[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 134 (Wednesday, October 2, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1419-E1420]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      VETERANS BENEFITS CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS RESOLUTION, 2014

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 1, 2013

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 72, 
the so-called ``Honoring Our Promise to Veterans Act,'' which purports 
to fund those activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs that are 
required to cease due to the House Republicans' decision to shut down 
the government last night.
  The bill before us is a cynical attempt by the Republican majority to 
extricate themselves from the mess they created when they voted to shut 
down the government.
  Mr. Speaker, it would not be necessary to have to devote the 
considerable amount of time needed to debate and pass this legislation 
in the House and Senate and present it to the President if the House 
would simply pass the clean continuing resolution passed yesterday by 
the Senate.
  The CR approved by the Senate funds the government and would bring an 
end to the unnecessary shutdown engineered by House Republicans that 
disrupts the lives of innocent and hard working federal employees and 
their families and the millions of Americans who depend upon the 
services they provide.
  The clean CR passed by the Senate ensures that all the employees of 
the Federal Government are paid for the valuable and important service 
they provide to our Nation.
  President Obama has reiterated that he will sign that CR--and only 
that CR--into law.
  Mr. Speaker, instead of exempting certain groups and persons from the 
harm caused by

[[Page E1420]]

a government shutdown, we should instead be focused on ending the House 
Republicans' shutdown, which helps no one and hurts our economy.
  Those of us who were serving in this body 17 years ago remember the 
harm caused when the Republicans shutdown the government on two 
different occasions, which directly cost taxpayers $1.4 billion. That 
is $2.1 billion in today's dollars.
  The last time Republicans engineered a shutdown of the government:
  368 national park sites were closed;
  200,000 applications for passports went unprocessed; and
  $3.7 billion of $18 billion in local contracts went unpaid.
  My State of Texas will again be hit very hard and suffer 
unnecessarily by this Republican shutdown.
  Within days Texas will begin experiencing the impact of cutbacks in 
the $64.7 billion in federal spending that it receives annually, 
including the loss of: $518 million in federal highway funds, $411 
million for interstate highway maintenance, $130 million in home energy 
assistance for the poor, $71 million in Homeland Security grants, $55 
million in coordinated border infrastructure, and $97 million in 
federal adoption assistance.
  As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am 
particularly concerned over the impact of a government shutdown on 
operations and activities that protect and secure the homeland.
  For example, a shutdown would adversely affect the following:
  Law Enforcement and Other Training: Law enforcement training would 
cease, including that conducted through the Federal Law Enforcement 
Training Center and the Secret Service's J. Rowley Training Center. 
This would impact CBP, ICE, Secret Service, and the Federal Air Marshal 
Service, and would delay their ability to bring new hires into 
operational service. TSA would also not be able to conduct training for 
screeners, Behavior Detection Officers, or canine units.
  Frontline Personnel Hardships: The majority of workforces in Custom 
and Border Protection's (CBP) Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement (ICE) enforcement efforts, Transportation Security 
Administration's (TSA) aviation passenger screening, and the Coast 
Guard, who are heavily reliant upon receiving biweekly paychecks, would 
not be paid biweekly during a federal funding hiatus.
  Grant Programs for State and Local Preparedness: All DHS and Federal 
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel working on grants programs 
would be furloughed, ceasing any further activity intended to help 
build State and local resiliency. Should a federal funding hiatus be 
prolonged, State and local communities may have to eliminate jobs that 
are dependent upon grants funding. Further activity under the Securing 
the Cities program would be suspended.
  In addition, a government shutdown will hurt children, seniors, 
working families, and the economically vulnerable:
  Military Readiness: In Texas, approximately 52,000 civilian 
Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing gross pay 
by around $274.8 million in total.
  Law Enforcement and Public Safety Funds for Crime Prevention and 
Prosecution: Funding will be halted to Texas on an annualized portion 
of the $1,103,000 in Justice Assistance Grants that support law 
enforcement, prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, 
corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, 
and crime victim and witness initiatives.
  Vaccines for Children: In Texas around 9,730 fewer children will not 
receive vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, 
whooping cough, influenza, and hepatitis B due to reduced funding for 
personnel who administer programs that provide funding for 
vaccinations.
  Nutrition Assistance for Seniors: Texas would lose approximately 
$3,557,000 in funds that make it possible to provide meals for seniors.
  For these reasons, instead of wasting time on piece-meal CRs like the 
one before us which have no chance of becoming law, we should be 
working to pass H.J. Res. 59 as amended by the Senate. That is the best 
way to keep faith with all persons who serve the American people as 
employees of the Federal Government, and those who depend upon the 
services they provide.

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