[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 150 (Tuesday, August 24, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H4359-H4372]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4, JOHN R. LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS
ADVANCEMENT ACT OF 2021; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF SENATE
AMENDMENT TO H.R. 3684, INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT; AND
PROVIDING FOR ADOPTION OF S. CON. RES. 14, CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE
BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I
call up House Resolution 601 and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 601
Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be
in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 4) to amend
the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to revise the criteria for
determining which States and political subdivisions are
subject to section 4 of the Act, and for other purposes. All
points of order against consideration of the bill are waived.
The amendment printed in the report of the Committee on Rules
accompanying this resolution shall be considered as adopted.
The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. All points
of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are
waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered
on the bill, as amended, and on any further 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 the
Judiciary or their respective designees; and (2) one motion
to recommit.
Sec. 2. The chair of the Committee on the Judiciary may
insert in the Congressional Record not later than August 24,
2021, such material as he may deem explanatory of H.R. 4.
Sec. 3. (a) Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in
order to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 3684)
to authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety
programs, and transit programs, 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 Transportation and
Infrastructure or his designee that the House concur in the
Senate amendment. 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 Transportation and
Infrastructure or their respective designees. The previous
question shall be considered as ordered on the motion to its
adoption without intervening motion.
(b) On the legislative day of September 27, 2021, the House
shall consider in the House the motion referred to in
subsection (a) if not offered prior to such legislative day.
A motion considered pursuant to this subsection shall be
considered as though offered pursuant to subsection (a).
Sec. 4. Senate Concurrent Resolution 14 is hereby adopted.
Sec. 5. Rule XXVIII shall not apply with respect to the
adoption by the House of a concurrent resolution on the
budget for fiscal year 2022.
Sec. 6. House Resolution 594 and House Resolution 600 are
laid on the table.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Colorado is recognized
for 1 hour.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield
the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Mrs.
Fischbach), 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. NEGUSE. Madam 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 Colorado?
There was no objection.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, earlier today, the Rules Committee met and
reported a rule, House Resolution 601, providing for consideration of
three measures.
First, the rule provides for consideration of H.R. 4 under a closed
rule. The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled
by the chair and the ranking minority member of the Committee on the
Judiciary or their designee. The rule self-executes a manager's
amendment from Chairman Nadler, provides one motion to recommit, and
provides the Judiciary Committee with the authority to insert in the
Congressional Record explanatory material related to H.R. 4 no later
than August 24.
[[Page H4360]]
The rule also provides for consideration of the Senate amendment to
H.R. 3684. The rule makes in order a motion offered by the chair of the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure that the House concur in
the Senate amendment to H.R. 3684. The rule provides for 1 hour of
debate on the motion equally divided and controlled by the chair and
the ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure or their designees.
Finally, the rule provides that S. Con. Res. 14 is adopted under
adoption of the rule.
Madam Speaker, today is an important day. The underlying bills before
us today are critical pieces of legislation to enact President Biden's
Build Back Better agenda. This plan will create good-paying jobs, put
money in the pockets of American families, lower healthcare and
childcare costs, and invest in our Nation's infrastructure paid for by
ensuring that the wealthiest Americans are paying their fair share in
taxes. We also take important critical steps today to secure the right
to vote and safeguard our democracy.
S. Con. Res. 14 begins the process to enact this important
legislative agenda. In short, the resolution sets out President Biden's
Build Back Better plan, which includes critical investments that we can
and must make now to provide a better future for our country.
This is a plan to create jobs, to cut taxes, and to lower costs for
working families.
Our plan will make things affordable for the middle class and working
families and reduce healthcare costs.
The Build Back Better plan will help prepare our Nation for the
impacts of climate change: Through historic investments in a reimagined
Climate Conservation Corps, investments that will put people to work to
protect and conserve our public lands and open spaces, invest in the
electrification of our infrastructure, and ensure that we can prepare
for and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
We will provide for wildfire prevention and mitigation, resources
that are desperately needed, Madam Speaker, across the western United
States as we continue to experience devastating wildfires year after
year. My State of Colorado, along with many other western States, are
in the midst of a terrible drought which, combined with extreme heat,
is continuing to wreak havoc on our communities.
As a father of a 3-year-old daughter who will be starting preschool
just next week, we will invest in our children through the Build Back
Better plan by ensuring universal pre-K for every 3-year-old and 4-
year-old in our country, provide tuition-free community college,
childcare for working families, upgrading school infrastructure, and
strengthening our education workforce.
We will fund investments in child nutrition programs, expand
Medicare, Madam Speaker, for the first time in its 55-year history to
include dental benefits, vision benefits, hearing coverage, critical
coverage that will help our seniors access the care that they need.
The Build Back Better plan will be transformational for the American
people, reaching every aspect of their lives and making investments in
resources that they can rely on. Madam Speaker, we will lower costs for
the American people, we will cut taxes, and we will create jobs. This
resolution is a first step toward making those critical investments a
reality.
I now turn to a bill that I know, Madam Speaker, you care deeply
about, as you are the sponsor of the legislation, and that is the John
R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, H.R. 4. Voting is a sacred
right foundational to our democracy and to our Republic. It is a right
that many have fought and died to secure and that the late civil rights
hero, our dear friend and colleague, John Lewis, fought to protect,
despite being harassed, jailed, and beaten. Madam Speaker, as you know,
Mr. Lewis often told us that the vote is the most powerful nonviolent
tool that we have.
Unfortunately, it is a right that is once again under attack, and we
see it, Madam Speaker, in the laws that are being passed in Georgia and
in Florida and in Iowa. In State after State after State, and in the
glaring absence of Federal standards and enforcement, partisan
legislatures are making it harder for those who are legally eligible to
vote to do so.
We cannot stand by, Madam Speaker, as discriminatory measures run
rampant, blocking Americans from participating in our democracy.
Voting is a constitutional right. It is ingrained at the very core of
who we are as Americans, Madam Speaker. As a Congress, protecting that
right is foundational; it really is the heart of our duty.
The vote can only truly represent the people's voice if they have the
ability to execute it freely and easily. That is why Congress needs to
take clear, decisive action today to protect voting rights by passing
the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. This bill would
strengthen the VRA and respond to recent Supreme Court cases striking
critical provisions of the bill, while making clear that Congress has
the power to create a new formula.
The VRA has been reauthorized, Madam Speaker, as you know, on a
bipartisan basis for decades, most recently in 2006 when the
reauthorization on the VRA passed this Chamber 390-33, and in the
Senate 98 votes for it, zero votes against it. This should not be a
partisan issue.
Our democracy is safeguarded only when every eligible voter has the
opportunity to participate, and that is what we will ensure today by
passing this bill out of the House.
Finally, Madam Speaker, as you know, the rule provides for
consideration of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This
bipartisan bill is an important down payment toward meeting the
critical infrastructure needs of our communities. We all know that our
Nation's infrastructure is in desperate need of repair, and this
bipartisan bill seeks to make those much-needed investments.
The bill invests in our roads, our highways, our bridges, focusing on
making infrastructure resilient to the impacts of climate change and
natural disasters.
It has become particularly clear over the course of this last year
that access to affordable, reliable broadband is absolutely critical
for Americans to be able to do their jobs and to participate equally in
remote learning, to access healthcare, to stay connected. This
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides $65 billion to expand
broadband coverage to areas most in need across the United States, and
it also takes steps to make sure that that coverage is more affordable
for individuals for whom those costs might be prohibitive.
The bill makes critical investments in our drinking water
infrastructure, ensuring that clean, safe drinking water is a right in
all communities.
Lastly, I would be remiss, Madam Speaker, if I didn't mention that
there are several priorities that I have been working on with many of
my colleagues from the western United States that are part of this
bill, the Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership Program, my
bill to help restore our forests and respond to wildfire risks; the
reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools Program; and, of course,
the Disaster Safe Power Grid Act, which ensures a safer and more
resilient power grid in the face of emergencies.
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The Senate has already passed this bill and shown the desire to
invest in our infrastructure, and the House must now do the same.
Madam Speaker, these three underlying bills that we are considering
today make essential investments in American families and communities,
and we have to meet this moment for the American people.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado
for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. I will just say, it has been
a long and bumpy road to get here so I am happy to finally be here on
the floor with the rule.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, House Resolution 601 provides for the consideration of
two controversial partisan bills and deems the $3.5 trillion
reconciliation resolution adopted that strips away local control and
adds trillions to the national debt.
[[Page H4361]]
The bill deemed adopted under this rule is S. Con. Res. 14, the $3.5
trillion tax-and-spending binge that passed the Senate earlier this
month.
Madam Speaker, prices are at a 13-year high, and inflation is rising.
President Biden has already spent $1.9 trillion and is now looking to
spend an additional $3.5 trillion, all while his administration pays
Americans not to work and stifles our robust economy.
Not only does this budget call for the highest sustained Federal
spending level in American history, but it also amounts to a whopping
$68 trillion over the next decade. It raises taxes on the American
people, shifts jobs overseas, and taxes American employers at one of
the highest rates in the world. It eliminates ``right to work''
protection and does nothing to address the historic flow of illegal
immigration at the southern border.
Democrats know their proposals are unpopular. They can't even get
their own conference to agree. Instead, they are resorting to smoke and
mirrors to push it through and hoping the American people aren't paying
attention. Where is the transparency?
If Democrats truly want to serve and help the American people, they
need far more transparency and input from everyone, not just a few.
This is no way to build a budget.
Madam Speaker, then there is H.R. 4, which would make changes to the
Voting Rights Act and strips State and local governments of their
ability to manage their own elections. The Constitution places the
responsibility for elections at the State level, and we have a long
history of letting each State run their own elections. But H.R. 4
grants the Federal Government unprecedented control over State and
local elections. It empowers the Attorney General to bully States and
forces those States to seek Federal approval before making changes to
their own voting laws.
H.R. 4 also provides incentives for advocacy groups to file as many
objections as possible to manufacture litigation in the hope of
triggering coverage under the Voting Rights Act. We need safeguards
that make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. H.R. 4 is not the
solution.
Madam Speaker, finally, the final bill in this resolution is the
Senate amendment to H.R. 3684, which provides for $1.2 trillion in new
infrastructure spending.
Madam Speaker, I hate to say it, but my Democrat colleagues are using
the bipartisan infrastructure framework to force their Members to also
push through trillions more in their outlandish spending resolution.
Our constituents are tired of Washington playing games with their
livelihoods.
To be sure, investing in our Nation's infrastructure is critical.
However, only a fraction of this $1 trillion-plus bill is for roads,
bridges, and other projects the American people would consider
traditional infrastructure. With tens of billions for electric vehicle
plug-ins, Amtrak, and light rail, if you live in a deep blue city, this
bill is for you. But if you are one of the millions of Americans in a
more rural area, this bill leaves you behind.
Madam Speaker, our country's infrastructure should not be tied to the
Democrats' partisan spending spree, especially during a pandemic. But
here we are. Until Democrats stop playing games and work with their
colleagues on a truly bipartisan compromise, I urge my colleagues to
oppose this rule and the underlying bills.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I must say with great respect for my
colleague from Minnesota, I think the Republican minority leader of the
United States Senate, Mitch McConnell, would disagree with the
gentlewoman's characterization of the bipartisan infrastructure bill
being for--I think she said--urban cities or blue cities.
Madam Speaker, 19 Republicans voted for that bill in the United
States Senate, including the Senate minority leader. So I think that it
is important for us to recognize that the investments made in that
bill, as well as the investments made in the resolution, the Build Back
Better plan that we are also considering over the coming weeks are
incredibly important for the future of our country.
Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from North
Carolina (Ms. Ross), a distinguished member of both the Committee on
Rules and the Committee on the Judiciary.
Ms. ROSS. Madam Speaker, the rule before us provides for
consideration of three landmark pieces of legislation. First and
foremost, we are here to assume our duty to protect our American
democracy. Just this year alone, 18 States have enacted 30 voter
suppression laws. In response, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act
would reinvigorate section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, restore
geographic preclearance requirements eliminated in the Shelby decision,
and take other steps to block discriminatory voting measures before
they are implemented.
The history of the fight for voting rights in America is long and
painful. But at crucial forks on that difficult path, Members of this
body from both parties have set politics aside and done the right
thing.
We are meeting here today at another pivotal juncture in the struggle
for voting rights, and it is up to us to meet the urgency of the
moment, live up to our constitutional responsibilities, and pass this
critical legislation.
Madam Speaker, I also rise in support of our $3.5 trillion Build Back
Better budget resolution. By taking real action on climate change,
expanding the child tax credit, and supporting universal pre-K and free
community college, this budget represents an investment in all of our
people, especially our children and grandchildren. For the sake of our
constituents and our country, let's approve this vital funding.
Madam Speaker, lastly, the rule before us provides for future
consideration of the Senate's bipartisan infrastructure package. From
expanding broadband to rebuilding roads, bridges, airports, rail, and
water systems, this historic bill will help bring America's aging
infrastructure into the 21st century and create jobs.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the rule and this
legislation.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from Missouri (Mr. Smith), ranking member of the Budget Committee.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from
Minnesota for yielding.
The last 24 hours, we need to just step back and look at it. And I
need to remind my colleagues and remind the folks across the aisle that
what we just witnessed is a circus; and also remind them that this is
the people's House. This is not Pelosi's palace, this is the people's
House.
Madam Speaker, the middle of July, we were supposed to mark up a
budget in the House Budget Committee, but the Democrats did not have
the votes.
Madam Speaker, before the August recess, we were suppose to pass the
House budget. The Democrats did not have the votes. Yesterday--up until
about 1 a.m. this morning, in fact--we were going to pass the House
budget, but the Democrats did not have the votes. So now they have a
scheme before us, a scheme that they are putting Bernie's budget with
the transportation bill, which is not even going to be voted on today,
not even going to be voted on this week, not even going to be voted on
this month, along with a voting rights bill, because they can't pass
Bernie's budget. You know why they can't pass Bernie's budget? Because
the American people are fed up with the Democrats' reckless spending.
Right now, we are facing the Biden inflation crisis. We are facing
the Biden border crisis. We are facing the Biden energy crisis. And we
are facing the Biden Afghanistan crisis. Yet, they bring forth a budget
resolution that only makes those crises worse, $68 trillion in new
spending, the most spending in the history of this country; $17
trillion of debt, the largest increase of debt, in fact, more debt than
the entire economies of every country in the world, except for the
United States.
Bernie Sanders may have lost the Presidential primary, but his
policies have won. Bernie Sanders controls this Chamber, along with the
liberal squad. But the American people are watching, and they are fed
up. And they are letting the American people know whenever this Chamber
changes and we actually bring order back to the House of
Representatives.
[[Page H4362]]
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, you know what is interesting? I don't
remember the ranking member complaining about the deficit 3 years ago
when they passed tax cuts for billionaires across our country to the
tune of $2 trillion in terms of adding it to the deficit. I don't
remember them complaining about process when they had to do three rules
within a time period of 6 weeks to try to repeal the Affordable Care
Act back in 2017.
I heard much today by way of process, but very little in terms of
substance. Why? Because they know that the plan we have put forward
today will lower costs, will cut taxes, and will create jobs.
Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California
(Ms. Pelosi), the distinguished Speaker of this House.
Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for
his distinguished role on the Committee on Rules.
Now, let us praise the Committee on Rules for the important work that
they do making sure that legislation comes to the floor in a way that
is consistent with the rules of the House, and in this case, a budget
that is consistent with the values of our country.
I thank the gentleman from Colorado and the chairman, Jim McGovern,
for his leadership as well. And to each and every member of the
Committee on Rules, we have to salute them, on both sides of the aisle,
for the time they put in and how they facilitate the work of the House.
Madam Speaker, today is a great day of pride for our country and for
Democrats. We have a President with a big, bold vision for our country
and unprecedented opportunity to keep our promises for the people. We
promised ``for the people'' that we would lower healthcare costs by
lowering the cost of prescription drugs; we would increase paychecks by
building the infrastructure of America; and we would have cleaner
government by passing legislation.
This rule does all three of those things and much more, enabling the
Congress to vote on some of that legislation today; some of it in the
bill, and some of it for later.
When the President spoke about the infrastructure bill which is
provided for in this rule, he said to our Republican friends, I want to
find our common ground on infrastructure, but I will not confine my
vision to what is in the bill that we can do in a bipartisan way unless
you want to help us build back better. I like to say build back better
for women, because that is what this budget will do; that is in this
rule.
So I salute the President, not only for his vision and his
determination to get the job done, but for the priorities that will be
contained here in this budget as we go forward.
The Build Back Better budget agenda is one that is liberating for
families, not just women, moms and dads, with childcare, with a child
tax credit, with universal pre-K, with home healthcare, with workforce
development. So that not only are we building the physical
infrastructure of America, we are building the human infrastructure of
America to enable many more people to participate in the success of our
economy and the growth of our society. It does so with equity, a 40
percent justice provision that will be in there.
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Now, it remains for us to work together, work with the Senate, to
write a bill that preserves the privilege of 51 votes in the Senate. So
we must work together to do that in a way that passes the House and
passes the Senate, and we must do so expeditiously. Expeditiously.
The authorizations for highway, et cetera, will expire September 30.
By October 1, we hope to have in place, that is the plan, to have in
place the legislation for infrastructure. That is bipartisan, and I
salute that, but it is not inclusive of all of the values we need to
build back at a time when we have a climate crisis.
So I salute our distinguished chair of the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, Mr. DeFazio, for the knowledge that
he brings, the value system and the knowledge that he brings to looking
at how we do a reconciliation bill, a build back better bill in a way
that is preserving of our planet for the children. For the children.
Exciting in all of this is the fact that we will have the John R.
Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. This is pretty exciting. And I
commend you, Madam Speaker, for your leadership in making this
possible; for you to be the author of it. But when you are the author,
though, you will no longer be able to preside, you have to come down
and manage us on the floor. So it is appropriate that during the rule
that will enable this to come to the floor, you are presiding, so we
can all congratulate you in a highly visible way.
This legislation is so important. I was very much a part of passing
the previous bill, that was in 2007, we wrote it in 2006, it became
effective in 2007 when President Bush was President. We had Republican
majorities in the House and Senate, and we passed the legislation
overwhelmingly. Over nearly 400 votes in the House, unanimous in the
Senate; signed by President Bush, as bipartisan as anything that has
come to the floor.
We walked down the steps of the Capitol in a bipartisan way, saluting
the fact that we had extended the Voting Rights Act and President Bush
signed it. And with great pride, he came to your neck of the woods, to
Selma, on the 50th anniversary of the Selma march. But he came as the
person who had signed the Voting Rights Act. And even more important
than that, Laura Bush came, too, so their hearts are in this
legislation.
I would hope that there would be some level of bipartisanship on that
as well. We will talk more about that as we go into the debate on that
bill in a little while.
But I do, again, want to thank Congresswoman DeLauro for her
relentless, persistent, dissatisfied until now, I hope satisfied to a
certain extent, more to come, of the child tax credit. For 10
Congresses she has introduced that bill, and now it is being advanced.
And Mr. Yarmuth, the chair of the Budget Committee, will lead us now
as we prepare in our individual committees, our work for the Budget
Committee to put together a package.
Madam Speaker, as you know, a national budget should be a statement
of our national values. What is important to us as a Nation should be
reflected in our budget. And this will be the case. And under the
leadership of Mr. Yarmuth, who is not only values-based, but eloquent
in conveying that message, we are very excited about how we go forward.
Again, I mentioned Peter DeFazio. In terms of the Voting Rights Act,
the very distinguished chair of the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Nadler;
and Zoe Lofgren for her work as chair on the Committee on House
Administration; Mr. Butterfield, and so many people; and our
distinguished whip, Mr. Clyburn, who has made this his life work.
Passing this rule paves the way for the Build Back Better plan, which
will forge legislative progress unseen in 50 years that will stand for
generations alongside the New Deal and the Great Society. This
legislation will be the biggest and perhaps most consequential
initiatives that any of us have ever undertaken in our official lives.
Everything we do is about the children. As you have heard me say when
people ask me, what are the three most important issues facing the
Congress? I always say the same thing: Our children, our children, our
children; their health, their education, and the economic security of
their families, a safe environment in which they can thrive, and a
world at peace in which they can reach their fulfillment.
When children come here to the Capitol, it is such an invigoration
for us and an inspiration to us to see them because we are here for
them. And as I say to them, as you see the statues and the monuments to
those who went before, it is appropriate that we honor them, but they
want us to honor you, the future of our country, to make it better for
the children.
Again, any delay in passing the rule threatens the Build Back Better
plan, as well as voting rights reform, as well as the bipartisan
infrastructure bill. We cannot surrender our leverage for the children.
For the first time, I don't remember a time as historic as this, for
the children.
President Biden has given children leverage in his visionary
proposal. The children have the leverage, not those at the high end who
benefitted from the Republican tax bill, and I wouldn't even have
brought it up except you are
[[Page H4363]]
acting as if you don't even know, when you added $2 trillion, or more,
to the budget to give 83 percent of the benefits to the wealthiest
people in our country.
Leverage for the rich, no. We don't begrudge them their success, but
this is about leverage for the children, for them, for their families
for the future.
And guess what? It would be our attempt to pay for this bill so it is
not a burden to those children as we go forward. And that means that
some of the people that benefitted from that tax bill, that tax scam in
2017, are now going to have to pay their fair share, fair share, pay
their fair share, and that we may have to address other ways to pay for
the legislation by putting the responsibility on the high end, both
whether it is corporate or individual, so that we can again
make progress for the children without burdening them with the debt,
some of which they got in 2017.
So it is a pretty exciting day. I congratulate all on the Rules
Committee for going in time and again as we sought clarification on how
we go forward. I thank Mr. McGovern, Mr. Neguse, and so many other
members of that committee.
I thank all of our colleagues for their involvement in all of this.
And I would hope that as we proceed, we could do so in the most
transparent, bipartisan, and fair way for the children.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an
amendment to the rule to provide for additional consideration of H.R.
5071, authored by Representative Gallagher.
Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my
amendment into 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
gentlewoman from Minnesota?
There was no objection.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, President Biden's failure to lead has
resulted in a national security and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan
that we cannot ignore.
Now the Taliban is back and the United States is less safe. The
President has offered no specific plan for getting those Americans out
of Afghanistan safely.
Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr.
Gallagher), from Wisconsin's Eighth Congressional District.
Mr. GALLAGHER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge defeat of the
previous question so that we can consider my bill, H.R. 5071, to ensure
no Americans are left behind in Afghanistan.
Over the past week, we have all seen the horrifying images coming out
of Kabul: babies being passed over barbed wire, 2-year-olds trampled to
death, bodies falling from C-17s. These pictures are now forever
painted onto American history. They don't depict the orderly withdrawal
that the President promised. These are, instead, portraits of chaos,
tragedy, and dishonor.
And, yet, the administration assures us a plan for every contingency.
Was the plan for America to give billions of dollars worth of U.S.
military equipment to the Taliban? Was the plan to put terrorists,
effectively, in charge of security around the Kabul airport? Was the
plan to leave over 10,000 American citizens stranded behind enemy
lines?
Madam Speaker, if this was the plan, a plan to surrender so
incompetently and on such ignominious terms, then our country can't
withstand any more of this administration's plans. It is time for this
body, this Congress, to act, to hold the administration accountable and
save lives. This bill would do that by requiring daily reporting to
Congress on the number of Americans left in the country and the number
of Afghan allies that are seeking refuge.
The bill also critically prohibits the President from withdrawing our
forces until all Americans, who want out, are safely out of the
country. Right now, it seems, the President is doubling down on this
August 31 withdraw date, despite strong bipartisan opposition and push
back.
Make no mistake, if we get out on August 31, we are going to condemn
thousands to death. I don't care what secret side deal was struck with
the Taliban, this is America, we don't leave anybody behind. A great
country, such as ours, takes care of our citizens and our allies.
Our enemies are mocking our surrender right now. We have all seen the
images. The Taliban, for example, just mocked the iconic image of
Marines raising the flag over Iwo Jima. It may be too late to save face
because of this debacle, but it is not too late to save lives. This
isn't a news cycle that will blow over. This isn't a narrative that you
can spin. We are talking about American lives, and we are talking about
America's honor.
Madam Speaker, let's act now, before this crisis, and with it,
America's standing in the world deteriorates even further.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I certainly understand where my colleague is coming
from and have great reverence and respect for him and his service to
our country, and I certainly look forward to continuing to work with
him on the important issues that he described.
But defeating the previous question would hand over the floor to the
Republican Conference. And, as you know, Madam Speaker, we have
incredibly important pieces of legislation that we are considering,
specifically, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, and the bipartisan
infrastructure budget, and the President's Build Back Better plan
today.
Madam Speaker, I look forward to voting for the rule, and would
encourage all Members in the House to vote for the rule, to vote for
the previous question so that we can proceed with the business of the
House.
Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania
(Ms. Scanlon), a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.
Ms. SCANLON. Madam Speaker, I rise today in enthusiastic support of
this rule and the underlying legislation.
H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, is essential
to ensuring that every American voter has equal access to the ballot
box, and the freedom to make his or her voice heard.
Ever since the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby v. Holder opened
the door, we have seen State legislatures pass hundreds of laws to
restrict voter access while claiming, falsely, to protect our elections
from voter fraud that doesn't even exist.
Now, the unjustified attacks on the 2020 election results by the
former President and his supporters have produced a wave of anti-
democratic bills. But it doesn't have to be this way. In Shelby, the
Supreme Court invited Congress to amend the Voting Rights Act to
address its concerns.
For 8 years, our Republican colleagues refused the Court's invitation
to reinvigorate the Voting Rights Act, while extremist politicians
worked overtime to close polling locations, limit voting hours, purge
voter rolls, and erect barriers to the ballot box.
{time} 1400
We can't continue down this path if we want America to remain a
functional democracy. Congress needs to do its job. I urge all of my
colleagues and all Americans to support this bill.
I would also like to speak briefly about the bipartisan
infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better Act, which today's vote
will move forward. Together, they are the key to helping Americans and
American businesses succeed in the 21st century.
Our country is facing multiple, interconnected crises: the COVID
pandemic, a deeply unequal economy, long-neglected infrastructure
needs, underfunded public services that often fail to serve those most
in need, and climate disasters that are impacting our communities more
often.
The Build Back Better agenda is simple: make major investments in
physical infrastructure and working families to create a fairer, more
productive, and sustainable economy.
We need the bipartisan infrastructure deal to enable America to
compete in the 21st century, but we also need the Build Back Better Act
to create jobs and lower costs and taxes for working families. These
bills have the power to improve the lives of millions of Americans.
[[Page H4364]]
Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the rule.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman
from Florida (Mr. Mast).
Mr. MAST. Madam Speaker, let's be bipartisanly honest here for a
moment. We just walked out of probably the most bipartisan moment in
the last couple of years, a classified briefing with the Joint Chiefs,
the Secretary, the Secretary of State, and others.
There are things that, real-world, need to be done where Americans
are at risk. They are cut off, and they are stranded. They are now in
the situation where they are the hostages of Afghanistan because of
everything that has been allowed to transpire under President Biden.
And in this body, we are going to walk out of that classified briefing
concerned behind closed doors but do nothing--do absolutely nothing--on
the floor of the House.
I am going to say the same thing I just said a few minutes ago: What
the hell are we doing?
Let's say that again: There are Americans cut off who need our help,
and there are Special Immigrant Visa applicants cut off who need our
help right now who will be killed. We heard the descriptions of the
dangers in the briefing we just got out of.
Defeat the previous question and bring up the only thing that this
body will do in this entire week that has anything to do with what is
going on in Afghanistan. This is the only opportunity, the only thing
that is going on related to Afghanistan in this body.
That is unconscionable. How in the world is that the case?
Every time somebody tries to do something different in here, like
take the ability of States to determine their own voting rights or
other things, everybody needs to say: Stop. What the hell are you
doing? Get focused back on Afghanistan and saving Americans.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), who is the distinguished chairman of the
Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, this budget resolution allows us to
implement President Biden's Build Back Better agenda to revitalize our
economy by creating millions of good-paying jobs, and it allows us to
aggressively combat the climate crisis. The goal of the Energy and
Commerce Committee with this budget resolution is to make healthcare
more affordable and accessible for all Americans. We can help
accomplish that by closing the Medicaid coverage gap to provide quality
comprehensive coverage to an estimated 4 million Americans who qualify
for Medicaid but who have been denied access to care in their State.
It will also continue subsidies under the Affordable Care Act to
reduce health insurance costs. The Energy and Commerce Committee plans
to lower the price of out-of-control and skyrocketing prescription drug
prices by giving the Federal Government the ability to negotiate lower
prices and will use the savings to expand Medicare benefits. Our plan
is to provide investments in our public health infrastructure to help
us respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and better respond to
future public health emergencies.
The Build Back Better agenda will allow us to create millions of new,
homegrown jobs and combat the climate crisis by aggressively investing
in clean energy and clean technology. The moment is here to invest in a
more advanced and resilient economy and toward a 100 percent clean
economy.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this budget resolution
that allows us to carry out President Biden's bold vision and deliver
on the Build Back Better agenda for the people.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
California (Mr. McCarthy).
Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding
time.
Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to today's rule.
Madam Speaker, before I came here, I was listening to the debate. I
listened to Congressman Gallagher, a veteran, come to the floor and
talk about an idea that he has, an idea that here we are, Afghanistan
is collapsing, and thousands of Americans in Afghanistan are trying to
get out.
Here we are, called back for a special session. All his previous
question would say is that we would have to have a report every day on
those Americans, that we wouldn't pick a timeline until the mission is
finished, and that people would be able to be brought back.
As I listened to his impassioned speech, I waited for the response. I
listened to my friend on the other side. He respects Mr. Gallagher, but
he could not turn the floor over because if the floor were turned over
to Republicans, instead of changing the election law and spending $5
trillion, they would put the American public first. God forbid we would
do that.
Madam Speaker, I heard the Democrat on the other side say we could
not turn the floor over to the Republicans to let the American public
know how many Americans were there. It would be devastating--
devastating--to allow that to happen.
This week, the House is in session for the first time since Kabul
fell to the Taliban. What is happening in Afghanistan is a disaster for
America's security and credibility, not for just today and not for next
week, but for decades to come. Other countries are questioning whether
we have the resolve to honor our word because of the bungled
withdrawal.
President Biden magnified this damage over the past week by hiding at
Camp David, delivering incoherent speeches, and is reported as failing
to contact a single foreign leader for 36 hours. Today, he signaled an
unconditional surrender to the Taliban, promising to leave in just 7
days.
We just had a classified briefing for all the Members. I don't
believe any Member walking out of there believes that in 7 days we
could get the thousands of Americans out. That is why we can't
relinquish the floor to the Republicans to actually get a report on it.
Madam Speaker, the President's actions gave the impression of
incompetency and a declining power. This week, we learned that the
Taliban seized millions in U.S. weapons, making them stronger than they
were 20 years ago.
Madam Speaker, it is reported the Taliban now has more Black Hawk
helicopters than Australia. Military missions should be dictated by our
Nation's interests, not by our enemies or by arbitrary timelines.
Right now, there is no greater national priority than getting our
people home. But I just heard from the Democrat on the other side that
we could not relinquish the floor to allow Mr. Gallagher's, a
veteran's, previous question to come up because that would be dealing
with the Nation's interests right now. No. We need to deal with the
Democrats' priorities right now.
As I look around, I see our allies responding to this crisis with the
seriousness it deserves. Madam Speaker, the Speaker called us back
here. We are not the only body of power that has been called back.
In Britain, Parliament returned from its summer recess. Do you know
what they are doing, though, Madam Speaker? They are working in an
emergency session on this current situation to get their citizens home.
In France, President Macron is trying to rally the U.N. Security
Council.
This House should be correcting this disastrous record left by this
Commander in Chief and proving that America never abandons her people
or shrinks from defending our interests.
Madam Speaker, that is not what I heard on this floor. I heard a
direction, Madam Speaker, by the Democrat leading and in charge of this
right now that we could not relinquish the floor simply to Mr.
Gallagher's request of letting America know how many Americans are
there and to not put a timeline until every American comes home.
We should be doing nothing else on the floor until every single
American is home. Democrats called us back for an emergency session,
the first session since Kabul fell to the Taliban. But faced with a
national security and credibility crisis in Afghanistan, they have done
nothing to plan to address it.
We were allotted 90 minutes, and, oh my God, we went over 15 minutes.
But we made sure that then the Democrats had to shut that meeting down,
that Members of Congress could ask no more longer questions because we
needed to get back to the floor right now.
[[Page H4365]]
When history writes about this day, they will talk about the entire
week. They will talk about last night, how Congress worked late into
the night, actually ordered food to come in, was in the Speaker's
Office for late hours, spent their day calling other Members and
twisting votes. We had reports that the President called people, that
former Presidents called people, and that people were threatened and
that their spouses were threatened about jobs. We heard that they were
threatened even in their own campaign.
But what were they threatened about? Was it anything to deal with
Americans coming home? No. It was about this rule. It was about what we
are bringing up right now. The reason we had to stop our briefing was
because we had to come to the floor to deal with this.
So, what are we talking about? $5 trillion of hard-earned taxpayer
money being spent on more Big Government, changing election law to
benefit one party over another, outlawing IDs even though the majority
of America wants it, and nothing about how that $5 trillion will spend
$1 bringing Americans home or making us safer.
What is the definition of a public servant? I would say doing
something for the good of the others.
Madam Speaker, the party today of the majority, the Democrats here,
their interest is themselves, to stay up late into the night while
other nations are working to bring their citizens home.
Madam Speaker, as people walk onto this floor and vote on this bill
that they worked late into the night on, I want them to think about one
thing. I want them to think about those American families in
Afghanistan who late into the night were not knowing if they could even
make it to the airport, not knowing if they will even get out, and
wondering if the public servants were thinking of them. The sad answer
is the majority was not. They were thinking of themselves, that it is
too important to deal with anything else.
Madam Speaker, there are allies who are sitting in Afghanistan. Why
did they go? They went to defend America because America was attacked
and out of the respect and character of who we are.
This body, elected and respected around the world, in a time of
crisis doesn't speak of it and doesn't act on it but only acts for
themselves and, in a moment of time of using the rules to allow the
opportunity to change its course and to correct them when they were
wrong, the voice of the other side says: No, we could not turn the
floor over to allow America to know how many Americans are there or to
get a report on it.
{time} 1415
Just as they bang the gavel down, the 90 minutes have come. You have
asked enough questions. You can ask no more because we must get to the
floor to pass $5 trillion and change election law so the Democrats
believe they can buy and change an election.
Madam Speaker, if there is any moment in time to put an election
aside, if there is any moment in time to put politics aside, I would
have thought today was the day. I would have thought we were being
called back so that we could focus on what the rest of the world is
focused on.
So when the Speaker came to the floor to speak, I turned my volume
up. Surely, she was going to speak of this day. Surely, she was going
to talk about the Gold Star families. Surely, she was going to thank
those veterans and those who have served here knowing what they are
going through and what they are watching.
And you know what she said? Speaker Pelosi actually said: Today is a
great day of pride for our country and Democrats. Today is a great day
of pride for our country and our Democrats.
Let me be very clear. It is not. It is an embarrassing day for our
Nation. We are 3 weeks away from the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, and
this is what history will write. This is what you did with your
majority. This is what you controlled. This is how you made sure you
would not release the floor for the idea that Americans can find out
how many are stuck in Afghanistan or how they are going to get home.
I hope you are proud of that because this is what your leadership has
done. This is what your leadership worked on. This is what the power of
the twisting of the arm has delivered. The United States of America is
not going to let terrorists dictate when and how we get Americans out.
I firmly believe what has been said many times and especially by
Abraham Lincoln, `` . . . government of the people, by the people, for
the people, shall not perish from the Earth.'' If you believe that too
and you are watching, I ask that you pick up your phones and you call,
especially if you are a Democrat because I do not think the leadership
here represents you with what they are asking for. I know your love of
this country.
I know the thousands upon thousands of Democrats who served their
Nation, who served in Afghanistan, and I know those Americans who are
in Afghanistan are not just of one party. I would like to see both
parties work on the issue, what is really before us.
Can you not put politics aside? Can you not care for one moment that
you could rig an election to get elected? Can you not care about making
government so large that you are going to bring more inflation and
trillions of dollars?
That is what you spent last night on. That is what you spent the
whole time on. That is what you brought us in for. That is what you
closed the briefing on, but we couldn't ask any more questions. Time is
up. That is what you are fighting so hard for that a veteran who has
served his country asked for a previous question to simply say: Can we
get a report of how many Americans are still there? And asked that we
do not pick a date when we get out until every American is out.
But I heard the leadership on the other side say that we could not do
that. We have to change the election law. We have to spend $5 trillion.
This is what we came back for in a special session. This is what our
mission is.
Everyone who votes for this rule today, that is what you are voting
for. That is what you are championing. That is what history will write.
And, no, it is not a good day. Maybe in your caucus you think it is a
great day for you and the Democrats. It is an embarrassing day for
America. It is an embarrassing day for this floor, and it is
embarrassing that you would even move forward with it.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their remarks
to the Chair, and not to each other in the second person or to a
perceived viewing audience.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague on the Rules Committee
for the respectful way in which she has engaged in today's debate. I
wish I could say the same for all of the speeches that Members have
delivered today.
I think it is unfortunate to have deeply partisan speeches made on
the floor on matters of such great significance. I have great respect
and reverence for Democratic and Republican Members of this body who
have served so honorably in our Nation's Armed Forces and who have been
working together to do everything they can, in concert with the
administration, to evacuate Americans and our Afghan partners out of
Afghanistan.
I think it is unfortunate, as I said, to hear folks politicize that
particular issue. I didn't hear much, Madam Speaker, regarding the
bipartisan infrastructure deal that we are considering today. I didn't
hear much by way of specifics in terms of the voting rights advancement
act that we are considering today. Why? Because my friends on the other
side of the aisle know that both the Build Back Better plan and the
bipartisan infrastructure deal will create jobs, will lower costs, and
will cut taxes.
I wish we could have a reasonable debate on the merits of these
particular policies, but it is clear that some would prefer to avoid
that debate entirely.
Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms.
Jackson Lee), my distinguished colleague on the Judiciary Committee.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I am very proud to be able to stand
here today remembering the Constitution and saying to my good friends
that this floor belongs to the American people. This floor is a floor,
as John
[[Page H4366]]
Lewis has often challenged us, that calls upon us to be courageous.
I am also here to say to you that I have no doubt that the United
States military, with the will of the American people, will ensure that
all Americans come out of Afghanistan and our allies. But at the same
time, I am grateful for the idea of a build back America act that will
have Texas get universal pre-K childcare, tuition-free community
college. And then, of course, the invest act that will see us get $537
million for bridges, $100 million for broadband, $3.3 billion for
public transit so that our climate can improve.
I know that the Texas delegation, State representatives who
sacrificed and came to this Nation's Capital to cry out for justice,
Texas Democratic representatives who are here in this place now, that
H.R. 4 is going to save the day, not partisan, but it is going to make
us a democratic Republic. And we need to pass H.R. 4 because John Lewis
said: Do you have any courage?
Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary Committee and an
original cosponsor, I rise today in strong support of the Rule
governing debate of Senate Amendment to H.R. 3684, Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act; S. Con. Res. 14, Budget Resolution For Build
Back Better Plan; and H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement
Act.
Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary,
on Homeland Security, and on the Budget, I rise in strong support of
the Rule governing debate of Senate Amendment to H.R. 3684, the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which represents the most
significant long-term investment in the United States' infrastructure
and competitiveness in nearly a century.
This legislation will make life better for Americans across the
country, create a generation of good-paying union jobs, grow our
economy, invest in communities that have too often been left behind,
and better position the United States to compete globally and win in
the 21st century.
The United States is the wealthiest country in the world, yet after
decades of underinvestment, the country's roads, bridges, and water
systems are crumbling, and our electric grid is vulnerable to
catastrophic outages.
Too many families lack access to affordable, high-speed internet,
clean drinking water, and public transportation, and too often, past
infrastructure investments have disproportionately and negatively
impacted low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.
Investing in our infrastructure--and investing in communities across
the country--can create millions of good-paying jobs in underserved
areas and lay the groundwork for not only a full economic recovery from
the pandemic, but also usher in a new era of American innovation and
prosperity.
The historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act invests $550
billion in new federal investment to make an array of transformational
investments in our country's infrastructure including:
$121 billion to repair and rebuild our roads and bridges with a focus
on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity, and safety for all
users, including cyclists and pedestrians.
$89.9 billion to modernize America's public transit, by increasing
routes, reducing the transit maintenance backlog, and providing more
frequent service, resulting in better options for riders, improved
environmental outcomes, and increased access to jobs and essential
destinations.
$66 billion to modernize and expand passenger and freight rail
networks across the country, to position our railways to play a central
role in our transportation and economic future.
$15 billion in zero emission and clean buses and ferries and to build
the first-ever national network of electric vehicle chargers in the
United States, in order to address the adoption of electric vehicles
and support domestic manufacturing jobs.
$42 billion to modernize our airports, ports, and waterways;
$50 billion to weatherize our infrastructure and insulate it against
the threats of droughts, floods, and wildfires.
$55 billion to drinking water infrastructure, including eliminating
the Nation's lead service lines and pipes, thereby delivering clean
drinking water to up to ten million American families and more than
400,000 schools and child care facilities that currently do not have
it, including in Tribal nations and disadvantaged communities.
$65 billion to upgrade our power infrastructure to facilitate the
expansion of renewable energy.
$21 billion in environmental remediation, making it the largest
investment in addressing the legacy pollution that harms the public
health of communities and neighborhoods in American history.
$65 billion to connect every American to reliable high-speed
internet, building on the billions of dollars for broadband deployment
in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Across this country, far too many communities are struggling with
crumbling roads and structurally unsound bridges, outrageous
congestion, lead-coated pipes and no broadband access.
The Senate Amendment to H.R. 3684 addresses economic disparities in
our economy and the consequences of decades of disinvestment in
America's infrastructure that have fallen most heavily on communities
of color.
Through critical investments, the legislation increases access to
good-paying jobs, affordable high-speed internet, reliable public
transit, clean drinking water and other resources to ensure communities
of color get a fair shot at the American dream.
These critical investments are first steps in advancing equity and
racial justice throughout our economy.
Additional investments are needed in our nation's caregiving
infrastructure, housing supply, regional development, and workforce
development programs to ensure that communities of color and other
underserved communities can access economic opportunity and justice.
This bill will address these challenges, and will also deliver much-
needed investment to my home state of Texas, making life better for
millions of Texas residents.
Specifically, under the bill, Texas is expected to receive:
$26.9 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs and $537
million for bridge replacement and repairs with a focus on climate
change mitigation, resilience, equity, and safety for all users,
including cyclists and pedestrians;
$3.3 billion over five years to improve public transportation options
across the state through healthy, sustainable transportation options
for millions of Americans;
$408 million over five years to support the expansion of an EV
charging network in the state; and
Texas will also have the opportunity to apply for the $2.5 billion in
grant funding dedicated to EV charging in the bill;
A minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband
coverage across the state, including providing access to at least
1,058,000 Texans who currently lack it.
In addition, 8,381,000 or 29% of people in Texas will be eligible for
the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income
families afford internet access.
Madam Speaker, in sum, I encourage all members to support the Rule
governing debate of Senate Amendment to H.R. 3684 Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act, so that we can invest in strengthening our
infrastructure and competitiveness, and do so in a way that creates the
good-paying union jobs of the future, addresses long-standing racial
and economic injustice, and helps to fight the climate crisis.
Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary,
on Homeland Security, and on the Budget, I rise in strong support of
the Rule governing debate of S. Con. Res. 14, which reorders budgetary
priorities to provide $3.5 trillion investments to build back better
and provides reconciliation instructions to 13 House and 12 Senate
committees to support visionary and transformative investments in the
health, well-being, and financial security of America's workers and
families.
It is often said that the federal budget is an expression of the
nation's values and the budget resolution before us is a clear
declaration of congressional Democrats' commitment to ensuring that our
government, our economy, and our systems work For The People.
Madam Speaker, these long-overdue investments in America's future
will be felt in every corner of the country and across every sector of
American life, building on the success of the American Rescue Plan,
accommodating historic infrastructure investments in the legislative
pipeline, and addressing long-standing deficits in our communities by
ending an era of chronic underinvestment so we can emerge from our
current crises a stronger, more equitable nation.
Should our friends across the aisle join us in this endeavor, it
would send a powerful signal to the American people if our colleagues
across the aisle would join us in this effort because nothing would
better show them that their elected representatives can set
partisanship aside and put America first.
And that bipartisan achievement would portend success for similar
initiatives in the area of strengthening the infrastructure of
democracy in which every American has a vital interest, national and
homeland security, and criminal justice and immigration reform.
I would urge my Republican colleagues to heed the words of Republican
Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia who said colorfully several
months ago, ``At this point in time in this nation, we need to go big.
We need to quit counting the egg-sucking legs on the
[[Page H4367]]
cows and count the cows and just move. And move forward and move right
now.''
The same sentiment was expressed more eloquently by Abraham Lincoln
in 1862 when he memorably wrote:
``The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.
The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the
occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We
must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.''
Madam Speaker, the bipartisan action we took in February 2021 when we
passed the American Rescue Plan was a giant step in the right
direction, but it was a targeted response to the immediate and urgent
public health and economic crises; it was not a long-term solution to
many of the pressing challenges facing our nation that have built up
over decades of disinvestment in our nation and its people in every
region and sector of the country.
We simply can no longer afford the costs of neglect and inaction; the
time to act is now.
The Build Back Better Plan makes the transformative investments that
we need to continue growing our economy, lower costs for working
families, and position the United States as a global leader in
innovation and the jobs of the future.
This $3.5 trillion gross investment will build on the successes of
the American Rescue Plan and set our nation on a path of fiscal
responsibility and broadly shared prosperity for generations to come.
The Build Back Better Plan will provide resources to improve our
education, health, and child care systems, invest in clean energy and
sustainability, address the housing crisis, and more; all while setting
America up to compete and win in the decades ahead.
The Build Back Better Plan is paid for by ensuring that the wealthy
and big corporations are paying their fair share and Americans making
less than $400,000 a year will not see their taxes increase by a penny.
Let me repeat that: No American making less than $400,000 a year will
not see their taxes increase by a penny.
In sum, Madam Speaker, the investments made by the Build Back Better
Plan will expand opportunity for all and build an economy powered by
shared prosperity and inclusive growth.
Madam Speaker, while I am proud to strongly support this Rule and
underlying bill, I would be remiss if I did not express my
disappointment at the Rules Committee's decision to not include my
amendments to this bill.
Jackson Lee Amendments #6, #7, and #8 are easy to understand and
vitally important--they simply protect state legislators who, in
keeping with their sacred oath to uphold the Constitution of the United
States, refuse to perform unconstitutional acts under the guise of
legislative process.
Specifically:
Jackson Lee Amendment #6 allows for federal judicial review of any
warrants issued for the arrest of a state legislator where said state
legislator refuses to engage in the state legislative process due to a
reasonably held belief that doing so would infringe on the right to
vote.
Jackson Lee Amendment #7 inserts a Sense of the Congress stating that
a state's power to arrest a duly elected representative of a
constituency for refusal to engage in a state's legislative process
should be subject to federal judicial review where such elected
representative's refusal is premised upon a reasonable belief that
participation would result in the suppression of voting rights or other
violations of the Constitution of the United States of America.
Jackson Lee Amendment #8 privileges against arrest any member of a
state legislature for any reason except treason or murder while the
legislature of that state is debating or voting on legislation relating
to redistricting or election practices or legislation relating to the
right to vote in federal, state, or municipal elections.
These amendments would have critically strengthened H.R. 4 because
state legislatures across the country are utilizing every weapon in
their arsenal to curtail voting rights; and no one should fear arrest
due to fighting for the Constitutional rights of their constituents.
This includes my home state of Texas, where earlier this month
officers of the Texas House of Representatives delivered civil arrest
warrants, signed by the Texas state Speaker of the House, for more than
50 absent Democrats in an attempt force a vote on the naked attempt at
voter suppression known as Texas S.B. 7.
This is the latest Republican attack on these brave state
legislators, which began on May 30, where after a night of impassioned
debate and procedural objections, these Democratic lawmakers in Texas
took action to block passage of this massive overhaul of the state's
election laws.
Since the arrest warrants were issued, it is my understanding that
mass intimidation of the Texas House Democrats has occurred.
State officials came to their homes with the purpose of dragging them
back to eviscerate the voting rights of thousands of Texans.
These elected Texas Representatives have had to hide away from their
friends, their families, and their loved ones, all to ensure that
Texans retain their most sacred of rights.
They are risking their freedom to ensure every Texan has full access
to their constitutional right to vote.
Texas Republicans seek to pass voting regulation laws focused on
diverse, urban areas, by setting rules for the distribution of polling
places in only the handful of counties with a population of at least 1
million--most of which are either under Democratic control or won by
Democrats in recent national and statewide elections.
Standing between all of this and the voting rights of thousands of
Texans are those brave state legislators who currently have a warrant
out for their arrest.
No elected representative in this great nation should fear that he or
she will be locked away for simply standing up for justice and ensuring
that America's citizens have the right to vote.
For this reason, I believe that H.R. 4 would have been greatly
strengthened by the inclusion of my amendments in the Rule.
I strongly encourage all Members of Congress to support this Rule and
the underlying bill, because it is the responsibility and sacred duty
of all members of Congress who revere democracy to preserve, protect,
and expand the precious right to vote of all Americans by passing H.R.
4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Madam Speaker, I am here today to remind the nation that the need to
pass this legislation is urgent because the right to vote--that
``powerful instrument that can break down the walls of injustice''--
faces grave threats.
The threat stems from the decision issued in June 2013 by the Supreme
Court in Shelby County v Holder, 570 U.S. 193 (2013), which invalidated
Section 4(b) of the VRA, and paralyzed the application of the VRA's
Section 5 preclearance requirements.
Not to be content with the monument to disgrace that is the Shelby
County decision, the activist right-wing conservative majority on the
Roberts Court, on July 1, 2021, issued its evil twin, the decision in
Brnovich v. DNC, 594 U.S. __, No. 19-1257 and 19-1258 (July 1, 2021),
which engrafts on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act onerous burdens
that Congress never intended and explicitly legislated against.
Madam Speaker, were it not for the 24th Amendment, I venture to say
that this conservative majority on the Court would subject poll taxes
and literacy tests to the review standard enunciated in Brnovich v.
DNC.
According to the Supreme Court majority, the reason for striking down
Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act was that ``times change.''
Now, the Court was right; times have changed.
But what the Court did not fully appreciate is that the positive
changes it cited are due almost entirely to the existence and vigorous
enforcement of the Voting Rights Act.
And that is why the Voting Rights Act is still needed and that is why
we must pass H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Let me put it this way: in the same way that the vaccine invented by
Dr. Jonas Salk in 1953 eradicated the crippling effects but did not
eliminate the cause of polio, the Voting Rights Act succeeded in
stymieing the practices that resulted in the wholesale
disenfranchisement of African Americans and language minorities but did
not eliminate them entirely.
The Voting Rights Act is needed as much today to prevent another
epidemic of voting disenfranchisement as Dr. Salk's vaccine is still
needed to prevent another polio epidemic.
As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stated in Shelby County v. Holder,
``[t]hrowing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to
work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella
in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.''
For millions of Americans, the right to vote protected by the Voting
Rights Act of 1965 is a sacred treasure, earned by the sweat and toil
and tears and blood of ordinary Americans who showed the world it was
possible to accomplish extraordinary things.
I strongly encourage all Members of Congress to support this bill,
because it is the responsibility and sacred duty of all members of
Congress who revere democracy to preserve, protect, and expand the
precious right to vote of all Americans by passing H.R. 4, the John
Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the minority whip.
Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota
for yielding.
[[Page H4368]]
Madam Speaker, I rise to object to this whole process. What we are
doing here today, this is an example of the misplaced priorities of
this Democrat majority.
Let's start with the bill at hand, this package of bills that
includes a budget that I am sure very few people in this Chamber have
read, that authorizes the taxing and spending of trillions more
dollars.
Now, what does that mean? They call it the for the children act. It
really should be called the mountains of debt for the children act
because that is what it does. If you look at inflation today, every
family in America is facing inflation. They are paying over 40 percent
more for gasoline, for cars, for things that they buy at the grocery
store.
Families know that if you add trillions more in debt, trillions more
in spending, trillions more in taxes, inflation will only go up and you
know who is going to pay for it. It is not anybody in this Chamber,
Madam Speaker. Under their own budget--it says it--it is the children.
That is who is going to pay for it.
Right here. Just go to page 7 where it authorizes up to $45 trillion
in debt--we are at about $28.6 trillion right now--$45 trillion in debt
with taxes and spending through the roof that will hit every family in
America, Madam Speaker.
Then let's get back to those priorities. Now, you would think with
the backdrop of everything that we have been dealing with in
Afghanistan, as we here in this Chamber, with so many of our veterans
who served in Afghanistan honorably, have been calling on the President
to ensure and commit that he will get all Americans out. Yet, what is
our President doing? I will tell you what he has been doing. He has
been working the phones pressuring Members of Congress this week.
I wish, Madam Speaker, I could say he was pressuring Members of
Congress to help get Americans out. That is not what he was doing. He
was working the phones this week pressuring Members of Congress to vote
for this trillions of dollars in spending and tax package. That has
been President Biden's priority.
He just said today he is going to bow to the Taliban's deadline of
August 31 even if we don't get all Americans out. President Biden
should be the President of the United States; not bowing to terrorists;
not bowing to anybody except committing that he will get all Americans
out instead of living by some artificial deadline.
Every ounce of his energy ought to be focused between now and next
Tuesday, the date he set and the date the Taliban set, every minute he
ought to be spending between now and next Tuesday should be focused on
getting all Americans out. But if he fails to do it, people will look
back and say: What was he doing instead? What were the President of the
United States' priorities? He was pressuring Members of Congress to
vote for this garbage: trillions of dollars in debt and spending,
rather than focus on getting Americans out of harm's way that he left
behind.
It is a national and international disgrace. Our priorities ought to
be with the American people. That is what we will fight for. That is
why we oppose this whole process.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from
engaging in personalities toward the President.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, while I would relish the opportunity to
respond to the points made by my colleague, we have a lot of enthusiasm
on our side to speak in support of this rule.
Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut
(Ms. DeLauro), the distinguished chairwoman of the Committee on
Appropriations, who has led on the child tax cut for decades.
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, this rule allows us to move forward on
rebuilding our Nation's crumbling infrastructure, restoring the power
of the Voting Rights Act, and an historic budget resolution that
advances our priorities by making critical investments to expand our
Nation's social safety net to continue to build back better.
For far too long, the deck has been stacked for the wealthy and the
well-connected, while middle-class hardworking families and the
vulnerable have been left behind.
After decades of disinvestment, we have an opportunity today to make
history, to deliver on a promise we made to the American people: to
build a stronger, fairer future for our kids; a once-in-a-lifetime
moment, creating more jobs, cutting middle-class taxes, while simply
asking the biggest corporations and the top 1 percent to pay their fair
share of taxes.
What are the transformative issues in this bill: expanding to improve
the child tax credit already acclaimed to cut child poverty and hunger
with only one payment; guaranteeing affordable high-quality childcare;
tackling the long-term healthcare crisis; access to long-term services
and supports for aging loved ones and those with disabilities;
universal pre-K; 2 years of tuition-free community college; maximizing
the Pell grant award; launching the first-of-its-kind paid family and
medical leave benefits; historic investments ranking alongside the New
Deal and the Great Society, standing the test of time and strengthening
our society.
President Roosevelt didn't just rebuild America. He created Social
Security, and when it came to infrastructure and human needs, he did
both. So to meet today's moment, we must and we can do both. We have
that opportunity not to throw money at a problem but to build the
architecture for the future.
Today, we must advance this rule and the budget resolution,
demonstrating our commitment to our values, making a difference in the
lives of so many Americans. This is a moral imperative. And to
paraphrase President Franklin Roosevelt: This is our rendezvous with
destiny, a watershed moment. Don't let the moment pass. It will not
come back again. Let's seize it with action, with hope and unity of
purpose for a better, stronger America.
{time} 1430
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman
from California (Mrs. Kim).
Mrs. KIM of CALIFORNIA. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the
gentlewoman from Minnesota for yielding.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the rule that is being
debated as we consider the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation.
I rise today in support of workers, families, and businesses in
communities I represent in California's 39th Congressional District.
Now is the time for Congress to show it can work together for the
American people.
As our economy recovers during the COVID-19 pandemic and Americans
across the country pay more everywhere from the grocery store to the
gas pump, Democrats are once again bypassing bipartisanship and moving
forward with a partisan $3.5 trillion budget.
According to Tax Foundation, this budget reconciliation would also
raise taxes for people I represent in California's 39th District by an
average of over $600. My constituents have been burdened enough by some
of the highest State taxes in the country.
Now, our Nation is scrambling to keep promises we made in Afghanistan
to Americans and Afghan partners. The last thing we need is trillions
more in spending on unrelated priorities and more taxes. This makes no
sense.
The majority's budget will increase prices, raise taxes, and take
even more money out of taxpayers' pockets. I urge my colleagues to vote
``no'' on this reconciliation.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, my colleague from California is certainly
right about one thing, the Build Back Better plan would raise taxes on
billionaires. The tax cuts that ultimately were approved by my
colleagues on the other side of the aisle several years ago for the
richest Americans in our country, we do not pursue that in our bill.
Instead, we pursue tax cuts for working families, for middle-class
Americans.
Madam Speaker, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Waters), the distinguished chairwoman of the
Committee on Financial Services, whose leadership has kept millions of
Americans in their homes over the course of the last year.
Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the rule, which would
[[Page H4369]]
pass the House's budget resolution. The budget resolution will make
historic investments in housing in this country.
We are in the middle of a housing crisis. As chairwoman of the
Financial Services Committee, it is not lost on me that more than
580,000 people experience homelessness on any given night, while
millions of families are, at this moment, paying the bulk of their
income toward rent.
The bottom line is that housing is infrastructure. This is why I
introduced groundbreaking legislation, the Housing Is Infrastructure
Act of 2021, to provide more than $600 billion to address our country's
affordable housing crisis, increase first-generation homeownership, and
end homelessness.
While the budget resolution only allocates $339 billion to the
Financial Services Committee, this funding is still historic and will
transform the lives of millions of families. However, we must first
pass the budget resolution so that we can then pass the President's
Build Back Better agenda, including this historic funding for housing
programs.
This rule also brings us one step closer to the critical House
passage of H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
This President is going to bring all of the Americans who want to
come home, home.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman
from Florida (Mr. Waltz).
Mr. WALTZ. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of Representative
Gallagher's bill, to get us some simple facts: How many Americans are
stranded and are we going to get them home.
Yes, these issues are important. We should debate these issues.
Infrastructure, healthcare, all of these issues are critical to our
country.
But the number one job of the Federal Government is to keep Americans
safe. Today, America is less safe. Americans are stranded behind enemy
lines, and they are not all going to get out by August 31.
Colleagues, what happens in Afghanistan does not stay in Afghanistan.
It will follow us home. Terrorism is a cancer that once again will
threaten the United States.
I want everyone to see this picture and remember it: Osama bin
Laden--by the way, then-Vice President Biden opposed the raid to bring
this man to justice. His deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri--know that name--who
is now leading al-Qaida, now has a terrorism playground from which to
plot and plan attacks on the United States once again.
The intelligence has been clear. Al-Qaida 3.0 will come roaring back.
The Taliban equals al-Qaida. As we head into the 20th anniversary of 9/
11, we once again are going to face the prospect of more Pulse
nightclubs, San Bernardinos, and, God forbid, another 9/11.
What has me so upset, so flaming mad, as a veteran, as a Green Beret
that has had to fight this fight, is future soldiers are now going to
have to go back and deal with this again, but now with no bases, no
local allies, and a Taliban that is armed to the teeth with our own
equipment. That is unconscionable. It is unacceptable. If the White
House won't lead, then Congress will.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Alabama (Ms. Sewell).
Ms. SEWELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in full support of H.R. 4,
the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Madam Speaker, I have the great privilege of not only representing
Birmingham, Montgomery, and my hometown of Selma, Alabama, but growing
up, literally, at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, I had an
opportunity time and time again to see John Lewis in action.
John would come to my home church, Brown Chapel AME Church, to remind
us all that what happened on that bridge 56 years ago was that
Americans, ordinary Americans, dared to stand up to this country and to
make sure that it lived up to its ideals of justice and equality for
all.
I am proud to say that I get to walk in the footsteps of John Lewis,
but I am more proud of the fact that so many of us in this Chamber
walked with him.
The best way that we can live up to the legacy of John Lewis is to
remember that he fought for every American to have the equal right to
vote, equal access to the ballot box.
I get that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is reserved for the most
egregious State actors. But what it says is that Federal oversight is
needed when States go amok.
Since the Shelby v. Holder decision, I have introduced, in four
successive Congresses, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, and we
renamed it the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
We must live up to John's ideals of equality and justice for all in
voting rights. What we have seen in States like Georgia and Texas, and
around this country, has been State legislatures making it harder for
people to vote.
I just want to say that we must get into good trouble, necessary
trouble. John reminded us that we must be courageous in the face of
adversity and in the face of inequity. I ask for you to please vote for
H.R. 4 and vote for the rule that would get it to the floor.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman
from Alabama (Mr. Rogers), the ranking member of the Armed Services
Committee.
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to
this rule.
For 4 months, Republicans have demanded to know the President's plan
to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies and conduct counterterrorism
operations in Afghanistan. For 4 months, they have told us: ``We are
working on it.''
Well, now it is clear they never had a plan. The President's abject
failure to plan is endangering the lives of thousands of American
civilians and our allies in Afghanistan.
Reports have been rolling in for over a week of Americans being
assaulted or having to hide from Taliban thugs while they wait for a
rescue. Afghan allies are being brutalized and killed by these
terrorists as they desperately try to get inside the gates of the Kabul
airport.
And that is just those lucky enough to be in Kabul. Thousands of
Americans and Afghan allies are still stranded hundreds of miles away
from Kabul with little hope of rescue.
Now comes an ultimatum from the terrorists that if our forces don't
withdraw by next Tuesday, they will start shooting.
What is the response from the majority? Well, Speaker Pelosi brought
us back to Washington, but not to deal with this dire situation in
Afghanistan. No, we are here today to vote on a partisan, $4 trillion
giveaway to the radical left; a bill that doesn't include a single
dollar to rescue Americans or our allies from Afghanistan or even a
single penny on national security.
I have to wonder what the majority is thinking. Instead of this
partisan exercise, I urge the majority to work with us to hold the
President accountable and save Americans and allies still in
Afghanistan.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Ryan).
Mr. RYAN. Madam Speaker, we see our Republican friends are very
upset. They said: This is embarrassing. What are we doing? What have we
done?
What you are mad about is that we are delivering for the American
people. We saved pensions; we cut taxes for working-class people; we
invested in the communities, and we invested in the schools. Now,
universal preschool; everyone can go to community college; vision,
dental, hearing for Medicare recipients; and paid family leave.
If you think for one second I am going to apologize for what we are
doing, you are wrong.
Once again, we should have done this 30 or 40 years ago. And,
obviously, once again, the Republican Party is MIA.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Sewell). Members are reminded to address
their remarks to the Chair.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Ellzey).
Mr. ELLZEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to urge defeat of the previous
question so that we can immediately consider H.R. 5071.
Operations Enduring Freedom and Freedom's Sentinel are coming to a
conclusion in a way that no American should be willing to tolerate nor
accept. This conflict began nearly 20
[[Page H4370]]
years ago. There have been 2,443 U.S. military killed in action, 3,800
contractor and DOD civilians killed in action, 1,144 allied troops
killed in action, and over 30,000 veteran suicides since
9/11; the victims of their internal and unseen wounds.
In Texas District 6, we lost Staff Sergeant Jeremy S. on April 6,
2011, and Private First Class Joel R. on April 16, 2011. Brothers in
arms, killed 10 days apart.
In Texas, we have lost 193 of our sons and daughters, all of whom,
like Luke Bushatz would say: ``Not one ounce of sweat or blood in the
defense of others is a waste.'' But last week, this administration
handed over 600,000 weapons, 75,000 vehicles, and 200 aircraft to the
enemy.
What we have now is September 10, 2001, with a well-armed enemy.
For those who have stood the watch and those who have died standing
that watch, duty, honor, and country is not an academic study; it is a
way of life and sometimes death.
So I call on our Commander in Chief, Madam Speaker, to take those
words as seriously as we do and to do his duty to honor our
servicemembers and their families by informing this body, and the
Americans we represent, every day on what is happening on the ground in
Afghanistan and what this administration is doing to bring American
citizens, and the Afghans who helped us, to safety.
Infrastructure needs did not leave 10,000 to 15,000 Americans
stranded. Climate change did not cause this catastrophe. Combat is a
not a PowerPoint briefing. American lives are at stake. Get our
countrymen out of Afghanistan. The mission is only complete when they
are out, not one minute before.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1445
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington).
Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, with respect to the rule and bills, if
someone were to devise a plan to intentionally destroy the great State
of Texas, they would do the following:
They would sabotage their sovereignty by opening its borders and
granting amnesty and citizenship.
They would steal the right to safeguard the integrity of their
elections.
They would strip the freedoms of both employees and employers by
forcing unionization of the workforce.
They would destroy its agriculture and energy economy by abusing
their regulatory authority and weaponizing the tax code in the name of
a politically manufactured climate crisis.
They would crush the most prosperous economy in the Nation under the
weight of the highest tax rates in the world.
They would quench the spirit of self-reliance.
They would diminish the dignity of work by trapping their citizens in
an endless cycle of government dependence and poverty.
And they would permanently plunder the freedom and independence of
the Lone Star State by saddling future generations with a debt they
could never repay.
While this legislation, Madam Speaker, may not have been written with
the intention of destroying the State of Texas, it is clear that should
these bills pass, that is exactly what it would do, and not only to my
great State but to the entire Nation.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Schweikert).
Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Madam Speaker, this is a moment where I am hoping our
friends on the left will keep a certain promise that many of you have
made, Madam Speaker, because we have a long list of the promises from
the President to leadership and to others promising that this spending
will be 100 percent paid for.
You already know we are going to have probably a continuing
resolution with the omnibus. There is a trillion dollars of structural
debt there. Okay. And the $1.2 trillion so-called bipartisan--
bipartisan in the Senate.
Okay, when we actually do the honest math, it is not a quarter
trillion of borrowing; it is about $500 billion of borrowing because a
bunch of the pay-fors are fake.
When we start looking at what Senate Finance and others--where are
you getting the other $1.7 trillion on your $3.5 trillion of spending?
Look, I am just asking you to keep a promise because when you add up
all the new revenues, all the new receipts, all the new tax hikes, the
corporate tax hikes that unemployed some million Americans in 24
months, the capital gains tax that loses money, where are you going to
get all this cash that you have promised will be 100 percent paid for?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair again reminds Members to address
their remarks to the Chair.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the distinguished majority leader.
Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this rule. This rule
allows the Congress of the United States to do the people's business in
two critical areas--actually, three.
Number one, it provides for us to receive from the Senate the budget
and to do what the Republicans did on their tax bill: act on a budget
reconciliation bill.
You did that. You, of course, didn't pay for it. We are going to pay
for this.
Secondly, this rule allows us to proceed on a piece of legislation
which seeks to make sure that the Voting Rights Act, protecting the
most important asset a citizen has, and that is their right to vote or,
as our Speaker has said, the voice of those not empowered. That is not
exactly what it was, Madam Speaker.
Two of these items are critical, and when we talk about saving lives,
the reconciliation bill and the budget, the Build Back Better Act is
going to save lives and enrich the quality of lives of our people.
Thirdly, this rule will allow us to proceed to adopt the bipartisan--
69 Senators voting for it--infrastructure bill. It is not a perfect
bill. It is not our bill, and it is limited in some respects in terms
of its addressing one of our most important challenges and enemies, and
that is climate change. It nevertheless is a very, very substantial
investment in America, its growth, people, and jobs.
Vote for this rule. It is a good bill for the people.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume to close.
Madam Speaker, Democrats continue to ram through controversial
policies and reckless spending with a complete disregard for the rules
and with no consideration of what those decisions will mean for future
generations and what they have to pay back.
President Biden took office saying he would be President for
everybody, but he certainly isn't acting like that. The legislation
before us today that is included in this rule would leave rural
communities behind, concentrate even more power at the Federal level,
and tax and spend recklessly.
The President is too busy pressuring Members of his own party to
support $5 trillion in spending to even address the crisis in
Afghanistan.
Madam Speaker, I oppose the rule and the underlying bills, and I ask
Members to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to
close.
We have heard a lot about partisanship during the course of today's
debate.
What are the three bills that we are considering within the rule
today?
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a reauthorization of
the Voting Rights Act. VRA has been reauthorized by Republicans and
Democrats in the United States Congress for decades. The last time it
was signed by George W. Bush, a Republican.
A bipartisan infrastructure deal that earned the votes of 69
Senators, 19 Republicans, including Mitch McConnell, but apparently,
that proposal is too radical for the House Republican Conference.
And a Build Back Better plan that would invest in American families,
that would lower costs, that would cut taxes for working families.
Americans are worth investing in. Our families, our students, our
teachers, our firefighters, our communities
[[Page H4371]]
are worth investing in. And we have a chance to do that today.
The late Congressman John Lewis once said that every generation
leaves behind a legacy. What that legacy will be is determined by the
people of that generation. Madam Speaker, I would say that our legacy
must be one of progress, of courage, and of action.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this rule and on the previous
question.
The material previously referred to by Mrs. Fischbach is as follows:
Amendment to House Resolution 601
At the end of the resolution, add the following:
Sec. 7. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the
House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the
bill (H.R. 5071) to direct the Secretary of Defense to submit
to Congress daily reports on the evacuation of citizens and
permanent residents of the United States from Afghanistan,
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 Armed
Services; and (2) one motion to recommit.
Sec. 8. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the
consideration of H.R. 5071.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam 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.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 220,
nays 212, not voting 0, as follows:
[Roll No. 257]
YEAS--220
Adams
Aguilar
Allred
Auchincloss
Axne
Barragan
Bass
Beatty
Bera
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Blumenauer
Blunt Rochester
Bonamici
Bourdeaux
Bowman
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brown
Brownley
Bush
Bustos
Butterfield
Carbajal
Cardenas
Carson
Carter (LA)
Cartwright
Case
Casten
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Cooper
Correa
Costa
Courtney
Craig
Crist
Crow
Cuellar
Davids (KS)
Davis, Danny K.
Dean
DeFazio
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Delgado
Demings
DeSaulnier
Deutch
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle, Michael F.
Escobar
Eshoo
Espaillat
Evans
Fletcher
Foster
Frankel, Lois
Gallego
Garamendi
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Golden
Gomez
Gonzalez, Vicente
Gottheimer
Green, Al (TX)
Grijalva
Harder (CA)
Hayes
Higgins (NY)
Himes
Horsford
Houlahan
Hoyer
Huffman
Jackson Lee
Jacobs (CA)
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (TX)
Jones
Kahele
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Khanna
Kildee
Kilmer
Kim (NJ)
Kind
Kirkpatrick
Krishnamoorthi
Kuster
Lamb
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lawrence
Lawson (FL)
Lee (CA)
Lee (NV)
Leger Fernandez
Levin (CA)
Levin (MI)
Lieu
Lofgren
Lowenthal
Luria
Lynch
Malinowski
Maloney, Carolyn B.
Maloney, Sean
Manning
Matsui
McBath
McCollum
McEachin
McGovern
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Mfume
Moore (WI)
Morelle
Moulton
Mrvan
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Neguse
Newman
Norcross
O'Halleran
Ocasio-Cortez
Omar
Pallone
Panetta
Pappas
Pascrell
Payne
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peters
Phillips
Pingree
Pocan
Porter
Pressley
Price (NC)
Quigley
Raskin
Rice (NY)
Ross
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan
Sanchez
Sarbanes
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Schrader
Schrier
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Sewell
Sherman
Sherrill
Sires
Slotkin
Smith (WA)
Soto
Spanberger
Speier
Stansbury
Stanton
Stevens
Strickland
Suozzi
Swalwell
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tlaib
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Torres (NY)
Trahan
Trone
Underwood
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson Coleman
Welch
Wexton
Wild
Williams (GA)
Wilson (FL)
Yarmuth
NAYS--212
Aderholt
Allen
Amodei
Armstrong
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Baird
Balderson
Banks
Barr
Bentz
Bergman
Bice (OK)
Biggs
Bilirakis
Bishop (NC)
Boebert
Bost
Brady
Brooks
Buchanan
Buck
Bucshon
Budd
Burchett
Burgess
Calvert
Cammack
Carl
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Cawthorn
Chabot
Cheney
Cline
Cloud
Clyde
Cole
Comer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Curtis
Davidson
Davis, Rodney
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Donalds
Duncan
Dunn
Ellzey
Emmer
Estes
Fallon
Feenstra
Ferguson
Fischbach
Fitzgerald
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franklin, C. Scott
Fulcher
Gaetz
Gallagher
Garbarino
Garcia (CA)
Gibbs
Gimenez
Gohmert
Gonzales, Tony
Gonzalez (OH)
Good (VA)
Gooden (TX)
Gosar
Granger
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Green (TN)
Greene (GA)
Griffith
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hagedorn
Harris
Harshbarger
Hartzler
Hern
Herrell
Herrera Beutler
Hice (GA)
Higgins (LA)
Hill
Hinson
Hollingsworth
Hudson
Huizenga
Issa
Jackson
Jacobs (NY)
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson (SD)
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Joyce (PA)
Katko
Keller
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
Kim (CA)
Kinzinger
Kustoff
LaHood
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Latta
LaTurner
Lesko
Letlow
Long
Loudermilk
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Mace
Malliotakis
Mann
Massie
Mast
McCarthy
McCaul
McClain
McClintock
McHenry
McKinley
Meijer
Meuser
Miller (IL)
Miller (WV)
Miller-Meeks
Moolenaar
Mooney
Moore (AL)
Moore (UT)
Mullin
Murphy (NC)
Nehls
Newhouse
Norman
Nunes
Obernolte
Owens
Palazzo
Palmer
Pence
Perry
Pfluger
Posey
Reed
Reschenthaler
Rice (SC)
Rodgers (WA)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rose
Rosendale
Rouzer
Roy
Rutherford
Salazar
Scalise
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sessions
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smucker
Spartz
Stauber
Steel
Stefanik
Steil
Steube
Stewart
Taylor
Tenney
Thompson (PA)
Tiffany
Timmons
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Van Drew
Van Duyne
Wagner
Walberg
Walorski
Waltz
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Williams (TX)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Young
Zeldin
{time} 1533
Messrs. ROUZER, BRADY, and RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois changed their
vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
So the previous question was ordered.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress
Aderholt (Moolenaar)
Amodei (Balderson)
Barragan (Raskin)
Blumenauer (Bonamici)
Bowman (Omar)
Brownley (Clark (MA))
Calvert (Garcia (CA))
Cardenas (Correa)
Curtis (Moore (UT))
Davids (KS) (Kim (NJ))
DeFazio (Brown)
DeGette (Blunt Rochester)
DeSaulnier (Thompson (CA))
Deutch (Rice (NY))
Diaz-Balart (Cammack)
Duncan (Babin)
Emmer (Cammack)
Escobar (Garcia (TX))
Fleischmann (Bilirakis)
Frankel, Lois (Clark (MA))
Garbarino (Miller-Meeks)
Garamendi (Sherman)
Gibbs (Smucker)
Gomez (Raskin)
Granger (Cole)
Grijalva (Stanton)
Hagedorn (Meuser)
Harshbarger (Kustoff)
Herrera Beutler (Simpson)
Horsford (Kilmer)
Jayapal (Raskin)
Johnson (TX) (Jeffries)
Katko (Malliotakis)
Kelly (IL) (Clarke (NY))
Khanna (Lee (CA))
Kind (Connolly)
Kirkpatrick (Stanton)
Lawson (FL) (Evans)
Luetkemeyer (Long)
Maloney, Carolyn B. (Clarke (NY))
McEachin (Wexton)
McHenry (Budd)
McNerney (Huffman)
Meijer (Moore (UT))
Meng (Jeffries)
Moore (AL) (Brooks)
Moulton (McGovern)
Mullin (Lucas)
Napolitano (Correa)
Nehls (Jackson)
Newman (Casten)
Nunes (Garcia (CA))
Payne (Pallone)
Pingree (Kuster)
Pocan (Raskin)
Porter (Wexton)
Pressley (Omar)
Reed (Arrington)
Reschenthaler (Meuser)
Rodgers (WA) (Joyce (PA))
Roybal-Allard (Aguilar)
Ruiz (Correa)
Rush (Underwood)
Salazar (Cammack)
Sanchez (Aguilar)
Scott, David (Cartwright)
Sires (Pallone)
Steel (Obernolte)
Stefanik (Meuser)
Steube (Cammack)
Stevens (Dingell)
Stewart (Owens)
Strickland (Larsen (WA))
Thompson (PA) (Meuser)
Timmons (Cammack)
Titus (Connolly)
Tonko (Pallone)
Torres (CA) (Correa)
Trone (Connolly)
Vargas (Correa)
Velazquez (Clarke (NY))
Wagner (Long)
Walorski (Baird)
Watson Coleman (Pallone)
Welch (McGovern)
Wilson (FL) (Hayes)
Young (Malliotakis)
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 220,
nays 212, not voting 0, as follows:
[[Page H4372]]
[Roll No. 258]
YEAS--220
Adams
Aguilar
Allred
Auchincloss
Axne
Barragan
Bass
Beatty
Bera
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Blumenauer
Blunt Rochester
Bonamici
Bourdeaux
Bowman
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brown
Brownley
Bush
Bustos
Butterfield
Carbajal
Cardenas
Carson
Carter (LA)
Cartwright
Case
Casten
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Cooper
Correa
Costa
Courtney
Craig
Crist
Crow
Cuellar
Davids (KS)
Davis, Danny K.
Dean
DeFazio
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Delgado
Demings
DeSaulnier
Deutch
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle, Michael F.
Escobar
Eshoo
Espaillat
Evans
Fletcher
Foster
Frankel, Lois
Gallego
Garamendi
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Golden
Gomez
Gonzalez, Vicente
Gottheimer
Green, Al (TX)
Grijalva
Harder (CA)
Hayes
Higgins (NY)
Himes
Horsford
Houlahan
Hoyer
Huffman
Jackson Lee
Jacobs (CA)
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (TX)
Jones
Kahele
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Khanna
Kildee
Kilmer
Kim (NJ)
Kind
Kirkpatrick
Krishnamoorthi
Kuster
Lamb
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lawrence
Lawson (FL)
Lee (CA)
Lee (NV)
Leger Fernandez
Levin (CA)
Levin (MI)
Lieu
Lofgren
Lowenthal
Luria
Lynch
Malinowski
Maloney, Carolyn B.
Maloney, Sean
Manning
Matsui
McBath
McCollum
McEachin
McGovern
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Mfume
Moore (WI)
Morelle
Moulton
Mrvan
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Neguse
Newman
Norcross
O'Halleran
Ocasio-Cortez
Omar
Pallone
Panetta
Pappas
Pascrell
Payne
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peters
Phillips
Pingree
Pocan
Porter
Pressley
Price (NC)
Quigley
Raskin
Rice (NY)
Ross
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan
Sanchez
Sarbanes
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Schrader
Schrier
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Sewell
Sherman
Sherrill
Sires
Slotkin
Smith (WA)
Soto
Spanberger
Speier
Stansbury
Stanton
Stevens
Strickland
Suozzi
Swalwell
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tlaib
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Torres (NY)
Trahan
Trone
Underwood
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson Coleman
Welch
Wexton
Wild
Williams (GA)
Wilson (FL)
Yarmuth
NAYS--212
Aderholt
Allen
Amodei
Armstrong
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Baird
Balderson
Banks
Barr
Bentz
Bergman
Bice (OK)
Biggs
Bilirakis
Bishop (NC)
Boebert
Bost
Brady
Brooks
Buchanan
Buck
Bucshon
Budd
Burchett
Burgess
Calvert
Cammack
Carl
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Cawthorn
Chabot
Cheney
Cline
Cloud
Clyde
Cole
Comer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Curtis
Davidson
Davis, Rodney
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Donalds
Duncan
Dunn
Ellzey
Emmer
Estes
Fallon
Feenstra
Ferguson
Fischbach
Fitzgerald
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franklin, C. Scott
Fulcher
Gaetz
Gallagher
Garbarino
Garcia (CA)
Gibbs
Gimenez
Gohmert
Gonzales, Tony
Gonzalez (OH)
Good (VA)
Gooden (TX)
Gosar
Granger
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Green (TN)
Greene (GA)
Griffith
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hagedorn
Harris
Harshbarger
Hartzler
Hern
Herrell
Herrera Beutler
Hice (GA)
Higgins (LA)
Hill
Hinson
Hollingsworth
Hudson
Huizenga
Issa
Jackson
Jacobs (NY)
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson (SD)
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Joyce (PA)
Katko
Keller
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
Kim (CA)
Kinzinger
Kustoff
LaHood
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Latta
LaTurner
Lesko
Letlow
Long
Loudermilk
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Mace
Malliotakis
Mann
Massie
Mast
McCarthy
McCaul
McClain
McClintock
McHenry
McKinley
Meijer
Meuser
Miller (IL)
Miller (WV)
Miller-Meeks
Moolenaar
Mooney
Moore (AL)
Moore (UT)
Mullin
Murphy (NC)
Nehls
Newhouse
Norman
Nunes
Obernolte
Owens
Palazzo
Palmer
Pence
Perry
Pfluger
Posey
Reed
Reschenthaler
Rice (SC)
Rodgers (WA)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rose
Rosendale
Rouzer
Roy
Rutherford
Salazar
Scalise
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sessions
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smucker
Spartz
Stauber
Steel
Stefanik
Steil
Steube
Stewart
Taylor
Tenney
Thompson (PA)
Tiffany
Timmons
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Van Drew
Van Duyne
Wagner
Walberg
Walorski
Waltz
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Williams (TX)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Young
Zeldin
{time} 1608
So the resolution was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress
Aderholt (Moolenaar)
Amodei (Balderson)
Barragan (Raskin)
Blumenauer (Bonamici)
Bowman (Omar)
Brownley (Clark (MA))
Buchanan (Dunn)
Calvert (Garcia (CA))
Cardenas (Correa)
Curtis (Moore (UT))
Davids (KS) (Kim (NJ))
DeFazio (Brown)
DeGette (Blunt Rochester)
DeSaulnier (Thompson (CA))
Deutch (Rice (NY))
Diaz-Balart (Cammack)
Duncan (Babin)
Emmer (Cammack)
Escobar (Garcia (TX))
Fleischmann (Bilirakis)
Frankel, Lois (Clark (MA))
Garbarino (Miller-Meeks)
Garamendi (Sherman)
Gibbs (Smucker)
Gomez (Raskin)
Granger (Cole)
Grijalva (Stanton)
Hagedorn (Meuser)
Harshbarger (Kustoff)
Herrera Beutler (Simpson)
Horsford (Kilmer)
Jayapal (Raskin)
Johnson (TX) (Jeffries)
Katko (Malliotakis)
Kelly (IL) (Clarke (NY))
Khanna (Lee (CA))
Kind (Connolly)
Kirkpatrick (Stanton)
Lawson (FL) (Evans)
Luetkemeyer (Long)
Maloney, Carolyn B. (Clarke (NY))
McEachin (Wexton)
McHenry (Budd)
McNerney (Huffman)
Meijer (Moore (UT))
Meng (Jeffries)
Moore (AL) (Brooks)
Moulton (McGovern)
Mullin (Lucas)
Napolitano (Correa)
Nehls (Jackson)
Newman (Casten)
Nunes (Garcia (CA))
Payne (Pallone)
Pingree (Kuster)
Pocan (Raskin)
Porter (Wexton)
Pressley (Omar)
Reed (Arrington)
Reschenthaler (Meuser)
Rodgers (WA) (Joyce (PA))
Roybal-Allard (Aguilar)
Ruiz (Correa)
Rush (Underwood)
Salazar (Cammack)
Sanchez (Aguilar)
Scott, David (Cartwright)
Sires (Pallone)
Steel (Obernolte)
Stefanik (Meuser)
Steube (Cammack)
Stevens (Dingell)
Stewart (Owens)
Strickland (Larsen (WA))
Thompson (PA) (Meuser)
Timmons (Cammack)
Titus (Connolly)
Tonko (Pallone)
Torres (CA) (Correa)
Trone (Connolly)
Vargas (Correa)
Velazquez (Clarke (NY))
Wagner (Long)
Walorski (Baird)
Watson Coleman (Pallone)
Welch (McGovern)
Wilson (FL) (Hayes)
Young (Malliotakis)
____________________