[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 14 (Sunday, January 21, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   COMMANDING MAJORITIES IN CONGRESS

  (Mr. RASKIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, a century ago, William Butler Yeats wrote a 
poem called ``The Second Coming,'' in which he said: ``Things fall 
apart; the centre will not hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the 
world.'' But in America, that is not our destiny. We can make sure 
things don't fall apart. We can make sure that the center will hold.
  Let's move beyond the blame game, and let's identify the moral center 
and common ground for reopening the government and moving America 
forward.
  Commanding majorities in Congress and in the public want to 
reauthorize and fund the CHIP program and guarantee healthcare for our 
kids. We should do this for a 10-year period and save $6 billion over a 
mere short-term extension.
  Commanding majorities in Congress and the public favor 
reauthorization and funding of the community health centers which are 
indispensable for both children's and adult health.
  Commanding majorities in the public and in Congress favor passing a 
clean Dream Act for 800,000 DREAMers who are contributing to our 
communities and in school and serving our country.
  And all of us must favor a return to regular order and a fair and 
transparent budget process that allows all of our agencies, from NIH 
and NOAA to the DOD, to plan for the effective delivery of public 
services.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent now to bring up H.R. 4872, the 
End the Shutdown Act of 2018, a continuing resolution that would 
immediately reopen the government through Tuesday while negotiations 
continue on a budget agreement that adheres to parity and addresses the 
other critical issues facing the country.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. As the Chair has previously advised, that 
request cannot be entertained absent appropriate clearance.

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