[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 147 (Wednesday, October 16, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H6616-H6626]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 NO SUBSIDIES WITHOUT VERIFICATION ACT

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the previous order 
of the House, I call up the bill, (H.R. 2775) to condition the 
provision of premium and cost-sharing subsidies under the Patient 
Protection and Affordable Care Act upon a certification that a program 
to verify household income and other qualifications for such subsidies 
is operational, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendments 
thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the Senate 
amendments.
  The Clerk designated the Senate amendments.
  Senate amendments:

       Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:
     The following sums are hereby appropriated, out of any money 
     in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of 
     applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds, 
     for the several departments, agencies, corporations, and 
     other organizational units of Government for fiscal year 
     2014, and for other purposes, namely:

            DIVISION A--CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2014

       Sec. 101. (a) Such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate 
     for operations as provided in the applicable appropriations 
     Acts for fiscal year 2013 and under the authority and 
     conditions provided in such Acts, for continuing projects or 
     activities (including the costs of direct loans and loan 
     guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for 
     in this joint resolution, that were conducted in fiscal year 
     2013, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority 
     were made available in the following appropriations Acts:
       (1) The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug 
     Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 
     (division A of Public Law 113-6), except section 735.
       (2) The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies 
     Appropriations Act, 2013 (division B of Public Law 113-6).
       (3) The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2013 
     (division C of Public Law 113-6).
       (4) The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 
     2013 (division D of Public Law 113-6).
       (5) The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and 
     Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division E of 
     Public Law 113-6).
       (6) The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 
     (division F of Public Law 113-6).
       (b) The rate for operations provided by subsection (a) for 
     each account shall be calculated to reflect the full amount 
     of any reduction required in fiscal year 2013 pursuant to--
       (1) any provision of division G of the Consolidated and 
     Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (Public Law 113-
     6), including section 3004; and
       (2) the Presidential sequestration order dated March 1, 
     2013, except as attributable to budget authority made 
     available by--
       (A) sections 140(b) or 141(b) of the Continuing 
     Appropriations Resolution, 2013 (Public Law 112-175); or
       (B) the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 (Public 
     Law 113-2).
       Sec. 102. (a) No appropriation or funds made available or 
     authority granted pursuant to section 101 for the Department 
     of Defense shall be used for: (1) the new production of items 
     not funded for production in fiscal year 2013 or prior years; 
     (2) the increase in production rates above those sustained 
     with fiscal year 2013 funds; or (3) the initiation, 
     resumption, or continuation of any project, activity, 
     operation, or organization (defined as any project, 
     subproject, activity, budget activity, program element, and 
     subprogram within a program element, and for any investment 
     items defined as a P-1 line item in a budget activity within 
     an appropriation account and an R-1 line item that includes a 
     program element and subprogram element within an 
     appropriation account) for which appropriations, funds, or 
     other authority were not available during fiscal year 2013.
       (b) No appropriation or funds made available or authority 
     granted pursuant to section 101 for the Department of Defense 
     shall be used to initiate multi-year procurements utilizing 
     advance procurement funding for economic order quantity 
     procurement unless specifically appropriated later.
       Sec. 103.  Appropriations made by section 101 shall be 
     available to the extent and in the manner that would be 
     provided by the pertinent appropriations Act.
       Sec. 104.  Except as otherwise provided in section 102, no 
     appropriation or funds made available or authority granted 
     pursuant to section 101 shall be used to initiate or resume 
     any project or activity for which appropriations, funds, or 
     other authority were not available during fiscal year 2013.
       Sec. 105.  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. 106.  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) January 15, 2014.
       Sec. 107.  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.

[[Page H6617]]

       Sec. 108.  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. 109.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     joint resolution, except section 106, for those programs that 
     would otherwise have high initial rates of operation or 
     complete distribution of appropriations at the beginning of 
     fiscal year 2014 because of distributions of funding to 
     States, foreign countries, grantees, or others, such high 
     initial rates of operation or complete distribution shall not 
     be made, and no grants shall be awarded for such programs 
     funded by this joint resolution that would impinge on final 
     funding prerogatives.
       Sec. 110.  This joint resolution shall be implemented so 
     that only the most limited funding action of that permitted 
     in the joint resolution shall be taken in order to provide 
     for continuation of projects and activities.
       Sec. 111. (a) For entitlements and other mandatory payments 
     whose budget authority was provided in appropriations Acts 
     for fiscal year 2013, and for activities under the Food and 
     Nutrition Act of 2008, activities shall be continued at the 
     rate to maintain program levels under current law, under the 
     authority and conditions provided in the applicable 
     appropriations Act for fiscal year 2013, to be continued 
     through the date specified in section 106(3).
       (b) Notwithstanding section 106, obligations for mandatory 
     payments due on or about the first day of any month that 
     begins after October 2013 but not later than 30 days after 
     the date specified in section 106(3) may continue to be made, 
     and funds shall be available for such payments.
       Sec. 112.  Amounts made available under section 101 for 
     civilian personnel compensation and benefits in each 
     department and agency may be apportioned up to the rate for 
     operations necessary to avoid furloughs within such 
     department or agency, consistent with the applicable 
     appropriations Act for fiscal year 2013, except that such 
     authority provided under this section shall not be used until 
     after the department or agency has taken all necessary 
     actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related 
     administrative expenses.
       Sec. 113.  Funds appropriated by this joint resolution may 
     be obligated and expended notwithstanding section 10 of 
     Public Law 91-672 (22 U.S.C. 2412), section 15 of the State 
     Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2680), 
     section 313 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, 
     Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995 (22 U.S.C. 6212), and section 
     504(a)(1) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 
     3094(a)(1)).
       Sec. 114. (a) Each amount incorporated by reference in this 
     joint resolution that was previously designated by the 
     Congress for Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on 
     Terrorism pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced 
     Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 or as being 
     for disaster relief pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D) of such 
     Act is designated by the Congress for Overseas Contingency 
     Operations/Global War on Terrorism pursuant to section 
     251(b)(2)(A) of such Act or as being for disaster relief 
     pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D) of such Act, respectively.
       (b) Of the amounts made available by section 101 for 
     ``Social Security Administration, Limitation on 
     Administrative Expenses'' for the cost associated with 
     continuing disability reviews under titles II and XVI of the 
     Social Security Act and for the cost associated with 
     conducting redeterminations of eligibility under title XVI of 
     the Social Security Act, $273,000,000 is provided to meet the 
     terms of section 251(b)(2)(B)(ii)(III) of the Balanced Budget 
     and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended, and 
     $469,639,000 is additional new budget authority specified for 
     purposes of section 251(b)(2)(B) of such Act.
       (c) Section 5 of Public Law 113-6 shall apply to amounts 
     designated in subsection (a) for Overseas Contingency 
     Operations/Global War on Terrorism.
       Sec. 115. (a) Employees furloughed as a result of any lapse 
     in appropriations which begins on or about October 1, 2013, 
     shall be compensated at their standard rate of compensation, 
     for the period of such lapse in appropriations, as soon as 
     practicable after such lapse in appropriations ends.
       (b) For purposes of this section, ``employee'' means:
       (1) a federal employee;
       (2) an employee of the District of Columbia Courts;
       (3) an employee of the Public Defender Service for the 
     District of Columbia; or
       (4) a District of Columbia Government employee.
       (c) All obligations incurred in anticipation of the 
     appropriations made and authority granted by this joint 
     resolution for the purposes of maintaining the essential 
     level of activity to protect life and property and bringing 
     about orderly termination of Government functions, and for 
     purposes as otherwise authorized by law, are hereby ratified 
     and approved if otherwise in accord with the provisions of 
     this joint resolution.
       Sec. 116. (a) If a State (or another Federal grantee) used 
     State funds (or the grantee's non-Federal funds) to continue 
     carrying out a Federal program or furloughed State employees 
     (or the grantee's employees) whose compensation is advanced 
     or reimbursed in whole or in part by the Federal Government--
       (1) such furloughed employees shall be compensated at their 
     standard rate of compensation for such period;
       (2) the State (or such other grantee) shall be reimbursed 
     for expenses that would have been paid by the Federal 
     Government during such period had appropriations been 
     available, including the cost of compensating such furloughed 
     employees, together with interest thereon calculated under 
     section 6503(d) of title 31, United States Code; and
       (3) the State (or such other grantee) may use funds 
     available to the State (or the grantee) under such Federal 
     program to reimburse such State (or the grantee), together 
     with interest thereon calculated under section 6503(d) of 
     title 31, United States Code.
       (b) For purposes of this section, the term ``State'' and 
     the term ``grantee'' shall have the meaning as such term is 
     defined under the applicable Federal program under subsection 
     (a). In addition, ``to continue carrying out a Federal 
     program'' means the continued performance by a State or other 
     Federal grantee, during the period of a lapse in 
     appropriations, of a Federal program that the State or such 
     other grantee had been carrying out prior to the period of 
     the lapse in appropriations.
       (c) The authority under this section applies with respect 
     to any period in fiscal year 2014 (not limited to periods 
     beginning or ending after the date of the enactment of this 
     joint resolution) during which there occurs a lapse in 
     appropriations with respect to any department or agency of 
     the Federal Government which, but for such lapse in 
     appropriations, would have paid, or made reimbursement 
     relating to, any of the expenses referred to in this section 
     with respect to the program involved. Payments and 
     reimbursements under this authority shall be made only to the 
     extent and in amounts provided in advance in appropriations 
     Acts.
       Sec. 117.  Expenditures made pursuant to the Pay Our 
     Military Act (Public Law 113-39) shall be charged to the 
     applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization provided in 
     this joint resolution.
       Sec. 118.  For the purposes of this joint resolution, the 
     time covered by this joint resolution shall be considered to 
     have begun on October 1, 2013.
       Sec. 119.  Section 3003 of division G of Public Law 113-6 
     shall be applied to funds appropriated by this joint 
     resolution by substituting ``fiscal year 2014'' for ``fiscal 
     year 2013'' each place it appears.
       Sec. 120.  Section 408 of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 
     1736b) shall be applied by substituting the date specified in 
     section 106(3) of this joint resolution for ``December 31, 
     2012''.
       Sec. 121.  Amounts made available under section 101 for 
     ``Department of Commerce--National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration--Procurement, Acquisition and Construction'' 
     may be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to 
     maintain the planned launch schedules for the Joint Polar 
     Satellite System and the Geostationary Operational 
     Environmental Satellite system.
       Sec. 122.  The authority provided by sections 1205 and 1206 
     of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
     2012 (Public Law 112-81) shall continue in effect, 
     notwithstanding subsection (h) of section 1206, through the 
     earlier of the date specified in section 106(3) of this joint 
     resolution or the date of the enactment of an Act authorizing 
     appropriations for fiscal year 2014 for military activities 
     of the Department of Defense.
       Sec. 123.  Section 3(a)(6) of Public Law 100-676 is amended 
     by striking both occurrences of ``$775,000,000'' and 
     inserting in lieu thereof, ``$2,918,000,000''.
       Sec. 124.  Section 14704 of title 40, United States Code, 
     shall be applied to amounts made available by this joint 
     resolution by substituting the date specified in section 
     106(3) of this joint resolution for ``October 1, 2012''.
       Sec. 125.  Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are 
     provided for ``The Judiciary--Courts of Appeals, District 
     Courts, and Other Judicial Services--Salaries and Expenses'' 
     at a rate of operations of $4,820,181,000:  Provided, That 
     notwithstanding section 302 of Division C, of Public Law 112-
     74 as continued by Public Law 113-6, not to exceed 
     $25,000,000 shall be available for transfer between accounts 
     to maintain minimum operating levels.
       Sec. 126.  Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are 
     provided for ``The Judiciary--Courts of Appeals, District 
     Courts, and Other Judicial Services--Defender Services'' at a 
     rate for operations of $1,012,000,000.
       Sec. 127.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     joint resolution, 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.
       Sec. 128.  Section 302 of the Universal Service Anti-
     deficiency Temporary Suspension Act is amended by striking 
     ``December 31, 2013'', each place it appears and inserting 
     ``January 15, 2014''.
       Sec. 129.  Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are 
     provided for the ``Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight 
     Board'' at a rate for operations of $3,100,000.
       Sec. 130.  For the period covered by this joint resolution, 
     section 550(b) of Public Law 109-295 (6 U.S.C. 121 note) 
     shall be applied by substituting the date specified in 
     section 106(3) of this joint resolution for ``October 4, 
     2013''.
       Sec. 131.  The authority provided by section 532 of Public 
     Law 109-295 shall continue in effect through the date 
     specified in section 106(3) of this joint resolution.
       Sec. 132.  The authority provided by section 831 of the 
     Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 391) shall continue 
     in effect through the date specified in section 106(3) of 
     this joint resolution.

[[Page H6618]]

       Sec. 133. (a) Any amounts made available pursuant to 
     section 101 for ``Department of Homeland Security--U.S. 
     Customs and Border Protection--Salaries and Expenses'', 
     ``Department of Homeland Security--U.S. Customs and Border 
     Protection--Border Security Fencing, Infrastructure, and 
     Technology'', ``Department of Homeland Security--U.S. Customs 
     and Border Protection--Air and Marine Operations'', and 
     ``Department of Homeland Security--U.S. Immigration and 
     Customs Enforcement--Salaries and Expenses'' shall be 
     obligated at a rate for operations as necessary to 
     respectively--
       (1) sustain the staffing levels of U.S. Customs and Border 
     Protection Officers, equivalent to the staffing levels 
     achieved on September 30, 2013, and comply with the last 
     proviso under the heading ``Department of Homeland Security--
     U.S. Customs and Border Protection--Salaries and Expenses'' 
     in division D of Public Law 113-6;
       (2) sustain border security operations, including 
     sustaining the operation of Tethered Aerostat Radar Systems;
       (3) sustain necessary Air and Marine operations; and
       (4) sustain the staffing levels of U.S. Immigration and 
     Customs Enforcement agents, equivalent to the staffing levels 
     achieved on September 30, 2013, and comply with the sixth 
     proviso under the heading ``Department of Homeland Security--
     U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement--Salaries and 
     Expenses'' in division D of Public Law 113-6.
       (b) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall notify the 
     Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 
     and the Senate on each use of the authority provided in this 
     section.
       Sec. 134.  Section 810 of the Federal Lands Recreation 
     Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6809) shall be applied by 
     substituting ``11 years'' for ``10 years''.
       Sec. 135.  In addition to the amount otherwise provided by 
     section 101 for ``Department of the Interior--Department-wide 
     Programs--Wildland Fire Management'', there is appropriated 
     $36,000,000 for an additional amount for fiscal year 2014, to 
     remain available until expended, for urgent wildland fire 
     suppression activities:  Provided, That of the funds 
     provided, $15,000,000 is for burned area rehabilitation:  
     Provided further, That such funds shall only become available 
     if funds previously provided for wildland fire suppression 
     will be exhausted imminently and the Secretary of the 
     Interior notifies the Committees on Appropriations of the 
     House of Representatives and the Senate in writing of the 
     need for these additional funds:  Provided further, That such 
     funds are also available for transfer to other appropriations 
     accounts to repay amounts previously transferred for wildfire 
     suppression.
       Sec. 136.  In addition to the amount otherwise provided by 
     section 101 for ``Department of Agriculture--Forest Service--
     Wildland Fire Management'', there is appropriated 
     $600,000,000 for an additional amount for fiscal year 2014, 
     to remain available until expended, for urgent wildland fire 
     suppression activities:  Provided, That such funds shall only 
     become available if funds previously provided for wildland 
     fire suppression will be exhausted imminently and the 
     Secretary of Agriculture notifies the Committees on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate 
     in writing of the need for these additional funds:  Provided 
     further, That such funds are also available for transfer to 
     other appropriations accounts to repay amounts previously 
     transferred for wildfire suppression.
       Sec. 137.  The authority provided by section 347 of the 
     Department of the Interior and Related Agencies 
     Appropriations Act, 1999 (as contained in section 101(e) of 
     division A of Public Law 105-277; 16 U.S.C. 2104 note) shall 
     continue in effect through the date specified in section 
     106(3) of this joint resolution.
       Sec. 138. (a) The authority provided by subsection (m)(3) 
     of section 8162 of the Department of Defense Appropriations 
     Act, 2000 (40 U.S.C. 8903 note; Public Law 106-79), as 
     amended, shall continue in effect through the date specified 
     in section 106(3) of this joint resolution.
       (b) For the period covered by this joint resolution, the 
     authority provided by the provisos under the heading ``Dwight 
     D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission--Capital Construction'' in 
     division E of Public Law 112-74 shall not be in effect.
       Sec. 139.  Activities authorized under part A of title IV 
     and section 1108(b) of the Social Security Act (except for 
     activities authorized in section 403(b)) shall continue 
     through the date specified in section 106(3) of this joint 
     resolution in the manner authorized for fiscal year 2013, and 
     out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not 
     otherwise appropriated, there are hereby appropriated such 
     sums as may be necessary for such purpose.
       Sec. 140.  Notwithstanding section 101, the matter under 
     the heading ``Department of Labor--Mine Safety and Health 
     Administration--Salaries and Expenses'' in division F of 
     Public Law 112-74 shall be applied to funds appropriated by 
     this joint resolution by substituting ``is authorized to 
     collect and retain up to $2,499,000'' for ``may retain up to 
     $1,499,000''.
       Sec. 141.  The first proviso under the heading ``Department 
     of Health and Human Services--Administration for Children and 
     Families--Low Income Home Energy Assistance'' in division F 
     of Public Law 112-74 shall be applied to amounts made 
     available by this joint resolution by substituting ``2014'' 
     for ``2012''.
       Sec. 142.  Amounts provided by section 101 for ``Department 
     of Health and Human Services--Administration for Children and 
     Families--Refugee and Entrant Assistance'' may be obligated 
     up to a rate for operations necessary to maintain program 
     operations at the level provided in fiscal year 2013, as 
     necessary to accommodate increased demand.
       Sec. 143.  During the period covered by this joint 
     resolution, amounts provided under section 101 for 
     ``Department of Health and Human Services--Office of the 
     Secretary--Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund'' 
     may be obligated at a rate necessary to assure timely 
     execution of planned advanced research and development 
     contracts pursuant to section 319L of the Public Health 
     Service Act, to remain available until expended, for expenses 
     necessary to support advanced research and development 
     pursuant to section 319L of the Public Health Service Act (42 
     U.S.C. 247d-7e) and other administrative expenses of the 
     Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
       Sec. 144.  Subsection (b) of section 163 of Public Law 111-
     242, as amended, is further amended by striking ``2013-2014'' 
     and inserting ``2015-2016''.
       Sec. 145.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     joint resolution, there is appropriated for payment to Bonnie 
     Englebardt Lautenberg, widow of Frank R. Lautenberg, late a 
     Senator from New Jersey, $174,000.
       Sec. 146.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no 
     adjustment shall be made under section 610(a) of the 
     Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 31) 
     (relating to cost of living adjustments for Members of 
     Congress) during fiscal year 2014.
       Sec. 147.  Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are 
     provided for ``Department of Veterans Affairs--Departmental 
     Administration--General Operating Expenses, Veterans Benefits 
     Administration'' at a rate for operations of $2,455,490,000.
       Sec. 148.  The authority provided by the penultimate 
     proviso under the heading ``Department of Housing and Urban 
     Development--Rental Assistance Demonstration'' in division C 
     of Public Law 112-55 shall continue in effect through the 
     date specified in section 106(3) of this joint resolution.
       Sec. 149.  Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are 
     provided for ``Department of Transportation--Federal Aviation 
     Administration--Operations'', at a rate for operations of 
     $9,248,418,000.
       Sec. 150.  Section 601(e)(1)(B) of division B of Public Law 
     110-432 shall be applied by substituting the date specified 
     in section 106(3) for ``4 years after such date''.
       Sec. 151.  Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are 
     provided for ``Maritime Administration--Maritime Security 
     Program'', at a rate for operations of $186,000,000.
       Sec. 152.  Section 44302 of title 49, United States Code, 
     is amended in paragraph (f) by deleting ``September 30, 2013, 
     and may extend through December 31, 2013'' and inserting 
     ``the date specified in section 106(3) of the Continuing 
     Appropriations Act, 2014'' in lieu thereof.
       Sec. 153.  Section 44303 of title 49, United States Code, 
     is amended in paragraph (b) by deleting ``December 31, 2013'' 
     and inserting ``the date specified in section 106(3) of the 
     Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014'' in lieu thereof.
       Sec. 154.  Section 44310 of title 49, United States Code, 
     is amended by deleting ``December 31, 2013'' and inserting 
     ``the date specified in section 106(3) of the Continuing 
     Appropriations Act, 2014'' in lieu thereof.
       Sec. 155.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
     Secretary of Transportation may obligate not more than 
     $450,000,000 of the amounts made available to carry out 
     section 125 of title 23, United States Code, under chapter 9 
     of title X of division A of the Disaster Relief 
     Appropriations Act, 2013 (Public Law 113-2; 127 Stat. 34) 
     under the heading ``emergency relief program'' under the 
     heading ``federal-aid highways'' under the heading ``Federal 
     Highway Administration'' for emergency relief projects in the 
     State of Colorado arising from damage caused by flooding 
     events in that State in calendar year 2013:  Provided, That 
     such amount is designated by the Congress as an emergency 
     requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the 
     Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
       Sec. 156.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     division, any reference in this division to ``this joint 
     resolution'' shall be deemed a reference to ``this Act''.
       Sec. 157.  Fourteen days after the Department of Homeland 
     Security submits a report or expenditure plan required under 
     this division to the Committees on Appropriations of the 
     Senate and House of Representatives, the Secretary shall 
     submit a copy of that report to the Committee on Homeland 
     Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the 
     Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
     Representatives.

                       DIVISION B--OTHER MATTERS

   verification of household income and other qualifications for the 
          provision of aca premium and cost-sharing subsidies

       Sec. 1001. (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
     (referred to in this section as the ``Secretary'') shall 
     ensure that American Health Benefit Exchanges verify that 
     individuals applying for premium tax credits under section 
     36B of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and reductions in 
     cost-sharing under section 1402 of the Patient Protection and 
     Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18071) are eligible for such 
     credits and cost sharing reductions consistent with the 
     requirements of section 1411 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 18081), 
     and, prior to making such credits and reductions available, 
     the Secretary shall certify to the Congress that the 
     Exchanges verify such eligibility consistent with the 
     requirements of such Act.
       (b) Report by Secretary.--Not later than January 1, 2014, 
     the Secretary shall submit a report to the Congress that 
     details the procedures employed by American Health Benefit 
     Exchanges to verify eligibility for credits and cost-sharing 
     reductions described in subsection (a).
       (c) Report by Inspector General.--Not later than July 1, 
     2014, the Inspector General of the

[[Page H6619]]

     Department of Health and Human Services shall submit to the 
     Congress a report regarding the effectiveness of the 
     procedures and safeguards provided under the Patient 
     Protection and Affordable Care Act for preventing the 
     submission of inaccurate or fraudulent information by 
     applicants for enrollment in a qualified health plan offered 
     through an American Health Benefit Exchange.

                           default prevention

       Sec. 1002. (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as 
     the ``Default Prevention Act of 2013''.
       (b) Certification.--Not later than 3 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the President may submit to Congress a 
     written certification that absent a suspension of the limit 
     under section 3101(b) of title 31, United States Code, the 
     Secretary of the Treasury would be unable to issue debt to 
     meet existing commitments.
       (c) Suspension.--
       (1) In general.--Section 3101(b) of title 31, United States 
     Code, shall not apply for the period beginning on the date on 
     which the President submits to Congress a certification under 
     subsection (b) and ending on February 7, 2014.
       (2) Special rule relating to obligations issued during 
     suspension period.--Effective February 8, 2014, the 
     limitation in section 3101(b) of title 31, United States 
     Code, as increased by section 3101A of such title and section 
     2 of the No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 (31 U.S.C. 3101 note), 
     is increased to the extent that--
       (A) the face amount of obligations issued under chapter 31 
     of such title and the face amount of obligations whose 
     principal and interest are guaranteed by the United States 
     Government (except guaranteed obligations held by the 
     Secretary of the Treasury) outstanding on February 8, 2014, 
     exceeds
       (B) the face amount of such obligations outstanding on the 
     date of enactment of this Act.
     An obligation shall not be taken into account under 
     subparagraph (A) unless the issuance of such obligation was 
     necessary to fund a commitment incurred by the Federal 
     Government that required payment before February 8, 2014.
       (d) Disapproval.--If there is enacted into law within 22 
     calendar days after Congress receives a written certification 
     by the President under subsection (b) a joint resolution 
     disapproving the President's exercise of authority to suspend 
     the debt ceiling under subsection (e), effective on the date 
     of enactment of the joint resolution, subsection (c) is 
     amended to read as follows:
       ``(c) Suspension.--
       ``(1) In general.--Section 3101(b) of title 31, United 
     States Code, shall not apply for the period beginning on the 
     date on which the President submits to Congress a 
     certification under subsection (b) and ending on the date of 
     enactment of the joint resolution pursuant to section 1002(e) 
     of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014.
       ``(2) Special rule relating to obligations issued during 
     suspension period.--Effective on the day after the date of 
     enactment of the joint resolution pursuant to section 1002(e) 
     of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014, the limitation in 
     section 3101(b) of title 31, United States Code, as increased 
     by section 3101A of such title and section 2 of the No 
     Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 (31 U.S.C. 3101 note), is 
     increased to the extent that--
       ``(A) the face amount of obligations issued under chapter 
     31 of such title and the face amount of obligations whose 
     principal and interest are guaranteed by the United States 
     Government (except guaranteed obligations held by the 
     Secretary of the Treasury) outstanding on the day after the 
     date of enactment of the joint resolution pursuant to section 
     1002(e) of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014, exceeds
       ``(B) the face amount of such obligations outstanding on 
     the date of enactment of this Act.
     An obligation shall not be taken into account under 
     subparagraph (A) unless the issuance of such obligation was 
     necessary to fund a commitment incurred by the Federal 
     Government that required payment before the day after the 
     date of enactment of the joint resolution pursuant to section 
     1002(e) of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014.''.
       (e) Disapproval Process.--
       (1) Contents of joint resolution.--For the purpose of this 
     subsection, the term ``joint resolution'' means only a joint 
     resolution--
       (A) disapproving the President's exercise of authority to 
     suspend the debt limit that is introduced within 14 calendar 
     days after the date on which the President submits to 
     Congress the certification under subsection (b);
       (B) which does not have a preamble;
       (C) the title of which is only as follows: ``Joint 
     resolution relating to the disapproval of the President's 
     exercise of authority to suspend the debt limit, as submitted 
     under section 1002(b) of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 
     2014 on _____'' (with the blank containing the date of such 
     submission); and
       (D) the matter after the resolving clause of which is only 
     as follows: ``That Congress disapproves of the President's 
     exercise of authority to suspend the debt limit, as exercised 
     pursuant to the certification under section 1002(b) of the 
     Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014.''.
       (2) Expedited consideration in house of representatives.--
       (A) Reporting and discharge.--Any committee of the House of 
     Representatives to which a joint resolution is referred shall 
     report it to the House of Representatives without amendment 
     not later than 5 calendar days after the date of introduction 
     of a joint resolution described in paragraph (1). If a 
     committee fails to report the joint resolution within that 
     period, the committee shall be discharged from further 
     consideration of the joint resolution and the joint 
     resolution shall be referred to the appropriate calendar.
       (B) Proceeding to consideration.--After each committee 
     authorized to consider a joint resolution reports it to the 
     House of Representatives or has been discharged from its 
     consideration, it shall be in order, not later than the sixth 
     day after introduction of a joint resolution under paragraph 
     (1), to move to proceed to consider the joint resolution in 
     the House of Representatives. All points of order against the 
     motion are waived. Such a motion shall not be in order after 
     the House of Representatives has disposed of a motion to 
     proceed on a joint resolution. The previous question shall be 
     considered as ordered on the motion to its adoption without 
     intervening motion. The motion shall not be debatable. A 
     motion to reconsider the vote by which the motion is disposed 
     of shall not be in order.
       (C) Consideration.--The joint resolution shall be 
     considered as read. All points of order against the joint 
     resolution and against its consideration are waived. The 
     previous question shall be considered as ordered on the joint 
     resolution to its passage without intervening motion except 2 
     hours of debate equally divided and controlled by the 
     proponent and an opponent. A motion to reconsider the vote on 
     passage of the joint resolution shall not be in order.
       (3) Expedited procedure in senate.--
       (A) Reconvening.--Upon receipt of a certification under 
     subsection (b), if the Senate would otherwise be adjourned, 
     the majority leader of the Senate, after consultation with 
     the minority leader of the Senate, shall notify the Members 
     of the Senate that, pursuant to this subsection, the Senate 
     shall convene not later than the thirteenth calendar day 
     after receipt of such certification.
       (B) Placement on calendar.--Upon introduction in the 
     Senate, the joint resolution shall be immediately placed on 
     the calendar.
       (C) Floor consideration.--
       (i) In general.--Notwithstanding rule XXII of the Standing 
     Rules of the Senate, it is in order at any time during the 
     period beginning on the day after the date on which Congress 
     receives a certification under subsection (b) and ending on 
     the 6th day after the date of introduction of a joint 
     resolution under paragraph (1) (even if a previous motion to 
     the same effect has been disagreed to) to move to proceed to 
     the consideration of the joint resolution, and all points of 
     order against the joint resolution (and against consideration 
     of the joint resolution) are waived. The motion to proceed is 
     not debatable. The motion is not subject to a motion to 
     postpone. A motion to reconsider the vote by which the motion 
     is agreed to or disagreed to shall not be in order. If a 
     motion to proceed to the consideration of the joint 
     resolution is agreed to, the joint resolution shall remain 
     the unfinished business until disposed of.
       (ii) Consideration.--Consideration of the joint resolution, 
     and on all debatable motions and appeals in connection 
     therewith, shall be limited to not more than 10 hours, which 
     shall be divided equally between the majority and minority 
     leaders or their designees. A motion further to limit debate 
     is in order and not debatable. An amendment to, or a motion 
     to postpone, or a motion to proceed to the consideration of 
     other business, or a motion to recommit the joint resolution 
     is not in order.
       (iii) Vote on passage.--If the Senate has voted to proceed 
     to a joint resolution, the vote on passage of the joint 
     resolution shall occur immediately following the conclusion 
     of consideration of the joint resolution, and a single quorum 
     call at the conclusion of the debate if requested in 
     accordance with the rules of the Senate.
       (iv) Rulings of the chair on procedure.--Appeals from the 
     decisions of the Chair relating to the application of the 
     rules of the Senate, as the case may be, to the procedure 
     relating to a joint resolution shall be decided without 
     debate.
       (4) Amendment not in order.--A joint resolution of 
     disapproval considered pursuant to this subsection shall not 
     be subject to amendment in either the House of 
     Representatives or the Senate.
       (5) Coordination with action by other house.--
       (A) In general.--If, before passing the joint resolution, 
     one House receives from the other a joint resolution--
       (i) the joint resolution of the other House shall not be 
     referred to a committee; and
       (ii) the procedure in the receiving House shall be the same 
     as if no joint resolution had been received from the other 
     House, except that the vote on passage shall be on the joint 
     resolution of the other House.
       (B) Treatment of joint resolution of other house.--If the 
     Senate fails to introduce or consider a joint resolution 
     under this subsection, the joint resolution of the House of 
     Representatives shall be entitled to expedited floor 
     procedures under this subsection.
       (C) Treatment of companion measures.--If, following passage 
     of the joint resolution in the Senate, the Senate then 
     receives the companion measure from the House of 
     Representatives, the companion measure shall not be 
     debatable.
       (D) Consideration after passage.--
       (i) In general.--If Congress passes a joint resolution, the 
     period beginning on the date the President is presented with 
     the joint resolution and ending on the date the President 
     signs, allows to become law without his signature, or vetoes 
     and returns the joint resolution (but excluding days when 
     either House is not in session) shall be disregarded in 
     computing the calendar day period described in subsection 
     (d).
       (ii) Debate on a veto message.--Debate on a veto message in 
     the Senate under this subsection shall be 1 hour equally 
     divided between the majority and minority leaders or their 
     designees.
       (6) Rules of house of representatives and senate.--This 
     subsection is enacted by Congress--

[[Page H6620]]

       (A) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate 
     and House of Representatives, respectively, and as such it is 
     deemed a part of the rules of each House, respectively, but 
     applicable only with respect to the procedure to be followed 
     in that House in the case of a joint resolution, and it 
     supersedes other rules only to the extent that it is 
     inconsistent with such rules; and
       (B) with full recognition of the constitutional right of 
     either House to change the rules (so far as relating to the 
     procedure of that House) at any time, in the same manner, and 
     to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of that 
     House.
        This Act may be cited as the ``Continuing Appropriations 
     Act, 2014''.

       Amend the title so as to read: ``An Act making continuing 
     appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014, 
     and for other purposes.''.


                Motion offered by Mr. Rogers of Kentucky

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the motion.
  The text of the motion is as follows:

       Mr. Rogers of Kentucky moves that the House concur in the 
     Senate amendments to H.R. 2775.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of today, 
the motion shall be debatable for 1 hour, equally divided and 
controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
Appropriations.
  The gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers) and the gentlewoman from New 
York (Mrs. Lowey) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam 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 the further 
consideration of H.R. 2775.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Kentucky?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume, and I rise today to present H.R. 2775. This legislation 
will raise the Nation's debt ceiling to avoid default, reopen the doors 
of the Federal Government, and end this unfortunate shutdown.
  The legislation before us is Senate amendments to H.R. 2775. The 
Senate has just passed this bill, and now it is up to the House to send 
it to the President for his signature. It is the product of a final 
agreement between Republicans and Democrats to help put us back on 
stable ground with an open government and without the threat of default 
as we look to find a long-term comprehensive solution to our multitude 
of fiscal problems.
  First and foremost, it provides critical funding for operating the 
Federal Government at the current annual rate of $986 billion through 
January 15 of next year to end the government shutdown.
  The resolution includes a limited number of noncontroversial or 
technical changes called ``anomalies.'' Many have already been passed 
by the House and the Senate. A few are new, such as provisions to 
ensure the smooth reopening of the government, to provide due 
compensation for Federal employees and other funding for shutdown 
costs, to provide funding for the FAA to continue current operations 
without interruption, and so on. These have been included to prevent 
irrevocable harm to vital government programs, to continue critical 
services, and to ensure good governance.
  To be clear, Madam Speaker, the CR portion of this resolution is 
virtually clean and is essentially identical to the legislation I 
introduced in the House in early September.
  Secondly, this legislation will increase the debt limit until 
February 7 of next year. By extending our borrowing ability, these 
amendments will avoid the damage a default would cause to our 
recovering economy, to businesses large and small, and to our people 
who desperately need a stable economy and continued job growth.
  Lastly, the resolution before us will help protect against fraud and 
abuse by requiring income verifications for individuals seeking 
subsidies under the ObamaCare act.
  Essentially, this bill before us tonight allows us to move on. It 
deals with the Nation's immediate short-term problem and allows time 
for Congress to address the broader picture: what the real drivers of 
our debt are, how we can keep from reaching the debt limit in the 
future, and how we avoid staggering from fiscal crisis to fiscal 
crisis.

                              {time}  2130

  After 2 long weeks, it is time to end the government shutdown. It is 
time to take the threat of default off the table. It is time to restore 
some sanity to this place. To do this, we have all got to give a 
little.
  Clearly no one on either side has received everything they wanted, 
but I believe that now we all should act for the greater needs of our 
Nation. If we want to get anywhere, we must be willing to negotiate, 
and we should be willing to put partisanship aside and govern for the 
greater good.
  The House must realize it is just one-half of one-third of this 
government and that no laws can be made without the consent of the 
Senate and the President, just as they can't enact laws without us. We 
must also acknowledge the profligate spending and borrowing that is 
driving us into unsustainable debt and hurting this Nation and the 
people who call it home.
  I am optimistic that once this resolution is passed, the House and 
the Senate will come together in a budget conference to work out our 
broad fiscal and budgetary challenges.
  It is my hope that a common, topline discretionary number for fiscal 
year 2014 will be established that will allow Congress to enact full-
year appropriations bills and avoid shutdowns like this in the future; 
and it is also my hope that Congress can address head-on the problem of 
unsustainable growth in our mandatory and entitlement programs and work 
to reform our overly complicated growth-stifling Tax Code.
  The resolution before us will buy us some time to accomplish this 
must-do list, and it will ensure that our people have access to the 
critical government services they rely on in the meantime. We must take 
actions that will help restore the people's confidence in their elected 
officials and in the economic future of this Nation. We must.
  The sooner we pass this resolution, the sooner we can move on to the 
many tasks before us that the people have sent us here to work on.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. LOWEY. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, 15 days after the shutdown began, the House is finally 
considering a bill to reopen the government and avoid the economic 
calamity that could have ensued if the United States defaulted on its 
debt. Frankly, it is disappointing that Republicans have dangerously 
put our economy and American families at such great risk. 800,000 
Federal workers have been furloughed. Families that depend on critical 
services--from disaster aid to nutrition assistance--have been left in 
the cold. Billions in economic activity have been lost. Fitch Ratings 
placed the United States, the United States of America, on ``rating 
watch negative'' due to political brinkmanship.
  Despite clear opposition from the American people, many Republicans, 
it is hard to believe, are still poised to oppose this short-term bill 
tonight to reopen government, pay America's bills, and negotiate a 
reasonable budget agreement for 2014.
  Congress, let's remember, has already enacted $2.5 trillion in 
deficit reduction measures since 2010. Looming across-the-board 
sequester cuts threaten all our priorities, from job creation to Head 
Start to military readiness and everything in between. For example, if 
we do not act before January 15, defense spending will be cut by 
approximately $20 billion below 2013 levels, and we could jeopardize up 
to 1.6 million American jobs over the next year.
  Madam Speaker, we cannot meet these serious challenges without a 
spirit of bipartisanship and a commitment to working together in good 
faith.
  I urge the majority to learn the lesson of this irresponsible 
shutdown: do not allow the fringe in your party, those disconnected 
from reality whose sole goal is obstruction, to continue to dictate the 
agenda of this House.
  No Member of this esteemed body should ever again threaten the full

[[Page H6621]]

faith and credit of the United States of America or shut down the 
government to advance a reckless ideological agenda. I strongly support 
this bill tonight with hope that my colleagues in the majority will 
work in a bipartisan way to avoid a repeat of this tragic episode when 
the funding and debt ceiling and deadlines in this bill are reached in 
the new year.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent), a very hardworking member of 
the Appropriations Committee.
  Mr. DENT. Madam Speaker, I rise tonight in support of the Senate 
compromise legislation being considered to end this unnecessary 
government shutdown and futile exercise in brinkmanship. This 
legislation reopens the government and prevents a catastrophic default 
and credit downgrade that would spur another recession.
  I am genuinely pleased that the cooler heads have finally prevailed. 
However, it is very disappointing that we are in this situation, that 
after more than 2 weeks of a government shutdown and on the eve of a 
default on our government's obligations, we have finally reached an 
agreement.
  This legislation must be supported, but it should not be celebrated, 
no high-fives or spiking the football. It is a temporary government 
funding bill and a short-term debt limit increase. It is not a win for 
anyone, particularly the institution of Congress or the Presidency, for 
that matter.
  The bill represents the conclusion of a difficult period, from which 
I hope that many can draw important lessons. I hope that this sad 
episode will result in a newfound commitment and intensity for the 
governing majority in Congress to make the difficult decisions that 
must be made to keep the government functioning while addressing the 
many problems facing our country, including the budget deficit, the 
Nation's out-of-control debt, and the many challenges presented by the 
health care law, or ObamaCare.
  For many months and particularly throughout the last 2 weeks, I have 
worked tirelessly with colleagues from both sides of the aisle and in 
both Chambers to find an agreement to break the impasse.
  I particularly want to thank Representative Ron Kind, Senators Susan 
Collins and Joe Manchin, and the many other Members who participated in 
the many discussions. I believe these conversations have laid a strong 
foundation that we can build on to arrive at agreements on many of the 
major issues that need to be addressed in this country.
  I urge my colleagues not only to vote in favor of this legislation 
tonight but to join with those of us who share an affirmative 
obligation to govern and who seek bipartisan solutions to the 
challenges facing our great Nation.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), a member of the 
Appropriations Committee.
  Mr. FATTAH. Madam Speaker, I rise to urge expedited passage of this 
legislation. I join with the chairman and the ranking member of my 
committee, and I agree with every word that has been stated by the 
majority chairman and the ranking member.
  This is critically important. This Monday, I was in a foreign 
country. I was in the State of Israel. I met with the President and 
with a whole group of brain researchers from around the world. They had 
difficulty understanding, given our Nation's leadership on so many 
critical issues, that we could be in a paralyzed situation.
  So I am happy that the Senate has acted in such an overwhelming way 
on this matter, with some 81 bipartisan votes. And I would urge the 
House to act--and I know we will--to restore our government, to pay our 
bills, and to get on with our responsibilities as the most powerful 
Nation in the world, the wealthiest country in the world. We can pay 
our bills, and we can conduct the affairs of government in a way that 
gains us respect around the world rather than befuddlement.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from California, Ms. Barbara Lee, a distinguished member of 
the Appropriations Committee.
  Ms. LEE of California. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  I rise in support of this bipartisan budget deal. By voting in favor 
of this bill tonight, we will finally shut down this awful government 
shutdown.
  While I am pleased that common sense and cooler heads have finally 
prevailed, make no mistake, this unnecessary shutdown has caused real 
pain for millions of innocent families. Never again should the American 
people be taken hostage to a political agenda. This is wholly 
unacceptable, and these tactics must be rejected once and for all.
  Now, I hope that tomorrow people can begin to put their lives back 
together, go back to work, and provide the government services that our 
veterans and our seniors and our children so deserve.
  While I am pleased that this deal will reopen the government and pay 
our bills, much more work needs to be done. The temporary spending 
level of $986 billion keeps sequester level cuts in place that are 
hurting our economy, children, seniors, workers, and communities across 
this Nation. So I hope that as we move forward, we will understand that 
we need to protect vital programs that make for a functioning 
government so everyone can have the opportunity to climb, strive, and 
reap the rewards and security of the American Dream.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus), the former chairman of the 
Financial Services Committee of the House.
  Mr. BACHUS. I thank the chairman for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, for one night, let us talk about what is good for this 
country and not about the other party because it is going to take both 
parties to solve our problems.
  As chairman emeritus of the Financial Services Committee, I am very 
aware of the direct connection between a strong dollar and a vibrant 
economy so necessary to create jobs, and that is what we need for 
America--jobs.
  The U.S. dollar is the reserve currency of the world. Globally, the 
dollar and U.S. Treasurys are two of the most preferred safe haven 
investments. Their reserve status has been a benefit and blessing to 
all of us economically. It has traditionally brought this country good 
jobs and a higher standard of living.
  However, the dollar is under attack today. Out-of-control spending, 
unless addressed, will become more and more of a threat to a strong 
dollar and our currency. It will continue to erode our economy and cost 
jobs.
  However, two wrongs don't make a right. A default would further 
weaken the dollar, destroy jobs, and be a self-inflicted wound I am not 
willing to deliver. Therefore, I will be voting ``yes'' on this 
bipartisan agreement, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), a distinguished member of the 
Appropriations Committee.
  Ms. KAPTUR. I thank Ranking Member Lowey for yielding me time.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Senate's bipartisan 
compromise to end the government shutdown, reopen the government, avert 
a debt default, and pay our bills to spur economic growth and job 
creation in this country.
  This compromise today is what the American people expect of us. They 
are tired of the partisan bickering and the economic uncertainty that 
the deadlock has created. The biggest challenge facing our country is 
creating growth to help to balance the budget. We can start by coming 
together on a budget agreement.
  So let's restore regular order. Let the Budget Committee go back to 
work. Let the Ways and Means Committee go back to work. Let the 
Appropriations Committee go back to work under regular order, not just 
continuing resolutions. And let us move our bills in regular order and 
not govern from manufactured crisis to manufactured crisis.
  I will vote for this this evening. It is the best we could get under 
the circumstances, but it is far less than we are capable of.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano),

[[Page H6622]]

a distinguished member of the Appropriations Committee.
  (Mr. SERRANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. SERRANO. I thank the gentlewoman.
  Madam Speaker, I will strongly support this bill tonight because it 
not only opens our government but it enables us to meet our obligations 
in a proper way.
  But if we walk away from this tonight without having learned a 
lesson, this would have all been a futile exercise. The lesson that we 
have to learn is that we can become obsessed with one issue and close 
down a government over one issue.

                              {time}  2145

  When a bill becomes a law and gets signed by a President, gets judged 
on and approved by the Supreme Court, that is the law of the land. We 
have to abide by that. We should in no way continue to act as if things 
really didn't happen--only what is happening now happened.
  Secondly, we need to understand that there are no winners or losers 
tonight. The real losers are only the American people, who had to put 
up with this situation for these past weeks. If we go away tonight not 
learning that lesson--that we cannot allow that to happen again--it 
would have been a waste of time.
  So I hope that we move ahead on the budget commission, that we move 
ahead on that conference, and that we move ahead in a joint way, in a 
two-party system, to work on behalf of the American people.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal).
  Mr. NEAL. I thank the gentlelady.
  Madam Speaker, this vote has been portrayed as an opportunity for new 
spending. The difficulty with that argument is that this is really an 
argument about paying our bills and for debts incurred.
  This vote tonight is a vote about paying for the war in Iraq, which I 
opposed, but still believe it has to be paid for.
  The former majority leader of this House said at a critical moment 
that having a tax cut in a time of war was patriotic. You know what is 
patriotic? Paying for those veterans hospitals, whether you were for 
the war or against the war.
  Those wars were put on the credit card. It is our responsibility to 
pay for them. That is what this debate is about tonight--not the 
opportunity for new expenditure and not a debate over social program 
spending in the future. It is simply a vote to pay for bills that have 
been currently incurred.
  To have shut this government down was not only wrongful, but that 
decent people across this country were hurt by this irresponsible 
manner of conduct in this House remains reprehensible.
  Tonight, we are going to have a chance to vote to reopen this 
government and repay our bills.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. David Scott).
  Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise to support this 
very needed legislation.
  Let me make a point here. There is a very important part of this 
legislation which sets up the budget commission. I would just like to 
make an appeal to that commission to not only get to us a good budget 
by December 15, but take some time to see how we can get some 
mechanisms in place to prevent us from ever again shutting down the 
Federal Government.
  We take a solemn oath here to defend the Federal Government, to 
support the Federal Government, to uphold the Federal Government. We 
must honor that. Maybe we can do mandatory arbitration in its place. 
But we have got some smart people in this place. We hurt too many 
people when we shut down the Federal Government.
  Hopefully, we can put the Mitch McConnell rule in place. God bless 
that Senator from Kentucky, and the courage that he had to step forward 
in a bipartisan way so that we can put that mechanism in place so that 
we will never again put our good faith and credit at risk in this 
country.
  Finally, let us, Democrats and Republicans, work together, beginning 
tonight, and pass this bill.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe).
  Mr. POE of Texas. I thank the gentleman.

       The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's 
     debt limit is a sign of leadership failure.
       It is a sign that the U.S. Government cannot pay its own 
     bills. It is a sign that we depend on financial assistance 
     from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless 
     fiscal policy. Money that we have borrowed from the Social 
     Security trust fund, borrowed from China, borrowed from 
     Japan, borrowed from American taxpayers.
       The rising debt is a hidden domestic enemy. Robbing our 
     cities and States of critical investments in infrastructure 
     like bridges, ports, and levees; robbing our families and our 
     children of critical investments in education and health care 
     reform; robbing our seniors of retirement and health security 
     they have counted on.
       Every dollar we pay in interest is a dollar that is not 
     going to investment in America's priorities.
       Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and 
     internationally. Washington is shifting the burden of bad 
     choices onto the backs of our children and our grandchildren. 
     Americans deserve better.
       Driving up our national debt is irresponsible. It's 
     unpatriotic.

  These are the words of Senator Barack Obama in 2006 and in 2008.
  Madam Speaker, what was irresponsible and unpatriotic is all of a 
sudden responsible conduct? I think not.
  We should be talking about cutting spending before we start raising 
America's debt ceiling.
  And that's just the way it is.
  Mrs. LOWEY. I am delighted to yield 1 minute to the distinguished 
leader from California (Ms. Pelosi).
  Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentlelady for yielding, and for her great 
leadership as our ranking member on the Appropriations Committee. I 
also thank her for bringing us together this evening.
  Madam Speaker, we have been, all along, 200 House Democratic Members 
strong, in support of the Republican number that we are voting on 
today.
  Tonight, the unnecessary shutdown America has been enduring for 16 
days comes to an end. Thank you, Speaker Boehner, for finally allowing 
a majority of House Members to reopen government and avoid a default 
that would have clearly wreaked havoc on our economic credibility and 
the stability of our country.
  It is equally clear that the shutdown has already shaken some pillars 
of our economic security and growth. It has jeopardized our credit 
rating and slowed our GDP growth by 0.6 percent. It has eroded consumer 
and investor confidence in our economy, while taking $24 billion out of 
our economy.
  My colleagues, do you think that your recklessness was worth $24 
billion to our economy? This recklessness is a luxury the American 
people cannot afford.
  Tomorrow, we can finally begin what Democrats have been waiting for 7 
months to do. Tomorrow, we can go to the negotiating table to debate a 
budget to create jobs, jobs, jobs--that four-letter word--expand the 
economy, strengthen the middle class, and reduce the deficit in a 
meaningful way.
  Tomorrow, we must stop governing from manufactured crisis to 
manufactured crisis and start working to find solutions so that we 
never again see a day when the government has been shut down and the 
full faith and credit of the United States of America has been called 
into question.
  For that reason, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and not just on 
its merits, because as we know, this number is too low. Even the 
chairman of the committee has said it is an unrealistic and ill-
conceived number and must be brought to an end. This number, if left in 
effect, would cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs in the months 
ahead, in the next year. Hundreds of thousands of jobs. Again, a number 
that is a luxury this country cannot afford.
  So if the Republican number is key to reopening the doors of 
government and restoring confidence in our economy, Democrats are 
willing to accept this resolution tonight. As I said, not because of 
its merits. We do so because a vote ``yes'' on this bill will take us, 
hopefully, down a path to grow the economy, promote the prosperity of 
every American who is willing to work hard, play by the rules, and to 
achieve the American Dream.
  So with those qualifications as to what we are voting for tonight, 
the

[[Page H6623]]

number doesn't meet the needs of the American people. The length of 
time that the debt ceiling is extended is not long enough. Apparently, 
that is the best we can do. I commend Senator Reid for working in a 
bipartisan way to send us this bill tonight so we can bring this 
sadness to an end, and how it has affected so many people.
  I do not come here to pin a rose on this legislation. It does not 
have that respect. But it does have my support as a means to an end.
  With that, I urge a ``yes'' vote.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, might I inquire of my 
colleague if she has further speakers and is prepared to yield back?
  Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, after two weeks of anguish, the 
American people can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Thanks to 
bipartisan efforts in the Senate, my Democratic colleagues and I stand 
ready to support the responsible legislation before us and bring this 
self-inflicted crisis to an end.
  From the efforts of the Minority Leader Pelosi to the work of the 
minority on the Rules Committee, House Democrats have been committed to 
finding a responsible resolution to the GOP's crisis.
  When it was apparent that Democrats would not be able to stop the 
House Majority from shutting down the government, the Minority Leader 
and House Democrats began making extraordinary efforts to achieve a 
swift and responsible end to the Majority's shameful example of 
legislative malfeasance.
  For example, during Rules Debates on both October 2nd and October 
4th, I came to the floor and proposed a way to bring an immediate end 
to the government shutdown. Each time not a single member of the 
Majority voted for the proposal. In addition, House Democrats launched 
a discharge petition to force a vote on the clean Senate Continuing 
Resolution--an effort that the Majority also refused to support.
  Fortunately, House Democrats were not alone in seeking a responsible 
and bipartisan solution to the crisis. With the proposal being offered 
today, the leadership in the Senate--both the Majority and the Minority 
leaders--have demonstrated how to legislate for the American People.
  We also owe a debt of gratitude to the talented and intelligent women 
from both sides of the aisle who have shown us that when the going gets 
tough, you can always count on women to come together and get to work.
  Madam Speaker, we have a lot to do in the days and months ahead. As 
we speak, there is an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella that 
is threatening public health. Unfortunately, this outbreak of 
antibiotic-resistant bacteria surely won't be the last. There is a 
bill, H.R. 1150, that deserves an immediate vote in Congress so that we 
can stop the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture and address the 
growing threat of antibiotic-resistant disease.
  Furthermore, there is an urgent need in our country to rebuild our 
infrastructure, create millions of jobs and fix our schools so that our 
nation remains a global superpower in the century to come.
  We must not fool ourselves. The self-inflicted wound that the GOP 
inflicted upon this nation has done real damage to millions of 
Americans and to our role in the world.
  Just last night, the Chinese government declared that it was time for 
the world to ``de-Americanise,'' and governments around the world have 
taken note of the shameful display that has occurred in this chamber 
over the last two weeks.
  It is my sincere hope that this has been the last time our economy 
and our democracy will be subjected to such reckless and irresponsible 
governing. It is imperative that in the days to come the Majority 
finally allows bipartisanship and responsible governance to take hold 
in the House of Representatives. It is time to sit down together and 
start solving the most urgent issues of our time.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, throughout my political 
career, I have always tried to work with my colleagues--no matter the 
party--to get things done for my constituents in San Diego.
  This week, however, it is hard to point to anything we did to help 
the American people.
  As we move past this episode, commentators will inevitably try to 
decide who looked strong, and who looked weak, who is up in the polls 
and who is down, who blinked and who stood firm. But Mr. Speaker we 
need to move past such talk.
  Because make no mistake, there were no winners this week. Only 
losers.
  Thousands of hard working American families who rely on government 
aid programs, federal employees who were furloughed, and kids just 
hoping to visit a national park all were hurt this week for no real 
reason at all.
  In fact, in my city of San Diego alone, it is estimated we lost $7 
million a week during the shutdown. $7 million. Imagine the investments 
in our schools, roads, and small businesses that we could have made 
with that money.
  Madam Speaker we can't keep hurting ourselves. We have many important 
things to do to put Americans back to work and strengthen the middle 
class to be playing these sorts of games.
  The American economy is on the road to recovery, but we keep getting 
in its way, as we barely avert one manmade disaster after another. For 
once, let's bring stability to the markets, rather than continually 
manufacturing uncertainty.
  In the next few weeks we will have an opportunity to come together 
and once and for all, put these battles behind us. We understand that 
agreeing on a budget will not be easy. But that doesn't mean we should 
stop talking and wait until the last minute to figure out what to do.
  Instead, let's start working today on finding a balanced approach to 
solving our budget problems. We can do this, but only if we stop 
playing games and get to work as soon as possible.
  Madam Speaker, Americans are sick and tired of watching the show we 
put on this week, and I am sick and tired of being a part of it. Most 
of all, I am sick and tired that people here in the Majority think they 
can routinely use my friends and neighbors back home in San Diego as 
pawns in some larger political game.
  Let's agree to never again embrace such a reckless approach to 
governing that does nothing but cause needless pain to the American 
people. Let's agree to never again make up problems, when we have 
actual ones to solve. Let's agree to discuss our differences rather 
than resent each other for them.
  That's what American democracy is all about, that's what it has 
always been about.
  Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, today, the House is finally, at the 11th 
hour, voting to re-open the government and avert a financial disaster 
by avoiding a default on our debt. The bill keeps the government open 
until January 15, 2014, and raises the debt ceiling until February 7, 
2014. This is a stopgap measure, and my fear is that we will face 
another manufactured crisis again a few months. We should have never 
gotten to this point, the majority should have never caved to the vocal 
minority in the House.
  This bill ends an unnecessary, self-induced crisis. It fails to end 
sequestration's painful cuts in government services. It fails to invest 
in creating new jobs. It follows costly weeks of government shutdown 
and unnerving the financial world. It sets up the alarming prospect of 
new confrontations over the budget and the debt ceiling early next 
year.
  Ever since this phony crisis began, a majority of the Congress--
Democrats and Republicans alike--have sought to reopen the government. 
Yet Republican leaders, out of misguided deference to the reckless 
ideologues in their ranks, refused to allow a vote on clean legislation 
to reopen the government.
  Today that finally changed. The Speaker allowed the majority of House 
members to work their will, and as a result, our government has 
reopened and the U.S. can resume paying her debts, as we have for 
centuries. My hope is that, in the months ahead, Speaker Boehner will 
follow today's precedent and allow votes on other pressing issues, such 
as job creation and immigration reform, that Democrats and Republicans 
can agree on.
  The alternative would be to continue to follow the extreme minority 
who shut down the government for no apparent reason, with no clear idea 
of what they hoped to win.
  Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, many of us have fond memories of the 
classic 1950s James Dean movie ``Rebel Without a Cause.'' Who can 
forget Dean's tragic Jim Stark--who, in rebelling against his parents, 
the police, and other like-minded ``conformists'', spends the film 
putting his friends in harm's way as he tries proving his worth to the 
town tough guys. Jim gets in a switchblade fight. He nearly drives off 
a cliff during a game of chicken. In the end, his friend Plato is 
killed after Jim leads his friends to an abandoned house where they 
live in their own fantasy world where they don't have to justify 
themselves to anyone.
  As we finally bring to end this reckless government shutdown, I must 
say that this plot feels eerily familiar. It would seem many in the 
House of Representatives, in their inchoate rebellion, would have 
rather driven our Nation and the economy off a cliff than sit down and 
talk like grown-ups. Even former Republican governor Tim Pawlenty 
recognized this troubling behavior and said that the actions of his 
fellow Republicans in dealing with the debt ceiling reminded him of a 
group of rebellious teenagers--out for a night on the town--pulling 
quote, a ``dine-and-dash.''
  These rebels without a cause paralyzed our government and wreaked 
havoc on Virginia's

[[Page H6624]]

economy. It is estimated that the shutdown has cost Virginia's economy 
more than $200 million a day. That's $1 billion a week. I heard from 
community bankers that could not process loan applications because the 
IRS was shuttered. The SBA could not issue new loans, choking off small 
businesses ability to grow and create jobs.
  The last time political brinksmanship from the House Majority brought 
us to the verge of default in August 2011, it resulted in a historic 
downgrading of the nation's credit and a loss of $2.4 trillion in 
household wealth. Many of our region's business leaders and every 
Chamber of Commerce in Northern Virginia warned of the risks of default 
and demanded Congress pass a clean CR.
  In case anyone still believed these rebels might actually have a 
cause, one only need review the constantly changing demands they made 
over the past two weeks. First, they demanded we defund the Affordable 
Care Act, then delay the Affordable Care Act, then repeal the medical-
device tax. Then as a precondition for the Nation paying its bills on 
time they demanded we build the Keystone Pipeline, expand offshore 
drilling, repeal Dodd-Frank, enact tort-reform, and repeal the Public 
Health trust fund.
  I am not sure even the House Majority knows why they have spent the 
past few weeks driving us toward the cliff. I think many of my 
colleagues have convinced themselves they are Jim Stark--rebels, 
lashing out, ready to prove the world wrong, and more comfortable holed 
up in a house living a fantasy where they don't have to play by the 
rules. There is no doubt that Virginians have grown tired of these 
reckless antics and these repeated games of chicken. It's a relief that 
the adults in the room finally stepped in to reopen the government, 
raise the debt ceiling, and restore sanity. I was pleased to work in a 
bipartisan fashion with some in the Virginia delegation and other 
pragmatic Members to get this done.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I thank you and Ranking Member 
Slaughter for the opportunity to speak in support of the Senate 
Amendments to H.R. 2775 which:
  Reopens the government;
  Averts a catastrophic default that would risk the full faith and 
credit of the United States; and
  Clears the way for the House and Senate to appoint conferees to start 
the budget negotiations that Democrats have called for since April.
  The government shutdown has lasted 16 days making the beginning of 
fiscal year 2014 an extremely difficult time for Federal employees and 
the people they serve. It has also imposed tremendous hardship on the 
dedicated employees of the House of Representatives as well as for each 
Member of the House of Representatives.
  The bipartisan Senate compromise would:
  Extend the continuing resolution through January 15;
  Suspend the debt limit through February 7, with congressional 
disapproval process;
  Require certification by HHS that there is income verification for 
those applying for premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, a 
provision supported by the administration;
  Allow for the appointment of budget conferees, who will report to 
Congress by December 13.
  Madam Speaker, this should not have taken 16 days to accomplish.
  Federal workers are our Nation's greatest resource because they 
provide the know-how and expertise to meet the needs of this great 
Nation.
  Madam Speaker, I consider all of our Federal workers as essential, 
not just the 1.3 million who are designated as such.
  A healthy Federal government does not function as dismembered parts 
but as a single unit. The plot by the Republican majority to pass 
funding for only those agencies the public might miss immediately 
following the self imposed shutdown while leaving others to languish 
was wrong.
  The Congress has learned a very costly lesson for the American 
Taxpayer. The 16 day shutdown has cost taxpayers $24 billion dollars.
  The 14th Amendment provides that ``The validity of the public debt of 
the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for 
payments of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing 
insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.''
  Some scholars have suggested that this provision empowers a President 
to take appropriate action to prevent default. I agree with President 
Obama that this is a question that requires much thought and 
reflection. The important thing is that we must never ever risk 
defaulting on the public debt and injury to the full faith and credit 
of the United States.
  There are also the events over the last 16 days that made it clear 
that we need the Nation's Federal agency workforce:
  Foodborne illness outbreak that sickened hundreds in several States 
not being addressed;
  An unexpected blizzard was reported to have killed 5 percent of the 
cattle in the State of South Dakota;
  The nearly dozen transportation accidents that were not investigated.
  I urge all members of the Rules Committee to vote in support of this 
bipartisan effort before us.
  Madam Speaker, I rise to speak in support of the Senate Amendments to 
H.R. 2775 which:
  Reopens the government;
  Averts a catastrophic default that would risk the full faith and 
credit of the United States; and
  Clears the way for the House and Senate to appoint conferees to start 
the budget negotiations that Democrats have called for since April.
  I would like to thank the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate 
for their stewardship in crafting a resolution to this crisis.
  The Government shutdown has lasted 16 days, making the beginning of 
fiscal year 2014 an extremely difficult time for Federal employees and 
the people they serve. It has also imposed tremendous hardship on the 
dedicated employees of the House of Representatives as well as for each 
Member of the House of Representatives.
  Because of the circumstances that led to the budget impasse, I 
introduced H. Res. 375, a bill expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives that Congress should refrain from conditioning the 
resolution of fiscal and budgetary disputes on the taking of action 
relating to non-germane legislative matters.
  I invite members from both sides of the aisle to become a sponsor of 
H. Res. 375 as a way to make amends to the American people and assuring 
through its passage that Congress will not place the Nation in the 
situation we found ourselves in ever again for the reasons that this 
budget impasse occurred.
  Madam Speaker, this is an extraordinary time to be in America.
  We have seen the Legislative and Executive Branches of our government 
and the constitutional balance that the framers of the Constitution 
intended regarding matters related to public purse tested.
  It is extraordinary when a matter that should be dealt with in the 
regular order of the business of the House and Senate becomes a matter 
so grave that a broad and diverse coalition call on Members of this 
body to do what we were elected to do--manage the business of the 
people through cooperation and compromise.
  I have heard from the International Association of Machinists and 
Aerospace Workers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the NAACP, United 
States Conference of Mayors, the National Education Association and the 
Coalition on Human Needs, each calling for the passage of the Senate 
bipartisan budget compromise.
  The bipartisan Senate compromise would:
  Extend the continuing resolution through January 15;
  Suspend the debt limit through February 7, with congressional 
disapproval process;
  Require certification by HHS that there is income verification for 
those applying for premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, a 
provision supported by the Administration;
  The appointment of budget conferees, who will report to Congress by 
December 13.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to request unanimous consent to place 
into the Record an editorial that was published in ``The Hill.''
  Federal workers are our Nation's greatest resource because they 
provide the know-how and expertise to meet the needs of this great 
Nation.
  The Federal government for many may have been a faceless nameless 
entity, but these last two weeks have taught us that they are people 
who have specific skill sets that cannot be replaced or ignored.
  Madam Speaker, I consider all of our Federal workers as essential, 
not just the 1.3 million who are designated as such.
  This fact was made apparent by what the American people experienced 
over the last 16 days the:
  National Park Service,
  Veterans Affairs,
  Department of Defense,
  Men and women of the armed services,
  CDC,
  HHS,
  NASA, and
  FDA, are only 10 of the hundreds of essential agencies, not including 
the thousands of essential offices that comprise the Federal 
government.
  A healthy Federal government does not function as dismembered parts 
but as a single unit. The plot by the Republican majority to pass 
funding for only those agencies the public might miss immediately 
following the self-imposed shutdown while leaving others to languish 
was wrong.
  The Congress has learned a very costly lesson for the American 
taxpayer. The 16 day shutdown has cost taxpayers $24 billion.

[[Page H6625]]

  I want the American people to know that I do understand what the cost 
of that education has been to them both in hard earned dollars that 
were withheld or forgone due to the cascading economic impact of the 
shutdown on small and mid-sized businesses as well as the personal 
costs in worry and frustration at watching the events of the last three 
weeks unfold.
  These costs should not be forgotten, such as the:
  Additional pain caused to the grieving families of our Nation's 
fallen heroes;
  Delay in Veterans' benefits and services;
  Trips of a lifetime that did not happen;
  Wedding plans interrupted or cancelled;
  U.S. astronauts on the International Space Station without Houston 
Mission Control at full staff capacity; and
  Hundreds of thousands of Federal workers and their families put out 
of work, and over a million more working without pay.
  There are also the events over the last 16 days that made it clear 
that we need the Nation's Federal agency workforce:
  Foodborne illness outbreak that sickened hundreds in several states 
not being addressed;
  An unexpected blizzard was reported to have killed 5 percent of the 
cattle in the state of South Dakota;
  The nearly dozen transportation accidents that were not investigated.
  I urge all Members of the House of Representatives to join me in 
voting in support of this bipartisan effort before us.

                    [From The Hill, Sept. 16, 2013]

 Let's Unify Around Commonsense Solutions To Reopen the Government and 
                             Avoid Default

                      (By Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee)

       The objective of the misguided and irresponsible strategy 
     of the Republicans in the House to shut down the government 
     was to kill Obamacare. That strategy failed miserably. But it 
     succeeded spectacularly in inflicting injury on the American 
     people. And the collateral damage of this irresponsible and 
     callous decision mounts every day.
       Having shut down the government for more than two weeks, 
     House Republicans, dominated by their extremist Tea Party 
     faction, now seem determined to shut down the American 
     economy by continuing their reckless strategy of proposing at 
     the 11th hour irresponsible and unacceptable conditions for 
     raising the debt ceiling and preserving America's hard won 
     and well-earned reputation as the most credit worthy nation 
     in the history of the world.
       The credit-worthiness of the United States is the engine 
     pulling the train of the American economy. Inspired by their 
     Tea Party element, House Republicans have hijacked the train 
     and are hurtling it toward the cliff. They are willing to 
     take it over the fiscal cliff and destroy the lives of 
     everyone on board unless the president and the Senate agree 
     to their ransom demand to throw Obamacare from the train.
       The behavior of House Republicans is worse than reckless 
     and irresponsible; it is unpatriotic. No one who really loves 
     America would risk the catastrophe that will befall Americans 
     if the United States defaults on its debt. And to risk such a 
     calamity just to prevent 22 million Americans from receiving 
     affordable health care and the peace of mind it brings to 
     them and their families is unconscionable.
       House Republicans claim that they only want negotiations 
     with the president and Senate. This is disingenuous. The 
     Senate requested a conference with the House to resolve their 
     budgetary difference six months ago and has renewed that 
     request 19 times. Those repeated requests were repeatedly 
     rejected by the House Republicans, who refused even to 
     appoint conferees to negotiate with the Senate.
       The Republican leadership of the House has proven time and 
     again that it is incapable of governing in a responsible 
     manner. Instead of passing legislation to create jobs and 
     completing its work on the appropriations bills needed to 
     fund the government, House Republicans have neglected their 
     duties and wasted time on their futile obsession with 
     defunding, delaying, and impeding the implementation of the 
     Affordable Care Act.
       Every landmark social insurance program in our history has 
     experienced growing pains and the Affordable Care Act is no 
     exception. Seniors initially were reluctant to enroll in 
     Medicare when it was rolled out in 1965. The same was true 
     ten short years ago with respect to the prescription drug 
     benefit of Medicare Part D.
       The proper way to address any problems with the Affordable 
     Care Act is to work together to fix them--to mend the law, 
     not end the law. And it certainly makes no sense to shut down 
     the government and take the economy over the cliff if the 
     unreasonable demand of a minority to repeal the Affordable 
     Care Act is not met.
       Not for the first time Democrats and Republicans in the 
     Senate have worked together and reached a compromise 
     agreement to avoid default. Under the terms of this 
     bipartisan agreement, funds will be provided to reopen and 
     operate the federal government until January 15, 2014 and the 
     debt ceiling would be raised to enable the Treasury to pay 
     its bills through February 7, 2014.
       Additionally, the agreement provides for the creation of a 
     bicameral select budget committee that is required to meet 
     and report its recommendations by December 13, 2013. Finally, 
     the agreement reaffirms existing legislation strengthening 
     the income verification requirements of the Affordable Care 
     Act and delays the imposition of the reinsurance fee 
     provision.
       This is not a perfect agreement but no compromise ever is. 
     Democratic members of Congress prefer a permanent reopening 
     of the government, a much longer extension of the debt 
     ceiling, and have little enthusiasm for another ``super-
     committee'' like the one that failed in 2011 and ushered in 
     the disastrous period of sequestration. Senate Republicans 
     have different preferences. But the important thing is that 
     the parties took a responsible view of the matter and were 
     able to bridge their differences to reach an agreement that 
     reopens and funds the government and avoid an unprecedented 
     an calamitous default on the national debt.
       The responsible course for House Republicans to take is to 
     follow the lead of their Senate counterparts and bring the 
     proposal to the floor for a vote without delay. But instead 
     of taking that action and bringing this crisis to an end, 
     House Republicans, egged on by their Tea Party faction and 
     its darling, Senator Ted Cruz, seem intent on sabotaging the 
     carefully crafted Senate plan by attaching to it provisions 
     which eliminate health insurance for lawmakers and government 
     officials and delays for two years the imposition of the 
     medical device tax that offsets the cost of the Affordable 
     Care Act.
       These poison pills have previously been considered and 
     rejected by the Senate and the President and have no chance 
     of becoming law. Their only purpose is to needlessly and 
     recklessly bring our nation closer to the brink of default. 
     And to compound the damage resulting from their reckless act, 
     House Republicans also are seeking to add a provision that 
     will prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from taking any 
     ``extraordinary measures'' necessary to stave off default 
     after the February 7, 2014 extension date. The only plausible 
     inference to be drawn from the insistence on this provision 
     is that its proponents wish to see the worse come to pass. 
     The provision is akin to prohibiting a person whose house is 
     on fire from borrowing her neighbor's water hose to put it 
     out.
       In 1789, Alexander Hamilton, the nation's first and 
     greatest Treasury Secretary, understood that the path to 
     American prosperity and greatness lay in its creditworthiness 
     which provided the affordable access to capital needed to 
     fund internal improvements and economic growth. The nation's 
     creditworthiness was one of its most important national 
     assets and according to Hamilton, ``the proper funding of the 
     present debt, will render it a national blessing.'' But to 
     maintain this blessing, or to ``render public credit 
     immortal,'' it is necessary that ``the creation of debt 
     should always be accompanied with the means of 
     extinguishment.''
       In other words, to retain and enjoy the prosperity that 
     flows from good credit, it is necessary for a nation to pay 
     its bills.
       That is why the Republican leadership of the House should 
     bring to the floor immediately for a vote the responsible and 
     bipartisan agreement reached by Senate Democrats and 
     Republicans to reopen the government and raise the debt 
     limit.
       Nothing else would do more to send the message to the 
     American people that their elected representatives in 
     Congress care more about addressing issues of importance to 
     them than advancing the narrow partisan agenda of Tea Party 
     extremists whose supporters disrespect the nation's Commander 
     in Chief and proudly display Confederate flags in front of 
     the White House.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  Pursuant to the order of the House of today, the previous question is 
ordered.
  The question is on the motion by the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. 
Rogers).
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, this 15-
minute vote on adoption of the motion will be followed by a 5-minute 
vote on approval of the Journal, if ordered.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 285, 
nays 144, not voting 3, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 550]

                               YEAS--285

     Andrews
     Bachus
     Barber
     Barletta
     Barrow (GA)
     Bass
     Beatty
     Becerra
     Benishek
     Bera (CA)
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (GA)
     Bishop (NY)
     Blumenauer
     Boehner
     Bonamici
     Boustany
     Brady (PA)
     Braley (IA)
     Brooks (IN)
     Brown (FL)
     Brownley (CA)
     Buchanan
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Calvert
     Camp
     Cantor
     Capito
     Capps
     Capuano
     Cardenas
     Carney
     Carson (IN)
     Cartwright
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Chu
     Cicilline
     Clarke
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Coble
     Coffman
     Cohen
     Cole
     Connolly
     Conyers
     Cook
     Cooper
     Costa
     Cotton
     Courtney

[[Page H6626]]


     Cramer
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Crowley
     Cuellar
     Cummings
     Daines
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny
     Davis, Rodney
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delaney
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Dent
     Deutch
     Diaz-Balart
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Doyle
     Duckworth
     Edwards
     Ellison
     Engel
     Enyart
     Eshoo
     Esty
     Farr
     Fattah
     Fitzpatrick
     Fortenberry
     Foster
     Frankel (FL)
     Frelinghuysen
     Fudge
     Gabbard
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Garcia
     Gardner
     Gerlach
     Gibson
     Grayson
     Green, Al
     Green, Gene
     Griffin (AR)
     Grijalva
     Grimm
     Guthrie
     Gutierrez
     Hahn
     Hanabusa
     Hanna
     Harper
     Hastings (FL)
     Hastings (WA)
     Heck (NV)
     Heck (WA)
     Herrera Beutler
     Higgins
     Himes
     Hinojosa
     Holt
     Honda
     Horsford
     Hoyer
     Huffman
     Israel
     Issa
     Jackson Lee
     Jeffries
     Jenkins
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Joyce
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kennedy
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kind
     King (NY)
     Kinzinger (IL)
     Kirkpatrick
     Kline
     Kuster
     Lance
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Latham
     Lee (CA)
     Levin
     Lewis
     Lipinski
     LoBiondo
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Lujan Grisham (NM)
     Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
     Lynch
     Maffei
     Maloney, Carolyn
     Maloney, Sean
     Matheson
     Matsui
     McCarthy (CA)
     McCollum
     McDermott
     McGovern
     McHenry
     McIntyre
     McKeon
     McKinley
     McMorris Rodgers
     McNerney
     Meehan
     Meeks
     Meng
     Michaud
     Miller, Gary
     Miller, George
     Moore
     Moran
     Murphy (FL)
     Murphy (PA)
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Negrete McLeod
     Nolan
     Nunes
     O'Rourke
     Owens
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Pastor (AZ)
     Paulsen
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Perlmutter
     Peters (CA)
     Peters (MI)
     Peterson
     Pingree (ME)
     Pittenger
     Pocan
     Polis
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Rahall
     Rangel
     Reichert
     Ribble
     Richmond
     Rigell
     Rogers (KY)
     Rogers (MI)
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roskam
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Runyan
     Ruppersberger
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez, Linda T.
     Sanchez, Loretta
     Sarbanes
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schock
     Schrader
     Schwartz
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sewell (AL)
     Shea-Porter
     Sherman
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Sinema
     Sires
     Slaughter
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (WA)
     Speier
     Stivers
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Terry
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Thompson (PA)
     Tiberi
     Tierney
     Tipton
     Titus
     Tonko
     Tsongas
     Upton
     Valadao
     Van Hollen
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Walz
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watt
     Waxman
     Webster (FL)
     Welch
     Whitfield
     Wilson (FL)
     Wittman
     Wolf
     Womack
     Yarmuth
     Young (AK)
     Young (IN)

                               NAYS--144

     Aderholt
     Amash
     Amodei
     Bachmann
     Barr
     Barton
     Bentivolio
     Bishop (UT)
     Black
     Blackburn
     Brady (TX)
     Bridenstine
     Brooks (AL)
     Broun (GA)
     Bucshon
     Burgess
     Campbell
     Carter
     Cassidy
     Chabot
     Chaffetz
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (NY)
     Conaway
     Culberson
     Denham
     DeSantis
     DesJarlais
     Duffy
     Duncan (SC)
     Duncan (TN)
     Ellmers
     Farenthold
     Fincher
     Fleischmann
     Fleming
     Flores
     Forbes
     Foxx
     Franks (AZ)
     Garrett
     Gibbs
     Gingrey (GA)
     Gohmert
     Goodlatte
     Gosar
     Gowdy
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (MO)
     Griffith (VA)
     Hall
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hensarling
     Holding
     Hudson
     Huelskamp
     Huizenga (MI)
     Hultgren
     Hunter
     Hurt
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones
     Jordan
     King (IA)
     Kingston
     Labrador
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Lankford
     Latta
     Long
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lummis
     Marchant
     Marino
     Massie
     McCaul
     McClintock
     Meadows
     Messer
     Mica
     Miller (FL)
     Miller (MI)
     Mullin
     Mulvaney
     Neugebauer
     Noem
     Nugent
     Nunnelee
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Pearce
     Perry
     Petri
     Pitts
     Poe (TX)
     Pompeo
     Posey
     Price (GA)
     Radel
     Reed
     Renacci
     Rice (SC)
     Roby
     Roe (TN)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rohrabacher
     Rokita
     Rooney
     Ross
     Rothfus
     Royce
     Ryan (WI)
     Salmon
     Sanford
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (TX)
     Southerland
     Stewart
     Stockman
     Stutzman
     Thornberry
     Turner
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walorski
     Weber (TX)
     Wenstrup
     Westmoreland
     Williams
     Wilson (SC)
     Woodall
     Yoder
     Yoho

                             NOT VOTING--3

     McCarthy (NY)
     Rush
     Young (FL)

                              {time}  2218

  Mrs. ROBY and Messrs. DesJARLAIS and YOHO changed their vote from 
``yea'' to ``nay.''
  Mrs. NAPOLITANO changed her vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
  So the motion to concur was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________