[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 152 (Friday, December 12, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1841-E1842]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                H.R. 83

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. MATT CARTWRIGHT

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 12, 2014

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, last night, I voted ``no'' on H.R. 83 
(The Continuing Resolution/Omnibus bill) despite adequate funding 
levels in several areas because it contained far too many poison pills. 
The best way forward would have been to compromise on a bill that did 
not include policy riders and would have funded the government without 
jeopardizing our financial security, the environment, our retirees, and 
our election system. I fully support the provisions in H.R. 83 that 
provide robust funding for our military, provide a 1% pay raise for 
military and civilian employees, and would provide additional funding 
for Tobyhanna Army Depot. However, I ultimately voted ``no'' because 
the legislation places the interests of greedy Wall Street investment 
bankers ahead of regular American working families. The Continuing 
Resolution/Omnibus bill, which passed by a narrow 219-206, guts 
important Dodd-Frank safeguards against a repeat of the $700 billion 
taxpayer bailout of Wall Street financiers. It also exponentially 
raises the limits on campaign contribution cash that wealthy 
individuals (like Wall Street bankers) can donate to federal political 
parties. In one bill, House Speaker John Boehner has managed both to 
jeopardize the American economy and further weaken the foundations of 
our American democracy itself. We should have been able to vote on a 
bill

[[Page E1842]]

that focused on funding our government, instead we had to vote on a 
bill that contained numerous giveaways to private interests and that is 
why I voted ``no.''

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