[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 135 (Thursday, October 3, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H6203-H6210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VETERANS BENEFITS CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS RESOLUTION, 2014
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will advise Members of the
remaining time in debate. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson) has
9 minutes remaining. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop) has 10
minutes remaining.
Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I want to first say that today we've had a reminder again of how much
we owe our men and women in uniform. And I want to express the
gratitude of the Members of the House, the people of America to our men
and women in uniform who keep our streets safe every day, and say that
our hearts and our prayers are with those injured officers today, and
to express our immense gratitude to each and every one of them all over
the country and to our men and women in uniform around the world who
make it possible for us to be here today in the greatest deliberative
democracy ever created in the history of humanity. We owe it all to our
men and women in uniform.
Moment of Silence for Officers Injured Today
Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, I ask for a moment of silent prayer for
those officers who have been injured today.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Will all Members rise for a moment of silent
prayer.
Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, we are here today to work arm-in-arm in
support of our men and women in uniform. I'm pleased at this time to
yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe).
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I thank the chairman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, as a former mayor, I associate my remarks with the
chairman.
I rise in strong support of the legislation on the floor today. What
we have before us today is an opportunity to keep the faith with
America's veterans, of which I am one, and ensuring the funding for
disability payments, for the GI bill, which I used, education training,
and VA home loans.
No matter what your thoughts on the current impasse, we owe our
veterans this much. This should not be, must not become a partisan
issue. There are real and serious debates to be had about how we're
able to deal with ObamaCare and our Nation's debt crisis, but that's
not what we're discussing now.
Northeast Tennessee, which I'm honored to represent in this body, has
a long history of military service and hosts Mountain Home VA Medical
Center, one of the largest and finest such facilities in the country.
When I visit them, I don't see Republicans or Democrats; I see patriots
who answered the call, did their duty, and then came home to make a
life.
Let's make sure they all get the support they need. I urge my
colleagues to vote ``yes.''
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, at this time I am delighted to
yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), the
ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee.
Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I have the privilege of
representing one of the most military-friendly and veteran-friendly
areas of the country, North Carolina. So I'm glad our Republican
colleagues are concerned with maintaining funding for our Nation's
veterans.
But it's too bad they didn't think a little more about the VA before
forcing this government shutdown on us Monday night. And now it's too
bad they're not showing equal concern for the more than half a million
veterans who now serve their country as Federal employees, many of whom
have been sent home on furlough and now have bills piling up, or the
veteran small business owners whose SBA loans are on hold, or the
veteran parents whose kids have been turned away from Head Start, or
the veterans earning their graduate degrees whose research labs have
been closed.
Madam Speaker, of course we need to restore full funding for the VA
so it can resume its full array of services to our Nation's veterans,
to whom we owe a special debt of gratitude and support.
But veterans want the same thing all Americans want: for us to reopen
the entire government so they can get on with their lives as parents
and workers and members of their communities.
You don't have to take my word for it. In a letter sent this morning
to the bipartisan congressional leadership, the heads of several major
Veterans Service Organizations write, and I quote:
Our organizations and the veterans we represent will no
longer tolerate Congress leveraging veterans' health and
well-being to achieve unrelated political ends.
Or, in the succinct words of the spokesman for the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, ``The VA needs to be fully funded, not piecemealed and
not used as leverage.''
So let's dispense with this political theater and this piecemeal
approach that fails to end the shutdown. The Senate has approved a
clean funding bill that will pass this House easily this very afternoon
if the Speaker will simply let it be voted on.
It's time to get on with this business that the American people
elected us to do.
Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, at this time I yield 1 minute to the
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn).
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to address the emerging
pattern of poor decisionmaking coming from the Obama administration on
national security.
Under sequestration, this White House mandated that civilian defense
workers be furloughed, even when agencies had the money to pay these
employees, many of whom are veterans. And today, under this partial
government shutdown, the White House has again chosen to furlough the
vast majority of these same workers, against the express will and
intent of Congress.
Earlier this week, all of us here in Congress passed a bipartisan
bill, which the President signed, to expressly protect the pay of
Active Duty military, civilian defense employees, and designated
defense contractors. The Pentagon can put these workers back on the job
today, but the White House is choosing to furlough our critical
civilian defense workers.
The Obama administration is also eroding our national security by
choosing to furlough 70 percent of the civilian employees at our
intelligence agencies. This is unnecessary.
[[Page H6204]]
The law is now on the books to put civilians back to work to protect
our national defense. Let's do it.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, at this time I also would like to
extend our condolences, and would also like to express our appreciation
to the Sergeant at Arms and to the Capitol Police for their hard work
in making sure that the people that work in this Capitol, the Members
and visitors, are safe. And we appreciate their vigilance during the
recent incident.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr.
Farr), who is the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on
Agriculture.
Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, give us back our committee. Give us back our
chairman.
Mr. Culberson worked, with all of us on both sides of the aisle, for
about 6 months to do a veterans appropriations bill. This is not it.
This is a disastrous bill, because this cuts $6.2 billion out of the
bill that we passed. This doesn't help veterans. This is game-playing.
Our Appropriations Committee is supposed to have 12 bills on this
floor. We have none. We don't have a simple one just to pass to keep
government open.
We've never done this before. Never. No preconditions ever in the
history like this.
We have a good committee. We have a good chairman. Give us back the
process. Give us back an ability to keep this government open.
Defeat this bill.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff), a member of the Appropriations
Committee.
Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, as we approach the end of the first week of
the GOP shutdown, I want to highlight the impact it's having on just
one sector of our government, the intelligence community.
As Director Clapper and Director Alexander made clear in testimony in
the Senate yesterday, 70 percent of key analysts have been forced to
leave their posts. This is irresponsible, tragic and, most painfully,
completely avoidable.
House Republicans now say they will put up a bill funding veterans,
but not the intelligence agencies. Or tomorrow, the intelligence
agencies, but not the FBI, or the FBI, but not the Department of
Homeland Security, or DHS and NIH, but not the Department of Justice.
This is ridiculous, senseless, and reckless.
Let's be honest about what the House leadership is really saying. We
will choose, hostage by hostage, which agency of the government we will
release. We will do so only to buy time until the ransom we want we
get, the repeal of an unrelated health care reform.
As our intelligence analysts and other key personnel sit idle, our
adversaries do not. Those who threaten the country have not been
furloughed. Those devising new ways to attack our homeland, our allies,
and innocent civilians around the world, are not on hiatus. They are
working hard, and so must we.
End the reckless shutdown now. Put the intelligence agencies back to
work. Put all Americans back to work. End the endless series of
manmade, avoidable and irresponsible crises that threaten our country
and our economic recovery.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Collins of Georgia). The gentleman from
Georgia has 5\1/2\ minutes remaining. The gentleman from Texas has 7
minutes remaining.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that, today, the only
question before the House today is a ``yes'' or ``no'' vote whether or
not you support funding our veterans.
This is not complicated. The Veterans Administration has said they
will run out of money unless we pass this legislation today to make
certain that our veterans who have earned these important benefits
receive them.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida
(Mr. Southerland).
Mr. SOUTHERLAND. Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to represent 72,000 veterans
in Florida's Second Congressional District.
The bill that we will be voting on today is a bill that says, we
support you, not just for what you need today, but we also support you
for what you did in your past.
What our veterans did in their past was join arms with fellow
Americans and went to fight for a principle, a principle of no special
treatment. They believed deeply in the Declaration of Independence that
says we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created
equal.
Mr. Speaker, I'm proud today to join arm-in-arm with our veterans to
say we agree with that principle. It is time that we re-establish the
deeply held belief that there is one standard that should apply to all
Americans, not two standards, not a ruling class and then the majority
of the Americans that have to serve them. There is but one standard.
I applaud our veterans. I thank them for their sacrifice, and I
believe that this bill, Honoring Our Promise to America's Veterans Act,
is the only thing that is right and principled in this Chamber today.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' in just a few moments on this
bill honoring our veterans.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud), ranking member of the Veterans
Affairs Committee.
Mr. MICHAUD. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this bill, which is
nothing more than a political ploy. My colleagues on the other side of
the aisle say a vote against this bill is a vote to block veterans
services.
It's actually this government shutdown, which they have caused, that
threatens VA's ability to provide the services for our veterans.
If Republicans in this House were really serious about helping our
veterans, they'd pass a clean CR and end this government shutdown that
they have caused.
If they really want to guarantee veterans services are adequate, they
would bring forward in this House H.R. 813, as amended, to the floor.
This bipartisan bill would fund all the VA through future advanced
appropriations, and take this political football off the table forever.
Passing that bill will help make sure that veterans will no longer be
used like they are being used today, as the pawns of a political party
scheme.
This is outrageous. And I would encourage my Republican colleagues to
bring up H.R. 813, as amended, to the full floor so we can stop playing
political football with the men and women who served this great Nation
of ours.
It's unbelievable that you'd do such a thing. And if you think that
you're convincing the VSOs that if we don't fund this then we're not
supporting veterans, they know the difference.
{time} 1545
They see through the political football. They are tired of it, and I
would encourage you to encourage the Speaker to bring up once again
H.R. 813, as amended, passed unanimously by the Veterans' Affairs
Committee, for a full vote in this House.
This is outrageous and nothing but a political gimmick today.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct all remarks
to the Chair.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I will remind all Members that the Veterans Administration has said
that funds for these benefits will expire at the end of this month.
Anytime you have a disagreement, you try to find those areas where you
can agree and that are especially important, and set those aside.
That's what we're doing today.
The House majority has brought this bill to the floor to ensure that
our veterans and their survivors will receive their disability
compensation. A ``yes'' vote will ensure that low-income veterans and
their families get their pensions. A ``yes'' vote will ensure three-
[[Page H6205]]
quarters of a million students will receive their post-9/11 GI
education benefits, that unemployed veterans will receive their
benefits, and that 67,000 veterans with service-connected disabilities
will get their vocational rehabilitation and employment subsistence
benefits that they have earned by their service to the country.
Again, I stress the VA has said these benefits will run out at the
end of this month. So we've chosen what is our highest priority,
looking at our men and women in uniform--an area we are in complete
agreement on--and brought it to the floor in good faith. We hope our
colleagues will join us in voting ``yes'' or ``no'' in support of our
veterans.
At this time I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California
(Mr. LaMalfa).
Mr. LaMALFA I want to thank my colleague from Texas.
Mr. Speaker, we are here to honor our veterans--all Americans--for
their job by the work we do here. It's been shameful the last few days
to have our veterans come all the way to Washington, D.C.--our World
War II veterans and some of the Korean veterans we've met as well--and
find themselves blockaded unnecessarily out of what is theirs over the
politics of a shutdown.
Now the politics of this shutdown come into this room here. We don't
always get to do the perfect bill around this place. I see my Democrat
colleagues basically yelling at us over, We want the perfect bill, we
want it all in one.
When we can find the things we agree on, including this bill,
including other measures put up in the last couple of days, we can all
agree on this portion of any CR bill together. We can put this out and
stop the hijinx, stop the politics, stop the games, and get this
agreement done.
We all agree on this piece of legislation, that it should be done and
it's the right thing. It will get veterans served and get them out of
this mess, out of this pool of muck that we are in, fighting over this
CR, fighting over this shutdown.
So let's agree today to get our veterans served and take the
political football out, take the name-calling out--Republicans,
Democrats, all that stuff--and get the job done. We're here to get the
job done. On my farm, I don't want to get everything done in one day.
You make progress a little bit at a time, one field at a time.
This is one field at a time here. We can do this bill. Instead of
holding each other hostage because the Democrats want the perfect all-
in-one-bill, we can do the pieces we agree on together.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. At this time I am happy to yield 1 minute to
the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Brown), a strong and consistent
advocate for veterans and a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee
for over 20 years.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, let's be clear: God has blessed us
with the best veterans in the world. You can fool some of the people
some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the
time. The veterans understand that if they vote for this bill, it is a
$6 billion cut to veterans services.
So what are you cutting? The National Cemetery Administration, the
office in charge of construction of VA facilities, Office of Inspector
General, grants to the States for veterans homes, grants to the State
cemeteries.
All four veterans organizations said that there is a problem in the
House of Representatives' lack of leadership.
Bring a clean CR to the floor. Let's vote it up. You are not fooling
anybody. This is a Republican right-wing part that is bringing this
terrible instance to this country. There's no reason.
Bring up a clean CR. A clean CR.
I am appalled that the House is considering this bill that only
partially funds the Department of Veterans Affairs.
To take one small portion of the budget to help those men and women
who have sacrificed so much and use it as a club to hammer the American
people over the head while you argue about the Republican Government
Shutdown.
This bill cuts $6B from the bill the House passed earlier this year
for a full year funding of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
This is unconscionable.
This is what this bill does not fund:
the National Cemetery Administration,
the office in charge of construction of VA facilities,
Office of Inspector General,
Grants to state veterans homes,
Grants to state cemeteries.
The Four Organizations that write the Independent Budget each year,
AMVETS, DAV, PVA and VFW, sent a letter today to all the leaders of the
Congress. They said that ``Both government shutdowns and continuing
resolutions represent failures in leadership.'' They went on to say
that anything less than passing a full appropriations bill ``is
unacceptable to the men and women who have served this nation in
uniform.''
Pass a clean CR and let's get back to the business of governing this
country.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I would simply point out very quickly there are no cuts in this bill.
We're simply funding essential veterans services through December 15 at
a level equal to the amount that we have already passed out of the
House the first week of June. There are no cuts.
We want to make sure these essential services continue for our
veterans and they don't see any interruption in services.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I'd like to point out the fact that while the bill may do what my
good friend has suggested, it doesn't fund all of the accounts. There
are a number of accounts, as has been pointed out time and time again,
that are not funded.
May I inquire, Mr. Speaker, as to how much time is remaining.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Georgia has 2\1/4\
minutes remaining, and the gentleman from Texas has 2\1/2\ minutes
remaining.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 1 minute to
the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).
Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the Republican Party is a
party with such a rich legacy. It's the party of Abraham Lincoln, who
saved this country; it's the party of Dwight David Eisenhower, who put
the expressway and the interstate system together; it's the party of
Everett Dirksen, and without him we wouldn't have the Civil Rights Act;
it's the party of Ronald Reagan, who sat down with Tip O'Neill and put
the great tax cut in that helped the economy; and it's the party of
George Bush, who gave us Medicare part D.
I bring these things out because I believe if all of these gentlemen
were here--each one of them--they would say to you, Please, let's cut
this out. Let your leader, Mr. Boehner, bring a clear, clean CR for
just 6 weeks. That's all we're asking.
This is what that leadership would be. This is what Mr. Boehner
wanted to do. John Boehner is a decent man. That's what he wanted to
do.
I urge you to do what is right. Honor the rich legacy of your party.
If you want to honor the veterans who gave their lives to fight for us,
they would say, Don't use us for a pawn here.
Open it all up for all America.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I want to point out very quickly, we are funding the most essential
parts of the Veterans Administration, where we have been told they will
run out of money within the next 30 days. We want to ensure that our
veterans don't have a thing to worry about. We don't want their
families, their children, their survivors to worry for one moment
whether or not their benefits are going to be there.
We bring this bill to the floor today to ensure that they are taken
care of, their peace of mind is secured. And also, this is clearly one
of those areas--in support of our veterans--where we can agree.
Again, I stress, common courtesy and common sense tell us when you
have a disagreement, you find those areas where you can come together
and agree and put that behind you. That's all this is. It's not
complicated.
Let's vote together today to make sure that our veterans programs are
fully funded.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, at this time I am pleased to
yield 30 seconds to my good friend, the gentleman from South Carolina
(Mr. Clyburn), the assistant Democratic leader.
Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased my friend would yield me 30
seconds.
[[Page H6206]]
I want to take a little time to say I have been hearing from the
veterans in my congressional district. I represent counties that have
two VA centers. We have two of the most, I believe, effective veterans
service organizations in the country; and they tell me they do not wish
to be pitted against their siblings and their spouses. They do not wish
to be pitted against their children and their grandchildren.
Let's not pick winners and losers. Let's fund the full bill.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, H.J. Res. 59, the Senate clean
bill, includes all programs administered by the VA. Let me repeat: all
programs. The Senate didn't cherry-pick which programs get funded. It
continues operations of the entire Federal Government.
On the other hand, the anemic H.J. Res. 72 that we're voting on here,
the Medical Research account is not included; Construction; Office of
the Secretary, Board of Veterans Appeals; Inspector General, not
included; IT account, not included; grants to State veterans homes,
State cemeteries, the National Cemetery Administration, not included.
Enough of these games. Let's pass a CR. Let's do our work. Let's
finish our work. Let's fund the government and put these workers back
to work.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, could I inquire how much time is
remaining.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 2 minutes
remaining.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
It's important to remember that as we have done in the House and the
Senate has done by unanimous consent, we have paid our Active Duty
military. Their salaries are paid. So they don't have to worry about it
as they stand on the walls of Rome in defense of our freedom.
Today, we bring this legislation to the floor to be sure that past
generations of our military men and women who have served this country
and defended our freedom and made it possible for us to be here today,
that their benefits are fully funded.
We've been told straight up by the VA that the items that are before
the House today will run out of money before the end of this month.
This is not complicated. It truly is common sense and common courtesy
to find those areas of agreement, set those aside, do those in priority
order.
We've made sure the current generation of military men and women are
paid. We're now, today, making sure that our veterans of previous
generations are fully compensated for survivor benefits, for low-income
veterans, for student 9/11 GI benefits, for unemployed veterans. We're
going to make sure that veterans with service-connected disabilities
are taken care of.
What we attempted to do--and as my colleague from Georgia knows,
we've always worked arm-in-arm in support of those veterans--is to find
those areas where the help is needed most urgently and to set that
aside and get 'er done now before these benefits run out.
And the vote today is very simple: yes or no, will you vote to
support America's veterans and honor them for their sacrifice and make
sure they don't miss a minute, that there's no bubble in the pipeline
of the benefits that they have earned by their sacrifices for this
great Nation.
This is a simple yes-or-no vote in support of our veterans.
I urge passage of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, this irresponsible shutdown of the
government has deprived Oregonians of many federal services that they
rely on. For the time being the Veterans Administration has been able
to use reserve funds to continue providing benefits and medical
services to our nation's veterans. Today the Republicans put a
disingenuous bill on the floor, H.J. Res. 72, that claimed to fund the
VA while the rest of the government remains shut down. H.J. Res. 72
would cut the VA budget by $6.2 billion. It provides no funding for
prosthetic research, VA cemeteries, construction of VA facilities
including the new CBOC in Eugene, Oregon, and many other critical
services. This is unacceptable. I refuse to cut funding for our
nation's veterans. For that reason I voted against H.J. Res. 72. The
Republican House leadership needs to ignore the small faction of their
party that insists holding our veterans and other Americans hostage.
They need to bring the Senate passed funding bill to the floor for a
vote so that we can reopen the government. Our veterans deserve no
less.
I strongly support H.R. 813, which would authorize advance
appropriations for all VA discretionary accounts. I fought for years to
get advance appropriations for the VA, which we finally secured for
medical accounts. It is time to ensure that all of the VA receives
advance appropriations so that veterans are never again used as a
political football. I am also a cosponsor of H.R. 3181, which would
make sure that every account at the VA is exempt from any future
across-the-board sequestration.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J.
Res. 72, the partisan resolution that would cut over $6 billion from
our nation's veterans from what this House passed in June.
There are many issues that divide our two parties. One of the issues
that has always received bipartisan support is supporting our nation's
heroes and their families.
Unfortunately, due to the extreme views of some in the Majority, this
chamber is now considering a resolution which would cut $6.2 billion
from the VA and excludes funding for several VA programs which are
vital to the thousands of veterans in my district, including national
veterans' cemeteries, medical and prosthetic research, and grants for
state veterans homes and state cemeteries.
Mr. Speaker, our nation's veterans deserve better and I call on this
chamber to demand a vote to fully fund the VA for the entire year.
Every day that goes by without providing full appropriations for the
VA is another day that our brave veterans are being harmed and denied
the support and services they paid for in blood, sweat, and sacrifice.
Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, here we are day three of the
manufactured Republican government shutdown and Republicans still have
no viable proposal to reopen the government.
The Republican refusal to back off their extreme, ideological demands
has taken our country down a dangerous path that is threatening to
derail the Department of Veterans Affairs' progress on the claims
backlog.
How in the world can veterans claims be processed when their
counterparts at the Department of Defense and the Social Security
Administration are furloughed. These furloughed employees are essential
to process veterans claims. This is another cynical ploy.
Mr. Speaker, individual agencies do not operate in a vacuum, which is
why we need to fund the entire government.
Members of Congress are elected to make sure our government
functions.
Yet, some in this chamber are taking that fundamental responsibility
and holding it hostage, hoping that by doing so they can be certain
that people are denied health care.
If my colleagues would really like to help veterans--rather than
trying to score political points--they need to fund the entire federal
government.
As the daughter of a veteran, let us honor our veterans by reopening
our government.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, I visited the
Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego. As I spoke
with SPAWAR employees, I was proud, but not surprised, to learn that
the majority of them were veterans.
In fact, this happens almost every time I speak to a group of Federal
workers.
Veterans represent more than 25 percent of the entire Federal
Government workforce--so many of whom sacrificed for our country in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
After making the difficult transition to civilian life, none of them
expected to be told that they cannot come to work.
Let our veterans and the rest of the Federal workforce do their jobs.
The best way to serve veterans and honor our promise to them is to
reopen the entire government without delay.
Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.J.
Res. 72. I want to point out a few critical points of this resolution
and how it will ease the stress on the Department of Veterans Affairs
as well as our men and women as well as their family members who have
served our nation honorably and faithfully.
First, I would like to bring your attention to how important it is to
continue to provide funding for disability claims processing--
``disability claims need to go out--surely we can all agree on that? I
have seen first-hand what these men and women must go through to get
back on their feet and we should be making sure that all of the
resources they need aren't delayed a single day.'' We have worked
together over the last few years to reduce the
[[Page H6207]]
disability backlog and we could lose this momentum by not funding H.J.
Res. 72. This resolution contains an anomaly--a $294M increase for the
administrative costs of claims processing. Without sufficient funding,
VA won't be able to continue its efforts to reduce the significant
backlog that each Member office hears far too much about.
Secondly I would like to emphasize the importance of making funds
available for the post-9/11 GI bill benefits. Without the funding in
H.J. Res. 72, more than 760,000 veterans won't receive their post-9/11
benefits. This is an investment in the future of America which we must
preserve.
Thirdly, I have attended far too many funerals; the mandatory funding
provided in the bill will provide 49,221 burial allowances and 25,538
burial plot allowances, 26,091 service-connected death awards, 500,002
burial flags, 344,826 headstones or markers, and 63,508 grave-liners or
reimbursement for privately purchased outer burial receptacles at VA
and private cemeteries. We as a nation owe the men and women who have
defended America the entitlements which they earned. H.J. Res. 72 will
provide funding to ensure we continue to care for our Veterans.
My friends on the other side of the aisle have been emphasizing that
this bill doesn't provide as much money to the VA as the bill the House
passed back in June. That's because this bill is a more targeted
approach. It provides all the mandatory funding and the money for
claims processing administration in the near-term. But when you add the
advance medical services funding that has already been provided to the
money in this bill, it totals $141.4 billion--96 percent of the total
the House approved last June. There are several smaller discretionary
accounts that are not funded in this bill, but they tend to be accounts
with a slower spend out rate, like construction and State homes, and
these accounts will more than likely have carryover funds to cover the
short-term. The Democrats are making too much of the $6.2B this bill
doesn't provide for, when $141.4 billion will be available.
Mr. BARBER. Mr. Speaker, our service members and our veterans have
done their duty, they have stood steadfast in defense of our nation.
They deserve more than our thanks, more than our tribute, they
deserve our support.
They deserve the compensation, health care, educational
opportunities, and employment assistance that they have earned.
That's why I rise in support of funding for our service members and
veterans by ending this government shutdown.
On behalf of the over eighty thousand veterans in my district, I ask
unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate Amendment to the
Continuing Appropriations Resolution, H.J. Res. 59.
Let's end the shutdown and honor our commitment to our veterans and
their sacrifices for this country.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.J. Res. 72, the
``Honoring Our Promise to Veterans Act.'' I have unwavering support for
our nation's veterans and Houston is home for tens of thousands of
veterans.
I hold our men and women of the armed services in the highest regard.
I have fought for them to receive pay raises, affordable and safe
housing, family support services, and the best possible medical care.
My support of veterans has been consistent and strong over the time I
have served in the House of Representatives. I know firsthand how
painful it is for Veterans to seek assistance for medical care--
especially PTSD or Traumatic Brain injuries. So I have made it a
central part of my public service to make sure they know how much they
are loved and appreciated.
In the 106th Congress I introduced House Joint Resolution 98, which
was signed into law by President Clinton. This resolution honored the
debt paid for our nation's freedom by minority veterans who fought
during World War II. If this Congress truly wishes to recognize the
sacrifice and bravery of our veterans it will end this shutdown and re-
open our government now. The current shutdown has slowed the rate at
which the government can process veterans' disability claims and, as
the VA has stated, it is negatively impacting other services to our
nation's veterans.
It is extremely personal and painful to me to see the majority in
this body use Veterans as a political football to try to score
political points. Veterans deserve our honor and respect and regard for
the service they have given to this country--which was given not for
pay, but out of patriotism and love of country.
Today, I am ashamed of this body for treating Veterans as if they can
be bribed to turn their backs on this nation and the pain of fellow
Americans are suffering under the pressure of an unnecessary Federal
government shutdown. The majority of the House of Representatives are
showing such disrespect to Veterans by attempting to bribe them into
leaving their fellow Americans behind by offering financial relief to
them while other Americans remain in financial harm's way.
When Veterans served in uniform they fought for this nation under one
flag without regard for political party or region of the nation.
As the member from the 18th Congressional District of Houston Texas I
have fought hard to protect the honor and the rights of our great
veterans. This Congress in years past have spoken highly of our
nation's veterans because without their sacrifice we would not be in a
free nation.
In the 18th Congressional District of Texas there are more than
50,000 veterans and they are almost ten percent of this district's
civilian population over the age of 18.
I cannot forget our nation's veterans. They are my friends' people I
admire and feel privileged to serve in the House of Representatives. My
service to them in part is motivated by the selflessness these men and
women have shown and their courage when facing long and difficult
recoveries from injuries incurred while serving.
Our veterans are extraordinary citizens who have changed the course
of our lives in ways that we may not even realize. I hope we will
always keep this thought in mind. The most important lessons that our
Veterans can teach us is not to be divided against each other because
we will surely fall as a nation. When the House of Representatives
openly pits one group of Americans against another they dishonor our
veterans and their sacrifice.
I would like to close my remarks with citing the words of two great
American Veterans who served our nation on the field of battle and as
members of the Congress: Congressman John Dingell and Senator Bob Dole.
They said:
As two proud World War II veterans blessed also to serve
this great nation in Congress, we consider our bipartisan
work together in helping to create a National World War II
Memorial to be among our greatest accomplishments and a true
honor to our brothers-in-arms. If this Congress truly wishes
to recognize the sacrifice and bravery of our World War II
veterans and all who've come after, it will end this shutdown
and re-open our government now. The current shutdown has
slowed the rate at which the government can process veterans'
disability claims and, as the VA has stated, it is negatively
impacting other services to our nation's veterans. Piecemeal
or partial spending plans do not adequately ensure that our
veterans--and indeed all Americans--have access to the system
of self-government established to serve and protect them.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 370, the previous question is ordered.
The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the joint
resolution.
The joint resolution was ordered to be engrossed and read a third
time, and was read the third time.
Motion to Recommit
Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentlewoman opposed to the bill?
Ms. DUCKWORTH. I am opposed to the bill, Mr. Speaker.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to
recommit.
The Clerk read as follows:
Ms. Duckworth moves to recommit the joint resolution H.J.
Res. 72 to the Committee on Appropriations with instructions
to report the same back to the House forthwith with the
following amendment:
Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the
following:
That upon passage of this joint resolution by the House of
Representatives, the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 59) making
continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2014, and for other
purposes, as amended by the Senate on September 27, 2013,
shall be considered to have been taken from the Speaker's
table and the House shall be considered to have (1) receded
from its amendment; and (2) concurred in the Senate
amendment.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve a point of order on the
gentlewoman's motion.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. A point of order is reserved.
The gentlewoman from Illinois is recognized for 5 minutes in support
of her motion.
{time} 1600
Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. Speaker, it would appear that the chairman has
resigned himself to keeping the government shut down for 30 days so
that the VA will run out of money in that 30 days' time. The way to
ensure that the VA doesn't run out of money in 30 days is to pass a
clean CR to reopen all of government.
Mr. Speaker, I have spent every moment since waking up in my hospital
bed at Walter Reed defending our military and serving our veterans. I
know when they're being exploited.
[[Page H6208]]
Mr. Speaker, the bill we are debating isn't a serious or respectful
attempt to support our Nation's heroes. It will not help veterans; in
fact, it does just the opposite. It cuts more than $6 billion in funds
for the Department of Veterans Affairs from the same bill that my
colleagues and I passed, 421-4, just earlier this year.
I can't support this bill because it pits one veteran against
another. It would continue paying out pension benefits at the cost of
cutting medical and prosthetic research for wounded veterans. It would
give veterans in the VA their health care and needed mental health
services, which I applaud, but it leaves 800,000 of their brothers and
sisters--my brothers and sisters--caught in the backlog where they
would have to wait even longer to get a decision on their benefits. It
would allow our troops with posttraumatic stress to access the Veterans
Crisis Line, but at the expense of not laying our heroes to rest in our
national cemeteries on a timely basis. It would allow our veterans to
be counseled for military sexual trauma, but not quickly review the
appeals that they submit to get the compensation they so rightfully
deserve for that trauma.
This is unacceptable. It is shameful we are even considering
responding to our veterans' service to our Nation with a funding cut at
a time when the need for their services has never been greater. And we
don't fund government by pitting one group against another. A piecemeal
deal to fund some veterans could still allow TRICARE to run out of
funds for prescription medication for our military and retirees.
We're not a Nation that would ask veterans to accept funding at the
expense of their children who are in Head Start. A piecemeal-approach
bill tells our thousands of military and veterans' families who rely on
food stamps that we will pay their salaries when they go to war, but we
won't feed their children.
And the idea that funding the VA will protect their benefits from the
effects of this shutdown is simply not true. Our veterans are also
small business owners in Elgin, Illinois; they are students in Addison;
they are homeowners in Hanover Park; and many of them continue to serve
their country as government employees. Funding just part of the VA will
not help the veterans who are waiting on loans from the Small Business
Administration.
So let's put our politics aside and stop using our veterans as pawns.
This approach will not meet the full range of desperately needed
veteran services. It is no way to fund government.
Our veterans didn't leave their comrades behind on the field of
battle. Shame on the majority for leaving them and the Nation they
defended without a government.
Our Nation is better than this. We are better than this. I urge my
colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this motion to recommit and please,
please allow us to bring up the clean, Senate-passed continuing
resolution that has the additional $6 billion of funding for our
heroes, for our veterans.
Let's reopen the government so we can get back to the work of serving
our Nation.
Point of Order
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I make a point of order that the
instructions contained in the motion violate clause 7 of rule XVI,
which requires that an amendment be germane to the bill under
consideration.
As the Chair recently ruled on October 2, 2013, the instructions
contain a special order of business within the jurisdiction of the
Committee on Rules. Therefore, the amendment is not germane to the
underlying bill.
Mr. Speaker, I insist on my point of order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Does the gentlewoman from Illinois wish to
be heard on the point of order?
Ms. DUCKWORTH. Yes, Mr. Speaker.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Illinois is recognized
on the point of order.
Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. Speaker, if you rule this motion out of order,
does that mean we will not have a chance to keep the entire Federal
Government open today?
Can the Chair please explain why we can't open the entire Federal
Government today?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair is prepared to issue a ruling.
The gentleman from Texas makes a point of order that instructions
proposed in the motion to recommit offered by the gentlewoman from
Illinois are not germane.
The joint resolution extends funding relating to certain veterans'
benefits within a portion of fiscal year 2014. The instructions in the
motion propose an order of business of the House relating to funding
for all other agencies and departments subject to the annual
appropriations process for the remainder of the fiscal year.
As the Chair ruled earlier today, as well as on October 2, 2013, a
motion to recommit proposing an order of business of the House is not
germane to a measure providing for the appropriation of funds, because
such motion addresses a matter within the jurisdiction of a committee
not represented in the underlying measure. Here, the instructions
propose a non-germane amendment.
The point of order is sustained.
Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I appeal the ruling of the Chair.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is, Shall the decision of the
Chair stand as the judgment of the house?
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to lay the appeal on the table.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to table.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Ms. DUCKWORTH. 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, this 15-
minute vote on the motion to table will be followed by a 5-minute vote
on passage of the joint resolution, if arising without further
proceedings in recommittal.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 225,
nays 193, not voting 13, as follows:
[Roll No. 517]
YEAS--225
Aderholt
Amash
Amodei
Bachmann
Bachus
Barletta
Barr
Barton
Benishek
Bentivolio
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Bridenstine
Brooks (AL)
Brooks (IN)
Broun (GA)
Buchanan
Bucshon
Burgess
Calvert
Camp
Campbell
Cantor
Capito
Carter
Cassidy
Chabot
Chaffetz
Coble
Coffman
Cole
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Conaway
Cook
Cotton
Cramer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Culberson
Daines
Davis, Rodney
Denham
Dent
DeSantis
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Ellmers
Farenthold
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gardner
Garrett
Gerlach
Gibbs
Gibson
Gingrey (GA)
Gohmert
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (MO)
Griffin (AR)
Griffith (VA)
Grimm
Guthrie
Hall
Hanna
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Hastings (WA)
Heck (NV)
Hensarling
Holding
Hudson
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurt
Issa
Jenkins
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jordan
Joyce
Kelly (PA)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kinzinger (IL)
Kline
Labrador
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Lance
Lankford
Latham
Latta
LoBiondo
Long
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Marchant
Marino
Massie
McCarthy (CA)
McCaul
McClintock
McHenry
McKeon
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
Meadows
Meehan
Messer
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Mullin
Mulvaney
Murphy (PA)
Neugebauer
Noem
Nugent
Nunes
Nunnelee
Olson
Palazzo
Paulsen
Pearce
Perry
Petri
Pitts
Poe (TX)
Pompeo
Posey
Price (GA)
Radel
Reed
Reichert
Renacci
Ribble
Rice (SC)
Rigell
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Royce
Runyan
Ryan (WI)
Salmon
Sanford
Scalise
Schock
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Southerland
Stewart
Stivers
Stockman
Stutzman
Terry
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walorski
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Williams
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Wolf
Womack
Woodall
Yoder
Yoho
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
Young (IN)
[[Page H6209]]
NAYS--193
Andrews
Barber
Barrow (GA)
Beatty
Becerra
Bera (CA)
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Brady (PA)
Braley (IA)
Brown (FL)
Brownley (CA)
Bustos
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardenas
Carney
Cartwright
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu
Cicilline
Clarke
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Courtney
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny
DeFazio
DeGette
Delaney
DeLauro
DelBene
Deutch
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle
Duckworth
Edwards
Ellison
Engel
Enyart
Eshoo
Esty
Farr
Fattah
Foster
Frankel (FL)
Fudge
Gabbard
Gallego
Garamendi
Garcia
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hahn
Hanabusa
Hastings (FL)
Heck (WA)
Himes
Hinojosa
Holt
Honda
Horsford
Hoyer
Huffman
Israel
Jackson Lee
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilmer
Kind
Kirkpatrick
Kuster
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee (CA)
Levin
Lewis
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lofgren
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lujan Grisham (NM)
Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
Lynch
Maffei
Maloney, Carolyn
Maloney, Sean
Matheson
Matsui
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McIntyre
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Michaud
Miller, George
Moore
Moran
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Negrete McLeod
Nolan
O'Rourke
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor (AZ)
Payne
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peters (CA)
Peters (MI)
Peterson
Pingree (ME)
Pocan
Polis
Price (NC)
Quigley
Rahall
Rangel
Richmond
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Ryan (OH)
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Schrader
Schwartz
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Sewell (AL)
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Sinema
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Speier
Swalwell (CA)
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Titus
Tonko
Tsongas
Van Hollen
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walz
Wasserman Schultz
Watt
Waxman
Welch
Wilson (FL)
Yarmuth
NOT VOTING--13
Bass
Carson (IN)
Herrera Beutler
Higgins
Jones
Lummis
McCarthy (NY)
Miller, Gary
Pittenger
Rush
Tipton
Vargas
Waters
{time} 1634
Mr. GRIJALVA changed his vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Ms. GRANGER and Mr. ROKITA changed their vote from ``nay'' to
``yea.''
So the motion to table was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
(By unanimous consent, Mr. Hoyer was allowed to speak out of order.)
Legislative Program
Mr. HOYER. At the outset, I know that I join the majority leader in
expressing our gratitude to the Capitol Police.
Mr. Speaker, all too often we take for granted the folks who are
prepared to put their own lives and safety at risk to save others from
harm's way, not only those of us who work on Capitol Hill, but those
who visit their Capitol. So I know that round of applause was heartfelt
and deeply meant, and we thank them.
I yield to the majority leader before I ask him a question on the
schedule.
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding,
and I concur with his thanks to the Capitol Police.
As well, each and every day, all of us benefit from their dedication
and commitment to our safety, the people who visit this Capitol and its
surroundings to their safety, and I know all of us want to extend that
thanks just to let them know we really appreciate them.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker--and I know, again, as did the majority
leader--Mr. Sanford Bishop, himself, gave such a tribute to the Capitol
Police at the beginning of the last bill; but also we want to thank the
Sergeant at Arms, Paul Irving, and all of those who work with the
Sergeant at Arms.
Mr. Speaker, I know he may want to say a word on that as well, but I
will yield to him now for the purposes of informing the Members of the
majority leader's view of the schedule for the days to come.
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
As well, on behalf of my colleagues on the majority's side of the
aisle, I want to express our thanks to Paul Irving, the Sergeant at
Arms Office and the entire team that he heads up in this Capitol for
their tireless dedication to our safety and well-being, to our
families' safety and well-being. Each and every one of us has been
affected and touched by some threat or some risk at some time. Again, I
want to express that gratitude to him and his team.
Mr. Speaker, as to the gentleman's request about information on the
schedule, we did put out an email indicating that we are going to go
into morning-hour tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock, and legislative
business starts at noon. We will also be making an announcement as to
the weekend schedule and what we can expect for votes over the weekend.
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for that information.
The gentleman, does he know how likely it is we will be in?
Obviously, every Member has a schedule, and they are trying to deal
with that and inform their staffs of that. I know it's very difficult
for the leader. I've been there; I know how difficult it is to
anticipate. I've heard some comments that Saturday is a probability but
that, perhaps, Sunday is not.
Can the gentleman give any clarification on that?
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, we will announce in the morning what to
expect as far as votes for the weekend.
Mr. HOYER. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, 5-minute voting will
continue.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the joint
resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Recorded Vote
Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
A recorded vote was ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 259,
noes 157, not voting 15, as follows:
[Roll No. 518]
AYES--259
Aderholt
Amash
Amodei
Bachmann
Bachus
Barber
Barletta
Barr
Barrow (GA)
Barton
Benishek
Bentivolio
Bera (CA)
Bilirakis
Bishop (NY)
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Braley (IA)
Bridenstine
Brooks (AL)
Brooks (IN)
Broun (GA)
Buchanan
Bucshon
Burgess
Bustos
Calvert
Camp
Campbell
Cantor
Capito
Carter
Cassidy
Chabot
Chaffetz
Coble
Coffman
Cole
Collins (GA)
Conaway
Cook
Cooper
Costa
Cotton
Cramer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Culberson
Daines
Davis, Rodney
DelBene
Denham
Dent
DeSantis
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Ellmers
Farenthold
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foster
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallego
Garamendi
Garcia
Gardner
Garrett
Gerlach
Gibbs
Gibson
Gingrey (GA)
Gohmert
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (MO)
Griffin (AR)
Griffith (VA)
Grimm
Guthrie
Hall
Hanna
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Hastings (WA)
Heck (NV)
Heck (WA)
Hensarling
Holding
Hudson
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurt
Issa
Jenkins
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jordan
Joyce
Keating
Kelly (PA)
Kilmer
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kinzinger (IL)
Kline
Labrador
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Lance
Lankford
Latham
Latta
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Loebsack
Long
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lynch
Maffei
Maloney, Sean
Marchant
Marino
Massie
Matheson
McCarthy (CA)
McCaul
McClintock
McHenry
McIntyre
McKeon
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
Meadows
Meehan
Messer
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Mullin
Mulvaney
Murphy (FL)
Murphy (PA)
Neugebauer
Noem
Nugent
Nunes
Nunnelee
Olson
Owens
Palazzo
Paulsen
Pearce
Perry
Peters (CA)
Peters (MI)
Peterson
Petri
Pitts
Poe (TX)
Polis
Pompeo
Posey
Price (GA)
Radel
Rahall
Reed
Reichert
Renacci
Ribble
Rice (SC)
Rigell
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Royce
Ruiz
Runyan
Ryan (WI)
Salmon
Sanford
Scalise
Schneider
Schock
Schrader
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Sinema
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
[[Page H6210]]
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Southerland
Stewart
Stivers
Stockman
Stutzman
Terry
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tierney
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walorski
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Williams
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Wolf
Womack
Woodall
Yoder
Yoho
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
Young (IN)
NOES--157
Andrews
Beatty
Becerra
Bishop (GA)
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Brady (PA)
Brown (FL)
Brownley (CA)
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardenas
Carney
Carson (IN)
Cartwright
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu
Cicilline
Clarke
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Conyers
Courtney
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny
DeFazio
DeGette
Delaney
DeLauro
Deutch
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle
Duckworth
Edwards
Ellison
Engel
Enyart
Eshoo
Esty
Farr
Fattah
Frankel (FL)
Fudge
Gabbard
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Hahn
Hanabusa
Hastings (FL)
Himes
Hinojosa
Holt
Honda
Horsford
Hoyer
Huffman
Israel
Jackson Lee
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Kaptur
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Kildee
Kind
Kirkpatrick
Kuster
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee (CA)
Levin
Lewis
Lofgren
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lujan Grisham (NM)
Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
Maloney, Carolyn
Matsui
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Michaud
Miller, George
Moore
Moran
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Negrete McLeod
Nolan
O'Rourke
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor (AZ)
Payne
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Pingree (ME)
Pocan
Price (NC)
Quigley
Rangel
Richmond
Roybal-Allard
Ruppersberger
Ryan (OH)
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schwartz
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Sewell (AL)
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Speier
Swalwell (CA)
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tonko
Tsongas
Van Hollen
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walz
Wasserman Schultz
Watt
Waxman
Welch
Wilson (FL)
Yarmuth
NOT VOTING--15
Bass
Collins (NY)
Gutierrez
Herrera Beutler
Higgins
Jones
Lummis
McCarthy (NY)
Miller, Gary
Pittenger
Rush
Serrano
Tipton
Vargas
Waters
{time} 1648
So the joint resolution was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________