[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 181 (Thursday, November 2, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5235-H5241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4821, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, 
 ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024; PROVIDING 
   FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4820, TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN 
    DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024; AND 
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 6126, ISRAEL SECURITY SUPPLEMENTAL 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024

  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, 
I call up House Resolution 838 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 838

       Resolved, That at any time after adoption of this 
     resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule 
     XVIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the 
     Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of 
     the bill (H.R. 4821) making appropriations for the Department 
     of the Interior, environment, and related agencies for the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other 
     purposes. The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed 
     with. All points of order against consideration of the bill 
     are waived. General debate shall be confined to the bill and 
     shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by 
     the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
     Appropriations or their respective designees. After general 
     debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the 
     five-minute rule. The bill shall be considered as read. All 
     points of order against provisions in the bill are waived.
       Sec. 2. (a) No amendment to H.R. 4821 shall be in order 
     except those printed in part A of the report of the Committee 
     on Rules accompanying this resolution, amendments en bloc 
     described in section 3 of this resolution, and pro forma 
     amendments described in section 4 of this resolution.
       (b) Each amendment printed in part A of the report of the 
     Committee on Rules shall be considered only in the order 
     printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member 
     designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall 
     be debatable for the time specified in the report equally 
     divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, 
     shall not be subject to amendment except as provided by 
     section 4 of this resolution, and shall not be subject to a 
     demand for division of the question in the House or in the 
     Committee of the Whole.
       (c) All points of order against amendments printed in part 
     A of the report of the Committee on Rules or against 
     amendments en bloc described in section 3 of this resolution 
     are waived.
       Sec. 3. It shall be in order at any time for the chair of 
     the Committee on Appropriations or her designee to offer 
     amendments en bloc consisting of amendments printed in part A 
     of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this 
     resolution not earlier disposed of. Amendments en bloc 
     offered pursuant to this section shall be considered as read, 
     shall be debatable for 20 minutes equally divided and 
     controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the 
     Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees, 
     shall not be subject to amendment except as provided by 
     section 4 of this resolution, and shall not be subject to a 
     demand for division of the question in the House or in the 
     Committee of the Whole.
       Sec. 4. During consideration of H.R. 4821 for amendment, 
     the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
     Appropriations or their respective designees may offer up to 
     10 pro forma amendments each at any point for the purpose of 
     debate.
       Sec. 5. At the conclusion of consideration of H.R. 4821 for 
     amendment the Committee shall rise and report the bill to the 
     House with such amendments as may have been adopted. The 
     previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill 
     and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening 
     motion except one motion to recommit.
       Sec. 6. At any time after adoption of this resolution the 
     Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XVIII, declare 
     the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on 
     the state of the Union for consideration of the bill (H.R. 
     4820) making appropriations for the Departments of 
     Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and 
     related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
     2024, and for other purposes. The first reading of the bill 
     shall be dispensed with. All points of order against 
     consideration of the bill are waived. General debate shall be 
     confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally 
     divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority 
     member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective 
     designees. After general debate the bill shall be considered 
     for amendment under the five-minute rule. The bill shall be 
     considered as read. All points of order against provisions in 
     the bill are waived.
       Sec. 7. (a) No amendment to H.R. 4820 shall be in order 
     except those printed in part B of the report of the Committee 
     on Rules accompanying this resolution, amendments en bloc 
     described in section 8 of this resolution, and pro forma 
     amendments described in section 9 of this resolution.
       (b) Each amendment printed in part B of the report of the 
     Committee on Rules shall be considered only in the order 
     printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member 
     designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall 
     be debatable for the time specified in the report equally 
     divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, 
     shall not be subject to amendment except as provided by 
     section 9 of this resolution, and shall not be subject to a 
     demand for division of the question in the House or in the 
     Committee of the Whole.
       (c) All points of order against amendments printed in part 
     B of the report of the Committee on Rules or against 
     amendments en bloc described in section 8 of this resolution 
     are waived.
       Sec. 8.  It shall be in order at any time for the chair of 
     the Committee on Appropriations or her designee to offer 
     amendments en bloc consisting of amendments printed in part B 
     of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this 
     resolution not earlier disposed of. Amendments en bloc 
     offered pursuant to this section shall be considered as read, 
     shall be debatable for 20 minutes equally divided and 
     controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the 
     Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees, 
     shall not be subject to amendment except as provided by 
     section 9 of this resolution, and shall not be subject to a 
     demand for division of the question in the House or in the 
     Committee of the Whole.
       Sec. 9.  During consideration of H.R. 4820 for amendment, 
     the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
     Appropriations or their respective designees may offer up to 
     10 pro forma amendments each at any point for the purpose of 
     debate.
       Sec. 10.  At the conclusion of consideration of H.R. 4820 
     for amendment the Committee shall rise and report the bill to 
     the House with such amendments as may have been adopted. The 
     previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill 
     and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening 
     motion except one motion to recommit.
       Sec. 11.  Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in 
     order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 6126) making 
     emergency supplemental appropriations to respond to the 
     attacks in Israel for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
     2024, and for other purposes. All points of order against 
     consideration of the bill are waived. The bill shall be 
     considered as read. All points of order against provisions in 
     the bill are waived. The previous question shall be 
     considered as ordered on the bill and on any amendment 
     thereto to final passage without intervening motion except: 
     (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the 
     chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
     Appropriations or their respective designees; and (2) one 
     motion to recommit.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Minnesota is recognized 
for 1 hour.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield 
the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. 
McGovern), 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

  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Minnesota?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 838 provides for 
consideration of H.R. 4820 and H.R. 4821

[[Page H5236]]

under a structured rule and makes in order Democratic as well as 
Republican amendments. The rule further provides for consideration of 
H.R. 6126 under a closed rule and provides one motion to recommit.
  Mr. Speaker, House Republicans have made a promise to the American 
people. We promised to deliver single-subject appropriations bills that 
responsibly fund government by cutting wasteful spending and investing 
in necessary services. We have passed six such bills so far, which is 
nearly three-quarters of overall discretionary spending. I am proud to 
say that we are keeping that promise here again today as we work to 
pass two more.
  H.R. 4820 and H.R. 4821 will cut billions in unnecessary government 
spending and prevent overreaching regulations while prioritizing vital 
programs. The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and 
Related Agencies appropriations bill reduces funding for Department of 
Transportation grant programs by over $6.6 billion and the Department 
of Housing and Urban Development by over $1.7 billion.
  The Appropriations Committee made these cuts by rejecting the 
administration's request to increase bureaucracy and their request to 
increase wasteful climate and equity initiatives. It rejects their 
request for additional program initiatives, including one to make the 
DOT's Federal vehicle fleet electric to the tune of $26 million and 
$300 million for Green New Deal grants promoting environmental justice 
priorities in public housing of all places.
  It cuts all this and more while funding key programs. It will 
strengthen our infrastructure; prioritize transportation safety, 
including funding the training of 1,800 new air traffic controllers; 
and focus on housing assistance for vulnerable Americans, including the 
elderly, the disabled, and veterans.
  The Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill 
rightsizes agency funding levels while expanding access to critical 
minerals. It also repeals this administration's waters of the United 
States regulation, something so important to States like Minnesota that 
know full well how to manage their waters and do not need the 
government telling them how to do their job.
  Can you imagine having to go through the Federal Government when your 
field floods because now those waters fall under WOTUS authority? WOTUS 
is just another example of unnecessary government overreach.
  The bill also limits the abuse of the Endangered Species Act. This 
also impacts States like Minnesota where the gray wolf population is 
not just maintained but is actually thriving. Because in California the 
gray wolf population is dwindling, the administration would force 
Minnesota to follow the same regulations as California. Complete 
nonsense.
  I am proud to support this legislation that prioritizes public safety 
while trusting the States to do what is right for them.
  Mr. Speaker, finally, I stand here today in full support of our ally 
Israel. The supplemental package we are debating today will provide 
critical aid to our friend, as they defend themselves against 
terrorists, while respecting taxpayer dollars.
  On October 7, our allies in the Middle East were attacked by Hamas 
terrorists, murdering 1,400 people. The victims include women, 
children, innocent bystanders, and even American citizens since the 
attacks started.
  Israel and the U.S. enjoy a unique and longstanding relationship as 
one of our closest non-NATO allies. We have, for decades, provided 
assistance to help Israel defend itself, and House Republicans are 
continuing that tradition today.

                              {time}  0930

  The Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act provides $14 
billion for Israel to defend itself against foreign terrorists. This 
includes funds for Iron Dome and David's Sling defense systems and 
further development of the Iron Beam defense system.
  Perhaps more significantly, this bill is offset through rescissions 
of the Democrats' IRS army funding provided under the Inflation 
Reduction Act. This rescission represents an important effort to 
respect the taxpayer and the dollars they entrust in us. America's 
support for Israel is unwavering, but there is simply no reason why the 
funds we provide should be placed on the backs of future generations by 
furthering our debt crisis.
  This is a commonsense solution, and I commend Speaker Johnson and 
Chairwoman Granger in putting forth this bill at such a timely 
juncture. I look forward to supporting this legislation, and I urge my 
colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support the rule and the underlying 
legislation, and I urge all Members to do so.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota for 
yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear about something. Democracy is messy, 
and, yes, at times it can be very frustrating. However, what happened 
in this Chamber last month, putting everything on hold for 3 weeks as 
House Republicans failed time and time again to elect a Speaker, was 
not democracy.
  All the drama and all the chaos of the Republican Conference over the 
last few weeks was not democracy. Shutting down one-half of the United 
States Congress and immobilizing our national legislature at a time of 
global turmoil is actually the exact opposite of democracy.
  I keep hearing my colleagues across the aisle claim that not having a 
Speaker for 3 weeks was somehow democracy in action. That is a bunch of 
baloney. Some of them even said that this impasse made our country look 
good on the world stage.
  Are you kidding me?
  What planet do they live on?
  Their dysfunction makes us look like idiots.
  The American public elected all of us to come here and to represent 
their interests and their ideals. That is democracy. They didn't send 
us here to play student government. They didn't send us here to sit 
around and yell at each other about who gets to be Speaker as if this 
were ``Lord of the Flies.'' They sent us here to work, to govern, to 
get things done, and, yes, when necessary, to compromise.
  Republicans have a slim majority in the House, Democrats have a slim 
majority in the Senate, and Joe Biden is President of the United 
States. To get anything done--anything--Republicans need to come to the 
table and work with us in a bipartisan way. That is what democracy is. 
It is compromise. It is consensus.
  However, the spectacle that we saw last month of this Chamber sitting 
empty for weeks on end while Republicans fought with each other, or 
even the idea that they should be fighting over which member of their 
conference would compromise with the Democrats the least--let that sink 
in--is not democracy. That is a national embarrassment.
  Now, even after 3 weeks of self-inflicted chaos, the House GOP still 
doesn't seem to get it. Instead of working across the aisle, they are 
digging in their heels, and they are continuing to advance their 
extremely partisan appropriations bills that will never become law. 
There have been no lessons learned over the last few weeks at all.
  The GOP's Interior and Environment funding bill for fiscal year 2024 
profits polluters while endangering the health of Americans. It cuts 
EPA funding to its lowest level since 1991. The bill additionally 
slashes funding for arts programs and, once again, shoves MAGA culture 
wars down the throats of the American people. They can't help 
themselves.
  The Republican Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development funding 
bill for fiscal year 2024 would also keep us from meeting our Nation's 
infrastructure and housing needs. It cuts funding for housing and 
transportation programs by 28 percent, putting Americans' safety at 
risk while, once again, attacking vulnerable communities.
  Now, I don't know how often this needs to be said before it sinks in: 
These draconian cuts to essential programs will not become law. If 
these bills manage to make it off the House floor, then the Senate will 
vote them down. It will be a bipartisan vote in the Senate, by the way. 
Even the Senate Republicans can't stomach this garbage, and if they 
ever made it to the President's desk, he would veto it.
  What I am gathering is that Republicans would rather press forward 
with

[[Page H5237]]

these unreasonable bills instead of coming together to form a funding 
plan that serves all Americans. We are just over 2 weeks out from a 
government shutdown, and all Republicans are doing here is wasting more 
time. This is a complete waste of time. It is ridiculous.
  Mr. Speaker, I haven't even got to how cynical--how cynical--and 
insulting this new supplemental aid package is. Republicans are 
leveraging the excruciating pain of an international crisis to help 
rich people who cheat on their taxes and big corporations who regularly 
dodge their taxes.
  Are you kidding me?
  The fact of the matter is the richest people in this country pay less 
in taxes than teachers, than police officers, than firefighters, than 
nurses, and than laborers.
  This is what this is all about?
  Who came up with this brilliant idea to help rich tax cheats? Who 
came up with that idea? Was that hatched at a fundraiser in Mar-a-Lago?
  Did some big donor come up and twist somebody's arm and say, You have 
to do this. You have to protect us. We want to be able to continue to 
cheat on our taxes so we can make more and keep more money. This is 
truly despicable.

  Here is what I love: The bill's so-called offset cuts $14.3 billion 
from the IRS which will further increase the deficit. Basically they 
want to cut funding from those who are responsible for holding big 
corporations accountable and for going after rich tax cheats. That is 
their offset.
  According to CBO, it will add to the deficit.
  Let me repeat that. This bill adds $12.5 billion to the deficit. 
Their offset actually needs an offset.
  Once again, they cry, they cry, and they cry about the deficit, but 
they have no problem conditioning aid to Israel on another tax break to 
millionaires, billionaires, and corporations.
  Representative Chip Roy who is on the Rules Committee said--or maybe 
he yelled: The aid ``should be paid for, and it should be paid for with 
real money, not budgetary gimmicks.''
  Nonetheless, that is what this is. This is a budgetary gimmick. It is 
a big, gigantic, and in-your-face gimmick. It is a joke, and they come 
to the floor with a straight face to say that somehow we are paying for 
this package.
  Really? How can they say that with a straight face?
  It makes sense because they don't like the results of the election 
and they tried to overturn it. They don't like the math from CBO, by 
the way, and they pretend it doesn't exist.
  Republicans say they are friends of Israel. If I were Israel, I would 
unfriend them. What they are doing here will delay aid to Israel, not 
to mention there is no humanitarian aid in here for the vulnerable 
people in Israel or Gaza.
  Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz came before the Rules Committee last 
night and asked us and tearfully pleaded with us to make in order her 
amendment for humanitarian aid that the President of the United States 
requested. This is humanitarian aid for Israel, for Palestinians, and 
for people in Ukraine. She pleaded with Republicans to unlink their 
conditions on aid. She offered an amendment to put in the humanitarian 
aid the Republicans left out, again, and asked that we help some of the 
most vulnerable people who are caught in the middle of this conflict. 
These are people in Israel, people in Gaza, and people in Ukraine.
  By the way, one-half of the people in Gaza are children, for God's 
sake. They need food, they need medicine, and they need water. They 
need it now. They need help now.
  I offered Ms. Wasserman Schultz's amendment, and it was voted down. 
It was voted down by every single Republican.
  I have to tell you, Mr. Speaker, the ease and the indifference with 
which they rejected even making her amendment in order was, quite 
frankly, chilling.
  By the way, there is no aid for Ukraine in this supplemental package. 
There is nothing. This is what the President asked for.
  So Vladimir Putin is happy. I am always amazed at how my friends on 
the other side of the aisle fall over each other to try to make 
Vladimir Putin happy. He is happy with the package they are bringing to 
the floor today. There is no aid for any other national security 
priorities that the President asked for.
  To sum it up, Mr. Speaker, the House is back, but Halloween has been 
extended. These people are scary, and there is no saying what will 
happen next. I hope and I pray for the sake of the Nation that House 
Republicans come to their senses soon. This is no way to govern.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring the focus back to the discussions 
in front of us.
  It is worth reminding everyone that while we may have had a delay, we 
have still passed six appropriations bills this Congress. The Senate 
has just passed their first three appropriations bills this week. The 
House has passed bills representing the majority of the Federal 
discretionary spending, which is roughly three-quarters of the budget, 
and the Senate has passed just 17 percent.
  Make no mistake: we still have a lot of work to do, but Speaker 
Johnson and the House Republicans will continue to work towards passing 
every bill individually before our November 17 deadline. I do invite my 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join us.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Langworthy).
  Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota 
for yielding time.
  Mr. Speaker, on October 7, 2023, the world witnessed in real time on 
the internet the heart-wrenching images of innocent Israelis 
slaughtered in their homes. These attacks claimed the lives of more 
than 1,400 innocent people, including at least 30 American citizens 
that we know of.
  We saw pure evil on display that day as Hamas murdered and kidnapped 
children, raped women, and savagely attacked the elderly. They killed 
entire families in the most brutal and shocking fashion that the world 
has ever seen. Even worse, they went as far as to desecrate the bodies, 
and they celebrated their war crimes.
  Every single American should be heartbroken, should be disgusted, and 
should be enraged. Shame on my colleagues who have called for a cease-
fire. Shame on my colleagues who have acted as apologists for the 
genocidal terrorist organization Hamas. Shame on my colleagues who have 
joined anti-Semitic rallies and waved Palestinian flags, especially 
here in our Nation's Capitol.
  Every American should stand with the Jewish people in Israel. The 
people of Israel are a lone beacon of freedom in the Middle East.
  I have been there. Many of us have been there. We all should go 
there. I have seen firsthand the threat that they face from radical 
terrorists. They are the very same ones who hate the freedoms that we 
enjoy here in the United States.
  It is in these moments of crisis that the strength of our convictions 
and the depths of our friendships are truly tested. In Israel's time of 
need, America cannot be silent. H.R. 6126 provides Israel with the 
support that they need to protect their freedoms and eradicate Hamas 
while offsetting the financial burden on the American people.
  It is time for Congress to step up and to send a message to the world 
that Israel is not alone. Unfortunately, this administration's foreign 
policy has failed. Their weak policies like unfreezing the $6 billion 
in assets for Iran starkly contrast the previous administration's work 
to establish the Abraham Accords and end ISIS.
  This weakness on the world stage leaves our Nation vulnerable as 
well. Combined with our wide-open borders, we cannot wait until there 
is an attack on American soil to act.
  The world is watching. Today we have an opportunity to send a 
message, both to our allies and our adversaries, that we will not allow 
this senseless terrorism to go unchecked.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 6126 to support 
Israel, to eradicate Hamas, and to fight global terrorism.

[[Page H5238]]

  


                              {time}  0945

  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Again, let's make no mistake about it, my Republican friends are 
deliberately delaying aid to Israel. They are deliberately delaying aid 
to Israel.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record the 
Statement of Administration Policy for the Israel Security Supplemental 
Appropriations Act.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Miller-Meeks). Is there objection to 
the request of the gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.

                   Statement of Administration Policy


         Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024

       The Administration strongly opposes House passage of the 
     Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024, a bill 
     making emergency supplemental appropriations to respond to 
     the attacks in Israel for the fiscal year ending September 
     30, 2024, and for other purposes.
       As demonstrated by the President's recent supplemental 
     funding request, the Administration strongly supports 
     providing resources for key national security priorities, 
     including aid for our ally Israel as it defends itself 
     against Hamas terrorists. But rather than putting forward a 
     package that strengthens American national security in a 
     bipartisan way, the bill fails to meet the urgency of the 
     moment by deepening our divides and severely eroding historic 
     bipartisan support for Israel's security. It inserts 
     partisanship into support for Israel, making our ally a pawn 
     in our politics, at a moment we must stand together. It 
     denies humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations 
     around the world, including Palestinian civilians, which is a 
     moral and strategic imperative. And by requiring offsets for 
     this critical security assistance, it sets a new and 
     dangerous precedent by conditioning assistance for Israel, 
     further politicizing our support and treating one ally 
     differently from others. This bill is bad for Israel, for the 
     Middle East region, and for our own national security.
       Denying humanitarian assistance to two million Palestinian 
     civilians, the majority of them women and children, would be 
     a grave mistake. A deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza will 
     also undercut Israel's security and regional stability. We 
     have a moral imperative to help those in need. Helping 
     Palestinian civilians in need is also in Israel's national 
     security interest. The United States must provide urgent and 
     sustained humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza to 
     alleviate suffering and bolster stability. Conflict and 
     extremism will be much more likely to spread, which will only 
     benefit Hamas and other malign actors in the region who will 
     exploit the opportunity. This bill threatens the security and 
     stability of our partners in the region. A deepening crisis 
     will undermine the possibility of Israel's further 
     integration in the Middle East.
       Moreover, the bill would create a dangerous precedent by 
     demanding partisan poison pill offsets in return for meeting 
     core national security needs of the United States. This bill 
     would break with the normal, bipartisan approach to providing 
     emergency national security assistance by conditioning 
     funding on offsets, politicizing aid to Israel, and treating 
     Israel differently from our other allies and partners. And 
     that new and damaging precedent would have devastating 
     implications for our safety and alliances in the years ahead. 
     The egregiousness of this particular offset is it adds to the 
     deficit and would help some wealthy individuals and large 
     corporations cheat on their taxes. Congress has consistently 
     worked in a bipartisan manner to provide security assistance 
     to Israel, and this bill threatens to unnecessarily undermine 
     that longstanding approach.
       Bifurcating Israel security assistance from the other 
     priorities in the national security supplemental will have 
     global consequences. Humanitarian aid is critically needed to 
     alleviate the suffering of civilians in Gaza, but it is also 
     crucial support for innocent Ukrainians facing the brutality 
     of Putin's war. It is vital assistance for people around the 
     world who are suffering because Putin is blocking the 
     shipments of grain from Ukraine--which was once the world's 
     ``breadbasket.'' Failing to provide supplemental humanitarian 
     assistance will leave displaced and conflict-affected 
     civilians around the world--from Darfur, to Nagorno-Karabakh, 
     from Zaporizhzhia to Gaza City, without access to food, water 
     and sanitation, healthcare, hygiene programming, and 
     emergency shelter support and protection.
       This bill also fails to provide the resources we need to 
     bolster integrated deterrence and maintain peace and 
     stability in the Indo-Pacific, Our allies and partners in the 
     IndoPacific face an increasingly assertive People's Republic 
     of China, yet this bill provides no assistance to address 
     that threat. And despite strong bipartisan support for 
     investing in border security as the President called for--
     including technology to detect fentanyl and hiring more CBP 
     officers--the bill fails to respond to the President's 
     request for those needed funds.
       There is strong bipartisan agreement that it is in our 
     direct national security interest to help Ukraine defend its 
     freedom and its sovereignty, and protect its people against 
     the appalling crimes being committed by Russian forces 
     against thousands of innocent civilians--and against Russia's 
     attacks against the Ukrainian people with Iranian weapons. We 
     have seen Russian forces commit horrifying war crimes and 
     atrocities. They have hideously used rape as a weapon of war, 
     and they have kidnapped and forcibly separated thousands of 
     Ukrainian children from their families. Yet despite that 
     bipartisan support, and in contrast to the President's 
     national security package, this bill provides no aid 
     whatsoever to Ukraine. This is an urgent requirement--as 
     Ukraine heads into a winter of unrelenting attacks on its 
     civilian infrastructure, they need air defense to protect 
     their cities and munitions to keep pressure on Vladimir 
     Putin. Failing to support Ukraine at this pivotal moment in 
     the war would send a terrible message to Russia about our 
     resolve, let alone to the rest of the world. We know from 
     history that if we walk away and let someone like Vladimir 
     Putin erase Ukraine's independence, he will not stop there 
     and would be aggressors around the world would be emboldened.
       The Administration will continue to engage with both 
     chambers of the Congress in a bipartisan manner to secure an 
     agreement on the critical national security package 
     transmitted to Congress a few weeks ago.
       lf the President were presented with this bill, he would 
     veto it.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, despite a clear bipartisan path to 
assisting Israel, House Republicans have decided to go at it alone, 
alienating Senate Republicans, Democrats, and the President. The 
President has indicated that he will veto this supplemental in favor of 
a bipartisan approach that he knows Congress is capable of.
  A bipartisan approach is what our allies deserve. A bipartisan 
approach is what the American people expect, not playing politics with 
an international crisis to be able to satisfy their richest donors.
  Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record an 
article by The Hill titled: ``GOP plan to `offset' Israel aid with IRS 
cuts would backfire, budget experts warn.''
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.

                     [From The Hill, Nov. 1, 2023]

 GOP Plan To `Offset' Israel Aid With IRS Cuts Would Backfire, Budget 
                              Experts Warn

                   (By Tobias Bruns and Aris Folley)

       A recent proposal by House Republicans to take billions of 
     dollars from the IRS and give it to Israel for its war 
     against Hamas is raising alarm from budget experts, who say 
     the push would undercut the party's calls to reduce the 
     national debt.
       Since assuming control of the House in January, House 
     Republicans have targeted what they've described as 
     ``wasteful'' spending by Democrats. GOP leaders have proposed 
     steep cuts to tackle the national debt.
       But budget experts argue a Monday bill from House 
     Republicans, which would take $14.3 billion away from the 
     IRS, will expand the national debt by tens of billions of 
     dollars over the next decade.
       The cuts would also hamstring efforts to close the ``tax 
     gap''--hundreds of billions of dollars the government is owed 
     every year but fails to collect.
       ``Paying for new spending by defunding tax enforcement is 
     worse than not paying for it at all, said Maya MacGuineas, 
     president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget 
     (CRFB), in a Monday statement.
       CRFB estimated the GOP plan would add more than $30 billion 
     to the debt.
       ``Instead of avoiding new borrowing, this plan doubles down 
     on it,'' MacGuineas said.
       Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax 
     Policy Center at the Urban Institute, said it was ``pretty 
     clear'' that ``cutting this kind of IRS funding would 
     actually increase the deficit.''
       ``Instead of being an offset, it would actually make 
     matters worse,'' he argued. ``The general rule of thumb that 
     the budget scorekeepers use is it's about 2-to-1. So if you 
     cut IRS funding [by $14 billion to $15 billion], you're 
     actually going to increase the deficit by about $30 
     billion.''
       The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which determines how 
     various pieces of legislation affect the national deficit, is 
     now in the process of scoring the bill.
       ``We are working on it now,'' Deborah Kilroe, 
     communications director of the CBO, told The Hill in an email 
     Tuesday morning.
       The White House has already promised to veto the bill, 
     favoring a joint military aid package for both Israel and 
     Ukraine. But further IRS cuts could resurface as attachments 
     to military aid specifically for Ukraine, which is a priority 
     for Democrats in need of Republican votes to get the money 
     out the door.
       The House is expected to consider the legislation shortly 
     after they return to Washington on Wednesday. But Democrats 
     have already panned the bill as a ``non-starter'' in the 
     Senate.

[[Page H5239]]

       ``If Republicans had an ounce of shame they wouldn't 
     condition support for Israel and Ukraine on giveaways to 
     wealthy tax cheats. Making aid to Israel and Ukraine 
     dependent on gutting IRS enforcement funding is an absolute 
     nonstarter,'' Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the Senate Finance 
     Committee chair, said in a Tuesday statement.
       Not all Republicans seem to be in lockstep on the proposed 
     cuts either.
       Asked Tuesday about the framing of the cuts as an 
     ``offset,'' Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told The Hill, ``I 
     don't think you reduce the number of IRS agents then expect 
     that you're going to get more tax revenue.''
       ``I think reducing agents means less tax revenue,'' Romney 
     said.
       The Treasury Department said earlier this month that the 
     U.S. borrowed $1.7 trillion in the one-year period ending in 
     late September, a spike over the previous year that Biden 
     officials partly attributed to low revenue.
       The U.S. is currently running a $33 trillion debt, which 
     spiked above its trend line during the pandemic as the 
     government expanded major tax credit programs for lower 
     earners and sent out checks to families while the economy was 
     shut down.
       As part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed last 
     year by Democrats, the IRS was given an additional $80 
     billion in funding over the subsequent 10 years. That 
     allotment would have increased revenues by around $200 
     billion for a net deficit reduction of around $114 billion, 
     according to a CBO analysis.
       Republicans--dead set against strengthening the IRS, which 
     has been in long-term decline--have claimed without evidence 
     that the agency would use new funds to shake down middle- and 
     working-class Americans at their doorsteps.
       But the IRS's enhanced enforcement efforts are so far 
     concentrating on wealthy individuals, major corporations, and 
     complicated partnerships that are often used to reduce tax 
     burdens.
       As part of an unwritten agreement reached over the summer 
     with Democrats to raise the debt ceiling, Republicans planned 
     to hack $20 billion off the initial $80 billion IRS funding 
     boost through the normal appropriations process.
       Democrats panned those cuts, pointing to CBO's projection 
     of tens of billions of dollars in lost revenue.
       Some Senate Republicans critical of the IRS funding 
     increase have backed the House GOP bill but acknowledge the 
     budgetary impact could be a hurdle.
       ``If you're looking for a pay-for, which they clearly are, 
     I think it's as good as one as there could be,'' Sen. Kevin 
     Cramer (R-N.D.).
       ``The challenge you're gonna have is a CBO score.''
       While Cramer argued the CBO ``doesn't consider the 
     ramifications to the economy,'' he said he expects the CBO 
     could score the proposed cuts as ``a net positive, albeit not 
     a very big one.''
       David Wessel, senior economic studies fellow at the 
     Brookings Institution, argued the budgetary impact of the IRS 
     cuts is ``not that big,'' particularly when taking into 
     account the trillions of dollars the nation spends annually.
       But that's also partly why Wessel thinks ``dynamic scoring 
     isn't really an issue here.''
       ``Dynamic scoring is about how will a proposal affect the 
     GDP, how will it increase labor force participation, how will 
     it affect productivity,'' he said. ``There's no reason to 
     believe that the kind of money we're talking about with the 
     IRS funding, if you dynamically scored it to death, would 
     show anything.''
       ``I just think this is the ultimate in cynical Republican 
     bullshit,'' Wessel added.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, aid to Israel should not be conditioned 
on giving greater tax breaks to the rich, let alone a fake offset that 
adds to the deficit. Again, it is not me who is saying that their 
budgetary gimmick, their fake offset, is a fake offset. It is the 
Congressional Budget Office that says it will add $12.5 billion to the 
deficit.
  It doesn't pay for anything. It adds to the deficit. That is 
according to CBO. That is the office we use to figure out how much 
things are going to cost. They know that, and they come here and they 
deliberately distort the facts and distort the truth.
  They are conditioning aid to Israel on helping out the richest tax 
cheats in America. I mean, it is mind-boggling. It is mind-boggling. 
Again, maybe they will raise money at a fundraiser or something, but it 
is not the way we should proceed here.
  By the way, it is going to delay aid to Israel. The Senate, in a 
bipartisan way, wants no part of this. The President wants no part of 
it; therefore, we are wasting time. We are spinning our wheels for no 
reason at all.
  When people come down here, like the gentleman just said, oh, we want 
to stand by our ally Israel, you know, we are a friend of Israel, I 
will repeat what I said before: If I were Israel, I would unfriend you 
because you are delaying the aid package.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey 
(Mr. Pascrell).
  Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, surrendering to Russia. Weak on China. 
Are we serious about Israel? We are ignoring the humanitarian crisis 
which exists there. This is strong for millionaire tax cheats. These 
are the House Republican priorities.
  Madam Speaker, I am tired of listening to the attempts to divide us 
more. The last speaker is a perfect example. I have great respect for 
the gentleman, but it simply divides Americans more. I am sorry he 
left. He is saying that basically Republicans care about what happened 
on that terrible day when Hamas attacked; and that Democrats, where are 
they really? We have been very specific, and the Senate has been very 
specific. We have matters at hand. The catastrophe that happened 
affected so many Israelis and, as a consequence, many, many 
Palestinians. Very few belong to Hamas. But that is simply a footnote, 
right?
  House Republicans are using an international crisis, and I agree with 
the ranking member of the Rules Committee, but they want to pass a 
millionaires' tax break. The toxic political document would let rich 
tax cheats off the hook.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from New Jersey.
  Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, it will increase the deficit while our 
allies need help. That makes a lot of sense. Israelis and Palestinians 
need our help. Humanitarian and defensive aid is a bare minimum.
  Ukraine needs our leadership. Russian soldiers have been butchering 
women and children for almost 2 years.
  Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record a BBC 
article titled: ``Whole family shot dead in Russian-occupied Ukrainian 
town.''
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.

                     [From BBC News, Oct. 30, 2023]

 Ukraine War: Whole Family Shot Dead in Russian-Occupied Ukrainian Town

       (By Vitaly Shevchenko, BBC Monitoring, and Jaroslav Lukiv)

       Nine people, including two young children, have been found 
     shot dead in their house in the Russian-occupied eastern 
     Ukrainian town of Volnovakha.
       Ukrainian officials say they believe Russian soldiers 
     killed the whole of the Kapkanets family on 27 October for 
     refusing to give them their house.
       Russian investigators say two male suspects have been held, 
     saying they are Russian soldiers from the Far East.
       Ukraine and Russia have begun separate investigations into 
     the attack.
       Photographs have emerged on social media showing blood-
     splattered and bullet-riddled bodies lying in beds, some of 
     them still locked in an embrace.
       Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Monday that 
     ``Russians' bloodied hands were involved'' in the Volnovakha 
     killings.
       ``According to preliminary information, the occupiers have 
     killed the whole of the Kapkanets family, who were 
     celebrating a birthday and who had refused to hand their own 
     house over to occupiers from Chechnya,'' he said on Telegram.
       The Ukrainian-controlled Donetsk prosecutor's office, 
     citing preliminary information, said the attackers in army 
     uniforms shot the family dead after their demand to vacate 
     the house had been rejected.
       Two children, born in 2014 and 2018, were among the 
     victims, the office added.
       Russia's official Investigations Committee described those 
     arrested as Russian soldiers from the country's Far East, who 
     had signed contracts with the Russian military.
  Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, nine members of one family were killed 
because they would not give up their house to Russian troops so they 
could stay there. Yet, we are finagling and we are dividing while 
Ukraine burns. What are you doing for Ukraine? What are Republicans 
doing today? What would they tell the President of Ukraine if he were 
here today while they are sitting on their fannies and not doing 
anything about them.
  Ukraine needs our leadership. Russian soldiers have been butchering 
women and children for almost 2 years. House Republicans are acting 
like Putin's bodyguard by blocking Ukraine aid.
  This bill aids the PRC by ignoring the President's request to support 
Taiwan.
  The funding President Biden requested for nonprofit security grants

[[Page H5240]]

to protect schools and houses of worship is nowhere to be found. That 
is disgraceful. I hope we think better of it. I hope we come together. 
I hope this tragedy can unite us.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have promised the 
American people that they won't cut a single dime from Social Security 
and Medicare. However, this past September, Budget Committee 
Republicans passed a budget that favors the wealthy and well connected 
over working families and makes massive cuts to critical programs that 
Americans rely on. They even rejected amendments to protect Social 
Security and Medicare earned benefits.
  Madam Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer a 
resolution to state unequivocally that the House won't cut a single 
cent from these crucial programs that so many of our constituents rely 
on.
  Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my 
amendment into the Record along with any extraneous material 
immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to 
close.
  Look, the decision here is simple. The two appropriations bills that 
we are talking about today literally strip billions and billions of 
dollars that fund essential agency functions and services. Members are 
either for these extreme funding cuts or they are not.
  I would say to my friends on the Republican side who like to 
masquerade as moderates that they can't get away with saying, oh, I 
just wanted to move the process along. The bottom line is, you vote for 
these bills, you own what is in them. Please understand that.
  On the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related 
Agencies Appropriations Act, they cut $26 billion below the 2023 
levels. It raises costs while threatening to damage our Nation's 
economy. It makes travel and communities less safe. Who does that?
  It further harms our environment and ignores the impact of climate 
change. I mean, open your eyes. I would say to my Republican friends: 
If Republicans don't believe that climate change is real now, then they 
are hopeless. They are hopeless. They should go retire. They are not 
fit to be here.
  It strips away equal access to housing and community development 
investments. Who does that?
  On the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations 
Act, again, there are deep, deep cuts. Cuts aimed at trying to undo 
attempts to deal with the climate crisis. We are having wildfires all 
over the world and in this country; extreme weather conditions, floods 
and droughts. I mean, talk to your farmers, talk to people in your 
community. Everybody gets it, except the Republican Conference here has 
its head in the sand.
  On these appropriation bills, it is clear. I mean, read the bills. 
Read the bills. I don't know how anybody could come here with a 
straight face and say that this is good legislating. The only thing 
that is good is the fact that they are so extreme that even Senate 
Republicans are not going to take any of this garbage seriously.
  The supplemental aid bill is as disastrous as it is disgraceful. 
Everybody in this House, everybody is horrified by the events of 
October 7. A terrible tragedy occurred that day. Israeli civilians were 
massacred that day. My Republican friends say they want to help Israel, 
and so what do they do? They condition the aid to Israel on essentially 
a tax break for millionaires, billionaires, and corporations that cheat 
on their taxes. Really? That is what they are thinking about? That is 
the focus? Don't miss an opportunity to help the well off and the well 
connected. Don't miss an opportunity to help tax cheats.
  Let's not miss an opportunity to help millionaires, billionaires, and 
big corporations to try to cheat on their taxes. They may be big 
donors, but I am going to tell you what they do is not right. It is 
illegal. They ought to be held accountable, the same way that average 
working people are held accountable.
  Rich people in this country do not pay taxes anywhere near as much as 
average workers in this country. Rich people don't pay as much taxes as 
nurses, teachers, laborers, and people who work hard every day just to 
make ends meet. Come on, we ought to be able to agree on that. However, 
to condition any aid on helping protect these tax cheaters? Boy, that 
is cynical. It tells you where their priorities are, Madam Speaker.
  The question is, Members either want to provide the aid to Israel or 
they don't. If Republicans really were serious about this, they 
wouldn't politicize it. If Republicans were really serious about this, 
they would be working in a bipartisan way not only with Democrats in 
the House but with Republicans and Democrats in the Senate and with the 
White House, and let's get this thing done quickly but they can't do 
it.
  They decide that they can't bring themselves to support any kind of 
humanitarian aid. Half the people who live in Gaza, half the people are 
children. Children. They are not Hamas. They are just innocent 
children. The idea that we will get to a humanitarian aid package, oh, 
whenever we feel like it, I mean, really? Are you watching the footage 
on TV? Are you reading anything about the reports, about the suffering? 
These children need help now. They needed help a week ago. The idea 
that, oh, we just can't talk about that right now, is inhumane. It is 
inhumane.

  There is nothing in here to help Ukraine. By the way, there is a 
humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine as well. That humanitarian aid 
package would help those innocent people caught in the crossfire in 
Ukraine, but can't be bothered. We have to help protect tax breaks for 
rich people. That is the priority. Not the suffering people of Ukraine.
  No security package for Ukraine, nothing. Vladimir Putin is 
celebrating as we speak. That is exactly what he wants. I am sure my 
friends will get great coverage on Moscow TV because this is exactly 
what Putin has been hoping for, that Congress will walk away from 
helping the Ukrainians defend their sovereignty.
  Russia attacked Ukraine, tried to invade Ukraine with only 
provocation, and you are acting like it is no big deal; and the people 
that are being caught in the crossfire, well, we can't be bothered with 
giving you any humanitarian aid.

                              {time}  1000

  Other national security priorities the President asked for will be 
put on the back burner.
  What is this Republican majority thinking? What world are they living 
in?
  Again, please don't repeat the lie that the majority is paying for 
things with these offsets. These offsets are not real. The 
Congressional Budget Office says it. I get that Republicans don't like 
that the CBO says it, but CBO tells the truth. The majority can either 
ignore it or not, but don't say that somehow we are offsetting the 
costs of our foreign aid package here. We are not. It is a joke. It is 
an insult to the intelligence of the American people. It is an insult 
to the Members of Congress who serve in this institution. Plus, my 
Republican colleagues say it with a straight face. What is going on 
here?
  The chaos of the Republican Party is no longer just about the 
Republican Party. It has become an international embarrassment for our 
country. The way they are handling legislation today is an 
international embarrassment for our country.
  The insensitivity that is being demonstrated for innocent civilians 
being caught in the crossfire of these conflicts is an embarrassment 
for this country. It is a failure of government, and this is a national 
security threat.
  The Grand Old Party, the once-great party of Lincoln and Eisenhower, 
is no longer fit to govern. They are no longer fit to govern. It no 
longer represents a coherent political philosophy or ideology. It 
relies on scandal and spectacle to mask sedition, selfishness, and 
greed. How else do we explain the giveaway to tax cheats in their 
Israel aid package?

[[Page H5241]]

  I am pleading with normal Republicans, traditional Republicans, with 
courage, integrity, and guts. We need them to retake their party. I 
want a strong Democratic Party, but we need a strong, principled 
Republican Party if this country is going to work. Right now, we do not 
have that.
  What is happening here today is wasting our time on appropriations 
bills that are so extreme in terms of what they cut that they are going 
nowhere. We are wasting our time on that and the cynical attempt to 
help big donors who cheat on their taxes by conditioning aid to Israel 
on protecting them. Who thought that one up? I don't even know where 
that idea came from. Who thought it was a good idea to do this?
  At a time of an international crisis, it would be nice if we all 
spoke with one voice. Wouldn't it be great if everybody could stand up 
here and say we are together and meeting the challenges appropriately, 
properly, and decisively? That is not what we are doing today.
  I have to say, Madam Speaker, just when you think it can't get any 
worse around here, it does.
  I will close with this: I still can't get out of my head the ease 
with which my Republican friends on the Rules Committee voted to not 
even allow us to consider the amendments by Congresswoman Wasserman 
Schultz, especially the one on humanitarian aid.
  There was no discussion. There was no debate. Let's quickly all 
reject it as if it was no big deal.
  Look at those pictures. Look at those pictures of not only what is 
happening in the Middle East but what is happening in Ukraine.
  We have to start asking ourselves why we are here. We are supposed to 
be about helping people in this country. We are supposed to be about 
standing for human rights all around the world. Yet, we are dealing 
with these garbage appropriations bills that are a disgrace. We are 
dealing with a supplemental aid package that is insufficient in so many 
ways in terms of what it doesn't fund, and it is so cynical. It is so 
cynical.
  Again, I urge my colleagues, Madam Speaker, to vote ``no'' on this 
rule. I urge them to vote ``no'' on all the underlying bills. I urge my 
Republican colleagues to go to one of their many conferences that they 
seem to have five times a day to try to work out their problems within 
their Conference and actually come to an agreement that maybe we ought 
to put the country and doing what is right ahead of everything else.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Madam Speaker, I will bring the discussion back to the real issues at 
hand and talk about the fact that the American people and my 
constituents sent me to Washington to responsibly fund government and 
to stop overregulation and unnecessary interference from Washington. 
Overturning WOTUS, reining in the EPA, and investing in transportation 
safety, these bills do exactly that.
  The appropriations bills we are debating today cut unnecessary 
programming and prioritize the programs that serve the American people 
while allocating critical funding for vulnerable populations.
  I am proud of the work that my colleagues on the Appropriations 
Committee have done to take an honest look at government spending and 
make the sometimes hard decisions about where realistic cuts can be 
made. It is especially important because the national debt continues to 
rise and burden the next generation.
  I support the rule and the underlying bills, and I encourage Members 
to do the same to make sure that we are responding responsibly to the 
national debt and the crisis that we are facing.
  The material previously referred to by Mr. McGovern is as follows:

  An Amendment to H. Res. 838 Offered by Mr. McGovern of Massachusetts

       At the end of the resolution, add the following:
       Sec. 12. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the 
     House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the 
     resolution (H. Res. 178) affirming the House of 
     Representatives' commitment to protect and strengthen Social 
     Security and Medicare. The resolution shall be considered as 
     read. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on 
     the resolution and preamble to adoption without intervening 
     motion or demand for division of the question except one hour 
     of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and 
     ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means or 
     their respective designees.
       Sec. 13. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the 
     consideration of H. Res. 178.
  Mrs. FISCHBACH. 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.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question are postponed.

                          ____________________