[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 204 (Tuesday, December 17, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H10309-H10312]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 1158, DHS CYBER 
  INCIDENT RESPONSE TEAMS ACT OF 2019; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF 
    SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 1865, NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT MUSEUM 
  COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT; AND PROVIDING FOR ADOPTION OF H. RES. 761, 
PERMITTING INDIVIDUALS TO BE ADMITTED TO THE HALL OF THE HOUSE IN ORDER 
    TO OBTAIN FOOTAGE OF THE HOUSE IN SESSION FOR INCLUSION IN THE 
 ORIENTATION FILM TO BE SHOWN TO VISITORS AT THE CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER

  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 765 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 765

       Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be 
     in order to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 
     1158) to authorize cyber incident response teams at the 
     Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes, with 
     the Senate amendment thereto, and to consider in the House, 
     without intervention of any point of order, a motion offered 
     by the chair of the Committee on Appropriations or her 
     designee that the House concur in the Senate amendment with 
     an amendment consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 
     116-43. The Senate amendment and the motion shall be 
     considered as read. The motion shall be debatable for one 
     hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking 
     minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. The 
     previous question shall be considered as ordered on the 
     motion to its adoption without intervening motion.
       Sec. 2.  Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in 
     order to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 1865) 
     to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint a coin in 
     commemoration of the opening of the National Law Enforcement 
     Museum in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes, 
     with the Senate amendment thereto, and to consider in the 
     House, without intervention of any point of order, a motion 
     offered by the chair of the Committee on Appropriations or 
     her designee that the House concur in the Senate amendment 
     with an amendment consisting of the text of Rules Committee 
     Print 116-44 modified by the amendment printed in the report 
     of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution. The 
     Senate amendment and the motion shall be considered as read. 
     The motion shall be debatable for one hour equally divided 
     and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of 
     the Committee on Appropriations. The previous question shall 
     be considered as ordered on the motion to its adoption 
     without intervening motion or demand for division of the 
     question.
       Sec. 3.  The chair of the Committee on Appropriations may 
     insert in the Congressional Record not later than December 
     17, 2019, such material as she may deem explanatory of the 
     Senate amendments and the motions specified in the first two 
     sections of this resolution.
       Sec. 4.  House Resolution 761 is hereby adopted.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Cuellar). The gentleman from New York is 
recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. MORELLE. 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.
  Mr. Speaker, I would just take a moment, if I may, to thank the 
gentleman from Oklahoma, the distinguished Mr. Cole. When I came to 
Washington, I hoped to meet people who were professional, thoughtful, 
dedicated, not only to this institution but to this country, and I am 
grateful for his leadership and for his friendship.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MORELLE. 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 New York?

[[Page H10310]]

  There was no objection.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, on Monday the Rules Committee met and 
reported a rule, House Resolution 765, providing for consideration of 
the Senate amendment to H.R. 1158, and the Senate amendment to H.R. 
1865, which will fund the Federal Government through the fiscal year 
2020.
  For each measure, the rule provides for 1 hour of debate equally 
divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee 
on Appropriations. The rule also self-executes a manager's amendment 
from Chairwoman Lowey to H.R. 1865.
  The rule provides the chair of the Appropriations Committee with the 
authority to insert into the Congressional Record such material as she 
may deem explanatory of both Senate amendments not later than December 
17, 2019.
  Lastly, the rule adopts H. Res. 761, a bipartisan resolution that 
permits individuals to be admitted to the Hall of the House in order to 
obtain footage of the House in session for inclusion in the orientation 
film to be shown to visitors at the Capitol Visitor Center.
  Mr. Speaker, these two spending bills provide funding for the 
entirety of government operations through the remainder of fiscal year 
2020.
  I am proud that Members of Congress from across the Nation have come 
together to reach this bipartisan consensus, even in areas where we 
disagree.
  This deal provides certainty for millions of American families and 
businesses that are all fearful of a government shutdown. It also 
represents a tremendous investment in working families, our economy, 
and our national security.
  These bills provide protections for our representative democracy with 
$425 million in support for election security to the various States and 
$7.6 billion for the approaching 2020 census.
  These appropriations also invest in our children's future, with 
record funding for Head Start and Child Care & Development Block 
Grants, as well as strong investments in nutrition assistance for 
children and those in need.
  We are also investing billions of dollars in renewable energy 
alternatives, environmental protection, and conservation to work toward 
a healthier planet for our children and our grandchildren.
  We are providing a record level of investment in the health of every 
American, including more than $41 billion for the National Institutes 
of Health.
  And, for the first time in more than 20 years, we have provided 
research funding to address a major threat to public health: the gun 
violence epidemic. This package includes $25 million for our public 
health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and the National 
Institutes of Health for firearm injury and mortality prevention 
research.
  It also provides $1.5 billion in investment in State-level response 
to the opioid epidemic.
  These measures fund community health centers through May 22 of next 
year, ensuring they can continue their vital work across the Nation 
while Congress works toward a long-term extension.
  In addition to all this, these bills also include bipartisan measures 
to provide additional mental health services, low-income home energy 
assistance, increase the age to buy tobacco to 21 nationwide, increase 
competition in the prescription drug market, and more.
  As the representative for Rochester, New York, I am grateful for 
Congress' ongoing, strong bipartisan support of $565 million for the 
Inertial Confinement Fusion program, including at least $80 million for 
the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics, or LLE, 
which is located in my district.
  This funding will allow the LLE to continue to cement its place as a 
world-class institution and leader in cutting-edge scientific research.
  Mr. Speaker, with these successes in mind, I am proud to speak in 
support of this legislation, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me 
in supporting its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Morelle) for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. I also want to 
thank him for his very generous remarks. The fact that he was noted for 
his civility in New York, that is one of the reasons he was a leader 
there, and it is one of the reasons he is becoming a leader here.

                              {time}  0915

  Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we are here at the beginning of what is likely to be a 
very eventful week. We are considering two items today as part of this 
rule, both of which are bipartisan, full-year appropriations bills.
  Today's bipartisan appropriations packages are the culmination of 
many months of hard work by both parties and in both Chambers. Though 
this was a long road, I am pleased that the negotiations were 
ultimately successful. I have often said that funding the government 
and keeping it open is one of the most fundamental duties as Members of 
Congress that we have.
  Together, both packages cover full-year funding for all 12 
appropriations bills. This is significant. By advancing full-year 
appropriations, that means we are not relying on another short-term 
continuing resolution. While funding with the CR is certainly better 
than shutting down the government, doing so also abdicates Congress' 
ability to adjust spending and policies to reflect the country's 
changing needs and priorities.
  It is important to remember that, at the end of July of this year, 
Congress passed and President Trump signed into law the Bipartisan 
Budget Act of 2019, which set budgetary levels for fiscal years 2020 
and 2021. This bipartisan and bicameral compromise was the result of a 
good faith negotiation between the President and the congressional 
leadership of Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader McConnell in the Senate, 
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in the House, and Minority Leader 
Senator Schumer in the Senate.
  That compromise achieved many wins for the American people, including 
a significant and desperately needed increase to support and rebuild 
our national defense.
  Though the budget agreement was enacted, the authorized spending 
could not be realized without full-year appropriations. Fortunately, 
that is exactly what we have here today. I want to highlight a few key 
provisions, Mr. Speaker.
  The bills fulfill the top-line spending numbers Congress agreed to in 
the budget deal earlier this year.
  H.R. 1158 provides an increase of $19.5 billion for our armed 
services over fiscal year 2019, which will allow us to continue 
rebuilding America's military. The additional funds will enable us to 
remedy our readiness crisis, allow our servicemembers to secure the 
valuable training time they need, and give those same brave 
servicemembers the largest pay raise they have had in a decade.
  On the domestic side, the appropriations package boosts the funding 
for the National Institutes of Health by $2.6 billion. This is the 
fifth straight year of sustained increases for the NIH. The increased 
funding places the United States as the unquestioned global leader in 
biomedical research, which will lead to continued efforts to cure 
diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer.
  The bill also includes a significant increase for the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, America's frontline defense against 
pandemics, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and other deadly diseases.
  The bill includes substantial increases for various federally funded 
education programs like IDEA, title I, Impact Aid, and early childhood 
education. There is also a significant increase in funding for Head 
Start.
  Close to my heart are TRIO and GEAR UP, two programs that help 
disadvantaged students, low-income students, or first-generation 
college students to succeed. These programs will receive a $35 million 
increase over fiscal year 2019, ensuring that still more students are 
able to achieve academic excellence.
  We are also increasing spending for career and technical education by 
an additional $20 million.
  Perhaps most critically for rural areas, we are providing a robust 
increase for a medical student education program to ensure we are 
training more primary healthcare providers who want to work in rural 
areas.

[[Page H10311]]

  The bill also includes critical tax extender provisions that have 
either lapsed or are due to be reauthorized at the end of the year. 
This important end-of-the-year package ensures that these important 
provisions will be maintained in law, provisions like the Indian lands 
tax credit and the Indian employment tax credit, which are both of 
critical importance in my district. Typical tax credits provided to 
individuals who have been affected by disasters will also be extended 
under this legislation.
  I am also pleased that three additional provisions of ObamaCare are 
permanently repealed in these appropriations bills: the so-called 
Cadillac tax, the medical device tax, and the health insurance tax. 
These provisions served two insidious purposes, driving up the cost of 
healthcare and forcing people to give up good healthcare plans that 
they enjoyed. I am thankful that my friends in the majority finally 
recognize this and included these overwhelmingly bipartisan solutions 
in the legislation before us today.
  Finally, the bill maintains important pro-life protections that have 
been in previous appropriations bills. The so-called Hyde and Weldon 
amendments remain intact. Maintaining these protections are important 
to securing bipartisan support for these bills.
  Though there is a lot to like in these bills, Mr. Speaker, there are 
also some things I would change if it were solely up to me. I don't 
think any of us here, Republican or Democrat, would view either of 
these bills to be perfect. But what we have achieved here is a 
bipartisan compromise.
  I think all of us in this Chamber can be proud of the work we have 
accomplished here, especially in times of divided government and in an 
ever more polarized political environment. Finding compromise across 
party lines and between Chambers of Congress and the administration is 
no small feat. That we have done so here today is a testament to the 
House of Representatives and a reminder that the things that unite us 
are more powerful than those that divide us.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, there is a saying in Albany when things go 
on for a while that everything has been said but not by everybody. 
Apparently, maybe everything has been said, and apparently, everybody 
doesn't feel the need to weigh in.

  Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Roy), my friend.
  Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma and the 
gentleman from New York for yielding time, and I respect the amount of 
work they have put into this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise, without surprise to anyone in this room, in 
opposition to the legislation.
  I keep hearing this phrase: ``this bill provides.'' I keep hearing my 
colleagues saying this. But this bill doesn't provide anything. The 
American people provide. This bill borrows, and it borrows at a time 
when we can't afford to borrow more.
  Our Nation is $23 trillion in debt, now racking up more than $100 
million of debt per hour.
  We haven't figured it all out yet, but it appears this bill spends 
$50 billion more than 2019 spending levels. Don't worry, everybody will 
go back home and campaign on a balanced budget amendment that has no 
prayer of passage.
  This bill is filled with massive policy changes that we should debate 
and vote on individually.
  It has a bailout for Big Insurance cloaked as tax relief.
  It embraces the very partial ObamaCare repeal that Republicans have 
argued props up ObamaCare, yet they now embrace.
  The bill changes the tobacco age nationwide, turning federalism on 
its head, with nary a whimper from Republicans who like to talk about 
the 10th Amendment in speeches back home.
  The bill extends the big giveaway to huge corporations like Boeing in 
the form of Ex-Im for 7 years.
  The bill funds bureaucrats who wish to target your Second Amendment 
rights.
  It funds abortion through ObamaCare plans.
  The biggest problem is, we haven't read the bill.
  Days like today, everyone declares bipartisanship. But in this 
version of bipartisanship, it is the bipartisan smell of Christmas jet 
fumes and everyone's desire to get home fueling the worst kind of 
bipartisanship, the kind that says: ``To heck with it, keep spending 
money we don't have and leave it to our kids and grandkids to clean 
up.''
  No one has read the bill. It is a massive, unreadable, 2,313-page 
bill filled with government-expanded goodies and spending, and it was 
dropped on us yesterday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. My staff got their first 
look at 4:30.
  The bill is a blatant violation of the House's 72-hour rule, a pretty 
weak rule requiring that we have at least 72 hours to review 
legislation--everyone back home is saying, ``Are you kidding me?''--in 
this case, 2,300 pages.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. ROY. Seventy-five years ago this week, American forces were under 
siege from 200,000 German soldiers, over 1,000 panzers, as Hitler 
mounted a counteroffensive in the middle of the freezing-cold winter at 
Christmas. Our boys, no doubt, wanted to get home.
  Yet, this Congress surrenders. It surrenders to the swamp, mortgaging 
the future, the very future those men fought for.
  The President, last spring, about a massive omnibus, said: ``I will 
never sign another bill like this again. I'm not going to do it again. 
Nobody read it. It's only hours old. Some people don't even know what 
is in it.'' It was $1.3 trillion, the second largest ever.
  Mr. President, I look forward to your veto.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, since my friend is prepared to close, I yield 
myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, the first thing is, I want to serve notice that, if we 
defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to 
immediately bring up the bipartisan bill H.R. 1869, the Restoring 
Investment in Improvements Act.
  With 288 cosponsors, H.R. 1869 would ensure that any improvement to 
the inside of a commercial building would be treated in the same way 
that they have historically been treated. That puts capital back in the 
pockets of job creators, which can be used to expand facilities, create 
new opportunities, and hire more workers.
  H.R. 1869 is a bipartisan solution to a real problem facing American 
businesses. Passage will immediately boost job growth in communities 
across the country by reviving investment in communities that have been 
sitting on the sideline. If we defeat the previous question, we can 
pass this bill and send it on to the Senate today.

  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, while I oppose the rule, I urge support for 
the two appropriations measures we are considering today.
  Frankly, to be fair, there are many concerns that my friend, Mr. Roy 
from Texas, expressed that I agree with, but this is the product of 
real compromise. Frankly, in that compromise, each side actually 
reduced its spending.
  The spending in this bill for defense, while it is a robust $19 
billion increase, is $10 billion less than the President asked for in 
his original budget. That was the compromise on his side. The spending 
on the Labor-H bill, while certainly an increase, is $11 billion less 
than my friends introduced in the original House bill. So there are a 
lot of give-and-takes in this.
  Frankly, as an appropriator, I would not be unhappy to see major 
provisions like the repeal of ACA taxes and tax extenders brought under 
their own legislation here. That would be better. But repealing those 
tax increases and extending those tax extenders are real

[[Page H10312]]

victories for the American people and prevent massive tax increases 
that, frankly, bipartisan majorities have opposed in this House from 
the very beginning.
  The flaw in the ACA bill was funding it with things that even my 
friends on their side did not support and have not supported. They are 
not for the medical device tax. They are not for taxing people's 
insurance plans. They are certainly not for the taxes on so-called 
Cadillac healthcare plans, which are nothing more than good healthcare 
plans that American people and workers have bargained for.
  So I consider these, however imperfectly achieved, real victories for 
the American people, real bipartisan compromises.

                              {time}  0930

  The most important part of this bill is actually the underlying 
appropriations process, and there we achieved what we failed to achieve 
last year, as regular governance working for most of the fiscal year: 
no government shutdown, thoughtful increases, and, frankly, reductions 
in places that, on a bipartisan basis, we were able to agree.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the two appropriations measures we 
are considering today. The two bills will fully fund the government for 
fiscal year 2020 and represent a truly bipartisan and bicameral 
compromise.
  I want to applaud all of the Members for the work they have 
accomplished on these bills which show what we can do when we set our 
partisan differences aside and truly focus on governing our great 
Nation together. We will ensure that the government remains open and 
operating for our constituents and will ensure that the government 
resources are going where they are needed.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues, obviously, to vote ``no'' on the 
previous question and ``no'' on the rule, but I urge strong and 
enthusiastic support for the underlying legislation, which I think 
achieves many victories for the American people and does so to the 
credit of both parties.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, my friend, the late, great Governor of New York, Mario 
Cuomo, once said, ``We campaign in poetry and govern in prose,'' and I 
think he foresaw days like today when we come together in the spirit of 
compromise to accomplish great things for our communities and for the 
country.
  I want to thank my colleagues for their support and Mr. Cole's 
support of both Consolidated Appropriations Acts, and I especially 
thank Chairwoman Lowey, Ranking Member Granger, and all of the Members 
on the Appropriations Committee, including the distinguished gentleman 
from Oklahoma, for their tireless work in reaching this bipartisan 
compromise.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule and a ``yes'' vote on 
the previous question.
  The material previously referred to by Mr. Cole is as follows:

                   Amendment to House Resolution 765

       At the end of the resolution, add the following:
       Sec. 5. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the 
     House shall proceed to consideration in the House of the bill 
     (H.R. 1869) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to 
     restore incentives for investments in qualified improvement 
     property. 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 the ranking minority 
     member of the Committee on Ways and Means; and (2) one motion 
     to recommit.
       Sec. 6. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the 
     consideration of H.R. 1869.

  Mr. MORELLE. 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.

                          ____________________