[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 13, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H237-H248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 37, PROMOTING JOB CREATION AND
REDUCING SMALL BUSINESS BURDENS ACT; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF
H.R. 185, REGULATORY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2015; AND PROVIDING FOR
CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 240, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I
call up House Resolution 27 and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 27
Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be
in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 37) to make
technical corrections to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform
and Consumer Protection Act, to enhance the ability of small
and emerging growth companies to access capital through
public and private markets, to reduce regulatory burdens, and
for other purposes. All points of order against consideration
of the bill are waived. The bill shall be considered as read.
All points of order against provisions in the bill are
waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered
on the bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage
without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate
equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking
minority member of the Committee on Financial Services; and
(2) one motion to recommit.
Sec. 2. At any time after adoption of this resolution the
Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XVIII, declare
the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on
the state of the Union for consideration of the bill (H.R.
185) to reform the process by which Federal agencies analyze
and formulate new regulations and guidance documents. The
first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. All points
of order against consideration of the bill are waived.
General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not
exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair
and ranking minority member of the Committee on the
Judiciary. After general debate the bill shall be considered
for amendment under the five-minute rule. The bill shall be
considered as read. All points of order against provisions in
the bill are waived. No amendment to the bill shall be in
order except those printed in part A of the report of the
Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution. Each such
amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the
report, may be offered only by a Member designated in the
report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for
the time specified in the report equally divided and
controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be
subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand
for division of the question in the House or in the Committee
of the Whole. All points of order against such amendments are
waived. At the conclusion of consideration of the bill for
amendment the Committee shall rise and report the bill to the
House with such amendments as may have been adopted. The
previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill
and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening
motion except one motion to recommit with or without
instructions.
Sec. 3. At any time after adoption of this resolution the
Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XVIII, declare
the House
[[Page H238]]
resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on the state
of the Union for consideration of the bill (H.R. 240) making
appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for
the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015, and for other
purposes. The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed
with. All points of order against consideration of the bill
are waived. General debate shall be confined to the bill and
shall not exceed two hours equally divided and controlled by
the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on
Appropriations. After general debate the bill shall be
considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. The bill
shall be considered as read. All points of order against
provisions in the bill are waived. No amendment to the bill
shall be in order except those printed in part B of the
report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this
resolution. Each such amendment may be offered only in the
order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member
designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall
be debatable for the time specified in the report equally
divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent,
shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject
to a demand for division of the question in the House or in
the Committee of the Whole. All points of order against such
amendments are waived. At the conclusion of consideration of
the bill for amendment the Committee shall rise and report
the bill to the House with such amendments as may have been
adopted. The previous question shall be considered as ordered
on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without
intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or
without instructions.
Sec. 4. The chair of the Committee on Appropriations may
insert in the Congressional Record not later than January 14,
2015, such material as he may deem explanatory of H.R. 240.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Poe of Texas). The gentleman from Texas
is recognized for 1 hour.
{time} 1245
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield
the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman (Mr. Polis), my friend from
Colorado, pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume.
During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the
purpose of debate only.
General Leave
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, we are here today because of failed
liberal policies of the President of the United States. Through his
unilateral executive actions taken in November and through policies
pursued throughout his administration for a number of years, the
President's policies have harmed the American taxpayer.
Specifically, that is why we are here today as part of this funding
bill, to make sure that we address those problems that we see. Today,
the House of Representatives will fight the President's failed liberal
Democratic dogma and provide for a Homeland Security bill that actually
protects the homeland and the American taxpayer.
This past summer, the American people saw what happens when the
executive branch pursues policies that are not in the best interests of
the American people. Over 70,000 unaccompanied minors from South and
Central America entered our country illegally. They did this because
they believed that this administration would allow them entry into the
United States--and, by the way, it looks like it worked.
This influx was a costly mistake for the taxpayer and for communities
all across this country. Federal taxpayers paid $553 million. We put
local schools at risk and stretched the resources of communities all
across this country to a tipping point.
Mr. Speaker, that is why we are here engaged in this fight. This bill
represents conservative Republican solutions on how to protect the
homeland and the rule of law. Within this rule is a bill to fund the
Department of Homeland Security, as well as five amendments that
represent a united fight against the President's executive amnesty
plan.
Let me be perfectly clear. I believe that the President's actions on
executive amnesty are unwise and unconstitutional, and they must be
stopped. This package provides this body with the opportunity to
effectively block and reverse the President's unilateral amnesty,
reassert the rule of law, and uphold our Constitution.
America became the laughing stock of the world by the way we dealt
with this issue, and it lands directly at the feet of the President of
the United States. That is why we are here today and are issuing this
bill to the United States Senate, to have them take the appropriate
action that is necessary, so that we may work together so that America
is safe and that we do not have actions that America should not
undertake.
We have a number of Republicans who wish to speak on this rule today.
I look forward to hearing their thoughts, and I reserve the balance of
my time.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding
me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule.
First of all, when we have spending bills that make it here to the
floor of the House, we traditionally have had an open amendment process
for those appropriations bills. That allows Members on both sides of
the aisle to offer cuts to move things around.
At the time of bloated budget deficits, why aren't the Republicans
allowing any cuts to be made from this bill? They are not allowing
Democrats or Republicans under a closed rule to offer savings to the
Federal Government from bloated budgets.
They are limiting amendments on two other bills, a completely
unrelated anti-regulatory bill and also a bill with regard to Financial
Services that I offered an amendment along with Mr. Issa to improve are
not allowed under this rule as well.
It is a very bad precedent for congressional procedure here in our
second week to shut down ideas from both sides of the aisle to make
either of these bills better beyond a select few ideas that have
apparently been blessed by the Republican majority.
I heard in the Rules Committee last night--and my friend, the chair,
did as well--a number of very good amendments that were offered, some
that I didn't agree with, but I still thought we ought to be able to
discuss and debate--I offered a few myself--but hardly any of these are
actually allowed to be debated or voted on by the Members of this body.
Instead, what the Republicans have done is effectively hijack the
discussion of homeland security and safety to instead have a discussion
about our broken immigration system. Well, I was ready to go for that.
I offered an amendment that would have allowed us to vote on an
immigration reform bill as part of the rule, one that passed the Senate
with more than two-thirds support last session, one that I believe
would still carry the support of more than 60 Senators--I think it
would likely pass the House if it had been made in order--but I was
shut down.
Instead of allowing a discussion about a solution to our broken
immigration crisis, the Republicans seek to keep it alive, conflict for
the sake of conflict, and to somehow lump families and children in with
criminals for the same enforcement priority, which makes no sense to
any law enforcement professional or any of our communities, which is
why we have a broad coalition of the business community, the faith-
based community, the law enforcement community, all outraged over the
most recent Republican actions, which seem to cater to the far
rightwing of their party, rather than seek pragmatic practical
solutions to replace our broken immigration system with one that works.
With regard to the Financial Services bill, I offered a bipartisan
amendment along with my colleagues, Mr. Issa and Mr. Ellison, to
improve transparency, to modernize our financial reporting standards,
to ensure that digital data was available and searchable by investors
everywhere, to increase transparency with regard to public companies.
Unfortunately, it was not allowed to be debated or voted on here on the
floor of the House to improve this bill.
This is truly an obstructive and undemocratic approach to governing.
Instead of the Members of this body--Democrat and Republican--being
able to work together and propose ideas to improve bills, we are
presented with bills that are ``our way or the highway,'' bills that
will never become law, bills that have the threat of veto from
[[Page H239]]
the President of the United States, and are presumably only being done
to appease the rightwing Republican base.
Well, we should have started off this Congress with a fresh
sensibility. We could have brought forward a clean Homeland Security
Appropriations bill, allowed Members to improve it, to make cuts, to
balance our budget deficit, to move things from programs that didn't
work to programs that did. We could have brought forth a real jobs bill
addressing the needs of working families.
Instead, what the Republicans have chosen to do is to play politics
and jeopardize the safety of our country and our homeland security over
a debate that they want to have with regard to immigration without
offering any solutions.
One of the things that I took away from the meeting in the Rules
Committee last night, in the testimony from Members on both sides of
the aisle, is that nobody thought--Democrats or Republicans--that this
Republican bill that defunded DACA and undid the executive action would
actually solve our broken immigration system. Republicans and Democrats
acknowledged it wouldn't.
So rather than playing politics with our defense of our homeland, why
don't we roll up our sleeves and get to work to actually fix our broken
immigration system and replace it with one that works?
Now, look, the bill provides for consideration of the Homeland
Security bill, but everybody knows it is not a serious attempt at
funding the Department of Homeland Security. There is a manufactured
crisis, the first step in a sure-to-fail legislative process that the
President himself has said he would veto.
Why is anybody in this body--reasonable lawmakers, all of them--
placing the funding of Homeland Security at a time of increased
national threat--we saw the events in France this last week--putting
our defense of our homeland at risk?
Yes, our President took action. Some agree with it; some disagree
with it. He used the authority that he has been given by this body to
establish enforcement priorities with regard to the 10, 11, 12 million
people who are here illegally.
Guess what, Mr. Speaker, if we don't solve our broken immigration
system, there is only going to be more people here illegally; instead
of 10 or 11 million, there could be 12 million, 14 million, 15 million,
until we get serious about border security, about enforcement, about
restoring the rule of law.
This bill doesn't do it. This bill says let's support children rather
than criminals; let's prevent people that have registered, gotten right
by the law, paid a fee, had a background check, had their fingerprints
taken, let's prevent them from legally working or going to school;
let's hang the threat of tearing them apart from their American kids
over their heads.
Both sides acknowledge that is not the answer to fixing our broken
immigration system. So let's move past this discussion, let's secure
our homeland, and let's get to the discussion of how to fix our broken
immigration system, which both sides agree this debate is not about.
This bill also provides for consideration of the Regulatory
Accountability Act, another recycled bill from the last Congress. It is
not an immigration reform bill; it is not a jobs bill. It is actually a
bill that makes government function even less efficiently than it
currently does.
It adds 84 new bureaucratic hurdles to make sure our food is toxin-
free and safe to eat. It would bury agency rulemaking under a
bureaucratic blizzard of hurdles and documentation requirements. This
is a paperwork creation bill, this is a government inefficiency bill,
the opposite of the direction we should be moving with regard to making
government streamlined and more efficient.
Finally, this rule provides for consideration of the Financial
Services bills, which this body considered last week, but again, when
something doesn't pass under suspension, a procedure that requires two-
thirds, the rule should hopefully enable Members on both sides of the
aisle to improve upon the bill. I offered just such an improvement, as
did some of my colleagues.
If the goal was to get to two-thirds rather than just pass this bill
with a Republican majority, why don't we begin the difficult work of
making this bill better, of improving on it, of taking ideas from
Democrats and Republicans, to get this bill to the point where two-
thirds of this body support it? Unfortunately, that did not occur, and
this bill is being brought under a very restrictive rule.
We can do better. We can do better than closing down the traditional
open process we have around amending appropriations bills. We can
restore regular order and allow bills to actually be considered through
the committee process here in this Congress, instead of appearing with
48 hours to read for Members of Congress, without even giving the
opportunity to amend them. Unfortunately, in the second week here, the
Republican majority is already making good governance a farce.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this rule, to show that
Congress can and will do better if you give the Democrats and
Republicans who serve in this body the ability to legislate, to offer
their ideas, to work with Members on their side of the aisle and the
opposite side of the aisle, and to get to a point where we can present
a bill that the President of the United States will sign and will
become the law of the land.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Pennsylvania, Congressman Lou Barletta, who came to the
Rules Committee last night to speak about the importance of this bill,
the former mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania.
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule and the
amendments offered to the Department of Homeland Security
Appropriations bill, including the amendment I coauthored with my
colleagues, Congressman Aderholt of Alabama and Congressman Mulvaney of
South Carolina.
Our amendment defunds President Obama's unlawful executive amnesty
program for illegal immigrants.
Now, when I was mayor of my hometown of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, I saw
firsthand how illegal immigration can affect a community. I believe
that my stance against illegal immigration was why I was elected to
Congress in the first place.
I am someone who has dealt with this as a smalltown mayor. I know
what it looks like on the back end when the Federal Government doesn't
do its job. Very simply, we are making sure that, at long last, we
enforce the law.
First, it prevents the funding of carrying out the President's
actions announced on November 20 of last year.
{time} 1300
But let's be clear about something. The President's amnesty program
did not just begin all of a sudden 2 months ago. It goes back much
further than that, to the so-called Morton memos of 2011. They
instructed immigration officers to ignore broad categories of illegal
immigrants and halt deportation proceedings for them. In short, these
memos told immigration officers to view the law the way that President
Obama wished it had been written rather than how Congress actually
wrote it.
We defund the implementation of the Morton memos. We also say that no
funds can be used to implement any similar amnesty policies. That
simply means that this or any other President cannot try to tweak their
policies or try more trickery to try another end around past Congress
without our approval.
Mr. Speaker, this states unmistakable congressional intent. The
amendment says that the President's policies have no basis in law and
are not grounded in the Constitution. We prevent anyone who receives
such executive amnesty from being awarded any Federal benefits.
There are other amendments being considered, including stopping the
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which was born
out of the Morton memos. I support that amendment and all of the others
as well.
Mr. Speaker, our Constitution is clear: the President of the United
States does not have unilateral power. In America, we also have a
legislature. As such, the President cannot simply make laws on his own.
The Aderholt-Mulvaney-Barletta amendment makes that clear.
[[Page H240]]
I urge support of the rule and the accompanying amendments to the DHS
Appropriations bill.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), a member of the Rules Committee.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this unfair
rule. Here we are, just 2 weeks into the brandnew Congress, and the
Republican leadership has decided to combine three major controversial
bills into one rule. They aren't content to exclude amendments. Now
they also want to stifle debate. It is ridiculous, it is shameful, it
is undemocratic, and it needs to stop.
And why are they doing all of this? To what end? So they can attach
poison pill amendments to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill.
We had a perfectly fine bipartisan bill ready to go last year, but
no, the Republicans would rather play Russian roulette with our
homeland security. They are being driven by the most extreme anti-
immigrant voices in the Republican caucus. So we are going to waste at
least this entire week and maybe even more weeks to come debating ugly
anti-immigrant amendments that are likely dead on arrival in the Senate
and will most certainly be vetoed by the President.
I say to my Republican friends: I get it. You can't stand this
President, and it is making you irrational to the point that you are
doing real harm to this country. And I understand that you would rather
tear immigrant families apart than keep them together. But you had the
opportunity last Congress--for months and months and months--to
legislate on this issue. You chose not to. Instead, you have chosen to
make a mess of a very important Homeland Security Appropriations bill.
You have chosen to demagogue rather than legislate. With all that is
going on in the world and with what happened in France, I ask my
Republican friends: What are you thinking, playing politics with our
national security?
For 6 years, the Republicans have blocked all efforts to fix our
broken immigration system, and then they keep wailing and whining about
it being broken. They keep punishing individuals and families who have
been in our country for years, working hard, paying taxes, raising
families. Enough is enough.
I urge my colleagues to choose fairness and compassion and to vote
down this shameful rule.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Lewisville, Texas, Dr. Burgess, from the Rules Committee.
Mr. BURGESS. I thank the chairman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage people on both sides of the
dais, both sides of the aisle, to support the rule and the underlying
appropriations bill with its attached amendments.
I do tire of hearing people talk about our broken immigration system.
Mr. Speaker, last year, in the United States of America, 1.1 million
people came into this country, raised their right hand, took the oath
of citizenship, and came in legally. And it has been that way every
year that I have been in Congress since 2003. So, by my arithmetic,
that is well over 12 million people that have become naturalized United
States citizens in the last 10 or 12 years.
Does that sound like a system that is broken?
For comparison, let's look at other countries. The fact of the matter
is, when you combine every other country on the face of the Earth, they
don't match half of the number of people that are allowed to come into
the United States and take the oath of citizenship.
But I will tell you what is broken. What is broken is the enforcement
of our immigration laws, and we have seen that demonstrated time and
again.
The President made some unilateral decisions in June of 2012, and we
in Texas, particularly in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, understand very
much what happens when someone makes adjustments without going through
the rule of law. As a consequence, in late 2013, and then throughout
the spring and summer of last year, we saw unprecedented amounts of
unaccompanied minors simply coming across the border and turning
themselves in to Customs and Border Patrol.
Now, why did they do that? Did someone just suddenly wake up one day
in Honduras or Guatemala and say: I'm going to make that dangerous trek
across the Mexican desert? No, it is because child traffickers,
coyotes, saw what the President did, and said: Here's a business plan.
Let's go to these families, charge them thousands of dollars, with the
admonition that if you don't do it now, this door is going to close.
But right now the President has got the door open for you to come up
and get your amnesty. Step up and get it while you can.
So what did the President do in November? He doubled down on that.
The message to the child traffickers around the world is: Y'all come.
Y'all come and it will be all right.
But the fact of the matter is it is not all right. In fact, our
homeland security is threatened.
This is an important bill. Judge Carter has done enormous work to
bring this bill to the floor. For that, I thank him. The bill is
important, along with the amendments. I urge adoption of the rule, and
I urge adoption of the underlying bill with its accompanying
amendments.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).
Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose this rule.
Let us be perfectly clear about what is happening here today. House
Republicans are holding our national security hostage to the extreme
policies of their most radical Members. I speak from experience, having
been one of the three or four that started this committee back after 9/
11. You know that.
A vote for this rule and the poison pill amendments that will follow
is a vote to shut down the Department of Homeland Security, plain and
simple. It is a vote against the brave men and women in our Border
Patrol, Secret Service, Coast Guard, and local public safety
departments who put their lives on the line every day.
As the cochair of the Congressional Fire Caucus and the Public Safety
Caucus, I am outraged that this stunt will jeopardize important funding
under the Fire and SAFER grants programs. It provides community
firefighters with the equipment they need and the ability to hire
additional firefighters to help keep the risk of loss of life and
property damage at a minimum.
I welcome a debate about immigration, but this is another ruse. This
is an exact ruse. Whether you are talking about border security or
whether you are talking about ``amnesty,'' it is a ruse. It doesn't
matter whether it is this or something else to stop immigration, House
Republicans have done nothing but run from that conversation.
Speaker Boehner has been sitting on a bipartisan comprehensive
immigration bill since June of 2013. He has done nothing to move the
bill through the House. He hasn't proposed an alternative. And if you
don't like the President's executive actions to help address our broken
immigration system, why haven't you put your own on the table?
Policies like the President's executive order provide responsible
solutions to prevent families from being torn apart. Don't we want
family unification? Don't we support that? In the bowel of our values,
don't we support that more than anything else: keeping families
together?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 30
seconds.
Mr. PASCRELL. Republicans have no solutions for these families--and
they are out there. They are all over. It is quite simply unbelievable
that they are willing to put politics before national security and shut
down the Department of Homeland Security to block the President from
implementing his solutions.
Let's end this charade now. You want to have a debate about
immigration? Great. We welcome it. But we will not play along with this
dangerous plan to jeopardize the safety and security of the American
people. I urge my colleagues to oppose this rule.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Ranger, Georgia (Mr. Graves).
Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would like to read to you a few
quotes. First:
[[Page H241]]
With respect to the notion that I can just suspend
deportations through executive order, that's just not the
case, because there are laws on the books that Congress has
passed.
Congress passes the law. The executive branch's job is to
enforce and implement those laws.
The problem is that I'm the President of the United States,
I'm not the emperor of the United States. My job is to
execute laws that are passed.
I can't do it by myself. We're going to have to change the
laws in Congress.
I am President. I am not king. I can't do these things just
by myself.
I'm not a king. You know, my job as the head of the
executive branch ultimately is to carry out the law.
I'm bound by the Constitution; I'm bound by separation of
powers. There are some things we can't do.
Congress has the power of the purse, for example.
These are the words and the statements of the President of the United
States. And words matter. But, even after the President said all of
this in a politically motivated action last November, he pursued a
course that could allow up to 5 million undocumented immigrants to
remain in the United States illegally and without consequence.
Like my constituents, I am outraged. President Obama defied the will
expressed by the American people last November and blatantly
contradicted his own statements about the limits of the executive
branch.
Now, let's be clear, lest others confuse this issue today. This is
not a debate about immigration. That will come later. But this is about
the rule of law. This is about the constitutional separation of powers.
This is about the respect we owe the American people.
In this appropriations bill, we are exercising the power of the purse
and we are taking a strong, narrow approach that will, first and
foremost, provide security to our homeland and, secondly, deny any
funds whatsoever from being used to carry out the President's unwise
and, in my opinion, unconstitutional actions.
Now, I have to say, the President was right about a couple of things.
He is not an emperor, and he is surely not a king. House Republicans
are united in making sure that he doesn't get away with acting like one
either. And yet before the debate even begins, last night the President
has already issued threats. He is threatening to shut down the
Department of Homeland Security because this bill prevents him from
implementing his own ideology.
But make no mistake: a veto threat is a threat to our national
security; a veto threat is an open invitation to our enemies. In the
wake of the horrific terrorist attack this week in France, is the
President really willing to compromise the safety of 320 million
Americans to appease his base and score political points? God help us
if that is the case.
Today, it is up to us in the House. Let us vote to defend the
constitutional role of this legislature, let us vote to stop the
President's blatant overreach, and let us vote to secure our homeland.
{time} 1315
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
(Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend
her remarks.)
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I think my good friends who are on the
floor today, my good friends on the Republican side of the aisle, have
failed to read the Constitution, which includes, clearly, the
President's authority for executive actions and not, as they have
articulated, an executive order.
And it says in the ``take care clause'' that he has the ability to
manage this government, as Presidents Reagan and Eisenhower did.
What I would offer to say is, there is nothing in what the President
has done but to exercise executive action. But I will say to them that
Secretary Johnson of Homeland Security has said that we are placing
ourselves in a dangerous position, not because of the President's
actions, not because of the appropriations bill, but because of these
enormous poison pills that are stamping and stomping on the President's
right to executive action.
I oppose all of the bills that are presently in this rule, including
the regulatory bill, the Financial Services--all of them have poison
pills. The regulatory bill, for example, wants 70 criteria before any
agency can pass a regulation.
Yes, to my Republican friends, we are in a moment, a historic moment.
France was more than a wake-up call. But what I will say to you is that
we can pass a clean Homeland Security appropriations bill and we can
end this dangerous condition that we are in.
I would ask my colleagues to eliminate the poison pills of pulling
back on the President's constitutional authority.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule for
H.R. 240, the Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year
2015.
I oppose the rule because, if passed, the five Republican amendments
made in order by the Rules Committee guarantee the bill will be vetoed
by the President at a time when ensuring that the agencies charged with
securing our border and protecting the homeland have the resources
needed to keep us safe should be our highest priority.
House Republicans are playing a dangerous game of Russian Roulette
with the security of America's homeland by recklessly adding this
``poison pill'' to legislation needed to fund the agencies and programs
charged with securing the border and protecting the homeland.
Mr. Speaker, the amendments to H.R. 240 made in order by the Rules
Committee are simply the latest attempt by House Republicans to
prohibit the executive branch from exempting or deferring from
deportation any immigrants considered to be unlawfully present in the
United States under U.S. immigration law, and to prohibit the
administration from treating those immigrants as if they were lawfully
present or had lawful immigration status.
The rule we are being asked to accept makes in order amendment that
seek to block the executive actions taken President Obama to address
our broken immigration system by providing smarter enforcement at the
border, prioritize deporting felons--not families--and allowing certain
undocumented immigrants, including the parents of U.S. citizens and
lawful residents, who pass a criminal background check and pay taxes to
temporarily stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation.
Mr. Speaker, the executive actions taken by President Obama are
reasonable, responsible, and within his constitutional authority.
Under Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution, the President, who
is the nation's Chief Executive, ``shall take Care that the Laws be
faithfully executed.''
In addition to establishing the President's obligation to execute the
law, the Supreme Court has consistently interpreted the Take Care
Clause as ensuring presidential control over those who execute and
enforce the law and the authority to decide how best to enforce the
laws. See, e.g., Arizona v. United States; Bowsher v. Synar; Buckley v.
Valeo; Printz v. United States; Free Enterprise Fund v. PCAOB.
Every law enforcement agency, including the agencies that enforce
immigration laws, has ``prosecutorial discretion''--the power to decide
whom to investigate, arrest, detain, charge, and prosecute.
Agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS),
may develop discretionary policies specific to the laws they are
charged with enforcing, the population they serve, and the problems
they face so that they can prioritize resources to meet mission
critical enforcement goals.
Executive authority to take action is thus ``fairly wide,'' indeed
the federal government's discretion is extremely ``broad'' as the
Supreme Court held in the recent case of Arizona v. United States, 132
S. Ct. 2492, 2499 (2012), an opinion written Justice Kennedy and joined
by Chief Justice Roberts:
Congress has specified which aliens may be removed from the
United States and the procedures for doing so. Aliens may be
removed if they were inadmissible at the time of entry, have
been convicted of certain crimes, or meet other criteria set
by federal law. Removal is a civil, not criminal, matter. A
principal feature of the removal system is the broad
discretion exercised by immigration officials. Federal
officials, as an initial matter, must decide whether it makes
sense to pursue removal at all. If removal proceedings
commence, aliens may seek asylum and other discretionary
relief allowing them to remain in the country or at least to
leave without formal removal. (emphasis added) (citations
omitted).
The Court's decision in Arizona v. United States, also strongly
suggests that the executive branch's discretion in matters of
deportation may be exercised on an individual basis, or it may be used
to protect entire classes of individuals such as ``[u]nauthorized
workers trying to support their families'' or immigrants who originate
from countries torn apart by internal conflicts:
[[Page H242]]
Discretion in the enforcement of immigration law embraces
immediate human concerns.
Unauthorized workers trying to support their families, for
example, likely pose less danger than alien smugglers or
aliens who commit a serious crime. The equities of an
individual case may turn on many factors, including whether
the alien has children born in the United States, long ties
to the community, or a record of distinguished military
service.
Mr. Speaker, in exercising his broad discretion in the area of
removal proceedings, President Obama has acted responsibly and
reasonably in determining the circumstances in which it makes sense to
pursue removal and when it does not.
In exercising this broad discretion, President Obama not done
anything that is novel or unprecedented.
Here are a just a few examples of executive action taken by several
presidents, both Republican and Democratic, on issues affecting
immigrants over the past 35 years:
1. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan used executive action in 1987 to
allow 200,000 Nicaraguans facing deportation to apply for relief from
expulsion and work authorization.
2. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush issued an executive order that
granted Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to certain nationals of the
People's Republic of China who were in the United States.
3. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush granted DED to certain
nationals of El Salvador.
Mr. Speaker, because of the President's leadership and far-sighted
executive action, 594,000 undocumented immigrants in my home state of
Texas are eligible for deferred action.
If these immigrants are able to remain united with their families and
receive a temporary work permit, it would lead to a $338 million
increase in tax revenues, over five years.
America's borders are dynamic, with constantly evolving security
challenges. Border security must be undertaken in a manner that allows
actors to use pragmatism and common sense.
And as shown by the success in the last Congress of H.R. 1417, the
bipartisan ``Border Security Results Act, which I helped to write and
introduced along with the senior leaders of the House Homeland Security
Committee, we can do this without putting the nation at risk or
rejecting our national heritage as a welcoming and generous nation.
This legislation has been incorporated in H.R. 15, the bipartisan
``Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization
Act,'' legislation which reflects nearly all of the core principles
announced professed last year by House Republicans.
As a nation of immigrants, the United States has set the example for
the world as to what can be achieved when people of diverse
backgrounds, cultures, and experiences come together.
We can and should seize this historic opportunity pass legislation to
ensure that we have in place adequate systems and resources to secure
our borders while at the same preserving America's character as the
most open and welcoming country in the history of the world and to reap
the hundreds of billions of dollars in economic productivity that will
result from comprehensive immigration reform.
President Obama has acted boldly, responsibly, and compassionately.
If congressional Republicans, who refused to debate comprehensive
immigration reform legislation for more than 500 days, disapprove of
the lawful actions taken by the President, an alternative course of
action is readily available to them: pass a bill and send it to the
President for signature.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to vote against the rule so we can
put an end to the dangerous game of playing Russian Roulette with the
security of America's homeland.
Let us defeat this rule and bring to the floor a clean Homeland
Security spending bill that the President can sign into law.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman
from Georgia (Mr. Allen), one of our brand new freshmen.
Mr. ALLEN. I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this combined rule and the
underlying bills. Specifically, I came to the floor to speak in support
of H.R. 240, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of
2015.
First, I applaud House leadership for bringing up this clean
legislation in a timely fashion and allowing the full House of
Representatives the opportunity to work the will of the body, which is,
in fact, the will of the American people.
The amendments approved in this rule are vital to protecting the
constitutionally mandated separation of powers between Congress and the
executive branch, while keeping the Department of Homeland Security
funded through fiscal year 2015.
I would like to remind my colleagues who are opposed to this bill,
just last week, Members of the House read on this floor the
Constitution of the United States, myself included, and renewed our
commitment to defending the principles in our Nation's founding
document.
In that Constitution, article I gave all legislative powers and
authority to Congress and established the framework of our legislative
process.
The President's executive action on immigration threatens this
separation of powers, ignores our Constitution, disregards the right of
the American people to have a voice in important legislation through
their elected representatives.
Americans sent a clear message on November 4. They did not want the
President to act alone on immigration. Now, this bill and the
accompanying amendments are sending a strong message that Congress will
not stand by as the President attempts to rewrite our Nation's laws.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), the distinguished ranking member of the
Committee on Homeland Security.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr.
Polis) for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the rule. Just over 1
month ago, I stood on this floor urging the majority to allow Members
of this Chamber to fund the Department of Homeland Security in the
omnibus. The majority did not listen.
In the past month, even as the majority plotted to punish the
Department for the President's action on immigration, a series of
terrorist incidents across the globe have brought into sharp focus the
need for a fully funded and fully functional DHS.
First, in Sidney, Australia, we witnessed a terrorist attack on a
cafe where, at the end of a lengthy standoff, two innocent people lay
dead.
The crippling cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment's network
raised awareness of the damage that hacks can do.
Then, last week in Paris, there were a series of terrorist attacks
that have sent shock waves beyond the borders of France.
The execution-style murders of 12 members of the creative team of
Charlie Hebdo, followed by the indiscriminate killing at a Jewish
supermarket, are not simply tragic incidents; they serve as a reminder
that the terrorist threats we face are evolving, and they are evolving
quickly.
As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility to give the
Department of Homeland Security the resources it needs to be dynamic
and agile in response to these evolving threats.
The underlying DHS appropriations bill under consideration today,
although not perfect, could certainly pass both Chambers and be enacted
into law with the President's signature.
However, the likelihood, dare I say inevitability, that one or more
of the poison pill amendments that the Rules Committee approved will
get attached ensures a DHS shutdown or slowdown continues.
And to what end?
The majority decries the administration's immigration actions but
offers no solution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. POLIS. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. I thank the gentleman for the additional
30 seconds.
The majority decries the administration's immigration actions, but
offers no solution or alternatives of its own. Instead, it plays and
replays the game of we will or we won't fund the government.
Mr. Speaker, the game of chicken has come and run its course. It is
time to provide full-year funding to DHS so it can continue its
critical mission.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman
from the First District of Georgia, Pooler, Georgia (Mr. Carter).
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas
for yielding some of his time.
This bill is necessary to make sure that the negative effects
associated
[[Page H243]]
with the President's actions do not cause long-term damage to our
country.
As a new Member of Congress, I was sent to Washington to represent
the people of southeast Georgia against the numerous harmful actions
taken by the President and his administration.
From the time that I have been here, I have been shocked by the
actions of the President and the way he directly ignores the will of
the American people, statutory law, and, most importantly, the
Constitution of this country.
This bill makes sure that no funds will be used to implement the
President's executive order that allowed thousands of illegal
immigrants to stay in this country.
This bill also makes sure that no funds will go to implement any rule
or regulation that has been issued by the administration over the last
several years.
It is time to stand up to the President and say, no more. No more,
Mr. President. No more rewarding bad behavior. No more rules that
ignore the will of the American people. No more ignoring statutory law.
And most importantly, no more ignoring the Constitution of the United
States.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Deutch).
Mr. DEUTCH. I thank my friend from Colorado.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule for H.R. 240. It is
sad, Mr. Speaker, that just 2 weeks into this new Congress, Republicans
have turned a bipartisan issue, funding our Department of Homeland
Security, into a cesspool of despicable amendments that cater to the
most extremist anti-immigrant fringe.
There is the Blackburn amendment mandating that we deport thousands
of students who are as American in their hearts as you or I.
There is the Aderholt amendment prohibiting DHS from prioritizing
whether we deport hardworking parents or hardened criminals.
And there is the Schock amendment decrying the legal immigration
backlog but doing nothing, absolutely nothing, to fix it.
Guess whose amendment wasn't accepted?
The Deutch-Foster amendment, which would save taxpayers over $1
billion a year by ending the detention bed mandate, effectively an
earmark that requires 34,000 beds be filled by immigrants every single
day inside for-profit detention centers.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. POLIS. I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.
Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I thought we were here to solve problems.
What this bill reveals instead, unfortunately, is a majority with no
interest in solving our broken immigration system. If they had that
interest, we would have passed comprehensive immigration reform 2 years
ago.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman
from Monroe, Georgia (Mr. Jody B. Hice).
Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding me time.
I rise in strong support of this rule and the underlying bill, H.R.
240, the fiscal year 2015 Homeland Security Appropriations Act.
Mr. Speaker, the primary responsibility of the President of the
United States is to faithfully carry out the laws sent to him by
Congress. Unfortunately, this President, over the past several years,
has chosen time and time again to ignore our immigration laws in order
to achieve his executive amnesty objectives.
His actions continue to fundamentally threaten the separation of
powers set forth by the Constitution that was read on this floor last
Friday, and it needs to stop.
This rule will provide the House with the opportunity to completely
defund and end this executive amnesty. With the adoption of the
amendments made in order under this rule, H.R. 240 will responsibly
fund the Department of Homeland Security for the remainder of the
fiscal year and ensure the protection of our borders, while, at the
same time, restoring the boundaries between the legislative and
executive branches of the Federal Government.
In addition to defunding this power grab by the President, we will
also consider an amendment that will express the sense of Congress that
we should stop putting the interests of illegal immigrants above legal
immigrants, who are being punished for simply obeying the law.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this rule and the
underlying bill.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Sherman).
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, if you trample on democracy and discard
regular order, you can run a remarkably efficient House of
Representatives.
This rule is an abomination of procedure, wrapped in another
abomination of procedure, all wrapped up in a third abomination. It
deals with three bills, but one of those bills contains 11 bills. Add
it up. One rule, 14 bills.
Let's look at the 11 Financial Services bills. Eleven bills, zero
amendments allowed. Why? We are told that, well, all 11 of those bills
have gone through the committee without controversy or gone to the
floor without controversy. Not true.
One of those bills extends until 2019 when banks have to comply with
an important part of the Volcker rule. Has that extension to 2019 ever
been voted on in committee? No. Has it ever been discussed on the
floor? No.
And when the Rules Committee was asked, can we have an amendment to
deal with this new matter, which has never been subject to a markup or
a discussion on this floor, the answer is ``no.'' Why is that?
Because we need to improve Dodd-Frank.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. POLIS. I yield the gentleman 15 seconds.
Mr. SHERMAN. The Financial Services bill contains quite a number of
noncontroversial provisions that will improve Dodd-Frank, and we could
improve our economy today and have a bill on the President's desk by
the end of the month.
But no, the majority has structured this to force Democrats to vote
against nearly a dozen good provisions so that they can say, look at
those Democrats; they won't help the economy.
They are playing politics instead of legislating. It is morally
wrong. Vote ``no'' on the rule.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, that is a very sad way to explain what we
are doing here today. The gentleman knows that these 11 bills have all
been heard, most of them voted on the floor, overwhelming majorities,
if not----
Mr. SHERMAN. Will the gentleman yield for a point of truth?
Mr. SESSIONS. No, sir. We covered this yesterday in the Rules
Committee, and we intend to move forward. And they are great bills that
will help the economy and jobs in this country.
Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield----
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker----
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I have the time and I appreciate that.
{time} 1330
Parliamentary Inquiry
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, a point of parliamentary inquiry.
Is there any method that allows me to object when a Member says
something demonstrably false?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas is under
recognition and has not yielded for the purpose of a parliamentary
inquiry.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman
from Cassville, Georgia, Congressman Loudermilk, a freshman Member of
this delegation.
Mr. LOUDERMILK. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the time.
Mr. Speaker, John Adams, as President of these United States, stated:
Our Constitution is for religious and moral people. It is
wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
What John Adams was referencing is that our Constitution is only as
solid--it is only as resolute--as the willingness of the people to
uphold the limits of its power.
What has sustained the United States of America as the longest
continual constitutional republic in the history of the world is our
commitment to recognizing and our respecting the limits of power
inscribed in this Constitution. A clear and distinct division of those
[[Page H244]]
powers among the three separate branches of government is what we have
all sworn to uphold.
The President through his recent executive orders has seized the
constitutional authority of the United States Congress.
Mr. Speaker, while this bill does not bring an immediate end to the
President's pattern of executive overreach, it does, within the rule of
law, begin to restore the constitutional authority of this governing
body.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Castor).
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. I thank the gentleman for yielding time.
Mr. Speaker, this is a terrible time for Republicans in Congress to
play political games with America's homeland security. Our country and
its citizens must remain safe and secure. International travel, border
crossings, and our transportation systems must be protected. In
Florida, this is an economic issue as well.
In a recent Gallup Poll, Americans named politicians as their top
concern over even the economy and jobs, and this Republican bill is a
fine example of why that is: at the heart of the House Republicans'
obstruction of homeland security is their inattention to bipartisan
solutions and their continued dodging of needed immigration reform.
Remember last session? The Senate passed a bipartisan bill. It was
passed overwhelmingly, but it hit a roadblock here in the House, and
this roadblock continues to be a drag on the economy. One particularly
heartless amendment will be offered by Republicans that directs young
DREAM Act students to pack their bags and leave America, even though
America is the only country they have ever known.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. POLIS. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 15 seconds.
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. I am perplexed with the heartless amendments
from the Republicans in Congress because, in the State of Florida, our
Republican legislature passed a law last year to provide instate
tuition to the same DREAM Act students.
Now, the Republican Congress wants to send them packing. This is
unnecessarily harsh, and it is inconsistent with our American values. I
urge a ``no'' vote.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
the Seventh Congressional District of Texas, Congressman Culberson, the
gentleman from the Appropriations Committee.
Mr. CULBERSON. Today, Mr. Speaker, the Republican House takes an
important step in restoring the trust of the American people in their
elected Representatives and in restoring the rule of law in our Nation.
Two of the most important principles underlying our entire system of
government are trust and the rule of law. The American people in the
election last November decisively rejected the aggressive, liberal
agenda of this President and of the Democrats in Congress.
They elected this Republican majority to stop the President from
doing further damage to our system of laws and further damage to our
Constitution. The American people elected us to preserve and protect
and defend the Constitution of the United States, but that work begins
with trust.
We, today, are doing what the voters of America asked us to do in
enforcing our laws on the border to ensure that our laws are respected,
to ensure that our immigration law is fair, and that it treats everyone
equally as the Constitution requires.
We are keeping our word to the American people to do precisely what
we said we would do, and that is to overturn these illegal executive
memos that are attempting to ignore what the law says the President
must do. Not even King George III had the authority to waive a law
enacted by the Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, once we have begun this path today of restoring that
bond of trust, we will restore the rule of law in America because,
without the law, there is no liberty.
In fact, the first design on one of the first coins ever minted in
the Republic of Mexico, a coin which I have here with me, shows the
liberty cap--liberty and law. There is no liberty without law
enforcement, and the House today is doing what the American people
hired us to do: to restore their trust and to restore the rule of law.
This is a law enforcement issue. Border security and immigration,
these are matters of law enforcement. We trust the good hearts and the
good sense of the officers in the field to do the right thing for the
right reasons, which is to enforce our laws fairly and equally, because
the people on the Rio Grande understand better than anyone else that if
the law is not enforced, there cannot be safe streets and that you
cannot have good schools and a strong economy without law enforcement.
We in Texas understand better than anyone else that this debate is
far larger than it just being about immigration or border security. It
is far larger than just these individual issues we will debate today.
Today, we in the Republican House are honoring the will of the
American people. We will keep our word. We will make sure that the laws
of the United States are enforced equally and fairly for all.
Above all, we will preserve and protect the Constitution and the
America that we know and love. That was the message of the election
last November.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Judy Chu).
Ms. JUDY CHU of California. Mr. Speaker, the world is mourning.
Millions have marched in Paris in memory of the victims and to stand
against terrorism; yet, at a time when we should strengthen our
response against terrorism, Republicans are playing games.
By hijacking this bill with measures that dismantle the President's
executive action, Republicans are threatening to endanger the security
of our entire Nation for the sole purpose of playing partisan politics.
Despite claims of support for reform, we are not being asked to vote
for a better immigration system; we are being asked to vote for a
crueler one--a system of mass deportation, one that tears parents away
from children, disrupts communities, and weakens our economy, one that
replaces the open hands of the Statue of Liberty with a sign that
reads: You are not welcome here.
Worse, Republicans know that this will not become law, so today's
debate serves only to placate an extreme wing of their party while
making millions of hardworking and aspiring Americans afraid and
unsettled.
Undocumented or not, immigrants are integrated into our communities,
and pulling a thread once woven just weakens the fabric. I urge my
colleagues to vote against this toxic bill.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman
from Raleigh, North Carolina, Congressman Holding.
Mr. HOLDING. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule and of the
underlying DHS bill and relevant amendments.
Already, the United States admits 1 million legal permanent
immigrants per year, so long as they follow our Nation's legal
immigration process. Unfortunately, like those coming to the United
States illegally, this administration wants to ignore our Nation's
immigration laws and immigration process.
The problem is twofold, Mr. Speaker. This not only undermines the
rule of law in our country, but it also unfairly treats those who
follow our legal immigration process, as complicated as it is.
After this administration established DACA in 2012, unilaterally
granting amnesty to illegal minors, the number of unaccompanied
children at the border increased almost tenfold in just 3 years.
The President's most recent amnesty actions send a resounding message
to wishful immigrants that our Nation may have immigration laws, but
that it is just not important that they are respected.
Simply put, this is wrong, so I support this rule, and I support
restoring the rule of law.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Lee).
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the rule and to
the bill.
For over 500 days, Republican leadership refused to bring
comprehensive
[[Page H245]]
immigration reform for a vote, this despite ample support from both
sides of the aisle to pass bipartisan legislation from the Senate.
In the face of Republican inaction, however, President Obama made the
appropriate and the lawful move to expand the Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals program and to create deferred action for parents.
Now, Republicans have decided to hold our national security hostage in
order to placate the anti-immigrant fringe.
Make no mistake, this rule and bill have nothing to do with our
national security and have everything to do with tearing down the
President's legal executive action on immigration.
It has been clear to me, though, that whatever this President puts
forward, Republicans will oppose; but it is hard to believe, given the
dangers we face, that Republicans won't work in a bipartisan manner to
keep our country safe.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. POLIS. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 15 seconds.
Ms. LEE. Thank you for the additional time.
This is cynical. It is anti-immigrant. We should defeat this rule,
and we should defeat the underlying legislation if these poison pill
amendments are adopted.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Appleton, Wisconsin, Reid Ribble.
Mr. RIBBLE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate, but the President has dropped a
poison pill with his executive amnesty--of his own choosing, I might
add--into the well of goodwill in this Chamber.
Now, before anything even gets sent over to him, he is issuing a veto
threat on the front end. The President has now made it abundantly clear
that he is willing to risk national security to protect those who have
come here illegally.
What the President should be doing is exactly what the gentlewoman
just mentioned a moment ago: working in a bipartisan fashion with
Congress, through the rule of law, to pass immigration reform.
This debate is no longer about immigration reform. The debate,
unfortunately, isn't even about homeland security. The debate has
become about choices and the President's choices, about the choices
that the President, himself, has made in regard to this issue. He will
soon have another choice to make.
I wish this were just about immigration reform because I believe,
quite frankly, that we can find a path forward on immigration reform,
Mr. Speaker. We need to fix our immigration system. Every single person
here, unless Native American, is a son or a daughter of an immigrant.
We need to address our immigration system to make it easier for
people to enter our Nation legally and to make it more difficult to
come here illegally. This appropriations bill does that very thing: it
puts more guards on the border than ever before, and it creates
security that is necessary.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage the President not to veto this piece of
legislation but to work with this Congress to do this in the correct
way, which is within the confines of the Constitution.
I encourage my fellow colleagues to pass this bill as fast and as
quickly as possible.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Castro).
Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this piece of legislation is both
risky and callous. It asks Americans to give into their worst
instincts. If you or someone you know is out of a job, blame an
immigrant; if an undocumented person commits a crime, they are all like
that.
We are at a moment when there are growing security threats to our
Nation, and Republicans in this House of Representatives are willing to
play Russian roulette with the security of the American people. The
American people know better.
Wide majorities support comprehensive immigration reform, including
those in my home State of Texas. Majorities disagree with taking away
DACA for young kids who came here through no fault of their own.
{time} 1345
I will leave with you with this question to ponder, Mr. Speaker: What
do you tell somebody who was 3 years old when they were brought here to
the United States of America, knows no other country and no other
language but the English language, what do you tell that person when
you tell them that they have got to leave here? This is the only life
that they have ever known. How are they not as American as you and I?
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Gainesville, Georgia, Congressman Collins, a member of
the Rules Committee.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. I thank the chairman for yielding me the
time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in very strong support of this rule and the
underlying bills, many of which have not been discussed because we have
been discussing the one that is, frankly, the most effective and have
been discussing what the President has done and the funding issues. But
the one thing that I want to emphasize is what is not being discussed
here, and what is not being discussed is the simple opportunity to
restore constitutional checks and balances.
My friends across the aisle have talked about what question would you
want to talk about. Well, let's talk about immigration. When they had
the opportunity, they punted on that issue, so I wouldn't want to talk
about it if I were them either.
They want to talk about how we are going to leave the country in
jeopardy. No, we are not. The President can sign this bill, get back to
proper constitutional order, and then everything is funded; and there,
order is restored.
What I find amazing is the blame on running other things. And even
when we bring up this, some of my friends from across the aisle will
bring up, well, other Presidents have done it. Well, that reminds me of
what my mother used to say: If everybody jumped off the roof, would
you?
Just because it was wrong then does not make it right now.
It is time. And what people in America tell us all the time is it is
time for Congress to reassert its congressional authority. That is what
this is about. Throw the blame anywhere you want to, try to direct us,
but you are not deceiving the American people, as the speaker just
said. The American people do know the difference when you are trying to
misdirect them.
So this package of rules, these bills underneath, they get at the
heart of restoring constitutional order, of taking back regulations
that need to be rolled back so that our businesses can function, our
markets can function, and we can get back to doing exactly what we are
supposed to be in here doing.
So as long as we hear the distractions, I know the American people
aren't fooled because I am not fooled. I did what I have said I would
do--I came here to fight--back at the first of the year: to fight what
was being done around Congress and around this executive order. I will
continue that fight. That is the promise that we made to the American
people. That is the promise the Republicans are bringing forth. Jobs,
people, and kitchen table. That is what we are about. It is about what
the Founding Fathers said we would do.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Doggett).
Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, the Republicans offer a very clear
immigration plan today: Deportation now. Deportation tomorrow.
Deportation forever.
They don't just want to roll back what the President has recently
done with pro-family action; they would roll back previous protection
for our DREAMers, young adults brought here as children, who have so
much to offer. Republicans would deny them that opportunity, just as
they would deny an opportunity for families that pay their taxes, work
hard, and pass a criminal background check--they would deny them an
opportunity to stay together.
Republicans want to deport Pedro. Pedro is a young man who came to
America at age three. He excelled in school. He graduated near the top
of his class at the University of Texas. And he hopes to work for the
district attorney's office, securing our community from crime, or in
some other public service. This bill does not just deny
[[Page H246]]
opportunity to Pedro; it denies our entire community the opportunity to
benefit from his talents. I say let these DREAMers help us build a
better and stronger America.
Sadly, we have had so many broken promises in this House that the day
would come when people of goodwill in both parties could come together
and consider broader reform. Yet we are still denied that opportunity.
Republican leaders have apparently given up on resolving the broken
immigration system. They will stop at nothing to avoid doing anything.
This amended bill would deny the right to learn, the right to work.
It would deny hope for so many of these young people who pledge
allegiance to America, who have so much to offer. Pandering to angry
isolationists is not a sound immigration policy. It is not what this
country, where the Statue of Liberty stands so tall, is all about.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. POLIS. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.
Mr. DOGGETT. Vote for the dream, Mr. Speaker, and vote ``no'' on this
nightmare of an amended bill.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, but I
would like to ask how much time remains on both sides.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 3 minutes
remaining, and the gentleman from Colorado has 3\1/2\ minutes
remaining.
Mr. SESSIONS. I will reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. POLIS. I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the Republicans are playing partisan
games with our country's border security and our safety. By tacking on
unrelated immigration measures to a basic funding bill for Homeland
Security, they are putting us on a path that could shut down our
Department of Homeland Security and endanger the people of our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an
amendment to the rule that would allow the House to consider a clean
version of the Homeland Security bill.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the
amendment in the Record along with extraneous material immediately
prior to the vote on the previous question.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Colorado?
There was no objection.
Mr. POLIS. We do not need to start this new Congress going down a
path of legislative brinkmanship and crises of our own making. We
shouldn't be treating funding for our national security like a
political pawn.
There are differences of opinion about how to solve immigration.
There are differences of opinion about the President's actions. The
venue for taking out those disagreements is not to put the homeland
security of our country at risk. We don't have to attach these
controversial amendments to a must-pass bill to keep our borders
secure. We have no shortage of other things we should be focusing on.
There seems to be pent-up frustration about our broken immigration
system. I share that. Let's address our broken immigration system and
fix it and pass immigration reform. I tried to do that in the Rules
Committee yesterday. Unfortunately, that discussion is not allowed
under this rule, and I urge my colleagues to vote down the rule.
Instead, we are spending our time here in Congress with yet another
crisis of our own making. Instead of solving pressing issues, instead
of creating jobs, instead of protecting our homeland, we are putting a
bipartisan, important appropriations bill right smack in the middle of
an unrelated political fight.
The American people can no longer afford an immigration enforcement
system that spends extraordinary sums of money every year detaining and
deporting individuals with strong ties to their community and who pose
no meaningful threat to anyone. We should focus on criminals rather
than children. That is exactly what the President's actions do.
If the Republicans don't like it, we are happy to work with them to
address the underlying issues of immigration and why we have 11 million
people living here illegally in the first place. Until we do, this bill
doesn't solve a thing. But let's not get hung up over the side issue
and make sure that we continue to protect our homeland against a
terrorist threat.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' and defeat the
previous question. I urge a ``no'' vote on the rule, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mr. SESSIONS. I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, we are here because the law requires that the House of
Representatives pass funding bills. Today we are here because we are
going to fund Homeland Security, and that we are. We are going to fund
Homeland Security because every single member of this Republican
Conference, and I believe every single Member of this House,
understands how important Homeland Security funding is to protect this
country and our citizens.
But we also need to understand that the President of the United
States last year, and perhaps the year before, took actions which we
disagreed with, which I believe embarrassed this country, which I
believe we were unprepared to fulfill the responsibilities, and that is
directly related to issues of executive orders and ideas that he had
about illegal immigration.
Mr. Speaker, we are here because we feel passionately about the rule
of law and the Constitution of the United States. It is the President
of the United States who we believe has gone well past not only his
constitutional authority, but the authority that I believe is vested in
him: well and faithfully executing the laws of the country, which is
his oath of office.
So we have gathered together, united in support of this rule and the
underlying legislation. We are also going to follow the Constitution
and pass it here today and tomorrow with the bill and send it to the
United States Senate and let them deal with it.
Thank goodness we have Republican control in the Senate; otherwise,
it might not even be heard with the other 360 pieces of legislation
that the former head of the Senate decided not to take up in that body
to debate or to have a vote on.
So we stand today prepared to fight the President's unwise and
unconstitutional executive amnesty plan. It is time for this House to
fight, I believe, for what is a constitutional issue, and we are going
to politely do this. There was no screaming and yelling on our side. We
have great resolve. We have an understanding about what is in the best
interest of the United States.
So I urge my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying
legislation.
The material previously referred to by Mr. Polis is as follows:
An Amendment to H. Res. 27 Offered by Mr. Polis of Colorado
Strike section 3 and insert the following (and redesignate
subsequent sections accordingly):
Sec. 3. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution the
Speaker shall, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XVIII, declare
the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on
the state of the Union for consideration of the bill (H.R.
240) making appropriations for the Department of Homeland
Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015, and
for other purposes. The first reading of the bill shall be
dispensed with. All points of order against consideration of
the bill are waived. General debate shall be confined to the
bill and shall not exceed two hours equally divided and
controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the
Committee on Appropriations. After general debate the bill
shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule.
Points of order against provisions in the bill for failure to
comply with clause 2 of rule XXI are waived. When the
Committee of the Whole rises and reports the bill back to the
House with a recommendation that the bill do pass, the
previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill
and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening
motion except one motion to recommit with or without
instructions. If the Committee of the Whole rises and reports
that it has come to no resolution on the bill, then on the
next legislative day the House shall, immediately after the
third daily order of business under clause 1 of rule XIV,
resolve into the Committee of the Whole for further
consideration of the bill.
Sec. 4. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the
consideration of H.R. 240.
____
The Vote on the Previous Question: What It Really Means
This vote, the vote on whether to order the previous
question on a special rule, is not merely a procedural vote.
A vote against ordering the previous question is a vote
[[Page H247]]
against the Republican majority agenda and a vote to allow
the Democratic minority to offer an alternative plan. It is a
vote about what the House should be debating.
Mr. Clarence Cannon's Precedents of the House of
Representatives (VI, 308-311), describes the vote on the
previous question on the rule as ``a motion to direct or
control the consideration of the subject before the House
being made by the Member in charge.'' To defeat the previous
question is to give the opposition a chance to decide the
subject before the House. Cannon cites the Speaker's ruling
of January 13, 1920, to the effect that ``the refusal of the
House to sustain the demand for the previous question passes
the control of the resolution to the opposition'' in order to
offer an amendment. On March 15, 1909, a member of the
majority party offered a rule resolution. The House defeated
the previous question and a member of the opposition rose to
a parliamentary inquiry, asking who was entitled to
recognition. Speaker Joseph G. Cannon (R-Illinois) said:
``The previous question having been refused, the gentleman
from New York, Mr. Fitzgerald, who had asked the gentleman to
yield to him for an amendment, is entitled to the first
recognition.''
The Republican majority may say ``the vote on the previous
question is simply a vote on whether to proceed to an
immediate vote on adopting the resolution . . . [and] has no
substantive legislative or policy implications whatsoever.''
But that is not what they have always said. Listen to the
Republican Leadership Manual on the Legislative Process in
the United States House of Representatives, (6th edition,
page 135). Here's how the Republicans describe the previous
question vote in their own manual: ``Although it is generally
not possible to amend the rule because the majority Member
controlling the time will not yield for the purpose of
offering an amendment, the same result may be achieved by
voting down the previous question on the rule . . . When the
motion for the previous question is defeated, control of the
time passes to the Member who led the opposition to ordering
the previous question. That Member, because he then controls
the time, may offer an amendment to the rule, or yield for
the purpose of amendment.''
In Deschler's Procedure in the U.S. House of
Representatives, the subchapter titled ``Amending Special
Rules'' states: ``a refusal to order the previous question on
such a rule [a special rule reported from the Committee on
Rules] opens the resolution to amendment and further
debate.'' (Chapter 21, section 21.2) Section 21.3 continues:
``Upon rejection of the motion for the previous question on a
resolution reported from the Committee on Rules, control
shifts to the Member leading the opposition to the previous
question, who may offer a proper amendment or motion and who
controls the time for debate thereon.''
Clearly, the vote on the previous question on a rule does
have substantive policy implications. It is one of the only
available tools for those who oppose the Republican
majority's agenda and allows those with alternative views the
opportunity to offer an alternative plan.
Mr. SESSIONS. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the
previous question on the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous
question.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 and clause 9 of rule
XX, this 15-minute vote on ordering the previous question will be
followed by 5-minute votes on adopting the resolution, if ordered, and
agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 242,
nays 181, not voting 9, as follows:
[Roll No. 20]
YEAS--242
Abraham
Aderholt
Allen
Amash
Amodei
Babin
Barletta
Barr
Barton
Benishek
Bilirakis
Bishop (MI)
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Blum
Bost
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Brat
Bridenstine
Brooks (AL)
Brooks (IN)
Buchanan
Buck
Bucshon
Burgess
Byrne
Calvert
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Chabot
Chaffetz
Clawson (FL)
Coffman
Cole
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Comstock
Conaway
Cook
Costello (PA)
Cramer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Culberson
Curbelo (FL)
Davis, Rodney
Denham
Dent
DeSantis
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Dold
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Ellmers
Emmer
Farenthold
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Garrett
Gibbs
Gibson
Gohmert
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Griffith
Grothman
Guinta
Guthrie
Hanna
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Heck (NV)
Hensarling
Herrera Beutler
Hice (GA)
Hill
Holding
Hudson
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurd (TX)
Hurt (VA)
Issa
Jenkins (KS)
Jenkins (WV)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jolly
Jones
Jordan
Joyce
Katko
Kelly (PA)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kinzinger (IL)
Kline
Knight
Labrador
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Lance
Latta
LoBiondo
Long
Loudermilk
Love
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lummis
MacArthur
Marchant
Marino
Massie
McCarthy
McCaul
McClintock
McHenry
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
McSally
Meadows
Meehan
Messer
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Moolenaar
Mooney (WV)
Mullin
Mulvaney
Murphy (PA)
Neugebauer
Newhouse
Noem
Nunes
Olson
Palazzo
Palmer
Paulsen
Pearce
Perry
Pittenger
Pitts
Poe (TX)
Poliquin
Pompeo
Posey
Price (GA)
Ratcliffe
Reed
Reichert
Renacci
Ribble
Rice (SC)
Rigell
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney (FL)
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Rouzer
Royce
Russell
Ryan (WI)
Salmon
Sanford
Scalise
Schock
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Stefanik
Stewart
Stivers
Stutzman
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tipton
Trott
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walker
Walorski
Walters, Mimi
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Williams
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Woodall
Yoder
Yoho
Young (AK)
Young (IA)
Young (IN)
Zeldin
Zinke
NAYS--181
Adams
Aguilar
Ashford
Bass
Beatty
Becerra
Bera
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Boyle (PA)
Brady (PA)
Brown (FL)
Brownley (CA)
Bustos
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardenas
Carney
Carson (IN)
Cartwright
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu (CA)
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Courtney
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny
DeFazio
DeGette
Delaney
DeLauro
DelBene
DeSaulnier
Deutch
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle (PA)
Edwards
Ellison
Engel
Eshoo
Esty
Farr
Fattah
Foster
Frankel (FL)
Fudge
Gabbard
Gallego
Graham
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hahn
Hastings
Heck (WA)
Higgins
Himes
Hinojosa
Honda
Hoyer
Huffman
Israel
Jackson Lee
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilmer
Kind
Kirkpatrick
Kuster
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lawrence
Lee
Levin
Lewis
Lieu (CA)
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lofgren
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lujan Grisham (NM)
Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
Lynch
Maloney, Carolyn
Maloney, Sean
Matsui
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Moore
Moulton
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Nolan
Norcross
O'Rourke
Pallone
Pascrell
Payne
Pelosi
Peters
Peterson
Pingree
Pocan
Polis
Price (NC)
Quigley
Rangel
Rice (NY)
Richmond
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schrader
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Sewell (AL)
Sherman
Sinema
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Speier
Swalwell (CA)
Takai
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tonko
Torres
Tsongas
Van Hollen
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walz
Waters, Maxine
Watson Coleman
Welch
Wilson (FL)
Yarmuth
NOT VOTING--10
Cleaver
Duckworth
Garamendi
Hardy
Nugent
Nunnelee
Perlmutter
Ryan (OH)
Titus
Wasserman Schultz
=========================== NOTE ===========================
January 13, 2015, on page H247, the following appeared: NOT
VOTING--9 Cleaver Duckworth Garamendi Hardy Nugent Perlmutter Ryan
(OH) Titus Wasserman Schultz
The online version should be corrected to read: NOT VOTING--10
Cleaver Duckworth Garamendi Hardy Nugent Nunnelee Perlmutter Ryan
(OH) Titus Wasserman Schultz
========================= END NOTE =========================
{time} 1421
Mrs. DINGELL changed her vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Mrs. LUMMIS changed her vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the previous question was ordered.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Westmoreland). The question is on the
resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Recorded Vote
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
A recorded vote was ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 242,
noes 180, not voting 10, as follows:
[[Page H248]]
[Roll No. 21]
AYES--242
Abraham
Aderholt
Allen
Amash
Babin
Barletta
Barr
Barton
Benishek
Bilirakis
Bishop (MI)
Black
Blackburn
Blum
Bost
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Brat
Bridenstine
Brooks (AL)
Brooks (IN)
Buchanan
Buck
Bucshon
Burgess
Byrne
Calvert
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Chabot
Chaffetz
Clawson (FL)
Coffman
Cole
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Comstock
Conaway
Cook
Costello (PA)
Cramer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Culberson
Curbelo (FL)
Davis, Rodney
Denham
Dent
DeSantis
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Dold
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Ellmers
Emmer
Farenthold
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Garrett
Gibbs
Gibson
Gohmert
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Griffith
Grothman
Guinta
Guthrie
Hanna
Hardy
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Heck (NV)
Hensarling
Herrera Beutler
Hice (GA)
Hill
Holding
Hudson
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurd (TX)
Hurt (VA)
Issa
Jenkins (KS)
Jenkins (WV)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jolly
Jones
Jordan
Joyce
Katko
Kelly (PA)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kinzinger (IL)
Kline
Knight
Labrador
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Lance
Latta
LoBiondo
Long
Loudermilk
Love
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lummis
MacArthur
Marchant
Marino
Massie
McCarthy
McCaul
McClintock
McHenry
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
McSally
Meadows
Meehan
Messer
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Moolenaar
Mooney (WV)
Mullin
Mulvaney
Murphy (PA)
Neugebauer
Newhouse
Noem
Nugent
Nunes
Olson
Palazzo
Palmer
Paulsen
Pearce
Perry
Pittenger
Pitts
Poe (TX)
Poliquin
Pompeo
Posey
Price (GA)
Ratcliffe
Reed
Reichert
Renacci
Ribble
Rice (SC)
Rigell
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney (FL)
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Rouzer
Royce
Russell
Ryan (WI)
Salmon
Sanford
Scalise
Schock
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Sinema
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Stefanik
Stewart
Stivers
Stutzman
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tipton
Trott
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walker
Walorski
Walters, Mimi
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Williams
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Woodall
Yoder
Yoho
Young (AK)
Young (IA)
Young (IN)
Zeldin
NOES--180
Adams
Aguilar
Ashford
Bass
Beatty
Becerra
Bera
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Boyle (PA)
Brady (PA)
Brown (FL)
Brownley (CA)
Bustos
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardenas
Carney
Carson (IN)
Cartwright
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu (CA)
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Courtney
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny
DeFazio
DeGette
Delaney
DeLauro
DelBene
DeSaulnier
Deutch
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle (PA)
Edwards
Ellison
Engel
Eshoo
Esty
Farr
Fattah
Foster
Frankel (FL)
Fudge
Gabbard
Gallego
Graham
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hahn
Hastings
Heck (WA)
Higgins
Himes
Hinojosa
Honda
Hoyer
Huffman
Israel
Jackson Lee
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilmer
Kind
Kirkpatrick
Kuster
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lawrence
Lee
Levin
Lewis
Lieu (CA)
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lofgren
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lujan Grisham (NM)
Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
Lynch
Maloney, Carolyn
Maloney, Sean
Matsui
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Moore
Moulton
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Nolan
Norcross
O'Rourke
Pallone
Pascrell
Payne
Pelosi
Peters
Peterson
Pingree
Pocan
Polis
Price (NC)
Quigley
Rangel
Rice (NY)
Richmond
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schrader
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Sewell (AL)
Sherman
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Speier
Swalwell (CA)
Takai
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tonko
Torres
Tsongas
Van Hollen
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walz
Waters, Maxine
Watson Coleman
Welch
Wilson (FL)
Yarmuth
NOT VOTING--11
Amodei
Bishop (UT)
Cleaver
Duckworth
Garamendi
Nunnelee
Perlmutter
Ryan (OH)
Titus
Wasserman Schultz
Zinke
=========================== NOTE ===========================
January 13, 2015, on page H248, the following appeared: NOT
VOTING--10 Amodei Bishop (UT) Cleaver Duckworth Garamendi
Perlmutter Ryan (OH) Titus Wasserman Schultz Zinke
The online version should be corrected to read: NOT VOTING--11
Amodei Bishop (UT) Cleaver Duckworth Garamendi Nunnelee Perlmutter
Ryan (OH) Titus Wasserman Schultz Zinke
========================= END NOTE =========================
Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore
The SPEAKER pro tempore (during the vote). There are 2 minutes
remaining.
{time} 1430
Mr. DeSAULNIER changed his vote from ``aye'' to ``no.''
Ms. STEFANIK changed her vote from ``no'' to ``aye.''
So the resolution was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________