[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 29 (Thursday, February 14, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2016-H2024]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.J. RES. 31, FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS
FOR DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, 2019
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 131, I call up
the conference report on the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 31) making
further continuing appropriations for the Department of Homeland
Security for fiscal year 2019, and for other purposes, and ask for its
immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Butterfield). Pursuant to House
Resolution 131, the conference report is considered read.
(For conference report and statement, see Book II of the proceedings
of the House of February 13, 2019, at page H1589.)
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey)
and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger) each will control 30
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the bill before us would prevent another government
shutdown by completing the remaining appropriation bills for fiscal
year 2019. It represents what is possible in a strong democratic
process when we work hard to reach agreement that puts politics aside
and puts the American people first.
This bipartisan compromise rejects the President's irresponsible
budget cuts and, instead, invests in priorities that will strengthen
our families, communities, and economy.
Additionally, it does not contain poison pill riders that threaten
the environment, public health, and consumer protections in the House
Republican versions of these bills.
Among the bill's vital increases are $80 million for State and local
law enforcement to keep communities safe, $1 billion for the Census
Bureau, $308 million for research and development at the National
Science Foundation, $25 million for the Environmental Protection
Agency, $293 million for port infrastructure, and $123 million for
grants to combat homelessness.
Strong international affairs funding will help stabilize the world's
economy, meet unprecedented humanitarian needs, and continue our fight
against radical extremism and terrorism.
Federal workers will receive a 1.9 percent pay raise that the
President attempted to deny hardworking families.
The Homeland Security division of this bill upholds Democratic values
and funds smart and effective border security, including construction
and screening technology at ports of entry, where most drugs illegally
enter the country.
The $1.375 billion it provides for border barriers is 76 percent less
than
[[Page H2017]]
what the President demanded for a concrete wall, and critical
protections are put in place for environmentally sensitive areas.
Neither Democrats nor Republicans got everything they wanted.
Every Democrat and nearly every Republican who served on the
conference committee to write this bill has signed it in support. I
thank the conferees for their hard work and commitment to this process,
which we couldn't have completed without our excellent, dedicated
staff, both majority and minority.
My friends, I urge a ``yes'' vote.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 31, a bipartisan plan to fund
the Department of Homeland Security and the remaining appropriations
bills for fiscal year 2019.
Earlier this month, I had an opportunity to travel to the southern
border to see firsthand the situation we face and hear from experts on
the ground about the best way to address the crisis there. The
President is correct; this is a crisis that must be addressed, both for
the safety and security of the American people and for the well-being
of those who are coming here.
We have a responsibility to come together and support what experts on
the border say they need to address the security and humanitarian
crisis.
While this bill falls short of what I would like to see, it will
provide our Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agents the tools necessary to continue combating the threat
we face.
In particular, the bill provides $1.375 billion for 55 new miles of
wall or physical barriers, as well as additional technology to combat
human and drug trafficking. It is a good downpayment that will allow us
to build new barriers in the areas that the Border Patrol says it is
needed most.
The bill also supports Immigration and Customs Enforcement priorities
by funding detention beds at a higher level than the amount enacted
last year. This will allow agents the flexibility to address surges in
illegal immigration and apprehensions.
It also does not include any limits on ICE enforcement actions that
could cause dangerous criminals to be released into our country.
{time} 1945
The agreement prevents another unnecessary shutdown by including
funding for the remaining unfunded appropriations bills: Agriculture;
Commerce, Justice, Science; Financial Services and General Government;
Interior; State and Foreign Operations; and Transportation, Housing and
Urban Development.
By voting for these bills today and funding these vital areas of the
Federal Government, we will secure America and our allies, promote
economic prosperity, protect human life, promote the health and safety
of all Americans, and make vital investments in our Nation's
infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, it would take hours to go through all the bipartisan
provisions included in this bill, so let me take a few minutes to
discuss some of the highlights.
They increase funding for Federal law enforcement to combat
terrorism, espionage, drug traffickers, gangs, and violent criminals;
combat the financing of terrorism and terrorist groups; and strengthen
the development and enforcement of sanctions against Iran, North Korea,
Russia, and Cuba by providing increased funding for the Office of
Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
We keep our commitment to Israel's security by fully funding the new
memorandum of understanding.
We encourage economic development and job creation in rural
communities across the country.
We boost growth and development of America's small businesses by
providing the opportunity to obtain capital through various Small
Business Administration loan programs.
We provide funding necessary to implement the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
of 2017. This will ensure that American families are keeping more of
their hard-earned dollars, our small businesses are empowered to grow
and expand, and investments are flowing to communities that need it
most.
We maintain all pro-life language included in the various bills
enacted during the 115th Congress under the Republican majority.
We advance drug treatment and recovery initiatives and improve
prevention and enforcement by investing in Justice grant programs that
support things like prescription drug monitoring and at-risk youth
programs.
We increase and focus funding on medical product safety, including
funding to fight opioid abuse. We advance drug and biological product
manufacturing within the United States and approve rare disease
medications. We modernize generic drug development.
We provide increased funding for the Department of the Interior and
U.S. Forest Service to fight devastating wildfires that threaten our
communities.
And we ensure rural areas have the same access to basic utilities
that urban areas do by investing in critical infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend, Chairwoman Lowey, for
all her hard work in these negotiations. As always, she has been an
honest broker and a tough negotiator throughout the process. I look
forward to continuing to work with her in this Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I also thank our partners on the other side of the
Capitol, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Shelby and Vice
Chairman Leahy, for their hard work, and all the members of the
conference committee, especially the House Republicans, Congressmen
Fleischmann, Palazzo, and Graves.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I thank the hardworking staff of the
Appropriations Committee for their tireless work, over the last 3 weeks
in particular.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this measure,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Roybal-Allard), the hardworking chairwoman of the
Homeland Security Subcommittee.
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking the ranking
member of the subcommittee, Chuck Fleischmann, for the courteous way in
which he represented and fought for the minority's priorities.
The negotiations on the DH funding bill were among the hardest I have
experienced to date. Although we did not win every battle, we won many.
We prevented new funding for immigration enforcement field personnel.
We secured funding to increase detention facility inspections from once
every 3 years to twice a year.
We won funding to increase detention facility compliance with the
Prison Rape Elimination Act to provide more victim assistance
specialists and to expand the Alternatives to Detention program,
including $30.5 million for family case management.
We held firm on a provision to prevent ICE from using information
from the Office of Refugee Resettlement to detain and remove sponsors
of unaccompanied children.
We improved transparency by requiring ICE to make information public
about the numbers and categories of people in its custody.
While I am not happy with the outcome on border fencing, we did limit
funding for border fencing to only $1.375 billion, no higher than last
year. We also won protections for several ecologically sensitive areas
in Texas. And we secured hundreds of millions of dollars for
humanitarian efforts to ensure migrants who spend time in CBP custody
are appropriately cared for.
Our bill also has large investments in equipment to detect drugs and
other contraband at our ports of entry, where the real threat lies.
The bill funds 600 new Customs officers to help facilitate commerce
and reduce wait times at the ports.
The bill also includes funds for the Coast Guard's first heavy
icebreaker in 40 years and provides robust support for FEMA
preparedness and disaster response grants.
Compared to the current detention bed level, we significantly reduced
the funding available for ICE detention beds for the rest of this
fiscal year.
Unfortunately, we were unable to reach agreement on how to prevent
OMB from giving ICE a blank check for
[[Page H2018]]
detention beds during continuing resolutions, and we were unable to
effectively prevent DHS' abuse of its transfer authority to increase
detention beds. That transfer authority is intended to address
unforeseen changes in circumstances. It is not to be used as a tool for
routinely defying congressional intent on spending.
As chair of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, I will
demand the Department honor the intent of Congress and fully justify
any use of its transfer authority. I will hold public hearings to
ensure the American people know when that authority is being abused
and, if not corrected, redouble my efforts to ensure that authority is
taken away.
While not a perfect bill, the only alternative to this negotiated
bill is a yearlong CR, which would not only include DHS but all the
civilian departments and agencies for which the bill before us has
significant new funding initiatives important to Democrats and
Republicans alike.
The fact is, Federal agencies need full-year funding bills if we
expect them to carry out their missions effectively, especially after
the trauma of the longest partial government shutdown.
It is time to put fiscal year 2019 behind us so we can start in
earnest on fiscal year 2020 and the oversight opportunities it
provides.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for the bill.
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Rogers).
Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this
legislation, but first, I want to congratulate our committee's
distinguished chair and ranking member on their masterful work in
shepherding this compromise to the floor. This is a historic dynamic
duo that we have in charge of our committee, and they have produced the
historic product that we have before us tonight.
Mr. Speaker, we have a crisis at our southern border, period. There
is no denying that our Nation's security is threatened by the seemingly
unending flow of drugs that find their way into nearly every American
community, as well as the violence of the brutal cartels that profit
from this trade.
Where does it take place? On that border. So we do have a problem. It
is an emergency. President Trump is absolutely correct that we can't
allow this ruthless criminality to continue unchecked.
This bill takes important steps to secure this country: $1.3 billion
for further construction at the border for a wall and additional
resources for DHS to hire more personnel and deploy advanced technology
in the region.
In addition to the security crisis, there is also a very real
humanitarian crisis that we simply can't ignore. Thousands of
vulnerable women and children are seeking a better, safer life in the
confines of this country. It is not the American way to turn our backs
on these people, and that is precisely why we have processes under
Federal law to facilitate legal entry into our country.
This bill also takes important steps to enforce our current
immigration laws. The bill funds an expansion of the Alternatives to
Detention program. It also increases attorney and courtroom staffing to
reduce the backlog of currently pending immigration cases.
While the challenges at our border have rightly grabbed headlines,
the bill also funds a number of other important Federal agencies
through the end of the fiscal year. Importantly, it ensures that our
dedicated public servants can continue to show up to work without fear
of losing another paycheck.
In my Kentucky district, for example, hundreds of Federal prison
employees showed up to a dangerous, difficult, often thankless job for
over a month, not knowing when the next paycheck would come, if at all.
I thank them, and I am pleased to support this bill that will continue
to support the Bureau of Prisons.
Also for Kentucky, this bill continues our momentum in combating the
opioid epidemic by fully supporting community prevention efforts and
drug courts to get people into treatment.
This bill also provides $115 million for the abandoned mine lands
pilot program, which helps create economic development in Appalachian
coal communities.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, as the ranking member of the State, Foreign
Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee, I am especially pleased
that this bill includes significant funding to secure our diplomatic
posts and to support critical allies like Israel, Jordan, Egypt,
Georgia, Ukraine, and others.
The bill also continues vigorous oversight of U.S. assistance
programs, prohibits funding for the Green Climate Fund, and respects
the sanctity of life around the world.
Mr. Speaker, this bill is not perfect. It is not everything we
wanted, but it is a true product of compromise. I urge my colleagues to
support it.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Cuellar), a member of the Appropriations Committee and a
distinguished conferee.
Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, I certainly thank Chairwoman Lowey for her
leadership and the staff on both the Republican side and the Democratic
side for working so hard.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Speaker Pelosi, Chairwoman Roybal-Allard,
Ranking Member Kay Granger, and, of course, all the members, the
conferees, who worked so hard to come up with this bipartisan,
bicameral spending package. The conferees worked together to make sure
that we seek an acceptable funding solution for the different sides we
have.
Now, what do we have here? It is a matter of vision. There are some
people who see the border as a crisis, and I respectfully disagree with
them. There are some of us who live on the border who see the border as
a place of community, opportunity, where we raise our families, where
we send our kids to school, and where we have trade and tourism.
In that place called the border, I will tell you that if you look at
crime rates, the border crime rate is lower than the national crime
rate. I am not going to pick any selective cities, but I can tell you
that I can pick any city, and the crime rate in the cities of some of
my colleagues are higher than the border crime rate that we have.
{time} 2000
We came up with a balance between what those two visions were. What
we did is we found a way to provide technology at ports of entry, found
a way to balance border security, but, at the same time, provide
security.
On the border, we don't believe in open borders. We want to see smart
border security, and I think that is what this bill does. We were able
to get together. It is a bill that provides funding not only for border
security, but, keep in mind, there are six other bills that provide
money for agriculture, transportation, education, and healthcare.
For that reason, Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members to vote ``yes'' on
this conference report.
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart).
Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this
legislation.
This bill shows that, despite our disagreements, when we work through
our differences to find common ground, we can break the gridlock.
I thank, by the way, Chairman Price for his leadership and his
partnership. We have worked together now for over 4 years, and I have
gained a special appreciation for his dedication to public service and,
frankly, for his deep understanding of the programs under our
jurisdiction. I look forward to continue working with him and continue
developing our friendship.
I would like to say a quick word about Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking
Member Granger and the role that they have played in pulling this
funding bill together. I have had the privilege, Mr. Speaker, of
knowing these two leaders for a number of years now. What all of us saw
them achieve in just the last few days is no surprise to any of us in
this body who know them well. They only achieved this through hard
work, tough compromise, and grit, and they deserve our thanks.
Mr. Speaker, let me turn a minute to the transportation and housing
investments included in this bill. This bill doubles down our
infrastructure investments from the 2018 T-HUD bill. Frankly, again, it
is a second historic downpayment to rebuild our Nation.
[[Page H2019]]
With this bill, we provide a total of $20 billion in new funding over
2 years for roads, for bridges, for rails, and for ports. That is a big
number. As I said before, the T-HUD bill is the infrastructure bill and
maybe the only one that we will get a chance to vote on.
This bill will create jobs and improve the quality of life for
countless Americans.
I am also particularly proud that this bill makes a new investment in
port infrastructure with a focus on seaports at high volume locations.
This port program, coupled with other transportation investments in the
bill, will create opportunities for American manufacturers and
exporters.
Mr. Speaker, I am also proud of the housing portion of this bill.
This meets our commitments to help the most vulnerable among us with
decent, affordable housing.
This is a good bill, Mr. Speaker, particularly if you care about our
veterans, our disabled, and our elderly.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the
gentleman from Florida.
Mr. DIAZ-BALART. This bill also includes funding to rebuild urban,
suburban, and rural communities with block grant funding that goes
directly to the local decisionmakers and to the local communities.
Again, this is a good bill, Mr. Speaker. I thank, again, the leaders
for putting this together.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on what I believe is a bill that
will create jobs, rebuild our communities, secure our future, and, yes,
stop the gridlock.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), the distinguished chairman
of the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related
Agencies Subcommittee.
Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this conference agreement--
bipartisan and bicameral--averting a second reckless Trump shutdown.
This legislation represents the best possible deal to responsibly
fund our government and secure our border, while holding true to our
values as Americans.
This agreement denies the President billions of dollars for an
unnecessary wall. It includes a number of provisions to hold the
administration accountable. And it boosts funding for humanitarian
support for migrants, alternatives to detention, and family case
management.
The bipartisan agreement also includes six additional appropriations
bills beyond Homeland Security. For example, the Transportation-HUD
bill, on which Chairman Diaz-Balart and I worked cooperatively for many
months, is included in this package.
It increases the Trump budget for infrastructure by $23 billion, and
it includes investments that were totally eliminated in the Trump
budget: community development block grants, the HOME program, New
Starts for transit, and the BUILD program. All these are made whole,
having been, of course, eliminated in that earlier Trump budget.
These six bills were all caught up in the Trump shutdown. They are
now salvaged by this agreement. The deal is not perfect. We know that.
But it represents the best way to reject the President's outrageous
border demand, keep our government open, and address our pressing
national needs.
Mr. Speaker, let's send this bill to the President's desk. Then let's
fight to overturn this phony ``national emergency.''
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Idaho (Mr. Simpson), my friend.
Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support this conference report and
commend Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Granger and their staffs
for the hard work that goes into this. Not many people understand the
important and long time that is spent by the staff in trying to put
these bills together.
I could sit here until the cows come home, which might be shorter
than we think if we run out of cows and get rid of those. But anyway, I
could talk about the provisions in this bill that are important to
Idaho, whether it is the PILT payment, the sage-grouse listing, or
other provisions, but this is an important bill.
What I would like to bring to my colleagues' attention is a very
important section of this conference agreement, section 7. It is with
sadness that this section is included. It honors the late Stephen Sepp.
Sepp, as he was known to his friends and colleagues, spent the last 8
years as a senior adviser to the House Appropriations Committee. He was
instrumental in the enactment of division O of the 2018 Consolidated
Appropriations Act. I know this division well because it was the fire
borrowing and forest management reforms I advocated and worked on for
several years.
Sepp steadfastly worked with Members, the committees, the
administration, and staff over several years to resolve the problems
that fire borrowing caused for the Forest Service and the Department of
the Interior. More than that, he helped solve a problem that threatens
the lives and property of people in the West and, in fact, all over the
country.
His strength, his courage, his sense of humor, and his vast knowledge
of the Federal budget law and rules made him indispensable, especially
to his colleagues. Without Sepp, division O would never have passed.
Along with my fellow colleagues on the Appropriations Committee, the
chairwoman, and the ranking member--and I know our former colleague had
a hand in this, Rodney Frelinghuysen--we would all like to express our
gratitude to his wife, Diem, and children, Ashley and Matthew, for
allowing him the many, many hours he spent with us making Congress and
the Nation better.
Our thoughts are with him today as we pass this.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Let's put the
2019 appropriations behind us so that we can move on to 2020.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the
distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), a senior member of
the committee and a conferee who worked so hard to put this bill
together.
Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me thank
Chairwoman Lowey for yielding. Also, I must thank her for her tireless
work, day and night, on behalf of the American people.
Also, let me thank our Homeland Security chairwoman, Lucille Roybal-
Allard, for her brilliance and her hard work. She pushed hard for a
bill that reflects our American values, and I appreciate her
leadership.
The phenomenal work of Chairwoman Lowey, Chairwoman Roybal-Allard,
all the members of the conference committee, and all the Appropriations
chairs and ranking members has just been amazing. I really do salute
them for that. This has been a very, very difficult negotiation, but
they all did it.
This legislation, of course, Mr. Speaker, is not perfect. It is not
the bill that I would have written or chosen. And, yes, I have serious
concerns with several of the provisions, which I will discuss.
But let me tell you, this bill will keep the government open. It will
prevent another shutdown, which caused so much misery for Federal
workers and their families. And it provides funding for humanitarian
assistance, which is desperately needed at the border.
Once more, the package of bills includes funding increases for six
other spending bills, including housing for people living with AIDS,
transportation grants for low-income communities, increased funding for
homelessness, and Section 8 vouchers.
As a member of the Department of Homeland Security Conference
Committee, I was proud to fight for many of our priorities in this
bill, which really reflect our American values.
Being born and raised in the beautiful border town, as I have said
before, of El Paso, Texas, I understand what it means to live in a
border community and why these issues are so important. They speak to
our sense of morality and who we are as a country and, yes, as well as
our security.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
[[Page H2020]]
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentlewoman from California.
Ms. LEE of California. With this bill, Democrats held the line, Mr.
Speaker, in denying the President $5.7 billion in funding for an
unnecessary concrete wall. Instead, it includes $1.3 billion in border
fencing only. And it includes strong language to protect sensitive
locations.
Last year, I traveled to Brownsville and McAllen, Texas, where I saw
the horrors of the Trump administration's family detention jails. I saw
children sleeping on concrete floors. It was cruel and inhumane.
Not only did we secure $415 million in this bill for humanitarian
relief, including for enhanced medical support, transportation, and
food at our border, but we got many, many programs and funding for
alternatives to detention.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has again
expired.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 10 seconds to the
gentlewoman from California.
Ms. LEE of California. Finally, Mr. Speaker, let me just say it is
the first step. It is far from perfect, but it does lay the groundwork
that really addresses many of the issues that myself and my colleagues
on the conference committee have fought so hard for.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I ask for an ``aye'' vote.
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann).
Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight in support of this joint
resolution.
Earlier today, our colleagues in the United States Senate
overwhelmingly passed this bill. I believe it was 83-16.
At this point in time, I would like to begin by thanking my
colleagues in the House: Mrs. Lowey, the chairman of the committee; Ms.
Roybal-Allard, the distinguished subcommittee chairman; and Ms.
Granger, the ranking member. And I have been privileged to serve, Mr.
Speaker, as the ranking member, the highest Republican, on the House
Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee.
Where were we? From time to time, in our great Republic, we hit a
blip; we have a problem; we run into a difficulty. We did that in this
shutdown. This was a very odd situation. We had actually passed five
appropriations bills, and seven were left remaining.
Mr. Speaker, that put us in a very awkward situation where there was
a partial government shutdown. I heard the rhetoric on both sides of
the aisle, and I know it was sincere, but it hurt. It hurt our country,
and it hurt workers. But we reopened the government.
In the interim, Members of the House from both parties and Members of
the Senate from both parties came together and convened. There was a
wide, wide difference of opinion on that first day. I heard it. I was
in that room. Everyone was acting in good faith, strong-held
convictions.
A lot of naysayers and skeptics and cynics said we weren't going to
get there, but we owed it to the American people to get there. And, Mr.
Speaker, we got there.
We didn't get there with a bill that I would have drawn. My bill,
candidly, would look more like the bill that President Trump would have
wanted: more money for border security and more money for ICE. But we
came up with an agreement that the vast majority of Americans could
support and the vast majority of Members in both Houses could support.
{time} 2015
And that is what I think the American people need to look to: Where
did we agree?
We agreed in this great bill for increased funding for our beloved
ally in the Middle East, Israel.
Just in this Chamber the other day, Members of both parties condemned
anti-Semitism, as we must. We backed that commitment up with our full
support and unprecedented funding for our ally, Israel. We can all be
proud of that.
We, Mr. Speaker, came together with a compromise bill that will have
some new border wall--not as much as I would have wanted. We will have
more ICE beds--not as many as I would have wanted.
But, Mr. Speaker, I have been in this Chamber for 8 years. I saw us
come together and work together. My colleagues on both sides of the
aisle, sometimes our differences are bipartisan, sometimes our
differences are bicameral. Today, we are going to come together as
Americans and pass this bill.
It is not a great bill, but it is a good bill. It represents
compromise, and it will, I believe, restore the faith of the American
people, not only in our institutions, but in our great Republic.
We can be proud that we came together when they said ``can't'' and we
said ``can.''
So I will vow to continue, as we work forward, to work with Ms.
Roybal-Allard, a very fine lady. We view the world sometimes
differently; sometimes we view it in a very similar light. But as we go
into 2020 and we fall under the draconian Budget Control Act, the
dreaded sequester, we will have to address that. We will have a debt
ceiling vote.
The American people need to know our work will not be easier; it will
be harder. But let our resolve be to do the work of the American
people, as we have done today and we will do in the future.
May God bless the United States of America.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from California (Mr. Aguilar), a member of the Appropriations
Committee and a very important conferee.
Mr. AGUILAR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the chairwoman for
her leadership throughout this process.
It has been 3 weeks, colleagues, since the end of the longest
shutdown in American history--35 days--where we saw friends and
neighbors who hurt, where this body didn't do enough to push back
against a shutdown that hurt our communities and hurt individuals
throughout this country.
This is a compromise bill, and we are here today to reflect that good
will and that good faith effort of Democrats and Republicans
negotiating together to find compromise.
But let's talk a little bit about what this bill would do.
This bill protects our national security. This bill works to improve
the only true crisis that we have at our southern border, which is the
humanitarian crisis. This bill invests in technology and in ports of
entry. This bill ensures that we have the resources to protect this
country.
This bill also unlocks the other appropriations bills that will fund
the Environmental Protection Agency, make investments in the Census,
and make investments in transportation.
What this bill will not do is this bill will not fund the President's
wall from sea to shining sea, a wall that he said Mexico would pay for.
So we tried another path. We tried a bipartisan path of working
together to iron out our differences and to come to an agreement, to
keep government open, to protect our national security. That was the
focus of the conferees, and that is what we sought to accomplish.
But we also did two important things in this document. We ensured
that the congressional intent was there when it comes to topics that we
don't always agree on; and we will ensure, this body will ensure, that
we will hold the administration accountable, that we will provide
oversight that hasn't been provided, and that we will ensure that
national security is protected.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentleman from California.
Mr. AGUILAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member
Granger for their leadership throughout this process, for Chairwoman
Roybal-Allard and for Ranking Member Fleischmann. And I would like to
thank all of our staff members on both sides of the aisle who worked
day and night to make sure that this document was in front of us in a
timely manner and that ensured that we didn't have another shutdown.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this joint resolution.
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).
Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for the
opportunity.
[[Page H2021]]
Mr. Speaker, this is bad policy following bad process--an 1100-plus-
page bill dropped at midnight last night, and we are acting like we
can't walk and chew gum at the same time. We are acting like we can't
keep our Federal Government open and fix our border situation.
Let's talk about what is happening because that is the problem. At
least, if nothing else, we should do no harm. Let's not make the
situation worse.
Mr. Speaker, this bill provides amnesty for anyone in a household of
an unaccompanied minor, and it protects the people who have smuggled
those children into the United States and encourages them to do that
even more.
And even more than that, once they are here, we cut $700 million out
of ICE, and we reduced their bed space. So there are less people
looking for those people who are here illegally.
Then when we find the criminals, when they have committed some crime
and we find them, we can't even keep them. We have to release them back
into our communities. Mr. Speaker, city councils are now deciding where
we secure our border.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the time and urge a ``no'' vote.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Serrano), the chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science
Subcommittee.
Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, this bill--Commerce, Justice, Science--
comes in at $71.5 billion, which is $1.6 billion above 2018.
One of the highlights of the bill is that it restores many programs
that had been zeroed out by the administration, including the Legal
Services Corporation, which comes in at over $368 million.
NOAA gets extra money for climate research, and we put in $368
million for opioid epidemic issues. The President wanted $336 million;
we came in at $368 million.
To me, the greatest accomplishment in this particular part of the
bill is $1 billion for the Census, to continue to work on the Census.
This is a major victory, and we thank the other side for agreeing that
this is something that has to be done and something that is important
for all of us.
So I am asking not only for you to applaud the CJS part of the bill
but also to vote for the whole bill.
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Joyce).
Mr. JOYCE of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this
bipartisan conference agreement, and I thank my ranking member for
yielding time to highlight several items in the Interior, Environment,
and Related Agencies division of this agreement.
I also want to thank my colleague, Ken Calvert, the former
chairman of the subcommittee, for his leadership on this bill last
Congress.
The highlights I am about to summarize are really a result of efforts
to negotiate a reasonable compromise with the Senate and our mutual
friend and current chair of the subcommittee, Betty McCollum.
Division E of the conference agreement provides $35.6 billion for the
Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, the Forest
Service, the Indian Health Service, the Smithsonian Institution, and
more than a dozen related agencies.
This conference agreement enhances our Nation's economic prosperity
in many ways:
By cutting an additional $15 million from the EPA regulatory
programs;
By fully funding the Payments in Lieu of Taxes program, which is
critical to the counties with Federal lands; and
By increasing America's investment in its own abundant energy
resources.
Additionally, this conference agreement promotes health and safety by
providing targeted increases to accelerate the cleanup of America's
most polluted lands, waters, and airsheds;
By providing an additional $300 million for healthcare, law
enforcement, and related programs to honor our country's sacred trust
and treaty obligations to American Indians and Alaska Natives; and
By providing $3.9 billion for the Department of the Interior and the
U.S. Forest Service to fight devastating wildfires that threaten our
communities, and to reduce the severity of future wildfires.
Finally, this conference agreement continues to make critical
investments in our Nation's infrastructure, including:
$47 million to reduce the maintenance backlogs at our Nation's
national parks, wildlife refuges, and other public lands;
$2.9 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving
Loan Funds; and
$68 million for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act
program, which will be leveraged with private investments to finance
more than $7 billion in water infrastructure projects, nationwide.
Personally, I have a vested interest in the resources provided in
this bipartisan package. Having grown up in northeast Ohio, I cherish
my memories of fishing and swimming in Lake Erie with my family and
friends. My wife, Kelly, and I have been proud to share the importance
of protecting this precious resource with our children.
The Great Lakes are one of the greatest natural resources and
economic powerhouses in the United States. They constitute the largest
group of freshwater lakes on Earth and hold 95 percent of the United
States' surface freshwater. The lakes also support over 1.5 million
jobs and provide $62 billion in wages, annually.
Protecting the Great Lakes is not a red issue or a blue issue. Many
Members of Congress from both sides of the political aisle understand
the important role the lakes play in our lives and understand the
importance of protecting them.
My colleague Betty McCollum has been a great partner to work with in
my fight to protect the Great Lakes, and I am happy to report that the
conference agreement provides full funding for the Great Lakes
Restoration Initiative, which helps us address invasive species like
Asian carp, reduce phosphorus runoff that causes harmful algal blooms,
and protect and preserve the Great Lakes for future generations.
In closing, I want to sincerely thank the staff on both sides of the
aisle for their hard work, their professionalism, and their ability to
work together under extremely difficult circumstances in order to get
an annual appropriation bill over the finish line once again.
I also want to thank the many thousands of Federal employees who
carry out the programs funded in this conference agreement. Your
dedication to serving your fellow Americans in spite of the sacrifices
asked of you by your government--especially this year--is the glue that
helps us bind together as one nation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this conference
agreement.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop), the distinguished chairman of the
Agriculture Subcommittee.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, when I spoke on the floor about
finishing the FY19 bills, we were in the midst of what turned out to be
the longest government shutdown in our history. Thankfully, that is
behind us. But to ensure it stays behind us, we need to pass this
conference report.
The bipartisan leadership and staff and the conferees have done an
admirable job. This bill is good but not perfect. It makes significant
investments in rural development; it includes language setting aside
funding for persistent poverty counties; it has a modest increase for
the Farm Production and Conservation mission area; and domestic
nutrition programs are all well-funded.
On the international side, the bill provides good funding for Food
for Peace and the McGovern-Dole Program.
Finally, FDA gets $3 billion, including significant investments to
fight the opioid epidemic.
But I must say, candidly, that I have some regrets. My strongest
regret, however, is that we are not considering the disaster
supplemental today.
The House and Senate passed separate bills a month ago that would
have provided desperately needed relief to our farmers, ranchers, and
communities coast to coast, in Hawaii and the territories that were
devastated by tragic disasters, but those bills must still be
reconciled. The country must get this disaster bill passed, and get it
passed soon.
[[Page H2022]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Beyer). The time of the gentleman has
expired.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentleman from Georgia.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the conferees have done well;
nevertheless, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. It is a good
bill.
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Rutherford).
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the compromise appropriations
package that includes major wins for our national security and our
economic success. In fact, this move tonight will authorize seven
different appropriation bills that fund critical agencies and programs
within our government.
Now, this is not the bill that I would have written, and this is
probably not the bill that any of my colleagues on the other side of
the aisle would have written, but we have all finally found a
compromise that Congress can pass and the President has indicated he
will sign into law.
{time} 2030
This is not a loss for the President, but a win for the Department of
Homeland Security, and a significant step in the right direction for
border security.
Democrats called for no wall funding. Today we will approve $1.4
billion for new barriers. Democrats called for pro-abortion policies,
but today, we will approve and maintain multiple pro-life protections.
Democrats called for less ICE detention beds. Today we will be
approving funding for an estimated 45,000 beds and an additional $750
million for 13,000 beds, if needed.
We increased ICE funding by $500 million; increased CBP by almost $1
billion; and fund the first Coast Guard icebreaker in over 40 years.
This bill strengthens our national security and brings us one step
closer to bringing our southern border under operational control.
This bill also includes many priorities that are of significant
importance to northeast Florida. There is $4 billion in additional
funding to help FEMA respond to national disasters like Hurricane
Michael and Hurricane Florence.
There is $468 million to help local communities combat opioid
trafficking, which has ravaged parts of northeast Florida.
On the first anniversary of 17 lives murdered in Parkland, Florida, I
am proud to vote in support of $100 million in grants authorized under
my STOP School Violence Act which was signed into law last year. Since
the passage of this bill, the STOP School Violence Act has yielded over
$175 million in grants to help protect schools across the United
States.
I understand this is not a perfect bill before us today, but we
cannot afford another shutdown that puts almost 1 million people out of
work. We cannot afford another CR that kicks the can down the road,
causing uncertainty and increasing the cost of government.
Let's end this stalemate, build the wall, and secure our southern
border. I congratulate the committee, and I urge my colleagues to
support this compromise package and send it to the President.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), the chairwoman of the
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this
conference committee report. The Interior and Environment section
provides $35.6 billion, which is $300 million more than fiscal year
2018 enacted.
We made critical investments in this legislation in Indian Country,
environmental protection, public land management, and the arts. The
Environmental Protection Agency is funded at $8.8 billion. This funding
will enhance the EPA's ability to protect human health and the health
of our environment.
We continue to invest in land and water conservation funds, civil
rights initiative programs, and historic preservation. We worked in a
bipartisan way to increase funding for the National Endowment for the
Arts and the Humanities.
Finally, it is critically important that this Interior bill upholds
the Federal Government's trust responsibilities to our Native American
brothers and sisters.
Funding for Indian Country is over $1 billion more than the
President's budget, and we did it in our committee's nonpartisan way.
Programs in the Interior bill impact all of us, from preserving our
natural and cultural resources, to protecting our health and safety.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I encourage my colleagues to
vote for it as well.
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), chairwoman of the
Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to support this bipartisan agreement which, while
not perfect, keeps our government open and funds many essential,
crucial needs. It also passes sound policy, like one preventing our
government from using asylum-seeking children to be used as bait to
arrest immigrants seeking to sponsor them.
I urge all Members to vote for this important compromise.
However, I cannot stay silent on the President's threat to declare a
national emergency to pay for his boondoggle of a border wall. This
lawless end-run around Congress is a craven act built on lies and
distraction.
The President would steal funds we use to support our brave young
soldiers just to pay for an ancient monument to waste. Rather than own
up to his lie that Mexico would pay for it, Trump would degrade our
national security to try to steal his way to his totem to vanity and
hate.
Will Trump ever look our soldiers and veterans in the eye and tell
them that it is they who will pay for the wall of waste? Of course not.
If this President wants to compromise our military with this tin-pot
authoritarian tactic, he is going to have to come through this Congress
to do it.
I urge my colleagues to vote for this agreement and reject Trump's
big national emergency lie.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from
engaging in personalities toward the President.
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I support this conference agreement before
us today, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.
I yield back the balance of my time.
General Leave
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the
conference report to accompany H.J. Res. 31.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remainder of my time to
close.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to once again thank my fellow conferees. In
a divided government, none of us will get everything we want, but I am
proud that 16 of us, all appropriators, could work through a series of
difficult decisions and sign a bipartisan agreement.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my friends on both sides of the aisle to vote
``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Conference
Report to Accompany H.J. Res. 31.
Our country used to celebrate being a nation of immigrants, one that
protected the most vulnerable and those fleeing from violence and
persecution. We are, after all, home to the American Dream.
Increasingly, though, this country's policies have become a nightmare
for immigrant families, adults, and children.
People, including children, have died under our custody, and
immigrants and refugees are being targeted, detained and deported with
little oversight or accountability, and with no regard for keeping
families together. DHS, specifically it's enforcement methods and
immigration policy is out of alignment with our American values, and
instead of increasing its funding to separate families and cage
children, we must step back and conduct an audit of DHS funding and
policies, with an eye towards decreasing its budget and ending the
militarization of our immigration system. More importantly, we need an
audit of our morality as
[[Page H2023]]
a country. Our true test is how we treat the most vulnerable amongst
us, including our neighbors seeking a better life.
Since the creation of DHS in 2003, both CBP and ICE's budgets have
more than doubled, to a total of nearly $24 billion today. Moreover,
transfer and reprogramming authority allow ICE and CBP to siphon money
from other departments to support their activities, leaving their true
budgets largely unaccountable and often illusory. ICE, for instance,
has redirected appropriations to grow its detention camps and
enforcement operations, spending beyond what Congress appropriated.
This deal does nothing to restrict this transfer authority and will see
an increase in immigration detention of more than 11 percent, or 5,000
additional detentions every day, and representing a 25 percent increase
total over Obama Administration levels.
It is unconscionable that our federal budget would be spent on
private detention centers, like those run by Core Civic and GEO Groups,
who hold hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts from DHS for
private detention camps. These for-profit camps are violating human
rights by not providing hot water, serving spoiled food and denying
medical care. Not coincidentally, each of Core Civic and GEO Group gave
$250,000 to President Trump's inaugural committee. Our budget is not a
tool for rewarding campaign supporters, and it cannot be used to
perpetuate human rights abuses or make a profit on the backs of
children and our immigrant neighbors.
The Conference Report also provides $1.375 billion for wall
construction, a complete waste of resources that makes us no safer but
perpetuates environmental degradation and dehumanizes border
communities. It expands CBP's short term custody without any
safeguards, increases funding for Homeland Security Investigation ICE
agents who conduct militarized raids and abuse rights and their
authority, and funds border security technology despite a long history
of DHS abuses.
Once we voted to reopen the government, albeit short-term, a few of
my colleagues and I released a letter declaring that we would not vote
for an increase in funding for the harmful, hateful, and inhumane
actions of some agencies within DHS. We asked that the conference
committee work to cut DHS funding, get rid of transfer authority for
funds so the Trump Administration can no longer use the DHS as a slush
fund, and implement stronger accountability measures beyond just
reporting. It is unfortunate that this DHS funding bill includes none
of this. Instead, it includes money for a wall, an increase in DHS
funding, and lacks necessary accountability measures. We should be
fighting for a just border and a comprehensive immigration system. We
must demand change. We owe it to the American people and those coming
to this country for a better life. A presidency built on
misinformation, fearmongering, and division should not be rewarded for
its threats of shutdowns and instituting national emergencies.
My Democratic colleagues in the conference have negotiated in good
faith with the President and Republican leadership, and even despite
this, Republicans have confirmed that once again President Trump will
ignore the principles that the Constitution has set forth and declare a
National Emergency. Both sides should be alarmed at this continuous
degradation of the rule of law, separation of powers, and disregard for
our Constitution.
I cannot in good conscious vote for this DHS funding bill. On behalf
of my immigrant neighbors, I must reject hateful policies and rhetoric
by the Trump Administration. I am committed to working toward a just
border, a welcoming country, and a comprehensive immigration system
that respects the humanity and dignity of people while inspiring people
to live up to the best of our country's ideals.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 131, the previous question is ordered.
The question is on adoption of the conference report.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, this 15-
minute vote on adoption of the conference report will be followed by a
5-minute vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal, if
ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 300,
nays 128, not voting 4, as follows:
[Roll No. 87]
YEAS--300
Adams
Aguilar
Amodei
Armstrong
Axne
Bacon
Balderson
Barr
Barragan
Bass
Beatty
Bera
Bergman
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (UT)
Blumenauer
Blunt Rochester
Bonamici
Bost
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brindisi
Brooks (IN)
Brown (MD)
Brownley (CA)
Buchanan
Bustos
Butterfield
Calvert
Carbajal
Cardenas
Carson (IN)
Carter (TX)
Cartwright
Case
Casten (IL)
Castor (FL)
Cheney
Chu, Judy
Cicilline
Cisneros
Clark (MA)
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Cole
Collins (NY)
Conaway
Connolly
Cook
Cooper
Costa
Courtney
Cox (CA)
Craig
Crist
Crow
Cuellar
Cummings
Cunningham
Davids (KS)
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny K.
Davis, Rodney
Dean
DeFazio
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Delgado
Demings
DeSaulnier
Diaz-Balart
Dingell
Doyle, Michael F.
Emmer
Engel
Eshoo
Evans
Ferguson
Finkenauer
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fletcher
Flores
Fortenberry
Foster
Foxx (NC)
Frankel
Fudge
Fulcher
Gabbard
Gaetz
Gallego
Garamendi
Gianforte
Gibbs
Golden
Gonzalez (OH)
Gottheimer
Granger
Green (TX)
Guest
Guthrie
Haaland
Hagedorn
Harder (CA)
Hastings
Hayes
Heck
Herrera Beutler
Higgins (NY)
Hill (AR)
Hill (CA)
Himes
Horn, Kendra S.
Horsford
Houlahan
Hoyer
Huffman
Hurd (TX)
Jackson Lee
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson (SD)
Johnson (TX)
Joyce (OH)
Kaptur
Katko
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Khanna
Kildee
Kilmer
Kim
Kind
King (NY)
Kirkpatrick
Krishnamoorthi
Kuster (NH)
Kustoff (TN)
LaMalfa
Lamb
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lawrence
Lawson (FL)
Lee (CA)
Lee (NV)
Levin (CA)
Levin (MI)
Lewis
Lieu, Ted
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lofgren
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lujan
Luria
Lynch
Malinowski
Maloney, Carolyn B.
Maloney, Sean
Matsui
McAdams
McBath
McCarthy
McCaul
McCollum
McEachin
McGovern
McHenry
McKinley
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Miller
Moolenaar
Moore
Morelle
Moulton
Mucarsel-Powell
Murphy
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Neguse
Newhouse
Norcross
Nunes
O'Halleran
Olson
Palazzo
Pallone
Panetta
Pappas
Pascrell
Payne
Pelosi
Pence
Perlmutter
Peters
Peterson
Phillips
Pingree
Pocan
Porter
Price (NC)
Raskin
Reed
Rice (NY)
Richmond
Riggleman
Roby
Rodgers (WA)
Roe, David P.
Rogers (KY)
Rose (NY)
Rouda
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Rutherford
Ryan
Sanchez
Sarbanes
Scalise
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Schrader
Schrier
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Sewell (AL)
Shalala
Sherman
Sherrill
Shimkus
Simpson
Sires
Slotkin
Smith (NJ)
Smith (WA)
Soto
Spanberger
Speier
Stanton
Stauber
Stefanik
Steil
Stevens
Stewart
Stivers
Suozzi
Swalwell (CA)
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Titus
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Torres Small (NM)
Trahan
Trone
Turner
Underwood
Upton
Van Drew
Veasey
Visclosky
Wagner
Walden
Walorski
Waltz
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson Coleman
Welch
Wenstrup
Wexton
Wild
Wilson (FL)
Wittman
Womack
Woodall
Yarmuth
Young
NAYS--128
Abraham
Aderholt
Allen
Amash
Arrington
Babin
Baird
Banks
Biggs
Bilirakis
Brady
Brooks (AL)
Buck
Bucshon
Budd
Burchett
Burgess
Byrne
Carter (GA)
Castro (TX)
Chabot
Clarke (NY)
Cline
Cloud
Collins (GA)
Comer
Correa
Crawford
Crenshaw
Curtis
Davidson (OH)
DesJarlais
Doggett
Duffy
Duncan
Dunn
Escobar
Espaillat
Estes
Gallagher
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Gohmert
Gomez
Gonzalez (TX)
Gooden
Gosar
Graves (GA)
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Green (TN)
Griffith
Grijalva
Grothman
Harris
Hartzler
Hern, Kevin
Hice (GA)
Higgins (LA)
Holding
Hollingsworth
Hudson
Huizenga
Hunter
Jayapal
Johnson (LA)
Jordan
Joyce (PA)
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
King (IA)
LaHood
Lamborn
Latta
Lesko
Long
Loudermilk
Marchant
Marshall
Massie
Mast
McClintock
Meadows
Meuser
Mitchell
Mooney (WV)
Mullin
Norman
Ocasio-Cortez
Omar
Palmer
Perry
Posey
Pressley
Ratcliffe
Reschenthaler
Rice (SC)
Rogers (AL)
Rooney (FL)
Rose, John W.
Rouzer
Roy
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smucker
Spano
Steube
Taylor
Timmons
Tipton
Tlaib
Vargas
Vela
Velazquez
Walberg
Walker
Watkins
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Westerman
Williams
Wilson (SC)
Wright
Yoho
Zeldin
NOT VOTING--4
Allred
Deutch
Kinzinger
Quigley
{time} 2059
Mrs. HARTZLER changed her vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
[[Page H2024]]
Mr. CLEAVER changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the conference report was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
personal explanation
Mr. ALLRED. Mr. Speaker, as I am back home in Dallas, Texas, on
paternity leave with my family, I submit the following vote
explanation. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall
No. 85, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 86, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 87.
____________________