[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 142 (Wednesday, September 30, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H6731-H6738]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TSA OFFICE OF INSPECTION ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2015
General Leave
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 719, and that I may
include tabular material on the same.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Kentucky?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution
448, I call up the bill (H.R. 719) to require the Transportation
Security Administration to conform to existing Federal law and
regulations regarding criminal investigator positions, and for other
purposes, with the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the
Senate amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the Senate
amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment.
The text of the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate
amendment is as follows:
=========================== NOTE ===========================
September 30, 2015, on page H6731, the following appeared:
Senate amendment to House amendment to Senate amendment:
The online version should be corrected to read: The text of the
Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment is
as follows:
========================= END NOTE =========================
At the end add the following:
The following sums are hereby appropriated, out of any money
in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of
applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds,
for the several departments, agencies, corporations, and
other organizational units of Government for fiscal year
2016, and for other purposes, namely:
Sec. 101. (a) Such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate
for operations as provided in the applicable appropriations
Acts for fiscal year 2015 and under the authority and
conditions provided in such Acts, for continuing projects or
activities (including the costs of direct loans and loan
guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for
in this Act, that were conducted in fiscal year 2015, and for
which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made
available in the following appropriations Acts:
(1) The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015
(division A of Public Law 113-235), except section 743 and
title VIII.
(2) The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2015 (division B of Public Law 113-235).
(3) The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2015
(division C of Public Law 113-235), except title X.
(4) The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2015 (division D of Public Law 113-235).
(5) The Financial Services and General Government
Appropriations Act, 2015 (division E of Public Law 113-235).
(6) The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act,
2015 (Public Law 114-4).
(7) The Department of the Interior, Environment, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 (division F of
Public Law 113-235).
(8) The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015
(division G of Public Law 113-235), except title VI.
(9) The Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2015
(division H of Public Law 113-235).
(10) The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 (division I of
Public Law 113-235).
(11) The Department of State, Foreign Operations, and
Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2015 (division J of
Public Law 113-235), except title IX.
(12) The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 (division K of
Public Law 113-235).
(13) Section 11 of the Consolidated and Further Continuing
Appropriations Act, 2015 (Public Law 113-235).
(b) The rate for operations provided by subsection (a) is
hereby reduced by 0.2108 percent.
Sec. 102. (a) No appropriation or funds made available or
authority granted pursuant to section 101 for the Department
of Defense shall be used for: (1) the new production of items
not funded for production in fiscal year 2015 or prior years;
(2) the increase in production rates above those sustained
with fiscal year 2015 funds; or (3) the initiation,
resumption, or continuation of any project, activity,
operation, or organization (defined as any project,
subproject, activity, budget activity, program element, and
subprogram within a program element, and for any investment
items defined as a P-1 line item in a budget activity within
an appropriation account and an R-1 line item that includes a
program element and subprogram element within an
appropriation account) for which appropriations, funds, or
other authority were not available during fiscal year 2015.
(b) No appropriation or funds made available or authority
granted pursuant to section 101 for the Department of Defense
shall be used to initiate multi-year procurements utilizing
advance procurement funding for economic order quantity
procurement unless specifically appropriated later.
Sec. 103. Appropriations made by section 101 shall be
available to the extent and in the manner that would be
provided by the pertinent appropriations Act.
Sec. 104. Except as otherwise provided in section 102, no
appropriation or funds made available or authority granted
pursuant to section 101 shall be used to initiate or resume
any project or activity for which appropriations, funds, or
other authority were not available during fiscal year 2015.
Sec. 105. Appropriations made and authority granted
pursuant to this Act shall cover all obligations or
expenditures incurred for any project or activity during the
period for which funds or authority for such project or
activity are available under this Act.
Sec. 106. Unless otherwise provided for in this Act or in
the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2016,
appropriations and funds made available and authority granted
pursuant to this Act shall be available until whichever of
the following first occurs: (1) the enactment into law of an
appropriation for any project or activity provided for in
this Act; (2) the enactment into law of the applicable
appropriations Act for fiscal year 2016 without any provision
for such project or activity; or (3) December 11, 2015.
Sec. 107. Expenditures made pursuant to this Act shall be
charged to the applicable appropriation, fund, or
authorization whenever a bill in which such applicable
appropriation, fund, or authorization is contained is enacted
into law.
Sec. 108. Appropriations made and funds made available by
or authority granted pursuant to this Act may be used without
regard to the time limitations for submission and approval of
apportionments set forth in section 1513 of title 31, United
States Code, but nothing in this
[[Page H6732]]
Act may be construed to waive any other provision of law
governing the apportionment of funds.
Sec. 109. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
except section 106, for those programs that would otherwise
have high initial rates of operation or complete distribution
of appropriations at the beginning of fiscal year 2016
because of distributions of funding to States, foreign
countries, grantees, or others, such high initial rates of
operation or complete distribution shall not be made, and no
grants shall be awarded for such programs funded by this Act
that would impinge on final funding prerogatives.
Sec. 110. This Act shall be implemented so that only the
most limited funding action of that permitted in the Act
shall be taken in order to provide for continuation of
projects and activities.
Sec. 111. (a) For entitlements and other mandatory payments
whose budget authority was provided in appropriations Acts
for fiscal year 2015, and for activities under the Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008, activities shall be continued at the
rate to maintain program levels under current law, under the
authority and conditions provided in the applicable
appropriations Act for fiscal year 2015, to be continued
through the date specified in section 106(3).
(b) Notwithstanding section 106, obligations for mandatory
payments due on or about the first day of any month that
begins after October 2015 but not later than 30 days after
the date specified in section 106(3) may continue to be made,
and funds shall be available for such payments.
Sec. 112. Amounts made available under section 101 for
civilian personnel compensation and benefits in each
department and agency may be apportioned up to the rate for
operations necessary to avoid furloughs within such
department or agency, consistent with the applicable
appropriations Act for fiscal year 2015, except that such
authority provided under this section shall not be used until
after the department or agency has taken all necessary
actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related
administrative expenses.
Sec. 113. Funds appropriated by this Act may be obligated
and expended notwithstanding section 10 of Public Law 91-672
(22 U.S.C. 2412), section 15 of the State Department Basic
Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2680), section 313 of the
Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and
1995 (22 U.S.C. 6212), and section 504(a)(1) of the National
Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3094(a)(1)).
Sec. 114. (a) Each amount incorporated by reference in this
Act that was previously designated by the Congress for
Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism
pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 or as being for
disaster relief pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D) of such Act
is designated by the Congress for Overseas Contingency
Operations/Global War on Terrorism pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(A) of such Act or as being for disaster relief
pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D) of such Act, respectively.
(b) The reduction in section 101(b) of this Act shall not
apply to--
(1) amounts designated under subsection (a) of this
section; or
(2) amounts made available by section 101(a) by reference
to the second paragraph under the heading ``Social Security
Administration--Limitation on Administrative Expenses'' in
division G of Public Law 113-235; or
(3) amounts made available by section 101(a) by reference
to the paragraph under the heading ``Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services--Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control
Account'' in division G of Public Law 113-235.
(c) Section 6 of Public Law 113-235 shall apply to amounts
designated in subsection (a) for Overseas Contingency
Operations/Global War on Terrorism.
Sec. 115. During the period covered by this Act,
discretionary amounts appropriated for fiscal year 2016 that
were provided in advance by appropriations Acts shall be
available in the amounts provided in such Acts, reduced by
the percentage in section 101(b).
Sec. 116. Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are
provided for ``Department of Agriculture--Domestic Food
Programs--Food and Nutrition Service--Commodity Assistance
Program'' at a rate for operations of $288,317,000, of which
$221,298,000 shall be for the Commodity Supplemental Food
Program.
Sec. 117. Amounts made available by section 101 for
``Department of Agriculture--Rural Housing Service--Rental
Assistance Program'' may be apportioned up to the rate for
operations necessary to pay ongoing debt service for the
multi-family direct loan programs under sections 514 and 515
of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1484 and 1485):
Provided, That the Secretary may waive the prohibition in the
second proviso under such heading in division A of Public Law
113-235 with respect to rental assistance contracts entered
into or renewed during fiscal year 2015.
Sec. 118. Amounts made available by section 101 for
``Department of Commerce--National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration--Procurement, Acquisition and Construction''
may be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to
maintain the planned launch schedules for the Joint Polar
Satellite System.
Sec. 119. (a) The first proviso under the heading ``United
States Marshals Service--Federal Prisoner Detention'' in
title II of division B of Public Law 113-235 shall not apply
during the period covered by this Act.
(b) The limitation in section 217(c) of division B of
Public Law 113-235 on the amount of excess unobligated
balances available under section 524(c)(8)(E) of title 28,
United States Code, shall not apply under this Act to the use
of such funds for ``United States Marshals Service--Federal
Prisoner Detention''.
Sec. 120. (a) The authority regarding closeout of Space
Shuttle contracts and associated programs provided by
language under the heading ``National Aeronautics and Space
Administration--Administrative Provisions'' in the Omnibus
Appropriations Act, 2009 (Public Law 111-8) shall continue in
effect through fiscal year 2021.
(b) This section shall be applied as if it were in effect
on September 30, 2015.
Sec. 121. (a) Notwithstanding section 1552 of title 31,
United States Code, funds made available, including funds
that have expired but have not been cancelled, and identified
by Treasury Appropriation Fund Symbol 13-09/10-0554 shall
remain available for expenditure through fiscal year 2020 for
the purpose of liquidating valid obligations of active
grants.
(b) For the purpose of subsection (a), grants for which the
period of performance has expired but are not finally closed
out shall be considered active grants.
(c) This section shall be applied as if it were in effect
on September 30, 2015.
Sec. 122. The following provisions shall be applied by
substituting ``2016'' for ``2015'' through the earlier of the
date specified in section 106(3) of this Act or the date of
the enactment of an Act authorizing appropriations for fiscal
year 2016 for military activities of the Department of
Defense:
(1) Section 1215(f)(1) of the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Public Law 112-81; 10
U.S.C. 113 note), as most recently amended by section 1237 of
the Carl Levin and Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 113-291).
(2) Section 127b(c)(3)(C) of title 10, United States Code.
Sec. 123. (a) Funds made available by section 101 for
``Department of Energy--Energy Programs--Uranium Enrichment
Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund'' may be apportioned
up to the rate for operations necessary to avoid disruption
of continuing projects or activities funded in this
appropriation.
(b) The Secretary of Energy shall notify the Committees on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate
not later than 3 days after each use of the authority
provided in subsection (a).
Sec. 124. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
except section 106, the District of Columbia may expend local
funds under the heading ``District of Columbia Funds'' for
such programs and activities under the District of Columbia
Appropriations Act, 2015 (title IV of division E of Public
Law 113-235) at the rate set forth under ``District of
Columbia Funds--Summary of Expenses'' as included in the
Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request Act of 2015 (D.C. Act 21-99),
as modified as of the date of the enactment of this Act.
Sec. 125. Notwithstanding section 101, no funds are
provided by this Act for ``Recovery Accountability and
Transparency Board--Salaries and Expenses''.
Sec. 126. Amounts made available by section 101 for
``Small Business Administration--Business Loans Program
Account'' may be apportioned up to the rate for operations
necessary to accommodate increased demand for commitments for
general business loans authorized under section 7(a) of the
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)).
Sec. 127. Sections 1101(a) and 1104(a)(2)(A) of the
Internet Tax Freedom Act (title XI of division C of Public
Law 105-277; 47 U.S.C. 151 note) shall be applied by
substituting the date specified in section 106(3) of this Act
for ``October 1, 2015''.
Sec. 128. Section 101 shall be applied by assuming that
section 7 of Public Law 113-235 was enacted as part of title
VII of division E of Public Law 113-235.
Sec. 129. The authority provided by section 831 of the
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 391) shall continue
in effect through the date specified in section 106(3) of
this Act.
Sec. 130. Section 401(b) of the Illegal Immigration Reform
and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1324a
note) shall be applied by substituting the date specified in
section 106(3) of this Act for ``September 30, 2015''.
Sec. 131. Section 610(b) of the Departments of Commerce,
Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 1993 (8 U.S.C. 1153 note) shall be
applied by substituting the date specified in section 106(3)
of this Act for ``September 30, 2015''.
Sec. 132. Subclauses 101(a)(27)(C)(ii)(II) and (III) of
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1101(a)(27)(C)(ii)(II) and (III)) shall be applied by
substituting the date specified in section 106(3) of this Act
for ``September 30, 2015''.
Sec. 133. Section 220(c) of the Immigration and
Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 (8 U.S.C. 1182
note) shall be applied by substituting the date specified in
section 106(3) of this Act for ``September 30, 2015''.
Sec. 134. Section 810 of the Federal Lands Recreation
Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6809) is amended by striking all
that follows after ``shall terminate'' and inserting
``September 30, 2017.''.
Sec. 135. In addition to the amount otherwise provided by
section 101 for ``Department of Agriculture--Forest Service--
Wildland Fire Management'', there is appropriated
$700,000,000 for an additional amount for fiscal year 2016,
to remain available until expended, for urgent wildland fire
suppression activities: Provided, That such funds shall only
become available if funds previously provided for wildland
fire suppression will be exhausted imminently and the
Secretary of Agriculture notifies the Committees on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate
in writing of the need for these additional funds: Provided
further, That such funds are also available for transfer to
other appropriations accounts to repay amounts previously
transferred for wildfire suppression:
[[Page H6733]]
Provided further, That such amount is designated by the
Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985, except that such amount shall be
available only if the President subsequently so designates
such amount and transmits such designation to the Congress.
Sec. 136. The authorities provided by sections 117 and 123
of division G of Public Law 113-76 shall continue in effect
through the date specified in section 106(3) of this Act.
Sec. 137. (a) The authority provided by subsection (m)(3)
of section 8162 of the Department of Defense Appropriations
Act, 2000 (40 U.S.C. 8903 note; Public Law 106-79) shall
continue in effect through the date specified in section
106(3) of this Act.
(b) For the period covered by this Act, the authority
provided by the provisos under the heading ``Dwight D.
Eisenhower Memorial Commission--Capital Construction'' in
division E of Public Law 112-74 shall not be in effect.
Sec. 138. Section 3096(2) of the Carl Levin and Howard P.
``Buck'' McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2015 is amended by inserting ``for fiscal year 2015''
after ``$37,000,000''.
Sec. 139. Funds made available in prior appropriations
Acts for construction and renovation of facilities for the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may also be used
for construction on leased land.
Sec. 140. Subsection (b) of section 163 of Public Law 111-
242, as amended, is further amended by striking ``2015-2016''
and inserting ``2016-2017''.
Sec. 141. Section 101 shall be applied by assuming that
section 139 of Public Law 113-164 was enacted as part of
division G of Public Law 113-235, and section 139 of Public
Law 113-164 shall be applied by adding at the end the
following: ``and of the unobligated balance of amounts
deposited or available in the Child Enrollment Contingency
Fund from appropriations to the Fund under section
2104(n)(2)(A)(i) of the Social Security Act and the income
derived from investment of those funds pursuant to
2104(n)(2)(C) of that Act, $1,664,000,000 is rescinded''.
Sec. 142. Section 114(f) of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011c(f)) shall be applied by substituting
the date specified in section 106(3) of this Act for
``September 30, 2015''.
Sec. 143. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
there is appropriated for payment to Tori B. Nunnelee, widow
of Alan Nunnelee, late a Representative from the State of
Mississippi, $174,000.
Sec. 144. Of the discretionary unobligated balances of the
Department of Veterans Affairs from fiscal year 2015 or prior
fiscal years, or discretionary amounts appropriated in
advance for fiscal year 2016, the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs may transfer up to $625,000,000 to ``Department of
Veterans Affairs--Departmental Administration--Construction,
Major Projects'', to be merged with the amounts available in
such account: Provided, That no amounts may be transferred
from amounts that were designated by the Congress as an
emergency requirement pursuant to the Concurrent Resolution
on the Budget, the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985, or the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of
2010: Provided further, That no amounts may be transferred
until the Secretary submits to the Committees on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate
a request for, and receives from the Committees written
approval of, such transfers: Provided further, That the
Secretary shall specify in such request the donor account and
amount of each proposed transfer, the fiscal year of each
appropriation to be transferred, the amount of unobligated
balances remaining in the account after the transfer, and the
project or program impact of the transfer.
Sec. 145. Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are
provided for ``Department of Veterans Affairs--Departmental
Administration--General Operating Expenses, Veterans Benefits
Administration'' at a rate for operations of $2,697,734,000.
Sec. 146. Notwithstanding section 101, section 226(a) of
division I of Public Law 113-235 shall be applied to amounts
made available by this Act by substituting ``division I of
Public Law 113-235'' for ``division J of Public Law 113-76''
and by substituting ``2015'' for ``2014''.
Sec. 147. Section 209 of the International Religious
Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6436) shall be applied by
substituting the date specified in section 106(3) of this Act
for ``September 30, 2015''.
Sec. 148. Amounts made available by section 101 for
``Broadcasting Board of Governors--International Broadcasting
Operations'', ``Bilateral Economic Assistance--Funds
Appropriated to the President--Economic Support Fund'',
``International Security Assistance--Department of State--
International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement'',
``International Security Assistance--Department of State--
Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining and Related
Programs'', and ``International Security Assistance--Funds
Appropriated to the President--Foreign Military Financing
Program'' shall be obligated at a rate for operations as
necessary to sustain assistance for Ukraine to counter
external, regional aggression and influence, including for
the costs of authorized loan guarantees.
Sec. 149. Section 1334 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and
Restructuring Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6553) shall be applied
by substituting the date specified in section 106(3) of this
Act for ``October 1, 2015''.
Sec. 150. (a) Funds made available by section 101 for
``Department of Housing and Urban Development--Management and
Administration--Administrative Support Offices'' may be
apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to
maintain the planned schedule for the New Core Shared
Services Project.
(b) Not later than 3 days before the first use of the
apportionment authority in subsection (a), each 30 days
thereafter, and 3 days after the authority expires under this
Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall
submit to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives and the Senate a report specifying each use
of the authority through the date of the report.
This Act may be cited as the ``Continuing Appropriations
Act, 2016''.
Motion Offered by Mr. Rogers of Kentucky
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the motion.
The text of the motion is as follows:
Mr. Rogers of Kentucky moves that the House concur in the
Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate
amendment to H.R. 719.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 448, the motion
shall be debatable for 1 hour equally divided and controlled by the
chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations.
The gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers) and the gentlewoman from New
York (Mrs. Lowey) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present H.R. 719, a short-term
continuing resolution to keep the government open and operating after
the end of the fiscal year on September 30.
This necessary measure funds government and services at the current
rate through December 11 of this year. As in previous years, the CR
also includes a small across-the-board reduction to keep within the
fiscal year 2016 cap level set by the Budget Control Act.
Mr. Speaker, this is a responsible measure that prevents a harmful
government shutdown, while allowing time for a larger budget agreement
to be reached, and time to complete the full year appropriations work
for 2016.
It also includes a few responsible provisions to prevent disastrous,
irreversible damage to government programs or to address current urgent
needs. These changes are limited in scope and noncontroversial. For
instance, these provisions extend the authority for critical Department
of Defense activities that fight terrorism, increase funding for the
Department of Veterans Affairs to help address the disability claims
backlog, and provide emergency funding to the Forest Service to help
respond to the disastrous wildfires that are devastating our Western
States.
While I firmly believe this legislation is the best path forward at
this time, it is also my strong opinion that Congress should do its job
and enact actual, line-by-line, separate appropriations bills ahead of
our September 30 deadline. Clearly, this is not an option at this time,
so we must resort to a temporary measure like this CR.
A CR doesn't reflect our most current budgetary needs. It creates
uncertainty across the whole government and does not adequately address
our national security obligations, and it causes needless waste when
taxpayer dollars are spent inefficiently and ineffectively.
So it is to my great dismay, Mr. Speaker, that we have arrived at
this point once again requiring a temporary Band-aid to buy us time to
do our constitutionally mandated duty.
The House this year got off to a great start--beginning our
appropriations work at the earliest date since 1974--the current Budget
Control Act's anniversary--and passing six of our 12 bills by July of
this year. My committee reported out all 12 bills for the first time
since 2009. And yet, the Senate refuses to act, giving us no choice but
to try a continuing resolution.
{time} 1515
But now, with progress stalled, it is clear that all sides must come
together to find some sort of agreement that addresses our current
fiscal situation in a comprehensive way. This CR, while not ideal, is
the next step toward that end, keeping the government's lights on as we
work to find a solution.
With current funding set to expire just hours from now, I urge my
colleagues to do the responsible and reasonable thing and support this
continuing resolution today.
[[Page H6734]]
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, we may temporarily avert this most recent crisis if we
can get this bill to the President tonight, just hours before the
entire Federal Government shuts down, but it is certainly not a cause
for celebration.
This very short-term continuing resolution avoids the most immediate
crisis. But what is step two? After we enact this stopgap measure, are
there any firm plans to begin negotiating the full-year appropriations
bills we should be passing today? I remain deeply concerned about the
potential of finding ourselves facing a government shutdown again in
December.
The stakes are very high. We have an economy that is genuinely
recovering. Unemployment is down. Economic growth is up. But we still
have progress to make. The uncertainty and unnecessary tumult of
playing games right up to the brink of a government shutdown is not
helpful to our fragile economy. The last shutdown cost the economy $24
billion in GDP, according to Standard & Poor's.
This continuing resolution buys us 10 weeks and takes care of only a
handful of the most pressing Federal responsibilities: Provides
desperately needed emergency firefighting funds to address the
cataclysmic fires raging in the West; provides additional resources for
processing disability claims at the Veterans Administration; increases
the authorization in the Small Business Loan Guarantee Program to
ensure new loans can be administered to help small businesses across
the country; and extends several expiring authorizations for programs
within the Department of Homeland Security.
Notably, the continuing resolution does not address other key
priorities that could bolster our economy, such as the expired
authority of the Export-Import Bank, which has created or sustained 1.5
million private sector jobs at no cost to the taxpayer since 2007 and
supported billions in American economic activity.
By settling on this short-term extension, we fail to provide proposed
increases for medical research at the National Institutes of Health and
the Nation's aging transportation system and infrastructure. The
President's request for defense funding is shortchanged, which would
put our national security at risk in a long-term CR.
Leaving our Federal agencies on autopilot without the line-by-line,
year-by-year adjustments that should come from this committee and this
Congress is irresponsible and hurts our ability to grow our economy,
create jobs, and give hard-working families the services they need.
Yet, with the Republican dysfunction that has driven a change in the
majority's leadership on the brink of a government shutdown, the
prospects for forging a reasonable, responsible solution by December
are not good.
One more indication of the dire outlook is the cynical gimmick--an
``enrollment correction''--the majority has put forward today to
supposedly defund Planned Parenthood. Fortunately, it will have no
practical effect on the CR for two reasons. First, the Senate will
ignore it. Second, there is no need for a correction since, as my
friend Mr. Cole noted this weekend, ``there is no money'' in the CR for
Planned Parenthood. PolitiFact even confirmed this claim.
I will strongly oppose this attack on women's health today as I
support the temporary continuing resolution and urge all of my
colleagues to do the same so we can at least avoid a worst-case
scenario.
But I again implore outgoing and incoming Republican leadership to
please engage with the President and House Democrats immediately on an
agreement to replace the sequester-level caps, avert the next crisis
just weeks away, stop playing political games with women's health, and
invest in American economic growth and security.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), a very valued member
of my committee who happens also to be the chairman of the Labor HHS
Subcommittee.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, first, I want to begin by congratulating both
my chairman and my ranking member for the exceptional job they have
done this year in getting all 12 appropriations bills through the full
committee for the first time since 2009. So we really have on the
Appropriations Committee done our work. Six of those bills have come
across the floor.
And, frankly, I think we would have had more across the floor if our
friends in the Senate, who are blocked by the Democratic minority, had
an opportunity to bring their bills to the floor. I think we are here,
in part, because the inaction by the minority in the United States
Senate has ground the whole process to a halt.
But I am very pleased to see both my chairman and my ranking member
here making the argument to keep the government funded. I think we all
know that shutting down the government is always a mistake. It is a
political mistake, frankly, for people that want to use it to achieve
some political tactic.
But, more importantly, it is simply the wrong thing to do for the
American people. They send us here expecting us to get our work done.
The fact that some amongst us has kept that from happening is
regrettable and I think a disservice to all of our constituents.
I also believe, in this particular case, that we have an opportunity,
if we pass this continuing resolution for those that are, as I like to
say appropriately, above our pay grade--that is, the President, the
Speaker, the majority leader, and the two minority leaders--to have
time to negotiate the framework for a larger deal, for a larger
understanding, that would allow us to move ahead and actually have an
omnibus bill where we actually--not as good as moving it across the
floor--but had a large bill where we looked at every line, we made
concessions to one another, we made agreements, we moved the ball
forward, and it could open up a possibility for a normal appropriations
process next year.
In that regard, I was very heartened by Majority Leader McConnell's
recent remarks that he is interested in a 2-year deal, somewhat similar
to Ryan-Murray in terms of its duration. Again, that would allow this
House next year to move appropriations bills across the floor one at a
time in a give-and-take bipartisan manner. I think that is
extraordinarily important.
If you look at where this committee was at in terms of frozen
activity before my good friend, the chairman, became the chairman, he
and, again, with my good friend, the gentlewoman from New York, have
brought us back a long, long way. If we don't finish that journey in
the next 2\1/2\ months, we have got several things that are going to
happen, the worst of which will be a sequester of $40 billion, roughly,
on the American military.
That is an unacceptable outcome. And, frankly, that is something that
the Commander in Chief and the respective leaders on both sides of the
aisle in this body need to make sure doesn't happen.
I promise you, if the administration, the Senate, and the House can
get to a larger agreement, I have no doubt that my chairman and my
ranking member and their counterparts in the United States Senate will
then introduce a normal negotiating process and we will get to the
right place.
So we have a moment, an opening, a little bit of bipartisanship here.
I would expect, when this bill is actually voted on, we will have large
majorities on both sides of the aisle that actually support it.
So I urge the other Members--again, both Democrat and Republican--to
seize this opportunity, to not just focus on where there are
differences, but focus here where we have come together, bought the
time, and then, frankly, where they can use their influence on both
sides of the aisle in both Chambers and with the President to make sure
that an adequate deal is arrived at and that we spare the country and
certainly the men and women in uniform that defend us each and every
day from the agony of dealing with a second sequester.
This is not the time for that to happen. It is a dangerous world. We
have not Russia relitigating the borders of Eastern Europe. We have got
China building islands in the South China Sea. We have got ISIL having
established a caliphate of sorts in the Middle East. We have a
dangerous Iran.
The worst thing in the world would be to not do this CR and then not
carry
[[Page H6735]]
it through to a fuller agreement and undercut our military. So I think
the stakes of what we are doing are very, very high here.
I want to conclude again by commending my chairman and commending our
ranking member for working together, as they have this entire year, so
we could get our bills across, as they are doing now in this process,
to buy our leaders time, and, frankly, as I know they will do in normal
negotiation on an omnibus bill at the end of this process and then,
hopefully, on a regular appropriations process next year.
Again, I urge my fellow Members on both sides of the aisle to pass
this very important piece of legislation.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 5 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), a distinguished member of
the committee.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed in this bill. We are
faced with this continuing resolution in order to avert a government
shutdown. This is no way to govern. America deserves better than a
month-to-month government, forever on the brink of a shutdown and held
back by needless budget constraints.
Those who call this a clean continuing resolution are mistaken. In
fact, it puts in place yet more indiscriminate cuts. It cuts .2 percent
across the board for most discretionary programs. Apparently, we have
not learned our lesson about mindless austerity.
Instead of fighting over women's health care, we should use the next
month to negotiate a budget agreement that addresses the single biggest
economic issue that we face in this country. Today working men and
women in the United States are in jobs that don't pay them enough
money. Real wages have been stagnant for 30 years.
We need to stop spending hundreds of billions of dollars every year
on tax loopholes for the wealthy and for big corporations. We need to
invest once more in education and job training and health and all the
other priorities that American families hold dear.
Right now we cannot meet their needs. Poor children are struggling.
Their vocabularies are, on average, one-third those of their middle
income peers. But since 2010, we have cut over $1 billion in real terms
from education.
Workers need help learning the right skills, finding work in a tough
economy, so that they can support their families, but we have cut more
than $1 billion from job training programs.
Millions of Americans depend upon lifesaving medical research to cure
disease and to improve the quality of life. I stand here as a survivor
of ovarian cancer. I am here because of the grace of God and biomedical
research. Yet, we will continue to cut biomedical research. We have cut
more than $3.5 billion from the National Institutes of Health.
The list of failures goes on and on. We are failing our workers. We
are failing working families. We are failing students and medical
researchers and first responders and veterans and families and millions
of others.
Our job in this body is to provide opportunity for people. During
this economic struggle that we have, we ought to be focused like a
laser on the issues that work to better the economic situation of
working families in this country.
{time} 1530
What we do here is to continue to hold a cap on what we need to move
forward, and, more importantly than that, what we do from the other
side of the aisle is to threaten the government shutdown over the issue
of women's health.
Who are we? What are we about? Where are the great values of this
Nation that helped to provide an opportunity so that families could
join the middle class of this country and continue to make it strong?
That is what our job is today to do, not to be involved in these
mindless exercises that the other side of the aisle continues to move
forward on.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent), a hardworking member of the
Appropriations Committee, the chairman of the Military Construction,
Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, and, coincidently,
the chairman of the House Ethics Committee.
Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of passing a clean
continuing resolution, the one the Senate sent over to us. We should do
that immediately.
It would be utterly reckless to let the government shut down for any
reason, regardless of one's feelings about Planned Parenthood. Whether
you like them or not isn't the point. We should never shut the
government down over that or, frankly, any other issue at this time.
It is imperative that we pass this CR so that it will give us the
time and space we need to enter into a broader budget agreement,
hopefully, for this fiscal year and the next and so that we can then,
also, pass the appropriations bills.
As our very fine Chairman Rogers mentioned, I am the chair of the
Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related
Agencies. This CR is essential to making sure that veterans' services
go uninterrupted. It also makes sure that we can continue moving
forward on many of the projects that are ongoing within the VA system
through the anomalies. Nevertheless, we need to move forward on this
for that reason.
Also, I want to make a point that we need to stop lurching from one
budget crisis to the next. The events of the last few weeks have been
very dismaying to me, personally. That said, we are not going to have a
government shutdown, and that is good news, but we need to get on with
the business of this budget agreement.
Also, I wanted to point out--I heard my friend and colleague from
Connecticut made a comment about biomedical research--in the bill that
we had passed out of the Labor, Health, and Human Services
Subcommittee, we actually did increase funding for the National
Institutes of Health by $1.1 billion. I do hope that, in the event that
we do come to a budget agreement and move the appropriations bills, we
will be able to see an increase in funding for the NIH. We will be able
to provide for our veterans and, in my case, also the military
construction projects.
Also, our friends who are serving overseas, our men and women serving
overseas in the Armed Forces, are very much depending on us to do the
right thing, to pass appropriations bills, a long-term continuing
resolution, not the one we are voting on today. If we are to do one
after December 11, it would have real impacts on our force readiness
and the ability for our troops and our men and women overseas to do the
jobs that we have asked them to do.
So for all these reasons, I am urging people to vote for this CR
today, keep the government functioning, do our duty, and then set up a
process where we can complete the appropriations process in December
and take care of the responsibilities that have been entrusted to us.
I want to thank Chairman Rogers and, also, Ranking Member Lowey for
their strong leadership on the Appropriations Committee. They are doing
all that they are doing to try to help us work together and make sure
that Congress maintains its power of the purse and does exactly what we
promised the American people we would do, and that would be to govern.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel).
Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my very good friend and colleague
from New York, Ranking Member Lowey.
Mr. Speaker, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the chairman,
the gentleman from Kentucky. I have great personal admiration for him
and his leadership, and I thank him for his earnest, hard work; but
what we are doing today is a disappointment to the American people, and
it is a disappointment to those of us who are on the Appropriations
Committee. Success can't be defined as avoid catastrophe, and all we
are doing today is avoiding catastrophe. The majority's triumph today
is not shutting down the government.
Mr. Speaker, there is not a small-business owner anywhere in America
who would say ``had a good day because I am not shutting down,'' ``had
a good day because I am not throwing my employees out of work,'' ``had
a good day
[[Page H6736]]
because I am not telling my customers they can't come for services.''
That is not success. That is failure. That is, by itself, a
catastrophe.
Mr. Speaker, the managers of those small businesses are judged by
their performance and success. The managers of this Congress, the
majority, are judged in the same way. They are judged by their ability,
as the majority, to produce bills, to pass budgets, to do the work of
the American people.
It is time for them to do their jobs, to stop the gimmicks, to pass a
long-term budget that invests in the education of our children, that
supports job skills for people and careers, that protects our veterans
and our national security. It is time to do their jobs, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), a distinguished member of the Appropriations
Committee.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, this Republican majority has driven the
expectations of the American people so low that the very act of funding
government operations has become a significant achievement.
Unfortunately, the cost extraction by the Republican extremists for
this 3-month clean CR was the resignation of Speaker Boehner, a good
man who has served this House honorably.
Passing this CR, however, will keep the government working, which is
critical to American families, their economy, and the safety and
security of our Nation, and it continues to protect by providing
healthcare coverage for women.
In 2013, when the Republicans shut down the government for 16 days,
the U.S. economy lost $24 billion, and more than 100,000 Americans lost
their jobs. The American people cannot afford another Republican
shutdown. Passing this 3-month CR is the first step toward responsibly
meeting the needs of the American people.
As a ranking Democrat on the Interior, Environment and Related
Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, I am pleased that this bill
includes $700 million in emergency funds for Forest Service to fight
wildland fires in Western States. This is critical funding.
The CR will keep our national parks open to the public, keep Native
American healthcare and education programs operating, and prevent the
furloughing of tens of thousands of Federal employees in the Department
of the Interior and EPA.
I am going to vote to pass this continuing resolution, and I applaud
all the Democrats and Republicans who will vote to pass the CR, but we
need to work to find a bipartisan path forward to fund the government
for the coming year. Our job is to serve the American people. The
American people expect Congress to do their job. Today, I hope all
Members will do their job and vote to pass this CR.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close if the
gentlewoman is prepared.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume,
and I was thinking about that, except, I believe, we have some
distinguished members of our committee who are running a little late.
So I would just like to say, Mr. Speaker, that I am very pleased that
we are here today, and I do hope that there will be strong bipartisan
support for the continuing resolution.
This has been a difficult year. I know how hard our distinguished
chairman has worked, trying to put together a bipartisan appropriations
bill. Although I am very pleased that we are passing a continuing
resolution today, it is really amazing that we should be celebrating in
the United States of America, the most distinguished country,
supposedly representative of our great democracy, that we are keeping
the government open.
I feel very confident, Mr. Speaker, that if members of the
Appropriations Committee, both Democrats and Republicans, would sit
down very seriously, we could work out an arrangement whereby we would
lift the sequester, just as we did with Ryan-Murray.
I was on that committee with some distinguished members of the party,
and we had some good discussions. We had some differences of opinion;
we had some lively debates; but at the end of the day, we came up with
a product that we could be proud of.
So, Mr. Chairman, I do hope that after this continuing resolution has
passed--and I think you have another speaker who would like to speak
while we are waiting for our speaker.
In closing, I would just like to say that I am cautiously optimistic
that, after the CR is passed, we can really do our work and come up
with a good, strong omnibus bill that reflects our values.
I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), our
distinguished leader.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I
thank her for her leadership, as well as that of our distinguished
chairman, Mr. Rogers, to bring us to the floor today where we can vote
in a bipartisan way to keep government open without doing harm to
women's health in our country.
To shut government down is a really bad decision for this Congress to
make. The last time we did that, we lost $24 billion. The last time
this Congress voted to shut down government, we lost $24 billion to our
economy, 120,000 jobs in our workforce. Our Federal workforce, which
contains more than 30 percent of veterans in its composition, was
furloughed or worse. The American people deserve better.
So as we go forward from this continuing resolution, which is a good
outcome of the conversations that have gone back and forth--a strong
bipartisan vote in the Senate, and I hope a strong bipartisan vote in
the House--let us take heed of the words of Pope Francis, who just, not
even 1 week ago, spoke to us in this Chamber.
Pope Francis asked us to work together for the common good of the
people. He urged and said a good leader would have a spirit of openness
and pragmatism, again, to get the job done for the American people.
{time} 1545
As we go forward, we will have some difficult choices to make. We all
share the values of strengthening our national security, investing in
our children's future, reducing the deficit as we go forward, but as we
do so, there are some important differences that we share.
Let's hope that we recognize a good idea, wherever it springs from.
Let us also recognize what our responsibilities are to the American
people first and foremost.
I consider this a very positive action we are taking today. I wish
that we were finished with all of our appropriations work. As an
appropriator, I know that that is always the goal of our chairman and
ranking member.
I thank our ranking member, Congresswoman Lowey, for her leadership,
but also for the optimism she just expressed, that, as we go forward,
we will do so in a timely fashion, maybe long before December 11, so we
will have removed all doubt in the public's mind that government will
work, that it will function, as the Pope had asked us, for the good of
the American people.
There are important decisions ahead, though, in terms of what our
priorities are in a budget. A budget should be a statement of our
national values, and what is important to us should be reflected on how
we allocate those resources. We have the omnibus bill to deal with.
We also have investments in the infrastructure of our country and our
transportation. That will be an important bill that we will be debating
at the same time, but has a relationship in terms of how we offset, how
we pay for that.
We have the issue of the Ex-Im Bank, a great job creator for our
country and, yet, still unauthorized, long overdue for us to authorize
it.
Before Thanksgiving probably we will have the issue of a vote on
honoring the full faith and credit of the United States of America. The
last time that was put into doubt, it was unfortunate because it
lowered our credit rating, even though we didn't follow through with
it. Even though the full faith and credit ended up being honored, just
the threat, the suspicion, that it could be undermined lowered our
credit rating.
We have really important work to do for the good of the people.
Again, let us
[[Page H6737]]
honor our responsibilities in the beautiful spirit of Saint--Pope
Francis. I say Saint Francis because that is the patron saint of my
city, of San Francisco, and the namesake also of Pope Francis.
But Pope Francis instructed us as to what good leaders do, and good
leaders have a sense of humility to respect the views of other people
and not be condescending in terms of our views are the only ones that
matter.
In that spirit, I look forward to working with you, Mr. Chairman,
with the Speaker, with others, and certainly under the leadership of
our distinguished ranking member, Congresswoman Lowey.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Jolly), a member of our
committee.
Mr. JOLLY. Mr. Speaker, my compliments to the chairman and to the
ranking member for shepherding us thus far into this year.
I often say the first job of Congress is to govern, and that means
keeping the government open. I think what we are doing today is
honoring the responsibility we have, our article I responsibilities to
keep the government open.
We talk a lot about Congress having the power of the purse, but with
the power also comes responsibility. So as we have hard conversations
as a country and as a Congress about whether we fund certain programs,
whether we fund certain entities, that is an appropriate conversation
to have, and I think we have handled that appropriately thus far.
You sometimes would not know that based on comments on the other side
of the aisle because they continue to try to score political points and
use political capital to suggest we are on the brink of a shutdown. The
simple fact is we are not.
Our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have acknowledged today
that they intend to vote for what is a responsible continuing
resolution that will ensure that our government remains funded.
The irony of some of the criticisms that often come--and this comes
from colleagues on our committee--is that, to finally reach a deal, to
finally have responsible governance, it takes a willing partner on the
other side of the aisle and it takes intellectual honesty on both sides
of the aisle of every member of our committee.
I would respectfully point out to those on the other side of the
aisle who serve on the committee that we had a debate over and over and
over with each markup about the Budget Control Act and the caps that
are in place by statute. There were very good suggestions from both
sides of the aisle about where taxpayer dollars should be invested,
which programs they should be invested in, from defense to
transportation, to education, to healthcare research, and so forth.
The irony is that, for each good idea on the other side of the aisle
about where to invest money, there was a willful ignorance of the fact
that any additional investment must come with an offset under the
Budget Control Act. There were good amendments in the committee, and,
frankly, many of them would have passed if they had included
responsible offsets. But there were no offsets.
I point that out only for this, not to relitigate all the markups we
had in committee, but to suggest that somehow it is the Republicans'
issue that somehow we have to resolve this. We have not had a willing
partner throughout the markup of all of these bills.
Just as the spirit of cooperation is here on the floor--and
rightfully so--and we are going to pass the CR that funds the
government and keeps it open--that highway of goodwill has to go both
ways. Rather than just talk about what is not funded, let's talk about
how we are going to operate under what is a statute, what is the law of
the land that was signed by this President and, frankly, recommended by
this President.
As we talk about where spending comes between now and December 11, we
have to recognize and be honest with the American people that we
operate under a budget agreement that has statutory caps signed by this
President. There are great ideas on both sides of the aisle about where
to spend money, but if we ignore the fact that they are required to be
offset, then we have not advanced this conversation one day.
It is important that we keep the government open. I am glad that my
colleagues on the other side of the aisle and enough colleagues on this
side of the aisle are saying: Yes, we have to keep the government open.
We have to keep the Department of Defense funded. Our men and women in
uniform who carry the flag for us every day, we have to ensure that
they are funded. Our first responders, DHS, coastguardsmen,
coastguardswomen, our transportation programs, education, critical
healthcare research is all that we will continue to fund through this
responsible continuing resolution.
We all wish we had a full-year bill that we were considering today,
but we do not have that. The responsible action by this body is to pass
this bill with sufficient numbers on both sides of the aisle. I would
charge those on my side of the aisle who care deeply about certain
extraneous issues involved in the debate this week, we have responsible
ways to continue to address how we provide critical nonabortion-related
women's healthcare service in underserved communities, while we still
act today to keep the government open. It is a responsible path
forward.
Mr. Chairman, I thank you for bringing this forward.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I just want to reiterate again to my
colleagues that I look forward to working in a bipartisan way with the
distinguished chairman of the Committee on Appropriations to move the
process forward.
I particularly think, because it was just mentioned by the previous
speaker, that for us not to increase the appropriations to the National
Institutes of Health--this is just one area of the bill that came
through the committee in the committee process. This means research for
a whole range of illnesses, whether it is autism or diabetes or heart.
We have a responsibility to lift these caps, negotiate a really good
bill, and provide adequate funding for the American people. This is
important for their health, for their work life. We have to be sure we
are investing so we are creating jobs and keep the economy moving. I
look forward to that process.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume. I shall be brief.
I appreciate the work of my colleague, Mrs. Lowey, ranking member on
the committee, and all of the people on her side of the aisle and, of
course, on our side of the aisle as well. This is a good bill. It is a
responsible bill. It does not do anything controversial.
It does do one important thing, and that is keep the government
operating. We can't afford to abandon our soldiers, particularly those
overseas in harm's way. We can't abandon the people that depend upon
the programs that our Federal Government provides.
I urge Members to vote ``yes'' on this bill. It is a good bill, and
it keeps the government operating.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of
this continuing resolution, which will allow us to avoid another
completely unnecessary and potentially devastating government shutdown.
My vote in favor of the CR does not mean I support the irresponsible
sequestration-level budget resolution that has made it impossible to
pass FY 2016 appropriations bills, much less the reckless manner in
which the majority continues to manage the budget process.
The Republican budget announced this spring made no room for the
critical investments in infrastructure, housing, research, health care,
and education that our country needs to thrive. In fact, it made deeply
damaging reductions.
Defense appropriators were able to avoid sequestration levels only by
using the so-called OCO gimmick, amounting to a $38 billion sleight of
hand.
It was evident from the beginning that we would have to negotiate new
budget numbers--if not a comprehensive agreement of the sort that
balanced the budget in the 1990s, then at least a more modest deal like
the Ryan-Murray agreement of the last two
[[Page H6738]]
years--in order to pass our appropriations bills. I and other
Democratic colleagues took to the floor again and again to decry these
unacceptable budget numbers that simply set us up for failure. Our
leaders have been offering to negotiate for months, knowing full well
that President Obama would be forced to veto any appropriations bills
passed under the Republican budget. Will it take a government shutdown,
we asked, to make us do our job?
Apparently the answer is ``yes''. The Senate couldn't pass a single
appropriations bill. The House passed a few with Republican votes
alone, and then the process collapsed under the weight of the
Confederate battle flag debate. That was a particularly disgraceful
episode, but the process was already on life support. It was never
going to work, and Republican leaders have known that all year.
Despite the failure of the appropriations process, as represented by
this short-term CR, all hope is not lost. We can still salvage the hard
bipartisan work of my and other appropriations subcommittees, if, when
this CR expires, we can stitch together an omnibus appropriations bill
for the balance of the year.
The Appropriations Committee still avoids some of the ideological
battles that divide this body, and I have been able to work closely
with Chairman Diaz-Balart to negotiate a framework for transportation
and housing funding. I know that many of the other subcommittee Chairs
and Ranking Members have made similar progress. Given realistic funding
levels, these bills can relatively quickly be converted into acceptable
appropriations legislation.
So I once again join my colleagues in urging Speaker Boehner to
resume bipartisan budget negotiations and produce reasonable,
responsible funding levels that can allow the appropriations process to
move forward. Today, we're buying ourselves a couple of months. Instead
of lurching toward another crisis in December, let's actually come to a
consensus on the kind of investments in our future that a great country
must make.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 448, the previous question is ordered on
the motion to concur.
The question is on the motion to concur by the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Rogers).
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of today,
further proceedings on this question will be postponed.
____________________