[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 133 (Tuesday, October 1, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H6077-H6082]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS RESOLUTION, 2014

  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
joint resolution (H.J. Res. 71) making continuing appropriations of 
local funds of the District of Columbia for fiscal year 2014.
  The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.
  The text of the joint resolution is as follows:

                              H.J. Res. 71

       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled,
       Sec. 1.  This joint resolution may be cited as the 
     ``District of Columbia Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 
     2014''.
       Sec. 2. (a) 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. 2786 (113th 
     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 2014 Budget Request Act of 2013 
     (D.C. Act 20-127), as modified as of the date of the 
     enactment of this joint resolution.
       (b) Appropriations made by subsection (a) are provided 
     under the authority and conditions as provided under the 
     Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (division F of 
     Public Law 113-6) and shall be available to the extent and in 
     the manner that would be provided by such Act.
       Sec. 3.  Appropriations made and authority granted pursuant 
     to this joint resolution 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 joint resolution.
       Sec. 4.  Unless otherwise provided for in this joint 
     resolution or in the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal 
     year 2014, appropriations and funds made available and 
     authority granted pursuant to this joint resolution 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 joint resolution; (2) the 
     enactment into law of the applicable appropriations Act for 
     fiscal year 2014 without any provision for such project or 
     activity; or (3) December 15, 2013.
       Sec. 5.  Expenditures made pursuant to this joint 
     resolution 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. 6.  Appropriations made and funds made available by or 
     authority granted pursuant to this joint resolution 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 joint 
     resolution may be construed to waive any other provision of 
     law governing the apportionment of funds.
       Sec. 7.  It is the sense of Congress that this joint 
     resolution may also be referred to as the ``Provide Local 
     Funding for the District of Columbia Act''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Crenshaw) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CRENSHAW. 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 House Joint Resolution 71, District 
of Columbia Continuing Appropriations Resolution, and that I may 
include tabular material on the same.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I bring to the floor today a continuing resolution which 
is narrow in scope and allows the District of Columbia to spend their 
own funds.
  As some of the Members may be aware, some may not be aware, due to 
the city's unique status as a Federal city, Congress must appropriate 
their locally raised funds before the city can spend them.
  And despite the multiple attempts by the House of Representatives to 
fund the Federal Government, we're here in day one of a government 
shutdown. This continuing resolution provides that the District of 
Columbia, it gives them their funds through December 15, under the same 
terms and conditions that they have under the spending bill in 2013.
  So passing this bill today will allow the Appropriations Committee 
time to negotiate a full year's funding bill with the Senate.
  Now, the District of Columbia has passed their own fiscal year 2014 
budget. The Mayor presented a budget to the city council. The city 
council debated that. The city council approved, and the city's 
independent chief financial officer certified the budget as balanced.
  So, therefore, the District's locally raised funds should not be 
withheld from them during this current Federal shutdown. This 
disagreement that the Republicans and the Democrats are having over 
Federal spending shouldn't stop the District from using its own locally 
raised funds like any other city in America.
  The District is currently using reserve balances to stay open. 
However, we can't expect the District of Columbia to deplete all of its 
cash reserves to make up for the Federal Government's inability to pass 
a Federal budget.
  We've got school teachers out there, we've got policemen, we've got 
firemen, we've got garbage collectors, we've got librarians, we've got 
all these city employees, and they're paid with D.C. local funds, and 
they should expect to be paid for their services. The citizens of the 
District of Columbia, they shouldn't suffer because Congress and the 
administration can't agree on a budget.
  So this continuing resolution fulfills our responsibility under the 
law to appropriate the District of Columbia their local funds.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this resolution, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  I rise, reluctantly, to oppose this bill. While, of course, we 
support freeing up D.C. to spend its own local funds, a policy we've 
asked to be made permanent, this is a sham of a process and a fake bill 
designed by the Tea Party, for the Tea Party, and of the Tea Party.
  It's not a sudden concern or awakening to realize that D.C., this 
morning, needed all this help. My God, to those of you who've been 
around for a while, you know that I've made an appropriations career 
out of telling people to treat the District of Columbia with respect.
  And all of a sudden, as part of its continuing attack on ObamaCare, 
your party comes up now and comes with a piecemeal approach to a major 
issue.
  Instead, it's part of a strategy to try to draw attention away from 
the legislative hostage-taking which is hurting people around the 
Nation.
  Additionally, I would be remiss if I did not point out that this bill 
continues an unnecessary and harmful rider that prevents the District 
of Columbia from expending its own funds, its own funds, on abortion 
services. No other State in the Nation has such a restriction.
  Although, I repeat, I support D.C. being able to spend its own money, 
I do

[[Page H6078]]

not know why this is the only portion of the Financial Services and 
General Government Appropriations Subcommittee bill being considered to 
date.
  I must tell you, and I don't know how my leadership will feel about 
this statement, but I've got to give you credit, because just when I 
thought you had run out of gimmicks to bring to the floor, this one 
takes the cake, a piecemeal approach of three bills that do not speak 
to any resolution of any issue.
  Many agencies under our jurisdiction have suffered, or will suffer, 
devastating problems as a result of the Republican Federal Government 
shutdown; but you're doing nothing about those agencies in this bill.
  The Republican shutdown has forced the Small Business Administration 
to furlough almost two-thirds of its workforce. This has forced the 
agency to shutter almost all of its loan programs for our Nation's 
small businesses, including loan programs for veterans, women-owned 
small businesses, and small businesses located in underserved areas; 
but you're not saying anything about that in this bill.
  The Federal defenders currently have enough funding to continue 
operations for a couple of weeks. However, once that time is up, they 
will be unable to fulfill their constitutional duty to uphold the Sixth 
Amendment rights of criminal defendants; but you don't speak to that at 
all in this bill.
  The CPSC has been cut from 540 employees--listen to this. The 
Consumer Product Safety Commission has been cut from 540 employees to 
22, making it difficult for the agency to perform its duty of fully 
reviewing thousands of different kinds of products. This will clearly 
increase the risk to the public, but we don't speak to that.

                              {time}  1745

  The IRS, the agency that always takes the biggest hit during this 
period of time, has been forced to let go most of their workforce, 
preventing the agency from providing taxpayer assistance to those who 
have questions, examining questionable tax returns, or even to accept 
paper tax filings. The IRS brings in the vast majority of our Nation's 
revenue. The Republican shutdown is harming our ability to pay our 
bills.
  All of these agencies need and deserve a continuing resolution so 
they can perform the many functions of government that remain essential 
to American consumers, investors, taxpayers, and small businesses.
  Let me try to save you some time. Some of you newer folks will get up 
and say: Oh, my God, you are attacking the District of Columbia. No 
one, except for Ms. Norton, has a clearer record on supporting the 
District of Columbia. I have said often enough on this floor that 
having been born in an American territory called Puerto Rico, I take 
very seriously how I look at and the respect that I have for the 
District of Columbia. But this is a joke. This is simply another 
approach at trying to get around the real issue, which is we need to 
bring a clean CR to the floor, and we will continue to push for that.
  I urge a ``no'' vote on this bill when it comes for a vote, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I'm just surprised to hear my friend say 
it's okay that the citizens of the District of Columbia suffer just 
because Congress can't figure out how to fund the government.
  With that, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. 
Rogers), distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the chairman for yielding me this 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this legislation to keep the 
District of Columbia operating as usual while Congress works to sort 
out its fiscal differences. I have to admit I'm really surprised to 
hear my good friend from New York--and we are good friends--oppose this 
bill.
  This bill provides for the District of Columbia to use its money to 
provide the services that we all enjoy in this Capital City. I can't 
believe the gentleman would oppose this bill. This is a clean funding 
mechanism, nearly identical to what was included in the initial clean 
continuing resolution I introduced on September 10.
  This legislation gives the District access to local funding at the 
current annual rate of $6.8 billion until December 15 or until full-
year appropriations have been signed into law. This funding is solely 
local and does not come out of the Federal coffers. These funds will 
support critical District programs that its people rely on--law 
enforcement, safety, schools, and other essential municipal activities. 
I can't believe that I'm hearing opposition to this from that side of 
the aisle--or any side of any aisle.
  This legislation will help clean up one portion of the difficulties 
caused by a shutdown, and it makes one more critical next step toward 
reopening the entire Federal Government. Let me say again that on this 
side of the aisle we offered to the Senate three or four different 
propositions to keep the government operating. They turned them all 
down.
  Finally, last night we said: Okay, if you won't agree to any of these 
provisions, let's at least form a conference committee between the 
House and Senate, as is the usual process, which is time honored. Let's 
just meet in the rotunda, House and Senate conferees, and work out the 
differences that we have. That's what we've done around here in the 
past. The Senate said: No, we don't even want to talk to you. And so 
here we are. When the Senate said we won't talk, the shutdown took 
place, triggered by the Senate's refusal to even talk to Members of the 
House.
  We've got to keep our eyes on the prize--and that's providing each 
and every agency, program, and department with full-year, updated 
appropriations, and ending this shutdown as soon as possible.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York has 15 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
New York (Mrs. Lowey), the greatest State in the Union, the ranking 
member of the Appropriations Committee.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Republican 
shutdown. Of course we support funding for the District of Columbia, 
but the House has not had that opportunity because Republicans couldn't 
even put the financial services bill on the floor. Why is resuming 
services in D.C. now more important than extending funding for Head 
Start or childcare assistance across the country?
  Funding one budget item at a time while hundreds of thousands of 
Americans are on furlough and losing pay is no way to fulfill our 
constitutional responsibility to keep the government running or to grow 
our economy. The bill we are considering now is nothing more than a 
Republican ploy. It would not be necessary if Republicans had not been 
so reckless throughout the budgetary process, forcing us into a 
shutdown.
  We could end the Republican shutdown today if the majority would only 
allow a vote on the Senate-passed bill to keep the government running, 
which includes the funding levels that Republicans support and would be 
signed by the President.
  The House majority apparently can't take the heat from the fire they 
lit, so now they have put forward this reckless political attempt to 
shift blame for the Republican shutdown. Ending the shutdown couldn't 
be more simple: stop playing games; pass the reasonable bill the Senate 
and the White House have already agreed to.
  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I just want to remind folks that we could have avoided this shutdown 
if the Senate had passed the first resolution we passed them. That 
would have avoided a shutdown. If they had passed the second continuing 
resolution, that would have avoided a shutdown. If they had passed the 
third continuing resolution we passed to them, that would have avoided 
the shutdown. If they would agree to sit down and talk, we might even 
find a way to end this shutdown.
  But I just hope everybody remembers that for Republicans, the last 
thing we want to do is be shut down. We go it. We would like to sit 
down and talk. But the arrogance of the United States Senate says we 
can't even talk.

[[Page H6079]]

  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  It's very interesting to hear my colleague, Mr. Speaker, speak about 
that. I wish we had recorded him--maybe we have--how many times Mrs. 
Lowey got up during appropriations meetings and said, Let's go to 
conference. In fact, once, she said it in Spanish, just to please me. 
That's how serious it's been.
  All of a sudden, the big cry on the Hill is, Let's go to conference. 
But let's not really go to conference. Let's just go to conference and 
do what we want to do and not what should be done.
  I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) for a unanimous 
consent request.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring 
up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, the clean CR that would end 
this Republican shutdown.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under guidelines consistently issued by 
successive Speakers, as recorded in section 956 of the House Rules and 
Manual, the Chair is constrained not to entertain the request until it 
has been cleared by the bipartisan floor and committee leaderships.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Connecticut 
(Ms. Esty) for a unanimous consent request.
  Ms. ESTY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring 
up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, the clean CR that would end 
this Tea Party government shutdown.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. As the Chair previously advised, that 
request cannot be entertained absent appropriate clearance.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Arizona 
(Mrs. Kirkpatrick) for a unanimous consent request.
  Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I unanimous consent that the House 
bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, the clean CR that would 
end this reckless government shutdown.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. As the Chair previously advised, that 
request cannot be entertained absent appropriate clearance.


                             Point of Order

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, point of order. At what point does this become 
dilatory activity inconsistent with the decorum of the House?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair is prepared to entertain proper 
unanimous consent requests.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I don't think it's ever dilatory for 
Members of Congress to speak.
  I now yield to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici) for a 
unanimous consent request.
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House 
bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, the clean CR that would 
end this unnecessary government shutdown.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. As the Chair previously advised, that 
request cannot be entertained absent appropriate clearance.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois 
(Ms. Kelly) for a unanimous consent request
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the 
House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, the clean CR that 
would end this ridiculous Republican government shutdown.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. As the Chair previously advised, that 
request cannot be entertained absent appropriate clearance.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Danny K. Davis) for a unanimous consent request.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, the clean 
CR that would end this Republican government shutdown.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. As the Chair previously advised, that 
request cannot be entertained absent appropriate clearance.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Cartwright) for a unanimous consent request.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House 
bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, the clean CR that would 
end this Republican government shutdown because Congress needs to do 
its job and put thousands of dedicated government workers back to work.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. As the Chair previously advised, that 
request cannot be entertained absent appropriate clearance.
  The Chair will recognize Members for proper unanimous consent 
requests, but not speeches.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Barber) for a unanimous consent request.
  Mr. BARBER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring 
up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res 59, the clean continuing resolution 
that would end this unconscionable government shutdown.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. As the Chair previously advised, that 
request cannot be entertained absent appropriate clearance.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), a person who we all know has 
been a champion on behalf of not only the District, but all areas of 
our country.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from New York.
  This debate is already heartbreaking to me. Every time I hear the 
District of Columbia mentioned in the same breath with other 
appropriations on either my side of the aisle, you are casting this 
city precisely where it cannot be cast--as just another Federal 
appropriation.
  This is a living, breathing city, and the notion of holding up our 
budget under any circumstances or not distinguishing between the 
District of Columbia appropriations--a local budget and not one of your 
12 appropriations; a local budget--and the other budgets is breaking my 
heart. It puts me in an impossible position.

                              {time}  1800

  I have a greater number of Federal employees than any part of this 
region. And of course, because I must support this piecemeal approach, 
when it comes to this D.C. continuing resolution, I'm leaving them 
behind. Well, what am I to do? What would you do if your local budget 
were here? Would you mention it in the same breath as the HHS budget, 
or the Labor Department budget, or the VA budget?
  I was here when there was a piecemeal approach, and it was painful. 
After the District was shut down for 1 week, I went to Speaker Newt 
Gingrich and I said, please don't do that again for the District. There 
were CRs and there were bills, but each and every time Newt kept the 
District open after that. So I'm asking, keep the District open. Don't 
dare compare us to your appropriations.
  I understand the resentment on my side about what is being done here, 
but carry out your resentment without putting us in the position of a 
thing, nothing but another piece of federal appropriation that you have 
something to do with. It's $8 billion in local money, not one dime of 
Federal money. It shouldn't be here. If it's here, everybody in this 
Chamber ought to be doing everything that you can to get it out of 
here.
  One hundred twenty Democrats signed my letter--and I thank each and 
every one of you--to the leadership to say: Free the District budget; 
don't close the city down. What the mayor is doing now is cobbling 
things together, a piecemeal approach of his own. With contingency 
funds, he's keeping the District of Columbia government running. But 
that's going to run out in a few days. When it does, my friends, guess 
what happens? We can't appropriate a dollar, even if he declares that 
D.C. employees are all essential, without running into the 
Antideficiency Act. So we face default on our contracts because 
apparently neither side can tell the difference between a city and an 
appropriation of a Federal Government. I ask you, please, do not leave 
us in that position.
  This resolution only keeps us open until December 15. How pitiful. So 
we'll be back again begging and pleading? It's on the floor now only 
because I have begged and pleaded the majority--and yes, I thank you, 
Mr. Chairman, the chairman of our committee. Yes, that's what I've 
done, to say please bring it any way you can, bring it to the floor.

[[Page H6080]]

  I lived through a shutdown of the District of Columbia once. What 
makes this most frustrating to me today is that we have worked hard, 
and now have bicameral, bipartisan support for shutdown-avoidance 
legislation for the District of Columbia. The President put it in his 
budget. The chairman of the full committee, Mr. Issa, has a bill that 
would keep the District from shutting down and go even further. The 
Appropriations Committee deferred to the authorizers, but said it 
believed that shutdowns hurt the District of Columbia. And the Senate 
appropriation bill has shutdown-avoidance language in it for the 
District of Columbia.
  No Member has come to the floor to justify closing down the District, 
and I do not believe there is a Republican or a Democrat that wants to 
shut down the District of Columbia.
  So yes, when the time comes to vote, there are going to be three 
bills. I am asking you to distinguish between the other appropriations 
and ours so that you know the difference between a city with its own 
money and a Federal appropriation. Please vote to keep the District of 
Columbia running until December 15.
  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to yield 5 minutes to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Issa), the distinguished chairman of the 
Government Reform and Oversight Committee.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, if I could yield my time to the gentlelady 
from the District of Columbia, she would probably say these words 
better than I can. But Eleanor, thank you; thank you for your 
impassioned speech.
  Mr. Speaker, the District of Columbia is different. Every Member, who 
in just a few minutes will vote on this piece of legislation, has the 
right to vote because we are from States. And every State in the Union 
is continuing to collect revenue and spend it as we fiddle.
  Here in the District of Columbia, it is different. The District of 
Columbia is the only place here in the United States in which full 
citizens--undeniably citizens of the United States, with every right 
and privilege, including voting in every Presidential election--find 
themselves shut down if we don't pass a budget, if we don't pass 
appropriations.
  Now, I heard the gentleman from New York, regrettably, lump in this 
bill with his opinion as though all three were the same. First of all, 
this is not a Tea Party bill. This is a bill inspired by both the 
majority and minority, under Ms. Norton's leadership, to come up with a 
solution similar to what we came up with 17 years ago for the District. 
This is also inspired by a similar bill that is sitting in the Senate 
that wants to accomplish the same thing.
  This is not Tea Party. As a matter of fact, the easiest thing to do, 
if you want to be strident, would be in fact to shut down the District. 
But every one of us who knows that, back home, our States and our 
cities continue to operate with their own funds knows that we have an 
obligation to allow the District of Columbia to spend their own funds.
  I want to thank the chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Crenshaw, and 
the chairman of the full committee for bringing this quickly to the 
floor.
  Some months ago, we passed H.R. 2793, which would address this on a 
permanent basis, finding a way for--anytime this happens--the District 
of Columbia to continue spending its own money, and to plan their 
budget around the possibility that they would be offering jobs to 
teachers and so on during a time different than our budget year. I hope 
to have that bill on the floor in the reasonably near future.
  But today, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chairman Darrell Issa, 
Ranking Member Elijah Cummings, and all of us on the Committee on 
Oversight and Government Reform have already voted for this and more. 
And the Senate has supported this and more.
  So you're not looking at the same as the other bills. Not one penny 
of appropriated funds actually is being determined today. We're talking 
about the money from the parking meters. We're talking about the money 
from property taxes. We're talking about the work that Mayor Gray and 
the city council do every day like the mayors of our city.
  I talked to the mayor today, and he said: I don't know what you're 
going to do, but please do something. Mayor Gray deserves to have his 
funds overseen--because it's a Federal city? Yes. But kidnapped? No.
  This is a narrow bill; it is not what I want to achieve for the 
District of Columbia. But it is in fact what gets us from now to 
December.
  So I ask my friends on both sides of the aisle--and I will work my 
side of the aisle, and Eleanor, I know you're not leaving the floor on 
this one--we have to pass this overwhelmingly because we're talking 
about the same right to spend their own money as every city in America 
has, every country in America, and every State in America. And as 
Americans, we can do no less for the people of the District of 
Columbia.
  Mr. SERRANO. I yield 3 minutes to my colleague from New York (Mr. 
Meeks).
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, the politricks have to stop. The politricks 
have to stop.
  Today, I looked at one of my leading New York papers and this is the 
headline. This is what they are thinking of this House. The politricks 
have to stop. The divide and conquer mentality has to stop.
  Why is it politricks? Look at what's really taking place here today 
and has been taking place over the last few days. We should be just, as 
other Congresses have done, passing a clean CR bill so that we can 
continue the government moving. But what do we do? We bring up issues 
that have nothing to do with the continuing resolution.
  The first trick: repeal the Affordable Care Act. The second trick: 
delay the Affordable Care Act. The trick after that: delay the 
individual mandate. Then next you hear something: end the medical 
device tax. Then the next thing is: go to conference--something that 
Democrats have been asking for on budgetary issues since April. And now 
this piecemeal approach.
  It's politricks, folks. It's divide and conquer. It's trying to take 
key issues from key individuals and make them decide whether you want 
to go this way or that way. It's making individuals try to decide in 
the Federal Government who is more important than the others.
  You've got individuals working in the same divisions; some won't get 
paid, others will get paid. It's a divide and conquer mentality that 
could destroy the Nation. This Nation is supposed to be one together. 
United we stand. Don't divide this country. Don't pick winners and 
losers. Send all of Americans back to work.
  Eight hundred thousand did not work today. Don't just pick a few and 
say you should go back to work. All of them should go back to work. 
They are all American citizens.
  Let all of Americans free. Don't hold them in bondage, don't keep 
them back. Free them all. Don't go piece by piece. They all want the 
same thing. Their bills have to be paid.
  I have to tell some of mine on my staff, for example: If you happen 
to get sick, you can't get paid. That's not what this country is 
supposed to be about.
  The world is looking at us. We travel the world trying to show 
examples of democracy every place else, yet we're undercutting the 
greatest democracy in the world today over the last couple of days. 
We've got procedures that were put in place by the Founding Fathers. We 
are undercutting how they said we should do it.

  Let's not divide. Let's bring this Nation back together. Let's send 
all of our workers back to work. Let's have a clean CR bill, and let's 
vote on that.
  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is 
remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Florida has 10 minutes 
remaining; the gentleman from New York has 4\1/2\ minutes remaining.
  Mr. CRENSHAW. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SERRANO. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. 
Duckworth).
  Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Because of the demands of extremists in Congress, today, in 
communities across our country crucial services have halted. Hundreds 
of thousands of middle class employees have been told

[[Page H6081]]

to stay home without pay. All because Congress has failed to carry out 
the most basic of its constitutional duties--to keep this government 
funded.
  The bills we will be considering tonight will not fix the government 
shutdown. I am the first to support our military men and women and our 
veterans. Ensuring our citizens have access to their national parks is 
a priority. And I am a cosigner of the letter for the gentlelady from 
the District of Columbia asking for the city to be able to continue to 
be open and do its work. However, this piecemeal approach will only 
prolong a shutdown.
  We cannot keep government running piece by piece. All--not just 
some--of my constituents deserve service.
  I urge the House leadership to end the shutdown today by passing the 
continuing resolution that was approved by the Senate, and then get 
together to conference on a long-term budget that reduces deficit 
reduction and creates jobs.
  Mr. CRENSHAW. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, just to inform the gentleman, I am the last 
speaker. We have no further speakers.
  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Issa).
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I know I've already spoken, but as I talked to 
my friend, Eleanor Holmes Norton, the delegate made an impassioned plea 
to me, and it needs to be said.
  We need to pass this. We need to pass this to show that we can in 
fact--maybe not agree on everything, maybe not agree on appropriations, 
but we need to pass this because the District deserves not to be held 
hostage in our fight. I will whip every Republican to vote ``yes'' on 
this bill.
  I can't say that I'm going to intervene in everything that we do, but 
this one is important. I would ask all of us to really search our soul 
and say: Is the District of Columbia and their own funds the place we 
should be having an argument, or can we at least admit that if we get 
above the fray here today--the Senate has already gotten above it.

                              {time}  1815

  A similar bill has already been hot-lined. This is not where the 
House and the Senate disagree and, as a result, it should not be where 
we fail to come together.
  I ask all my friends to join with Eleanor Holmes Norton and me and 
pass this bill.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  This is not an easy time. You would hate to think that 23 years of 
agreeing with Ms. Norton on the issue of the D.C. budget and how we 
should treat D.C. goes up in smoke in one afternoon. We have never 
disagreed, and I know that starting in about 30 seconds or 1 minute or 
2 minutes, we won't disagree again.
  But we also cannot be ignorant of the fact that this is a sham, that 
this is part of a trick. It is a good trick; it is one that sells. In 
fact, the results may show that it is one that sells, but it is still a 
trick. It is a trick still to get at ObamaCare on the day that it 
starts to take place all over this country. It is still a trick to keep 
the government closed. It is a trick to say that we will single out 
certain people, certain monuments, certain areas, certain needs, but 
not others.
  It is easy for me personally to say ``yes'' to this bill on the 
District of Columbia. But I also know that in another territory or in 
another place without congressional representation, they had to close 
down this morning the WIC offices because there are no people to be 
able to run that office. In other parts that do have representation, 
they had to close down areas of services where people need those 
services.
  We know what the game is. I know it is not easy for some of us to get 
up and oppose certain things, but we have to. We have to because if we 
continue to allow the House to be run by a Member of the other body, we 
will never get anywhere. It is funny how much time we spend among 
ourselves knocking the other body, and yet we have a situation now 
where a Member of the other body is telling everybody over here what to 
do on one side. That's the problem we have.
  As painful as this is for me and as difficult as it will be to stay 
out of the way of Ms. Norton for the next day or two, I still think 
that the proper vote here is a ``no'' vote because we need a clean CR 
and we need a full approach, not a piecemeal approach.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  This is a bill that talks about the most unique city in our country, 
the District of Columbia. It is a Federal city. It is unlike any other 
city in the USA. Because of that uniqueness, we have to appropriate the 
local funds that are going to be used.
  The gentlewoman from the District has made an impassioned plea--a 
very clear and reasoned plea--as to why we need to pass this 
legislation. There are school teachers, there are police officers, 
there are folks that are picking up the garbage, there are people that 
work in the libraries, and they are working and they need to be paid 
for their services.
  We shouldn't penalize the people of the District of Columbia because 
we can't come to some conclusion on our spending bills. We don't have 
to be here, Mr. Speaker. We have had ample opportunity.
  As you know, this House has sent continuing resolutions to the Senate 
not once, not twice, but three times. Each time the answer was ``no.'' 
Now we simply ask for a conversation, for a reasoned discussion, about 
how we can end this shutdown. Once again, the answer is ``no.''
  It is disappointing, Mr. Speaker. In fact, I am sure we are all a 
little bit angry, but we're here. The least we can do is pass this 
resolution. It fulfills our responsibility under the law. It 
appropriates to the District of Columbia the funds that they have 
raised locally. It is the right thing to do, and I urge the adoption.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the House 
Republicans' piecemeal Continuing Resolution to fund the District of 
Columbia Government during the shutdown they inflicted yesterday on our 
Nation.
  This body would do the District of Columbia a great service by 
allowing its esteemed and very knowledgeable Congresswoman Eleanor 
Holmes Norton a vote in this chamber.
  Mr. Speaker, the District of Columbia had an estimated population of 
632,323 in 2012. The state of Wyoming with 2 Senators and a voting 
member of the House of Representatives had a population of 576,412 in 
2012.
  It is the 24th most populous place in the United States.
  The Washington Metropolitan Area, of which the District is a part, 
has a population of 5.7 million, the seventh-largest metropolitan area 
in the country.
  Perhaps this is the day that members of the majority decided they 
wanted to do a little something for people they could see every day of 
the legislative work week. But our job is to look out for the interest 
of everyone in the Nation--those we can see as well as the hundreds of 
millions who we cannot see.
  Urban areas around the Nation need exactly, or perhaps in some cases 
more than, the assistance we would be providing to the District of 
Columbia though this CR, but they will not be helped unless we pass the 
Senate's Clean CR.
  The House should take up the clean Senate Continuing Resolution to 
fund the entire government.
  If we only fund what the House majority wants then they will have no 
need to worry about funding the parts of the government that they do 
not like, which includes the Department of Health and Human Services, 
the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Department 
of Labor, the Social Security Administration, the Internal Review 
Service, the Department of Commerce, and the Environmental Protection 
Agency just to name a few.
  Mr. Speaker, negotiation requires honest compromise and knowing what 
not to ask the other party to give up. The majority knows that the 
Affordable Care Act is non-negotiable for the President, the Senate, or 
the overwhelming majority of Americans who supported it in the past and 
who are supporting it today by joining the Healthcare Marketplace 
health plans.
  The clean CR passed by the Senate ensures that all the employees of 
the Federal Government are paid and that important things like our 
parks are open and our children are fed.
  Mr. Speaker, instead of exempting certain groups and persons from the 
harm caused by a government shutdown, we should instead be focused on 
reopening the government as soon as possible.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by

[[Page H6082]]

the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Crenshaw) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the joint resolution, H.J. Res. 71.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. 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, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________