[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 15, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H556-H558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FURTHER ADDITIONAL CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
joint resolution (H.J. Res. 27) making further continuing
appropriations for fiscal year 2019, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.
The text of the joint resolution is as follows:
H.J. Res. 27
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019 (division C of Public Law
115-245) is further amended by striking the date specified in
section 105(3) and inserting ``February 1, 2019''.
This joint resolution may be cited as the ``Further
Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
New York (Mrs. Lowey) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York.
General Leave
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.J. Res. 27, currently under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, we are now in the 25th day of the Trump shutdown, the
longest Federal Government shutdown in United States history.
This past Friday, hundreds of thousands of dedicated Federal
employees went without a paycheck. It is shameful that the stubborn
whims of this President have harmed the security of America's public
servants. That includes Federal law enforcement officials at the FBI,
the very Secret Service agents who protect the President, and those who
work tirelessly to protect our air travel, our national parks, our
environment, and public health.
The bill before us is the seventh--let me repeat, the seventh--piece
of legislation Democrats have put on the House floor to end the Trump
shutdown and get the government back to work for the American people.
It will reopen government through February 1, providing time for
Congress to come to a full-year agreement without further jeopardizing
vital services or the pay of Federal workers.
It is long past time that Senate Republicans join us to reopen the
government, pay our Federal employees, and then negotiate on border
security and immigration policy. Madam Speaker, I hope that my
colleagues across the Capitol come to their senses and end this
shutdown.
I urge support for this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.J. Res. 27, a
continuing resolution providing funding through February 1.
I support the goal of reopening the government. There are many
critical programs that are on pause which are important to my
constituents and all of us, programs like TSA, Border Patrol, Coast
Guard, and air traffic controllers.
Unfortunately, the bill we are considering today will not restart
those programs or help our districts. That is because it is not a
comprehensive solution to resolve the government shutdown and fully
address the security and humanitarian crisis we face on our southern
border.
Criminals, terrorists, and drugs are flooding our shores. Tens of
thousands of children, many of them without their parents, make the
dangerous trip to the United States every year. I have been to the
border and to Central America, and I have heard the heartbreaking
stories. This situation is unacceptable and it must be addressed. We
can and we must do better.
Madam Speaker, again, I share the concern that parts of the
government
[[Page H557]]
remain closed and employees are not yet being paid, but moving this
bill across the floor will not fix the problem. To put it simply, there
is not a bipartisan consensus on this plan.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to
the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), my good friend, an outstanding
legislator, who is the chair-designate of the Energy and Water
Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Lowey for the
recognition and the opportunity to speak.
Madam Speaker, this vote is a tribute to the thousands of Federal
patriots who have shown up to work for the past 25 days, working with
no pay. This must end today. I call on my colleagues in this body to
vote to support our hardworking public servants.
This bill is a clean continuing resolution. It comprises short-term
funding through February 1 for all the agencies and departments
currently shuttered for no good reason. Those include the Department of
Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the State Department, the
Interior Department, the Agriculture Department, the Department of
Commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of
Transportation, and many more agencies.
The President is not serving this Nation; he is not serving it well
as he uses his authority to harm our Republic. Civil service workers
are the bonds that hold our country together.
The Commander in Chief is hurting our Nation and holds our entire
government hostage to his harebrained notion that you can stop drug
trafficking and migration with a wall. The drug traffickers must be
laughing up a storm. They already ship it here hidden in legal cargo.
They dug tunnels under the 650 miles of border that already exists.
They figured that out. And they have been flying contraband material
over our border. They boat illegal contraband in here from our coastal
ports, and they ship it from China through even the Postal Service, and
we don't have a mechanism to detect fentanyl in the mails.
To secure our Nation and our border, our Nation first needs to open
all our government agencies for the American people who are paying the
bills, open those departments and pay the men and women who dedicate
their lives to protecting our borders and protecting us. Once the
government is open, we can spend the next weeks discussing how best to
fund mechanisms that will truly improve our security. This could
include thorough inspection of all cargo.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentlewoman from Ohio.
Ms. KAPTUR. This could include enhanced electronic surveillance
between ports of entry. This could include additional personnel at all
ports of entry to increase checks. And, frankly, in communities like I
represent, it should involve increasing DEA agents to take care of the
gangs that are trafficking in these illegal materials.
But most importantly, we need a President who understands you don't
stop the drug trade or undocumented migration of individuals by
shuttering the entire Department of Homeland Security or furloughing
the border agents or making them go to work with no pay. He has got the
wrong answer for what America needs to address in border security.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from
engaging in personalities toward the President.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Alabama (Mr. Aderholt).
Mr. ADERHOLT. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for the time.
Madam Speaker, I think we all agree that the American people expect
this legislative body to deliver solutions to the difficult challenges
that face our Nation each and every day.
As a longtime member of the Appropriations Committee, I have worked
with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle over the years to try to
reach agreements when we were trying to fund the Federal Government.
What we have to do is try to find common ground.
The matter of how we fully fund the Federal Government for the
remainder of FY19, of course, remains unsolved basically for one
reason: My colleagues on the other side of the aisle won't negotiate.
They have rejected requests to negotiate a deal. They need to come to
the table with a counteroffer. Instead, they continue to kick the can
down the road and continue to play politics with this issue.
Our colleagues reject the solutions requested by the professional
personnel who actually protect the border. By digging in a position
which is political and not policy, ultimately, they are responsible for
the shutdown of the government agencies.
However, this short-term CR, known as a continuing resolution, does
not solve the problem. The Democratic leadership has said 100 percent
no. This bill hits, basically, the snooze button for a few more weeks.
I think it is time that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle
wake up and negotiate and come back to the table to find a real
solution.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to
the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), my good friend,
who is the chair-designate of the Military Construction, Veterans
Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for
yielding.
Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to reopen the
Federal Government and end this destructive Trump shutdown. For 25 days
now, the Trump shutdown has inflicted financial pain and anxiety on
families, businesses, and entire communities across the United States.
This week, I spoke with a room full of these victims. Aviation safety
experts detailed for me how the Trump shutdown has eroded an air travel
system that, for now, is safe, but they are growing worried and
concerned.
I heard from Federal workers who told me that the changes to tax laws
ushered in during the Republican tax scam have left citizens scrambling
for answers, yet workers are not there who can shepherd them through
those changes.
{time} 1230
A local leader who represents domestic violence shelters warned me,
if the Trump shutdown drags on, as many as a third of the Florida
facilities that women count on for refuge when they are victims of
domestic violence could find themselves cutting services.
Democrats in the House have done our job. We have passed half a dozen
bills to reopen the government, yet Senate Republicans have decided to
hide behind President Trump and his border boondoggle refusing to take
``yes'' for an answer that could end this irresponsible shutdown.
While they are busy bowing to the President, Senate Republicans
recklessly ignore that public safety is at stake. They downplay, and
even dismiss, that 800,000 families are now living without a paycheck
today.
Businesses, farmers, veterans, restaurant workers, domestic violence
victims, and many more are all feeling real pain from this unnecessary
shutdown. We need to do our jobs. We need to work together and actually
be the coequal branch of government that the Constitution describes.
So today, House Democrats will do just that and give Senate
Republicans another option to get us out of this latest Trump trap and
offer this bill that would reopen all closed Federal agencies through
February 1. This bill would allow time for us to negotiate border
security and immigration reform, but without inflicting further
economic harm on our families and our businesses. It is the smart,
reasonable, and compassionate thing to do.
I ask my colleagues to pass this bill into law without delay.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Newhouse).
Mr. NEWHOUSE. Madam Speaker, it is once again disappointing to
witness my Democratic colleagues pull political stunts rather than make
serious efforts to find a compromise to reopen the government.
This legislation that we have before us today has only seen the light
of day for less than 24 hours. Democratic leadership is abusing the
suspension list--something usually reserved for bipartisan,
noncontroversial legislation--to
[[Page H558]]
play politics with this government shutdown.
Let me be clear: This legislation will not reopen the government.
This has, once again, as we have seen for 3 weeks in a row now, House
Democrats using valuable time on the floor of the House of
Representatives to play partisan politics rather than to do our job to
find a real solution to reopen shuttered agencies.
It is being reported that President Trump has invited several House
Democrats to the White House today to discuss the government shutdown
and potentially find solutions for compromise. Unfortunately, it is
also being reported that several of my fellow House Members have
rejected that invitation. If that is true, it demonstrates a serious
neglect of our duties as representatives of the people.
As my friend from California, Jackie Speier, rightly said just this
morning on cable news: ``I think when the President calls, it is
incumbent upon us to respect the office and to attend the meeting. And
if they have been asked, I would suggest that they go.''
Madam Speaker, I could not agree more. Every single Member of this
body should be working on behalf of the American people to reopen this
government.
The President is demonstrating his willingness to compromise. I
sincerely hope my Democratic colleagues will heed the invitation and
come to the table with a real offer. Any rejection of this invitation
is a shameful disregard of the seriousness of the situation before us.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close. I reserve the
balance of my time.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann).
Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 27.
I thank Ranking Member Granger for allowing me to speak on this very
important issue, and I thank my distinguished colleagues on the other
side of the aisle. Mrs. Lowey is a friend from New York. We have served
together.
Madam Speaker, this situation is frustrating. We have come to a place
right now where I received a phone call last night from the Commandant
of the Coast Guard, Admiral Schultz. We talked about the wonderful men
and women who are serving so well and so hard and who are not going to
get a paycheck because of this situation.
We all want border security; I believe that. But I also believe that
President Trump is right, that we need a wall, a barrier.
I happen to represent the people of the Third District of Tennessee--
wonderful people, east Tennessee--and they tell me time and time again:
Build a wall; have a border; keep us safe; but we also want the
government open.
And when I look at the polling data, when I look at the phone calls,
it is high time that we get back to work, open the government, but keep
us safe.
In our districts, we all represent Republicans and Democrats and
Independents. Hopefully, most of the people vote. But even people who
pay their taxes who decide not to vote, they count on the American
Representatives, our House, to work, and they count on the Senate.
With all due respect, H.J. Res. 27 is dead on arrival in the United
States Senate. We know that. The American people know that. The
President knows that. We need a compromise on this wall issue right now
that will satisfy security, that will keep the American people safe,
and, yes, that will open the government.
Compromise is not a dirty word in this scenario. It is what we need
to do, and we need good faith. I am not alleging bad faith on anyone in
this body. I am saying it is time to call a timeout and get back to
work and do the people's business.
They sent us here to govern. We need to govern. We need a wall. We
need border security, and we need the government open. It is high time
that we get there
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Rutherford).
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill.
Another week has gone by and we find ourselves with another exercise in
futility.
As I said last week, these CRs are a waste of everyone's time and a
waste of countless hours of hard work by members of staff on both sides
of the aisle.
While we waste floor time and the American citizens' time, there are
800,000 families--and more--that are feeling the negative effects of
the gamesmanship on the other side of the aisle. These effects are not
limited to government employees. Contractors, small businesses, and the
economy at large have been suffering for weeks.
Just the other day, in Jacksonville, I spoke with the father of a
government subcontractor who explained to me how much this shutdown has
hurt his son's livelihood.
Now, this idea that once the government is opened back up and
government employees are going to receive their backpay, as I am sure
most eventually will, there are many across this country who will not.
His son is one of them.
And just to prove how ridiculous this entire thing is, due to the
recalcitrance of Democrats, experts say that this shutdown has already
cost our economy more than the President's request for the wall.
My colleagues on the other side of aisle want to score political
points by denying our duly-elected President a campaign promise, a
simple promise to protect the American citizen.
Rather than focusing energy on reaching a compromise with the Senate
and the President to reopen the government and get Federal workers
their paychecks, we are spending time on our bills, bringing bills to
the floor that have absolutely no chance of becoming law.
Here is my message to the House majority: Stop using working-class
Americans as leverage and come to the table to find a compromise on
behalf of the American people.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: If the Speaker is
serious about opening the government and getting people back to work,
bring a bill to the floor that the Senate will pass and the President
will sign.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on this continuing
resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, it is time to end the Trump shutdown.
Let's vote ``yes.''
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the joint resolution, H.J. Res. 27.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________