[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 15 (Monday, January 22, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E89-E90]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




MOTION TO CONCUR IN THE SENATE AMENDMENT TO THE HOUSE AMENDMENT TO THE 
                      SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 195

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 22, 2018

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this so-
called ``deal'' on a three-week continuing resolution (CR) because it 
does not get us any closer to a bipartisan budget agreement that will 
enable us to complete our work on the appropriations bills for Fiscal 
Year 2018, and because it does not give us any meaningful certainty 
about a deal for the Dreamers.
  Without a broad agreement on spending levels, we are yet again 
kicking the can down the road, for the fourth time in just this fiscal 
year alone. Governing by repeated CRs leaves federal agencies such as 
our Department of Defense unable to plan for the future or begin new 
initiatives. That undermines our national security and leaves our 
homeland more vulnerable. It is not how the appropriations process is 
supposed to work.
  Before the end of FY 2017, Speaker Paul Ryan said that a continuing 
resolution to keep the government open after September 30th would be 
necessary because the Senate would not be able to process the 
appropriations bills as quickly as the House so, and I quote, ``we're 
going to need more time to complete our appropriations process, 
particularly in the Senate.'' So Democrats voted to keep the government 
open in September and they helped keep it open again on December 8 and 
December 22.
  And here we are again. Republicans control the House, the Senate, and 
the White House. Yet despite their full control of government, they are 
no closer to passing the spending bills that support programs and 
services important to American families and our military than they were 
four months ago. Once again they are saying trust us and give us even 
more time.
  Some of my Senate colleagues have decided to vote for this bill 
because Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has promised to take 
up legislation by February 8 to keep our government running and to 
address the plight of Dreamers. But I am deeply skeptical. After all, 
Senator McConnell has made a lot of promises recently that he has 
failed to keep.
  Senator McConnell promised Senator Collins that bills to stabilize 
the Affordable Care Act markets would be ``must-pass bills'' by the end 
of 2017 in exchange for her vote for the Republican tax bill. There has 
been no action.
  Senator Flake announced that Senator McConnell promised him a vote on 
DACA in exchange for his support of the tax reform bill, but there has 
been no action on McConnell's promise.
  And when a shutdown loomed before passage of the FY 2017 omnibus, 
Senator McConnell said that neither that bill nor the FY 2018 
appropriations bills ``can be done by one party only. All of that will 
have to be done on a bipartisan basis.'' Yet there has only been 
partisan action on appropriations bills.
  It is difficult to trust a promise from a Senator who has a history 
of breaking promises.

[[Page E90]]

Also unsettling and adding to skepticism is the fact that there is no 
commitment from Speaker Ryan to bring up a Senate bill to fund the 
government and help Dreamers. There is also no commitment from the 
president that he would sign a Senate bill--and even if there was, 
there is no guarantee he won't again change his mind at a moment's 
notice.
  As a member of the Appropriations Committee, and as one of the 
original authors of the Dream Act, I believe we must act now. We can't 
keep kicking the can down the road on difficult decisions about 
government spending, and we can't leave Dreamers living in fear and 
uncertainty. I oppose this CR because we need to vote on permanent 
solutions on the urgent issues facing our nation including community 
health clinics, opioid addiction, Dream, and worker pensions, among 
others.

                          ____________________