscal year
2012 not later than 15 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, and for fiscal year 2013 in conjunction with the
submission of the President's budget request for fiscal year
2013.
(b) The accounting described in subsection (a) for each
fiscal year shall include estimates of the following amounts:
(1) The unobligated balance of funds in such account that
has been (or will be) carried over to such fiscal year from
prior fiscal years.
(2) The unobligated balance of funds in such account that
will be carried over from such fiscal year to the subsequent
fiscal year.
(3) The amount of the rolling average of non-catastrophic
disasters, and the specific data used to calculate such
rolling average, for such fiscal year.
(4) The amount that will be obligated each month for
catastrophic events, delineated by event and State, and the
total remaining funding that will be required after such
fiscal year for each such catastrophic event for each State.
(5) The amount of previously obligated funds that will be
recovered each month of such fiscal year.
(6) The amount that will be required in such fiscal year
for emergencies, as defined in section 102(1) of the Robert
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 5122(1)).
(7) The amount that will be required in such fiscal year
for major disasters, as defined in section 102(2) of the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act (42 U.S.C. 5122(2)).
(8) The amount that will be required in such fiscal year
for fire management assistance grants, as defined in section
420 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5187).
Sec. 127. Any funds made available pursuant to section 101
for the Department of Homeland Security may be obligated at a
rate for operations necessary to sustain essential security
activities, such as: staffing levels of operational
personnel; immigration enforcement and removal functions,
including sustaining not less than necessary detention bed
capacity; and United States Secret Service protective
activities, including protective activities necessary to
secure National Special Security Events. The Secretary of
Homeland Security shall notify the Committees on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate
on each use of the authority provided in this section.
Sec. 128. The authority provided by section 532 of Public
Law 109-295 shall continue in effect through the date
specified in section 106(3) of this Act.
Sec. 129. The authority provided by section 831 of the
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 391) shall continue
in effect through the date specified in section 106(3) of
this Act.
Sec. 130. Section 550(b) of the Department of Homeland
Security Appropriations Act, 2007 (6 U.S.C. 121 note) shall
be applied by substituting the date specified in section
106(3) of this Act for ``October 4, 2011''.
Sec. 131. Sections 1309(a) and 1319 of the National Flood
Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4016(a) and 4026) shall be
applied by substituting the date specified in section 106(3)
of this Act for ``September 30, 2011''.
Sec. 132. Section 330 of the Department of the Interior
and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (42 U.S.C. 1701
note), concerning Service First authorities, shall continue
in effect through the date specified in section 106(3) of
this Act.
Sec. 133. Notwithstanding section 101, section 1807 of
Public Law 112-10 shall be applied by substituting
``$374,743,000'' for ``$363,843,000'' and ``$10,900,000'' for
``$3,000,000''.
Sec. 134. The second proviso of section 1801(a)(3) of
Public Law 112-10 is amended by striking ``appropriation
under this subparagraph'' and inserting ``appropriations made
available by this Act''.
Sec. 135. Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are
provided for ``Federal Mine Safety and Health Review
Commission--Salaries and Expenses'' at a rate for operations
of $14,510,000.
Sec. 136. Sections 399AA(e), 399BB(g), and 399CC(f) of the
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280i(e), 280i-1(g),
280i-2(f)) shall be applied by substituting the date
specified in section 106(3) of this Act for ``September 30,
2011''.
Sec. 137. Notwithstanding section 101, section 2005 of
division B of Public Law 112-10 shall be applied by
substituting ``$0'' for each dollar amount.
Sec. 138. The Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 (12 U.S.C.
635 et seq.) shall be applied by substituting the date
specified in section 106(3) of this Act for ``September 30,
2011'' in section 7 of such Act of 1945.
Sec. 139. Section 209 of the International Religious
Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6436) shall be applied by
substituting the date specified in section 106(3) of this Act
for ``September 30, 2011''.
Sec. 140. Commitments to guarantee loans incurred under
the General and Special Risk Insurance Funds, as authorized
by sections 238 and 519 of the National Housing Act (12
U.S.C. 1715z-3 and 1735c), shall not exceed a rate for
operations of $25,000,000,000: Provided, That total loan
principal, any part of which is to be guaranteed, may be
apportioned through the date specified in section 106(3) of
this Act, at $80,000,000 multiplied by the number of days
covered in this Act.
Sec. 141. (a) Renewal of Import Restrictions Under Burmese
Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003.--
(1) In general.--Congress approves the renewal of the
import restrictions contained in section 3(a)(1) and section
3A (b)(1) and (c)(1) of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act
of 2003.
(2) Rule of construction.--This section shall be deemed to
be a ``renewal resolution'' for purposes of section 9 of the
Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003.
[[Page H6318]]
(b) PAYGO Compliance.--The budgetary effects of this
section, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-
As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to
the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO
Legislation'' for this section, submitted for printing in the
Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget
Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted
prior to the vote on passage.
(c) Effective Date.--This section shall take effect on July
26, 2011.
(d) Applicability.--This section shall not be subject to
any other provision of this Act.
This Act may be cited as the ``Continuing Appropriations
Act, 2012''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 405, 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 Kentucky (Mr. Rogers) and the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Dicks) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the
floor the continuing appropriations resolution to keep the Federal
Government operating until November 18 of this year. For procedural
reasons, this is being done as an amendment to the Senate amendment to
H.R. 2608 to speed passage through the Senate, at their request; but in
substance, this is the same as the continuing resolution, H.J. Res. 79,
that I introduced on September 14.
This CR, Mr. Speaker, will give Congress the time needed to complete
fiscal year 2012 appropriations and to adequately fund vital government
programs and services by working to put Federal spending on a more
sustainable course. Just as significantly, this bill provides
desperately needed funding for disaster recovery and relief.
I would have preferred to have completed the appropriations process
in regular order, and I believe the House made great strides in doing
so. The Appropriations Committee moved on 11 of the 12 annual
appropriations bills, and six bills have cleared the House; but we
still need time to collaborate with our colleagues in the Senate in
order to complete this work, and a short-term bill will allow us to do
so.
As we saw last year and into the spring, the threat of a government
shutdown causes dangerous economic instability, and at this precarious
time, we need to bolster American public confidence that their
representatives in Washington are working for them and are not letting
politics come before people.
The CR continues government operations at a rate of $1.043 trillion--
the total amount agreed to by the Congress and the White House in the
Budget Control Act. It's clean of most policy provisions to ensure
swift passage, but we've provided small changes for safety, security,
and continuity of essential programs.
For instance, we've extended Federal flood insurance availability and
the availability of defense survival equipment for our troops abroad.
In addition, this CR will help meet the needs of the thousands of
families, businesses, and communities burdened by recent natural
disasters by providing an immediate $1 billion in emergency 2011
funding now as well as an additional $2.65 billion for the next year.
We are helping our citizens get back on their feet.
The $776 million in the bill for the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund, which
is $276 million more than the President or the Senate proposed, is
time-sensitive and critical. That fund is now below $250 million and is
running out of money fast. Unless we provide additional funding, within
a matter of days the Disaster Relief Fund will soon be empty, leaving
millions of people in the lurch.
The $1 billion in emergency funding for fiscal year 2011 has been
offset by a cut to the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology
Vehicle Manufacturing loan program, which has more than $4 billion in
unspent idle funds in the pipeline. It has been there for 3 years. Now
is the time to use those idle dollars for true and immediate purposes:
aiding our fellow citizens in their times of greatest need as they cope
with the aftermath of wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and
hurricanes--an unprecedented string of disasters in this country.
Now, the notion of offsetting emergency spending has gotten a lot of
attention as of late. Let me be very clear that offsetting emergency
spending is not a unique practice. In fact, over the last 10 years, the
Congress has used offsets in at least 15 of 30 emergency supplemental
spending bills--half of them. In total, the Congress has passed over
$60 billion in emergency offsets in the last 10 years, most of which
had a large amount of support on both sides of the aisle, including the
support of former Speaker Pelosi.
The loan program used as an offset in this bill has had excess funds
for years, and taking the money will not negatively affect that
program. All entities in final loan stages will still get the funding
they've worked for. Furthermore, this offset is identical to the one
already passed by the House in June as part of the Homeland Security
appropriations bill. We've already voted for it.
{time} 1600
In addition, the committee will continue to consider additional
disaster funding over the next few weeks as we bring the fiscal year
2012 appropriations process to a close, hopefully by November 18,
including reviewing estimates that are still coming in from recent
disasters so that families and communities can get the assistance they
need while making sure that every dollar is well spent.
The Budget Control Act, which both Houses in Congress and the White
House agreed to, provides for 2012 disaster funding in that capacity.
But with respect to this continuing resolution, at this time we do not
have all of the necessary information on the cost of the recent
disasters nor the time to work out a final comprehensive agreement with
the White House and the Senate.
As Members of this body know, back in their home districts, the FEMA
administration works to survey the damage and report that to the White
House who, in turn, makes the request to Congress for disaster funds.
That's the normal procedure in which we are involved now, and I assure
the Members that, as we get those estimates from the White House in the
next few weeks and months, they will be addressed and monies will be
available.
Therefore, we must meet the most immediate need and provide
additional funding now for FEMA to keep that program going for the next
several months. That's what this continuing resolution does and why we,
the House and Senate, have to pass this bill immediately.
This CR lives up to the guidelines set in the Budget Control Act, as
well as our commitment to responsible and reduced levels of spending.
We can ride our fiscal ship while still supporting the essential
government programs and services and disaster aid.
With this in mind, it is my intention that Congress complete the
fiscal year 2012 appropriations work without any further delay. The
sooner we pass this CR, the sooner we can focus on this long-term
appropriations legislation and get it done before November 18.
I urge my colleagues in both Chambers to support this bill so we can
send it to the President as soon as possible.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DICKS. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in reluctant opposition to the continuing
resolution. For the most part, it is a clean CR. It provides funding at
$1.043 trillion through November 18. The amount reflects the Budget
Control Act cap on FY 2012 appropriations. The CR continues funding as
provided in FY 2011 with a 1.503 percent across-the-board cut to come
down from approximately 1.059 to 1.043.
The CR adds a handful of anomalies requested by the administration
through OMB, including provisions to cut back on overseas contingency
operations funds from the level of 2011 down to the level that was
passed in the Defense appropriations bill, which is approximately 118;
authorize DHS work on national special security events; extend flood
insurance; and delay the Postal Service payment obligation. The last
provision will allow mail service to continue while Congress pursues
legislative reforms.
The matter that concerns me and the Democratic Caucus is the way the
majority has provided disaster relief funding. FEMA's Disaster Relief
Fund is precariously short on money in FY
[[Page H6319]]
2011. Americans are trying to rebuild their lives after the devastating
effect of floods, wildfires, and hurricanes in a record year of natural
disasters, and FEMA is running out of resources to help them.
FEMA has deferred funding for all long-term rebuilding projects to
focus on immediate needs. The administration requested a $500 million
supplemental appropriation for the remaining days in the fiscal year.
They requested 2011 emergency funds. They did not recommend an offset.
This has been the practice for supplemental disaster relief.
Since 2002, Congress appropriated $95 billion in supplemental
disaster relief. All of it was designated as an emergency, and none of
it was offset. Some other emergencies may have been paid for during the
Clinton administration; however, during the Bush administration, this
was not so for disaster relief. Now, there were other categories of
emergency spending and other supplementals that were offset but not
disaster relief.
For fiscal years 2002 through 2006, President Bush requested
supplemental disaster relief funding eight times. Each of the eight
times was designated as an emergency and none were offset. With
Republicans in the majority, some of the Bush emergency disaster relief
bills, without offsets, were approved by voice vote and some were
considered under unanimous consent.
Nonetheless, House Republicans today insist on departing from this
practice. They take $1.5 billion from the Advanced Technology Vehicle
Manufacturing program at the Department of Energy to pay for $1 billion
in disaster relief, disaster and emergency relief. We have discussed
compromise with the other side. They have been unwilling to accept our
suggestions.
The Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program was started in
2008 to reinvigorate American manufacturing. To date, this program has
awarded $3.5 billion of credit subsidy to promote energy efficient
advanced vehicles and their component parts. The Department of Energy
estimates that loan guarantees have created or maintained, in total,
39,000 jobs in California, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio,
Michigan, Missouri, and Tennessee.
Some have suggested that this program has been slow to spend
emergency funding provided in the FY 2009 CR. I say the loan review
process is and ought to be strenuous. One company, Tesla, originally
applied under a different loan program in 2006 and received an ATVM
loan in 2010. It required 4 years of due diligence and review to
qualify for the loan.
Having read many of the press releases that went out when there was
another DOE program that ran into difficulties, I didn't note anybody
there saying we shouldn't take time for due diligence. Due diligence is
required.
By the way, the company in question, Tesla, employed about 400
workers before receiving the loan. Today, they have 1,400 employees in
the fields of engineering research and development, design,
manufacturing, assembly, maintenance, service, sales, and support.
The ATVM program has an additional 18 loan applications in progress
that are projected to create 50,000 to 60,000 more jobs, in total, in
California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri,
and Ohio. One pending application would support investments at 11
plants in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. The company employs
over 56,000 workers, and they are adding nearly 9,000 new workers since
2009. Some of the jobs will be at risk by using this offset.
This is not the time to put American manufacturing jobs at risk. If
you want to make it in America, you can't take away this funding.
{time} 1610
If there is one thing we've learned on the economic forefront, it's
that we need a growth policy, we don't need a cut policy. Cut and grow
just ain't so.
I would point out that we need to get people back to work. And the
way you do that is programs like this that are going to hire people
instead of fire people. We have been doing a lot of firing, and it
hasn't worked. When are we going to wake up? When is the majority party
going to realize that we have to do something to create growth and
stimulate the economy and put people back to work? The only way we're
going to get the deficit down is to bring unemployment down.
This is an employment program. It should be supported. We should
defeat the continuing resolution and come up with--either take this out
or come up with another offset that doesn't hurt job creation in our
country.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.
The gentleman mentioned in his statement that we had not used offsets
to fund disaster relief; I beg to differ. In 2001, emergency
supplemental, offset; 2002, emergency supplemental, offset; 2004,
disaster relief for wildfire and others, offset. And in 2005, offset
for relief for the tsunami. In 2006, relief for Katrina, offset. In
2008, disaster relief and recovery, $20 billion in offsets. I could go
on. There are many times where we have used the offsets to pay for
supplementals. In fact, over the last 10 years, 15 of the 30 emergency
spending bills and supplementals were offset, for a total of $60
billion over the last 10 years.
Now, on this offset that has been mentioned, over $4 billion sits
idle in that account and has so for 3 years now as the administration
has been slow to obligate that money. The $1.5 billion rescission in
subsidies we propose will not have a significant impact on the program.
This is the same rescission, Madam Speaker, that we used in the 2012
Homeland Security appropriations bill that passed this House with
bipartisan support in June. Exactly the same. And yet the Senate didn't
act and that billion dollars was not available for disaster relief.
States with applications in the queue in this program, like Indiana,
Louisiana, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Missouri, California and many
others, will still receive their due diligence just like before and
could receive awards as well.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DICKS. I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina
(Mr. Price).
Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, the fact that we are even
debating the substance of this continuing resolution is a telling
statement about the priorities of the current House majority.
FEMA's disaster relief fund, after all, is operating on fumes. Since
late August, the agency has deferred funding for all long-term
rebuilding projects in order to have enough resources to meet the most
pressing emergency needs. This means that critical rebuilding efforts
in over 40 States--Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Iowa, North Dakota,
Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama, my own State of North Carolina and
others--are on hold. Thousands of people who would currently be earning
a good paycheck by working on rebuilding efforts are not, and
communities that are still recovering from past disasters are being
told to move to the back of the line to make way for those affected by
the more recent disasters.
Madam Speaker, this Congress has a responsibility to make good on our
promise to these communities by ensuring that FEMA has enough resources
to respond to all major disasters. Regardless of where and when they
occurred, we must not pit one State or one region against the other.
The administration has made clear what it will take: a $500 million
supplemental appropriation for the remainder of this fiscal year, and
an increase of $4.6 billion above its initial request for fiscal year
2012. This CR includes $1 billion in supplemental fiscal 2011 funding,
and a $2.65 billion downpayment toward fiscal 2012. But I'm not
satisfied with either the amount or with the price of inclusion.
Since 2002, Congress has appropriated $95 billion in supplemental
funding for the disaster relief fund and additional disaster funding
for the Corps of Engineers. Those are the two accounts we are talking
about here, and that has all been designated as an emergency and none
of it offset.
Now, at a time when communities up and down the eastern seaboard are
still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, at a time when
millions of Americans are still struggling to find a good job, House
Republicans are telling us that this time around, FEMA won't get any
more disaster relief funding for the current year unless we take money
from another Federal agency. This is a
[[Page H6320]]
radical departure from the way in which both parties have treated
emergency disaster relief over the past decade, and it will undermine
our economic recovery.
The Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program which our
Republican colleagues propose to cannibalize, that program stands to
add tens of thousands of good paying jobs in an industry that will be
critical to our future economic competitiveness. This is a bad
precedent, and it's bad policy.
It's no wonder the American people are fed up with Congress. Once
again the majority is putting partisan ideology ahead of the dire needs
of the American people by telling our communities they won't get relief
until we wage yet another budget battle here in Congress.
I urge my colleagues to oppose this approach and instead support the
disaster relief measure approved by the Senate which would fully fund
FEMA's needs without requiring yet another fight over spending offsets.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), chair of the House
Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security.
Mr. ADERHOLT. I want to thank the distinguished chairman of the full
Appropriations Committee for yielding, and, Madam Speaker, I rise in
strong support of this must-pass resolution.
Not only does this CR provide the necessary funds and authority to
keep the government open, it also provides an immediate and a
substantial infusion of vital funding to both FEMA's disaster relief
efforts and the Corps of Engineers' flood control and coastal emergency
account, and it does all of this in a fiscally responsible way. This
resolution before us today complies with the recently enacted Budget
Control Act and provides the Appropriations Committee of the House and
Senate ample time to do our work on the FY 2012 budget.
For the hard-hit communities all across the country, including my
home State of Alabama, which was hit hard back in April, and those
devastated by fires, floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes over the past 12
months, this CR will sustain FEMA's disaster relief and recovery
efforts and help the Corps with additional funding for emergency flood
control projects.
As I mentioned, my home State of Alabama was hit hard back on April
27, so if anyone is interested in sustaining FEMA's disaster relief, it
would be me. And I do believe this bill does the job, and just that.
The duration of this CR will provide the time to review and
scrutinize FEMA's preliminary damage estimates for Hurricane Irene,
estimates that are based on historical projections rather than actual
data and claims that are still in the process of being collected. This
oversight will enable the Appropriations Committee the time to properly
and responsibly address the administration's full supplemental request,
a request that was submitted to Congress only about 2 weeks ago. And
while Congress has an undeniable obligation to thoroughly address our
Nation's disaster relief needs, we can no longer afford to simply throw
money at calamities and then ask the hard questions later on. We have
to get our funding priorities right the first time, and that is exactly
what both Chairman Rogers and I have repeatedly said when it comes to
appropriations for homeland security.
Madam Speaker, this CR is the right tool for the right time, and I
urge my colleagues to support this vital resolution and responsibly
address our Nation's most pressing needs.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. ADERHOLT. I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky.
{time} 1620
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. The gentleman is the chair of the Homeland
Security Subcommittee which funds FEMA.
Mr. ADERHOLT. Exactly.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Now, you passed a bill back in June that
provided $1 billion for FEMA for disaster relief; is that right?
Mr. ADERHOLT. We passed that.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. What happened to that bill?
Mr. ADERHOLT. It passed the committee.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I mean, after it passed the House.
Mr. ADERHOLT. And it passed the House and was sent to the Senate.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. And what happened then?
Mr. ADERHOLT. And that's where it's sitting.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Nothing has taken place in the Senate since
June?
Mr. ADERHOLT. Absolutely.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. And your bill would have provided $1 billion
today for disaster relief, and the other body hasn't acted?
Mr. ADERHOLT. We did that, as you say, back well before June. It
passed the House in June, and it sits over there even today.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. No wonder they're operating on fumes.
I'm talking about FEMA.
I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. DICKS. I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from
Indiana (Mr. Visclosky), the ranking member of the Energy and Water
Appropriations Subcommittee.
Mr. VISCLOSKY. I appreciate the gentleman yielding, and I rise to
oppose the taking of the $1.5 billion from the advanced technology
vehicle manufacturing account to offset a portion of the Army Corps
disaster needs estimated to be $2.256 billion instead of declaring this
matter an emergency.
I do think as a matter of policy this institution and the Congress as
a whole needs to have the intestinal fortitude to understand that we
have natural disasters every year, and we need to set aside moneys to
fund those and not to take money out of investment accounts that create
jobs in the United States of America.
We have two problems that we're discussing today. One is a natural
problem. We have had tornadoes, we have had floods, we have had
hurricanes, we had an earthquake, and we have had wildfires. So what is
new?
The fact is in every year save two since 1997, the Congress has
recognized the need for emergency funds to respond to the impacts of
natural disasters on our Nation's water resources infrastructure. Since
2001, the Congress has provided more than $24 billion in emergency
funds to the Army Corps of Engineers for this very purpose. And
according to the Corps of Engineers, we have spent $5.12 billion on an
emergency basis in Afghanistan and Iraq on economic infrastructures.
Now, some suggest all of this has to be offset because we have a
fiscal crisis. I would point out that those emergency declarations for
water emergencies in 1998 occurred and the budget of the United States
was balanced. There was an emergency declaration as far as those water
projects in 1999, and we had a balanced budget. There was not an
emergency declaration in 2000, and we balanced a budget. In 2001 we had
an emergency declaration for water disasters, and we balanced the
budget. That's not an argument not to meet the human crisis that people
are facing in this country.
I certainly think that my colleague from Washington covered the
account as far as vehicle manufacturing very well and the investment it
represents and the jobs maintained and created that are represented
again in this account.
And certainly Chairman Rogers makes a point, and rightfully so, that
many of these dollars have now been allocated to specific loan programs
and others, eight specifically, will be resolved by the end of this
year. Again, this offset would not impact those, and the chairman is
absolutely correct. However, I do point out to my colleagues that the
remaining 10 projects are in the stage of due diligence, the same words
that my colleague from Washington used, to compete for the remainder of
the $1.5 billion with approximately 10,000 jobs at stake.
Mr. DICKS. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. VISCLOSKY. I yield to the gentleman from Washington.
Mr. DICKS. Isn't it true that the industrial States are the ones that
are getting most of this money because that's where the automobile
industry has over the years been located?
Mr. VISCLOSKY. The gentleman is correct. But I would broaden that to
suggest the United States of America is getting that money, and people
who want to make things in the United
[[Page H6321]]
States of America and manufacture things in the United States of
America are getting that money.
Mr. DICKS. Isn't it true we already know this program works, this
program received $7.5 billion, and $3.5 billion of it has been
obligated and is out there as loans? I think it tripled under the loan
guarantee program.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Capito). The time of the gentleman has
expired.
Mr. DICKS. I yield the gentleman 2 additional minutes.
And so we are seeing that this program actually works. I mean, if
there was some question that it was something that hasn't worked, but
it is creating jobs and it will create jobs in the future. And there is
a whole bunch of people in there making applications from many of these
States that you and I just talked about.
Mr. VISCLOSKY. Right. We have 10 pending, and I would not be on the
floor if I did not believe we've maintained and created jobs and we
have potentially 10,000 more jobs than we can create with the $1.5
billion that is pending; and I would point out, again, I would broaden
your observation to the entire United States of America.
I mentioned two problems we face. The second is manufacturing in the
United States of America. In 1977, we had over 18 million Americans
engaged in manufacturing. Last year, we had over 11 million. The real
hourly wage for what an American worker is paid for 1 hour's worth of
their physical labor, whatever they may do in this country, is 53 cents
less in 2010 than it was in 1977. That's not the country I want to
leave the children of this world, and I'm convinced it's because of the
loss of those manufacturing jobs.
If it's good enough to declare an emergency and build a children's
hospital in Basra, Iraq, we ought not to take money out of an
investment account that creates jobs in the auto industry to help
people in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
If it is good enough to declare an emergency to have generators
installed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, by the Army Corps of Engineers, we
ought not to take money away from job-creating programs to help people
in Springfield, Massachusetts. If it's good enough to build a
hydroelectric dam in Afghanistan on an emergency basis, we ought to
declare an emergency to help people in Smithville, Mississippi.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has again expired.
Mr. DICKS. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.
Mr. VISCLOSKY. I think I have made my point. I think the gentleman
has, and I think this is the wrong policy. Again, institutionally we
need to come to grips with natural disasters, set those moneys aside;
but in the alternative and in the intermediate term, we need to
recognize them for what they are and not rob the future of this Nation
economically to do so.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished
chairman of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations of Appropriations,
the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Granger).
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill to
fund the continuing operations of the Federal Government until November
18. I appreciate the leadership of Chairman Rogers in addressing the
responsibilities of this Congress.
Passing this stopgap measure will give Congress time to complete the
fiscal year 2012 appropriations process. In spite of our late start,
the Appropriations Committee was still able to move 11 of the 12
appropriations bills this year. However, the committee still needs time
to collaborate with the Senate.
The continuing resolution funds vital government programs and
services and allows essential bills to be paid. It reduces spending to
the levels agreed to by the Congress and the administration in the
Budget Control Act that was signed into law in August. And it avoids
controversial policy riders in order to ensure swift passage.
There are many reasons Members should support this bill. Perhaps one
of the most important is what this bill does for our military. Without
a CR, our servicemembers and their families don't get paid. They would
have to continue to do their work protecting the country, but they
would have to do it while worrying about whether they would be able to
pay their bills or mortgage.
Our brave men and women in uniform already faced that possibility
earlier this year. They deserve better. They need to know that the
United States Congress stands behind them. This bill addresses disaster
relief, and it funds it in a responsible way.
{time} 1630
I urge my colleagues to support this bill so it can be enacted as
soon as possible and the Appropriations Committee can complete its work
without any further delay. This is a responsible action for us to take
to go forward. The American people expect the Congress to do our jobs.
The Appropriations Committee must complete its work.
Mr. DICKS. Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Rothman), a member of the Appropriations
Committee.
Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey. I thank my distinguished chairman and the
ranking member for this conversation.
Madam Speaker, Congress has found the money over the years for
disaster relief for all other parts of the country time and time again,
whether it was forest fires in the West, droughts in the Southwest,
flooding in the Midwest, tornados in the South. Now the Republican
majority in the House of Representatives says that when the Northeast
suffers devastating flooding as a result of Hurricane Irene and
Tropical Storm Lee, you won't get enough to cover all of your damages
and we're going to have to cut other investments in programs that
create manufacturing jobs in America. That's simply outrageous.
I saw firsthand the devastation that occurred in my district in
northeastern New Jersey. Thousands of my constituents lost their
possessions, were forced to evacuate from their homes or were without
power for days, and critical infrastructure was damaged. Recovery
efforts are beyond the means of the State and local governments. Our
neighbors, our local communities, our local businesses need Federal
help to rebuild and they need it now in full, just like every other
part of the country in all the years past.
This is not a partisan matter in the Northeast. My Republican
Governor, Governor Chris Christie from New Jersey, said our people are
suffering now and they need Federal support now, and he was right.
It is time to meet the disaster needs of American citizens in New
Jersey, in northeastern United States of America, to do so now and in
full. And the Republican majority should get rid of the bill it has
now--which I'm going to vote against--and give full relief to the
American people from New Jersey. We've been paying the tab for others
for a long time. We need the help now.
Mr. DICKS. Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time remains
on both sides?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Washington has 9\1/2\
minutes remaining and the gentleman from Kentucky has 14\1/2\ minutes
remaining.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to a very
hardworking member of our committee, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr.
Cole).
Mr. COLE. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, I rise to urge support of H.R. 2608, the Continuing
Resolution Act of 2012.
Frankly, I had hoped not to be here in this particular capacity. I
had hoped by this point this year we would have been able to restore
complete regular order and move our appropriations bills through in a
normal fashion. And, frankly, thanks to the leadership of Chairman
Rogers and the cooperation of Chairman Dicks, we've made a lot of
progress in doing just that, and hopefully next year we'll be able to
complete that progress and build upon what's been accomplished this
year. However, there is a genuine need for this continuing resolution
at this particular time for a number of reasons.
First, with all due respect, our friends on the other side of the
aisle didn't write a budget this year, and that took up quite a bit of
time earlier this year getting ready for 2011. Second, we all know we
had a prolonged debate over the debt ceiling. That took
[[Page H6322]]
up a lot of time. And finally, with all due respect to our friends on
the other side of the Rotunda, the Senate operates at a rather
leisurely pace these days when it comes to budgeting and
appropriating--and, frankly, has for several years. That needs to
change.
Some people in this Chamber will oppose this bill because it
``doesn't have enough money for disaster relief.'' The reality is it
does. And we can add to that, once the continuing resolution is
completed and the appropriations process moves forward, as necessary
with due diligence.
Frankly, a lot of this talk about not having enough relief is simply
a ruse to spend more money in other areas without being responsible and
offsetting expenses from existing revenue. Some on my side of the aisle
will oppose this legislation because it spends too much. And, frankly,
I have a good deal of sympathy with that. We all would like to lower
spending while taking care of legitimate disaster relief.
But this agreement is one that operates under a total spending level.
It's been worked out and it's a compromise, and it's one that we ought
to honor, honestly, on both sides of the aisle. And my friends who
oppose it because it spends too much will only end up triggering
additional spending if this legislation doesn't pass. It's a
responsible bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield the gentleman an additional 30
seconds.
Mr. COLE. In closing, Madam Speaker, it's a responsible piece of
legislation. We ought to act on it.
Frankly, it shouldn't be a partisan football. We can take care of
people that need relief fully and expeditiously, we can exercise our
responsibilities in appropriate oversight fashion, and we can continue
to work toward deficit reduction in the long term if we pass this
continuing resolution.
Mr. DICKS. Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the ranking
Democratic member of the Natural Resources Committee, Congressman Ed
Markey of Massachusetts.
Mr. MARKEY. I thank the gentleman from Washington State.
We're having 100-year floods every year. We're having tornados rip
through Joplin. We have floods in Vermont, in New Jersey, New York. We
have hurricanes all across the country. We have 48 States who have had
emergency declarations so far this year. The planet is warming; the
weather is worsening.
What is the response of the Republicans? They have to find the
money--they say all of a sudden--for disaster relief for people who are
suffering, for people who are desperate, for people whose lives have
been altered permanently.
They say we have to cut something. Now, do they say we're going to
cut the nuclear weapons program because America doesn't need any more
nuclear weapons? No. Are we going to cut the breaks that we give to oil
and coal? No, we're not going to touch those things. Where are we
going? What does the Republican Party do? What does the Tea Party want?
I ask what the Tea Party wants.
The Tea Party wants to cut the Clean Car Factory Fund. Now, what is
that? Well, that's the fund that we have that's going to invent the
automobiles and the trucks that go 60, 70, 80, 90 miles per gallon
without having to use oil. Now, why is that important? Two reasons:
One, it's the oil that's being burnt that creates the greenhouse gases
that are warming up the planet, causing all of these weather conditions
that are leading to these disaster relief programs that have to have
more money in them as each year goes by; and, two, it is so that we can
tell the OPEC ministers, We don't need your oil any more than we need
your sand.
So what are they doing here today? They're taking the one program
that is central to the health and well-being of our country and to our
national security--so that we alter our relationship with OPEC--and
they are slashing it. They are slashing the one program that reinvents
the vehicles that we drive. They are slashing the one program that
gives young people in our country some hope that we are going to invent
our way out of this problem.
You don't have to be Dick Tracy to figure out what's going on here.
The oil industry, the coal industry, all of the polluting industries
are saying kill the program that makes sure that the vehicles we get in
20 years get 75 or 100 miles per gallon without using one gallon of
oil.
Vote ``no'' on this terrible bill.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
distinguished chair of the Legislative Branch Appropriations
Subcommittee, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Crenshaw).
Mr. CRENSHAW. I thank the gentleman for yielding the time.
I just want to urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this continuing
resolution.
This body has been doing a lot of things to try to get the economy
moving again, to try to put people back to work, create jobs. One of
the ways we can do that is to change this culture of spending into a
culture of saving. Quit crowding out the private sector so that the
private sector can come in and do the job creation that we know they
can do.
{time} 1640
We've taken some giant steps on stopping all the spending that's gone
on here. Last year we did some good things. Eventually we funded the
government at less than last year's level, and this year we hoped that
we would come in and do the individual Appropriations subcommittees. In
the House we passed six of those through the full House. Unfortunately,
the Senate only passed one, and so we find ourselves now in a situation
where we have to pass a continuing resolution.
But, again, all the subcommittees that came before this full House
funded their subcommittees at less than last year's level. We now have
a continuing resolution that has funding that's less than last year.
It's been agreed to by the House, agreed to by the Senate, and agreed
to by the President.
And we can argue about the process. We can argue about whether it
should be a little more or a little bit less. But we'll give ourselves
until November 18 to finalize all the work that needs to be done. And
so I think it's appropriate that we pass this, move forward, and
continue to try to get a handle on the spending to help get our economy
moving again.
Mr. DICKS. May I inquire how much time remains?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Washington has 7 minutes
remaining. The gentleman from Kentucky has 10\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Mr. DICKS. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
distinguished chair of the Labor-HHS Subcommittee, the gentleman from
Montana (Mr. Rehberg).
Mr. REHBERG. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Madam Speaker, there is no phrase that better embodies the fact that
something here in Washington is broken than ``government shutdown.''
Yesterday we heard those words for the second time in a year, and that
tells us the old ways of doing things simply don't work anymore. It's
time for a new direction.
Every month we're faced with new unemployment numbers, new market
losses, and new deficit figures. We can never forget that behind those
numbers are people. Unemployment isn't just a number; it's people who
worry about how they will fill their gas tanks or put food on their
table.
Market losses aren't just lines on a graph; it's the retirement
savings of seniors across the country who struggle to afford medicine
they need. And deficit isn't just borrowed money; it's the future being
stolen from our children and our grandchildren.
As subcommittee chairman of Labor, Health and Human Services and
Education appropriations, I support this continuing resolution. Not
only does it prevent a government shutdown, it gives us time to finish
working on the remaining appropriations bills in an open and
transparent way.
I look forward to my subcommittee introducing and debating their
work. Let me tell you a little bit about it. As we've been crafting
this bill, I've worked closely with you, Members of this body, and
listened to folks from Montana and throughout the country. We want it
to be a balanced plan that fundamentally improves how the government
spends its money, the hardworking money of taxpayers.
[[Page H6323]]
We want to make government more accountable and efficient, saving as
much as possible on top of the savings from earlier this year. In
addition to eliminating inefficient programs, we'll improve the
remaining government by defunding enforcement of unnecessary and
overreaching regulations. These regulations cost jobs and hamper
economic recovery.
By spending strategically, we can maintain critical funding for
things like education and biomedical research. To be successful in
tomorrow's economy, our children need to be prepared for the skilled
jobs that are going unfilled today. We also need to invest in basic
research so the U.S. can continue to be a leader in biomedical
advancements. Our subcommittee wants to do that.
Our legislation will keep the promise we made to rein in government
spending and government growth. It's the next step, not the final one.
We still have a long way to go, but by finding ways to do more with
less, we are changing the direction in Washington. That's what the
American people want, and I'm confident that by passing this continuing
resolution it will give us the time to do it in the open and do it
right.
With that, I hope you'll vote for this continuing resolution.
Mr. DICKS. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New
York (Mr. Engel).
Mr. ENGEL. I thank the gentleman from Washington for yielding to me,
and I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 2608, the Continuing
Appropriations Act of 2012. I oppose playing political games with FEMA
disaster funding while American citizens are recovering from recent
natural disasters that have wiped out homes, businesses, and lives.
In an unprecedented move, the Republican majority requires an offset
for FEMA funding. FEMA must be fully funded so that my constituents can
continue recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Irene. By
requiring this offset, we're playing politics with the lives of those
who need our assistance most.
Let me tell my Republican colleagues that if you want an offset,
let's get rid of the Bush tax cuts for the rich. That's an offset that
you won't want to get rid of.
This bill presents a false choice: that we need to cut off one hand
to save the other. The bill slashes funds from a program that would
reinvigorate the manufacturing sector and decrease our reliance on
foreign oil to fund FEMA. We can do both, and we need not buy in to
this ridiculous logic. In times of disaster, we must always take care
of our citizens and our country first, period.
Try telling my constituents who are struggling in the aftermath of a
hurricane, sorry, you'll have to wait till we find an offset. Sorry, we
really don't care about your problems. We have other pressing things to
do.
Reasonable Democrats and Republicans maintained the practice of
helping constituents in the past. Why this policy has changed is beyond
me.
Madam Speaker, disasters are not associated with one political party,
and helping our citizens should be a top priority of both.
I urge a ``no'' vote on the CR, and urge the majority to bring a bill
to the floor that fully funds FEMA and doesn't harm job creation and
does the right thing.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. ENGEL. I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Does the gentleman realize that back in June,
in this body we passed, with bipartisan support, the Homeland Security
bill, which contained $1 billion for FEMA, sent it to the Senate, and
it's been laying there for the last 3 months? Did the gentleman know
that?
Mr. ENGEL. I do know that. Unfortunately, it's been difficult passing
things in the Senate because, quite frankly, the minority filibusters
everything to death, and getting the 60 votes is very, very difficult.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the very hardworking chair of the
Interior subcommittee on appropriations, the gentleman whose
subcommittee held more hearings than any other, I think 22 different
hearings--we had 150 committee-wide, but he won the award for the most
hearings--the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson).
Mr. SIMPSON. I thank the chairman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, many Members of Congress, myself included, recognize
that if we want to get our economy going again we need to take steps to
get our fiscal house back in order and provide certainty to the
marketplace so small business and job creators can begin hiring again.
Until we finish the regular appropriations process for the coming
year, we won't be able to implement the necessary spending reductions
and policy reforms needed to get our economy moving again.
While the House has come close to passing all of the appropriation
bills out of committee and many of the bills on the floor, the Senate
has passed only one bill so far. This CR gives us time to complete that
work, while cutting current spending. To me, that seems like a much
more reasonable solution than threatening another government shutdown,
which will only hurt the economy.
Congress has one responsibility each year, and that is to pass the 12
appropriations bills by the beginning of the year. That job has been
made harder this year by the fact that the previous majority did not
complete their work by the end of 2010.
But I've got to tell you, in all honesty, this debate has almost been
bizarre to me today. People have asked me whether we need to offset
emergency spending, and I said emergency spending does not have to be
offset. But if you can find the offsets to do so, why not do so? And
that's what we've tried to do in this bill.
This debate seems to me almost devoid of the fact that we are $1.5
trillion in debt this year. The gentlelady from Texas, in the debate on
the rule, said, we're nickel and diming those that are suffering from
disaster, and that we shouldn't be nickel and diming.
I don't know, but in Idaho, $1.5 trillion, or the $1 billion that
we're offsetting here, is not nickels and dimes.
The gentleman from New Jersey said people need relief now in New
Jersey. They are going to get relief when we pass this bill.
The gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) said, we are
cannibalizing the program that we are taking the money out of. In full
committee, this amendment was offered on the Homeland Security bill.
This amendment was offered. There was no objection to it. It passed on
a voice vote. And now we are cannibalizing the program?
We need to pass this so that we can get on and finish our
appropriations bills.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Kentucky has 5\3/4\
minutes remaining. The gentleman from Washington has 5 minutes
remaining.
{time} 1650
Mr. DICKS. I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished Democratic whip, my
good friend, Mr. Hoyer, from Maryland.
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
I rise in opposition to this bill.
Now, all of us are for a continuing resolution which keeps the
government in business. In the past, on both sides of the aisle, we
have talked about clean CRs, clean CRs in the short term--this going to
November 18--to keep government running. I was hopeful that we would
have such a CR this time so we would not continue to give to the
American public the feeling that we can't come to agreement.
I was not in the Appropriations Committee. The gentleman, my good
friend from Idaho, said this was an amendment that was not opposed in
committee. I don't know whether Mr. Price would agree with that. I
don't know what the facts on that were. But let me say this:
This is a pay-for that is extraordinarily controversial on our side
of the aisle, extraordinarily controversial because the message we got
from America as we were home, and as we get today, is we need to create
jobs. We need to grow the economy. We perceive on this side of the
aisle as having selected a pay-for, which, by the way, pay-for for FEMA
disaster aid, as I understand it from staff, has never happened before.
No precedent for doing this.
[[Page H6324]]
Let me give you an example that we all ought to all understand.
Your water heater goes out at 2 a.m. in the morning. Your family is
going to get up the next day and they need to take a shower and they
need to get ready, and you need a water heater right away. So what do
you do? You go out and buy the water heater. What do you do? You charge
it. Because it's an emergency, you've got to get it online.
We have a lot of people who have suffered an emergency assault by
hurricane, by tornado, by fire, by earthquake, and they need help now.
And historically, we have given help now and have not gotten into a
debate about what priority do we undermine in that process. We respond
to the true emergency.
Now, we've had a lot of emergencies, and Mr. Rogers and I have been
here a long time, that were not really emergencies. We claimed they
were emergencies so we didn't have to pay for them under our rules.
But there is no one, I think, in this body or in this country who
doesn't believe that Irene caused a legitimate emergency--not feigned,
not used for the purposes of justifying where we may go. The
longstanding precedent in both Chambers has been to respond to
disasters immediately by getting victims the help they need.
Just as a family can't budget in advance for a car breaking down or
the water heater or something as I mentioned, we have provided in the
agreement that we just made just a few weeks ago for headroom for
exactly these kinds of emergencies--$11 billion. However, we did not
provide that for 2011. But, again, 2011 is when the emergency occurred
and when the money is needed now.
The Senate just passed a disaster relief bill that adheres to this
precedent, and it passed with significant bipartisan support.
Unfortunately, Republicans here insist on breaking with this
commonsense precedent and with their colleagues in the Senate and
demand that responding to an emergency be offset by cutting elsewhere.
Now, again, let me precisely say, on emergency, FEMA funding directed
at disaster relief.
Now, the problem we have is that the target for paying for this is
what we perceive to be a job creator. So as a result, I would ask that
we reject this bill.
We have some time left to do another CR that we ought to agree on in
a bipartisan way, a clean CR, short-term, so that, yes, we can, as the
gentleman from Idaho said, get on with our business.
I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield 2 minutes to a very hardworking
member of our committee, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bonner).
Mr. BONNER. I appreciate the gentleman from Kentucky yielding time.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I rise in support of the
continuing resolution that is before us today. This CR continues
government operations at an amount agreed to by the Congress and the
White House in the Budget Control Act just a few weeks ago, as was
noted by the distinguished Democrat whip.
But make no mistake, the American people spoke loudly last November
and the message was clear: We need to spend less. And both the House
Budget Committee and the House Appropriations Committee have been at
the vanguard of meeting that challenge.
But the other message that many of us receive when we go back home to
our districts from our constituents is they want this institution to
function. They want their elected officials on both sides to put aside
the partisan differences and to work to create an environment that
fosters job creation and economic growth and that reduces spending and
puts our Nation back on a path towards fiscal solvency.
Naturally, I find it disappointing to now learn that some of our
colleagues on the other side of the aisle are opposing this bill for
purely political reasons after signalling their support just last week.
And to my friends in our own conference who believe we should make
deeper cuts in this CR, I would say we agree. The House has voted to
reduce spending further on multiple occasions, and this Appropriations
Committee has reported many bills to do so as well.
Sadly, in this hyperpartisan political environment with the
Republican majority in the House, a Democrat majority in the Senate,
and a Democrat White House, the will of the House alone cannot rule the
day simply because we wish to do so.
This is a reasonable bill which pays for the disaster funding it
contains, and it holds the funding level at an agreed-upon amount and
allows the committee the opportunity to do its work in the remaining
days of this year before fiscal year 2012 kicks in.
I urge my colleagues to support this passage.
Mr. DICKS. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield 2 minutes to a new member of our
committee who's doing a great job, from the State of Arkansas, Steve
Womack.
Mr. WOMACK. I thank the gentleman, the distinguished chairman of the
Appropriations Committee for yielding and appreciate this time.
If I heard it once when I was back in my district, I heard it dozens
of times, and that was the frustration of my constituents concerning
our inability to get our business done, to get it done on time without
the panic and anxiety associated with threatened shutdowns of
government.
This vote today is an opportunity for us to do just that--fund
government consistently with the amounts agreed to in the Budget
Control Act, giving the necessary time to complete 2012 appropriations
and save America from the threat of another government shutdown.
Now, as was articulated by the distinguished chairman a moment ago,
I'm a freshman, and I realize I'm still learning the ropes of this
Chamber and how things get done, but let's just go back in context.
This funds government at levels consistent with the Budget Control
Act passed in this very room a few weeks ago. It addresses disaster
funding and does so in a very responsible way. It is not unprecedented
nor is it unique to find offsets. And this offset is exactly what this
House passed in the Homeland Security appropriations bill.
So what has changed? I suggest to you, Madam Speaker, that the
political strategies have changed, and the emotions and the hardships
of the people affected by these disasters are really nothing more than
a political prop in this entire discussion designed to make us look
hard-hearted or insensitive. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Just a moment ago, the distinguished Democratic whip from Maryland
talked about the water heater going out in the middle of the night. You
just simply go charge one. What happens when you go to charge it and
your credit is denied? You've maxed out on your credit card. As my
friend Mike Simpson said a moment ago, we're broke. We're a trillion
and a half dollars in deficit.
Our plan, this CR, provides the necessary funding, does it
responsibly and consistently with already agreed-upon numbers. I urge
its passage.
{time} 1700
Mr. DICKS. I yield the balance of my time to the distinguished
Democratic leader from California, whose State has suffered a number of
major disasters over the years, so she is well versed on this subject,
Ms. Pelosi.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman is recognized for 1 minute.
Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I congratulate
him on his tremendous leadership as the ranking member on the
Appropriations Committee.
When he was speaking today, I was thinking back to when I was a
relatively new Member of Congress--not even here 2 years--when we had
the Loma Prieta earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was
shocking to us. Of course, it was a complete surprise--a terrible
natural disaster. The Bay Bridge was out of commission and cracked. The
homes were on fire for days and days and days--a true natural disaster.
When I came to the floor when this issue was brought up by the
chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the Honorable Jamie Whitten
of Mississippi, he came to the floor; and with his words of comfort and
assurance to the people who were affected by this natural disaster, his
comments made all the difference in the world. In listening to him, no
one had any doubt
[[Page H6325]]
that the Federal Government was going to honor its commitment to the
American people: that when in time of natural disaster, we will be
there. We have a compact with the American people.
How different the conversation is today when we're talking about
saying, when in a time of natural disaster--and by the way, there have
been many more natural disasters than in the San Francisco Bay Area,
the Loma Prieta, which stretched for long distances in northern
California. Today, we've had hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes,
floods, forest fires still raging out of control in some parts of the
country--Texas, until recently, in that situation. I hope that it's
under control now or that the rain we all prayed for there is coming.
And what do we do? We come to the floor and say, Now we're going to
institute a new policy that says: in time of natural disaster, we're
going to have to find some place to pay for it. Now, what's next? Where
are we going next to pay for it?
The distinguished chairman has said, well, we've paid for emergencies
before and, indeed, we have. I'm talking about something of a much
different caliber. I'm talking about a natural disaster. I'm talking
about the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund. With all of the disasters that are
happening at once, we don't know when the next one will come; but what
is frightening also is we don't know where this majority wants to go to
pay for it.
I have serious objection to the pay-for in this legislation. I have a
bigger objection that we would have to pay for a disaster. We never
paid for the tax cuts for the rich. They never were paid for. We never
paid for the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq. They were never paid for.
But, all of a sudden, we have to pay to try to make whole these people
who have been affected, who have lost everything. I've visited there. I
wish you would. Maybe you have. But it's not that the joblessness story
is finished. It's not that as we go to a new disaster, we're finished
with the old one. It's just compounded.
Someone mentioned earlier in the election--people talked about this--
that the American people, whether in election or out of election, want
jobs; and exactly what this bill does is cut jobs. Instead of creating
jobs, which is the number one priority of the American people, this
Republican bill will cost good-paying jobs. It's amazing because the
bill that we're debating here will cost at least 10 good-paying
American manufacturing jobs--Make It in America--and perhaps tens of
thousands more by cutting the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing
loan program.
I'm not even going to speak too much about it because our colleagues
already have. They've talked about how this takes us to the next place
in innovation and competitiveness for our country, the next place in
technology for cars that will reduce emissions, which will help to stop
some of these natural disasters. These loans are proven to be
effective. They have already created 42,000 jobs, putting America to
work making cleaner, more efficient American cars. We shouldn't have to
choose between creating jobs and caring for those struggling in the
aftermath of disasters like Hurricane Irene and the earthquake that
preceded it and the floods that continue.
One of the speakers, a gentleman whom I respect, said this is a
political move. Well, if there is anything that is not political in our
country, it is a natural disaster. Do you want to talk politics when
somebody is suffering a natural disaster? There is no place for that.
At some place, we walk on a ground that is more hallowed than the
normal terrain on which we debate, and that terrain is the terrain of
the disaster that has affected the American people. If you looked in
their eyes, you would feel so helpless that you could not make them
whole. You may not be able to provide them the personal effects of
their families. I've seen it so many times.
Will they economically be made whole? Will their homes be restored in
a way that makes it the home it was before that they loved, that
created a sense of community, one home after another? So we're at a
very, very sad place for all of these people. We don't know who is
next.
What makes me suspicious about what the majority has put into this--
and I want you to know this--is we haven't paid for natural disaster
assistance before. They're using this advanced technology vehicle
manufacturing. They're taking $1 billion of it to pay for the disaster.
There is a half a billion dollars left, and they're rescinding it in
this bill. They're eliminating it. So this isn't about paying for the
disaster. This is about destroying an initiative that is job-creating,
that is innovative, that keeps America number one, that creates good-
paying jobs in our country.
It's really hard to understand what the motivation is for that, but
one thing is clear--they are using the disaster to eliminate that
initiative, and that's just not right. But even if they had the best
offset in the world, I still think it is wrong for them to go down a
path that says, This time, for your disaster, we're using this
technology program. What's next? With all of the disasters that we
have, where do we have the room to say, On those days, at that specific
time, this is how we'll pay for it?
Let's, instead, do something that gives hope to people, that creates
an economic boomlet in these places that have been affected and not a
discouragement that they are being treated differently than anybody
else has been in time of natural disasters.
I heard the distinguished chairman use the term ``emergency.'' It's a
different story. It's a different story. It is with great sadness that
we try to meet the needs of people at this difficult time. It's in
great sadness that we even have to have a debate about it. I urge our
Republican colleagues to withdraw this bill. Come back clean. Let us
vote together to address the natural disaster that has afflicted our
country, recognizing that we don't know what's around the corner.
As one of my colleagues said, We said we're going to pay for
everything.
We don't know what God has in store for us for the next disaster. We
hope and pray that, whatever it is, we have the strength to meet the
needs of our people in a way that has nothing to do with politics but
everything to do with America.
With that, I urge my colleagues to vote against this, reluctantly,
because I would love for us to join together but not in its present
form.
{time} 1710
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, this is a simple bill. This is a simple continuation
of spending until November 18.
I would not want it on my record that I voted against helping the
postal workers keep their routes until November 18. We take care of
that problem in this bill. I wouldn't want to vote ``no'' on that if I
could help it.
I wouldn't want to vote ``no'' to refuse to continue the government
and all that the government does. I wouldn't want it on my record that
I voted against helping people who are flooded, the subject of
wildfires, earthquakes and all other sorts of calamities. A vote of
``no'' on this bill says no other help for those people.
Now, the gentlewoman who just preceded me, the former Speaker of the
House, says that we should not use offsets to pay for at least a
portion of these disaster funds. In fact, while the gentlewoman was
Speaker of this House, we did just that.
We voted to offset the funding for Hurricane Katrina in 2006 and
2007. We voted for offsets for disaster relief in 2008, 2009; and,
lastly, in 2010 we voted to offset $10 billion for what was called the
Pelosi edu-jobs stimulus bill. The gentlewoman voted for that offset.
So I urge you to vote for this bill. We will have plenty of time
during the negotiations with the Senate during the next 6 weeks to take
into account the additional bills we are going to get for flooding and
other disaster relief, and we will take care of the problem between now
and then.
Vote ``yes'' on the bill.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, today's Continuing Resolution would
fund federal government operations through November 18, 2011 at 98.5%
of FY 2011 funding levels, reflecting the 1.5% across-the-board cut
required to bring spending in line with the $1.043 trillion
discretionary cap for FY 2012 in the recently enacted Budget Control
Act of 2011.
Additionally, H.R. 2608 provides $3.65 billion in disaster relief
funding, which is $1.8 billion below President Obama's request and
[[Page H6326]]
$3.25 billion less than the Senate allocation supported by ten
Republican Senators. Of the $3.65 billion for disaster relief in
today's legislation, $1 billion is made available in FY 2011 and the
remaining $2.65 billion is designated as FY 2012 money. However, in a
sharp break with precedent under previous administrations from both
parties, the $1 billion in FY 2011 in emergency disaster relief is
offset by a $1.5 billion cut in the Advanced Technology Vehicle
Manufacturing program.
Mr. Speaker, we should not be holding emergency disaster relief
hostage to political infighting in Washington, DC. And with
unemployment still hovering above 9%, we certainly shouldn't be
undermining a proven job creator like the Advanced Technology Vehicle
Manufacturing program that will help next generation vehicles get built
in the United States rather than overseas.
Instead, we should put politics aside, pass a clean CR and get
disaster relief where it is needed without undercutting innovation and
job creation in an economy that needs more of both.
Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I rise today to provide
explanation and clarification of the intended budget effects from the
anomaly related to the U.S. Postal Service that is contained in the
House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 2608, the Continuing
Resolution (CR) for Fiscal Year 2012.
The amendment would postpone from September 30, 2011 until November
18, 2011 the payment due from the Postal Service, which is off-budget,
to an on-budget account managed by the Office of Personnel Management
(OPM).
The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 requires the
Postal Service to make a $5.5 billion payment to OPM by September 30,
2011 to pre-fund retiree health benefits. However, the Postal Service
does not currently have adequate funds to make this payment. To address
this issue, the CR includes a provision that will delay the payment to
provide time for the Postal Service to work with Congress and the
administration to develop a long-term solution.
If only the on-budget effects were counted, this delay would score as
an increase in spending in 2011, but then produce savings in 2012,
resulting in additional room for spending under the caps on
discretionary spending established in the Budget Control Act of 2011.
To prevent this unintended consequence, the House Budget Committee
scored this anomaly on a unified basis, so that both the on-budget and
off-budget effects were counted together. As the result, the 2011 cost
and the 2012 savings offset each other and produce a score of zero in
the CR. This decision has precedent. A similar provision was included
in the FY 2010 short-term CR (P.L. 111-68) where the House scored that
provision on a unified basis pursuant to section 426(b) of the 2010
budget resolution.
The off-budget status of the U.S. Postal Service creates significant
complications for budget enforcement when the agency seeks timing
shifts or bailouts from the U.S. Treasury due to financial distress.
The House Budget Committee will continue to monitor this anomaly
throughout the budget and appropriations process to ensure that it does
not result in additional discretionary spending in FY 2012.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I rise to voice my strong opposition to
HR. 2608, the short-term continuing appropriations measure on the floor
today to fund government operations through November 18, 2011.
Hundreds of American communities have been devastated this year by
hurricanes, droughts, floods, wildfires and tornadoes. Dozens of
Governors--both Republicans and Democrats--have requested federal
assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to meet
the needs of their states' residents. These federal funds are used by
state and local response teams to house displaced families, provide
crisis counseling to disaster victims, remove debris, and repair or
replace critical bridges, roads and utilities.
With more than three months remaining, 2011 has already seen more
billion dollar disasters than any year on record. Early cost estimates
of this year's weather-related disasters are well above $20 billion. As
a result, FEMA can no longer afford to help all those who need
assistance. The Associated Press reported that FEMA's disaster funding
is now so low that planned repairs to bridges, roads and schools in
tornado-ravaged Joplin, Missouri have been stopped and the funds
redirected to help the victims of Hurricane Irene.
Caring for Americans devastated by natural disasters has always been
a basic American value. Unfortunately, House Republicans are turning
disaster relief into a partisan political battle by under-funding these
urgent needs and demanding that emergency funds be offset with cuts to
a critical job-creating initiative.
The House legislation under debate today includes $3.65 billion in
emergency aid--$1.8 billion less than what the Obama administration
told Congress is needed. Even worse, H.R. 2608 cuts $1 billion from the
Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program (ATVM). This public-
private partnership helps U.S. auto makers and parts suppliers build
next generation vehicles with technologies made in America, rather than
imported from China and other foreign countries. The ATVM is a major
success. It has already saved or created 41,000 American jobs and will
save or create at least 35,000 additional jobs anticipated by the end
of this year. The cuts demanded by House Republicans to this program
threaten to destroy thousands of American jobs and undermine the global
competitiveness of U.S. auto makers.
During the past decade, House Republicans voted time and time again
for so-called emergency funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
without offsetting the costs. The hundreds of billions of dollars in
deficit spending Republicans supported on these wars helped create the
crippling debt our country now faces. And now, my House Republican
colleagues are pretending to take a stand against deficits by
threatening to shut down the U.S. government and deny assistance to
American families who have had their lives destroyed by natural
disaster.
I call on reasonable Republicans in the House to join with Democrats
to reject this hypocritical and callous bill, and instead commit the
necessary funding to rescue America's devastated communities.
Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2608, the
Continuing Appropriations Resolution for FY 2012.
This legislation implements a 1.5%, nearly across the board reduction
to current spending levels and pays for it by cutting the Advanced
Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program (ATVM). This program is
essential to keeping our auto manufacturing industry competitive.
I support the cuts to the Overseas Contingency Operations fund, which
is used to fund our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as other
counterterrorism operations. But the rhetoric on cuts to war spending
does not match the reality and cost of our policies abroad.
Last week, The New York Times highlighted the legal battle currently
occurring in the White House over the use of lethal force, of targeted
killings against militants abroad by ``drone strikes, cruise missiles
or commando raids.'' We talk about ending the wars while planning to
expand the use of lethal force--or committing acts of war--in other
countries with little to no oversight from Congress. We impose faux
deadlines to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and attach cost-
savings estimates to them, while at the time same, continuing to push
the deadline for withdrawal back. According to the Congressional
Research Service, the cost of keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan is
$694,000 per soldier per year.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the United States
trillions of dollars and have played a major role in our economic
insecurity. The war in Iraq was the first time in American history that
the government cut taxes as it went to war, resulting in a war
completely funded by borrowing. Soaring oil prices, the ballooning
federal debt and the global economic crisis are all intimately linked
to our policies of endless war. These are policies we are continuing
today.
Any serious debate on scaling back spending must include not only
cuts to defense spending, but also to the wars the U.S. is currently
waging or attempting to expand in other countries such as Somalia,
Yemen and Pakistan through our drone campaigns. I urge my colleagues to
oppose this bill.
Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to debate H.R.
2608, ``The Small Business Program Extension and Reform Act of 2011,''
which provides for an additional temporary extension of programs under
the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 at
the expense of job creating efforts.
Now . . . Now is not the time to trample on the needs of small
business owners. Now is not the time to delay assistance to those who
need support from FEMA. Now is not the time for a partisan position
that will only cause more Americans to suffer while they have to wait
on Congress to find balance. Now is the time for balance and reason.
Small businesses have long been the bedrock of our nation's economy.
Even with the advent of modern-day multi-national corporations most of
our day-to-day purchases take place at ``mom and pop'' small
businesses.
This piece of legislation holds small businesses hostage in order to
make a demand that has never been made by Republicans before. This
demand changes their practice during previous administrations. In the
past my colleagues declared disaster funding as emergency spending and
did not require offsetting emergency spending.
This bill would offset the $1 billion in FY11 disaster relief funding
using a program that is a proven job-creator, a program for small
businesses. The very small businesses that are currently in need of
access to loans and other
[[Page H6327]]
lines of credit in order to build their businesses and create jobs. The
very small businesses that are the life blood of our economy. These
businesses, the ``mom and pop'' shops across our nation are being held
hostage by my colleagues across the aisle at the expense of jobs.
The future success of their businesses are being held hostage in
order to demand offsets of funds that have not requires such an offset
in the past. These funds would aid victims of natural disasters. To
propose such a measure at a time when our economy is so fragile and
when so many are struggling to survive is unfathomable. I support the
bipartisan Senate language.
At a time when our nation needs every single job we can create.
Before us is a job killing measure. We need job creation to help
families survive on smaller and smaller pay checks. Before us is
legislation that places a halt on this growth. My colleagues on the
other side of the aisle for the first time in our nation's history has
added to this piece of legislation a requirement that disaster aid be
offset. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) needs the $6.9
billion in funding which has been approved in the Senate last week
without requiring offset. These cuts cost Americans tens of thousands
of jobs. Under the previous administration Republicans supported
disaster relief without requiring an offset, on eight separate
occasions but today they want to require cuts that will result in job
loss.
As the Representative for Houston, which suffered severe damage in
2008 as a result of Hurricane Ike, I understand the importance of clean
up and rebuilding in the wake of natural disaster. Federal Emergency
Management Administration (FEMA) addresses the challenges our
communities face when we are confronted with a catastrophic event or a
domestic terrorist attack. It is important for people to understand
that our capacity to deal with hurricanes directly reflects our ability
to respond to a terrorist attack in Texas or New York, an earthquake in
California, or a nationwide pandemic flu outbreak.
The devastating hurricanes that struck Texas in past years because
the response to those events demonstrated the need for significant
improvement. During Hurricane Katrina, there were insufficient
quantities of generators forced hospitals to evacuate patients. Local
governments waited days for commodities like ice, water, MREs, and blue
tarps. Evacuees from Texas arrived in Shreveport and Bastrop shelters
that were grossly unfit for occupancy, and 2,500 people were forced to
use the same shower facility.
We must prepare our first responders with the best information and
training to quickly analyze and share information to understand alerts
and warning systems, evacuation planning, mission assignments to other
agencies, contingency contracting, pre-staged resources, Regional
Hurricane Plans and exercises, communications support, citizen
preparedness, disaster housing, and long-term recovery planning. In
order to accomplish this we must fund FEMA, not at the expense of small
business but because Americans come together at times of crisis. This
should be what it has always been--emergency funding.
Emergency preparedness is not the exclusive responsibility of the
federal government or individual agencies within it. State and local
officials, nonprofit organizations, private sector businesses, and
individual citizens must all contribute to the mission in order for our
nation to succeed at protecting life and property from disasters.
Recovery and mitigation are critical to protecting communities from
future threats, and our ability to respond will suffer if we do not
focus attention and resources on those missions.
On any given day the City of Houston faces a widespread and ever-
changing array of threats, such as: terrorism, organized crime, natural
disasters and industrial accidents. Cities and towns across the nation
face these and other threats. Indeed, every day, ensuring the security
of the homeland requires the interaction of multiple Federal
departments and agencies, as well as operational collaboration across
Federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial governments,
nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector. This
collaboration and cooperation undergirds our security posture at our
borders and ports, our preparedness in our communities, and our ability
to effectively react to crises. Consider the devastation that was
brought by the tornadoes in Alabama and the Southern United States, the
flooding that has impacted the entire Mississippi river region, from
Montana to Tennessee, and tornado that claimed more than 100 lives in
Joplin, Missouri, have shown us that there are disasters we cannot
predict, and forces of nature for which we cannot plan.
This legislation is a job killer, it is an affront to growing small
businesses and will destroy thousands of jobs. I have been firmly
committed to supporting small businesses and this legislation as
written will fail to help create the jobs we need at this time. We
should not prevent the growth of small business in order to address the
unrealistic demands related to disaster relief funding.
Moreover, 99 percent of all independent companies and businesses in
the United States are considered small businesses. They are the engine
of our economy, creating two-thirds of the new jobs over the last 15
years. America's 27 million small businesses continue to face a lack of
credit and tight lending standards, with the number of small businesses
loans down nearly 5 million since the financial crisis in 2008.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, these small
businesses account for 52 percent of all U.S. workers. These small
businesses also provide a continuing source of vitality for the
American economy. Small businesses in the U.S. produced three-fourths
of the economy's new jobs between 1990 and 1995, and represent an entry
point into the economy for new groups. Women, for instance, participate
heavily in small businesses.
The number of female-owned businesses climbed by 89 percent, to an
estimated 8.1 million, between 1987 and 1997, and women-owned sole
proprietorships were expected to reach 35 percent of all such ventures
by the year 2000. Small firms also tend to hire a greater number of
older workers and people who prefer to work part-time.
One strength that small businesses are known for is their ability to
respond quickly to changing economic conditions. They often know their
customers personally and are especially suited to meet local needs.
There are tons of stories of start-up companies catching national
attention and growing into large corporations. Just a few examples of
these types of start-up businesses making big include the computer
software company Microsoft; the package delivery service Federal
Express; sports clothing manufacturer Nike; the computer networking
firm America OnLine; and ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's.
We must always ensure that we place a high level of priority on small
businesses. It is also important that we work towards ensuring that
small businesses receive all the tools and resources necessary for
their continued growth and development.
American small businesses are the heart beat of our nation. I believe
that small businesses represent more than the American dream--they
represent the American economy. Small businesses account for 95 percent
of all employers, create half of our gross domestic product, and
provide three out of four new jobs in this country.
Small business growth means economic growth for the nation. But to
keep this segment of our economy thriving, entrepreneurs need access to
loans. Through loans small business owners can expand their businesses,
hire more workers and provide more goods and services. The Small
Business Administration (SBA), a federal organization that aids small
businesses with loan and development programs, is a key provider of
support to small businesses. The SBA's main loan program accounts for
30 percent of all long-term small business borrowing in America.
I have worked hard to help small business owners to fully realize
their potential. That is why I support entrepreneurial development
programs, including the Small Business Development Center and Women's
Business Center programs. These initiatives provide counseling in a
variety of critical areas, including business plan development,
finance, and marketing.
We must consider what impact changes in this appropriations bill will
have on small businesses.
There are 5.8 million minority owned businesses in the United States,
representing a significant aspect of our economy. In 2007, minority
owned businesses employed nearly 6 million Americans and generated $1
trillion dollars in economic output.
Women owned businesses have increased 20% since 2002, and currently
total close to 8 million. These organizations make up more than half of
all businesses in health care and social assistance.
My home city of Houston, Texas is home to more than 60,000 women
owned businesses, and more than 60,000 African American owned
businesses.
According to a 2009 report published by the Economic Policy
Institute, ``Starting in 2004, the Small Business Administration (SBA)
set goals for small business participation in federal contracts. It
encouraged agencies to award contracts to companies owned by women,
veterans, and minorities or those located in economically challenged
areas and gave them benchmarks to work toward. The targets are
specific: 23% of contracts to small business, 5% to women-owned small
businesses, and 3% to disabled veteran-owned and HUBZone small
businesses.''
Women and minority owned businesses generate billions of dollars and
employ millions of people. They are certainly qualified to receive
these contracts. A mandatory DOD outreach program would make women and
minority owned businesses aware of all of the contract opportunities
available to them.
[[Page H6328]]
Facts: Small business are important because they:
(1) Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms,
(2) Employ just over half of all private sector employees,
(3) Pay 44 percent of total U.S. private payroll,
(4) Generated 64 percent of net new jobs over the past 15 years,
(5) Create more than half of the nonfarm private gross domestic
product (GDP),
(6) Hire 40 percent of high tech workers (such as scientists,
engineers, and computer programmers),
(7) Are 52 percent home-based and 2 percent franchises,
(8) Made up 97.3 percent of all identified exporters and produced
30.2 percent of the known export value in FY 2007,
(9) Produce 13 times more patents per employee than large patenting
firms and twice as likely as large firm patents to be among the one
percent most cited.
Republicans appear to be on a mission to cut programs that help
families and will buttress small businesses at a time when there are
Americans faced with the perils which arise during cleaning up after a
natural disaster. Now is not the time to force those Americans to wait
on a partisan battle, to pick a fight that has not been fought in eight
previous authorizations of funds for disaster relief. There needs to be
a balance when determining which programs to cut and when. A balance to
finding the funds that will address national disasters. A balanced
approach to measures that will aid small business and to restore our
economy.
I support small business and job creation. I will not support small
business growth being held hostage to the unrealistic demands made by
my Republican Colleagues. American families need legislation that are
job growers rather than measures that are jobs killers.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 405, the previous question is ordered.
The question is on the motion by the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr.
Rogers).
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the noes appeared to have it.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. 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 adoption of the motion will be followed by a 5-minute
vote on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 2883.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 195,
nays 230, not voting 8, as follows:
[Roll No. 719]
YEAS--195
Adams
Aderholt
Akin
Alexander
Altmire
Amodei
Bachus
Bartlett
Barton (TX)
Bass (NH)
Benishek
Berg
Biggert
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Black
Bonner
Bono Mack
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Brooks
Buchanan
Buerkle
Calvert
Camp
Cantor
Capito
Carter
Cassidy
Chabot
Coble
Coffman (CO)
Cole
Conaway
Cravaack
Crawford
Crenshaw
Culberson
Davis (KY)
Denham
Dent
Diaz-Balart
Dold
Dreier
Duffy
Ellmers
Emerson
Farenthold
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Flores
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foxx
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Gardner
Garrett
Gerlach
Gibbs
Gibson
Goodlatte
Gosar
Granger
Graves (MO)
Griffin (AR)
Griffith (VA)
Grimm
Guinta
Guthrie
Hall
Hanna
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Hastings (WA)
Hayworth
Heck
Hensarling
Herger
Herrera Beutler
Holden
Hunter
Hurt
Issa
Jenkins
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jones
Kelly
King (NY)
Kingston
Kinzinger (IL)
Kissell
Kline
Labrador
Lance
Lankford
Latham
LaTourette
Latta
Lewis (CA)
LoBiondo
Long
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lungren, Daniel E.
Manzullo
Marino
McCarthy (CA)
McCarthy (NY)
McCaul
McCotter
McHenry
McKeon
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
Meehan
Mica
Michaud
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Murphy (PA)
Myrick
Noem
Nugent
Nunes
Nunnelee
Olson
Palazzo
Paulsen
Pence
Petri
Pitts
Platts
Pompeo
Price (GA)
Quayle
Reed
Rehberg
Renacci
Ribble
Rigell
Rivera
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rokita
Rooney
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Runyan
Ryan (WI)
Scalise
Schilling
Schmidt
Schock
Scott (SC)
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Southerland
Stearns
Stivers
Stutzman
Sullivan
Terry
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tipton
Turner (NY)
Upton
Walden
Webster
Welch
West
Whitfield
Wittman
Wolf
Womack
Woodall
Yoder
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
Young (IN)
NAYS--230
Ackerman
Amash
Andrews
Austria
Baldwin
Barletta
Barrow
Bass (CA)
Becerra
Berkley
Berman
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Boren
Boswell
Brady (PA)
Braley (IA)
Broun (GA)
Brown (FL)
Bucshon
Burgess
Burton (IN)
Butterfield
Campbell
Canseco
Capps
Capuano
Cardoza
Carnahan
Carney
Carson (IN)
Castor (FL)
Chaffetz
Chandler
Chu
Cicilline
Clarke (MI)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly (VA)
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Costello
Courtney
Critz
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis (IL)
DeFazio
DeGette
DeLauro
DesJarlais
Deutch
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Donnelly (IN)
Doyle
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Edwards
Ellison
Engel
Eshoo
Farr
Fattah
Filner
Fincher
Flake
Fleming
Frank (MA)
Franks (AZ)
Fudge
Garamendi
Gingrey (GA)
Gohmert
Gonzalez
Gowdy
Graves (GA)
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hahn
Hanabusa
Hastings (FL)
Heinrich
Higgins
Himes
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hirono
Hochul
Holt
Honda
Hoyer
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Inslee
Israel
Jackson (IL)
Jackson Lee (TX)
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, E. B.
Jordan
Kaptur
Keating
Kildee
Kind
King (IA)
Kucinich
Lamborn
Landry
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee (CA)
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lofgren, Zoe
Lowey
Lujan
Lummis
Lynch
Mack
Maloney
Marchant
Markey
Matheson
Matsui
McClintock
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McIntyre
McNerney
Meeks
Miller (FL)
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Moore
Moran
Mulvaney
Murphy (CT)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Neugebauer
Olver
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor (AZ)
Pearce
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peters
Peterson
Pingree (ME)
Poe (TX)
Polis
Posey
Price (NC)
Quigley
Rahall
Rangel
Reyes
Richardson
Richmond
Rohrabacher
Ross (AR)
Ross (FL)
Rothman (NJ)
Roybal-Allard
Royce
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schrader
Schwartz
Schweikert
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Sewell
Sherman
Shuler
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Speier
Stark
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Tonko
Towns
Tsongas
Turner (OH)
Van Hollen
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walberg
Walsh (IL)
Walz (MN)
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watt
Waxman
Westmoreland
Wilson (FL)
Wilson (SC)
Woolsey
Yarmuth
NOT VOTING--8
Baca
Bachmann
Blackburn
Giffords
Paul
Payne
Reichert
Sutton
{time} 1744
Messrs. BISHOP of Georgia, RUSH, BURTON of Indiana, ROHRABACHER,
TURNER of Ohio, MILLER of Florida, DUNCAN of Tennessee, BUCSHON and
FINCHER changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Messrs. STEARNS, GARY G. MILLER of California and Mrs. BLACK changed
their vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the motion was rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Stated against:
Mr. BACA. Madam Speaker, I was absent from today's vote. If I had
been here, I would have voted ``no'' on H.R. 2608, the Continuing
Appropriations Act of 2012.
____________________