[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 151 (Thursday, September 19, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H7783-H7785]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4378, CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS 
              ACT, 2020, AND HEALTH EXTENDERS ACT OF 2019

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 564 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 564

       Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be 
     in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 4378) making 
     continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2020, and for other 
     purposes. All points of order against consideration of the 
     bill are waived. The bill shall be considered as read. All 
     points of order against provisions in the bill are waived. 
     The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the 
     bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage without 
     intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally 
     divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority 
     member of the Committee on Appropriations; and (2) one motion 
     to recommit.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Massachusetts is 
recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield 
the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), 
pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During 
consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose 
of debate only.


                             General Leave

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
be given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, today the Rules Committee met and reported 
a rule, House Resolution 564, providing for the consideration of H.R. 
4378 under a closed rule. One hour of general debate has been provided, 
controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
Appropriations.
  Mr. Speaker, before I begin my formal remarks, let me just take this 
moment also to recognize the leadership of the ranking member on the 
Rules Committee, Mr. Cole. He is not only a friend, but he is a fair 
and evenhanded appropriator that can work with both sides. I know if 
the gentleman could control this entire process, we would not be having 
continuing resolutions; we would be actually voting for funding for the 
entire year.
  As my colleagues know, funding for the Federal Government runs out on 
September 30, and that is less than 2 weeks from now. I had hoped that 
we would have finished all of our work by now. Certainly, the House has 
done its lion's share of work, but instead of prioritizing that, 
President Trump has been obsessed with drawing on weather maps and 
Twitter fights and cozying up to dictators.

                              {time}  1230

  And the Republican Senate is completely dysfunctional. It seems like 
we have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than seeing them 
pass a bill.
  The House has passed bills that fund 96 percent of the government. 
Again, 96 percent of the government is funded by the actions in this 
House. But the Republican Senate has passed zero. Nothing. What are 
they doing over there, Mr. Speaker?
  The Senate is just starting to get its act together, but where have 
they been all summer?
  This House is the only adult in the room. That is why we are acting 
today to keep the lights on. This continuing resolution will keep the 
government funded through November 21. It is bipartisan and it is 
drafted as cleanly as possible to encourage the Republicans in the 
Senate and the White House to finally negotiate on a long-term deal.
  I know my Republican colleagues on the other side of the Capitol are 
afraid to stand up to the President. They have stood by as President 
Trump ransacked funding for military construction projects in their 
States and diverted it, instead, to pay for his ineffective border 
wall, a border wall that I am now being told you can fry an egg on.
  The President is hurting our brave servicemen and -women, their 
families, and their communities, but still Senate Republicans do 
nothing. They won't be able to shirk their responsibilities here 
because any compromise will require bicameral support and the 
President's signature.
  Someone over there is going to have to deliver some bad news to 
Donald Trump: that he is going to have to log off Twitter and actually 
govern. It may not make for good television but keeping the government 
open for business is the most basic responsibility that we have.
  Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, when we finally do go to conference, 
this majority is going to defend our values. That means fully funding a 
fair and accurate census, securing our elections from foreign 
interference, and supporting Federal research into our Nation's gun 
violence epidemic, all while working to fund education, healthcare, and 
infrastructure.
  This is what responsible governing looks like. I know that may be a 
radical concept for some of my friends on the other side, who enabled 
this President to launch the longest shutdown in American history, but 
we don't believe in shutting down the government. The last Trump 
shutdown cost us $3 billion in economic activity that can never be 
recovered. That is according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget 
Office.
  We cannot afford a repeat at a time when Moody's has found the 
President's disastrous trade war is already resulting in 300,000 fewer 
jobs created. That is a figure that could increase to 450,000 fewer 
jobs by the end of the year if he continues these policies.
  It is tough to know what will happen because it seems like the 
President can't make up his own mind. You would have better luck at a 
casino than betting what President Trump will do next. That is not 
master negotiation, that is madness.
  Our farmers are hurting. I am glad that this bill lessens the impacts 
they are facing as a result of the President's trade war. These 
families need our help, and I stand with them.

[[Page H7784]]

  Someone has to lead here to keep our government funded, and we are. 
No gamesmanship, just the cleanest possible plan to keep the lights on 
for another month.
  So I encourage all my colleagues: let's say enough to this 
uncertainty. Enough with the shutdowns and enough with the President's 
inaction. Let's pass this short-term CR and finally make bipartisan, 
bicameral negotiations on a long-term deal a reality.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, the gentleman from 
Massachusetts, the chairman of the Rules Committee, for yielding me the 
customary 30 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for his kind words, and I mean that 
with all sincerity. We, obviously, have different opinions, we 
represent different parties, but we do work together well. I appreciate 
the manner in which my friend runs his committee and discharges his 
responsibility on that committee and to this entire House.
  We are here today, Mr. Speaker, on a bill that represents one of the 
most fundamental roles of the United States Congress. That is to fund 
the government to keep it open.
  Today's bill is a bipartisan continuing resolution ensuring that 
critical government funding will remain in place through November 21. 
The extension of funding is necessary to ensure that the House and the 
Senate have the time to reach a deal for full year appropriations for 
fiscal year 2020.
  Mr. Speaker, I call this bill a continuing resolution, but I think 
the other word I used is much more important. That word is bipartisan. 
That is what this bill truly is: a bipartisan compromise between the 
two parties. It is amazing what we can get done when we agree to work 
together and move towards a common goal. In putting forward this bill, 
that is exactly what we have done.
  H.R. 4378 is a bipartisan compromise that ensures that we will keep 
the government open and operating through November 21. The American 
people deserve no less.
  H.R. 4378 not only funds the government and keeps it open, but it 
also provides critical authorization extensions for some important 
government programs. Without passing this bill, crucial programs 
impacting millions of Americans in every district of the country would 
expire. These include programs like community health centers, the 
Commodity Credit Corporation, the National Flood Insurance Program, the 
Special Diabetes Program, and the Special Diabetes Program for Native 
Americans.
  Every one of these programs is one of great importance to my 
district, but the same could be said of every other Member of the 
House. All of us have constituents who use these and other important 
programs every day. All of us have constituents whose lives are changed 
for the better because these programs are there. And if they were to 
expire and stop working, all of us--every last Member--would, rightly, 
hear about it from our constituents the following day.

  The bill before us today is not a perfect bill, but that is the 
nature of a compromise. When the two parties agree to work together, 
both sides have to give up some things for the greater good. That is 
the nature of compromise and the nature of what we can do when we agree 
to set aside partisanship for the good of all those we are privileged 
to represent.
  Mr. Speaker, while I cannot support the rule, I do support the 
underlying measure. I think it represents a real bipartisan achievement 
that every Member of the Chamber, Republican and Democrat alike, can 
and should support.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge opposition to the rule, but urge support for the 
underlying legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I don't have any other speakers on this 
side of the aisle, and I am prepared to close.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an 
amendment to the rule to immediately bring up H.R. 4261, a bill to 
prohibit taxpayer funding in support of campaigns for the offices of 
Senators or Representatives.
  Earlier this Congress, my Democratic friends passed H.R. 1, which 
included a public funding scheme for congressional elections that would 
transfer hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to congressional 
candidates, most particularly to incumbents. That bill included an 
astonishing 6-1 match for campaign contributions under $200. For every 
dollar a congressional candidate raised, taxpayers would kick in an 
additional $6 if that contribution was less than $200. If the goal is 
to fix the campaign finance system and level the playing field, 
throwing even more money into the system--especially taxpayer dollars--
makes zero sense.
  As an appropriator, I find it hard to think of a worse use of 
taxpayer dollars than creating a government-funding campaign ATM. At a 
time when we could be funding the National Institutes of Health to help 
find a cure for cancer, or fund needed infrastructure projects across 
the country, or bring broadband internet to rural areas, Democrats in 
the House of Representatives have, instead, made clear that they want 
to spend taxpayer dollars on themselves. Congress should take immediate 
steps to ensure that taxpayer dollars are never spent on congressional 
campaigns, and H.R. 4261 would accomplish that goal.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my 
amendment in the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately 
prior to the vote on the previous question.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Oklahoma?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, in closing, while I certainly oppose the rule, 
I want to urge support for the underlying measure. H.R. 4378 is a 
bipartisan continuing resolution that will fund the government and keep 
it open for the American people while we complete our work on 
appropriations for fiscal year 2020. It will also provide extensions 
for critical programs impacting constituents in every district in the 
Nation.
  I want to associate myself with my friend's remarks. While I haven't 
voted for very many of the appropriations bills--I don't think I voted 
for any of them that this Chamber has passed because I have some strong 
disagreements--the House has largely done its work. We have largely 
completed the appropriations process here.
  I am glad our friends in the Senate--and they had a reason to do 
this--they waited until we had a bipartisan deal with the 
administration in both chambers on the top-line spending level. But I 
agree with my friend that it is time to get to work. It is time for 
these bills in the Senate to start moving and get passed. Then we can 
sit down, have the appropriate negotiation between the two chambers, 
hopefully arrive at a bipartisan agreement, and present the legislation 
to the administration that, hopefully, the President will be willing to 
sign.
  Again, I think buying the time we need here, without inconveniencing 
the American people, is a wise thing to do. I urge all my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle to support that and vote no on the previous 
question, no on the rule, but yes on the underlying legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the previous 
question and, obviously, yes on the rule.
  Let me just say that we need to do something about campaign finance. 
I think our current system is corrupt. I think people wonder why this 
institution has enacted tax bills that favor billionaires and 
millionaires at the expense of the middle class. Well, I think you can 
tie that to the money. When people want to know why we can't get the 
United States Senate to take up sensible gun control legislation, like 
universal background checks, I tell them to follow the money. I think 
we need to even the playing field so that middle class families, and 
those struggling to get into the middle class, are heard on this Hill 
as much as corporations and special interests have been over the past 
several years.
  H.R. 1, which we passed in this House, I think is a step in the 
direction

[[Page H7785]]

toward giving government back to the people and taking it away from big 
corporations, ending the practice of tax bills that just favor the very 
well-off and the well-connected, so I disagree with the gentleman's 
amendment.
  But let me say this in conclusion. As my good friend, Mr. Cole, 
pointed out, this is a bipartisan compromise continuing resolution. I 
thank Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Granger, as well as my 
colleague from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole) who I know worked so hard on the 
Appropriations Committee, for getting us to this point.

  I wish we did not have to do continuing resolutions. In the future 
that would depend on whether our colleagues in the United States Senate 
want to get their act together and deliberate and legislate in a timely 
fashion. We need to pass this because our farmers are hurting. Our 
retailers, our small businesses, and our local manufacturers are 
hurting.
  Virtually, anyone who sets foot into a store is forced to pay more 
for products today than before he took office because President Trump's 
tariffs are causing the typical U.S. household $1,000 a year. That is 
$1,000, Mr. Speaker.
  None of us can control the President's haphazard so-called 
negotiation with China, but we can control whether Congress acts to 
lift the threat of another shutdown. The Senate may be in disarray and 
the President may be focused on his latest Twitter feud or talking 
about how many mountain climbers couldn't climb over his new wall, or 
whether you can fry an egg on it, but this majority is focused on the 
American people. We are doing our job to prevent a shutdown to provide 
necessary funding that benefits all people in this country and buying 
some time so that we can work out a long-term deal.
  So I urge all my colleagues to join with us today. Let's encourage 
the Senate Republicans and the President to finally do the jobs they 
were elected to do and keep this government funded. We are doing our 
job, and in here, today, we will bring a bipartisan product to this 
floor--this bipartisan continuing resolution--that deserves a strong 
vote on both sides of the aisle.
  The text of the material previously referred to by Mr. Cole is as 
follows:

                   Amendment to House Resolution 564

  At the end of the resolution, add the following:

       Sec. 2. That immediately upon adoption of this resolution, 
     the House shall resolve into the Committee of the Whole House 
     on the state of the Union for consideration of the bill (H.R. 
     4261) to prohibit the use of federal funds for payments in 
     support of campaigns for election for the offices of Senator 
     or Representative of Congress. The first reading of the bill 
     shall be dispensed with. All points of order against 
     consideration of the bill are waived. General debate shall be 
     confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally 
     divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority 
     member of the Committee on House Administration. After 
     general debate the bill shall be considered for amendment 
     under the five-minute rule. All points of order against 
     provisions in the bill are waived. When the committee rises 
     and reports the bill back to the House with a recommendation 
     that the bill do pass, the previous question shall be 
     considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to 
     final passage without intervening motion except one motion to 
     recommit with or without instructions. If the Committee of 
     the Whole rises and reports that it has come to no resolution 
     on the bill, then on the next legislative day the House 
     shall, immediately after the third daily order of business 
     under clause 1 of rule XIV, resolve into the Committee of the 
     Whole for further consideration of the bill.
       Sec. 3. Clause l(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the 
     consideration of H.R. 4261.

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I 
move the previous question on the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous 
question.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. 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 question will be postponed.

                          ____________________